A whole bunch of Netflix’s biggest YA stars are gathering together to discuss the issue of self-care during the coronavirus pandemic. Actors such as Noah Centineo (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”), Joey King (“The Kissing Booth”), and Caleb McLaughlin (“Stranger Things”) will conduct interviews with mental health experts for a weekly, live video
Video — usually an interview — is a standard component of most cover stories these days. But we felt lucky enough that The Weeknd chose Variety for his first sit-down interview in nearly five years — and a boring old conventional video interview was dismissed out of hand. Okay, how about if we did something
The experience of listening to person’s music while they’re sitting in the same room has the potential to be equally awesome or awkward for both parties. What if the music is terrible (or, worse, mediocre) and the listener feels compelled to pretend to like it? What if the listener says something idiotic and the artist
At the risk of sounding almost trivial given the sheer magnitude of the current global pandemic, these are challenging times for all in the media and entertainment industry. The out-of-home entertainment market is one segment of the media business that has been particularly devastated. So have the livelihoods of content-developing creatives (producers, talent) and content-enabling
“Space Force,” Greg Daniels and Steve Carell’s new workplace comedy, will launch May 29 on Netflix with Lisa Kudrow set to play a recurring role in the series, the streamer announced Wednesday. “Space Force” centers on Mark R. Naird (Carell), a four-star general and decorated pilot who dreams of running the Air Force but instead
Toyota was the first advertiser to drive into a partnership with the ABC comedy “Modern Family.” Tonight, it will be the last. As viewers watch a tribute to the program in the 8 p.m. hour Wednesday on ABC, they will see an animated commercial showing a Toyota Highlander driving through a series of landscapes that
MGM has nabbed rights to Ridley Scott’s true crime drama about the murder of fashion icon Guccio Gucci’s grandson Maurizio Gucci, Variety has confirmed. Lady Gaga is in early negotiations to star in the project, which MGM will release on Thanksgiving 2021. The film will be produced by Scott and Giannina Scott via their Scott
On the afternoon of March 5, the artist known as The Weeknd is at a rehearsal for his appearance on what will be the last live episode of “Saturday Night Live” for the foreseeable future — although no one realizes it at the time. The iconic Studio 8H at 30 Rock bustles with activity as
“Tiger King” has clawed its way into the national psyche to become one of Netflix’s biggest-ever original shows. The docuseries reached a U.S. TV audience of 34.3 unique viewers within the first 10 days of its release (March 20-29), according to Nielsen estimates. That topped season 2 of Netflix hit “Stranger Things,” which had 31.2
AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now has acquired U.S. rights to the eight-part Australian drama “Bad Mothers” from distributor Red Arrow Studios International. A hit for Australia’s Nine Network, “Bad Mothers” explores modern motherhood through four different women as they juggle love, family, careers, infidelity — and murder. The drama is produced by Jungle Entertainment in association with Filthy
Fugitive, the production and financing company run by Anthony Kimble and Merrily Ross, has picked up international distribution rights to four new projects from Rogo Productions, including transgender Jewish drama “Abby” and a high-profile doc series about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Fugitive has also formed an exclusive partnership with the London-based production company, run by Alex
Now Netflix title “Caliphate,” produced by the Endemol Shine-owned Swedish production company Filmlance, has smashed all-time viewing records on Sweden’s SVT Play, the catch-up VOD service of public broadcaster SVT, Endemol Shine Group confirmed Wednesday. “Caliphate” was made available globally on Netflix on March 18. The biggest success ever on SVT Play, Endemol Shine said,
Netflix has joined forces with Audiens, the social protection group of the French cultural sector, to set up an emergency fund for local freelance artists and crew members. Netflix is set to inject €1 million ($1.09 million) into the fund that’s being set up with Audiens, in collaboration with France’s National Film Board (CNC). The
Over 50 European film and TV organizations have issued a joint statement this morning calling for E.U. and member state decision-makers to take urgent action to safeguard the future of the sectors in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The statement has been co-signed by 51 organizations and companies including producers’ alliance Pact, the International
The COVID-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund has opened for applications in the U.K., as research shows that 93% of industry freelancers are no longer working due to the coronavirus crisis. Created by The Film and TV Charity in partnership with the BFI to provide support to workers and freelancers hit hardest by the
Celebrity Deaths of 2020 – Variety ad
In the old days, you would check in on an alien-visitation shlock-TV documentary (or an episode of “Unsolved Mysteries”) all to catch those grainy home-movie glimpses of alien spaceships. On that score, “Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind” is nothing less than an all-you-can-eat banquet of UFO porn. There are vintage clips of “sightings” shot
Musicians and entertainment figures are remembering legendary singer-songwriter John Prine, who died Tuesday from complications of coronavirus. “Over here on E Street, we are crushed by the loss of John Prine,” wrote Bruce Springsteen. He recalled the similar critical takes they received when they first arrived on the recording scene at about the same time.
John Prine, who established himself as one of America’s deftest and most affecting singer-songwriters over the course of a nearly 50-year career, died Tuesday of complications of coronavirus. He was 73. His publicist confirmed his death on behalf of his family. Prine had been in the hospital for several weeks, and it was announced that
In today’s film news roundup, Lionsgate’s new studio is getting final financing, “American Nurse’ is getting re-released, Sony is launching Kid Zone and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s relief fund has given out $1 million. STUDIO FINANCING Lionsgate, Great Point Capital Management and real estate company National Resources have secured a $40 million loan from CIT Bank
Allen Garfield, an actor who appeared in movies like “Nashville” and “The Stunt Man,” has died of coronavirus, according to his “Nashville” co-star Ronee Blakely. He was 80. “RIP Allen Garfield, the great actor who played my husband in “Nashville”, has died today of Covid; I hang my head in tears; condolences to family and
Two male residents at the Motion Picture Television Fund’s skilled nursing facility in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills have died of complications from COVID-19. The first death occurred on Monday and the second took place on Tuesday, according to Bob Beitcher, president and CEO of the Motion Picture & Television Fund. Beitcher did
Chernin Entertainment has signed a first-look deal for feature films with Netflix. The companies confirmed the deal on Tuesday. Chernin’s previous first-look deal had been through 20th Century Fox, but that agreement went away earlier this year after Disney absorbed the Fox feature film operations last year. Variety reported exclusively in January that Chernin Entertainment would
Police in Crowley, La., had to apologize after using the siren from the horror franchise “The Purge” to signal a curfew during the city’s quarantine. In order to stop the spread of coronavirus, the city has implemented a 9 p.m. curfew for residents, but many found the noise chosen for the siren eerily familiar. Louisiana
Unscripted series are showing the biggest ratings and viewership gains amid the mass self-isolation caused by coronavirus, and two of the biggest beneficiaries continued to consolidate their gains in delayed viewing. After seven days of delayed viewing, the March 23 episode of “The Voice” was up to a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49 and 11.7
The cast of “Schitt’s Creek” sat down with Variety to play a fun-filled game of “How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star,” ahead of the series finale that airs on Tuesday, April 7. Daniel Levy, Annie Murphy, Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara were asked a series of questions related to the television sitcom to find
If ever a platform was built for the stay-at-home era and took years to realize it, it’s Stageit. The site is the spot where fans are paying to see upward of 700 artist performances a week in an intimate setting — face-to-face, laptop-to-laptop. With touring, a musician’s financial lifeline, ceased until this pandemic ends, Stageit
Pluto TV, ViacomCBS’s free, ad-supported, streaming TV service, is now live with across 17 countries in Latin America, including Mexico, with a library of 12,000 hours of Spanish-language movies, TV shows and other programming. As of April 7, the Spanish-language service is available in: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Last year, the Swedish Fashion Council made an unprecedented move while planning the annual Stockholm Fashion Week: They canceled the event entirely, citing concerns about its environmental impact. Not everyone in fashion is taking such drastic measures, of course, but it spoke to the urgent need for action on the issue, one that designers and
There may be some changes in store for the 2021 SAG Awards because of the coronavirus pandemic. SAG hosted its annual spring meeting for about 120 film executives and awards consultants on Tuesday to discuss awards season and the 27th annual ceremony, which is set to take place on Jan. 24. SAG is considering changing