Netflix is going to ride the gaming rocket. TikTok is just getting started. The metaverse is real and so is the threat of the regulatory ax swinging against Big Tech in the aftermath of this year’s mid-term elections. Those were among the key conclusions about what’s ahead for media, offered up Friday morning in the
After weeks of internal strife and external controversy surrounding the Walt Disney Company’s lack of public response to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in Florida, CEO Bob Chapek announced in a company email on Friday that Disney will pause all political donations in the state during a restructuring of its political giving framework. Chapek also
While the Madrigal family is the heart of Disney’s “Encanto,” another key character in the film is Casa Madrigal, the family’s magical home and center of the narrative. From the very beginning, co-writer and co-director Charise Castro Smith says the creative team knew that the house would be a reflection of the family and their
The Australian Consulate-General of Los Angeles celebrated Australian women’s success in film and television on Thursday with a panel and networking reception featuring vetted and rising Aussie talent. The event, held in partnership with Variety, spotlighted the increase in international production in Australia and the historic number of Australian women who have been recognized by
Returning to in-person gatherings after last year’s online event, this year’s Cartoon Movie pitch and co-production forum saw the teams behind 57 animated features pitch their development projects before 930 European industry delegates from 19 countries. Running over March 8 – 10 in the southwest city of Bordeaux in France, this year’s forum saw both
“Reacher” is the first Amazon Prime Video TV series to top Nielsen’s streaming rankings. Previously, the Amazon comedy “Coming 2 America” landed in first place, but this marks the first for a TV show from the streaming service. For the week of Feb. 7-13, the action-thriller show came in at No. 1 on the Top
When “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” ended, rumors swirled that Kourtney Kardashian was the reason the show was over. The oldest sister of the Kardashian-Jenner clan says that’s not true. But, she was ready for a new start. On reality TV and social media, Kourtney is known for “just living,” as she likes to say
SPOILER ALERT: This story contains major details about the new horror thriller “Fresh.” “Fresh” is not for the squeamish. The new Hulu film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as Noa, a woman who falls for Steve, a handsome surgeon (Sebastian Stan) she meets in a grocery store. Little does she know he’s a black market dealer of
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. No one knows how to cater towards a classic rock fan quite like Slowtide, whose most recent capsule collections pull inspiration from Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd and The Beatles. And now, dozens of their
Slimkid3, Imani and Fatlip of the Pharcyde were never supposed to rap together again. After producing two classic ‘90s hip-hop albums — “Bizarre Ride: The Pharcyde” and “Labcabincalifornia” — the galvanizing West Coast hip-hop group crumbled and went their separate ways. Slimkid3 and Fatlip splintered off into their own group Bizarre Ride, while Imani and
In the aftermath of #OscarSoWhite, there has been a shift, with actors of color including Viola Davis, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershali Ali and Steven Yuen earning nominations. But the parts these actors inhabited were written specifically for a Black or, in Yuen’s case, a Korean actor. It was only last year when Riz Amed, the British
Focus Features has lined up an emotional tribute reel and some primo swag to celebrate its 20 years of prestige indie filmmaking. The Comcast-owned unit run by Peter Kujawski released a heart-tugging compilation featuring its most celebrated movies –including the Oscar-nominated “Brokeback Mountain,” “Promising Young Woman,” “Lost in Translation,” “Milk,” “The Kids Are All Right,”
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Though “Schitt’s Creek” officially ended its sixth and final episode in 2020, the show will live on forever in our hearts — and Netflix. After sweeping the Emmys for the second time, it’s even
The family of legendary singer-songwriter Nat King Cole, one of the most important and influential musicians of the 20 th century, has entered into an agreement with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group to manage and expand his legacy to new generations, the company announced today. Details of the transaction were not disclosed, beyond the fact that it “encompasses a
The delicate facets of parenthood are on full display in this season’s awards contenders. Whether they’re capturing the struggles of training world-class winners, instilling compassion and hope during the Troubles or tackling the stresses surrounding motherhood either by protecting or rejecting it, the acclaimed actors portraying these disparate parents blend movie magic with memory and
YouTube has suspended all monetization programs for users in Russia — after previously halting ads in the country — given the ongoing Russian military assault on Ukraine, the video giant announced Friday. In addition, YouTube said it is now blocking access to YouTube channels associated with Russian state-funded media, including RT and Sputnik, across the
Dwayne Johnson’s autobiographical NBC comedy “Young Rock” has cast “Ballers” actor Arlyn Broche as a very personal character in The Rock’s life: Dany Garcia, his college sweetheart-turned-ex-wife-and-business-partner, Variety has learned exclusively. Per the official description for the character, who will be a recurring guest star on the upcoming second season of “Young Rock,” Dany is
Paul Wilson never ran a 10,000 meter race at the Olympics, but he sure must feel like it. Wilson has supervised much of the work that NBCUniversal’s ad-sales team has had to do over the past two decade to make the company’s investment in the Olympics pay off. He is stepping down from his role
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read this story if you haven’t watched Episode 4 of “Our House.” As London’s Machiavellian property market continues to feel like a real-life thriller, U.K. broadcaster ITV’s drama “Our House” capitalizes on every buyer’s worst fear of losing their hard-earned home. Starring Tuppence Middleton (“Downton Abbey”) and Martin Compston (“Line of
Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa are a formidable team, and award-winning video director Dave Meyers plays to their strengths in the clip for the pair’s new tag-team single, “Sweetest Pie.” Working a similar theme to the one from his video for Saweetie and Doja Cat’s “Best Friend” — hapless explorers of a science-fiction world
A striking number of Oscar-nominated acting talent from 2021 got their start at a young age, with the power and excitement of performing for the screen grabbing them early and never letting go. Kristen Stewart began acting at age 8, and just received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Princess Diana in “Spencer.”
After two years of pandemic-induced shutdown and Omicron-postponed reopenings in December and January, Iridium, the downstairs music club in New York’s Times Square known as the “home of Les Paul,” is finishing the second week of its grand reopening, which launched on March 1 with a performance by the Harlem Blues Project, followed by four
People who are interested in CNN Plus finally have a date when they can add it to their streaming repertoire. The WarnerMedia-owned cable-news outlet intends to launch the subscription broadband service on March 29. The detail — perhaps the last piece of information to be disclosed about the new media venue — comes ahead of
Picture this: you walk beneath a lighted marquee into a vibe-heavy room and blend into a building crowd. Drink in hand, you and your friends exchange stories of the performer’s previous shows and who was first to discover them. The house music seeds the subtle rise in energy as the stage techs ensure the musical
WarnerMedia has been owned by telco giant AT&T for less than four years and it will soon have a new parent company — likely by the end of next month. Discovery’s shareholder vote on the acquisition of WarnerMedia is set for today during a special meeting of stockholders set for 10 a.m. ET. The deal
Eva Zaoralová, the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival’s artistic advisor and its artistic director for many years, has died, the festival confirmed Friday. Zaoralová was 89 years old. Established in 1946, Karlovy Vary is one of the world’s oldest film festivals, and one of its most prestigious, considered to be the leading festival in Central
“Peaceful,” Emmanuelle Bercot’s Cesar-winning melodrama which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, has landed domestic distribution with New York-based banner Distrib US. Sold by Studiocanal, the movie is headlined by Benoit Magimel and Catherine Deneuve (pictured). Magimel, who won the Cesar Award for best actor — beating fellow nominee Adam Driver — stars as a
BBC diversity lead Miranda Wayland is set to join Prime Video/Amazon Studios Europe, Variety can confirm. Wayland was previously deputy head of diversity at the BBC. She had been at the broadcaster for five years but reportedly announced her resignation last week. She will join Amazon later this year where she will take up the
Kino Lorber has acquired North American rights to “On the Edge,” a Belgian crime thriller by Giordano Gederlini (“Les Miserables”) from Le Pacte. The deal was negotiated by Kino Lorber senior VP Wendy Lidell and Le Pacte’s head of sales Camille Neel out of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema market. The event, which runs from
The BAFTAs had a challenging year in 2021, ricocheting among progress, stasis and scandal, and ending up somewhere in the middle. Their mission, following an outcry over the previous year’s white ceremony — with no acting nominees of color, no women up for the director prize, and Sam Mendes’ “1917” prevailing over Bong Joon Ho’s