Paramount Global has decided to no longer sell a majority stake in its BET Media Group. According to The Wall Street Journal, the company announced Wednesday that it would end the bidding process for the unit — which included VH1 and BET Studios, streamer BET+ and the BET channel —because “a sale wouldn’t result in […]
Variety
Fox’s ‘Food Stars’ Winner Reveals How ‘Trivial Drama’ Could Have Gotten in the Way of Landing Gordon Ramsay’s $250,000 Investment
SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from the Season 1 finale of “Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars” on Fox. A (food) star was born on Fox Wednesday, when Gordon Ramsay picked the winner of his new food business-focused competition series. Out of the trio of remaining food-and-beverage-industry-entrepreneur competitors — Caroline D’Amore (founder of Pizza Girl), Chris Kanik […]
Bruce Springsteen Is Ill, Postpones Two Tour Dates
Bruce Springsteen may be haunting the pharmacies of Philadelphia, as his being under the weather has been cited as the reason for the postponement of two shows that were supposed to take place in the city. An announcement on his X/Twitter page said that concerts on Wednesday and Friday night would need to be rebooked. […]
Britney Spears Working With Dream Team of Hollywood Lawyers in Separation From Husband Sam Asghari
Britney Spears and her husband Sam Asghari have separated after 14 months of marriage, and Variety has learned the pop star is being represented by a dream team of Hollywood lawyers as she prepares for a divorce. Spears has retained top divorce lawyer to the stars, Laura Wasser, and will continue to work with her […]
‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3 Music Was Inspired by a Queen Concert
Four of the six best song nominees in this year’s Emmy competition are from series that are seemingly over. Might voters choose one of these as a farewell salute to a favorite program – or one of two comedic songs from a popular series or biopic of a beloved satirist? The departing (?) “Ted Lasso” […]
French Oscar Hopeful ‘The Pot-au-Feu’ With Juliette Binoche Gets New Title Ahead of U.S. Release (EXCLUSIVE)
The French drama “The Pot-au-Feu,” one of the breakout hits at the Cannes Film Festival and one of the movies that could represent France at the Academy Awards, has received a new title, Variety has learned exclusively. Now under its new title — “The Taste of Things” – the movie will also have a qualifying […]
HBO, Max Marketing Team Hit With Layoffs
Layoffs have hit the streaming marketing team at HBO and Max. A source close to the situation told Variety Wednesday that the cuts are in the double digits, but no specific number was available at the time of publication. The insider says the content division is not impacted by these layoffs. The layoffs mark the […]
In Praise of Short Albums: Why the Brutal Criticism of Olivia Rodrigo’s New Album’s Length Makes No Sense
Along with the tracklist for Olivia Rodrigo’s hotly anticipated sophomore album, “Guts,” came its total time — 39 minutes — which has rather inexplicably led to hundreds of complaints online that the album is somehow short-changing her fans due to its apparently brief length. “So short!” one fan complained. “They really be calling anything a ‘Album’ […]
TV Staff Minimum Remains Key Sticking Point, But Some in WGA Privately Grumble: ‘Nobody Asked for This’
The Writers Guild of America responded on Tuesday to the latest proposal from the studios, as the sides continue to try to resolve the three-month old writers’ strike. While the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has made some concessions, including agreeing to provide streaming viewership data, the studio group has not agreed to […]
Most Anticipated Movies Coming in Late 2023: ‘The Marvels,’ ‘Wonka’ and More
It’s been a quite a year for movies so far, and filmgoers are hoping that the fall and holiday season theatrical releases can live up to the one-two punch of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” in July. So far in 2023, horror has been strong with entries like “M3gan” and “Talk to Me,” with fans looking forward […]