Music producer Andrew Watt, who was recently named one of Variety‘s Hitmakers of the Month for his work on “Señorita” and other smashes, announced Tuesday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, and shared a distressing story of being put off for tests as he developed pneumonia and ultimately required assistance from an oxygen machine.
Lyle Waggoner, who starred on “The Carol Burnett Show” and in the 1970s “Wonder Woman” series, has died at 84, Variety has confirmed. In a statement released by Waggoner’s family it was revealed that the “loving husband, father, grandfather, entrepreneur, and actor passed away peacefully at home on March 17th at the age of 84 with his
The Rolling Stones have postponed their North American tour, which was scheduled to begin May 8 in San Diego. The announcement reads: AEG Presents/ Concerts West regret to announce the postponement of the Rolling Stones upcoming NO FILTER tour of North America due to the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic. The Stones 15-date NO FILTER summer
The U.K. government has set out a series of major interventions to bolster the economy and business in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, including support for theaters and cinemas — but questions still remain on the fate of the freelance workforce. “We must act like any war-time government and do anything it takes to
Disney’s “Black Widow” is the latest tentpole to shift its release date because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Marvel superhero adventure, starring Scarlett Johansson, was slated to hit theaters May 1. The studio also pulled “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” from its Searchlight banner, and “The Woman in the Window,” a 20th Century title,
Like a good neighbor, Everlane has always been there for us. When we were on the hunt for a flattering pair of jeans that hug you in all the right places (no pesky back gap here!), they delivered. When we wanted to wrap ourselves in luxurious cashmere for half the cost we’d pay elsewhere, they
March 17, 2020 9:47AM PT ABC said it would temporarily suspend its “Strahan, Sara and Keke” early-afternoon talk show in favor of a news program led by anchor Amy Robach focused on the coronavirus crisis, the latest example of news programming supplanting entertainment and opinion shows as the nation grows more concerned about the contagion’s
Country star Dierks Bentley closed down his three-floor bar in Nashville Monday afternoon, but promised to give each of the venue’s 90 hourly employees $1,000 to help get through the coronavirus crisis as the city’s nightspots are forced to shut down. “Just gave last call at Whiskey Row Nashville as we close the doors for
“Charm City Kings” won over many critics in its Sundance premiere earlier this year, and likely would have been doing the same in Texas this week if it were showing, as planned, at the canceled South by Southwest Film Festival. It’ll still get its chance to charm general audiences as well as critical gatekeepers, who
March 17, 2020 8:27AM PT Hoping to earn goodwill among its advertising clients and global user base, Facebook announced that it will offer $100 million in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses that need assistance in staying afloat during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. For context, the $100 million Facebook
March 17, 2020 8:15AM PT Jared Leto said he first learned about the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday, after emerging from a 12-day meditation retreat in the desert. “Wow. We were totally isolated. No phone, no communication etc. We had no idea what was happening outside the facility,” Leto wrote on Instagram. “Walked out yesterday into a
It’s been nearly two years since TV bid farewell to Fox’s “New Girl” and for actor-comedian Lamorne Morris, who played Winston Bishop in the Zooey Deschanel series, he’s ready for his next big moment. This year, Morris stars with Vin Diesel in Sony’s action-thriller “Bloodshot,” which opened Friday, appears in a Netflix movie (“Desperado”), has
March 17, 2020 8:06AM PT John Legend will perform a livestreamed solo concert today as part of “Together, at Home,” a new series of online concerts presented by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Global Citizen. Together, the organizations have launched a campaign called the Solidarity Response Fund that aims to raise $675 million throughout
March 17, 2020 7:23AM PT Ben Gibbard announced that he will livestream performances from his home studio every day for the next few weeks, as a thank-you to fans and a way to fight the loneliness the coronavirus self-isolation has brought. Beginning Tuesday, “Ben Gibbard: Live From Home” will air live at 4 p.m. PT
The Euro 2020 soccer tournament is to be postponed until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, confirmed the delay of its flagship national team competition after holding an emergency video conference Tuesday involving major stakeholders. The 24-team tournament was due to take place from June 12-July 12 this year at
Stephen Colbert surprised viewers by delivering fresh material — from his bathtub — at the top of Monday’s “Late Show” rerun. “Late Show” was expected to be all encores this week after CBS and other networks hastily suspended production on most late-night shows to comply with coronavirus protection guidelines. Decked out in his usual dark
German broadcaster Sat.1 has decided to inform contestants of its latest “Big Brother” production of the ongoing coronavirus crisis that has put Germany into lockdown. The first group of contestants has been living in the “Big Brother” house in Cologne since Feb. 6, sealed off from the outside world. The show, which premiered on Feb.
March 17, 2020 6:36AM PT NFL superstar Tom Brady is leaving the New England Patriots, ending an era for the quarterback and the team that Brady lead to six Super Bowl championships since he signed on in 2000. Brady disclosed that he will move on from the team in a tweet sent early Tuesday. He
Thailand on Tuesday ordered the closure of cinemas and other entertainment facilities as part of a raft of measures intended to control the spread of the lethal coronavirus outbreak. It also said that the country’s biggest public holiday Songkran will not take place in April. The cabinet of the national government approved the closure of
U.K. broadcasters and studios have begun enforcing bans on on-site audiences as the coronavirus outbreak continues apace. The BBC will prevent external visitors and audiences from accessing its buildings from Wednesday onwards, while Elstree Studios, where Netflix’s “The Crown” and Channel 4’s popular comedy show “The Last Leg” is filmed, has also pulled the plug
Disney Plus is one of the few bright spots in the Mouse House’s business portfolio amid the global coronavirus pandemic. Since Disney Plus’ launch in the U.S. in November 2019, approximately 50% of American households with children under 10 have already subscribed to Disney Plus midway through the first quarter of 2020, according to consumer
The U.K. government is facing mounting criticism from creative industries about the financial impact of its advice to the public to stay away from theaters and cinemas. Because the government did not announce a formal ban on mass gatherings or instruct venues to close, as other countries have done, it has left many venues in
Distributor Modern Films has opted to give an online release to “The Perfect Candidate” in the U.K., as an alternative to the planned theatrical release, which has been put back as British movie theaters shutter due to coronavirus. The film by Haifaa Al Mansour, the trailblazing Saudi director of “Wadjda,” was scheduled for theatrical release
Warner Bros. has suspended its Harry Potter studio tour outside London for the foreseeable future. The studio has said there have been no reported cases of Covid-19 out of the tour complexes, but “out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of the health and well-being of our visitors, employees and community partners”
March 17, 2020 3:24AM PT U.K. theater chain Odeon has said all its cinemas in the country are to close. In a statement on its website, Odeon said that the cinemas would be closed until further notice. “Following government guidelines, Odeon Cinemas are closed until further notice. If you have pre-booked tickets online, these will
March 17, 2020 3:41AM PT Leading U.K. cinemas chains have announced they are closing theaters in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Cineworld and Picturehouse announced that they are shuttering all cinemas across the U.K. from Wednesday. Their cinemas in Ireland will be closed from Tuesday. The Odeon cinema chain is closing its theaters today until
U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, which airs “The Circle” and “Five Guys a Week,” has warned its production suppliers that some commissions may need to be canceled as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Acknowledging the ‘unique and dynamic’ situation caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, C4 director of programs Ian Katz emailed producers Monday with advice
In one of the first concrete instances of a new virtual TV marketplace building in Europe as a response to the COVID-19 crisis, Series Mania, which cancelled its 2020 edition in Lille, is instead launching Series Mania Digital Platform. The Platform will feature video pitches of the 16 selected projects in the Co-Pro Pitching sessions,
Production of three “Avatar” sequels in New Zealand has been put on hold as a precaution against the coronavirus outbreak. Sources at the New Zealand Film Commission confirmed a postponement “until further notice” after local reports emerged Tuesday that crew members had received emails from the producers announcing an immediate suspension of production. The film’s
The British Film Institute is convening its Screen Sector Taskforce to help deal with what it has called the “unprecedented challenge” presented to the film industry by coronavirus. In a letter to the industry, BFI chief executive Ben Roberts said the organization was “keenly aware that the wide-ranging and damaging impact of the virus is