Low-budget necessity is often the mother of low-budget invention, but sadly not so much in Travis Stevens’ “Jakob’s Wife,” a thin, half-hearted reworking of the vampire mythos that can’t quite decide if it’s spoofy or serious, and doesn’t have the smarts to be both. While it’s theoretically promising to attempt a hybrid tone in which
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Zamunda might be King Akeem’s kingdom, but the “Coming to America” wouldn’t be complete without its Queens. While Shari Headley’s Lisa McDowell captured fans’ attention and Akeem’s (Eddie Murphy) heart with her confidence and headstrong attitude in the 1988 original, “Coming 2 America” boasts a new crop of ladies who are ready to speak their
In the last few years, I’ve happily watched and reviewed documentaries about Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish, both of which were presented on major streaming services (“Gaga: Five Foot Two” on Netflix, the current “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” on Apple Plus) and made with the full cooperation of the artists in question.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 5, Episode 2 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired March 17 on Fox. The Phoenix doesn’t always rise. Caitlyn Jenner, who performed as the Phoenix on Wednesday’s episode of “The Masked Singer,” was the next celebrity to be unmasked on the hit Fox
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is moving from October 2021 to April of 2022, two industry sources with knowledge of the situation tell Variety. It is expected that the country-music themed Stagecoach festival, which takes place the weekend after Coachella’s two weekends, will move as well. Reps for Goldenvoice, the event’s promoter, and AEG
One of the first Britney Spears hearings since the release of a documentary about her conservatorship brought out a huge wave of #FreeBritney supporters … but it looks like it was all for nothing. Check out the scores of people who showed up to a courthouse in downtown L.A. Wednesday for a hearing in the
Island Records has offered Justin Eshak and Imran Majid positions as the label’s new co-heads, and multiple sources tell Variety the pair has accepted. Eshak and Majid, pictured right and left above, respectively, were most recently executive VPs and co-heads of A&R at Columbia Records, roles they’d held since 2018. The two replace former president/CEO Darcus
AT&T will start counting streaming video used by HBO Max — and other telco-owned apps — toward wireless subscribers’ monthly data-usage caps. Previously, AT&T had provided unlimited usage of such services over its own networks for no extra change. The telecom and media conglomerate blamed California’s recently enacted net-neutrality law for the change. “Given that
Where previous generations preferred neatly resolved stories, embracing films that reassured them that everything was under control, Gen Z movies aren’t afraid to leave things messy, as if to say it’s OK to feel overwhelmed. The same goes for television offerings such as “Euphoria” and “I May Destroy You,” which recognize that the world is
Netflix is to lease two sound stages at Toho Studios in order to help the streaming platform expand its production of original Japanese content. The move was announced Thursday (local time) in a blog post by Ozawa Teiji, Netflix’s manager for production management and live action in Japan. The streamer will have access to both
There are few bags that stand the test of time better than a Chanel. Specifically, the Chanel 11.12 comes to mind when one even thinks of an iconic style. Colloquially known as the flap bag, the design first came on the scene in the ‘80s, when Karl Lagerfeld reimagined the house’s signature 2.55 (which was
In today’s TV news roundup, Paramount Plus set the release date for the seventh and final season of “Younger,” and Mindy Kaling has joined the cast of “Monsters At Work.” DATES Paramount Plus announced that the seventh and final season of “Younger” will premiere on April 15. The first four episodes will be available to stream at
Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas’ MountainA production company has set a first-look TV deal at Apple. News of the deal comes a week after it was reported that Portman had signed on to star in the Apple series “Lady in the Lake” with Lupita Nyong’o. Portman is also an executive producer on the series, as
Sony Pictures has again delayed the theatrical release of “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.” The superhero sequel — starring Tom Hardy — will now debut on the big screen on Sept. 17. The “Venom” sequel has been postponed several times during the pandemic and was most recently set for June 25. Despite the reopening of
A sense of rising U.S. governmental secrecy and punishment of whistleblowers is the primary political takeaway from “United States vs. Reality Winner.” Sonia Kennebeck’s documentary chronicles the incarceration and trial of the titular young intelligence specialist who leaked an NSA document revealing Russian attempts at interfering in the 2016 U.S. elections — intel the Trump
When “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” premieres on HBO Max this Thursday, it will mark the culmination of years’ worth of grassroots campaigning by Snyder’s fans, typified by the ubiquitous hashtag #ReleasetheSnyderCut. In November 2019, several “Justice League” stars — including Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot — joined Snyder to tweet out the hashtag, a critical
Karen Robinson, Joe Regalbuto, Kathleen Chalfant, Maxwell Whittington-Cooper and Abubakr Ali have been confirmed as cast members of The CW’s untitled millennial nun dramedy pilot, directed by Tessa Blake and written by Claire Rothrock and Ryann Weir. Described by Blake as a “subversive comedy,” the untitled pilot stars Caitlin Kinnunen (“The Prom”) and Bella Ortiz
UPDATED: After months of rumors, Paradigm Talent Agency have announced an agreement in principle under which Casey Wasserman’s Wasserman film will acquire Paradigm’s North American live music representation business and form a new operating unit, Paradigm reps confirmed to Variety. Details of the new company, including name and configuration, will be shared by Wasserman after
The 93rd Academy Award nominations were historic in many ways, including Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield both being nominated for supporting actor for their performances as Fred Hampton and William O’Neal, respectively, in “Judas and the Black Messiah.” The noms marked not only the first time that two Black men have been nominated from the
Reading the comments is rarely a good idea. But when opening a breaking news tweet on March 16 about a rash of horrific murders across Atlanta, including six Asian women working in three separate spas, the overwhelming sameness of the replies was unavoidable, infuriating, and instructive. “Not quite the happy ending they were expecting,” crowed
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has begun inviting talent to present at the upcoming 93rd Oscars. With those invitations, more details have emerged about how producers intend to keep the ceremony COVID-safe. The ceremony will likely be an open-air production at Los Angeles’ historic Union Station. The Academy had previously announced that
Luke Mitzman of 100 Management is partnering with Pulse Management, the companies have announced. Matt McNeal, who has been working as a publishing A&R consultant for parent company Pulse Music Group will also be joining the management team in a dual role for both the publishing and management divisions. (Pictured L-R (front): Ashley Calhoun, SVP, Pulse Music Group; Mitzman; Josh
It’s easy — and understandable — for a movie about parents coping with the death of a child to slide into a glum depressive haze. Yet one granddaddy of the genre is neither glum nor depressing; it turns parental despair into something spine-tingling. “Don’t Look Now,” Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 classic of fractured anxiety, may or
Egypt has had a serious problem with sexual harassment for a long time: Speak to nearly any woman in the capital and you’ll hear horror stories of verbal and physical abuse. Just last year, Cairo topped a survey of the world’s most dangerous cities for women, and the third most dangerous for sexual violence. Public
“Nahuel and the Magic Book” and “A Costume for Nicholas” and TV shows “Petit Season 2” and “I, Elvis Riboldi,” are nominated for the 4th Quirino Ibero-American Animation Awards. The Awards will be held in the Spanish Canary Island city of La Laguna, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife over May 27-29. Targeting family audiences, German
“Resident Alien” has been renewed for Season 2 at Syfy. The news comes ahead of the first season finale, which is set to air on March 31. Based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name by Peter Hogan and Stephen Parkhouse, “Resident Alien’ follows Harry (Alan Tudyk), an alien that crash lands on
The chief legal officer of Fox Corporation tried to throw cold water on growing speculation that he has taken on a broader role at the company, making decisions about the company on behalf of its CEO Lachlan Murdoch,. In an interview with David Lat, writer of the Substack newsletter “Original Jurisdiction,” Viet Dinh, Fox Corp.’s
Anthony and Joe Russo are huge fans of “Fortnite” — and the filmmakers, known for their blockbuster Marvel movies, teamed with Epic Games to direct the cinematic opener for the popular battle royale game’s latest installment. Epic on Tuesday launched “Fortnite” Chapter 2 Season 6: Primal, which the company says is the most story-driven event
At the Triller Fight Club next month, Justin Bieber, The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Diplo, Major Lazer and the first-ever performance of a supergroup called Mr. Westmore including Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Too $hort and E-40 will all take the virtual stage. The four-hour pay-per-view event takes place on April 17 and will be directed
Wayne Brady is on a mission to spread the “yes and…” gospel of improv far and wide. The host of CBS’ “Let’s Make a Deal” and longtime cast member of The CW’s “Whose Line Is it Anyway?” tells Variety’s “Strictly Business” podcast that he is working on plans to build a business consulting firm that