Seven of the biggest media-buying agencies on Madison Avenue and Roku have joined a media-industry effort that aims to count TV audiences in new ways. Dentsu, WPP’s GroupM, Horizon Media, Interpublic Group’s IPG Mediabrands, Omnicom Group’s Omnicom Media Group, Publicis Media and RPA have all lent counsel to the U.S. Joint Industry Committee, a consortium
“Boom! Boom: The World vs. Boris Becker,” the upcoming Apple TV+ documentary that premiered in Berlin last month, has confirmed a release date. The full two-part doc, about disgraced tennis champ Boris Becker, will drop on the streamer on April. 7. The documentary, which was directed by Alex Gibney (“Enron”) and produced by John Battsek
Four-time Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz has been tapped to deliver the “In Memoriam” performance at the 95th Oscars. Following the broadcast tribute, more than 200 filmmakers, artists and executives will feature in an extended photo gallery on A.frame, the Academy’s digital magazine. Executive producers and showrunners Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner and executive producer Molly
NBC’s “Today” is getting back into its morning routine. Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie both returned to their duties on the NBC News program after dealing with personal challenges that kept both anchors off air for several days. Kotb, who had been off the program for abouttwo weeks, told viewers Monday that her youngest daughter
U.K. commercial broadcaster ITV has hired Alex Pumfrey as director of strategic partnerships, reporting into Martin Goswami, group strategic partnerships and distribution director. Alex Pumfrey, currently CEO of the Film and TV Charity, revealed last week that she was stepping down after almost six years in the role. She will remain in the role through May
A documentary series about the disgraced former 1970s British pop star Gary Glitter (real name Paul Francis Gadd) is in the works at Netflix, the streamer has confirmed. The three-part series, with the working title “Hunting Gary Glitter,” will feature previously unseen photographs and archive footage and will cover Glitter’s life story and his later
As if King Charles III didn’t already have enough drama in his life, between his logorrheic son Prince Harry and disgraced brother Prince Andrew, comedian Harry Enfield is set to unleash a little more chaos ahead of the coronation in May. Enfield’s Channel 4 comedy “The Windsors” is returning for a coronation special, with the
Italian star author Robert Saviano, whose mob exposé “Gomorrah” spawned both Matteo Garrone’s eponymous prizewinning movie and the groundbreaking crime series that plays stateside on HBO, is making his directorial debut. Saviano will direct “I’m Still Alive,” an animation adaptation of his graphic novel illustrated by Israeli artist Asaf Hanuka (“Waltz With Bashir”). “Still Alive”
France-U.K. sales-production-distribution house Alief (“Matadero”) has closed U.K. and Irish theatrical sales for on Tallinn Black Nights Grand Prix winner “Driving Mum, with Newcastle upon Tyne-based exhibition and distribution outfit Tull Stories (“A Clever Woman”) ahead of its bow in at the Glasgow Festival on Monday. Warsaw-based Aurora Films (“I Love My Dad”) has simultaneously
Stories of war and its devastating human toll, migration across borders, the struggle for human rights and the battle to save a rapidly warming planet are among the themes that take center stage on March 6 during the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum, the co-production and co-financing platform of the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival. Fourteen projects representing
TAKING TOEI Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) has increased its stake in Japanese film and TV studio Toei Company, from 5% to 6.03%, according to a report by the Reuters financial news agency. The move comes shortly after Toei published a ten-year plan for international expansion. Toei includes film and TV
Guitarist and songwriter Gary Rossington, the last surviving founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, died Sunday at the age of 71. No immediate cause of death was given. Rossington had dealt with serious health issues in recent years, including emergency heart surgery in 2021, almost two decades after undergoing quintuple bypass surgery in 2003. “It is
The American Society of Cinematographers handed out its best visual storytelling in feature film award to “Elvis” on Sunday night, and in doing so, Mandy Walker has become the first woman to win the top prize in the society’s history. Walker triumphed over Greig Fraser (“The Batman”), Darius Khondji (“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful
Global streaming operation Netflix is forecast to spend $1.9 billion on local content in the Asia-Pacific region this year as group revenue from the region accelerates to 12%, according to a new report. The content investment spending figure represents a 15% hike. Netflix will grow revenues this year by 12% year-on-year to exceed $4 billion
“Cyber Heist,” a crime thriller directed by Hong Kong’s Wong Hing-fan (“I’m Livin’ It”) and scripted by Soi Cheang (aka Cheang Pou Soi), took the top spot at the mainland Chinese box office over the weekend. It earned a very modest $6.2 million, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. But that was enough to
SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from Episode 8 of “The Last of Us,” now streaming on HBO Max. Troy Baker has been at the center of the “Last of Us” universe for a decade. The esteemed voice actor originated the role of grizzly survivalist Joel Miller in the 2013 game and its sequel in 2020.
Production on “Hacks” Season 3 will resume the week after next, series producers Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky revealed to Variety on Sunday. Downs, Aniello and Statsky were at the WGA Awards in Century City, where the trio picked up the win for episodic comedy (for the Season 2 finale “The One,
“Top Gun: Maverick” topped the dramatic feature editing category at the American Cinema Editors 73rd ACE Eddie Awards, while “Everything Everywhere All At Once” won the category for best edited comedic feature during Sunday’s ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall. The ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievements
“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Being John Malkovich” screenwriter Charlie Kaufman took dead aim at Hollywood’s power structure in his remarks at Sunday’s Writers Guild Awards, where he was feted with the top honorary film award. “We trained to believe that what we do is secondary to what they do,” Kaufman said, with
Weekend honors at the South Korean box office went to the Japanese animation film “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – To The Swordsmith Village,” the latest installment in the “Demon Slayer” film and TV franchise. It earned $2.31 million between Friday and Sunday, for nearly a quarter of the total weekend cinema business, according to
Howard Bragman — an architect of modern public relations and queer rights advocate who died last month — was celebrated by friends, family, and former clients in an emotional memorial on Sunday in Los Angeles. A packed private park in North Hollywood adorned with string lights and a humble stage welcomed guests including Stevie Wonder,
Meredith Stiehm, president of the WGA West, got right to the point in her remarks Sunday at the guild’s 2023 award ceremony. With contract negotiations less than two weeks aways, Stiehm rallied the troops about the need for solidarity, and she emphasized the guild’s role as serving as the “good sheriff” helping to tame the
Karol G’s deeply introspective “Mañana Será Bonito” has made a historic entrance on the albums chart as the first all-Spanish-language record by a female artist to hit No. 1. The collection — which spans pop, rock, reggaeton, Mexican music and electronica — is also the Colombian artist’s first leader on the Billboard 200. All four of
“Severance” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” took home top prizes at the Writers Guild of America Awards, Hollywood’s final awards ceremony before next week’s 95th Oscars. The WGAs were not televised but rather held at concurrent ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City. “Abbott Elementary” star Janelle James hosted the West Coast edition,
Pete Davidson went from beachside lounging one day to a collision in the streets of L.A. the next … and his girlfriend was with him for both occasions … TMZ has learned. Law enforcement sources tell us Pete and Chase Sui-Wonders were involved in a car accident Saturday night around 11 PM. Our sources say
It’s always a bummer when an in-demand artist skips your city while on tour. Such was the case for Peru, who missed out on Rosalía’s highly acclaimed “Motomami” trek that hit 15 countries throughout the latter half of last year. However, the city of Lima decided to take the matter into its own hands, putting
Emma Heming Willis, wife to actor Bruce Willis, has made a statement asking paparazzi to “keep your space” when following the 67-year-old actor, who was recently diagnosed with dementia. Heming Willis posted a video on Instagram, recounting a recent incident in which photographers attempted to speak to her husband while he made a rare public
Film editor David Brenner, who died in the middle of work on the Oscar-nominated “Avatar: The Way of Water,” never shied away from a challenge. Ahead of the American Cinema Editors Eddie Awards, directors Zack Snyder and James Cameron remembered Brenner and his celebrated career. Throughout a career spanning more than four decades, Brenner worked
There may only be one more season of “Andor” to go, but it sounds like it’s exactly what audiences are hoping for. Diego Luna, who’s currently filming the final season of the Disney+ series in London, opened up about the experience on Friday at the Miami Film Festival, where he accepted the inaugural Variety Virtuoso
It took 42 years, but Mel Brooks is finally making good on a parody of a promise he never seemed likely to keep: Bringing “History of the World, Part II” to audiences far and wide. The filmmaker addresses that elephant in the room within the opening minutes of the new, eight-part Hulu series, admitting that