It was one of the highlights of the U.K.’s biggest music awards show — but mystery surrounds why the Pet Shop Boys didn’t join Elton John and Years & Years’ performance of their classic song, “It’s a Sin,” at Tuesday night’s Brit Awards. Elton and Years & Years’ Olly Alexander pre-recorded their cover of the
With the third single before the release of her debut album “Sour,” Olivia Rodrigo is turning up the volume. “Good 4 U,” which was co-produced by Alexander 23 and Dan Nigro, further elaborates on the alternative edge displayed on previous single “Deja Vu,” delivering a nostalgic heartbreak anthem heavy with bass and electric guitar. The
U.S. investment firm Narrative Capital has acquired Sony Pictures Television’s entire U.K. channels portfolio in a major deal, Variety can reveal. The pact covers Sony’s seven free-to-air channels, including Sony Movies, Sony Movies Action, Sony Movies Classic, Sony Channel, POP, Tiny POP and POP Max, as well as the brands’ various digital assets. The Sony-labeled
ViacomCBS-backed U.K. broadcaster Channel 5 has revealed a trailer for its much anticipated series “Anne Boleyn,” starring “Queen & Slim” actor Jodie Turner-Smith. The trailer begins with Turner-Smith, as Tudor queen Anne Boleyn, pleading not guilty to charges of treason. It proceeds to rack up the emotional tension with a childbirth sequence and then asks
She may not be a household name anywhere other than her native China, but Chinese helmer Jia Ling has officially overtaken Patty Jenkins as the world’s highest-grossing female director for a single film. After an extended three-month run, Jia’s Chinese New Year blockbuster “Hi, Mom,” finally left Chinese theaters Tuesday. It has grossed $838 million
J. Yoon, singer with successful Korean rock band M.C. The Max, was found dead at home in Seoul on Thursday. He was 39. “J. Yoon left us on Thursday,” his agency 325 E&C said in a statement after it had been unable to reach him and called the police. “Members of M.C the Max and
Halston, the mononymous designer whose peak fame dovetailed with the celebrity whirl of Studio 54-era New York, rose thanks to his originality and coasted thanks to his willingness to be duplicated. In the new Netflix limited series, also called “Halston,” we see, at first, Ewan McGregor’s gleeful realization at just how much money he can
The Cannes Film Festival has delayed its highly anticipated press conference by one week, to June 3, Variety has learned. The reason for the date change is an abundance of movies that have been submitted to the festival, according to an industry source. The Official Selection, in particular the competition, is expected to be larger
Polish film “365 Days,” a 2020 global success for Netflix, is getting two sequels. The giant streamer has announced the start of production on “365 Days” part 2 and part 3. The original film follows Massimo, a member of the Sicilian Mafia family and Laura, a sales director. She does not expect that on a
Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) has renewed its hit Norwegian comedy-drama series “Pørni” for a second and third season. The comedy-drama was created by Henriette Steenstrup (“Lilyhammer”) who also stars. It launched on NENT Group’s Viaplay streaming service in May and scored the most successful premiere for a Norwegian Viaplay Original. The two new seasons
The Venice Film Festival is gearing up to take place as a full-fledged physical event in September with a back-to-normal atmosphere and what could be a high-profile selection of films. While the Toronto Film Festival, which runs Sept. 9-18, is sticking with a combination of digital and in-person screenings, as is Sundance 2022, Venice’s upcoming
Real-estate porn can work for a thriller — or against it. Sometimes, it’s part of a movie’s mystery and allure: the luxe nooks and crannies where bad vibes can hide. (See “Rosemary’s Baby” or “What Lies Beneath.”) But in “The Woman in the Window,” the stately Harlem brownstone in which Anna Fox (Amy Adams) lives
Robert De Niro is returning home to New York after injuring his leg off-set in Oklahoma while filming Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” in which he is starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. Variety confirmed that he was injured, but it’s not known how serious it might be. The injury occurred on his own time,
The ABC single-camera comedy pilot “Adopted” is no longer moving forward at the broadcaster, Variety has learned. The project was a holdover from the 2020 pilot season that was delayed due to the pandemic. It hailed from the team of Shawn Vance, Daril Fannin, and Jimmy Kimmel. In the show, when a Green Beret (Vance) returns
Michael Jai White, whose work as an an actor, director and writer includes “Arrow,” “The Dark Knight,” “Spawn” and “Mortal Kombat: Legacy,” announced the launch of Jaigantic Studios, which will be Connecticut’s first mini-major studio. White has long wanted to return to his home state to expand the industry with a studio that will provide
In the 24 hours since Wednesday’s real-time implosion of the Joe Budden Podcast, during which the host of the popular twice-weekly show fired his longtime cohosts Rory Farrell and Jamil ‘Mal’ Clay (or Rory and Mal, as they’re known colloquially) in the wake of a pay and “accounting” dispute, PTSD has subsided and it got
Chrissy Teigen‘s not only feeling the heat from Courtney Stodden — Target’s also made a big move … one that impacts Chrissy’s bottom line. The retail giant’s website shows her “Cravings by Chrissy Teigen” line of cookware has been wiped out. Target’s move appeared to comes as Chrissy was owning up to her past abusive
The CW is aiming to go where few broadcasters dare travel these days: Saturday nights. The netlet plans to add a two-hour Saturday primetime block to its schedule this fall, programming a full seven nights a week for the first time in its 15-year history. The CW chairman/CEO Mark Pedowitz announced the expansion on Thursday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revised its mask guidance Thursday, allowing Americans who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to resume pre-pandemic indoor and outdoor activities without wearing a mask or socially distancing. That could possibly lead Disneyland and Walt Disney World to drop their current requirement that all visitors wear face coverings while
Bill Maher has tested positive for COVID-19, forcing HBO to scrap Friday’s scheduled taping of this week’s episode. In a statement, HBO said Maher is “fully vaccinated” and “feels fine.” Friday’s guests were to have included astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and “Hardcore History” podcast host Dan Carlin. “Bill tested positive during weekly staff PCR testing
Cristin Milioti knows there’s a weird coincidental feel that her 2020 film “Palm Springs” and her 2021 series “Made For Love” both felt very timely as bookends to the pandemic. “Palm Springs” was about living the same day over and over again — something that felt very familiar during quarantine times — while “Made for
Gwyneth Palthrow has never shied away from, well, anything. The actress is now her lifestyle brand goop, the one-stop destination for reaching peak Gwyneth-ness, jade egg and all. But despite controversial Hollywood wellness trends (many of which I myself have delved into), one thing is clear: she helped normalize talking about your vagina in a
For 55 years, “Ultraman” has been one of Japan’s A-list superheroes — defending the planet from alien kaiju and inspiring all manner of global pop culture, from the “Power Rangers” to Paul Rudd’s “Ant-Man” suit. But while the character has a loyal following outside of Japan, Ultraman has never become a massive crossover phenomenon at
Jeff Blackburn, a former high-level Amazon exec who just recently left after more than two decades, is coming back — in a newly created role, giving him oversight over a consolidated media group. The new appointment was announced internally Thursday by Andy Jassy, currently CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), who is set to succeed
Harvey Mason, jr. has been named the official president/CEO of the Recording Academy by the organization’s board of trustees, it announced on Thursday. Mason has been serving as the unpaid interim president/CEO since January of last year. He will relinquish his role as chair of the board of trustees, which he had held since 2019.
As the U.S. moves closer to reopening seemingly every day, it looks like a big step forward will come in mid-summer, when the Lollapalooza Festival will return to Chicago with a four-day event at its usual place and date range — Grant Park, July 29-August 1 — sources tell Variety. The city of Chicago gave
The jets kept firing for Disney Plus, which reached 103.6 million subscribers worldwide as of April 3, the company reported — although the growth was not as torrid as Wall Street hoped. The Mouse House’s flagship streaming service packed on 8.7 million global customers in the most recent quarter (up from 94.9 million at the
When Michael Sam came out as gay in 2014, becoming the first-ever openly gay football player to be drafted by an NFL team, Colton Underwood finally saw an opportunity to be his true self. The future star of “The Bachelor” had been hiding his sexuality — from his family, his friends and himself — for
Disney is in discussions with the NFL about possibly picking up the “Sunday Ticket” franchise that has been a pillar of DirecTV for years. Disney CEO Bob Chapek said during the company’s quarterly earnings call Thursday that the company is “in conversations” with the NFL about picking up the service that offers NFL super-fans the
Camila Cabello is next in line to wear Cinderella’s famous glass slippers. Today, Amazon Prime Video released first look images at Cabello and Nicholas Galitzine as Cinderella and Prince Charming in the upcoming musical movie, due in September. Camilla Cabello stars in “Cinderella” Kerry Brown Camilla Cabello and Nicholas Galitzine star in “Cinderella” Christopher Raphael