HBO Max is following in the footsteps of its streaming rivals in making bold viewership claims, while withholding actual data. The streamer has announced that, in a shock to no one, “Friends” is the “No. 1 performing show” on the platform to date. What that means exactly is unclear, as HBO Max doesn’t provide any
Oprah Winfrey has set up an interview series at Apple. “The Oprah Conversation” will debut on the streaming service on July 30. Filmed remotely, the show will feature Winfrey engaging in dialogues with thought leaders and newsmakers from all over the world. In the debut episode, “How to Be an Antiracist,” Winfrey and bestselling author
It’s been only four years since Fifth Harmony‘s “Work from Home” went top five on the Billboard Hot 100, solidifying the band’s status as the most successful girl group of the 2010s. But that catchy pop ditty feels like a lifetime ago when viewed through the lens of Normani‘s career trajectory. Back in 2016, Normani
[SPOILER ALERT: The following article discusses the ending of new film “Amulet” in detail.] Romola Garai loves the f-word. The actor’s feature film debut as writer-director, “Amulet,” now available on demand, began its buzz out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with audiences praising it as a feminist horror film — and Garai has no
It’s 1975 and Alice Lamb, played by Penelope Wilton, is cussing at her typewriter and telling cute children to “bugger off.” When we cut back to the same typewriter some 30 years earlier, Alice, now played by Gemma Arterton, is again shouting at local kids and pointedly buying for herself the rationed chocolate bar another
Chrissy Teigen is trying to answer the age-old question (well, maybe not that old) is it real, or is it cake? Quibi has ordered another series from Teigen, who already has a second season of “Chrissy’s Court” in the works at the platform, called “Eye Candy.” Based on the popular Japanese game show format “Sokkuri
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. As many across the country continue to practice self-isolation due to coronavirus, why not while away
Anthony Hemingway, who is set to direct the upcoming Nat Geo series “Genius: Aretha,” has signed an overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. As part of the new deal, Hemingway will develop and direct new projects via his self-titled Anthony Hemingway Productions banner. Aside from “Genius: Aretha,” Hemingway is also attached to helm the
The National Association of Theatre Owners, the exhibition industry’s main lobbying group, has announced moviegoers have sent more than 200,000 letters to Congress in support of legislative relief measures for cinemas. NATO used the social media tag #SaveYourCinema to enlist movie patrons to urge Congress to enact the Restart Act to give movie theaters access
“Tenet” may still be able to salvage a summer release after all — at least outside of the United States. Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi thriller, from Warner Bros., will debut internationally on Aug. 26 before opening in select cities in North America on Sept. 4. The movie is launching at the end of August in 70
Unto most every TV-watching generation, a new Muppets show is born. The original “Muppet Show,” which ran from 1976 to 1981, had Jim Henson’s felt puppets take over a vaudeville theater to perform songs, slapstick sketches and more unabashedly cheesy puns than its bewildered guests could count. The “Muppets Tonight” reboot, which ran a single
Make no mistake: Miranda Lambert is thrilled by the just-announced news that “Bluebird” is the country superstar’s first No. 1 solo hit since the early 2010s. And also make no mistake: She was doing okay when songs like “Tin Man” were winning ACM awards while falling short of the top 10 in the interim. “I
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced key voting dates for the 78th annual Golden Globes. The ceremony, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, will be held on Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021 — pushed back almost two months from its annual early January date due to uncertainties from the coronavirus pandemic. It’s not clear
In 1964, Jack Warner published his autobiography, “My First Hundred Years in Hollywood,” and amusing as the title may have been (much of the book is equally sardonic), he fell far short of the century mark. Ironically, the actor who ought to have earned that title was Olivia de Havilland, having reached the age of
Long-running independent label Mom+Pop Music has entered into a joint venture with radio promo executives Brent Battles and Christopher Brown’s newly-created further, a radio promotion and artist development company. According to the announcement, as part of the arrangement, Mom+Pop artists will be able to tap further’s commercial radio team at Pop, Crossover and Rock formats
With theatrical admissions free-falling due to the lack of U.S. blockbusters, cash-strapped European exhibitors are up in arms about paying rent for the months they were dark due to COVID-19. Apart from Denmark and Sweden, where governments have stepped up to pay full or partial rent, other European countries have deferred — but not waived
UPDATED: Most of Google’s workforce probably will not return to the office before the summer of 2021, with the internet giant extending the option to work from home given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The company confirmed to Variety that Google workers will be able to choose to work from home through July 2021. In an
The Paley Center for Media’s annual PaleyFest television festival is joining the ever-growing list of events pivoting to virtual production amid the coronavirus pandemic. Among the series taking part in this first-ever PaleyFest are YouTube’s “Justin Bieber: Seasons” (moderated by Variety‘s own Shirley Halperin), NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous
Reel Suspects has acquired world rights to Marat Sargsyan’s feature debut “The Flood Won’t Come” which will have its world premiere at Venice in the Critics’ Week section. Produced by Ieva Norvilienė at Tremora, “The Flood Won’t Come” revolves around a famous colonel who has acted as a war consultant in different countries for many
The nation’s local news veterans are launching a bid to take on a few successful upstarts making a market in national sports. An alliance of local-media companies, the Local Media Consortium, will launch “The Matchup,“ a new online sports news effort that aims to give fans of specific teams more news about them from a
Spotify pacted with Mark and Jay Duplass for the brothers’ first crack at podcasts. Under the development deal, the indie filmmakers, producers and actors will create exclusive original programming for Spotify — both scripted and unscripted podcast series — under their Duplass Brothers Productions banner. Details of specific projects they have cooking for Spotify are
Netflix announced “The Witcher: Blood Origin,” a limited series set in “The Witcher” universe, which will tell the backstory of the elven civilization before its fall — and reveal the lost history of the very first Witcher. “Blood Origin,” to be shot in the U.K., will be a six-part, live-action limited series, and a prequel
U.K. non-profit ERA5050 has partnered with Comedy 50:50 to launch TellHerVision, a writers’ room mentorship program exclusively for women working in comedy. The program is supported by ScreenSkills with funding coming from National Lottery funds awarded by the British Film Institute’s Future Film Skills program. Hat Trick Productions and TimesUp U.K. will participate as strategic
Dr. Dre posted a photo of himself and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling together with the simple caption, “Defiant,” on Sunday evening. While the inspiration and location of the photo — somewhere in the great outdoors — were unclear, it is obvious that Dre is reaffirming solidarity with Kaepernick, who was essentially
Chloé Zhao’s road drama “Nomadland” starring Frances McDormand, will screen at Venice, Toronto and New York as part of the fall festivals’ solidarity pact in the wake of the pandemic. It will also play as part of a special Telluride-hosted drive-in event. Zhao’s third film will world premiere with simultaneous screenings on Sept. 11 at
The Locarno Film Festival’s unique StepIn industry think tank, which is going online this year due to the pandemic, will delve into the future of the theatrical experience, production, film festivals and markets. A high-caliber roster of industry executives has been recruited for the sessions, which aim to provide food for thought and a sharp
Netflix/ITV’s hit thriller “Marcella” is set for a French adaptation produced by Elephant and commissioned by TF1. The deal was made by Cineflix Rights which has exclusive worldwide rights to the new series. Hans Rosenfeldt’s “Marcella” was produced by Buccaneer Media and stars Anna Friel who won an International Emmy Award for her role in
ITV Studios executive Bea Hegedus is joining Vice Media Group as senior VP and global head of distribution. The newly created role comes as Vice looks to maximize its IP internationally, and build new U.S. and international partnerships. Formed in 2017, global production outfit Vice Studios has 130 projects in production and development across all
HBO Asia has set “Dream Raider” as its first original sci-fi commission. The show is an 8-episode Mandarin language series, produced in Taiwan. Set in the near future, “Dream Raider” features a misfit team of scientists and cops that are trying to get to the bottom of a criminal conspiracy that exploits human consciousness. The series opens
BBC and ITV-backed streamer BritBox is finalizing plans that will see the service roll out to 25 countries worldwide, with the footprint expanding across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa. This will build upon the service’s success in the U.S. and Canada, where it has surpassed one million subscribers. The platform launched