Arthouse specialist Landmark Theatres has been sold by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban to Cohen Media Group for an undisclosed price. The sale ends months of speculation about Landmark’s fate — the company has been shopped around for months, reportedly drawing interest from Amazon, Netflix, and Byron Allen. Cohen Media Group chairman Charles S. Cohen, a real
Top broadcasters from the Philippines gathered at the Asia TV Forum and market on Tuesday to discuss the state of the industry. The Philippines is the country in focus at this year’s Singapore Media Festival. Participating in the discussion, moderated by HOOQ CEO Peter Bithos, were Vincent Reyes, CEO of TV5, Guido Xavier R. Zaballero,
While at Marrakech Film Festival to preside the jury, James Gray talked about his next film, “Ad Astra,” and shared thoughts on festivals, Netflix and Harvey Weinstein, among other topics. Gray said he was in the middle of the editing process on “Ad Astra,” a science-fiction film with Brad Pitt, with more than 600 shots
NBC has ordered a fourth season of “The Good Place.” The otherworldly comedy series stars Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Ted Danson, Jameela Jamil, D’Arcy Carden, and Manny Jacinto. Mike Schur created the series and serves as executive producer along with David Miner, Morgan Sackett, and Drew Goddard. Schur is also the showrunner. The series is produced by
Recent financial struggles among digital-media companies — including the abrupt shutdown of Defy Media and the collapse and sale of Mic — have highlighted a key lesson for the sector: the need to find reliable, diversified revenue streams. To that point, Turner’s Bleacher Report says it’s raking in some big dough with a new event
Otter Media, the digital-media company owned by AT&T, is undergoing a broad restructuring resulting in the layoff of about 10% of employees across the organization including at Crunchyroll, Fullscreen, and Rooster Teeth, Variety has learned. In addition, AT&T’s WarnerMedia is moving Machinima — the gamer and fandom digital property that has been part of Warner
Edward Norton, Mariska Hargitay, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti are among the environmentally conscious celebrities and politicians attending early screenings of upcoming climate change documentary “Paris to Pittsburgh.” Though the film’s official air date is Dec. 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on National Geographic, the cities of New York, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Des Moines,
December 4, 2018 12:00PM PT The Palm Springs International Film Festival will present Regina King with the Chairman’s Award for her role in the drama “If Beale Street Could Talk.” The festival will make the presentation at its film awards gala on Jan. 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The festival, now in its
Stumped by what to get the dudes in your life this holiday season? Allow us to help you. We’re sticking to easy classics, homeware goods he should probably already own, and reliable staples like underwear, because you know why. Here, ELLE’s roundup of the best guy gifts of the season.
Bolivian writer-director Rodrigo ‘Gory’ Patiño honed his filmmaking skills as a TV commercials director for the past seven years, with the occasional music video and short film among his credits. His feature debut, “The Goalkeeper” (“Muralla”) is Bolivia’s official entry to the Oscars and the Golden Globes. After securing an MFA in film and TV
Much has changed at CBS Corp. in recent months, but one thing will not: its focus on producing video content. Speaking at an investor conference Tuesday, CBS Corp. Chief Creative Officer David Nevins – who was named to the role in October after running Showtime for several years – articulated a strategy that is much
Oprah Winfrey has released her annual list of “Favorite Things,” and this year’s edition includes gift ideas for travelers, aspiring chefs, and those who want to focus on self-care. What began in 2002 as a giveaway on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” is now practically a holiday tradition, with millions of fans waiting to see the
Like many digital media companies, grew its business on the backs of “influencers” who built their audiences on digital platforms like YouTube. Which worked well … until it didn’t. Listen to this week’s podcast below: “What we did learn was that when you have open platforms that you can very quickly commoditize talent,” observed Kin
December 4, 2018 10:34AM PT Kanye West may have caused some unwanted drama at the opening of Broadway’s “The Cher Show” on Monday in New York, but thankfully his alleged bad behavior didn’t come close to spoiling the evening. Cher herself caused fantastic frenzy as she glided down the aisle of the jam-packed Neil Simon
NBC News is taking another step to make the third hour of its venerable “Today” look more like the first two in the wake of Megyn Kelly’s exit from the franchise. The third hour of “Today,” which has been broadcast from Studio 6A since Kelly began hosting the time slot in the fall of 2017,
“Great animators are great observers, just like actors,” says animator and director Brad Bird, who is being inducted into Variety’s Home Entertainment Hall of Fame on Dec. 4. He should know: Bird is behind such films as “Iron Giant,” “The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille” and, most recently, “Incredibles 2,” with a domestic gross of $608.5 million and
December 4, 2018 10:16AM PT As head of one of the six major studios’ home entertainment divisions, Bob Buchi has seen content distribution channels proliferate. The president of worldwide home media distribution for Paramount Pictures also is on the front lines of Hollywood’s push to boost digital movie sales and rentals while at the same
Apple has ordered the planned drama series based on the early life of basketball star Kevin Durant to series, Variety has learned. Titled “Swagger,” the series is inspired by Durant’s youth basketball experiences. It explores the world of AAU basketball in the nation’s capital, and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line
Uber-producer Ryan Murphy has made small screen stars out of A-listers and fresh faces alike. Angela Bassett (pictured above)Bassett starred in four seasons of “American Horror Story” (starting with “Coven” and continuing onto “Freak Show,” “Hotel” and “Roanoke”), earning two Emmy nominations. She helmed two episodes as a director, the first during her final season
In the kaleidoscope of business models and formats that make up the home entertainment business, there are some brighter lights. To those not familiar with the home entertainment business, 4K UHD with HDR and EST may be alphabet soup, but they are the industry stars for those in the know. EST, or electronic sell-through, is
The only thing surprising about Ryan Murphy getting a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame Dec. 4 is that he doesn’t already have one. “It’s about time!” exclaims Sarah Paulson, a frequent Murphy collaborator who’s worked with him on multiple projects since 2004, including every incarnation of “American Horror Story.” “I’m surprised people haven’t been
Red Bull Music Festival will return to Los Angeles in February, where it will “explore how music intersects with film, gaming, photography and more, as well as partnering with groundbreaking artists from Los Angeles and around the world for special performances and lectures,” according to the announcement. The festival made its Los Angeles debut in 2017
WASHINGTON — Michael Avenatti said he would not run for president in 2020, after considering what would have undoubtedly been a pugnacious bid to defeat Donald Trump. “After consultation with my family and at their request, I have decided not to seek the Presidency of the United States in 2020. I do not make this
December 4, 2018 9:18AM PT The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced the presenters for this year’s Golden Globe nominations. Leslie Mann, Danai Gurira, Terry Crews, and Christian Slater will reveal the 2019 honorees on Thursday, Dec. 6, live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. HFPA also teased they plan to make a
Hulu is doubling down on anime: The streamer, in its biggest deal for anime programming to date, inked an exclusive first-look pact with Funimation to distribute new titles licensed and produced by Funimation starting in 2019. The new agreement comes after Funimation, owned by Sony Pictures Television, ended its cross-licensing deal with rival Crunchyroll earlier this
Honestly, it’s never too late to buy the perfect gift. Even after the big day, no one will turn up their nose at a nicely wrapped, superbly picked present. With the holidays creeping closer every moment, we’re helping you tick off some gift-buying boxes on your to-do list (or just inspiring some personal retail envy).
December 4, 2018 8:05AM PT BMG today announced that is has struck a deal with the estate of legendary German-born composer Kurt Weill for the administration of the popular songs he wrote in collaboration with dramatist Bertolt Brecht. Included are all of the songs from the acclaimed works “The Threepenny Opera” (1928), “Happy End” (1929) and “Rise and Fall of
Glenn Close received the Museum of the Moving Image’s annual Salute at a gala on Monday evening in New York City, where leading actors and directors shared their experiences working alongside her — and the Tony-winner herself revealed the advice that’s kept her going throughout her impressive career. Close now has 84 screen credits and
TV viewers may dislike commercial breaks, but Madison Avenue soon hopes to get them to watch ads during a very different kind of interruption. Coca-Cola struck advertising gold in 1929 by introducing the slogan, “The Pause That Refreshes.” In 2019, there is new hope in a similar concept: a refreshing pause that carries a word
The traditional pay-TV universe of 300-plus channels is going to shrink dramatically over the next 10 years, Hulu CEO Randy Freer predicted — with maybe a dozen cable TV networks still standing. “In the next decade, it’s not going to be about scheduled [linear] networks,” said Freer, speaking at the BI Ignition conference Tuesday in