300 Entertainment Launches Film and Content Studio With Bubba Wallace Docuseries

EXCLUSIVE: Matthew Modine (Stranger Things, The Dark Knight Rises) is the latest addition to the cast of Christopher Nolan’s anticipated film Oppenheimer for Universal Pictures.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe mornings after the Super Bowl tend to have certain things in common: indigestion, dishes stacked in the sink, empties in the recycling, maybe a mild hangover — and the iTunes chart filled with songs that were performed during the Halftime Show.The Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show — a.k.a. Dr. Dre’s love letter to L.A., where he was joined by Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J.

Naman Ramachandran Protagonist Pictures has closed multiple deals for several key territories on Sundance selection and Berlin Film Festival competition title “Call Jane.”Territories sold include DCM for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Umbrella Entertainment for Australia and New Zealand, Mis.label for Scandinavia, Eagle for Italy, Shaw for Singapore and Empire for South Africa.Directed by Phyllis Nagy, the Oscar nominated writer of “Carol,” the film stars Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Mara and Chris Messina. The film follows Joy (Banks), a traditional 1960s housewife who unexpectedly falls pregnant and finds the Janes, an underground abortion movement led by Virginia (Weaver).

JYP Entertainment has expanded its existing partnership with US-based label Republic Records.According to a report by Billboard, the South Korean company has opted to expand its existing strategic partnership with Republic Records, which is owned by Universal Music Group. The two companies first started the partnership in 2020, where they foucsed on the international expansion of girl group TWICE.JYP Entertainment and Republic Records’ partnership will now extend to include two more of the K-pop giant’s acts – namely Stray Kids and ITZY – in their plan for promotions outside of South Korea.Both groups will also be receiving support from Republic Records’ subsidiary independent label Imperial, which had previously helped to launch and market TWICE’s recent records since the JYP-Republic partnership had launched.“We are beyond delighted to move forward with Republic Records, the most outstanding label in the United States, in developing the major artist roster of the two companies’ hereafter, starting with the successful kickoff TWICE has brought,” JYP Entertainment CEO Jimmy Jeong told Billboard of the expansion.“We have absolute confidence that, together, we will lead the rapidly changing music industry from both in and out, alongside our prominent artists’ creations,” Jeong added.

Sentient Entertainment founder and CEO Renee Tab and producer Christopher Tuffin are launching a new foreign sales, finance and production outfit dubbed Sentient Pictures International (SPI), which they will oversee alongside former Relativity COO Andrew Marcus and Taken helmer Pierre Morel.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs the Prince estate moves forward after years of confusion following the singer’s 2016 death, the six heirs are divided into two camps: the three siblings who sold their interests to Primary Wave, and the three who have retained their holdings.With the value of the estate recently determined at $156.4 million, the two parties are now establishing a structure for how to work together. In a ruling on Tuesday, a Minnesota judge decided against Primary Wave’s proposal to create a single holding company.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorKevin Liles is a name that people in the music industry have been hearing for more than 30 years, for an impressive variety of reasons. He was a top executive at Def Jam and Warner Music, he managed Mariah Carey, D’Angelo and Trey Songz, and he was even a recording artist who had one of his songs covered by Milli Vanilli, of all people, on their multi-multi-platinum 1990 debut album.But he got his biggest look yet in January, when the company he co-founded, 300 Entertainment, was acquired by Warner Music for a reported $400 million.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVeteran rapper Talib Kweli and roots-ish rock band Dawes are set to headline the inaugural Pure Imagination festival, to be held in the geological wonderland of the Granite Dells at Watson Lake in Prescott, Arizona on Saturday, May 21.The lineup also features three-time Grammy-winning blues artist Fantastic Negrito, Rising Appalachia, Atlas Genius, Katie Pruitt, Ponderosa Grove, Chateau Chateau and Walt Richardson, with more acts to be announced. The “eco-forward” all-day event will have food, drink, on-site hiking, kayaking, and (limited) ticketed camping.“Prescott has a rich history in music and we want to continue to keep it alive.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDr. Dre has made the historic move of bringing two deaf rappers into this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.Sean Forbes and Warren “WaWa” Snipe, will appear alongside Dre, Eminem, Mary J.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSpotify’s staff was up in arms about the company and co-founder/CEO Daniel Ek’s defense of Joe Rogan in a town hall meeting Wednesday that followed its middling quarterly report and subsequent stock drop, according to a report in the Verge that cites a leaked audio recording of the meeting.In Ek’s 15-minute speech, he positioned the company as both a platform and publisher, saying that “There are many things that Joe Rogan says that I strongly disagree with and find very offensive,” he said, but defended the company’s relationship with the controversial podcaster by stating, “If we want even a shot at achieving our bold ambitions, it will mean having content on Spotify that many of us may not be proud to be associated with. Not anything goes, but there will be opinions, ideas, and beliefs that we disagree with strongly and even makes us angry or sad.” Reps for Spotify did not immediately respond to Variety‘s requests for comment.

Dominic Ianno, John Baldecchi, Alex Dundas and Griffin Gmelich have partnered to launch Los Angeles-based Roundtable Entertainment, we can reveal. The company will produce scripted and non-scripted content across film, episodic and podcasts, and will also distribute.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMegaforce Records co-founder Jon Zazula — who launched the iconic label, which released the first albums from Metallica, Anthrax and many others, with his wife Marsha in 1982 — died Tuesday in Florida, a rep for the label confirms to Variety. He was 69.Marsha passed away of cancer in January of last year.Known as “Jonny Z,” Zazula was the more freewheeling half of the company’s founding duo, known for his raucous laughter and, sometimes, his temper.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Publishing has announced Songwriter Assistance, a new program that will provide its global roster of songwriters and composers with access to free, confidential counseling services and wellness resources.According to the announcement, starting February 1, Songwriter Assistance will offer 24/7 counseling support via global hotlines, as well as ongoing counseling services for emotional health matters such as stress, anxiety, depression, and family/relationship challenges.SMP songwriters will also have unlimited access to customized resources for tackling daily responsibilities such as researching childcare and eldercare options, navigating life transitions, co-parenting, budgeting for major life events, and more.In a letter to songwriters and composers announcing the program, Jon Platt, Chairman and CEO, Sony Music Publishing said, “We are committed to providing you with services that matter. The importance of wellness cannot be overstated, and with Songwriter Assistance, we look forward to offering a whole new level of care and support.”Amy Cranford, SMP senior VP of publishing administration, said, “We are passionate about taking care of Sony Music Publishing’s songwriters and composers and providing them with the best level of support.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe late rapper XXXTentacion left behind a complicated legacy after he was murdered during a robbery in June of 2018 — dozens of platinum or gold-certified and influential songs amid charges of domestic abuse and violence. A pioneer in the SoundCloud emo-rap genre, nearly four years after his death, the Florida rapper’s earliest songs on the platform are finally seeing official release via Columbia beginning today (Jan.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentDespite premiering at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, ranking among Hulu’s most-watched documentaries and garnering high-profile support, Sabrina Van Tassel’s “The State of Texas vs. Melissa” hasn’t yet succeeded in changing the fate of Melissa Lucio.The first Hispanic woman sentenced to death row in Texas, Lucio has been in prison for 14 years and was just given an execution date for April 27.

Fans have been completely blown away by James McAvoy's performance in his latest film, My Son, airing now on Amazon Prime.

The Writers Guild of America has penciled in the film nominees for its 74th annual WGA Awards, which will be virtual again this year.

NASCAR’s game-changing star is getting the spotlight.