March 12, 2020 4:42PM PT Trustees of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plans have announced that there will be no charge for coronavirus testing for participants in the plans. The plans will waive all copays, deductibles and coinsurance for COVID-19 testing at in-network facilities, making it free for participants. This includes any fees for office visits or
March 12, 2020 4:01PM PT As the U.S. music industry reeled in the wake of the postponement of basically every major current tour for at least the next few weeks amid coronavirus concerns, the U.K.’s largest festival, Glastonbury, unveiled more than 90 additional acts for its scheduled 50th anniversary event — including Kendrick Lamar, Dua
March 12, 2020 4:13PM PT Leave it to Lin-Manuel Miranda to conjure a reason to find joy in a day of unrelentingly sad news. On Thursday, the creator of the Broadway sensation “Hamilton” released a never-before-heard demo track that he wrote — and cut — from the show that he says director Thomas Kail hasn’t
The band 311 celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2020, but the band’s formation is an annual celebration even on non-milestone years. This March 11 — 3/11 — was no different, with the band seeing a 23% uptick in radio play (compared to the previous week) in the alternative and active rock formats, according to Mediabase.
March 12, 2020 3:52PM PT In today’s TV news roundup, PBS NewsHour announced a special focusing on the coronavirus pandemic, and Netflix unveiled cast members and key art for its upcoming adaptation of “The Baby-Sitters Club.” CASTING “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” has announced additional casting for its second season. The Disney Plus
With the U.S. reeling from the novel coronavirus pandemic — and as many people are being forced to work from home temporarily — Comcast is expanding its broadband service for low-income families to provide free access for 60 days and increasing speeds. Starting next Monday (March 16), Comcast said, it will launch two new features
After more than two decades at Amazon, Greg Hart — most recently head of worldwide video and a member of Jeff Bezos’s senior leadership team — is leaving the ecommerce giant for a new gig. Hart has been hired as chief product officer of Compass, a venture-backed company that provides online tools and services to real-estate
NBCUniversal and Amazon are recommending their employees to work from home, effective immediately, to curb the spread of coronavirus. In Thursday communications to staff, the conglomerates observed rapidly escalating closures of businesses, select film festivals, live events and other highly-trafficked scenarios where the disease might spread. All of Amazon’s corporate offices, including Culver City-based Amazon
Film and television production in the Los Angeles area is facing restrictions due to impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the FilmL.A. permitting agency reported on Thursday. “The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health cautions that the cancellation or modification of public events may be necessary to counter a significant community spread of COVID-19,” FilmL.A.
Joy Behar is taking time off as a co-host of “The View” as a safety precaution against coronavirus, Variety has learned. Behar, 77, announced her decision Thursday during a pre-taped episode of “The View” that will air Friday. Neither she nor any of the staff members that work on the ABC daytime talk show have
March 12, 2020 2:03PM PT Walt Disney Studios has made made two significant promotions to bolster its film group, following the exit of 20th Century Studios vice chairman Emma Watts in January. Steve Asbell, 20th’s executive vice president of production, has been promoted to president. He will report directly to Walt Disney Studios co-chairman and
Paradigm Talent Agency is closing its offices starting Friday, sources tell Variety. There is no timeframe of when they will be reopened but sources say it will be at least a couple of weeks Besides Los Angeles, this includes the New York, Nashville, Monterey, Calif., Chicago and Toronto offices. The news comes after CAA, UTA
Tribeca Film Festival will no longer be taking place next month. The 19th annual event for independent film was set for April 15 through April 26, but has been postponed because of coronavirus. No new dates have been announced. “We founded the Tribeca Film Festival as a way to heal our community after the devastation
March 12, 2020 2:49PM PT Disney has postponed the theatrical release of “Mulan” amid growing concerns over coronavirus. The studio has also removed “The New Mutants” and “Antlers” from its slate. All three movies have been delayed indefinitely as Disney looks for new release dates. “Mulan” was slated to debut in North America on March
As concern over the spread of coronavirus spread rapidly this week, the world’s two largest live-entertainment companies, AEG and Live Nation, and several major agencies have announced that they are suspending tours for the rest of March. Billed as a “Statement from Live Nation, AEG, CAA, WME, Paradigm and UTA,” the statement reads: “The world’s
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA has called off the annual college basketball tournament known as March Madness, which was set to begin next week. “Today, NCAA President Mark Emmert and the Board of Governors canceled the Division I men’s and women’s 2020 basketball tournaments, as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA
March 12, 2020 1:38PM PT WWE announced Thursday that this week’s episode of “SmackDown Live” will not take place in Detroit as planned and will not have a live audience. “Friday Night SmackDown on March 13 will air live as regularly scheduled and emanate from WWE’s training facility in Orlando, Florida with only essential personnel
Spyglass Media Group is developing a reboot of the horror franchise “Scream” and has attached “Ready or Not” directors Matthew Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, Variety has learned. The original “Scream” debuted in 1996 with Neve Campbell starring as Sidney Prescott, the target of the Ghostface killer, with a look inspired by the Edvard Munch painting “The
French president Emmanuel Macron announced in a televised speech on Thursday the shutdown of schools, universities and colleges across the country starting on March 16 for an undetermined amount of time. Macron also called coronavirus the “biggest health crisis that France has known in a century.” While Macron did not use the word “quarantine” in
The Television Academy is putting a halt to Emmy For Your Consideration events as concerns continue to grow over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Academy had already offered networks and studios the option of throwing FYC events without a live audience/membership attendance, but in the immediate future that will now be the only option. The
UPDATE: Disneyland is closing temporarily, announced the company on Thursday afternoon, marking the fourth time in the Anaheim, Calif. park’s history that it has shuttered. It will close the morning of March 14 through the end of the month. In light of new guidance in California that all gatherings of more than 250 people should
Reality TV producer Jonathan Murray pledged $1.1 million to the organization RespectAbility, a group that offers behind-the-camera training to people with disabilities. A portion of his donation will help fund the org’s summer lab program. Murry and his partner Harvey Reese made the announcement at an event held in their home on Wednesday. RespectAbility president
IFC Films is acquiring U.S. rights to Sean Durkin’s “The Nest,” a drama with Jude Law and Carrie Coon that premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The film is Durkin’s follow-up to his acclaimed 2011 feature “Martha Marcy May Marlene.” It follows Rory (Law), a businessman with charm to spare and grand ambitions, as
A decade ago, screenwriter Scott Z. Burns pitched an idea to Steven Soderbergh for a disaster movie without any aliens or monsters. “Contagion,” as it would be called, involved a deadly global pandemic, and rather than cheap Hollywood thrills, he wanted the movie to be based on something much scarier – real scientific research. Soderbergh
In a rare show of unity among usually fierce competitors, live-entertainment agencies and promoters including AEG, CAA, ICM, Live Nation, Paradigm and UTA have formed a task force to strategize and coordinate a unified response to the spread of coronavirus and its growing impact on the touring business, according to multiple sources and media reports.
U.S. equities markets opened Thursday with the worst declines since the start of the coronavirus-fueled sell off as global markets quaked in response to the European travel ban announced by President Donald Trump and the NBA’s dramatic decision to suspend the current basketball season, among other ominous signs of the pandemic up-ending everyday life. Trading
Shania Twain doesn’t take her voice for granted. The country superstar almost lost her ability to sing after being diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2003. She first thought something was wrong when she couldn’t project her voice. “I couldn’t call out for the dog,” she says on Thursday’s episode of “The Big Ticket,” Variety and
The U.K. government has announced it is moving to the next phase in its plans to combat the coronavirus outbreak in the country. Following a meeting of the government’s emergency planning committee Cobra, the country has formally moved from a “contain” standing to its “delay” phase. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the move at a
March 12, 2020 9:23AM PT Paramount Pictures has postponed its theatrical release for “The Lovebirds,” a romantic comedy starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae that was scheduled to hit theaters on April 3. The studio, which has not set a new release date, made the move in response to the global impact of coronavirus. The
The Juno Awards, Canada’s biggest music awards and the country’s equivalent of the Grammys, have been cancelled in the wake of concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, according to CBC. The awards’ organizer, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), made the announcement Thursday morning in a joint statement with the city of Saskatoon