Franco Zeffirelli, the Italian director renowned for his extravagantly romantic opera productions, popular film versions of Shakespeare and supercharged social life, died on Saturday at his home in Rome. He was 96. His death was confirmed by a spokesman for the Franco Zeffirelli Foundation in Florence. Critics sometimes reproached Mr. Zeffirelli’s opera stagings for a […]
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Tom Hanks may not be a stranger when it comes to promoting his myriad of films, but the actor revealed that he has to abide by strict rules when discussing Toy Story 4 thanks to Disney. “I have these talking points that Disney gives you at the beginning of the press junket thing and these things are […]
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Lena Dunham will direct and executive produce “Industry” for HBO, an eight-part series following a group of twenty-somethings breaking into the world of international finance. Variety reported in late 2017 that Jane Tranter’s Bad Wolf production company (“His Dark Materials”) was developing the show for HBO. The premium cabler has now given it a green light. Production on the series is underway […]
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Taylor Swift has announced her seventh studio album: Lover. It comes out August 23 via Republic. Lover includes Taylor Swift’s latest single “ME!,” as well as a new track titled “You Need to Calm Down.” The new album is Taylor’s follow-up to 2017’s reputation. “You Need to Calm Down” is out now—listen here—while its accompanying music video will arrive June 17. […]
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White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who has steadied the ship since replacing the more combative Sean Spicer early in the Trump administration, is leaving her post at the end of June. Her boss, President Trump, made the announcement on Thursday afternoon. “After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving […]
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Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was charged with forcible touching Thursday after meeting with NYPD sex crimes detectives over accusations he groped a woman’s breasts Sunday at a Midtown bar, his lawyer said. The “Jerry Maguire” star was being transported to Manhattan Criminal Court, where he will plead not guilty to the Class A misdemeanor in […]
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Idris Elba has become the latest A-lister to bring a show to Jeffrey Katzenberg’s short-form streaming service Quibi. Elba (Luther, Hobbs & Shaw) and renowned rally driver Ken Block will star in a car-stunt series called, appropriately enough, Elba vs. Block. The eight-episode show will pit the two against each other to see who can outperform […]
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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, […]
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When the Oscars move, so do the BAFTAs. Less than 24 hours after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its dates for the 2021 and 2022 Oscars ceremonies, the British Academy followed suit Wednesday. The Oscars ceremony is moving back to its original slot on the last Sunday in February for both […]
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Spotify is no longer a music-streaming company. On Wednesday morning, the company announced a new playlist that combines music, news and podcast content for the first time and in one single personalized feed. The change effectively offers a leveled-up alternative to terrestrial radio and positions the Swedish streaming service as an all-inclusive audio platform. The new […]
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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 […]
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Singer-actor Steve Lawrence, who produced hit singles both solo and with his late wife and musical partner Eydie Gormé, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. “There have been a number of rumors and some press reaching out to me,” the Brooklyn-born Lawrence, 83, said in a statement to Newsday through his representative, Howard Bragman, “and I […]
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Get ready for the Oscars in 2022. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that the 94th annual Academy Awards will take place on Feb. 27, 2022. The date follows previously announced plans for the 2021 Oscars on Feb. 28 and 2020’s ceremony on Feb. 9. “Timing of the 2022 Olympics, the Super Bowl and national […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Geena Davis is hopping in the GLOW ring when it moves to Las Vegas. The Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress will guest star in five of the 10 episodes of the third season of Netflix’s female wrestling comedy, which releases Aug. 9. Davis will play Sandy Devereaux St. Clair, the former showgirl turned entertainment director […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Business picked up in a big way at the indie box office this weekend, as Amazon Studios/30WEST’s “Late Night” led a slew of new films in limited release. Opening on four screens in Los Angeles and New York ahead of its wide release next weekend, “Late Night” grossed just under $250,000 this weekend for a […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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A “controlled explosion” on the set of “Bond 25” damaged the 007 stage at Pinewood Studios and caused a “minor injury” to a crew member off stage, according to a tweet posted Tuesday from the official James Bond account. No injuries were reported on set. The production has been plagued with multiple setbacks, including an […]
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