Everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed, middle-aged talking bear is back. This time, “Ted” comes back in the form of a seven-part TV series on Peacock. Seth MacFarlane returns to voice the titular teddy and direct the series. In reviving “Ted,” visual effects supervisor Blair Clark had one focus — to make sure the bear didn’t look different
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences
Fox has found its main cast for the upcoming drama series “Rescue: Hi Surf,” Variety has learned. The show was originally greenlit at Fox in April 2023. The series regulars will include: Robbie Magasiva (“Wentworth,” “Bad Behaviour”), Arielle Kebbel (“The Vampire Diaries,” “John Tucker Must Die”), Adam Demos (“Sex / Life,” “UnReal”), Kekoa Kekumano (“The
Jason Momoa is living the dream. Those are his words, as he describes his latest project, Max’s unscripted travel series, “On the Roam,” during which he travels the country to seek out craftsmanship, art, adventure and friendship, meeting different people with an assortment of skills along the way. “This is everything I love to do,
Madonna is being sued by a pair of her fans who claim the “Material Girl” is falsely promising a concert start time that she has repeatedly failed to meet. New York City residents Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden accuse Madonna, the Barclays Center and Live Nation of “unconscionable, unfair, and/or deceptive trade practices” in a
John Williams, the veteran film composer known for his work in the “Star Wars” saga, “Jaws,” “Harry Potter,” “Jurassic Park,” “Saving Private Ryan” and dozens of other iconic films, has had a music building dedicated to him by Sony Pictures Entertainment on the historic Culver City Lot, former home of MGM Studios. The newly named
Nyambi Nyambi has been promoted to series regular on NBC‘s revival of “Night Court,” Variety has learned exclusively. Nyambi made his first appearance on the show as a guest star in the Season 2 episode that aired on Jan. 16. He will make his first regular appearance on the show beginning Feb. 6. Nyambi plays
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to stream “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning” when it arrives on Paramount+ very soon. The seventh “Mission: Impossible” movie will be added to the Paramount+ on Jan. 25 in the U.S. and Canada. It will arrive in additional international markets beginning in February. Notably, the original
Fusion Entertainment has signed Keith Kupferer, the veteran stage and screen actor whose new film “Ghostlight” premieres this week at the Sundance Film Festival. Kupferer has also recently been cast in a recurring role in the new MGM+ series “Emperor of Ocean Park” from John Wells, which is currently in production in Chicago. The thriller series is
A multi-part docuseres about Jimmy Hoffa is in development at Village Roadshow Unscripted Television, Variety has learned. News of the show comes ahead of the 50th anniversary of Hoffa’s disappearance, which occurred on July 30, 1975. The series is being made with the full cooperation of the Hoffa family, including the assistance of his son
Kevin Hart joined The Independent for a recent interview in which he called Jo Koy a “phenomenal” stand-up comedian following the disastrous reviews Koy earned as the host of the 2024 Golden Globe Awards. Hart made headlines earlier this month when he said he will never host the Oscars because award shows “just aren’t comedy-friendly
Emmys producers Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay had reason to be upbeat the morning after the kudocast: In what seems to be a rarity for awards shows these days, their production earned almost universally high marks from critics and viewers. For the 75th annual celebration, the Jesse Collins Entertainment trio leaned into nostalgia
Apple is claiming it’s complying with a court ruling to let app developers choose to bill customers of their iPhone or iPad apps directly, rather than be forced to use Apple’s App Store. But some of Apple’s partners, including Disney+ and Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, won’t have that option in the U.S. That said, given
This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. cast and crew of “Poor Things” teased Mark Ruffalo about replacing him with Oscar Isaac — even bringing the other actor to set one day. Despite having
In an era when advertisers can buy digital inventory at any time they wish, does the media industry still need an “upfront” sales session? Warner Bros. Discovery believes it does. The media conglomerate said Thursday that it plans to hold a presentation for advertisers at 10 a.m. eastern on May 15 at The Theater at
James Brolin, Lizzy Greene (“A Million Little Things”), and Eoin Macken (“La Brea”) are set to join Netflix’s upcoming romantic drama “Ransom Canyon,” Variety has confirmed. They join previously announced leads Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly. Kelly will portray Quinn, a character who “has often found herself in the shadow of others, but after a
The Michael Jackson biopic has found its young King of Pop. Juliano Krue Valdi, a 9-year-old actor, has been cast as Jackson from his early days in the Jackson 5. The film, from director Antoine Fuqua, Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International, will have Valdi playing Jackson “as he and his brothers rise to fame as
The entertainment law firm of Gendler & Kelly has changed its name as of today to Gendler, Kelly & Cunningham, reflecting the elevation of partner Sarah Cunningham. Cunningham joined the firm in 2018 and was promoted to partner in 2021. The etching of her name on the firm’s door comes as recognition of her contributions
Everyone handles gloomy winter weather differently. Some make soup, some book impulse trips to warmer climates, and some (guilty as charged) indulge in cheery accessories for an instant mood boost. If you fall into the latter category, I have some amazing news for you: Luxury retailer SSENSE is currently offering up to 62 percent off
Media giants spent most of 2023 looking for signs of a turnaround in advertising spending after several years of a soft market. Despite some rosy predictions, they’re still searching. The situation could force vulnerable companies to consider merger-and-acquisition options as the content marketplace realigns around streaming economics, which generally are not as lucrative as linear
NewsNation wants to make a land grab on Sundays. The Nexstar Media-backed cable outlet will launch its own Sunday public affairs program on March 3, when Chris Stirewalt anchors “The Hill Sunday” at 10 a.m. eastern. Launch of the program adds another competitor in an arena that includes CBS’ “Face The Nation,” ABC’s “This Week,”
In its first five days on the platform, “The Traitors” Season 2 has become the most-watched reality series debut on Peacock. The streaming reach is up more than 75% from Season 1, which took home the Emmy Award this year for Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program. The first three episodes of the second season,
As promised, Trian Partners, the hedge fund led by activist investor Nelson Peltz, officially submitted its preliminary proxy statement for the election of Peltz and former Disney CFO Jay Rasulo to Disney’s board at the Mouse House’s 2024 annual shareholders meeting. In its filing Thursday, Trian also outlined its goals and initial perspectives for Disney
We Are Moving The Needle, a non-profit organization that is working to advance gender equity for producers and engineers, has announced the lineup for its inaugural Resonator Awards on Jan. 30. Taking place during Grammy week at Beauty & Essex in Hollywood, the awards dinner will honor Alanis Morissette (Luminary Award), Corinne Bailey Rae (Harmonizer
ABC News Studios has teamed up with Neon and Network Entertainment to announce “Brats,” a feature-length documentary that focuses on the stars who came to be known in the ’80s as the famous Brat Pack. Told with the help of director and former Brat Pack member Andrew McCarthy (“Pretty in Pink,” “St. Elmo’s Fire”), the
Amazon Prime Video is restructuring its international business to focus on European originals. The re-org includes cutting content and staff in Africa and the Middle East. Shows from the MENA region that have already been greenlit or contracted are still on the slate, including “LOL ZA” and “Ebuka Turns Up Africa,” but it will stop
Premieres of new and returning TV shows fell sharply last year while the number of movies getting a theatrical wide release went way up. The volume of TV programs in the true crime genre went through the roof and non-English language films are becoming a bedrock of streaming platforms. Those are among the notable content
Dana Carvey has returned to the “Fly on the Wall” podcast for the first time since his son, Dex, died last fall (via Entertainment Weekly). The podcast is jointly hosted by Carvey and David Spade and features the “Saturday Night Live” alums telling behind-the-scenes stories from their time on the NBC sketch comedy series. In Carvey’s absence,
Toni Servillo, who played Roman socialite Jep Gambardella in Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-winning “The Great Beauty,” will appear as Cosa Nostra boss Matteo Messina Denaro, dubbed “the last godfather,” in upcoming drama “Iddu” directed by Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza (“Sicilian Ghost Story”). After being on the run for three decades, Messina Denaro was arrested in
Jodie Foster has shocked the “Star Wars” fandom by confirming she was offered the role of Princess Leia in “Star Wars,” which unquestionably would’ve changed the course of her career. The two-time Oscar winner told Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” that she was already locked into a contract for a Disney movie at the