NBCUniversal Launch, the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion home, has developed new unscripted inclusion initiatives to increase representation in key behind-the-camera roles and create lasting change. The Unscripted Producers Program initiatives for Formats/Competition and Unscripted Initiatives for Lifestyle/Documentary are aimed at boosting diversity by establishing a pipeline of diverse talent for unscripted series and providing
Blake Shelton and Lee Metzger have joined forces to launch Lucky horseshoe Productions. The news comes after the success of their new show “Barmageddon.” “I’m excited to partner with my longtime friend and creative rainmaker Lee Metzger,” said Shelton. “He was one of the first people I met at ‘The Voice’ and working together currently
Netflix has released a series of first-look images for Season 2 of its romantic drama “Heartstopper,” which stars Kit Connor and Joe Locke and is set to premiere on Aug. 3. The second season will spotlight Nick (Connor) and Charlie (Locke) as they navigate the waters of their new relationship. Ahead of their prom, the
It was an earthquake that broke the pop-cultural Richter scale: the revelation that “Vanderpump Rules” stars Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss were having a secret seven-month affair behind the backs of their closest friends. But there was one of their co-stars who didn’t find the news of the affair quite so shocking: Lala Kent. Kent
AMC Networks Intl. Latin America has acquired RTVE hit, Spanish-Portuguese thriller “Sequía,” which will be broadcast throughout the region on its Europa Europa channel. The story centers on the mystery behind two mummified corpses – apparent murder victims — that are discovered when a long submerged village emerges from the drying Campomediano reservoir along the
Taylor Swift announced a new deluxe edition of her “Midnights” album, titled “Midnights: Til Dawn,” that will feature Ice Spice as her guest on a fresh version of “Karma” and additional, newly recorded lead vocals from Lana Del Rey on their “Snow on the Beach” collaboration. Digital and physical editions will each have a format-exclusive
Following the news that Miley Cyrus will not be touring in support of her latest full-length album “Endless Summer Vacation,” the pop singer offered a detailed explanation behind the decision in a letter addressed to her fans. Last week, Cyrus spoke with British Vogue in what was her first in-depth interview in several months. She
Dominic Fike will release his long-awaited sophomore album, “Sunburn,” on July 7 via Columbia Records. The album includes debut single “Dancing in the Courthouse,” which debuted in April ahead of the singer’s performance at Coachella, as well as “Ant Pile,” which he premiered at the festival and will officially release on Friday. “Sunburn” is currently
One of the bosses behind long-running game show “Deal or No Deal” defended the format after Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex accused the show of “objectifying women.” Markle spent a year working on the NBC version of the show, hosted by Howie Mandel, as a briefcase model between 2006 and 2007. The role involved
Veteran stage and screen actor Gerald Castillo, who appeared in major TV series including “Saved By the Bell,” “General Hospital,” “Hill Street Blues,” “M*A*S*H” and “Dallas,” died May 4 at his home in Houston. He was 90. Known for his work as Major Slater on “Saved by the Bell” and Judge Davis Wagner on “General
The 12th edition of Chile’s Sanfic Industria is set to kick off Aug. 20 alongside the Santiago Film Festival with new lab sections and a series focus on Chilean TV productions. Among Sanfic Industria’s 11 sections will be the new Series Lab, which will select up to six Latin American scripted series projects. Creators
A24’s “The Zone of Interest” is spoken in German, but was filmed in Poland and is written and directed by a British auteur. So what does that mean for its prospects for best international feature at the Oscars? Written and directed by Jonathan Glazer, “The Zone of Interest” premiered last week at the Cannes Film
Rebel Wilson is directing her first feature film with musical comedy “The Deb,” a big-screen adaptation of an Australian musical set in the outback. The film is produced by Amanda Ghost, Len Blavatnik, and Gregor Cameron via their company Unigram, which recently produced Apple TV+ movie “Tetris,” and sister outfit AI Film (“I, Tonya”). The
Warner Bros. Discovery’s newly launched Max lumped film directors and writers under a single “creators” heading — a change that prompted a backlash from filmmakers and Hollywood’s directors and writers guilds. Now the company says it is reverting the listings back to how they were presented on HBO Max, blaming the issue on a technical
Hong Sang-soo’s latest film “In Our Day,” which will premiere on closing night of Cannes’ Directors Fortnight, has been acquired by Cinema Guild for North America. Cinema Guild will release the film in theaters following its North American festival premiere later this year. “In Our Day” stars Kim Minhee as Sangwon, an actress who has
The Academy Museum’s podcast will launch its Season 2 with the series “Close Up on Casting” bowing on June 15. In the course of 10 episodes, “Close Up on Casting,” produced in partnership with LAist, will try to answer the Academy’s question: “Who gets the part?” The episode topics will include “The Casting of ‘Rebecca:’
Semafor, the digital new startup launched last fall, announced that it has raised $19 million in a new financing round, bringing its total raised to $34 million. The New York-based company was co-founded by Ben Smith, previously media columnist for the New York Times and editor in chief of BuzzFeed News, and Justin B. Smith,
Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” is poised to make a box office splash over Memorial Day weekend. The big-budget remake is projected to earn a mighty $100 million from 4,300 North American theaters in its first three days of release and $120 million to $125 million by Monday’s holiday. Based on those estimates, it’ll be the
Most of us know the illicit rush of the sick day slyly pulled when you’re not really sick. The turning you ignore on your commute, but that one day, for no real reason, you take. Oh, that sudden, intoxicating sniff of freedom! It’s perhaps the closest thing that many of us get as adults to
Michel Merkt, the Monaco-based former producer and consultant who’s played a key behind-the-scene role in bolstering Cannes’s profile post-pandemic, has been named honorary citizen of the city of Cannes Merkt, an AMPAS voter who has produced over 50 films, was awarded the diploma prize by Cannes Mayor David Lisnard during an intimate ceremony on May
Revered Spanish auteur Victor Erice has penned an angry open letter in newspaper El Pais claiming the Cannes Film Festival behaved underhandedly during the selection process resulting in his new work “Close Your Eyes” being relegated to the relatively low-profile Cannes Premiere section. “Close Your Eyes,” which marks Erice’s return to feature film direction 30
The 2023 Cannes Film Festival has been a big one for the Depp family. Johnny Depp opened the festival as a star of Maiwenn’s royal drama “Jeanne du Barry,” while his daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, headlined HBO’s “The Idol,” which delivered Cannes its most controversial world premiere thanks to its many scenes of graphic sex and
On Easter Sunday evening, in a palatial house on a ridge high in the hills above Hollywood, Offset puffs on a joint as songs from his forthcoming album blast from a portable speaker. He’s been working on this album for many months — since Migos, the pioneering Atlanta hip-hop trio with which he rocketed to
Experimental filmmaker, artist and author Kenneth Anger has died. He was 96. His gallery, operated by Monika Sprüth and Philomene Magers, confirmed the news on their website, writing, “Kenneth was a trailblazer. His cinematic genius and influence will live on and continue to transform all those who encounter his films, words and vision.” Born in
Check out the official trailer for Problemista starring Julio Torres! ► Sign up for a Fandango FanAlert for Problemista: https://www.fandango.com/problemista-2023-232005/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: Coming soon Starring: Julio Torres, RZA, Tilda Swinton Director:
Billy Porter and late LGBTQ activist Urvashi Vaid will be honored by Lambda Legal at their 2023 National Liberty Awards. The event will celebrate Lambda’s 50 years of a legal advocacy for the the LGBTQ community and is set to take place on June 8 at Glasshouse in New York City. The Liberty Awards will
“All the Flowers” is the second telenovela to be produced for Globo’s platform, Globoplay, continuing one of the biggest bets on streaming of a Latin America cosplay, seen it its bullish campaign for “Hidden Truths II.” As the streaming era slowly enters a market maturity, Latin America’s biggest media company has set its aims on
With the writers’ strike dragging on, unscripted content is expected to dominate programming grids. A panel organized by C21 Media at the L.A. Screenings Independents on the format’s outlook in Latin America could not have been more timely. Rising costs, shifting consumer tastes, the advent of streaming platforms and the sway of social media have
Cory Shields, VP global media and entertainment at Amazon, has stepped down, according to reports. Shields joined in 2020 and was in charge of publicity for Amazon’s original films and series, working closely with Mike Hopkins, senior VP of Prime Video and Amazon Studios. Variety understands that Amazon has not yet revealed a replacement for Shields. Prior
Live sports streaming service DAZN and social analytics firm Videocites have forged a partnership to fight rampant sports content piracy in the social media sphere. Dubbed “The Netflix of Sports,” DAZN is a leading premium live sports platform with a footprint comprising Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, U.S. and the U.K. The company boasts that Videocities’