“Trainspotting” writer Irvine Welsh and “American Psycho” author Bret Easton Ellis are in final talks with the U.K.’s Burning Wheel Productions to co-create a dramatized series based on the national tabloid press culture in the U.S. With the working title “American Tabloid,” the series will unspool over decades and follow events from a weekly publication
The video entertainment sector in Asia will shrink this year as the coronavirus and economic slowdowns weigh heavily on advertising revenues. Many countries will not see recovery to 2019 levels for several years. The upheaval is accelerating the shift from the traditional TV and pay-TV sectors to over-the-top consumption and business that will increasingly go
Michael Brooks, a political commentator who hosted the web series “The Michael Brooks Show” and “The Majority Report,” died of a “sudden medical condition,” the show’s Twitter account announced on Monday. He was 37. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the unexpected passing of Michael Brooks: a son, brother, friend and true
Time’s Up is urging SAG-AFTRA members to oppose the proposed successor deal on its master contract, provoking an accusation by the union of unwarranted interference. Balloting on the deal, reached last month between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, concludes Wednesday at 5 p.m. PDT. “Creating safe, dignified, and equitable workplaces
Global talent agency, Creative Artists Agency has signed a non-exclusive strategic partnership agreement with United Media Asia, a Singapore and Indonesia-based content finance, production and distribution company. The deal will see CAA help represent and arrange financing for local-language film and television content in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, as well as advise on the company’s
The SAG-AFTRA national board has reprimanded Los Angeles president Patricia Richardson over her refusal to remove actor Corey Feldman, who has been accused of sexual assault, from guild’s Los Angeles local sexual harassment committee. Feldman has issued a strong denial of the allegations. Richardson responded by blasting the national board and accused it of employing
With the end of July marking the end of enhanced unemployment benefits, working songwriters and composers are facing another financial hurdle, to the tune of as much as $600 a week in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation. Anticipating another crisis moment, performance rights organizations ASCAP, BMI and SESAC joined together with trade orgs National Music Publishers
Heather McDonald and former ‘RHOC’ star Jim Bellino are on the same page, legally speaking — they’ve settled his lawsuit against her … TMZ has learned. According to a joint statement released by Jim and Heather … they’ve “reached a settlement of the dispute on mutually satisfactory terms.” The joint statement also says Heather “never
MONDAY, JULY 20 Sony Classics Dates ‘The Climb’ for October Sony Pictures Classics will release Michael Covino’s comedy “The Climb” in New York and Los Angeles theaters on Oct. 9 — six months after its original date. Written by Covino and Kyle Marvin, “The Climb” premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Sony Classics bought
Documentary film editor Jonathan Oppenheim died July 16 in New York City, Sundance Institute confirmed to Variety. He was 67 and had been battling brain cancer . “Jonathan began his life in the arts as a painter which informed his sensibility in film,” his wife, Josie Oppenheim, wrote in a statement. “He was a talented
In today’s TV news roundup, HBO revealed the trailer for “The Weight of Gold,” a documentary about Olympians’ mental health challenges, and Netflix announced the premiere date for its upcoming animated comedy “Hoops.” GREENLIGHTS Epix announced “By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem,” a four-part docuseries that explores the music scene of
Veteran film producer Michael Shamberg sued the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on Monday, as he steps up his campaign to prod the organization to boost its social media presence. Shamberg, 75, has been publicly decrying the Academy’s slide into irrelevance with younger viewers for several months. An Academy member since 1981, Shamberg
Acclaimed British actor, writer and producer Idris Elba will receive a BAFTA Special Award for his creative contribution to television and his commitment to championing diversity and new talent in the industry. The Special Award is one of the British Academy’s highest honors, with previous recipients for television including Nicola Shindler, Clare Balding, John Motson,
Paramount Pictures will release Skydance Animation titles “Luck” and “Spellbound” in 2022. Paramount made the announcement Monday. It came three years after David Ellison’s Skydance Media launched Skydance Animation by forming a partnership with Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios. “Luck,” directed by Peggy Holmes, will open on Feb. 18, 2022, as the first feature from Skydance
During a globally stressful moment like this one, it is tempting to read prophecy into even the most anodyne relics of the Before Times. But you don’t have to see an image of a giant coronavirus in a billboard behind Captain America, or freak out that a long-haired, quarantined Rapunzel lives in a kingdom called
In a swank house, a man and a woman engage in amorous acrobatics before a large, glowing fireplace. The blaze seems a little ominous. So does the woman’s trip to the kitchen. And, as if to heighten the tension more, should any character coyly say “we’re not done yet” while the movie’s score promises otherwise?
The already impressive audience for the Verzuz battle series — which pits one OG artist or producer against another, playing their hits — is about to get even bigger: Verzuz is coming to Apple Music and Beats 1. The first session will take place Wednesday (July 22) at 5 p.m. PT for a face-off between veteran
After helping launch Blackpink’s new single into the YouTube record books, Interscope Records is expanding its K-pop roster with one of the scene’s fastest-rising young stars, Somi. Variety can exclusively share that Somi’s Korean company The Black Label — a subsidiary label of YG Entertainment that’s home to groups like Blackpink, BigBang and iKon —
Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts have signed on to star in the family drama “Leave the World Behind,” based on the upcoming Rumaan Alam novel. Netflix has landed feature film rights to the novel, and the deal is believed to be a blockbuster payday for the two A-list stars. Sam Esmail, whose credits include “Mr.
Amber Heard alleged in court Monday that during her relationship with Johnny Depp she was afraid he was going to kill her, and that he repeatedly threatened to kill her. She was giving evidence on the 10th day of Depp’s libel trial against the publisher of The Sun newspaper, which is taking place at London’s
The streaming-rights revolving door continues: Netflix will be the U.S. streaming home for the original trilogy of Universal’s “Jurassic Park” films starting next month. That comes after NBCUniversal’s Peacock got a brief 17-day window on the titles — the original 1993 “Jurassic Park,” 1997’s “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” and 2001’s “Jurassic Park III.” For
Lifetime has released a new trailer for investigative documentary “Surviving Jeffrey Epstein,” which is set to air on Aug. 9 and 10. The one-minute trailer introduces eight survivors who are the narrators of the film. They speak of being “touched aggressively” by Epstein in their teenage years and speak up for the “thousands of [sexual
ABC News executive Barbara Fedida will not return to the Disney-owned unit following an investigation into allegations of insensitive behavior and her treatment of employees, according to a person familiar with the matter, Staffers were notified of the matter Monday in a memo from Peter Rice, chairman of Walt Disney Television. “The investigation substantiated that
Following the news that Warner Bros. removed “Tenet” from its release calendar, Sony Pictures has indefinitely delayed the debut of “The Broken Hearts Gallery.” The romantic comedy, executive produced by Selena Gomez, was slated to hit theaters Aug. 7. The studio has not announced new plans to launch the film. However, Sony remains committed to
Movie theaters have been devastated by coronavirus since the pandemic has forced cinemas to close across the country and essentially wiped out summer blockbuster season. Exhibitors had long hoped that the August releases of Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” and Disney’s live-action remake of “Mulan” would kick off a moviegoing revival. However, those plans suffered a major
One former Fox News staffer and one frequent on-air guest at the network filed suit in federal court Monday, alleging they had been harassed individually by Ed Henry, the Fox News anchor who was fired by the cable-news outlet earlier this month following a complaint about “willful sexual misconduct in the workplace,” and their disclosures
Brittany O’Grady can certainly relate to Bess, the aspiring singer-songwriter she plays in “Little Voice,” Sara Bareilles’ semi-autobiographical Apple TV Plus series. Whereas Bess works as a dogwalker and a bartender to make ends meet, O’Grady was a host at Figaro Bistrot in Hollywood when she was 17. She was fired after two months because
Breaking News Teresa Giudice is heartbroken for the New Jersey judge who sent her and her hubby to prison … after what appears to be a targeted murder at the judge’s home. The ‘RHONJ’ star’s attorney, James Leonard, tells TMZ … Teresa was “devastated” by the news this weekend — namely, that a gunman disguised
“Pose” co-creator Steven Canals has a new limited series in the works at FX. Titled “81 Words,” the series tells the true story of gay activists Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings, who risked their career reputations to conspire with the GAYPA – a clandestine group of closeted psychiatrists – to challenge the American Psychiatric Association’s
ICM Partners has hired Courtney Kelley as chief human resources officer. Kelley joins the company from the National Football League, where she served as vice president of human resources. Her post is effective immediately, agency co-presidents Sloan Harris and Kevin Crotty announced Monday. Kelley specializes in organizational and culture development, leadership development, talent acquisition and