For as long as MJ Rodriguez can remember she has wanted to be a performer. “When I was little all I could think about was just being on some kind of stage, whether it be on a live stage, whether it be on a set stage,” Rodriguez says. “It didn’t matter. I just wanted to
Brandon Flynn, one of the breakout actors from Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why,” has spent the last two years fielding questions about his personal life. In 2017, he wrote a passionate post on Instagram, advocating for an Australian vote that allowed for same-sex marriage. Soon enough, news sites such as HuffPost and E! News were reporting
Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, should be investigated in connection with the killing of Jamal Khashoggi because of “credible evidence” that the prince is among those liable for the dissident journalist’s death, a United Nations report said Wednesday. While no “smoking gun” has yet been found that directly incriminates the prince
Quibi, the ambitious short-form video venture from Jeffrey Katzenberg and CEO Meg Whitman, has sold $100 million in upfront ad inventory with six advertisers ahead of its April 2020 debut. Advertisers that have committed ad spending to Quibi include Google, Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Walmart, Progressive and AB InBev, according to the company. The $100
Whatever you think of the end result, there’s always something thrilling about watching a young director who’s earned a long line of Hollywood credit decide to spend every last cent of it on a single film. And writer-director Ari Aster has certainly done that with his “Hereditary” follow-up, “Midsommar.” Following a group of American grad
Austin Rivers CP3 vs. Harden Beef?!? ‘Fake News!!!’ 6/19/2019 6:04 AM PDT EXCLUSIVE Austin Rivers tells TMZ Sports … the reported rift between his Houston Rockets teammates, Chris Paul and James Harden, is nothing but a LIE … saying, “It’s just made up news, fake news!” The NBA world went crazy Tuesday after Yahoo Sports reported
PAMPLONA, Spain — RTVE, The Mediapro Studio and “The Department of Time’s” Javier Olivares are joining forces to fast track “Malaka,” a crime thriller which shows RTVE, Spain’s national public broadcaster, moving into ever more ambitious material as it seeks to attract a nationwide audience now accustomed to the cable edge of streaming platforms. Set
PAMPLONA, Spain — For the third consecutive year, the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) hosted a pitching session for TV projects from the Fundación SGAE Laboratory at Spain’s Conecta Fiction co-production and networking TV event, held this year in Pamplona. The SGAE Laboratory gives participants an opportunity to fill out their projects over
In a bid to tap into burgeoning global demand for TV content, Colombia is expanding its location shoot incentives to include international television series. Current incentives have attracted some 40 film and TV movie projects in the past four years, including pics starring A-list actors Tom Cruise, Will Smith and Oscar-winning Spanish actors, Penelope Cruz
Fresh out of announcing its strategic alliance with America TV and Marca Peru to offer production services in Peru, leading Peruvian production company Tondero is unveiling four new TV series at Conecta Fiction. This is the company’s first foray into television. “We’ve had various projects in development since last year and are seeking co-producers in
PAMPLONA, Spain — One issue dominated “Fiction Series, the Tsunami Continues,” a Conecta Fiction presentation by Madrid-based consultancy Gabinete de Estudios de la Comunicación Audiovisual: the impact of streaming services on scripted series, their production and consumption. In an analysis of the main markets in Europe and Latin America which drew on multiple studies and
PAMPLONA, Spain — Forging a new axis in the Spanish-speaking TV world, Warner Bros. ITVP España and top Argentine production house Pol-ka have joined forces to create an eight-episode dark comedy thriller. Symptomatic of the fast-forming new Spanish-language TV landscape, where series from Spain now rank consistently among the most watched on SVOD platforms in
June 18, 2019 10:47PM PT A wife and mother navigates a personal crisis caused by her husband in Hilary Brougher’s incisive portrait of middle-aged upheaval. “South Mountain” joins the company of “Gloria Bell” and “Diane” as yet another 2019 drama intimately attuned to the literal and emotional plight of a middle-aged woman. In the case
June 18, 2019 10:37PM PT Astro Malaysia, Malaysia’s leading pay-TV operator, has struck a strategic agreement with Chinese streaming platform iQIYI. Astro obtains the exclusive rights to deliver iQIYI content on TV, on-demand and via OTT in Malaysia. It will launch the first iQIYI-branded channel comprising iQIYI’s extensive slate of original content from drama to
June 18, 2019 10:37PM PT The 1982 Mexican economic crisis backdrops Alejandra Márquez Abella’s delicious parable of high society brought low. The economy’s a mess but Sofía’s hair is perfect in Alejandra Márquez Abella’s “The Good Girls,” a film that is all surface in a way that is not, for once, a negative. The primped,
Ari Aster can likely cross off “sophomore slump” from his list of many nightmares. Distributor A24 let loose the follow-up to the director’s widely praised, commercial hit debut “Hereditary” with two buzz screenings, which ran simultaneously in New York and Los Angeles on Tuesday night. Response was almost unanimously positive, if not significantly rattled. “Holy
June 18, 2019 9:02PM PT In this week’s edition of the Variety Movie Commercial Tracker, powered by TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv, Disney Pixar claims the top spot in spending with “Toy Story 4.” Ads placed for the animated film had an estimated media value of $5.53 million through Sunday for 1,073 national
In today’s film news roundup, Cyprus is backing Nicolas Cage’s “Jiu Jitsu”; “The Nanny” and “Amityville 1974” are moving forward; “Milk” is returning to theaters; and Garrett Hedlund’s “Burden” is getting distribution. CYPRUS REBATE Nicolas Cage’s “Jiu Jitsu” has become the first international film to use Cyprus’ new tax credit-rebate program by filming entirely in
Zhao Tao is one of the most recognizable faces in Chinese art cinema thanks to her longtime collaboration with director Jia Zhangke, whom she married in 2012. From 2000’s “Platform” to last year’s “Ash is Purest White,” her work has plumbed the moral depths of modern China and brought stories of the country’s drastic change
June 18, 2019 5:11PM PT Netflix has canceled the drama series “Chambers” after one season. The series followed a teenager who gets a heart transplant and becomes consumed with the mystery surrounding her donor. The series starred Uma Thurman, Tony Goldwyn, Sivan Alyra Rose, Lilliya Reid, Nicholas Galitzine, Kyanna Simone Simpson, Lilli Kay, Sarah Mezzanotte,
With U.S.-China ties at an ever-sinking low, the Chinese-American Film and TV Festival on Tuesday pledged to improve communications between the two countries — at a Chinese language-only press conference Tuesday that had few foreigners present. Most attendees who took to the stage to give congratulatory speeches that seemed more intent on heaping praise upon
“Murder Mystery,” the latest Adam Sandler film to debut on Netflix, broke viewing records on the streaming service, the company revealed Tuesday. The film, which is co-headlined by Jennifer Aniston, was seen by close to 30.9 million households in its first 3 days, according to a tweet sent out Tuesday afternoon. 🚨ADAM SANDLER AND JENNIFER
In today’s roundup, Trevor Noah announces two live specials after the first Democratic debates and the new season of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” sets a premiere date. SPECIALS “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” will broadcast live following the Democratic Party’s first 2020 presidential primary debates on June 26 and 27 at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.
Following on its statements last week that it will be filing a lawsuit on behalf of several Universal Music recording artists impacted by a 2008 fire that destroyed a huge number of master recordings, a Los Angeles law firm has requested a “complete inventory” from the company. Addressed to UMG CEO and chairman Lucian Grainge,
Adam Silver NBA Investigating Masai Ujiri … We’re Gathering Facts 6/18/2019 3:06 PM PDT EXCLUSIVE Adam Silver is vouching for Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri — saying the guy is a good dude … but the NBA commish tells TMZ Sports he’s still investigating Ujiri like he would anyone else. Of course, Ujiri is facing
Charles Caldas, the only CEO that the independent-label collective Merlin has ever known, announced today that he will step down from his post at the end of 2019, after more than 12 years at the helm of the global rights organization. He will continue his current duties until then and work with the Merlin board to
In a sign of increasing frustration, Hollywood agents have accused the Writers Guild of America of foot-dragging in the bitter two-month dispute. “It has become clear as more days pass that the Guild is not interested in making a deal,” said the negotiating committee for the agents in statement issued Tuesday. “Over the past year,
Samantha Bee is now the only female host in late night, and that’s a stat she’s not happy about. “It’s a bit unsettling,” Bee recently told Variety. “It’s been a bad year to be a woman in this space. It’s not really a badge that I want to wear.” Shows that have been canceled over
June 18, 2019 2:05PM PT A year to the day after rapper XXXTentacion was murdered, his estate has released a trailer for an upcoming documentary on the artist, which the announcement says is “releasing soon.” The clip, which includes narration from X himself, captures quick flashes of him reuniting with family and friends, engaging with fans, and
June 18, 2019 2:01PM PT Jermaine Fowler is set to play one of the leads opposite Eddie Murphy in Paramount’s sequel “Coming 2 America,” sources tell Variety. “Hustle & Flow” helmer Craig Brewer is on board to direct the pic with the studio planning an August 7, 2020 release. Plot details of “Coming 2 America”