“No one else acts the way she acts,” says director Christopher Guest of his frequent collaborator Jennifer Coolidge. “I don’t mean acting as an actor. I mean behaves the way she behaves.” Coolidge, currently a first-time Emmy nominee for HBO’s “The White Lotus,” is on the cover of this week’s edition of Variety; she first
Although there’s been a bit of controversy about how few series are recognized in the Emmys’ guest actor and guest actress categories, there are quite a few talented stars who have yet to win an Emmy — or even be recognized at all by the Television Academy. Many thought Tom Pelphrey, who portrayed Ben Davis
If he wins for “Annie Live!,” choreographer Sergio Trujillo will add an Emmy to his Tony Award. Trujillo wanted to make the classic musical accessible to a younger generation. With brand new dance arrangements and adding his own stamp on the moves, he worked with the cast and ensemble for five weeks, and although he
One of the best things about Peak TV, a.k.a. TV’s platinum era, has been the room it has carved out for our national treasures, some of whom are doing their best work ever. Folks like Henry Winker on “Barry” and Jean Smart on “Hacks,” of course. And then there’s Emmy-nominated “Only Murders in the Building”
The total U.K. and Ireland box office for July 2022 was £126.5 million ($152.7 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. While the number is a significant chunk above June’s $116 million, it is still running 20% behind the same period in pre-COVID 2019. “Minions: The Rise Of Gru” debuted at No.1 with £10.4 million,
Joey King hit the zeitgeist hard with 2018’s Netflix rom-com “The Kissing Booth,” and scooped up an Emmy nomination for her work in 2019’s “The Act,” a heart-wrenching limited series about the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard by her daughter, Gypsy Rose. She can now be seen in Hulu’s “The Princess,” where she learned action-hero
It was all about Aaron Taylor-Johnson at Locarno’s opening ceremony, as the actor received the 2022 Excellence Award Davide Campari and introduced “Bullet Train.” “Sometimes, people ask me what I do. I say: ‘I am a dad and I do acting on the side, part time,” he told the crowd gathered at Piazza Grande before
The documentary “Kaepernick & America,” which examines the remarkable conflict stirred by former NFL star Colin Kaepernick’s sideline protest, will begin streaming on demand on Fri. Sept. 2. Directed by Tommy Walker (“Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am,” “God Grew Tired of Us”) and Ross Hockrow (“Born Strong,” “Finding Giannis”), the documentary made its debut
Harvey Weinstein’s latest hearing in his sexual assault case was delayed Friday morning when a flood caused a lockdown at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, the Los Angeles prison where the convicted rapist is currently behind bars. “Just a routine delay,” one of Weinstein’s attorneys, Mark Werksman, told members of the media who were sitting
A musical hint comes at the very start of “Bullet Train,” out now, when a new version of the Bee Gees’ disco classic “Stayin’ Alive” is sung in Japanese – because an American assassin code-named Ladybug (Brad Pitt) is going to spend the next two hours attempting to do just that, battling half a dozen
Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to the coming-of-age thriller “Hysteria!” The series hails from writer and executive producer Matthew Kane. Chris Bender and Jake Weiner of Good Fear will also executive produce. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the writers and directors of the upcoming film “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” will direct
Warner Bros. Discovery shares were battered Friday on the heels of its after-market second-quarter earnings report on Thursday that revealed the depth of the financial and operational pressures that the newly enlarged conglomerate is facing. WB Discovery shares were down more than 17% at midday to the $14.50 range. The valuation of the company has
Having canceled “Live P.D.” in 2020, A&E is returning to the live docu-reality TV space — but this time, the network is trading order for law. A&E is set to launch “Court Night Live,” from former “Live PD” producers Big Fish Entertainment, next Wednesday, August 10 at 9 p.m. ET. “Court Night Live” will operate
Get your tattoo machines ready: “Ink Master” is returning on Sept. 7, with a brand new host and crop of judges. The iconic series, which will air exclusively on Paramount+, has set Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden as host, along with Season 8 winner Ryan Ashley, celebrity tattoo artist Nikko Hurtado and industry veteran Ami
John Legend revealed on the most recent episode of “The Axe Files” podcast that he and Kanye West are no longer close friends after the two had a falling out over West’s politics. Speaking to host David Axelrod, former senior advisor to President Barack Obama, Legend said he disagreed with West’s decisions to support Donald
Hong Kong boy band Mirror has pulled out of Japan’s Summer Sonic festival, organizers confirmed, while investigations continue into last week’s horrific incident that severely injured two dancers on stage during a live concert in their hometown. Summer Sonic announced on Friday that the 12-piece group has canceled the performance at the festival’s Tokyo Pacific
Sony’s “Bullet Train” has left the station, picking up $4.6 million at the domestic box office in Thursday night previews. With star Brad Pitt in the conductor’s chair, “Bullet Train” is hoping to ride out the weekend with a $30 million total and a No. 1 spot on the box office charts. Sony spent $90
MTV has announced the first round of performers for the 2022 VMAs, taking place live from New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Sunday, August 28th at 8PM ET/PT. Anitta, J Balvin, Marshmello x Khalid and Panic! at the Disco are the first round of announced artists, with more to follow in the coming weeks. Brazilian singer Anitta, who played a vivid 45-minute
Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier is set to give a keynote address at Mipcom Cannes in October. Mipcom is set to take place at the Palais des Festivals in the French seaside town from Oct. 17-20. Over 10,000 delegates are expected to attend. Collier’s session will take place on Day 1 as part of the
“Batgirl” co-director Adil El Arbi revealed on Instagram that several high-profile Hollywood names have reached out to him and fellow “Batgirl” director Bilall Fallah in the aftermath of Warner Bros. shelving their comic book movie. The studio announced Aug. 2 that the $90 million “Batgirl” film would not be released in theaters or on HBO
“Kings of the World” (“Los Reyes del Mundo”), by Colombia’s Laura Mora (“Killing Jesus,” “Frontera Verde”) has shared its trailer exclusively with Variety in advance of its world premiere in Spain’s San Sebastian festival and its Oct. 6 theatrical release in Colombia. Said Mora: “We are very happy to finally be able to release the
Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to pull a FAST one — telling investors the company is mulling the launch of a free, ad-supported TV (FAST) service stocked with content from its portfolio of brands to complement its premium subscription biz. The first strategic priority on the streaming side of the house is to merge HBO
Christina Spade, a veteran media executive who was previously chief financial officer of the former ViacomCBS, has been named the new chief executive of AMC Networks, tasked with leading the small but influential media company through a tricky time in the media business. She replaces Matt Blank, a Showtime veteran who had been serving as
Heretic, the Athens-based boutique production company and sales agent, has acquired world sales rights for “Runner,” by director Marian Mathias, which will have its world premiere in the Discovery section of the Toronto International Film Festival. Already sparking upbeat word of mouth, “Runner” follows Haas (Hannah Schiller), an 18-year-old girl who was raised by her
Agustí Villaronga, one of the most versatile of higher-profile Spanish auteurs, is attached to direct “Purgatory,” a project which will be presented at Locarno’s Match Me! Event by Nati Escobar at Spain’s Galápagos Media. “Purgatory” turns on Father Tomás, a scholar of ancient history and biblical theology sent to a remote sanatorium as a penance
New York and London-based TV and film investment fund APX Group has partnered with L.A.’s Decentralized Pictures (DCP) on a crypto currency scheme to help finance projects by up and coming directors. The initiative is being unveiled at Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival. APX, which is headed by American-Israeli businessman Adi Cohen, has become active recently
The rules of engagement between U.S. studios and streamers and European producers are starting to change. That was a key takeaway from the Locarno Film Festival’s StepIN think tank on the state of the indie film industry, where on Wednesday some 50 European and international invited industry players participated in a daylong event involving working
Tom Hardiman becomes a director to track with “Medusa Deluxe,” a deliciously dark murder mystery set in the competitive hairdressing competition which is about to bow at Locarno. MUBI holds the rights to U.K./Ireland, France,Latin America, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, India and Southeast Asia. The film was developed and financed by the BFI and
Paramount+ has unveiled a slate of exclusive acquisitions for the U.K. and Ireland including Keshet’s “La Brea” from NBCUniversal Global Distribution and “Minx,” starring Jake Johnson and Ophelia Lovibond. “La Brea” is a survival thriller in which citizens battle for survival after they’re pulled into a mysterious land via a Los Angeles sinkhole while “Minx”
For its 50th edition unspooling Aug. 20-26, Norway’s top film event, the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, will be treating its 400-plus international guests and local audiences with a beefed-up onsite program of 72 feature length films and 19 shorts. “We’ve had more films to choose from than ever before, “says festival honcho Tonje Hardersen