The round-table show “The Five” has proven to be one of Fox News Channel’s most durable properties. And yet, after a decade on air, the late-afternoon program can still surprise even the most veteran executive at the Fox Corp. cable-news outlet. “The Five,” which these days relies largely on a trio of regulars and two
The Patricia Arquette-led Apple comedy series “High Desert” has added six new cast members, Variety has learned. Matt Dillon (“Wayward Pines,” “Crash”), Rupert Friend (“Homeland,” “Death of Stalin”), Weruche Opia (“I May Destroy You”), Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Fargo”), Bernadette Peters (“Mozart in the Jungle,” “The Good Fight”) and Christine Taylor (“Search Party,” “Zoolander”) will
An attorney for Danny Masterson’s accusers argued on Tuesday that they should not have to take their civil claims to a religious arbitration proceeding run by the Church of Scientology. Masterson, a longtime member of the church, is awaiting a criminal trial on multiple rape charges that could send him to prison for 45 years
Some of the most-watched sketches featuring cast members of “Saturday Night Live” aren’t taking place on NBC’s venerable late-night show. Several of “SNL’s” popular players have in recent months started showing their stuff on a decidedly different stage. Kenan Thompson, who has been with “SNL” since 2003, recently began holding amusing conversations with talking kitchen
Jonathan Majors and Simu Liu are both set to make their hosting debuts on “Saturday Night Live.” Majors will host the long-running NBC sketch series on Nov. 13. He will next be seen in the Netflix film “The Harder They Fall.” He is known for his roles in films like “The Last Black Man in
In the history of the Grammy Awards, only one video game score, Austin Wintory’s “Journey,” has ever been nominated in the best score soundtrack for visual media category — and that was in 2012. Last year, the video game industry was worth over $90 billion and players spent $4.5 billion on immersive gaming, making it
This year’s nominees in Grammy’s visual media categories may look surprisingly different from those of previous years, with a greater emphasis on television scores, reflecting the impact of the pandemic and a huge spike in TV watching. Of the three categories (compilation soundtrack, score soundtrack, song), that shift will most likely be seen in the
The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.’s decision to power forward with some sort of Golden Globes in 2022 has left some publicists a bit apoplectic. They expected to be rid of the awards show, at least for the coming year, especially after NBC officially canceled the live telecast. But it always seemed likely that the HFPA
In today’s podcast news roundup, Amazon Music bows transcripts for select podcasts synced with audio playback; BBC Studios launches subscriptions on Apple Podcasts; and more. PLATFORMS Amazon Music on Tuesday launched synchronized podcast transcripts in the U.S. for recent episodes of select Amazon original and Wondery podcasts, including “SmartLess,” “Dr. Death” and “Uncommon Ground With
Audiences taking in cinematographer Emiliano Villanueva’s images in Mexican documentary hybrid “A Cop Movie” are not likely to appreciate that he and the director, Alonso Ruizpalacios, risked life and limb, shooting on some of the toughest street locations they could find to create the Berlin film fest sensation focused on the emotional lives of two
Brian Kelly, the man behind the travel website the Points Guy, has signed with WME for representation. Considered the leading voice in loyalty programs, points, miles, credit cards and travel, Kelly has been a quiet but formidable voice in the sector since founding his website in 2010. He currently reaches more than 11 million unique
Amazon Prime Video is getting back into the in-person awards FYC activation game, launching a new pop-up at the Bank of America Winter Village in New York’s Bryant Park starting today. The experience, which will continue through the end of November, will tout movies including “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain,” “Being the Ricardos,” “VAL”
Paulina García, who won the Berlinale’s 2013 best actress Silver Bear for her role in Sebastián Lelio’s Chilean drama “Gloria,” is starring in and executive producing Matías Rojas Valencia’s “Our Memory” (“Nuestra Memoria”). The documentary-hybrid is based on Rojas’ research into a powerful enclave in southern Chile and the influence it continues to have on
Netflix announced that a new Michael Che stand-up special will premiere globally Nov. 16. The special is titled “Michael Che: Shame the Devil.” This special follows his 2016 Netflix special “Michael Che Matters” in which the comedian discussed topics ranging from Black Lives Matter to gentrification. “Michael Che: Shame the Devil” is directed by Kristian
UPDATED: It’s game on for Netflix: The streaming giant is launching the first collection of games available in its Android mobile app for users worldwide. Starting Tuesday, Netflix subscribers worldwide can play five mobile games: “Stranger Things: 1984” (BonusXP), “Stranger Things 3: The Game” (BonusXP), “Shooting Hoops” (Frosty Pop), “Card Blast” (Amuzo & Rogue Games),
Rachel Morrison (“Mudbound”), Ed Lachman (“Carol”), Alice Brooks (“In the Heights”) and Stephen Lighthill, president of the American Society of Cinematographers, are among the cinematographers calling for a ban of functional firearms on set. The open letter for support to ban guns on film sets comes following the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after
Regina King never expected to be in a Western – in fact, the Oscar winner didn’t even like the genre before taking the pitch from first-time feature filmmaker Jeymes Samuel. “I sat down and had a FaceTime with him, and by the time we got off that FaceTime, I was like, ‘Man could probably have
Argentine writer-director Andrew Sala (“Pantanal”) brings his new film “The Barbaric” to the highly competitive Works in Progress section of Sanfic Industria, and brings with it a heavy contender filled with violence, secrets and the echoes of power. In “The Barbaric,” Nacho leaves an abusive mother in the city to live and work with his
Wind whipped and dressed in vibrant wool ponchos with feathered fedoras, the subjects of Joe Houlberg’s Sanfic WIP documentary “Ozogoche” seem possible only in a Miyazaki storyboard, yet they persist: Don Feliciano and his family belong to the indigenous Kichwa community of Ecuador. The doc observes the lead-up to their annual combing of the Ozogoche
Leading Spanish indie sales outfit Filmax has scooped the international rights to “Seve: One Man Army,” a new feature-length documentary about legendary Spanish golfer Severiano Ballesteros, arguably the top golfer of his era and a Spanish icon on and off the course. Filmax will be shopping the title at this year’s American Film Market. Currently
Up-and-coming Argentine production house Sewati Audiovisual has boarded “Portraits,” one of the most frightening titles pitching at this year’s Morbido Lab for genre projects within the framework of a rescheduled and in-person Sanfic Industria. Sewati joins original Buenos Aires-based producers Latitud Audiovisual, co-founded in 2017 by “Portraits” director Gabriel Musco and Ezequiel de San Pio
The Shakur Estate has announced the premiere of “Tupac Shakur. Wake Me When I’m Free,” an immersive museum experience that explores the life and legacy of the rapper and activist, who was murdered in 1996. The exhibit will open on January 21, 2022 in Los Angeles at the Canvas @ L.A. Live on Georgia Street
Breakout alt-rocker Grandson linked with Kesha and Travis Barker for a remix of “Drop Dead,” which released on Oct. 29. Beefed up with new lyrics, an extended run time and Kesha’s uncompromising vocals, the latest iteration of “Drop Dead” is an empowering call for perseverance in the face of hardship. That message is reflected in
Los Angeles-based jazz saxophonist Terrace Martin, who first rose to prominence with his work on Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 album “To Pimp a Butterfly,” will release a new concept album titles “Drones” on Nov. 5 — this Friday. The album features collaborations with Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Leon Bridges, Cordae, Ty Dolla$ign, Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington, YG
Ed Sheeran, who tested positive for COVID-19 literally the day after he was announced as a performer on “Saturday Night Live,” has completed his quarantine and has been cleared to appear on this week’s show, which will be hosted by “Succession” star Kieran Culkin. “Posting this pic to say I’m released from COVID isolation today,
Pavement, which announced European dates for their first tour in more than a decade, have unveiled the itinerary for a North American tour next fall that will launch after their June dates at the ES Primavera Sound Barcelona & Porto 2022 festivals in Spain and Portugal. The full North American and European itineraries are below.
Netflix, which has been steadily growing its subscribers in the Arab world, has teamed up with Kuwait-based production studio NCIG (National Creative Industries Group) to set up a writers’ lab that will spawn six series projects from writers based in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The plan is to turn them into market-ready pitch decks on
Will “Matrix” fans take the NFT pill? Warner Bros. is launching the sale of 100,000 nonfungible tokens (NFTs) of “Matrix”-inspired avatars later this month. The studio is pairing the hype over NFTs with the upcoming release of “The Matrix Resurrections,” aiming to gin up excitement for the long-awaited fourth movie in the popular sci-fi franchise
Former Entertainment One TV CEO John Morayniss has reunited with several of his former colleagues to launch Blink Studios, a new independent studio launched with the backing of Endeavor Content. Morayniss will serve as CEO of the company, which will be based in Toronto with an office in Los Angeles. Morayniss is forming Blink with
A beta version of Epic Games’ popular “Fortnite” battle-royale game that launched in China three years ago is shutting down. In China, the game was known as “Fortress Night” and operated by Tencent Games, which is a major investor in Epic and announced a deal in 2018 to launch the title in China. The shutdown