Drake Bell, who starred as Drake on the hit Nickelodeon series “Drake & Josh,” pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a felony charge of attempting to endanger children and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. Bell, who appeared virtually via Zoom at the pretrial hearing in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, could face
LeVar Burton, actor, director and famed host of “Reading Rainbow,” has launched an online course sharing his approach to storytelling — and how to effectively connect with other people. Burton’s internet course, “The Power of Storytelling,” is available on MasterClass, as part of the site’s $180 annual membership. Comprising 13 individual video lessons, the class
Welcome to the oh-so-awkward grand reentry! A top industry executive privately recounted a recent experience that I believe speaks for many of us who are beginning to make that foreign-feeling transition back to the real world of in-person meetings, screenings and other live events. The insider said he had had an appointment on his calendar
What goes great with coffee? Pop Tarts — naturally. After the success of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” Netflix has nabbed Jerry Seinfeld’s latest venture, a new movie about the creation of the Pop Tart. Seinfeld will produce, direct and star in the comedy, co-written with Spike Feresten and Barry Marder. The concept for the
Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival got an early 25th birthday present in the form of James Gunn’s “Suicide Squad,” which will receive a special screening on Aug. 4, the day before Fantasia officially kicks off with the world premiere of Julien Knafo’s zombie thriller “Brain Freeze.” Gunn is a long-time friend of the fest, having
From “Pokémon Detective Pikachu,” which pulled in $433 million globally in 2019, to “Sonic the Hedgehog,” which grossed $319.7 million worldwide last year before the pandemic shut down theaters, the message is clear: Gamers and nongamers alike are looking to explore their favorite video game characters and narratives in different mediums. Gaming developers are getting
Kim Kardashian is going to have court-ordered protection from a man she claims wanted to make himself at home, literally, for a good long while … as a judge just slammed the gavel. According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kim was granted a permanent restraining order against Charles Peter Zelenoff — who she
For those feeling wolverine levels of hunger for further Duran Duran backstory, Paramount Plus’ revival of the “Behind the Music” franchise plans to meet that need with an episode’s worth of memories — careless, careful or otherwise — devoted to the band. The platform is announcing today the addition of Duran Duran, New Kids on
International distributors will get a first look at action thriller “Gasoline Alley” at the upcoming Cannes Market. The film, which stars Bruce Willis, Luke Wilson and Devon Sawa, is represented by Highland Film Group. The project was first announced at the European Film Market in Berlin, around the time that it was moving into production.
For years, costume designers have been fighting for pay equity — an issue thrown into sharp relief by the difference in remuneration between the largely female Costume Designers Guild and the predominantly male members of the Art Directors Guild. But an equally growing concern bubbling away under the surface has been a lack of costume
Most studios have struggled to keep high-level productions free of COVID-19 in the past year: Blockbusters such as “Mission: Impossible 7” and “The Batman” periodically paused as a result of positive cases. But AGC Studios’ sci-fi thriller “Moonfall” — one of the most expensive indie pics in years, with a budget of $140 million (second
As an employee of Scooter Braun’s SB Projects since its founding in 2007, Allison Kaye has helped to shape the careers of superstars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande — and has been by Braun’s side through all the ups and downs of the ever-evolving music industry. Now president of SB Projects and a partner
Check out the Out of Death Official Trailer starring Bruce Willis! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Sign up for a Fandango FanAlert for Out of Death: https://www.fandango.com/out-of-death-2021-224957/movie-overview?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to stay up
HBO’s “I May Destroy You” and Netflix’s “Crip Camp” are among the next batch of this year’s Peabody Award winners, which continue to be announced throughout the week. Variety also has a first look at actor Selma Blair presenting the honor to “Crip Camp”; scroll down to watch. Peabody is slowly announcing all 30 of
Critical Role gave fans a first look at the character art for upcoming Amazon original animated series “The Legend of Vox Machina,” created by Emmy-winning artist, animator and designer Phil Bourassa. CR is producing “The Legend of Vox Machina,” based on the popular role-playing collective’s first campaign. In 2019 Amazon Prime Video ordered a total
Quiver Distribution isn’t a major name in the entertainment business, but that is gradually changing as the Canadian entertainment company has managed to snag a series of notable projects and used the pandemic to bolster its library of content. Launched in 2019 by former eOne executive Berry Meyerowitz and former Lionsgate Films president Jeff Sackman,
Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales are taking their “Language Lessons” around the world. Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired the international rights to the pair’s secret pandemic film. News of the acquisition comes only a few months after “Language Lessons” made an eye-catching debut at the Berlin Festival and won an Audience Award at the SXSW
“Moneyboys,” the China-set first feature from up-and-coming helmer C.B. Yi, dropped its first trailer Wednesday. It will play at Cannes as an official selection in the Un Certain Regard section. (Watch the exclusive trailer above.) Chinese-Austrian director, screenwriter and producer C.B. Yi immigrated to Austria at age 13 and went on to study at the
Call it another COVID-19 pandemic casualty, but for the first time in a decade, the number of scripted series that aired in the calendar year of 2020 decreased from the previous year (493, down from 532). And that dip has affected the number of series vying for Emmys this year. Since the Emmy eligibility calendar
“General Hospital” counts both a Lassa fever epidemic and a water pathogen story among its most successful medical-themed sagas. However, although COVID19 would have undoubtedly provided ample material for ABC’s daytime drama, it chose not to incorporate it into its storyline. In fact, while all four daytime dramas that aired on broadcast television during the
Check out the Candyman Official Trailer starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Sign up for a Fandango FanAlert for Candyman: https://www.fandango.com/candyman-2021-222774/movie-overview?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to stay up to date. US
The world of Scott “Scooter” Braun, Variety’s Music Mogul of the Year, is a whirlwind, with pop stars like Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande relying on him for professional and personal guidance, a staff of 39 who look to him for leadership and an industry that banks on him for hit songs, TV shows and
YouTube and other internet platforms are not liable for copyright-protected content users upload as a general principle, the European Court of Justice ruled — a big win in the EU for the Google-owned video giant. “As currently stands, operators of online platforms do not, in principle, themselves make a communication to the public of copyright-protected
I was covering the red carpet for a tribute to Mike Nichols years ago when Cher arrived. She took some photos but strolled by reporters hoping — to no avail — for an interview. Feeling courageous — or maybe more desperate — I yelled out as loud as I could, “Cher!” She turned around. When
The Oscars had their moment of historic diversity, and it could be time for the Emmys to have one as well. The biggest takeaway from the nominations-round ballots is that each acting category across drama, comedy and limited series/TV movie should have more than one POC nominated in their respective races. If the stars continue
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences is prepping for a return to normalcy in 2022, including a live, in-person Daytime Emmys at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. But that’s next year. For 2021, NATAS, CBS and producer Associated Television Intl. are putting together a pre-taped Daytime Emmys telecast that will still be a hybrid
Britney Spears has made it clear … she wants the judge to hear her out over her long-running conservatorship, but even if she wants out, it’s virtually certain that will not happen without a sign-off by a team of doctors. As you know by now, Britney will address the judge Wednesday at 1:30 PM PT,
More than 50 of the U.K.’s top musical artists have signed a letter urging British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to urgently tackle a post-Brexit touring crisis looming on the horizon. Following the U.K.’s exit from the European Union, British artists will now need extra permissions — such as work visas and permits — to move
AWARDS After taking 2020 off, BAFTA’s Children’s Awards are set to return in November 2022 following a review starting in May of last year. The upcoming awards will place a stronger focus on engaging young audiences through updated categories and a ceremony to be held at the end of a larger weekend of BAFTA Kids
Ericka Coulter has joined Warner Records as senior vice president of A&R, the company announced Wednesday (June 23). Coulter was most recently VP of A&R at Epic Records, where she worked with acts including Rick Ross, Giveon, and Lonr., among others; prior to her six-year tenure at Epic, she held posts at Interscope and Capitol