Meredith Woerner Deputy Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com After 13 years of marriage, actors Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher announced Friday that they filed for divorce last year. The announcement was shared on both actors’ Instagram stories, and it featured a picture of the couple wearing tennis attire.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com After much anticipation, the sequel to the 2017 sketch “Papyrus 2” has finally emerged despite being cut for time during the live broadcast, making its debut on YouTube. The original sketch was conceived by former “SNL” writer Julio Torres, who was inspired by a past tweet in which he mused, “Every day I wake up and remember that Avatar, a huge international blockbuster, used the Papyrus font for their logo, and no one stopped them.” Directed by Dave McCary(who also shot the previously pointed Torres sketch “Wells For Boys” with his now-wife and current collaborator Emma Stone), this meditation on obsession and a questionable font became the logo for James Cameron’s massive franchise.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Ryan Gosling returned to “SNL” this week in a cold open with “Barbie” co-star Kate McKinnon, reviving one of their most famous sketches, “Close Encounter,” in which they recount being abducted by aliens and their vastly different experiences aboard the spaceship. The original sketch debuted eight years ago and featured Gosling and McKinnon, alongside Cecily Strong (it currently has 60 million views on YouTube). The actor also recreated this sketch on his second time hosting six years ago.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Whether you’re inspired by the range of catastrophic events happening in the world or influenced by Hollywood’s continued rollout of doomsday dramas, it’s never a bad idea to be prepared. Between power outages, natural disasters and unexpected circumstances, having the right emergency kits and supplies can make all the difference.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Paul McCartney has weighed in on Beyoncé’s cover of “Blackbird,” nestled at the front of her latest album “Cowboy Carter.” “I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird’. I think she does a magnificent version of it and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Karen Pittman — who played Dr. Nya Wallace on “And Just Like That” since the “Sex and the City” revival premiered in 2021 — will not return for Season 3. After two seasons on the “Sex and the City” revival series on Max, the streamer announced that Pittman would not reprise her character for the upcoming season, due to scheduling conflicts.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Celebrating the release of his first solo album, “Honeymind,” Tony Award winner Ben Platt just announced a concert residency at Broadway’s Palace Theatre.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com The last scandalous reveal in Ryan Murphy’s docudrama “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” was far more surprising than any of the gossip-filled tales penned by Truman Capote (played by Tom Hollander). The final twist came 32 years after his death when a longtime confidant, Joanne Carson (played in the drama by Molly Ringwald), decided to auction off the writer’s remains to the highest bidder.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Tan France — co-host and fashion expert on the Netflix “Queer Eye” series — has addressed the recent allegations that he pushed for the hiring of his friend Jeremiah Brent to replace former cast member and interior design expert Bobby Berk. In a recent Rolling Stone article, sources claimed that France (with alleged support from co-host Antoni Porowski) “campaigned” for Berk to be replaced with new hire Jeremiah Brent. Brent is set to join the cast for Season 9.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Andy Cohen — executive producer of Bravo‘s “Real Housewives” franchise and the host of its nightly talk show “Watch What Happens Live” — has fired back against allegations made in a lawsuit by Leah McSweeney, a former cast member of “The Real Housewives of New York City.” In a letter sent on March 6 to McSweeney’s representation from his attorney, Orin Snyder, Cohen calls her allegations “false, offensive and defamatory.” On Feb. 27, McSweeney filed a complaint against Cohen, Bravo and NBCUniversal alleging that Cohen fostered a “rotted workplace culture,” as she told the New York Times in an interview.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Could “Anyone But You” co-stars Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney be the next Julia Roberts and George Clooney? The duo’s work on the past romantic comedy brought in a cool $64 million at the domestic box office, eventually crossing the $100 million mark worldwide. Thus setting the twosome up as a bankable pair that the audience might be ready to watch fall in (and out) of love over and over. So what’s next for the couple that saved the rom-com? More scripts, revealed to Powell to Variety’s Senior Culture and Events Editor Marc Malkin at the SAG Awards on Saturday night.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com The Oscar heavyweight, Grammy-winning great and all-around icon, Barbra Streisand was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. “This is such a wonderful award to get because you know in advance you’re going to get it. You don’t have to sit there in squirm… And if you don’t have to put on such a happy face, ‘I’m so happy to lose!’ Anyway, you all know what I mean,” the legend joked.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Brandi Glanville — a former cast member of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and “Ultimate Girls Trip” — has accused Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live” host and “Real Housewives” executive producer Andy Cohen of sexual harassment in a lengthy letter from her legal representation. Glanville sent a letter from her lawyer Bryan Freedman to NBCUniversal, Shed Media and Shed’s parent company Warner Bros.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Taylor Swift’s influence at the 2024 Super Bowl isn’t simply about red and yellow friendship bracelets and adorable “Taylor’s Version” NFL-inspired sweatshirts.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Welcoming nominees and guests to the 76th DGA Awards, director, producer and writer Judd Apatow greeted the audience joking, “I’m your host Bradley Cooper in an even more beguiling Jewish nose.” Apatow opened up with a zinger drafting off the DGA’s history of never striking against the studios. He noted that his agents told him to hold out for more money for his fifth time as host of the ceremony: “But in the spirit of the DGA I accepted their first offer.” Taking aim at the current political landscape, Apatow addressed the crowd stating, “I swear to god if this is the only time you vote this year, you can all go fuck yourselves.” He noted the age of the likely nominees for the presidential election, Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com SPOILER ALERT:This recap contains spoilers for Part 1 of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City‘s” reunion episodes, now airing on Bravo, and streaming on Peacock on Jan. 10. Decked out in a set that was part Bermuda Triangle and part Utah snow storm, the cast of “The Real Housewives Salt Lake City” — Heather Gay, Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose and Angie Katsanevas — convened to take stock of the show’s fourth season, and to face off with the newly minted reality TV supervillain Monica Garcia. For the first time since the big-beach reveal in the Jan.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Inspired by a recent screening of Netflix’s animated series “Blue Eye Samurai,” “Game of Thrones” creator George R. R. Martin penned a new blog post praising the work of Amber Noizumi and Michael Green.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com The XFL and USFL have unveiled key details of the merged football franchise that will debut next March. The two formerly competing leagues officially confirmed their new name and logo as the United Football League on Sunday. Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, who resurrected the XFL back in 2020, revealed the plans on Fox’s NFL pregame show.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Jacob Elordi will host “Saturday Night Live” on Jan. 290 with Reneé Rapp as his musical guest. Elordi is currently starring in the Amazon film “Saltburn” and in the A24 feature “Priscilla” where he played American legend Elvis.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Changemaker of the Year, Maren Morris celebrated her honor at the Variety Hitmakers, presented by Sony audio, by listing off the women who inspired her including Taylor Swift, Sinead O’Connor and Billie Holiday. Introduced by singer and songwriter Maggie Rogers, her colleague praised Morris for using her voice to uplift others. to fight for gender and racial equality, and to re-imagine traditionally exclusive spaces, “specifically in the world of country music.” “She does it all with her head held high and with a sense of humor,” Rogers said.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Before she was Disney’s iconic Mary Poppins or the Baker’s Wife in “Into the Woods,” actress Emily Blunt was just a little girl struggling with a stutter. Even today the actress still considers herself a stutterer.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com What’s fact and what’s fiction in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla?” We fact-checked the film against the source material, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley’s memoir “Elvis and Me.” The new film, starring Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) and Jacob Elordi (Elvis Presley), was inspired by the 1985 book, which became a New York Times bestseller at its release. Everyone knew Elvis the legend, but his former wife Priscilla wanted to reveal Elvis the man.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com The masterminds behind memorable marketing moments from “Barbie,” “Call of Duty,” “Pokerface” and even that creepy “Smile” campaign that placed grinning actors at various Major League Baseball games gathered Thursday at the Variety + Spotify Advertising’s Visionaries dinner to toast leaders in the field. West Hollywoods’ Sunset Tower Hotel welcomed the industry’s leading innovators selected for Variety’s 2023 Digital Marketing Impact Report and the four recipients of the Variety Entertainment Marketing Visionaries Award, presented by Spotify.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Between “Beckham,” “Quarterback” and the nationally captivating “The Last Dance,” we are clearly living in our peak sports docuseries era. And now four-time, NBA champion LeBron James and hall of famers Peyton Manning have combined with the Obamas’ production company to contribute their own sports series centered around the NBA, Variety has confirmed.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Reminder: just because you purchased a digital copy of your favorite film, that doesn’t always mean you get to keep it for forever. Last year, thousands of Sony Playstation users woke up to the news that their libraries of films would be gone in a month.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The holiday travel season is swiftly approaching along with family time and adventures comes crowded seats, long lines, scattered luggage and much more. Give yourself a travel glow-up, like a pro, with these tried and tested Amazon travel accessories, all on sale thanks to Prime Day.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com The upcoming holiday season just got a little more merry and bright. “Family Guy” creator, director and long-time crooner Seth MacFarlane is dropping a holiday album with Liz Gillies of “Dynasty” and “Victorious” fame — and you can listen to their title track, “We Wish You The Merriest” right now. The velvety pipes of Gillies paired with MacFarlane’s baritone is the enough to soften even the most resolute of grinches.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Nicki Minaj for the second year in a row, kicked off at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Tuesday evening. Taylor Swift led the nominations with eight, followed by Sza with six nods.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Babies, they’re adorable, sweet and (often) exceedingly expensive. But there are certain things that truly make your life easier as a parent, like the Frida Baby nose snot sucker (yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like) the cradle cap brush, sound machines and on-the-go diaper changing mats.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com The official trailer for the second season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” features two very emotional moments for romance lovers everywhere: One, Jeremiah confronting Belly about their tangled love triangle with Conrad (Christopher Briney). And two, the first sneak peek of “Back to December (Taylor’s Version)” from the soon-to-be released “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).” “Belly, you were my best friend, we hooked up, and then you hooked up with my brother,” says Gavin Casalegno (Jeremiah) to a distraught Lola Tung (Isabel “Belly” Conklin) in the new footage. “And everybody asked me to act like I was fine, and I wasn’t.”

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Rick Dalton, the fictional star of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” has died at the age of 90. Played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Dalton starred as the lead in “Bounty Law” before pivoting to several smaller Western films and series including “Nebraska Jim” and “Tanner.” Tarantino announced the character’s death via tweet through The Video Archives, a podcast co-hosted by the director and his “Pulp Fiction” co-writer Roger Avary. “We are saddened by the news of the passing of actor Rick Dalton, best known for his roles in the hit TV series ‘Bounty Law’ and ‘The Fireman’ trilogy.”

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com The retired optometrist who is suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 ski crash took the stand on Monday, telling the jury that he heard a “blood-curdling scream” just before being struck in the back. Terry Sanderson is suing Paltrow for $300,000, and alleges that he was left with a concussion, four broken ribs and a brain injury. Paltrow was the first to testify, telling the Utah jury last week that it was Sanderson who crashed into her. She said she became very upset and yelled “you skied directly into my fucking back.” Paltrow is countersuing for $1 and attorneys’ fees.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com A new, hot literary collab just dropped: Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and Lemony Snicket from “A Series of Unfortunate Events” fame are partnering up for an illustrated and annotated edition of Carlo Collodi’s classic novel “Pinocchio.” Variety has the first look of the little wooden boy, reimagined by Mignola. Teaming back up with award-winning colorist Dave Stewart, Mignola returned to his gothic roots for a reimagining of the centuries-old story that will be published by Beehive Books. But despite the wooden boy’s recent, Oscar-winning popularity, Pinocchio has always influenced Mignola’s oeuvre. “This is a book I’ve loved since I read it when I was a young teenager,” Mignola told Variety. “I really think between this and Dracula, this is what’s formed whatever the hell it is I do, my sensibilities.” When first approached by Beehive Books to contribute to their collection of reworked literary classics, Mignola was hesitant, unsure of what he could bring to this translation, “I got spooked because it’s been so well-illustrated over the years.”

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Goonies never say die, even 38 years later. It’s been almost four decades since Richard Donner’s “Goonies” premiered, and the bond between the band of pre-teen outsiders, who happen upon a pirate ship off the coast of their little town in Oregon, remains strong. Moments after his crowd-delighting win at the Academy Awards, an elated Ke Huy Quan entered the press room to yet another standing ovation. When asked how his younger self would embrace the recent news of his Oscar win, the actor turned nostalgic. “My younger self would not know all the struggles that I went through to be here,” Quan said. “Because he was just having the time of his life being a kid, being on the set, on a pirate ship, going down a waterslide. Right before this night started, Corey Feldman, one of my ‘Goonies’ brothers called. I was talking to Kerri Green and of course tonight Jeff Cohen, who is my entertainment lawyer, is here tonight with me. Sean [Astin] reached back, Josh [Brolin], Martha [Plimpton]. We are always bonded. We’re family forever. Goonies never say die!”

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Brendan Fraser, the ’90s heartthrob who made a career comeback with his awards season run for “The Whale,” won the Oscar for best actor. An emotional Fraser got on stage and exclaimed, “so this is what the multiverse looks like!” He then continued down a nautical-themed speech thanking his cast, crew and family. “I’m grateful to Darren Aronofsky for throwing me a creative lifeline and hauling me aboard the good ship ‘The Whale,'” Fraser said. “That was written by Samuel D. Hunter who is our lighthouse. Gentleman, you laid your whale-sized hearts bare so that we could see into your souls like no one else could do. It is my honor to be named alongside you in this category. I want to tell you that only whales can swim at the depth of talent of Hong Chau [fellow nominee].”

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com Almost a year after the infamous Oscars slap, comedian Chris Rock is finally addressing what happened in his live Netflix special, “Selective Outrage.” After an hour of new material, the comedian dove into what thousands of audience members had been waiting to hear, breaking down the aftermath of the on-stage smack between him and Oscar-winner Will Smith. “You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by Suge Smith, everybody knows, everybody fucking knows,” Rock said. “I got smacked like a year ago… and people are like, ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts. I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears.”