The seemingly endless — but in actuality seven-week-long — Television Critics Association press tour finally concluded on Wednesday after a dizzying number of sessions. Once again virtual due to the pandemic, the press tour was so long that a new show hyped by ABC one week into the tour had already been pulled from its
Jax Media executives Sarah Madigan and John Skidmore have joined Imagine Entertainment, the parent company of Jax, as head of business affairs and strategic partnerships and head of production, respectively, Variety has learned exclusively. Both will continue in their current roles at Jax Media, with Madigan remaining head of business affairs and Skidmore, a founding
When Dave Grohl first heard a film studio was interested in making a horror movie with the Foo Fighters, he dismissed the notion. But when a former landlord emailed him about a vacant Encino property, the Foo frontman decided to make the most out of the “big creepy old house.” There, he wrote and recorded
Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest have said they will not prevent Russia from participating this year. This is despite Ukraine’s national broadcaster, UA:PBC, requesting Russia be barred from the contest. The Eurovision Song Contest, which will host its 66th edition in Turin, Italy, in May, sees musical artists from across Europe (as well as
BTS was named the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s Global Recording Artist of the Year Award for the second consecutive year, the organization announced Thursday. BTS (consisting of members RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook) has been on IFPI’s top 10 Global Artist Chart since 2018, when the iconic K-pop band
“Barbie Girl,” the ridiculously catchy dance hit by ’90s one-hit-wonders Aqua, has joined the rarified ranks of YouTube’s billion-views club. The official video for the 1997 hit single has now surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube since it was uploaded to the video platform by the Danish-Norwegian pop group in 2010. According to YouTube, “Barbie
“SEAL Team” star Max Thieriot has signed on for the lead role in the CBS drama pilot “Cal Fire,” Variety has learned. It was previously reported that Thieriot co-wrote the story for the series, which is inspired by his life growing up in northern California. He will also serve as an executive producer. According to
Further expanding its global reach, MGM International Television Productions has signed a multi-year deal with MBC Group, a leading media company in West Asia and Northern Africa, to develop and co-produce premium original series. MBC Group will air these series exclusively on MBC’s Shahid VIP streaming service, with MGM handling co-production and distribution for the
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the first seven episodes of “Euphoria” Season 2. Despite the immense popularity of HBO’s “Euphoria,” clearing a song for use in the show isn’t as easy as it may appear — especially when it comes to legacy artists and estates. As music supervisor Jen Malone puts
Miami Dade College’s annual Miami Film Festival has announced that Penélope Cruz will be honored with the Precious Gem Award during its upcoming 2022 edition. The organization made the news public with an announcement on Thursday morning. Cruz, currently in the best actress Oscar race for her performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s drama “Parallel Mothers,” will
“Black excellence” is one of those phrases that might be difficult to explain, but you know it when you see it. It almost instantly pops into my mind — often in hashtag form — when I see images of classic Black icons or beautiful Black bodies dressed to the nines and stunningly captured in photographs;
The Berlin Film Festival has called for peace over the situation in Ukraine, which is currently in a state of military conflict after Russian forces struck on Thursday morning. “We — festival workers, artists, filmmakers — think fondly of our friends in Ukraine and we are by their side in a call for peace,” the
Not since Alfred Hitchcock’s 1927 silent “The Ring” has there been a boxing film quite so quiet as “Small, Slow But Steady,” a gentle but hard-edged study of a flyweight female pugilist in suburban Tokyo. More concerned with the wear and tear of everyday life than pummeling sound and fury, director Shô Miyake’s measured, unsentimental
CNN has switched into full-battle mode to cover the fast-moving implications of the fighting in Ukraine, the first large-scale invasive war in Europe in more than 70 years. After months of preparation, the invasion by Russian forces began before dawn, following a TV address from Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow. It was followed just
Spotify appears to have quietly pulled several episodes “The Alex Jones Show,” hosted by the notorious right-wing conspiracy theorist and founder of Infowars, after a media watchdog group discovered that several episodes had appeared on the streaming service in recent days. In 2018, Spotify banned Jones from its platform, after Apple Podcasts, Facebook and YouTube
There are few actors as skilled at capturing the gift and curse of genius than Benedict Cumberbatch. In a career that’s spanned stage, television and film, the actor has established himself as your go-to for cinematic brilliance. But that’s only part of his range and over the past decade, the star of “The Power of
The Penguin is often depicted in comic books with his trademark top hat, monocle and cigarette, but none of these signatures are sported by Colin Farrell in the upcoming “The Batman.” The film takes place before Oswald Cobblepot’s full transformation into the villainous Penguin. However, Farrell recently told “Jake’s Takes” that he “fought valiantly” for
Priyanka Chopra‘s finally speaking out about that awkward encounter with Rosie O’Donnell, — and a subsequent apology — and it’s clear she’s offended Rosie couldn’t even say her name. ICYMI … Rosie posted a video talking about running into Priyanka and Nick Jonas at Nobu in Malibu, where she embarrassingly claimed she knew Priyanka’s father,
BlackRock and Warner Music Group have invested $750 million, in partnership with Influence Media, to acquire music-rights catalogs from female and diverse artists, a source confirms to Variety. Rather than joining the fray pursuing catalogs of iconic, older white-male artists like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie, the female-led Influence, which was founded by Lylette Pizarro
Country star Jason Aldean has sold 90% of his recorded-music catalog to the indie Spirit Music Group, the company announced Thursday, in a deal sources say was worth upwards of $100 million. The acquisition includes 90% of Aldean’s recorded music catalog and encompasses nine albums in total, six of which are certified platinum. The deal
Google will no longer require U.S. staffers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus as a condition of employment, and it scaled back some COVID-safety restrictions as it expects more workers to return to the internet giant’s office in the coming weeks. Google is dropping the requirement that vaxxed U.S. employees get weekly COVID tests before
Hulu has acquired U.S. rights to “Fireheart,” Anton’s ambitious animated family feature directed by Laurent Zeitoun (“Leap!”) and Theodore Ty (“Kung Fu Panda”) with a voice cast headlined by Olivia Cooke, William Shatner, Laurie Holden and Kenneth Branagh. The deal was negotiated with Hulu by CAA Media Finance and Anton’s Cécile Gaget on behalf of
Just a couple of hours before Francis Ford Coppola arrived for a 50th anniversary celebration of “The Godfather” on the Paramount lot, the Academy announced that it had nixed the live presentation of Oscars for eight categories at this year’s Academy Awards. The legendary director hadn’t heard the news until he was on the red
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) will return in person this fall, welcoming local and international guests from Sept. 8 to 18. Also returning in person are TIFF’s networking and celebratory events, including the opening night party, industry conference, filmmaker dinners, industry networking events, press and programmers events and tribute awards gala. The move follows two
Benedict Cumberbatch’s production company SunnyMarch is being sued over the rights to a Roald Dahl script, Variety can reveal. SunnyMarch, whose directors are Cumberbatch and his producing partner Adam Ackland, entered into a co-production agreement with Portobello Productions (“Moffie,” “Ida”) in November 2019 to make a film adaptation of Dahl’s novel “Danny the Champion of the
Global streaming aggregator ScreenHits TV (SHTV) has partnered with international news network Euronews and will provide live and on-demand TV editions of Euronews and Africanews on its platform. Euronews, which offers round-the-clock news coverage from a European perspective, broadcasts in 160 countries and is distributed in more than 440 million homes, including 68% of homes
LL Cool J will host the ninth edition of the iHeartRadio Music Awards and Jennifer Lopez will receive the iHeartRadio Icon Award, iHeartMedia and Fox Entertainment announced today. The 2022 ceremony is scheduled for March 22 at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium. A 2021 inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, LL Cool J
UNSCRIPTED Bollywood actress and fitness buff Shilpa Shetty is lined up to host a new wellness-themed chat show, produced by Mirchi, an Entertainment Network India Limited company, and presented by Pintola Peanut Butter with Sofit. Focusing on physical and mental wellness, “Shape of You” will invite a wide range of India’s most popular celebrities to
The European Film Academy has pledged support to its members in Ukraine and is looking for practical ways to help them. “We need to immediately move beyond ‘thoughts and prayers’ and start to concentrate on what practical help can be given to our membership and community,” European Film Academy chair and board member of the
Netflix has shared details on its next Brazilian original series, “O Cangaceiro do Futuro,” a comedy caper starring Edmilson Filho (“O Shaolin do Sertão,” “Cine Holliúdy”) and Chandelly Braz (“Now Generation,” “Sparkling Girls “) which will hit the platform later this year. Glaz, which previously collaborated with Netflix on “Get the Goat,” produces the series,