March 20, 2020 2:25PM PT The Walt Disney Company raised nearly $6 billion in a new debt offering, revealing the move in a filing Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Disney said in the filing that it expects “to use the net proceeds from the sale of the notes for general corporate purposes,
For Hollywood’s biggest talent agencies, working from home has been the least of tough adjustments in the stunning fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Revenue streams at the companies have suddenly dried up as show business has shut down. From major players CAA, WME, UTA, ICM Partners and Paradigm, to boutique dealmakers like Management 360, economic
Colton Underwood, the former star of “The Bachelor,” has tested positive for COVID-19. The reality star and former NFL player shared the news on Friday that he tested positive for the coronavirus. In sharing his test results on social media, he encouraged his two million Instagram followers to self quarantine and practice social distancing. “I
Since first collaborating with Brian May and Roger Taylor during his almost-triumphant run on 2009’s iteration of “American Idol,” every Queen + Adam Lambert performance features the latter finding new ways to humble himself. Despite having his own rich clear tenor with a vocal range of three octaves (a B2-B5 semitone if you’re wondering) and a
It has been a rocky road to “One Day at a Time’s” fourth season premiere, but when it finally arrives on March 24 it comes at a time the world needs it most. Pop TV saved the Sony-produced multi-camera comedy from cancellation in June 2019, picking it up for a fourth season only months after
Following letters to Congress from the Recording Academy and the Music Artists Coalition, some of the largest companies in the music and entertainment communities — including A2IM, the American Federation of Musicians, ASCAP, The Azoff Company, Country Music Association, CAA, Live Nation, Music Artists Coalition, Music Business Association, National Music Publishers’ Association, Paradigm Talent Agency,
March 20, 2020 12:33PM PT With U.S. theaters remaining closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Paramount Pictures is giving “Sonic the Hedgehog” an early release on digital. The studio said on Friday that the family-friendly action-adventure, based on the Sega video game character, would be available for early digital release on March 31 — 46
March 20, 2020 12:00PM PT Netflix has created a $100 million relief fund to help members of the creative community who have been left unemployed and without a way to earn an income during the coronavirus crisis. The streaming giant said that the bulk of the funds will go towards supporting laid-off crew members. “The
March 20, 2020 12:07PM PT Amid widespread closures of movie theaters in the U.S., theater owners are applauding the efforts to pass coronavirus relief legislation to aid vulnerable employees and ensure business continuity during the coronavirus pandemic. “We particularly applaud the elements of phase III stimulus legislation that provide assistance to employees to help them
Radio, I’ve just about had enough of you and your abandonment of your defining purpose as broadcasters. With the coronavirus pandemic now ravaging everyday life and suspending every reliable comfort from work routines to sports and entertainment or actual human contact, we’re looking for steadiness somewhere — an echo of the familiar, a kindred connection.
Looking to exploit the corornavirus pandemic as a way to grab a quick buck, scammers are increasingly targeting stuck-at-home consumers with offers ranging from fake testing kits to bogus cures as well as soliciting donations to fake charities, according to U.S. government officials. The FCC on Friday warned of a “proliferation of scam phone calls
For Maeve Higgins, launching a film career started with denial. “It’s so hard to get a movie made, I just didn’t believe it would happen,” she says with a laugh. Written and directed by Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman, “” features the Irish comedian in her first starring role. “It’s probably good I didn’t fully
In what may be a bellwether for genre-based awards shows going into the near future, the Blues Foundation has announced it is canceling both the Blues Hall of Fame induction ceremony and Blues Music Awards, which were set to take place on successive nights in May — but will still celebrate the winners via webcasts.
Finding the look for Netflix’s new four-part series “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” was something costume designer Karyn Wagner describes as “being in heaven, and a smorgasbord of design.” Set in 1908, the story follows the title character, born Sarah Breedlove and played by Octavia Spencer, who learns about caring
Following the news that the Cannes Film Festival will be postponed, Critics Week, the section dedicated to first and second films which runs parallel to the fest, said its 59th edition will not be taking place in May either. The organizers of Critics’ Week said in statement on Friday that the section may be moved
The U.K. government is escalating its response to the country’s coronavirus outbreak, with lockdown measures finally in place and extensive economic support for retained workers. Speaking as part of a daily televised press briefing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered all cinemas, theatres, bars, pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and gyms to shut down from Friday evening
The members of Congress who represent the entertainment industry are trying to make sure the next coronavirus relief package includes aid to freelance workers. But while there is sympathy for the theater business — which has almost entirely shut down — there appears to be little appetite for an industry-specific bailout package. Congressional Democrats are
Times are rough right now under self-quarantine, so maybe it’s time to stop begging for scraps from Disney and watch some fantastic LGBTQIA+ cinema instead. Why not watch some smaller films that haven’t been talked to death by every pop culture website on the planet? The purpose of this list is to cheer people up,
Hello? Welcome to the new owner of Moviefone — whoever that is. Moviefone, the once-popular movie listing service that was left stranded after the Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing of its parent company, has been sold — for the low, low price of just over $1 million. But the identity of the buyer is a question
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has expanded coronavirus-related restrictions in the Empire State, ordering non-essential businesses to keep all workers home in an effort to slow the spread of the contagion. “When I talk about the most drastic action we can take — this is the most drastic action we can take,” Cuomo said Friday
March 20, 2020 8:55AM PT The Music Business Association’s annual Music Biz conference, held in Nashville and scheduled for May, has been postponed until August, due to ongoing coronavirus concerns. The event is now scheduled to take place from Sunday, August 16 through Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at the JW Marriott Nashville. All conference registrations
A starry slate of music live-streams for the shut-in age is on deck for Friday, with live web performances by Hozier, OneRepublic, Julianne Hough and the duo of Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn. Friday also brings a transplanted music festival: it’s the online version of the EDM-focused Ultra Festival, for your home rave needs. A
UPDATE: Bandcamp’s servers are operating more slowly than usual due to high volume, a Tweet from the company sent Friday morning reads: “Please be patient with us today as there may be slowness and availability issues on the site. We’re working on them. Keep supporting artists!” As the coronavirus has devastated the live-music industry, many
Disney joins the growing number of studios releasing films early digitally as theaters remain shuttered nationwide in light of the coronavirus pandemic. Disney and Pixar’s “Onward” will be available to buy digitally and on Movies Anywhere for $19.99 beginning on Friday at 5 p.m. PT. It hits Disney Plus on April 3 in the U.S.
The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), the body that represents European movie theater owners, has underscored its opposition to any challenge to the theatrical window despite the widespread closure of cinemas due to the coronavirus crisis. In a statement issued Friday, UNIC said: “With the financial impacts of this unprecedented crisis on our industry still
Movie theater chain Cineworld Group, which also owns specialty exhibitor Picturehouse, has come under fire for letting go many of its staff and reducing the wages of others in the U.K. following the closure of all their British cinemas due to the coronavirus pandemic. Staff employed on a casual basis – on so-called “zero-hours contracts,”
YouTube will limit streaming in European countries to standard-definition video by default, following a similar move by Netflix to curtail bandwidth usage across the continent amid the coronavirus pandemic. “[W]e are making a commitment to temporarily switch all traffic in the EU to standard definition by default,” YouTube said in a statement. “While we have
As studios and distributors continue to pull the theatrical releases of their films, and cinemas nationwide close their doors to the public, what becomes of film criticism in the time of coronavirus? Like many of the U.K.’s film and TV workers, most critics work on a freelance basis and with most major theater chains shuttered
March 20, 2020 3:59AM PT Chinese actor Gao Yunxiang was this week acquitted in Australia of multiple rape and sexual assault charges. Producer, Wang Jing was similarly found not guilty on seven counts of sexual assault and attempted sexual assault. The cases sprang from accusations made in March 2018 that the two men had gone
The global coronavirus pandemic has claimed its latest victim. The launch of Mouse House streamer Disney Plus in India has been indefinitely delayed. Disney Plus was due to launch March 29 as part of Disney’s India streaming service Hotstar, coinciding with the beginning of the service’s largest audience puller — the Indian Premier League (IPL)