How gay rodeos upend assumptions about life in rural America

Over the past several years, few working filmmakers have been as busy as Michael Showalter. The writer, director, and actor, once known primarily for his involvement in the cultish “Wet Hot American Summer” franchise, has seen a precipitous rise in both the movies and TV.

BBC The Apprentice star Amy Anzel is putting the boardroom behind her as she prepares to take to the stage after landing a lead role performing in a pantomime production of Aladdin this Christmas. The American actress, singer and dancer turned beauty entrepreneur will play The Spirit of the Ring in Aladdin - and she has lived her own real-life fairytale.

Naman Ramachandran San Diego’s The Old Globe has announced an extension of Aditya Chopra’s “Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical” due to popular demand. The Broadway-bound production has been extended for one week and will now play through Oct. 23, 2022. Chopra’s U.S. stage musical reimagining of his immensely popular 1995 Bollywood film “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,” commonly abbreviated to DDLJ, addresses the need for cultural unification in a divided world. Shoba Narayan plays Simran, a young Indian American woman whose future is set via an arranged marriage back in India to a family friend. But when she convinces her strict father that she should spend a summer of freedom and fun in Europe, she falls for the charming Rog (Austin Colby), and her plans go out the window.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer “Alex vs America” has been renewed for a third season at Food Network, Variety has learned exclusively. Production is set to begin this month on Season 3 of the primetime cable series, with new episodes to debut next year.  “Alex vs America” Season 2, which aired July 31-Sept. 11, averaged more than 9.1 million total viewers, up 44% from Season 1, and a 0.6 rating with adults ages 18 and up, an increase of 17%, according to Nielsen’s Live + 3 Day ratings. Per Food Network’s description for “Alex v. America”:

Guy Fieri's Stagecoach Smokehouse returns to California's Stagecoach music festival this year, featuring a sparkling list of country A-listers to join the restaurateur's BBQ royalty. The event is well-known among Stagecoach fans: With Fieri as their host, country music stars perform above BBQ pitmasters for a national tour of the best of American barbecue. Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, and Chris Stapleton headline this year's show. «Luke Bryan and Luke Combs came and cooked with me last time,» Fieri recently told ET.

Mayan Lopez, star of “Lopez vs. Lopez” and daughter to comedian George Lopez, has opened up about following in her father’s showbiz footsteps. Speaking at NBC’s virtual summer press tour panel at the Television Critics Association, she said that growing up behind the scenes of “The George Lopez Show” is where she first “fell in love” with acting and creating – but she’s still had to pay her dues and put in the work.“People always think that I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, like no….

A trip to Italy sends Zoe Saldana‘s life in unexpected directions thanks to love in the trailer for Netflix’s new limited series From Scratch.

Does love have the power to transcend family and cultural differences? According to Tembi Locke, it totally does, and “From Scratch,” a new limited series from Netflix, is out to prove that point. READ MORE: Netflix Fall Film Calendar: ‘White Noise,’ ‘Bardo,’ & ‘Pale Blue Eye’ With Christian Bale Dated For December Based on Locke’s memoir of the same name, the eight-episode mini-series stars Zoe Saldaña as an American student abroad in Italy who falls hard for a Sicilian chef.

Naman Ramachandran For Shoba Narayan, the Indian American lead of Aditya Chopra’s “Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical,” the Broadway-bound production is a dream come true. Chopra’s U.S. stage musical reimagining of his immensely popular 1995 Bollywood film “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,” commonly abbreviated to DDLJ, addresses the need for cultural unification in a divided world. Narayan plays Simran, a young Indian-American woman whose future is set via an arranged marriage back in India to a family friend. But when she convinces her strict father that she should spend a summer of freedom and fun in Europe, she falls for the charming Rog (Austin Colby), and her plans go out the window.

Richard Kuipers Romantic comedies have never gone away, but mainstream examples with A-list stars have been pretty thin on the ground since the glory days of the ’90s and early 2000s, when “Pretty Woman,” “Notting Hill,” “Love Actually” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” ruled at the box office. Bucking the trend is “Ticket to Paradise,” a glossy piece of fluff starring Hollywood royalty Julia Roberts and George Clooney as a divorced couple whose passion reignites in Bali during their hare-brained attempt to prevent their daughter from marrying a guy she’s only just met. While far from a classic of its kind, this is likely to be just the “Ticket” for general viewers relishing the chance to watch Roberts and Clooney trade poisonous barbs, before being struck by Cupid’s arrow all over again.  

Manori Ravindran International Editor Magnolia Pictures has acquired the North American rights to Venice Film Festival sensation “Blue Jean.” The directorial debut of Georgia Oakley, which just world-premiered in the Venice Days section of the Italian festival, is set in England in 1988, where Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government is about to pass a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians. The new legislation forces Jean (Rosy McEwen), a closeted gym teacher, to live a double life. But as pressure mounts from all sides, the arrival of a new student catalyzes a crisis that will challenge Jean to her core.

Naman Ramachandran A first trailer has been unveiled for Toronto selection “Salt Lake,” Kasia Rosłaniec’s exploration of late-life desire and emancipation. In the film, 64-year-old Helena announces her intention to pursue sexual experiences with other men – much to the shock of her husband of 40 years. The cast includes Katarzyna Butowtt, Krzysztof Stelmaszyk, Adam Ferency, Dorota Kolak, Dagmara Krasowska, Judyta Paradzińska and Jacek Poniedziałek. The film will screen at Toronto as part of Industry Selects – 10 titles chosen by festival programmers for their sales potential. It is produced by Warsaw-based Mañana in co-production with Common Ground Pictures from Gothenburg, Sweden, the partners behind “United States of Love,” which won a Silver Bear at Berlin in 2016. The project was presented at the Berlinale coproduction market 2020, received a Creative Europe – MEDIA development grant and Polish Film Institute production support. “Salt Lake” will be released in Poland in spring 2023.

Love Island 2022 favourite Indiyah Polack has welcomed a new addition to her fanclub in the form of US rap star Nicki Minaj.The dating show finalist, 23 - who came in third place place alongside new beau Dami Hope, 26 - yesterday recorded an Instagram Live video of herself rapping Nicki's new track 'Super Freaky Girl' alongside fellow Love Island alum Yewande Biala on a night out. Indiyah's impressive performance soon caught the attention of her fans online, one of whom reposted the video on Twitter, captioning it, "Love Island UK IT girl @1ndiyah rapping to Nicki Minaj via Ig stories".

National Geographic Documentary Films has acquired the rights to “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” a political documentary about the Ugandan opposition leader that premiered at the Venice Film Festival this weekend. Nat Geo acquired the film ahead of Bobi Wine appearing at the Telluride Film Festival when the film will make its North American debut this weekend.

Leaving paradise behind. After Tigerlily Cooley’s brief stint on Love Island USA, she has opened up about her mysterious departure.

Naman Ramachandran Director Aditya Chopra has revealed a grand vision for “Come Fall in Love,” the stage adaptation of his immensely popular 1995 film Bollywood film “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge,” commonly abbreviated to DDLJ. Producer Yash Raj Films has also shared an exclusive image of the production’s rehearsal with Variety. Chopra said: “I first conceived the story of DDLJ (even before it was called DDLJ) as a Hollywood love story of a white American man and an Indian woman. My main motivation at that time was to present Indian culture and values to a global audience. Years later, as I reimagine the story as a Broadway musical, my mainstay is still the same, showcasing Indian culture to a world audience. And the most powerful way to depict a country’s culture and values is to see it from the perspective of someone who does not belong to the same culture. That is the starting point of ‘Come Fall In Love,’ the story of Indian Simran, her culture and heritage, through the eyes of American Roger.”