Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” is set to dominate the original song race. Oscar voters will likely pick all three contenders from the blockbuster for the original song shortlist: Billie Eilish’s tear-inducing ballad “What Was I Made For,” Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Ryan Gosling’s pitiful song of feeling inadequate “I’m Just Ken.” Mark Ronson and
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav weighed in on the twin SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes and defended the company’s budget cuts — including shelving completed films “Batgirl” and “Coyote vs. Acme” — as requiring “courage” to right-size its balance sheet. Zaslav, speaking Wednesday at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit, reiterated to moderator Andrew Ross
New details have been revealed about the upcoming “Suits” spin-off, which is going to be set in L.A. Written by Aaron Korsh, who created the original “Suits” series, the new show will be set “in the same timeframe” as the original president of Universal International Studios and UCP Beatrice Springborn said on Wednesday. She also
Jeannie Kedas has been named senior VP of publicity and communications at ABC News. Kedas rounds out a leadership team including Kim Godwin, president of ABC News and Naomi Bulochnikov-Paul, executive vice president of publicity and head of communications at Disney Entertainment Television. Kedas will report to Bulochnikov-Paul. Kedas previously served as chief communications officer
What part of fast in “Fast Car” did anyone not understand? Country superstar Luke Combs’ cover of the 1988 Tracy Chapman classic proved to be as turbocharged as anything acoustically based in this world can be, with unexpected multi-format success: It was No. 1 at adult pop and country for two weeks each; a healthy
Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickson didn’t know each other well before shooting their new drama “The Iron Claw.” But then came their first wardrobe fitting and camera tests. “Our bodies had to be completely shaved,” White told me at a reception for the film at NeueHouse Hollywood on Monday in Los Angeles. “We
Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, Spain’s Isabel Coixet and Chile’s Bernardita Ojeda, director of “Petit,” feature among the first recipients of funding from Ibermedia Next, a pioneering attempting to fund development on pioneering new IPs which yoke large artistic ambition and cutting edge tech. García Bernal and Luna’s Mexico-based label La Corriente del Golfo
Among the Copia Final titles in Ventana Sur, the Dominican Republic’s “Tiger” (“Tiguere”) by lauded filmmaker José María Cabral (“Woodpeckers”) casts a harsh light on the machismo culture of the Caribbean nation and by extension, Latin America. Shot in a lush mountain retreat, “Tiger” is set in a boot camp where families drop off their
Oscar season begins this week in the Big Apple. The New York Film Critics Circle will be the first major group of film journalists to unveil its winners on Nov. 30. And its selections should provide an important look at which films are viable contenders for big awards. After all, there’s been plenty of prognosticating
Longtime CAA film agent Risa Gertner is set to retire in January after nearly 30 years with the agency. Gertner’s list of clients over the years has included such writers, directors and producers as Tony Gilroy, Barry Jenkins, Kenya Barris, Ron Howard and Simon Kinberg. At present she serves on the CAA board and as
All summer long, writers and actors led a backlash against artificial intelligence outside studio gates. “AI has no soul,” one picket sign read. “ChatGPT doesn’t have childhood trauma.” But in the end, the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA embraced a balanced approach to the technology. Both guilds obtained job protections against AI abuse, including
“Bob Hearts Abishola” will conclude with its upcoming fifth season at CBS. The fifth season of the multi-cam comedy is due to premiere on Feb. 12, with the series finale now set for May 13. The ending of “Bob Hearts Abishola” marks the potential end of an era at CBS. With the show ending, coupled
Approaches to film scoring have become increasingly eclectic—from jazz and classical to hip-hop and avant-garde—making it more difficult than ever for Academy voters to narrow the field to 15 for Oscar’s shortlist. Variety examines 16 of the possible choices, in alphabetical order: ‘American Fiction‘ – Laura Karpman Cord Jefferson’s movie—about a Black writer who, as
Bob Iger, just over one year after returning as Disney‘s CEO following the company’s board firing of previous chief Bob Chapek, said publicly that he was dismayed at the Mouse House’s performance under Chapek’s tenure. Iger, who had selected Chapek, formerly head of Disney’s parks division, to succeed him in February 2020, made the comments
Adjunct instructors at the USC School of Cinematic Arts are seeking to form a union, citing concerns about low pay and a recent move to drop health coverage. Organizers say that 75% of the 248 adjunct faculty members have signed on to the drive to join the UAW. They are seeking voluntary recognition from the
Sabrina Carpenter would be the first to admit that “Emails I Can’t Send,” her fifth and most recent album, was like going back to square one. “I saw it as my first big-girl album, for sure,” the 24-year-old says over the phone from Rio de Janeiro, where she’s about to open for Taylor Swift’s “Eras
Matt Knudsen says his recent Hollywood memoir isn’t so much a “tell-all” as it is a “tell-some.” Far from revealing a seamy underside of the business, the actor and stand-up has taken the revolutionary stance of relaying stories about friendly celebrities and positive adventures in his new book, “Have I Seen You In Anything?: True
On a cold November Saturday night, hordes of mulleted and mustachioed Brooklynites line up outside Warsaw, the Greenpoint Polish cultural center turned punk club, waiting to see indie rock band Geese. On a wall opposite the box office, a sign warns: “No Moshing.” That rule is broken not 20 minutes into the set, when the
Queen Bey is about to take on the box office. “Renaissance,” a concert film written, directed and produced by Beyoncé, is expected to bring in $17 million to $20 million in its opening weekend. The film will play in approximately 2,539 domestic locations, as well as 94 international territories, including Mexico, the U.K., South Africa, Kenya,
Netflix‘s games strategy is getting a nitro boost from Rockstar Games’ crime-tastic Grand Theft Auto series, one of the best-selling video-game franchises of all time. The three classic titles in “Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition” will be available Dec. 14 for Netflix customers at no additional charge on mobile platforms. Starting
A galaxy of 42 emerging creative talents from across the U.S., U.K. and India have been unveiled as the 2023 BAFTA Breakthrough cohort. The selected talents have worked on some of the most lauded projects over the last several months including “The Last of Us,” “1923,” “Blue Jean,” “Rye Lane,” “Rocket Boys” and “Joyland.” Breakthrough
Superindie Argonon is boosting its U.S. growth plans with a new hire and a promotion at Rose Rock Entertainment. Spoke Studios director of development Darryl Cordova has been appointed senior director of development at Rose Rock replacing Travis Schoen who has been promoted to VP, production and development. Cordova reports into Joe Weinstock, Rose Rock’s
After two and a half years as a public entity, Endeavor is on the verge of going private again. While nothing has been finalized, most observers agree that privatization is the most likely endgame following Endeavor Group’s announcement that it’s evaluating “strategic alternatives” for its assets, which include the WME talent agency and various live
Jobs can suck. (Not this one! Everyone is very nice, and there is free Cherry Coke Zero with movie theater ice on the fifth floor.) If you’re past 25, you’ve probably had one that left you feeling like a three-legged whippet abandoned at the pound. Maybe everything was grand, and then there was a regime
SZA is vigorously scrolling. “I never have topics before I start a song,” she says about her creative process, late one August night, high in the hills of Malibu, while zipping through months of memos and voice notes on her phone. “I just let the beat tell me what to do, and then I start
Bradley Cooper‘s “Maestro” publicity tour landed him on “The Howard Stern Show,” where the eponymous radio show host asked him a nail-biting question: “Sophie’s choice for 2024: You win the Oscar, not only for best director but also best actor, and Carey Mulligan wins best actress, or the Eagles have a Super Bowl victory?” “Eagles
FX has set the premiere date for the highly-anticipated series adaptation of “Shogun.” The limited series will debut its first two episodes on Feb. 27, 2024, on Hulu in the U.S., Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other territories. A new episode will drop each week on the streamers, and the FX linear
Swifties, rejoice! Taylor Swift has, at last, officially released “From the Vault” track “You’re Losing Me” on streaming services. The pop star made the surprise announcement on Wednesday morning in celebration of being named Spotify’s Global Top Artist of the year. “Um ok this is unreal??” Swift wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. This Grateful Dead fidget cube, which first came out last year, makes for the perfect stocking stuffer for the Deadhead in your life. The company’s popular fidget toy is a magnetic puzzle cube that
NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service is flying into Instacart‘s virtual grocery cart. The companies announced a new deal that makes Peacock Premium available to all subscribers of Instacart+ in the U.S. at no additional cost. Instacart+, which provides unlimited free delivery on orders of more than $35 and other perks, costs $99/year or $9.99/month. NBCU wouldn’t