In terms of post-apocalyptic shows about a viral communicable disease causing the end of the world, CBS All-Access’ “The Stand” falls somewhere between Amazon’s “Utopia” and AMC’s still-kicking “The Walking Dead” franchise. Classier than the former, which gleefully used violence as a narrative shortcut, but somehow more glacially paced than the latter, “The Stand” arrives
Italian prosecutors have indicted Vivendi’s former chairman Vincent Bolloré and current CEO Arnaud De Puyfontaine in a probe over alleged market manipulation stemming from legal wrangling prompted by Vivendi and Mediaset‘s botched 2016 pay-TV deal. Bollore and De Puyfontaine had been placed under investigation in Milan in 2017 after Mediaset filed a suit claiming they
The U.K. and the European Union have agreed to extend ongoing discussions on post-Brexit free trade negotiations, saying that it was “responsible at this point in time to go the extra mile.” The talks have been going on for months and U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had
The legendary singer Dionne Warwick tweeted, “Kenan Thompson has been on SNL for as long as I’ve been alive. A very talented and funny young man” in the early evening on Dec. 12, which seemed like foreshadowing that she would turn up on that night’s episode of the NBC late-night sketch comedy series. And that
Eleven months into the COVID-19 pandemic and the FDA approved the emergency use of a vaccine from Pfizer. Just a day later, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” offered its commentary on the situation, using its Dec. 12 episode cold open sketch as an opportunity for Kate McKinnon to portray Dr. Anthony Fauci and Heidi Gardner to
It didn’t take long after news broke Saturday that legendary country musician Charley Pride died of complications from COVID-19 for musicians and industry professionals to speculate whether he contracted the virus at the Country Music Association Awards (CMAs), which took place on Nov. 11 in person though socially distant. Among those to posit such a
Snoop Dogg thinks Cardi B needs to rein it in a little when it comes to talking about and showing off her lady parts — which has a lot of people scratching their heads. The legendary rapper — who’s no stranger to getting raunchy — sat down for a virtual interview recently with Central Ave
What happens in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas for this one — a guy climbed onto an airplane wing, and bopped his head after a hard fall … only to be met with handcuffs down below. This went down Saturday at McCarran Airport, where an Alaska Airlines flight that was set to take off for
Verzuz has officially postponed tonight’s battle between Ashanti and Keyshia Cole after Ashanti tested positive for COVID-19. On Saturday night, Ashanti shared on Instagram that she had tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the event. “Hey y’all I can’t believe I’m saying this but I tested positive for COVID-19,” the singer wrote. “I’m ok and
Thomas Vinterberg’s “Another Round” took home the top prize at the 33rd European Film Awards. The Danish dramedy swept Saturday’s virtual ceremony, nabbing additional wins for best director and best actor for Mads Mikkelsen, who plays an alcoholic high school teacher. Vinterberg also won best screenplay for the feature, along with co-writer Tobias Lindholm. When
After news broke Saturday that legendary country musician Charley Pride died of complications from COVID-19, musicians and industry professionals took to social media to honor his career and mourn his death. Maren Morris commented on the fact that Pride had recently performed at the Country Music Association Awards on Nov. 11. “I don’t want to
Vocalist Charley Pride, the first modern Black superstar of country music, has died. He was 86. Public relations firm 2911 Media confirmed that Pride died on Dec. 12 in Dallas, Texas from complications related to COVID-19. Pride had just been seen by millions on live TV in November as he received a lifetime achievement award
Michael Bay’s “Songbird” now available on-demand, is a pandemic thriller shot in Los Angeles during lockdown. The film stars Demi Moore, Paul Walter Hauser and Craig Robinson and takes place years in the future, in which a mutated strand of coronavirus, called COVID-23, continues to wreak havoc on the world’s population. As the country-wide lockdown
Actor Carol Sutton, who made appearances in “Steel Magnolias” and “Queen Sugar,” died Thursday night of complications from COVID-19. She was 76. The actor spent her last months at the Touro Infirmary in her native city of New Orleans, where she was treated for the virus. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell confirmed Sutton’s death and
On Saturday morning, Twitter briefly prevented users from liking and replying to a series of tweets posted by Donald Trump disputing the results of the presidential election. Trump’s tweets were in response to the Supreme Court’s rejection of Texas’ bid to overturn the presidential election on Friday. Trump called the decision “a great and disgraceful
Warner Bros. drew attention in early December when it announced plans to simultaneously release all of its films in theaters and on HBO Max throughout 2021. The decision, affecting 17 major films from “The Matrix 4″ to “Dune,” highlights just how important streaming services have become in the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic has shut
One of the things that made the Beatles, when they first arrived, seem magical was the uncanny way the look and sound of all four of them matched up. For all their iconic differences, they had variations on the same thick billowy dark hair, gleaming lemon-shaped smile, and Liverpool singsong and mocking twinkle. They seemed
“The Lunchbox” producer Guneet Monga has boarded “Jallikattu,” India’s entry in the Academy Awards’ international feature category, as executive producer, in time to shepherd its 2021 Oscars campaign. Monga was an executive producer on “Period. End of Sentence,” which won best documentary short subject at the 2019 Oscars. She also drove the campaign for “Visaaranai”
Ronee Blakley still remains better known to many as an actor than a singer-songwriter, thanks to screen appearances like her Oscar-nominated turn in “Nashville” and later appearance in “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” But she was releasing major-label albums in the early ’70s before a plum Robert Altman part landed her on the cover of
Creating a shows about strippers meant finding the right network willing to tell the story, said Katori Hall, creator, executive producer and showrunner for Starz’s “P-Valley.” In a Variety streaming room conversation, moderated by Variety’s Jenelle Riley, Hall discussed the challenges she encountered while getting the show on its feet. The series follows a group of
Despite his role as one of the most zealously forensic birthers of emo-rap and its tales of troubled mental health, there has always some disconnect between what Kid Cudi was saying and how he was saying it… or trying to say it all at once. That murky, melancholic jumble finally comes into greater bittersweet focus
Peermusic’s Ralph Peer II is handing the reins of the independent music publishing company he’s run for 37 years to his daughter and deputy, Mary Megan Peer. She’ll assume the role of CEO starting in Jan. 2021. The elder Peer will transition to executive chair. The company was founded by Ralph S. Peer in 1928
WarnerMedia said in a statement on Friday evening that it’s concluded its investigation into the set of “Justice League.” “WarnerMedia’s investigation into the ‘Justice League’ movie has concluded and remedial action has been taken,” the statement reads. It’s unclear what the “remedial action” entails, and WarnerMedia declined to give further details when pressed by Variety. In
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix unveiled a clip from “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” featuring Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea, and Apple TV Plus released a trailer for “Dickinson” Season 2. FIRST LOOKS Netflix released a clip from Part 4 of “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” that sees Beth Broderick and Caroline Rhea reprising their “Sabrina,
The Supreme Court on Friday denied Texas’ bid to overturn the presidential election, finding in a brief order that the state does not have standing to challenge voting procedures in four states that went for President-elect Joe Biden. The Texas attorney general brought the suit against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — marking only the
At the risk of sounding presumptuous, Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch list has never mattered more than it does in a year where festivals and co-production showcases have been canceled and the film industry is hungry for any sign of where tomorrow’s talents might be hiding. Emerging filmmakers have been pushed to the sidelines by
In “Wander Darkly,” Sienna Miller and Diego Luna star as a Los Angeles couple who get into a horrific car accident. What happens after the crash, isn’t entirely clear. Maybe it was a fatal crash that left one or both of them dead or maybe not. The film is a series of flashbacks and dream-like
Normally, this would be the time of year when audiences could choose between big, glossy popcorn movies and the prestigious art films out for Oscar glory. But of course, COVID-19 has upended the release schedule and extended the awards season a few months longer into 2021. But before you despair, just think how fortunate you
Acclaimed director Christopher Nolan has weighed in yet again on the controversy surrounding Warner Bros. Pictures’ plans to release all of its 2021 films concurrently in theaters and on HBO Max. Appearing on the NPR program “All Things Considered,” the director elaborated on a previous scorched-earth statement criticizing the studio for disrespecting Hollywood talent and
Patrick Whitesell, executive chairman of WME parent company Endeavor, has blasted WarnerMedia’s stunning plan to stream all 17 of its 2021 Warner Bros. theatrical releases on HBO Max at the same time as they play in theaters. “Warner Bros. announced a strategy across an entire slate of 2021 movies without consulting with their partners (our