When I released my book, “Anything For A Hit: An A&R Woman’s Story Of Surviving The Music Industry,” in September 2018, it was a starkly different environment than when I wrote it in 2016. Harvey Weinstein had been outed, Les Moonves was about to be removed from his CBS throne and Matt Lauer was weeks
Snap said Snapchat gained a net 8 million new daily active users in the fourth quarter of 2019 — its biggest sequential growth in two years — but revenue was lighter than Wall Street expected, sending the stock down in after-hours trading. The social media and messaging app stood at 218 million daily active users,
February 4, 2020 1:36PM PT A refugee couple escapes war in Sudan only to face a new evil in British public housing in promising filmmaker Remi Weekes’ debut. Out of the frying pan, through the fire and into the hellish, demonic inferno of British low-income public housing. For husband-and-wife Sudanese refugees Bol (Sope Dirisu) and
Disney Plus has amassed 28.6 million subscribers after just three months in business. Walt Disney chief exec Bob Iger disclosed the figure on the company’s earnings call following its quarterly earnings release on Tuesday, the first subscriber figures for the streaming service that is leading the charge for Hollywood as the entertainment industry embraces the
NBCUniversal and its affiliates have been trying to resolve an early argument about new plans for its late-night lineup. NBCU has made plain its intentions to stream Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” and Seth Meyers’ “Late Night” on its new Peacock streaming-video service a few hours before the programs normally debut for linear TV viewers after
February 4, 2020 1:32PM PT Disney is getting the year off to a strong start, beating Wall Street’s expectations for the quarter that encompassed the company’s giant leap into the new era of direct-to-consumer business operations. Disney Plus delivered an impressive 26.5 million subscribers, starting from Nov. 12 through year’s end. The Mouse’s earnings per
Showtime has canceled the drama series “Ray Donovan” after seven seasons. The series starred Liev Schreiber as the title character, a fixer for the rich and famous at first in Los Angeles and later in New York. The news comes just weeks after the seventh season concluded on Jan. 19. The cliffhanger finale for Season
Disney Plus’ “Star Wars” original spinoff series “The Mandalorian” is returning for Season 2 in October, said Disney chief Bob Iger on the company’s earnings call Tuesday. Marvel’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” will premiere in August, while “WandaVision” will make its debut on the streaming service in December. Iger also floated the possibility
February 4, 2020 12:15PM PT It would be difficult to find five films more diverse in technique approach and subject matter than this year’s nominees foranimated short film. Dcera (Daughter)Daria KashcheevaIn creating her student film “Dcera” at FAMU in Prague, Kashcheeva was interested in telling a story about how childhood events shape adult relationships. Her
The Iowa caucus which, for the Democratic Party at least, devolved into a disaster involving delayed numbers and a faulty app, drew a total of 8.5 million viewers across the three major cable networks. That number is down roughly 17% on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC’s coverage of the last Iowa caucus in 2016. During
Apple Music subscribers will get the first crack at Genius’ original show “Verified,” which features artists explaining the lyrics and meaning behind their biggest songs. Under the deal, Apple Music will co-produce and exclusively premiere “Verified” episodes each weekday. Genius will post the episodes, co-branded with Apple Music, to its YouTube channel within 24 hours.
The Trump Justice Department announced at the end of 2019 that it will seek to end the landmark Paramount Consent Decrees. These decrees arose from concerns in the 1940s that a group of entertainment companies wielded outsized power over the film business. They limited the largest Hollywood production studios’ ability to own movie theater chains,
Super M, dubbed “the Avengers of K-pop,” performed a sold out show at The Forum in Los Angeles on Feb 1. The seven members from SHINee, EXO, NCT, and WayV, four groups under the SM Entertainment banner, released an eponymous EP last October that caters to the American audience and have been touring North America
Liza Minnelli was only 25 years old when she won an Oscar for her work as Sally Bowles in Bob Fosse’s film adaptation of the Broadway musical “Cabaret.” But after the film’s release and six months before the Academy Awards were handed out, the two collaborated again — this time on “Liza With a Z:
February 4, 2020 11:22AM PT The Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have agreed to enter into formal contract negotiations for a successor deal to the DGA master contract on Feb. 10. “The DGA and the AMPTP have also agreed that neither organization will comment to the media,”
To open with an establishing drone shot has become something of a cliché for lower-budget films looking to create a sense of scale inexpensively, but in Argentinian director Verónica Chen’s fifth narrative feature “High Tide,” the choice feels unusually apt. The camera glides frictionlessly over an opaque turquoise sea, breakers foaming at its edges, and
Jeff Bezos, through a court filing by his lawyers, has hit back at allegations by his girlfriend’s brother that the Amazon founder and CEO defamed him. On Jan. 31, Michael Sanchez, the brother of Bezos’ girlfriend Lauren Sanchez, filed a lawsuit alleging that Bezos and his security chief, Gavin de Becker, falsely spread information that
This year marks the 28th anniversary of Elton John’s annual Oscar-night bash benefiting his eponymous AIDS Foundation. Founded in the United States in 1992 and in the U.K. in 1993, the Elton John AIDS Foundation has thus far raised more than $400 million to help combat the stigma surrounding HIV and the AIDS virus; prevent
February 4, 2020 10:00AM PT Former AMC Studios executive Rick Olshansky has joined Verve talent agency in the role of special advisor. Olshansky will help the agency run its business operations and represent Verve on dealmaking with outside entities. The literary-focused agency is marking its 10th anniversary this year. “Rick’s invaluable industry experience will help
In the ten years since the Guild of Music Supervisors was formed, the organization has come a long way. Granted, the job still involves low pay, long hours and little respect, but at least the craft has been validated with Grammy and Emmy categories introduced by the Recording Academy and the Television Academy, respectively. The
A key witness in the Harvey Weinstein trial took the witness stand for a third day on Tuesday, a day after the trial was halted when she broke down in sobs during cross-examination. Jessica Mann, who claims that Weinstein sexually assaulted her on two separate occasions, testified that she also caught Weinstein trying to film
Call it “America’s Next Top Gamer.” Quibi pacted with top esports team FaZe Clan for a reality-competition show — giving one lucky Quibi subscriber the chance to join the roster. Here’s how it will work: Quibi will let viewers of “FaZe Up” (working title) submit videos showing off their gaming skills and making the case
The American Film Market has cut two days from its schedule and will run for six days, starting in November with its 41st edition. The Independent Film & Television Alliance made the announcement Tuesday, saying that the reduction reflects the “changing needs of the global film industry” and reflectsAFM’s commitment to provide the most efficient
Because of the rigid voting rules for the Oscars, Greta Gerwig was not able to vote for herself for best director for “Little Women.” When Gerwig was asked to be a member of the Academy in 2016, she was invited as an actor, and therefore that’s the sole branch in which she votes — even
Neither Liza Minnelli nor her sister, Lorna Luft, plans to see “Judy,” a film that’s based on their mother Judy Garland’s final months and stars Oscar front-runner Renée Zellweger. The film’s director, Rupert Goold, understands their hesitancy. “I’m not sure I’d want to see a movie about my mother,” he says. “Not that I don’t
UPDATED: The surviving members of Soundgarden (Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd) today filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed against them by Vicky Cornell on December 9, in which she alleged the group owes Cornell’s estate hundreds of thousands of dollars in allegedly unpaid royalties and the rights to seven unreleased recordings
Andy Samberg time-loop comedy “Palm Springs” broke sales records (by the cheeky sum of 69¢), and “Taylor Swift: Miss Americana” inspired a mini mob scene at an otherwise star-starved Sundance. But in the end, the film that defined the 2020 edition of America’s most important indie-movie showcase was a #MeToo revenge thriller called “Promising Young
Cynthia Erivo, the breakout star behind “Harriet,” has described the experience of being the sole actor of color vying for an Oscar a “bittersweet” experience that should serve as an example for future awards. Appearing on the BBC Breakfast show today, Erivo, who portrayed U.S. abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the film, warned: “I want it
The 92nd Academy Awards are just days away. For films like “Joker” and “Marriage Story,” the journey to the Oscars began five months ago with their premieres in Venice. “1917” had the least amount of time on the campaign trail: The Sam Mendes war movie didn’t start screening until late November. In the end, however,
Yahoo Entertainment is launching “Reality Star Showdown,” a party-game show from Ellen DeGeneres’ digital media company, in which viewers play along in guessing games with reality-TV contestants. The series is hosted by “The Ellen Show” producers Andy Zenor and Tracy Gold. In a bid to boost engagement, “Reality Star Showdown” uses Yahoo’s interactive quiz tool