Jeff Sessions has resigned as Attorney General following consistent criticism from President Donald Trump. Trump announced on Twitter that Matthew G. Whitaker, the Attorney General’s chief of staff, will take over as interim Attorney General until a permanent replacement is nominated. We are pleased to announce that Matthew G. Whitaker, Chief of Staff to Attorney
November 7, 2018 11:46AM PT Bleecker Street has partnered with LD Entertainment for a spring 2019 release of the Elle Fanning drama “Teen Spirit.” The film, which is Max Minghella’s directorial debut, follows a shy teenager living in a small European town who dreams of pop stardom as an escape from her dismal surroundings and
The idea for “Elf” began as an ode to New York during the holidays. David Berenbaum, the screenwriter behind the Christmas classic, had just moved to Los Angeles and missed the East Coast. The nostalgia for the city inspired what he calls a “left-of-center” family comedy about a human who was raised by elves in
November 7, 2018 11:18AM PT Dennis Hof, the Nevada brothel owner and reality TV star who died in October, won the election for the state’s 36th Assembly District on Tuesday, the Nevada Secretary of State’s office said. Hof, a Republican, defeated Democratic challenger Lesia Romanov by more than 7,000 votes. He was favored to win
The untitled morning show drama at Apple is continuing to round out its cast. Variety has learned that Bel Powley, Karen Pittman, and Desean Terry have all been cast in the upcoming series. Powley will play Claire Conway, described as a driven production assistant. Pittman has been cast as Mia Jordan, a producer. Terry has been
Courtney B. Vance, Niecy Nash, and Mamoudou Athie will star in the father-son drama “Uncorked” for Netflix. “Uncorked” is loosely based on the family history of “Insecure” showrunner Prentice Penny, who is directing from his own script in his feature directorial debut. Principal photography will begin Saturday in Memphis, Tenn. Filming will also take place
November 7, 2018 10:49AM PT Daniel Holloway, Variety’s senior TV writer, is being promoted to Executive Editor, TV. He will assume his new role on Nov. 26. Holloway is succeeding Debra Birnbaum — who’s been tapped as director of awards at Amazon — and will lead the publication’s team of TV writers, editors, and critics
Samsung used its developer conference in San Francisco Wednesday to officially announce that it will launch a foldable smartphone some time in 2019. The phone is using the company’s own new Infinity Flex display, which allows it to be folded and unfolded repeatedly without wear and tear. “When it’s open, it’s a tablet, offering a
Missy Elliott becomes the first female rapper to be nominated for the Songwriters Hall of Fame as part of its class of 2019, it was announced today. Joining Elliott as performing nominees are Mariah Carey, Chrissie Hynde, Vince Gill, the Beach Boys’ Mike Love, Jimmy Cliff, Jeff Lynne, Cat Stevens, John Prine, Lloyd Price, Tommy
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “The Bodyguard,” streaming now on Netflix. In his new BBC thriller “The Bodyguard,” Richard Madden plays a special protection officer tasked with keeping Britain’s Home Secretary safe. But his role isn’t relegated to a stereotypical stoic action hero. His background as an army veteran provides
November 7, 2018 10:28AM PT Mickey Rourke will produce and star in the independent crime drama “Twilight Into Darkness,” Variety has learned exclusively. Rourke will portray a detective who becomes obsessed with finding and stopping a child murderer while searching for his own redemption. Rourke and Brian Metcalf are both producing under Rourke’s Ruby Baby
The future of storytelling is happening all around us — we just have to look through the right lens to see it. That’s the idea behind “Wonderscope,” an augmented reality app for children that Los Angeles-based immersive media start-up Within is set to release in November. “Wonderscope” uses mobile AR to superimpose characters, scenes and
Our all-encompassing cinematic landscape has evolved over the decades, but within the past few years, something startling has occurred within the realm of independent cinema. Not only do the major studios have their own well-funded artfilm divisions that are in the business of making movies that feel independent, but the truly indie studios and distributors
After winning the director Oscar for “La La Land” in 2017, Damien Chazelle did a thematic 180-degree turn for his follow-up. “First Man” centers on Neil Armstrong (played by Ryan Gosling), the first person to walk on the moon, and the personal story that took him to that momentous event in 1969. Chazelle credits his
Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen blasted AT&T for demanding unreasonable terms from the pay-TV distributor for HBO, saying the telco is insisting Dish pay for a minimum number of subscribers to the premium cabler whether or not that number of Dish customers actually take HBO. HBO on Oct. 31 removed its HBO and Cinemax channels from
Spike Lee is set to direct “Frederick Douglass Now,” his third movie adaptation of a one-man stage show by Roger Guenveur Smith, after “A Huey P. Newton Story” and “Rodney King.” The new film is set up at Buffalo 8, which produced “Rodney King” with Luna Ray Media. Netflix acquired “Rodney King” last year. “Frederick Douglass Now” will
The CW is developing a reboot of the USA Network series “The 4400,” Variety has learned. The reboot hails from CBS Television Studios, which produced the original series when it was still known as CBS Paramount Network Television. The project is being shephered by Taylor Elmore and Craig Sweeny, both of whom are under overall deals
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump clashed with CNN’s Jim Acosta and other reporters at his first post-midterm press conference after his party lost control of the House. The exchanges went beyond Trump’s typical clashes with the press, as at times he appeared more angry and irrupted at the media. During a clash with Acosta, NBC
Sitting in NBC’s venerable Studio 1A, Andy Lack had to be thinking in 3D. Playing out for the chairman of NBC News on dozens of screens was the network’s broadcast of its coverage of the 2018 midterm elections, with Savannah Guthrie, Lester Holt, Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell hashing out the latest voter data. Elsewhere
Riot Games created a hologram K-Pop band made up of characters from its “League of Legends” game and had them perform live during the World Championships in Korea over the weekend. The single by K/DA, voiced by Madison Beer, Jaira Burns and (G)I-DLE members Akali and Miyeon, managed to rake in 13 million views in
Ariana Grande performed her new single “Thank U, Next” on “Ellen” Wednesday morning, amplifying the song’s theme by appearing with two dancers on a set made up to look like a wedding reception. Midway through the song, she climbed on top of a chair and stumbled as she stepped down from it, but she literally
Check out the official The Secret Life of Pets 2 trailer starring Patton Oswalt! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Buy Tickets to The Secret Life of Pets 2: https://www.fandango.com/the-secret-life-of-pets-2-215649/movie-overview?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to
November 7, 2018 8:05AM PT It’s a debate as inconclusive as “theater” versus “theatre”: When writing about music licenses, is it “sync” or “synch”? The shorthand for synchronization has become so interchangeable in industry circles that many music-licensing professionals are at a loss for words as to why they use one over the other. BMG
Justin Timberlake, still suffering from bruised vocal cords, has postponed two more shows on his “Man of the Woods” tour. The dates in Tacoma, Wash. previously scheduled for Nov. 12 and 13 will now take place on Feb. 10 and 11 of next year, according to tour promoter Live Nation. His next scheduled concert is
Six months after the unexpected death of 28-year-old Tim Bergling, the superstar DJ known the world over as Avicii, Levan Tsikurishvili’s documentary “Avicii: True Stories” will launch a limited theatrical run in order to qualify for Academy Awards consideration. The film will be shown in New York City from Dec. 21 to 27 and in
Search-technology company Foursquare wants to get in on the race to devise a better yardstick to measure the effectiveness of TV commercials. Sandwich-chain Subway has agreed to use Foursquare’s attribution technology that measures how effective TV ads are at driving consumers to stores, restaurants and other retail outlets. The partnership helps to illustrate the growing
MEXICO CITY — Launched in 2012, now in its seventh year, and under new directors Alejandra Paulín and Maru Garzón, Los Cabos caters to one of the world’s most exciting two-way streets: the Mexico-U.S. film-TV axis. Add Canada, the third country to supply films, projects, talent and delegates to Los Cabos and the mix is
Tekashi 6ix9ine Manager Surrenders to Cops … Over NYC Shooting 11/7/2018 7:57 AM PST Tekashi 6ix9ine‘s Brooklyn crew just got a little smaller, ’cause one of the dudes who allegedly helped spark a shooting last weekend just turned himself in to cops … TMZ has learned. Law enforcement sources tell us … Tekashi’s manager, Shottie,
Veteran music industry executive Jason Bernard, one of the early architects of Pulse Music Group, is leaving the company to start his own entertainment venture, bringing with him several of his current songwriter/producer and mixer management clients. Bernard, who was COO and head of Pulse’s management arm, will continue to represent songwriter/producer Tim Pagnotta (Walk
MEXICO CITY — TV producer Aaron Norris, showrunner of “Walker, Texas Ranger,” is teaming with Buffalo 8, producer of Spike Lee’s Netflix original “Rodney King,” to produce “Peace River,” a one-hour drama series set on the U.S.-Mexico border. Norris (“I Love You Phillip Morris”), created the series with Sheree J. Wilson – “Dallas’” April Stevens