YouTube Music and YouTube Premium together have more than 20 million paying subscribers, and YouTube TV — Google’s over-the-top subscription TV service — has more than 2 million subscribers in the U.S. That’s according to Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google, who shared the details on the company’s Q4 earnings call Monday. It’s the
Seven-time Oscar nominee Dennis Gassner (“Blade Runner 2029,” “Jarhead”) was in Alaska recovering from back surgery when he got an interesting email. “Do not do the ‘Bond’ film,” it read. “I have a film that’s very ambitious. Sending script now.” The note, Gassner recalls, was from director Sam Mendes, who he’d previously worked with on
February 3, 2020 2:16PM PT Jennifer Lopez and Shakira dazzled the crowd in Miami and everyone watching at home during their Super Bowl Halftime Show performance on Sunday. Their 15-minute set drew a sizable 103 million total viewers on Fox, which is up 4% or roughly 3 million on last year’s Maroon 5-fronted affair. J
February 3, 2020 2:52PM PT The Second Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed today that Drake’s use of the 1982 recording “Jimmy Smith Rap” in his song “Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2” was fair use of the copyrighted work. Drake’s song appeared on his 2013 album “Nothing Was the Same.” The decision is unusual, not only
KAREN COLLINS (STYLED BY SASA THOMANN) What does jewelry look like in the new decade? In the past few years, we saw jewelry scale back: Massive statement necklaces from Gossip Girl’s heyday were replaced by layered chains and charms, and we traded in gaudy earrings for a constellation of stud piercings. Surprisingly, we’re swinging back
Exclusive TMZ.com Danny Masterson is firing back at his rape accusers over their stalking lawsuit against him and the Church of Scientology … calling BS on the whole case. The “That ’70s Show” star filed new docs — obtained by TMZ — asking a judge to toss the case on grounds the women, according to
Google’s parent company Alphabet is shedding more light on YouTube, breaking out advertising revenue for the video platform for the first time. In addition, Alphabet is reporting sales for Google Search and Google Cloud. The internet company released the new info in reporting results for the fourth quarter and full-year 2019. YouTube had $15.15 billion
Thousands are set to cast ballots this week on two important races: the Iowa caucus and the Oscars, both of which rely on ranked-choice voting systems that are commonly misunderstood. When deciding who will win best picture at this year’s Academy Awards, voters are asking to list their favorite movies in order of preference. In
The media’s most-discussed Oscar story this year is the lack of diversity. But in fact, awards are the worst gauge of Hollywood’s commitment to inclusion, because the results are always kept secret, and because we’re talking about voters’ tastes (which may or may not involve the need to Make A Statement with their votes). The
Jessica Mann — a key witness in Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial who alleges the former movie mogul raped her twice and sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions — was let off the stand on Monday when she said she was having a panic attack during cross-examination. After being questioned for five hours by Weinstein’s attorney
With “Little Women,” producer Amy Pascal has scored her second Oscar nomination (after “The Post”). Writer-director Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Louisa May Alcott is only the third best picture nominee ever to be produced, written and directed solely by women, following “The Piano” and “Winter’s Bone.” Pascal has another distinction: Of the nine nominated films
In 1964, Variety reviewer Robert J. Landry was over the moon about the Paramount movie “Becket,” which Edward Anhalt scripted from Jean Anouilh’s play. Landry said the film was “invigorated by story substance, personality clash, bright dialogue and religious interest. Patrons and perhaps reviewers will tend to heap credit on the actors. They deserve it
It’s not a soundtrack one would expect to be affiliated with the NFL, but during the regular season, and even more so throughout the playoffs, the music of Phish has been used in multiple bumpers heading into commercial breaks on Fox. In fact, during last night’s Super Bowl, Fox played clips of Phish’s “Character Zero”
Toni Collette is set to star in her second Netflix series. Collette has signed on for the lead role in the upcoming drama series “Pieces of Her,” based on the Karin Slaughter novel of the same name. She previously starred in the critically-acclaimed Netflix drama “Unbelievable,” which was released back in September. In “Pieces of
Former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson has said he’ll never return to BBC One’s morning news program BBC Breakfast, after being asked about the deaths of his mother and sister on the popular show earlier today. Tomlinson was appearing on Monday’s program to promote his debut solo album “Walls.” During the broadcast, hosts Dan Walker
If your takeaway from last night’s Super Bowl Halftime Show was hot Latinas, tight ends and pole dancing, you missed the underlying message and essence of the performance. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, in the company of Bad Bunny, J Balvin and Lopez’s daughter Emme, went above and beyond in communicating Latino culture visually and rhythmically.
Warner Bros. Television Group president and chief content officer Peter Roth has inked a contract extension with the company that will make him chairman of the unit, a newly created position. In this role, Roth will continue to lead the group’s TV production, including U.S. production of scripted, unscripted and alternative series for broadcast, cable
Exclusive TMZ Composite Future says he’s sick and tired of his alleged baby mama talking about their sexual encounters with anyone who’ll listen … and now he’s suing her. The rapper just filed suit against Eliza Seraphin, the woman alleging Future fathered his SEVENTH child with her, for defamation and invasion of privacy. According to
Exclusive TMZ.com Madonna should’ve been on time for her recent concerts in NYC, because her tardiness screwed over a bunch of fans — financially and otherwise, according to a new lawsuit. The pop icon is being sued by a couple guys named Andrew Panos and Antonio Velotta, who claim they were forced to wait 2
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, the Oscars air on Sunday night on ABC, and “Homeland” returns for its
Jen Welter, who made history as the first woman to serve as a coach in the National Football League, is partnering with Amelia Baker and Mackenzie Munro’s Blonde Mamba and independent producer Casey Russell Hanley on the original series “FanGirl,” a half-hour single-camera comedy about best friends who become the first-ever female assistant coaches for
“Mayans MC” co-creator Elgin James has signed a multi-year overall deal with Fox 21 Television Studios. The deal encompasses development, writing and directing for TV and streaming projects. News of the deal comes around four months after James was named as the sole showrunner for the FX series’ upcoming third season, following the firing of
Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers drew 102 million total viewers across Fox and all its platforms. The game drew a hair under 100 million viewers on Fox, up barely 2% on last year. For comparison, last year’s low-scoring matchup between the New England Patriots and the Los
Veteran U.S. film and TV executive Michael Garin has been appointed CEO of Abu Dhabi’s twofour54, the outfit that provides infrastructure and incentives to more than 500 entertainment companies and drives media and entertainment industry growth in the United Arab Emirates. Set up in 2008 and named after Abu Dhabi’s geographical coordinates, this so-called media
Jessica Mann, a key witness in the trial of Harvey Weinstein, faced a second day of cross-examination on Monday about the complex nature of her relationship with the disgraced producer. Mann, a hairdresser and aspiring actor, gave explosive testimony on Friday in which she accused Weinstein of violent sexual assault and rape, and claimed the
The Chinese box office is gearing up for a starkly unsexy Valentine’s Day, with “Jojo Rabbit” and a local title formally pulling out of the mid-February line-up, while unconfirmed reports suggest that others – including “Little Women” – will soon pull the plug, amidst strict measures to prevent the spread of deadly coronavirus. Cinemas are
The shortest Oscar season ever has been especially brutal for strategists trying to gain traction with smaller-scale offerings later in the season: Early birds and conventional choices scooped up the lion’s share of Oscar nominations. And yet, as final voting comes to a close on Feb. 4 with certain categories seemingly locked up, it bears
Filmlance International, the Swedish production company owned by Endemol Shine Group, is set to produce “Tsunami,” a psychological drama mini-series directed by Henrik Georgsson (“Bron/Broen”). “Tsunami,” which is being co-produced by Swedish broadcaster SVT, is set in Stockholm in the aftermath of a tsunami. The gripping drama explores how humans behave when faced with a
Jane Austen has been through a lot on screen in recent years. From watching details of her own life contorted into a romantic comedy framework in “Becoming Jane,” seeing her most enduring masterpiece invaded by the undead in “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” or observing the cottage merchandising and tourism industry that has sprung up
The Miami Film Festival will open on March 6 with “The Burnt Orange Heresy,” starring Mick Jagger, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Debicki and Claes Bang. Miami Dade College’s festival, now in its 37th edition and running March 6-15, will screen more than 125 narrative features, documentaries and shorts from 30 countries. “Charles Willeford’s classic 1971 art