Finland-based animation studio Gigglebug Entertainment is launching a new adult-focused label and has already begun developing its first project, Variety can confirm. Branded In Stitches and led by Gigglebug’s management team, the banner will focus on bold, experimental and offbeat comedy aimed at grown-ups. Contemporary voices as well as artists and designers from Gigglebug’s in-house
At its latest edition, which takes place parallel to the Helsinki Intl. Film Festival — Love & Anarchy, the Finnish Film Affair will again host its well-received Nordic Flair training program, an initiative designed to offer career development for film professionals from across the Nordic region. After a 2022 edition that focused on sales agents,
It’s difficult to top the heights and/or depths of “The Morning Show” Season 2, a borderline camp masterpiece in which Elle Woods sucked face with Alicia Florrick and a disgraced Matt Lauer type drove his car off an Italian bluff. But the Apple TV+ drama is obligated to try, so for its latest premiere, it
Jazz and animation make for strong bedfellows in “They Shot the Piano Player,” a film from Spanish directors Fernando Treuba and Javier Mariscal that represents an intriguing hybrid in all sorts of ways. It’s a love letter to the bossa nova movement that peaked in the 1960s, while at the same time it’s a sobering
Organizers of the San Sebastian Film Festival said on Wednesday that they would proceed with scheduled screenings of the film “No Me Ilame Ternera,” despite calls for it to be withdrawn. According to objectors the film has connections to terrorism. Festival organizers said that they were aware of – but had not received – a
SkyShowtime, the European streaming home to releases from Paramount and Universal, has revealed its upcoming film and TV slate through the rest of the year, including “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Poker Face.” Just one year since the streaming service’s launch in the Nordics and six months since its rollout in 20 more European
Oscar-winner Ben Affleck has never forgotten his Massachusetts roots. The Cambridge-raised actor, who is frequently spotted balancing multiple Dunkin’ iced coffees, is known as a loyal patron to the franchise that originated in Quincy, MA, not too far from his hometown. Affleck’s love for the coffee company has spawned an ongoing partnership with Dunkin’. A
Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are not new to this, but true to this. Which is why they’re feeling good mere hours after celebrating the spring/summer 2024 collection they just sent down the runway—the kind of stamina that comes from presenting collections at fashion week for the last 20 years. We’re taking a breather in
It’s never the VMAs without drama, real, manufactured or imagined, and the first hour of Tuesday night’s show was no exception. Either before or after her performance with Cardi B of their new single “Bongos,” a clip from MTV’s backstage live feed showed Megan Thee Stallion seeming to argue with Justin Timberlake, who took the
A camera operator has been tasked with filming Taylor Swift for the entire duration of the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. Swift, who sat in the front row beside her publicist Tree Paine and Ice Spice at the event, was seen by Variety on Tuesday night being continuously filmed by a cameraman. No other artist
Grammy-winning artist Shakira paid tribute to her decades-long globally successful career with a hits-filled, 10-minute performance for the MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday night. Shakira kicked things off with “She Wolf,” incorporating the eye-popping choreography featured in the song’s iconic 2009 music video. She then rapidly transitioned into her and Rauw Alejandro’s “Te Felicito,”
Pop rock’s “people’s princess” Olivia Rodrigo took the stage at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards fresh off the release of her second studio album “Guts.” Rodrigo performed “Vampire” and “Get Him Back!,” which received its matching music video earlier on Tuesday. She took the stage directly after Lil Wayne’s hits-filled performance, starting with “Vampire”
As expected, 19 years after Justin Timberlake left the group and ten since their last performance together, the five members of NSYNC reunited again on Tuesday at the VMAs at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Their return was greeted with no small amount of enthusiasm by the crowd and especially Taylor Swift, who
Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion delivered the first performance of their latest joint single “Bongos” at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on Tuesday. The show-stopping performance started with a glimmering entrance from Cardi who dropped down to the stage from atop a diamond ball. The pair of hitmakers were surrounded by a sea
Want to grab dinner with Bob Odenkirk or a Hawaiian shirt signed by Weird Al? Well, now’s your chance. The Union Solidarity Coalition, an organization founded this year by Hollywood writers and directors, is auctioning off a host of film and TV memorabilia along with in-person hang outs with stars. The auction is designed to
The U.K. TV industry delivered a total sector revenue of almost £4 billion ($5 billion) in 2022. The figure comes from a new production census report by local producers body Pact, which showed last year was a booming time for the industry, driven by both internal and international commissions and particularly an increased in streaming
Southern California Public Radio president/CEO Herb Scannell has announced his plans to retire after four years at the organization, which operates KPCC-FM (“LAist 89.3”), LAist.com and LAist Studios. Scannell, the Nickelodeon vet who later ran BBC Worldwide North America and Mitú, will remain in the role until a new successor is named. The SCPR board
The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Nicki Minaj for the second year in a row, kicked off at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Tuesday evening. Taylor Swift led the nominations with eight, followed by Sza with six nods. Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj and Sam Smith each scored five
The National Book awards has rescinded Drew Barrymore’s invitation to host its upcoming annual award ceremony in the wake the return of her talk show “The Drew Barrymore Show” this fall amid Hollywood strikes. In a statement to social media, the National Book Foundation wrote “The National Book Awards is an evening dedicated to celebrating
The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards are just a few hours away. Hosted by Nicki Minaj for the second year in a row, the 39th annual VMAs will begin at 8 p.m. ET at New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Sept. 12. The pre-show, hosted by Saweetie, with co-hosts Nessa, Dometi Pongo and Kevin Kenney, will begin at
Fresh off the world premiere of her last directorial effort, “Priscilla,” at the Venice Film Festival (where star Cailee Spaeny won best actress), Sofia Coppola joined Rolling Stone to reflect on the 20th anniversary of her beloved “Lost in Translation.” Coppola, whose script for “Lost in Translation” won the Oscar for original screenplay, partly used
After more than four months on strike, many showrunners are getting restless. Writers Guild of America leaders are fielding a stepped-up volume of inquiries from prominent members who are frustrated with the duration of the work stoppage and looking to understand the guild’s strategy in engaging with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
Nicolas Cage is one of the most admired actors in the world, and given the lore surrounding his unique personality and spectrum of roles, ranging from award-winning to eccentric, he’s always a point of interest in Hollywood. In the upcoming film “The Retirement Plan,” debuting theatrically on Sept. 15, Cage plays a retired government assassin
Check out an official behind the scenes featurette for The Creator starring John David Washington and Madeleine Yuna Voyles! ► Buy Tickets for The Creator: https://www.fandango.com/the-creator-2023-231997/movie-overview?cmp=Trailers_YouTube_Desc Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to be notified of all the hottest trailers: http://bit.ly/2CNniBy ► Shop Rotten Tomatoes: http://bit.ly/3KvCU1M US Release Date: September 29, 2023
Investors cheered as TKO Group Holdings, the new parent company of UFC and WWE, clambered into the Wall Street ring. Shares of TKO, which began trading Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange, closed up 2.4% on the day, to $103.05 per share after opening at $102. That gives TKO Group a market capitalization of
Bad Bunny candidly addressed several of the headlines that have been surrounding his superstardom this year in a new interview with Vanity Fair. Among the numerous topics discussed, the Puerto Rican singer touched on his loss for album of the year at the 2023 Grammys. Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti” broke countless records after its
Calling all Swifties: If you’ve ever wondered if you could get paid to devote your life to Taylor Swift, your moment has arrived. USA Today and the The USA Today Network’s newspaper The Tennessean are seeking a uniquely skilled journalist to fill a new role: Taylor Swift reporter. The outlet released the job posting on
In Polish actor-turned-filmmaker Kasia Smutniak’s documentary “Walls,” she undertakes an uncertain and risky journey into the red zone — a dangerous strip of land in Poland that runs parallel to the Belarus border. Crossing the long border is a 115-mile steel barricade built to repel migrants from entering the European Union in search of refuge.
“Wonka” director Paul King worked with Hugh Grant on “Paddington 2,” but he knew getting the actor to play an Oompa Loompa in the upcoming Warner Bros. musical would take extra convincing. So King wrote Grant a letter in which he said the actor was great at playing “washed-up old hams,” which is exactly what
Paradigm Talent Agency has hired Chris Till as an agent in their theater literary and content division, Variety has learned exclusively. The hiring brings Till back to Paradigm, as he previously worked at the agency early in his extensive entertainment career, as he now has over 20 years of industry experience. He previously spent over