Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, doesn’t think the launch of streaming-video services in 2019 from big media companies like Disney and WarnerMedia will slow down his company’s momentum. “Other people are going to try things, do things,” said Sarandos, speaking Monday at UBS’s 2018 Global Media and Communications Conference in New York. “Some of them
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below As far as alter egos go, pop culture has commandeered the term a bit. We’re used to seeing celebrities share theirs with the world as a way to express another side of the artist, but it’s more than a marketing ploy. An alter ego—a variation of oneself—is something anyone, anywhere,
December 3, 2018 11:38AM PT Gravitas Ventures has acquired multi-platform distribution rights to “Social Animals,” a documentary feature about life as an Instagram star. Produced by Subconscious Films and its larger parent, the content studio Conscious Minds , the feature played to acclaim in SXSW’s film festival program this year. Gravitas will roll out the
Not having much luck selling her recently acquired Los Angeles home where over the summer she overdosed on Oxycodone laced with Fentanyl, Disney darling turned internationally renown pop-rock star Demi Lovato has put the three-story contemporary out for rent at $39,500 per month. The 13-time Teen Choice Award and five-time People’s Choice Award winner purchased
December 3, 2018 11:07AM PT A24 has bought North American rights Tilda Swinton’s romance-drama “The Souvenir” ahead of its premiere next month at the Sundance Film Festival. The film introduces Honor Swinton Byrne — Swinton’s daughter in real life — and also stars Tom Burke (“Only God Forgives”). Swinton Byrne plays a quiet film student
Samantha Bee usually crafts pieces of content that are just minutes long, all in the name of crafting segments for her TBS program, “Full Frontal.” Now she’s getting into longform. Bee has formed a new production company, Swimsuit Competition, that will look to release “narrative and documentary” works. Kristen Everman, a producer who worked on
As the first awards show of the calendar year, the Golden Globes is often an opportunity to honor a series or star for the first time. The voting committee of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. often seems to pride itself on celebrating the unexpected and putting fresh faces on the kudos map. While that is
December 3, 2018 10:52AM PT Google is selling its Chromecast Audio streaming adapter for just $15, down from $35, on the Google Store as well as at participating retailers, including Best Buy, Macy’s and B&H Photo-Video-Audio. The sale will continue until February 28, 2019, while supplies last. Chromecast Audio was first introduced a little over 3
The Game Officially Squashes Beef with Meek Mill … ‘He’s My Brother’ 12/3/2018 10:38 AM PST EXCLUSIVE The Game‘s feud with Meek Mill is officially over and he’s happy to talk about why … right after he chomps down a Starburst. We got Game Sunday night leaving L.A. hotspot The Argyle, where he was celebrating his 39th
WASHINGTON — Nexstar Media Group’s proposed acquisition of Tribune Media, which would make it a broadcast giant with more than 200 stations, got a chilly reception from a key House Democrat expected to lead an antitrust subcommittee when the party takes control in the next Congress. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.) said in a statement the
Nexstar Media Group CEO Perry Sook is taking a friendly approach to the FCC and other regulators as he begins the PR effort to secure federal approval of the Texas-based broadcaster’s $6.4 billion acquisition of Tribune Media. The deal unveiled Monday morning will make Nexstar the nation’s largest owner of TV stations by total volume,
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” returns for Season 2 and the “Elseworlds” crossover event
UPDATED: Cardi B on Monday did not attend a court hearing over misdemeanor charges against her stemming from a fight in a New York strip club last summer, and received a warning from the judge. “I want you to convey to her that it’s not acceptable that she’s not here today,” Queens Criminal Court Judge Sean
December 3, 2018 9:36AM PT HBO has ordered a series adaptation of the Stephen King novel “The Outsider” with Ben Mendelsohn attached to star, Variety has learned. In addition, Jason Bateman will direct the first two episodes and executive produce the series under his Aggregate Films banner. In the series, a seemingly straightforward investigation into the
Mexico City-based Endemol ShineBoomdog has tapped veteran TV exec/showrunner Jose Lascurain for the position of production VP (unscripted) in its continued bid to ramp up production for the U.S. Hispanic and Mexican markets. Twice nominated for an International Emmy, Lascurain most recently served as senior executive producer of current programming and specials at Univision Communications.
Ryan Murphy is rising the blue wave. In 2020, I’m going to create and fund, with corporate sponsorship, a multi million dollar organization that targets anti LGBTQ candidates running for office,” Murphy announced on Sunday at the Trevor Project’s TrevorLive gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. “Senate and congressional candidates who think
PewDiePie and his supporters are fighting hard to keep him the No. 1 most-subscribed YouTuber on the platform. In recent weeks, PewDiePie’s five-year reign as the YouTube creator with the most subscribers on the platform has been threatened by T-Series, an Indian entertainment conglomerate whose YouTube channel features music videos. On Sunday, T-Series’ subscriber count
WASHINGTON — The FCC’s inspector general has found no evidence that chairman Ajit Pai concealed or covered up his contact with the White House regarding Sinclair Broadcast Group’s proposed merger with Tribune Media. At issue was a conversation that Pai had with then-White House Counsel Don McGahn on July 17, the day after Pai proposed
Nvidia’s latest over-the-top graphics card, the Titan RTX, goes on sale later this month for $2,499, delivering real-time 8K video editing thanks to 24GB of high-speed memory and 1770 MHz overclocked GPU, the company announced Monday. The Titan RTX is being marketed as the “world’s most powerful GPU, providing massive performance for AI research, data
December 3, 2018 8:00AM PT Snap is continuing its regular release cadence for Snapchat original shows, setting the premiere date for “Growing Up Is a Drag,” a docu-series about teen drag stars from reality TV pioneer Bunim-Murray Productions and PB&J Television. The newest short-form Snap Original premieres Monday, Dec. 17, and will run daily through Dec.
Pixar’s “Incredibles 2” and Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” topped the 46th annual Annie Awards nominations with 11 and 10, respectively. All told, the Walt Disney Company, which owns Pixar, snapped up a total of 42 nominations among a wide array of film and TV projects. Joining “Incredibles 2” and “Ralph” in the contest for
For Charlize Theron, watching “Black Panther” was more than just her latest Marvel indulgence. It was an emotional reminder of her past – a childhood spent growing up amidst the discriminatory practices of South African apartheid. “I was born and raised in South Africa during the apartheid era, and I am very much a white
December 3, 2018 8:00AM PT Comedy Central said it would launch four one-hour stand-up comedy specials in January as well as a later slate of 12 half-hour stand-up programs, two under the banner of being presented by comedienne and actress Amy Schumer. The Viacom-owned network said the four hour-long specials, led by comedians Ron Funches, James
The English-language version of Jackie Chan’s confessional memoir, “Never Grow Up,” hits the shelves Tuesday, full of behind-the-scenes stories of his action-packed career and his freewheeling days as a prostitute-frequenting, drunk-driving big spender. The book includes salacious details of how the kung fu star and honorary Oscar winner blew through money drinking, gambling and buying splashy
Annapurna Pictures’ Dick Cheney biopic “Vice,” starring Christian Bale as the former American vice president, will launch in Europe as the opener of Italy’s Capri, Hollywood Film Festival. The hotly anticipated “Vice” chronicles Cheney’s political life, starting with his beginnings as a Washington bureaucrat. Directed by Adam McKay (“The Big Short), the film will screen on
December 3, 2018 7:50AM PT John Niven is adapting his book “Straight White Male” for TV with the U.K. arm of “Wallander” producer Yellow Bird. The author’s “Kill Your Friends” was adapted for the big screen in 2015, and he will now take “Straight White Male” to TV. The book follows the personal and professional
Getty ImagesFabian Palencia / EyeEm A pro shopping tip: Once you find the perfect party dress, invest and never look back. A great style can take you from cocktail to black-tie soirée and intimate dinner date to wee-hours-of-the-morning dance party. Even if a silhouette or cut doesn’t appear super versatile at first glance, you can
Since its February release, “Black Panther” has become a global phenomenon, but star Michael B. Jordan (who played villain Erik Killmonger) says he didn’t foresee just how big of a cultural impact the film would make. “It was truly incredible. While we were making it, you didn’t really realize it. And then in hindsight, it’s
In an interview with Britain’s Sunday Times, Bruce Springsteen said he doesn’t think the Democrats yet have a strong enough candidate to defeat Donald Trump in 2020, and said that he’ll be getting “back to his day job next year,” which includes the release of a long-completed solo album — which he discussed in detail
After receiving an honorary Oscar in 2017 and an honorary Palme d’Or in 2015, iconic auteur Agnes Varda received a career tribute at the 17th Marrakech Film Festival during a star-studded ceremony on Sunday. Varda’s tribute was introduced by Cannes Film Festival’s artistic director Thierry Fremaux and French actress Chiara Mastroianni. Martin Scorsese, who presented