Makeup artist Sarah Tanno and hair stylist Frederic Aspiras are the masterminds behind some of Lady Gaga’s most iconic looks. From the bubblegum pink “Rain on Me” wig and alienesque design to the “The Color of the Pomegranates”-inspired creations for Gaga’s “911” music video, Tanno and Aspiras have been working in tandem at the Haus
For the upcoming 43rd edition of the Cairo Film Festival, which is the grande dame of Arab film events, fest chief Mohamed Hefzy and his team have assembled a rich mix of top notch Arab and international titles, including the world premiere of Tunisian star Dhafer L’Abidine’s directorial debut “Ghodwa” and the MENA (Middle East
Independent comics firm Red 5 Comics has struck a deal to publish “Mystery Brothers,” an Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) science fiction adventure comic book hatched by filmmaker and author Quentin Lee (“White Frog”). The deal was unveiled Friday at the 2021 Special Edition of San Diego Comic-con. Separately, Lee’s literary debut and first novel “The
In this social media age, experiential events have become a crucial part of entertainment marketing plans. Instagram-friendly pop-ups had become common in recent years — Netflix turning a Baskin-Robbins location into the Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlor from “Stranger Things” or Amazon Prime Video taking over the Hollywood Athletic Club to promote its Emmy contenders,
Seven years ago, thousands of people descended upon Jeremy and Kristy Morris’ “Christmas House” in suburban Idaho, where holiday lights, a camel and a 35-member choir singing carols beckoned festive visitors. The holiday event, which served as a fundraiser for children with cancer, was so big that the couple decided that they needed a bigger
Disney’s “Encanto,” a magical fable that has earned critical raves, led a muted Thanksgiving box office, earning $5.8 million on Thursday and pushing its domestic total to $13.3 million. This holiday is shaping up to be far quieter than past ones, a sign that COVID-19 continues to depress ticket sales in the U.S. despite the
Boasting a culturally diverse background encompassing Zimbabwe and Spain, Lou Llobell had a peripatetic childhood that took in both of those countries and South Africa before she moved to the U.K. After drama school, pausing only to serve as Tessa Thompson’s stand-in in “Men in Black: International” (2019), Llobell acted in sci-fi film “Voyagers” (2021)
The earliest recordings by most classic artists are dreadful. The Beatles’ early demos? Awful. The Rolling Stones? Amateurish. Prince? Formless, too-long songs. Nirvana? Juvenile. Traces of the future brilliance are there, but not many. Which is what makes this recently unearthed Aerosmith tape from 1971 — recorded either at a rehearsal or a soundcheck 12-18
The Oscars are at rock bottom in the eyes of the public. The good news is, there’s nowhere to go but up. There are great films in the running for the top prizes — yet the consensus is that there isn’t much to be excited about, nor are people looking forward to the March event.
Dave Chappelle reportedly visited his old high school to speak to pupils days before Thanksgiving, encountering a mixed response from the student body. On Tuesday, Chappelle stopped by D.C.’s Duke Ellington School of the Arts to take part in a Q&A session with staff and 580 students, according to Politico. He also handed out 600
For the most part, David Bowie’s career can be divided into eras by decade — the ‘60s, when he tried almost anything to make it (Mod-pop, Buddhism, folksinging) and mostly failed; the ‘70s, when he released some of the most exciting and innovative albums in music history; the ‘80s, when he got a taste of
Focus, an event for international production professionals from across film, television, animation, documentary, advertising and games, returns to London as a live event Dec. 7-8. Now in its seventh year, the confab combines two days of live events at London’s Business Design Centre, and four more days of online streaming. The industry event, which presents
FORMAT BBC One’s hit primetime gameshow “This is MY House” has been renewed for an extended run of ten episodes in a 30-minute format. The guessing game format created by Richard Bacon and U.S.-based TV producer Nick Weidenfeld will once again see four people all claim to be the same person and that “This Is
Leena Alam, one of Afghanistan’s best-known actresses, is in character as she explains facing an unthinkable choice. “Who would know better than me how dangerous it is to be a woman actress with the Taliban? You cannot inflict me with one more drop of fear than I already have,” says the California-based Alam as part
Given it’s been a tough 12 months for cinema, it would be an achievement to appear in just one of the top 10 highest grossing films of the year. Naomie Harris has appeared in two: “No Time to Die” and “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” as MI6 secretary Moneypenny and superhero Shriek, respectively. Now the
It’s mask time again in France. The country’s health minister has unveiled a set of familiar health measures as Europe faces a fifth wave of COVID-19 cases. Among the key measures unveiled by Olivier Veran on Nov. 25 during a televised address, face masks will once again be mandatory in every cultural venue, including movie
In the run-up to its roll-out in cinema theaters around the world, Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas starrer “Official Competition” has a official trailer. Variety has had exclusive access to its international subtitled version. Buena Vista International will release “Official Competition” in Spanish cinemas on Feb. 25. Spanish producer The Mediapro Studio and London-based international sales
The Italian theatrical release of Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God” is sparking protests from some of the country’s exhibitors who claim the hand of Netflix is cutting them out of the hot title’s big screen bonanza. “Hand of God,” a Netflix original film produced by Fremantle’s The Apartment, went out on 250 screens in
Chilean directing duo Bettina Perut and Iván Osnovikoff have secured the Best Pitch Forum Award at the 34th edition of IDFA with their documentary “La Casa.” Co-produced by Perut + Osnovikoff and Germany’s Dick Manthey Film, the project impressed with its story of a couple, stuck at home in Santiago due to COVID-19 and sequestered
“Shakespeare in Love” star Simon Callow has joined the cast of indie heist movie “The Pay Day,” Variety can reveal. Callow, who has also appeared in fare as varied as “The Witcher,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “The Phantom of the Opera,” will play an “eccentric crime boss” in the caper. He was most
The long-gestating plans for a major studio development in the Northwestern English city of Liverpool are finally going ahead. The £70 million ($93.1 million) redevelopment of the iconic Littlewoods building, which would include major studios, creative office space and new media facilities, has been in discussions since 2018. A report requesting permission for the scheme
Despite its smattering of shortcomings, “A Castle For Christmas” is gently disarming, heartening, holiday-themed escapism that’s as satisfying as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter’s night. Director Mary Lambert’s romcom is centered on a divorcée who, after a public meltdown, buys a castle in Scotland, meets a dreamy duke and regains her
Veteran film distributor Sreyashii Sengupta has been appointed Southeast Asia CEO for Continental Entertainment, a new Singapore-based film marketing and distribution firm. The firm was registered in January and is controlled by Shibasish Sarkar, former group CEO of Reliance Entertainment and chairman of NASDAQ-listed SPAC company International Media Acquisition Corp (IMAQ). Continental recently handled its
The Philippines is a vibrant filmmaking region in Asia and that brio is underlined by the brace of projects from the country selected at the Southeast Asia Film Lab, which is part of the Singapore Media Festival. Paul Rembert Patindol (sometimes credited as PR Patindol) was training to be a chemist but he came to
Online platforms are connecting influencers with brands in ways that are cutting out agencies and other traditional middlemen, according to panelists at the influencer and content creator convention, VidCon Asia. The event was held Thursday as an in-person event at Singapore’s Suntec Convention Centre, as part of the Singapore Media Festival. TikTok executives pointed to
Samantha Ruth Prabhu, one of India’s top actors, has boarded the cast of feature film “Arrangements of Love.” The film is to be directed by BAFTA-winning Welsh director Philip John, whose credits include “Downton Abbey” and “The Good Karma Hospital.” The film is produced by Sunitha Tati’s Indian outfit Guru Films, whose “Oh! Baby,” the
Viewers in Southeast Asia are increasingly engaging with influencer-generated video content, rather than with content generated by brands, according to research by Tubular Labs. The finding was presented Thursday at influencer and content creator convention VidCon Asia, held as part of the Singapore Media Festival. The video measurement and analytics firm, a sponsor of the
Recent Japanese suspense drama series “Guilty Flag” is to be launched at next week’s Asian Television Forum (ATF) as a scripted format by entertainment group Nippon Television. “Guilty Flag,” which runs to twenty 60-minute episodes, follows a man whose wife and kids suddenly disappear. He frantically searches for them but has no leads. To convince the police to
The next generation of Singaporean filmmakers are displaying the rich tapestry of the city-state’s culture at the Southeast Asian Film Lab, which is part of the Singapore Media Festival. Shopping malls are an intrinsic part of Singaporean culture and for Dewi Tan, who is from an anthropology and environmental science background, they are endlessly fascinating.
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four