About half of the Jewish characters depicted in scripted TV shows were played by Jewish actors, according to a study of portrayals of contemporary Judaism in TV released by the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center Media Impact Project. The “Jews on Screen” study conducted as part of the center’s Media Impact Project sought to examine […]

Back in June 2019, J.J. Abrams struck a massive overall deal that would keep him in the fold of Warner Bros., his home studio since 2006. The five-year pact, pegged at $500 million at the time, had a unique structure that allowed Abrams to draw from a significant pool of money to sign other writers […]

Richard Shadyac Jr. will step down as CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising arm of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in March. The charity, founded by Danny Thomas and fueled by the entertainment industry in its early years, is among the most successful private philanthropic endeavors in the nation’s history. St. Jude’s mission is to find […]

The 2024 edition of the Kennedy Center Honors celebrated an eclectic assortment of entertainers Sunday night: filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, singer Bonnie Raitt, trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and surviving members of the Grateful Dead. The organization also bestowed its honor on an entertainment venue for the first time, New York’s iconic Apollo Theater. As per tradition, […]

Yoshiki, the Japanese star whose work blends pop, rock and classical music, saluted “the power of art” as he accepted the Variety International Achievement in Music Award at Variety Hitmakers presented by AFEELA on Dec. 8 in Hollywood. In his speech, the Japanese performer noted that he’s usually asleep at the current time of day, […]

Charli xcx delivered a heartfelt salute to “The Velvet Underground & Nico.” Jack Antonoff cheekily told a roomful of music industry insiders that “some of you care more about Pop Crave than Pitchfork.” Lana Del Rey confessed she didn’t submit her music for Grammy nominations early on because she didn’t know how. Olivia Rodrigo outed […]

Prominent industry insiders are gathering support for Oscar consideration for the documentary “We Will Dance Again,” which chronicles the horror that unfolded at Israel’s Nova International Music Festival on Oct. 7, 2023. Producer Marc Platt, Sean Penn, music mogul Scooter Braun and former HBO and MTV documentary chief Sheila Nevins are voicing support for the […]

Limited series writers have one big advantage over scribes working on recurring series: They can build to a big, flashy ending without worrying about what to do next season. “Limited gives us that opportunity to just be like — leave them wanting more. We’re out. Mic drop, we’re done,” said Marco Ramirez, executive producer and […]

Variety earned 14 first-place wins Sunday night at the 17th annual National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards, including trophies for print journalist of the year, film critic, investigative reporting and news photo. Chris Willman, chief music critic and senior features editor, packed a punch with four wins including print journalist of the year. Tatiana Siegel, […]

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been on the upswing in the post-pandemic streaming era, and this year was no exception. The holiday staple for NBC and its streaming sibling Peacock reached a record 31.3 million viewers on Thursday as Americans took in the annual Thanksgiving holiday with a dollop of TV tradition. The 98th […]

German media giant Bertelsmann has struck a deal with AI firm ElevenLabs to use its platforms and tools to help drive innovation and improve production processes across a range of Bertelsmann’s businesses. The goal is for the companies to work together to find ways for London-based ElevenLabs tools to help Bertelsmann create new products as […]

The Orlando Pride’s 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit to clinch the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League Championship capped a season of double- and triple-digit gains for the league in TV viewership and game attendance. The Nov. 23 game, carried live on CBS and carried on Paramount+ from Kansas City’s CPKC Stadium, averaged 967,900 viewers, […]

Larry Auerbach, a top agent at William Morris Agency for nearly 50 years who also served 25 years at USC School of Cinematic Arts, died Nov. 23 at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 95. Auerbach represented a wide range of talent during his 47 years with William Morris, including Alan Alda, Bea Arthur, […]

Washington Spirt owner Michele Kang won’t be suiting up to play in the National Women’s Soccer League championship game on Saturday, but she has surely helped her team score some goals as the league’s 12th season comes to a close. Kang is the founder and CEO of health care technology firm Cognosante and an active […]