March 1, 2019 6:38PM PT Jerry Lee Lewis, the 83-year-old rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, suffered a minor stroke Thursday night, according to his representative. “Right now we’re just asking for prayers, and asking the media to express how important Jerry is,” said Lewis’ publicist, Zach Farnum. Asked by Variety if any of the singer’s upcoming
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March 1, 2019 6:16PM PT Donald Glover has reached an amicable end to his fight with his former label, Glassnote Records, over streaming royalties. Glover, under his stage name Childish Gambino, release three albums on the label from 2011 to 2017, including the Grammy-winning “Awaken, My Love!” In July, Glassnote went to court, alleging that Glover
In today’s film news roundup, Hugh Jackman’s thriller gets distribution, Teyonah Parris is heading to the “Candyman” reboot, and SAG-AFTRA pickets in Brentwood. ACQUISITION Warner Bros. has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the thriller “Reminiscence,” starring Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson. Lisa Joy, executive producer of “Westworld,” will make her feature directorial debut on the
Jeff Zucker, the leader of cable-news outlet CNN, is about to add sports to his portfolio, giving him expanded oversight of more of the most valuable content in today’s media landscape – live programming. Zucker is expected to head AT&T’s Turner Sports, according to three people familiar with the matter, expanding his influence at the
Tom Petty’s song “The Best of Everything” sounds like it was meant to be the title track for something. Now, long, long after it was initially recorded and released in the 1980s, it finally is, providing an appropriate title for the first fully comprehensive best-of to represent the entirety of his career, from beginning to
March 1, 2019 4:56PM PT Guillermo del Toro is attached to write and direct the action movie “Zanbato” for Paramount and J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot. The logline is under wraps. “Zanbato” centers on a young girl with lethal fighting skills. Del Toro posted Friday on his Twitter account that the project has been in development
Michael J. Fox opened up about a new spinal cord problem he’s been facing, in addition to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease, in a new interview with New York Times Magazine. “I was told it was benign but if it stayed static I would have diminished feeling in my legs and difficulty moving,” he
March 1, 2019 4:14PM PT The U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival has banned the sale of all single use plastic bottles at this year’s event in June, including areas backstage, in production, catering and the dressing rooms. Over one million bottles were sold at Glastonbury 2017. In an effort to curb that number, canned soft drinks and
March 1, 2019 4:13PM PT Will Forte is set to voice the iconic character Shaggy in Warner Bros.’ animated Scooby-Doo film, titled “Scooby.” Gina Rodriguez is also joining the voice cast as Velma. Chris Columbus is on board as a creative producer with Tony Cervone directing the new project. Plot details are unknown other than
Both Fernanda Andrade and Aaron Moten have been cast in the Fox drama pilot “neXt,” Variety has learned exclusively. They join previously announced cast member Eve Harlow. “neXt” is described as a fact-based thriller grounded in the latest A.I. research. It features a brilliant but paranoid former tech CEO who joins a Homeland Cybersecurity Agent
March 1, 2019 3:33PM PT In today’s roundup, Netflix gives a first look at Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” and Seth Rogen joins the “Twilight Zone” reboot. CASTING Seth Rogen will star in an episode of the upcoming “Twilight Zone” reboot by executive producer Jordan Peele on CBS All Access. The comedian will lend his
March 1, 2019 3:28PM PT Amid the deluge of publicity and white-hot controversy that surrounds the release of the explosive documentary “Leaving Neverland,” Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in California’s scenic Santa Ynez Valley has popped back up for sale at $31 million. The asking price for the 2,700-acre spread, which has been renamed Sycamore Valley
Welcome to “TV Take,” Variety’s television podcast. In this week’s episode, Variety’s executive editor of TV, Daniel Holloway, talks with Jeremy Carver, showrunner of the new series “Doom Patrol,” which is currently streaming on the DC Universe platform. Based on the weird 1960s comic series created by Arnold Drake, “Doom Patrol” stars Brendan Fraser, Matt Bomer, Diane
WASHINGTON — Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), a key House Democrat who sits on the Judiciary Committee, says that Sean Hannity should testify under oath after countering Michael Cohen’s claim that Donald Trump directed him to make hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. On Thursday, Hannity said on Fox News that Cohen told him that he
Courtesy Every situation calls for a different pair of underwear. You’d never wear your workday thong on weekend errands, or your gym hipsters to the office. And while we honestly believe granny panties are sexy, that iconic scene in Bridget Jones’ Diary is all too relatable. Plus, it’s about time you reconsider certain pairs that
Young Dolph Victim in G-Wagon Smash ‘n’ Grab!!! Loses $500k in Cash, Jewels 3/1/2019 1:59 PM PST Exclusive Details Young Dolph got suddenly and shockingly screwed out of HALF A MILLION BUCKS Friday … when someone busted into his whip and made off with his watches, electronics and a bunch o’ cash. Dolph was minding his
Tyler Perry’s “A Madea Family Funeral” is challenging “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” for the top spot at the domestic box office, early estimates showed on Friday. The 11th installment of Lionsgate’s Madea franchise is performing at the top end of expectations, with an opening of about $23 million at 2,442 sites
Amazon has yanked at least three anti-vaccination documentaries questioning the safety of vaccines from its Prime Video streaming platform. The move came just hours after U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) publicly announced that he’d sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos expressing concern that Amazon is “surfacing and recommending products and content that discourage
March 1, 2019 1:30PM PT A+E Networks-backed virtual reality (VR) content aggregator Littlstar launched a new premium tier Friday that includes a new sideloading feature for Sony’s PSVR headset. The feature allows PSVR users to access any video stored on a USB drive, including both regular movies as well as VR-optimized 180-degree and 360-degree videos.
Courtesy In middle school, my ideal outfit consisted of low-rise jeans, Adidas shell toes, and not one, but two layered camis in contrasting colors. Nowadays I’m dedicated to straight-leg denim, I’ve swapped my Superstars for Air Maxes, and my camisoles are now made of silk. Not much has changed, and that’s because the camisole is
March 1, 2019 1:07PM PT The Oscars unsurprisingly wiped the floor in the delayed viewing numbers for the week of Feb. 18. The awards show, which this year went hostless, saw a 12% increase in total viewers from 2018 and finished with a 7.9 rating in Live+3 and 30 million total viewers. Not so close
The U.S. casting poll for MTV’s “The Real World” reboot on Facebook is now open, with fans getting to pick the final housemate joining the cast. As previously announced, Facebook is partnering with MTV Studios and Bunim/Murray Productions — the creators of the original “Real World,” which debuted in 1992 — to fund new versions
March 1, 2019 12:57PM PT John Stamos credits his “Fuller House” co-star Jodie Sweetin with helping him get sober. The actor was on hand on Thursday night at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles to present Sweetin with Writers in Treatment’s Experience, Strength and Hope Award for her memoir “Unsweetined” and her work and
March 1, 2019 12:50PM PT Finn Wolfhard and Carrie Coon are in talks to star in Sony’s latest installment in the “Ghostbusters” franchise, sources tell Variety. Jason Reitman is directing the pic and has also co-written a screenplay with Gil Kenan. He plans to shoot the film this summer, with Sony planning to release the
Veteran concert promoter Ali Harnell has joined Live Nation to oversee a new division of women’s initiatives, the company announced today. She will lead efforts to advance and support women in the live music industry, in addition to creating and developing content driven by females. “I am truly excited to dive into this new venture
March 1, 2019 12:26PM PT Frank Grillo is joining Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson in “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard,” the sequel to “The Hitman’s Bodyguard.” Salma Hayek will be returning as well. The original movie, released in the summer of 2017, grossed $75.5 million in the U.S. and more than $176 million globally. Patrick
In an overheated New York Times profile that was essentially the only advance article about Solange’s fifth and latest long-player, “When I Get Home,” the writer stated that the album, the follow-up to 2016’s critically revered “A Seat at the Table,” would “likely arrive [suddenly] into the world fully formed at some mysterious and unexpected
March 1, 2019 11:00AM PT E.J. Bonilla has joined the ABC drama pilot “Until the Wedding” in a lead role, Variety has learned. He joins previously announced series lead Olivia Thirlby. Based on the Israeli format, the project tells the story of how one couple’s decision to get married can affect everyone in their lives. The
March 1, 2019 11:00AM PT Danny DeVito, Vicky Krieps, Peter Sarsgaard, Saro Emirze, Dar Zuzovsky, and John Leguizamo have joined Ben Foster in boxing drama “Harry Haft” with Barry Levinson directing. Bron Studios and New Mandate Films are producing in association with Creative Wealth Media, which is financing the movie. The film began production Feb.
The new “Star Trek” series centered on Capt. Jean-Luc Picard has brought Hanelle Culpepper onboard to direct. As previously reported, the CBS All Access series will see Patrick Stewart reprise the role he played for seven seasons on “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Culpepper will direct the first two episodes of the series. In doing