Month: March 2020

Taika Waititi is partnering with Netflix on a pair of animated series — one based on the world of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and another based on the Oompa-Loompa characters. Waititi, who won an Academy Award for the “Jojo Rabbit” adapted screenplay, will write, direct, and executive produce both projects. The two “Charlie and
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Lady Gaga will hit the road this summer with The Chromatica Ball Tour, a “special six-city limited run of exclusive performances.” The shows will kick off July 24 in Paris at Stade de France followed by stadium engagements in London on July 30 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium; Boston August 5 at Fenway Park; Toronto August 9 at The Rogers Centre; Chicago August 14 at Wrigley Field; and East Rutherford, New
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SiriusXM pulls out all the stops for its subscriber-only concerts, and today the network announced that it will broadcast some of its biggest of the past decade — including performances by Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish — on a dedicated limited-time channel, SiriusXM’s Superstar Concert Series, starting March
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BORDEAUX, France — Madrid-based Latido Films has taken international rights to Roc Espinet’s feature debut “Girl and Wolf,” an animated feature for young audiences based on Espinet’s eponymous graphic novel. “Girl and Wolf” is one of the projects offered at the ongoing Cartoon Movie, Europe’s leading animated movie co-production event, where Variety has learned of
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Filmmaker Alma Har’el helped conceive Time’s 100 Women of the Year issue, designed to recognize the contributions of female leaders, innovators, activists, entertainers, athletes and artists who defined the century from 1920 through 2019. Along with original portraits, the magazine will release 100 covers reflecting the era of each year. “I don’t think Time has
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The Walt Disney Company and Italy’s Telecom Italia Mobile have announced a multi-year bundling deal under which the Disney Plus streaming service will be carried exclusively by the telecom’s TIMVision platform. Starting on March 24, TIMVision will be the single Italian platform offering Disney Plus to its customers in a bundle with fiber broadband packages.
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Katy Perry has some news to share: she’s pregnant. The singer released a new song, “Never Worn White,” and video revealing a sizable bump at the end of the clip. Perry has been dating actor Orlando Bloom for over three years — they became Instagram official on May 20, 2016. A rep for the singer
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Netflix is the latest company to pull out of SXSW 2020, a source familiar with the situation tells Variety, canceling five film screenings and a panel for #BlackExcellence. Screenings of five films have been canceled, including feature film “Uncorked,” and four documentaries: “A Secret Love,” “L.A. Originals,” “Mucho Mucho Amor,” “Have a Good Trip: Adventures
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Jon Seda could well be starring in yet another NBC series. The actor, who is best known for his recent role in NBC’s “Chicago” franchise, has been cast alongside Michael Raymond-James and Natalie Zea in “La Brea,” a drama pilot which hails from writer and executive producer David Appelbaum. In the prospective series, when a
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Apple is no longer participating in the SXSW 2020 festival, as concerns heighten over the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), Variety has confirmed. The tech giant had been set to premiere three new Apple TV Plus originals at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival, including Spike Jonze’s documentary film “Beastie Boys Story,” and also was scheduled
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In today’s film news roundup, a “Clueless”-themed restaurant is coming, Dolly Parton’s literacy efforts are showcased in a movie and “The Artist’s Wife” gets release dates. ‘CLUELESS’ RESTAURANT Paramount Pictures is bringing back a slice of its iconic 1995 comedy “Clueless” with an “As If!” pop-up restaurant in West Hollywood starting on March 31. The
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Skydance’s long-in-development Bermuda Triangle thriller, “Bermuda,” looks to be gaining steam, as sources tell Variety that “Doctor Strange” helmer Scott Derrickson has signed on to rewrite and direct the pic, with Chris Evans circling the lead role. Derrickson’s deal has closed, but sources close to Evans say after meeting with Derrickson, the “Captain America” actor
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In today’s TV news roundup, MTV announced the premiere date and cast for the 35th season of “The Challenge,” and the CW announces premiere dates for three summer shows. CASTING MTV has revealed the lineup for season 35 of the reality-competition series “The Challenge,” dubbed “The Challenge: Total Madness.” To commemorate the landmark season, the
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Pop TV is paring down its scripted programming commitments as dust continues to settle from the Viacom-CBS merger. Variety has learned exclusively that three original series — “Flack,” “Florida Girls,” and “Best Intentions” — will not move ahead at the network. Their respective studios will be free to shop the shows to other outlets. According
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Tucked away deep in Van Nuys, Calif., Ethan Gruska is working with members of Manchester Orchestra at the unassuming but historic Sound City recording studio, the analog birthplace of such iconic albums as Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” and Johnny Cash’s Rick Rubin-helmed 1996 comeback, “Unchained.” Gruska’s name might not be immediately familiar, but he
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E3, the annual video-games conference in Los Angeles, is still on for now amid the spread of the coronavirus — but the event’s organizers said they are “monitoring and evaluating the situation daily.” Last year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, better known as E3, drew 66,100 attendees. The 2020 gaming showcase is scheduled to run June 9-11
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