Karamo Brown Reveals Talk Show Season 2 Renewal, Says He’s ‘Praying’ for More ‘Queer Eye’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Dove Cameron first rose to fame for her work playing the title roles on the Disney Channel’s “Liv and Maddie” followed by her starring role in the “Descendants” franchise. Now 27, she returns for the second season of “Schmigadoon!” as Jenny Banks, a character based on Sally Bowles from “Cabaret.” The sophomore season of the Apple series, titled “Schmicago!,” is inspired by Broadway musicals of the 1960 and ‘70s. “It was transformative, an education awakening for so many of us,” Cameron says of the legacy of “Cabaret” on this week’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “Especially, I’m sure you can relate, but growing up as a queer person and seeing queer representation in an environment that was also so sexually liberated — those two things coupled together were really healing and necessary to see growing up for me to become the person that I am. I know for so many other people, they feel the same.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Seth Rogen hopes Hollywood will redeem itself with Universal Pictures’ new animated “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” Rogen, who voices Donkey Kong in the adaptation of the popular video game series, tells Variety at the film’s premiere, “When I was 11, I saw the original ‘Mario Bros.’ movie and I was so excited. But it’s one of the worst films ever made. I was so disappointed. I think it made me realize that movies, like, could be bad. That never occurred to me until that moment. “It really bummed me out,” he continues. “It’s nice to vindicate that moment. It’s nice to know that 11-year-olds out there that they won’t be disappointed in the same way that I was.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Queen Latifah has signed on to host the 29th amfAR Gala Cannes. Considered one of the hottest tickets during the Cannes Film Festival, the HIV/AIDS research organization’s event takes place May 25 at Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc. Previously announced performers include Halsey, Gladys Knight, Adam Lambert and Bebe Rexha. Longtime amfAR supporter Carine Roitfeld returns to curate the annual fashion show. The theme of this year’s runway extravaganza will be “Icons” and will feature looks by iconic designers and worn by some of the world’s top models. 

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor As legacy Twitter users continue waiting to see if Elon Musk’s platform strips their blue checkmarks, Jack Black weighs in on the social media company’s new policies, with a tentative stance on whether he’ll shell out a monthly fee to keep his verification status. “I don’t know if I’m going to pay for it,” Black told Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” on Saturday. “I’m a little embarrassed by the blue check to be honest with you. Maybe it’s cooler not to have checks. It’s definitely not cool to pay for it. I’m gonna see what happens if I don’t pay for it. I’m gonna call his bluff, see if he really takes my check away.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Adam Sandler may have done some impressive action sequences in “Murder Mystery 2,” but it sounds like he’s not jumping at the chance to do his own stunts again anytime soon. The actor tells me he underwent hip replacement surgery not long after he and Jennifer Aniston wrapped the follow-up to their original “Murder Mystery” comedy. “My god damn hip, I had to change that at the end of the movie,” Sandler told me Tuesday at the film’s premiere at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles. “I had been doing so many movies in a row. I did ’Spaceman’ and I was hanging in harness all the time. I kept saying, ‘Something’s going on with my hip, man. I’m in trouble.’ And then during this and this other movie I did I was like, ‘Yeah, I definitely gotta x-ray that thing,’ and we were in trouble.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Chris Pine is hopeful that “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” gives moviegoers a true escape from real-world problems. “I’ve seen this film probably more than I’ve seen many of my other films because I love watching it with an audience,” the actor told me on Sunday at the film’s Los Angeles premiere. “To come out and see audience’s faces, you see exactly what cinema should do, which is people are, like, alive. They want to talk about it. They’re in a great mood. The world is so shitty so why not use this vehicle — big budget cinema — to make people feel better.” The adaptation of the iconic fantasy game was written and directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. Pine stars alongside Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justin Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant and Daisy Head.

Kieran Culkin still hasn’t met brother Macaulay Culkin‘s newest baby.

EXCLUSIVE: NBCUniversal Syndication Studios has renewed the syndicated chatfest The Steve Wilkos Show for a 17th season.  The Steve Wilkos Show tackles family and criminal justice, true crime and relationship conflicts. The show is hosted by Steve Wilkos, a former Chicago police officer and U.S. Marine. 

Holly Jones Cementing their place as auteurs of the absurd, Spanish writer-directors Juan González and Nando Martínez, of creative outfit Burnin’ Percebes, presented their latest feature “The Fantastic Case Of The Golem,” to audiences at the Malaga Film Festival.  A sci-fi caper that embodies the duo’s freeform, standalone filmmaking style, it competes alongside further buzz titles “20.000 Species Of Bees,” from Spanish director Estíbaliz Urresola, and Gerardo Herrero’s,“Under Therapy.” After a night of heavy drinking, quintessential bachelor Juan and his friend David play a game of charades on the roof. During a highly-animated round, David falls from the ledge and shatters into a million ceramic pieces. The event sets off a fiendishly ludicrous odyssey through Juan’s daily affairs as he seeks to uncover the truth behind his ruptured relationship.

Karamo, the syndicated talk show hosted by Karamo Brown, has been renewed for a second season. The news was announced Thursday by Tracie Wilson, Executive Vice President, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios & E! News.

Gwendlyn Brown is saying goodbye to her family name when she and her fiancée, Beatriz Queiroz, tie the knot. The 21-year-old star shared her plans in a special unboxing video for her Creator Award after hitting more than 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel.«It's addressed to Gwendlyn Brown, but since I'm getting married soon, I had the name tag, it says 'For Gwendlyn Queiroz,'» she shared, showing off her future name on the award.The daughter of Kody and his ex, Christine Brown, also gave some insight into when her wedding day would take place.«That's what I'm going to be in, like, five months, less than five months.

Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown is opening up about her thoughts on possible spin-offs. In a recent interview, Brown, the breakout star of the hit Netflix series, made it clear where she stands when it comes to spinoffs. Brown, who plays the character Eleven, stated that while she’s open to the idea of spinoffs, she believes that the original show should always be the main focus.Millie Bobby Brown expressed her love for the world of “Stranger Things” and the characters that make up its unique universe but emphasized that she wants the show’s legacy to remain intact.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Transgender “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Gottmik is speaking out against the spread of legislation being pushed throughout the U.S. that bans drag queen performances as well as health care for trans people. “I actually can’t believe that we are turning back time like this,” she told me at Versace’s pre-Oscars fashion show on Thursday in West Hollywood. “But the queer community isn’t going anywhere. So no matter what you’re gonna try, we are here. And we’re going to be loud and proud. I think this is just a wake up call for all of us to be louder and prouder than we ever have been before.” Gottmik says she’s hopeful the queer community will prevail but that doesn’t mean she’s not worried. “The last round of bills has scared me a little bit and affected my mental health a little bit, to be honest,” she said. “But I just had to pick myself up and realize that we aren’t going anywhere. I’m so proud. Even in the car on the way to the Versace show today I was thinking about how cool it is that I’m a trans man able to dress in drag and go to the Versace show in Los Angeles. It’s just unbelievable.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Donatella Versace knows how to bring out the stars. The glamorous guest list at her Versace fashion show on Wednesdsay night, staged on the roof of the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, included Miley Cyrus, Elton John, Cher and her boyfriend Alexander Edwards, Lil Nas X, Pamela Anderson, Dua Lipa, Danielle Deadwyler, Lily James, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Channing Tatum, Ariana DeBose, Matt Bomer, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Lucien Laviscount, Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez, Russell Tovey, “Queer Eye” stars Antoni Porowski and Tan France, Paris Hilton, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Gottmik, Simone Ashley and Hunter Doohan.A post shared by Marc Malkin (@marcmalkin) The show was timed so that it ended just as the sun began to go down in Los Angeles, creating a dusty blue glow as the models — including Naomi Campbell, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner — took their last walk around the champagne-colored runway. Versace appeared briefly to wave to the starry crowd.

Scots comedy star Karen Dunbar has revealed she earned more money from hosting karaoke nights than starring in the first series of Chewin' the Fat.

In her own words. Jen Shah has been keeping the world updated on her time behind bars through her online diary since reporting to her 78-month prison sentence.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor “Not drinking any liquids after 12 o’clock noon because I didn’t want to miss a thing, didn’t want to have to go to the loo and missing anything — not just my category but anyone’s category. I just wanted to soak it all in.” “Yea, it was 2019 with ‘Knives Out.’ I remember hanging out at the bar with Adam Driver, Noah Baumbach and the whole ‘Marriage Story’ crew and discovering the bar is the cool place to be during the ceremony. I remember when ‘Parasite’ won.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor I was clean-shaven when I left for Palm Springs for Christmas. A few days later, I arrived back at home in Los Angeles with a beard. I didn’t plan on my new hirsute look. I just don’t like shaving. I avoid it when I can. But as my beard grew in, my friends started telling me they liked it. They remarked at how “distinguished” it looked with its mix of ginger and white. I worried I might appear older than I am, but my cousin insisted that she thought it actually made me look younger. I decided to go for a trial run by keeping the beard for the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s opening night gala red carpet. I needed to see how it looked on camera. The beard was a hit. Austin Butler told me he liked it and so did Colin Farrell. A few days later at the Golden Globes, Andrew Garfield said, “The beard looks nice. The ginger and white is like a Prince Harry thing you’ve got going on.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor We might not be able to notice it yet, but Paul Mescal says he’s been training every day to get in shape for his work in the upcoming “Gladiator” sequel. “Every time someone asks me if I’ve started working out, I’m like, ‘What do you mean? You can’t tell?’” the actor told me with a laugh at the Independent Spirit Awards. “I’m working hard. Hopefully, when you see me in three or four weeks you’ll be able to see it.” He doesn’t mind the daily routine. “I like exercise,” he said. “It’s not something I dread, thank God.” Mescal first talked to me about the training at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon last month. “I imagine it will be like the classic thing of eating lots of chicken and broccoli,” he said. I’m looking forward to it because anything that is kind of structured and difficult, it’s kinda fun.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Publicist Jillian Roscoe has launched Birch Public Relations. Her clients include Donald Glover, Melissa Rauch, Gerard Butler, John Cho, Jeremy Allen White, James Marsden, Judy Greer, Jesse Garcia, Mandy Moore, Sharon Horgan, David Duchovny, Lake Bell, Jim Parsons, Fred Armisen, Ty Burrell, Ben Schwartz, Jesse Tyler Ferugson, Kemp Powers and Hannah Fidell, among others. Roscoe was previously a senior vice president at ID PR. She left that firm — run by Kelly Bush and Mara Buxbaum — after 20 years last month. Publicists Rachel Karten and Lindsay Krug recently announced the formation of their company, Origin Public Relations, after also leaving ID in early February after 16 years with the company.