Television

On Tuesday, “General Hospital” star Steve Burton confirmed on Instagram the rampant rumors that he was fired from the long-running ABC soap opera because he would not get vaccinated against COVID-19. “I wanted you to hear it from me personally.” he said, before launching into anti-vaccine rhetoric. “Unfortunately, ‘General Hospital’ has let me go because

Even admirers of the movie “Showgirls” can concede that it was not a movie with its star’s best interests in mind. The 1995 box-office bomb was, in its moment, pilloried for its indulgent taste for sleaze; with some distance, it’s possible to see it as director Paul Verhoeven’s lovingly manic embrace of American trash culture.

In its continued bid to create meaningful, impactful content, Exile Content Studio has teamed up with Cuban composers/ musicians Beatriz “Bea” Luengo and Yoteul Romero to produce docu feature “Homeland and Life” (“Patria y Vida”), based on the artists’ two-time 2021 Latin Grammy-winning hip-hop song of the same title. The doc could not be more

U.K. culture secretary Nadine Dorries says she hasn’t made a decision about the future of public service broadcaster Channel 4. The U.K. broadcasting and production industry has been concerned at noises from the British government that it is intent on selling the network. Appearing in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee on

Jeff Bezos’ next Blue Origin space flight has announced its crew. Among the six people blasting off into space is “Good Morning America” co-host Michael Strahan, in addition to five other passengers. Strahan made the announcement on Tuesday morning’s “GMA.” Blue Origin’s next flight is scheduled for December 9. The other space-faring crew members are

HBO’s “Irma Vep” has added eight new cast members to play featured roles alongside series star Alicia Vikander. Vincent Macaigne, Jeanne Balibar, Lars Eidinger, Vincent Lacoste, Hippolyte Girardot, Alex Descas, Nora Hamzawi and Antoine Reinartz have joined the series. “Irma Vep” stars Vikander as Mira, an American movie star who travels to France to star

Punit Goenka, MD and CEO of India’s Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, has shed light on the proposed merger with Sony Pictures Networks India. Delivering the keynote address at media conference APOS India, Goenka revealed that the merger is in the “final stages of stitching up.” “I certainly believe that consolidation is going to benefit the

The U.K. edition of “The Masked Singer,” comedy “Call My Agent” and drama “Tehran” were among the top winners Monday at the 49th annual International Emmy Awards in New York. David Tennant took the trophy for best actor for his work as a deceptively meek serial killer in ITV’s “Des.” Hayley Squires won for actress

After refusing to comply with the vaccine mandate at “General Hospital,” Ingo Rademacher — who has played Jasper “Jax” Jacks on the long-running soap opera since 1996 — was ousted from the show, and Monday was his final episode. Jax left on a business trip to Australia, as he has several times in the past. On

“House of Cards” creator and showrunner Beau Willimon and his Westward producing partner Jordan Tappis will work with “Crazy Rich Asians” co-financier SK Global to develop a TV series based on the blockbuster novel “Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World.” SK Global and Willimon’s independent film, TV and

Christian Nodal and Olga Tanon, two popular Latino musicians, no doubt thought they were reaching core fans when they agreed to give interviews yesterday to Univision’s recently launched Sunday broadcast of “Despierta America.” But they were also helping the Spanish-language network make inroads in a weekend-morning news war that has grown increasingly competitive. The weekday

Netflix announced that Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan have joined the cast of “The Night Agent,” Netflix’s upcoming political thriller adapted from Matthew Quirk’s novel of the same name. Basso will star as Peter Sutherland, a low-level FBI agent who works in the basement of the White House manning a rarely used emergency hotline for

There she is … but not on TV. When the Miss America Pageant (now formally known as the Miss America Competition) returns this year for its 100th anniversary after being scuttled by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, it won’t air on a traditional television network — the latest indication how TV culture is radically changing

Netflix announced a multi-year overall deal with Roberto Patino, the writer and producer known for his work on series including “DMZ,” “Westworld” and “Sons of Anarchy. Under the agreement, Patino will set up his own production banner titled Analog Inc., which will focus on original development for series and other projects.  Patino is writing an

When Porsha Williams realized she might want to write a book, she knew she had to speak with her mother first. Williams knew she’d be revealing secrets — specifically about the sexual abuse she’s experienced in her life — and she wanted her mother’s blessing. Her mother, who frequently appeared with Williams on “The Real

With the arrival of Netflix’s long-anticipated live-action “Cowboy Bebop,” renewed interest in the original 1998 series has once again highlighted the growing cultural permeation of Japanese anime in the mainstream. While the popularity of anime in the U.S. is not entirely new — other classics like “Naruto,” “Sailor Moon” and “Dragon Ball” serve as a

The “Dead Boy Detectives” pilot at HBO Max has found its main cast, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri (“The Lodge”), and Kassius Nelson (“Last Night in Soho,” “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”) will star in the three lead roles. Rexstrew is a recent graduate of the London Academy of

An arbitrator has ordered Kevin Spacey and his companies to pay nearly $31 million to MRC, the production company behind “House of Cards,” after finding that Spacey breached his contract by violating the company’s sexual harassment policy. MRC severed its relationship with Spacey and scrapped a season of the show in 2017, after multiple people

Before the in-ring action kicked off at Survivor Series at the Barclays Center on Sunday night, WWE hosted an upfront presentation for advertisers that laid out the company’s wide appeal with audiences. “We have massive reach and broad distribution available in over 900 million homes, 180 countries, 28 languages, and — in a non-pandemic era

Scott Mills had a plan for BET. Four years after he took over as president of the network, the proof is in the output: Under Mills’ watch, BET persuaded superstar producer Tyler Perry to an overall deal at BET, launched the growing streamer BET Plus, and recently created a new production template for BET Studios,

The Taliban has called for an end to Afghan dramas and soap operas featuring female actors. The rule tops a list of eight religious guidelines issued to local media on Sunday. Anisa Shaheed, one of Afghanistan’s most high-profile journalists, confirmed the directive via her Twitter account. The reporter for 24/7 news channel Tolonews posted a

Peacock announced on Monday that more episodes of “We Are Lady Parts” are officially on the way, renewing the music-infused comedy series for a second season. “We Are Lady Parts” premiered on Peacock in May. The series follows a fictional Muslim female punk band that performs in London. While Season 2 of “We Are Lady

Nielsen has a new proposal for TV networks that have been threatening for months to find other means of measuring their audiences: Stick with the yardstick you already use. The company, which has for decades offered viewership counts that are at the heart of how TV outlets set advertising rates, plans in 2022 to overhaul

Christina Spade was named chief operating officer of AMC Networks as the company continues to fine-tune its executive suite after longtime chief Josh Sapan stepped back from his role in August. Spade, formerly the chief financial officer of ViacomCBS, was named CFO for AMC Networks at the start of 2021, and she will retain her

Bobby Flay and Discovery’s Food Network have reached an agreement on a new three-year contract, a deal that comes about six weeks after negotiations stalled because the sides were too far apart on financial terms. The celebrity chef, restaurateur and author has set an exclusive pact that will keep him in the Discovery family through

Ridley Scott has confirmed that live-action TV series of “Blade Runner” and “Alien” are fast progressing, with pilots written for both shows. Speaking with the BBC on Monday, the “House of Gucci” helmer suggested the “Blade Runner” adaptation is being plotted as a 10-episode series: “We [have already] written the pilot for ‘Blade Runner’ and

Fremantle has forged a ground-breaking three-year partnership agreement with a creative alliance of nine leading independent production companies to help them develop and fund high-quality international dramas series and films. Called The Creatives, the alliance spans eight countries and has been spearheaded by France’s Haut Et Court, the production and distribution banner behind “The Returned”

Celebrated by a VIP evening event at Lisbon’s imposing Jerónimos Monastery, CNN and partner Media Capital will bow CNN Portugal today at 21:00 GMT, marking the biggest news launch for many years in Portugal. A 24-hour Portuguese-language channel, CNN Portugal will be run by Media Capital, Portugal’s largest media conglomerate  which also owns top broadcast

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the sixth episode of “Succession” Season 3, titled “What It Takes.” Could a Connor Roy presidency be in the future of “Succession”? What started out as a throwaway gag in Season 2 now seems like a legitimate possibility as a heated presidential election looms with

“Saturday Night Live” took on the Kyle Rittenhouse acquittal in its cold open, with Cecily Strong as Fox News’ Judge Jeanine Pirro weighing on the verdict with the trial’s controversial judge, dueling political commentators and former President Donald Trump. “That loveable scamp was put through a nightmare of a trial,” Strong as Pirro said. She