Jamaican singer Millie Small — singer of the 1964 hit “My Boy Lollipop,” which is widely considered the first reggae-inspired global hit — has died at the age of 72 after suffering a stroke, according to a statement from Island Records. “My Boy Lollipop” — which featured Small’s childlike vocals and a rhythmic bounce that
BuzzFeed, still hoping to avoid layoffs during the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, will furlough 68 staffers without pay starting next week through mid-August. Among other cost-cutting steps, the digital-media firm also will extend previously enacted scaled salary reductions through the end of the year. CEO Jonah Peretti announced the furloughs in a memo Wednesday
Nicole Clemens has been an agent, a producer and a creative executive for a major producer and a top network. But in her current role as president of Paramount Television Studios, she sometimes functions as a banker managing a portfolio of investments in TV series that have different underlying business models. On the latest episode
It’s hard to bring Beanie Feldstein down. The on-screen effervescence she’s delivered to breakout performances in Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” and Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart” is no act. Over a lengthy conversation to promote her new movie “How to Build a Girl,” her first shot at carrying a film on her own, Feldstein oozes optimism. She prepares and executes
Leaders of entertainment industry unions are pledging to move as quickly as possible to re-launch production — as soon as they can do so safely in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. “We were among the first to be hit by the virus and may be among the last to come back – simply because
Entertainment One has signed a first-look agreement with producer and former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham, with “Dungeons & Dragons” as the first project under the deal. Entertainment One made the announcement Wednesday, noting that the partnership with Latcham follows eOne’s acquisition by Hasbro earlier this year and will further power eOne’s ability to produce
I didn’t pay to see “Trolls World Tour” at home, nor would I have run to watch it at my local cinema in a pre-pandemic world since it’s not my thing. But what I am watching from the edge of my seat is what happens next in the cliffhanger drama that’s pitting the world’s largest
CBS announced Wednesday that it is renewing most of its current scripted and unscripted fare for the 2020-2021 season while also canceling four shows. The network announced renewals for the following dramas: “All Rise,” “Blue Bloods,” “Bull,” “FBI,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” “MacGyver,” “Magnum P.I.,” “NCIS,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “SWAT,” and “SEAL Team.”
Ricky Gervais is making Netflix his more permanent home. The British comedian, who created “The Office” and has hosted the Golden Globes multiple times, has signed an overall deal with the streamer. As part of the deal, his show “After Life” has been renewed for a third season. The news comes less than two weeks
Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, will spread its wings over Apple’s family of devices for the national U.S. launch this summer. Under a deal between NBCU and Apple, Peacock will be available on Apple devices including iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD when it launches nationally on July 15, 2020. At
As the U.K.’s film and TV industry looks to restart, a crucial 10-day consultation period is underway on production guidelines that are now circulating across the industry. More than six weeks on from the March 23 lockdown, industry figures such John McVay, head of producers’ trade body Pact, warns that restarting business “is not like
Courtesy of Mary Katrantzou With the post office under threat, it may well be up to us to save snail mail, like, as a concept. Thank goodness for London designer Mary Katrantzou, who is tapping into our collective nostalgia for the glory days of letter writing with her postage stamp-printed collection and corresponding campaign celebrating
The delay for Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica” will not be as long as fans might have feared. It’ll be out May 29, the singer announced via her social media accounts Wednesday morning. “The journey continues. You can officially join me on #Chromatica on May 29,” her Twitter account declared, accompanied by a photo of her crouching
Here’s some real news about a fake (or, at least, unreal) star: Miquela, the digital avatar and music artist created by an L.A.-based entertainment company, has signed as CAA’s first virtual client, Variety has learned exclusively. Miquela, aka “Lil Miquela,” launched on Instagram in April 2016 without explanation — and today she has 2.2 million
“Chernobyl,” “Fleabag,” “Ramy,” “Stranger Things,” “Succession,” “Unbelievable,” “Watchmen” and “When They See Us” are among the 13 entertainment series nominated for this year’s Peabody Awards. The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors on Wednesday announced this year’s nominees for entertainment, children’s and youth, documentaries, news, podcast/radio, and public service. A total of 60 nominees were revealed
Walter Murphy’s “A Fifth of Beethoven” was released in 1976 and it’s the perfect disco anthem for FX on Hulu’s “Mrs. America.” “It’s smart, classical and not too serious,” says Carol Wong, executive producer at yU+co, the design company behind the show’s main title sequence. “Mrs. America,” which comes from creator and showrunner Dahvi Waller,
France’s President Emmanuel Macron outlined in a televised address on Wednesday new relief measures for the culture sector, including a temporary indemnity fund for canceled or postponed TV and film shoots during the pandemic. Macron said the temporary indemnity fund will be launched by the National Film Board (CNC), in collaboration with the regions and
Play video content Breaking News Waddle & Silvy / ESPN Chicago Charles Barkley says he’s still VERY sad about his broken friendship with ex-BFF Michael Jordan … but he’s down to bury the hatchet if MJ would just give him a call. “The guy was like a brother to me for, shoot, 20-something years,” Barkley
Derek Cianfrance, writer-director of the HBO limited series “I Know This Much Is True,” has set a two-year overall deal with HBO. The deal calls for the helmer to develop a range of projects for the pay TV powerhouse. The pact comes a few days before the six-episode series bows on May 10. Cianfrance partnered
Tuesday night on TV featured a flurry of finales across the major networks, none of which scored a boost of any kind. On ABC, “The Conners” aired its last episode of season 2 to a 0.9 rating and just over 6 million total viewers, which represents a slight tick down week-to-week in the former metric.
Florian Schneider — cofounder of German electronic-music pioneers Kraftwerk, one of the most influential music groups of the past 50 years — has died, a rep for the group confirms to Variety. He was 73. “Florian Schneider has passed away from a short cancer disease just a few days after his 73rd birthday,” a statement
Ron Howard and comedy site Funny or Die have teamed up on a pitch for the Motion Picture Television Fund. The six-minute video, which dropped online on Wednesday, is titled “Ron Howard Digs Up a Very Strange Voicemail His Agent Left Him in 1983.” The clip delves into the development of Howard’s comedy “Splash” following
Mark Gooder and Alison Thompson’s sales company Cornerstone Films, and Debbie Gray and Julian Gleek’s production company Genesius Pictures have teamed with distribution executive Lisa Garner to form The Reset Collective, an Australian production and distribution company. The company’s distribution arm will focus primarily on digital and theatrical releases, and “will build innovative release strategies
BBC factual controller Alison Kirkham is set to join streaming platform Apple TV Plus. Kirkham will join Apple TV Plus this summer, reporting into creative director for Europe Jay Hunt. Based in London, the executive will have responsibility in Europe for unscripted original series and films. Kirkham is the first major hire for Apple’s U.K.
If everything had gone according to plan, the Tribeca Film Festival would have just wrapped its 19th edition, celebrating the best of indie film in the heart of New York City. Alas, the coronavirus had other ideas, shuttering the festival and leaving its backers without a clear way to move forward. Founders Jane Rosenthal and
The Melbourne International Film Festival, originally scheduled for August, but then canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, is to hold a digital edition. The online showcase has been nicknamed MIFF 68½ and will run during the original festival dates, Aug. 6-23, 2020. MIFF 68½ will present a smaller selection line up than the previously conceived
For years, Nadia Hallgren would say that her best experience as a documentary cinematographer was shaking Michelle Obama’s hand in Liberia while shooting the 2016 CNN Films project “We Will Rise,” about the first lady’s efforts to expand education for girls worldwide. So when Hallgren got invited to meet with Obama one-on-one in 2018 to
Check out an official Extraction featurette starring Chris Hemsworth! Let us know what you think in the comments below. Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to stay up to date. US Release Date: April 24, 2020 Network: Netflix Starring: Chris Hemsworth, David
300 Entertainment today announced the appointment of Leesa Brunson-Boland as Head of A&R Operations. In the role, she will serve as “a gatekeeper of the music, maintaining trusting relationships with artists and managers, and acting as a liaison with all other departments at the label,” according to the announcement. She will report to the company’s CEO and Co-Founder Kevin Liles.
Things got weird on the Chinese Internet in January. With at least 760 million of the nation’s residents — a group more than twice the size of the U.S. population — stuck at home amid coronavirus-imposed restrictions, people got creative and let their freak flag fly on the country’s local version of TikTok. As COVID-19