NBC Sky World News, the ambitious news service aimed at English-speaking audiences around the world that was expected to launch this summer, is on hold. NBCUniversal and Sky, the two Comcast-owned divisions preparing to debut the outlet, have decided to delay the launch of the business due to the coronavirus pandemic, NBC News Chairman Andy
Joshua Jackson wasn’t allowed to see the scripts for all eight episodes of “Little Fires Everywhere” when he was first approached about playing Reese Witherspoon’s husband on the Hulu series. They gave him the first seven. “Until I signed on the dotted line, they wouldn’t give me eight,” Jackson says on Thursday’s episode of “The
“The Masked Singer” romped to victory in the Wednesday night TV ratings race, scoring its biggest numbers since the post-Super Bowl season 3 premiere in the process. The Fox show averaged a 2.4 rating among adults 18-49 across its back-to-back episodes and 8.8 million total viewers, compared with a 2.2 and 8 million last time
Australia’s Beyond International is to acquire U.K. distributor TCB Media Rights, previously owned by Kew Media Group, which became insolvent last month. Beyond is buying TCB from FTI Consulting Canada Inc., the official receiver for Kew Media Group. The acquisition will be completed through Beyond’s Ireland-based subsidiary, Beyond Entertainment Limited (BEL). In a statement to
Adam Schlesinger, who died of complication due to coronavirus on April 1, had a musical resume that was deep and admired. Best known for his work in early 2000s rock-pop band Fountains of Wayne, he also was the musical director for the TV comedy “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” as well as the primary writer for the theme
SoundCloud today announced a series of initiatives designed to help creators get their music heard on the platform, including what it describes as a $15 million investment in promotional support and its “artist accelerator program.” “As the coronavirus crisis has unfolded, we’ve seen a global outpouring of tracks on SoundCloud,” CEO Kerry Trainor wrote in
T-Mobile is launching a free one-year giveaway of Quibi to some wireless customers — a promo that could plant the seeds for Jeffrey Katzenberg’s ambitious mobile TV startup to build a sustainable viewer base. But while Quibi’s exclusive distribution pact with T-Mobile gives it a valuable opportunity to win loyal fans, it’s no guarantee of
British comedian Eddie Large, best known for being part of double act Little and Large, has died at the age of 78 after contracting coronavirus in hospital. The star (pictured, above left), who had been in hospital with heart failure, found fame alongside Syd Little in the 1970s and 80s. They won TV talent show
Entertainment One has signed a multi-year distribution deal with fledgling U.K. scripted indie Three Tables Productions. Under the pact, Three Tables will develop and produce original scripted programming for eOne to distribute worldwide. Three Tables was founded by former Leopard Pictures head of development David Chikwe, ex-U.K. Film Council executive Himesh Kar, and entrepreneur and investor
Acorn TV, AMC Network’s British programming focused streamer, is to launch in the U.K. at the end of the month. Launching on April 29 with dramas such as ITV’s “Foyle’s War” and the BBC’s “Keeping Faith” as well as the British-produced Acorn TV original “Queens of Mystery,” the service will charge £4.99 ($6.20) per month
MTV International has ordered a fast-turnaround live and interactive digital gameshow series designed to entertain viewers in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, hosted by reality TV star Charlotte Crosby. The “MTV Game Night With Charlotte Crosby,” consisting of six 30-minute episodes, will stream live from Crosby’s home on a weekly basis from 8.30 P.M.
The South Korean government has unveiled a package of measures to help the local film industry, which is currently reeling from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Chief among the measures is the decision to exempt multiplex chains from having to contribute to the country’s movie development fund. This normally operates as a mandatory contribution
Egyptologists, archaeologists and forensic investigators will try to decipher the stories of Ancient Egyptian mummies in an upcoming series for Travel Channel and the U.K.’s Channel 5 from producer Blink Films. Six-parter “Mummy Mysteries” for Travel Channel, which will be titled “Mummies Unwrapped” for Channel 5, follows a team of experts using cutting-edge science, historical
CMT has slated a tribute to the late Kenny Rogers that will feature at-home performances and interviews with friends and celebrants including longtime duet partner Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires, Lady Antebellum, Vince Gill and others, to air April 8 as a benefit for the MusiCares organization’s COVID-19 relief fund. Others
The blockbusters will be postponed, the indie films in many cases will head straight to streaming. But even before the apple cart of movie distribution got tipped over, “Blue Story” had traced an unlikely path. An artfully corrosive British youth-gang drama, at once jaggedly real and modly stylized, it was written and directed by Andrew
Korean-made war film “Battle of Jangsari,” which features Megan Fox in a key role as a front line reporter, is set to play in multiple European and Asian territories. The film already had a deal with WellGo USA for North America. Seoul-based sales agent, Finecut said that it had additionally licensed the film to Pandastorm
The SAG-AFTRA Health Plan has cut 50% from the cost of premiums for the second quarter in response to the coronavirus crisis. SAG-AFTRA members were notified of the reduction on Wednesday via a message from SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris and national executive director David White. They said the cuts would cover participants who had been
Doc Edge, New Zealand’s annual factual film festival, will this year become an online-only event. Instead of cancelling due to the disruptions to production and travel caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the festival will move all screenings and events into the virtual space. The virtual festival is scheduled to run between May 28 and June
Ellis Marsalis Jr., a jazz pianist from New Orleans, died Wednesday night from complications due to coronavirus, his son, Branford Marsalis, confirmed in a statement to Variety. He was 85. In addition to having his own prominent music career, Marsalis helped pave the way for four of his sons, Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason, to
[unable to retrieve full-text content]
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 3, episode 10 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired April 1 on Fox. Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is the latest celebrity to be revealed on “The Masked Singer,” as the show’s final nine contestants faced off for the first
Ellis Marsalis Jr., a jazz pianist from New Orleans, died Wednesday night from complications due to coronavirus, his son, Branford Marsalis, confirmed in a statement to Variety. He was 85. In addition to having his own prominent music career, Marsalis helped pave the way for four of his sons, Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason, to
By tapping Jason Kilar — the co-founder of Hulu and an Amazon veteran — to be its new CEO, AT&T-owned WarnerMedia is sending a signal that its future will be streamed. In a conversation with Variety just hours after the announcement, Kilar himself says as much. Kilar has known AT&T COO and current WarnerMedia CEO
Adult Swim has announced that the second half of Season 4 of “Rick and Morty” will premiere on May 3 at 11:30 p.m. The announcement was made today alongside a new trailer for the season’s remaining five episodes. Set to the upbeat chant of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back in Town,” the footage offers
Ellis Marsalis Jr., a jazz pianist from New Orleans, died Wednesday night from complications due to coronavirus, his son, Branford Marsalis, confirmed in a statement to Variety. He was 85. In addition to having his own prominent music career, Marsalis helped pave the way for four of his sons, Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo and Jason, to
Whether it was the snarky but sincere pop of Fountains of Wayne and Ivy, the ‘60s retro of Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do!” or the Broadway fare of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Adam Schlesinger’s music reached far beyond his public profile. The master songwriter passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 52 from complications related
Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams are opening their contact lists for their new endeavor to help children during the coronavirus pandemic. Not long after the U.S. came to a screeching halt because of COVID-19, the two superstars launched “SaveWithStories,” an Instagram account that features celebrities and other notable figures reading children’s books. The line-up already
In today’s film news roundup, Dolly Parton makes a donation for coronavirus cure, Howie Mandel and Ashlee Simpson join the voice cast of “Pierre The Pigeon-Hawk” and American Documentary launches an artists emergency fund. RESEARCH DONATION Dolly Parton has donated $1 million to Nashville’s Vanderbilt Hospital to help aid research to find a cure for
Here are the top trailers for movies coming to home video in April 2020! What will you watch? Watch All the Best New Trailers from March 2020: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLScC8g4bqD47DXRUXKCTzblMVgqojW-9B&cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Watch More Trailers: ► Hot New Trailers: http://bit.ly/2qThrsF ► Drama Trailers: http://bit.ly/2ARA8Nk ► Action/Sci-Fi Trailers: http://bit.ly/2Dm6mTB Fuel Your Movie Obsession: ► Subscribe to MOVIECLIPS TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/2CNniBy ►
The mobster comedy is by now such familiar terrain that it ought to have its own nickname (mobcom, obviously), and that familiarity does not make breathing new life into the subgenre easier. Alas, there isn’t much fresh air to be had in “Clover,” a polished but pedestrian romp in which two knucklehead siblings in hock