There will be a root and branch review of how the BAFTA Film Awards are voted on in the wake of this week’s nominations, which saw no people of color nominated in the acting categories and, again, no female helmers get a nod for best director. The head of BAFTA’s film committee, Marc Samuelson, told
MADRID — Berlin-based Pluto Film has acquired international sales rights to “Las Mil y Una” (“One in a Thousand”), the second feature by Argentina’s Clarisa Navas and one of the first titles ti be announced for the Panorama section of this year’s Berlinale. A world premiere at the Berlinale, “One in a Thousand” marks the
Verizon — feeling the pain of customer cancellations over high pay-TV prices — is killing off bundles and contracts for its Fios line of TV, broadband and phone services. Instead, it’s introducing “Mix & Match on Fios,” a new pricing plan under which it is selling pay-TV, internet and phone as standalone products. For Verizon,
A judge in Rio de Janeiro has ordered that Netflix remove Christmas comedy special “The First Temptation of Christ,” in which Jesus is depicted as a gay man, from the service, saying that, “The right to freedom of expression… is not absolute.” The series has been the focus of extreme criticism in Brazil, including a
Discovery is launching its home and lifestyle channel HGTV, one of its most prominent and successful cable brands, as a free-to-air channel in Italy and in 11 pay-TV markets across Europe including Romania, Hungary and Serbia. The European roll out of HGTV is part of Discovery’s international strategy to expand the reach of this former Scripps
MADRID — Giant network TF1, pubcaster France Televisions, upscale channel Arte France, free-to-air network M6 and European TV-film force Studiocanal, owned by Vivendi’s Canal Plus Group, are among companies confirmed for June’s Conecta Fiction in Spain, where France has been chosen as its European Country Focus. A much appreciated Europe-Latin America production forum and networking
European Film Promotion has unveiled the 10 Shooting Stars, up-and-coming acting talents set to break out internationally, who will be honored at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival. The selection comprises Bartosz Bielenia from Poland, star of Jan Komasa’s “Corpus Christi,” among films shortlisted for this year’s best international feature film Oscar; France’s Zita Hanrot, the voice talent of Zunaira in
Exclusive TMZ.com Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli have a secret weapon in their college admissions criminal case — the former head of the USC athletics department, who made it clear during his tenure — the school gave him a clear directive to raise money, and lots of it. As we reported, our sources say
LAS VEGAS — The steady rise in listenership for high-end podcasts is opening up a host of opportunities for creatives in the comedy arena, director-producer Paul Feig and internet star Lele Pons told CES attendees on Wednesday. Feig, the multihyphenate behind “Bridesmaids” and other hits, invoked the era of great radio dramas thriving as theater
LAS VEGAS — The flood of streaming services that have entered the pay TV marketplace in the past decade have been viewed as signs of the apocalypse for the traditional MVPDs. But in practice, the track record to date shows that most subscribers to streaming services also continue to pay for regular MVPD services. That’s
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Death and the Serpent,” the sixth episode of the sixth season of “Vikings.” When Lagertha (Katheryn Winnick) first appeared on History’s “Vikings” she was a character ahead of her time. She fought for equality, battled alongside the men as a famous shield maiden, and
January 8, 2020 7:46PM PT My Chemical Romance’s Dec. 20 show at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles raked in record box office for the venue, the band’s agency, Paradigm, reveals. A full and instant sell-out at 4,993, its total gross was $1,451,745, the highest-grossing ever at the downtown L.A. landmark, which
LAS VEGAS — Maverick investor Mark Cuban sees the development of AI technology as a national priority that is on a par with the urgency to invest in the space program in the 1950s and ’60s. Speaking at Variety’s annual Entertainment Summit at CES, Cuban offered his views on the imperative of AI for the
Play video content Exclusive TMZ.com Steve Harvey is calling BS on Mark Curry‘s claim he’s stolen jokes from him — and he’s issuing a challenge to the guy … gimme specifics or STFU. The legendary comedian/host was chilling Wednesday in Bev Hills — on Rodeo Drive, naturally — and told us there’s simply no truth
Salma Hayek is very hopeful about the future for women in Hollywood. “What I can tell you is that a lot more women are directing and acting and writing and producing. And there are a lot more movies made about women and for women because the audience was neglected,” the star told Variety at the
In today’s TV news roundup, ABC has scheduled the series finale dates for “How To Get Away With Murder” and “Modern Family,” and Netflix announced the launch date for “Ozark” Season 3. DATES ABC has made some major changes to its programming slate. The network has scheduled the premiere date for “Modern Family’s” series finale
For Variety’s Jan. 2 cover story on Margot Robbie, she talked extensively about her passion project “Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn.” She conceived of the Warner Bros./DC Entertainment movie while filming “Suicide Squad” almost five years ago. Her company, LuckyChap Entertainment, produced the $75 million film, set to be
Its economic message might be fuzzy. Its feminism, too. But best-friend comedy “Like a Boss” rides Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrnes’s frisky and believable chemistry to laughs — some worn, some crude, but more than a few delivered deftly and consistently enough to keep audiences smiling if not doubled over. The two share the house
Audience Network as it currently exists is coming to an end. Variety has learned that the network, which has been owned by AT&T since the company acquired DirecTV, will cease operations this spring and transition into a preview channel for HBO Max, the upcoming streaming service from WarnerMedia, which is also owned by AT&T. “We
To deliver the “anti-hate satire” of “Jojo Rabbit,” the story of a German boy who idolizes his own particular vision of Hitler before slowly learning the truth, director Taika Waititi followed a simple philosophy when it came to assembling his crew: “I like working with nice people.” Most of the members had previously collaborated with
Longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, who last year announced that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, said at the Television Critics Assn. winter press tour that he doesn’t expect to retire anytime soon. “I don’t foresee that 30-second moment coming up in the near future,” he said on stage, referring to his
With the Globes now behind us and Oscar noms rapidly approaching on Jan. 13, what should we be paying attention to in Hollywood’s biggest film awards race? Surefire bets are Globe winners Renée Zellweger (“Judy”), who already has one Oscar, and Brad Pitt, who should garner his third acting nomination for his work in Quentin
Content partnerships are essential to the growth and success of Twitter, and the company has accelerated its work to make the service safer and easier to use, according to Matt Derella, global VP of revenue and content partnerships. Derella, in a wide-ranging headliner conversation at the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES in Las Vegas on
While it’s not quite fourth down and long for broadcast networks, lackluster scripted-programming ratings and cord-cutting woes are weighing heavily on the industry’s collective consciousness. So it’s particularly good news that one broadcast mainstay seems to have regained its mojo: live football. After a bumpy year or two, the 2019 NFL regular season grabbed an
When Rob McElhenney was initially approached by Ubisoft about writing a series set in the video game industry, he was reluctant: He didn’t see a way into that world. But when the company invited him to tour its Montreal headquarters, he figured there was nothing to lose. Once there, he found the inspiration he needed. “I met a creative director” for one of Ubisoft’s games, McElhenney
This week the new “Bachelor” season kicked off — but it disrupted the usual parade of limos, as well as the season-specific aviation innuendo (titular Bachelor Peter Weber is a pilot) to bring back an old flame. In a surprise move ex-Bachelorette Hannah Brown returned not once, but twice for the season premiere to throw
Breaking News TMZ/Getty Mike Tyson says he hated Michael Jackson‘s guts for YEARS — calling him a “cold motherf*cker” — until he got to know the singer … and that’s when everything changed. The boxing superstar opened up about his experience with MJ on T.I.’s “Expeditiously” podcast … saying Jackson dissed him backstage at a
January 8, 2020 2:30PM PT “Kidding” creator Dave Holstein and fellow executive producer Roberto Benabib have signed a first-look deal with Showtime. The deal will cover all projects they create and develop across multiple platforms. The duo are also forming a production shingle together called R&D Analytics, which will focus on developing “voice-driven television projects in
On Sunday, January 12, the critical community anoints the best in film and TV at the 25th annual Critics’ Choice Awards. While the voting body decides between Marriage Story and Little Women, we review our red carpet faves. From Lady Gaga in sweeping Calvin Klein to Regina King in royal purple Michael Kors, these looks
January 8, 2020 12:57PM PT Some seemingly ridiculous TV show titles are misleading. Others, like “Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector,” are not. The new NBC drama (based on Jeffery Deaver’s novel) stars Lincoln Rhyme (Russell Hornsby) is a cocky detective who’s made a name for himself by scouring crime scenes like no one