It’s easier to keep up with the Kardashians in the Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg after NBCUniversal launched its reality-TV streaming service, hayu, in those countries Tuesday. The service went live with about 6,000 episodes of unscripted fare from NBCUniversal’s lineup, including “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “Made in Chelsea” and “The Real Housewives” and
Aisling Franciosi (“The Nightingale”), Ardalan Esmaili (“The Charmer”) and Elliott Crosset Hove (“Winter Brothers”) are among the 10 actors and actresses who have been named as the European Film Promotion’s Shooting Stars. Previous Shooting Stars include Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts, Pilou Asbæk and Baltasar Kormákur. The new crop of up-and-coming talent for the 22nd edition of
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Elseworlds, Part 2” the second part of the 2018 “Arrowverse” crossover, which aired Dec. 10. “Arrow’s” leg of the “Elseworlds” crossover had a little more to think about than “The Flash’s,” mainly because it served as the first introduction to Ruby Rose’s Batwoman. For
In today’s film news roundup, Jodie Foster is remaking Iceland’s “Woman at War,” the Art Directors Guild honors production designers Anthony Masters and Ben Carre, “47 Meters Down: Uncaged” gets cast and Melissa Takal directs “New Year New You” for Hulu. PROJECT ANNOUNCEMENT Jodie Foster will direct, co-produce and star in an English-language remake of
When the Firesign Theatre’s first comedy album, “Waiting for the Electrician or Someone Like Him,” was released in 1968, Rolling Stone rated the Los Angeles-based sketch comedy foursome as “the funniest team in America today.” With two of the team’s principals, Peter Bergman and Phil Austin, deceased, the creative mantle of the Grammy-nominated group’s freewheeling
Michael and David Uslan, the father and son producing team with credits that include “The Dark Knight” and “Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch” have struck a cluster of deals that makes them a two-way conduit for TV formats between Hollywood and Asia. U2K, a company that includes the Uslans and Jon Karas (“Believe in
James Corden will not be returning as the host of the Grammy Awards this year, Variety has confirmed, although a source close to the situation says that “Late Late Show” show producer Ben Winston is being considered as a successor to longtime executive producer Ken Ehrlich and will work on the 2019 show in an expanded
Court TV is back in session. The cable TV channel that once carried gavel-to-gavel live coverage of high-profile trials will be revived by a new owner, nearly a dozen years after it was shuttered by Turner Broadcasting. Katz Networks, a division of E.W. Scripps Co., plans to revive Court TV as a new channel designed
Bold Films, and Jake Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker’s Nine Stories banner have acquired the rights to remake the Danish thriller “The Guilty,” with Gyllenhaal attached to star. The pic won the world cinema audience award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and was also named one of the top five foreign language films of 2018 by
Allan Bregman, a booking agent and talent manager who represented the likes of the King family, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, died Sept. 25 in La Quinta, Calif. He was 92. Bregman grew up in the neighboring town of Lorain before graduating from Ohio State University and joining the Merchant Marines in 1944.
December 10, 2018 3:57PM PT Legendary Entertainment is developing “The Toxic Avenger” as a movie after acquiring the feature film rights. Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment will serve as producers. Alex Garcia and Jay Ashenfelter will oversee for Legendary. Kaufman and Herz produced the original 1984 comedy, set in the fictional town
Universal Music Group today announced that “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the iconic single by British rock legends Queen, officially became the world’s most-streamed song from the 20th Century, as well as the most-streamed Classic Rock song of all time. Today (Dec. 10), the original song and official video for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” taken from the group’s 1975 album
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix announced a premiere date for its upcoming Carmen Sandiego series and Stars released the premiere date for its original comedy series “Now Apocalypse.” DATES Lifetime will debut a new Gretchen Carlson documentary Jan. 14 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, Variety has learned exclusively. The two-hour special titled “Gretchen Carlson: Breaking
U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge Trump Didn’t Pay Stormy to Keep Affair from Melania … She Knew His Game 12/10/2018 3:47 PM PST EXCLUSIVE President Trump didn’t fork over hush money to Stormy Daniels to keep their sexual liaison from his wife, because Melania knows he’s a dog … so says U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge. The Ohio congresswoman
Dish and its corporate sibling EchoStar have quietly been testing a movie recommendations platform called Flixpert, Variety has learned. Flixpert promises to help people find movies to watch through recommendations from friends and trusted contacts; Dish has been testing mobile apps for the service with a few hundred users. Online footprints suggest that Flixpert has
Tony Dimitriades, who managed Tom Petty for 42 years until the rocker’s death October 2, 2017, and worked with Billy Idol for more than 30 years, tells Variety he is getting out of the “day-to-day business of managing artists.” The veteran manager has also worked with Yes and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, among
December 10, 2018 3:18PM PT “Crazy Rich Asians” star Constance Wu is in talks to join Sony’s Screen Gems’ untitled romantic comedy, with Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman producing. “GLOW” actress Kimmy Gatewood is making her feature directorial debut on the project. She will be directing from a Savion Einstein script about a woman who
December 10, 2018 3:08PM PT Having a female director doesn’t automatically make a story more feminine, says “The Kindergarten Teacher” star Maggie Gyllenhaal, but when it comes to her film with director Sara Colangelo, she says the female narrative is fully encapsulated. “Just because something is written or directed by a woman doesn’t necessarily make it
Kevin Hart’s abrupt departure as Oscars host has left the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences scrambling to find someone to take the gig. As of now, the situation remains fluid as the group’s leadership explores options, including going host-less, individuals familiar with the situation told Variety. The Academy was blindsided by Hart’s announced departure Thursday
December 10, 2018 2:51PM PT Maggie Gyllenhaal’s sex-trade industry series “The Deuce” features one job that’s unlike any other in television: an intimacy expert. During her Variety Actors on Actors interview with Regina King, “The Kindergarten Teacher” actress explained how the strange role is actually important in helping young actresses stand up for themselves, especially when it
After nearly 25 years in the Warner Bros. family, Craig Hunegs is exiting his post as head of business for Warner Bros. TV Group and president of the studio’s digital networks wing. Hunegs said he has been discussing his exit with Warner Bros. chairman-CEO Kevin Tsujihara for the past several months. At a time of
Production has begun in Spain on Sally Potter’s untitled family drama, starring Javier Bardem, Elle Fanning, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, and Laura Linney. The story is described as a chronicle of a wild day in the life of a man on the edge, held together by the unconditional love of his daughter with Bardem and
The long-running legal battle between Frank Darabont and AMC over profits from “The Walking Dead” will run a bit longer, as a judge ruled Monday that the case must go to trial. Darabont and CAA sued the network back in 2013, arguing he was deprived of $280 million in profit participation because AMC did not
December 10, 2018 1:59PM PT CBS sold its venerable Television City production facility, one of Hollywood’s most storied production studios, in a deal the company says will give it more flexibility to invest in content for digital audiences. CBS said Monday it signed a definitive agreement to sell the sound stages and studios that have
December 10, 2018 1:54PM PT “This Is Us” may have hit a series low in Live+Same Day during the week of Nov. 19, but the show came right back in delayed viewing. In the Nielsen Live+7 numbers for the week, “This Is Us” rose 111% over its Live+Same Day adults 18-49 haul for a 3.8
December 10, 2018 1:34PM PT Disney has topped $7 billion at the global box office for 2018 — with three weeks left in the year. Disney reached the milestone on Dec. 9, marking only the second time in history that any studio has hit that landmark. Disney set the record in 2016 with $7.6 billion. “Avengers:
Sony/ATV Music Publishing has extended its worldwide deal with Swedish songwriter Noonie Bao, whose hits include “Stay” by Zedd and Alessia Cara and “Never Be The Same” by Camila Cabello. The Los Angeles-based Bao currently is credited on Rita Ora’s UK smash “Let You Love Me.” The company first signed Bao 11 years ago. Said Sony/ATV UK
Courtesy Everlane and APC I’m always looking for a perfect version of something-or-other when idly shopping online, and right now my shopping white whale is a thin, soft, crewneck cardigan. Cardigans are nice layering items in the winter (and during the summer in your freezing cold office), but I don’t want to wear them as
Barcelona-based sales agency Filmax announced today at Argentina’s Ventana Sur market, that it has acquired the rights to the film adaptation of RTVE’s preschool children’s part-puppet, part-live action and part-animated kids’ show “The Lunnis,” titled “The Lunnis and the Great Fairy Tales Adventure.” The announcement was made with an accompanying trailer for the film, slated
Jean-Marc Vallée has lined up yet another HBO project. Vallée has signed on to direct and executive produce the limited series “Gorilla And The Bird,” based on the memoir of the same name by Zack McDermott, at the premium cabler. It is described as an inspirational tale of a mother’s unconditional love for her bipolar