“I’m just shocked — I’m still in awe and on a high,” Teddy Riley says from his home in Las Vegas, two days after his Verzuz battle with legendary songwriter and producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds shut down Instagram. “So many people in the business — people I don’t even know, and those I do —
Mike Dean spent his 4/20 working. The in-demand producer and cannabis aficionado, in isolation in Los Angeles, celebrated the stoner holiday promoting his “4:20” instrumental project. The 28-track mixtape was inspired by his epic Instagram Live appearances over the last month — during which Dean would jam using his massive collection of synthesizers and other
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix released the “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” interactive comedy special trailer, and the cast of “Melrose Place” is set to reunite on “Stars In The House” April 28. DATES NBC has revealed that “America’s Got Talent” and “World of Dance” will have their season premieres back-to-back on May 26. “America’s Got Talent”
Courtesy of Kelsey Randall Some of our favorite up-and-coming designers have pivoted to face masks, offering a version for every taste, often with philanthropic benefits. If you’d rather make your own, take a page from NYC designer Kelsey Randall, whose glittery Western looks have been worn by Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Lil Nas X. Randall
[Editor’s note: “My Darling Vivian” is one of more than 100 movies originally scheduled to screen at the SXSW Film Festival in March. After the coronavirus outbreak forced the festival to cancel, event organizers partnered with Amazon Prime to make seven of those features available to stream for free through Weds., May 6.] A fascinating
In the latest celebrity contribution to the “Tiger King” craze, the punk band the Offspring has shared its cover of “Here Kitty Kitty,” Joe Exotic’s Carole Baskin diss track that was featured in Netflix’s documentary series. Though the series led viewers to believe Exotic had a country music career on the side, “Here Kitty Kitty”
Nashville had a case of double vision after an important addition was made to the city’s calendar Monday morning. The mayor held a news briefing announcing that the Academy of Country Music Awards would be held in the city for the first time September 16, to be broadcast on CBS from three locations — the
Nexstar Broadcasting, the nation’s largest television station group, is leveraging its heft in New York to host a virtual town hall with eight members of the state’s Congressional delegation to address viewer questions about the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. The one-hour event, “COVID-19: Congressional Town Hall,” will be held April 28 at 7
Steven Yeun has signed a first-look television deal with Amazon. Under the deal, Yeun will work with Amazon to create television series for the streaming platform. The news comes after it was previously announced that Yeun would voice the lead character in the upcoming Amazon animated series “Invincible.” “I feel very fortunate and privileged in
Diamond and Silk are no longer on the list of contributors at Fox News. The offbeat duo, Lynette “Diamond” Hardaway and Rochelle “Silk” Richardson, who gained a profile on Fox News Channel in 2016 and then worked on the company’s streaming-video outlet, Fox Nation, are no longer contributing to Fox News venues, according to a
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has announced that movie theaters will be allowed to reopen on Friday, along with restaurants, retail stores and museums. Texas becomes the latest state to allow theaters to open, though the major chains are not expected to restart business until at least July. Georgia allowed its theaters to reopen on Monday,
Since the release of “What’s Up?” in 1993, the 4 Non Blondes hit has solidified its place as a call-to-action as well as an anthem of hope. Now, in a time of great uncertainty and isolation brought on by coronavirus, 16-year-old singer-songwriter Willa Amai has framed the song for a new generation as the question
HBO is in the market to raise Hell. The network is currently developing a series based on the “Hellraiser” film franchise, which in turn was based on Clive Barker’s novella “The Hellbound Heart,” Variety has confirmed. The prospective series will not be a reboot of “Hellraiser,” but rather “an elevated continuation and expansion” of its mythology,
Universal’s “The King of Staten Island” — a semi-autobiographical comedy starring Pete Davidson and directed by Judd Apatow — is going straight to video on demand, making it the latest film to forgo a traditional theatrical release as cinemas remain closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. “The King of Staten Island” will premiere on home
In “Contagion,” the 2011 Steven Soderbergh drama that predicted, in eyebrow-raising, scientifically rigorous, this-could-be-happening-to-you detail, exactly what’s happening to us right now (incompetent trash-talking authoritarian president? — that plot point must have been discarded for being something you could only see in the movies), Matt Damon, as run-of-the-mill Minnesota guy Mitch Emhoff, sits in a
FYI Brand Group is launching a new webinar series via Zoom, “FYI Firesides,” featuring experts across the entertainment, pop culture, music, fashion, sports, and philanthropy sectors. The series launches Tuesday (April 28). According to the announcement, FYI will offer in-depth conversations on how to navigate the changing landscape and implement new strategies, forward-thinking ideas, and
CMT is having its two biggest annual franchises trade places. After it was previously announced that “The CMT Music Awards” would move from its usual June berth to October 14, the yearly “Artists of the Year” special that normally would have taken place around then is being bumped up to June 3 — retooled to
Sen. Bernie Sanders has suspended his presidential campaign, but his camp is nevertheless livid that New York officials decided on Monday to cancel the June 23 primary. The state Board of Elections voted on Monday to cancel the election due to the coronavirus pandemic. The chair of the elections board said it would be “essentially
HBO Max has acquired worldwide rights to the Seth Rogen comedy “An American Pickle,” which will be released under the platform’s Warner Max label this year. HBO Max bought the film from Sony Pictures so it wouldn’t be delayed in light of theater closures. It will now reach audiences via the new streaming platform. Most
Along with Sade albums, new Daft Punk music is among the rarest of the rarities in contemporary music — and while it’s not a new album proper, Italian film director Dario Argento revealed in an interview with Repubblica that the duo has reached out to him to collaborate on his next film, “Occhiali Neri” (aka “Black Glasses”).
The best late-night companion for Comedy Central’s long-running “The Daily Show” may just be “The Daily Show.” The ViacomCBS cable outlet will expand Trevor Noah’s late-night showcase to 45 minutes per night during production that takes place during the coronavirus. It’s the first time since the franchise launched in 1996 with Craig Kilborn that it
Netflix has canceled “Turn Up Charlie” after its first season. The comedy, starring Idris Elba, centered on a struggling DJ and bachelor who becomes a nanny for the daughter of a childhood best friend who has since become much more successful than him. “’Turn Up Charlie’ will not return for a second season,” said a
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you haven’t watched the Season 3 premiere of “Vida.” One scene in the Season 3 premiere of “Vida” struck a personal chord with star Melissa Barrera, who plays Lyn: At a party for her boyfriend Rudy’s mother, the free-spirited Hernandez sister is judged harshly for not speaking Spanish fluently
Comcast-owned pay TV operator Sky is recommending that dramas with significant international shoots delay filming until spring 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The U.K. commissioning team is instead looking to create more local scripted shows, like hit thriller “Save Me,” which are not so expensive or challenging to produce in the current environment. Last
Good Deed Entertainment is partnering with the Kino Marquee virtual theatrical exhibition platform as part of buying worldwide distribution rights to the black comedy “Lucky Grandma.” Showings will begin on May 22 through more than 200 theatrical partner sites on KinoMarquee, including the Alamo Drafthouse and Laemmle Theater chains. The movie, starring Tsai Chin as
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. As many across the country continue to practice self-isolation due to coronavirus, why not while away
HBO Max will get an assist from Apple for the WarnerMedia streaming service’s May 27 debut, in a continuation of their “coopetition” arrangement. At launch, HBO Max will be available on Apple devices and fully integrated with the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TVs. The Cupertino tech giant is teaming
MADRID — Driving to build operations between Spain and North America, Spain’s Secuoya Group, owner of the Madrid studios used by Netflix for its first European Production Hub, has named James Costos, former HBO VP of global licensing and retail, as president of Secuoya Studios, its TV fiction-film content production arm. Secuoya will also open
Ingrid Andress’ single “More Hearts Than Mine” has reached the top spot on the country radio chart, supplanting Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope” — marking a historic first, as never before have two debuting female artists’ first singles succeeded each other back-to-back at No. 1 in the format, according to statistician Jada E. Watson. Moreover, songs
SPOILER ALERT: Do not keep reading if you have not watched “The Last Kingdom” Season 4, which dropped April 26 on Netflix. Lady Aelswith finds herself in unfamiliar territory in Season 4 of “The Last Kingdom.” With King Alfred gone and her children forging their own paths, Aelswith is without allies at precisely the time