White male actors called Ben, Chris, Daniel, James or Tom are more likely to be hired for a leading role in a film than an Asian and Pacific Islander woman with any name in all of Hollywood. That’s one of the surprising statistics revealed in a new report, titled “The …read more
ABC unveiled its fall TV offerings for the 2021-2022 season ahead of Disney’s upfront presentation Tuesday, with a schedule that includes several heavy-hitter mainstays as well as a few high-profile newcomers. Unscripted staples “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Bachelorette” anchor Monday and Tuesday nights, respectively, with new drama “Queens” …read more
Issa Rae, HBO Max and Miramax are reviving the critically acclaimed docuseries “Project Greenlight,” which originally spotlighted first-time filmmakers on HBO. The new “Project Greenlight” will focus on talented female filmmakers who are given the chance to direct a feature film. Rae will appear in every episode as an executive …read more
Mona Fastvold’s “The World to Come,” starring Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, will open the hybrid summer component – running June 2-6 – of the International Film Festival Rotterdam’s 50th edition. Hirota Yusuke’s animated feature “Poupelle of Chimney Town” will close the event. “The World to Come” is a romantic …read more
Otoy, a technology company specializing in cloud graphics, has added digital artist Beeple to its advisory board. In enlisting Beeple, Otoy — which already counts director J.J. Abrams, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and JavaScript creator Brendan Eich as board members — hopes to pave the …read more
Rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department for allegations of sexual assault, Variety has confirmed. The LAPD would not disclose further details about the probe, including whether T.I’s wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, is also under investigation. Representatives for T.I. and Tiny did not immediately respond …read more
Discovery’s tie-up with WarnerMedia has stirred up a firestorm of chatter about the impact of the deal that took nearly everyone in Burbank and Hudson Yards by surprise over the weekend. After a day of digesting the news and reading tea leaves, industry insiders were focused on the timing of …read more
Greetings from Variety Awards Headquarters! Today is May 17, 2021, which means it’s 14 days until Emmy eligibility ends on May 31; 31 days until nomination-round voting starts on June 17; 39 days until the Daytime Emmys telecast on June 25; 42 days until nomination-round voting ends on June 28; 57 days until nominations are announced on July 13; 94 days until final-round voting starts on Aug. 19; and 125 days until the Primetime Emmys …read more
Amazon is weeks into negotiations on a deal to acquire MGM for about $9 billion, industry sources tell Variety. Chatter that Amazon (and other tech giants) have been sniffing around MGM has circulated for some time. But sources indicated that Amazon’s interest in acquiring the studio has taken on a …read more
In 2019, when I took the stage with director Rayka Zehtabchi to accept the Academy Award for documentary short subject for “Period. End of Sentence,” I held the Oscar high and declared “a period should end a sentence, not a girl’s education.” Nearly 26.9 million viewers in 225 countries heard …read more