February 11, 2019 5:30PM PT Comedy Central is bringing back “Crank Yankers.” The basic cabler announced at the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Monday that they have ordered a 20-episode revival of the prank call series. Updated for a digitally driven audience, the show will now feature puppets pranking people on phones, social
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Carmen Argenziano, an actor best known for his roles in “Stargate SG-1” and “The Godfather Part II,” has died, talent agency Event Horizon Talent confirmed Sunday in a Facebook post. He was 75. “While Carmen was a client, he was also a good friend. While he was a class act and a consummate gentleman at the events
David Spade is returning to late-night TV, in a bid from Comedy Central that will shake up the way the network does business around midnight. David Spade, the comedian once famous for delivering the “Hollywood Minute” during the “Weekend Update” segment on “Saturday Night Live,” will devote considerably more time going forward to the Viacom-owned
Several hours before Aerosmith took the stage for the second annual Steven Tyler Grammy viewing party — which benefits Janie’s Fund, an organization created by Tyler to help underage victims of human trafficking — an energized and animated Tyler spoke to Variety about what it’s like when the band gets together these days. “Let’s just
Controversial Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier is apparently turning to diamonds and virtual reality as a new method of representing his movies. Von Trier has created “Melancholia: The Diamond,” inspired by his 2011 movie, as an exhibition the M HKA, a modern art museum in Antwerp, Belgium, according to the New York Times. The stone
In today’s TV news roundup, Hulu sets the premiere date for season three of “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Samantha Bee will host another “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.” DATES Hulu has announced a slate of release dates for several original series and films. The first trio of episodes from the third season of “The
The list of luxury design houses that have come under fire for releasing designs that evoke racist imagery is growing at a rapid rate. Allow me to jog your memory. H&M used a black child to model a “monkey” sweater, Prada released blackface keychains, Moncler had blackface imagery all over a black puffer coat, and
Premium cabler HBO will be “core” to the new WarnerMedia streaming service, emphasized TBS and TNT president Kevin Reilly at the Television Critics Assn. press tour on Monday, and indicated that Netflix likely won’t hold onto “Friends” for long. WarnerMedia’s upcoming platform, which will compete with subscription video-on-demand services such as Netflix, Amazon, and the
Nicki Minaj is speaking out against Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich just days after Ariana Grande called him out for statements regarding her not performing at this year’s Grammy Awards. “I pissed off the same man Ariana just called out for lying. Grammy producer KEN,” Minaj wrote on Twitter. “I was bullied into staying quiet for 7
Sitting in the Interscope Records studio where he recorded his first two albums, Anton Zaslavski, better known as Zedd, revealed an inside look at what it’s like to be one of the music industry’s most powerful hitmakers Thursday at a masterclass hosted by Universal Music Group and Marriott Bonvoy in partnership with Interscope Records. Surrounded
Albright Fashion Library LA “High fashion doesn’t really exist here since most of the major photographers and models are in New York,” said Albright Fashion Library founder, Irene Albright of the red carpet-centered fashion scene in LA. That was part of her inspiration to bring her namesake showroom to the West Coast. Filled with thousands
Variety has confirmed that four Oscars will be presented during commercial breaks of the 91st Academy Awards. The awards will be best cinematography, film editing, live action short and makeup and hairstyling. The winning speeches will edited to remove the winners’ walk from their seats to the stage and each speech will be aired separately later
Nicki Minaj Cancels BET Awards Gig After Tweet Trashing Her, Applauding Cardi 2/11/2019 12:12 PM PST Exclusive Details BET thought it was a good idea to make fun of Nicki Minaj by dragging her on Twitter after Cardi B took home some Grammy hardware … and now the network’s gonna pay for it, courtesy of Nicki. The
For a film that hinges entirely on the deceptive nature of appearances, it’s appropriate that “Who You Think I Am” wears a few genre disguises itself en route to a double-edged conclusion. Leading Juliette Binoche’s unhappily divorced academic through the tricks and turns of online catfishing, the film’s premise seems poised at any minute to
Amazon announced the acquisition of home mesh router maker Eero Monday afternoon, with executives from both companies painting it as a way improve connectivity in people’s homes. Amazon said that the deal was subject to customary closing conditions, and did not disclose an acquisition price. “We are incredibly impressed with the Eero team and how
Courtesy of Veronica Beard Veronica S. Beard and Veronica M. Beard, the sister-in-laws and masterminds behind, well, Veronica Beard, launched in 2010 with the fan-favorite Dickey Jacket and built a legion of fans pining for Veronica Beard’s polished, feminine tailoring and whimsical dresses. But even with a growing fanbase, Veronica Beard’s collections weren’t accessible to
Jane Levy has been cast in the lead role of the NBC drama pilot “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” Variety has learned. In addition, Paul Feig will no longer direct the pilot as planned due to scheduling conflicts. He remains on the project as an executive producer. Richard Shepard has now joined the pilot as the director and
Ludwig Göransson’s Grammy wins Sunday night broke yet another record: The Swedish composer and collaborative partner with Childish Gambino became the first artist to win song of the year and best score soundtrack for projects in entirely different music genres. Göransson won for his “Black Panther” score and shared the song of the year Grammy
February 11, 2019 1:48PM PT Katy Perry’s fashion line is pulling a number of shoes from retailers including Dillards and Walmart after one of the styles was criticized for evoking racist imagery. The style in question, present on the line’s “Rue Face Slip On Loafers” and “Ora Face Block Heel Sandal,” featured large, blue eyes and and a
Some of Sunday night’s big Grammy winners are still reaping the rewards less than 24 hours later. Winning artists and their albums typically see a sizable sales bump in the days immediately following the show, and as of press time, “Album of the Year” winner Kacey Musgraves was sitting at No. 1 on the iTunes
Neon has acquired the North American rights to “Honeyland,” the award-winning documentary from Macedonian filmmaking duo Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska. The deal marks Neon’s fifth acquisition out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where “Honeyland” received the world cinema grand jury prize: documentary, world cinema documentary special jury award for cinematography, and world cinema
Drake’s impassioned appearance at Sunday’s Grammy Awards was one of the highlights of the night, but many viewers were left confused after the rapper appeared to be cut short following a brief pause in his speech. While accepting a Grammy for rap song of the year, the “God’s Plan” rapper took the opportunity to speak
February 11, 2019 12:38PM PT Everyone wanted a taste of “Tequila” at this year’s Grammy Awards. The hit single from country duo Dan + Shay was the most Shazamed song of the night following the artists’ stripped-down performance, featuring Dan Smyers on guitar and Shay Mooney on piano. “Tequila” was a multi-week No. 1 smash
February 11, 2019 12:34PM PT Paramount Pictures is developing Kyle Starks’ graphic novel “Kill Them All” and has set the action project up with “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse” producers Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec. The story, first published in 2015, centers on a betrayed murderess seeking revenge who partners up with a hard drinking former
February 11, 2019 12:24PM PT Facebook is getting ready to launch its Oculus Quest virtual reality (VR) headset soon, if a duo of new FCC filings is any indication. Two filings for the headset’s touch controllers passed the FCC on Monday, roughly 45 days after the headset itself made an appearance in a similar regulatory
“America’s Got Talent” has set a new host and members of its judging panel going into Season 14, Variety has learned. Terry Crews will take over as host of the NBC competition show from Tyra Banks. In addition, Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough will serve as judges on the upcoming season, joining returning judges Simon Cowell
Joseph A. Sirola, who was dubbed the “King of Voice-Overs” for his extensive work in commercials, died Sunday in New York. He was 89 years old. His rep confirmed that he died from complications of respiratory failure. He was best known for his deep, resonant voice that appeared in advertisements for companies like Ford, GE,
February 11, 2019 12:08PM PT “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are producing and directing their live-action movie “The Last Human” for Sony/TriStar. Sony announced Monday that it had topped bids from Netflix, Warner Bros., and Universal for the movie rights to the upcoming novel by Lee Bacon, set in a
February 11, 2019 11:59AM PT Thomas Middleditch is joining Sony Pictures’ upcoming “Zombieland” sequel. The “Silicon Valley” actor will star alongside Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin in “Zombieland 2.” As previously reported, Zoey Deutch and Rosario Dawson are also boarding the cast. “Zombieland 2” will be set in a world in which
MADRID, Spain — On Jan. 28 this year, the cast and crew of the Movistar Plus’s 16th century adventure drama “The Plague” wrapped shooting on Season 2. Variety visited the set and interview members of the team responsible for what could well be the country’s most ambitious TV project ever. Here are five take-aways from