ViacomCBS CEO Bob Bakish got a massive pay bump last year with his total compensation rising by more than $20 million to $38.9 million. Bakish’s haul was padded by $19.7 million in bonus compensation and another $16 million in stock awards. His base salary for last year was $3.1 million, according to ViacomCBS’ annual proxy
Month: April 2021
Opening weekend is upon us, which means baseball is back! While the MLB gears up for the 2021 season, Variety reflects on America’s pastime, which began in the mid-1800s and that showbiz was quick to monetize. In “Plie Ball! Baseball Meets Dance on Stage and Screen,” Jeffrey M. Katz links the growing popularity of baseball
The NBA has finally decided to take action against Kevin Durant for the homophobic and misogynistic insults he used in a private Instagram conversation with Michael Rapaport — fining the guy $50,000. “Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant has been fined $50,000 for using offensive and derogatory language on social media,” the NBA announced on Friday.
Boldness is very much the brand in Demi Lovato’s new album, “Dancing With the Devil… The Art of Starting Over,” an assertion that will strike no one as surprising after the pop star’s media blitzkrieg of the last few weeks. The fact that it isn’t a surprise is either an advantage or a problem, depending
Variety’s Artisans Awards celebrate below-the-line talent at the heart of filmmaking, and this year, the seventh edition of the honors once again unspools at the Santa Barbara Intl. Film Festival but this time, virtually, on April 5. “What I’ve always loved about the Variety Artisans Awards is that it reminds us of the film’s integral
Indoor concerts, theaters and other private gatherings may start up again in California beginning on April 15, the state’s Department of Public Heath announced on Friday. However, to attend the reopened events indoors, people will need to prove they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested for the virus. The number of guests
Every cinema in China must schedule and actively promote at least two screenings of propaganda films per week beginning this week until the end of the year, Chinese authorities have declared, announcing the first batch of eligible titles Friday. Theaters that are part of the National Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas or the “People’s Cinema” circuit
Play video content Exclusive TMZ.com Margaret Cho says she’s afraid to leave the safety of her own home as an Asian-American woman … telling us, “outside it’s cloudy with a chance of racism.” Despite that humorous phrasing, the comedian made it clear her fear is very real when she joined us Friday on “TMZ Live.”
Major League Baseball said Friday it would move its annual All-Star Game out of Georgia, citing the state government’s recent decision to put in place more restrictive measures about who is able to vote in coming elections. “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” said
After the installation of restrictive new voting laws in Georgia, Hollywood seems fractured in response to new measures that affect marginalized voters in a state where dozens of film and TV projects are shot. Tyler Perry, who just spent $250 million on an Atlanta-based production facility, called for a Department of Justice investigation into the
Ashley Judd is set to star in the upcoming YA drama “#FBF,” a movie that takes place almost entirely on smartphones and computer screens. The format, initially seen in films like “Searching” with John Cho, allowed the actors to be filmed in their homes in Los Angeles, Nashville, Anaheim, New York and other remote locations
Kendall Jenner‘s doing more than beefing up security to protect herself against a recent nude trespasser … TMZ’s learned she’s filed for a restraining order as well. Kendall filed legal docs Thursday to put a safe distance between her and the man who recently got onto her L.A. property Sunday and attempted to go for
When the pandemic took away Thurman White Academy of the Performing Arts Middle School’s ability to perform on stage, Nexus Studios used technology to give them the opportunity to shine again. Thanks to facial capture technology, these drama students were able to voice and puppeteer their own characters from the safety of their homes for
Taylor Swift got a jump on Easter by putting her Easter eggs out on Good Friday. One week out from the release of “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” her re-recording of the 2008 album “Fearless,” the singer has issued the titles of the bonus songs that are being appended to the original track list, though she made fans
The Native American Media Alliance announced Alex Nystrom, Glenís Hunter (Shinnecock), Diego Moreno (Pascua Yaqui), Andrina Smith (Shinnecock), Brian Young, Shelby Ramirez, JohnTom Knight, Liz Stephens and Jeremy Charles are this year’s fellows. “We live in an incredibly exciting time – we are finally seeing television shows about Native American people, by Native people, with
Though it’s set 50 years ago, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is contemporary and important. Writer-director Aaron Sorkin tells Variety, “Even from the beginning, I didn’t want the film to be about 1968, I wanted it to be about today. None of us realized how much about today it would end up being.” Sorkin
ABC announced that the final episode of “The Goldbergs” with George Segal, who played Albert “Pops” Solomon, will air on April 7 at 8 p.m. The episode, titled “Couple Off,” will be followed by a 45-second tribute to Segal. Segal died last month from complications during surgery. He was 87. Written by Annie Mebane and
Half a decade ago just after Nasim Pedrad left the “Saturday Night Live” ensemble, she came up with the idea for “Chad,” a sitcom centering on an awkward teenage boy who just desperately wants to fit in. After first being developed for broadcast television, “Chad” found a home at WarnerMedia cabler TBS and is finally
SPOILER WARNING: Do not read if you have not seen Season 1, Episode 3 of Disney Plus’ “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.” The topsy-turvy world created by the Blip gets even more complicated in “Power Broker,” an episode that introduces a brand new location and several new rogues to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (well,
The kern babies in Sony Pictures’ “The Unholy” might very well join the realm of creepiest movie dolls when the movie is released in theaters on Good Friday, April 2. It was production designer Felicity Abbott’s job to fashion them, part of a Scottish tradition among Celtic farmers who would bury the totems at the
Earlier this season, one of the most venerable franchises on TV was forced to confront itself. Returning for its 22nd season, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” stepped tentatively into a new world. The death of George Floyd had catalyzed a movement against the sorts of people Dick Wolf’s series had positioned as heroes, or
“Bridgerton” fans, the time has come to bid adieu to Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings. Netflix and Shondaland announced on Friday that star Regé-Jean Page’s character will not appear on the show’s upcoming second season, revealing the news via a notice from Lady Whistledown. “Dear Readers, while all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s
The return of Elliot Stabler to New York was good for NBC on Thursday. The 10 p.m. debut of “Law & Order: Organized Crime” delivered a 1.5 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic and an average of 7.6 million viewers in Nielsen’s live same-day preliminary ratings. The series marks the return of Christopher Meloni to
On Friday morning, Jen Shah from Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” was arraigned in federal court, and pleaded not guilty to the fraud charges for which she was arrested earlier this week. The arraignment, which had been rescheduled from Wednesday after massive technical difficulties thwarted the hearing, took place before United States District
Since “Balaoo the Demon Baboon” first appeared on film in 1913 to “King Kong” and beyond, anthropomorphised primates have been glorified in countless films and television shows. But what filmmakers, producers and audiences may not realize is that for animal “actors,” Hollywood is anything but glamorous. In fact, landing a leading role for a primate
After a delayed start due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotly anticipated “Friends” reunion is finally set to film next week — the week of April 5 — a source tells Variety. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry will reunite on a Warner Bros. soundstage for the HBO
Donald Trump loves him some McDonald’s, but ain’t so keen on paying for it … at least according to a former bodyguard who claims he’s still $130 in the red, thanks to DT. Kevin McKay says he worked as Trump’s bodyguard for 5 years … and one time in 2008, after visiting one of his
Eddie Murphy turns 60 years old on April 3 and he’s been a superstar for more than two-thirds of his life. Joining the cast of “Saturday Night Live” when he was only 19 years old, he quickly established himself as a raucously funny and inventive comic genius. His stand-up specials “Delirious” and “Raw” are constantly
Students from Los Angeles-based Exceptional Minds school have helped dubbed the Israeli comedy series “On the Spectrum.” The series, released to coincide with Autism Awareness Day, is now available to stream on HBO Max with the remaining five episodes available beginning April 9. The series follows three roommates who are all in their mid-20 and
“Godzilla vs. King” is stomping to a massive opening weekend at the box office (by pandemic standards). The Warner Bros. film added another $6.7 million on Thursday, bringing its two-day domestic total to $16.3 million. Through Sunday, the movie could make between $30 million to $40 million in ticket sales. That would easily rank as