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Michael Gray, the star of the 1970s “Shazam!” television series, died on Friday in Palm Desert from natural causes. He was 75. Gray first got his break in television in 1972 when he was cast in NBC’s “The Little People” alongside Brian Keith and Shelly Fabares. Early in his career, he held several supporting roles […]
CBS kicked off its fall 2026 TV season the week of Oct. 4 with a strong performance for its new and returning series, according to Nielsen live+7 multiplatform data. Per that data, CBS’ premiere week averaged 8.63 million viewers — up 14% from its premiere week in 2025 (the week of Oct. 12). Leading the […]
The surly miser Ebenezer Scrooge is no longer just a fictional character haunting the holidays — he’s on Venmo. To promote Ti West’s upcoming adaptation of the notorious character in the film “Ebenezer,” starring Johnny Depp in the titular role, the Paramount promotional team created a Venmo account for Ebenezer Scrooge. The official account for […]
The pop star beat artists like Paul McCartney, Suede and Jade Thirlwall to lift the £25,000 prize.
I asked Ellen Burstyn where a Grammy would go, if she ever won one. She stands up to show me. “I wonder if I took my iPad off the stand and walked you into my office, where they all are,” she says, immediately reaching for it over a video Zoom. Her assistant, Caitlin, gets the […]
Jenna Ortega opened up to Vogue magazine as part of a new cover story about her nonexistent relationship to how the public receives her movies. In other words, the “Wednesday” star does not watch her own movies or read reviews (because “that would send me into a psychosis of some sort’) or check the box […]
Art the Clown is back for another round of big-screen terror. The “Terrifier” trilogy is headed back to theaters, just in time for spooky season. 2016’s “Terrifier,” 2022’s “Terrifier 2″ and 2024’s “Terrifier 3″ will have showtimes at Regal theaters nationwide on Halloween weekend, from Oct. 29-31. The re-release is presented by the video game […]
“Line of Fire” has been given a full 18-episode season order at NBC. The freshman action thriller series is one of the fall season’s breakout hits, with NBC’s best delayed-viewing lift in more than three years. Initially slated for 13 episodes, NBC gave a back order to five additional scripts with the hope of extending […]
Chaka Khan will receive the Classic Soul Honor at the 2026 Soul Train Awards, celebrating the singer-songwriter’s influence on R&B. Across her career, which spans more than five decades, Khan helped shape the sound of soul, funk and R&B with her music, including hits like “Tell Me Something Good,” “Sweet Thing,” “Ain’t Nobody,” “I’m Every […]
“Wildwood” director Travis Knight is weighing in on Hollywood’s use of AI. “I’m not embracing it at all,” Knight told me Wednesday night at AFI Fest’s opening night U.S. premiere of “Wildwood.” “I see technology as a tool, and we use technology at Laika. A pencil is technology, a paintbrush is technology, a 3D printer […]
The MPA gave “Wildwood” a PG-13 for “strong fantasy violence/bloody images, thematic material, suicide-related material, brief partial nudity and language,” which is a mouthful for any movie and an especially wild one for a stop-motion picture about a girl hunting for her kidnapped baby brother. It’s the first PG-13 in Laika’s 17 years as a […]
John Mayer has had his hands full with what felt like a hundred projects over the past few years — with putting out new music not among them. It takes a stretch of the memory to even recall that he announced a parting of ways with Sony Music back in 2022, with no followup revelation […]
Singer-songwriter and Variety Hitmakers 2024 honoree Raye has won the 2026 Mercury prize for her epic second studio album, “This Music May Contain Hope,” beating out Olivia Dean, Paul McCartney and others for the prize. The Mercury Prize has no real equivalent in the U.S., and is intended to recognize music from the U.K. and […]
Sony Pictures Television has sealed a multiyear, first-look deal with content creator Thea Von Engelbrechten, who’s behind the popular “Moletown Drama” social platforms — which boast 2.5 million TikTok followers and 1 million Instagram followers. As part of the deal, Sony has the first-look rights to develop and produce original series from Von Engelbrechten. First […]
Tom Skerritt, who starred in the TV series “Picket Fences” and appeared in movies ranging from “MASH” to “Alien,” “Top Gun,” “A River Runs Through It” and “Ted,” died on Wednesday of natural causes, Variety has confirmed with his publicist. He was 93. The lean, rugged, mustachioed actor won an Emmy in 1993 and was also […]
In partnership with Variety, U.S. Bank and Visa will host An Evening With Jessica Alba on Oc. 29 in Los Angeles. The intimate, invite-only event will celebrate the launch of U.S. Bank’s Business Essentials product suite, including two new credit cards in collaboration with Visa. A recently launched brand campaign features Alba as U.S. Bank’s […]
AGC Intl., the sales arm of Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, has added “Gods Don’t Give Gifts” to its slate and will introduce the animated sci-fi epic to buyers at the American Film Market. Creator Zack London (aka Gossip Goblin) makes his feature directorial debut with the film. London’s Gossip Goblin YouTube channel has 1.4 million […]
Disney is in early development on a fifth film in its popular “Halloweentown” series. While plot details are not yet known, the new movie is being written by Lily Houghton and Ryan Koehn based on characters by Paul Bernbaum, who wrote the first “Halloweentown” film in 1998. Casting is not confirmed either, though multiple cast […]
Sacha Baron Cohen opened up about his experience signing on to play the demon Mephisto in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during a live “Happy Sad Confused” conversation at New York’s 92nd Street Y. The actor, currently on tour promoting “Ali G: Who Iz I?,” recalled how the creative team working on last year’s Disney+ series […]
The Directors Guild of America’s Women’s Steering Committee has announced its seventh class of mentors and mentees. The mentorship program pairs mid-career women and nonbinary directors with established mentors to help them navigate the early days of their careers. Lucia Aniello (“Hacks,” “Broad City”), Mike Flanagan (“Carrie,” upcoming “The Exorcist: Martyrs”), Boots Riley (“I Love […]
