SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 3, episode 8 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired March 18 on Fox. Bella Thorne is the latest celebrity to be revealed on “The Masked Singer,” and to do so without any of the show’s panelists figuring out her identity. Thorne, who was
Fox has sealed a deal with actress and writer Bella Thorne (“The Duff”) to develop scripted and unscripted projects for the network. Deal comes following Thorne’s appearance on Season 3 of “The Masked Singer,” in which she performed in costume as the Swan. “If I was able to tell my 8-year-old self that you’re going
Exclusive Vanessa Bryant has filed legal docs to protect all of her children …she’s asking a judge to amend Kobe‘s trust so she can provide for their youngest daughter, Capri, who was born after the most recent trust document was drafted and signed. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, Kobe created a trust
In today’s film news roundup, “Phoenix, Oregon” is being offered at a discount, Fantastic Fungi Day is set for March 26, and the opening of Methodfest has been shifted to May. RELEASE STRATEGY Dark comedy “Phoenix, Oregon” will launch Friday simultaneously in theaters that are still open and at home for a “matinee” discount price
Conan O’Brien isn’t going to let the spread of coronavirus keep late-night TV off the air. Every major late-night program has ceased production, no matter whether it’s Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon in New York or Jimmy Kimmel and James Corden around Los Angeles, all due to concerns about bringing live audiences and production crews
“The Rosie O’Donnell Show” is returning for one night only, featuring some of the biggest names in Broadway. O’Donnell will live-stream a special on Sunday, March 22 at 7 p.m. ET, to benefit The Actors Fund, which provides resources to those in the entertainment community in need. The special comes after Broadway canceled all of
An office building on Los Angeles’ Sony Pictures lot has been shut down after the studio was informed that a recent visitor tested positive for coronavirus, multiple insiders told Variety exclusively. On Tuesday, the studio sent out a wide memo informing staff that an unidentified person who attended a March 3 meeting inside the lot’s Astaire
The Beijing Municipal Film Bureau has opened up applications for a first round of “specialized film industry development funding” to support local cinemas affected by coronavirus. As its citizens trickle back to work, China is attempting to kickstart its economy again after measures to prevent the spread of the virus brought many sectors to a
March 18, 2020 4:30PM PT David Osit’s witty, sharply attentive portrait of Ramallah’s magnetic mayor offers up a new perspective on the region’s political conflicts. Mayor Musa Hadid is a celebrity of sorts in Ramallah, the historic Palestinian capital in the central West Bank, situated just a few miles north of Jerusalem. But it’s hard
Endeavor, Live Nation Entertainment and Sinclair Broadcast Group are among the prominent industry firms facing new financial pressure because of their high debt loads and vulnerability from the widespread shutdown of sports leagues, concerts and other live events. The timing of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s $9.6 billion acquisition of 21 regional sports networks from Disney could
YouTube has been accused of political censorship by a group of leading Hong Kong content creators who claim the streaming giant has been barring their politically charged video clips — including coronavirus-related content — from reaching advertisers. Creators such as Phoenix Wong are among a contingent of prominent political commentators and media personalities who monetize
March 18, 2020 3:48PM PT As the live-music industry surreally moves online until the day when people can safely congregate at concerts again, Chipotle has organized a “virtual hangout” for fans that will feature music artists and celebrities with a Q&A, exclusive content and other stuff. Chipotle Together is available via IG Live and Zoom.
After he was fired and before he left the station, outgoing KROQ morning personality Kevin Ryder, of “Kevin & Bean Show” fame, was given a chance to say farewell to listeners, on behalf of himself and six other members of his team that were suddenly let go. The five minutes he spent on the hour
As countless freelance film and TV workers in the U.K. grapple with canceled or postponed work commitments, putting their entire livelihoods at risk, a new survey by entertainment union Bectu has found that almost half of freelance respondents have already lost money as a result of the pandemic. The survey of around 5,600 people was
Witches, despite their increasingly glamorous status in pop culture, have long been symbolic of people’s preconceived notions and fear of othered people, particularly women who deign to seize their own power (literal or otherwise). Women suspected of witchcraft and women who practice witchcraft have met terrible ends as they fought for the right to be
As concern quickly grows over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Emmy campaigns have gone from “FYC” to “F-Y-Wait-and-See.” The television awards season has been upended by Hollywood’s move to cancel virtually every upcoming event on its calendar — including those For Your Consideration screenings and panels that make up a large part of network and studio
The planned “Friends” reunion special at HBO Max is the latest victim of the production shutdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak. Variety has confirmed with sources that filming of the special has been delayed. It was due to film within the next week but it has now been pushed to May at the earliest. The
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix is dropping new episodes of “Nailed It!” in April and Quibi released the official trailer for “Murder House Flip.” DATES Netflix is dropping Season 4 of “Nailed It!” on Wednesday, April 1. The show, hosted by Nicole Byer and Jacques Torres, follows home-bakers, who have a poor track record
Even as normal social life was grinding to a standstill, with much of the world resigning itself to an uncertain future, waves of dread permeating every conversation, and previously unthinkable sights presenting themselves hourly, there was still a frisson of unreality when, late at night on Friday the 13th, one opened up Tidal and saw
Even as normal social life was grinding to a standstill, with much of the world resigning itself to an uncertain future, waves of dread permeating every conversation, and previously unthinkable sights presenting themselves hourly, there was still a frisson of unreality when, late at night on Friday the 13th, one opened up Tidal and saw
March 18, 2020 1:46PM PT Movie theater owners are calling on Congress and President Donald Trump to take emergency measures to provide financial relief for an industry that’s been hit hard by the impact of coronavirus. Cinemas have shuttered and new releases have been delayed as the world grapples with an unprecedented global health crisis.
Citing the unprecedented number of theater closures nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sony Pictures will release Vin Diesel’s “Bloodshot” digitally months early, on March 24. The Valiant Comics adaptation will be available for digital purchase for $19.99 in the U.S. with all leading retailers. International digital sale dates will be solidified in the coming
Film festivals. At the worst of times they can seem like ridiculous, overblown affairs choked with brands and studios positioning their product for maximum awards attention. But at their best, they’re the very lifeblood of film culture, often the only avenue for adventurous artists to get their names into the world, and a sanctuary for
Fox News is making a return to Twitter, more than a year after going silent on the social-media platform. At 2:18 p.m. on Nov. 8, 2018, the Fox Corporation-owned cable-news outlet issued a tweet telling its followers that a federal appeals court had ruled against the Trump administration’s desire to end the U.S. program that
Mark Zuckerberg is housebound just like many of Facebook’s other employees. On a press call Wednesday announcing updates to the company’s response to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, the Facebook co-founder and CEO told reporters he is “definitely working from home,” as the company has asked all of its approximately 45,000 employees to do with the
There’s never a bad time to be reminded of and introduced to great cinematic works and their authors and filmmakers, but 2020 is turning out to be a particularly necessary time for cultural enrichment and artistic nourishment. At home. So the timing couldn’t be better for Stephen Farber and Michael McClellan’s new tome, “Cinema ’62,”
Even under the best circumstances, Hollywood studios and exhibitors were concerned about how the 2020 box office would stack up in a year with decidedly less sure-fire hits. But now that movie theaters across the country have begun dimming their marquee lights for an indefinite period of time to help contain the spread of coronavirus,
Veteran film producer Effie Brown is leading the charge to level the playing field when it comes to owning and investing in content. In January, Brown took the helm of Gamechanger, a Los Angeles-based production company that aims to allow creatives from diverse backgrounds — women, people of color, LGBTQ and the disabled — to
The 2020 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, in Manchester, Tennessee, has been postponed due to concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The festival, originally scheduled to take place June 11–14 at Great Stage Park, has been moved to the weekend of September 24–27. The Bonnaroo 2020 lineup was announced in January. Artists on the bill
As the music industry reels from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the Recording Academy today appealed to Congress to “protect our nation’s musicians, performers, songwriters, and studio professionals,” particularly “self-employed gig workers,” who are impacted by the loss of income due to concert cancelations and other hardships. The upshot of the letter, addressed to