Month: June 2020

Warner Bros. is moving its untitled fourth “Matrix” film back nearly a year to the spring of 2022. The move comes as the Hollywood studios are scrambling their release schedules due to the theater shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new “Matrix” movie, which had been in production in Germany before being halted, has moved
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If one person has been central to popularizing the concept of artist-hosted radio it’s Apple Music’s global creative director Larry Jackson. Among his credits since joining the tech giant in 2014: Nicki Minaj’s Queen Radio, Virgil Abloh’s Televised Radio, Kendall Jenner’s ZaZa World Radio, and most recently, Lil Wayne’s Young Money Radio, which has been
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Steve Kloves, “Harry Potter” screenwriter and “Fantastic Beasts” producer, has broken his silence on “Potter” author J.K. Rowling’s controversial statements about transgender identity. “Our diversity is our strength,” Kloves says in an exclusive statement to Variety. “In these challenging times, it’s more important than ever that transgender women and men, and people who are non-binary, feel
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YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” virtual graduation event — livestreamed on Sunday, June 7, over more than four hours — set a new record for the video service. The livestream featured commencement addresses from Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, BTS, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and more, as well as performances by BTS, Katy Perry, Meghan Thee Stallion
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Composer Terence Blanchard has collaborated with Spike Lee for over 30 years, going back to 1991 when the director tapped him to score “Jungle Fever.” Since then, Blanchard’s credits include over 15 Lee films including “BlacKkKlansman,” “Malcolm X” and his latest, “Da 5 Bloods,” now streaming on Netflix. The story of four Vietnam War veterans,
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Dennis “Denny” O’Neil, best known for writing and editing Batman comic books, died on June 11 of natural causes. He was 81. O’Neil wrote “Batman,” “Detective Comics” and “Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight” in addition to serving as an editor for DC’s Batman-related comic books from 1986 until 2000. Along with editor Julius Schwartz
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The Writers Guild of America West Committee of Black Writers has challenged Hollywood to revolutionize its hiring practices immediately in the wake of companies asserting support for the Black Lives Matter campaign. “As Black Americans, professional screenwriters, and members of the Writers Guild of America West Committee of Black Writers, we are grieving, we are angry, and we
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Roy Cohn had always been a haunting presence in filmmaker Ivy Meeropol’s life, but the full extent of his existence was only apparent after she watched Meryl Streep play her grandmother, Ethel Rosenberg, in HBO’s 2003 “Angels in America.” “I think seeing the film made me finally connect emotionally to my human story, and this
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French and U.S.-based producer and distributor Cyber Group Studios has joined forces with one of Russia’s oldest animation studios, Soyuzmultfilm, to create a new animation outfit aimed at pre-school audiences. The joint venture label, Cyber Soyuz Junior, will see both companies combine their resources to make 2D animations; and its launch comes with the announcement of
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As the coronavirus pandemic has proliferated and social distancing guidelines prevented large gatherings across the country — and the world — the live music industry crumbled with one fell swoop. One after another, major tours and festivals were rescheduled, canceled, or rescheduled and then canceled. Andy Gensler, executive editor of concert industry trade Pollstar, and
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