Variety

Bill Ackman to Sell $290.5 Million in Stock Back to Universal Music After Rejected Takeover Offer

Fresh off of rejecting a takeover proposal from capital fund Pershing Square, Universal Music has announced it is repurchasing a sizable portion of its stock back from the company founded and operated by billionaire investor Bill Ackman. The world’s largest record company will repurchase over 14.2 million shares from Pershing, worth about $290.5 million (€250 […]

entertainment  6d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Ted Danson Apologizes for Blackface at 1993 Whoopi Goldberg Roast: “So Stupid and Entitled”

The actor details how he decided to perform that way at the Friars Club event, for which he received immediate backlash, explaining that it's "not an excuse" and acknowledging, "your intentions do not matter. The impact you have on people is what matters."

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

Taormina Film Festival Head Tiziana Rocca Says She Wants to Deliver a ‘Human Festival’ Amidst AI Boom, Asks Stars to Be ‘Generous’ to Local Audiences

Last year, Italian marketing guru Tiziana Rocca returned to the post of artistic director of Italy’s Taormina Film Festival eight years after she was forced to step down due to political infighting following a successful five-year stint. The festivals specialist, who nurtures close ties to Hollywood, revived Taormina’s competitive strands and brought major names such […]

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’s’ Wedding Look Was Inspired by Alexander McQueen and Fish Bones

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” showrunner Alex Kurtzman has been vocal about his love for luxury fashion designer Alexander McQueen. It was one name that came up in conversations with the show’s costume designer, Avery Plewes, when they were brainstorming ideas for the series’ wedding episode. The series takes place in the 32nd century after the […]

entertainment  6d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Skydance Alum Amanda Alley Lands at A/Vantage Pictures as Development, Production VP (Exclusive)

Her credits include the upcoming Skydance features 'Way of the Warrior Kid' starring Chris Pratt and Mattel’s Matchbox movie.

entertainment  6d ago

Hollywood Reporter

“Would You All Race to Defend Me?” Piers Morgan Slams SXSW London Over Banned Speaker Controversy

The outspoken host called out the festival for failing to defend Cenk Uygur and Hasan Piker after the U.K. Home Office barred the progressive commentators from entering the country.

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

Spike Lee, Amy Schumer, John Krasinski and More Appear in PSA About Why New York Is ‘The Easiest Place to Film in the Country’

A group of famous New Yorkers — Spike Lee, Amy Schumer, John Krasinski, Natasha Lyonne, Darren Aronofsky and Celine Song — appear in a PSA released by mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office of media and entertainment about the city as the ideal destination for filmmaking. “We’re cutting the red tape and making it the easiest place […]

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

Sadie Sink to Star in ‘The Marriage Plot’ Adaptation at FX From A24, Will Arbery and Hiro Murai

FX has greenlit “The Marriage Plot,” a limited series based on Jeffrey Eugenides’ 2011 novel of the same name. Sadie Sink will star in the project, which is written by Will Arbery and directed by Hiro Murai and will stream on Hulu. Per the official descriptiom, “The Marriage Plot” follows “three recent college graduates caught […]

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

‘Death Boom’ Trailer: Leonardo DiCaprio-Produced Documentary Investigates the End-of-Life Industry (EXCLUSIVE) 

A trailer has been released for “Death Boom,” the forthcoming documentary exploring the multi-billion dollar death care industry. The film will make its world premiere at this year’s Tribeca Festival on June 9 in New York.  From director Jessica Chandler, “Death Boom” will investigate the most pressing questions surrounding end-of-life choices and the impending death […]

entertainment  6d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Sadie Sink to Star in ‘The Marriage Plot’ Limited Series at FX

'Succession' writer Will Arbery is adapting Jeffrey Eugenides' novel, and Hiro Murai is set to direct.

entertainment  6d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Inside Nike’s Star-Studded World Cup Campaign With Kim Kardashian, Travis Scott and … Ted Lasso

Channing Tatum, LeBron James and Jason Sudeikis (in character) joined soccer stars like Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo and others in a short film set at a Hollywood film studio.

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

Taylor Swift’s Net Worth Is Now $2 Billion, According to Forbes

Forbes lists are largely a status symbol for the 1%, but as the business publication has expanded its purview — and as the music business has grown legit billionaires — its lists and criteria have grown. Pegged to its four-year-old Iconoclast conference is an “Iconoclast 50” list released on Wednesday, and its vague criteria — recognizing […]

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

Clio Barnard’s Cannes Prizewinner ‘I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning’ Sells Widely as Charades Boards International Rights (EXCLUSIVE)

Fresh off winning the audience award at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Clio Barnard’s “I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning” has secured a raft of international sales, with Paris-based sales company Charades handling worldwide rights. The film, which earned the top audience prize in the Cannes sidebar, has been picked up across multiple territories following its market […]

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

Sony Invests in AI Copyright-Protection Firm Midnight Labs

Midnight Labs, an AI company focused on intellectual property protection in the entertainment industry, has secured an investment from Sony’s Innovation Fund to help bolster its efforts to combat piracy and deepfakes plaguing entertainment companies and content creators in the U.S. and Japan. A Midnight Labs spokesperson did not disclose how much the company had […]

entertainment  6d ago

Hollywood Reporter

The Broadway Tax Credit Has Returned, For Now

Gov. Kathy Hochul allocated an additional $150 million for the tax credit program, which has become essential for producers, but has also faced some pushback.

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Earns R Rating

Teens and tweens hoping to find out if Odysseus makes it home to Ithaca are going to need to bring a parent or adult guardian to the multiplexes. “The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan’s sprawling adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association. It’s unclear why the picture got this designation […]

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

Jimmy Kimmel Slams CBS as ‘Trump Suck-Ups’ and ‘Clowns’ for Firing Scott Pelley From ‘60 Minutes’: A ‘Cowardly’ Decision

Jimmy Kimmel is standing up for Scott Pelley after the longtime broadcast journalist was fired from “60 Minutes.” Pelley was cut from the newsmagazine program after accusing newly appointed CBS News boss Bari Weiss of “murdering” the show and saying new executive producer Nick Bilton has “slender qualifications for this job.” “Last night, the Trump […]

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

Netflix Pauses Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua’s Hannibal War Movie Over Budget Concerns

Netflix has paused pre-production on Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington’s “Hannibal” film. The historical epic was planning to shoot later this year in Italy, with Fuqua directing and Washington starring as the Carthaginian general. However, pre-production has been put on pause while the producers, including Fuqua and Washington, and the studio hammer out budgetary concerns. […]

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

‘The Odyssey’ Ticket Madness: Online Wait Times Hit an Hour as Christopher Nolan’s Epic Pushes AMC Site to Limit

Moviegoers are scrambling to reserve their seats for “The Odyssey,” and the mad dash to see what Christopher Nolan has cooked up is hitting some unexpected hurdles. Demand for Imax and other premium large format screenings of the adventure epic appears to be so high that AMC’s ticketing app paused briefly. Sales have resumed, but […]

entertainment  6d ago

Variety

Paramount Wants Lawsuit Seeking to Block Warner Bros. Deal Tossed: ‘Clumsy Attempt to Politicize Antitrust Litigation’

In April, five streaming subscribers filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block Paramount Skydance’s $111 billion deal to swallow up Warner Bros. Discovery on antitrust grounds. Paramount on Thursday (June 3) filed a motion with the court seeking to have the case dismissed, arguing that the plaintiffs’ allegations that the merger violates antitrust laws “do […]

entertainment  6d ago