The Hyderabad filming schedule of Sun Pictures’ “Annaatthe,” starring Indian superstar Rajinikanth, has been stopped due to crew members testing positive for COVID-19. “During routine testing at #Annaathe shoot 4 crew members have tested positive for Covid19. Superstar @rajinikanth and other crew members have tested negative. To ensure utmost safety #Annaatthe shooting has been postponed,”
Chinese social media firm Kuaishou and post-production and VFX company Motion Magic Digital Entertainment have both taken further steps towards initial listing of their shares. Kuaishou, which may be the world’s second most downloaded video sharing app after Bytedance’s TikTok/Douyin, is reported to have set a date and target price for its previously announced IPO
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the Dec. 22 season finale of “The Bachelorette,” starring Tayshia Adams. After the most dramatic season in the history of “The Bachelor” franchise, “Bachelorette” Tayshia Adams got her happy ending in one of the most conventional finales in recent years. From Arie Luyendyk Jr.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the Dec. 22 finale of “The Bachelorette.” Eliminated contestant Ben Smith returned at the end of the first half of the two-part finale of “The Bachelorette” to ask Tayshia Adams for a second chance. But his surprise return didn’t end up stealing the spotlight from
R&B chanteuse Ella Mai burst onto the international music scene about three years ago with “Boo’d Up,” her social media-propelled smash that went top five and 5x platinum stateside. Since then, the 26-year-old protégé of top hitmaker Mustard has scored a Grammy for Best R&B Song and three trophies at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards.
Much like its “will they, won’t they” plotline, the road to release for “Sylvie’s Love” has been its own brand of love rollercoaster. From filming on beaches and soundstages in Los Angeles (doubling as New York) to launching the film with a COVID-safe, yet romantic drive-in premiere in Malibu, Calif., stars Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi
Warner Bros. has rescheduled the release date for “Judas and the Black Messiah.” The historical biopic, starring Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield, will debut on Feb. 17, 2021. Prior to Tuesday night’s announcement, the studio had delayed the movie to early 2021 but hadn’t set an exact date. “Judas and the Black Messiah” was initially
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has completed its annual review of film submissions for the Golden Globe awards, and Variety has learned exclusively that many films and performances have been switched from the studios’ intended submissions. “Promising Young Woman” from Focus Features was switched from comedy to the drama categories. Written and directed by Emerald
The legal battle between Brazilian producer Rodrigo Teixeira (“Call Me By Your Name”) and his former business partner Luiz Mussnich has heated up. An October lawsuit filed by Mussnich and another by his brother-in-law Carlos Randolpho Gros in Brazil, alleged that Teixeira wooed well-to-do Brazilian investors through the years but the bulk of the funds
“Monster Hunter” director Paul W.S Anderson calls VFX head Dennis Berardi “an invaluable creative partner.” The two have collaborated on movies dating back to “Resident Evil.” This time, Berardi serves as a producer on the big-screen adaptation of the Capcom video game. “There are 1400 visual effects shots in this movie, so Dennis is a
Discovery now has just under 95% ownership of OWN, the joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Discovery. The company has increased its stake from its prior holding of 73%, a person familiar with the matter tells Variety, adding that the gradual increase has long been part of the plan. In return, Winfrey has received more
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix unveiled a trailer for “History of Swear Words,” and Fox released a trailer for “Call Me Kat.” FIRST LOOKS Netflix unveiled a trailer for its upcoming series, “History of Swear Words,” set for release on Jan. 5. The six-episode series, hosted by Nicolas Cage, explores the origins, pop culture-usage
The Save Our Stages Act — sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) in the Senate, Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Rep. Roger Williams (R-TX) in the House and championed by Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) with 230 bipartisan cosponsors in Congress — passed late Monday night as part of the government’s larger COVID-19 Relief Bill.
The beginning of “Rebuilding Paradise” is a heart pounding re-telling of the 2018 Camp fire, one of the most destructive and deadliest blazes in the history of California. Cut together with news reels and phone footage from survivors from the city of Paradise, one particularly gripping moment showed a family driving through what was seemingly
The entertainment industry had been under fire for irresponsible depictions of violence from the early days, including 1930s gangster movies and the glut of 1950s TV Westerns. Decision-makers in Hollywood always gave lip service to the idea of responsibility, but as long as violence earned a lot of money, nobody changed. After the Sandy Hook
Donald Trump and his administration will lose access to Twitter’s official White House accounts — including @POTUS and @WhiteHouse — when Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20, 2021, as the 46th president of the United States. But with the changeover, the Biden team will be rebuilding the followers of those accounts from scratch.
Check out newly announced release dates, movie news, which movies are coming to home video this week, and 1984 film recommendations from your host Khail Anonymous and film critic Sharronda Williams, in this new episode of ‘Weekly Ticket’! ► Buy Movie Tickets: https://www.fandango.com?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc ► Buy or Rent Movies on FandangoNOW: https://www.fandangonow.com?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc More 1984 movies: https://www.fandangonow.com/list/1984-movie-rewind?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc
Exclusive Former U.S. Congresswoman Katie Hill is taking her ex-husband to court, claiming he’s behind the leak of private photos and messages … which, she says, ultimately sunk her political career. The ex-Rep. from California filed suit Tuesday against Kenny Heslep — who she recently divorced — for what she says was a years-long campaign
Exclusive The victims from one of Tekashi 6ix9ine‘s crimes are going after him in court … demanding he pay up for what they suffered when Tekashi and co. robbed them. Seketha Wonzer and Kevin Dozier just filed suit against the rapper, claiming he was part of the criminal conspiracy set in motion in April 2018
After the unexpected popularity of the new Netflix movie “A California Christmas,” the holiday romantic comedy is getting a sequel. Ali Afshar’s ESX Entertainment, the production company behind the film, has fast tracked pre-production for the follow-up, which will be titled “California Christmas: City Lights.” Filming is expected to begin in early 2021 in various
The Recording Academy has announced the honorees for its 2021 Special Merit Awards. The Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Lionel Hampton, Marilyn Horne, Salt-N-Pepa, Selena, and Talking Heads. Ed Cherney, Benny Golson and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds are Trustees Award honorees; and Daniel Weiss is the Technical Grammy Award recipient. The honorees will be recognized on the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on Jan.
Taylor Swift holds two out of the three top spots on this week’s Rolling Stone album chart, with the new “Evermore” entering at No. 1, followed at No. 3 by the resurgent, five-month-old “Folklore.” Kid Cudi squeezed in-between at No. 2 with his new “Man on the Moon III: The Chosen.” Jack Harlow was the
“After the Reign,” a mockumentary about the rise and fall of a social media persona, has sold North American distribution rights to Gravitas Ventures. The film, which premiered at the New York Latino Film Festival, will debut on premium video-on-demand on March 2, 2021. “After the Reign” is a satirical documentary following the newfound viral
Blumhouse has acquired the rights to The New York Times’ story about Miriam Rodríguez, the Mexican mother who fearlessly tracked down the kidnappers who abducted and murdered her daughter, Karen. Rodriguez — who went on to become a prominent human rights activist, helping to imprison 10 members of the local cartel in San Fernando —
The public often assumes that if celebrities are rich and famous, their lives must be trouble-free. Actually, lots of showbiz horror stories negate that, but they’re usually about addiction and/or self-destruction. In 1967, Sammy Davis Jr. offered an insightful guest column about the everyday problems that he and others faced as Black people in America.
Alex Padilla has been appointed to replace Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate, becoming the first Latino senator from California. Gov. Gavin Newsom made the announcement on Tuesday morning, calling Padilla “a tested fighter” and a champion for voting rights. Padilla, the California secretary of state, was considered the favorite to succeed Harris, especially in
Taika Waititi has set another series at FX. The prolific filmmaker, who already has “What We Do in the Shadows” heading into a third season at the network, is teaming with Native American writer and director Sterlin Harjo for half-hour comedy “Reservation Dogs.” “Reservation Dogs,” which has been handed a series order by FX, follows
Play video content Riverside Sheriff’s Department The family of a Southern California man who died in police custody says he got the same treatment as George Floyd … which can now be seen on video as authorities investigate. 33-year-old Ernie Serrano died last Tuesday after he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon following
As a long-delayed sequel to Eleanor Roosevelt’s 1939 guest column, Variety invited First Lady Michelle Obama to write about showbiz. The item ran on the front page on Oct. 5, 2012, part of Variety’s annual Women’s Impact Report. Obama congratulated the honorees, adding that people in entertainment have used their “incredible reach and influence to
Rick Squire, a director and former marketing executive for CBS, NBC and Fox Broadcasting Co., died Dec. 17 at his home in Long Beach, Calif. He was 68. Squire most recently had been working with former NBC marketing chief Vince Manze’s InVinceable Marketing on the promotional and marketing campaigns for the soon-to-launch Discovery Plus streaming