WarnerMedia has initiated a new round of layoffs. In a memo circulated Tuesday morning, CEO Jason Kilar wrote, “Today, we have arrived at a number of difficult decisions that are resulting in a smaller WarnerMedia team. This is a function of removing layers and the impact of consolidating previously separate organizations. Starting today in North
Beyonce and the popular fitness platform Peloton have announced a multi-year partnership “rooted in the celebration of music — a central component of the Peloton class experience — and pro-social initiatives.” The launch of the collaboration with Beyoncé — the most requested artist by Peloton’s global community of more than 3.6 million members, according to
New Orleans’ legendary music venue Tipitina’s has announced “Save Tip’s,” a free livestreamed event benefiting the venue which, like most concert venues, has been financially devastated by the pandemic shutdown. The three-hour-plus livestream and fundraising event will take place on Saturday, November 14 at 9 p.m. ET 6 p.m. PT and will feature performances and
In a time where the world is as polarized as ever, there seems to be a yearning to show oppression in all cultures. With Black Lives Matter gaining significant traction, a film about a Caucasian venture capitalist’s upbringing doesn’t feel exactly well-timed in our climate. Despite two magnificent actresses like Amy Adams and Glenn Close
Spotify, keeping the pedal to the metal in its aggressive podcast buildout strategy, has acquired podcast publishing and advertising company Megaphone for $235 million in cash. Spotify is buying Megaphone, formerly known as Panoply Media, from media company Graham Holdings. Megaphone provides podcast hosting and ad-insertion capabilities for publishers and targeted ad sales for marketers.
Celebrities and philanthropists are joining forces to honor our Nurse Heroes with an all-star concert to be broadcast worldwide on Thanksgiving, Thursday November 26, 2020. The event will feature artists including Black Eyed Peas, Andrea Bocelli, Céline Dion, Gloria Estefan, Emily Estefan, David Foster, Katharine McPhee Foster, Josh Groban, Carole King, Maluma, Leslie Odom Jr.,
NENT Group, the leading Nordic streaming company, is set to launch in Poland and the U.S. in 2021 and will roll out in five more European markets by the end of 2023. Viaplay, NENT Group’s streaming service, will be launched abroad as a tailored service offering premium Nordic drama series. The company is expecting to
AMC Entertainment, which recently reported a $905.8 million quarterly loss, is launching a Private Theatre Rentals program in hopes of reversing its declining revenues. The program was unveiled Tuesday, four weeks after the initial beta launch of the product resulted in 110,000 inquiries around the country. The company said the number of contacts about a private
Netflix has ordered a new Italian original series titled “Generation 56K” from Cattleya, the Italian “Gomorrah” producer, backed by the U.K.’s ITV Studios. The eight-episode show is made in collaboration with The Jackal, a collective of Italian comedians that launched on YouTube more than a decade ago and have since entered the mainstream having made
Picture Tree International has sold family drama “God You Are Such a P—k,” starring Til Schweiger and Heike Makatsch, to several additional territories. The Berlin-based sales agent revealed the latest deals as the American Film Market entered its second day of trading. Among the latest buyers are Koba Films in France, Notorious Pictures in Italy,
Lesotho has entered the Academy Awards race for the first time with the selection of Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s “This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection” for best international feature film at the 2021 Oscars, Variety has learned. Set in the small Southern African nation, “This Is Not a Burial” is the story of an
Production has wrapped on Eva Husson’s star-studded “Mothering Sunday,” which was among the first crop of major features to start rolling cameras amid the coronavirus pandemic. The film has now completed principal photography in the U.K., producers Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley of Number 9 Films confirmed to Variety. Rocket Science is handling international sales
U.K. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has begun the negotiations process that will determine how much the annual TV license will cost, the proceeds of which currently fund the BBC and Welsh free-to-air broadcaster S4C. The license fee, which helps to keep the BBC commercial-free, makes up the bulk of the public broadcaster’s income, which, in
While international co-productions have for years been trending upwards across much of Europe, the coronavirus pandemic has forced many of the continent’s producers to rethink how they finance and shoot in an era of uncertainty. With government support schemes varying from one country to the next, and no clear sense of how cross-border travel will
Hollywood agency ICM Partners has come on board Rohena Gera’s festival favorite “Sir” and will represent it for sales in Anglophone markets U.S., U.K. and Australia, among other territories. The Hollywood agency will also serve as the film’s awards season lobbyist. A delicately observed study of class differences in Indian society, “Sir” stars Tillotama Shome
Viggo Mortensen’s directorial debut “Falling” and the already acclaimed Chinese film “The Cloud in her Room” form part of the 11-title competition section announced by the International Film Festival & Awards Macao. The festival will take place entirely online this year, running Dec. 3-8. The competition, which focuses on first and second films, also includes:
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic might have paralyzed global travel but that has not stopped Taiwan from flexing its muscles and putting its film and entertainment content on the world stage. Having made solid presentations at various markets across the world throughout the year, it is bringing the world to the island to meet local creatives
When Hillary Clinton tweeted, “And thank YOU, Stacey. Thank you” on the morning of Nov. 6, she was referring to Stacey Abrams, the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate who turned her attention to voter access after the 2018 election. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, national security adviser Susan Rice and actress Viola Davis were among the many that thanked
As we observe Native American Heritage Month, there are as many historical contributions to celebrate by our people as there are things happening in the current cultural landscape. Within cinema, there’s been a recent blossoming of films by Indigenous filmmakers internationally on the festival circuit and beyond that have been pushing the form and actively
Before Monday night’s episode of “Jeopardy!,” executive producer Mike Richards delivered a heartfelt tribute to longtime host Alex Trebek, who died on Sunday at the age of 80. “Over the weekend, we lost our beloved host, Alex Trebek. This is an enormous loss for our staff and crew, for his family and for his millions
As theme parks remain closed in California due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disneyland has announced that it is furloughing more employees. The furloughs were announced in a letter to staff sent from Disneyland President Ken Potrock on Monday. Though the exact number of furloughs is unknown, the action will include executives, as well as salaried
Ashley Gorley was named songwriter of the year for an eighth time as the ASCAP Country Awards unveiled its annual list of winners Monday. Song of the year went to the Old Dominion hit “One Man Band,” written by songwriter Josh Osborne with band members Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi. Warner Chappell won
On Dec. 7, 2017, J.K. Rowling posted a lengthy statement to her website in defense of Johnny Depp, the actor cast to play the infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the “Fantastic Beasts” movie franchise, part of Rowling’s “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” media fiefdom. For over a year, Depp had been dogged by headlines
Anchorage Capital CEO Kevin Ulrich was accused of sexually assaulting a New York woman in 2019, according to legal filings. His accuser, Jennifer Perry, discontinued the suit without prejudice a month later. In addition to running hedge fund Anchorage, Ulrich also serves as chairman of the board at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the studio behind the James Bond
Bert Belasco, actor in drama sports series “Pitch” and star of BET’s sitcom “Let’s Stay Together,” has died, Henrico County police confirmed on Monday. He was 38. Belasco, who lived in Woodland Hills, Calif., was in Virginia filming for a movie and quarantining in a hotel prior to going on set, his father told TMZ.
New Netflix head of global TV Bela Bajaria has made a key addition to her team. Nne Ebong has joined the streamer as vice president of overall deals and original series, working on Brian Wright’s newly-formed overall deals team. In her new role, Ebong will work with Wright on some of Netflix’s most high-profile overall deals,
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix shared a release date for “Kevin Hart: No F**ks Given,” and CBS announced the premiere date for new seasons of “MacGyver,” “Magnum P.I.” and “Blue Bloods.” DATES Netflix revealed that “Kevin Hart: Zero F**ks Given,” a comedy special by titular comedian Kevin Hart, will premiere on the streaming site
Ross Copperman received the BMI Country Awards’ songwriter of the year honor in accolades that were announced Monday. “Whiskey Glasses,” a hit for Morgan Wallen that was co-written by BMI writer Ben Burgess, was named song of the year. Warner Chappell was awarded publisher of the year honors for the third straight year in the
Chris Pratt and Wu Jing (“Wolf Warriors”) will star in Universal Pictures’ remake of “Saigon Bodyguards,” based on the Vietnamese action comedy of the same name. The original 2016 film centered on two professional bodyguards who let their most important asset slip away. Pratt will produce through his Indivisible Productions alongside Anthony and Joe Russo,
News of a potential coronavirus vaccine sent shares of movie theater chains soaring on Monday. For the first time in a long time, it seems, cinema owners and investors see hope for a sector that has been decimated by the public health crisis. “We have not heard good news for awhile, and this is unqualified