He looks ahead, his dark eyebrows overshadowing his dark eyes. One of his several gold teeth gleams in the dim light. This is how Ren Leach describes Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell), also known as the iconic Batman villain The Penguin, in Max’s limited series of the same name. “You almost get chills, like really envisioning […]

There’s so much to watch on Netflix that it’s not always easy to figure out what’s new and what’s interesting. As holiday programming ramps up, movies like “Hot Frosty,” “A Holiday Engagement” and “The Christmas Trap” are hoping to put viewers in a festive mood. And for “Outer Banks” fans, Poguelandia returns on Nov. 7. […]

The world’s largest college-run film festival, the SCAD Savannah film festival, returns to Georgia Oct. 26 with its consistently eclectic programming mix of documentaries, box office hits, indies, animated films, short films and more. “SCAD honors the screen’s brightest stars, from Annette Bening to Lupita Nyong’o to Richard Linklater,” says SCAD President and founder Paula […]

The Directors Guild of America has released data tied to hiring trends in episodic television from the 2023-2024 season, showing fairly stable numbers over the past three years including during the strikes period.. The results indicate increases in employment rates among women and directors of color over the past decade. Data also focused on women […]

From blockbusters to quirky indies, Variety’s 2024 Artisans to Watch cover makeup, hair, stunts, editing, sound and music. Many artisans will spend years working their way through various positions, building up an incredible catalog of work and experience as they do so. Finally, they become department heads and find themselves in charge. 10 Artisans to […]

Bela Bajaria, chief content officer at Netflix, gave a powerful speech about gender equality and access to education during Variety‘s Power of Women presented by Lifetime event in Hollywood on Thursday night. During her acceptance speech highlighting the work of education organization Room to Read, Bajaria paid homage to her two great-grandmothers, who were both married by the […]

As businessman and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban exits “Shark Tank” after this season, his fellow shark and entrepreneur Daymond John isn’t worried about what it might mean for the long-running ABC series. “The show will be around long after Mark, Daymond, Barbara and all of us,” John tells Variety. “(‘Shark Tank’) is the American […]

Celine Dion made a surprise appearance at the City of Hope Spirit of Life Gala in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The Canadian singer was in attendance to present the Spirit of Life Award to AEG CEO Jay Marciano for his philanthropic and humanitarian efforts towards cancer research. “What a joy it is to […]

Metallica, Linkin Park and Korn will headline the fourth annual Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival in May 2025, organizers announced on Wednesday. Metallica will also play at Sonic Temple for the first time in 2025 as part of their “No Repeat Weekend,” in which they will perform two different sets across Friday and Saturday. Over […]

The “Family Guy” Christmas special at Hulu has set its official premiere date. The special, titled “Gift of the White Guy,” will premiere on Hulu on Nov. 25. This marks the second of two Hulu exclusive “Family Guy” specials, with the first being the Oct. 14 Halloween special “Peter, Peter Pumpkin Cheater.” “Peter must recover […]

Gravitas Ventures has announced the acquisition of U.S. and Canadian rights for the science fiction feature “Roswell Delirium,” which is scheduled to release in January on both cable and digital video on demand. “During the 1980s the US is hit by a wave of nuclear attacks, and after the fallout those who remain pretend like […]

The National Association of Theatre Owners has named Andrew Stewart as chief communications officer. Stewart will lead communications and media relations strategy for the association in his new role.  Stewart, a former Variety reporter and alum of 42West and Imax, will be based in Los Angeles and report to Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of […]

Billie Lourd paid tribute to Carrie Fisher on what would’ve been her mother’s 68th birthday. The “Star Wars” icon died on Dec. 27, 2016, at the age of 60. “Dead person birthdays are weird to say the least,” Lourd wrote on Instagram Monday. “On my mom’s birthday every year, I try to celebrate her as much […]

Ben Stiller’s comedy “Nutcrackers” has been acquired by Hulu and will stream exclusively on the service in the U.S. starting Nov. 29. The streamer acquired the worldwide rights to the film, which is directed by David Gordon Green. Green’s lengthy credits as a director include the “Halloween” franchise, “Pineapple Express,” “The Exorcist: Believer,” “Vice Principals” […]

Starz, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) and The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) have announced the participants for Season 3 of the Starz Take the Lead Writers’ Intensive. Set to begin on Oct. 14, this year’s program will feature writers Alyssa Katalyna, Eric De La Rosa, Justin Omori and Nneka Samuel.  Starz has tailored […]

The first trailer for “The Monkey,” a supernatural horror film based on the short story by Stephen King, has been released. The film, directed by “Longlegs” filmmaker Osgood Perkins, stars Theo James (“The White Lotus”) as twin brothers Hal and Bill. The cast also includes Tatiana Maslany (“She-Hulk”), Elijah Wood (“The Lord of The Rings”), […]

Arlene Winnick, a veteran publicist in Hollywood for over 30 years and an integral part of Solters & Digney and its successor Digney & Co. Public Relations, died in Beverly Hills on Oct. 1 from an extended illness. A native of Great Neck, N.Y., Winnick helped pioneer marketing and publicity campaigns for one of the […]

At 82 years old, Harrison Ford is glad he’s continued to keep acting, since it brings him “essential human contact.” “I get to imagine with people that have great skill and experience…. It’s fun to work with these people,” Ford said in a recent interview with Vanity Fair when asked about what drew him to […]

Peter E. Strauss, the film executive behind projects such as “The Jacket” and “Air,” died Oct. 6 at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 83.  Strauss held a number of roles over the course of his five-decade career, including most recently, executive vice president of Mandalay Pictures and previously president of Lions Gate Entertainment. […]