Rhys Darby is set for the lead role in the upcoming HBO Max pirate comedy series “Our Flag Means Death,” Variety has learned. The series was originally ordered at the streamer back in September. It is loosely based on the real life of Stede Bonnet (Darby), a well-to-do gentleman farmer and child of wealth in the
Month: January 2021
Another top exec from Quibi, which flamed out in 2020 just six months after launching, has found a new gig: Rob Post, formerly Quibi’s chief technology officer, has joined Cameo — which sells personalized video messages from celebrities — as its new CTO. Post had joined Quibi, the ill-fated mobile streaming subscription service led by
In ABC’s new game show “The Chase” — the latest American adaptation of a U.K. format, hosted by ‘The View” co-host Sara Haines — the trivia master that contestants face off against is described as a “ruthless quiz genius determined to stop contestants from winning cash prizes.” Here, that role is held by three of
The get-out-the-vote effort in Georgia’s senatorial run-off today is getting a boost from more than 70 artists who’ve signed up to participate in #iVoted Festival Georgia, an eight-and-a-half hour livestream. The webcast, designed as a reward for Georgians who provide evidence they’ve cast ballots in the crucial election, will include performances by Jason Isbell and
In a judicial opinion filed last month, The State of Maryland’s highest court ruled that rap lyrics may be admitted in court as evidence of a defendant’s guilt. This blatantly racist decision is a travesty that sets a dangerous precedent. The case involves the January 2017 killing of George Forrester, who was shot by a
Back in October, in advance of the presidential election, country star Maren Morris surprise-released “Better Than We Found It,” a track that she herself described as a “protest song,” along with a video that addressed the issues of immigration and Black Lives Matter. “I wanted to write something to address exactly how I feel right
Over the weekend, indie-rock fans of a certain age were surprised to learn that “Bean Dad” — a man who posted a long Twitter thread about refusing to teach his hungry, crying daughter how to operate a can opener — was John Roderick, frontman of the veteran Seattle band the Long Winters and currently a
Paris Hilton’s story is getting the podcast treatment, with Wondery’s original podcast “Even the Rich” launching its newest season focused on the heiress, entrepreneur and OG influencer. Over four episodes, co-hosts Brooke Siffrinn and Aricia Skidmore-Williams take a deep dive into Hilton’s empire and “how this hotel heiress turned a provocative moment into super-stardom and
YouTube pulled down the channel of U.K. radio station TalkRadio, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, for unspecified violations of its rules. “This account has been terminated for violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines,” a notice reads on the page where TalkRadio’s channel had been. Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for more info.
A poor young man in India who longs for a life where the grass is greener. A stark but teeming portrait of the squalid underbelly of Indian poverty. A one-in-a-million shot that could catapult our hero to the place of his dreams. “The White Tiger,” written and directed by Ramin Bahrani, is a movie that
Netflix’s first Italian original doc series “SanPa: Sins of the Savior” follows controversial drug rehab founder Vincenzo Muccioli, and has made a splash on the platform since its Dec. 30 debut. In the last week, the series has cracked the platform’s top 10 most-watched programs in Italy, and currently holds the number 2 spot after
Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, a veteran administrator at CBS News, will take oversight of the division’s Washington Bureau, filling a role that has been in flux in recent months. Ciprian-Matthews will report to CBS News President Susan Zirinsky, and will play a significant role in running a newsroom engine that helps drive Washington-based programs like “Face The
In today’s global bulletin, the U.K. live music industry aims for summer return; Studio Lambert bolsters unscripted department; Channel 4 commissions luxury hotel series; and About Premium Content boards Pierre Cardin documentary. U.K. Music, the umbrella body representing the collective interests of the country’s music industry, has published a report setting out the economic, social
The fourth edition of the Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) is now set to be held later this month as an online-only event. The festival was originally scheduled to take place as an in-person event in December and got as far as announcing its selection. However, Malaysia’s coronavirus control measures were increased at the beginning
Broadcast journalist Ashleigh Banfield made her mark in cable news during 9/11 and its aftermath. She’s reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria and other far-flung hot spots. But there’s one form of TV she’s never had the chance to try, until now. Banfield has signed on with WGN America to host a 10 p.m. ET
Rowan Atkinson, the British actor known the world over for his “Mr. Bean” character, has delivered a broadside against the so-called online “cancel culture.” During an extensive interview with U.K. outlet Radio Times, Atkinson said: “The problem we have online is that an algorithm decides what we want to see, which ends up creating a
Alibaba Group announced Tuesday that it will close down its streaming platform Xiami Music on Feb. 5, as it struggles to keep up with competitors Tencent Music and NetEase in China’s competitive digital music sector. Xiami Music will cease operations due to “business development-related adjustments,” pivoting to become more of a music industry service provider,
The early 2020 box office success of Sam Mendes’ “1917” was one of the few bright sparks in a U.K. and Ireland box office shattered by the impact of coronavirus, according to Comscore’s annual report. The report notes that after five consecutive years when the cinema box office for the territory exceeded £1.3 billion ($1.76
Canadian government funding body Telefilm has absolved former employee Dan Lyon of any wrongdoing after launching an investigation last summer following allegations by filmmaker Pavan Moondi. In July, independent filmmaker Moondi (“Sundowners”) raised questions about the org’s selection criteria for funding and demanded clarity around its diversity standards. Other allegations of impropriety against Lyon were
“History of Swear Words” opens with Nicolas Cage, solemn as a rock, turning to the camera and unleashing a torrent of famous lines joined by one crucial, undeniably satisfying element: the thrill of forcefully exhaling the word “fuck.” With the canny combination of highbrow and lowbrow that Cage has turned into a profitable persona all
Hipgnosis Songs kept busy over the holiday: Not 24 hours after the fast-growing company announced that it acquired Jimmy Iovine’s production catalog, it announced it has acquired the music publishing rights of Lindsey Buckingham, best known for his work with Fleetwood Mac. Along with the 25% share it acquired in September, Hipgnosis — which has
The COVID-19 numbers in Los Angeles County are dire, and hospital beds remain at worryingly low capacity, pushing Hollywood to delay when most L.A.-based television shows go back into production. At this stage, most major studios — including CBS TV Studios, Warner Bros. TV, Universal TV, and as of Monday, Netflix — are looking to
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “The Bachelor” Season 25 premiere. “The Bachelor” answered a call to action to diversify the franchise when they cast Matt James as the Season 25 lead. Now, his season has turned into one of firsts. Not only is Matt the first Black bachelor, but also
After coming under continual fire in the four days since she played the New Year’s Eve party at Donald J. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, as the other performers that night have, Terri Nunn of the group Berlin has issued an apology for the controversial gig, saying she didn’t know it would be perceived as taking a
Imported films accounted for only about a sixth of China’s total box office in 2020, a nearly 55% decrease year-on-year, industry data tracker Maoyan Entertainment said Monday. The decline highlights the chaos COVID-19 has wrought on Hollywood release schedules as well as the diminishing appeal of foreign content in what has just become the world’s
Late night is returning home. James Corden’s “The Late Late Show” on CBS and Jimmy Kimmel’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on ABC are back to filming their nightly shows remotely amid the surging COVID-19 numbers in Los Angeles County. “With Los Angeles back on lockdown, we’re once again taping the #LateLateShow in @JKCorden’s garage until it’s
Matt James is the first Black lead of “The Bachelor.” After nearly two decades on-air and 25 seasons of the flagship show, ABC’s hit dating series is hitting a milestone — and its star knows it’s a big deal. “I felt that pressure — I’m not going to lie — initially,” James tells Variety about
Eminem already apologized to Rihanna for an old leaked diss by saying sorry on his new track, “Zeus” … but he’s going the extra mile to show just how sorry he is. Shady opened up about the leaked snippet of “Things Get Worse” during a SiriusXM interview Monday, saying he doesn’t have any recollection of
Netflix is developing a sequel to Robert Rodriguez’s newly released superhero pic “We Can Be Heroes.” The movie, which draws from the young heroes in the director’s “Spy Kids” franchise and “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl,” follows the children of Earth’s superheroes, whose parents have been kidnapped by alien invaders. The children are left
In today’s TV news roundup, the cast of “The Waltons” will reunite in an upcoming episode of “Stars in the House,” and HBO acquired the Scandinavian limited series, “The Investigation.” DATES Netflix is set to premiere “Chris Rock: Total Blackout, The Tamborine Extended Cut” on Jan. 12. In this new version of Rock’s Grammy-nominated stand-up