Apple, by all appearances gearing up for a bigger push into podcasts, has hired Zach Kahn, formerly with Vox Media, to head public relations for Apple’s podcast business. Kahn will start at Apple in January 2020, reporting to senior director of communications Tom Neumayr. Kahn will be responsible for handling PR for all podcast initiatives,
Of all the plaudits Linda Ronstadt expected to receive when she was bestowed with kudos at the Kennedy Center Honors, “Rollerskate Hooker” was probably not among them. Yet that was one of the captions in a Ronstadt photo montage when CBS broadcast an hour of highlights from the annual Washington, D.C. ceremony Monday night. The
December 17, 2019 9:50AM PT Graham Chase Robinson, an ex-employee of Robert De Niro who made headlines last summer after the “Raging Bull” star claimed she binge-watched “Friends” episodes on the job, is asking a court to dismiss his lawsuit against her. Robinson later counter-sued De Niro, accusing him of gender discrimination and fostering an
As the 2010s come to a close, it’s high time that one of the biggest acts of the 2000s, Amy Lee’s Evanescence, gets its proper Gen Z-era due. The band, who have sold 8 million albums in the U.S. and took home the 2004 Best New Artist Grammy, has been largely absent from the mainstream
December 17, 2019 9:22AM PT “Van Helsing” fans will get to sink their teeth into the fantasy drama one last time. Syfy has announced it is renewing the vampire show for a fifth and final outing. The news comes only a few days ahead of the season 4 finale. “Van Helsing” is set in a
Emmy award-winning immersive storytelling startup Baobab Studios has teamed up with Penguin Random House for one of its latest projects: “The Magic Paintbrush,” a fantasy epic about a 12-year-old Chinese-American girl from Queens, will be published both in VR as well as in the form of a book series — a first-of-its-kind collaboration for immersive
In the midst of the holiday rush, you might be tempted to buy the same generic scarf in 10 colors and consider your list crossed off. But if you’re going to bother giving gifts at all, it actually doesn’t take that much effort to get everyone something they’ll appreciate (and use) so much more. The
December 17, 2019 8:55AM PT An associate producer at CBS News’ “60 Minutes” alleges in a new lawsuit that she was “ostracized, isolated and penalized” after reporting inappropriate behavior by one of the venerable newsmagazine’s senior producers, and now wants a jury to decide whether she is owed damages. Cassandra Vinograd logged stints at the
December 17, 2019 8:29AM PT “The Voice” aired part 1 of its season 17 finale and hit a high note in the TV ratings. Monday night’s episode drew 9.07 million total viewers, a season high for the singing show, surpassing the premiere which drew 8.9 million and narrowly overtaking the Oct. 1 episode which totaled
Madison Avenue has long been able to stuff some $70 billion annually into TV commercials. Now the advertising industry is trying to figure out how much of that money it can put down on streaming video. Streaming will account for 60% of all video viewing in 2020, compared with 56% in 2018, and is poised
The Golden Globes get to have fun with the motion picture — musical or comedy category, rewarding films that aren’t really that funny or musical but get a shot at gold because the drama category is often overflowing. Ditto for the actors in musical or comedy. Maybe the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. (HFPA) should create
December 17, 2019 7:51AM PT It’s good news and bad news for Van Halen fans. David Lee Roth has been announced as the opening act for the apparent final months of KISS’ farewell tour, with dates from February through October of 2020. That puts a nail in the coffin of whatever dim hopes fans might
Check out the official Saint Maud trailer starring Jennifer Ehle! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Sign up for a Fandango FanAlert for Saint Maud: ?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.
It’s impossible to predict the future. If studio executives, filmmakers, musicians and showrunners knew what trends were about to take hold, they’d have gone into streaming two decades ago, bought Marvel before Disney did and invested in Spotify when it was a struggling Swedish startup. Alas. But that’s not stopping the bright minds in our
Dick Clark Productions and ABC today announced that Post Malone will join America’s most-watched New Year’s Eve special, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020,” with a headlining performance live from New York City’s Times Square, just minutes before the ball drops. Making his Times Square debut, Post Malone will be joined
December 17, 2019 7:00AM PT The long arm of the NFL’s Super Bowl reached across YouTube ads throughout 2019. Six of the top 10 most-viewed ads on YouTube this year originated as Super Bowl LIII ads that aired in February. According to YouTube, that shows that marketers were able to extend the return on investment
When Apple TV Plus agreed to pay Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon more than $1 million per episode to star in “The Morning Show,” the burgeoning service didn’t just enter the streaming wars with a bang — it blew up the template for how much stars were paid on new TV shows. Aniston and Witherspoon
The final seasons of ABC’s “Modern Family” and Pop TV’s “Schitt’s Creek,” as well Starz’s “Outlander” and a special evening with Netflix’s “Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings” are the first series announced for PaleyFest LA 2020, The Paley Center for Media announced Tuesday. “We’re thrilled to celebrate the final seasons of ‘Modern Family’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ and
Audible, the Amazon-owned seller and producer of audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment, hired media and publishing veteran Bob Carrigan as CEO. Don Katz, who founded Audible in 1995, will step out of the chief executive role to become executive chairman. Carrigan joins Audible effective Jan. 2. As executive chairman, Katz will work with Carrigan on the
Check out the official Onward trailer starring Chris Pratt! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Sign up for a Fandango FanAlert for Onward: https://www.fandango.com/onward-219053/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 Release
Warner Music UK today announced that Briony Turner and Ed Howard have been promoted to Co-Presidents of Atlantic Records UK, effective January 1. Turner, who joined Atlantic in 2009, is upped from Co-Head of A&R for the label, while Howard is currently MD of Asylum Records UK, the Atlantic UK imprint that he joined upon its
December 17, 2019 6:15AM PT Matteo Garrone’s “Pinocchio,” starring Roberto Benigni, will have its international premiere at the 70th Berlin Film Festival the event announced Tuesday as new artistic director Carlo Chatrian unveiled the first titles for his debut edition. “Pinocchio” will play as part of the Berlinale Special Gala section, which replaces the Out
No DVDs, no problem: The Television Academy is sharing details on how it will charge studios and networks for digital Emmy screeners next year, now that the organization will no longer allow physical mailers to its 25,000 members. Starting in 2020, there will be a flat fee for a show’s For Your Consideration screeners to
December 17, 2019 6:00AM PT Premium podcast service Luminary has started to enlist Amazon’s Alexa to facilitate subscription sales: Owners of Amazon’s Echo smart speakers and other Alexa-enabled devices can now subscribe to the service with a simple voice command, Luminary announced Tuesday morning. Consumers can start accessing the service’s premium catalog simply by saying
The London Film Critics’ Circle added its voice to the mix of critical precursors this awards season, announcing a slate of nominees topped by Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir.” The British writer-director’s delicate autobiographical drama won top honors at Sundance and was named the year’s best film in Sight & Sound magazine’s annual critics’ poll, but it
Attention Capital, the startup media investment venture, has cut a deal to acquire the Girlboss digital network for rising female executives and entrepreneurs. Girlboss founder Sophia Amoruso has assembled an online community of professional and aspiring women seeking advice and community in advancing careers and running businesses. The deal with Attention Capital will give the
Following this year’s launch of the Cinema Green Lab, Les Arcs Film Festival has created €10,000 cash prize which will reward the most compelling environment-themed fiction project presented at the Co-production Village. “We have noticed that up until now, very few projects have been tackling environmental issues which are often only dealt with in documentaries.
Ben Roberts has been named CEO of the British Film Institute, filling the role being vacated by Amanda Nevill, who has held the position for 17 years. Roberts joined the BFI in 2012 as director of its film fund. He was upped to deputy CEO late last year. He starts as CEO in Feb. “Ben
Focus, an international show in London for professionals working in production, attracted a record number of attendees and exhibitors in its fifth edition, which ran Dec. 3-4. The event boasted an expanded conference schedule, plus a series of networking events. More than 3,400 professionals – including visitors, exhibitors, and members of international delegations – from
December 17, 2019 2:14AM PT Andy Harrower will take up the CEO role at Directors U.K. when Andrew Chowns vacates the position next year. Chowns has been at the helm of the organization for a decade, and his departure had already been announced. Harrower joins Directors U.K., the professional association for British film and TV