Filming permit requests for TV and film projects in New York City were down 13% in April and 31.5% in May as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike raged on, Variety has confirmed. According to information obtained by Variety, 760 requested shooting permits were issued to 177 projects by the Mayor’s Office of Media
Television
Debra Messing revealed during “The Magic of Will & Grace” panel at The Paley Center for Media that she was instructed to “have big boobs” during her first costume fitting for the NBC sitcom (via People magazine). The Emmy winner pushed back on the suggestion, only to be told that it was coming straight from
Some multi-millionaires enjoy collecting vintage automobiles. Others take to the charity circuit or try to influence politics from behind the scenes. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav has his own hobbies. One of them is taking a crowbar to what he believes are underperforming cable assets and renovating them wholesale. Zaslav has swung the wrecking
When you talk to Candace Bushnell, you don’t really see Carrie Bradshaw. Instead, you see more of a Samantha Jones, a fabulous blonde woman wearing sunglasses inside her Sag Harbor home in the Hamptons. She’s put together, and eager to get down to business — she says she’s working on being her own Mr. Big
“Manifest” Season 4 returned to the Netflix Top 10 chart at No. 2 after the release of part two, which arrived on June 2. During the May 29 – June 4, the show was viewed for 39.4 million hours — that’s a slight drop from Season 4, part one’s release which opened on Netflix’s Top
From Al Pacino’s white suit in “Scarface” and Robert De Niro’s tortoiseshell sunglasses in “Casino” to James Gandolfini’s bowling shirts in “The Sopranos” and Steve Buscemi’s Derby hats in “Boardwalk Empire,” movie and TV gangsters are famous for their bold fashion sense. And the latest nattily dressed mobster to hit the screen is Dwight Manfredi,
The “Angry Birds” universe just became one series bigger. Amazon Prime Video and Amazon Kids+ has picked up “Angry Birds Mystery Island” to series from Eric Rogers (Futurama) and Titmouse. “We’re excited to work with Amazon to add a new chapter to the Hatchlings’ story in ‘Angry Birds Mystery Island,’” said Rovio’s head of Brand
“Black Mirror” creator Charlie Brooker revealed to Empire magazine that he went full “Black Mirror” by asking the artificial intelligence chatbot known as ChatGPT to write an episode of his beloved anthology series. The final results were “shit,” according to Brooker. “I’ve toyed around with ChatGPT a bit,” Brooker said. “The first thing I did
Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith Grey had many love interests over 19 seasons of “Grey’s Anatomy,” from Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd to Scott Speedman’s Nick Marsh, but such constant relationship conflict ultimately became a source of frustration for the actor. During a “Grey’s” reunion interview with Katherine Heigl as part of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, Pompeo
WGA East members at CBS News Streaming have renewed their union contract, which includes an annual pay increase of 3% for each of the next three years. The pact, which will see the first pay bump for WGA’s CBS News Streaming staffers retroactive to March 10, also covers an increase to all salary minimums, a
When Ellen Pompeo sees Katherine Heigl before our photo shoot, she offers a greeting worthy of Barbra Streisand. “Hello, gorgeous!” Pompeo exclaims, giving Heigl a hug. And suddenly, it’s like no time has passed since “Grey’s Anatomy” premiered as a midseason replacement in 2005 — after ABC executives considered not airing the show at all
If you weren’t at London’s High Court for Prince Harry’s cross-examination — and the reams of media reports detailing the royal’s responses line by line weren’t enough — don’t worry: Sky News has you covered. The broadcaster has revealed plans to reconstruct key parts of Harry’s cross-examination on Tuesday with Mirror Group Newspapers lawyer Andrew
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. New bombshells have entered the villa. Season 10 of “Love Island,” which kicked off on Monday night, will again see contestants competing for love in Mallorca, Spain where they’ll be joined by new host
Apple TV+ has scored a documentary series on soccer superstar and FIFA World Cup winning player Lionel Messi. The four-part series, filmed in Paris, Qatar and Argentina, tracks the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner through his five FIFA World Cup appearances and his FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 win, in one of the most nail-biting finals
Even if you don’t work in the film and television industry, odds are you know there’s trouble brewing in Hollywood. You’ve probably heard about the Writers Guild strike and maybe you also know that SAG-AFTRA members voted overwhelmingly to approve a strike authorization, and you might be wondering, “What’s this all about?” The short answer
The most traditional purveyor of golf and the upstart that hoped to take away its business have agreed to merge, In a stunning development. the PGA Tour agreed to combine its commercial and business rights with the golf-related operations of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which includes the upstart league LIV Golf as well as
The story of the Special Olympics has been well told. So Robin Roberts is offering a new one. The “Good Morning America” co-anchor is an executive producer of ‘All You Hear Is Noise,” a new unscripted project that examines the paths of three Special Olympics contestants — Trent Hampton, Melanie Holmes, and Chris Wines —
The membership of SAG-AFTRA has voted overwhelmingly to approve a strike authorization, maximizing the guild’s leverage ahead of negotiations that begin on Wednesday. The guild announced Monday night that 97.91% of the voting members supported the authorization. Turnout was 47.69%. The vote comes as the Writers Guild of America strike enters its sixth week. Many
Tomorrow Studios has announced the promotion and hiring of Alissa Bachner and Josh Bratman. After joining the company in 2016, Bachner has been elevated to EVP of development where she will continue to oversee the production of the company’s slate of TV dramas and comedies. Bratman joins Tomorrow Studios as its new head of features.
Limited series have become the equivalent of trial marriages for cable networks and streamers. When they don’t catch fire — or run hot initially only to smolder by season’s end – they complete their self-contained stories and disappear into the void. (It’s technically not a cancellation!) But when the audience falls in love with a
Upcoming Amazon original series “The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart” starring Sigourney Weaver will premiere on Aug. 4. The seven-part series is based on Holly Ringland’s same-name debut novel. According to the synopsis, “When Alice, aged 9, tragically loses her parents in a mysterious fire, she is taken to live with her grandmother June at
HBO said “Hello, angel” to 913,000 viewers when it aired the series premiere of “The Idol” on Sunday night. Provided by Warner Bros. Discovery, that number points to Nielsen’s measurement of linear viewers on HBO’s cable channel combined with WBD’s own data regarding streams on Max. For context, “Euphoria” (created by Sam Levinson, who is
Like almost every project in Hollywood, the “Community” movie is on hold amid the writers strike. However, the bright spot in the darkest timeline is that, according to star Joel McHale, series creator Dan Harmon and co-writer Andrew Guest had almost finalized the Peacock film’s script ahead of the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) work
ABC is developing a new version of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, best known as the co-founders of the lifestyle brand The Home Edit, will serve as hosts of the new version of the show should it move forward. The show currently has the same title as the original, but that
The “Law & Order” universe is heading up north. Citytv has ordered the series “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent,” Rogers Media announced on Monday. The pickup was revealed a day before Rogers Media’s virtual upfront presentation on June 6. The Toronto iteration hails from Vancouver-based Lark Productions and Cameron Pictures Inc. in association with
Anna Shay, who appeared in Netflix’s “Bling Empire” reality show, has died after suffering a stroke, Variety has confirmed. She was 62. “It saddens our hearts to announce that Anna Shay, a loving mother, grandmother, charismatic star, and our brightest ray of sunshine, has passed away at the early age of 62 from a stroke.
In Fox’s “Crime Scene Kitchen,” it’s not (entirely) about who wins or loses the most-delicious-baked-good portion, it’s about how you play the baking-detective game. For the second season, which premieres Monday at 9 p.m., host Joel McHale and judge Yolanda Gampp said the competition becomes even harder, as it includes both self-taught and classically trained
The Peacock limited series adaptation of the Liane Moriarty novel “Apples Never Fall” has added six recurring guest stars, Variety has learned exclusively. Katrina Lenk (“Ozark,” “Little Voice”), Timm Sharp (“Enlightened,” “Blunt Talk”), Nate Mann (“Masters of the Air,” “Licorice Pizza”), Paula Andrea Placido (“Hacks,” “Shameless”), Pooja Shah (“L Word: Generation Q,” “Westworld”), and Quentin
Showtime is not moving forward with Caroline Suh’s documentary on disgraced comedian Louis C.K., Variety has learned. The feature-length doc was announced by Paramount Global exec David Nevins at the Edinburgh TV Festival in Scotland last summer. Nevins stepped down in October following internal restructuring. Suh, who previously directed Netflix documentary “Blackpink: Light Up the
U.K. screenwriters are set to gather in London’s Leicester Square in support of the Writers Guild of America and its ongoing strike action. The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain is inviting members to join a major June 14 protest for the U.S. writers strike, which has passed its first month. The protest is part of