An attorney urged jurors on Tuesday to “send a message to the mainstream media” by finding that CNN defamed a security contractor in a 2021 report about Afghan refugees. Zachary Young is suing the network in Panama City, Fla., alleging that he was falsely portrayed as engaging in an illicit “black market” in the wake […]

Ted Farnsworth, the architect of MoviePass’ doomed $9.95-a-month subscription plan, pleaded guilty Tuesday to defrauding investors in the company. Farnsworth also pleaded to a conspiracy charge for a second scheme involving a non-existent video sharing platform, which the government alleges he secretly organized while under investigation in the MoviePass case. Farnsworth, 62, has been in […]

A longtime hairdresser at Fox Sports has sued the company, alleging that she was fired after raising a series of concerns about workplace misconduct, and after repeatedly refusing to have sex with host Skip Bayless. The plaintiff, Noushin Faraji, alleges in the suit that she declined Bayless’ offer of $1.5 million to have sex with […]

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman met Friday with the family of the Menendez brothers, as he weighs whether to pursue a resentencing that would allow them to walk free. The family has pushed for Erik and Lyle Menendez to be released, nearly 35 years after they were taken into custody for the murders of […]

The entertainment industry in L.A. has endured a tough couple of years, with the strikes, layoffs and the production slowdown leading to headlines like “Hollywood Is Ditching Hollywood.” Despite the gloom, studio facilities are pushing ahead with expansion plans. Construction is underway on a $500 million build at Warner Bros. Ranch, and Comcast is pouring […]

Justin Baldoni’s former publicist sued him, his company and his current publicity team on Tuesday, amid a spiraling scandal over an alleged smear campaign against Baldoni’s “It Ends With Us” co-star Blake Lively. Steph Jones, who owns Jonesworks, accused Baldoni of breaching their contract, which required him to pay her $25,000 per month. Baldoni dropped […]

Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter case is finally over. On Monday, special prosecutor Kari Morrissey announced she has withdrawn her appeal of a judge’s order dismissing the case. The decision came after the state attorney general’s office said that it “did not intend to exhaustively pursue the appeal on behalf of the prosecution,” the prosecutor said. Baldwin […]

On Aug. 21, Jonesworks founder Stephanie Jones called publicist Jen Abel into the office. The two women had been in the thick of a grueling crisis PR campaign on behalf of client Justin Baldoni, the “It Ends With Us” director and the subject of incessant media coverage thanks to a mysterious rift with the film’s […]

The Motion Picture Association is gearing up to push for significant changes in the California film incentive, which would make it more generous to individual productions. Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged in October to more than double the state’s annual support for Hollywood to $750 million. At the time, the governor did not propose other changes […]

“Bad Monkey” is a Florida show to the core. Set in the Florida Keys and based on a Carl Hiaasen book, the show’s first season was even filmed in Florida, though the state does not have a tax credit for film production. But that’s changing for Season 2. The show, which streams on Apple TV+, […]

President-elect Donald Trump has made good on his threat to sue the Des Moines Register over a poll that showed him trailing Kamala Harris. In a complaint filed Monday night in Iowa, Trump accused pollster Ann Selzer of deliberately releasing a fake poll for the purpose of manufacturing support for Harris. The Selzer poll showed […]

Ted Sarandos will join the stream of business leaders making the pilgrimage to Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago, a source confirmed to Variety. Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix, will visit with the president-elect on Tuesday. No further details of the meeting were immediately available. The meeting was first reported by CNN’s Alayna Treene. Mark Zuckerberg, […]

A year after suing him for sexual assault, Paula Abdul has reached a settlement with “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe. Abdul’s attorneys notified the court on Thursday that the case had been resolved. Terms were not disclosed. “I am grateful that this chapter has successfully come to a close and is now something I can […]

The premier of British Columbia announced a significant hike on Thursday in tax incentives for film and TV, as the province struggles with a sharp decline in production. Premier David Eby said the Production Services Tax Credit — which goes to international productions — will increase from 28% to 36%. The domestic credit will also […]

The new Los Angeles County District Attorney has removed the two deputies who sought to reduce the sentences of Lyle and Erik Menendez from his office’s post-conviction unit. Nathan Hochman was sworn into office last week after trouncing incumbent George Gascón in the November election. The Menendez case is the among the highest-profile matters left […]

Andrew Ferguson, a Republican lawyer, was tapped on Tuesday to succeed Lina Khan as chair of the Federal Trade Commission. President-elect Donald Trump praised Ferguson in a statement announcing the appointment, saying he “has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country.” Ferguson has […]

Two members of the Animation Guild negotiating committee said Tuesday that they will vote against ratifying a new contract because it lacks enough protections against artificial intelligence. Mike Rianda, the director of “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” said on Instagram that the AI terms in the deal are “far from what we were going for,” […]