Most of the really essential rituals of American life — religious observances; Halloween and New Year’s Eve; opening day in baseball — are cyclical, endlessly repeatable experiences, independent from individuals or cults of personality. But to that list, a lot of us would add the ritual, stretching past 50 years now, of Bruce Springsteen in […]
Variety
Paramount Global’s Debt Rating Downgraded to Junk by S&P
Paramount Global’s debt rating was cut to junk status by credit-rating agency S&P Global, which cited the media conglomerate’s ongoing challenges with free cash flow generation relative to its debt. S&P on Wednesday said it expects Paramount Global’s free operating cash flow-to-debt will remain “well below” 10% through 2025, and that adjusted leverage (debt-to-equity ratio) […]
Johnny Knoxville Will Celebrate ‘Slightly Unhinged People’ in His First Podcast, ‘Pretty Sure I Can Fly,’ From SmartLess Media, Campside and Amplify Pictures
Professional prankster and stunt performer Johnny Knoxville is getting behind the podcast mic for “Pretty Sure I Can Fly” — a show that “explores and celebrates the remarkable and slightly unhinged people who have pushed history forward and redefined the limits of human potential,” per the podcast’s producers. “Pretty Sure I Can Fly,” co-hosted by […]
Wondery Founder Hernan Lopez Launches Owl & Co. Consulting Firm Focusing on Media and Technology
Hernan Lopez, the former 21st Century Fox executive who launched podcasting giant Wondery in 2016, has set up consulting firm Owl & Co. aimed at delivering data and analysis designed to help media and entertainment businesses manage the transition to the streaming era. Lopez has put early emphasis on a deep-dive study of the streaming […]
Camilla Cabello Releases New Single ‘I Luv It’ Featuring Playboi Carti
Camila Cabello has officially entered her new era with the release of the single “I Luv It” featuring Playboi Carti along with an accompanying music video. The former Fifth Harmony member has been teasing the single for weeks, uploading snippets of the track onto social media. The track, executive produced by El Guincho (Rosalia, Bjork) […]
Japanese Rock Star Yoshiki Flows Seamlessly Into Fashion: ‘Music and Fashion Are Almost Inseparable’
As with his long music career, Yoshiki’s eventual foray into fashion seemed inevitable. “I’m the oldest son, and, usually, the son takes over the family business,” Yoshiki, Variety’s International Achievement in Music honoree, says about the expectations for him to take over his parents’ kimono shop. “I was always surrounded by those flashy kimonos. I […]
‘Star Trek 4’ Beams Up New Screenwriter: ‘The Flight Attendant’ Co-Creator Steve Yockey (EXCLUSIVE)
Steve Yockey, co-creator of the Max series “The Flight Attendant,” is joining Starfleet as the new screenwriter for “Star Trek 4.” Story details remain under a powerful cloaking device, but Paramount Pictures still intends the project to be the final chapter for the cast that rebooted the franchise in movie theaters with 2009’s “Star Trek,” […]
The Future of ‘Star Trek’: From ‘Starfleet Academy’ to New Movies and Michelle Yeoh, How the 58-Year-Old Franchise Is Planning for the Next Generation of Fans
“I can’t believe I get to play the captain of the Enterprise.” Anson Mount is sitting across from me on one of the Toronto soundstages for the Paramount+ series “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” which is set in the years when his character, Capt. Christopher Pike, led the legendary Federation starship with a young Spock […]
What’s Next for Paramount? Shari Redstone Has a Preferred M&A Path
Will Shari have to break up the band? Or is a comeback on the horizon for Paramount Global? More than four years after Shari Redstone won the battle to merge Viacom and CBS, the entertainment mogul is at a crossroads in the M&A soap opera that threatens to envelop her beloved but beleaguered media empire. […]
Jenny Slate and Catbird Team Up on Jewelry Collection ‘Inspired by Motherhood and Childhood Memories’
In celebration of their 20th anniversary, the celebrity-loved jewelry brand Catbird has collaborated with Jenny Slate on a jewelry collection inspired by motherhood and childhood memories. The eight-piece collection, which launches on the Catbird website on March 27th, is inspired by the emotions and memories attached to jewelry, with each piece drawing on notions of heirlooms and generational […]