“We never do this.” That phrase was repeated often in conversations with a dozen top leaders at CAA during the reporting of this week’s Variety cover story. It’s true. No show business entity understands the value of myth-building more than the talent agency, which exists to broker power from within luxurious fortresses. None of the
CAA’s longtime leaders had a lot on their minds on the sunny afternoon in late October when Kevin Huvane, Bryan Lourd and Richard Lovett sat down with Variety for a no-holds-barred conversation in Lourd’s Holmby Hills backyard. The trio talked about their unique partnership and why it has endured, the state of the talent representation
Kevin Huvane, Richard Lovett and Bryan Lourd are mad as hell. Exasperated, frustrated and, by their own admission, a little beaten down after a nearly two-year battle with a most unexpected foe: the Writers Guild of America. The three longtime leaders of CAA have had enough of being told by outsiders what they should and
Jewelry designer and metalsmith Margaret Jacobs has a hard time finding the perfect venue for her work. “When I’m presenting at markets or craft shows, I find it challenging to find the right space for my jewelry,” explains the New Hampshire-based Akwesasne Mohawk artist. “A lot of people and institutions have very specific and stereotypical
After earning six Grammy nominations for her latest album “Folklore” and her song for “Cats,” Taylor Swift stopped by “Good Morning America” on Wednesday to discuss re-recording her old music. “Good Morning America” anchor George Stephanopoulos told Swift that his daughters are huge fans of her music, and one of them asked which song she’s
Universal Music U.K. has today announced the launch of 0207 Def Jam, a new frontline label and the U.K. home of the iconic Def Jam Recordings label, which will be helmed by newly minted co-presidents, Ghanaian London-born twin brothers Alec and Alex Boateng. Confusingly, the label will actually be called 0207 Def Jam, which takes
The centuries-old game of chess is suddenly cool — thanks to Netflix hit “The Queen’s Gambit.” In the three weeks after “The Queen’s Gambit” premiered, unit sales of chess sets jumped 87% in the U.S. and chess book sales rose an eye-popping 603%, according to research firm NPD Group. The spike comes after years of
NBCUniversal-backed “Made in Chelsea” producer Monkey may have had to cancel its 20th anniversary celebrations this year, but that didn’t stop the London and Los Angeles-based outfit from getting seven shows over the line during the pandemic. Formed by David Granger and Will Macdonald in 2000 and acquired by NBCUniversal International in 2010, the company
At last. After a star-spangled American Film Market lineup this year was met by an initial near deafening silence from buyers, European film-TV group Studiocanal confirmed Wednesday that it has pre-sold the world, apart from the U.S. and China, on Liam Neeson action thriller “Retribution.” A second new Studiocanal title, Working Title romantic comedy “What’s
WarnerMedia’s rapidly growing new streaming service HBO Max has picked up hit international thriller “La Jauria” for the U.S. from Chile-based Fabula, owned and operated by Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín, and Fremantle. The series will be available to stream starting Dec. 16. “La Jauria” is showrun by Lucía Puenzo (“The German Doctor”), one
Three French media executives with track records at Canal Plus, TF1 and M6 have joined forces to create the production company Taleseed. The banner will be developing, producing and distributing internationally driven series, films and documentaries with remake potential, and will aim to work with both broadcasters and streaming platforms. Taleseed is headquartered in Paris
The Film Federation of India has selected Lijo Jose Pellissery’s “Jallikattu” as the country’s representative in the 2020 Oscars’ best international feature category. The Malayalam-language film has been a festival favorite around the world having played at Toronto, London, Busan and Stockholm in 2019 and at Rotterdam in 2020. Pellissery won best director at the
Meghan Markle has revealed she suffered a miscarriage over the summer, and has called on people to be more empathetic with one another to combat “the danger of siloed living.” In a New York Times op-ed titled “The Losses We Share” published early Wednesday, Markle wrote of an ordinary July morning that quickly turned nightmarish
Abu Dhabi will soon have a large state-of-the art complex for the media and entertainment industry that is being trumpeted as a milestone in the United Arab Emirates’ efforts to diversify away from its oil-based economy. Called Yas Creative Hub and located on Abu Dhabi’s artificial Yas Island, which is a tourist attraction, the more
Play video content Exclusive TMZSports.com Terrible news for hoops fans hoping to see Michael Jordan and LaVar Ball face off on the court … the Big Baller is calling off a 1-on-1 game, saying they’re just too old!! It was a rare moment of humility from LaVar, who has been hyping up a mano-a-mano matchup
Former President Barack Obama has slammed the outgoing Donald Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus crisis that has seen more than 12.6 million cases and some 260,000 deaths in the U.S. Speaking to talk show host Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” on Tuesday night, Obama said, “The shambolic nature of the government response obviously,
Exclusive Kamal “Chance” Givens is taking a page from Michael Corleone in explaining why he was MIA from a reunion show with Tiffany “New York” Pollard … it’s not personal, it’s strictly business. Here’s the deal … Tiffany ripped Chance for blowing off “I Love New York Reunited” this week, saying it felt like he
Under the rhythmic hacking of machetes, the zig-zag gashes in the trees look like wounds, exposing the bark’s red flesh and the raw, bone-white wood within. The men clinging to the trunks with rope slings and crude crampons are chicleros, collecting the bright white sap that oozes from the trees to boil into chicle, a
The Laos-based Luang Prabang Film Festival has set out a selection that focuses strongly on films from South East Asia, or were made in or about the region. Now entering its tenth edition, the independent festival will be held fully online this year and run Dec. 4-10, 2020. All films will be screened free of
Alternating currents led AC/DC to replace Ariana Grande at the top of the album chart this week. And, in fact, she got pushed down a few notches, as new albums by Chris Stapleton and the team of Lil Uzi Vert and Future also had highly impressive bows, coming in at Nos. 2-3. Meanwhile, on the
Long ago and far away, the fictional Swiss Family Robinson carved out an idyllic life for themselves on a tropical island. As Radu Ciorniciuc’s deeply embedded documentary begins, the Romanian family Enache — father Gică, mother Niculina and their nine children — seem to be doing something similar. In sun-flared shots, giggling, lithe, rough-and-tumble kids
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the Nov. 24 episode of “The Bachelorette.” Sixteen men remained in hopes of pursuing titular Bachelorette Tayshia Adams on Tuesday’s episode of “The Bachelorette.” Those men reflected on the previous dates poolside, but were interrupted by the arrival of host Chris Harrison. “Lesson learned
Each year, the Grammy nominations inspire criticism and head-scratching — and the nominees for the 2021 ceremony on January 31 are no different. As usual, there are surprise nods (Coldplay for album of the year? Really?) and snubs that leave us asking “But what about…?” (poor The Chicks). This year, though, in a post-George Floyd
A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit that accused the Hollywood Foreign Press Association of using its clout to control the market for overseas entertainment coverage. In a ruling issued on Friday, Judge Stanley Blumenfeld tossed the lawsuit brought by Kjersti Flaa, a Norwegian reporter who alleged that she had been repeatedly denied membership
The Philippines has selected the Brillante Mendoza-directed war drama “Mindanao” as its national contender for the Academy Awards best international feature category. The selection was made by the Film Academy of The Philippines and announced on Tuesday by the Academy’s director general Vivian Velez. The film tells the twin stories of a Muslim woman who
Ready for a remix! Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer Ricky Reed, best known for firing up speaker-shaking smashes for Lizzo, Jason Derulo, Halsey, and Meghan Trainor, amongst scores of other hitmakers, has just charted himself a $4 million home in the swanky suburb of La Cañada Flintridge, about eleven miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Because
As Disney continues to shuffle the corporate pieces in a bid to streamline its operations, Disney’s networks division head Debra O’Connell fleshed out the group’s organizational structures to staffers in an internal memo Tuesday afternoon, Variety has confirmed. Those changes include naming Sean Cocchia — most recently executive vice president of business operations and general
Toward the end of a dramatic day that saw The Weeknd, whose music has dominated 2020, shut out of all Grammy nominations, leading him to accuse the Recording Academy of corruption and a lack of transparency, Recording Academy chief Harvey Mason, jr. has responded to his claims. In his response, he says that he too
Longtime stunt coordinator Jery Hewitt, known for his work on the Coen Brothers’ films, including “The Big Lebowski” and the Academy Award-winning “No Country for Old Men,” along with Wolf Entertainment shows such as “Law & Order,” died Saturday, his family confirmed. He was 71. Over the past 30 years, Hewitt worked on more than 300 episodes of Dick Wolf programming, including “Law
Autism rights activists are now asking Sia to cancel the release of her “Music” movie. In response to a trailer released on Nov. 19, starring Maddie Ziegler as a nonverbal autistic teen, activists, people on the autism spectrum and their loved ones have continued to speak out on the film’s display of offensive stereotypes and