Why 'Hacks' Ticked Every Box for Jean Smart (Exclusive)

Exhibition ruled the stock market today after a long holiday weekend saw Paramount’s A Quiet Place Part II crush it, earning $57 million over four days. That’s not far from the $60 million that the John Krasinski-directed sequel was anticipated to do in its 3-day opening pre-pandemic, according to my colleague Anthony D’Alessandro.

John Krasinski and Emily Blunt's A Quiet Place Part II is making the pandemic box office look happier and brighter. After a lull at the cinemas for over a year, the release of A Quiet Place Part II has been off to a spectacular start in North America and the box office results seem to be a huge boost amidst the pandemic.

“My age is far from a hindrance – it is my superpower,” she says. “My focus is using this awareness to strategise how to get further in this game. I am completely aware that I can only truly put trust in myself.”

Chris Willman Music WriterThe EDM-pop duo the Chainsmokers is among the backers of a scripted feature film, “Every Nite Is Emo Nite,” that is in development with the goal of placing fictional characters amid the real-life setting of the Emo Nite events that have gained in popularity after beginning on L.A.’s club circuit.Participating in the development of a screenplay by Brandon Zuck are the Chainsmokers’ production company, Kick the Habit Productions; 3BLACKDOT, which recently announced a

Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and The Weeknd were among the winners at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday. SirElton John was also presented with an icon award - with a medley of hits performed in his honour.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comSo much of what makes “Hacks” work is the chemistry between its two central characters, played by Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder. The HBO Max comedy hinges on the connection between these two seemingly disparate women So how did this pair find that connection? By lobbing insults at each other in the dark.The very first interaction between comedians Deborah Vance (Smart) and Ava (Einbinder) in the pilot swiftly unravels into a sparring match.

The Streets’ latest single ‘Who’s Got The Bag (21st June)’ has reportedly been banned by BBC Radio 1, according to Mike Skinner.The track, which was released in March, looks ahead to the impending end of lockdown. Current restrictions are scheduled to be lifted on June 21, as referenced in the song’s title.Speaking about the track at the time of its release, Skinner said: “It’s been too long since I’ve been behind some decks, or on a stage, in a tour bus sleeping in a bunk.

“Inspired by real shit,” (as the opening title cards inform us) the new late-night, college comedy “Drunk Bus” always feels a bit stuck in the past – the 2006 set movie being indebted to the 2000s Judd Apatow-era flicks with an indie film spin akin to “Adventureland” or “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” Meaning, yes, it inevitably has its share of drunken barf jokes and fratty ass-wipes.

Clayton Davis Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorDiscovery’s tie-up with WarnerMedia has stirred up a firestorm of chatter about the impact of the deal that took nearly everyone in Burbank and Hudson Yards by surprise over the weekend.After a day of digesting the news and reading tea leaves, industry insiders were focused on the timing of WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar’s departure and the size of his severance package after one year and two weeks on the job.Another surprise that emerged from the fine print on the

The exciting MTV Movie & TV Awards 2021 were held at the Palladium in Los Angeles on Sunday and the star-studded evening saw several major celebrities walking the red carpet together.

Keegan-Michael Key is making some big promises in advance of his SNL hosting gig this weekend.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comWhat makes HBO Max’s “Hacks” stand out from a slew of new TV offerings (and other shows about the same topic of stand-up comedy), isn’t just its stellar cast, it’s also the premise that two women share a connection, despite being worlds apart, through the desire of making others laugh.

Sports Team, The Big Moon and Biig Piig are among the acts announced for this year’s Wild Paths festival – check out the line-up below.The multi-venue event will take place in Norwich between October 14-17, with 200 artists scheduled to perform across 20 stages over the four days.

The time for the best of country music of the year to receive nods has come as the 2021 CMT Music Awards nominees have just been announced. Miranda Lambert and Maren Morris are leading the nominations with four nods each while Kelsea Ballerini, Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton, and Little Big Town are not far behind backing three nominations each.

CMT Music Awards nominations have been announced!Hosted by Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown, leading the awards show with the most nominations are Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert with four each. The two are nominated in the categories Female Video of the Year, Collaborative Video of the Year, and two nominations each for Video of the Year.Ballerini, Brown, Little Big Town and first-time nominee Mickey Guyton are next with three nominations apiece.

If pop culture insists on telling stories about tortured comics with deep-rooted personal issues veiled by their stage personae, at least do viewers the courtesy of democratizing that outline and producing good examples with something to say, like “Hacks.” Created and showrun by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky, “Hacks” has something to say.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticOn her new show “Hacks,” Jean Smart plays a woman who has a difficult time adapting to a new era in the entertainment industry. It may be the first TV role this unbound and thrilling performer has taken that feels like a stretch.After all, Smart — one of CBS’ “Designing Women” in the 1980s and now a prestige-TV favorite on “Fargo” and “Watchmen” — seems endlessly inquisitive about where her talent can take her.