“Julia” has been renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max. The series is inspired by the life of Julia Childs and her long-running cooking show “The French Chef.” Through Childs’ perspective, the series explores the emergence of public television as a new social institution, feminism and the women’s movement, the nature of celebrity and America’s
When “Fresh Off the Boat” premiered in 2015, only a handful of shows with a predominantly Asian American cast had ever aired in primetime — and none of them lasted long. But the success of that ABC sitcom, which spanned six seasons, 116 episodes and made it to syndication, finally inspired a long-overdue boom in
May 5 means a lot to Topeka K. Sam. On that day in 2015, she was released from prison, and on May 5, 2022, she’ll be honored with Google’s inaugural Social Impact Award, for her efforts toward ending the poverty and incarceration of women and girls worldwide, at Variety’s 2022 Power of Women: New York
VFX giant Framestore, whose recent projects include “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness,” “Moon Knight” and Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming biopic “Elvis,” is expanding its Canadian footprint. The Oscar, Emmy and BAFTA-winning creative studio has hired Melinka Thompson-Godoy (pictured above right) as the head of its Montreal studio while expanding Chloe Grysole’s role from managing
Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias can remember the exact date and moment he made his stand-up comedy debut, even though it wasn’t planned. It was April 10, 1997, at the Golden Sails Hotel in his hometown of Long Beach, Calif. There was a bar with a stage that welcomed artists on a regular basis, but that particular
In honor of May the 4th, aka Star Wars Day, Apple has released “Behind the Mac: Skywalker Sound.” The short film, which can be viewed on Apple’s YouTube channel, takes viewers behind the scenes at the iconic company that has continuously revolutionized the art of cinematic sound. Directed by Josh Greenbaum (“Becoming Bond,” “Barb &
“Rocketry: The Nambi Effect,” the directorial debut of acclaimed Indian actor R. Madhavan (“Alai Payuthey,” “Tanu Weds Manu”), will have its industry premiere in Cannes as a market screening. India is the country of honor at this year’s Cannes Film Market. Madhavan plays the role of Indian scientist, Nambi Narayanan, a former Indian Space Research
United Talent Agency has promised to reimburse its employees for travel expenses relating to women’s reproductive health services that are not accessible in their states of residence, according to a memo obtained by Variety. In the memo, UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer wrote, “We’re doing this to support the right to choose that has been a
Urban Sales has nabbed world rights to “Hug Me – The Move,” an English-language animated feature directed by Anna Błaszczyk. The pre-school movie is produced by Animoon, the Polish company behind “Even Mice belong in Heaven.” Urban Sales, the Paris-based banner previously known as Urban Distribution International, will host the market premiere of the movie
Camila Cabello knows a thing or two about idol worship. As a singer who got her launch on a television show — the short-lived U.S. version of “The X Factor” — she’s been in the spotlight for the better part of a decade. And even if fame had been a goal (spoiler alert: it wasn’t),
Queen Latifah has thrived in the entertainment business — from music to movies and television into the beauty industry and beyond — for more than 30 years. But the Grammy and Emmy winner and Oscar nominee doesn’t take time to reflect on her successes. “I’m always looking forward to the next thing,” Latifah says. “I
Drew Barrymore is at a crossroads. No, not figuratively; in her life and career, the actor-turned-director-turned-talk-show-host has never been more confident in her path. But literally speaking, she’s a bit stuck. On a Tuesday evening in April, the Variety Power of Women honoree arrived at a Chelsea photo studio, only to find a broken elevator.
As much as Amanda Seyfried believed in “The Dropout,” she wasn’t expecting it to become a phenomenon. “I’ve never carried anything like this before, and now that it’s all done, it’s been amazing,” she marvels. “I’ve never felt the impact of something so viscerally. It feels like everyone I’ve talked to has seen it!” She’s
Tyler Perry will executive produce the first two episodes of a new Paramount+ documentary series about family members who go missing and those who struggle in the aftermath of their various disappearances. Each episode of “Never Seen Again” starts with a loved one recounting the last time they saw their son, daughter, brother, sister, boyfriend
Pulsar Content has boarded Anissa Bonnefont’s erotic drama “La Maison” based on Emma Becker’s controversial bestselling novel chronicling the young author’s two-year undercover experience working as a sex worker at a Berlin brothel. Now in post-production, “La Maison” is headlined by Ana Girardot, the rising French star of “The Returned,” “Back to Burgundy” and “Escobar:
Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNets — the arm formerly known as Turner — is parting ways with the SAG Awards after 25 years. TNT has run the SAG Awards since 1998, including this year, when the Screen Actors Guild returned to a live, in-person event and moved to Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar (after being based at
A John Krasinski-produced movie about a fugitive billionaire has found its director in Peter Landesman. Sources tell Variety that the “Concussion” writer-helmer is on board to direct the long-gestating movie, which is based on Daniel Ammann’s biography “The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich.” The film tells the story of the international commodities
“Gulliver Returns,” a Ukrainian-produced animation film, will be released in the U.S. following a deal between Shout! Studios and sales agent All Rights Entertainment. The film is adapted from the Jonathan Swift 18th century satire “Gulliver’s Travels” and adopts the framing conceived by Ukraine’s actor-turned-president Volodymyr Zelensky’s that Gulliver is not a giant in size,
Play video content TMZ.com Johnny Depp‘s supporters are out in full force — showing the actor a ton of love as he arrives for court — on the day Amber Heard is expected to take the stand. Depp just got to the courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia where close to 50 fans, mostly women, greeted him
Madonna recently became the first artist to top Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart for the 50th time, making her the first and only recording artist to have 50 No. 1 hits on any single Billboard chart. She is commemorating the event in characteristically outsized fashion with two new compilations: “Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones,”
Elon Musk, the mega-billionaire Twitter power user who last week clinched a deal to acquire the company, has floated a new idea for the social network make money. Musk on Tuesday posted that Twitter may impose “a slight cost” for companies or government accounts to use the service, without elaborating. “Ultimately, the downfall of the
Well, Dolly Parton didn’t get her wish, although she’s likely to be happy anyway. The country superstar will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November — a possibility she said last week she’d come to terms with and would “graciously” accept, after initially trying to get herself nixed — along
Cameras are rolling in Cannes on “Cannes Confidential,” a high-end crime series set in the Côte d’Azur that will mark the first English-language procedural drama to be produced and set on the French riviera since the 1970s. Skyverse Studios, AMC Networks’ streamer Acorn TV, French broadcaster TF1 and Nordic streaming service Viaplay have announced the
ITN, one of the U.K.’s leading TV production and news outfits, has appointed Rachel Corp as CEO. Corp will join on September 1, with current CEO Deborah Turness, who is joining the BBC, continuing to lead the organization until then. Corp is currently editor of ITV News, produced by ITN, where she has overall responsibility
The U.K.’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee has invited Elon Musk to discuss his proposed purchase of Twitter. MP Julian Knight, who chairs the cross-party parliamentary committee, has written to Musk to extend the invitation. “My Committee has noted your proposed acquisition of Twitter and we are interested in the developments you propose,”
The Venice Film Festival will honor U.S. director and screenwriter Paul Schrader, a key figure of New Hollywood cinema, with its 2022 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. Schrader wrote Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and “The Last Temptation of Christ” and co-wrote “Raging Bull.” He has directed dozens of films, including “American Gigolo,” “Mishima: A Life
Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of Banijay, has revealed the first international adaptation of hit U.K. format “Starstruck,” with a deal confirmed in South America. The show launched earlier this year to a consolidated 4.7 million viewers on U.K. broadcaster ITV and streamer ITV Hub and was re-commissioned for a second series. Canal 13
Play video content It’s Tricky with Raquel Harper Blac Chyna had the deck stacked against her in her fierce legal battle with the Kardashians … so says the Executive Producer of “Rob & Chyna” who accuses the judge of bias. Walter Mosley thinks the Kardashians had more than an edge … they had an enormous
Comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked while performing on stage Tuesday at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Video footage shows a man rushing on to the stage and tackling the performer to the ground during the Netflix is a Joke comedy festival, for which Chappelle has performed a number of dates at the Hollywood Bowl
London-based documentary specialist Dogwoof has closed a host of sales for Daniel Roher’s “Navalny” and Jono McLeod’s “My Old School,” both of which premiered at Sundance and are screening this week at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. Roher’s riveting documentary thriller (pictured above) won the Festival Favorite Award and the U.S. Documentary Audience