Chaz Bono, Bonnie Aarons Join ‘The Bell Keeper’; Acquisitions By Atlas Distribution Company & Freestyle Digital Media; FutureDude’s Gunpowder & Sky Deal; More – Film Briefs

STAYC and NMIXX will be part of the lineup, along with boybands, BtoB, CRAVITY and TO1.Notably STAYC and NMIXX will also be performing at the ‘KCON 2022 Premiere’ concerts in Seoul, which will also mark the debut of both groups at a KCON event. Meanwhile, TO1 will be performing at the ‘KCON 2022 Premiere’ concerts in Tokyo.“This year, fans will be able to experience an upgraded version of KCON, packed with new content reflecting the trends of Gen Z fans and programs tailored for local fans, on top of original fan favourite programming and panels unique to KCON,” said Don Kim, director of live entertainment business at CJ ENM, per NBC Chicago.KCON 2022 Premiere’s USA LINEUP! KCON 2022 Premiere’s アメリカラインナップ！#BTOB#CRAVITY#NMIXX#STAYC#TO1#KCON #KCON2022Premiere pic.twitter.com/U5pkZZezow— KCON official (@KCON_official) March 29, 2022The announcement comes just a week after South Korean entertainment company CJ ENM revealed that the iconic K-pop festival would be making its long-awaited return, following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The three ‘KCON 2022 Premiere’ events are to serve as a special kick-off to the main 2022 instalments of KCON, which will take place in Los Angeles from 19 to 21 August and Japan on as-yet-unannounced October dates.In addition, the festival will also be bringing back its digital program KCON:TACT – which has been held five different times over the past two years in lieu of the original physical festival – for fans who will not be able to attend in person.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorParis-based Italian director Gianluca Matarrese took a deep dive into the world of fashion for his latest documentary feature, “Fashion Babylon,” which world premieres on Saturday at CPH:DOX film festival in Copenhagen. Ahead of the premiere, he spoke to Variety about the film and upcoming projects.The idea for “Fashion Babylon” came to Matarrese after he met American musician and artist Casey Spooner in a bar in the Marais district of Paris, where the director lives.

EXCLUSIVE: Objective Media Group America, the company behind series including HBO Max’s 12 Dates of Christmas and TBS’ The Cube, has made a number of promotions in its leadership team.

black midi, the spiky and uncompromising British post-punk band, kick off their North American tour tonight (March 22) and have dropped a new covers EP to celebrate. Cavalcovers includes the group's take on "Love Story" by Taylor Swift plus “Moonlight On Vermont” by Captain Beefheart and King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man." The latter features all three members of the band, bassist Cameron Picton, guitarist Geordie Greep, and drummer Morgan Simpson, on vocals for the first time. Check out the EP below.

Nicolas Cage, 58, married his fifth wife, Riko Shibata, 27, in Feb. 2021, and he’s confident that this is going to be the marriage that lasts for him. “I am a romantic, and when I’m in love, I want to give that person everything I can,” Nick told GQ in a new interview. “It’s my expression of saying, ‘I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.’ And this is it for me. I mean, this is not happening again. This is it. This is it.”

Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have never let their political parties stop them from working together — and the two former presidents have once again joined forces to support Ukraine. Bill and George, both 75, made a joint appearance at a Ukrainian church in Chicago, IL on Wednesday, March 16. The Windy City (a nickname for Chicago) is notably known to have one of the largest Ukrainian populations in the United States and has been a “sister city” to Kyiv since 1991.

Mark Labbett - otherwise known as The Beast - has announced that he's been axed from the US version of The Chase.The quizzing star explained he felt "gutted" after he was not asked to return as a chaser for the American counterpart, having been the show's first and only chaser when it initially aired in 2013, and after returning last year with a batch of new brainiacs.The brand new 2022 series, which is set to air in the US in the coming weeks, will run without Mark, 56, after he revealed in February that his contract had not been renewed for the show's third season. Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter He expressed his disappointment at having not been selected to continue on the show online.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball Tour is expected to be one of the hottest events of the summer.The pop star will travel across the globe, starting in July, in support of her sixth studio album “Chromatica.” Gaga initially planned to go on tour immediately following the album’s 2020 release but, like many performers, postponed the tour due to COVID.The singer announced the rescheduled dates last week, with shows set for dozens of cities such as Paris, London, Toronto, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Tickets for the newly added shows went on sale last Friday, going for as low as $100 on resale sites such as Vivid Seats and Ticketmaster.The 2020 album faced a fairly silent press cycle due to COVID but still shot to the top of the Billboard 200 chart and earned Gaga a Grammy nod in 2021 for best pop vocal album.

Actress Jurnee Smollett has called for Cook County to “#FreeJussie” on the heels of her brother Jussie Smollett’s Thursday sentencing to 150 days in jail for staging a fake hate crime back in 2019.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSuperstar Puerto Rican songwriter-producer Tainy, who has helmed such hits as “I Like It” (by Cardi B featuring Bad Bunny and J Balvin), “Dakiti” (by Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez), and “Telepatia” (by Kali Uchis), has sold his pre-2021 music catalog to fast-rising Influence Media (Influence Media Partners).Terms of the deal were not disclosed, although sources tell Variety it was in the $25 million range.The San Juan native (real name: Marco Masis) has appeared on Variety’s Hitmakers list several times and spoke with us about his hits last year. A four-time Grammy nominee and Latin Grammy winner, Tainy has helmed hits for Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Rosalia, Lauren Jauregui, Zion & Lennox, Anuel, Ozuna, Don Omar, Wisin & Yandel, Rauw Alejandro, Jhay Cortez and more.

Chicago PD stars Marina Squerciati and Patrick John Flueger saw their character's Kim Burgess and Adam Ruzek's storyline come to a climax on Wednesday as they raced to find their adopted daughter Makayla who had been kidnapped and held for ransom by her mother.Exclusive: Chicago Fire's Hanako Greensmith opens up on Violet and Hawkins - and the #hawkami nameBut the pair - who are not together romantically after ending their engagement several years ago - saw their differences highlighted when Adam fought for a different approach to the recovery, and Kim threw the words 'she's my daughter' at him; Kim adopted Makalya and named Adam as Makayla's guardian should anything happen to her.WATCH: Chicago PD: Burgess decides Ruzek will be Makayla's guardian"That point where they come to a head - they feel like they are on the same page and then it just breaks - it is hard to talk about, it hurts me now," Patrick shared with HELLO! adding: "They got rough with each other."Marina added: "Things have now been said that can't be unsaid. They have been in different places but this is dirty, and I don't know how they will come back."MORE: Chicago Fire's Taylor Kinney gets candid about future on showMORE: Chicago Fire showrunner reveals Jesse Spencer will return to show very soonKim and Adam have been living together throughout season nine as Kim recovered from her own kidnapping at the end of season eight, and learned to become a mother after adopting Makayla.There was a short period of time when the two seemed to be able to relax and learn together about growing as a family - until Makayla's blood uncle arrived and demanded custody.

Naman Ramachandran Pakistan’s Central Board of Film Censors (CBFC) has banned Pakistani-American filmmaker Iram Parveen Bilal’s “I’ll Meet You There” a week ahead of its theatrical release in the country.The CBFC found the film unsuitable for public exhibition on the grounds that it “does not reflect true Pakistani culture, portrays a negative image of Muslims, wrong/dubious interpretation of Islamic teachings and our society which is against the norms of Islamic, social and cultural values of Pakistan.” The CBFC has refused to grant a censorship certificate on these grounds. The film was selected for SXSW’s narrative feature competition in 2020 before the spread of the coronavirus pandemic forced the festival’s cancelation.

Jim Owens, who was in the forefront of bringing country music into a new era of entertainment television programming, died today with wife Lorianne Crook by his side.

Off his game? Tristan Thompson was trolled by NBA fans while playing against the Miami Heat amid his ups and downs with Khloé Kardashian.