One of the best delights of the current season of “Star Trek: Discovery” is the unexpected presence of iconoclastic filmmaker David Cronenberg — as an actor. In this week’s episode of the CBS All Access series, the director of “The Fly,” “Dead Ringers,” and “A History of Violence” reprises his performance as the mysterious Federation
Ready to party like it’s 1999? Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys have dropped a new song called “Matches” that’s part of the deluxe reissue of Spears’ 2016 album, “Glory.” Listen to the song below. “‘Matches’ featuring my friends @backstreetboys is out now !!!!,” Spears tweeted after the song dropped on Friday morning. “I’m so
Snap, parent company of Snapchat, appointed Liz Jenkins, CFO of Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine media company, to its board of directors Jenkins, a former exec at Sony PlayStation and Media Rights Capital, joined Snap’s board effective Dec. 10. She will serve on the audit committee. “We’re all thrilled that Liz is joining the board. We’re
Former Warner Bros. Communications Chief Dee Dee Myers has been selected as senior advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom and director of the governor’s office of business and economic development. Myers stepped down earlier this year as executive vice president of worldwide corporate communications and public affairs for Warner Bros. after a five-year run at the
Taylor Swift dropped her second album of 2020, setting fans on a rabid hunt for hidden meanings in her lyrics … and some hear references to her Kim and Kanye feud and a failed relationship. “Evermore” features 17 tracks, one of them being “Long Story Short” … where Taylor sings, “I tried to pick my
Online shopping is a godsend this time of year. And while it’s true that the convenience that comes with a digital cart and express shipping is appealing, there’s something about in-person browsing that gets the merry vibes going—especially after a homebound year that made leisure shopping a rarity. For those who take pleasure in scouting
In today’s Global Bulletin, WarnerMedia appoints Vanessa Brookman as head of kids for EMEA, Discovery commissions two new unscripted series while Channel 5 gets a pair of dramas and the Göteborg Film Festival selects “Tove” as its opening film. APPOINTMENT WarnerMedia has announced that Vanessa Brookman will be promoted to the newly created position of
UPDATE: Based on information provided by Pollstar, a previous version of this article stated that the North American concert industry lost more than $30 billion in 2020 — Pollstar later corrected that statistic to be the global concert industry. The global live events industry lost more than $30 billion in 2020 due to the global
Composer Tom Holkenborg (“Mad Max: Fury Road”), also known as Junkie XL, is scoring the upcoming Universal spy thriller “The 355,” Variety has learned. Directed by Simon Kinberg (“Dark Phoenix”), the film features a powerhouse cast of women including Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Bingbing Fan. This marks Holkenborg’s first time
Shares of Disney popped 8% Friday morning, as investors cheered the Mouse House’s monster-size content flex outlined at its 2020 investor day for stepped-up push to accelerate its global direct-to-consumer streaming offensive. In early trading, Disney stock was trading at $167.13 per share, pushing the company’s market cap to over $300 billion. Netflix shares were
As the recently approved Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine began rolling out in the U.K. this week, the prevailing mood across the film and TV industry was one of cautious optimism. The breakthrough could be, quite literally, the shot in the arm needed to return to pre-COVID strength — as long as other government and industry support
Award-winning and deeply divisive South Korean film director Kim Ki-duk has died of COVID-19-related complications while on a visit to Latvia. Variety has confirmed Kim’s death with sources in Estonia who were working with him on a new project. The director died of coronavirus in a hospital in the Latvian capital of Riga on Thursday.
Japanese period drama film “Wife of a Spy” will get a release in U.S. cinemas early in 2021 through distributor Kino Lorber. The film earned its creator Kurosawa Kiyoshi the silver lion as best director at the Venice festival in September. The film reteams Kurosawa with actress Aoi Yu, who previously starred in his “Journey
Superhero movies have become so pervasive since the turn of the millennium that they’ve spurred a whole subgenre of films subverting their formulas — primarily low-budget efforts like “Special,” “Super” and “Defendor,” but also major-studio projects “Joker” and “Hancock.” All share an interest in peeling back the mask, exploring the antisocial, delusional-fantasy side of superpowers
Movies are constantly coming up with reasons to keep lovers apart for long enough to convince audiences that they genuinely belong together, but “Wild Mountain Thyme” may be the first film in which those obstacles are never made clear. Rosemary Muldoon (Emily Blunt) is beautiful. Anthony Reilly (Jamie Dornan) is beautiful. These two Irish neighbors
The virtual version of Z100’s annual Jingle Ball may been lacking for snow but had plenty of star power. Performing from remote locations, the event featured performances by Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, Lewis Capaldi, Sam Smith, Shawn Mendes and The Weeknd which were broadcast across more than 95 iHeartMedia CHR radio
Taylor Swift appears to be waging war over the serial resale of her old master recordings on two fronts. She recently confirmed that she is already underway in the process of re-recording the six albums she made for the Big Machine label, in order to steer her fans (and sync licensing execs) toward the coming
Time magazine has named Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, President-elect and Vice President-elect, as its 2020 Person of the Year. Biden and Harris, were selected from a shortlist that included Donald Trump, frontline health care workers with Dr. Anthoney Fauci, and the movement for racial justice. “The Biden Harris ticket represents something historic,” said Time’s
Taylor Swift’s new album isn’t the only surprise release of the week: Chris Cornell’s estate has dropped a full album of covers performed by the late Soundgarden frontman called “No One Sings Like You Anymore,” which the announcement describes as Cornell’s “handpicked collection of 10 cover songs, which he personally selected and sequenced to celebrate
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the Dec. 10 episode of “Grey’s Anatomy.” As one of the last remaining original cast members on “Grey’s Anatomy,” Chandra Wilson has been playing Dr. Miranda Bailey since the show premiered in 2005. Tonight, Wilson’s character narrates the latest episode — a task usually done
The San Francisco International Film Festival held its annual awards night on Wednesday evening before an audience of Academy and guild members. In a Q&A that was moderated by Rachel Rosen, voting members of various branches were able to ask the honorees questions. Academy branches that were represented were animation, documentary, executive and visual effects.
Tommy “Tiny” Lister, who appeared in “Friday” and “The Fifth Element” and was also a professional wrestler, died Thursday, his manager Cindy Cowan confirmed. Cowan said he was found unresponsive in his apartment in Marina del Rey, Calif. after displaying symptoms of COVID-19 in recent days. He had been working on a film and had
Marvel Cinematic Universe stars Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle will both appear in upcoming Marvel TV shows on Disney Plus. Ruffalo will appear in “She-Hulk” opposite Tatiana Maslany, reprising the role of Bruce Banner, a.k.a. The Incredible Hulk. Cheadle will star as James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine, in the standalone series “Armor Wars.” In addition,
Part razzle dazzle, part corporate flex, the Walt Disney Company’s four hour-long investor day presentation unleashed a torrent of announcements, including a slew of upcoming “Star Wars,” Marvel and Pixar series, and news that Disney Plus had surpassed 86 million subscribers. For fans, the message was clear: Make room in your wallets for a Disney-branded
“I never believe an Avalanches album is coming until I actually see it,” a friend said when discussing the group’s third album in 20 years — and it’s hard to blame her. In 2000, the Australian trio released its debut album, “Since I Lost You,” arguably the greatest masterpiece of sampling art since the Beastie
I learned in the news that Warner Bros. has decided to release “Dune” on HBO Max at the same time as our theatrical release, using prominent images from our movie to promote their streaming service. With this decision AT&T has hijacked one of the most respectable and important studios in film history. There is absolutely
Captain America is going “to infinity and beyond!” Chris Evans is set to voice the animated superhero Buzz Lightyear in an all-new animated film due in theaters on June 17, 2022, Pixar’s Pete Docter announced on Thursday during Disney Investor Day. The animated pic is billed as the “definitive story of the original Buzz Lightyear,”
Marvel Studios announced slew of confirmations for their upcoming slate of comic book adaptations — including news that they are in very early development on a “Fantastic Four” movie and that Christian Bale has joined the MCU — but the biggest among them were the decisions made for the Wakanda universe. Addressing the tragic loss
Disney is developing an animated series based on the feature film “Moana.” The new project, titled “Moana: The Series” is set to premiere in 2023. Disney also announced a number of new series from feature animation studios Walt Disney Animation and Pixar. • Disney Animation’s first original series, “Baymax,” will follow the medical robot from
Bucky Barnes will always have an attachment to Captain America, no matter who holds the title. In the new trailer for “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” released by Marvel Studios at the Disney Investor Day, Sebastian Stan’s character works alongside the newest Captain America: The Falcon. Played by Anthony Mackie, the Falcon received the