The National Association of Theatre Owners of California/Nevada has established a $1.25 million relief fund to assist employees of member theaters who have been laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “As we all know, our industry is dependent on our employees for survival, and we want to do what we can to assist them during
Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women” appears to have left behind a couple of little mistakes – namely a black Hydro Flask and a Poland Spring water bottle. Self-proclaimed “Little Women” superfan Madelyn Rancourt, who claims to have seen the movie seven times in theaters, exposed the flaw to the internet via TikTok on March 26. After
Amazon, in partnership with Apple, has quietly turned on a new feature in Prime Video’s apps for Apple devices that lets users buy or rent TV shows and movies, using the in-app payment feature. Previously, the Prime Video app for Apple’s family of devices didn’t let you make purchases. The Prime Video app for iPhone,
In today’s TV news roundup, Quibi unveiled the first trailer for “Punk’d” hosted by Chance the Rapper, and Showtime announced a documentary about an elite basketball community that is co-executive produced by NBA star Kevin Durant. DATES Gildart Jackson, the award-winning audiobook narrator and actor best known for his roles in “Charmed” and “Whodunnit?,” will
Adam Schlesinger, a musician and songwriter highly regarded for his work as a member of Fountains of Wayne and an Emmy-winning songwriter for TV’s “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” has died as a result of coronavirus complications, Variety has confirmed. He was 52. Schlesinger died Wednesday morning. He was divorced and is survived by two daughters. He had
Chinese president Xi Jinping indicated that cinemas should remain shut while on a tour to Zhejiang province that otherwise signaled Beijing’s desire to get its economy back on track post-coronavirus, state media said on Wednesday. His comments come as China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has ordered entertainment venues across the country that had just
On March 11, comedian Jim Gaffigan was in Bogotá, Colombia, in the midst of his worldwide Pale Tourist tour when he received a call from his manager that Argentina was closing its borders in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and his upcoming show there was canceled. He had a choice: fly to São Paulo,Brazil, for his
Quibi has spent more than $1 billion so far gearing up for what founder Jeffrey Katzenberg touts as a category-defining pay-TV service of the future, uniquely built for smartphones. It’s not clear when, or even whether, the startup will recoup that. In the months leading up to Quibi’s still-planned April 6 debut, industry insiders privately
Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy spent eight years working on the script for their feature film debut, Amazon’s “Blow the Man Down,” about a pair of sisters who go deep into the underbelly of their New England hometown to cover up a crime. But the filmmakers’ relationship dates back further than that — to
Five days before Quibi’s scheduled April 6 launch, the Jeffrey Katzenberg-founded mobile-video venture has been hit with another legal action — demanding that Quibi be forced to stop using technology it allegedly stole from an interactive-video company. The motion seeking a preliminary injunction against Quibi comes from New York-based Eko, which last month sued Quibi
With schools closed due to the COVID-19 crisis, millions of children are stranded at home — and most parents working from home say they find it tough to manage the daily juggle. How to keep the kids occupied in a way that isn’t totally mindless? Here are 15 of the most popular shows available on
Rapper Daniel “Tekashi 6ix9ine” Hernandez could be released from prison as early as Wednesday afternoon, according to reports in XXL and Rolling Stone. Like several other celebrities, his attorney, Lance Lazzaro, has filed a motion to have him released early due to the spread of coronavirus through the prison system. However, unlike Bill Cosby and
Rapper Daniel “Tekashi 6ix9ine” Hernandez could be released from prison as early as Wednesday afternoon, according to reports in XXL and Rolling Stone. Like several other celebrities, his attorney, Lance Lazzaro, has filed a motion to have him released early due to the spread of coronavirus through the prison system. However, unlike Bill Cosby and
Farce is not a genre we commonly associate with the Germans, but then, as “Curveball” reminds us at the outset, this wildly atypical Teutonic satire — which plays like a cross between “Wag the Dog” and “Dr. Strangelove” in its portrayal of incompetence at the highest levels — is “A true story. Unfortunately.” More mea
When the film and TV industry emerges from self-isolation to a forever altered landscape, one silver lining will be the online savvy newly gained by traditionally digitally-shy businesses, some of whom have reacted with lightning speed to devise virtual showcases. A drive towards virtual events initially manifested in early March across disrupted festivals such as
Director Stephen Williams, who most recently helmed HBO’s “Watchmen,” has boarded “Don’t Go in the Water,” an original horror film from Universal Pictures. Peter Gaffney wrote the script, most of which is being kept tightly under wraps. The film is described as a suspenseful monster movie. Shawn Levy and Dan Levine will produce “Don’t Go
John Sloss, founder and principal of Cinetic Media, is the consummate mover and shaker in the independent film business. But a conversation with Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos a few years ago changed his view of television forever. “From the moment Ted Sarandos informed me he was going to drop an entire season of ‘House
Songwriters are straining to meet the moment as the coronavirus crisis intensifies — and John Mayer has definitely met this one with a new song, “Drone Shot of My Yacht,” that captures all the angst felt by billionaires as they wait out the pandemic, adrift on the high seas. Although it doesn’t mention anyone by
Universal Pictures is shaking up its release calendar, setting new dates for Illumination’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and “Sing 2.” The “Minions” sequel will now hit theaters next summer, on July 2, 2021. “Sing 2,” originally set to open on that date, has been pushed to Dec. 22, 2021, leaving “Wicked,” an adaptation of
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton I will accept that spring is indefinitely over, but I refuse to accept that summer is cancelled. They will have to pry the hope of beach getaways from my over-sanitized hands. I am staying home for the health of my country and the promise of outdoor drinking. If summer 2020 does
Taylor Swift hasn’t been spotted casually browsing in record stores over the years quite as often as LP shop-aholic Elton John, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have an equal interest in keeping them open and thriving. Grimey’s, an independent store in her hometown of Nashville, confirmed Thursday that Swift had quietly made a contribution
Another word for “Cargo,” a truly unique blend of Hindu mythology and mid-concept science fiction about a futuristic new process by which the recently deceased are beamed onto a spaceship far away in order to have their memories wiped and their souls cleansed for reincarnation, might be “baggage” — as in, dead people show up
Former Hulu chief Jason Kilar has been named CEO of WarnerMedia, giving him oversight of Warner Bros., HBO, the Turner cable assets and the company’s nascent HBO Max streaming platform. Kilar succeeds John Stankey, who was upped in September to AT&T president and chief operating officer. Kilar’s name had surfaced as a contender for the
Is this any time for a dance party? It is if you’re a fan of Dua Lipa, the English singer who won the best new artist Grammy in 2019 and is back with a sophomore album that literally doesn’t skip a beat. “Future Nostalgia” is 100% ballad-free, with a style that might have seemed at
As the coronavirus pandemic has brought much of the music industry — and most industries — to a standstill, MusiCares has emerged as the leading relief resource for the untold thousands of music professionals impacted by the crisis. However, obviously it can’t handle everyone, and a large number of resources are available for music professionals
“Empire” has had its fair share of bumps in the road over the last year, but now, the series is having to cut short its final season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The sixth and final season of “Empire” was scheduled to run for 20 episodes, however, the production shutdown caused by the pandemic meant
Comcast chief Brian Roberts, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell and other division leaders at Comcast will donate their salaries to coronavirus-related relief efforts as the world grapples with the devastating pandemic. In a memo sent to Comcast’s 190,000 employees worldwide on Wednesday. Roberts said the salary donations would also be made by Comcast CFO Mike Cavanagh,
ViacomCBS has come to a crossroads, again. The company that has endured more drama in the C-suite in recent years than any of its larger rivals was already under pressure this year to prove it could muster a comeback in a big way. Now, with the black swan named coronavirus roiling the waters, leaders of
Before Guy Fieri ever wrapped his mouth around the smoked-wing nachos or Nashville hot fried chicken he regularly nibbles on TV, he had to navigate the twists of the pretzel business. When he was around ten years old, Fieri’s parents took him on a ski trip, and would essentially let him wander as he saw
Russian comedy-drama series “257 Reasons to Live,” which will play in competition at Canneseries, follows cancer patient Zhenya after she unexpectedly goes into remission and receives the all-clear. Unable to believe her luck, Zhenya (played by Polina Maximova) is determined not to waste a minute of her life. She comes across an old notebook she