A 77-track benefit album for a voting rights organization will be released as a download on Bandcamp Friday, for just one day before it disappears — and the list of artists and previously unreleased tracks is intriguing enough to inspire a full-on onset of carpe diem. The second volume of “Good Music to Avert the
Month: October 2020
“South Park” returned with an hourlong pandemic special on Wednesday night, and boy did viewers find it infectious. The special drew 2.3 million total viewers on Comedy Central and scored a 2.1 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, making it the highest-rated episode of “South Park” in seven years. That also represents a massive 168%
The British Film Institute (BFI) has released the first tranche of money from its £30 million ($38.6 million) Culture Recovery Fund, with £650,000 ($838,000) disbursed to 43 independent cinemas across England, U.K. culture secretary Oliver Dowden announced Friday. The BFI grants are part of the U.K. government’s larger $1.9 billion lifeline for the arts sector
Genrefication in the music world can involve fierce debates over whether an act’s art could be defined as — or confined — to such terms as heavy metal, alternative, deep house or trap. That’s been going on for as long as genres have existed, yet they take on a much more serious air when it
Country superstar Keith Urban talks about his just-released duet with Pink, “One Too Many,” in a clip from a full-length video interview he did with Variety that will be the kickoff episode of new music video series, “Soundboard.” “One Too Many” is fast-rising at country radio, but Urban admits that it’s hardly the most genre-specific
In today’s TV news roundup, Amazon Prime Video unveiled a “Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2” trailer, and Variety exclusively learned that “FBI” actor Jeremy Sisto will be honored with the canopy award at the North Fork TV Festival. FIRST LOOKS Amazon Prime Video released an official trailer for Rihanna‘s “Savage X Fenty Show Vol.
The U.K.’s independent television production sector generated a record £3.3 billion ($4.2 billion) in 2019, driven by international revenues that broke £1 billion ($1.3 billion) for the first time. The Pact U.K. Production Census, an annual survey conducted by the country’s trade org for producers, showed that international work proved to be the most lucrative
South Korean girl group Blackpink is giving the world a sweet tooth. Their latest single, “Ice Cream,” features sugary vocals by Selena Gomez and melodies by co-writer Ariana Grande, not to mention a cavity-inducing, cuteness-overload music video. The song is the culmination of four years of building, from concept — Seoul’s YG Entertainment formed the
The Trump campaign accused the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates of political bias on Thursday, and said no rule changes should be implemented for the remaining events. The commission said on Wednesday that it will provide moderators with “additional tools” and “structure” to keep the conversation on track, after President Donald Trump’s chaotic performance on
With just a month left in the campaign, Hollywood Democrats are turning their fundraising efforts toward winning back the U.S. Senate. On Wednesday night, actor Seth Rogen appeared at a virtual fundraiser for Jaime Harrison, the Democrat in a tight race with Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina. Rogen’s wife, actor Lauren Miller Rogen, also
Vampires, shapeshifters and demons, oh my! Since 2005, the Winchester brothers on the CW’s “Supernatural” have hunted anything and everything that posed a threat to humanity — including both the devil and God themselves. But while the show started out as a monster-of-the-week procedural, the battles Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) had were
The U.K.’s film and TV production restart scheme won’t be open to applications until it’s secured State Aid approval from the European Union — a process that’s still ongoing, with no clear end date in sight. “I was hoping it would be several weeks ago, I hope it’s tomorrow, but I just don’t know,” John
Shepard Smith brings a lot to CNBC, including a sterling reputation for chasing facts. But he wasn’t able in his first night on air to catch the audience he enjoyed at his former employer, Fox News Channel. Smith’s new 7 p.m. program, “The News With Shepard Smith,” won an average of 373,000 viewers in its
Zachary Quinto has never seen William Friedkin’s 1970 big-screen adaptation of “The Boys in the Band,” based on Mart Crowley’s play about a group of gay men who gather in a New York apartment for their friend Harold’s birthday. You’d think he would have by now. Not only did he play Harold in the 2018
Like “Ne Zha” — 2019’s monumental computer-animated box office hit — similarly spectacular CG epic “Jiang Ziya” concludes with nearly 10 minutes of credits: a dense scroll of names amounting to a virtual army of animators, punctuated by extra scenes and teasers for upcoming projects from Chinese distributor Beijing Enlight Pictures. That’s how fans first
Warner Music Group has elected Ceci Kurzman to the company’s Board of Directors, including the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, effective Thursday (October 1). Kurzman is founder and President of Nexus Management Group, a former talent-management and current investment company. She is also the first person of color on Warner’s board; the company has come
Activision Blizzard Esports CEO and Overwatch League commissioner Pete Vlastelica will leave his post for a new role within the company following next week’s Overwatch League Grand Finals, the company said in a statement on Thursday. “Pete Vlastelica, CEO of Activision Blizzard Esports and Commissioner of the Overwatch League, will transition from his role in
Exclusive Dr. Dre just won a battle in court … the judge in their divorce case just rejected Nicole‘s request for $1.5 million to pay for various expenses, including security … and the judge rejected her request to accelerate her claim that Dre should pay $5 million for her lawyer’s fees and other costs. Nicole’s
New movies from the world of “Dr. Seuss” — “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” and “The Cat in the Hat” spinoff “Thing One and Thing Two” — are in the works from Warner Animation Group. J.J. Abrams is producing an adaptation of the classic children’s book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” through his company, Bad
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long:
The most somber part of the best day of the year — the Oscars — is when the ceremony takes a pause to remember the artists that have left us. This upcoming Academy ceremony will likely be as devastating as ever with the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging our country and industry. One observation as we look
Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, teen digital influencers who popped to fame on TikTok, are branching in the podcast biz with a new show about themselves that’s aimed at their massive fanbase. The D’Amelio sisters, who together have nearly 200 million social media followers, are set to launch their new weekly podcast “Charli and Dixie: 2
Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead” is getting much larger. The “Justice League” director has added 11 new cast members to “Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas,” a spinoff anime series which will serve as a prequel to his 2021 zombie heist movie. Two of the biggest names joining the cast are “Mr. Robot” star
Amy Sherman-Palladino has said she pitched “Gilmore Girls” as a half-baked idea for a TV show: “There’s this idea of a mother and daughter, but they’re more like friends than mother/daughter.” Two decades later, Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Lorelai Gilmore’s (Lauren Graham) dynamic has become one of the most iconic relationships in TV history. The
A little boy sits alone on the floor of his bedroom. Backlit by a window, he leans over pages of construction paper on which he is obsessively drawing. A platoon of little green Army men guards the pages, and ultimately the boy. As the camera pans around him, he does not speak — in fact
For the first time since Nielsen launched its new weekly streaming top 10 list in late summer, Netflix has some company. The Season 2 premiere of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Boys” managed to make it into the top 10, for the week of Aug. 31 to Sept. 6. Also entering the chart: Disney Plus’ “Mulan,”
Apple has filled out the cast for its upcoming musical comedy series starring and produced by Cecily Strong. The Lorne Michaels executive-produced project is adding Keegan-Michael Key, Fred Armisen and Kristin Chenoweth, as well as seven others. The as-yet-untitled series, which was announced earlier this year, follows a couple on a backpacking trip designed to
“F Is For Family” is officially coming to an end. Netflix has picked up the animated series for a fifth and final season, Variety has confirmed. The series was created by Bill Burr and Michael Price, and follows the Murphy family, an Irish-American clan living in the 1970’s, a time when political correctness was the last thing
Tim Robbins thought he’d come up with a timely idea for a new comedy. The subject of his new satire would be an unhinged billionaire-turned-president who uses the Oval Office to sow racism and division. Robbins’ film would focus on his struggles to maintain his grip on power during a tumultuous year in which he
With U.S. studio tentpoles dropping out of the theatrical calendar, Chinese blockbusters may find a rare opportunity to gain some traction abroad. At least that’s what London-based distributor Trinity CineAsia is betting on. The firm has acquired the Jackie Chan-starring blockbuster “Vanguard” from Hong Kong-based Golden Dragon Pictures for theatrical runs in the U.K., Ireland