Art Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

The University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts (SDA) has officially opened its long-awaited new drama center.

EXCLUSIVE: Alejandra Reyes, most recently a TV lit agent at UTA, is switching to management and joining 3 Arts Entertainment. She is bringing an expertise in the international space — focusing on Latin America and Spain — which she developed as an agent, introducing international writers and directors to the US market, attaching them to major series and closing first-look/overall deals for them. That includes a first-look deal with Onyx for The House of Flowers creator Manolo Caro and his production company Woo Films and an overall deal with Netflix for Chilean writer José Ignacio “Chascas” Valenzuela, creator, executive producer and showrunner of Who Killed Sara?

Glamour’s , Duncan speaks about her productive morning routine, her go-to work attire, and the last great book she read.Glamour: What time do you wake up in the morning?Gina Duncan: I wake up around 6:30 a.m. every morning.What's the first thing you do?The first thing I do is play Wordle and Connections, and then I have coffee and fit in a workout.Nice! What's your favorite workout?I have two favorites. I am a part of a local community where we do group workouts, which is for fun.

EXCLUSIVE: Action megastar Keanu Reeves has partnered with Academy Award winner Fisher Stevens to co-produce a documentary on the life story of Benny “The Jet” Urquidez, the iconic athlete who introduced mixed martial arts to the world.

EXCLUSIVE: The Native American Media Alliance has announced the seven selected fellows for the 9th Annual Native American TV Writers Lab. This year’s TV Lab is in partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, Golden Globes Foundation, Netflix, National Endowment for the Arts, and Snowpants Productions.

Jaden Thompson Seven fellows have been selected for the 9th annual Native American TV Writers Lab, administered by the Native American Media Alliance. The eight-week program consists of daily workshops, seminars and one-on-one mentoring with the aim of coaching the fellows on how to develop a pilot and cultivate the skills needed to land TV staff writer positions.

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor The University of Southern California has unveiled its new Dramatic Arts Building in a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Set to open on April 13, the School of Dramatic Arts (SDA) revitalized one of the university’s oldest and most historical buildings on campus, the University of Southern California UUC (United University Church), to create a new home for art students and faculty.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday named Bridgette Wilder as its first Chief People and Culture Officer, a position that combines the AMPAS and Academy Museum’s human resources teams.

Ariana DeBose is back as the host of the Tony Awards!

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Bettina Blümner’s “Vamos a la playa” won ArteKino Festival’s European Audience Award at a ceremony co-organized by the iconic French fashion house Chanel in Paris. Held at La Femis, Paris’ prestigious film school, the event also included a conversation with French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski (“Other People’s Children”), followed by a ceremony honoring Blümner and a screening of “Vamos a la playa,” as well as a posh cocktail which brought together film talent, executives and students.

Jaden Thompson The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has appointed Bridgette Wilder to the newly established position of chief people and culture officer. Wilder will report to Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy Museum director and president Jacqueline Stewart.

A new direct bus service is to link Glasgow and Troon.

Selena Kuznikov Theatre Week, the Los Angeles-area celebration of the performing arts spotlighting musicals, plays and theatrical events throughout Los Angeles and Orange County, is running through from March 26 to April 14. Tickets start at $20 for Theatre Week and are available through TodayTix.

is in her cowgirl era, and she’s got a to match. We’re just a few days out from the release of her forthcoming album, , and in true Virgo fashion, the musician has thought of every single detail, including her nails.We couldn’t help but notice that she’s been particularly loyal to a certain Western-inspired nail art aesthetic throughout much of the Cowboy Carter rollout.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Utopia‘s label Circle Collective has bought Bruce LaBruce‘s bold and thought-provoking film “The Visitor” for North America and the U.K. Represented in international markets by Best Friend Forever, “The Visitor” world premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section.

Staff and students at Stockport Grammar School are celebrating after receiving a glowing report from the Independent Schools Inspectorate, following its inspection in November 2023.

Another day, another deal. IATSE Local 695 has officially reached a tentative agreement with the studios.

Priceless artworks gifted to the people of Bury will be protected after a museum was granted almost £600,000 for urgent repairs. Last month Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Centre warned that paintings and other works were at risk of being damaged by water passing through the leaky roof.

Bolton has been named Greater Manchester’s town of culture for 2024. The award will bring £50,000 to support a year-long programme of new events.

The Forum Theatre in Romiley is set to reopen this summer after RAAC repairs.

Exclusive: The Georgia List, which highlights the most promising unmade scripts from writers with close ties to the state of Georgia, has opened its second round of submissions (through June 15, 2024). Writers with close ties to the state of Georgia are invited to submit a feature film script, pilot, play, or musical for consideration by uploading it to the Black List website during this period. Writers who upload their scripts to blcklst.com must choose to opt in their scripts for The Georgia List.

UPDATED, 3:55 p.m.: Without acknowledging them by name, a spokesperson for leading documentary festival Hot Docs has confirmed the departure of “some members of the programming team,” as well as recently appointed Artistic Director Hussain Currimbhoy.

The Studio is coming!

Ethan Shanfeld Alex Russell, whose writing credits include FX’s “Dave” and “The Bear” and Netflix’s “Beef,” is making his directorial debut with the upcoming thriller “Lurker,” starring and Théodore Pellerin (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”) and Archie Madekwe (“Saltburn”). Havana Rose Liu, Sunny Suljic, Daniel Zolghadri and Zack Fox round out the cast of “Lurker,” which follows a retail employee (Pellerin) who infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom (Madekwe).

Selome Hailu “The Studio,” Apple TV+’s upcoming half-hour comedy starring and produced by Seth Rogen, has added seven new cast members. Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz and Chase Sui Wonders have been cast as series regulars, while Bryan Cranston, Keyla Monterroso Mejia and Dewayne Perkins will play recurring roles. Per the official logline, “The Studio” follows “a legacy Hollywood movie studio trying to survive in a world where it is increasingly difficult for art and commerce to live together.” The project, which is now in production, was ordered to series in November of 2022.

Bianca Censori isn’t being manipulated — she’s in on the so-called performance art and playing us all for headlines!!

Lorraine Kelly will be honoured with a special gong at the Bafta television awards for her four-decade long career in broadcasting. The Scots TV legend was blown away by the news when she was surprised by GMB's Susanna Reid's announcement on her ITV show on Monday.

A BBC Antiques Roadshow guest was in disagreement following the valuation of a remarkable bronze sculpture. The unique item had been carved by the woman's mother in the 1900s.

Alex Ritman “NTF:WTF?,” the upcoming documentary from BAFTA-winning filmmaker David Shulman about the world of Non-Fungible Tokens and their impact on the art market, has been acquired by Netflix for the U.K. The feature — which features interviews with the likes of Damien Hirst — explores how NFTs changed lives, alongside the course of art and entertainment. From the worlds of CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club and celebrity collectors, to current industry leaders and the community of collectors, the film talks exclusively to the key architects of the NFT movement.

Actor Wunmi Mosaku is the star of ITV's upcoming crime thriller series, Passenger, which is set to air at 9pm on Sunday, March 24 on ITV1. Wunmi plays the lead role of Riya Ajunwa, a Former Met Police Detective who investigates a number of strange crimes that have sent the fictional small Northern town of Chadder Vale into a frenzy. The first series focuses on a young local girl who disappears without a trace, only to reappear a mere 24 hours later.Then, as further mysterious happenings and more sinister crimes take place, Riya must try and convince the residents that darker forces might be at play.

Stockport's Hat Works Museum has reopened after a £100,000 refurbishment.

The warmer weather and the lighter evenings can only mean one thing, spring is finally here! And with Easter coming up next weekend you may be looking for some spring manicure inspiration. Luckily for us, Paris Fury has come through with her vibrant ‘mini egg ’-inspired nails. The reality star showcased her colourful mani to her followers on her Instagram story.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor “3 Body Problem” production designer Deborah Riley is no stranger to creating epic environments — she won four consecutive Emmys for her work on “Game of Thrones.” Netflix’s new series reunites Riley with creators David Benioff and D.B Weiss. “That show was vast insofar as cold and hot environments and in its scope and scale, but I had no idea what the term meant until ‘3 Body Problem,’” Riley says, comparing the two shows. Adapted from the Chinese science-fiction saga by Cixin Liu, the series opens with the Cultural Revolution.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic “Sleeping Dogs,” starring Russell Crowe as a retired cop with Alzheimer’s disease, is a half-rusted scrap heap of a detective mystery. It’s patchy, it’s badly lit, it’s glum, it’s overloaded with suspects, and it’s almost proud of its contrivances. Yet in its logy, booby-trapped way, it keeps you watching.

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender.