Last week, Better Than Ezra frontman raised $40,000 for MusiCares’ coronavirus relief fund simply by performing a virtual concert on Facebook and clicking a box on the site. Asked how he did it, Griffin tells Variety: “I organized the event myself. I saw that the artist, Molly Tuttle, had done a Facebook live event that
Bowing to the inevitable, VidCon’s flagship U.S. edition in June has been canceled because of the coronavirus crisis. As recently as last week, VidCon reps said it had remained a go as scheduled for Anaheim, Calif., from June 17-20. But on Monday organizers announced the U.S. confab’s cancellation. “Unfortunately, due to the continued uncertainty surrounding
Things were looking grim for Spanish sports fans heading into the country’s second weekend under a government mandated lockdown, and grimmer still for those with rights to broadcast the nation’s favorite game of football. An early outside-the-box idea materialized when football league La Liga, Banco Santander, Spanish broadcaster Movistar Plus and eSports celebrity Ibai hosted
Discovery Channel is preparing to launch “Deadliest Catch: Bloodline,” a spinoff of the network’s hit unscripted series “Deadliest Catch.” “Bloodline” follows Josh Harris, the son of legendary Bering Sea captain Phil Harris. Josh, along with his business partner Casey McManus, discover a trove of Hawaiian fishing charts scribbled with Captain Phil’s handwriting. Josh takes the
Germany’s Beta Film, a prime mover of this and next week’s virtual TV marketplace, has sold “Cryptid,” produced by Dramacorp for the Nordic Entertainment Group’s Viaplay SVOD service, to Joyn, the new German AVOD venture launched in 2019 by Discovery and ProSiebenSat.1. Underscoring how regional and big national streaming services are now energizing production and
As virtual market initiatives proliferate, Italy’s Nexo Digital, which co-produces and distributes theatrical event content for the global market, has set up a virtual product showcase to make up for the cancellation of the MipTV mart. The MipTV global content market was due to run March 28-April 2 before the coronavirus pandemic forced its cancellation.
MADRID — Argentina’s Pablo Trapero, one of the driving forces behind the renaissance of Latin American cinema, is teaming with El Estudio on two ambitious TV series: an English-language U.S. remake of his 2010 hit movie “Carancho” and true-facts inspired bioseries “Galimberti.” Based out of Los Angeles, Mexico City and Madrid, El Estudio – a
Federation Entertainment has come on board leading Moroccan filmmaker Laila Marrakchi’s “Casa Girls,” a series about four twentysomething single women living in Casablanca. “Casa Girl” is being developed by Lauraine Heftler and Michael Gentile’s The Film, whose credits include Julie Delpy’s films and upcoming series “On The Verge” (working title). Federation Entertainment will be co-producing
On Wednesday, Series Mania hosts digital presentations of drama series projects developed during a writing residency attended by 12 writers from France and Israel, whose credits include leading shows like “The Bureau,” “Fauda” and “Braquo.” The week-long residency, initiated by France’s CNC and Israel’s Gesher Multicultural Film Fund, was supervised by Italian scriptwriter Stefano Sardo
German performing rights organization GEMA has launched an emergency relief fund worth up to $43 million for its songwriter and composer members, according to Music Business Worldwide. “It is already foreseeable that the economic consequences of the corona pandemic will be devastating for the entire creative industry,” said GEMA CEO Dr. Harald Heker. “GEMA will
Christine and the Queens represent the country of France in leading a listing of Monday’s live-streamed music performances, while a pair of country music queens, Brandy Clark and Ashley McBryde, get their own turns at serenading fans in this new world of web-only concerts. Also on deck are James Blake, Orville Peck, Years & Years,
Victor VIRGILEGetty Images As the cases of coronavirus climb higher each week, fashion companies have ramped up their efforts to mitigate its spread. Last week, luxury house LVMH began using its perfume factories to produce hand sanitizers for health authorities in France. Now, LVMH and fellow luxury goods company Kering are taking it a step
March 23, 2020 8:06AM PT The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit denied the White House’s request for en banc review of a ruling that Donald Trump violated the First Amendment by blocking critics of the president on Twitter. The Trump administration had appealed for a review of the unanimous three-judge ruling by
With millions of kids cooped up at home, Amazon is opening up free streaming access to more than 40 children’s shows — including its original series — to all customers worldwide. The content, previously available only to Prime Video customers, includes Amazon original series “Just Add Magic,” “Pete the Cat” and “If You Give a
The Entertainment Industry Foundation has launched the COVID-19 response fund to provide financial relief to entertainment industry workers affected by coronavirus-related shutdowns. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, our own community has been impacted tremendously. Productions have halted, many displaced workers have found themselves without pay or medical care, and live entertainment is at a standstill. Every
Over-the-top TV provider FuboTV is getting a lifeline in the form of a proposed merger with virtual entertainment company FaceBank Group. Following the closing of the merger, expected by the end of March, FuboTV will become a wholly owned subsidiary of FaceBank, and FaceBank will be renamed FuboTV Inc. The combined company is expected to
Just 72 hours after he dropped his new album “After Hours,” The Weeknd followed with a deluxe edition that includes five bonus tracks: four remixes and the audio from his “Saturday Night Live” performance of the album’s “Scared to Live.” He also tweeted in the early hours of Monday that a video for the album
Father John Misty today announced the release of a live album, “Off-Key in Hamburg,” available on Bandcamp. All proceeds from the album will be donated to MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. “Off-Key in Hamburg” was recorded live at the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie on August 8, 2019 with his long-time touring band, and the Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt. MusiCares, the
From the creators of the jade egg (for your yoni) and the $75 candle that smells like, well, Gwyneth Paltrow’s yoni, comes…activewear? Today, Goop introduced its first-ever foray into the designer world with G. Sport, an activewear line designed in collaboration with Proenza Schouler. If this was any other launch, Goop would’ve postponed it due
March 23, 2020 6:45AM PT With the nation’s movie theaters dark due to the coronavirus outbreak, Sony Pictures has given its hit action comedy “Bad Boys for Life” an early video on demand release on March 31. The movie — starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence — will debut April 21 on 4K Ultra HD,
Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are feeling better after being treated for COVID-19. The couple, who announced two week ago they had coronavirus, also recommended those hoping to halt its spread should stay home. “Hey, folks. Two weeks after our first symptoms and we feel better,” Hanks tweeted Sunday night. “Sheltering in place works like
Producers of the Academy of Country Music Awards have settled on a new date for the live CBS telecast, landing on Sept. 16, pushing back the ceremony five months from its originally scheduled April 5 perch. Notably, the announcement from the ACM and Dick Clark Productions said that the venue would be revealed soon along
It’s not everyday when you’re called upon to work with the biggest group in pop music, but Toronto native August Rigo was one of the few trusted to co-write two tracks on BTS’ latest album, “Map of the Soul: 7″ — “Black Swan” and “On.” The former, written alongside BTS member RM, producer Pdogg, rapper
Online screening portal ProgramBuyer will launch a free digital service uniting buyers and sellers affected by the cancellation of MipTV. From March 30, those now unable to meet physically will be able to access the new “Mip Releases” section on the ProgramBuyer portal. Any distributor, including ProgramBuyer subscribers and non-subscribers, will be able to access
More than 500 cinema screens have reopened in China, where the coronavirus outbreak is seen to be receding, though box office takings remain minimal as the public is mostly staying away. State media CGTN reported that 486 theaters were open for business on Friday. On Monday, financial publication Caixin said the number had risen to
Several economists, academics and directors of research institutions from around the world have written to Rishi Sunak, the U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer, asking the government to extend support to the self-employed. In a letter published in The Times newspaper on Monday, the signatories wrote: “We welcome the support for the employed, but the self-employed
U.K. broadcaster ITV is reducing its program budget by £100 million ($116 million) in the wake of restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. In a trading update on Monday, ITV said: “This reflects savings from sport including the postponement of Euro 2020, the late delivery of commissioned programming and active decisions to reduce our spend.”
As the coronavirus crisis continues to devastate Germany’s entertainment industry, calls are growing ever louder for an official ban on shooting. At the same time, the country’s film funders have come together to finance an industry rescue package, while leading TV broadcasters are promising to bear a share of the costs of shuttered productions. The
Japanese pay-TV group, Wowow has greenlighted a third season of its local adaptation of U.S. hit series “Cold Case.” It is expected to premiere in winter 2020. The announcement follows agreement with licensor Warner Bros. International Television Production. The company said that the success of “Cold Case” helped usher in a trend of Japanese networks
March 22, 2020 10:38PM PT “Time to Hunt,” the Korean action thriller that had its world premiere last month as a gala screening at the Berlin Film Festival, has given up its theatrical release plans. Instead, it will be released by streaming giant Netflix in mid-April. The move has not sat easily with Contents Panda,