Film Fest 919 in Chapel Hill, N.C., will open its fifth edition with the screening of action-drama “Devotion,” starring Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell, on Oct. 19. Along with the opening night screening, FF919 will also honor “Devotion” director J.D. Dillard with the New Horizon Award. Set during the Korean War, “Devotion” follows the U.S.
Despite writing an entire book about H Mart, Michelle Zauner remains largely unbothered whenever she shops at the Asian supermarket chain (which is very frequently). “They definitely don’t care,” she says over the phone. “It’s humbling.” Though the musician and writer, who performs under the moniker Japanese Breakfast, can procure groceries in relative peace, total
Loretta Lynn, who rose from an impoverished childhood in Kentucky’s coal fields to become a pioneering female star of country music, has died. She was 90. According to a statement from her family shared with Variety, Lynn died Tuesday in her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. Memorably portrayed in an Oscar-winning turn by Sissy Spacek
In observance of World Mental Health Day on October 10, singer-songwriter Lauv has teamed up with therapy platform BetterHelp to provide up to $3 million in free therapy for any fan who applies. An outspoken advocate for mental health via his music and nonprofit Blue Boy Foundation, BetterHelp is helping to amplify his intent to
Sex and relationship talk show “Call Her Daddy,” hosted by Alex Cooper, shot to the top of Spotify’s podcast charts following last week’s debut of Season 2. The premiere episode, released as a video podcast, featured an in-depth interview with Hailey Bieber. After the Season 2 premiere of “Call Her Daddy” on Sept. 28, the
“‘Til death do us part” is the haunting overtone of director Jason Moore’s upcoming feature “Shotgun Wedding,” which combines the thriller, romance and comedy genres into 100 minutes of action-packed content. Prime Video dropped the trailer online (TK) to promote the film ahead of its anticipated international premiere on Jan. 27, 2023. Co-starring Grammy-nominated singer
Next month’s London Korean Film Festival cloaks itself in a panoply of the country’s recent cinema, with a mix of commercial blockbusters, festival titles and documentaries. The long-running event also pays tribute to Kang Soo-youn, the performer who was the first Korean to win a best acting award in Venice and who died in May
Amazon Studios is formalizing its commitment to the Latino community in Hollywood and beyond by partnering with Edward James Olmos’ Latino Film Institute, the Youth Cinema Project and local non-profit LA Collab, working together to strengthen the Hollywood pipeline. “As we strive to be a global entertainment destination, we acknowledge the power and importance of
Award-winning filmmakers Alice Diop (“Saint Omer”), Audrey Diwan (“Happening”), Julia Ducournau (“Titane”), Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”), Jacques Audiard (“Dheepan”), and actors Juliette Binoche, Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Huppert, Lea Seydoux are among nearly 1,000 prominent French film figures who have signed an open letter to support Iranian women and civil rights activists in their revolt over the death of 22
Alicia Siemens shoves her arm back into the sagging sack of flannel and graphic T-shirts to pull a periwinkle something out of the stack. She holds it up against her chest to reveal a floral-print peasant dress circa 1970s. “There’s some staining,” she says, touching a yellowing lace collar, “But we should be able to
Robert Glasper is all over the place. But not in a disorganized and chaotic way. Glasper is quite the opposite. Fresh off the release of “Black Radio III” and a summer tour that took him across Europe and North America, the Grammy-winning multi-hyphenate is scoring two shows — Starz’s “Run the World” and Peacock’s “The
When Rianne Van Rompaey was 17, and her agent asked her about her dreams, she didn’t hold back: a magazine cover, a Hollywood movie. “And maybe after that,” she recalls answering, “I’ll start a restaurant.” Though her response had a ring of teenage naïveté to it, the Dutch model, now 26, has checked magazine covers
Twenty years before “Moonage Daydream” was a sprawling documentary film about David Bowie‘s life and art, it was a massive photo book focusing on his Ziggy Stardust years, with photos by Mick Rock — his exclusive photographer at the time — and an introduction and commentary written by both of them. The limited-edition book was
The London Film Festival has revealed its jury line-up for this year’s awards. The Official Competition jury is led by “Power of the Dog” and “Cold War” producer Tanya Seghatchian (pictured), while the First Feature Competition (Sutherland Award) jury will be headed up by director and actor Nana Mensah whose directorial debut “Queen of Glory”
YouTube Original doc “The Letter: A Message For Our Earth,” an unprecedented call to action for climate change from Pope Francis, featuring his dialogues with activists from the Brazilian Amazon, India, Senegal and the U.S., launched on Tuesday from Vatican City. The high-profile ecological doc is directed by Emmy-winning director Nicolas Brown (“Serengeti Rules”) and produced
ACQUISITION/REBRANDING Banijay‘s planned acquisition of Sony Productions Film und Fernseh Produktions GmbH Germany (Sony Pictures Television Germany) from Sony Pictures is now complete. Following customary closing conditions, Banijay Germany has secured 100% stake in the company. The label, founded in 1995, will now operate as Noisy Pictures GmbH, with Astrid Quentell and Mirek Nitsch remaining
Broadening a multi-front action initiative, Sitges is pushing women in genre. WomenInFan, one of the major platforms at this year’s Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, which runs Oct. 6-16, looks set to provide a full development program for female genre filmmaking. On this year’s agenda is a contest to obtain financing for a
Multifaceted Korean film company Acemaker Movieworks will unveil four titles at this year’s Asian Contents & Film Market, which operates alongside the Busan International Film Festival. Action and revenge feature prominently as unifying themes. The COVID pandemic continues to have a delayed impact on the Korean production and film releasing scenes. Last year’s prolonged theatrical
“Dancing With the Stars” took on James Bond for week three, with each pair dancing to songs featured in Bond films through the years. Selma Blair and Sasha Farber have been in the spotlight all season, but it hasn’t been an easy ride. She admitted this week that she has sensory overload with the lights
Projects starring Donnie Yen and Zhang Ziyi are among the independently produced TV series to be launched on the sidelines of this week’s Busan International Film Festival. The company responsible is Changin’ Pictures, a would-be studio being hatched by Hong Kong-based film director and producer Peter Chan Ho-sun. Propelled by the growing recognition of Asian
Comedy group the Try Guys shared a video statement Monday evening, addressing its recent decision to cut ties with ex-member Ned Fulmer, who admitted that he was engaged in a “consensual” workplace affair and was the subject of an internal investigation. Zach Cornfeld, Keith Habersberger and Eugene Lee Yang appear in the video, titled “what
“Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler has opened up about his grieving for the film’s star Chadwick Boseman, who died in Aug. 2020 after a private battle with colon cancer. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the filmmaker shared that Boseman’s death led him to reconsider continuing his work in the entertainment industry. “I was at
Fan-favorite “Blue’s Clues” host Steve Burns will reunite with his furry sidekick in Nickelodeon’s upcoming feature “Blue’s Big City Adventure.” Nickelodeon Jr. dropped the official trailer for the upcoming film Oct. 3, which confirmed the reprisal of Burns’ role about half-way through in a surprise reveal. “You? Is that you?” Burns seems to inquire of
NBC’s three-hour “Law & Order” crossover premiere event was the most-watched and highest-rated program the night that it aired, according to Live + 3 data exclusively obtained by Variety. Airing from 8-11 p.m. on Sept 22, the crossover marked the premiere of Season 22 of the “Law & Order” flagship series, Season 24 of “Law
During her career, Elizabeth Olsen has played a broad range of characters, from a damaged cult escapee in 2011’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” to an in-over-her-head FBI agent investigating a murder in “Wind River,” to a narcissistic influencer in “Ingrid Goes West” — and, of course, the tragic, terrifying Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch) in the
Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki will forever be associated with their respective roles as Penny and Leonard on CBS’ long-running sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” The actors, similar to the characters they played on the show, were in a relationship, dating from 2008 to 2010. “Big Bang” writers were already planning Penny and Leonard’s breakup
After spending four weeks at No. 2, Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” earns the 24-year-old his first Hot 100 No. 1, knocking out Harry Styles and “As It Was” from their extensive 15-week stay at the summit. “Bad Habit” comes from Lacy’s sophomore album “Gemini Rights,” his first top 10 album on the Billboard 200. “Static”
“Don’t you pretend that I’m not alive” were the first words whispered by the Mars Volta vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s during the group’s reunion stop in New York City on Sept. 29. The tour, in support of a new self-titled record that marks the end of a decade-long hiatus for the Texas rockers, is a reminder
The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), which holds trade shows for the TV industry, announced on Monday that it will file for bankruptcy. The organization said the pandemic had forced it to cancel its flagship events, leading to a drop in revenues and requiring it to draw on reserves. A bankruptcy filing was
Fox Sports Films has announced the upcoming original documentary “David Ortiz: Legend of the Fall,” spotlighting Boston Red Sox veteran and Fox MLB analyst Ortiz (aka Big Papi). The sports documentary is set to premiere Oct. 14 on FS1. “David Ortiz: Legend of the Fall” follows the baseball career and legacy of Ortiz, from the