Documentary on Gerry Goffin, Carole King’s Songwriting Partner and Ex-Husband, in Production (EXCLUSIVE)

Marta Balaga “Trans Memoria” director Victoria Verseau is ready for “Trans Love.” The second part of the planned trilogy about her transition, it will be a fictionalized take on the life-changing trip she took in her twenties. “I decided to go on a road trip in the U.S. and hitchhike for three months.

“When Doves Cry” to, of course, the epic title track, “Purple Rain.”And that was all a month before the release of the hit movie, which will be back in select theaters on July 3.It’s not only my favorite soundtrack of all time, but one of my top-five albums of all time. Period.And in honor of Purple Rain’s 40th anniversary, let’s throw it back to some of my other all-time favorite soundtracks:Let’s kick it off with the smash “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack, which had everybody twirling under that disco ball back in 1977.John Travolta may have been the star of the movie, but the Bees Gees were the stars of the soundtrack.Whenever “Stayin’ Alive” comes on — trust — disco is no longer dead.And it still makes you wanna bust into your best Tony Manero strut.Just like the Bee Gees were the masterminds behind the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack, Babyface was the man behind all the female feels on the 1995 “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack …Face wrote and produced for a stellar cast of soul sisters … from Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige to Chaka Khan and Patti LaBelle to Toni Braxton and Brandy.I mean, it was a who’s who!And of course, there was Whitney Houston, who also starred in the film.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent France’s Les Films du Losange is taking international sales outside Italy on “Sicilian Letters” (“Iddu”), the hotly anticipated drama about Cosa Nostra boss Matteo Messina Denaro – who was dubbed “the last godfather” – directed by Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza (“Sicilian Ghost Story”). “Sicilian Letters” pairs two top Italian actors — Elio Germano, who plays Messina (see first-look image above) and Toni Servillo (first-look image below) as his antagonist Catello, a shady secret services operative — working in tandem for the first time.

Selena Kuznikov Bill Cobbs, a prolific character actor who had a 50-year career with almost 200 film and TV credits, died Tuesday at his home in Riverside, Calif. He was 90. Among his most notable roles were on Season 3 of “The West Wing,” where his character Alan Tatum visits the White House with his son.

Actor Bill Cobbs, who was known for his roles in movies including The Bodyguard and Night at the Museum, and TV series The Sopranos, has died aged 90 it has been announced.The actor won a Daytime Emmy at the age of 86 for his role in the series Dino Dana and appeared in more than 150 films and TV series during his career. According to his brother Thomas, who broke the news on Wednesday via Facebook, Bill died on Tuesday 25 June.

The Witch is the biggest series of its kind out of Greece and Antenna has conjured a second season of the epic period drama. Season two is teed up as a sequel.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Peruvian director Paolo Tizón‘s documentary “Night Has Come,” which has its world premiere Sunday in the Proxima competition section at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, has debuted its trailer (below). The film centers on a group of young men, many of them teenagers, who sign up for one of the most challenging military training courses in Latin America. The objective is to turn them into fearsome fighters operating in the dangerous VRAEM region, an area plagued by various armed groups, guarding their coca plants and engaged in narcotics trafficking.

Naman Ramachandran Creativeland Studios has tapped industry veteran Shobha Sant as its new CEO, Variety can reveal. Sant brings over 30 years of experience to the role, most recently serving as head of content alliances – films, at billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Jio Studios. In her new position, Sant will lead Creativeland’s filmed entertainment division and oversee the talent business of AIG-India, the joint venture between Creativeland Studios and Artist International Group.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian crime/action genre specialist Stefano Sollima – who is known for milestone TV series “Gomorrah” and Hollywood movies such as “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” and “Without Remorse” – is officially launching a film and TV production shingle named AlterEgo in tandem with ace U.S. showrunner Gina Gardini and longtime collaborator, writer/director Ludovico Purgatori.

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains major spoilers from Season 2, Episode 2 of HBO’s “House of the Dragon.” The fallout from “Blood and Cheese” continues in “House of the Dragon.” Episode 2 begins with heartbreak in King’s Landing when King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) discovers the grisly murder of his young son Jaehaerys. He blames Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) for not protecting the prince — and as we saw at the end of the premiere, Criston was too busy sleeping with Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) instead of guarding the castle grounds. Everyone in King’s Landing gathers for a somber funeral procession to pay their respects to Jaehaerys, whose head was reattached for the occasion.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com While breaking down Prime Video’s “Fallout,” showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet recognized that they were headed straight toward a “whopper pileup” in their finale. With three main characters — Lucy (Ella Purnell), Maximus (Aaron Moten) and the Ghoul/Cooper (Walton Goggins) — barreling toward the climactic showdown housed inside a burned-out, post-apocalyptic Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, the duo realized they had three major narrative reveals about to collide.

Jordan Moreau Andrew Callaghan, the 27-year-old director and journalist known for his popular Channel 5 YouTube videos, is back with his most intimate project yet: “Dear Kelly.” The documentary is Callaghan’s first major project since his directorial debut “This Place Rules,” which premiered on HBO in 2022. It also marks his return to feature filmmaking since he paused his career in light of sexual misconduct allegations in early 2023. After apologizing for his past behavior, Callaghan went on hiatus, began attending therapy and completed a 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Madison Wells will produce a documentary focusing on the public and private life of Jacinda Ardern, the trailblazing Prime Minister of New Zealand who helped introduce strict gun laws following the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings. She also led her country through the Covid pandemic and grappled with issues such as child poverty and climate change. The feature-length film is currently untitled.

The tea is EXCEPTIONALLY DELICIOUS today!

Alison Herman TV Critic Season 21 of “Top Chef” was the venerated food competition’s first without longtime host Padma Lakshmi. Nevertheless, the show adapted without her, and will culminate on June 19 with a finale set aboard a cruise ship in the Caribbean. Out of 16 chefs who competed in Wisconsin, judges Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and Kristen Kish — a former winner who stepped into Lakshmi’s role — have narrowed the field to just three contenders: Dan Jacobs, Savannah Miller and Danny Garcia.

Princess Diana had a big ol’ crush on Kevin Costner!? That’s what he heard…

Dozens of sandwich varieties have been pulled from store shelves following the detection of over 200 E. coli cases in the UK, all linked to a single outbreak.

When you get the opportunity to interview Rob Reiner and Albert Brooks together it is indeed a special occasion. And that is just what I got to do earlier this week when they joined me at our Deadline Studio for this episode of my Deadline video series, Behind The Lens. Reiner has directed and appears with Brooks in the ultimate documentary (Reiner’s first) on Brooks entitled Albert Brooks: Defending My Life which is available on HBO and MAX, and for fans of both it is a gem not to be missed. Our half hour conversation is not only hilarious in parts, but also eye-opening and full of some very surprising revelations. Check out a 2 minute preview where Brooks explains to me just how he and legendary director Stanley Kubrick became friends when Kubrick geeked out on Brooks’ film, Modern Romance. CLICK ON THE LINK ABOVE FOR THE PREVIEW AND THE LINK BELOW FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW.

Bring Me The Horizon have spoken about their surprise collaboration with AURORA on ‘Limousine’, revealing it was very nearly another popstar.Frontman Oli Sykes sat down with NME to talk through the Sheffield band’s new record ‘Post Human: Nex Gen‘. There, he explained the choices behind some of his collaborators on the rexord, including AURORA’s surprise appearance on ‘Limousine’.“I know what I wanted on that song and that was someone to bring something that could level it up – someone like a really ethereal, haunting, beautiful, voice,” he told NME.

Jamie Lang Announced from the Annecy Animation Festival today, L.A.-based Entertainment management and production company The Gotham Group and legendary French art school Gobelins Paris have embarked on a strategic partnership to nurture and connect aspiring artists, storytellers and creators on both sides of the Atlantic. According to a joint release from the organizations, the new platform “will drive innovation and cultivate talent in the dynamic world of animated entertainment.” The Gotham Group is renowned for finding and developing exceptional artistic talent in individuals who have gone on to create culturally and commercially impactful films, series, games and more.