Morgan Wallen’s exclusion from the Academy of Country Music Awards this weekend is not going unnoted in Nashville, as fans have banded together to rent out billboards in highly visible locations declaring the MIA singer “his fan’s (sic) choice” for the top prize of entertainer of the year. “Support that boy from east Tennessee!” read
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SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 5 Episode 6 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired April 14 on Fox. Everywhere Mark McGrath goes, people will stop and they’ll see… the Orca. The Sugar Ray singer and former “Extra” host was the latest celebrity to be revealed on “The Masked
In the spirit of “Thelma and Louise,” a lesbian fugitive and the woman she’d kill for hit the road with three stilettos and a blood-red BMW in “Ride or Die.” A glammed up, erotically-charged cocktail of amour fou and true romance directed by Ryuichi Hiroki and written by Nami Kikkawa, the Netflix production gives agency
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Julianne Moore, Chloë Sevigny and “Pose” actor Indya Moore star in Jim Jarmusch’s “French Water,” a new fashion film for Saint Laurent. The nine-minute movie presents a look at the French fashion house’s Women’s Summer ’21 collection. Julianne Moore and Sevigny are seen looking for Gainsbourg at the end of a party before
STXfilms has nabbed rights to “Universe’s Most Wanted,” a sci-fi fantasy adventure starring Dave Bautista. It will release the film in the United States, the United Kingdom and India. STX acquired “Universe’s Most Wanted” from AGC Studios and CAA Media Finance. “Universe’s Most Wanted” is currently in pre-production and is scheduled to begin shooting in
Angelenos are still processing their grief about the closure of the ArcLight theaters. Pacific Theatres announced on Monday that it would close all of its locations, which include the ArcLight Hollywood and the historic Cinerama Dome. Not as well known is that the theater chain also owns the Cinerama technology. The three-camera filming technique was
Longtime record promotion executive Jonas Cash, who founded the influential radio programming competition AIR (Active Industry Research) in Baltimore-Washington, MD, died at age 81 in his Columbia, MD home. “He was not just a promotion executive, but a real artist development guy,” says veteran promotion/marketing exec Michael Plen, who recalls how Cash helped him break
The Doors’ Ray Manzarek was known as a skilled keyboardist and respected music producer (his credits include seminal albums by X), but he was also a knowledgeable movie buff, having graduated from UCLA’s film program and receiving his MFA in cinematography in 1965. Forty days after school let out, he met Jim Morrison by chance
“Jeopardy!” all-star and 2017 Tournament of Champions winner Buzzy Cohen is set to take to the podium as guest host of the quiz competition show’s upcoming 10-day tournament. This year’s Tournament of Champions will take place from May 17-28, with 15 previous contestants coming back to compete for a $250,000 purse. That prize money will
AXS TV announced that the music-themed series “The Top Ten Revealed” and “A Year In Music” will each return for their fourth seasons on May 9. “The Top Ten Revealed” will kick off the night at 8 p.m. ET/5 PT, immediately followed by “A Year In Music” at 8:30 p.m ET. Hosted and executive produced
Even after a year of indoor theaters being shuttered in Los Angeles, it’s hard to imagine a future without the ArcLight Hollywood, the tony 15-screen megaplex that countless Angelenos considered their go-to spot to watch movies. The ArcLight was the place that many moviegoers, myself included, imagined celebrating their return to cinemas, especially now that
New York-based music-rights company Reservoir Holdings has announced that it will list on NASDAQ through a merger with the Roth CH Acquisition II Company. According to the announcement, the transaction values the combined company at $788 million and is expected to provide approximately $246 million in gross proceeds to the company. Upon closing of the
Two years ago, Colton Underwood was cast as the hunky star of the hyper-masculine fairytale dating show, “The Bachelor.” Today, the reality star came out as gay, sharing his true and authentic self with the world. In conversation with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America,” Underwood — a former pro football player who grew up
Christina Jackson has been cast in a leading role in the FX pilot based on the Sam Greenlee novel “The Spook Who Sat by the Door,” Variety has learned. The project was ordered to pilot at FX in February. Jackson will star opposite series lead Y’lan Noel. She will play Joy Freeman, an up-and-coming attorney
The recent procession of top news executives shifting positions at ABC News, MSNBC and CBS News gives many in the close-knit world of TV journalism cause for hand-wringing. In recent months, NBCUniversal named a new executive, Cesar Conde, to head all its news operations, replacing Andy Lack. Conde in turn named a new president at
Broadway star Karen Olivo says she won’t return to “Moulin Rouge” once the musical reopens. She’s leaving her Tony-nominated role in protest of the theater industry’s silence on allegations of workplace harassment and abuse leveled against the prolific theater producer Scott Rudin. “I could easily go back to the show and make a lot of
With the Oscars just ten days away, Variety has learned a number of the original song performances will be pre-recorded this coming Monday and Tuesday. At least some of the contenders will be performing their nominated songs on the rooftop of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. The recorded
Tagger Media secured an $8.5 million Series A investment from Five Elms Capital, a global investor in high growth B2B software businesses. The funding will accelerate its product roadmap development and momentum of sales and marketing reach around the globe. “Tagger is shaping the future of how brand marketers will plan, manage and measure their
Rob Delaney, of “Catrastrophe” and Twitter fame, will co-star with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris in Showtime’s forthcoming drama series “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” The project is based on Walter Tevis’ 1963 novel, as well as Nicolas Roeg’s 1976 film in which David Bowie played Dr. Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien from another
Adriana Cisneros, the Venezuelan CEO of Grupo Cisneros, and Walter F. Ulloa, chairman and CEO of Entravision Communications, publicly discussed Entravision’s recent acquisition of Cisneros Interactive for the first time today as part of a Paley Center Media Council virtual event. “I think the most important challenge for us and for other companies, especially media
Jacob Tremblay is set to co-star alongside Peter Dinklage in Legendary’s “Toxic Avenger” film, a reboot of Troma Entertainment’s 1984 low-budget action-comedy splatter film. The reboot will follow a mild-mannered janitor at a health club who’s pushed out of a second-story window by bullies into a vat of toxic waste. The chemicals cause him to
On April 7, Annapurna CEO Megan Ellison made headlines as the only notable show business figure to openly criticize Scott Rudin on social media after the latest expose of the super-producer’s alleged workplace abuse and toxicity was published last week. While some activists and film enthusiasts applauded Ellison for speaking out, others found it hypocritical
Caitlin Reilly will co-star in “General Hospital’s” special tribute episode to her late father and daytime drama actor, John Reilly, Variety has learned exclusively. Caitlin Reilly will portray Annie, formerly known as Anna, the daughter of her father’s character Sean Donely and Tiffany Hill (Sharon Wyatt). The character was most recently seen in August 2013
Kimberly Godwin, a veteran of local and national TV-news operations, will be the next president of ABC News — and the first Black executive to run a broadcast-network news operation. Disney on Wednesday confirmed that Godwin, who has been with CBS News since 2007, will take over the role most recently held by James Goldston.
“Tomorrow’s Hope,” a documentary about the importance of quality early childhood education, has sold North American rights to the independent distributor Abramorama. Following a virtual live premiere on May 20, the company plans to release the film nationwide on demand on May 21. “Tomorrow’s Hope” spotlights passionate educators and tenacious kids and their families, who
Martin Campbell’s action thriller ‘Memory’ has rounded out its ensemble cast, adding Emmy winner Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Harold Torres, Taj Atwal and Ray Fearon. The actors will star alongside Liam Neeson, who plays Alex Lewis, an expert assassin “with a reputation for discreet precision.” According to the logline, when Alex refuses to complete a
Billy Crystal and Tiffany Haddish’s new film “Here Today” will be here soon. The comedy starring Emmy and Tony Award winner Crystal and Emmy and Grammy winner Haddish will launch on May 7. Crystal plays a veteran comedy writer named Charlie Burnz, who forms an unlikely, yet hilarious and touching friendship with New York singer
Sisse Graum Jørgensen, the Zentropa producer behind Thomas Vinterberg’s BAFTA-winning, Oscar-nominated “Another Round,” spoke to Variety about working with Vinterberg, making her TV debut, as well as opportunities and challenges ahead for independent producers. Graum Jørgensen is primarily known for her long and successful partnerships with some of the most celebrated filmmakers in Denmark, including
Glenn Close is one of the most heralded actors in history, with a record eight Academy Award nominations — including this year, as best actress for “Hillbilly Elegy.” But to get there, even she has endured a series of bad auditions. In particular, she remembers a “miserable” experience in the late 1970s vying for a
Lee Aaker, best known for starring as Corporal Rusty of “B-Company” on the 1950s western series “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,” died on April 1. He was 77. Paul Petersen, another former child actor, confirmed the news to Variety and posted a tribute on his Facebook page, along with a signed photo of a