Linda Fairstein Book Publisher Gives Her the Boot 6/7/2019 12:33 PM PDT Breaking News Linda Fairstein‘s world continues to crumble … her book publisher has just kicked her to the curb as the fallout continues, following her portrayal in Netflix’s miniseries, “When They See Us.” The Central Park 5 prosecutor will no longer have a
Have you ever asked Alexa about her feelings? Or told her that she is hilarious? No need to be embarrassed, you’re not alone. Browse the reviews of the Echo smart speaker on Amazon.com, and you’ll find countless examples of people calling Alexa playful and funny, and a great companion, or even a friend. That’s no
“Jungle Cruise” director Jaume Collet-Serra and Dwayne Johnson are reuniting for Johnson’s first foray into the comic-book world. Sources tell Variety that Collet-Serra is in negotiations to direct Johnson in the New Line film “Black Adam,” based on the DC Comics character. According to insiders, the film is a priority for the studio following the
Mediaset, the Milan-based broadcaster founded by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, is expanding its scope by moving its base to Amsterdam and setting up a pan-European media company, MediaForEurope, that will operate in Italy, Spain and Germany. MediaForEurope will merge Mediaset Italy and Mediaset Spain, and include the company’s recently acquired 9.6% stake in
June 7, 2019 12:08PM PT Oprah Winfrey is jumping in on the “When They See Us” conversation. The legendary talk show host will moderate two panels related to the Netflix show to close out the streamer’s Emmy FYSee showcase. Both conversations will be recorded to premiere on Netflix and OWN on Wednesday, June 12 at
More than a year ago, the producers at Big Fish Entertainment — the company behind A&E’s hit “Live P.D.” — started talking about ways to create a program timed to the 10th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death. Surely interest would be high, given the King of Pop’s musical legacy and the circumstances of his untimely
June 7, 2019 12:05PM PT Sony Pictures Entertainment has renamed one of its theaters the John Singleton Theater in honor of the Academy and Emmy Award-nominated director, screenwriter, and producer who died in April. “We are so pleased that Sony Pictures will be honoring our father in this way,” said Justice and Maasai Singleton. “It
Getty Images Welcome to “The Perfect,” ELLE.com‘s roundup of all the elements needed for a perfectly outfitted, vacation, our executed fill-in-the-blank. It’s all up to you! Getting something personalized doesn’t mean slapping an old-school monogram on it and calling it a day. The more creative you are, the richer the reward. See our favorite ready-to-be-customized
June 7, 2019 11:52AM PT Lisa Vanderpump has officially called it quits on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” sources tell Variety. Vanderpump has been a mainstay of the show since the beginning, but will likely now focus her efforts towards her other Bravo reality series “Vanderpump Rules.” She had previously told the Daily Mail
“Dark Phoenix,” the film that closes out the current X-Men franchise, opened with $5 million in ticket sales Thursday night. The 12th installment of the series and the first to be distributed by Disney is expected to have an opening weekend of $40 million to $50 million. The Thursday night numbers, while solid, come in
Winston Duke, Zazie Beetz, Benedict Wong, David Rysdahl and Bill Skarsgård will star in the supernatural film “Nine Days,” the feature debut from director Edson Oda. Duke will play a recluse living in an otherworldly home who interviews human souls for the privilege of being born. Beetz, Wong, Rysdahl and Skarsgård will play the interviewees.
June 7, 2019 11:09AM PT “Access” and “Access Live” have laid off multiple long-serving producers in both New York and Los Angeles, Variety has learned from sources. “Access” — formerly “Access Hollywood” — has let go supervising music producer Nancy Harrison and senior news producer Christine Fahey, along with supervising producers Ryan Patterson and Adam
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Armistead Maupin’s Tales Of The City,” streaming now on Netflix. Certain parameters for the new limited series version of Armistead Maupin’s “Tales of the City” were already set when showrunner Lauren Morelli joined the project — most notably the fact that Mary Ann Singleton (Laura
When fear and paranoia get their hooks into a society, they can invade people’s minds in revealing metaphorical ways. Donald Trump, in his rise to the presidency, stoked fear and hostility toward immigrants, and also churned up racism against African-Americans. As monumental — and hideous — as both those hatreds are, you can argue that
As A-list stars and auteurs made their way to TV this decade, “limited series” orders became a way to sign them up without having to lock in full-season commitments. The format has become such a dominant part of modern TV culture that it’s hard to believe that less than a decade ago there were too
Directly after graduating from Juilliard in 1982, Lorraine Toussaint began rehearsals for her first paid acting gig, as Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare & Company’s production of “Macbeth.” After eight years of classical theater training, the Trinidad-born, New York-raised performer found herself among seasoned professionals like Kristin Linklater and Tim Saukiavicus, who mentored her as she
Colleen Ballinger, best known for her awkward and weird YouTube-famous character Miranda Sings, will make her Broadway debut in “Waitress” this summer. Ballinger will appear in the musical starting Aug. 20, in a limited four-week engagement through Sept. 15. “Waitress,” based on the 2007 movie written by Adrienne Shelly, is scored by singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles.
In the new psychological thriller “Ma,” a middle-aged woman played by Oscar winner Octavia Spencer befriends a group of teenagers and invites them to use the basement of her house as a place to party. Of course they accept, and much of the film happens there, though the subterranean space we see in the film
Qatar-based beIN Media Group is seeking to sell up to 50% of Miramax in a deal that would value the studio founded in 1979 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein at $650 million, according to a Wall Street Journal report. A representative for beIN, contacted by Variety, said the company had no comment on the report,
Released in tandem with an Amazon Studios documentary, “Chasing Happiness,” and its emotional, rags-to-riches tale of fraternity gone asunder (then, obviously back to brotherly bliss, again), there are many things to be learned from “Happiness Begins,” the first new Jonas Brothers album in 10 years. The band’s fifth studio album, and its first unified effort
Courtesy Summer is finally here, and we plan to set up our ‘out of office’ auto-reply any chance we get. Sorry co-workers, Santorini is calling! But instead of schlepping around a worn-out duffel bag, upgrade your travel style with a chic carryall that says “I’m an adult”—even if your weekend is filled with questionable decisions.
Music-rights organization SESAC plans to co-fund a new foundation designed to support minority film and TV composers, officials announced at last night’s annual Film & Television Composer Awards in Santa Monica. The Key Change Foundation, created by “Frozen” and “Ant-Man” composer Christophe Beck (pictured above, center), “will provide grants to support scores by emerging film
Alan Arkin turned 85 earlier this year, yet he has always seemed timeless. With a career spanning more than 60 years, it’s difficult to fathom when there was ever a time when Arkin wasn’t part of the culture. He was an early member of the Second City theater troupe before making his Oscar-nominated film debut
With his groundbreaking band Jane’s Addiction and the 1991 launch of the annual Lollapalooza Festival, front man and impresario Perry Farrell helped create, curate and define alternative music in the ’90s. Nearly 30 years later, Farrell remains on the cutting edge, both sonically and conceptually as his new solo album “Kind Heaven” attests. Now 60,
Drake is to his hometown NBA finalists the Toronto Raptors what Spike Lee represents to the Knicks, Jack Nicholson to the Lakers and Billy Crystal to the Clippers: a super-fan who stalks the sidelines, trolling rivals (the Golden State Warriors for the foreseeable future) and occasionally giving his team’s first-year coach Nick Nurse a light
When WNYW-TV reporter Dan Bowens found himself wiping away an inch of dust from Beta tapes of newscast recordings excavated from the Fox O&O’s archives, he knew he had something. Bowens is the host of WNYW’s podcast “The Tape Room,” which focuses on deep dives into unsolved crimes from the New York, New Jersey and
Disney’s Dana Walden will sit for her most extensive interview since becoming one of the industry’s most powerful television executives when she and director-producer Ben Stiller offer keynote sessions next week at Variety‘s TV Summit. Variety‘s annual daylong event examining the state of the TV business is set for June 12 at 1 Hotel in
Bona Film Group has a unique relationship with the capital markets. In 2010, it became the first Chinese film company to list its shares on a North American stock exchange. But only a few years later, it delisted, and is now attempting to do a new IPO in China. But back in December 2011 in
Penn Badgley and Gina Rodriguez sat down for a chat for Variety‘s Actors on Actors. For more, click here. Penn Badgley, a heartthrob on the 2000s soap “Gossip Girl,” graduated last year to even darker fare as a stalker with a literary bent on watercooler smash “You,” whose first season aired on Lifetime and which
Popular industry blog Yuemuchina recently named the “new big four” companies that it believes have edged out the old guard studios and now dominate the Middle Kingdom movie scene. Along with obvious choices of tech giant Tencent and Beijing Culture, a producer on a hot streak, the list also included Bona Film Group. Given that