Samuel Goldwyn Acquires U.S. Rights to ‘The Good Traitor,’ ‘The Day We Died’ From REinvent (EXCLUSIVE)

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer“Minyan,” an acclaimed tale of sexual and spiritual identity directed by Eric Steel, has sold to Strand Releasing in North America.The film, starring stage breakout Samuel H. Levine of Broadway and the West End’s “The Inheritance,” played in the official selection at last year’s Berlin International Film Festival and went on to win Outfest’s grand jury prize for U.S.

“The good news is we’ve seen highs almost near 4,000 admissions a day into our hospitals because of Covid,” said the Golden State’s Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly today. ‘Now seeing days below 2,500 and even getting lower, which is exactly what’s going to keep our hospital conditions improving and our ICU capacity as high as it can be.”

Bruce Kirby, the longtime character actor whose many TV roles included regular turns on Columbo and L.A. Law, died Sunday in Los Angeles. Kirby, the father of late actor Bruno Kirby, was 95.

Samuel L. Jackson has received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination!

Leo Barraclough Senior International CorrespondentRiz Ahmed, a leading awards contender this year with “Sound of Metal,” and “Game of Thrones” star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau have joined the Danish animated documentary “Flee,” which plays at Sundance, as executive producers.

Demi Lovato was more than happy to lend her musical talent and star power to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris‘ TV special, “Celebrating America”, on Wednesday, Inauguration Day.

Demi Lovato was more than happy to lend her musical talent and star power to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris' TV special, on Wednesday, Inauguration Day. The 28-year-old singer rocked her short pixie haircut with a beige power suit as she beautifully belted out «Lovely Day» from Los Angeles. Lovato's performance also incorporated famous faces like Lin-Manuel Miranda and many health and essential workers.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterIn a competitive situation, Paramount Players has won the adaptive rights to the new novel from bestselling author S.A. Cosby.Titled “Razorblade Tears,” the book is set for release this July from Flatiron Books.

Mónica Marie Zorrilla National Geographic has chosen its stars for its next installment of the highly-rated, disease-focused anthology series, “The Hot Zone: Anthrax.”Today, the flagship channel, along with Scott Free Productions and 20th Television (a division of Disney Television Studios), announced that Daniel Dae Kim (“Hawaii Five-0, “Lost,” “The Good Doctor,”) and Tony Goldwyn (“King Richard,” “Scandal,” “Lovecraft Country,”) will lead the six-episode show that centers on the anonymous

Scandal alum Tony Goldwyn and Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-O, The Good Doctor) are set as the leads in The Hot Zone: Anthrax, the second installment of Nat Geo’s scientific thriller anthology series. As previously announced, Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson will return as executive producers and showrunners for the new installment, which will focus on the harrowing anthrax attacks of 2001.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterProduction on two Universal Television shows has been rescheduled again after multiple shows across multiple studios extended their planned hiatus’ due to a COVID-19 surge in Los Angeles.The NBC series “Good Girls” and Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever” are now scheduled to begin filming again the week of Jan. 18 due to non-COVID related logistical issues at the studio, an individual with knowledge of the situation said.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentBruce LaBruce’s queer comedy fantasy “Saint-Narcisse” has been sold by the Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever to the U.S., along with a string of other key territories.Film Movement has acquired U.S.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterThe Sundance Film Festival will not move forward with drive-in movie screenings in Southern California, due to the state’s alarming increase in COVID-19 infections and deaths, Variety has learned exclusively.Los Angeles-area venues the Rose Bowl Stadium and the Mission Tiki Drive-in were meant to accommodate a large number of show business types who are unable to travel to the festival’s Park City, Utah home this year — but given the staggering rate of infection

Samuel Little, whom the FBI  says was the most prolific serial killer in US history, died in prison Wednesday at age 80.

Adolfo Quiñones, the admired actor, dancer and choreographer known as Shabba-Doo who specialized in the art of locking and portrayed the street artist Ozone in the two Breakin' movies of the 1980s, has died. He was 65.