Vizio hired Adam Townsend, who previously spent a collective 12 years at Showtime Networks and CBS in finance roles, as chief financial officer of the consumer-electronics brand. Townsend, who exited as Showtime’s CFO in March, takes over the role at Vizio after president/COO Ben Wong had been handling chief financial officer duties. Prior to moving to
The thing with models is, they’ll mess you up. It doesn’t matter if they’re backstage at Prada or behind you at a New York Pilates class—stare for one second, and the symmetry of their bodies might just stop your brain. The universe expands and contracts all at once in their faces, distilled in a perfect
While French producers guilds and a dedicated committee are finalizing sanitary rules for filming, several non-scripted shows have restarted shooting in France to feed broadcasters’ urgent demand for fresh content. During the lockdown, which will be partially lifted in France on May 11, select news-driven talk shows such as “C’est dans l’air” and “Quotidien” continued
London’s West End will remain closed for at least the next two months. The Society of London Theatre (SOLT) on Tuesday confirmed that theater closures have been extended from May 31 to June 28. The organization, which represents venues across London’s theater district, underlined that “this does not mean theaters will reopen on June 29.”
At a time when Hollywood is focused on its streaming wars, Madison Avenue is getting further enmeshed in the data wars. As advertisers press for the use of increasingly granular data on consumer preferences and habits to help them place their commercials in just the right venue and at the most opportune moment, Interpublic Group
It started as a gesture for fans stuck in quarantine, but in just six weeks, Gary Barlow’s “Crooner Sessions” have snowballed into a hotly-anticipated Instagram event attracting everyone from fellow boy banders like JC Chasez and Niall Horan, to Jessie J, Queen rocker Brian May and British icon Sir Cliff Richard. The Take That singer
Already a hit with critics, the TV adaptation of Sally Rooney’s “Normal People” is winning over audiences in the U.K. with more than 16.2 million requests for the series on catch-up service BBC iPlayer in its first week. Nearly five million of these requests come from the 16-34 age group, a coveted demographic for the
The Philippines government has ordered that ABS-CBN, the country’s largest media group, cease broadcasting on TV and radio. The move is widely seen as politically-motivated. ABS-CBN has been targeted by the country’s President Rodrigo Duterte since 2016, when he accused it of not airing his political campaign advertisements. The company’s networks have also shed light
Detailed proposals on how film and high-end TV production can safely resume in the U.K. are to be circulated among members of union Bectu this week. The union’s members will be consulted in a number of online sessions for their thoughts and responses on the physical working group proposals. The aim is for a set
Cinemas in Hong Kong will be allowed to reopen from Friday as part of a phased relaxation of social distancing measures in the city. The move was announced on Tuesday afternoon by the city’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, after a meeting of the Executive Council. Broadway Cinemas, one of Hong Kong’s leading multiplex operators, quickly
European Film Promotion’s networking program Producers on the Move will take place as a digital edition on its original dates – from May 11 to 15 – and independently of the Cannes Film Festival, which has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Twenty up-and-coming European producers will meet online and present their projects in
John Finlay has landed his first post-“Tiger King” role. The former zoo employee and Netflix star lends his voice to a commercial for an emergency preparedness brand called Judy. The company has a limited edition “Tiger Safe” emergency kit that cashes in on the “Tiger King” phenomenon — without mentioning its name — with a
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the fourth episode of “The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart.” Last week on “The Bachelor presents: Listen to Your Heart,” the rose power went to a panel of judges, who eliminated Bekah Purifoy and Danny Padilla for their lack of chemistry onstage. After the performances,
If you’ve never seen Robert Altman’s “The Player,” it would be hard, offhand, to think of a great movie that’s more fun or one that gives you a headier buzz. But even if you have seen Altman’s virtuoso inside-Hollywood satire-that’s-not-really-a-satire, you should see it again, because it’s one of those Altman films that keeps on
On March 8, the 17th annual True/False documentary film festival in Missouri came to a close. Unbeknownst to filmmakers, the conclusion of the fest also marked the conclusion of in-person film festivals for the foreseeable future due to Covid-19. The disrupted festival circuit has many implications for doc filmmakers, who often spend years – sometimes
In today’s film news roundup, MGM buys rights to the rescue movie “Thirteen Lives,” the Greenwich Film Festival has awarded its Virtual Festival Awards and digital series “Quarantine” is raising funds to help actors in need through the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. STUDIO DEAL MGM has bought rights to the Thai cave rescue project “Thirteen Lives,” with Ron
HBO has dominated the Emmy race for years. Now, sibling streamer HBO Max is looking to get into the game. HBO Max launches on May 27 — just four days before the Television Academy’s May 31 cutoff for Emmy eligibility. But that’s still enough time for the streaming service to enter the awards race this
Oops, Mr. Again did it again. That is, rapper Youngboy Never Broke Again continues his streak of debuting at or near the top of the album chart, as “38 Baby 2,” his third album in eight months, bows at No. 1 with 63,000 album units. His previous collection, “Still Flexin, Still Steppin,” debuted at No.
Bob Garcia, former director of artist relations at A&M Records and West Coast president of the Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, died of natural causes at his home in Tujunga, Calif. on April 26. It was a week before his 82nd birthday. After serving in the U.S. Army in the mid-1960s, Garcia moved to
(SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you haven’t watched the Season 3 finale of “Good Girls.”) The third chapter of Beth, Ruby and Annie’s story came to a close when Season 3 of “Good Girls” wrapped up on Sunday night. Though NBC ordered 16 episodes, the show about good girls gone crime bosses ended
Starz Entertainment filed a federal lawsuit on Monday accusing MGM of a massive violation of exclusivity agreements, allowing hundreds movies and TV shows to run on rival platforms. According to the suit, the issue came to light last August, when a Starz employee noticed that “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” was available on Amazon Prime.
Splice, the popular online music production marketplace that offers royalty-free samples and presets, has seen record-breaking activity since the start of the nationwide COVID-19 quarantine — and is using that momentum to give back to musicians in need. There have been over 1.1 million sound downloads a day on Splice since the week of March
In today’s TV news roundup, HBO announced the premiere date for new docuseries “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” and Showtime released a first look at “Outcry,” premiering on July 5. DATES HBO has announced “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” will debut on June 28 at 10 p.m. The six-part docuseries, based on Michelle
For her feature narrative film debut “Bull,” director Annie Silverstein chose to explore a world few people know about; that of the black rodeo circuit in Texas. The film stars Rob Morgan, a recent standout in “Just Mercy,” as Abe, an ex-bull rider who still works the circuit despite the toll it’s taken on his
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Crisis Theory,” the Season 3 finale of “Westworld.” So much happened in the Season 3 finale of “Westworld” — for one, Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) managed to eradicate the all-knowing artificial intelligence Rehoboam, but in doing so seemingly erased herself from existence, all as the
During Andy Lack’s first tour of duty leading NBC News, he helped “Dateline” bounce back from a dark era in which producers admitted to manipulating elements of an investigative report on General Motors, and expanded the hours of the “Today” morning franchise, and ratings success followed. None of that prepared him for what lay in
SoundCloud has unveiled a new Twitch channel that will feature tons of programming on both music and the music business, the platform announced today. “Each week, SoundCloud on Twitch will bring the music community together to connect in real-time, inspire creativity, celebrate great music, and share the best resources for helping creators grow their careers,”
Over-the-top pay TV provider FuboTV released its first letter to shareholders, which includes some previously undisclosed financial and operating data, as part of plans to list on a major stock exchange in the near future. FuboTV, first launched in 2015 as a soccer-streaming service, remains much smaller than competitors: The company said its TV subscriber
For director Ridley Scott, it was one look at a 19th-century neoclassical work of art that convinced him to make the Oscar-winning picture “Gladiator.” Jean-Léon Gérôme’s painting “Pollice Verso” depicts an armored gladiator in the ring, triumphantly facing onlookers as the crowd reacts with thumbs turned down, signaling their approval for the fighter to deliver
Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide distribution rights to “Looks That Kill,” a black comedy starring “13 Reasons Why” actor Brandon Flynn. Produced by American High, the film stars Flynn, Julia Goldani Telles (“The Affair,” “Bunheads”), Ki Hong Lee (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), and Annie Mumolo (“Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” “Bridesmaids”). The project