I want to be upset at Rihanna for not giving us an album in nearly four years—I really do. But there’s no way one can stay mad at Rihanna when she’s been committed to blessing us with gifts at every turn. Her latest gift, the second Savage x Fenty show, might be the greatest gift
Filmmaker Ken Burns and his collaborators on PBS’ upcoming “Country Music” documentary series had no inside connections to the country music community when they began work on the eight-part series more than eight years ago. And that’s a good thing, in the view of Vince Gill, the renowned singer-songwriter. “Country Music,” a masterful chronicle of
As artists in the film and television industry who also happen to be deaf, Shoshannah Stern and Joshua Feldman know first-hand how hard it can be to see themselves reflected on-screen. So they created their own series, “This Close,” which returns for its second season on Sept. 12. But in taking the reins of a
Apple unveiled three new iPhone models at its annual fall media event in Cupertino, Calif. Tuesday. These include the new iPhone 11, as well as two high-end models dubbed the 11 Pro and the 11 Pro Max. The new iPhone 11 effectively replaces the iPhone XR, the company’s lower-priced phone from its 2018 line-up. It
Just six months after being acquired by Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings, Atlas Music Publishing has announced a joint venture deal with legendary producer, songwriter and executive Quincy Jones. Atlas CEO Richard Stumpf, who founded the music publishing company in 2013 with financing from Aronson Media Ventures, Goldman Sachs and advisors Sword, Rowe & Company, first
September 10, 2019 11:00AM PT Universal Pictures nabbed rights to “When Michael Met Carrie… and Other People,” a spec script from Meredith Dawson. Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids,” “A Simple Favor”) is attached to produce. Plot details are currently unknown, though the creative team promises it’s a new take on the romantic comedy. Dawson, a protege of
Netflix is developing the drama “A Time Lost,” based on an original story by Millie Bobby Brown and her sister Paige Brown. “A Time Lost” will be produced by Millie Bobby Brown through PCMA Productions. Paige Brown and Robert Brown are executive producing. No actors have been cast yet. Anna Klassen is attached to adapt the
Apple released the official trailer “See” starring Jason Momoa on Tuesday. “See” takes place in the distant future, after a deadly virus decimated humankind. Those who survived emerged blind. Jason Momoa stars as Baba Voss, the father of twins born centuries later with the mythic ability to see. He must protect his tribe against a
Films Boutique has scored strong first-phase sales with top arthouse distributors around the globe on Maryam Touzani’s female friendship drama “Adam” – confirming the market appeal of a title which has been selected as Morocco’s entry for the newly-named Academy Award for best international feature film. The deals news comes on the eve of “Adam’s”
Apple has finally revealed key details about its upcoming video subscription service: The company used a press event for the introduction of the new iPhone Tuesday to announce that its Apple TV Plus service is going to launch in 100 countries on Nov. 1. The service will be priced at $4.99 per month, and Apple
French programs brought in 276 million euros ($304.7 million) from international sales and foreign investment through co-productions in 2019. It marked the third highest performance in the last 25 years, according to a study unveiled by the CNC and TV France International. Sales of French programs alone accounted for $190 million (compared with 205 million
Apple announced that its Apple Arcade game-subscription service will launch next week on the App Store, priced at $4.99 per month for unlimited access to over 100 exclusive games. Apple Arcade, first revealed earlier this year, will be available starting Sept. 19 in more than 150 countries with the release of iOS 13. Priced at
TV’s fall season is only just getting into gear, but at least one major network battle is growing louder. Just days after “Good Morning America” usurped rival “Today’s” position as the dominant morning program among the viewers advertisers care about most, “Today” has, for now, elbowed its ABC counterpart out of the ratings category –
Kerry Washington’s latest film “American Son” hits close to home for the star, giving her reason to reflect on the way she moves through the world as a black woman. “I worry when I’m driving. I worry when my 80-year-old father is driving,” Washington told Variety at the Toronto Film Festival Studio presented by AT&T,
September 10, 2019 10:01AM PT A first wave of panelists has been announced for the second annual all-day gathering, to be held at Neuehouse in Hollywood Oct. 29. Robbie Robertson will be a keynote speaker at Variety‘s second annual Music for Screens Summit, to be held at Neuehouse in Hollywood on Oct. 29. The first
NBC has renewed the unscripted series “Songland” for a second season. The series takes an inside look at the creative process behind songwriting, and each episode provides one up-and-coming songwriter the opportunity to have their song recorded by a major artist and released immediately after the episode airs worldwide. The show features producer-mentors Ryan Tedder,
South Africa has chosen Jahmil X.T. Qubeka’s “Knuckle City” as its official entry in the Oscars’ International Feature Film category. The movie had its international premiere this week in the Contemporary World Cinema section in Toronto. “Knuckle City” tells the story of Dudu Nyakama (Bongile Mantsai), an aging boxer whose shot at a big prize
Snoop Dogg will receive the Sony/ATV Music Publishing “Social Leadership” Award at the 15th annual Songs of Hope event. The honor will be presented by Sony/ATV chairman and CEO Jon Platt, the 2018 Spirit of Life honoree, at the Sept. 19 gathering in Los Angeles. Cancer research and treatment center City of Hope celebrates the
For years, Netflix has ranked as the biggest application in terms of bandwidth consumption on internet networks, particularly during peak-period hours. But now Netflix has dropped to second place globally behind web-based media streaming apps, as video consumption overall continues to climb, according to the 2019 Global Internet Phenomena Report from Sandvine, a vendor of
Norman Lear has been named the Variety‘s first-ever Creative Conscience Award recipient in the field of television. The prolific producer will receive the award at Variety‘s annual showrunners’ dinner, taking place Sept. 17 in Los Angeles, Calif. “For nearly 40 years, Norman Lear’s People For the American Way has stood for social justice, compassion and transparency
The Toronto Film Festival is once again buzzing with Oscar talk. While many of this awards season’s contenders had already screened at Venice and/or Telluride, TIFF featured several world premieres that added to this year’s race to the Dolby Theater on Feb. 9. “Hustlers”Jennifer Lopez has been a frequent presenter at the Oscars, but she
“Uncut Gems,” a dark comedy starring Adam Sandler and directed by the Safdie Brothers, is a wild ride that has generated awards season buzz since premiering at this year’s Telluride Film Festival. In the film, Sandler portrays Howard Ratner, a jewelry dealer in New York’s Diamond district. He’s a gambling addict con-man who can’t seem to
Music for the forthcoming animated comedy “The Addams Family” will come courtesy of original tracks by Christina Aguilera and Migos, among others. The first track to be released, “My Family” performed by Migos, Karol G, Rock Mafia and Snoop Dogg, will drop this Friday, Sept. 13. Aguilera’s “Haunted Heart” follows later this month via RCA
“The Umbrella Academy” is bringing in three new cast members for season 2. Ritu Arya, Yusuf Gatewood and Marin Ireland are all set to join returning cast members Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, and Justin H. Min for the Netflix show’s sophomore outing. Arya, best known for her
David E. Kelley, fresh off his stint on “Big Little Lies,” and “Lost” director Jack Bender are teaming up to bring Stephen King’s latest novel “The Institute” to the screen. Spyglass has won the rights to the book and plans to adapt it into a limited series with Kelley in place to write and executive
WarnerMedia has tapped company veterans Sofia Chang and Rich Warren to oversee distribution for HBO, the nascent HBO Max streaming service and the Turner channels. The appointments of Chang and Warren as president of WarnerMedia Distribution come as part of the continuing shakeup of HBO and Turner operations following AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner last
Exclusive TMZ/Getty Composite Kylie Jenner had an intruder prowling around her property Monday, and the guy wasn’t finished with the family because he beelined it over to Kim and Kanye‘s house. TMZ has obtained this surveillance video shot from Kylie’s security cam at one of her Hidden Hills homes. It shows the prowler around 5
Redd Kross are one of the longest-running bands Los Angeles has spawned in its history, with a career that launched in the city’s late 1970s punk scene (when its brother founders, Jeff and Steve McDonald, were aged 15 and 11, respectively), carried into the power-pop era of the 1980s, then into the alt-rock boom of
Formal debates aren’t the only way news organizations can help voters meet White House potentials. ABC News, which will televise a debate among Democratic candidates Thursday night, will today launch “Around the Table,” a series of televised meetings between three voters and one of the Democratic presidential candidates, who get to converse around a dinner
Local TV stations are working to tune in a new methodology for counting viewers of the 6 p.m. news and morning talk shows. The TVB, the trade organization that represents more than 800 TV stations and TV broadcast groups, is pressing Madison Avenue to start using viewer impressions as a base for striking ad deals