Universal Music Group and Amazon Music have announced an expanded global relationship that will “enable further innovation, exclusive content with UMG artists, and advancement of artist-centric principles including increased fraud protection,” according to the announcement. While full details were not disclosed, the deal is intended to advance UMG’s “Streaming 2.0” strategy, which focuses less on […]

Sony Pictures has partnered with Studio CHIZU and Nippon TV to co-produce and co-finance “Scarlet,” the new animated feature from Academy Award-nominated Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda. The film will receive global distribution through Sony Pictures, with a U.S. theatrical release planned for winter 2025. Toho will handle Japanese theatrical distribution. The collaboration marks Sony Pictures’ […]

Local hit “The Firefighters” continued to lead the South Korean box office above a brace of Disney titles. In its third weekend, “The Firefighters” remained in the top spot with a $3.3 million gross, 510,975 admissions and a 35.4% market share, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council. The […]

Prime Video will debut the second season of hit Indian crime series “Paatal Lok” in January. The neo-noir drama, which explores India’s social hierarchies through a criminal justice lens, returns with lead actors Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh and Gul Panag, joined by new cast members Tillotama Shome, Nagesh Kukunoor and Jahnu Barua. The eight-episode season […]

Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” debuted in pole position at the mainland China box office ending the four-week reign of “Her Story” at the top. Data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway showed “Mufasa: The Lion King” bowing with RMB56.1 million ($8 million). In second place, superstar Donnie Yen‘s Hong Kong action-drama “The Prosecutor” from Maoyan Pictures […]

Indian cinema star Tabu plays a pivotal role in the “Dune” universe in Max’s prequel series “Dune: Prophecy,” appearing as Sister Francesca in the final two episodes. Inspired by “Sisterhood of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, the series is set 10,000 years before the events of “Dune” and follows two Harkonnen sisters […]

America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel have released a joint statement on social media in support of their longtime friend and “Sister of the Traveling Pants” co-star Blake Lively after she accused her “It Ends With Us” director and actor Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and mounting a smear campaign to tarnish her career. […]

Waymond Lee, best known for his role in Comedy Central’s “Workaholics,” has died. He was 72. TMZ was the first to report the news and received confirmation of Waymond Lee’s passing via his wife, Diane Lee, and his sister, Norine Lee. The actor died Dec. 18 after a long battle with ALS, otherwise known as […]

This should be about the time we all start taking Billie Eilish for granted, by the usual standards of fickleness and habituation. So let’s all give ourselves a pat on the back for not becoming so accustomed to her face that we lose sight of what a special gift she is to the pop landscape. […]

There’s a cozy ease that permeates “All In,” in which a rotating cast of celebs narrates, with both flourish and offhandedness, the humorous and offbeat essays of The New Yorker writer Simon Rich. It’s the kind of comic comfort that easily fits into the holiday period but also into a Broadway season that is especially welcoming […]

Woody Fraser, the prolific American producer and director best known for launching “The Mike Douglas Show” and “Good Morning America,” has died. He was 90. Variety confirmed that Fraser died Saturday afternoon, via his daughter Stacy. More details will become available in the coming days. Fraser has remained one of the most successful TV producers […]

Sports streaming company DAZN is buying Australia’s Foxtel Group from majority shareholder News Corp and minority shareholder Telstra in a deal with an enterprise value of $2.2 billion. The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, will bring together Foxtel — Australia’s original pay-TV operator, with 4.7 million subscribers — with DAZN, the privately held […]

Blake Lively blames her “It Ends with Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni for missing out on hosting the “Saturday Night Live” Season 50 opener. In Lively’s filing against Baldoni, which accused him of smearing her name, she cited her “SNL” Season 50 hosting gig as one of the opportunities that was stripped away in […]

Art Evans, a film and television actor known for his roles in “Die Hard 2” and “Fright Night,” died Dec. 21. He was 82. Evans’ death was confirmed to Variety by publicist Erica Huntzinger. The cause of death was not disclosed, although the obituary noted he “passed away peacefully” while “surrounded by family.” In a […]

Piers Morgan is speaking out against the controversial audience response to a “Weekend Update” joke about Luigi Mangione. During last night’s “Weekend Update” segment, when host Colin Jost mentioned Mangione, the prime suspect charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the crowd immediately erupted into cheers, prompting figures like Morgan to criticize the […]

Robert Smith can relate to Chappell Roan when it comes to setting boundaries with fans. Two months after The Cure released its latest album “Songs of a Lost World,” Smith was a guest on the BBC podcast “Sidetracked.” When asked about Roan drawing headlines as an artist not taking abuse from fans and the media, […]

“It Ends with Us” author Colleen Hoover has expressed support for Blake Lively amid her sexual harassment allegations against Justin Baldoni. Lively, who starred in this year’s feature adaptation of Hoover’s novel with co-star and director Baldoni, filed a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint against him Friday night. Hoover took to her Instagram Stories Saturday […]

The title of SZA’s long-awaited “SOS Deluxe: Lana” seems designed to manage expectations: Despite her comments earlier this year that the much-delayed project would be a collection of new material, she seems to have reverted to her original plan of making it “outtakes from ‘SOS’ and a couple of new songs,” as she described it […]

Hozier was the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live’s” Christmas edition Saturday night, and for his second song, the Irish artist paid tribute to the Pogues’ classic “Fairytale of New York.” On social media, viewers praised Hozier’s emotional cover of the song that has become a Christmas standard since it was released in 1987, finding […]