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Zack Sharf Digital News Director Lee Daniels co-created Fox’s drama series “Empire,” which was one of the biggest shows on broadcast television during its six-season run on Fox between 2015 and 2020. The show, headlined by Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, was a cultural phenomenon thanks to its outlandish characters (Cookie, for starters), massive ratings and hit original songs.

Ben Croll With six Luxembourgish projects on display, this year’s Venice Film Festival served as a victory lap for a modest state with an outsized impact. Boasting 1,200 professionals, a vibrant animation sector, and an output of 25-30 titles per year, the Grand Duchy’s co-production driven ecosystem is all the more remarkable for its relative youth and for the speed of its ascent.

Carina Brackett If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Your iPhone 15 may shoot in ultra-HD, but there’s nothing like taking a Polaroid. As smartphone cameras become increasingly more sophisticated, more and more people are reaching for instant cameras to capture their most precious memories.

In Seeking Mavis Beacon, filmmakers Jazmin Jones and Olivia McKayla Ross aim to track down one of the most iconic figures in multicultural education and internet history. With over 10 million copies sold, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, a 1987 program made by The Software Toolworks, becomes the subject of demystification as the pair aim to analyze the history of the touch-typing program and uncover the true identity of the digital Black woman instructor, Haitian model Renée L’esperance. 

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Carriage fights create some strange bedfellows. DirecTV, at loggerheads with Disney over a new deal for ESPN, ABC and other networks, announced that it would give its customers a $30 credit toward two competing streaming TV services — Sling, from longtime satellite rival Dish Network, and Fubo. Disney and DirecTV failed to reach an agreement before the Sept.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has a slew of bills pending on his desk, including ones addressing artificial intelligence, reparations and the fentanyl epidemic.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor One of the newer arrivals in the world of online sports betting is making a wager of its own. Disney’s ESPN is no stranger to the world of gambling. The sports-media giant has aired a show devoted to sports odds and in the past struck partnerships with both Caesars Entertainment and DraftKings that helped it offer its subscribers links to betting.

Jamie Lang Senior Moonbug Entertainment veterans Jiella Esmat and Karine Ahton have set up 8 Lions, a new London-based entertainment IP growth and development outfit. According to its founders, 8 Lions will use a data-driven approach to develop, create and grow new properties for kids and teen audiences around the world. The company’s analytical approach will be supplemented by years of experience working in the kids and teen entertainment sectors.

HOP Vietnamese Street Eats has opened its second restaurant in Manchester City Centre and, to celebrate, is giving you the chance to win a £500 gift card.

Shopping clothes chain Primark is to launch a new ‘swap shop’ in a major change at some of its biggest stores. The popular cut-price high street store is launching its first ever swap shop initiative for customers to exchange pre-loved and vintage clothing in store.

Keke Palmer is set to star in a brand new TV show!

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Joker: Folie à Deux” director Todd Phillips recently told Variety for a cover story that the goal in making the anticipated sequel to 2019’s “Joker” was “to make it feel like it was made by crazy people. The inmates are running the asylum.” It appears the director got his wish in part from his leading star Joaquin Phoenix, who would throw out the script on a whim and gather with Phillips and co-star Lady Gaga in his trailer to rewrite entire scenes from the ground up. “We’d very often meet in Joaquin’s trailer and sometimes we would just tear the script up and start all over,” Gaga recently told Vanity Fair for her own cover story.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Warner Bros. Discovery is consolidating its Global Themed Entertainment licensing group — whose purview includes the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attractions at Universal’s theme parks — and Studio Tours & Retail group under one umbrella. The new division, dubbed Warner Bros.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone revealed in a new interview with Vanity Fair that their long-running animated series will not return until 2025, which means “South Park” will be skipping the 2024 presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. The duo said the delay is somewhat “on purpose” because they no longer have an interest in lampooning Trump on the show, but Parker added that they’re also “waiting for Paramount to figure all their shit out.” Neither creator specified on what Parker meant about Paramount, but the studio has been going through a proposed sale over the last several months.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor PepsiCo and Paramount Global will travel back in time in a big bid to prove the TV commercial still has a future. Starting Thursday, the soda giant will launch a massive video blitz, set in ancient Roman times, that touts not only some of its flagship beverages, but Paramount’s upcoming “Gladiator II”; the new NFL season; and even Megan Thee Stallion, who stars in the spot along with football greats Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, Justin Jefferson and Travis Kelce.

Verizon Communications is acquiring Frontier Communications, the largest pure-play fiber internet provider in the U.S., in an in all-cash transaction valued at $20 billion.

EXCLUSIVE: Social news publisher NowThis is shifting strategy to become a content hub for Gen Z.

Many people may wonder what happens to the content they post after they pass away. Digital content, including photos, stories, and memories are often posted to sites such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and other social media networks for everyone to see with big events such as births, weddings, holidays and more being shared. But when you die, do they stay there?

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Telecommunications giant Verizon Communications plans to take over smaller player Frontier Communications in an all-cash deal valued at $20 billion, as Verizon seeks to bolster its fiber footprint to battle its biggest rival, AT&T. According to Verizon, Frontier operates the “largest pure-play fiber internet” network in the U.S.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Hugh Jackman posted a nearly four-minute voice note to social media in which he thanked his team for getting him into optimal shape for “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which featured his long-awaited return as the eponymous X-Men mutant after originally hanging up his claws after 2017’s “Logan.” Jackman’s return powered the Marvel tentpole to $1.2 billion in worldwide ticket sales, making the film the highest-grossing R-rated release in history. “I’ve had a lot of people who talk to me and ask me questions about how I got into shape,” Jackman said.

The Graveyard Book” in the wake of sexual assault allegations leveled against the book’s author Neil Gaiman. The film from Pinewood Studios with director Marc Forster hasn’t been thrown out entirely, but development was halted for a variety of reasons, including the claims about Gaiman. Published in 2008, “The Graveyard Book” follows a young boy who is raised by graveyard ghosts following his family’s murder.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Matt Reeves confirmed to SFX magazine that “we’re finishing up the script now” for “The Batman Part II” and “the plan is to shoot next year.” Warner Bros. announced earlier this year that the release for the Robert Pattinson-starring sequel was being delayed an entire year from Oct. 3, 2025 to Oct.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Michael Keaton is back on the big screen in Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which is aiming to clear the $100 million mark in its opening weekend at the domestic box office. The long-awaited sequel might be the last time the Oscar-nominated actor is officially credited as Michael Keaton, which has been his stage name since the start of his career in 1978. Speaking to People magazine for a new cover story, Keaton said that he plans to change his official acting credit to something that’s closer to his birth name, Michael Douglas.

When Cara Campbell became ill and needed time off from running her dad's pub to recover from major surgery, she knew she needed someone she could rely on. Turning to her best friend, she trusted her 'implicitly' to help keep the business afloat and help manage in her absence.

Two years after surviving serious burns, Jay Leno is honoring the courage of fellow burn survivors.

Naman Ramachandran Tara Gaming Limited has unveiled plans for “Bharatvarsha / The Age of Bharat,” an ambitious entertainment franchise set in ancient India. The venture, which aims to launch its first AAA fantasy video game by late 2026, brings together bestselling author Amish Tripathi and veteran game producer Nouredine Abboud. AAA (triple-A) games are high-budget, high-profile titles typically produced and distributed by major publishers.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Nikki Haley, who challenged Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination before exiting the race and endorsing him, has been hired as an adviser to PR giant Edelman. Edelman on Wednesday announced the appointment of Haley as vice chair of the firm. She had held the post of U.S.

Andrés Buenahora editor Video game company Lightspeed L.A. has signed a SAG-AFTRA interim Interactive Media Agreement that allows it to continue production with union performers even as the strike against other major videogame publishers winds into its sixth week. The deal will apply to current and future Lightspeed L.A.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Meghan McCain said on the latest episode of her “Citizen McCain” podcast that she has turned down three offers to compete on “Dancing With the Stars” over the years (via Entertainment Weekly). She’s also rejected other competition series, mainly because she knows signing on for a reality show risks public humiliation, and she still harbors dreams of running for political office. According to McCain: “You can’t do both.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Katy Perry appeared on the latest episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and was asked about Dr. Luke‘s controversial involvement in her upcoming sixth album, “143.” The pop star has come under fire for collaborating with Dr. Luke, who was behind some of her biggest hits like “I Kissed a Girl,” “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream” and more.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Winona Ryder revealed on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast that she and Keanu Reeves call each other husband and wife in their text messages, over three decades after they were maybe married for real on the set of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Dracula.” The two actors played Jonathan and Mina Harker in the 1992 gothic horror film, and they revealed during the 2018 press tour for their romantic-comedy “Destination Wedding” that real priests were used during the filming of their “Dracula” wedding scene. So yes, Ryder and Reeves might be husband and wife and they’ve rolled with it ever since. “I would literally do anything though with him.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Brian Stelter is back at CNN. In an email to subscribers of CNN’s “Reliable Sources” media newsletter, Stelter said he will be returning as the lead author of the publication that he founded in 2015. He said he will relaunch the newsletter on Sept.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Russell Crowe has repeatedly stated that neither Ridley Scott nor anyone involved with “Gladiator 2” reached out to him to consult on the upcoming sequel considering the follow-up’s storyline has little to do with the character he played in the 2000 original. Crowe won an Oscar for “Gladiator,” but his character, Maximus, died at the end of the movie. Scott recently told Empire magazine (via ScreenRant) that he hopes his relationship with Crowe is still in good shape after not reaching out about “Gladiator 2.” “The plot, frankly, was right under our noses,” Scott said about the sequel.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Micheal Keaton helped present his longtime collaborator Tim Burton with a star on the Walk of Fame and noted that Hollywood has been making boatloads of money from superhero movies in recent years all because of what Burton started with 1989’s “Batman,” which starred Keaton in the title role. The duo returned for the sequel “Batman Returns” in 1992. “He hands me a script and goes, ‘Tell me what you think,'” Keaton said about his “Batman” experience.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jenna Ortega is calling for more female-led franchises over female-led spinoffs. During a recent video interview with MTV while on the publicity tour for “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” Ortega was asked if she might consider an offer from director Tim Burton to revive “Edward Scissorhands” as the gender-flipped Edith Scissorhands, but Ortega would rather just get to lead a franchise as an original character instead. “I love that there’s a lot more female leads nowadays, I think that’s so special.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Matt Smith recently spoke to The Times of London about his concerns over trigger warnings, saying he worries “everything’s being dialed and dumbed down” when audiences are being tipped off in advance and being told what to feel. The “House of the Dragon” star said “the fucking point” of his acting choices as of late is that “we should be telling morally difficult stories, nowadays in particular.” “It’s ok to feel uncomfortable or provoked while looking at a painting or watching a play, but I worry everything’s being dialed and dumbed down. We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something,” he added.