April 12, 2019 11:40AM PT About 10 years into its business plan, APM scored a huge win by getting the rights to market the NFL Films music library. Ninety albums and 25 years later the relationship is still going strong. The footballers also use APM catalog music — the ESPN “Monday Night Football” theme, “Heavy
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Whether it’s a series theme or Mexican banda for a needle drop, when clients want something exclusive they come to APM Custom Music. Launched in 2012, APM Custom operates out of the recording studio formerly known as Lion Share. “We want to be a one-stop shop for clients,” says director of custom music development Connie
The view from APM Music’s office on Sunset Boulevard is expansive, from downtown to Dodger Stadium, to Century City and all points west. The company has been in the same tower since opening its doors in Los Angeles in 1984, but it’s moved up in the world, from a few rooms to most of the
Hollywood agents have warned the Writers Guild of America against authorizing managers and lawyers to negotiate deals for writers in place of agents. The letter was sent Friday morning, with the WGA expected to require a mass firing of agents as early as Saturday morning if the guild cannot make a deal with agents to
Motown Records stumbled into the 1980s from the ‘70s, watching its greatest hitmakers return to the charts via other labels — Diana Ross at RCA, Marvin Gaye at Columbia and, of course, Michael Jackson and his brothers at Epic. Its fortunes perked up a bit in 1982 with hits from Lionel Richie and DeBarge, but
April 12, 2019 10:49AM PT The gambler, playboy and original owner of the Millennium Falcon, Lando Calrissian, is back. Billy Dee Williams took the stage at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago on Friday, showing fans the first look at Lando in “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” It’s been 36 years since Lando last graced
The first look at “Star Wars: Episode IX,” called “The Rise of Skywalker,” is finally here. The trailer was revealed to fans during an “Episode IX” panel at the Star Wars Celebration event in Chicago. Director J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy were on hand to make the announcement on Friday. Stars Daisy Ridley,
Chrissy Metz made her live-singing debut on Sunday when she performed “I’m Standing With You” from her new movie “Breakthrough.” Was that just a step on her way to performing at the Oscars? Could be. The song was written by 10-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren. “They said Chrissy had to sing it and I was
On April 9, FX debuts “Fosse/Verdon,” about two people who may not be household names, but are certainly in the Pantheon to those who love musicals. In the Jan. 25, 1950, issue, Variety reviewer Hobe Morrison lamented the stage revue “Alive and Kicking,” but gave one of the few positive mentions to newcomer Gwen Verdon.
Philippa Goslett is the screenwriter of “Mary Magdalene,” the movie that looks at the life of Jesus from the perspective of his most famous contemporary female follower. The film stars Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tahar Rahim and is being released by IFC Films in the U.S. on Friday. Goslett’s previous work includes
Former Wanda executive Jack Gao’s new venture, the movie-streaming mobile app Smart Cinema, has brought in around $4 million in virtual ticket sales and distributed 120 titles so far in its first year of operation, passing the million-ticket mark earlier this year. Founded last May, the company seeks to boost the Chinese box office by
April 11, 2019 9:38PM PT A dewy-eyed freshman swoons for a troubled campus dreamboat in a new adult romantic drama whose only surprise is its lack of danger. When Tessa Young (Josephine Langford), the heroine of “After,” arrives for her freshman year at Northview University, we can tell in a skipped heartbeat that next to
Nobody was particularly happy that Joan Crawford’s final big-screen performance was in 1970’s “Trog,” probably least of all the actress herself. But that very silly movie about a troglodyte found living in the modern age is at least more fun than “William,” in which a Neanderthal is cloned from an ancient caveman’s DNA. Instead of
April 11, 2019 8:40PM PT Mel Gibson’s problem-plagued project finally gets released with an invented director’s name and a minuscule chance of earning much money. Back in 1998 when Simon Winchester’s book “The Professor and the Madman” was published, a film version was already imagined by quite a few reviewers, spurred on not only by
Hollywood’s major talent agencies have offered to share a portion of the revenue generated from TV and film packaging fees with the WGA to avoid the prospect of thousands of writers firing their agents as early as Saturday. The financial offer was part of a lengthy proposal sent by the Association of Talent Agents to
In today’s film news roundup, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera and Aaron Eckhart get major roles, Donna Langley is a commencement speaker, and the Brittania Awards are set for Oct. 25. CASTINGS Leslie Grace and Melissa Barrera have been cast for the feature adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In The Heights” from “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon
Director Gilles de Maistre had good intentions at heart bringing an animal activist message to the mainstream with “Mia and the White Lion.” The craft and care it took to capture a portrait of a headstrong young girl and her unconventional friendship with a white lion is astounding, considering the filming spanned a few years
DMG Entertainment has fired back against Chris Fenton, the former head of its motion picture group who filed a $30 million breach of contract suit in February. In a counterclaim, DMG blasts Fenton as a disloyal employee who advanced his own interests at the company’s expense. The suit alleges that Fenton “cultivated his persona of
Disney has thrown down the content gauntlet. The company capped a three and a half hour investor presentation on its plans to move aggressively into the direct-to-consumer arena Thursday with news that produced gasps from the roughly 250 Wall Street analysts and reporters in the room. The $6.99 monthly price of its cornerstone Disney Plus
Sterling Van Wagenen, who co-founded the Sundance Film Festival, has been charged with felony aggravated sexual abuse by the Salt Lake City District Attorney’s office. The Sundance Institute issued a statement denouncing Van Wagenen and said he has not been connected to the festival since 1993. “Recent reports in the press have made us aware
Disney+ will launch in the U.S. on Nov. 12, 2019, and will cost $6.99 per month, the company announced — nearly half Netflix’s standard $12.99 plan. The subscription VOD service represents Disney’s next major foray into the video-streaming wars. By pricing it well below Netflix, the Mouse House is betting it can rapidly drive up
Amber Heard has recounted years of abuse she endured by her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, in new court documents filed in response to his $50 million defamation lawsuit against her. The actress referred to Depp as “the Monster” multiple times in the court filings and claimed he wouldn’t remember the abuse due to his excessive drinking
April 11, 2019 4:19PM PT Hip-hop artist and producer DJ Quik is the latest star to become involved in the forthcoming indie movie “John Henry” with Terry Crews and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges. The rapper will produce an original soundtrack for the feature film and also serve as executive producer. The film, from first-time movie director
Describing a movie as “sweet” may be interpreted by some as damnation with the faintest praise. But, really, there is no more appropriate adjective for “Olympic Dreams,” an engagingly wistful dramedy about opposites attracted while adrift far from home. Set against the backdrop of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where indie
MGM announced this week that it expects a 40% decline in earnings in 2019 as it invests in its Epix Now streaming service. The company said in February that it would launch Epix Now at $5.99 per month, joining other premium channels that have already rolled out over-the-top services. In order to attract subscribers, Epix
April 11, 2019 3:16PM PT Michael Keaton is attached to star in “Goodrich,” with Amy Pascal producing and Hallie Meyers-Shyer directing from her own script. The story centers on a man named Andy Goodrich in the aftermath of his second wife leaving him. He is faced with taking care of their 9-year-old twins and has
The Hollywood Women’s Film Institute will launch its inaugural film festival with “Why Not Choose Love? A Mary Pickford Manifesto” as its opening title, Variety has learned exclusively. The Mary Pickford biopic, starring Sophie Kennedy Clark as the iconic actress, will screen on June 13 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in
April 11, 2019 10:05AM PT [embedded content] Universal Pictures is celebrating National Pet Day by dropping a new trailer for “The Secret Life of Pets 2,” highlighting the “emotional” side of our furry friends. The footage shows the terrier Max, voiced by Patton Oswalt, being taken to the vet by his owner (Ellie Kemper) due
PANAMA CITY — “The main problem is how to reach audiences beyond festivals,” says the Locarno Festival’s Nadia Dresti. The Locarno Industry Academy, which now boasts a network of events outside the Swiss city, aims to help a budding new generation of distribution, sales, exhibition and programming execs to develop answers. IFF Panama and
In the upcoming comedy “Little,” Regina Hall stars as the alpha adult version of the character and Marsai Martin (“Black-ish”) is her 13-year-old bespectacled inner nerd. The movie is already garnering attention because it turned Martin into Hollywood’s youngest executive producer. Will Packer, another exec producer on the film, helped Martin make history and is