How much would you pay to have an intimate video-conferencing session with Madonna, Amy Schumer, Laura Dern, Jennifer Lopez or Judd Apatow? Bright, a startup founded by investor and music manager Guy Oseary (whose clients include Madonna and U2) and former YouTube exec Michael Powers, is going to test the market for live, ticketed events
Month: May 2021
Asian films feature prominently on the debut slate of Crescendo House, a newly-launched distributor in North America. The company aims to take a boutique and curatorial approach at a time when streaming is changing the sector. Each film will receive an exclusive, limited edition, collector’s home video release featuring bespoke artwork, packaging, and hours of
Pink will be honored with the Icon Award at this year’s Billboard Music Awards on May 23. Pink is also set to perform at the awards show. She’ll join the nine other Icon Award recipients since the honor was instituted in 2011: Garth Brooks, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Cher, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, Jennifer
Warner Music Group posted strong results for the quarter that ended March 31, with $117 million in net income on revenues of $1.25 billion. While it’s hardly an apples-to-apples comparison, that’s a big improvement from the same quarter a year ago, when the company posted a $48 million net income loss. Streaming soared 23.2% while
The new Wasserman Music agency and livestreaming service Twitch have partnered to launch “There is Light,” an indie-centric channel and concert series. The series will present 20 live concerts from independent music venues in the U.S. and U.K., starting with a May 4 — tonight — performance by Perfume Genius at the Lodge Room in
Quiver Distribution has acquired U.S. rights to “The Exchange,” a new comedy from the co-creator of “Borat” and “Bruno.” Directed by Dan Mazer, an Oscar nominee for writing the “Borat” movies and the maker of “Dirty Grandpa,” the film follows a socially awkward but highly enterprising teenager who decides to acquire a “mail-order best friend.”
Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion A$AP Rocky, J Balvin, Da Baby and many more are scheduled to perform at the 10 th anniversary edition of Governors Ball, New York’s largest music festival, on the weekend of Sept. 24-26 at the the Citi Field complex in the city’s borough of Queens. Other top-billed performers
Twitter is continuing down the path of looking to add new subscription services to diversify its revenue beyond ads. On Tuesday, the social network announced that it has acquired Scroll, a company that has sold a $5-per-month subscription that lets users read articles on participating news sites without ads — and shares some of that
When Variety interviewed the Weeknd over the weekend about the Grammys’ decision to eliminate nomination-review committees (more on that here), we naturally slipped in a question about the new music he recently hinted at in social media posts, which presumably will be the follow-up to his blockbuster 2020 album, “After Hours.” To our surprise, he
Now hear this: The 2021 Tribeca Festival announced its inaugural official podcast selections and special events, the first time a major fest is welcoming podcasts into its lineup. The first Tribeca Podcasts lineup features world premieres of 12 fiction and nonfiction podcasts from emerging creators (listed below), as well as panel discussions and other special
Sinclair Broadcast Group said Tuesday it intends to start selling its linear and digital ad inventory based on a “common impression-based currency,” joining the ranks of other local-station owners moving to change the nature of their transactions with Madison Avenue as technology spurs new ways consumers watch their video favorites. Sinclair, which owns and/or operates
J-Hope, a member of the seven-piece K-pop group BTS, has donated KRW100 million ($90,000) to help children in Africa, it was reported on Tuesday. The same day HYBE Corporation, the powerhouse agency behind BTS, revealed that its first quarter profits had increased by 11% compared with last year. J-Hope made his donation through Seoul-based ChildFund
The high profile Indian Premier League has been indefinitely suspended after players and officials from several teams tested positive for COVID-19. The tournament is the world’s richest cricket tournament and one of the biggest sports media properties in the world. Disney’s Star India, then owned by Fox, had bid $2.55 billion for tournament rights through
Edgar Wright’s music documentary “The Sparks Brothers” will have its U.K. premiere as the opening film of Sundance Film Festival: London. As the U.K. remains on track to open all indoor cinema screens from May 17, Sundance London (July 29-Aug. 1) will be an in-person event this year at the Picturehouse Central cinemas, after a
The Locarno Film Festival will honor U.S. producer and screenwriter Gale Anne Hurd – best known for being instrumental to “The Terminator” film trilogy and “The Walking Dead” TV franchise – with its Raimondo Rezzonico Prize awarded to a producer who epitomizes the indie ethos. The prominent Swiss fest dedicated to international indie cinema is
France’s culture minister Roselyne Bachelot has outlined in broad strokes the strategy for reopening cultural venues, including movie theaters, on May 19. For one thing, there won’t be any sales of popcorn or other food and beverage inside cinemas during the first three weeks of reopening. Addressing the National Assembly on May 3, Bachelot said
Marcela Santibañez, who was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary contender “The Mole Agent,” is executive producing a new documentary about a company of heroic firefighters, Variety has learned exclusively. Set against a backdrop of protest, pandemic and social unrest in the city of Valparaíso, “Piropolis” follows the firefighters of the fifth company as they
Conan O’Brien has an official moving-out date at TBS: His long-running late-night show “Conan” will officially end on June 24. “Conan” will mark the end of its 11-year run with final weeks of shows that will include special guests, leading up to an hour-long finale. As announced last year as part of a new deal
Olivia Wilde can breathe a sigh of relief … a judge just granted a permanent restraining order against the man she claims keeps showing up at her home, believing he was her lover. According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ … 30-year-old Eric Nathanial Fuhs must stay away from Olivia for the next 3
You’re not the only one surprised by the sudden announcement of the new “The Simpsons” short “Maggie Simpson in ‘The Force Awakens From Its Nap.’” For executive producer Al Jean and the team behind the long-running animated series, they’re still marveling at how quickly they turned it around. “The Force Awakens From Its Nap,” which
Billie Hayes, the actor who portrayed Witchiepoo on NBC’s “H.R. Pufnstuf,” has died. She was 96. Hayes’ death was announced on her official website. Hayes is best known for her portrayal of the comical witch Witchiepoo on Sid and Marty Krofft’s show “H.R. Pufnstuf” from 1969 to 1970. From there, Hayes reappeared as Witchiepoo on
Discovery Plus is venturing into scripted development, with the streamer acquiring the TV rights to the book “Girls with Bright Futures” by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman, Variety has learned exclusively. The move to develop the series, which is in the very early stages, is significant given that Discovery Plus is largely made up of
It’s getting to be a habit: Country superstar Eric Church. puts out a new album, and it debuts at No. 2, but is beat out for the top spot by a new hip-hop release. Well, it’s a pattern that’s lasted exactly two weeks in a row, anyway. The new Rolling Stone album chart finds Memphis
Monday, May 3 Charli XCX Documentary to Close Inside Out Film Festival Toronto’s 2021 Inside Out film festival will take place online from May 27 to June 6. The 2SLGBTQ+ (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning) fest will open with Natalie Morales’ “Language Lessons,” which picked up the audience award at this year’s SXSW
Michael Jackson’s image was worth just $4 million at the time of his death in 2009, a U.S. tax court judge ruled on Monday, far below the $161 million valuation sought by the IRS. The ruling will dramatically reduce the estate tax bill incurred by Jackson’s heirs — his mother and children. In a ruling
Court is back in session at NBC. The network has formally given a pilot order to a spinoff of “Night Court” led by original series star John Larroquette and “The Big Bang Theory’s” Melissa Rauch. The pilot, produced by Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, was penned by “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” production alum Dan Rubin,
Check out an Official First Look for Those Who Wish Me Dead Trailer starring Angelina Jolie! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Buy Tickets for Those Who Wish Me Dead: hhttps://www.fandango.com/those-who-wish-me-dead-2021-224602/movie-overview?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are selling their song catalog to Hipgnosis Songs for upwards of $140 million, sources confirm to Variety, making them the latest heritage artist to benefit from the intellectual property gold rush that has seen Bob Dylan sell his songwriting catalog to Universal Music Publishing for more than $300 million and Stevie
Paramount Pictures has become the latest studio to adopt the Ruderman Family Foundation’s guidelines for auditioning actors with disabilities for studio productions. “Inclusion of individuals with disabilities is central to an authentic commitment to diversity in our industry and in our community,” Paramount Pictures chairman-CEO Jim Gianopulos said in a statement. “We are proud to adopt
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four