John Tilley, a longtime distribution exec and advocate for independent film at companies including United Artists Classics, Cinevista and Strand, who was instrumental in introducing the films of Pedro Almodovar to U.S. audiences, died Sunday in New York City. He was 75. “John was always a consummate encyclopedia of knowledge of the industry, and his
The Spirit of Life Gala, hosted by the cancer research and treatment organization City of Hope, will honor hip-hop mogul and entrepreneur Lyor Cohen with a one-time-only version of DJ Cassidy‘s “Pass the Mic Live!” at the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles on Oct. 18. The performance will include appearances by Public Enemy, Big
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences
Patrick Stewart writes in his new memoir, “Making It So,” that Paramount executives wanted him to audition for the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” with a wig on, which required his then-wife Sheila Falconer to ship a hairpiece from London to Los Angeles. “Right as I was boarding my
For the millions who loved him, John Prine was an angel from Illinois. The singer-songwriter had a 50-year career trajectory that went the full distance from being part of the “next Dylan” brigade in the early ’70s to inspiring Next-John-Prines by the thousands before his death in April 2020. He would have turned 77 on
Jonathan Dolgen, the former head of Viacom Entertainment and a former top 20th Century Fox executive, died Oct. 9 of natural causes in Los Angeles. He was 78. For a decade, from 1994 until 2004, the hard-charging Dolgen led Viacom’s film, television and amusement parks, as well as Simon & Schuster and its music publishing
Veteran film executive Paul Davidson has acquired the remake rights to “Electric Dreams,” the 1984 film written and produced by Rusty Lemorande. Davidson — who previously ran The Orchard and IDW Entertainment — struck the deal with Lemorande (“Yentl,” “Caddyshack”), who retained the rights to the film after its release nearly four decades ago. Brian
The CW has named Ryan Sharkey as its new senior vice president of programming and content strategy, announced Brad Scwartz, the network’s president of entertainment, on Tuesday. In the new role, Sharkey will oversee the scheduling and acquisitions teams to optimize programming across all platforms including identifying co-productions and innovative strategies to create compelling content
In a conversation with fellow auteur Gregg Araki for Interview Magazine, Richard Linklater revealed that he hopes to shoot a movie in French, shot on location in Paris. Araki said to the director, “I saw Ruby Rich last night. She did the Q&A for our ‘Nowhere’ screening at IFC Center. And she was saying that you’re
“Shucked” will embark on a North American tour in the fall of 2024, one that will see the charmingly corny Broadway musical make stops in the likes of Nashville, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The tour will begin performances at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Rhode Island before playing in over 30 cities in its
Agnes Chu is out at Condé Nast Entertainment, a little more than three years after the former Disney exec joined the media and publishing company. Chu had joined Condé Nast in September 2020 after 12 years at the Walt Disney Co., most recently as senior VP of content for Disney+. In an internal memo, Condé
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling‘s combined star power helped power “Barbie” to $1.4 billion in worldwide ticket sales, an all-time high gross for distributor Warner Bros. The studio is clearly hoping to duplicate this success with its upcoming “Ocean’s 11” prequel movie, which is set to reunite Robbie and Gosling on the big screen. The
Aaron Rodgers wants to settle his back-and-forth with “Mr. Pfizer” once and for all … proposing a star-studded Covid-19 debate with Travis Kelce — and he wants Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Dr. Fauci to get involved!! As we previously reported, AR8 and the Kansas City Chiefs superstar have been sending playful jabs toward each
Home to the Taylor Sheridan stable and to the “Star Trek” franchise, Paramount+ is looking for “populist” dramas that hold a wider sway and can span several seasons, said Paramount TV president Nicole Clemens at her keynote at MIA Market in Rome on Tuesday. “We’re not looking for shows that just play to New York
Two months before my son died, I went on antidepressants. He was in the throes of leukemia, and as his 11th birthday approached, I began experiencing what felt like a surge of electricity throughout my body every time he called my name. Much of the time he only needed me to hand him the remote,
In an intimate performance and conversation in Los Angeles Monday night, Olivia Rodrigo admitted that there were tears shed during the making of her new album, “Guts.” But she and producer/co-writer Dan Nigro clarified that it wasn’t just about the emotion in the lyrics. Some of those were tears of frustration as they obsessed over
Taylor Swift always knew her record-breaking Eras Tour wouldn’t be confined to the mega-sized stadiums she was selling out. And she was right: Her accompanying concert film — which brings the epic, three-hour show to its widest audience yet — enters theaters on Oct. 13 as the highest-grossing in history. It has already earned $100
The cast of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is ready to reclaim the narrative. Through the new Audible original, “Slayers: A Buffyverse Story,” several actors from the acclaimed drama series are back together to play their beloved characters once again — this time in an audio original podcast. “Slayers” is co-written by Amber Benson, who portrayed
Three months after he kissed the 1975 bassist Ross MacDonald onstage in Malaysia and slammed the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws, Matty Healy has addressed the controversial incident that led to the cancelation of the Good Vibes Festival and apparently left the band “briefly imprisoned.” During the 1975’s headlining performance at the Kuala Lumpur festival in July,
The Sundance Institute and Sandbox Films announced eight projects selected for the 2023 Sundance Institute | Sandbox Fund. The filmmakers selected receive nonrecoupable grants totaling $325,000 for their projects in the stages of development, production and post-production. In addition to the grants, the fund offers mentorship for independent artists looking to explore the relationship between
There are a lot of reasons to shop at Amazon, but even more reasons to shop when the October Prime Big Deal Days are happening—which is now, by the way. Yes, from October 10 through October 11, you can save a good chunk of money on everything from shapewear and jewelry to home décor, Apple
Amber Heard le dijo a su terapeuta que Jason Momoa se vestía a propósito como su ex, Johnny Depp, durante el rodaje de la secuela de “Aquaman”. Una de las muchas afirmaciones que acaban de salir a la luz. La noticia viene por cortesía de los nuevos documentos legales del juicio por difamación de Amber
Amber Heard told her therapist Jason Momoa was purposely dressing like her ex Johnny Depp while filming the ‘Aquaman’ sequel … one of many claims just now coming to light. The news comes courtesy of new legal docs from Amber’s defamation trial last year, which were recently made public … and detail some startling allegations
Ebony Media Group, the company behind Ebony Magazine, has teamed up with Lionsgate to announce the launch of their joint venture, Ebony TV by Lionsgate. With access to Lionsgate’s expansive library of titles, the FAST channel will be available on Samsung TV Plus starting on Oct. 11 with programming that includes popular titles such as
Holly Willoughby has announced she is leaving ITV’s “This Morning” after 14 years. “To everyone who has ever worked on the show over the years, thank you so so much. This is such a difficult goodbye, you are incredible and I forever will be proud of what we’ve done together,” Willoughby said in a statement
Miami-based production powerhouse BTF Media (“Maradona, Blessed Dream”) has announced new appointments and promotions to expand its management team and position in Spanish-speaking markets. Company founders Ricardo Coeto and Francisco Cordero will now serve as co-CEOs of the company. Cordero will lead business affairs and Ricardo creative affairs. The film-TV company, whose recent projects include
In continuance of Warner Music‘s expansion into India over the past three years, the label has purchased India-based artist management and live events company E-Positive. It will continue to operate independently and be led by its founder and CEO, Naushad Khan. Khan is a prominent figure in the live entertainment industry and has managed and
Lowell Peterson‘s tenure as executive director of the Writers Guild of America East was destined to be bookended by strikes. After 15 years at the helm, Peterson will step down from his post as of Nov. 15 when his current three-year contract expires. WGA East leaders credited Peterson with nearly doubling the size of its
Netflix and Shondaland have acquired worldwide rights to “Black Barbie,” a documentary that dives into the history of the first Black Barbie doll — which debuted in 1980, 31 years after the original Barbie — and three Black women at Mattel who advocated for the toy. Directed by Lagueria Davis, “Black Barbie” debuted at this
Aaron Rodgers quiere zanjar de una vez por todas su tira y afloja con el “Sr. Pfizer” proponiendo un debate estelar sobre la vacuna Covid-19 con Travis Kelce ¡y quiere que participen Robert F. Kennedy Jr. y el Dr. Fauci! Como informamos anteriormente, AR8 y la superestrella de los Kansas City Chiefs han estado enviándose