In today’s TV news roundup, Jake Choi has joined the cast of ABC comedy “American Housewife,” and HBO Max unveiled the official trailer for “My Gift: A Christmas Special from Carrie Underwood.” CASTING Jake Choi has joined the cast of ABC sitcom “American Housewife,” Variety has learned exclusively. He will play J.D., a recent divorcee and
Month: November 2020
Veteran PR exec Allison Elbl has joined top music PR and marketing agency Shore Fire Media, the company announced Monday. Elbl, who starts her new role on Tuesday (Dec. 1), will be a senior vice president of the company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dolphin Entertainment, and will head Shore Fire’s Los Angeles
MONDAY, Nov. 30 Hiroyuki Sanada Rounds Out ‘Bullet Train’ Cast Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada will join Brad Pitt in Sony Pictures’ “Bullet Train,” based on the Japanese novel “Maria Beetle” in which a train in Tokyo is the setting for battles between criminals. David Leitch is directing, with Kelly McCormick producing through 87North alongside Antoine
Actor Abby Dalton, best known for her role as Julia Cumson in “Falcon Crest,” died last week at the age of 88. The Emmy-nominated star got her start acting in “Rock All Night,” a 1957 film about a group of hostages taken captive by two criminals at a club. She starred as Julie, a singer
Amblin Partners has signed a multi-year film distribution partnership with Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, as well as forged a series of new agreements that will expedite the company’s move into streaming. The pact is in the five-year range, according to insiders, similar to Amblin’s previous deal with the studio, which was inked in 2015. The
History Channel is developing a pair of drama miniseries, including one executive produced by “Vikings” creator Michael Hirst. The first is titled “The Plague Year,” which hails from writer Coleman Herbert with Hirst executive producing. The series is described as a portrait of 1665 London, during one of the all-time worst outbreaks of the Bubonic
Disney Plus has made good on its promise to deliver a varied and ambitious original programming lineup in Latin America where it launched on Nov. 17. More than 70 original productions are in various stages of development and production in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia, Disney’s four biggest markets. One of them, doc-series “Sobrevolando,” is
Grammy-nominated rapper 6lack’s love for hot sauce runs deep. Growing up in Atlanta, he quickly built up a tolerance to all things hot and would save up his pocket change to go to the local wing spot. Now, with his own hot sauce line, 600 Degrees, he’s making a splash in the world of food
“Into the Storm,” directed by Adam Brown, won the Grand Prize at the 2020 Kendal Mountain Film Festival on Sunday. Filmed over a six-year period, the film follows the story of a teenage surfer as he escapes the poverty of a barrio in Lima with the intention of becoming one of the top surfers in
Apple has given a straight-to-series order to a drama series starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Variety has learned. The series is titled “Surface” and hails from writer and executive producer Veronica West. Plot details on the series are being kept under wraps except to say that it is a psychological thriller. It will consist of eight episodes with
In recent days, New Jersey drivers may have been surprised to see billboards featuring native sons Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Jon Stewart wearing COVID masks under the words, “Wear a friggin’ mask!” The effort, launched just before the Thanksgiving holiday, is the first phase of a “Mask Up” campaign, spearheaded by New Jersey
FuboTV, the over-the-top live TV streaming provider, has tapped technology veteran Mike Berkley as chief product officer. Berkley joins the company effective immediately, reporting to FuboTV CEO David Gandler. As chief product officer, Berkley will lead product strategy and development for FuboTV across platforms, including connected TVs, mobile and web. Berkley most recently was chief
AMC Networks has appointed its first ever chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. The company has hired Aisha Thomas-Petit in the new role, which will see her look to build on the AMC’s current diveristy, equity and inclusion foundation. Thomas-Petit will play an integral role in developing and retaining a diverse and inclusive community of
Brat TV announced the renewal of “Attaway General” for Season 2, with filming already underway. The series, which is known for featuring young talent — including TikTok stars like Dixie D’Amelio — follows a group of teenagers who volunteer at the Attaway General Hospital in hopes of preparing for future medical careers. The first season
“Euphoria” and its Emmy-winning star Zendaya are back. It may not be the full-fledged sophomore season of the HBO original series, but the first trailer for a pair of special episodes released on Monday. The first episode is titled “Part 1: Rue” and will stream on HBO Max on Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. The
Dua Lipa’s “Studio 2054” livestream concert event drew a whopping 5 million-plus global views, according to an announcement from her reps — this tally is said to be a record for a paid livestream. That tally includes over 1.9 million unique log-ins from China, 95,000 from India and 263,264 tickets sold across the regular ticketing
The title of the new album from BTS, “BE,” was short for behemoth, at least in its first week, as the collection easily topped the album chart with 217,100 album units, more than double the number of the first runner-up. “BE” had what counts as a blockbuster number nowadays for full-album sales, selling 136,700 full
SPOILER ALERT: This piece contains spoilers for the entirety of Hulu’s “Happiest Season.” Proceed with caution, etc. Even if you only watched the opening credits of “Happiest Season,” you’d understand how hard the movie works to establish itself as a Christmas movie that both defies tradition and snuggles right up to it. To the tune of the holliest, jolliest song available, illustrations of
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. As many across the country continue to practice self-isolation due to coronavirus, why not while away
Erin Kellyman, Cailee Spaeny, and Ellie Bamber are negotiating to star in the “Willow” series at Disney Plus, Variety has confirmed. Details on the characters the three would play are being kept under wraps. The show will take place years after the original and will introduce new characters to the world originally established in the 1988 film.
“The Mandalorian” has officially become the first Disney Plus series to make an appearance on Nielsen’s recently-launched streaming top 10 list. The “Star Wars” series jets in at number three for the week of Oct. 26, placing only behind “The Queen’s Gambit” and “The Office” on Netflix. According to Nielsen, the show’s 9 episodes (including
For those pursuing a career in notoriously cutthroat industries like music or acting, social media fame offers a great way to sneak in through the proverbial back door, so to speak. One of the finest examples of success on that front is Andrew Bazzi, now known mononymously by his surname, who first rose to viral
Topic, the fast-growing streaming service from First Look Media, has acquired North American streaming rights to Anabel Rodriguez Rios’ documentary feature debut, “Once Upon a Time in Venezuela.” The film, which explores the decline of the Venezuelan fishing village of Congo Mirador and, more broadly, the country’s complicated current political and social climate, made its
Robert De Niro, Viola Davis, Al Pacino, Jennifer Lawrence and more Hollywood stars have expressed gratitude to Sen. Chuck Schumer for advocating on behalf of movie theaters and “working to ensure the survival of New York’s critical arts and culture institutions.” Schumer has been a vocal supporter of the bipartisan Save Our Stages act, which would
“Goonies never say die” is right! The stars of Steven Spielberg’s 1985 cult classic “The Goonies” are reuniting again for a good cause. Josh Brolin, Sean Astin, Martha Plimpton, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Jonathan Ke Quan, Jeff Cohen, Joe Pantoliano and Robert Davi will be participating in a live script reading on Saturday at 8
Variety has added keynote speakers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to its virtual Music for Screens Week from Nov. 30-Dec. 3. The conversation, presented by BMI, will join previously announced keynote speakers Mary J. Blige, Marcus Mumford and Dave Meyers. Reznor and Ross will demonstrate their creative and collaborative process in composing for film and
Managers Alexa Daniel and Gerald Lee have joined M88, a full-service representation firm founded by former WME partner Phillip Sun and Macro founder and CEO Charles D. King. Beginning their careers in the talent department at WME, Daniel and Lee work with Michael B. Jordan, Idris Elba, Donald Glover, Naomi Scott, Riz Ahmed, Gemma Chan,
The Slamdance Film Festival has unveiled its lineup of 25 features along with 107 shorts and episodics for the mostly virtual 27th edition of the festival — a number that equals previous editions of the festival. The opening night film, which will screen at a drive-in in Joshua Tree on Feb. 13, is the world
Talent agency WME has appointed Cindy Garas as senior VP of human resources. She is starting her new role immediately and will be based in the company’s Beverly Hills office. In her position, Garas will have oversight of human resources at the agency, including teams based in Beverly Hills, London, Nashville, New York, and Sydney.
“Penguin Bloom,” the Toronto International Film Festival player led by Naomi Watts, has been acquired by Netflix in key territories. The streamer will roll out the film in North America, the U.K., France and select countries in Asia on Jan. 27. Oscar nominee Watts stars in the real-life survival story of Samantha Bloom, an active
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