Cannes Organizers Already Considering Delaying 2021 Festival Until Mid-Summer

announced Wednesday that the 2021 edition will move from its regular late-May spot to early July, when the seaside Côte d’Azur averages a balmy 86 degrees.The summery change-up comes days after the French government announced plans to vaccinate its entire population against the coronavirus by August. Cinemas there remain closed through at least the end of January.Last year’s festival was canceled outright due to the pandemic, though cases at the time had subsided in France.

What has been hinted at and speculated about for weeks now is official — the 2021 Cannes Film Festival is officially no longer a spring event, as it moves into the middle of summer over concerns about COVID-19. According to the event’s organizers, this year’s Cannes Film Festival is no longer going to happen in mid-May and will instead begin on July 6, running until July 17.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is set to receive a series of Hello Kitty influenced items, via a partnership with US retailer Target.The collaboration, in the form of Amiibo Cards, was previously released in Europe and Japan, and is now coming to the US on the March 26.Nintendo of America tweeted the announcement on January 26, confirming the pack will be able to be used with Animal Crossing: New Horizons.The Animal Crossing Sanrio Collaboration Pack comes to the US for the first time on 3/26,

One of the first high-profile music industry casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic was SXSW, the annual Austin music festival. It was officially axed on March 6, 2020, and a year later public health still haven't improved enough to bring the festival back to the IRL sphere.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe South by Southwest Music Festival has announced its initial list of showcasing artists who have been invited to perform online at the 35th annual event, taking place March 16 – 20, 2021.According to the announcement, the event “will be a unique online musical experience where industry professionals and music lovers can discover an unparalleled range of artists and styles from around the world, expanding listeners’ horizons from their own homes.”Showcases and

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorGLAAD is teaming up with Outfest to host the first virtual Queer House during the 2021 Sundance Film Festival.

There may be slightly fewer films for this year’s virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival, but most of them are still up for the prestigious honors set to be announced on February 2. Today, Sundance announced 22 jurors who will make up seven juries judging the U.S Dramatic, U.S.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFans of big NBC sports franchises like the NHL and Premier League will have to follow them to a new home.NBCUniversal will shutter its NBCSN sports network, and move some of its top sports properties to the USA network in a maneuver executives believe will boost the economics of the general-entertainment cable outlet at a time when new streaming-video hubs are luring bigger audiences.

Danielle Turchiano Senior Features Editor, TV“Saturday Night Live” is set to return with its first episode of the new year on Jan. 30, with John Krasinski as host and Machine Gun Kelly as the musical guest.NBC also announced the hosts and musical guests for the Feb.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterAMC Networks has acquired six-part revenge thriller “The Beast Must Die,” produced in partnership with BritBox UK, New Regency Television International and Ridley Scott’s Scott Free.The series, based on the novel by Nicholas Blake, centers on a grieving mother who infiltrates the life of the man she thinks murdered her son.

Last year, as the second wave of COVID-19 swept through Europe, bringing many countries back into lockdown, the folks at the Cannes Film Festival revealed plans for alternative dates for the event if the typical May timeframe wasn’t a possibility. Let’s call May “Plan A” and the alternate dates in June/July were “Plan B.” Well, it appears Cannes is well past Plan A and already looking at Plan B…while drafting up a possible Plan C.

Harry Brant’s little sister, Lily Brant, paid tribute to the model after his tragic death on Sunday, January 17.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterAs a result of an extended holiday production hiatus at 20th Television, there will not be a new episode of “This Is Us” on NBC airing on Tuesday evening.“No new episode of #ThisIsUs tonight – Covid-related production delays in LA have forced us to delay a few weeks. But the next few are big ones, and we are close, so we hope you’ll hang in there with us.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDue to the ongoing Covid‐19 pandemic, the producers of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell have decided to postpone this year’s event until the fall. Jazz Fest 2021 is scheduled for October 8‐17.Quint Davis, Producer/Director of Jazz Fest, said, “We are all ready to get together again and share that special spirit that lives at Jazz Fest.

Stephanie Seymour, 52, and Peter Brant Sr.’s youngest son, Harry Brant, has died. Harry’s family released a heartbreaking statement announcing Harry’s sad death at the age of 24 on Jan. 18. He was found dead the day before on Jan. 17.

Danielle Turchiano Senior Features Editor, TVPaleyFest LA will once again return this spring, and the first pieces of programming announced for the television festival are a “Six Feet Under” reunion and panel discussions for ABC’s “Big Sky” and CBS’ “The Late Late Show With James Corden.”Due to ongoing health and safety precautions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 PaleyFest event will once again be held virtually, with all programs available to view at once, on March 23 for Paley members

Twitter announcement — though the folks at Gov Ball have reserved their right to make changes based on public health recommendations at that time.“Given that vaccines are rolling out and many experts predict a return to live music events in the Fall, we are hopeful,” reads a recent update on GovernorsBallMusicFestival.com.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn an announcement that reflects Dr.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSouth by Southwest Conference and Festivals has announced that legendary singer-songwriter Willie Nelson will keynote this year’s virtual event, along with an initial lineup of featured speakers and over 230 conference sessions.SXSW Online, taking place March 16–20, 2021, will feature conference sessions, music festival showcases, film festival screenings, and more.“No individual has had the cultural impact on, or been more synonymous with the creative vibrancy of

The Sundance Film Festival announced two additional world premieres for its 2021 edition including one highly anticipated awards contender. Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah” and Ali El Arabi‘s documentary “Captains of Zaatari” will increase Sundance’s slate to 73 films representing 30 nations and 39 first-time filmmakers.