Month: August 2020

A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles alleges that Takeoff, a rapper with the hip-hop group Migos, raped a woman at a party in June. The unnamed woman filed the suit as a Jane Doe, with her attorney saying she “fears retaliation from speaking out.” The filing to the Superior Court of California includes a
0 Comments
Gaming entertainment company Rovio Entertainment Corp. has appointed IMG as the exclusive worldwide consumer products licensing agent for its “Angry Birds” franchise. The partnership will give Rovio the opportunity to develop a holistic consumer products strategy for the mobile app-turned-blockbuster across all content and platforms. “Over the years, Rovio has worked with a number of
0 Comments
Rowan Blanchard was about six months into her Vancouver-based shoot for Season 2 of TNT’s dystopian thriller “Snowpiercer” when COVID-19 struck North America. “We were so close to finishing. They had two episodes left on Season 2 and they immediately sent everyone home,” says Rowan’s mother, Elizabeth Blanchard. The sudden pivot from working nonstop to
0 Comments
On July 29, in a congressional antitrust hearing, the CEOs of four of the world’s biggest tech companies endured a five-plus-hour cross-examination filled with combative and accusatory questioning. The livestreamed bipartisan grilling was aimed at making the case that the rich corporate quartet — Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Alphabet — have repeatedly abused their outsize
0 Comments
UPDATED: ICM Partners has signed franchise agreement with the Writers Guild of America, Variety has learned. “We are looking forward to getting back to work for our writer clients,” said the company’s co-president, Kevin Crotty. “The pandemic has caused tremendous hardship and every facet of our industry is greatly challenged because of it. It was
0 Comments
Nonprofit PEN America on Wednesday issued a moral clarion call to Hollywood to step up its efforts to resist Chinese censorship and increase transparency, criticizing studios and the MPA for appearing to defend free speech at home only when financially convenient. The New York-headquartered free speech advocacy group detailed the mechanisms by which China influences
0 Comments
Directed by former competitive swimmer Pascal Plante and featuring a two-time Olympic athlete in the title role, “Nadia, Butterfly” qualifies as both a sports movie and not-a-sports movie — which is to say, Plante’s aloof, intermittently engaging second feature takes a backstage look at a defining moment in a swimmer’s career, but it does so
0 Comments
IFC Films Unlimited, the streaming arm of IFC, has expanded to Canada. It will be made available on Amazon Prime beginning Wednesday. Customers can subscribe directly to IFC Films Unlimited for $5.99 CAD per month. The subscription service also offers access to movies from IFC’s other labels Sundance Selects and genre label IFC Midnight. The
0 Comments
Exclusive “There is no county line at which Kobe Bryant’s celebrity suddenly evaporates.” That’s Vanessa Bryant‘s key argument as to why the court should REJECT a requested venue change in her wrongful death lawsuit — claiming Kobe’s legacy expands way beyond L.A. As we previously reported, Island Express Helicopters and the estate for pilot Ara
0 Comments
Like the rest of us, the talents on this year’s Young Hollywood list have had their lives disrupted by the coronavirus: Productions were halted and tours canceled. But these artists, who include actors, musicians and digital stars, have continued to flourish during the pandemic-forced shutdown of the entertainment industry, flexing new creative muscles or simply
0 Comments
Nick Khan, a behind-the-scenes power in the world of sports representation, is moving to professional-wrestling powerhouse WWE, where he will take on the role of president and chief revenue officer. Khan replaces George Barrios and Michelle Wilson, two longtime senior WWE executives who left Vince McMahon’s entrepreneurial professional-wrestling operation abruptly in a shake-up of management
0 Comments
“The Ren & Stimpy Show” is the most recent Viacom throwback getting a new life. Comedy Central announced Wednesday that it has ordered a revival of the ’90s animated series. The move comes amid a significant push into adult animation at ViacomCBS’ entertainment and youth group, which comprises most of the company’s cable brands and
0 Comments
Shares of Disney popped over 10% in early trading Wednesday, as investors rallied around the media conglomerate’s fast-growing streaming footprint and aggressive expansion strategy. Disney on Tuesday reported that its direct-to-consumer streaming services collectively surpassed 100 million paid subscribers worldwide. That includes 60.5 million for Disney Plus through July, nine months after the service first
0 Comments