Alex Stedman Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comThe hits of Stephen Sondheim are finally back on Broadway — kind of, anyway.A week after moving back to live audiences for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephen Colbert welcomed “The Good Fight” star Christine Baranski as a guest on “The Late Show” on Wednesday, and acknowledged that while they chatted during lockdown, video calls just aren’t the same in plenty of ways.“One of the problems with talking over Zoom,” Colbert opened, “is that you

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comFrom “Pokémon Detective Pikachu,” which pulled in $433 million globally in 2019, to “Sonic the Hedgehog,” which grossed $319.7 million worldwide last year before the pandemic shut down theaters, the message is clear: Gamers and nongamers alike are looking to explore their favorite video game characters and narratives in different mediums.Gaming developers are getting in on the action as well, forming production arms to work with networks and Hollywood

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comXbox’s highly anticipated E3 showcase, the first since Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda, took place on Sunday, showering fans with a torrent of gaming announcements.Specifically, the showcase shared details on 30 titles, 27 of which will be available on Xbox Game Pass.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comJack Sparrow and Davy Jones are finally coming to “Sea of Thieves.”On Sunday, during Microsoft’s E3 showcase, developer Rare announced that it had officially partnered with Disney for a “Pirates of the Caribbean”-themed expansion, “A Pirate’s Life,” a free update hitting the multiplayer game on June 22.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comOn March 11, 2020, just as COVID-19 lockdown orders were starting to trickle out across the U.S., E3, the annual trade event for the video game industry, was canceled for the first time in its 25-year history.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comOn Wednesday, EA Dice unveiled the first details for the sixth game in the “Battlefield” franchise, including its name: “Battlefield 2042.”The multi-player first-person shooter will be released for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC on Oct. 22.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comHBO’s “The Last of Us” is bringing back a cast member from the video game to reprise her role in the TV series.Merle Dandridge, who played Marlene in “The Last of Us” game, will return to portray her in HBO’s adaptation of the beloved title.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comSPOILER ALERT: The below article reveals some details about the beginning of the plot of “Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart,” new playable protagonist Rivet and her backstory. “Ratchet & Clank” fans will finally step into the furry shoes of another Lombax in the series’ upcoming installment, “Rift Apart.”And yes, let’s get it out of the way — Rivet, the new playable protagonist in “Rift Apart,” is indeed the inter-dimensional counterpart of Ratchet, the team

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.com“Mortal Kombat,” which hits theaters and HBO Max on April 23, marks Lewis Tan’s first time leading a major blockbuster — and it’s not a role he took on lightly.Tan, a martial artist and actor who performs his own stunts in action-heavy roles in “Iron Fist,” “Into the Badlands,” “Wu Assassins” and “Deadpool 2,” has a legacy to protect.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comThe cast of “Glee” reunited virtually to remember Naya Rivera, who died last July at the age of 33, at the GLAAD Media Awards on Thursday.The tribute was opened by Demi Lovato, who had a brief role on the Fox series alongside Rivera.“I don’t have to tell you that this year was a tough, tough year,” Lovato said. “A particular moment of heartbreak stands out for me: losing my friend Naya Rivera.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comBeyoncé wasn’t performing at Sunday night’s Grammys, but she did take the stage — to accept the best rap song prize with Megan Thee Stallion for their collaboration “Savage.”It was the second big moment in the ceremony for Megan, who had just finished performing her hit “WAP” with Cardi B in one of the buzziest moments of the night.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comThe host of Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, Trevor Noah, opened the show by acknowledging the nature of the socially distanced ceremony, but still struck a hopeful note as he pointed to the healing role music played during the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic.“I’ll be your host tonight as we celebrate the last 10 years of music that got us through the last 10 years of coronavirus,” he said.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.com“The Talk” will go on a brief hiatus, canceling its live shows for Monday and Tuesday, Variety has confirmed.The news comes after CBS announced that it would be launching a probe into an episode earlier this week that saw Sharon Osbourne get into a heated exchange with co-host Sheryl Underwood after defending Piers Morgan’s comments about Meghan Markle.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comCAA has signed Jessica Blevins, the wife and manager of Twitch’s biggest streamer, Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, for representation.Jessica Blevins streams on Twitch herself, and is also an activist, entrepreneur and digital personality.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comLance Waldroup, one of the bootleggers featured in Discovery’s reality series “Moonshiners,” died on Feb. 25 in North Carolina.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.com“Fortnite” creator Epic Games has acquired Tonic Games Group, the parent company of “Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout” studio Mediatonic, the companies announced on Tuesday.The companies did not disclose numbers behind the deal.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comPost Malone and Pokémon: a combination so crazy that it just might work.Malone had the honor of kicking off P25 Music, a year-long celebration in partnership with Universal Music Group, on Saturday — the official Pokémon Day, no less — with a virtual concert that livestreamed on Pokémon’s YouTube and Twitch accounts, and its website.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comKris Lamberson, better known as Faze Swagg, started out as many professional streamers do: playing “Call of Duty” with his friends, and eventually realizing he’s much better at the game than those friends, so he took his skills to the internet.After he injured himself playing sports during his sophomore year of college, he made a pitch to his mom: let him take a semester off to see if he could give this streaming thing a shot.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comNintendo kicked off its highly anticipated Direct on Wednesday by announcing that both Pyra and Mytha from the “Xenoblade Chronicles” series will be joining “Super Smash Bros.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comDave Chappelle has tested positive for COVID-19 in the midst of a residency in Austin, Texas, a rep for the comedian confirmed to Variety on Thursday.Chappelle performed the first of a planned five shows on Wednesday night at the Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater, and was scheduled to perform subsequent sets on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comMira Furlan, best known for her roles as Delenn on “Babylon 5” and Danielle Rousseau on “Lost,” died on Wednesday. She was 65.Her Twitter account announced the news on Thursday, and “Babylon 5” creator J.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comHarry Styles suited up with “Fleabag” Emmy winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge for the throwback music video for “Treat People With Kindness,” the latest single off his sophomore album “Fine Line.”The black-and-white, cinematic video opens with Styles, in a flashy sequined jacket, crooning away at a club over martini-sipping guests before Waller-Bridge comes strutting down the stairs.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comLos Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said he’s turned down a role in President-Elect Joe Biden’s upcoming administration, and that he’ll stay in L.A.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comThe Game Awards garnered a whopping 83 million livestreams for its 2020 ceremony, marking record viewership for the annual show and a whopping 84% increase from last year’s 45.2 million livestreams.The show, which saw “The Last of Us Part II” take home game of the year, peaked at 8.3 million concurrent viewers globally. The Game Awards partnered with 40 streaming networks around the world to air the ceremony live.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comFor Shinji Mikami, 2020 marks more than one milestone.For one, it sees him celebrate 30 years in the gaming industry, as he joined Capcom in 1990.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comWarnerMedia said in a statement on Friday evening that it’s concluded its investigation into the set of “Justice League.”“WarnerMedia’s investigation into the ‘Justice League’ movie has concluded and remedial action has been taken,” the statement reads.It’s unclear what the “remedial action” entails, and WarnerMedia declined to give further details when pressed by Variety.In August, Variety learned that WarnerMedia launched an investigation into the DC

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comThe coronavirus pandemic may have impacted the way we hold live events, but this year’s Game Awards is still on.The 2020 ceremony is airing live from Los Angeles, London and Tokyo from three in-studio, audience-less locations. Speaking to Variety in September, host Geoff Keighley said they “would never normally be able to have three cities live” — which inspired the big-scale idea.“This is a unique year of circumstances, so let’s try that.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comPatty Jenkins will direct a new “Star Wars” movie, titled “Rogue Squadron,” it was announced during Thursday’s Disney Investor Conference.It’s slated for Christmas 2023, and is set to follow pilots across the “Star Wars” universe.We are thrilled to have the great Patty Jenkins directing our @StarWars feature film Rogue Squadron, and as a true admirer of her work, it is an honor to have Patty directing her next film for us! https://t.co/5jKqaQ6Guk— Robert

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comThe Game Awards are almost upon us, and, like most award shows, it’ll be looking a little different this year.The 2020 ceremony, hosted by Geoff Keighley, will be taking place on Thursday night in Los Angeles, Tokyo and London, airing from three in-studio, audience-less locations due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comIn his new indie film “Archenemy,” Joe Manganiello steps into the shoes of a man who claims he was a superhero — but his character, Max Fist, isn’t the sort of guy who’d make Superman proud.Instead, he’s an alcoholic, drug-addicted homeless man who claims he’s been stripped of his powers after being hurdled through time and space by his titular archenemy, Cleo (Amy Seimetz).

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comOn Wednesday night, G4, the gaming network that aired from 2002-2014 and recently announced a revival, held a charity special that saw its previous lineup of hosts — Olivia Munn, Kevin Pereira, Adam Sessler, Morgan Webb, Kristin Adams and Blair Herter — reunite for a night of nostalgia and reminiscing.But, at the very end of the special (benefiting G4’s multi-day Gravython effort), a hint at G4’s future, not its past, shown in the form of WWE star Xavier

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comOn Oct. 24, Donald Mustard, worldwide creative director at “Fortnite” developer Epic Games, sat down on a Zoom call with The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley and hundreds of his closest fans for a relaxed Sunday afternoon conversation.Answering questions from both Keighley and the fans, Mustard touched on everything from his career path, the future of games and how Epic avoids employee burnout.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comCD Projekt Red’s music director Marcin Przybyłowicz was hardly finished with the Polish developer’s last major tentpole, “The Witcher III: Wild Hunt,” when he had to start thinking about its next, “Cyberpunk 2077.”In fact, when CDPR announced “Cyberpunk 2077” in 2012, he was still working on the music for “The Witcher III’s” expansions.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comThe new generation of consoles is finally here — and it’s not just Microsoft and Sony hustling to get the new hardware to fans, with the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 both debuting this week.The development side is certainly feeling the strain as well, especially amid a pandemic, which has both increased demand for games and made it harder to physically produce them.

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.com(Editor’s Note: Eivor can be played as either male or female, so this story will use they/them pronouns.)When “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla” debuts on Tuesday, players will step into the shoes of the Viking Eivor, the latest hero in a long line of complex playable protagonists that anchor Ubisoft’s massive video game franchise.The game finds Eivor leading (along with their adopted brother, Sigurd) their clan to conquer lands in England after Norway becomes

Alex Stedman News Editor, Variety.comGaming and lifestyle organization 100 Thieves has joined the Call of Duty League as the Los Angeles Thieves, it was announced on Friday morning.The team will operate out of the 100 Thieves Cash App Compound in Los Angeles, which the organization unveiled earlier this year.