Remote production is getting better and better. “Saturday Night Live’s” second installment during the ongoing quarantine was noticeably more elegantly done than the first. Newscasts and late-night shows, though not quite seamless, are looking less cobbled-together. And “Parks and Recreation’s” reunion special, intended to raise funds for and bring awareness to the food-insecure population during
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the “Parks and Recreation” virtual reunion special. Last television audiences saw Nick Offerman, he was playing a tech CEO named Forest in FX on Hulu’s limited series “Devs.” But in March he did a complete 180-degree character turn to step back into the shoes of
Queen and Adam Lambert are honoring healthcare workers and first responders on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic with a new song: “You Are The Champions,” a reworking of the band’s 1977 classic “We Are The Champions.” Individually isolated in their homes, Queen founders Brian May and Roger Taylor along with Lambert recorded a
Exclusive Drew Barrymore and Walmart are getting dragged into more than a pillow fight … they’re getting sued for allegedly copying a fabric design studio’s patterns to sell pillows. Rule of Three Studio just filed a lawsuit against Drew and Walmart for copyright infringement … claiming the actress and big box store straight-up ripped off
NBC has partnered with Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios and Funny or Die to air a two-hour comedy special on Sunday, May 10, benefiting Feeding America, a hunger-relied organization. “There’s nothing more important right now than doing everything we can to make sure everyone affected by this pandemic is able to feed themselves and their families,”
Fox announced Thursday that it has greenlit a new unscripted series titled “Celebrity Watch Party.” Debuting May 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, the hour-long show will feature celebrities and their families filming themselves in their own homes and reacting to the week’s most interesting television shows and events. Guests in the premiere episode will include
ESPN’s Michael Jordan docuseries “The Last Dance” has captured the attention of just about every basketball fan around the globe, except for documentarian Ken Burns. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Burns reveals that he hasn’t watched “The Last Dance” and he fundamentally disagrees with how it was made. Michael Jordan’s production company,
Tory Lanez, whose “New Toronto 3” mixtape has been among the top 10 albums for the last two weeks, is one of the hottest current stars putting up a concert livestream in the coming days. If country is more your music lane, Luke Combs or the pairing of Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood will have
MusiCares, the charitable wing of the Recording Academy, which has raised nearly $14 million through its COVID-19 Relief Fund, has been forced to stop accepting new applications for aid until it raises more money, the organization announced Thursday. MusiCares staff and executives have been hard at work fundraising, but until further notice, the need has
In today’s film news roundup, the Dakota and Elle Fanning’s World War II drama “The Nightingale” gets a 2021 release, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival selects its closing film, the Palm Springs Short Festival cancels in-person events and college comedy “CRSHD” finds a home. RELEASE DATE Sony Pictures has set Dec. 22, 2021,
There’s a scene in “All Day and a Night” that cuts you to the quick. Jahkor Lincoln (Ashton Sanders), a freelance thug and aspiring rapper in Oakland, CA., who wears a permanent hot glare of suspicion, is seated in the living room of a gang leader named Big Stunna (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Jahkor is trying
Filmmaker Alice Wu admits that she is someone who needs deadlines. “I guess I respond to external pressure,” she says with a laugh when discussing how she was trying to write her second film, “The Half of It.” Prone to procrastination, she went to extreme measures. “I wrote a check for a thousand dollars to
“The Voice” is adapting to the coronavirus pandemic by staging a series of remotely-filmed live shows, NBC announced Thursday. Beginning Monday, May 4, Carson Daly will host the live rounds from a soundstage without a live audience in front of the red “Voice” chairs. The four coaches — Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Nick Jonas, and
Director Jon M. Chu said while sequels to the hit romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians” are in the works, he and producers are not currently casting for “new lead roles,” as falsely indicated by a phony press release and social media post, which have since been taken down. Chu took to his Twitter account on
Josh Gad won’t say he’s in love with the idea of Ariana Grande playing Meg in the upcoming “Hercules” live-action remake, OK, maybe he will. Grande recently belted out Meg’s swooning love ballad during ABC’s “Disney Family Singalong,” and Gad, who of course has plenty of clout in the Disney universe, would certainly not be
The SAG-AFTRA Executive Committee has approved an unspecified number of staff furloughs and reductions of staff hours in response to the current and anticipated production shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee announced the moves Thursday as part of a vote to overwhelmingly approve a fiscal year 2021 (May 1, 2020-April 30, 2021) of $96
Virtual raves have proven to be a popular entertainment option during the coronavirus pandemic. From festivals held online — Earth Night, Room Service, Club House and Desert Hearts are among those that took place just last weekend — to rooftop events headlined by the likes of David Guetta (from the Icon Brickell in Downtown Miami)
Darren GerrishGetty Images Valentino’s creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, understands the emotion that a dress emits. Indeed, his collections for the storied fashion label are marked for their sweeping grandeur, romance, and ability to connect with audiences on a much deeper level than what is seen on the surface. And he is extending this set of
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has hired former Starbucks executive Shelli Taylor as chief executive officer, effective Friday. Taylor spent nearly two decades at the coffee chain and most recently served as president of United Planet Fitness Partners, overseeing over 169 facilities across the country. Founder Tim League will assume a new role as executive chairman, leading
Legendary Entertainment has closed a deal for Macon Blair to write and direct the upcoming feature film project “Brothers” starring Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage, sources tell Variety. Andrew Lazar, who was a producer on the Bradley Cooper hit “American Sniper,” will produce via his Mad Chance banner. Brolin is also producing via his shingle,
“The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah is keeping a safe social distance from his crew, but still trying to do right by them. Variety has learned that Noah is personally paying the salaries of 25 furloughed members of “The Daily Show” crew amid the industry-wide production shutdown prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. Noah has informed
“Dare Me” won’t be cheering any longer. USA Network has canceled the cheerleader drama after a single season, Variety has confirmed. However, the show’s producer UCP is looking to shop it around, hoping to resurrect the drama elsewhere, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The series centers around the cutthroat world of competitive high school
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix released the trailer for Jerry Seinfeld’s new comedy special, and ABC announced its new game show “Don’t.” RENEWALS HBO, RAI and Fremantle have announced the renewal of drama series “My Brilliant Friend” for a third season, titled “My Brilliant Friend: Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay.” Just like
Tribeca Film Institute and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation announced the winners of their 2020 Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize and Sloan Student Discovery Awards on Thursday, which have been awarded to Matthew Jackett for his screenplay “White Coffins” and Zoe Fleer’s “Clamming,” respectively. The Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize has supported 15 student filmmakers
With the “Parks and Rec” cast reuniting for a scripted special benefitting Feeding America, both original fans and those who binge-watched the show via streaming are surely in for a treat. Almost all cast members will be in character for the half-hour reunion, including Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Aziz Ansari, Rashida
The coronavirus has spawned thousands of memes this spring, but perhaps none as ubiquitous as the “dancing coffin” crew from Ghana. The six dancing pallbearers seen in the macabre yet humorous memes popularized by the pandemic, are soundtracked in nearly every video posted by a decade old track from Russian composer and artist Tony Igy
The ownership group of the San Antonio Spurs is selling a minority stake in the team, people familiar with the matter told Sportico. The team has retained Guggenheim Partners to manage the process, said the people, who were granted anonymity because the matter is private. Guggenheim’s chief executive officer is Mark Walter, who is the
Amazon earnings fell far below expectations when the e-commerce giant reported first-quarter results after the market close Thursday. Though some on Wall Street had expected the Seattle-based tech giant to benefit from the increase in online shopping amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that has been keeping people at home, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said that
Apple turned in better results for the first three months of 2020 than analysts expected amid the COVID-19 crisis — including posting a record $13.3 billion in services revenue, up 17% year over year. In February, Apple warned investors that it expected to miss previous targets for the March quarter, citing the coronavirus outbreak in
UPDATE — Hollywood’s major studios and the Writers Guild of America have agreed to start negotiations, as planned, on May 11. The WGA has also agreed to extend its contract expiration two months to June 30. Both sides are expected to exchange proposals on Friday — even though studios did not agree to the WGA’s request