Ava DuVernay Named Guest Artistic Director of AFI Fest 2022

The weekend of Saturday, September 24 marked the first ever Portola Music Festival, held at San Francisco’s Pier 80 and organized by Goldenvoice, the promoters of Coachella. The two-day event was a celebration of electronic music through the ages, with a lineup that showcased the diversity — in age, origin, and background — of the artists who make us dance.

Dwayne Johnson's daughter, Simone, revealed her new wrestling name, Ava Raine, earlier this year ahead of her WWE debut and she underwent a physical transformation, too.The rising star is no wallflower and is making some serious waves in the wrestling world - just like her dad. DISCOVER: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's mega mansion is a haven for his daughtersAs she ramped up her career, she switched up her appearance too and fans were loving her new long, curly red hair and fierce sense of style. WATCH: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson's insane weights workout revealed She looks a far cry from the little girl who walked the red carpet with her father wearing bows in her hair and pretty, frilly dresses - and it's not surprising given that she's 20 years old. Simone - who is a WWE first fourth generation superstar - received backlash over her ring name as fans wondered why she steered away from the last name Johnson. READ: The Rock's decadent 'cheat meals' are big enough to feed a familySEE: The Rock can't believe how much this police officer looks like him – and you won't, eitherOne wrestling fan took to Twitter to voice their angst, writing: "Giving Simone Johnson, the daughter of THE ROCK, a new name is completely nonsensical.

Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce and Jessie James Decker wore super bright colors on the red carpet for the 2022 CMT Artists Of The Year!

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Julie Greenwald has been elevated to chairman & CEO of the newly created Atlantic Music Group. In her new post, Greenwald oversees Atlantic Records — including the Atlantic, Atco, Big Beat, and Canvasback labels — as well as 300 Elektra Entertainment, which encompasses 300, Elektra, Fueled by Ramen, Roadrunner, Low Country Sound, DTA, and Public Consumption. Greenwald and Craig Kallman will continue to jointly lead Atlantic Records, with Kallman continuing as chairman & CEO. Late last year, the company launched 300 Elektra Entertainment with Kevin Liles as chairman-CEO, merging the two labels as part of Atlantic parent Warner Music’s acquisition of 300 Entertainment.

The stars of the re-imagined Hellraiser are hitting the red carpet!

Reese Witherspoon is opening up about the comparisons between herself and daughter, Ava Phillippe.

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Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer If it’s possible to pull off solemn conversations about the stakes for women around the world and also have a fantastic party that toasts their remarkable achievements, Variety did just that on Wednesday in Beverly Hills. In a sprawling takeover of the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, heavy-hitting executives, producers, writers, talent and glitterati convened to celebrate the annual event and magazine feature. Cover stars Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay, activist icon Malala Yousafzai, and actor Elizabeth Olsen were all in attendance to speak on behalf of causes important to each – as well as a path forward to equity in a time of unrest for women and other marginalized communities in the U.S.. 

Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay are two of the creative leaders honored for Variety’s 2022 Power of Women presented by Lifetime. For more, click here. Oprah Winfrey has spent most of her career talking, so it’s a little surprising that the only sound you hear from the porch of her second home in Maui is absolute silence. Forget about the ocean waves or rustling palm trees. OK, if you’re lucky enough to hang with Oprah for an entire afternoon, this zen will be interrupted by the periodic squawking of wild roosters. In such a tranquil retreat, you can think clearly, cradled in the beauty of all that Hawaii has to offer. It’s this very place of refuge, in fact, where Winfrey set a trap for filmmaker Ava DuVernay that would launch one of their greatest collaborations: OWN’s “Queen Sugar.”

Reese Witherspoon shared a photo alongside her lookalike daughter Ava Phillippe for National Daughters Day on Monday.  The 46-year-old actress smiled brightly in the photo as she leaned her head against her 23-year-old daughter's.  Reese wore a light blue shirt with a V-neck under an off-white sweater.

The Lathums have been announced as very special guest headliners at this weekend’s Neighbourhood Festival.The Wigan band were announced last minute to perform at the Manchester Academy as part of the festival across the city centre this Saturday (October 1). It will be their first show in Manchester since they they played at the O2 Victoria Warehouse last October.The Lathums join previously announced headliners The Snuts, Everything Everything and Sundara Karma and the likes of Alfie Templeman, Baby Queen, Brooke Combe, Gracey, The Goa Express, The Skinner Brothers, Dylan, Pastel and Afflecks Palace.You can see the updated line-up poster below, and purchase tickets here.

William Earl The “On the Carpet” pre-show powered by DIRECTV at Variety Power of Women presented by Lifetime will be livestreamed on Variety.com and Variety’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages starting at 6:45 p.m. PT on Sept. 28. The red carpet will feature this year’s honorees: Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey, Chelsea and Hillary Clinton, Malala and Elizabeth Olsen. Presenters include Kathryn Hahn, Sandra Oh, Quinta Brunson and Diane Guerrero. Halsey will give a special musical performance to kick-off the night. Variety senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson and senior TV features editor Emily Longeretta will host the carpet with commentary provided by senior culture and events editor Marc Malkin and senior correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, live from the Variety HQ Studio.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Variety has named its inaugural 10 Artisans to Watch. The honorees will be feted at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival on Oct. 27. With the event, Variety is looking to spotlight the behind-the-scenes artists that are invaluable to this year’s best films and shows and are rising stars in their fields. The 10 artisans selected are cinematographer Todd Banhazl (“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”) , make-up head Michelle Chung (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”), composer Amie Doherty (“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” “Of Medicine and Miracles”), sound designer Mike James Gallagher (“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”), VFX artist and SCAD alumnus Jessica Love (“Thor: Love and Thunder”), hair department head Deaundra Metzger (“Till”), editor Scott Morris (“Armageddon Time”), costume designer Gersha Phillips (“The Woman King”), supervising sound editor Mac Smith (“Moon Knight) and production designer Ethan Tobman (“The Menu”).