When David Bromstad, the host of HGTV’s “My Lottery Dream Home,” won that network’s reality series “Design Star” in 2006, the network was a very different place. “Coming in through a reality show, I was just at the start of the big changes that were happening,” he recalls. “When HGTV started, there were still crafts
RIO DE JANEIRO Cesar Rodrigues’ “Airplane Mode” is the most popular non-English language feature on Netflix so far in the world, Netflix disclosed exclusively to Variety on Thursday Feb. 27. The first Netflix original feature production in Brazil, released on Jan. 23, has been watched by nearly 28 million households, of which one third are in Brazil
Tinder is having more than just a fling with its first ever original series, “Swipe Night.” The ubiquitous dating app has renewed the interactive scripted project for a second season, and it has tapped season one director Karena Evans (Drake’s “In My Feelings,” Starz’s “P Valley”) to helm the project. App users can expect it
Check out the official Candyman Trailer starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Sign up for a Fandango FanAlert for Candyman: https://www.fandango.com/candyman-2020-222774/movie-overview?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to stay up to date. US
BTS have dropped their second official music video from their new album, “Map of the Soul: 7,” for the song “ON” — and within minutes of it dropping, the song became the biggest YouTube Premiere of all time, with 1.54 million concurrent viewers tuned in for the clip’s debut on YouTube Premieres. According to the
In the wake of ViacomCBS’ first earnings report as a newly merged company, CBS All Access is seeing some changes to its exec lineup. Julie McNamara has been elevated to executive vice president, head of programming at the streaming service, up from her prior role as exec VP of original content, a position she has
Lisa Holme, a Hulu veteran who had been leading its international expansion strategy, has joined Discovery in a newly created role to oversee content and commercial strategy for the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming group. Discovery named Holme to the newly created role of group senior VP, content and commercial strategy, in Discovery’s direct-to-consumer group. She is
Universal Music India has promoted Vinit Thakkar from senior VP to the newly created position of COO, India and South Asia. Thakkar was instrumental in the launch of the VYRL Originals label, alongside Bollywood filmmaker Mohit Suri. The Indian music industry is traditionally dominated by songs from feature film soundtracks. UMI, part of Universal Music
Time moves slowly, as ever, for Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang’s, as seconds become minutes, minutes become hours, and hours become “Days,” a gentle return to form in which Tsai’s longtime star, Lee Kang-sheng, is shown suffering from some unknown physical ailment, finding short-lived solace in the hands of a stranger (28-year-old Laotian immigrant Anong Houngheuangsy)
Maren Morris, Dan + Shay and Thomas Rhett were among the top nominees announced Thursday morning for the Academy of Country Music Awards, to air live from Las Vegas on CBS April 5. Keith Urban was additionally announced Thursday as a first-time host for the show. It was expected that last spring’s ACMs host, Reba
Peloton settled a lawsuit filed by members of the U.S.’s music-publishing trade organization that had sought more than $300 million in damages over the interactive-fitness company’s alleged use of 2,468 unlicensed songs. The National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), which represents American music publishers and songwriters, and Peloton together announced that they have “fully settled” the
The Far East Film Festival in Udine, one of the best-regarded specialty festivals on the calendar, is to postpone its upcoming edition. The festival is situated in North Eastern Italy where the coronavirus outbreak has recently struck hard. The festival had been scheduled to run April 24 – May 2. Udine’s 22nd edition will now
Taylor Swift gets a prosthetic makeover for what turns out to be the title role in “The Man,” her self-directed music video for the feminist-themed song of the same name from her “Lover” album. At the end, the bearded white-collar executive character is given a voice — and it’s Dwayne Johnson’s, the credits show. But
BERLIN — Giant Brazilian TV network Globo has seen its bet on shorter-format series vindicated by the selection of two of their new series at this year’s Berlinale Series Market. Distancing itself from the tradition telenovela narrative, one of Globo’s Berlinale players is ‘Unsoul’ a supernatural drama, rare in its nature as it allows its
I remember where I was standing. It was May 2006, and I was attending a book publishing convention when I felt the splash of hot coffee on my calves. And I remember what I was wearing: a Chloé prancing-horse skirt I’d purchased on a financially delusional whim five years prior. This was an item deeply
Movistar Plus has joined The Mediapro Studio to produce “Paraíso” (Paradise), an original series destined for Movistar Plus’ digital platform. The companies previously joined forces on “Nasdrovia,” another upcoming Movistar Plus’ original. Laura Fernández Espeso, The Mediapro Studio corporate, told Variety: “Working together was easy because when the content is clear and the platform is on board,
February 27, 2020 4:11AM PT Kevin Wildes has spent an entire career behind the camera. Now, in a unique twist, he’s going to be in front of it. Wildes, who rose to become vice president of original content of ESPN’s NBA studio programming over the course of more than a decade at the Disney-owned sports-media
February 27, 2020 4:24AM PT “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” producer-distributor Propagate Content has struck a first-look deal with Munch-headquartered Constantin Entertainment for entertainment titles. Under the deal, the two companies will partner to develop and produce entertainment across all formats and genres. Propagate’s slate includes the likes of “Hillary,” “Jane the Virgin,” “Running Wild
Discovery lost viewers in the fourth quarter, saw ratings decline and increased the amount of money it invested in new businesses. And yet, fourth-quarter profit rose as the company saw revenue from advertising and distribution rise in both the U.S. and overseas. The owner of cable networks like Discovery Channel, Food Network and HGTV said
Some exciting things are brewing on St. Petersburg’s New Holland Island, where history and culture converge. Founded at the same time as the city itself, the island was mainly used for military purposes for more than 300 years. But in 2010, entrepreneurs and philanthropists Roman Abramovich and Daria Zhukova formed the initiative New Holland: Cultural
Embattled director Roman Polanski has confirmed to the AFP that he will not be attending the Cesar Awards on Friday. The filmmaker’s latest feature, “An Officer and a Spy,” was nominated for 12 gongs this year, sparking outrage from French feminist groups and ultimately leading the 21-member board of the Association for the Promotion of
Less Is More, the program launched by Le Group Ouest to help young helmers such as Maimouna Doucouré (“Cuties”), has unveiled the trailer of Daria Woszek’s “Marygoround” which will have its world premiere at South By Southwest. The film, which was developed within the framework of Less Is More, revolves around Mary, a lonely grocery store
If you consider running-time alone, Russian content fills a considerable chunk of space in the official sections of the 2020 Berlinale. This is primarily because of Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s mind-boggling large-scale simulation of the totalitarian Soviet system, the “DAU” project, which comprises 14 features — two are unspooling at Berlin, accounting for more than eight hours
The closing film of the Berlinale’s new Encounters sidebar is the fictionalized documentary, “The Metamorphosis of Birds,” the debut feature from Portuguese director Catarina Vasconcelos. “Metamorphosis” explores the director’s family stories, building on elements developed in her debut 2014 short film, “Metaphor, or Sadness Inside Out,” which she filmed during her Master’s degree course in
Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for her performance as Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen,” says Meghan Markle was “a fantastic addition to the royal family,” and she “applauds” Markle and Prince Harry’s decision to step back from royal duties, she tells Variety. Mirren, who is the subject of an homage at the
BERLIN — Produced by Primo Filmes in co-production with MPM Film, Tabuleiro Filmes and SP Cine, “Shine Your Eyes,” warmly received at Berlin, tells the story of Amadi (OC Ukeje), a Lagos musician who flies to Sao Paulo to track down his older brother Ikenna (Chukwudi Iwuji), who’s gone missing, and bring him back home.
BERLIN — Handled by TF1 Studio, Freddie Highmore heist thriller “Way Down” has pre-sold most of the world’s key distribution territories. At Berlin, TF1 Studio licensed Latin America with Joao Worcman’s Rio de Janeiro-based Synapse Distribution, which will release the theatrical feature, directed by Jaume Balgueró (“[REC]”) in collaboration with Ledafilms. Israel (Current Flow), Thailand (Sahamongkol
Trans-Atlantic Spanish-language production powerhouse El Estudio and Mexico’s Morbido Group have joined forces in the largest genre, horror and fantasy production initiative in the Spanish-speaking world. Feature films, series, remakes and reboots of classic IP and even unscripted programming are all part of the plan going forward for El Estudio and Morbido. Already, the companies
BERLIN — Robert Montgomery’s “Lady in the Lake” posed the question of whether it’s possible to make a complete film from one POV and yet create a true emotional connection with an audience if it doesn’t have a face to connect with. “Saudi Runaway” delivers a haunting POV experience via the hands of a woman,
Italy’s Cross Productions, in which Germany’s Beta Film has a stake, is shopping “Wolfsburg,” a high-end TV series which turns on an Italian immigrant who during the 1960s arrives in the German city of Wolfsburg, headquarters of Volkswagen Group, and morphs into a murderous werewolf. The innovative skein, now in advanced development, is being set up