In today’s podcast news roundup, “Behind the Music” is back in audio-only repeats; Sports Illustrated huddles up with iHeartMedia; Audacy is launching podcast discovery and interview show “Podsauce”; and more. DATES MTV is launching a podcast version of “Behind the Music,” the ’90s-era music documentary series that originally aired on VH1, with a selection of
CNN films is delving into shorter subjects. The CNN non-fiction banner plans to unveil four new short documentaries., two of which will debut Saturday, July 31, and two on Saturday, August 7. Each 25-minute title examines a unique American community or sub-culture, and will be introduced by Anderson Cooper. Scheme Engine, a minority-owned studio and
Venice Film Festival organizers are closely monitoring the possible impact of the spread of the Delta variant, but sounded an upbeat note on Monday with artistic director Alberto Barbera saying he was confident “the situation will be much less complicated than Cannes.” Venice is organizing free COVID tests on site in a number of different
Irish singer-turned-television host Ronan Keating has received “substantial damages” and a public apology from News of the World publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN) over claims his cellphone was hacked over three decades. NGN also agreed to pay Keating’s legal costs and undertook not to “access or attempt to access Mr Keating’s private information by unlawful
APPOINTMENTS Sky Italia has confirmed the rumored appointment of Andrea Duilio as the company’s new CEO, set to take office Sept. 6 of this year reporting directly to Stephen van Rooyen, Sky CEO for the U.K. and Europe. Last week, Reuters reported that Duilio had emerged as the top candidate in the company’s search to
Pedro Almodóvar has dropped the first official trailer for “Madres paralelas,” which is set to open this year’s Venice Film Festival. “Madres paralelas” is led by long-time Almodóvar favorite Penélope Cruz who is joined by key cast members Aitana Sánchez-Gijón (“Boca a Boca”) and Milena Smit (“Cross the Line”), “Veneno” duo Israel Elejalde and Daniela
There are two types of people in this world, apparently: Those who would find a staff-led singalong of “Let My People Go” in a hospital cancer ward comforting, even inspiring, and those for whom it would only exacerbate the agony. Emmanuelle Bercot’s heart-on-sleeve medical drama “Peaceful” is populated largely by the former group, and duly
Like a scene of the 1969 moon landing seen on a prison TV late in “Great Freedom” — “I thought it would be more exciting,” muses one inmate — seismic change seems less spectacular when charted against the everyday grind of life behind bars in this gripping, tender-hearted prison drama from Austrian director Sebastian Meise.
The Venice Film Festival is unveiling the lineup of its 78th edition, which is expected to be a star-studded affair that launches a substantial number of prospective awards season contenders and, more generally, a rich roster of hotly-anticipated new works by global auteurs, alongside some potential discoveries. Previously announced titles include Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers,”
Ahead of the film’s world premiere at Locarno Film Festival, Variety has been given exclusive access to the debut trailer for “Hinterland,” the crime thriller from Austrian filmmaker Stefan Ruzowitzky, who won the Foreign Language Film Oscar with “The Counterfeiters.” The film is a center-piece of the festival with a prestigious first weekend primetime premiere
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read until you have watched “Rick and Morty” Season 5, Episode 6, “Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular.” At this point in “Rick and Morty’s” fifth season, there are now three episodes that could have easily been called “Rickdependence Spray,” including the space semen-filled “Rickdependence Spray.“ A Rickconvenient Mort” obviously could’ve gotten
“Green Snake,” the Chinese animated sequel to the folktale adaptation “White Snake,” slithered past propaganda films to the top of the box office this weekend with a $29.7 million debut, according to Maoyan figures. The platform currently predicts that “Green Snake” will go on to gross $77.5 million, which would make it more successful than
Before the zombified events of Zack Snyder’s “Army of the Dead,” there was an “Army of Thieves,” led by the mysterious Gwendoline (Nathalie Emmanuel) and safecracking genius Ludwig Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer). In the first teaser for the prequel film, also directed by Schweighöfer, viewers are introduced to the crew of opportunistic bandits, including Rolph (Guz
Michael C. Hall — serial killer Dexter Morgan himself — has known since Showtime’s serial killer drama “Dexter” ended that a return to the character was a possibility. Instead of being killed off in the end, he only faked his death, leaving his young son with another killer (Yvonne Strahovski) and hiding out as a
At the box office, “Snake Eyes” is ringing true to its moniker. The latest “G.I. Joe” installment, an origin story starring Henry Golding of “Crazy Rich Asians” fame, fell short of expectations, collecting a paltry $13.3 million in its first three days in North American theaters. Those ticket sales put “Snake Eyes” in second place
The wait is nearly over: LeVar Burton begins his stint as a “Jeopardy!” guest host on Monday, July 26. Following a passionate social media campaign led by fans, the “Reading Rainbow” and “Star Trek” star was announced as part of the show’s final lineup of guest hosts in April. “Jeopardy!” has utilized a slew of
Travis Scott premiered a new song apparently titled “Escape Plan” during his headlining set at Day Two of the Rolling Loud Miami festival on Saturday night. Scott had teased the song and video earlier on Saturday with a minute-long clip — lensed in a wide variety of locations, including a private jet, a yacht and
In a twist fitting for an M. Night Shyamalan thriller, “Old” is the No. 1 movie at the domestic box office with $16.5 million in ticket sales. Heading into the weekend, reigning champ “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and fellow newcomer “Snake Eyes” were projected to lead North American charts. Instead, “Space Jam 2” had
Public broadcaster KCET, which had led all local TV stations in nominations for the this year’s Los Angeles Area Emmy Awards, also wound up taking home the most (for the fifth year in a row), with nine awards. It was followed by Telemundo’s KVEA and Spectrum SportsNet, both of which landed six. The Television Academy
Hong Sangsoo characters have a habit of — you might even say a genius for — diffidence in the face of profundity. In that way, they’re very like the films in which they appear: outwardly casual, slight, polite, holding pain and truth and existential observation in check with an airy gesture, a sad smile or,
Jackie Mason, the sometimes-controversial standup comedian who unapologetically embraced Jewish themes and political incorrectness, achieving a national profile through a series of successful one-man shows on Broadway without substantial work in film or television, died Saturday in Manhattan. He was 93. The New York Times said his death was confirmed by his friend Raoul Felder.
“The Walking Dead” dropped a full-length trailer for its final season, Season 11, during a panel for San Diego Comic-Con at Home on Saturday. The trailer saw plenty of zombified action, while also highlighting fan favorite characters like Daryl, Carol, Maggie, Gabriel, Ezekiel, and Negan among many others. Fans also got more in-depth looks at
Rodney Alcala (aka, “The Dating Game Killer”) — who killed several women in Orange County, as well as a child — has died. The California Dept. of Corrections made the announcement Saturday, saying Alcala passed away of natural causes Friday while hospitalized in a hospital near the city of Corcoran, where he was on death
Federal prosecutors have brought forth new allegations against R. Kelly in his sex trafficking case, and are asking for the ability to present the information to jurors at his upcoming trial in New York. In a court filing on Friday, obtained by the Associated Press, prosecutors brought forth a wide variety of new bribery and
Rodney Alcala, the serial murderer who became known as the “Dating Game Killer” because of his 1978 appearance on the game show, died July 24 at a hospital near California’s Corcoran state prison at the age of 77. Alcala’s chilling story provided an early glimpse of how the growth of unscripted television with everyday people
Season 33 of “The Simpsons” will kick off in a musical fashion with a little help from “Frozen” star Kristen Bell, the long-running show’s producers revealed on Saturday. During the Comic-Con panel “The Simpsons Season 33 and Beyond,” executive producer Matt Selman teased what fans can expect from the Season 33 premiere, which airs on
SPOILER WARNING: Do not read if you’ve not seen the first five episodes of “Masters of the Universe: Revelation,” streaming now on Netflix. Kevin Smith nearly turned down “He-Man.” In early 2019, the iconoclastic filmmaker, podcast host and foul-mouthed bon vivant got a call from his agent. Mattel, the toy company, wanted to meet, but
Jason Aldean has dropped a big preview of his upcoming 10th studio album with the release of his power-ballad duet with Carrie Underwood, “If I Didn’t Love You.” Aldean describes the tune, released Friday by Broken Bow Records, as a “love song breakup song thing” that was penned by his band members Kurt Allison and
R. Kelly is facing new allegations in his criminal case out of Chicago — which is about to go to trial next month — including claims that he sexually abused a male minor … whom he’s said to have met at a McDonald’s. Prosecutors in Kelly’s federal sex trafficking case filed the bombshell Friday, seeking
The family of late singer James Brown has reached a settlement deal in the 15-year dispute over his estate, according to the Associated Press. The attorney representing Brown’s estate, David Black, told the AP that the settlement had been reached on July 9, though the details of the agreement were not made public. The estate