Month: April 2020

Two remotely produced comedy series have been ordered by ViacomCBS Networks International brands MTV and Comedy Central. MTV International has greenlit “Lockdown Laughs with Charlotte Crosby” (working title), which sees the British reality TV star curate the best quarantine clips from across the globe. Meanwhile, Comedy Central International has commissioned short-form digital series “Comedians in
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Brittany Howard has recorded a new version of her recent song “Stay High” for the Spotify Singles program — but fans may be more excited by the single’s “B-Side,” a cover of Funkadelic’s “You And Your Folks, Me And My Folks.” As the announcement says, the song – which originally appeared on Funkadelic’s classic 1971 album, “Maggot Brain” – “takes on fresh urgency as
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With countless medical professionals fighting on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, one timely documentary about a healthcare activist caught the eyes of Bradley Whitford and brothers Mark and Jay Duplass. Whitford and Duplass Brothers Productions have signed on to executive produce “Not Going Quietly,” Variety has learned. The documentary, which will premiere at the
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Directors’ Fortnight and Critics Week, the two sections running alongside the Cannes Film Festival, have canceled their 2020 editions. The joint decision comes two days after France’s President Emmanuel Macron said all festivals and events gathering large crowds would be banned in the country until mid-July. “The Directors’ Fortnight, La Semaine de la Critique and
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Amazon has piled more free-to-stream content into Prime Video, including HBO original series, Warner Bros. movies and 20 “Sesame Street” episodes. Through a deal with HBO, Prime Video is making free — to anyone in the U.S. with an Amazon account — all episodes of “Big Little Lies,” “Barry,” “Ballers,” “Silicon Valley” and “Succession”; Warner
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RoadNation, a platform that enables artists and fans to build tours together, and A2IM (American Association of Independent Music) today announced a new program that aims to help independent artists earn money from livestream performances. The program will kick off with a livestreamed concert Friday featuring performances by AZRA, Rayvon Owen, RuthAnne Cunningham, Stefan Poole
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a former Democratic presidential hopeful, has endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden in the race for the White House. Warren’s endorsement is important to Biden as the senator from Massachusetts is a respected liberal standard-bearer for the Democratic Party. Warren’s thumbs up comes on the heels of Biden secure the endorsement of
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Here’s a first look at Irish “Poldark” star Aidan Turner as legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci in upcoming international co-production “Leonardo,” set to be released next year. The first glimpse of Turner as da Vinci shows him learning his craft as a young apprentice and then reaching for greatness with his commission to paint The
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“Game of Thrones” and “His Dark Materials” actor Lucian Msamati is to narrate wildlife documentary film “Okavango – A Flood of Life” from “River Monsters” producer Icon Films, which has partnered with international producer-distributor Fremantle on global sales. Originally filmed in full 8K, the documentary special explores Africa’s greatest oasis, the Okavango Delta, and is
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Marité Ugás’ Tribeca international narrative competition entry “Contactado” now has a first teaser-trailer, dropped by sales agent FiGa Films, which captures the main emotional crux and hints at the main story line of a psychological thriller. Set in Lima, its local market and dramatic hinterland of sacred Inca sites, wave-pounded beaches, huge cliffs and dusty
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China’s Dalian Wanda has dismissed talk of the imminent bankruptcy of AMC Theaters as “pure rumors.” The coronavirus outbreak has kept all North American cinemas closed since March. The Chinese property conglomerate has seen its entertainment investments slashed since 2018. But it remains publicly-traded AMC’s largest single shareholder. Contacted by Variety on Tuesday, Wanda offered
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China’s top administrative body has officially “recommended” that cinemas and other entertainment venues remain closed for the foreseeable future due to coronavirus concerns. That spells continued trouble for Chinese cinemas, even as other business sectors get back to work. China’s cabinet, the State Council, singled out enclosed entertainment venues like cinemas in a new announcement
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Entertainment conglomerate Endeavor’s mixed martial arts business took a hit last week with the cancellation of the UFC 249 pay-per-view and all other upcoming fight cards due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, UFC president Dana White says that the company has found a way to move forward with its live promotions. “We built the
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Supernatural horror film “Encircled” looks set to go into production in Australia, at a time when almost all other movie shoots are suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. Australia’s nationwide lockdown is set to be in place for many more months, but the “Encircled” producers have no intention of breaking the country’s stay-at-home directives. Rather
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In today’s film news roundup, Ava DuVernay starts a grant program, “Valley Girl” gets a digital release, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s “The Silencing” gets a U.S. release and Edward James Olmos announces a retrospective.  ARRAY GRANTS  Ava DuVernay’s non-profit foundation Array Alliance has launched a $250,000 funding initiative for organizations and individuals dedicated to narrative change by
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