Netflix has released the official trailer for “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,” a new docuseries exposing the money, power and secrets behind the international sex trafficking ring that led to Epstein’s 2019 arrest and eventual death in prison. Premiering on May 27, the four-part series features interviews with Epstein’s victims, detailing their experiences on his private
Poland’s government has given the greenlight for film and TV production to resume on May 18 as it loosens restrictions in the battle against coronavirus. The country introduced a 30% cash rebate for production at the start of last year, and the Polish Film Institute and the Polish Film Commission have been wooing foreign producers
Cornhole isn’t new to ESPN. But viewers who tuned into the Worldwide Leader in Sports on May 9 were likely to stumble upon a rare treat: live cornhole action. The American Cornhole League’s “Cornhole Mania 2020” aired on ESPN and ESPN2 Saturday, bringing four hours of live sports to a public and a network starved
To say “Insecure” creator and star Issa Rae has been keeping busy while sheltering in place due to the coronavirus pandemic is an understatement. “We just locked the finale which means, you know, we finished the sound mix I think last week. I think we officially submitted it and then we started the writers room
Play video content Ring A guy was caught on camera choking his ex-girlfriend’s dog — and now … he’s facing criminal charges for the sickeningly evil deed. 30-year-old Shane Mitchell allegedly took his ex’s pup — a Doberman named Rubyjean — without permission, and when he showed up at the owner’s front door with Rubyjean,
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter of the iconic hip-hop collective The Roots and their production company, Two One Five Entertainment, have signed a first-look deal with Universal Television Alternative Studio and Universal Television. “The Roots are innovators and cultural tastemakers whose breadth of musical knowledge is unparalleled,” said Meredith Ahr, President, NBC
AMC Networks has acquired the rights to Anne Rice’s best-selling book series “The Vampire Chronicles” and “The Lives of the Mayfair Witches,” Variety has learned exclusively. AMC now holds the comprehensive rights for the much sought-after intellectual property and will develop film and television projects for its own television networks and streaming services under the
South by Southwest, the film festival held in Austin, Texas, will show seven competition projects from its virtual cinema program on Oculus TV from May 22 to May 31. SXSW was canceled by local government officials just a week before it was set to kick off in in March. However, 39 shorts, features and episodic
Nothing keeps Stephen A. Smith from saying what he wants on ESPN’s popular “First Take.” Except for faulty wi-fi. Magic Johnson joined the late-morning show on May 4, ready to hash it out with Smith and his regular co-hosts, Max Kellerman and Molly Qerim Rose. But as Smith prepared to ask the basketball great a
Disney added “The New Mutants” back to its release calendar, setting the “X-Men” superhero adventure to debut in theaters on Aug. 28. The studio also moved “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” an animated film from 20th Century, back a few months from Feb. 26, 2021, to April 23, 2021. An untitled 20th Century title previously set for
“MJ,” the musical about the life and career of the late Michael Jackson, has pushed back its Broadway opening to spring of 2021. The move comes after the Great White Way extended its shutdown through Labor Day due to the coronavirus pandemic. The show will now start preview performances on March 8, 2021, with an
I was — God, do I have to admit this? — about 13 when I first heard Little Richard. There were two people like that in 1956 or ’57: him and Jerry Lee Lewis. I watched Elvis Presley on “Ed Sullivan,” but I have a more vivid memory of the first time I saw Jerry
The moral of the story, such as it is, is that it’s never too early in a burgeoning career to go ahead and salute your heroes. Ashe certainly thinks so, at least. The L.A.-based singer/songwriter’s song “Moral of the Story” continues to crest a year after its release, and before she’s even released her first
Almost two months ago, Netflix said it would reduce video bit rates for 30 days in Europe, aiming to reduce bandwidth consumed by customers by 25% during the COVID-19 crisis. It has now been 55 days since that announcement — and Netflix customers in Europe and the U.K. say the streamer is still delivering throttled
Andre Harrell, the veteran music executive who died on May 7 of heart failure at the age of 59, played an enormous role in creating the world-changing culture that hip-hop is today — and, by extension, all R&B, urban and pop music. Over the course of his 30-plus year career, and particularly during the golden
The music part of Sony Music posted a strong fiscal fourth quarter of 2019, with streaming revenue soaring 27% to $641.7 million year over year, recorded music bouncing 14% to $1.07 billion and publishing up 15%, in terms of dollars. Physical music revenues were also up 10.9%, to nearly $200 million, driven by strong markets
Victor VIRGILEGetty Images There’s been a lot of talk about how to fix fashion and make the industry more sustainable, but much like the weather, it’s too often a topic that generates much discussion and comparatively little action. Dries van Noten—who might just be the Elizabeth Warren of the fashion industry—is hoping to change that.
Condé Nast will pink-slip about 100 employees in the U.S. and is putting another 100 on unpaid leave for several months as the COVID-19 crisis cuts into the media company’s business. The New York-based company, whose titles include the New Yorker, Wired, Vogue, Vanity Fair and GQ, had about 6,000 employees worldwide at the start
Diane Warren, who for years has been the purest examplar of the working songwriter in the modern age, has inked a global publishing deal with BMG, which will administer her Realsongs catalog outside of the U.S. and Canada. A recording contract has been built into the deal, too, with plans later in 2020 for BMG’s
A starry group came together for a meeting at Courteney Cox’s Malibu beach house on Oct. 5, 2019. Had the paparazzi gotten wind, pandemonium would have surely ensued. Cox invited her five “Friends” co-stars — Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer — for a rare reunion dinner. The gathering was
Bo Stehmeier, president of distributor Red Arrow Studios International, has been appointed joint-CEO of ZDF Enterprises-owned producer and distributor Off the Fence, alongside company founder Ellen Windemuth. The appointment marks a return to Off the Fence for Stehmeier, who rejoins on January 1, 2021. Stehmeier initially worked in purchasing and sales at TVF International, Zodiak
London and New York-based producer and distributor DLT Entertainment has launched a new podcast division, which has made its debut with two new comedy series, “When No One’s Watching” and “National Treasures with Laura Lexx & Will Duggan.” Heading up the new arm of the business is comedy writing duo, Ben Hillyar and David Mayes,
The Inspector Ghote series of Indian detective novels is heading for series treatment through Endemol Shine India. The company has optioned the rights to the much-loved series of 25 novels written by journalist turned novelist H.R.F. Keating over a 45-year period. It intends to develop them as a multi-part returnable series. No details are yet
Amazon Prime Video has taken U.K. rights to coming-of-age spy thriller “Alex Rider,” which will launch on the platform in June. Produced by Eleventh Hour Films and Sony Pictures Television, the show is based on the second novel in Anthony Horowitz’s “Alex Rider” novels, “Point Blanc.” All eight episodes of the series will launch on
Doja Cat’s fast-rising hit “Say So” — which soars to No. 2 on the Rolling Stone Top 100 this week and hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 — is the kind of song that you feel like you’ve heard before. Maybe it’s because of the razor-sharp vocals or the TikTok-ready guitar licks, or —
It is not enough to hire more inclusively if the treatment of those hires will be unfavorable. Sixty-eight percent of underrepresented writers in the television industry have reported facing discrimination in their workplace, up from 64% reporting such instances last year. Almost 31% of those underrepresented writers reported specific sexual harassment experiences, while 58% reported
After Hollywood completely shut down during the coronavirus pandemic, Atlanta’s Tyler Perry Studios is reopening for business this summer. Variety can confirm that production at Tyler Perry Studios on BET’s “Sistas” will begin on July 8, with “The Oval” starting on July 28th. BET announced 22-episode orders for both shows on Tuesday. Filming for each
A number of executives have found new placements in Asia’s music and content industries. WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks and Sales has appointed Athreyan Sundararajan as its VP of marketing and brand services for the region of Southeast Asia and the Pacific (SEAP). In the newly created, Singapore-based role, he will oversee brands including HBO, Cinemax, Warner
In today’s TV news roundup, Showtime announced “The Good Lord Bird” will premiere in August, and Netflix released the trailer for the final batch of “Fuller House” episodes. DATES Showtime has announced “The Good Lord Bird” will premiere on Aug. 9 at 10 p.m. The limited series from Blumhouse Television is based on James McBride‘s
After battling coronavirus for more than a month in intensive care, Broadway actor Nick Cordero has woken up from a medically-induced coma. His wife Amanda Kloots made the announcement on her Instagram story while holding their son Elvis. “Guys, we might have to change our hashtag to #CodeRocky because Nick — Dada — is awake!”