Digital Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Brian Austin Green and Sharna Burgess got real about their lives as parents. Green and Burgess couldn't contain their excitement on the red carpet at the iHeartradio Music Awards, jokingly calling themselves "the early bird special couple," saying they haven't been out much since welcoming their nine-month-old son Zane. "It's amazing! So we've really just started doing this.

Terry Sanderson claimed Gwyneth Paltrow was responsible for more than just the injuries he suffered on the ski slope in 2016. During the sixth day of testimony, Sanderson blamed the actress for three "near-death experiences" after the collision. Sanderson initially sued Paltrow for $3.1 million and claimed he was the victim of a hit-and-run on the slopes at the Deer Valley ski resort in 2016.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Mike Myers “knows nothing” about a recent claim that alleges he had a crew member on “The Love Guru” fired because he looked at him straight in the eyes. Vancouver radio DJ Jay Brody caused a stir on social media when he shared a video of Keanu Reeves helping move production equipment on the set of “John Wick: Chapter 4.” “People saying that ‘[Keanu] shouldn’t be praised for helping’ have no idea what it’s like working in film,” Brody posted on Twitter. “Mike Myers had me fired off the set of ‘The Love Guru’ because I made eye contact with him, and I was there as his bodyguard…give Keanu his roses.” Brody later clarified in a follow-up video that he was not Myers’ direct bodyguard on set but worked for the film security unit on the set of “The Love Guru,” Myers’ infamous 2008 flop co-starring Jessica Alba and Justin Timberlake.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Electronic Arts will cut 6% of its headcount, amounting to about 800 jobs, and reduce its office space, the company announced. The video game company, whose popular titles include “Madden NFL,” “EA Sports FIFA 23,” “Apex Legends” and “The Sims,” is restructuring to focus on “strategic priorities,” CEO Andrew Wilson said in a memo distributed to employees Wednesday. “As we drive greater focus across our portfolio, we are moving away from projects that do not contribute to our strategy, reviewing our real estate footprint, and restructuring some of our teams,” Wilson said in the memo.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Apple announced that this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place June 5-9, 2023 — and it could be the virtual launching pad for the tech giant’s long-awaited mixed-reality headset. WWDC23 will be presented in an “online format,” free to all registered Apple developers, although the company also will stage an in-person “special experience” at Apple Park in Cupertino, Calif., on the opening day of June 5. As in past years, the confab will serve as a venue for news and updates about Apple’s latest hardware and software products, including iOS and tvOS. The highlight of WWDC23 could be a new mixed-reality headset, which has been in development since 2015 and is finally scheduled to be unveiled at the June conference, according to a Bloomberg report last month. The mixed-reality headset will carry a $3,000 price tag and feature a “3D-like view of an iPhone interface” with apps for messaging, mail, web browsing, videoconferencing and “immserive video streaming” as well as “realistic avatars,” according to the report. The tech giant showed off the headset, which could be called “Reality Pro” or “Reality One,” for its 100 highest-ranking execs last week, Bloomberg reported. (Apple has declined to comment on the reports.)

Dennis Harvey Film Critic It has been rather bewildering to witness no less than two dozen low-budget action movies involving Bruce Willis being churned out over the last three years. That legacy-dimming run ends with “Assassin,” which arrives almost exactly one annum after his family announced a retirement due to diagnosis of cognitive disorder aphasia (and, later, frontotemporal dementia). Like nearly every preceding opus featuring the erstwhile global superstar in roles of prominent billing but little screentime, this rote genre exercise is little more than a time-killer, and as such a regrettable close to a significant career. Saban Films is releasing it to U.S. theaters, digital and VOD platforms on March 31.

Two new special prosecutors were appointed to Alec Baldwin's fatal "Rust" movie shooting case Wednesday. New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis will serve as "special prosecutors." "Morrissey's and Lewis' extensive experience and trial expertise will allow the state to pursue justice for Halyna Hutchins and ensure that in New Mexico everyone is held accountable under the law," Heather Brewer, spokesperson, First New Mexico Judicial District Attorney, said in a statement.

Kieran Culkin saw the darker side of fame in his family.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jennifer Aniston has been starring in comedies for nearly 30 years, from the launch of NBC’s “Friends” in 1994 to the upcoming release of her latest Netflix movie “Murder Mystery 2,” which means she’s had a front row seat to watching comedy tastes change over three decades. Aniston recently told AFP (via Yahoo News) that “comedy has evolved” so much that it’s a bit tricky these days to be funny. “Now it’s a little tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life,” Aniston said. “[In the past] you could joke about a bigot and have a laugh — that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were. And now we’re not allowed to do that.”

The Downtown Albuquerque Railyards will serve as the headquarters for the New Mexico Media Academy, a collaborative workforce development program equipping NM residents with the skills they need to build successful film and TV careers, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced on Wednesday.

Variety Staff Follow Us on Twitter Haley Kluge has been named creative director of Variety, where she’ll oversee the design and visual language of our weekly print magazine, website and digital channels. Kluge is the first woman to serve in this role since Variety came under the ownership of Penske Media Corp. in 2013. She worked at Variety from 2018 to 2021 in several positions, including art director. Most recently she spent a year on the design team of Netflix’s Tudum. “We are so excited that Haley is returning to Variety to help steer our talented art department,” co-Editors-in-Chief Ramin Setoodeh and Cynthia Littleton say. “Our magazine has been on a roll, and we know that Haley will help elevate our game.”

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Critical Role, the company that has adapted its popular and long-running Dungeons & Dragons livestreamed campaigns into animated series “The Legend of Vox Machina” on Prime Video, has made its first acquisition. Metapigeon, Critical Role’s development and production company, acquired podcast “Midst,” described as a semi-improvised audio drama. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. As part of the acquisition, Metapigeon is teaming with Third Person, the podcast’s three founders who also narrate and produce the series, to continue to expand the “Midst” brand. According to a rep for Critical Role, the podcast’s founders are preferring to remain anonymous.

Fans aren’t afraid to let Kourtney Kardashian — or any KarJenner, TBH — know when they really don’t like something!

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Melissa Joan Hart, the actor who became a ’90s teen icon thanks to her roles on Nickelodeon’s “Clarissa Explains It All” and ABC’s “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” revealed in an emotional Instagram video that she helped young children and teachers escape the Nashville school shooting on March 27. Three adults and three 9-year-old children were killed by a 28-year-old woman at Nashville’s Covenant School. The shooter was shot and killed by police on site. “My kids go to school right next to a school where there was a shooting today,” Hart said in the Instagram video. “My husband and I were on our way to [their] school for conferences. Luckily our kids weren’t in today.”

The jury in Gwyneth Paltrow's ski collision trial will likely hear from her husband Brad Falchuk today as proceedings near a close. Yesterday, depositions from her now-teenage children, Apple and Moses, were read to the jury. Paltrow's defense has used a number of digitally created animations to illustrate different angles of the actress' version of events.

Beneath the signature baggy clothing Adam Sandler so famously and frequently dons is a concealed change to the actor's body. "My godd--- hip, I had to change that at the end of the movie," Sandler revealed to Variety while promoting his new film with Jennifer Aniston, "Murder Mystery 2," confirming to the site that he had a hip replacement surgery when filming was completed. "I had been doing so many movies in a row.

A Man Called Otto takes its place at Number 1 on the Official Film Chart.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Jake Shane, a 23-year-old comedian and TikTok content creator best known for his character dubbed “octopusslover8,” has signed for representation with WME. To date, Shane’s octopusslover8 has gained 1.5 million followers on TikTok alone, with celebs and companies commenting on his posts including Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Hulu.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Guy Pearce issued a lengthy apology statement on Twitter after he generated backlash for a controversial statement on transgender actors. In a since-deleted tweet, the “Memento” and “Mare of Easttown” actor mused about the roles trans actors can play. “A question — if the only people allowed to play trans characters are trans folk, then are we also suggesting the only people trans folk can play are trans characters?” Pearce wrote. “Surely that will limit your career as an actor? Isn’t the point of an actor to be able play anyone outside your own world?” While apologizing for “crassly focusing” on an “already-harassed minority,” Pearce also wrote: “I see that raising the question of gender identity within the casting process on a platform like Twitter was not a good idea. For that, I apologize, enormously. I acknowledge it has only stirred up and inflamed attitudes and made us all dig our heels in. I take responsibility for that and again, apologize for starting a fire.”

Heidi Chung Note: This article is based on Variety Intelligence Platform’s special report “2023 Media & Tech Trend Tracker,” available exclusively to subscribers. With the rate of growth in digital advertising declining, some market entrants big and small in the social media space are feeling the competitive threat of Meta now more than ever.  After registering as the most popular app download worldwide in 2022, TikTok maintained that title in the first quarter of 2023, racking up more than 186 million downloads, according to data.ai.  

EXCLUSIVE: After months of upheaval following the close last April of WarnerMedia and Discovery’s $43 billion merger, Michael Ouweleen sees a much more settled operating environment taking shape in 2023.

Maurice Benard is spilling the secret on "General Hospital's" success as the soap opera celebrates its 60th anniversary. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Benard – who stars as Sonny Corinthos – says that "General Hospital" fans are one of a kind. "Let me tell you, the fans of ‘General Hospital,’ there are no fans like those fans," he said.

EXCLUSIVE: Action-horror The Curse Of Wolf Mountain, featuring genre icons Danny Trejo and Tobin Bell in the cast, has been acquired by Uncork’d Entertainment for a U.S. digital and DVD release in May. 

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jeremy Renner will sit down with Diane Sawyer for his first television interview since the critical snow plow accident that nearly cost him his life. The ABC News special, titled “Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview – A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph,” will air in April ahead of the world premiere of Renner’s new Disney+ series “Rennervations,” which will serve as the actor’s first public press appearance since the accident. “All of it,” Renner tells Sawyer when asked how much of the pain he remembers. “I was awake through every moment.” Renner was hospitalized for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries at the start of January after his Sno-Cat, a large snow plow that weighs at least 14,330 pounds, ran him over. The actor was trying to help his nephew out of the snow near his home in Lake Tahoe when the Sno-Cat crushed him.

Taylor Swift embarked on The Eras Tour two weeks ago, but she was one of the many celebrity names invoked in Gwyneth Paltrow's ski collision trial in Park City, Utah. The 50-year-old Goop lifestyle brand founder took the stand Friday to defend herself in a lawsuit filed by Terry Sanderson who claimed Gwyneth not only crashed into him causing traumatic injuries, but also skied away after the crash on the slopes at the Deer Valley ski resort in 2016.  He initially sued Paltrow for $3.1 million, but a judge dismissed the claim and removed the exclusive resort and a ski instructor from the lawsuit before Sanderson proceeded with the $300,000 suit.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Online story platform Wattpad and Thai media firm GMMTV have joined forces to adapt digital comic “My ID Is Gangnam Beauty!” for TV. The show will begin production this summer and be known as “Beauty Newbie” when it begins airing on GMMTV in early 2024. The adaptation will follow Liu, a young woman who feels the need to get plastic surgery, and Guy, who is seen as having a perfect face. The show asks whether, in a world that judges and criticizes based on appearance, romance can blossom between two people who see themselves so differently?  The underlying webtoon by Maenggi Ki has been viewed 1.4 billion times and has a significant following in Thailand, where Korean culture is popular and beauty pageants remain a mainstay of mass TV.

Here are your latest Manchester United morning headlines on Wednesday, March 29.

Former "Vanderpump Rules" star Jax Taylor isn't afraid to hold back his thoughts about his estranged friend Tom Sandoval's recent cheating scandal. During an interview with Fox News Digital, Taylor and his wife Brittany Cartwright revealed their thoughts on the cheating scandal involving Sandoval, Ariana Madix and their co-star Raquel Leviss.  Taylor was the first to admit he doesn't "really even have a leg to stand on" when it comes to chastising others for cheating, referencing his number of scandals while on the show, including cheating on his now-wife with one of the waitresses at SUR.

Jen Shah’s projected release date from prison is now a year earlier than expected.  The "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star is now scheduled to be released from prison in August 2028, after she was sentenced to 6½ years in January, according to the National Bureau of Prisons website. Her initial release date was August 2029.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director John Boyega has already aired his grievances about Disney’s fumbling of diversity in his “Star Wars” trilogy, notably telling GQ magazine in 2020, “What I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.” “You guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” Boyega continued at the time. “But when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know fuck all. So what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience…’ Nah, nah, nah. I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience. They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything.”

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Thomas Haden Church was one of the many Spider-Man alum who returned for Marvel’s 2021 blockbuster “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Church reprised his role of Flint Marko/Sandman from Sam Raimi’s 2007 “Spider-Man 3,” but his screen-time in “No Way Home” was fairly limited when compared to fellow returning villains like Electro (Jamie Foxx), Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) and Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina). In a new interview with The DisInsider, Church said conversations are taking place about future big screen appearances for Sandman. “We had a whole story involving his his daughter, for ‘No Way Home,'” Church said about the character. “And it just ended up [cut]. There was just so much going on…Amy [Pascal] and Kevin [Feige], we all had a lot of conversations. And I would say that conversations have been had about the possibility of Sandman coming into an a future iteration of it.”

The UK government has published its long-awaited draft Media Bill to bring the U.S. streamers under its regulatory framework and help public broadcasters “embrace the digital age.”

Jen Shah’s prison sentence has been reduced by a year.   The "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star is now expected to be released from prison in August 2028, after she was initially sentenced to 6½ years in January, according to the National Bureau of Prisons website. Her initial release date was August 2029.

Fox News topped March ratings, but all of the major news networks saw double digit erosion from the same month in 2022.

After suffering severe injuries from a snowplow accident in January, Jeremy Renner is crediting a special lady in his life for his speedy recovery. Renner identified his daughter, Ava, as being a source of his strength, writing a heartfelt tribute for her 10th birthday on his Instagram story. "Happy 10th Birthday to you!!!! So very proud of you in every way.

Burger King lovers can get their hands on free food at the reopening of one of its Manchester restaurants. The fast food chain has now reopened the doors to its branch in Piccadilly Gardens which has undergone a refurbishment.