In today’s TV news roundup, HBO released the first look at its “Lovecraft Country” adaptation, and ABC revealed its lineup of stars for “The Disney Family Singalong: Volume II,” coming May 10. DATES Quibi has detailed all of the bite-sized shows coming to the platform in the month of May. In addition to the previously
Pamela Adlon is wiping away tears and sniffling a bit. She just finished watching the Season 4 finale of her FX series “Better Things.” “I’m so emotional,” she said during an appearance on Thursday night on Variety’s “After-Show” on Instagram. “It just killed me. It’s very many feelings.” A few minutes later, Adlon’s three daughters
A handful of movie theaters in San Antonio and Austin, Texas, are set to reopen in the coming days, providing an early test case for coronavirus protection measures. EVO Entertainment plans to open two theaters on Monday using “airport security-style check-in,” says CEO Mitchell Roberts. Guests will enter a cordoned area near the front door,
Lionsgate has pushed back “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” to 2021, and Keanu Reeves’ “John Wick: Chapter 4” to 2022 as part a massive revamp its upcoming slate. The studio announced Friday that it has also set its “Saw” reboot “Spiral,” starring Chris Rock and Jackson for May, 21, 2021 — a full year after its
Longtime CAA agent Jeremy Plager has departed the company to launch his own management and production entity. A 25-year veteran of the Hollywood dealmaking firm, Plager has represented top clients including Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Gerard Butler, Mila Kunis, Emilia Clarke, Hugh Grant, and Jane Fonda to name a few. Notably, he signed Lawrence and
As the world faces a global pandemic, another major television event has been canceled: the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour. While the TCA board members are working with networks to explore virtual alternatives to the usual in-person, ballroom-setting press panels, any such option would likely not take place during the usual July-August time frame
Desus and Mero have a message for anyone who played for the NBA in the 1990s: You have a standing invitation to be a guest on the duo’s late-night series on Showtime. The hosts of “Desus and Mero” joined Variety this week for a live webcast interview that touched on everything from ESPN’s buzzy docu-series “The
Exclusive Calvin Harris is allegedly a terrible neighbor who refuses to fix a steady flow of gross, disgusting water pouring from his house … at least that’s how one pissed off neighbor sees it. Julie Opperman is suing the famed DJ … claiming Calvin’s Bel-Air property leaks and leaks and leaks filthy water that’s coating
Checking into the Hotel California is turning out to be a lot tougher than leaving after all. Dates on a 2020 tour in which the Eagles were to perform the “Hotel California” album in its entirety have now been postponed for a second time. Once slated for this spring, then subsequently bumped to this fall,
This year’s annual Met Gala was supposed to be next Monday, May 4. Since that has been postponed indefinitely because of the coronavirus epidemic, Condé Nast’s Vogue is hosting a virtual event in its place: “A Moment With the Met,” a livestream exclusively on YouTube. The livestream will begin at 6 p.m. ET on May
Following the success of “Sausage Party,” Point Grey principals Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have found their next animated project for adults. Sources tell Variety that Sony Pictures Animation is developing a movie based on the 2018 podcast “Bubble” with Point Grey and “Jumanji’s” Matt Tolmach producing. Tolmach will produce through his Tolmach productions with
MGM’s Cassidy Lange and Adam Rosenberg have left their posts as co-presidents of production at MGM in the latest executive shuffle at the studio. The duo had been with MGM since 2011 and were jointly promoted in 2018 by Jonathan Glickman, who was president of MGM’s Motion Picture Group. They were tasked with being responsible
Breaking News R. Kelly has no shame … he’s making yet another plea to the judge to let him out of jail, but this time he claims he has proof he’s vulnerable to COVID-19. The disgraced singer’s lawyer filed docs, obtained by TMZ, asking the judge to release his client pending his trial and claiming
The American Film Market has announced that it remains on track to hold the 2020 market set for Nov. 3-8 in Santa Monica, Ca., despite the coronavirus pandemic. “We know how difficult the past few months have been for our industry around the world and our thoughts go out to those whose loved ones have been
While drive-in theaters remain virtually the only theaters still open in the U.S. (and a good place to see a new release like haunted-tree horror “The Wretched”), distributors are getting creative about how to release indie and foreign films. “Jackie” director Pablo Larraín’s latest, “Ema,” debuts for free on Mubi for one day, teasing a
HBO has renewed “Insecure” for a fifth season. The premium cabler made the announcement Friday. Season 4 of the comedy series, which consists of 10 episodes, debuted on April 12 with three episodes having aired to date. The season finale is set to air in mid-June. Series co-creator Issa Rae heads the ensemble cast, which
Warner Bros. Television presidents Susan Rovner and Brett Paul hosted a conference call Wednesday evening to share information about the studio’s current thinking on production after weeks of coronavirus-imposed shutdowns. The call was attended by the studio’s showrunners, executive producers and line producers, as well as by people from production companies with whom WBTV and
The “Bitch Sesh” podcaster and “Black Monday” actor joined the Variety After-Show, presented by National Geographic, to break down the latest “Real Housewives of New York.” Wilson rated the episode a nine out of ten, saying: “I was just laughing… I love these women. To what do we owe the pleasure that we’re back at fashion
Podcast and now Showtime series hosts, Desus & Mero spoke with Variety about adjusting to life in quarantine, working from home, and some of the perks that have come with their newfound fame — one being the opportunity to lend support to those in need during the coronavirus pandemic that’s resulted in many lost jobs
The line on Joanna Levesque, then and now, has been nearly the same since she began making records at age 13. JoJo, the youngest female solo artist to have a No. 1 in the U.S. with 2004’s “Leave (Get Out),” made mature-for-her-age pop R&B. Sure, as a teen, she was more pop than R&B —
James Corden has committed to paying the salaries of about 60 furloughed staffers on “The Late Late Show” after their paychecks from CBS come to an end this week. Corden has been hosting and producing “The Late Late Show” from his garage in Los Angeles since April 14. CBS covered eight weeks of salary for
The “Parks and Recreation” reunion episode on Thursday night has raised $2.8 million for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund. The half-hour television special follows Amy Poehler’s character Leslie Knope as she catches up virtually with her former Parks department co-workers to see how they are holding up under shelter in place and social distancing regulations. The
WarnerMedia, securing another distribution deal for its flagship HBO Max streaming service, inked a pact with Disney-controlled Hulu to make HBO Max available to subscribers when the platform launches later this month. Under the terms of the agreement, most existing HBO subscribers on Hulu will be automatically upgraded to HBO Max as of the May
AMP Music Summit has announced the final speakers and topics for discussion for its fireside chats and panels for their upcoming virtual summit, taking place on Thursday, May 6. Exploring the impact and opportunities created by the coronavirus pandemic, key topics include: how to lead through tough times, pivoting in the face of immense challenge, livestreaming case
Media executive Matty Simmons, a producer of the influential “National Lampoon’s Animal House” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation” comedy movies, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 93. His daughter, Kate Simmons, announced the news on her Instagram account on Thursday. “Yesterday I lost my hero,” she wrote, in part. “My dad had gone from the
Annie Weisman, known for producing “Desperate Housewives” and “The Path,” has inked an overall deal with Apple. As part of the multi-year deal, Weisman will develop TV projects exclusively for Apple TV Plus, adding to her aerobics upcoming dramedy “Physical,” which was landed at the streamer earlier this year. Weisman was previously under an overall
Metallica drummer and co-founder Lars Ulrich has had a lot on his mind since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, from the stronger connections he’s forged with his family and his fanbase, to nature’s rebound in the absence of normal human activity, even new ways technology can help artists share their work with the world. But when
Jeremy MoellerGetty Images Despite not the whole “not going outside” thing, there seems to be a trend kicking around the Influencer sphere that’s been escalating in isolation. Scroll through Instagram and i becomes abundantly clear that, among things like banana bread and throwback vacation photos captioned “Remember places?”, New Balance sneakers are everywhere. Specifically, iterations
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon and the world’s richest individual, has been called before the House Judiciary Committee to explain how the ecommerce giant uses data on third-party merchants. The lawmakers, in submitting the request, said a recent report about Amazon’s practices contradicted the company’s previous statements to the committee and “appear to
Even before the coronavirus crisis wreaked havoc across the entertainment industry, Weta Digital was monitoring the situation closely. The VFX house, headquartered in New Zealand and responsible for some of the most memorable visual effects in film over the past two decades, had to deal with the spread of the disease early due to Weta’s