Although it looked like Ariana Grande might literally want her fans to just watch the clock — the countdown clock, that is, that showed up on her website last Saturday night — she got more specific on Wednesday about the most immediate thing being counted down to. “Positions,” the first single from her upcoming sixth
It’s officially the end of the road for Quibi — a quick end for the quick-bite video startup. The company, led by founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman, confirmed that it intends “to wind down its business operations and initiate a process to sell its assets.” The shutdown comes just a little over six
“Normal People” star Daisy Edgar-Jones has boarded the drama “Where the Crawdads Sing” with Reese Witherspoon producing through her Hello Sunshine banner. The project is based on Delia Owens’ debut novel, which has sold nearly 8.5 million copies worldwide. The story is set against the backdrop of the mid-20th century South and centers on a
“Parallel,” a sci-fi thriller from director Isaac Ezban, has sold U.S. distribution rights to Vertical Entertainment. The movie will release in theaters and on demand on Dec. 11. “Parallel” follows four friends who find a mirror that serves as a portal to a “multiverse.” But they quickly find out that getting information from the other
Rudy Giuliani – former New York City mayor and current attorney to President Donald Trump – is facing questions on his behavior in Sacha Baron Cohen’s upcoming “Borat” sequel. (Warning: spoilers ahead.) In a scene from the film (out this Friday on Amazon), Giuliani is tricked into entering the bedroom of a hotel suite by Maria Bakalova, portraying Borat’s
Marc Wooldridge, the former head of 20th Century Fox Film Distribution in Australia, is launching Maslow Entertainment, a new production development and distribution company. The move comes at a time when film distribution remains one of the industry sectors worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. “The pace of change within the industry has clearly been
Peter Frampton became such a touchstone of popular culture in the 1970s with the chart-dominating “Frampton Comes Alive!” album that it’s no wonder ripples from that have continued to show up in film and TV well into this century. In this exclusive excerpt from his just-released memoir, “Do You Feel Like I Do?,” Frampton writes
Sidney Prescott, Woodsboro’s reigning champ, is returning to the “Scream” franchise for a fifth installment. But how did the new directors, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, convince Neve Campbell to return without the heart and soul of the operation, beloved creator Wes Craven? The death of Craven back in 2015 was mourned across the horror
“I no longer have a manager. I cannot be managed.” Those were the words of Kanye West on Twitter roughly two and a half years ago, already deep into his continuing run as one of pop music’s most contentious and unpredictable figures. Ever since then, Abou “Bu” Thiam has been trying to prove his star
The Recording Academy will announce nominees for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on Nov. 24. The nominations will be announced via an hourlong Livestream beginning at 9 a.m. PT. Chair and Interim Recording Academy President/CEO Harvey Mason jr. will be reading categories and will be joined by past Grammy winners, nominees and hopefuls from remote
Boutique production firm Lucia Entertainment is launching “Go Green,” a new digital series aimed at inspiring Americans to reduce their carbon footprint, save money, and live a healthy life through clean energy solutions — with an assist from actors Mark Ruffalo and Don Cheadle, who make cameo appearances in the show. The unscripted, short-form digital
Disneyland President Ken Potrock and other theme park executives have blasted the state of California over its strict reopening rules, contending that state officials have been unwilling to collaborate. “We believe that we’ve proven that we can responsibly reopen,” Potrock said. “We continue to prove all over the world that we have reliable protocols that
The Laurie Strode-Sidney Prescott horror movie crossover of your dreams happened over a Zoom call. Variety convened the stars behind the iconic films “Halloween” and “Scream” — Jamie Lee Curtis and Neve Campbell — for a legends-only talk about their rare positions in Hollywood as franchise leaders and to compare notes on their decades rebooting
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” a sequel to the blockbuster comedy, will hit theaters next summer. The movie is now expected to debut on June 11, 2021 — exactly 37 years after the original. Like nearly every film slated for 2020, Sony has hopscotched the release date for “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” multiple times during the pandemic. It was originally
Jared Leto is returning to the DC Comics fold, reprising his role as the Joker from 2016’s “Suicide Squad” in Zack Snyder’s new version of “Justice League,” Variety has confirmed. It’s unclear whether Leto was always meant to appear in “Justice League” before Snyder left the feature in early 2017 in advance of significant reshoots by
A Cuban exile filed a defamation suit against Netflix on Wednesday, alleging she was portrayed as a promiscuous “party girl” in a film about a Cuban spy ring in South Florida. Ana Margarita Martinez filed suit in federal court in Miami, alleging that the film, “Wasp Network,” romanticized the clandestine operations of Fidel Castro’s regime,
In order to be a truly great chess player — not just a good one, but one of the greats — you need to possess a canny combination of concentration, acuity, and nerve. What seems like a simple board of 64 squares quickly becomes a battlefield; the key to winning the ensuing fight is being
Time can be a funny thing. Mass popularity always comes with a backlash — ask anyone from Justin Bieber to Jon Bon Jovi — and an artist who was on top of the world can suddenly find themselves dramatically uncool. But the ever-fluid cycles of popularity and nostalgia can shift, and that artist can also
UPDATED: Quibi, the struggling short-form mobile video startup led by founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman, is shutting shut down the company after failing to find a buyer, according to a new report. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Katzenberg called investor Wednesday to tell them Quibi was shuttering. That came after a
Comedy legend Mel Brooks is the latest celebrity to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 election against President Donald Trump. The prolific actor, director and writer was joined by his son, Max Brooks, and his grandson in a video shared to Max’s Twitter account on Wednesday. He wrote, “My father, Mel Brooks,
Apple TV Plus has scored worldwide distribution rights to “The Velvet Underground,” a new documentary from Oscar-nominated director Todd Haynes. Haynes (“Carol,” “Far From Heaven”) tackles the hugely influential 1960s avant-garde group, at one time managed by Andy Warhol and considered the “house band” of his iconic workspace The Factory. Haynes’ film aims to prove
As the Oscar season continues to unfold, a new question has been answered for the upcoming awards circuit. Netflix has confirmed to Variety that it will campaign the late Chadwick Boseman in the lead actor category for his role in the upcoming “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Based on the play by Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson,
Ziwe is coming to cable. The comedian, whose star has risen dramatically over the last few months due to her popular Instagram live show, is set to star in and executive produce a variety series at Showtime. Showtime has issued a straight-to-series order for the as-yet-untitled show, which will see Ziwe carry out more of
Game 1 of the World Series and “The Bachelorette” both dominated the Tuesday night ratings race, but in reality it wasn’t a great night for either. Fox’s coverage of the game, which saw the Los Angeles Dodgers comfortably beat the Tampa Bay Rays on an 8-3 scoreline, averaged a 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 and
PETA has tried for years to convince late night and daytime talk shows to no longer feature wild animals on their shows. Now, the org believes it has found an “in” to further that cause: The COVID-19 pandemic. With talk shows still avoiding most in-person guests, even as they return to their regular studios, PETA
Though most theaters are shuttered, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has said it will continue as planned with next year’s Academy Awards, albeit with a few new rules and a new date — April 25, 2021. That means it’s still very early and much remains to be seen, including which movies might
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored 18 student winners from colleges and universities from around the world for the 47th Student Academy Awards ceremony. In a first-time virtual ceremony hosted by Eugenio Derbez, the gold, silver and bronze medalist winners were announced by a gathering of the industry’s most talented creatives. Showcasing
Tyler Perry is Variety‘s 2020 Showman of the Year. For the full cover story, click here. Before Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, Tyler Perry communicated with fans the old-fashioned way — by chatting with audience members at the end of his plays and collecting their email addresses. It was a way to stay in touch with his
Check out the official Mank Trailer starring Gary Oldman! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Visit FandangoNOW: http://www.fandangonow.com/?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to stay up to date. US Release Date: December 4, 2020 Starring: Lily
The classic 1977 action comedy “Smokey and the Bandit” is getting the TV treatment. UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door are teaming to develop a series based on the Burt Reynolds movie. The series is being written by “Pineapple Express” director David Gordon Green and regular collaborator Brian Sides.