“Eiffel,” “Around the World in 80 Days” and “The Last Duel” were among the winners at the Digital Creation Genie Awards announced at an awards ceremony held Wednesday in the Centre des Arts in Enghien-les-Bains, Paris. The awards were held as part of the 8th edition of PIDS Enghien, which runs Jan. 26-29. Best visual
Television
Peacock ended 2021 with 9 million paid subscribers, NBCUniversal revealed Thursday during parent company Comcast’s fourth-quarter earnings call, marking the first disclosure of Peacock’s paying customer base since the platform launched in April 2020. Ahead of the call, Comcast reported in its Q4 letter to shareholders that Peacock hit 24.5 million monthly active accounts (MAAs)
Applications are now open for Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions’ second annual mentorship lab, which provides opportunities for BIPOC creatives in TV and film. The development and production company founded by Waithe and Rishi Rajani is again presenting the Hillman Grad Mentorship Lab, an eight-month tuition-free program focused on helping marginalized storytellers connect, grow and
Comcast reported fourth-quarter 2021 earnings Thursday, beating Wall Street’s expectations on both revenue and earnings. NBCUniversal revenue was $9.3 billion, up 25.6% from the previous year’s Q4, and studio sales were up more than 36%. In the quarter ended Dec. 31, NBCUniversal revenue increased 25.6% to $9.3 billion. Media revenue increased 8.4% to $5.8 billion,
British comedian Barry Cryer, who wrote for sketch shows including ‘The Two Ronnies’ and ‘Morecambe and Wise,’ died on Tuesday in London, his family have confirmed. He was 86. No cause of death has been released. Cryer was a veteran of British television and radio. Born in Yorkshire, he originally began his career as a
SALES International media group Fremantle has picked up sales rights outside Asia to Korean format “DNA Singer.” The music gameshow was created by specialty firm FormatEast and Kyung Hwangbo for SBS and has not yet gone to air. Family members who are genetically linked with celebrities such as singers and actors perform, while the judges
Amazon Prime Video has ordered its next French series original, “Darknet-sur-Mer,” a crime comedy series produced by Noor Sadar’s White Lion Films, a Mediawan Group company. The six-episode series, directed by Remy Four and Julien War (“On The Other Side of the Tracks”), has just started filming in Charente Maritime, a region in Southwest France.
MSNBC is sending a morning anchor to late night in order to expand its biggest A.M. franchise. The NBCUniversal-backed cable news outlet intends to shift Stephanie Ruhle from her mid-morning role to its late-night program, “The 11th Hour” as part of a bid to expand one of its key programs, ‘Morning Joe,” according to three
SPOILER WARNING: This post discusses major plot developments in Season 1, Episode 5 of “The Book of Boba Fett,” currently streaming on Disney Plus. Throughout the first season of “The Book of Boba Fett,” it always felt like a matter of time before Pedro Pascal’s Mando from “The Mandalorian” sauntered back into the story. “Boba
The much anticipated “Baahubali: Before The Beginning,” the two-season Netflix prequel to India’s “Baahubali” blockbuster films, is now being “reevaluated” Variety understands. The series was announced with much fanfare in 2018 with the film’s producer Arka Mediaworks producing for Netflix. Deva Katta (“Prasthanam”) and Praveen Sattaru (“Guntur Talkies”) were due to direct. Based on the
After a thrilling 40-game streak, “Jeopardy” phenom Amy Schneider finally met her match. Schneider, an engineering manager from Oakland, Calif., lost her 41st game on Wednesday to Rhone Talsma, a librarian from Chicago. With 40 consecutive wins, Schneider holds the title for the second-longest run in the quiz show’s history, collecting $1,382,800 in winnings in
When HBO Max drops the fifth and final season of Neapolitan gangster saga “Gomorrah” on Jan. 27, it will also mark the end of a convoluted seven-year journey for Italy’s most widely exported TV show. “In Italian TV, there is a before and after ‘Gomorrah,’” says Nils Hartmann, senior VP of Germany and Italy for
Viacom CBS has announced the 15 performers starring in the 2022 “Showcase” event. “Showcase,” an annual variety comedy show spotlighting up-and-coming performers, has served as a launching pad for the careers of numerous stars, such as Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”), Tiffany Haddish (“Girls Trip”), Ego Nwodim (“Saturday Night Live”), Nico Santos (“Superstore”), Drew Tarver
Jeremiah Caplinger pleaded guilty on Nov. 5, 2021 to one count of stepping on, climbing, removing or injuring property on U.S. Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Ahead of Caplinger’s sentencing next month, newly-filed court documents obtained by Variety reveal that prosecutors in the case used a famous quote from the HBO fantasy series “Game
Golden Globe-winning actor Claire Danes will star opposite Jesse Eisenberg and Lizzy Caplan in the FX limited series “Fleishman is in Trouble,” based on the novel of the same name by features journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner. The series hails from ABC Signature and will stream on Hulu. Brodesser-Akner wrote the limited series and executive produces. “Fleishman
Netflix has ordered the political drama series “The Diplomat” from Debora Cahn, with Cahn also signing a multi-year overall deal at the streamer. Under the deal, Cahn will write and produce series and other projects for Netflix. The streaming giant has ordered eight episodes of “The Diplomat” at 50 minutes each. In the series, in
Wolf Entertainment, the producer behind beloved TV franchises “Law & Order,” “One Chicago” and “FBI,” are teaming up with partner Universal Studio Group to create a sales boutique focused on the international format distribution of its shows. Today, CEO Dick Wolf and USG Chairman Pearlena Igbokwe announced that the unit will be led by sales
“The Masked Singer” will premiere its seventh season on March 9, Fox announced Wednesday. Host Nick Cannon and panelists Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong, Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy will return to the show, which will include a new cast of celebrity competitors who perform in elaborate costumes that conceal their identities. Last season featured Todrick
Call it now: “Succession” will win the DGA Award this year for drama. That’s because it’s the only nominee this year for drama: Five episodes of the HBO series’ third season filled all five nominated slots for this year’s DGA Awards category for dramatic series. The “Succession” sweep comes as the Directors Guild of America
Jonathan Krisel was executive producer of “Baskets,” starring Louie Anderson, which aired on FX from 2016-19. Anderson, who died at age 68 on Jan. 21, won an Emmy for his performance as Christine on the show, which also starred Zach Galifianakis. Louie bought the entire crew Arby’s one night. He had already filmed his scenes
Chad Matthews has been named president of ABC Owned Television Stations, effective immediately. He takes over the position vacated by Wendy McMahon, who exited the company last year. Most recently, Debra OConnell, who is president of Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, Networks, has been managing the team directly with Matthews’ assistance since last April. Most
Kathryn Kates, a veteran film, television and theater actor known for her roles on “Seinfeld,” “Orange is the New Black” and “Many Saints of Newark,” died Saturday, according to an Instagram post from her talent agency. She was 73. “Our mighty @officialkathrynkates has passed away,” Headline Talent Agency wrote on Instagram. “She will always be
Nick Stahl has been cast in Showtime’s upcoming elevated drama genre series “Let the Right One In.” Stahl joins previously announced castmates Demián Bichir, Anika Noni Rose, Grace Gummer, Madison Taylor Baez, Kevin Carroll, Ian Foreman and Jacob Buster on the series. “Let the Right One In” is inspired by the original Swedish novel and
CBS is bringing the funny to a larger audience than its broadcast competition this season with eight of the top 10 most-watched comedies belonging to channel that’s home to “Young Sheldon.” And yes, “Young Sheldon” is by far the most-watched of that group. Out of the 34 comedy titles that have aired across ABC, CBS,
UPDATE: Ofcom has confirmed it is launching an investigation into the BBC’s reporting under its accuracy rules. A spokesperson for Ofcom said: “We have reviewed the BBC’s final response to complaints about this news programme. We consider it raises issues under our due accuracy rules and have launched an investigation.” The BBC has apologized over
Al Roker is best known for his facility in explaining the weather. But the “Today” veteran is about to test his footing on new terrain. His production company, Al Roker Entertainment, has optioned “The Personal Librarian,” by authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, for what he hopes will become a limited series or film
The Costume Designers Guild has announced nominations for the 24th Costume Designers Guild Awards, with “Dune,” “West Side Story,” “Cruella,” “House of Gucci” and “Nightmare Alley” among those landing nominations. The designers behind “Dune,” “The Green Knight,” “The Matrix Resurrections,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “The Suicide
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) announced the winners for the 11th annual AACTA International Awards, with Nicole Kidman nabbing her 7th AACTA award for her portrayal of Lucille Ball in “Being the Ricardos.” Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” dominated the film categories with three wins — best film; best
Derek Jacobi will reprise his role as Metatron in “Good Omens” season 2. The “Gladiator” star plays the voice of God in the Amazon Prime Video original series, which is based on the book by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Also returning to the series are Mark Gatiss (“Sherlock”), Steve Pemberton (“The League of Gentlemen”),
Mattel Inc. has won back the rights to produce toys based on The Walt Disney Company’s lineup of iconic Disney princesses and “Frozen” characters. Hasbro was previously the owner of the licensing deal, which it took over from Mattel in 2016. The multiyear global licensing pact will allow Mattel to develop lines of toys for