ITV Studios Global Entertainment has struck deals covering over 1,000 hours of scripted and non-scripted programming with Asian broadcasters and streamers. The deals were announced on the first day of the Asia Television Forum in Singapore. KBS in Korea acquired India’s “Wild Karnataka,” narrated by the acclaimed broadcaster-naturalist David Attenborough. Discovery Asia acquired rights to
Less than 24 hours after “Marriage Story” swept the Gotham Awards with four wins, it failed to snag any major prize Tuesday from the National Board of Review. However, the Noah Baumbach divorce drama did land on the NBR’s top ten film list. Meanwhile, NBR’s top honor went to “The Irishman.” What does this mean
British producer Jeremy Thomas, whose credits include “The Last Emperor,” “Crash” and “Sexy Beast,” is attending the Marrakech Film Festival where he was interviewed onstage by U.K. film critic Jason Solomons, who introduced him as “the Last Emperor of independent cinema.” Interviewed by Variety, Thomas talked about Matteo Garrone’s “Pinocchio,” starring Roberto Benigni, which will
December 3, 2019 2:47PM PT “Avengers: Endgame,” “Cats,” “The Irishman,” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” are among the 20 films that will vie at the Oscars for best visual effects. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the preliminary list of films eligible for further awards
Dolphin Entertainment today announced a major expansion of its entertainment-marketing capabilities through its acquisition of long-running music and entertainment industry PR firm Shore Fire Media. There, it joins 42West, The Door and Viewpoint Creative in the company’s entertainment publicity and marketing group. Founded by Marilyn Laverty, Shore Fire is a wide-ranging firm that represents artists
Genius Media Group filed a lawsuit against Google and LyricFind, a Toronto-based lyrics provider, alleging the companies ripped off song lyrics from Genius. The lawsuit seeks at least $50 million in damages from Google and LyricFind. “Defendants Google LLC and LyricFind have been caught red-handed misappropriating content from Genius’s website, which they have exploited —
December 3, 2019 2:35PM PT Rep. Devin Nunes of California, an outspoken ally of President Donald Trump, filed suit against CNN Tuesday, alleging the cable-news network defamed him when it reported on allegations about the President and his representatives seeking information from Ukraine officials that would raise suspicion about the presidential campaign of Joe Biden.
December 3, 2019 2:30PM PT Maggie Carey has signed a multi-year overall deal with ABC Studios. Under the terms of the new deal, Carey will write, produce, and direct drama and comedy projects for the studio across all platforms, including broadcast, cable, and streaming. “Maggie is an incredible talent who has directed some of the
Paris-based Moroccan filmmaker Laila Marrakchi is developing a pair of daring female-driven projects, “Casa Girls,” a series about four twentysomething single women living in Casablanca, and a drama based on a real-life sex scandal set against an agricultural backdrop in Spain. Marrakchi, who has so far directed “Rock the Casbah” and “Marock,” both of which
Princesses Anna and Elsa will have no trouble maintaining their box office rule as Disney’s “Frozen 2” heads for its third straight victory. The animated sequel is nearing the $300 million mark at the domestic box office and could collect another $30 million to $40 million this weekend. Recent Thanksgiving leftovers such as “The Hunger
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is adding another responsibility to his job: Pichai will also be the CEO of parent holding company Alphabet going forward, taking the helm from co-founder and longtime CEO Larry Page. Additionally, co-founder Sergey Brin will be resigning from his post as the president of Alphabet. Brin and Page jointly announced the
David Michôd, who sits on the jury of the Marrakech Film Festival alongside Tilda Swinton and Andrea Arnold, among others, told Variety that he’s yearning to “go back to his roots” and make another film in Australia. Michôd, whose latest film “The King,” starring Timothée Chalamet as young Henry V, world premiered at the Venice
December 3, 2019 1:18PM PT Norah O’Donnell’s move to Washington, D.C. for “CBS Evening News” appears to have sparked new interest in the venerable program. An average of 1.44 million people between the ages of 25 and 54 watched the program’s debut from its new studio in the nation’s capital, according to Nielsen, a figure
December 3, 2019 1:17PM PT Disney is expanding the “Planet of the Apes.” The studio has signed “Maze Runner” director Wes Ball to helm a new movie for the franchise. On an earnings call in August, CEO Bob Iger stressed that the classic franchise is a project that the studio plans to reboot as soon
Harvey Keitel has been a major presence at the 18th Marrakech Film Festival, presenting two gala sessions: for the career tribute to French helmer Bertrand Tavernier – with whom he worked on “Death Watch” (1980), and to present Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman.” He also took part in an onstage discussion, to a packed audience, which
December 3, 2019 12:10PM PT “Jack Ryan” season 2 could well be one of Amazon’s most-watched shows. According to Nielsen measurements, the show’s sophomore outing has an average minute audience of over 4.6 million after seven days of delayed viewing, while its premiere episode drew 7.3 million viewers in the same metric over its first
A plush toy of Baby Yoda — the adorable character officially known as The Child from Disney Plus’ “The Mandalorian” — is now available to pre-order, as are two bobble-head figures from Funko. But fans of the toddler-like green alien may be disappointed: The new products are not expected to ship until next year. The
HBO Max is bolstering its comedy offering. The forthcoming streamer, which launches in May 2020, has ordered four new stand-up comedy specials from Tracy Morgan, John Early, Rose Matafeo, and Ahir Shah. “We are incredibly proud to showcase this expansive range of comedic talent on HBO MAX,” said Suzanna Makkos, executive vice president of original programming,
“Winner,” a biopic about the leaker of the Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election intelligence report, is in the works at Big Beach, with “Booksmart” co-writer Susanna Fogel on board to direct. The film follows the real life story of Reality Leigh Winner, a former American intelligence specialist who was the first to expose
Dorothy Catherine Fontana, a writer on the original “Star Trek” series who had a long association with the franchise, died Dec. 2. She was 80. Fontana’s death was confirmed by the official “Star Trek” website, which described her as “the legendary writer who brought many of ‘Star Trek’s’ greatest episodes to life.” The website reported
Rent the Runway keeps on growing. After adding children’s clothing at the beginning of the year, the popular clothing rental service is now offering ski wear and athleisure, with 20 different brands available in both categories. Sizes range from small to large, with brands like Lululemon, Terez, Fila, Champion, Mackage, Spyder, and Bogner up for
When “Vikings” kicks off its sixth and final season on History, it does so in a blaze of glory. Not only has the series grown to include roughly 900 extras in its renowned battle scenes and given new voice to long-forgotten languages, but production has scaled several continents while also reaching more than 30 million
December 3, 2019 11:27AM PT YouTube is engaging in some year-end cleanup that could result in channels seeing a decrease in their subscriber counts. The video giant on Tuesday warned creators that they may see a decrease in subscriber counts on Dec. 3 as it removes “closed accounts” from the overall tallies. YouTube didn’t say
Let “Saturday Night Live” do all the President Trump sketches it wants. Over on HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” there are skits that cleverly parody how slow soul food restaurants are and how it feels to be overlooked in society with a recurring bit called “Invisible Spy.” Meanwhile, “Sherman’s Showcase” on IFC pokes fun
December 3, 2019 11:15AM PT Kristin Chenoweth is set to star in a single-camera comedy series currently in the works at Disney Plus. Titled “The Biggest Star in Appleton,” Chenoweth will star as Carol Dannhauser, a Wisconsin mom and waitress. She finds her deepest joy in life in her starring roles at the local community
Internet sensation Baby Yoda is everywhere lately, including a basketball game, according to Laura Dern. Dern coincidentally spotted the breakout star of Disney Plus’ “The Mandalorian” (who is a fictional green alien, for those unfamiliar with “Star Wars” lore) the same day she attended the IFP Gotham Awards in New York City. “I think he
December 3, 2019 11:00AM PT Georgie Hurford-Jones is moving from Endemol Shine North America to Universal Television Alternative Studio, where she has been named executive vice president of current programming. Hurford-Jones will manage the studio’s series and pilots across development, casting, creative, formats and production plans, and will report to Universal TV Alternative Studio head
The color pin wheel of celebrity Jacks finally reaches peak monochromatic glory as Jack Black and Jack White have a long-overdue collaboration in Tenacious D’s new single, “Don’t Blow It, Kage,” produced by White and released on his Third Man label. The song came out as a limited edition 45 last week for Record Store
After sitting on the sidelines for a year, Coca-Cola is getting back into the Super Bowl ad game. The beverage giant has purchased a 60-second commercial slated to run in Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl LIV on February 2 in 2020, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta company said Tuesday. The creative execution and concept for
YouTube’s live TV streaming service is finally getting of forced ad breaks for all cloud DVR recordings: YouTube TV announced on Twitter Monday afternoon that consumers will now be able to fast forward through ad breaks on recorded shows from CBS, the Smithsonian Channel and POP TV. What’s sweeter than unlimited DVR space? Full control