Bowen Yang’s initial screen test for “Saturday Night Live” did not go well following an interaction with creator Lorne Michaels, according to the comedian. During a recent interview on “Hot Ones,” Yang recalled his screen test in 2017 for the late-night sketch comedy series. “The final step in that process is you have a one-on-one meeting […]

You’ve heard this story before. In 1984, a kid from New Jersey and a California karate champion met on a beach in the San Fernando Valley. They fought. They challenged each other. And, eventually, the infamous crane kick happened. “The Karate Kid” galvanized audiences when it first came out. Three decades later, “Cobra Kai” subverted […]

Manuel Turizo is in Los Angeles after weeks of international travel to promote his fourth studio album, “201.” Despite being thousands of miles from his hometown of Montería in Colombia, he’s managed to take a bit of his native country everywhere he goes.  “This album is my home,” the 24-year-old tells Variety in Spanish. Titled […]

At the premiere of Amazon Prime Video’s “Cruel Intentions” on Tuesday night, Zac Burgess, who plays Lucien Belmont in the series, shared how he has still not watched the original 1999 film, which starred Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe. “I didn’t want to replicate Ryan (Phillippe’s) performance,” Burgess told Variety. “When we were auditioning, (the […]

More than ever, gaming is a cornerstone of contemporary entertainment. It’s not just because other forms of media have adapted to its models, offering historically passive audiences new kinds of participation and interactivity. Gaming has precipitously increased in sophistication, created bigger and broader connections between its participants and, most of all, generated real and profound […]

FerenComm has promoted longtime staffers Krista Zoch and Emily Hunter to senior vice president, just as the PR agency, founded by Sheila Feren Thurston, celebrates its 30th anniversary. Both Zoch and Hunter previously served as vice presidents at the firm. They will continue to focus on client strategy, events and brand work across accounts such as Apple TV+, […]

Creo has announced the jury lineup for the 2025 Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, which is set to take place at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City from June 2 to June 6. The competition, created by Creo in collaboration with Sony, seeks to highlight original voices globally. The selected filmmakers are brought to Los Angeles […]

Web3 consumer platform Flickplay has partnered with “Pac-Man” company Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. and the City of Shibuya for an interactive experience and platform localization in Tokyo. The launch will take place during the DIG SHIBUYA 2025 Festival from Feb 8, 2025 to Feb. 11. “This partnership represents a significant step in merging the digital […]

“Monopoly Go!” game maker Scopely has launched a global brand campaign for the franchise featuring Will Ferrell, doing the voice of the iconic Mr. Monopoly character, as well as stars Jason Momoa, Keke Palmer and Chris Pratt. Titled “Friendship Pays,” the event is the beginning of multiple gaming campaigns planned as part of a partnership […]

David Korda, the British film producer and financier who hailed from a family of notable filmmakers including his father Zoltàn Korda, has died. He was 87. Korda’s death was disclosed disclosed Nov. 16 by film historian Charles Drazin via social media. Korda died Sept. 18 at Cromwell Hospital in London following a battle with cancer, […]

Martha Stewart has expressed her interest in a revamped documentary chronicling her life.  The 83-year-old businesswoman recently told Jimmy Fallon during a guest appearance on “The Tonight Show” that R.J. Cutler’s “Martha” documentary “left out a lot.” Stewart added: “I’m going to go talk to them about maybe doing version two. There’s a lot more […]

SPOILER ALERT: This article discusses plot details from the Season 6 Part 2 finale of “Cobra Kai,” now streaming on Netflix. Cobra Kai never dies. Until its students do. The final season of Netflix’s hit dramedy “Cobra Kai,” itself a spinoff of the “Karate Kid” franchise from the 1980s, is split into three installments. Part […]

Jone Jonas made his Latin Grammy on-stage debut in Miami on Thursday night alongside best new artist winner Ela Taubert. The pair debuted an unreleased bilingual collaboration, a remix of Taubert’s “¿Cómo Pasó?” Taubert would go on to win the Best New Artist award later in the night. In her acceptance speech, the Colombian singer-songwriter teased […]

Variety hosted its inaugural Doc Dreams NYC event on Nov. 12, featuring two panels with some of this award season’s top documentary feature contenders. Speakers on the first panel included Carla Gutiérrez, director and editor of “Frida”; Irene Taylor, director and producer of “I Am: Celine Dion”; and R.J. Cutler, director and producer of “Elton John: Never […]

SPOILER ALERT: This story includes major plot details from the finale of HBO’s “The Penguin,” now streaming on Max. It was a dark night on set. At a Q&A following a screening of “The Penguin” finale at the Saban Media Center on Nov. 10, Colin Farrell described the somber tone felt by the collective cast […]

The title for Tom Cruise’s eighth “Mission: Impossible” movie has finally been revealed, along with the first trailer. “The Final Reckoning” is now the official title for “Mission: Impossible 8,” which was originally slated to be the “Part Two” to 2023’s “Dead Reckoning.” It’s scheduled to be released on May 23, 2025. The film originally […]

Kino Lorber has lifted the curtain on Paul Schrader’s “Oh, Canada,” debuting the first trailer for the acclaimed filmmaker’s latest. The film first premiered at Cannes in May, competing for the Palme d’Or. It has since toured the festival season, with selections at both Toronto and New York. The cast includes Richard Gere, Uma Thurman, […]

A new anthem from Karol G, Feid, J Balvin, Maluma, Blessd and Ryan Castro arrived Thursday under the name “+57″ — Colombia’s telephone code. All of the featured artists hail from Medellín, the capital of the Antioquia province in Colombia. Produced by Karol’s longtime and go-to producer, Ovy on the Drums, “+57” was co-written by all […]

The Cherokee Nation has partnered with Prime Video to dub and subtitle a select number of its original titles in Cherokee. The first series to be made available in the language will be “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” “In our efforts to preserve, share and promote our language, Cherokee Nation continually […]