The Bar Is Open: Abrams Media Opens New Sites Devoted to Tequila, Rum, Gin

Depeche Mode have shared a new teaser for their upcoming announcement, due next week (October 4).Earlier this week (September 27), the band posted a photo of a studio on Instagram with the date 4.10.22, next Tuesday.A further video has now been shared ahead of the announcement, confirming a time for the announcement (1pm CET, 12pm BST) and the word: “BERLIN.”“Join us virtually,” the band wrote.No further details on what the announcement will be have been shared at this stage, but “more info soon” is promised by the new post.The announcement will come after singer Dave Gahan and the band’s main songwriter Martin Gore were recently pictured in the studio working on new music. “Finding stability in what we know and love, and focusing on what gives life meaning and purpose,” they wrote at the time.See the new Berlin-based teaser for Tuesday’s announcement below.A post shared by Depeche Mode (@depechemode)The band’s new announcement will arrive after founding member and keyboardist Andy Fletcher died earlier this year aged 60.Fletcher was a member of the band for more than four decades since the release of their debut album ‘Speak & Spell’ in 1981.

EXCLUSIVE: VFX outfit Outpost has bolstered UK operations with a new London studio now open for business.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer The Gersh Agency has promoted literary agent Sandra Lucchesi and talent agent Matt Vioral to partners, expanding its total leadership to 28 people.  Gersh, which ranks as the lone privately-owned full service agency, makes the move amid consolidation and rapid ground-shifting in the representation landscape. A spokesperson told Variety the elevations serve to “highlight the strength and history of our resources while taking advance of our business around multi-hyphenate clients.” Agency co-presidents David and Bob Gersh, along with managing partner Leslie Siebert, said they were “very proud of the leadership Sandra and Matt have brought to the agency and their respective departments and how well respected they are by their industry peers. We are thrilled to promote them both to partner.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor AMC hopes that when viewers aren’t watching its new “Interview with The Vampire” series, they’ll be shopping it instead. The media company, which has made a significant investment in the “Vampire Chronicles” and “Lives of the Mayfair Witches” properties devised by author Anne Rice, is opening a virtual boutique with items all related to the first series in the new venture. “Interview With The Vampire” is slated to debut on Sunday, October 2, the same day the shopping outlet, known as “Night Market,” goes online. Bedding, sleep masks, “forever flowers,” and even a casket are available for purchase, notes Kim Granito, an executive vice president of integrated marketing for AMC Networks who is overseeing the project, devised by the company’s Content Room, a brand studio. “You don’t have to be dead to enjoy them,” she says of the vampire-related goods.

Joe Goldberg is back with a new persona — and he’s as creepy as ever.

, returns with Penn Badgley as the charming killer for the upcoming fourth season, which will be split into two parts. Part 1 will drop Friday, Feb.

Cloverfield franchise is in development at Paramount Pictures, according to reports.Babak Anvari, best known for directing horror films Under The Shadow and 2019’s Wounds, is set to direct the project from a script written by Joe Barton (Giri/Haji). J.J.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Field Yates thinks fantasy football is catching up in popularity to the real thing. “If you watch ‘SportsCenter though to the end, I’d bet if you put on an hour, there’s a pretty good chance, better than 50-50 you’re going to see at least one segment of fantasy sports,” he says in a recent interview.” I think it’s reflective of the appetite fans have for this type of content.” ESPN has signed Yates to a new multi-year deal, ensuring he’ll be around to host both the daily “Fantasy Focus Football Podcast” as well as “Fantasy Football Now,” while contributing NFL analysis across several ESPN programs.

EJ Panaligan editor Hulu released an official trailer for the upcoming “Hellraiser” reboot, starring Jamie Clayton as the iconic pin-riddled villain, Pinhead. In the trailer, Pinhead causes havoc for a young woman named Riley, played by Odessa A’zion. The 2022 reboot follows Riley as she struggles with addiction and comes across an ancient puzzle box whose sole purpose is to summon Cenobites, sadistic supernatural beings that come to Earth from another dimension. The original 1987 film saw Doug Bradley playing the leader of the Cenobites, and only in the later sequels was he then identified as Pinhead. The “Hellraiser” franchise has spanned across four theatrical films, six straight-to-home movies and multiple comic books.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi-owned MBC Group has officially opened its new headquarters in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh in a move that will boost its stated mission to serve as a driver to kickstart the kingdom’s nascent film and TV industry. The broadcaster which is the top satellite free-to-air player in the Middle East and North Africa, and also a major MENA region premium streamer, held a gala opening on Monday attended by a host of Saudi royal family members, ministers, and foreign ambassadors, according to a statement. Other guests included MBC’s executive directors in addition to local talents and hosts of MBC’s TV channels and also from news service Al Arabiya in which MBC owns a minority stake.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Add Chris Redd to the list of veteran cast members walking away from “Saturday Night Live.” Redd has decided to exit NBC’s venerable late-night showcase after five seasons on the program, and is just the latest member of what has been one of the program’s largest casts in recent memory to leave ahead of its 48th season. Lorne Michaels, the show’s longtime executive producer, had anticipated a season of change earlier in the year, and recently suggested the current group of comics stayed together to help each other get through the pandemic. “Being a part of ‘SNL’ has been the experience of a lifetime. Five years ago, I walked into 30 Rock knowing that this was an amazing opportunity for growth,:” Redd said in a statement. “Now, with friends who have become family and memories I will cherish forever, I’m grateful to Lorne Michaels and to the entire ‘SNL’ organization. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you all enough.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Jamie Yuccas’ new Los Angeles assignment at KCAL is likely to make waves among followers of local news. But it’s part of a big national effort by the station’s owner, Paramount Global. Yuccas, a veteran correspondent at CBS News, will be one of the anchors of a new seven-hour morning block of local newscasts on the CBS-owned station. Yuccas, who will continue to serve as a CBS News correspondent, will anchor from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on KCAL each morning, making her one of the faces viewers will likely see as they get ready for their day. KCAL intends to show news from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m. each day. The company is trying to offer more local news via 14 owned affiliates to both their linear and streaming audiences. Local news spurs deeper connections with viewers, says Wendy McMahon co president of CBS’ news and stations unit, in an interview. “The local news we produce drives impact, and that impact is service to our community, she says. “Ultimately, it has a positive impact on the business.”

Kanye West has opened a Christian preparatory private school called Donda Academy in Simi Valley, California.The tuition-based school aims to “prepare students to become the next generation of leaders,” according to its website.“Each day, Donda students learn fundamentals, grow in their faith, and experience two enrichment classes,” the website states, adding that the daily schedule includes “full school worship, Core classes of language arts, math and science, lunch & recess, enrichment courses including World Language, Visual Art, Film, Choir and Parkour”.The school costs $15,000 (around £13,000) per year although, as stated on the admissions page of the website, “Everyone is welcome to apply regardless of financial situation. Financial aid and scholarships are available for students who qualify”.Rolling Stone reported yesterday (September 15) that two families claimed that they were made to sign NDAs to have their children attend.However, Tamar Andrews, a consultant for Donda, told Rolling Stone that parents of each student only have to sign “an informal agreement”.“Honestly, we don’t care if people know about the school,” she said.

Matt Smith wears a very colorful shirt while out and about in New York City on Thursday (September 15)

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor “Saturday Night Live” is trying to replenish its ranks after many of its best-known cast members have signaled they intend to leave the show. The venerable NBC late-night program has enlisted four new featured players for its 48th season, a move that will lend some ballast to the cast after mainstays like Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant decided to leave. In many years, “”Saturday Night Live”” taps two or three new players per season, so four is more than the show typically brings on board. The four new featured players include Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow and Devon Walker. Hernandez, who bills himself as a writer, comedian and producer, is a Cuban-Dominican stand-up who has opened for Tim Dillon, Jim Breuer, Mark Viera, Gilbert Gottfried and others. Kearney is a Chicago-based comic. Longfellow, who hails from Arizona, has done stand up in Los Angeles. And Walker, who has made a few lists of up-and-coming comedians recently, hails from New York City.

Meg Duffy a.k.a. Hand Habits is finally making their return with two new songs, "Greatest Weapon" and "Under The Water." The new songs are released through Psychic Hotline's Single Series.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Pooja Midha has been named executive vice president and general manager for Effectv, the ad-sales division of Comcast’s large cable operation, putting her in charge of a unit with broadening importance for the unit at a time when advertisers are seeking new technologies to aid in the placement of their pitches to consumers. Midha replaces James Rooke, who was recently named president of Comcast Advertising. Midha will oversee a national team that manages everything from sales to data innovation. She is expected to continue to burnish the company’s efforts to bring more widespread use of data to TV strategies, and to utilize addressable and programmatic ad technologies.

taking their friendship to the next level in early 2021. They’ve exhibited plenty of PDA, boasted an adorable couple name (Kravis), and enjoyed a whole trio of wedding ceremonies. But of all the moves they’ve made to prove the solid foundation of their relationship, the eldest Kardashian sibling just took another meaningful step — changing her last name to Barker.