The call for Blackout Tuesday — in which the music industry will basically stop everyday operations to protest police violence against the black community — rose so quickly over the weekend that many people are uncertain what the day is intended to accomplish. #TheShowMustBePaused, an initiative created by Atlantic Records exec Jamila Thomas and Platoon’s
Multiple Facebook employees publicly criticized CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to not take down Donald Trump’s racially charged post suggesting Minneapolis rioters would be shot at. Zuckerberg, in a post Friday on Facebook, said while Trump’s message included a “troubling historical reference” — specifically, the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” — and while
A reopening of mainland Chinese cinemas may shortly become reality, but for some operators, that moment could come too late as the prospect of bankruptcy looms. A new survey from industry body, the China Film Association, published by the South China Morning Post, suggests that 40% of cinemas could permanently shut down as a result
The Jersey Shore will host at least one concert this summer season. Announced Monday, a new drive-in series will launch at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, New Jersey with local favorites Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes set to play on July 11. “The Asbury Jukes and I are so excited that we can play
Epic Records has named Gina Harrell senior vice president, video production and content development. The appointment reunites Harrell with Sylvia Rhone, chairwoman and CEO of the Sony Music label, to whom she reports — the two executives previously worked together at Elektra Records and Universal Motown Republic Group. Harrell is a veteran of music videos,
As the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police has become the flashpoint of weekend protests in nearly every state in the U.S., Jay-Z reached out to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to tell him that “Justice needs to be served here.” Walz then announced that state attorney general Keith Ellison will head
Millions of Americans forced to shelter at home are tuning in more TV. But in April many advertisers did not. Ad dollars allocated to national TV fell by 26.7% in April of this year to $2.7 billion, according to Standard Media Index, a tracker of ad spending, one of the first tangible estimates of how
Christo, the Bulgaria-born artist best known for large-scale installations and wrapping in fabric famous landmarks such as the Pont Neuf, has died. He was 84. Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, known as Christo, died of natural causes on May 31 at his home in New York, according to a statement made on the artist’s official Twitter and
Rapper T.I., DJ D-Nice, K-pop artist Ailee, YouTube’s Tuma Bassa and top music attorney Kenny Meiselas are some of the scheduled participants in the digital edition of Midem 2020. The annual international music conference was slated to be held June 2 to 5 in Cannes, France, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the physical confab
“Surviving R. Kelly” executive producer Dream Hampton has been attached to executive produce and direct a Cineflix Productions documentary series about one of the worst episodes of racial violence in U.S. history, the Tusla Race Massacre. With the working title of “Black Wall Street,” the limited series weaves together past and present to recount the
In an effort to get the public back into cinemas, national film support body the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has begun providing discount coupons. The coupons provide consumers with a KRW6,000 ($4.89) subsidy when they buy a movie ticket from any of the major cinema chains and many of the independent operators. With tickets averaging
Director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau arrived in Wellington, New Zealand on Sunday morning local time in preparation for the resumption of filming of the “Avatar” film series. Some 54 passengers were on board a chartered Air New Zealand plane, departing Friday night from LAX, and flying for nearly 13 hours direct from Los
Aaron Dessner of the rock group the National took to social media Sunday to declare that he was in the rural countryside — and offer photographic evidence — after bizarrely being accused by right-wing accounts of being an “Antifa organizer caught on camera appearing to pay some kids to riot.” The first tweet suggesting that
Cities across the country declared curfews on Sunday night as protests continued over the death of George Floyd. In Minneapolis, where the protests began last week, a curfew was declared from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. In that city, a semi driver was arrested Sunday after plowing into a crowd of protesters on a bridge.
KCON recently announced that they will be partnering with YouTube for their 2020 event to stream a weeklong event from June 20 to 26. This follows a recent announcement that KCON 2020 LA would be postponed. KCON 2020 NY has also been canceled due to coronavirus concerns. The lineup consists of AB6IX, Astro, Ateez, Bvndit,
The U.K. film and high-end TV sector has moved a step closer to restarting with the publication of government-endorsed guidelines for working safely during the COVID-19 pandemic (access the documents below). The U.K.’s visual effects and post-production sectors have also published their COVID-19 guidance. The confirmation of all guidelines technically allows production to resume, although
Occasionally a high-profile film or TV documentary arrives at just the right time to appear as if it were created to address the frustrations created by another high-profile documentary, however coincidental the timing. That’s certainly the case with Alison Ellwood’s “Laurel Canyon,” a feature-length doc about the Los Angeles rock scene of the ‘60s and
I had to go to Minneapolis. I needed to be right there on 38th Street and Chicago where George Floyd’s life was tragically stolen from him. I needed to see the people in that community — how much love they had for their community and their people and how much pain this has caused. We
Google, Twitter and Instagram are free, which means there is no excuse to stay silent, uneducated, and uninformed in 2020. Diversifying your feed, and point of view, is as easy as tapping a button. To highlight profiles that are doing good work, Variety consulted with media and industry experts Akilah Hughes, Ashley Reese, Peyton Dix,
Herbert Stempel, the contestant on NBC’s “Twenty-One” who helped uncover the quiz show rigging scandals of the 1950s, died on April 7 at the age of 93. His death, which had not been publicly announced, was confirmed by a former stepdaughter, Bobra Fyne, according to the New York Times. Stempel was portrayed by John Turturro in the 1994
As protests around George Floyd’s shocking death at the hands of Minneapolis police erupted across America late last week, musicians and the music industry have been quick to weigh in on social media and call for a “Tuesday blackout,” in which companies would participate as a sign of protest. Among the calls to action, Universal
SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris and National Executive Director David P. White have spoken out against the death of George Floyd and racism in the U.S. after days of protests around the country. “The murder of George Floyd is deeply emblematic of a corrosive inequality and injustice at the heart of America,” Carteris and White said Sunday. “As protests
Play video content The top dog of the LAPD made progress with protesters in Los Angeles this weekend, getting them to calm down and retreat … after he admitted George Floyd had been murdered. Here’s Chief of Police Michel Moore talking to protesters in the City of Angels this weekend, explaining his and his officers’
UPDATE: Los Angeles County has moved up its curfew to 6:00 p.m. Sunday. It will last until 6:00 a.m. Monday, announced Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn. That supersedes Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s earlier announcement that the city would continue its 8:00 p.m. curfew on Sunday night. “When times demand it, strong steps are required
Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay will host a live discussion of her critically-acclaimed Netflix series “When They See Us,” which tells the story of “The Exonerated Five” — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana Jr. and Korey Wise — the five young men who were wrongfully convicted of the rape and assault of a
Amid widespread protests against police violence across the United States, political leaders took to TV Sunday morning to call for reforms and grapple with the outbreaks of violence that have dominated news coverage of the demonstrations. “We have a lot more work to do on not just how we hire officers, but how we allow
Lil Wayne had a special guest on his Young Money Radio show Friday night: Dr. Dre, the legendary producer, entrepreneur and former member of N.W.A, who, as his discography and the biopic “Straight Outta Compton” show, knows more than a little about police violence. Dre pulled no punches in discussing the ongoing wave of police
There’s been no shortage of musicians sounding off on social media, calling for an end to police violence and racism in the wake of George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis law-enforcement officer, but as protests broke out in at least 17 cities across the United States, artists including Lil Yachty, J. Cole,
Lady Gaga took to her social media platforms to express her anger over the senseless killing of George Floyd while calling Donald Trump “a fool, and a racist.” Gaga joins Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Billie Ellish who have also called on fans to make a change. In her statement, posted late Saturday night, the singer called
MSNBC anchor Ali Velshi usually gets to do his job from the comfort of a New York studio, surrounded by a helpful crew and the latest technology. On Saturday, he had to worry about being tear-gassed on the streets of Minneapolis. Velshi, who has been delivering reports from the streets of that protest-torn city, was