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Ben Croll French 2D animation specialist Disnosc will bring Miles Davis, Chet Baker and Fats Waller to a headset near you. A family venture founded by Fabrice and Nathan Otaño – a father-son duo with respective experience in corporate analytics and high-end animation, with credits on films like “The Summit of the Gods” and “Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” – the Biarritz-based studio launched in 2020 to bring pet-project “Blue Figures” to the small screen.

Ben Croll Given the NewImages Festival’s remit to welcome diverse artistic voices into the immersive space, programing “Noire” was an obvious choice. An augmented reality adaptation of a lesser-known case from the Civil Rights era, “Noire” brought much pedigree to this year’s Paris XR showcase.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The tide of Black women in country is a phenomenon that much of the world has suddenly become aware of, thanks to Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” and the lesser-known artists being championed through guest slots on the album. Does this mark the true signal change that advocates for diversity in country have long dreamed of? Or is the real progress within the ranks of the music industry that could allow young Black country artists so lacking that the current excitement might be destined to go down as a glorious blip? These were among the topics of a presentation by the Black Music Action Coalition at Live Nation’s Beverly Hills headquarters Wednesday, with Mickey Guyton, songwriter-artist INK (who is a key contributor to “Cowboy Carter”) and academic researcher Dr.

Katcy Stephan Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter” is being pushed back from its August release, moving to Dec. 13, 2024. It will screen in IMAX and premium large formats.

Selome Hailu “Fallout” was the most-streamed title of the week of April 19-25, per Luminate‘s weekly ranking of streaming originals. The video game adaptation was watched for 1.2 billion minutes watched during this window, indicating an 2.5 million views when divided by the series’ 473-minute runtime. Though “Baby Reindeer” landed at No.

Lexi Carson Eight years after her last visit to Broadway, Tony Award winner Jessica Lange returns to the stage in “Mother Play,” a true story about a dysfunctional family with themes of love, loss, forgiveness and a “wicked” sense of humor. “I wanted to do a new play, something brand new. When I read it months ago, it just triggered the imagination.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor IATSE negotiators are bracing for the next phase of contract negotiations with Hollywood’s major studios and streamers after the conclusion this week of talks with all 13 West Coast local union on the craft-specific aspects of a new master contract. On Monday, IATSE and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will shift the focus of negotiations to wages, residuals, working conditions and the use of artificial intelligence in production.

Thania Garcia Britney Spears has settled a dispute over legal fees with her dad, and former conservator, Jamie Spears. The pair settled an enduring debate over Jamie’s legal fees and his management of Britney’s finances in Los Angeles Superior Court on April 25, the New York Times reported Friday afternoon.

Ethan Shanfeld David Cross and Bob Odenkirk made headlines in 2022 when they announced plans to reunite for the docu-style Paramount+ comedy “Guru Nation,” in which the “Mr. Show” masterminds were cast as rival cult gurus manipulating the minds of their deluded followers.

Jack Dunn Marla Adams, who played Dina Abbott Mergeron on CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” for 37 years, died Thursday in Los Angeles, Matt Kane, director of media and talent for “The Young and the Restless” announced. She was 85.

Selome Hailu “I’m watching tennis as we speak — Djokovic,” Zendaya tells me during one of her first interviews about “Challengers.” It’s July 11, 2023. The 27-year-old actor is watching Wimbledon on TV while preparing for SAG-AFTRA to go on strike, which would leave her unable to attend her film’s Aug. 30 world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

Hunter Ingram SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from the entire first season of “Dead Boy Detectives,” now streaming on Netflix. The Dead Boy Detectives may have closed the case of Port Townsend, but they don’t jump back through the mirror to merry old London the same boys they once were. In the Season 1 finale of Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “Dead Boy Detectives” comic books, Edwin (George Rexstrew) and Charles (Jayden Revri) find themselves in the well-manicured clutches of resident witch Esther (Jenn Lyon), who is hellbent on bottling the youthful elixir she brews from the anguish attached to Edwin’s soul from his decades of torture in Hell.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “NCIS: Hawai’i” has been canceled at CBS. The “NCIS” spinoff is currently airing its third season at the broadcast network. The season finale scheduled to air on May 6 will now serve as the series finale.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “The Simpsons” fans are still reacting to the surprise death of Moe’s Tavern regular Larry Dalrymple — aka Larry the Barfly — on Sunday’s episode, “Cremains of the Day.” And “The Simpsons” co-executive producer Tim Long has the explanation for why the show did it. “I’m sorry if some fans are upset, but we really wanted to use Larry’s death as a way to show that even the most peripheral people in our lives have dignity and worth, and that we really shouldn’t take anyone for granted,” Long wrote in an email shared with Variety. “To paraphrase Shakespeare, nothing became Larry’s life like the way he left it: drunk, lonely, and with a butt full of sapphires.” In the episode, Moe discovers Larry dead in the bar.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Deadpool and Wolverine” is set to be one of the biggest films of the summer, and fan theories are already flying around the internet regarding what Marvel could have in store for what looks like a bonkers trip across a multiverse populated by characters previously owned by 20th Century Fox and now owned by Disney. Whatever goes down in the sequel, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, prior knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will not be a mandatory requirement in order to enjoy it. That’s according to the film’s director, Shawn Levy.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Miriam Haley, the key witness at Harvey Weinstein‘s rape trial in New York, said Friday that she is weighing whether to testify again, after an appeals court on Thursday overturned his guilty verdict. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has indicated that it will seek to retry the former producer, but a trial likely would not go forward without Haley’s participation. At a press conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred, Haley said she does not want to go through the ordeal of another trial, but recognized there are broader issues at stake.

Ben Croll Director Chou Tung-Yen’s bathhouse cruising experience “Traversing the Mist,” a dreamlike odyssey awash in fear and flesh, took the top honors at Paris’ NewImages Festival on Friday, claiming the festival’s Grand Jury Prize to the tune of $6,424. Produced by Taipei’s Very Theatre and Very Mainstream Studio, the NewImages-winning project offers a steamy experience in every sense of the term, ushering users through underground corridors rife with sensual possibilities, dimly lit and driven by conflicting desires.

Addie Morfoot Contributor A first clip has been unveiled from Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau’s Nat Geo documentary “Fly,” which will screen at Hot Docs on Sunday. The doc follows three couples entwined in the world of base jumping, one of the world’s deadliest sports. Schwarz and Clusiauoree began working on “Fly” for seven years following the death of well-known climber Dean Potter, who lost his life while base jumping at Yosemite National Park.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku, had a pay package worth just over $20.2 million in 2023, while Roku’s media boss, Charlie Collier, received $6.8 million in salary. Wood’s compensation last year included salary of $1.2 million, stock awards worth $7.57 million and stock option awards ​valued at $11.43 million.

Lexi Carson Raymond Chan, a longtime art director in the production design department for Marvel Studios features, died Tuesday near his home in Wales. He was 56. His death was confirmed in a statement by the studio.

William Earl administrator Caitlin Cronenberg‘s directorial debut “Humane,” which opens in select theaters Friday, tackles a decidedly heavy topic: the climate crisis. Yet the film always has an ironic levity to it, something she assigns to human nature. “In a crisis, someone is always making a joke,” Cronenberg says.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Pauly Shore wrote on Instagram that he was “up all night crying” after Richard Simmons continued to publicly distance himself from the biopic on his life that Shore is attached to star in. Furthermore, Simmons revealed on his social media platforms that he’s talking to film studios about making his own biopic. “I just read that a man that I don’t know is writing my bio pic starring Pauly Shore,” Simmons posted earlier this week.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The Monte-Carlo Television Festival will present its International Golden Nymph for Most Promising Talent to British actor Simone Ashley at its opening ceremony on June 14. The award recognizes the “exceptional rising talent of an actor who has elevated the bar of excellence to international acclaim.” Ashley is known for portraying Kate Sharma, the female lead of Season 2 of the Netflix series “Bridgerton.” She reprises her role in Season 3, which premieres next month.

Christian Lewis Sufjan Stevens’s indie folk concept album “Illinois”(2005) is whimsical, earnest, and sorrowful; it weaves together events and figures from Illinois history (including UFO sightings, Pullman cars, the World’s Fair of 1893, and the Lincoln/Douglas debates) with Biblical allusions and feelings of shame and loss. This multifaceted mix, often stirring and fascinating to listen to, is not an inherently logical choice for a narrative work of art — and yet, Justin Peck has devised, directed, and choreographed a 90-minute dance theater piece based on it, one that will indelibly be remembered as one of the most singular productions in recent Broadway history.

Katcy Stephan Keke Palmer and SZA are set to star in an untitled buddy comedy film for TriStar Pictures. Lawrence Lamont (“Rap Sh!t”) is set to direct with the screenplay, written by “Rap Sh!t” showrunner Syreeta Singleton. HOORAE’s Issa Rae and Sara Diya Rastogi, ColorCreative’s Deniese Davis and MACRO Film Studios’ Charles D.

Michael Nordine If you’ve been wondering when a heist movie would wed traditional bank-robbing sequences with the current fixation on cryptocurrency, “Cash Out” is here to answer that question. And yet little about this John Travolta vehicle feels new or even timely, as the would-be thriller directed by Ives trades exclusively in shopworn tropes that by now are de rigueur for the genre.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Bob Bakish may be out at Paramount Global before any sale or merger deal for the media company is completed. The board of directors of Paramount Global, including controlling shareholder Shari Redstone, have discussed a plan to oust Bakish as CEO, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources. Instead, the company would form an “Office of the CEO” comprising Paramount Global’s division heads to run operations on an interim basis, per the report.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Melanie Lynskey recently told People magazine that her husband and fellow actor Jason Ritter has sacrificed his own career in recent years so that hers could flourish. Lynskey has been on a roll lately with an Emmy-nominated and series regular role on Showtime’s “Yellowjackets,” plus acclaimed supporting turns in “The Last of Us,” “Candy” and more. None of this career success would be possible had Ritter not put his own acting career on pause to help raise their five-year-old daughter while Lynskey took acting gigs.

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The main event for MVP Prospects VI (Most Valuable Promotions) features Yoenis “El Bandolero” Tellez facing off against Joseph “Action” Jackson for the WBA Super Welterweight Continental Championship Belt. Tellez vs.

Jack Dunn “Rosemary’s Baby” prequel “Apartment 7A,” starring Julia Garner and directed by Natalie Erika James, will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ ahead of the Halloween season. Roman Polanski’s 1968 horror classic was produced by Paramount, starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes as a young couple who are trying to start a family but find themselves tormented by strange neighbors.

Tony Hinchcliffe, the idea of conforming to these restrictions is as likely as finding a unicorn at a rodeo. “There’s no room for victim mentality here,” Hinchcliffe tells Variety. “When you step into a dark, dingy comedy club, what do you want to see? Think about it like a strip club.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music The career move after St. Vincent’s unexpected windfall from “Cruel Summer” — the song that began life as a collaboration between her and producer Jack Antonoff, was completed by Taylor Swift and, several years later, ended up as the theme song of the “Eras Tour” juggernaut — would be to make a pop-leaning album to capitalize on that success, even just a little.

Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer After Tupac Shakur’s estate threatened to sue him for using the late rapper’s AI vocals on his song “Taylor Made Freestyle,” Drake has removed the track from his social media profiles. Drake initially posted the song, a diss track towards Kendrick Lamar, on April 19, featuring computer-generated verses from the late Shakur and Snoop Dogg.

Todd Gilchrist editor In “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Lucasfilm resurrected more with its 2022 series for Disney+ than just the eponymous Jedi Master, who’d gone into hiding after the events of “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.” The show also rekindled his greatest conflict — perhaps his greatest failure — with former apprentice Anakin Skywalker, transformed by the dark side of the Force into Sith Lord Darth Vader. And it additionally brought back multiple elements of franchise iconography that go all of the way back to the original films — in particular, the bacta tank.

Lexi Carson Nearly a month after Queen Bey dropped her record-breaking album “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé‘s documentary “Call Me Country: Beyoncé & Nashville’s Renaissance” is now available to stream Max. The documentary is produced by CNN FlashDocs and will highlight how high-profile artists like Beyoncé and Lil Nas X challenge the country music genre, and how their impact connects to the history of Black artists in Nashville. Released on March 29, “Cowboy Carter” is Beyoncé’s eighth solo studio album.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Over the last several years Hulu has become known for a zeitgeisty documentary slate that covers topics including celebrities, crimes and cults. Among the watercooler hits the streamer’s doc division has released recently: “Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence,” “God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty,” “Captive Audience,” and “Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons.” Its latest nonfiction release, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” fits into the celebrity side of Hulu’s doc sweetspot.