WarnerMedia has appointed Miranda Higham as senior VP and head of communications for international. Higham will serve as the lead communications executive for the company’s global presence outside of the U.S. She will report into Christy Haubegger, executive vice president, communications and chief inclusion officer. She will lead both internal and external corporate communications for
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SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched Season 1, Episode 7 of Disney Plus’ “WandaVision.” Despite the best speculative musings of the internet, Reed Richards (a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic) did not show up on the latest episode of “WandaVision,” and it seems pretty likely now that he never will. In truth, the
Post-apocalyptic adventure series “Tribes of Europa,” which bows Friday on Netflix, is the latest sci-fi/fantasy show out of Germany, where the genre is heating up. Created by Philip Koch and produced by Wiedemann & Berg Television, the company behind Netflix hit “Dark,” “Tribes of Europa” follows three siblings as they struggle to survive in a
In today’s Global Bulletin, the U.K. selects James Newman for Eurovision 2021, Ringside and Newen close scripted deals in the U.K., BBC commissions a young men’s mental health doc with Roman Kemp, and the New Voice Awards announces its 2021 short lists. EUROVISION BBC, BBC Studios and BMG have confirmed that Brit Award-winning and Grammy-nominated
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finalized their divorce from the British Royal Family. Buckingham Palace has confirmed to Variety that the couple won’t be returning as working members of the Royal Family. “Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it
The abuse allegations against Marilyn Manson have taken a new turn with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stepping into the case. “The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Special Victims Bureau is investigating allegation(s) of domestic violence involving Mr. Brian Warner also known as ‘Marilyn Manson,’ who works in the music industry,” the Department said
“The Metamorphosis of Birds,” which premiered in the Encounters sidebar of the Berlin Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI prize from the international critics’ jury, has been sold in multiple major territories, including the U.S., the U.K., China, Italy and Spain. Portuguese director Catarina Vasconcelos’ “beautifully pensive, lyrical debut feature,” in the words of the
Leading South Korean film sales firm Finecut has boarded “Toxic,” a fact-based drama-thriller about a mysterious outbreak that killed thousands. The firm, which is also representing Hong Sang-soo’s Berlin competition title “Introduction,” will unveil the new title to buyers at next month’s European Film Market. The film is the dramatization of events between 1994 and
Films Boutique has acquired Marc Bauder’s cinematic documentary “Who We Were,” which is set to world premiere in the “Berlinale Special” section of the Berlin Film Festival. “Who We Were” observes the current state of the world and postulates about the future through intense encounters with six intellectuals and scientists, including the astronaut Alexander Gerst,
Coronavirus has again cast its long shadow over the annual CineEurope exhibitor convention, and the event is now postponed to October. The pandemic forced the 2020 confab, normally held physically in Barcelona, to move online. There were plans to return to a physical event this year, but the glacial pace of vaccinations in Europe have
John Caldon, founder of Flame Media (parent company of Australian TV distributor Flame Distribution), has died. He was 73. Flame said that Caldon died of cancer on Tuesday (Feb. 16, 2021). “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the loss of inspirational John Caldon, chairman and CEO of Flame Media,” the company said in
Though there haven’t been a lot of movies about it, the tentacles of Italy-based organized crime duly reach above Scorsese territory to the even-more-frequently-Frozen North. If not for the French dialogue, however, you wouldn’t necessarily know “Mafia Inc” were taking place in Quebec, or even Canada, so familiar and insular is the brutal syndicate business
Content group iZen has optioned Eduardo Mendoza’s acclaimed Spanish historical novel “City of Marvels” (La Ciudad de los Prodigios) and is developing it as a six-part series. No broadcaster or streaming platform has yet been attached to the project. iZen’s Zebra Producciones was behind epic Amazon Prime Video historical series “El Cid,” with “Money Heist”
When a dramatic feature film gets made out of an investigative magazine article, there’s usually some conventional heroic hook to it (the fight against corporate malfeasance, a think-different athlete or artist). But not always. “Silk Road,” written and directed by Tiller Russell, is a fervently topical, at times intriguing, but ultimately rather sketchy drama about
TikTok star Tayler Holder is officially making the transition from influencer to musician with his first single, “100 Rounds.” But his debut may not be what some expected. Backed by an atmospheric beat that showcases Holder’s smooth vocals, “100 Rounds” is an outright, intimate display of sensuality. With a powerful chorus that sees Holder exercising
Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD foundation is helping those affected by the severe winter storms in Texas. The singer is teaming up with Adidas and Bread of Life, a Houston disaster relief organization to provide grants of up to $1,000 for those in need due to winter storm Uri. Residents of Texas and other states hit by storms
Hulu’s “The Dropout” will be going ahead without Kate McKinnon, who was set to star in and executive produce the story of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and her dramatic fall from grace. The limited drama series will now look to cast a new actor to play the entrepreneur before the planned summer production start. The series
To say “Sin” is about Michelangelo is much too reductive. Rather than offering up a definitive portrait of the Italian artist, Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky has crafted instead a poetic meditation around the many contradictions that surround the “David” and “Pietà” sculpture artist: He’s divine. He’s a scoundrel. He’s a genius. He’s crazy. He’s all
Mark Anthony Morales, known as Prince Markie Dee of early rap group the Fat Boys and a hit songwriter and producer for Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey and others, has died, according to his manager, Louie “Uncle Louie” Gregory. He was 52. While the Fat Boys were often considered a novelty act of early hip-hop,
Exclusive Billie Eilish is seeking court-ordered protection from a man she claims is harassing her and is potentially dangerous. The singer filed docs seeking a restraining order against a man named John Hearle, who she claims has been harassing and threatening her from outside her Los Angeles home. Billie says the guy has been camped
Amazon Studios has brought on board Greg Coleman as its global head of franchise marketing, where he will be tasked with overseeing the team in charge of TV and film fantasy and sci-fi originals — including the upcoming “Lord of the Rings” series. In leading Amazon’s genre-focused marketing, Coleman and his team will look to
The sister trio Haim has managed to make its song “Gasoline” even more inflammatory with the edition of a special guest, Taylor Swift, on a remix released late Thursday. Swifties had been salivating since earlier in the day when the group posted a short video of singer Danielle Haim singing along with the song while
Kingston, Jamaica born-and-bred vocalist Ewart Beckford, better known as the reggae artist U-Roy, died on Wednesday, Feb. 17 at his home in Jamaica. He was 78 years old. An influential singer of gently melodic reggae, his conversational rapping was also known as “toasting.” “As we mourn the loss, we have the memories of this amazing
In today’s TV news roundup, Epix revealed the premiere date and teaser trailer for the second season of “Godfather of Harlem,” and Netflix announced the premiere date of Jamie Foxx’s “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!” DATES Epix revealed that the second season of “Godfather of Harlem” will premiere on April 18. Set in 1964, the crime drama
As usual, NBC’s “Chicago” crossover trio, which consists of the three dramas “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire,” and “Chicago PD,” took up the top three slots in Wednesday, Feb. 17’s overnight primetime numbers. The fast affiliate ratings from Nielsen+Live Same Day indicate that a new episode of the third installment of executive producer Dick Wolf’s franchise,
Stone Canyon Entertainment has announced the start of production on “Who Are the Marcuses,” a feature documentary about a mysterious couple who donated half a billion dollars to Israel, the largest single gift in the history of the state. Matthew Mishory is directing, with Stone Canyon’s Bradford Schlei and Alvaro Fernandez producing, and executive producers
Emmy Award-winning “Schitt’s Creek” star Annie Murphy is a little less Alexis in her latest lead role for AMC and a little more generic sitcom wife gone off-script (and sanguinary). During its Television Critics’ Association Winter Press Tour, the network released a trailer for the genre-busting dark dramedy “Kevin Can F**k Himself,” premiering sometime this
The “Power” universe is expanding for the Starz franchise’s third spinoff “Power Book IV: Force,” with eight series regulars now joining lead Joseph Sikora. Cast members announced for the spinoff include Isaac Keys (“Get Shorty”), Lili Simmons (“Ray Donovan”), Gabrielle Ryan (“The Have and Have Nots”), Shane Harper (“Hightown,” “A Teacher,”) Kris D. Lofton (“Ballers”),
As part of its mission to invest $100 million in organizations focused on achieving social justice, the Warner Music Group / Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund has announced its initial six grant recipients: Black Cultural Archives, Black Futures Lab, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), Howard University, REFORM Alliance and Rhythm & Blues Foundation. The WMG/BFF SJF
Thursday, Feb. 18 Independent label, distributor and publisher EMPIRE has opened a division in the US to help grow the local scene in West Asia and North Africa and its diaspora. To head up the territory, EMPIRE has hired Suhel Nafar (pictured above) as Vice President of Strategy & Market Development. Nafar will be based