May 13, 2019 3:02PM PT The “Old Town Road” phenomenon has new representation. Atlanta rapper Lil Nas X has signed with CAA, the agency announced. The news coincides with the hip-hop/country hybrid smash “Old Town Road” topping the Billboard pop chart for the fifth consecutive week. Ironically, the viral single grew even larger from publicity
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Pathé Films and French producer Philippe Rousselet’s Vendôme Group have signed an exclusive production deal to develop and produce English-language films, kicking off with “Coda,” a remake of the 2014 French box office hit “La Famille Belier,” written and directed by Sian Heder (“Orange Is the New Black”). Set to start shooting this summer in
How could two major music organizations manage to tick off an entire community of music industry people? ASCAP and BMI — the two largest performing-rights societies in the U.S., which represent the vast majority of film and TV composers and songwriters — will both hold their annual film-music awards dinners this Wednesday. And it’s leaving
Paris-based MK2 films, which has five movies in competition at Cannes for the second consecutive year, has come on board to co-produce and sell internationally Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s next movie, “The Worst Person in the World,” along with a pair of feature documentaries: “Helmut Newton: The Bad and the Beautiful” and Jean-Stéphane Bron’s “The
Indie Sales has announced a slew of major deals on Matteo Rovere’s ambitious Italian epic film “Romulus & Remus: The First King” in the run-up to Cannes, where the movie will have a market screening. The film is based on the legend of Romulus and Remus, twin brothers and shepherds who lived in peace near
May 13, 2019 2:00PM PT Sales agent and producer Distribution Workshop has picked up international sales duties on “The Chinese Pilot,” an action drama that is expected to be one of the biggest Chinese films of this year. Sales begin this week on the margins of the Cannes Film Festival. The film employs Hong Kong’s
Chinese sales and distribution company Times Vision has brought two new titles to Cannes this year, including “Shanghai Fortress,” a big-budget summer sci-fi blockbuster that producers hope will replicate the success of “The Wandering Earth.” Its other film at the Marche is family drama “Looking Up.” “Shanghai Fortress” stars Taiwanese actress Shu Qi and Chinese
The U.S. movie business is undergoing a wave of dramatic consolidation. Major studios are being swallowed up and indie players are dropping like flies. Though the Cannes Film Festival is unfolding an ocean and several time zones away from Hollywood, the aftershocks from the mega-mergers and bankruptcies currently roiling the entertainment industries will likely be
Filmax, one of Spain’s top production-distribution-sales companies, has run up spirited presales on “Turu, the Wacky Hen,” its banner toon title for 2019. It’s a signal that independent animated features are in demand for underserved family audiences, Based on the character from a famous song for multiple generations in the Latin world, “Turu” has closed
Momentum Pictures plans to “Escape From Pretoria.” It has taken North American distribution rights to the movie, which stars Daniel Radcliffe as a political prisoner attempting to break out from a maximum security South African jail. Gary Hamilton’s Arclight Films did the U.S. deal and is continuing sales efforts at Cannes, with new footage from
May 13, 2019 1:17PM PT Rami Malek is in early talks to co-star with Denzel Washington in Warner Bros. crime thriller “Little Things,” sources confirmed to Variety. “The Blind Side” and “The Highwaymen” director John Lee Hancock is on board to write and will also direct the pic. The story follows a burned-out Kern County
Though half of her heart famously remains in Havana, it seems the rest of Camila Cabello is increasingly tethered to Hollywood. And the 22-year-old pop music superstar recently cemented those Tinseltown ties with the nearly $3.4 million purchase of a Mediterranean-style villa in the proverbial heart of town. Call the 3,570-square-foot casita a celeb-style starter
May 13, 2019 1:01PM PT Paul Sinclair has been promoted to general manager & executive vice president of Atlantic Records, it was announced today by Atlantic Chairman & COO Julie Greenwald and Chairman & CEO Craig Kallman. Sinclair joined Atlantic in 2006 and was most recently the label’s EVP of digital strategy & innovation. In
The message couldn’t have been clearer from the stage at Radio City Music Hall on Monday morning, where NBCUniversal kicked off upfront week with an omnibus presentation covering its broadcast and cable networks. Linda Yaccarino, NBCU’s chairman of advertising sales and client partnerships, told the assembled advertisers and media buyers that NBCUniversal is preparing a
When “Laugh-In” debuted on NBC in 1967, creator George Schlatter could have very well gotten away with murder. The network didn’t often understand what the producer was trying to accomplish with his quick comedic snippets, his fresh-faced cast who often stumbled over their lines (which were sometimes purposely transposed on the teleprompter), or his ragtag
It’s a known fact that Target runs will get you every time. You walk in needing toilet paper, and you walk out having spent half your life’s savings on clearance pillowcases, wine, and Arbor Day decorations. (No regrets.) The reliable retailer is a safe haven for basics—both home essentials and the people—to live and thrive.
May 13, 2019 11:46AM PT NBCUniversal won’t launch a streaming service until the middle of next year. But it made an effort to win advertising for the venture today. Speaking to advertisers at its annual “upfront” presentation, NBCU ad-sales chief Linda Yaccarino tried to spark conversations about buying commercials in the company’s new slate of
Brian Williams didn’t have much to say when he made an appearance Monday at NBCUniveral’s massive “upfront” programming presentation. But his presence on stage spoke volumes. Four years ago at this time, Williams tenure at the company seemed precarious. He was in the midst of a suspension, and taken off “NBC Nightly News.” Today, he
May 13, 2019 10:55AM PT Paradigm Talent Agency has hired Chappel McCollister as senior VP of strategic partnerships, based in the agency’s Nashville office. According to the announcement, McCollister will represent Paradigm’s music clients, with a focus on the Nashville roster, across a range of areas including brand & corporate partnerships, premium VIP experiences, product
May 13, 2019 10:48AM PT Hollywood took to social media to mourn the death of icon Doris Day on Monday. One of the most popular stars in the movie industry in the ’50s and ’60s, Day was known for her wholesome girl-next-door personality, her comedies that pushed the envelope and her public love life. The
Apple launched its redesigned Apple TV app, now giving users the ability to stream more than 150 video services and subscribe directly to channels like HBO and Showtime. The new version of the app comes ahead of the planned fall launch of Apple TV+, the company’s video-subscription service that will be stocked with original TV
Hollywood has long struggled when it comes to big-screen adaptations of popular video games, making Warner Bros. and Legendary’s “Detective Pikachu” and its $54.5 million debut in North America all the more impressive. Even with “Avengers: Endgame” still turbocharging the box office, “Detective Pikachu” came dangerously close to dethroning Marvel’s latest juggernaut, which collected $65
Facebook is going to sell its army of content reviewers a higher hourly wage and additional counseling opportunities, the company announced Monday morning. The wage hike also extends to other contractors, with the company committing to pay a living wage across the U.S. for all of its contractors, and even higher wages for content reviewers.
“Stepsister,” a re-imagined Cinderella story, is in the works as a movie with “A Star Is Born” producer Lynette Howell Taylor and “Big Little Lies” executive producer Bruna Papandrea. Emma Frost, whose credit include “Shameless” and “The Spanish Princess,” will adapt the book, which will be published in the U.S. by Scholastic on Tuesday. The
You’re headed to Cannes — are you panicked about what to pack? You want to look polished. Plane, party, red carpet, beach, yacht, business brunch — it’s non-stop. Variety talked to celebrity imagemakers, who share Cannes tips. A good stylist will detox and amp up your wardrobe, and save you time and money. Glamhive offers
May 13, 2019 10:00AM PT “American Idol” has been renewed for a third season at ABC. This will be the singing competition show’s 18th season overall, including the 15 seasons that aired on Fox before the show moved to ABC in 2018. The question remains, however, if the show’s current judging panel of Katy Perry,
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, “Game of Thrones” comes to and end on HBO, and “Catch 22” drops
NBCUniversal held its 2019-2020 upfront presentation to advertisers on Monday morning at Radio City Music Hall in New York. In touting its new and returning wares for NBC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, Telemundo, E!, and other networks, here are a few things we noticed: Advertising is good: NBCUniversal opened its 2019 upfront presentation with a montage
Actress Gong Li will become the first person of Asian descent to win the Kering Group and Cannes Film Festival’s annual women in motion award. The prize will be presented by Kering’s chairman and CEO Francois-Henri Pinault and the festival’s president Pierre Lescure and general delegate Thierry Fremaux at a dinner on Sunday. The award
Check out the official X-Men: Dark Phoenix Trailer starring Jennifer Lawrence! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Buy Tickets to X-Men: Dark Phoenix: https://www.fandango.com/x-men-dark-phoenix-208497/movie-overview?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc US Release Date: Februrary 14, 2019 Starring: Evan Peters, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain Directed By: Simon Kinberg Synopsis: Jean Grey begins to develop incredible powers that