A$AP Rocky took the stand Thursday to testify in a Swedish courtroom that his actions during a violent confrontation with another man were out of self-defense. The 30-year-old rapper, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, and two companions have been charged with assault stemming from the June 30 incident. They have been in custody in
The BBC has received approval from British media regulator Ofcom to go ahead with plans to extend the time that content is available on its streaming service, the BBC iPlayer. Under the plan, first proposed in April, the catchup service will offer content for 12 months instead of just 30 days. Announcing its decision Thursday,
A trio of the biggest names in world soccer – Jose Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. – will talk about the games that defined them in “The Making Of” for DAZN. The documentary series is the sports streamer’s most ambitious original to date. In three half-hour episodes apiece, each of the soccer heavyweights will
August 1, 2019 1:00AM PT The world’s top-tier film festivals congratulated themselves last year when, one by one, they signed a pledge on gender parity drawn up by the French women’s organization 5050×2020. The protocol commits the fests to greater transparency about the number of films submitted and the makeup of their selection and programming
July 31, 2019 10:30PM PT This empathetic yet conventionally structured documentary follows three transgender teens as they fight to compete in gender-segregated sports on their own terms. Perhaps you will recall last year’s headlines about Mack Beggs, a then-18-year-old high school athlete from around Dallas. In case you need to refresh your memory: Mack is
In today’s film news roundup, Jacki Weaver gets cast, Mekhi Phifer’s “Obsession” gets acquired and MiLa Media launches an open script submission system. CASTINGS Two-time Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver will join Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln in the family drama “Penguin Bloom.” Weaver will portray the mother of Watts’ character in the drama, which
Given the chance to contrast their policies with President Trump’s or snipe at each other, Democratic candidates for the White House largely chose the latter. A phalanx of Democrats eager to continue on the road to the Oval Office sought to throw mud at two of the pack’s leaders, former Vice President Joe Biden and
July 31, 2019 7:55PM PT In retrospect, CNN made it clear from the start what it wanted from hosting the Democratic debates. For the first night, it pitted “The Progressives” against everyone else in such a way that denigrating Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren’s brand of liberalism became a requisite kickoff to any answer.
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Chapter One-Hundred,” the series finale of “Jane the Virgin.” Five years ago, the CW was dominated by surreal series centered on vampires and werewolves, demon hunters, a genetically altered soldier, and so-called homo superiors. But then came “Jane the Virgin.” In a sea of dark,
July 31, 2019 6:37PM PT New Jersey Senator Cory Booker dropped an uncensored “s—hole” comment Wednesday night while arguing about immigration policies with former vice president Joe Biden at CNN’s second round of democratic debates. “This really irks me because I heard the vice president say that, ‘If you got a ph.d., you can come right into this country.’ Well
Woodstock 50 passed away today at the age of 7 months, following a brave and very, very long battle with cancel. The festival’s timely demise was confirmed in a statement from Sallie Hofmeister, who, as Harvey Weinstein’s publicist, has become a specialist in sensitive terminal cases. The canceled gathering was preceded in death by Curveball,
July 31, 2019 5:39PM PT Warner Bros. Television will “part ways” with “” host A.J. Calloway following the studio’s investigation into sexual assault allegations leveled against the him. “The company has investigated the claims made into Mr. Calloway’s conduct and he and the company have mutually agreed to part ways,” a Warners rep says in
July 31, 2019 5:27PM PT Protesters confronted New York mayor Bill de Blasio Wednesday night during New Jersey Senator Cory Booker’s opening statement at CNN’s second round of democratic debates. The protesters were chanting “fire Pantaleo” in reference to the mayor’s handling of a police case in which New York City police officer Daniel Pantaleo
July 31, 2019 5:21PM PT Cinespia announced the list of titles screening at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in September. First up is the Sunday, Sept. 1 screening of the 1989 rom-com “When Harry Met Sally” starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Then director Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-noir mashup “Blade Runner” will come to the cemetery
CBS is bringing on board Claudia Lyon as executive vice president of talent and casting, where she will oversee the unit’s operations for CBS Entertainment’s primetime and daytime programming, limited series, alternative programs and specials. Lyon joins CBS from ABC Entertainment, where she was vice president of talent and casting since 2006, overseeing casting for
July 31, 2019 4:49PM PT “Baskets” is coming to an end. FX announced Wednesday that the series will end upon the conclusion of its current fourth season. The Season 4 finale on Aug. 22 will now serve as the series finale. “Over four seasons, ‘Baskets’ has taken its place among the great FX comedies as
The Television Academy won’t be handing out a Governors Award at this year’s Emmy ceremony, the first time it has opted not to hand out the honor in 25 years. The Board of Governors of the TV Academy has the option to hand out one Governors Award annually, or skip it. But since establishing the
July 31, 2019 4:41PM PT Amazon senior vice president Jeff Blackburn is about to take some time off next year: Blackburn will embark on a one-year sabbatical, he revealed in an email to staff Wednesday. “It’s never easy to find a good time for a break when always scaling so fast, but now feels like
Melina Matsoukas is hoping her feature film directorial debut “Queen & Slim” gets people talking. “I think the largest thing I want people to get out of it is to create that dialogue, to have people talking about both sides, to change the political climate,” Matsoukas said during a Q&A with members of the press
Media reports around the Katy Perry “Dark Horse” case, in which a jury found this week that she and her producers and cowriters had infringed upon the copyright of Flame’s 2013 song “Joyful Noise,” often focus upon the damage the case might do to her career, her reputation or her bank accounts. But the crux
The 2020 Democratic debates continue Wednesday night as CNN hosts the remaining 10 democratic candidates in Detroit. The debates will air live exclusively on CNN at 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT. Additionally, viewers can stream the event from CNN.com, on CNN’s smartphone apps and CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and
Here are the top trailers for movies coming out in August 2019! What will you go see? 00:00 Hobbs & Shaw 02:26 Them That Follow 04:35 The Art of Racing in the Rain 06:48 Dora and the Lost City of Gold 08:22 The Kitchen 09:53 Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 12:18 The Peanut
July 31, 2019 3:36PM PT In today’s roundup, Jennifer Cheon Garcia will appear on “Supergirl” and the Paley Center for Media announces two new exhibits. CASTING Jennifer Cheon Garcia has been cast in a guest starring role in the fifth season premiere of the CW series “Supergirl,” Variety has learned exclusively. Described as the physical manifestation
When it comes to martial arts and cinema, Bruce Lee is an icon. But his depiction in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” as an arrogant blowhard who brags about being able to “cripple” boxer Muhammad Ali could not be further from the truth, according to those closest to the real Lee. For
July 31, 2019 3:00PM PT Saying he had concerns about the case being “tried in the public domain,” a federal judge in Chicago Wednesday approved a protective order in the child pornography and obstruction case against R. Kelly, according to the Chicago Tribune. In the course of the argument — which is in favor of
July 31, 2019 2:55PM PT At first glance, “Sherman’s Showcase” requires unraveling several meta layers. The new IFC comedy from Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin (“Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”) is a faux docuseries about a fictional Black variety show (the aforementioned “Sherman’s Showcase”) that spans generations like the ones that inspired it, including “Soul
Breaking News TMZ Ex-Pittsburgh Steelers running back and former NFL analyst Merril Hoge says Roundup weed killer caused him to get cancer back in 2003 … and now, he’s suing. The 54-year-old says he first mixed and sprayed the popular weed killer all over while he was working on a farm in Idaho back in
In the wake of the Disney-Fox merger and Disney’s full assumption of control over Hulu in May, Walt Disney Television has taken oversight of the streamer’s original scripted drama and comedy development. Hulu’s senior vice president of scripted originals Craig Erwich will now report to Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment head Dana Walden, a
Craig Mazin, who was running for vice president of the Writers Guild of America West, has withdrawn from the contest due to a family issue. Mazin was running as part of the Writers for Negotiation slate, which opposes the current stalemate between the WGA and Hollywood agencies. He made the announcement Wednesday afternoon in an
Whether a television series deals overtly in the political times of the day, as in CBS All Access’ “The Good Fight,” or uses complicated subject matter such as race and identity in a more thematic or metaphorical way (as in the streamer’s “Star Trek: Discovery”), the key for writers and producers is to handle the