March 27, 2020 5:34AM PT Apple is making the Final Cut Pro X video-editing suite and Logic Pro X recording-studio package available for free 90-day trials amid the stay-at-home COVID-19 crisis. “We hope customers who are home and looking for something new to master will try out these free trials and start making some awesome
Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony said that the coronavirus has not – yet – caused it to change its financial guidance it has provided for the financial year, which ends in just a few days. Its games unit has escaped lightest so far. But the movie business at Sony, and in Asia, continues to
MADRID — In one of the first detailed breakdowns from a major European company of marketing strategies in the Series Mania/MipTV online marketplace, Germany’s Beta Film has announced that it will stage a virtual Beta Brunch on March 31. Nobody will be offered virtual food, but the event will retain some of its flavor, going
Max Conze is stepping down as CEO of German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1, with immediate effect. Chief financial officer Rainer Beaujean has taken on additional responsibilities as he becomes the chairman of the executive board. Along with Conze’s departure, the company announced late Thursday a change in strategic focus. “ProSiebenSat.1 Group is returning the primary focus of
BBC Studios and China’s Huawei Video have struck a deal in which British TV content is supplied to Huawei consumer mobile devices in 26 countries. The deal was announced to coincide with the launch of Huawei’s P40 cell phone. Some 300 hours of drama, comedy and factual shows will be available to stream via Huawei’s
“Uncorked” kicks off on a delicious note of culture clash. As hectoring hip-hop pounds over the opening credits, the movie cuts back and forth between the owner of a Southern barbecue joint preparing the day’s fixins — grilling the pork ribs, stirring the tangy red sauce — and California vintners working their chem-lab alchemy to
For years, Bob Dylan fans have spoken in a sort of hushed awe about the longest song he ever released, “Highlands,” an album side-length 1997 track that ran 16 minutes and 31 seconds. Now, 23 years later, he’s slightly outdone himself. As the clock struck midnight on the east coast Friday morning, Dylan released a
There are a lot of classic ingredients that go into a banana split. So it seems appropriate that “Banana Split” includes all the tasty components of a good, fun, soulfully smart summer-after-senior-year teen flick. It’s got sharp-tongued dialogue and fresh appealing actors who know just how to deliver it. It’s got an anthropological eye for
More than 200 cinemas in Shanghai will re-open Saturday after nearly two months of enforced shutdown to stop the spread of coronavirus, Chinese authorities said Thursday. This makes the metropolis of more than 24 million one of China’s first major tier one cities to re-open multiplexes to the public, after others in more far-flung regions
Pamela Adlon is a true auteur. The co-creator, writer, producer, director and star of “Better Things” has the reins of the FX comedy, and she may hold them tighter than most performers who step behind the scenes, with her fingerprints on every stage of the storytelling, from outlines in the writers’ room to sound mixing
In today’s film news roundup, Jennifer Hudson’s “Respect” is moved back two months, another film festival is postponed and “Lupin the Third: the First” and “Raising Buchanan” find distribution. RELEASE DATE MGM has moved the release date of Jennifer Hudson’s Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect” from Oct. 9 to late in the awards seasons with a
March 26, 2020 4:00PM PT Dr. Anthony Fauci is coming to Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” at an interesting moment for late-night TV. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, did an interview with host Trevor Noah earlier today. Comedy Central said the interview was one of four that Dr. Fauci
Grammy Awards are great, but the Recording Academy’s greatest contribution to the music industry is arguably MusiCares — its charitable foundation to support music industry workers in need. In simpler times, it helps people with everything from emergency health care to substance-abuse treatment, but these days it has focused on helping music people — everyone,
Play video content Breaking News C-SPAN Seems the ice has thawed between Tom Brady and Donald Trump — at least, according to POTUS — who says he spoke with TB12 the other day and they’re all gooooood! Trump busted out the humblebrag during a coronavirus update press conference Thursday while trashing the “fake news” media.
While most of the entertainment and live event industries have shut down of late, WWE has forged ahead with its weekly TV programming amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Having relocated their shows to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, the company is embracing new measures to protect talent and crew members from the virus. “At
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix released the trailer for “#BlackAF,” and NBC announced the series finale air date of “Will & Grace.” DATES NBC has announced the series finale of “Will & Grace” will air April 23 at 9 p.m. In the episode, “It’s Time,” Will (Eric McCormack) is determined to not reminisce about
Ad revenue for traditional “linear” media could fall as much as 12% in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, while digital media advertising could still rise more than 4%, according to a new forecast from Interpublic Group’s media-research unit Magna. The Magna forecast, a long-watched barometer of media spending, has been revised downward. Overall media
Netflix has canceled “Messiah” after one season, Variety has confirmed. Series star Wil Traval shared the news on Instagram, writing, “It’s a very sad day today. I have just received news from Netflix that there will be no season 2 of #messiah I wanted to say to all the fans thank you for your support and
When HBO officially classified “Watchmen” as a limited series, the pay cabler’s competitors groaned. That’s because it made what was already a jam-packed and competitive limited series category even more stuffed this Emmy season. But then came the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, which has impacted production and post-production on countless TV projects, including episodes of programs
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the globe, Hollywood has been brought to a standstill. TV and movie productions have been put on hold, as the industry — along with millions in other businesses — is social distancing. One such project that’s been paused is “The Last Duel,” Ridley Scott’s upcoming drama set
“Supernatural” fans are going to have to wait a while longer to find out how the show ends. Neither “Supernatural,” nor “The Flash,” nor “Legacies” will be able to finish their current seasons in the timeframe that was originally planned. All three CW series were among hundreds that were forced to shutdown production due to
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Early on in his career, BD Wong wasn’t allowed to “be funny.” “I grew up as a young actor feeling like casting directors and producers would say to us, a way’s back, ‘Asian people are not funny,’” Wong said during a live interview on the “Variety After-Show,” streamed via Variety’s Instagram, getting emotional. “They would
Neal Baer is among the few people in the world who can list “licensed physician” and “experienced showrunner” on his resume. With that background, it’s telling that Baer’s most recent TV effort — steering the third season of Kiefer Sutherland drama “Designated Survivor” — revolved around the theme of a pandemic breaking out in the
Neon, the U.S. distributor behind Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar winner “Parasite,” has won domestic rights to “Pig,” a revenge thriller from Nicolas Cage and first time filmmaker Michael Sarnoski, Variety has learned. The Tom Quinn-led company came out ahead in a heated bidding war that ignited last week involving numerous competitors, sources said. The deal
Dave Matthews is definitely the elephant in the room — or maybe the 800-pound marching ant? — when it comes to Thursday’s music live-streams. Tonight is the night he performs a half-hour solo show online as the premiere of a new Verizon-sponsored series, “Pay It Forward Live,” that will be broadcast each week to promote
Six days after The Weeknd’s latest album “After Hours” arrived to rapturous response, a ray of light at the end of one of the worst weeks anyone can remember, the album is headed for one of the biggest debuts of the year, and an easy album-chart topper. According to BuzzAngle Music, in just its first
New York’s Governors Ball festival, scheduled for early June, has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers announced on Thursday. “It is with a heavy heart that we must announced the cancellation of Governors Ball 2020 due to COVID-19,” the announcement reads in part. “Simply put — due to current government mandates and the
Diplo, Barry Gibb, Ryan Tedder, Lauv, Charlie Puth, Die Antwoord and many more have joined Twitch Stream Aid, a 12-hour charity stream kicking off this Saturday, March 28 at 9:00 AM PST on twitch.tv/twitch co-presented with Amazon Music. The livestream will benefit the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for the World Health Organization. (See the full lineup
New York’s Governors Ball festival, scheduled for early June, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers announced on Thursday. “It is with a heavy heart that we must announced the cancellation of Governors Ball 2020 due to COVID-19,” the announcement reads in part. “Simply put — due to current government mandates and the evolving situation