South by Southwest Conference and Festivals has announced that legendary singer-songwriter Willie Nelson will keynote this year’s virtual event, along with an initial lineup of featured speakers and over 230 conference sessions. SXSW Online, taking place March 16–20, 2021, will feature conference sessions, music festival showcases, film festival screenings, and more. “No individual has had the cultural
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Julie Eddleman, who has led partnerships for Google’s largest advertising clients for more than six years, is leaving the internet giant to join media measurement company DoubleVerify. DoubleVerify hired Eddleman as EVP, global chief commercial officer, overseeing sales and client service organizations worldwide. She reports to CEO Mark Zagorski. As global client partner at Google,
Taylor Swift‘s sexual assault lawsuit — in which she only demanded $1 for punishment, and won — became a talking point in the highest court in the land … and it could actually help a guy keep his case alive. T-Swift was name-dropped Tuesday during oral arguments on a Supreme Court freedom of speech case
Can unification-urging music soothe the savage breast that is America’s sociopolitical divide? Country stars Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard hope so, as the fellow Big Machine artists have just released a duet, “Undivided,” that contends we can all just get along, most prevailing current evidence notwithstanding. Hubbard is also using the occasion to tell fans
Dennis Leupold/Labyrinth of Collages Nothing says self-love like a new ensemble from Savage X Fenty. Luckily, the Valentine’s Day drop debuts on January 14 and offers several pretty little things to invest in. The brand partnered with collage artist Labyrinth of Collages, which has fashioned inventive assortments surrounding celebs including Zoe Kravitz, Zendaya, and Harry
Nancy Cordes, CBS News chief congressional correspondent, knew something was wrong when she saw Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley being whisked out of the Senate chamber on Jan. 6. Cordes had stationed herself in the Russell Senate Office Building, next door to the Capitol, where she planned to do live shots all day for various CBS News
CMT announced Wednesday that it has acquired exclusive broadcast rights for “Skyville Live,” an all-star concert series bringing together artists from the rock and pop worlds as well as the country and America that are the cable channel’s bread-and-butter. The Viacom network will premiere the series with the Jan. 19 broadcast of “Skyville Live: Kris
Expanding Middle East indie film distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has forged a joint venture with Saudi Arabian exhibition chain Muvi Cinemas to launch Front Row Arabia, with ambitious plans to cash in on Saudi’s current theatrical boom. The new distribution and exhibition company will be releasing English, Arabic, Japanese anime and alternative content across
Netflix, like other tech companies, has regularly published data about the diversity of its workforce since 2013. Now the streamer has released its first “inclusion report,” in which the company details its strategy to improve diversity — and where it has fallen short. “We’ve made good progress over the last three years. But let’s be
The House of Representatives moved to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday for inciting an insurrection, arguing that he poses a threat to democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office. The vote comes a week after pro-Trump rioters attacked the Capitol building in a failed effort to block the certification of Joe
Doja Cat, Tones and I, Rod Wave and the late Pop Smoke were among the artists with multiple gold or platinum certifications in the latest round of precious metal from the RIAA. “We are thrilled to induct 53 artists into RIAA’s Gold & Platinum Class of 2020,” said RIAA chairman/CEO Mitch Glazier. “Earning your first Gold
Tom Hanks will host a primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as President of the United States, with performances by Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi and Ant Clemons. The 90-minute “Celebrating America” special will be broadcast live on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC and MSNBC from 8:30-10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Jan.
John McCain will be the subject of an upcoming biopic about his life and decades-long career in politics. Stampede Ventures has optioned rights to “The Luckiest Man: Life With John McCain,” a biography written by the late Arizona senator’s political adviser and friend Mark Salter, and plans to adapt it into a feature film. Salter
French cinema saw its international box office receipts fall to €86.6 million ($105.4 million), a near 70% drop, in 2020, according to a study unveiled by French promotion org UniFrance during the virtual Rendez-Vous market. The drastic decline is explained by the fact that theaters worldwide were closed for several months due to the pandemic.
While it seems that our timelines are constantly being bombarded with bad news, perhaps Coach’s latest campaign offers an antidote to temporarily distract us from our woes. Looking to illuminate the silver lining, “Coach it Forward” is the brand’s latest interactive advertising campaign for its spring 2021 collection, honing in on the power of positivity.
A naturalistic, social tale, “Miss Chazelles” competes in the nine-title short film lineup at the MyFrenchFilmFestival, an entirely-online – even before COVID-19 – festival devoted to French productions launched by promotion board UniFrance, running Jan. 15 to Feb. 15. “Miss Chazelles” turns on the rivalry between two young beauty queens in a rural village, and
Alexander Nanau, the director of acclaimed Romanian documentary “Collective,” has rejected a medal from the country’s president and slammed the government for failing the cultural sector during the coronavirus crisis. Nanau’s hard-hitting investigative documentary centers on the 2015 fire at the Colectiv nightclub that killed 64 people and injured hundreds, detailing the health care crisis
Playtime has acquired international sales rights to Philippe Le Guay’s “The Man From the Basement,” a Paris-set thriller produced by Anne-Dominique Toussaint’s Les Films des Tournelles. Now in post, the film shot during the lockdown on location in Paris, with a stellar cast including François Cluzet (“Intouchables,” “Sink or Swim”), Jérémie Renier (“Slalom”), Bérénice Bejo
MyFrenchFilmFestival, organized by UniFrance, kicks off Friday, and among the shorts that have made their way through the festival circuit and to the online event is Mathilde Profit’s father-daughter road trip tale “First Goodbyes.” Her first solo directing venture, Profit also handled screenwriting duties on the short, joined by co-writer Maxime Berthemy. The two combined
In today’s Global Bulletin, The Mediapro Studio’s “The Head” lands on Starzplay in the U.K. and Germany and ZDF Enterprises finishes shooting on post-WWII documentary “Lawless.” DISTRIBUTION The Mediapro Studio Distribution has closed a deal with Starz that will land South-Pole murder mystery series “The Head” on the broadcaster’s streaming platform Starzplay in the U.K.,
Strand Releasing has picked up U.S. distribution rights to Franco-Lebanese auteur Danielle Arbid’s “Simple Passion,” a Cannes 2020 title that played strong on the fall festival circuit. Announced as part of the Cannes 2020 selection, the French-language film premiered in San Sebastian, and would go on to play Busan, Moscow and Zurich ahead of a
Franco-American critic and broadcaster Iris Brey has teamed with Paris-based sales/production outfit Totem Films to adapt her 2020 book “The Female Gaze: A Screen Revolution” as a nonfiction feature. A member of France’s 50/50 Collective and a lecturer at the University of California’s Paris campus, Brey will write and direct the upcoming film, weaving the
David Attenborough’s latest gig will be as a hologram that forms part of a U.K. government drive to promote 5G technology. Attenborough will be the face of an Augmented Reality (AR) app that will be released alongside BBC series “The Green Planet” in 2022, where the revered broadcaster and natural historian’s likeness will be projected
A chart-topping true crime podcast about Ghislaine Maxwell from U.K. radio station LBC is being adapted for television. Sony Pictures Television-backed Eleventh Hour Films has nabbed screen rights to “Hunting Ghislaine” from LBC (Leading Britain’s Conversation) and outdoor media powerhouse Global. Plans are underway to make a limited drama series based on the IP. Launched
“Outside the Wire” opens with a full-on action scene. Robot soldiers fight alongside human ones — or maybe against them. It’s hard to tell. Bullets fly. Tough guys in helmets crouch behind concrete barriers. Two men are hit, and their commanding officer makes plans to pull them to safety, while half a world away, in
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for upcoming awards. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date. To see
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for upcoming awards. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date. To see
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for upcoming awards. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date. To see
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for upcoming awards. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date. To see
Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited has acquired 100% of Shakira’s music publishing rights, including publishing and writer’s share of income, of her entire catalog, comprising 145 songs, the company announced. Since releasing her first album in 1991, recorded when she was just 13, Shakira has sold over 80 million records, making her the bestselling female Latin