Tony Award winner Ben Platt sat for a candid Q&A on July 24 at Los Angeles’ Grammy Museum, which was followed by an intimate performance of songs from his “Sing To Me Instead” album, released in March by Atlantic Records. Speaking to veteran writer David Wild, the Broadway star discussed his showbiz family (his father,
Chance the Rapper has finally arrived — sort of. It was perhaps appropriate that the Chicago rapper bided his time dropping “The Big Day” — though advertised as a Friday release, it didn’t pop up on streaming sites around midnight, as most albums do, but rather well into the morning on July 26. Understandably, fans
Exclusive TMZSports.com TMZ Sports has obtained pics of UFC star Jon Jones and his brother Chandler Jones inside TD’s Eubank Showclub in Albuquerque on the night of an alleged incident with a cocktail waitress. TMZSports.com As we previously reported, Jon is being investigated over allegations he slapped a woman’s vagina during a wild night out
In today’s film news roundup, a Bella Thorne crime drama is shooting, Cinepolis is expanding in the US and Bill Duke’s “The Killing Floor” is acquired. PRODUCTION START Bella Thorne’s crime drama “Southland” has begun production in Oklahoma with Joshua Caldwell directing from his own script. The story follows two young lovers who rob their
Vice Media is in discussions to acquire online publisher Refinery29, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter. The talks are reportedly ongoing and may not result in an offer. Bringing the two online media brands together would expand Vice’s core audience, which is largely male. Refinery29’s content includes verticals on
There’s a place in people’s home for Starz’s streaming service, asserted Starz COO Jeffrey Hirsch at the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour Friday, pushing back against the idea that it’s tough for a smaller over-the-top platform to compete with Netflix and others. “Netflix has done a phenomenal job of convincing everybody in this room and
IPic Entertainment warned investors on Friday that it is facing a cash crunch that could push the theater chain into Chapter 11. In public filings, the company said it had not been able to get the funds it needed to pay a $10.1 million interest payment to the Retirement System of Alabama (RSA) and the
“The Big Day” has arrived. Chance The Rapper’s latest album, his official debut full-length, features a 22-song tracklist and a wide range of guest artists including Shawn Mendes, Nicki Minaj, John Legend, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard and Timbaland, among others. Along with contributions from his father Ken Bennett, Smino
July 26, 2019 3:58PM PT Newcomer Stephanie Cayo is set to join Mel Gibson and Kate Bosworth in the action movie “Force of Nature” with Michael Polish directing. Emile Hirsch is also on board to star. Producers are Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films CEOs Randall Emmett and George Furla with Luillo Ruiz. Tim Sullivan and Alex Eckert are
It was revealed in May that the hit Starz series’ sixth season was going be its last. However, series creator and co-showrunner Courtney A. Kemp had teased that new shows set in the “Power” universe were in the works and at the show’s Television Critics Association summer press tour she went a step further by
Lionsgate chief executive officer Jon Feltheimer received $6.6 million in compensation for the fiscal year ended March 31, down 54% from the $14.4 million from the previous year. The figure was disclosed Friday as part of the company’s proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission for its annual meeting on Sept. 10 in
Mark Wahlberg will star in the true-life canine adventure story “Arthur the King” for Paramount Players. The project is based on the 2017 book “Arthur: The Dog who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home,” written by Mikael Lindnord, the captain of a Swedish adventure racing team. Lindnord met the wounded stray dog during a
Dear Michael Lang: Maybe this is stating the obvious, but it’s time to throw in the towel on Woodstock 50. The legacy of the 1969 festival that changed culture itself is tarnished, if not completely ruined; your multiple attempts to move the event to another location are laughable at this point; the lineup is in
July 26, 2019 3:35PM PT In today’s roundup, Hulu will soon stream 1980’s comedy series “Designing Women” and Comedy Central announces new Comedy Fellowship with Sundance Institute. ACQUISITIONS Hulu has acquired the rights to comedy “Designing Women” from Sony Pictures Television. The series, which aired from 1986 to 1993, chronicles the life of design firm
John Ferriter, a prominent WMA television agent for two decades, died Thursday at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles from complications from pancreatitis. He was 59. Jamie Gruttermeyer, Ferriter’s partner at management firm the Alternative, confirmed his death to Variety. Ferriter launched the Alternative in 2015 after five years at Octagon Entertainment. Ferriter was a
Exclusive Getty Composite It appears any hope Azriel Clary‘s family had about their daughter coming back to them have been dashed … because TMZ’s learned Azriel’s planning to fly to NYC for moral support in R. Kelly‘s sexual exploitation case. Kelly’s attorneys, Douglas Anton and Steve Greenberg, tell TMZ … Azriel is expected to be
Alec Benjamin’s song and accompanying music video, “Jesus in L.A.,” paints the city of sunny beaches, Tinseltown and the stars with a bit of a darker shade. The music video follows Benjamin as he wanders through an Angeleno night surrounded by people, but completely alone. Benjamin, now 25, packed his bags as a teenager living
July 26, 2019 2:39PM PT Starz has canceled “Now Apocalypse” after just one season. The announcement was made at the Television Critics Association summer press tour on Friday. “’Now Apocalypse’ is a great show, as we all know it’s been a really good experiment, but we have made the decision not to bring it back,”
John Legere, T-Mobile’s trash-talking chief exec, claimed Friday that the $26.5 billion union of his company and Sprint is a “pro-consumer, pro-competition” deal. His comments came after proposed merger was OK’d by the Justice Department with the requirement that the new company sell wireless assets to Dish Network, on the theory that this would establish
Starz is expanding its slate of historical dramas, which includes “Outlander” and “The Spanish Princess,” with a series order for another period piece. The network has committed to an eight-episode season of “Dangerous Liaisons” which is based on the 18th century French epistolary novel of the same name by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. “Dangerous Liaisons”
July 26, 2019 2:24PM PT With “Spider-Man: Far From Home” crossing the $1 billion worldwide box-office milestone, Sony is now looking to get the “Venom” sequel off the ground and executives recently met with a handful of new directing candidates. Sources tell Variety that Andy Serkis, “Bumblebee” director Travis Knight and Rupert Wyatt are among
Variety has been given exclusive access to the international trailer for Vaclav Marhoul’s “The Painted Bird,” which world premieres in competition at the Venice Film Festival, and screens at the Toronto Film Festival in the Special Presentations section. The cast, led by Petr Kotlar, includes Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgard, Harvey Keitel, Julian Sands, Barry Pepper,
The cast of HBO’s latest controversial series, “The Righteous Gemstones,” had one thing on their minds at Thursday night’s premiere at Paramount Studios — male genitalia. While “Game of Thrones” inspired many a think piece over its so-called “peen problem” (and gratuitous female nudity), no one can accuse this comedy about a sinful televangelical dynasty
“The Lion King” is still ruling at North American multiplexes with about $80 million this weekend while Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is heading for a solid $40 million opening, early estimates showed Friday. Disney’s photo-realistic remake of “The Lion King” raked in a massive $192 million during opening weekend — the
July 26, 2019 12:45PM PT Fox has ordered a third season of “Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back.” The show features Ramsay traveling to struggling restaurants around the country in his mobile kitchen and command center, Hell on Wheels, as he goes in undercover to see their problems first-hand. After that, Ramsay and
It’s good to see Vince McMahon understand that for his World Wrestling Entertainment empire to take a step forward, he needs to take a step back. After offering excuses for WWE’s poor creative product on previous earnings calls, the WWE CEO wisely acknowledged Thursday that two new hires he made earlier this month freed him
July 26, 2019 12:40PM PT Actor Gabe Khouth, known for his role on ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” died unexpectedly on July 23 following a cardiac arrest. He was 46. Khouth’s friend Peter Kelamis, a fellow actor and comedian, took to Twitter on Thursday morning to confirm the news, writing, “On July 23rd, my friend,
YouTube used to be the place I ran to to distract myself from my responsibilities, brush up on my makeup skills, and ogle at power couples on extravagant trips to the Maldives, Bali, and Iceland. Recently though, it’s become oversaturated with new accounts doing the same exact thing. Seriously, how many more “no-makeup” makeup routines
Settle in for another jam-packed Primetime Emmy telecast on Sept. 22. The Television Academy has announced the awards to be presented on camera during this year’s live ceremony, and the number of categories clocks in at 27. That’s believed to be more than any other major TV awards telecast, and has been the subject of
July 26, 2019 11:31AM PT A Los Angeles billboard for Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” has been hijacked to replace the faces of stars Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio with those of Roman Polanski and Jeffrey Epstein, respectively, blasting “Pedowood” in place of Hollywood. The billboard, located at Pico and La Cienega,