A month ahead of his 70th birthday, Sting has unveiled his 15th solo studio album, “The Bridge,” and its first single, “If It’s Love.” The 10-track album was recorded during the pandemic and will be released Nov. 19 via A&M/Interscope/Cherrytree Records. Says the former Police frontman of the lead track, which is reminiscent of a
In “The Last Socialist Artefact,” businessmen Nikola and Oleg travel to a rusted-out town in the Balkans to convince its citizens to restart the factory which once employed so many of them. This sparks a journey both individual and collective, and over six episodes their character is revealed, tested, and changed. Each episode is named
Netflix released a trailer for “The Circle” Season 3, which premieres Sept. 8. The four-week reality competition series will begin with eight new players as they compete to become a top social media influencer and win $100,000. Over the course of the season, as original players are eliminated from the titular circle, a few new
Selena Gomez’s ice cream endeavor is expanding. A year after launching a line of ice cream flavors with Serendipity3, the iconic New York City restaurant now offers the Selena Sundae on its menu. Created by Gomez, the $29.95 dessert features Cookies & Cream remix ice cream covered in hot fudge, cream-filled cookie crumbles, pink sugar
The legacy of 9/11 and America’s response will be remembered on the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks by country stars taking part in a series of TV specials on the Circle Network, hosted by the Grand Ole Opry and in partnership with the veterans’ group the Wounded Warrior Project. Running on Sept. 11 between
New Europe Film Sales has closed several deals for “Leave No Traces,” from Polish director Jan P. Matuszyński (“The Last Family”), which has its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival. Variety has been given exclusive access to the film’s trailer. Produced by Aurum Film, the production house behind Jan Komasa’s Oscar-nominated “Corpus
British Asian actor and newly established writer Anjli Mohindra is set to adapt BBC journalist Anita Anand’s biography on Princess Sophia Duleep Singh under a development deal with “War of the Worlds” producer Urban Myth Films. Urban Myth has snapped up television rights to Anand’s book on the fascinating Duleep Singh, who was of Sikh
European arms industry corruption, forbidden love in 1920s Berlin and the impact of public outrage on the justice system are some of the themes explored by upcoming Germans TV productions showcased on Aug. 30 on the opening day of the Series Mania Forum in Lille, France. In collaboration with German Films, the presentation offered a
“Fauda,” “False Flag” and “No Man’s Land” producer Maria Feldman is teaming with Israeli director Dror Shaul on “The Collective,” an epic drama series set against the background of the early history of one of Israel’s best known institutions: the kibbutz. Created, written and to be directed by Shaul, “The Collective” is set up at
Former “Good Morning Britain” host Piers Morgan has been cleared by British regulator Ofcom over comments he made about Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. Speaking the morning after Markle and husband Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey aired in March, Morgan said he didn’t “believe a word” of Markle’s claims, including that she was
One moment, Julie, just 18, a fashion influencer, 159,258 followers, is swanning down a street in Copenhagen, with her BFFs Constanze, Micke and Sofia. The next, her parents and big brother are dead, killed in a plane crash in Africa. Julie gets the family mansion, but can’t think of any good reasons for living. There’s
Keshet International (KI) has closed its first international pre-sale for ZDF and Viaplay’s upcoming nationalist domestic terrorism thriller “Furia” to Australian broadcaster SBS, announcing the sale on the occasion of the show’s world premiere at Lille’s Series Mania. “Furia (“The Furies”)” was inspired by, but not based on, real events of domestic terrorism in Norway
L.A.’s Whip Media, a leading international enterprise software platform and aggregator of entertainment-related data, has appointed Jaime Otero to the newly created role of VP of business development and content strategy. The company also announced that Brazil’s Globo – the largest media group in Latin America, Univision’s VIX AVoD platform and Spain’s Onza are joining
Leonine Studios has picked up six-part event series “Herzogpark,” one of the first big-budget offerings commissioned by German broadcast giant RTL’s streaming service TVNOW. Leonine will handle worldwide sales, and is set to launch global distribution at next month’s Mipcom market in Cannes. The show, from “Bad Banks” producer Letterbox Filmproduktion, is directed by Jochen
Building an ecosystem that can sustain a production chain and generate investment return will be key to the future of virtual reality content development in Taiwan, says HTC, a tech giant headquartered on the self-governed island. Reaching out to a global network of co-producers, investors and distributors of VR content will be the next important
The concert sector has been one of the parts of the entertainment industry hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Large crowds and free-flowing international travel are simply not possible under coronavirus restrictions. Many bands have turned to online performances instead, but even a live feed can’t replicate the feeling of being there. Taiwan-based tech firm
What could be more of the moment than a film about a sick girl searching for her mother in hospital during a pandemic, and a virtual reality presentation that can be accessed by viewers unable to travel to the film’s festival premiere? “The Sick Rose,” a stop-motion animation work combining traditional Taiwanese dough figurine handicraft
Taiwan has launched a government-backed English-language streaming platform that is intended to carry a mixture of news, international affairs and local stories. Taiwan Plus went live on Tuesday after a Monday launch event. The project was commissioned by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture. Its content can be played on the Taiwan Plus app or viewed on
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the Aug. 31 episode of “Bachelor in Paradise.” An eventful cocktail party dominated Tuesday’s “Bachelor in Paradise.” The episode resumed with conflict between enemies Aaron Clancy and Thomas Jacobs over their love triangle with Tammy Ly. Tammy tried and failed to de-escalate Aaron, who was
Netflix has revealed the cast and showrunners for its limited series about the 2018 rescue of trapped soccer players in a Thai cave. Dana Ledoux Miller and Michael Russell Gunn, both veterans of “Designated Survivor,” will serve as showrunners for the series, slated to premiere globally in 2022. The limited series, set to start shooting
Two films each from India, Iran and South Korea feature in the eleven-title New Currents competition that is at the heart of the Busan International Film Festival. The festival this year will be operated as an in-person event Oct 6-15, 2021. But with Korea’s ongoing restrictions on cross-border travel, it may be a less international
Britney Spears’ lawyer is keeping up his blistering attacks on her father, accusing Jamie Spears of trying to “extort” $2 million in payments in exchange for stepping down from her conservatorship. The attorney, Mathew Rosengart, has been seeking since July to have Jamie Spears removed from his position of control over her finances. Earlier this
On Tuesday night, the eve of the 78th annual Venice Film Festival, Variety hosted a rooftop party at the Hotel Danieli honoring fest topper Alberto Barbera and the Biennale, its parent organization, with its International Achievement in Film Award. Variety international editor Manori Ravindran presented the prize to Barbera and Roberto Cicutto, the president of
Pharrell Williams is still discovering. Almost three decades into his music career, the artist, producer, fashion mogul and entrepreneur is hungrier than ever for the next best thing. Enter “OTHERtone,” Williams’ radio show with co-hosts Scott Vener and Fam-Lay that serves as an exploration into the minds of “culture’s unicorns” as well as a “distraction”
The 78th Venice Film Festival gets underway Wednesday with a slew of Hollywood stars expected on the red carpet for the Sept. 1-11 event, beginning with Penelope Cruz for Pedro Almodovar’s opening film “Parallel Mothers,” in competition, and Isabelle Huppert for French drama “Promises,” which opens the fest’s more cutting-edge Horizons section. They will soon
With overall revenue growth of 9% and a 7% gain in EBITDA, BMG boasts of its best first half since parent company Bertelsmann returned to the music business with a new-look model in 2008. While the pandemic stymied growth in music publishing, BMG’s core business, a 29.4% uptick by recorded music carried the day for
Los Angeles public broadcaster KCET has announced the student finalists for its 22nd annual Fine Cut Festival of Films, which will air as four one-hour episodes starting Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 10 p.m. A collection of short films from Southern California student filmmakers, Fine Cut finalists are vying for prize packages in the categories of
Following the footsteps of her (now former) co-host Carrie Ann Inaba, “Project Runway” host and New York Times bestselling author Elaine Welteroth will be exiting “The Talk.” She was on the chat show for one season, and with her exit, the daytime CBS staple is now down three hosts — Welteroth, Inaba, and Sharon Osbourne,
Kiss’s next four concerts have been postponed because Gene Simmons has tested positive for COVID-19, just five days after the band had to cancel a show because Paul Stanley had tested positive. The band made the announcement Tuesday, saying that the musicians and crew members will have to stay at home and self-isolate for the
The Bonnaroo Music Festival, scheduled to begin on Thursday, has been canceled, organizers announced on Tuesday afternoon. The reason given was not Covid-related, but rather due to heavy rains from Hurricane Ida soaking the festival’s grounds in Manchester, Tennessee. The organizers explained the situation in social-media posts and looked ahead to a rescheduled festival in