It’s hard, at first, to see what drew Renée Zellweger to the lead role of “The Thing About Pam.” Zellweger, in an attempt to resemble the real-life convicted murderer Pam Hupp, forces herself to act through a shroud of body prosthetics. The show’s writers have stripped away subtext, dimming Zellweger’s sparky comic timing. It’s only
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. To music lovers, 2022 is a much-welcome reintroduction to live music after some of the most anticipated tours and festivals of the past two years were postponed due to the pandemic. Now, artists are
When the entertainer of the year prize is handed out at tonight’s Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, the odds strongly favor a WME Nashville client picking up the climactic trophy. That’s because the agency has four of the five nominees, between Eric Church, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton. Historically, the
British rapper Dizzee Rascal has been found guilty of assaulting his former partner. According to U.K. press reports, the musician, whose real name is Dylan Kwabena Mills, was found guilty of assault by beating at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on Monday. As he left court, he also reportedly broke a Press Association (PA) photographer’s camera. The
It’s almost become a model in recent years: If a song’s a hit, the copyright-infringement lawsuits follow, and Dua Lipa was clobbered with two of them in four days last week. Her global hit “Levitating,” which has spent 68 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, has drawn two lawsuits from songwriters claiming the song infringes
Every so often, a Zara dress comes along that just about everyone wants to buy—and a few well-timed social media testimonials are to thank (or blame). In 2019, it was the universally flattering polka-dot dress than spawned thousands of purchases and a now-dormant, dedicated Instagram. Three years later, a new item is set to take
In the wake of controversy over Disney’s quiet response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, as well as a report that the company has given money to all of the bill’s sponsors, CEO Bob Chapek expressed Disney’s “unwavering commitment to the LGBTQ+ community” in a company-wide email obtained by Variety. “In terms of our communities,
A screening of Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” was disrupted on opening night Friday at the Moviehouse & Eatery by Cinépolis in Austin, Texas after a moviegoer released a live bat inside the theater. Annelise Holyoak, a spokesperson at Cinépolis, confirmed the news with CBS Austin and said the moviegoer was pulling a prank and not
Zoë Kravitz is earning rave reviews for her performance as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” but the role was not the actor’s first attempt to break into the Caped Crusader universe on the big screen. Kravitz recently told The Observer that her attempt to audition for a role in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark
Jennifer Lopez’s “Marry Me” is the most-streamed day-and-date movie on Peacock, and Will Smith’s gritty “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” reboot “Bel-Air,” which debuted on Super Bowl Sunday last month, is the platform’s top new series. “We launched a movie on Valentine’s Day, ‘Marry Me,’ [which is] day-and-date the most-streamed movie we’ve had,” Comcast CEO and
After having to reschedule due to COVID, Lady Gaga has announced new dates for her eagerly-anticipated Chromatica Ball summer tour. The singer announced the 15 stops via Twitter on Monday morning, which start July 17 and will continue through September 10. LADY GAGATHE CHROMATICA BALLSUMMER STADIUM TOURhttps://t.co/6KQAlVnUkX pic.twitter.com/JMp86Mymp2 — Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) March 7, 2022
Apple TV Plus is landing on Comcast’s full range of video platforms in the U.S. starting Monday, and the tech giant is offering three months free of the streaming service to the cable operator’s customers for a limited time. The Apple TV Plus app will begin rolling out on Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex and XClass
Tech-centric holding company Ballantyne Strong has launched Strong Studios to create content under the company’s Strong Entertainment division. David Ozer, formerly CEO of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s Landmark Studio Group, will serve as president of the new studio. Based in New York, Strong Studios will develop and produce original feature films and television
London-based documentary specialist Dogwoof has deepened its involvement with “Copa ’71,” directed by Rachel Ramsay (“Clarkson’s Farm”) and James Erskine (“Billie”). Dogwoof financed the project’s development through its production vehicle TDog and will now take it to market at the upcoming CPH:FORUM, CPH:DOX’s financing and co-production event, in March. “Copa ’71” recounts the story of
Cynthia Kaye McWilliams is one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. Currently appearing opposite Kevin Hart in “Real Husbands of Hollywood,” which has just returned to screens for a reunion season after a six year hiatus, McWilliams is also the voice of Gamora in Marvel Studios’ animated series “What If…?” and is soon to be seen
“The Batman” landed a bigger opening weekend than Warner Bros., the studio behind the comic book adventure, initially expected. The newest superhero epic, starring Robert Pattinson as an exceptionally moody Caped Crusader, collected $134 million in North American theaters over the weekend, above Sunday’s estimates of $128.5 million. Those ticket sales rank as the best
Bill Cosby‘s breathing a deep sigh of relief — the U.S. Supreme Court is refusing to weigh in on the Pennsylvania ruling that set him free. SCOTUS voted 4-3 Monday to leave in place the PA Supreme Court’s decision from last summer … which nullified Cosby’s 2018 conviction for aggravated indecent assault of Andrea Constand.
The obvious tension between Kim Kardashian and Kanye West is having zero impact on Khloé Kardashian‘s wardrobe choices, as she’s still rocking a Ye concert sweatshirt in public. Khloe was leaving her daughter True‘s gymnastics class in L.A., decked out in the “Saint Pablo” black hoodie which Ye was hawking during that tour of the
Republic Records has appointed David Wolter executive vice president of A&R,label co-president Wendy Goldstein announced today (March 7). He is based in Republic Records’ New York headquarters. Throughout his career, Wolter has signed or worked closely with artists ranging from Gorillaz to Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers. At Republic, he will oversee upcoming releases for Benee, Greta Van Fleet, Jimmy Fallon and others, in addition to signing
The Film Independent Spirit Awards returned as a live, in-person event on the beach. The traditional blue carpet was rolled out for this year’s indie superstars, who gathered under a tent on the beach in Santa Monica for this year’s festivities on March 6. Hosted by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, the awards’ honorary chairperson
Madhuri Dixit, one of the brightest and most enduring Bollywood stars, is basking in the success of her streaming acting debut, Netflix’s “The Fame Game.” The series bowed Feb. 25 and is among the top 10 Netflix shows in Mauritius, Bahrain, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Sri Lanka and the U.A.E. In the series
Samsung, the world’s largest maker of connected TVs, is looking to flex more muscle in content distribution through a pact with Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Tennis Channel to carry a new free streaming channel in the U.S. Dubbed T2, the Sinclair-owned channel will feature an advertising-supported 24/7 live stream of matches from major tournaments that might
Twitter is elevating two veteran content execs to new roles: TJ Adeshola has been tapped as head of global content partnerships for the social network, and Sarah Rosen will oversee U.S. content partnerships. Adeshola, previously head of U.S. sports partnerships at Twitter, takes over the position left vacant after Jen Prince exited last fall to
If you went to the movies over the weekend, you may have shelled out a little extra to see “The Batman.” In a surprising break from industry standard, AMC Entertainment, the country’s biggest theater chain, boldly announced plans to charge customers about $1 to $2 more for “The Batman” tickets compared to other movies playing
Telefonica’s Movistar Plus, Spain’s biggest pay-TV/SVOD operator, has launched an in-house overseas sales division, Movistar Plus Internacional, headed up by former Sony and Buendía Estudios exec Maria Valenzuela. Lorena Molloy, an ex-exec at The Mediapro Studio, has joined Movistar Plus Internacional beginning in March as its head of communication and marketing. Valenzuela, who began working
AWARDS Renowned singer Shirley Bassey is set to open this year’s BAFTA film awards with a James Bond tribute. Bassey has long been associated with 007, holding the record for an artist who has sung the most Bond theme songs with “Goldfinger” in 1964, “Diamonds Are Forever” in 1971 and “Moonraker” in 1979. The singer
Future Studios, has appointed entertainment executive Shante’ Paige as executive producer to lead a new content production hub in Atlanta, Georgia. Paige, formerly VP and acting senior VP of A&R for the Universal/Motown Records Group, joins from her own Atlanta-based production business She’s A Movement Media Group, where she was CEO and executive producer for
Australia-set, Jamie Dornan-starring thriller series “The Tourist” has been widely licensed for broadcast in Europe and Asia. Dornan stars as a man who, after an epic car chase in the outback, wakes in hospital with no idea of who he is. He is forced on a brutal, and often funny journey of self-discovery, while trying
Barcelona-based Scenic Rights, the leading literary rights broker for Spanish-language film and TV series, has officially opened its Mexico City office as it continues to expand its purview across key territories, including Madrid, Los Angeles and most recently, Prague. The Mexico City office opening, delayed twice by the pandemic, kicks off operations on Monday March
“Line of Duty” star Martin Compston is set to lead a new factual series set in his native Scotland. Tentatively titled “Martin Compston’s Scottish Fling,” the 6-part series will see Compston fly from his adopted homeland of Las Vegas back to Scotland where he will reunite with his friend Phil MacHugh on a tour around