March 27, 2020 2:44PM PT Eight-bit diehards, get your thumbs ready: pop rock darlings Weezer have launched a nostalgia-heavy online side-scrolling action game, playable via web browsers. The “The End of the Game” game has users playing as one of the band’s four members and jumping and shooting their way in a (surprisingly difficult) boss
While the coronavirus has upended the entire world, the fashion industry is feeling the affects hard. Over the past few weeks, the novel coronavirus outbreak has caused brands to shut down stores indefinitely, including Nike, Reformation, Everlane, Net-a-porter, and more, and post-poned the annual star-studded Met Gala event, which usually takes place in May. But
March 27, 2020 1:50PM PT In yet another sign of the times, the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) today announced that the 2020 installment of its Indie Week conference — the world’s biggest gathering point specifically for the independent music community — is moving online this year, obviously due to the coronavirus pandemic. The
Joe Diffie has become the first country star to go public with a coronavirus diagnosis, announcing that he contracted the disease in a message to fans Friday. The singer did not reveal whether he is currently hospitalized. “I am under the care of medical professionals and currently receiving treatment,” Diffie, 61, said in his statement.
Google and parent Alphabet are pitching in to help small businesses, health organizations and governments dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The internet company has earmarked more than $800 million for coronavirus relief, about three-fourths of which ($610 million) is in the form of Google Ad credits to small and midsize businesses and governmental orgs, Alphabet
Gonzalo “Chalo” Gonzalez-Rubio died March 20 at Verdugo Hospital in Glendale of complications from a bacterial infection. He was 95. The close associate of Sam Peckinpah worked as a prop master and graduated to film roles, including in 2006’s Sundance award-winning “Quinceanera.” Producer Katy Haber, a Peckinpah associate from 1970 to 1977 used a military
March 27, 2020 1:45PM PT After “First Man,” Ryan Gosling is taking on another astronaut movie. The actor will produce and star in “Project Hail Mary” with MGM in negotiations to acquire the project, based on the upcoming Andy Weir novel. Ken Kao is also producing. “Project Hail Mary” is centered on a solitary astronaut
A riveting and radical act of empathy, with actress Deragh Campbell’s unforgettably embodied portrayal of mental instability as the eye of its storm, Canadian director Kazik Radwanski’s astonishing third feature (after “How Heavy This Hammer” and “Tower”) is a brief, bracing burst of microbudget indie filmmaking at its most powerful. “Anne at 13,000 ft” might
Time tugs strangely on the sleeve of “Sweet Thing,” a heartfelt, hopeful yet slightly hollow black-and-white coming-of-ager from American indie stalwart Alexandre Rockwell (“In the Soup,” “Pete Smalls Is Dead”). A lively, bittersweet meditation on an impoverished childhood that is still rich in innocence and imagination, it feels old-fashioned in a way that does not
Warner Music Group has made a donation to MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund launched last week, CEO Steve Cooper said in a memo to the company’s staff. “We’re backing the brave efforts of medical professionals around the world, as well as helping the musicians hurt the most by this crisis,” he wrote. “We’re making donations to Heart
The Olympics? Canceled. Coachella? Canceled. SXSW, Tribeca, movie theaters and Broadway? All canceled. The coronavirus has forced us all to adapt and adjust. Whether it’s working from home or watching for local businesses to open again, there are still many questions and uncertainties. In Hollywood, that has also meant that TV shows and movie productions
Wondering if you need to get tested for COVID-19 — and what to do next if you have symptoms of infection? Apple now has an app for that. The company Friday released a free screening tool and set of resources to help people stay informed and take the steps to protect their health during the
While it might seem counterintuitive that music streams would decline at a time when so many Americans were ordered to stay home, data-savvy label executives were neither startled nor concerned by the 7.6% drop in plays that happened in the March 13-19 tracking week. Simply put, the say it’s down to focus on news and
March 27, 2020 10:52AM PT U.K. entertainment industry union Equity has pledged £1 million ($1.2 million) to support its members who have been affected by the pandemic-induced industry shutdown. Equity is asking for more donations, stating that the vast majority of its 47,000 members earn modest sums and do not have savings as a fall-back
The House of Representatives passed the $2 trillion stimulus package on Friday, even as lawmakers said another rescue package would be needed. The bill passed on a voice vote, and now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature. Most Americans will receive a one-time payment of $1,200 plus $500 per child. The bill also
Cinematographers and their camera crews often tweak equipment to fit their needs. Sometimes it results in Garrett Brown inventing, designing and building the Oscar-winning Steadicam, or Nic Sadler developing the Artemis Director’s Viewfinder, which earned him an Engineering Emmy. But DPs and camera assistants regularly create tools and accessories to help them and their colleagues become
March 27, 2020 9:54AM PT ABC is shuffling the schedule of “American Idol” amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The broadcaster will air pre-taped episodes on both March 29 and April 5 rather than airing both episodes in the same week. Live shows were set to begin April 6, but that is no longer the case.
Reed Midem launches its MipTV Online Plus initiative Monday as a digital alternative to the conference that was scheduled to open on the same day in Cannes, but it includes many of the elements that were planned for the physical event. The streamed sessions will kick off Monday at 9.30 A.M. CET with the invitation-only
Niecy Nash is self-quarantined in her Los Angeles area home with her family. “I’m doing exactly that they told me to do,” Nash tells Variety. “I’m staying in the house and getting fat.” She lets out a big laugh before adding, “Did they say the get-stuffed part? Maybe I made that part up.” Even if
Great news “Killing Eve” fans, AMC has announced it is moving up the season 3 premiere by two weeks. The acclaimed Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer series will now debut its third season on Sunday, April 12. The move comes as networks, cablers and streamers all contend with the programming and scheduling nightmare being caused
The long-awaited economic measures for the self-employed revealed by U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on Thursday have elicited mixed response from the film and TV industry’s predominantly freelance workforce. Self-employed individuals can claim 80% of their average income over the last three years up to £2,500 ($3,000) a month, which is taxable. To
March 27, 2020 8:48AM PT Thursday night saw a trio of season finales on broadcast TV, all of which didn’t show any growth, but didn’t lose any ground either. On Fox, the Stephen Dorff-led drama “Deputy” aired its final episode of season 1 to a 0.6 rating among adults 18-49 and 3.9 million total viewers,
In this week’s International TV Newswire, Spain’s LaLiga announces details of Saturday night’s LaLigaSantader Fest; Argentina’s INCAA updates: Red Arrow wheels and deals; and Fremantle’s Dancing Ledge Productions promotes Chris Carey to managing director. La Liga, Universal Music Team for LaLiga Santander Fest More than fifty artists and high-profile soccer players have united remotely to
Hooq, the multi-territory streaming service in Asia backed by WarnerMedia and Sony, filed Friday for voluntary liquidation in Singapore. In recent weeks it had been reported that the company had failed to make full remittances to some of its in-production original series. The company was started in 2015 and remains majority controlled by Singaporean phone
The BBC will donate £700,000 ($856,000) to the U.K.’s Film and TV Charity in support of coronavirus relief. The donation is aimed at those out of work because of halted production caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on freelance workers. Around £500,000 ($611,000) will go to the London-based charity’s new Film and TV
LG Electronics USA is the first TV manufacturer to support Movies Anywhere, the digital-movie streaming service joint venture of four major Hollywood studios. Movie Anywhere’s collection of 7,900-plus movies, including new releases and classics, are now available to customers with LG Smart TVs (2017 models and later, running webOS version 3.5 or later). Movies Anywhere
March 27, 2020 6:47AM PT UPDATED: U.S. equities indexes dropped sharply in early trading Friday, scuttling hopes that a rebound was afoot after three days of strong gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 700 points, or more than 3%, a few minutes into the session. That’s a reversal from the past
In the Spring of 2017, a young Colombian-Canadian singer named Jessie Reyez performed a short set in a small upstairs bar in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. She’d built a buzz in Canada via a series of singles, particularly the minor-at-the-time hit “Figures,” and had just released her debut EP, “Kiddo,” which included an aggressive and startlingly
An anonymous woman sued Moroccan-American rapper French Montana on Thursday, alleging that she was given alcohol and raped during a party at the artist’s home in Hidden Hills, Calif. two years ago. The woman — identified only as Jane Doe — states that she blacked out and was sexually assaulted while she was incapacitated. According
March 27, 2020 6:30AM PT Hours after municipal authorities in Shanghai gave more than 200 cinemas the green light to re-open Saturday, national-level Chinese authorities on Friday ordered all theaters throughout the country shut again, likely due to concerns over renewed coronavirus threat. Around 500 theaters across the country had attempted to re-open, but seen