Scooter Braun, for one, thinks there’s a market for virtual concerts in which fans see their favorite artists performing as digital avatars. L.A.-based startup Wave announced $30 million in funding, with participation from investors including Braun, ex-Yankee ballplayer Alex Rodriguez, Superfly co-founder Rick Farman, and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin. The new funding will “elevate Wave’s
Month: June 2020
Both “Harlots” and “Reprisal” have been canceled at Hulu, Variety has confirmed. “Harlots” wrapped its third and final season on the streamer last August, while “Reprisal” aired its one and only season in December. “Harlots” took place in 18th century London and follows the Wells family as they try to run a successful brothel despite strong
The freshman comedy “Perfect Harmony” and the freshman drama “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector” have both been canceled at NBC, Variety has learned from sources. “Perfect Harmony” wrapped its one and only season in January, while “Lincoln Rhyme” ended in March. NBC declined to comment. More to come…
A call to repeal the 50-A legislation, which safeguarded police officers from being held accountable for brutality, will be signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo after it was passed by lawmakers on Tuesday. The 50-A legislation was first passed in the 1970s, but conversations about its validity resurfaced in response to the murder of Eric Garner
IFC Films is acquiring North American rights to the college comedy “Shithouse,” which won the grand jury prize for narrative feature at the virtual 2020 SXSW Film Festival. The film stars Cooper Raiff, who directed from his own script, along with Dylan Gelula, Amy Landecker, and Logan Miller. IFC Films plans to release “Shithouse” in
Friends and colleagues of Lynn Shelton, the popular indie filmmaker who died on May 16, have organized “Her Effortless Brilliance” as a music-driven tribute to Shelton’s life and work that will air Wednesday on YouTube at 6 p.m. PT. Shelton’s partner Marc Maron, the comedian, podcaster and actor, is among the musical performers, along with Death
Huang Wei, the VP of China’s Bona Film Group who managed its cinema division, has died by suicide, jumping from the 18th-floor offices of the company’s Beijing headquarters today, according to multiple Chinese reports. He was 52. In a brief statement posted to social media late Wednesday, Bona wrote that he had died on June
Following George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, many entertainment companies have made statements and pledged donations as well as internal initiatives to insure that the future of entertainment reflects all American voices. President and COO of Skydance Media Jesse Sisgold pointed out during the latest episode of the Variety Streaming Room’s
“The Simpsons” and “Frontline” have been given the Peabody Awards’ top honor, its institutional award. That recognition was announced on Wednesday, along with this year’s 30 Peabody Award winners — programs that include OWN’s “David Makes Man,” Amazon’s “Fleabag,” Hulu’s “Ramy,” HBO’s “Succession” and “Watchmen,” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and “When They See Us.” Those
Entertainment One has made it official and welcomed HBO vet Michael Lombardo as its president of global television, which Variety first reported exclusively last month. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Michael to the eOne team,” said eOne president of film and television Steve Bertram in a statement. “His incredibly impressive history of success
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin has lifted a ban on film and TV shoots in the city, his office confirmed Wednesday. News of the resumption of filming emerged earlier this week during an online debate running as part of a virtual market for local films and series, the Key Buyers Event. Russia’s deputy minister of culture
Dating shows have always been a guilty pleasure. Ever since the ’60s with “The Dating Game” and “The Newlywed Game,” audiences have been hooked. But in the modern viewing era, only one franchise has stuck in viewers’ hearts. “The Bachelor” debuted in 2002, and nearly two decades later, no other show has managed to break
Spanish production company Weekend Studio (Netflix’s “Hache”) has optioned The Story Lab’s new Spanish podcast “XRey” for adaptation as a TV drama series. A top three staple on Spotify’s list of most popular podcasts in Spain since launching May 19, “Xrey” dives into the details of Spain’s often-mysterious King Juan Carlos de Borbón I who,
“Batwoman” showrunner Caroline Dries reassured fans on Wednesday that there are no plans to kill off the character of Kate Kane following the exit of series lead Ruby Rose. “As a lesbian who’s been working as a writer for the past fifteen years, I’m well aware of the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope and I have
Get ready for a musical battle of the “One Day at a Time” divas! Gloria Estefan and Rita Moreno will be performing a parody of Estefan’s “Mi Tierra” in the upcoming animated episode, Variety has learned exclusively. “We diss each other, and we’re doing it to the tune of her beautiful, wonderful, saucy” song, Moreno
It appears that “America’s Got Talent” may be settling into a ratings groove. The NBC talent show scored a 1.3 rating and 8.6 million total viewers, retaining 100% in both metrics from last episode and comfortably winning the Tuesday night ratings race. Its premiere from two weeks back scored a 1.5 rating and around 9.9
The actor at the center of a row over alleged racism behind the scenes at British soap opera “Hollyoaks” has quit the show, it has emerged. Rachel Adedeji, who has alleged that she was subject to racist comments while working on the long-running Channel 4 drama, resigned last year, it has now been revealed. However,
UPDATED: Paul McCartney fiercely criticized the Italian live-music industry over its refund policy for his canceled 2020 concerts in a Facebook post. McCartney was scheduled to perform in the Italian cities of Naples and Lucca this week but canceled the shows early last month due to the coronavirus pandemic. In line with the policy of
On top of an ongoing trade war and pandemic, a new point of tension between the U.S. and China involves the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the May 25 death of George Floyd in police custody. The narrative put forth by Chinese state media platforms like CCTV has been one-sided and colored by antipathy
To say that interim Recording Academy president/CEO Harvey Mason jr. has had a challenging first few months on the job is an understatement of epic proportions. In January, just days after taking the role on a temporary basis after former president/CEO Deborah Dugan’s controversial ouster, he steered the Recording Academy through the most tumultuous Grammy
Netflix is promoting a new “Black Lives Matter” collection to U.S. subscribers, featuring over 45 titles about racial injustice and the experience of Black Americans. Movies, TV shows and documentaries in the Black Lives Matter collection include Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” (releasing Friday, June 12); Ava DuVernay’s “13th” and “When They See Us”; “Mudbound”;
The Grammy Awards will cease using the term “urban” in its awards and language as part of the latest round of annual changes to its rules and guidelines, the Recording Academy announced Wednesday (June 10). Along with the changes, which include updates to the Best New Artist category, Latin, R&B and Rap Fields, Nominations Review
Though international film and TV production is currently halted due the pandemic, Russia is becoming more attractive for prospective partnerships once lockdown restrictions lift. That was the takeaway of a panel held during the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition organized by Russian promotional entity Roskino moderated by Variety’s Leo Barraclough who chatted with Marc Lorber,
VFX house Cinesite has made three new senior appointments at the studio’s London headquarters and at its Montreal facility. Melissa Taylor joins as general manager for Cinesite’s London VFX studio. Taylor replaces Caroline Garrett, who has taken up the role of Netflix’s director of VFX, EMEA. Taylor was previously global head of business development at Framestore,
Shout! Studios has take North American rights to World War II epic “The Last Frontier,” while U.K. rights have gone to Signature Entertainment. The deals will be announced Wednesday by the film’s sales agent Central Partnership at Roskino’s digital market, Key Buyers Event. Distribution rights to the film were also sold to Japan (New Select),
In the weeks following the inaugural edition of the Key Buyers Event, a showcase for new Russian productions held in Moscow last fall, Roskino CEO Evgenia Markova reached out to scores of international guests who had made the trip to the Russian capital. After what was largely perceived as a successful event, in which dozens
Reddit announced the appointment of Michael Seibel, a venture-capital investor, adviser and entrepreneur, to its board of directors. The news comes less than a week after co-founder Alexis Ohanian said he was resigning from the company’s board and urged Reddit to select a Black candidate to replace him. Seibel is a partner at early-stage VC
“Moses on the Plain,” a film executive produced by art house director Diao Yinan, is among the first notable Chinese titles to have completed shooting since the country’s coronavirus outbreak. It stars A-listers Zhou Dongyu, who has enjoyed a further rise on the back of last year’s breakout teen drama “Better Days,” and Liu Haoran,
New distributor Rainmaker Content has secured global rights excluding the U.K. to BBC One lockdown comedy “Staged,” starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen. Launching on BBC One today, the Infinity Hill and GCB Films Production six part series is written by Simon Evans. It features the cast of a play – the cream of acting
The 44th edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival has been confirmed as taking place in physical form in August. It had been postponed from its previous slot in March due to the coronavirus outbreak. Organizers said on Wednesday that the event will run from 18-31 August 2020. The full lineup of selected films will
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