October 8, 2018 3:20PM PT WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump told reporters that he likes Taylor Swift’s music “about 25% less now” that she endorsed a Democrat in a Senate race in Tennessee. Swift on Sunday showed her political stripes in a post on Instagram in which she said she would be voting for Phil
Politics
October 7, 2018 5:31PM PT Taylor Swift has broken her long-held public political silence in an Instagram post encouraging her followers to vote in the November midterm elections and slamming Republican Tennessee representative Marsha Blackburn. “In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life
Robert De Niro knows he can’t help himself. Given the opportunity, the Oscar winner will trash President Donald Trump. While introducing Bruce Springsteen’s performance at the Tony Awards in June, De Niro received a standing ovation when he said, “I’m just going to say one thing — f— Trump! It’s no longer ‘down with Trump.’ It’s
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Saturday, ending a contentious confirmation process. The vote was 50-48. Vice President Mike Pence, presiding over the chamber, announced the vote at 4 p.m. ET. Just after that, “This is a stain on American history,” as authorities raced to escort her away. The disruptions
WASHINGTON — Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) said they will vote for Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, making it more likely that his selection will be approved by the Senate in a final vote expected on Saturday. In a speech on the Senate floor, Collins decried the contentious
SB Projects founder Scooter Braun, Geffen Records President Neil Jacobson and Warner Music Group Global VP of A&R Aton Ben-Horin were recognized as “Ambassadors of Peace” by Hollywood organization Creative Community for Peace (CCFP) on Thursday night. The sold out event held in the backyard of entertainment attorney Aaron Rosenberg and TV producer Danny Rose’s
The Senate voted to end the debate on the Kavanaugh hearing Friday morning, resulting in widespread protests and condemnations from celebrities and reporters across the political spectrum. The confirmation vote will take place Saturday with what looks like a favorable vote for Kavanaugh, following senator Susan Collins’ announcement that she would be voting yes alongside
WASHINGTON — With a slim margin of 51-49, the Senate voted on Friday morning to advance Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination. Two senators crossed party lines on the nomination. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) voted aye, while Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted against it. Each has been the focus of intense lobbying efforts on behalf of public
Van Jones has visited the White House with Kim Kardashian West to discuss prison reform efforts, but does the CNN host and commentator believe Kardashian West has political ambitions of her own? When asked who should run for president in 2020, Jones told Variety, “Kim Kardashian.” With a laugh, Jones clarified that the “Keeping Up
October 4, 2018 1:25PM PT Amy Schumer was among those detained at a protest against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in Washington D.C. on Thursday. Actress Emily Ratajkowski also said on Instagram that she was arrested at the protest. Schumer appears to be one of dozens who were held at the Hart Senate Office Building on
October 4, 2018 1:20PM PT Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the Supreme Court on Thursday to protest Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination. The rallies come a day before senators are set to vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination following an FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations waged against him by Christine Blasey Ford. After a rally at the Supreme Court, more than a thousand demonstrators
“CBS This Morning” co-host John Dickerson covers the news at the crack of dawn every morning, and yet, he still made time to discuss headlines late Wednesday evening. “It’s past my bedtime, of course,” Dickerson, who wakes up at 4 a.m. during the week, quipped at Variety‘s annual New York party, where he was one
Joe Biden, who is considering a presidential run in 2020, raised about $100,000 for his political action committee American Possibilities at what was described as an intimate gathering of Hollywood executives and creatives, including Jeffrey Katzenberg, Paramount’s Jim Gianopulos, and and Sony’s Tom Rothman. The 90-minute event was held at WndrCo, Katzenberg’s investment and holding company,
October 4, 2018 6:32AM PT WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton and Special Olympics Chairman Tim Shriver will headline the inaugural Live Life Full DC gala on Oct. 10, an event that will raise money for research into Prader-Willi syndrome. The event will support the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research. The syndrome is a rare genetic
WASHINGTON — Billy Eichner, the Human Rights Campaign, and Funny or Die are teaming up for a tour to promote early voting in states with a focus on LGBTQ equality. Eichner, the host of “Billy on the Street,” will join HRC President Chad Griffin in Phoenix on Oct. 13, Las Vegas on Oct. 20 snd
October 3, 2018 2:46PM PT WASHINGTON — Michael Gallagher, the president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, which represents the video game industry, will step down at the end of the month. Gallagher served in the post for the past 11 years. The ESA board will begin a search for a successor, and Stanley Pierre-Louis,
Journalist Connie Chung penned an open letter supporting Christine Blasey Ford, while for the first time publicly sharing her own experience with sexual assault. Chung addresses the letter, published Wednesday in the Washington Post, to Ford, who gave testimony on Thursday to the Senate that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school
President Donald Trump, who earlier described Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh accuser Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as “credible,” mocked her Senate Judiciary Committee testimony at a campaign rally in Mississippi Tuesday. Trump, while discussing Kavanaugh’s treatment, began rehashing Ford’s testimony. “I had one beer!” he said, which Blasey Ford testified regarding her alcohol consumption at
Mark Judge, who Christine Blasey Ford testified was in the room when Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh allegedly sexually assaulted her, is a Gamergate supporter who argued that feminists want to “ban men from having sexual fantasies.” Resurfaced articles also show Judge, who completed an interview with the FBI on Tuesday, attacking the notion that video games
WASHINGTON — Hillary Clinton ridiculed Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s claim that accusations against him were some kind of “revenge on behalf of the Clintons” and called his testimony last week “unconvincing.” Speaking at The Atlantic Festival on Tuesday, Clinton laughed along with the audience after she was asked what she thought about Kavanaugh’s remark,
For Variety’s latest issue, we asked Alan Cumming to write a tribute to Monica Lewinsky, one of 50 people to make our New Power of New York list. Here’s why Lewinsky, an advocate for anti-bullying efforts, represents a new generation of movers and shakers that capture the best of Manhattan. For the full list, click
Spike Lee has spent the past 30 years making films — such as “Do the Right Thing” and “Malcolm X” — that tell hard truths about racism in America. His latest movie, “BlacKkKlansman,” touched a nerve when it opened in theaters in August, earning nearly $50 million at the domestic box office and generating Oscar
For Variety’s latest issue, we asked Joe Biden to write a tribute to Meghan McCain, one of 50 people to make our New Power of New York list. Here’s why McCain, a co-host of “The View,” represents a new generation of movers and shakers that capture the best of Manhattan. For the full list, click
Kanye West had to be Perrier-bottle-green with envy Monday night, if he was studying Twitter and seeing that the British pop-reggae band UB40 had found the most effortless path possible to becoming a trending topic on social media — by inadvertently triggering a bar fight more than 30 years ago. The world already knew that
WASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump touted a revised trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada as a historic achievement, the music industry says it falls short of providing “modern copyright protections.” Mitch Glazier, president of the Recording Industry Association of America, zeroed in on the inclusion of a safe harbor provision in the
WASHINGTON — California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the the country’s strongest net neutrality bill protections, a move that will be met by a legal challenge from the Trump administration. The Justice Department announced on Sunday that it filed a lawsuit against the state for passing the law, arguing that only the federal government
Kathy Griffin is back in America, and this time she’s creating her own comedy special. “It’s a different kind of show than I’ve ever done,” she told Variety at Saturday’s LA Equality Awards in Downtown Los Angeles. “I’m still scary to all of the 60-year-old, white, male dinosaurs that are afraid to put me on
Laverne Cox, Rosario Dawson and Yara Shahidi have one thing to ask of young adults this election season: Go out and vote. “Elections have consequences. Transgender lives are on the line,” Laverne Cox said in a speech at the We Vote Next Summit, held at the TOMS Headquarters in Los Angeles on Saturday. “Go and
Ahead of her keynote address at the Girls Build Summit in Los Angeles on Friday, super producer Shonda Rhimes previewed what the core message of her speech would be. “Vote,” she told Variety. “Go register to vote. Get your parents registered to vote. Get everybody out there to vote.” Rhimes gave her speech in front
Saba Nafees, a DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival) recipient and PhD candidate in mathematical biology at Texas Tech U., understands all too well what it’s like to live under the threat of deportation in Trump’s America. Born in Pakistan, Nafees immigrated to the States with her parents when she was 11 years-old, settling in