China on Wednesday officially lifted its 76-day lockdown on Wuhan, the city at the coronavirus pandemic’s epicenter, where the disease was first detected. For the first time in 11 weeks, Wuhan’s more than 11 million residents were able to travel freely again, with tens of thousands choosing to leave by train, plane and automobile at
Linda Tripp, the career civil servant who ignited the impeachment of President Bill Clinton by tape-recording then-intern Monica Lewinsky, has died. She was 70. Tripp was working in the Pentagon when she befriended Lewinsky, the former White House intern who was having an affair with the president. In 1997, she made 22 hours of surreptitious
“Schitt’s Creek” bade a teary, emotional farewell, and more than a million people tuned in to watch. The series finale, which aired simultaneously across Pop TV, Comedy Central and Logo, drew 1.3 million total viewers, which represents the show’s highest-rated episode ever. 501,000 viewers tuned in on Pop, narrowly beating the penultimate episode’s audience tally
Movie theaters are one of the many sectors of the entertainment industry forced to shutter as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps through the country. With nowhere to showcase their films, some Hollywood studios opted to skip theatrical releases entirely (in the case of Universal’s “Trolls World Tour” or Disney’s “Artemis Fowl”) or launch early on home
Exclusive Small businesses are folding left and right due to COVID-19 — and now a bunch of ’em are suing the pants off China … for TRILLIONS. A group of small businesses in California — including Cardiff Prestige Property, Little Saigon Chamber of Commerce, First Premier X and others — just filed the lawsuit against
Before “The Bachelor,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “American Idol” or any of the other network competition shows, there was “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” The game show was an immediate smash when it premiered in 1999, and was a precursor to the modern unscripted boom. Soon, “Millionaire” was a regular part of the ABC
Thomas L. Miller, one of the co-founders of Miller-Boyett Productions who produced some of of the most influential sitcoms in television history such as “Family Matters” and “Full House,” has died of complications related to heart disease. He was 79. Miller died on April 5 in Salisbury, Conn., according to his family and longtime partner
The first international festival to have taken the virtual route amid the coronavirus crisis, Series Mania’s digital edition has been hailed as a success by organizers with 1,500 participants registered from 40 countries and the equivalent of 106 days of screenings. However, challenges securing some key titles for the platform point to enduring challenges for
Known for his satirical songs and their unreliable narrators, Randy Newman has released what may be his least untrustworthy, most reliably narrated number ever: “Stay Away,” a short tune he put on social media at the behest of a radio station that had asked him to weigh in on life during the coronavirus crisis. “I’ve
Zoom has serious loopholes when it comes to privacy, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic when it was finally exposed … so claims one of its shareholders who is now suing. Michael Drieu, a Zoom shareholder, has filed a class-action lawsuit against the video conferencing company claiming Zoom “had significantly overstated the degree to
Across the globe, live sports have been suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. The shutdown leaves inevitable gaps in programming — and sports fans looking to scratch that competitive itch have lost their favorite pastimes as they spend weeks self-isolating. As the quarantine drags on, however, the gaming and esports scene has risen to the
Christine Baranski has played lawyer Diane Lockhart for more than a decade, originating the role in Robert and Michelle King’s “The Good Wife” for CBS in 2009 and starring in their spinoff “The Good Fight” for the Eye’s streaming service, CBS All Access, since 2017. The fourth season of “The Good Fight,” which premieres April
Even if parents are going batty trying to keep their little ones entertained while cooped up at home during this pandemic, they’re not necessarily plunking the kids in front of the TV — not linear TV at least. Meanwhile, certain streaming services are seeing a lift in interest, underscoring the next generation’s shift in television
Plan B Entertainment, the Oscar-winning production label co-founded by Brad Pitt, has signed a first-look feature deal with Warner Bros. Pictures. The producer of Academy Award best picture winners “The Departed,” “12 Years a Slave,” and “Moonlight” will give Warner Bros. exclusive options on all film projects, returning to the studio home where it launched
More than a dozen high-profile Hollywood producers have launched the It Takes Our Village fund for below-the-line film and television crew members impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Bruna Papandrea, whose credits include “Big Little Lies” and “Wild,” made the announcement Wednesday after witnessing first-hand how these crews were being affected. “The below-the-line crews are the
John Prine’s wife Fiona Whelan Prine issued a statement Wednesday following the death of the great singer-songwriter, who Bruce Springsteen called “one of the best we had,” from complications related to coronavirus. He was 73, and while both he and his wife were afflicted with the illness, she has since recovered “Our beloved John died
Fox is adding another series to “The Masked Singer” universe. The new aftershow “The Masked Singer: After the Mask” will start airing Wednesdays at 9 p.m., following original episodes of “The Masked Singer,” starting April 22. “After the Mask,” which will also be hosted by “Masked Singer” emcee Nick Cannon, will fill the slot vacated
Creative Artists Agency is enacting pay cuts across the entire company as the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc across Hollywood and the global economy, Variety has learned. The last domino to fall among the major agencies, the cuts are on a progressive basis affecting the highest paid, a spokesperson said. Agency leaders Richard Lovett,
AXS TV will bring Farm Aid to market this Saturday in the way to which all performers have had to become accustomed: at home. Farm Aid’s four foremost board members — Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews — will join together, separately, to perform live April 11 at 8 p.m./5 PT for
Bruce Springsteen eloquently paid tribute to the late John Prine, “a true original,” as part of his guest DJ turn on Sirius XM’s E Street Radio Wednesday morning. “Over here on E Street we are devastated by the loss of John Prine. Not only was he one of our country’s great songwriters, a real national
Amazon Studios has bought rights from STX and MWM to Dave Bautista’s family comedy “My Spy” for exclusive streaming on Amazon Prime in the U.S. and some foreign markets. No streaming date has been set yet. The deal takes place with U.S. movie theaters not expected to open for several more months with studios vacating
Like many John Prine fans and friends, Brandi Carlile couldn’t sleep in the wee hours Wednesday morning. She put that insomnia to better use than most by picking up an acoustic guitar and singing a tender rendition of “Summer’s End,” the moving ballad that was a highlight of Prine’s final album, “The Tree of Forgiveness.”
YouTube hosts the most massive collection of free videos on the planet. Now, amid the coronavirus pandemic, it’s also opening up more than a dozen YouTube original series free for anyone to stream — without a subscription. YouTube Originals available for free in front of the paywall starting April 8 include Joey Graceffa’s murder-mystery competition
The condition of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who remains in hospital suffering from coronavirus, is improving, according to an update this afternoon from Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Sunak said that Johnson remains in intensive care in St Thomas’ hospital in London, but is now “sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team.”
My days in self-isolation go as such: Wake up and immediately check my phone in panic. (Read the slacks I’ve missed, New York Times push updates, emails from my mom portending the end of humanity as we know it.) Make coffee and refuse to turn on the news while my fiancé takes care of all
Sen. Bernie Sanders has ended his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination, clearing the path for former Vice President Joe Biden to face off against President Trump in November. Sanders, the maverick independent from Vermont, announced his decision shortly before noon ET on Wednesday via a live webcast from Burlington, Vt. Sanders told supporters that
The COVID-19 pandemic is still ripping through the U.S.; the hardest-hit state, New York, is still weeks away from a projected peak of infections; and the prospect of widespread, comprehensive testing still remains agonizingly out of reach. And yet entertainment businesses that depend on large public gatherings to survive — movie theaters, music venues, sports arenas,
Today (Wednesday, April 8) at 4 p.m. ET /1 p.m. PT, Music Biz President Portia Sabin will interview the heads of five of the music industry’s major trade organizations — the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), the Country Music Association (CMA), the National Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and
The first words out of Tim Leiweke’s mouth are that he does not know when health officials will say it’s safe to return to concerts, sporting events and other mass public gatherings. Yet the live-entertainment veteran and CEO of the Oak View Group — an entertainment and sports facilities company he cofounded with Irving Azoff
Snapchat was dealing with technical problems spanning the U.S. and Europe on Wednesday morning, as thousands of users reported trouble using the social messaging app. According to DownDetector, problem reports spiked around 10:30 a.m. ET with nearly 90,000 users reporting issues; 82% said they were having problems sending Snaps, the app’s disappearing messages. That came