Motown Records announced that Brian Nolan has been appointed executive vice president of the label and executive VP of marketing, effective immediately. According to the announcement, in this new role, Nolan joins the label’s executive leadership team and will help guide the company as well as oversee Motown’s marketing teams and initiatives. He will report to Motown Chairman &
Bessemer Trust, a professional wealth management firm that was poised to take over as co-conservator of Britney Spears’ estate and work with her father, has asked to resign from the arrangement, according to a court document filed Thursday (July 1) that was cited by the New York Times. The company, which manages more than $100
Chinese propaganda film “1921” grossed $13 million on its opening day Thursday, outperforming debuts from Hollywood releases like “Cruella,” “A Quiet Place Part II” and “Peter Rabbit 2.” Patriotic titles “1921” and “The Pioneer” kicked off China’s summer season with a nationalist splash with Thursday premieres. Both films were created as tributes to China’s ruling
Bill Cosby’s release from prison on June 30 was a sorrowful, unexpected and deeply strange result for those who’d felt justice had been served with his conviction for sexual assault three years ago. It was the latest twist in an emotionally wrenching case that has seen more than 60 women come forward to accuse him
Donald Trump may or may not be joining “Gettr,” a newly launched social app from the ex-president’s ex-spokesman. The twice-impeached Trump has been kicked off — or frozen out of — mainstream social media services over his role in the Jan. 6 assault on Capitol Hill. But after news broke Thursday about the app’s ties
Chris Pratt fights man-eating aliens in Amazon’s new science fiction film “The Tomorrow War,” but the actor isn’t wondering about alleged UFO sightings. “No, I don’t believe in aliens,” Pratt told Variety‘s Marc Malkin at the movie’s June 30 premiere at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. In “The Tomorrow War,” Pratt’s Dan Forester
As American voters’ rights have increasingly come under attack from Republican politicians and interest groups, voter-registration non-profit HeadCount has announced “Save the Vote!,” an interactive campaign to encourage young Americans and cultural leaders to speak out for voting rights. The campaign hits on the same day that a divided Supreme Court ruled to uphold restrictive voting
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the 395 artists and executives that have been invited to join this year — about half the number of last year’s class. The 2021 class is comprised of 46% women, 39% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities and 53% international from 49 countries outside the United States. Of
Joel Kim Booster has joined the upcoming Maya Rudolph-led comedy series at Apple. The untitled series follows Molly (Rudolph), a woman whose seemingly perfect life is upended after her husband leaves her with nothing but 87 billion dollars. Booster will play the role of Nicholas, Molly’s loyal assistant. Along with Booster and Rudolph, “Pose” alum
ABC is passing on three more drama pilots from its 2021 pilot season slate. “National Parks Investigation,” “Triage,” and “Dark Horse” have all been passed over by the network after being in consideration for midseason pickups. Fellow dramas “Epic” and “Promised Land” remain in contention. “National Parks Investigation” boasted Kevin Costner as co-writer and executive
The HBO Max pirate comedy series “Our Flag Means Death” has five new additions to its cast: Ewen Bremner, David Fane, Guz Khan, Matt Maher and Joel Fry, most recently seen in Disney’s “Cruella.” They will be joined alongside previously announced members Kristian Nairn, Nathan Foad, Samson Kayo, Rory Kinnear, Con O’Neill Vico Ortiz, and
The Manhattan district attorney’s office has charged the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, with tax crimes connected to a set of benefits given to employees in a 15-year tax scheme. On Thursday, the Trump Organization and Weisselberg were arraigned at the State Supreme Court in Manhattan, where the charges were announced.
The Emmy initial voting phase is over, pencils are down and now we wait for nominations to be announced on July 13. A few final predictions for major categories, most of which you’ll agree with, and a few I decided to have a little fun with. First, the major series categories: Comedy Series “Ted Lasso”
William Fichtner will play Rick Kirkham in the upcoming Peacock series “Joe Exotic,” replacing previously announced cast member Dennis Quaid in the role. Per the NBCUniversal streamer’s announcement, Quaid had to step away from the project due to a scheduling conflict. Fichtner joins previously announced series leads Kate McKinnon, who will play Carole Baskin, and
HBO announced that “Tig Notaro: Drawn” will premiere on July 24 at 10 p.m. on HBO and HBO Max. The hourlong animated comedy special blends Notaro’s signature voice and storytelling with an array of captivating artistic styles as she recounts a hospital bed proposal, a high school talent show gone awry, the repercussions of a
Although she broke out playing the tough-skinned Andréa in the French show “Call My Agent!,” Camille Cottin comes off as gentle, bubbly and down to earth in real life. The hard-working Cottin didn’t shoot to fame; she became one of France’s hottest actors in her late 30s, after appearing in numerous stage plays, shorts and
Elizabeth Banks’ upcoming movie “Cocaine Bear” has added several A-list cast members. Keri Russell, Ray Liotta, O’Shea Jackson, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Alden Ehrenreich have joined the film about a real-life 175-pound bear who died of an apparent cocaine overdose. According to a 1985 New York Times article, the bear was found dead among 40
Bill Cosby is huddling with his legal team Thursday, and a potential lawsuit against Montgomery County will be the hot topic on the table. Sources close to Cosby tell TMZ … the comedian and his wife, Camille, are angry he’s been incarcerated for the last 3 years, and they’re exploring his options for legal recourse,
More than 23 years after “Seinfeld” left the airwaves, a soundtrack album featuring its immortal theme (and 40 more minutes of classic “Seinfeld” music) is about to be released. WaterTower Music will release the 33-track album on Friday, July 2, on all digital platforms. It will be the first time that any of the music
Kathy Hilton literally helped birth reality television. Her daughter Paris Hilton, star of the landmark unscripted series “The Simple Life” from 2003 to 2008, came to define an era of tabloid celebrity culture and über-wealthy voyeurism. But did we ever really know Kathy Hilton? Thanks to genius casting on the 11th season of Bravo’s “The
Meghan McCain’s announcement that she is, this month, ending her four-year tenure as a panelist on “The View” represents a potentially radical change in the dynamic of the venerable talk show. And — like everything else that’s happened on the show since spring 2020 — it was met with somewhat muted reaction on the show’s
In little more than a decade, streamers have shaken the TV industry to its core, laid waste to cinema sector windows, blurred the lines between film and television and rewritten the business relations between independent producers and commissioners. In many cases, SVODs have introduced American-style work-for-hire conditions that Europeans despise. Governments could surely sense that
Adam Deacon, the BAFTA-winning star of British indie dramas “Kidulthood” and “Adulthood,” will take on his next directorial project with “Sumotherhood.” Billed as an urban action comedy, the film sees Deacon reteaming with Michael Vu, with whom he collaborated on the 2011 film “Anuvahood” — his first turn in the director’s seat. Joining them for
A hapless romantic learns about the dangers of procrastination while attempting to save his crumbling marriage in “Long Story Short,” Australian actor Josh Lawson’s harmless, heart-filled follow-up to his 2014 directorial debut, “The Little Death.” Though the high-concept relationship movie frequently trips over its own well-meaning sentiments, the sweet, earnest performances and sharp technical craftsmanship
As we enter the second half of 2021, the shortened awards period from March 1 until June 30 doesn’t necessarily suggest we have many movies that can be deemed “Oscar-worthy.” In a denser calendar year, every studio will be angling and fighting for their probable contenders to stand out from the pack. The difference is
America’s creation myths may not be entirely rooted in fact — few of us still believe the story about George Washington chopping down that cherry tree — but they’re considerably less outlandish than “America: The Motion Picture,” an animated comedy in which our first president is a chainsaw-wielding freedom fighter who founds America to avenge
Variety is expanding its coverage of the booming documentary sector with the launch today of a dedicated Docs vertical on Variety‘s online and mobile platforms. The new section, sponsored by Showtime Documentary Films, highlights news and trends in documentary content, as well as reviews of new and vintage docus, filmmaker interviews, trailers, other video content
Meghan McCain is leaving “The View,” and the reason why is absolutely because of a series of nasty back-and-forths with her cohosts … TMZ has confirmed. Sources tell TMZ … Meghan felt it was too hard for her being the only conservative voice on the show and it had become too challenging, as she felt
Amazon Prime Video has picked up international rights to “Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time,” the fourth movie in the “Evangelion” hit anime movie franchise. The streaming giant will release the film worldwide, excluding Japan, from Aug. 13, 2021. The film, made by a quartet of helmers including original director Anno Hideaki, was released in
“Together,” a new comedy from “Billy Elliot” director Stephen Daldry, will be distributed by Bleecker Street after the indie studio secured North American rights to the film. “Together” stars James McAvoy (“Wanted”) and Sharon Horgan (“Catastrophe”). The film follows two partners who are forced to re-evaluate themselves and their relationship during lockdown, an experience that