Disney’s chief financial officer Christine McCarthy acknowledged Thursday that the company’s choice to shoot parts of “Mulan” in China’s Xinjiang region has “generated a lot of issues for us.” The corporation has come under fire for shooting portions of the live action epic in the northwestern region where an estimated one million members of the
Netflix, amid a backlash over the sexualized portrayal of children in recently released drama “Cuties,” is encouraging critics to watch the movie — which it says makes a statement about pressures young girls face in conforming to societal role models of female sexuality. The movie, which is rated “TV-MA” for language, centers on Amy, an
Range Media Partners, the splashy new management venture led by a host of former agents from the big four Hollywood talent shops, has set up a music division. The group has tapped Matt Graham, the founder and president of L.A.-based BRND MGMT, to run the unit with his partner Jack Minihan. BRND focused on management
“Dynamite,” the first single recorded entirely in English by South Korean pop sensation BTS, is a bonafide hit in the U.S. following a successful launch at Top 40 radio coupled with key television appearances, like the MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 30 and the group’s performance on the “Today Show” this morning (Sept 10).
Chicago-based media consultant Lee Abrams might seem the least likely person to complain about the corporatization and sameness that afflicts today’s traditional terrestrial AM and FM radio stations. After all, it was his infamous tightening of playlists at rock radio during the ‘70s that ushered in the AOR (Album-Oriented Rock) format, which replaced the progressive
Viggo Mortensen and the cast of “Falling” joined Marc Malkin in Variety’s Virtual TIFF Studio presented by Canada Goose to promote the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Despite the timeliness of the film, Mortensen finished writing the screenplay five years ago, following his mother’s death. He said the script was heavily influenced
Longtime Paramount Pictures executive Elizabeth Raposo is leaving her post at the studio, Variety has learned. Raposo has served as Paramount’s president of production since 2017, where she’s been the studio shepherd for all franchise material and event-based intellectual properties. News of Raposo’s exit was announced by newly-minted motion picture group president Emma Watts. “Elizabeth
Tamron Hall and Norah O’Donnell were among those honored on Thursday night at the The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation’s annual Gracie Awards. “I dedicate this award to Breonna Taylor and the many other women who need us to speak up for them, whether it’s justice or just to tell their complete story,” Hall
Bill Wyman, founding member of the Rolling Stones and legendary bassist, has gone through his collection of historic rock and roll memorabilia and put it all up for auction to help raise money for the Prince Trust. The collection of guitars (with a secret drug compartment possibly owned by the Allman Brothers), exceedingly rare posters
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix has released the official trailer for “The Playbook,” a docuseries produced by LeBron James, and TBS announced John Cena and Nicole Byer as the hosts of “Wipeout.” CASTING Shudder, AMC Networks‘ horror streaming service, announced that Anna Camp, Keith David, Ashley Laurence, Josh McDermitt and Adam Pally will star
There are so many musical events that should have happened in 2020 that everyone is already mourning, what’s the point in bringing to light something that the general public didn’t even know it were missing? But let’s do that anyway: As it turns out, had the year proceeded as loosely planned, Nickel Creek would have
Rainn Wilson has made the pivot from a “slacktivist” to a full-on fighter for a more sustainable future – and through his YouTube series “An Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change,” “The Office” star hopes to inspire others to do the same. In the six-episode series, from his digital media company SoulPancake, Wilson experiences the effects
Haim Saban, the media billionaire who is a fixture in Democratic Party fundraising, is organizing a $500,000-per-person fundraiser for Joe Biden next Monday. Saban has long said he is “a one-issue guy, and my issue is Israel.” In a statement supporting Biden, Saban said the former vice president will “ensure that the strong, bipartisan alliance
“Pose” co-creator Steven Canals has set up a drama project for development at ABC. The show is currently titled “In the End.” Incapable of living life to the fullest, Kiona Brown makes the only logical choice – to embrace death as an end-of-life doula. With an eclectic list of patients – including cancer survivor Mariana
Courtesy of Larissa Hofmann/Marc Jacobs Adding to the conversation about gender and sexuality in 2020, Marc Jacobs just dropped a new collection that celebrates polysexuality. (For those not familiar with queer identities, a polysexual person is someone who attracted to multiple genders and identities.) Titled “Heaven,” the collection draws on teenage daydreams, alienation nation, queer
Gucci: Courtesy of the brandInstagram Style Points is a new weekly column about how fashion intersects with the wider world. Jeannette Wei. Sabrina Pilkati. Ioana Ciocan. These may not be household names, but they’ve all played a big part in fashion recently. Wei is designer Joseph Altuzarra’s grandmother, and her wardrobe helped inspire his fall
Nielsen released its new weekly rankings of streaming titles on Thursday, with Netflix once again dominating the top ten. For the week of Aug. 10-16, “The Umbrella Academy” was once again the top streaming show, though the total minutes it was streamed that week came down significantly from the week prior, dropping to 1.8 billion
Lele Pons, a popular digital creator and singer, has signed for representation with CAA in all areas. Eleonora “Lele” Pons is a multihyphenate star who first rose to fame in short-form Vine comedy sketches before becoming a big YouTube and Instagram creator, and she now has a growing music career. Her YouTube channel currently has
At a time when nearly everyone could use a mental-health break, 15 meditation experts have united to launch “Love4Live,” a free-of-charge “portal of refuge, community, and support for the concert industry” that includes conversations, meditation classes, and a virtual retreat to the tens of thousands of concert industry workers impacted by the global shutdown. Resources
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures has announced its inaugural temporary exhibition will be a retrospective honoring Academy Award-winning filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. The presentation will be on display in the museum’s Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery, and will debut when the museum opens to the public on April 30, 2021. The temporary exhibition, celebrating the
Kate Winslet has worked with both Woody Allen and Roman Polanski. Looking back, she questions why the film industry — herself included — ever even supported the men. In an interview with Vanity Fair ahead of the “Ammonite” premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the star opened up about her regrets and how she’s
“The Goop Lab” is open again at Netflix. The docuseries based on Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle and wellness empire Goop has been greenlit for a second season at the streaming giant, Variety has learned exclusively. “The Goop Lab” will return for another round of six, 30-minute episodes focused on sex, intimacy and female empowerment. Production has
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke Wednesday at Hxouse in Toronto, the office of the organization founded by The Weeknd and his longtime associates Lamar Taylor and Ahmed Ismail, to announce a major investment in a new national program to help Black Canadians get funding and business loans with national banks. Trudeau announced investments of
If “‘Elephant’ meets ‘The Hunger Games’” is your idea of an enticing elevator pitch, you’re unlikely to be disappointed by “Run Hide Fight,” though you might want to take a long hard look at your enthusiasm. Kyle Rankin’s fictitious school-shooting thriller echoes multiple previous films in its evocation of post-Columbine classroom terror, before dubiously distinguishing
Three-time Oscar nominee Wim Wenders, the director of “Paris, Texas,” “Wings of Desire” and “Buena Vista Social Club,” joined the “Life Through a Different Lens: Contactless Connections” talk earlier this week. Held by the Venice Film Festival and Mastercard, the virtual event allowed him to reminiscence about his beginnings. “I had no intention of becoming
Fitbit’s ongoing partnership with the Council of Fashion Designers of America has already produced collaborations with Kim Shui, PH5, Public School and more to produce comfortable bands for the brand’s best-selling smartwatches. You can’t talk comfort without mentioning the knit connoisseur Victor Glemaud, who is the latest designer to join forces with Fitbit. Glemaud is
Exclusive Lindsay Lohan‘s art of the book deal consists of agreeing to write it, getting a huge sum of money and then failing to turn in a draft … at least according to a new suit. Publishing company HarperCollins is going after Lohan, claiming she breached a contract she signed way back in March 2014
Eva Longoria and Ben Spector’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment has signed a three-year extension of their first-look deal with 20th Television. “Eva and Ben’s passion for championing meaningful stories, especially those of underrepresented voices and communities is something we believe in deeply at 20th, so we jumped at the chance to extend our relationship with them,” said
Singer-songwriter Ben Harper has contributed a theme song, “Black Beauty,” for the timely new Peacock documentary “Black Boys,” which premieres on the new streaming service tonight. Watch and listen to his music video for his new composition below. “Black Boys” is a film that narrows in not just along racial but along gender lines —
Spectrum Originals and Paramount Network are teaming to co-produce a limited series starring Jessica Chastain as country music legend Tammy Wynette. After a nine-month exclusive run for Spectrum subscribers, the series, titled “George & Tammy,” will have a second window on ViacomCBS’ forthcoming streaming service and Paramount Network. The series chronicles the country music power