Rome’s MIA market, an increasingly popular showcase for TV series, feature films and documentaries, has confirmed that it will have its sixth edition in the Italian capital, in a “protected and COVID-proof environment.” It will also be launching a virtual initiative for those who can’t attend. The MIA market (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo, or International Audiovisual
Exclusive The guy who went from killing kittens to killing people in ‘Don’t F**k With Cats’ will NOT get an early release due to coronavirus. Reports surfaced over the weekend Luka Magnotta‘s prison — a maximum security facility in Quebec — has seen a couple dozen confirmed cases of COVID-19 within its tightly-confined walls, and
Hindi-language dramatic comedy “Gulabo Sitabo,” starring veteran Amitabh Bachchan (“Piku”) and hot Bollywood A-lister Ayushmann Khurrana (“Andhadhun”), will release directly on Amazon Prime Video worldwide on June 12. The film’s theatrical release in April was scuppered by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “At Amazon we’re listening to our customers, and working backwards from there.” said Vijay
Korean pop sensation, BTS has announced that it will perform a live-streamed concert next month. The move will allow the 7-piece boy band to re-connect with its legion fans worldwide – referred to as the band’s Army – at a time when coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions are keeping people at home and socially distanced.
Gun ‘N Roses slammed President Donald Trump and his response to the coronavirus pandemic with a t-shirt for sale that reads “Live ‘N Let Die With COVID 45.” The rock band unveiled the new shirt on its Twitter account on Wednesday, and posted it on its merchandise website. The shirts sell for $25.00 each and
Ariana Grande joined Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s “At Home” series to discuss collaborating with Justin Bieber and Doja Cat, her hesitancy to do interviews and why she won’t be releasing an album during quarantine. On May 8, Grande and Bieber released “Stuck With U” after surprising fans with the news of their collaboration a
BuzzFeed will halt its news production operations in Australia and the U.K., the company confirmed. Like many, the digital organization has been hard hit by the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. “Both for economic and strategic reasons, we are going to focus on news that hits big in the United States during this difficult
In honor of its 20th anniversary, “Survivor” brought back 20 winners from previous seasons, but only one person came out on top during Wednesday’s finale. During a socially distanced video call, host Jeff Probst revealed that Tony Vlachos won the season. Heading into the final episode, five castaways remained to win the $2 million grand prize:
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 3, episode 16 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired May 13 on Fox. Former pro baseball pitcher Barry Zito has spent the past few years focusing on his music career. Just last week, he released a cover of the Kenny Rogers track “The
Warner Bros. appears hopeful that production on “Matrix 4” will restart by early July. Multiple sources tell Variety that the cast of Lana Wachowski’s fourth installment of the sci-fi franchise has signed eight-week extensions to keep the actors on hold until at least July 6. Filming began in February in San Francisco before moving to
Ian Anderson, the frontman of the rock band Jethro Tull, has revealed that he has been “suffering from an incurable lung disease” for years. The 72-year-old musician made his health condition public in a conversation with Dan Rather on the journalist’s show “The Big Interview.” While the discussion will air Wednesday night on AXS TV,
Breaking News Vince McMahon claims ex-XFL commissioner Oliver Luck “abandoned” his duties when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in March … and that’s one of the main reasons Vince fired him, according to court documents. Remember, Oliver Luck sued Vince McMahon back in April, claiming he was wrongfully terminated from his role as the commish
Both “The Purge” and “Treadstone” have been canceled at USA Network, Variety has confirmed. “The Purge” aired two seasons on the cabler while “Treadstone” had aired one. Both were produced at least in part by UCP and based on Universal film franchises, with “Treadstone” being set in the “Bourne” universe. The cancellations come roughly two weeks
Mike Tirico, Al Michaels, and Dan Hicks are among the NBC Sports on-air personalities who will take a pay cut for the rest of the year, the latest TV-sports team to agree to salary reductions in the wake of the effects of the nation’s coronavirus pandemic on the sports business. “Our on-air personalities reached out
“The Wrong Missy” is a rom-com, but it’s really a ’90s Jim Carrey movie merged with one of those slob-goes-on-a-corporate-retreat comedies that has starred everyone from Bill Murray to Adam Sandler to Will Ferrell. Here’s what’s new about it: The hypomanic Jim Carrey figure is a woman — Missy, played by the wild-card comedian Lauren
In today’s film news roundup, the documentary “House of Cardin” and crime thriller “Devil’s Night” find distributors and “Lucky Grandma” is raising funds for New York Chinatown. ACQUISITIONS Utopia has acquired the North American rights to the fashion documentary “House of Cardin” by filmmakers P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes. The film, centering on the
KCON, the annual convention and concert series that showcases Korean products and entertainment via a multi-day confab, will go online for its summer 2020 edition as a seven-day streaming event. Their US events were originally scheduled for June 12 to 14 at the Javits Center in New York City, followed by August 27 to 30
A cybercriminal ring claiming to have stolen a huge cache of data from a major media and entertainment law firm — whose clients include Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Elton John and Lady Gaga — is demanding a $21 million ransom payment, according to a published report. New York-based Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks this week confirmed
UPDATED: Beckett Cypher, Melissa Etheridge’s son with her former partner Julie Cypher, has died of causes related to opioid addiction, the singer said in a statement Wednesday. He was 21. “Today I joined the hundreds of thousands of families who have lost loved ones to opioid addiction,” she wrote. “My son Beckett, who was just
In today’s TV news roundup, Showtime announced the premiere date for “The Go-Go’s” documentary and two other unscripted projects, and Audible announced the cast its adaptation of “The Sandman.” DATES Netflix has announced Eric Andre’s new comedy special, “Legalize Everything,” will premiere on June 23. In the comedian’s first stand-up special, Andre “breaks the boundaries
Russell Crowe is set to star in Paramount’s thriller “American Son,” which is based on the critically acclaimed French film “A Prophet.” Andrew “Rapman” Onwubolu is on board to direct the movie from a screenplay by Dennis Lehane. Neal H. Moritz and Toby Jaffe are producing through Original Film. Rapman landed the job after his
It’s a Spring Saturday and somewhere deep in Philadelphia, five twentysomethings are huddled in a small apartment, each hunched over a computer. The click-clack of their keyboards is the only sound heard in the room, but via their devices, they’re running one of the largest music festivals in the world. April 25’s Block by Blockwest,
Johan Renck, who landed an Emmy for his work on “Chernobyl,” is in negotiations to direct and executive produce the limited series “Girl A” for Elizabeth Gabler’s 3000 Pictures at Sony Pictures Entertainment. The series is adapted from the upcoming novel by debut author Abigail Dean and is the first limited series project at 3000
Cinephiles and celebrity watchers around the world are feeling nostalgic for the Cannes Film Festival, which won’t take place this year due to coronavirus. The festival has only been cancelled twice before. In 1939, when the very first Cannes ever was about to launch, dozens of stars arrived on MGM’s ocean liner, but after the
Digital juggernaut Pornhub has offered itself as a streaming partner to Germany’s Oldenburg Film Festival, a 26-year-old indie movie event known for edgy programming and quirky celebrity tributes. The offer, extended by Pornhub vice president Corey Price, comes nearly a week after the festival announced it will forge ahead as planned for a September run.
“Little Women” and “1917” appear to be among the first titles that will hit Chinese theaters when they reopen in the wake of the novel coronavirus, new posters and promotion indicate. The two titles have already passed Chinese censorship approvals and were scheduled for release in February, just after the Oscars, but were bumped when
Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to the Eric Andre-Lil Rel Howery hidden-camera prank comedy “Bad Trip” from MGM’s Orion Pictures. The deal was announced Wednesday, nearly a month after “Bad Trip” was released briefly through Amazon Prime Video, then withdrawn. “Bad Trip,” which was originally supposed to debut at the SXSW Film Festival before it
Houseparty, riding a pandemic-driven surge in usage, is trying to strike while the iron is hot: The social video-chat app has lined up Katy Perry, John Legend and over 40 other stars for a three-day livestreaming event this weekend. Houseparty’s “In the House” event, running Friday, May 15, through Sunday, May 17, will include performances
In the latest installment of Variety’s new weekly series “Hollywood How-To,” Janet Mock, the writing maven of Ryan Murphy’s “Hollywood” and “Pose,” shares her tips for writing a script. The scribe shares her tips for setting a mood at home while working and reveals her rituals and go-to reads. Plus take a deep dive into
SAG-AFTRA has engaged public health expert Jonathan E. Fielding to join its team of specialists advising the union in developing and implementing new safety protocols for preventing the spread of COVID-19 when production resumes. “COVID-19 remains a most serious health threat to all those who want and need to return to work. Therefore developing guidelines