“Mythbusters” and “White Rabbit Project” alums Tory Belleci and Kari Bryon have paid tribute to their former colleague Grant Imahara, who died unexpectedly on July 13. Read their tributes below. Tory Belleci I met Grant Imahara back in 1997 when I stepped through the doors of the ILM model shop. To say I was nervous
Month: July 2020
The number of drive-in cinemas across the U.K. has exploded from three to 40 during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new data from media measurement firm Comscore seen by Variety. Prior to the spread of the virus, the country had just three drive-in cinemas: two Cinestock sites at Haywards Heath, as well as The Star and
Just For Laughs Group will be going fully virtual for the first time since its 1983 inception. The annual comedy festival, held in Montreal, will forego its typical crowds for an online venue in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Keeping with its original postponed dates, the festival will welcome online audiences Oct. 9 and
Netflix is finally making its debut on smart displays, rolling out across the Google Nest Hub line of devices worldwide starting today. Users who have both Netflix and a Google Nest Hub or Nest Hub Max smart display can now stream the subscription VOD service in all territories where both the devices and Netflix are
“American Utopia,” a filmed-version of David Byrne’s hit Broadway show, will be the opening night presentation of the 45th Toronto International Film Festival. This edition of the annual Canadian gathering for film lovers is unlike any of the previous 44 iterations. Due to coronavirus, TIFF will be a mixture of physical and virtual events and
The 2020 CFDA Fashion Awards are moving ahead, but with a few changes. Earlier this year, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced that it had postponed the in-person ceremony (dubbed by industry insiders as “fashion prom”) as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The new date is September 14, when winners of the
High-profile doc “The Rossellinis,” described as a tongue-in-cheek autobiographical look at the descendants of iconic Italian director Roberto Rossellini’s extended family, is among the standout world premieres in the lineup of the upcoming Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week. Directed by Roberto Rossellini’s grandson, Alessandro Rossellini, the doc is unspooling out of competition and will close
Southern California independent label Burger Records has announced a series of structural changes after a number of young women came forward with accusations of sexual misconduct and predatory behavior amongst artists and employees associated with the label, its events and its Fullerton offices. As first-hand accounts continued to grow on social media — many gathered
Spotify is beefing up its big podcasting push by adding video to select shows — on the theory that “vodcasts” will prove even more engaging. Spotify’s new video podcasts are available in all markets where podcasts are supported, and, of course, for those which the creators have produced a video companion. Starting today, Spotify Free
Earlier this year, people started noticing something peculiar about MTV’s schedule: The network had quietly morphed into an almost 24/7 offering of just one show. At one point in late June, “Ridiculousness” — a half-hour viral video-clip show hosted by famed skateboarder Rob Dyrdek — aired for 113 hours out of the network’s entire 168-hour
Hit producer WondaGurl, who’s worked with some of the top names in hip-hop and R&B, including Travis Scott, Jay-Z, Drake, Pop Smoke, Rihanna, Bryson Tiller, Lil Uzi Vert and SZA, has signed a global agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing, in partnership with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Publishing. WondaGurl is among the youngest women to have
For the past nine years, the iHeartRadio Music Festival has been a staple of the music calendar. Every September, for two nights on the third weekend of the month, some of the biggest names in music — among them: Bon Jovi, Bruno Mars, Fleetwood Mac, Pink, Jack White, Harry Styles and the Weeknd — converged
Academy Award–winning actor Natalie Portman and a group of predominantly female founders were awarded the rights to bring a National Women’s Soccer League team to Los Angeles in 2022, Variety’s sister site Sportico reports. Portman and tech venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman and venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian, who led the investment
Craig Roberts’ “Eternal Beauty,” a romantic drama with Oscar-nominee Sally Hawkins, has sold North American rights to Samuel Goldwyn Films. The indie label will release the film on-demand this fall, an increasingly popular option at a time when many movie theaters are closed due to coronavirus. Roberts, a writer, director, and actor, who has appeared
Netflix has canceled production of Turkish original ‘If Only’ over government censorship of a gay character in the script, a source close to the streamer has confirmed. The announced show was to have been produced by Turkish production powerhouse Ay Yapim and has been described in promotional materials as the story of “Reyhan who is
“Trainspotting” writer Irvine Welsh and “American Psycho” author Bret Easton Ellis are in final talks with the U.K.’s Burning Wheel Productions to co-create a dramatized series based on the national tabloid press culture in the U.S. With the working title “American Tabloid,” the series will unspool over decades and follow events from a weekly publication
The video entertainment sector in Asia will shrink this year as the coronavirus and economic slowdowns weigh heavily on advertising revenues. Many countries will not see recovery to 2019 levels for several years. The upheaval is accelerating the shift from the traditional TV and pay-TV sectors to over-the-top consumption and business that will increasingly go
Michael Brooks, a political commentator who hosted the web series “The Michael Brooks Show” and “The Majority Report,” died of a “sudden medical condition,” the show’s Twitter account announced on Monday. He was 37. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the unexpected passing of Michael Brooks: a son, brother, friend and true
Time’s Up is urging SAG-AFTRA members to oppose the proposed successor deal on its master contract, provoking an accusation by the union of unwarranted interference. Balloting on the deal, reached last month between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, concludes Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT. “Creating safe, dignified, and equitable workplaces
Global talent agency, Creative Artists Agency has signed a non-exclusive strategic partnership agreement with United Media Asia, a Singapore and Indonesia-based content finance, production and distribution company. The deal will see CAA help represent and arrange financing for local-language film and television content in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, as well as advise on the company’s
The SAG-AFTRA national board has reprimanded Los Angeles president Patricia Richardson over her refusal to remove actor Corey Feldman, who has been accused of sexual assault, from guild’s Los Angeles local sexual harassment committee. Feldman has issued a strong denial of the allegations. Richardson responded by blasting the national board and accused it of employing
With the end of July marking the end of enhanced unemployment benefits, working songwriters and composers are facing another financial hurdle, to the tune of as much as $600 a week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation. Anticipating another crisis moment, performance rights organizations ASCAP, BMI and SESAC joined together with trade orgs National Music Publishers
Heather McDonald and former ‘RHOC’ star Jim Bellino are on the same page, legally speaking — they’ve settled his lawsuit against her … TMZ has learned. According to a joint statement released by Jim and Heather … they’ve “reached a settlement of the dispute on mutually satisfactory terms.” The joint statement also says Heather “never
MONDAY, JULY 20 Sony Classics Dates ‘The Climb’ for October Sony Pictures Classics will release Michael Covino’s comedy “The Climb” in New York and Los Angeles theaters on Oct. 9 — six months after its original date. Written by Covino and Kyle Marvin, “The Climb” premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Sony Classics bought
Documentary film editor Jonathan Oppenheim died July 16 in New York City, Sundance Institute confirmed to Variety. He was 67 and had been battling brain cancer . “Jonathan began his life in the arts as a painter which informed his sensibility in film,” his wife, Josie Oppenheim, wrote in a statement. “He was a talented
In today’s TV news roundup, HBO revealed the trailer for “The Weight of Gold,” a documentary about Olympians’ mental health challenges, and Netflix announced the premiere date for its upcoming animated comedy “Hoops.” GREENLIGHTS Epix announced “By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem,” a four-part docuseries that explores the music scene of
Veteran film producer Michael Shamberg sued the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Monday, as he steps up his campaign to prod the organization to boost its social media presence. Shamberg, 75, has been publicly decrying the Academy’s slide into irrelevance with younger viewers for several months. An Academy member since 1981, Shamberg
Acclaimed British actor, writer and producer Idris Elba will receive a BAFTA Special Award for his creative contribution to television and his commitment to championing diversity and new talent in the industry. The Special Award is one of the British Academy’s highest honors, with previous recipients for television including Nicola Shindler, Clare Balding, John Motson,
Paramount Pictures will release Skydance Animation titles “Luck” and “Spellbound” in 2022. Paramount made the announcement Monday. It came three years after David Ellison’s Skydance Media launched Skydance Animation by forming a partnership with Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios. “Luck,” directed by Peggy Holmes, will open on Feb. 18, 2022, as the first feature from Skydance
During a globally stressful moment like this one, it is tempting to read prophecy into even the most anodyne relics of the Before Times. But you don’t have to see an image of a giant coronavirus in a billboard behind Captain America, or freak out that a long-haired, quarantined Rapunzel lives in a kingdom called
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