Politics

The stakes in the election could not be much higher, as the COVID-19 pandemic rages out of control and the economy struggles to return to life. The entertainment industry also has a lot riding on the outcome. If Joe Biden is elected, companies could see a bigger stimulus bill and a more aggressive response to

May the force be with Michigan democrats. Mark Hamill has joined Friday’s table read of the 1985 film “Fright Night” with original cast members Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Stephen Geoffreys, Jonathan Stark, Dorothy Fielding, Art Evans and Chris Hendrie. Hamill will take on  the role of Peter Vincent, originally played by Roddy McDowall, and

If you never expected singer-actor Keke Palmer, writer-producer Finneas and the Broadway songwriting team of Pasek and Paul to ever show up in the same collaborative space, you would not have been alone in that. But there’s a reason that, in a season full of earnest songs being penned either as campaign or get-out-the-vote songs,

The Trump administration’s $250 million coronavirus ad campaign was highly motivated by politics, according to a letter from House Democrats obtained by Politico, down to the celebrity endorsements it would have featured. The administration awarded a $250 million contract for an ad campaign designed to “defeat despair and inspire hope” amid the pandemic and heading

Three people are dead following a knife attack in the French city of Nice on Thursday morning. The incident took place in and around the Notre-Dame basilica, according to Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi, who was on the scene and shared details on his Twitter page. He said “everything suggests a terror attack” that took place

A Senate Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday about a U.S. law that shields internet companies from liability over content posted to their platforms — predictably — mainly provided a venue for GOP members to slam the CEOs of Twitter, Facebook and Google for allegedly censoring conservative viewpoints and information. The execs of the three tech companies

Miles Taylor, the former chief of staff in the Department of Homeland Security, revealed that he was the anonymous author of an anti-Trump New York Times op-ed in 2018. Taylor revealed his identity as the previously unnamed author in a blog post on Wednesday, saying “Donald Trump is a man without character. It’s why I

President Donald Trump’s campaign website appeared to be temporarily seized on Tuesday night and replaced with a message threatening to expose him and his relatives. According to the Associated Press, Trump campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh said that the website was “defaced” and their camp is working with law enforcement authorities to investigate the source of

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has emerged victorious from Nickelodeon’s 2020 “Kids Pick the President” Kids Vote — but even the mock election was not free of outside interference. According to a statement from Nickelodeon, cheating was first detected on Oct. 21 after online forums were found to be discussing how to fraudulently vote on

Kevin Costner continues to be impressed by Pete Buttigieg after endorsing him in the Democratic primary during an Iowa rally last December. “There was this kind of thought, [you can] like Pete, but it’s not his time,” the Oscar winner tells Variety. “And I think, you know what, really? Really? Not his time? I think

Atlantic Records’ voting coalition ATL Votes has launched the 36% Campaign, named after the fact that only 36% of eligible voters aged 18-29 voted in the 2018 midterm election, according to the Census Bureau. Various artists signed to the label aim to illustrate the importance of voting by showcasing what this low percentage would look — and

Judge Amy Coney Barrett has been confirmed as the latest Supreme Court Justice, following a swift and controversial move by Republicans to swear her in ahead of the 2020 election. The confirmation on Monday evening breaks precedent from 2016 when Republicans delayed President Obama’s choice for a new Supreme Court Justice for several months. Barrett’s

“It is and always has been solely my decision to endorse or oppose a vote using my face, my music, my performance — my values,” Kramer said in a statement. “I’m no stranger to political action, and it disgusts me that (No on) Prop-23’s $100 million repository for marketing that was raised solely to force

When Joe Biden made his first trip to Florida in September as the democratic presidential nominee, he made a stop in Miami. One of the high profile names by his social-distanced side was Ricky Martin. “I’ve been supporting Biden forever,” the “Livin’ La Vida Loca” hitmaker says on an upcoming episode of the Variety and

The chances of Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, returning to public life after a year-long hiatus are in question as the royal finds himself embroiled in fresh controversy around Ghislaine Maxwell’s deposition. The U.K.’s Sunday Times has reported that the Prince is plotting how he might return to more active duties in the future.

Santa Claus is coming to town… with supposed early access to the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump administration official Michael Caputo wanted performers who portray Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and elves to lend their talents to a coronavirus-related ad campaign meant to promote the benefits of the eventual vaccine. In return,

The Wall Street Journal opinion page spent much of Thursday talking up a fresh allegation involving Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and the son’s alleged business dealings in China. “Joe Biden has a problem, and his name is Hunter,” wrote Kimberley Strassel, a member of the paper’s editorial board. James Freeman, assistant editor of the

Democratic challenger Joe Biden accused President Trump of trafficking in Russian disinformation in the final debate on Thursday, and asked Americans to weigh each candidate’s character in deciding how to vote. Trump brought up allegations involving Joe Biden’s son Hunter, referring to the “laptop from hell” cited in a New York Post story about the

Thursday’s debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will mark the second and last time both presidential candidates will talk one-on-one before Election Day. The event takes place after the previously scheduled debate on Oct. 15 was cancelled following Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis. This week’s hour-and-a-half debate will take place starting at

A commercial for Joe Biden’s presidential run, aired during Sunday’s NFL games and noted for its licensing of the Beastie Boys’ music, has been withdrawn after the Michigan nightclub owner featured in the ad became a target for fire from conservatives. The Biden campaign says it took the ad down in response to “doxxing” and

Twitter is disputing the account of a security researcher in the Netherlands who claimed he accessed President Trump’s Twitter account — simply by guessing that the password was “maga2020!” “We’ve seen no evidence to corroborate this claim, including from the article published in the Netherlands today,” a Twitter spokesman said in a statement to Variety. According

In the closing weeks of the campaign, President Trump has spent much of his time attacking network interviewers and debate moderators. But in a town hall aired on Wednesday night by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Trump got to relax a bit under friendly questioning from host Eric Bolling. Bolling, a former Fox News anchor, now hosts

Disneyland President Ken Potrock and other theme park executives have blasted the state of California over its strict reopening rules, contending that state officials have been unwilling to collaborate. “We believe that we’ve proven that we can responsibly reopen,” Potrock said. “We continue to prove all over the world that we have reliable protocols that

Comedy legend Mel Brooks is the latest celebrity to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 election against President Donald Trump. The prolific actor, director and writer was joined by his son, Max Brooks, and his grandson in a video shared to Max’s Twitter account on Wednesday. He wrote, “My father, Mel Brooks,

Controlling media and access to information has become a top priority for the Thai government, which has been rattled by shows of open defiance from pro-democracy protestors. But it is not clear that increased censorship and media bans will have the desired effect. The protestors have frequently altered their tactics and have used social media

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Larry David — the stars and co-creator of “Seinfeld” — will reunite on Friday for a virtual fundraiser for the Texas Democratic Party. The event is billed as a “Fundraiser About Something,” and the trio will be talking about their favorite “Seinfeld” episodes with host Seth Meyers. “Texas is a

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced new rules on Monday intended to allow the candidates to speak uninterrupted at the final debate on Thursday. Under the new rules, each candidate will have two minutes to address each of six topics. For that period of time, his opponent’s microphone will be muted. The change comes in

Donald Trump continues to invoke references that might be obscure or passé to many of his supporters, and Monday’s tweets included references to “the late, great Bob Hope” and a reply to the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman saying “Every rally is BOFFO.” But what exactly was he trying to say? Boffo is one of

President Trump kept up the attacks on NBC’s Kristen Welker on Monday, calling her a “dyed-in-the-wool, radical left Democrat.” Welker is set to moderate the final presidential debate on Thursday from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. Over the weekend, the New York Post reported that Welker’s parents had donated to Democrats. The Post also reported

It will be fun, fun, fun under the California sun for many well-heeled attendees at today’s Donald Trump fundraiser in Newport Beach — but not for Beach Boys Brian Wilson and Al Jardine, who are chagrined that the touring version of the group currently headed up by Mike Love will be headlining the campaign benefit.