January 14, 2019 4:27PM PT The final days of filming writer-director Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwin’s “If Beale Street Could Talk” were dedicated to moments that foreshadowed its entire plot: Having run into the recently incarcerated Daniel (Brian Tyree Henry) on the streets of Harlem, the struggling artist Fonny (Stephan James) invites his friend
After a comparatively relaxed 2018 — which saw him releasing just two mixtapes, as opposed to the two albums and mixtape he released the previous year — Future is diving head-first into 2019 with a new album and a documentary about his life and career, both titled “The Wizrd” and due Friday, Jan. 18. Last week, the
January 14, 2019 4:00PM PT Dish’s internet TV service Sling TV launched a free promotional tier on Roku streaming devices Monday, which lets users watch some episodes even without signing up for an account. The company has plans to bring a similar tier to other streaming devices in the near future, a spokesperson confirmed. Sling
In today’s TV News Roundup, “So You Think You Can Dance” gets renewed and DeWanda Wise and Jessica Williams enter”The Twilight Zone.” DATES Netflix’s new Ricky Gervais series “After Life” is set to launch March 8 with co-stars Kerry Godliman, Tom Basden, Tony Way, David Bradley and Ashley Jensen. “After Life” follows Tony (Gervais) who
January 14, 2019 3:34PM PT The Megyn Kelly debacle at NBC News has raised the question of whether NBC News chief Andy Lack will face repercussions for the costly experiment. But NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke told Variety on Monday that he is “100% behind Andy” and accepts some blame for the decision recruit Kelly from
Amid reports that multiple artists are seeking to following Lady Gaga by removing their collaborations with R. Kelly from streaming services, Kelly’s collaborations with Celine Dion (“I’m Your Angel,” 1998) and Chance the Rapper “Somewhere in Paradise,” 2015) appear to be in the process of being removed. While Kelly has been accused of sexual misconduct
Bralettes—remember those? The happy medium between a sports bra and those painful underwire bras that rip into your rib cage. They’re also a largely overlooked piece of lingerie, often relegated to the back of your underwear drawer. But Everlane, the beloved eco-friendly fashion label, is on a mission to change that. The Bralette everlane.com $24.00
January 14, 2019 3:10PM PT Ryan Murphy has assembled quite the cast for his Nurse Ratched series at Netflix. Murphy announced that Sharon Stone, Finn Wittrock, Jon Jon Briones, Charlie Carver, Judy Davis, Harriet Harris, Cynthia Nixon, Hunter Parrish, Amanda Plummer, and Corey Stoll will all star in the series alongside the previously announced star Sarah
Gretchen Carlson’s break with Fox News was one of the defining moments in the recent evolution of the much-debated news network. The former “Fox & Friends” anchor sued the network in 2016, claiming sexual harassment by then-chief Roger Ailes, and settled for $20 million and an exceedingly uncommon public apology. It was a seismic shift
Among those who are so F—ing grateful to Ariana Grande right now: the nation’s festival bookers, who, facing a shortage of contemporary rock heavyweights, are increasingly looking to pop superstars as headliner. Multiple sources tell Variety that Grande has been booked for Lollapalooza, set to take place in Chicago’s Grant Park August 1-4, on top
January 14, 2019 2:56PM PT WASHINGTON — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) will be a guest on “Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday, leading to speculation that she will use the platform to announce that she is forming a presidential exploratory committee. To announce on “Late Show” would be a bit unusual, as campaigns have
Typically, TV shows trying to replicate viral fame is more cringe-inducing than truly funny. The internet’s rapidly shifting whims make guessing the next big thing near impossible, and trying to make already hyperbolic situations even more exaggerated for comedic effect tend to result in flat parodies that only highlight how tricky and unpredictable viral fame
January 14, 2019 2:49PM PT MGM will rollout two half-hour syndicated strips for fall 2019: “The Drama” and “Personal Injury Court.” “Drama” revolves around a cast of experts giving humorous advice to people for problems submitted via social media. “Personal Injury Court” offers a more detailed look at cases involving claims of personal injuries. MGM
January 14, 2019 2:27PM PT KiKi Layne is on a roll. Not only has she received rave reviews with her feature film debut in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” but she’s following up the Barry Jenkins-directed movie with a big-screen adaptation of “Native Son.” Directed by Rashid Johnson from a screenplay by Suzan-Lori Parks, “Native
YouTube provided more clarity about how it determines when videos with “vulgarity and inappropriate language” are eligible for ads — and which words and usage contexts it deems just freaking advertiser-unfriendly. The Google-owned video site has long had a policy specifying that videos that include profanities and strong language may be “demonetized,” or stripped of
Steve Burke tackled two important goals with Monday’s announcement of NBCUniversal’s plan to launch an advertising-supported streaming service in 2020. The CEO of NBCUniversal knew the company needed a strategy to compete in the OTT arena, and he knew the time had come to winnow his direct reports. The unveiling of the streaming service coincided
Steven Spielberg has cast 17-year-old high schooler Rachel Zegler as Maria in his remake of “West Side Story.” She will make her film debut opposite Ansel Elgort as Tony. Broadway veteran Ariana DeBose has been cast as Anita and David Alvarez as Bernardo. Theater performer Josh Andrés Rivera has been cast as Chino. Spielberg has
January 14, 2019 1:39PM PT Incoming Skydance Animation head John Lasseter was grilled for over an hour and a half on Monday by concerned staffers who wanted to know more details about the allegations of sexual harassment that cost him his job Disney. The animation guru also fielded blunt questions, many of them from younger
Based on Justin Cronin’s best-selling novel, Fox’s new drama “The Passage” has the raw material of a hit: Richly detailed source material, an appealing star in Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and a compelling hook. The show assays a world in which an attempt to cure diseases by harnessing a dark sort of power results in the rise
Skydance’s decision to hire John Lasseter to head its animation division has put Paramount Pictures in a bind. The studio was not consulted about the decision to bring Lasseter on board, according to insiders. This omission is remarkable because Skydance has a distribution pact with Paramount and the two companies are pairing on a number
WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump called Amazon founder Jeff Bezos “Jeff Bozo” in a Sunday evening tweet, it quickly triggered more amazement at the extent to which he’s changed the nature of presidential discourse. And not for the better. So sorry to hear the news about Jeff Bozo being taken down by a competitor
While Versace and Moschino went with major runway shows in Italy for their pre-fall 2019 collections, Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghesquiére had a different plan in mind. After staging a dreamy Louis Vuitton cruise resort show in the South of France last May, Ghesquiére decided to sit out this year’s pre-fall 2019 runway circuit, choosing a
Among the thousands of companies showing off their products at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week, there were also a few dozen startups dedicated to augmented reality (AR). And while a lot of the focus around AR hardware has been on enterprise use, an increasing number of companies is getting ready
The Killers have released the new track, “Land Of The Free,” with a video by Academy Award-winning director Spike Lee, that condemns President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico and his anti-immigration stance. The “BlacKkKlansman” director filmed the video over a few weeks toward the end of 2018, traveling to the U.S.-Mexico border to
Seemingly impractical (and totally ‘90s), white boots are officially a wardrobe fixture — and per the runways of Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Proenza Schouler, the trend is going strong in 2019. From ultra-sleek ankle boots to lug-sole stompers and to-the-knee styles, now’s the time to shop our new-season favorites. Does any other boot make an
“The Americans” alum Matthew Rhys has signed on to star in the “Perry Mason” limited series currently in the works at HBO, Variety has learned. The series hails from executive producers Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey under their Team Downey banner, with Team Downey’s Amanda Burrell also executive producing. The project was originally put into development
Fandango is exclusively vending tickets to “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” early-access screenings taking place nearly three weeks before the DreamWorks Animation movie hits wide theatrical release. The “How to Train Your Dragon 3” pact is all in the family: NBCUniversal owns both Fandango and DWA (which is housed within Universal Pictures).
ABC has given the Heather Graham-led drama “The Hypnotist’s Love Story” a formal pilot order, Variety has learned. Graham will star in and executive produce the project. In the show, after a string of failed romances, successful hypnotherapist Ellen is optimistic about her current boyfriend. But then he reveals a disturbing truth: a stalker ex-girlfriend (Graham)
January 14, 2019 11:22AM PT Dan Trachtenberg, who broke out with “10 Cloverfield Lane,” will direct Sony Pictures’ adaptation of the hit video game “Uncharted.” Trachtenberg replaces Shawn Levy, who had to depart the project due to scheduling conflicts. Sony has been hoping to work with Trachtenberg since “10 Cloverfield Lane” opened in 2016. “Uncharted”
Faith Rodgers, one of the women accusing R. Kelly of sexual misconduct in the recent Lifetime documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly,” said in a press conference Monday morning that she has received threats and retaliation from the singer. Accompanied by her attorney, Gloria Allred, and her mother, Rodgers, who sued Kelly claiming that he knowingly