Colin Jost has become famous by delivering fake news on the venerable “Weekend Update” segment on “Saturday Night Live.” But he may be poised to deliver real headlines about his future with the program. Jost’s new memoir, “A Very Punchable Face,” is due out April 14 from Penguin Random House’s Crown imprint. In uncorrected galley
America Ferrera had directed before, but not like this. She and her crew were shooting scenes from a massive burner party — think a miniature Burning Man, complete with drugs and costumes and bad dancing — for Netflix’s upcoming series “Gentefied.” Though she wouldn’t appear on camera, Ferrera was dressed for the occasion in a
Alamo Drafthouse, the Texas-based cinema chain that popularized in-theater dining, is offering a subscription service to rival the AMCs and Regals of the exhibition industry. The company unveiled Season Pass, a monthly program that will be available to patrons in its 41 locations across the country. Season Pass will provide one regularly priced ticket per
Universal Pictures announced a one-year partnership with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering to improve on-screen representation and casting opportunities for the Latinx community. The program, titled Spellcheck for Bias, is being developed to analyze scripts, manuscripts and advertising briefs to
The U.S. satellite and cable TV business declined at an unprecedented rate last year — with traditional pay-TV providers dropping a staggering 6 million customers, a 7% year-over-year decline. In the fourth quarter of 2019 alone, traditional TV distributors lost around 1.5 million subs, dropping to about 83 million total at year-end, according to estimates
February 19, 2020 8:00AM PT STX Entertainment, Black Bear Pictures and Canadian distributor Elevation Pictures have unveiled a strategic distribution partnership. The agreement was announced Wednesday at the Berlin Film Festival and includes an exclusive output deal for STXinternational to sell and distribute all Black Bear productions internationally. Elevation Pictures, in which Black Bear is
The jury in the Harvey Weinstein trial asked on Wednesday to have a substantial portion of Miriam Haley’s testimony read back to them, indicating that the panel is slowly working its way through the charges against the producer. Haley testified on Jan. 27 that Weinstein invited her to his Soho apartment on July 10, 2006.
Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke was fatally shot Wednesday morning at a home in the Hollywood Hills, law enforcement officials confirmed to the Los Angeles Times. He was 20. Pop Smoke, born Bashar Barakah Jackson, was at a residence in California around 4:30 a.m. when two masked men broke into his house, law enforcement sources told
Check out the official Dream Horse trailer starring Toni Collette! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Sign up for a Fandango FanAlert for Dream Horse: https://www.fandango.com/dream-horse-2020-220232/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.
Americana favorite Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit and country star Maren Morris top a slate of performers just announced for the Railbird Festival, to be held on three stages over two days in August at the Grounds at Keeneland, a renowned race track in Kentucky. The August 22-23, 2020 fest features an unusually eclectic
February 19, 2020 7:20AM PT “It’s been a long time, a lot has happened,” Justin Bieber says at the beginning of his return to “Carpool Karaoke” on the James Corden-hosted “Late Late Show.” “I’m a married man, I’ve got a mustache.” The pair also have an infectious chemistry that carries through their banter — which
Kobalt today announced a worldwide publishing deal with Emmy-nominated actor-producer-writer Issa Rae’s company, Raedio Publishing, LLC. The global partnership with Raedio includes creative and administration services, which includes providing guidance and funding on new Raedio signings, pitch Raedio’s writers, artists and library for synchronization opportunities and provide admin services, according to the announcement. Rae has
“Everybody smile and say ‘cinema,’” young Myroslava Trofymchuk instructs several Ukrainian soldiers, as they obligingly pose and perform for her camera, their brawny tank reduced to a prop in the rubbly, wintry background. It’s the only time we see the masculine agents of conflict in “The Earth is Blue as an Orange,” a documentary with
Jakob Mejlhede Andersen, the CEO of NENT Studios U.K., is stepping down from the business, which operates the Nordic region’s leading streamer Viaplay. Mejlhede was appointed CEO of NENT Studios U.K. in October 2019 and was previously executive VP and CCO for NENT Group’s Viaplay. He also held the role of executive VP and group
U.K. coroners have labeled former “Love Island” host Caroline Flack’s death a suicide. The TV presenter was 40 years old. Flack, who left the show in December and was due to stand trial on assault charges in March, was found unresponsive at her London home on Saturday. Though no official cause of death was given
Discovery has signalled a growing reliance on lifestyle and entertainment content with a slate of new and returning shows. New commissions “The Nolans in the Mood for Cruising,” “Cash in the Spare Room” and “Clear Out Cash In” will air on Discovery’s free-to-air channels Quest Red, HGTV and Really, respectively, while recommissions “Helicopter ER” and
February 19, 2020 3:55AM PT The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation in New York today announced five new members who have joined their Board of Directors: Michele Anthony (Executive Vice President Universal Music Group); Jody Gerson (Chairman & CEO Universal Music Publishing); Pam Kaufman (President ViacomCBS Consumer Products); Jon Platt (Chairman & CEO
The Cannes Film Festival is to screen a restored version of Wong Kar-wai’s “In The Mood For Love,” 20 years after it first premiered on the Croisette. The festival will play a restored, 4K version of the timeless Hong Kong-set romance that starred Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Maggie Cheung as a journalist and a secretary
Trafalgar Releasing has set a re-release for the concert documentary “Elvis: That’s the Way It Is” for April 22 in 14 countries, Variety has learned exclusively. The event will mark the 50th anniversary of the film’s original release by MGM. Most of the remastered footage was shot at the International Hotel in Las Vegas with
February 19, 2020 12:23AM PT Blackhall Studios, the Atlanta-based production hub that has hosted several high-profile shoots in recent years, has signed an agreement with the University of Reading to develop its first U.K. facility. Due for completion in early 2022, the new studio will offer physical production stages alongside digital media facilities tailored for
Sky Studios and Italy’s The Apartment, the Fremantle-owned production company headed by Lorenzo Mieli, have forged a multi-year development and production partnership that marks Sky’s first agreement of this type outside the U.K. Under the deal, Sky Studios, which is the Comcast-owned pay-TV broadcaster dedicated production arm, will provide The Apartment development funding for a
Netflix’s announcement of new Spanish series late last month underscored the platform’s intent to diversify its palette in the country while betting once again on one of their own, Carlos Montero. After co-writing “Elite” Season 2, and with a third set soon to bow, Montero has made the jump to the director’s chair for the
BARCELONA – “20,000 Species of Bees,” “Something Like Happiness” and “Los quinquis” are among five feature projects that will be put through development at the ECAM Madrid Film School’s pioneering Incubator program. The Incubator forms part of The Screen, a program at the ECAM Madrid Film School, which is aimed at fostering links between on-the-rise Spain-based
February 18, 2020 10:24PM PT In this week’s edition of the Variety Movie Commercial Tracker, powered by the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv, Disney Pixar claims the top spot in spending with “Onward.” Ads placed for the animated film had an estimated media value of $4.99 million through Sunday for 784 national
February 18, 2020 10:27PM PT The Weeknd has revealed that his new album, “After Hours,” will be released on March 20. Leading up to the release, the artist, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, will perform on “Saturday Night Live” on March 7, his third appearance on the show. Hear the title track here. The
Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov, whose last film “Leto” competed at Cannes in 2018, is teaming with “Wasp Network” producer Charles Gillibert to adapt the best-selling French novel “The Disappearance of Josef Mengele.” Winner of the prestigious Renaudot Prize in 2017, Olivier Guez’s novel “The Disappearance of Josef Mengele” was published in more than 30 countries
The Paley Center for Media has vacated its longtime Beverly Hills location earlier than expected, setting up offices in Century City and finalizing a new home for its digital archives. A spokesperson for the Paley Center confirmed to Variety that the Beverly Hills Public Library will be the new home for the TV and radio
February 18, 2020 7:06PM PT Actress Ja’Net DuBois died on Tuesday at her home in Glendale, Calif. at the age of 74. The actress, known for her role in the 70s sitcom “Good Times” as Wilona, the Evans family neighbor, died unexpectedly in her sleep. She appeared in several other films and shows throughout her
R&B singer Tyrese dedicated a Valentine’s Day performance to entertainers who are no longer with us, including late Lakers star Kobe Bryant, rapper Nipsey Hussle, director John Singleton and actor Paul Walker. Taking the stage at the Forum on Feb. 16, where he shared the bill with Avant, Dru Hill, Ginuwine and Joe, Tyrese, accompanied
In today’s film news roundup, Sabrina Carpenter’s “The Short History of the Long Road” gets a home, comedian Jo Koy’s life will become a movie, “True to the Game” is getting a sequel and APA promotes Chris Ridenhour. ACQUISITION FilmRise has acquired Sabrina Carpenter’s coming-of-age drama “The Short History of the Long Road” and is