Nneka Garland, an Emmy-winning producer on “General Hospital,” died Monday in Burbank. She was 49. She had suffered a heart attack at her home in Sherman Oaks, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Garland joined the ABC soap opera in 2001 as an executive assistant and spent the last 22 years working on the show. In
Keanu Reeves lovingly wanted all of the “John Wick: Chapter 4” stuntmen to remember just how many times they died during the making of the blockbuster action movie. A new report from The New York Times about the making of the sequel’s unforgettable action scenes includes a detail about Reeves gifting the film’s stunt crew
Lee Sung Jin, creator and showrunner of Netflix’s “Beef,” is joining Marvel’s upcoming “Thunderbolts” as the new writer. Lee is stepping in for Eric Pearson (“Black Widow”), who was the first announced writer on the project. Lee has previously written for “Tuca & Bertie,” “Dave” and “Silicon Valley.” “Thunderbolts” will be his first writing credit
BET has announced its upcoming docuseries special from Gabrielle Union titled, “My Journey to 50.” The two-part special serves as Union’s first project to come from her overall deal with the company, which was announced last June. The documentary follows the “L.A.’s Finest” alum as she jets off with her husband Dwyane Wade, family, friends
Kelly Ripa first appeared on morning TV when she was a soap star on “All My Children.” At that time, she was being booked as a guest on “Live With Regis & Kathie Lee” by a young executive producer, Michael Gelman, who eventually helped cast her in a lead role, replacing Kathie Lee Gifford in
Electronic Arts will cut 6% of its headcount, amounting to about 800 jobs, and reduce its office space, the company announced. The video game company, whose popular titles include “Madden NFL,” “EA Sports FIFA 23,” “Apex Legends” and “The Sims,” is restructuring to focus on “strategic priorities,” CEO Andrew Wilson said in a memo distributed
Mike Myers “knows nothing” about a recent claim that alleges he had a crew member on “The Love Guru” fired because he looked at him straight in the eyes. Vancouver radio DJ Jay Brody caused a stir on social media when he shared a video of Keanu Reeves helping move production equipment on the set
Combicbook historian and nerd philosopher Coy Jandreau joins host Nikki Novak dive deep on Keanu Reeves’ 4th outing as mega assassin John Wick in “John Wick: Chapter 4.” Is it at an action masterpiece? What does its ending imply about its future and spin-offs? And when will we get an Oscar stunt category? ► Buy
Oleg Stavitsky is co-founder and CEO of Endel, a sound wellness company that utilizes generative AI and science-backed research. Today, when the music industry cautiously expresses enthusiasm for AI, it focuses primarily on AI as a new tool that producers and artists can use in the studio. The rest of generative AI’s capabilities are seen
One of the most resonant issues on the table in the ongoing Writers Guild of America contract negotiations has turned out to be one of the hardest to define: mini rooms. Rising to the top of writers’ concerns in bargaining with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers is the rapid growth in the
The Peacock limited series adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s novel “Apples Never Fall” has found its last two series regulars. Variety has learned exclusively that Jeanine Serralles and Dylan Thuraisingham have joined the series. They will star alongside previously announced cast members Annette Bening, Sam Neill, Alison Brie, Jake Lacy, Conor Merrigan-Turner, Essie Randles, and Georgia
Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav’s pay package topped $39 million in 2022, down considerably from the staggering figure he hit in the year prior, thanks to a massive $203 million stock option. In a Wednesday Securities and Exchange Commission filing, WBD stated that president and CEO Zaslav’s exec comp package totaled $39.3 million last
Apple announced that this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place June 5-9, 2023 — and it could be the virtual launching pad for the tech giant’s long-awaited mixed-reality headset. WWDC23 will be presented in an “online format,” free to all registered Apple developers, although the company also will stage an in-person “special experience”
It has been rather bewildering to witness no less than two dozen low-budget action movies involving Bruce Willis being churned out over the last three years. That legacy-dimming run ends with “Assassin,” which arrives almost exactly one annum after his family announced a retirement due to diagnosis of cognitive disorder aphasia (and, later, frontotemporal dementia).
As it rolls the dice at the weekend box office, “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” is aiming to emerge victorious over last weekend’s champion “John Wick: Chapter 4.” A natural 20 isn’t guaranteed, but Paramount and eOne’s adaptation of the popular role-playing game is hoping to collect $30 million to $40 million from 3,850
“General Hospital,” the longest running scripted show currently in production, turns 60 on April 1, and to commemorate that momentous occasion, Variety gathered five of its iconic stars together. Here, Genie Francis, Maurice Benard, Kin Shriner, Kristina Wagner and Tristan Rogers discuss the ABC’s soap opera’s loyal fandom, and reminisce about its heyday, when supercouple
In 2014, Nick Viall revealed on national TV that Bachelorette Andi Dorfman had slept with him during their time together on the show. Heartbroken that she didn’t choose him as her winner, Viall asked why she “made love” with him; she said him talking about their sex life was “below the belt.” The episode invited
Veteran film producer Bob Yari (“Crash”) and music executive turned content maker Marvin Peart have formed WonderHill Studios, a film and production entity that will also offer independent theatrical distribtuion. Yari and Peat privately raised equity for the new company, for which they will serve as co-founders and co-CEOs. The label will also dabble in
In early 2016, producer Sebastian Bear-McClard reached out to a 17-year-old girl on Instagram — an overture that led to an informal meeting at a Soho loft. Not long after, he let the Safdie brothers know that he had found the perfect person to play a small role in their upcoming film, “Good Time.” The
Santa Fe D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies will step aside in the prosecution of Alec Baldwin for the fatal shooting of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and has named two lawyers to take over the case. Carmack-Altwies appointed Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis as special prosecutors on the case. Both are private attorneys based in Albuquerque. The move
Few events loom larger in the minds of movie teenagers than prom. Dreams are realized, bullies are put in their place, girls are declared “all that.” Real life is rarely as dramatic, thankfully, but that doesn’t mean we should expect studios (and streamers) to stop trying to make the next “Pretty in Pink” or “10
Fox has named Diana Ruiz as its new executive vice president of experiences and design. Ruiz will report to Fox Entertainment and Fox Sports chief financial officer, Jeff Acosta. “With more than 20 years in the global events arena, Diana possesses considerable, proven creativity, discipline and operational excellence,” said Acosta. “Her unique skill set will
CBS has renewed its hit drama “Blue Bloods” for the 2023-2024 season, marking the show’s 14th year on the network. “’Blue Bloods’ has dominated Friday nights since its premiere and remained an important anchor for CBS’ winning lineup,” said Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment. “Led by the outstanding Tom Selleck, and an incredible cast
“The Night Agent” has earned a speedy Season 2 renewal at Netflix, Variety has learned. The action thriller series debuted on the streaming service less than a week ago, on March 23. It proved to be popular immediately, rocketing up to the top of Netflix’s weekly Top 10 chart with 168.71 million hours viewed. The
Netflix was sued on Wednesday over “No Limit,” a fictionalized film that suggests a free diver deliberately killed his wife in a diving incident. The French-language film is based on the true story of Francisco “Pipin” Ferreras and his wife, Audrey Mestre. They were a celebrity couple within the world of free diving, an extreme
Jennifer Aniston has been starring in comedies for nearly 30 years, from the launch of NBC’s “Friends” in 1994 to the upcoming release of her latest Netflix movie “Murder Mystery 2,” which means she’s had a front row seat to watching comedy tastes change over three decades. Aniston recently told AFP (via Yahoo News) that
Comedy Central has released the first official teaser for Season 3 of “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens” ahead of the series’ April 26 premiere date, Variety can exclusively reveal. The television comedy “Awkafina Is Nora From Queens” draws inspiration from creator and writer Awkwafina’s life experiences growing up in Queens, N.Y. — and she’ll also
Barry Berkman is behind bars in the final trailer for HBO’s “Barry,” which is ending its acclaimed run after four seasons. Season 4 premieres on April 16. In the official trailer, we see Barry (Bill Hader) eating alone and losing his mind in prison. In the Season 3 finale, the police finally catch the professional
“Grown-ish” will end with its upcoming Season 6 at Freeform. The news comes around two months after it was announced the show had been renewed for a sixth season. The final season of the series, which is a spinoff of the ABC comedy “Black-ish,” will air in two parts. The first part will premiere this
Critical Role, the company that adapted its popular and long-running Dungeons & Dragons livestreamed campaigns into animated series “The Legend of Vox Machina” on Prime Video, has made its first acquisition. Metapigeon, Critical Role’s development and production company, announced the acquisition of podcast “Midst,” described as a semi-improvised audio drama. Financial terms of the deal