This year’s crop of Oscar-nominated songs may be the most diverse in years: a ballad and a pop-rap from two of the year’s biggest films, plus a delicate lullaby from a Disney musical, a political themed anthem, and a novelty tune for singing cowboys. “Shallow,” the top-10 hit from “A Star Is Born,” is widely
admin
The former members of R.E.M. are becoming old hands at responding to Donald Trump appropriating their music for his own purposes. And they’re actually getting kinder and gentler — or maybe just more sardonic — in their reactions. When the president retweeted a meme that makes a mocking use of “Everybody Hurts” to mock Democrats
February 15, 2019 3:00PM PT Chris Rock has come onboard to direct the NBC single-cam comedy pilot “Saving Kenan,” Variety has learned. Rock will also executive produce the pilot, which stars “SNL” mainstay Kenan Thompson. Thompson will play a newly widowed dad determined to be everything for his kids while begrudgingly letting his persistent father-in-law become
February 15, 2019 2:58PM PT The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has reversed its controversial decision to hand out four Oscars during the telecast’s commercial breaks. Following a Thursday night meeting with top cinematographers, Academy leadership including president John Bailey and CEO Dawn Hudson have pledged to air every awards category on the
Cardi B & Meek Mill Outrage Over Inmate’s Death … Prison Releases Details 2/15/2019 2:49 PM PST EXCLUSIVE The death of Anthony Myrie, a NY state prison inmate, has become a cause celebre — with Cardi B and Meek Mill suggesting a cover-up — which is forcing the prison to release new details about the mystery.
Cinematographers who are opposing the decision to curtail four Oscar presentations on the telecast have said a “productive” Thursday night meeting with Academy brass may lead to a reversal of the exclusions. American Society of Cinematographers president Kees van Oostrum said in a letter to members Friday that he expects a decision by the end
“We wanted to create a combination of the Chelsea Hotel, the Brill Building and CBGBs,” says producer Dave Trumfio describing Gold-Diggers, an East Hollywood complex that includes nine state-of-the-art recording studios, a soundstage and an 11-room boutique hotel above a full liquor bar and lounge. The Santa Monica Blvd. address served as a strip club
When “The Dark Knight” failed to secured a best picture Oscar nomination, the snub was said to have prompted the Academy to expand the category from five nominees to as many as 10. A decade later, maybe out of fear that something similar might happen again to the immensely popular “Black Panther,” the Academy announced
February 15, 2019 2:09PM PT Private equity giant Apollo Global Management has cut a deal with Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises to buy a majority stake in Cox’s 13 TV stations as well as three newspapers and a handful of radio stations in Ohio. Apollo has been in the hunt for broadcast TV stations for some time.
A little retro, a little modern, high-waisted bikinis are a stylish swimwear choice from getaways to pool parties and every warm-weather destination in between. Offering a chic reveal of skin and a little more coverage than itsy-bitsy Brazilian cuts and stringy sets, these two pieces nip in at the waist for a figure-flattering effect that
Welcome to “TV Take,” Variety’s television podcast. In this week’s episode, Variety’s executive editor of TV, Daniel Holloway, talks with Ken Jeong about his Netflix comedy special, “Ken Jeong: You Complete Me, Ho,” and being a judge on Fox’s “The Masked Singer.“ Jeong started working on his new standup act after ABC canceled his show “Dr.
Not everyone wants or needs to be Netflix to succeed in the streaming space. And not everyone sees Apple’s enigmatic new service as a threat. Even as rival streaming services offer gobs of content, CBS Interactive’s president and COO Marc DeBevoise sees the company’s targeted original programming strategy continuing to attract viewers to its All
Courtesy Even if you’re not one of Arielle Noa Charnas 1.2 million followers on Instagram, you can’t deny that the influencer nails classic style. Her coats always fit perfectly so perfect it might actually be witchcraft. She brought the same magic to her collaboration with Nordstrom, and her February collection has everything you need to
February 15, 2019 1:15PM PT A “Crazy Rich Asians” reunion is happening at CBS. Ken Jeong has been cast in a lead role in the multi-camera comedy pilot “The Emperor of Malibu,” which is being co-written and executive produced by “Crazy Rich Asians” author Kevin Kwan. In the series, Auggie, the son of a Chinese
February 15, 2019 1:10PM PT The end is nigh! Filming for “Star Wars Episode IX” has officially wrapped, bringing an end to a franchise that has spanned more than 40 years and eight films. Director J.J. Abrams confirmed the news Friday tweeting, “It feels impossible, but today wrapped photography on ‘Episode IX.’ There is no
Smosh, the YouTube comedy brand left stranded after parent company Defy Media went belly-up, may be about to get a new business partner. Mythical Entertainment, the entertainment company founded by top YouTube comedy duo Rhett & Link, has been in talks about acquiring the Smosh brand, sources told Variety. Multiple potential buyers came forward to
Has it been too long since the dolphins made you cry? There’s an app for that, and it’s called the upcoming Hootie and the Blowfish reunion tour — previewed Thursday at a label showcase held at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Universal Music Nashville, which has made a solo country star out of singer Darius Rucker, had
February 15, 2019 12:51PM PT Ben Affleck is hanging up his cape and saying goodbye to Batman. In an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Thursday, the actor explained why he will not be returning as the Caped Crusader in the 2021 film “The Batman,” to be written and directed by Matt Reeves. Affleck is retiring
WASHINGTON — A federal judge imposed a gag order on Roger Stone’s legal proceedings that places some limitations on what he, his lawyers, and other parties say about the case. Stone, a longtime associate of President Donald Trump, was arrested last month after special counsel Robert Mueller brought charges that he misled the House Intelligence Committee
Bebe Rexha is back with her first single of 2019 — “Last Hurrah.” The Andrew Wells-produced track is Rexha’s first solo single since 2018’s “I’m a Mess,” which appeared on her debut album “Expectations” alongside the Grammy nominated “Meant to Be.” Inspired by some chocolate cake and a story about her friend, Rexha says the single
February 15, 2019 12:34PM PT Ryan Reynolds narrates an enlightening Imax documentary about a remote coastal ecosystem that offers solutions for sustainability. Imax documentaries take us into the wilderness in ways we could only ever dream of experiencing in person, inviting us to marvel at the majesty of mother nature. Director Ian McAllister’s “Great Bear
A year after Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg locked the series finale of “The Americans,” the showrunners’ farewell tour comes to an end this Sunday. The FX show is among the nominees for best drama series at the Writers Guild of America Awards, which reps the last in a string of major kudos for the
Liza Boone As summer’s classic generation-spanning sandal, a Birkenstock is always a good idea—and this spring a totally new silhouette is joining the bunch. The Yao takes the brand’s slip-on-and-wear-with-anything vibe to even more versatile levels. Whether for brunch, vacation, or your average Tuesday, these slim-strapped sandals are just the addition your wardrobe has been
Worried that growing political tension in Brazil may hamper the domestic release of “Marighella,” Wagner Moura’s directorial debut about a leftist revolutionary, the movie’s producers may seek to crowd-fund its distribution independently. “We are going to fight for it,” producer Andrea Barata Ribeiro said ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Berlinale on Friday.
February 15, 2019 10:55AM PT Chicago police confirmed on Friday that they have arrested two suspects in the case of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett. The police did not state what charges the men are being held on. Local media have identified the men as two brothers from Nigeria, though law enforcement has not confirmed their
February 15, 2019 10:46AM PT The second season of “Cosmos” will not air in March as planned. The nonfiction series hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was set to air on March 3 on Fox and National Geographic. But according to listings sent out by Fox on Friday, reruns of “Family Guy” will now air
A proposed settlement in the class action lawsuit against “Pokémon Go” developer Niantic could remove or change a number of Poké Stops and Gyms in the popular augmented reality game. The proposed settlement was filed in a California court on Thursday and applies to anyone in the U.S. who owns or leases property within 100 meters
Andy Gent says it was clear as soon as he read Wes Anderson’s script for “Isle of Dogs” that the project was very ambitious. It just took a while to understand exactly how ambitious. For example, it was originally estimated the animated movie would require between 300 and 400 puppets, the same number needed for
Qatari powerhouse beIN Media Group has rallied support from American sports and entertainment entities, including Discovery and Fox, behind its request that the U.S. government place Saudi Arabia on its watch list of top intellectual property offenders. The Doha-based broadcaster, a state-owned spinoff of Al Jazeera news network, accuses the Saudi government of harboring pirate broadcaster
With the Berlin Film Festival about to wrap and Cannes fast approaching, the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) is urging programmers at leading festivals to select for competition only films that will receive a full theatrical release. UNIC, which represents exhibitors and cinema associations in 37 countries, mostly in Europe, said in a statement Friday