Ross Crystal

Warner Bros. Television is debuting a new primetime scripted programming development executive team, in addition to restructuring of the current programming department. Clancy Collins-White has been upped to executive vice president of drama development, and will continue to spearhead dramatic series development for all platforms. She was most recently senior VP of drama development. At upfronts, […]

Don Cheadle is the latest A-list name to throw his hat into the Quibi content ring. The “Avengers” and “Black Monday” star has joined the cast of sci-fi drama “Don’t Look Deeper,” which is in the works at the short form content platform founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg. “Don’t Look Deeper” is set in Merced, Ca. fifteen minutes into […]

Comedian Jon Stewart slammed members of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday in a hearing on funding for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, saying it was “shameful” that more of them did not attend. “As I sit here today, I can’t help but think what an incredible metaphor this room is for the entire […]

Amazon is developing a series loosely inspired by Sandra Bullock’s college years, Variety has learned. Bullock will executive produce the series along with Akiva Goldsman and John Legend. K.C. Perry will write and executive produce. The series is described as a dramedy set in the world of music and dance. It will take place in the American deep south in the […]

We have another entrant into the streaming wars: BET. Viacom plans to launch a streaming service focused on the African-American cable network called BET+, the Wall Street Journal reports. The upcoming service, which will launch in the fall, will feature original content from Tyler Perry, who will be a financial stakeholder in the service. It will also […]

The 73rd Annual Tony Awards were handed out Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall in New York. James Corden returned as host of the Tony Awards for the second time. Among the night’s winners, Elaine May was named best leading actress in a play for The Waverly Gallery. In her acceptance speech, the 87-year-old noted that it […]

Celine Dion performs during the final show of her Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on June 8, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. After sixteen years, 1,141 shows, infinite standing ovations and a generous stream of kooky repartee to the very end, Celine Dionended her record-breaking residency at Caesars Palace on Saturday night (June […]

Kevin Hart and Paramount Pictures are partnering on a remake of the Bill Murray Christmas comedy “Scrooged.” Sources confirmed to Variety that Hart will produce the project through his HartBeat Productions and will likely take on a starring role. Insiders say that the project is still in its early days without a writer or a script. The original 1988 […]

Dr. John, the flamboyant New Orleans singer-pianist whose hoodoo-drenched music made him the summarizing figure of the grand Crescent City R&B/rock ‘n’ roll tradition, died Thursday of a heart attack at age 77. “Towards the break of day June 6, iconic music legend Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr., known as Dr. John, passed away of a […]

Rihanna has emerged as the richest female musician in the world, with a fortune considerably larger than those of the grande dames of pop: Madonna, Céline Dion and Beyoncé. The 31-year-old, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, is worth a staggering $600 million, according to Forbes — overtaking Madonna by $30 million, Dion by $150 million and […]

Woody Allen is set to direct his next feature in Spain. The movie will star Oscar-winner Christoph Waltz, Gina Gershon and Wallace Shawn, as well as Sergi López (Dirty Pretty Things, Pan’s Labyrinth), French actor Louis Garrel (Godard Mon Amour) and Elena Anaya (Wonder Woman, The Skin I Live In). The working title on the film, which is set […]

Just ahead of the Friday nationwide release of Chris Renaud’s The Secret Life of Pets 2, Drybar and Universal Pictures have announced a collaboration: Barkbar, which will allow clients and their pets to indulge in the California-based salon’s signature hair-straightening services for free. While the limited-time experience officially debuted Monday in Bryant Park in New York, the event […]

Nine years ago, two unlikely lunch partners sat down at the Hollywood Diner in Omaha, Nebraska. One, Warren Buffett, was a regular there. The other, Jay-Z, was not. The billionaire and the rapper ordered strawberry malts and chatted amiably, continuing the conversation back at Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway offices. Buffett, then 80, walked away impressed with the […]

The first annual Critics’ Choice Real TV Awards, a new awards show devoted to nonfiction, unscripted and reality programming, has given prizes to “Queer Eye,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Jeopardy!” and “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” among other shows. Netflix’s “Queer Eye” reboot took awards as the best structured reality series, fashion/beauty lifestyle show […]

Taylor Swift is using her voice to take a stand for LGBTQ rights. Shortly before Pride Month officially began on Saturday, the 29-year-old pop star shared a copy of a letter she had written to Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, a Republican, urging him to support the Equality Act, which would prevent discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender […]

Hilary Swank is about to play an astronaut in “Away,” Netflix’s upcoming 10-episode space drama, the streamer announced Wednesday. The two-time Academy Award winner (“Boys Don’t Cry,” “Million Dollar Baby”) will play Emma Green, an American astronaut who must leave her husband and teenage daughter behind to command an international space crew embarking upon a […]