50 Cent quietly deletes posts that caused ‘Grand Theft Auto 6’ stir

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor In front of a panel of skeptical and often hostile U.S. representatives, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew tried to make the case for why the popular app is not a security threat to the country — and why a government ban of the app would be the wrong course of action. A U.S. ban of the app would hurt the country’s economy, reduce competition and “silence the voices of over 150 million Americans,” Chew said in testimony submitted to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The hearing, titled “TikTok: How Congress Can Safeguard American Data Privacy and Protect Children from Online Harms,” was held Thursday morning in Washington, D.C. The Biden administration recently demanded that ByteDance divest its ownership stake in TikTok or potentially be banned in the U.S. over national-security concerns given TikTok’s Chinese ownership. Under pending congressional legislation, which has bipartisan support, President Biden would have the authority to ban TikTok under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent While she retired prematurely at the age of 39, Brigitte Bardot has left an indelible mark on France’s popular culture in the 1960’s and 1970’s. With her wild blonde mane, smoky eyes and pouty lips, Bardot became a symbol of a modern and effortlessly sexy French woman, and a style emblem that continues to inspire current trends. The event series “Bardot,” which is penned and directed by Daniele Thompson (“The Queen Margot”) and Christopher Thompson (“La bûche”), world premiered at Series Mania Festival to unanimous praise and has been pre-sold by Federation nearly worldwide. “‘Bardot’ is like the French ‘The Crown’ because Bardot embodied France, and through her journey we reminisce about many parts of France’s history and popular culture in the 1950’s and 1960’s,” Federation’s boss and “Bardot” producer Pascal Breton told Variety.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Brian Cox’s hatred of Method acting has gone so viral in recent weeks that he parodied himself during a recent visit to “The Tonight Show” to promote the upcoming fourth and final season of HBO’s “Succession.” Host Jimmy Fallon asked Cox about all the media attention surrounding his hatred of Method acting, to which the actor responded, “Well you know, Jimmy, I’ve been a little harsh.” “I’ve been a little harsh on it,” Cox continued. “I’m sorry about that… in fact, I’ve been trying to set the record straight in a MasterClass series of acting that I’ve been doing. Well actually, I brought a clip. I think this more eloquently explains my feelings about acting. Can we show it?”

Tom Brady shared on social media, it does not have to involve a football field.  Early Thursday, the retired football great took to social media with a quote purportedly by Ralph Waldo Emerson that reads, «What is success? To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden path or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!»While Brady did not elaborate further in his own words beyond a few heart emojis, the post came mere hours after his ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen's, headline-making  interview. During the sit-down, she addressed speculation that their split after 13 years of marriage was the result of Brady backing out of his retirement in 2022. According to the supermodel, the claim is «the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.»«Listen, I have always cheered for him, and I would continue forever,» she said.

Teresa Giudice is defending her husband, Luis Ruelas, after he was shown making a bizarre comment on an upcoming episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey. Fans were left confused after Ruelas, who married the reality star in August, revealed to Giudice’s brother, Joe Gorga, that he sometimes wears their late father's pajamas. While speaking to , Giudice says the comment «was definitely coming from an endearing place. I love him even more so for that.»Giudice gives the outlet more information on the pajamas, adding, «Those were brand new… My dad had brand-new clothes that he never used. And that was just a brand-new pair of pajamas that I said, 'Babe, these are new pajamas that my dad never used.'… So I think it came out the wrong way.»«They were brand-new pajamas that I just gave him.

British DJ Graeme Park has announced the death of his 18-year-old son Oliver after a “year long battle with cancer”. Graeme, who is famed for his role at The Hacienda and the evolution of club culture, shared a family statement on social media from his wife Jenny and Oliver’s twin brother Ben.The statement, which the family shared on Wednesday evening, said: “Today our hearts were broken forever. “After a year long battle with cancer, it finally got the better of you, our amazingly strong and gorgeous boy.

Amazon Prime Video is exploring more global franchise opportunities following the success of the Russo Brothers’ Citadel.

Alison Hammond has shared why bagging her new hosting gig on The Great British Bake Off reduced her to tears as she was supported over her latest achievement. Last week it was announced that the This Morning star will be the new co-host of Bake Off alongside Noel Fielding.

Sky Studios CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz has called the plethora of shows on the market “really confusing” for viewers.

Droughtlander is nearly over as Starz sets the premiere date for Outlander‘s seventh season for Friday, June 16 at midnight ET via streaming, and internationally on the Lionsgate+ premium streaming platform in the U.K. For linear viewers, the show premieres on the same day at 8 p.m. ET/PT in the U.S. New episodes will be released weekly on Fridays.

Best Picture Oscar win, A24 has announced a new disaster comedy called “Y2K” from “SNL” alum Kyle Mooney, who co-wrote the screenplay with Evan Winter and will direct.Set on New Year’s Eve 1999, the story follows two high school “nobodies” who decide to crash the last big party before the new millennium. When the clock strikes midnight, the night gets more insane than they ever could have imagined.For those born after 2000, there was widespread anxiety as the year 2000 approached owing to fears that a complete cyber meltdown might take the world back to the dark ages.The ensemble cast for “Y2K” includes Jaeden Martell (“It”), Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”), Julian Dennison (“Deadpool 2”), Lachlan Watson (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”), Mason Gooding (“Scream”), The Kid Laroi, Tim Heidecker (“Us”), Eduardo Franco (“Stranger Things”), Miles Robbins (“Blockers”), Alicia Silverstone (“Clueless”), Fred Hechinger (“Fear Street”) and Daniel Zolghadri (“Funny Pages”).A24 will produce alongside Matt Dines, Ali Goodwin and Jonah Hill (Mid90s) of Strong Baby and Chris Storer (The Bear) of American Light & Fixture.The film will feature design and practical effects by Wētā Workshop.

Christine McGuinness gave fans a glimpse into her sweaty workouts earlier this week and now she's flashed her toned torso as she prepared for an important day at work. The model returned to Instagram on Thursday (March 22) after being surprised by best pal Chelcee Grimes.

The chairwoman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee opened a hearing featuring the CEO of TikTok by telling him that “your platform should be banned.”

first look between Young Queen Charlotte and Young King George as well as the overwhelming weight societal pressure that awaits her in the “Bridgerton” prequel series’ teaser, the trailer spotlights Queen Charlotte’s rise to the throne amid a loving yet tumultuous marriage.As Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) arrives to the famed palace lamenting “Why me?” her brother attempts to knock some sense into his stubborn sister, saying “there are worse fates than marrying the king of England.”While her brother might be right, Charlotte quickly starts to feel the weight of the nation on her shoulders as her union with the king is expected to bring about societal unity and “as many babies as possible.” While Brimsley (Sam Clemmett) offers Charlotte support as she prepares for her impending marriage and royal debut, there’s just one problem: Charlotte has not yet met her soon-to-be husband.Then comes the highly anticipated introduction as Young King George (Corey Mylchreest) discovers Charlotte trying to climb over the castle wall from what she expects will be a disaster of a life — which is intercepted when George provides the reassurance Charlotte had been craving.“I realize you have no reason to like me,” George tells Charlotte. “But if you will give me one evening of your time, then I might make you hate me a little bit less.” While their whirlwind romance satisfies the desires of both the pair and their closest advisors, their relationship is quickly shrouded in secrecy as George’s whereabouts and condition is hidden from Charlotte, leading to a tense confrontation between the couple.“I do not want to fight,” George insists, while Charlotte declares “I want to fight with you.

Martin Lewis is urging the millions of people in the UK who receive a regular payslip to check it straight away as they could have lost out on thousands.

EXCLUSIVE: Hot on the heels of their historic Oscars sweep with Everything Everywhere All at Once and The Whale, A24 has set the cast for Y2K, a dial-up disaster comedy to be directed for the studio by SNL alum Kyle Mooney.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has issued a message to all parents, urging them not to miss out on some extra government cash during the Easter school holidays.

said he was going to be arrested, the nation is now officially on what social media users and late night hosts have dubbed “Indictment Watch.” But Jimmy Fallon has some advice on getting hyped about anything regarding Trump, thanks to Stormy Daniels.In case you’ve somehow missed it — or are just trying to keep your investigations into Trump straight, as there are multiple to keep track of — here’s the situation. In 2016, adult film star Stormy Daniels received a payment of $130,000, which both she and former Trump fixer Michael Cohen say was hush money to keep her quiet about an affair she had with Trump.Though hush money in itself isn’t illegal, it is if Trump used campaign finances to pay the sum, and as such, he could face misdemeanor charges.

Police have issued an appeal for witnesses to come forward after a boy was allegedly attacked in Rochdale.

All aboard the Shania Train! The five-time Grammy winning country star’s name is now the title of a high-tech train in Switzerland.

Queen Latifah rang in her 53rd birthday with the sweetest surprise! On Saturday, the rapper and actress treated herself to Usher's  show at the Park MGM's Dolby Live theater to celebrate her big day, where the man of the night surprised her with a gift mid-concert.In a video of the moment shared to Usher's Instagram Story, the singer walks into the audience to Queen Latifah's seat where he gives her a hug and hands her a gorgeous bouquet of red roses and a gift box. The surrounding crowd cheers as the duo embraces and the Queen Latifah's 1993 hit, «U.N.I.T.Y,» plays over the venue's speakers.

Emma Heming Willis is once again letting fans in on her love story with husband Bruce Willis amid his ongoing health struggles.

Tom Brady took to his Instagram Story to share a cryptic quote about success after his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen spoke out for the first time about their divorce.

Raquel Leviss is shutting down some rumours.

“Bridgerton” is one of Netflix‘s most popular recent hits. So good news for those who can’t get enough of the Regency era after two seasons: there’s a prequel spinoff on the way, and it hits the streamer very soon.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Fremantle has acquired a majority stake in Belgium’s A Team Productions the indie outfit behind hit drug gang drama “Patsers” by directorial duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and standout short “ “Baghdad Messi.”  The company, which was founded in 2009, is headed by Kobe van Steenberghe and Hendrik Verthé and scored its first major international in 2011 with the short “Land of the Heroes” which won the International Jury Prize at the Berlinale that year. They are also behind short “Baghdad Messi,” by Belgium-based Kurdish director Sahim Omar Kalifa, which won prizes at dozens of international fests and was shortlisted for an Academy Award in 2014.

Naman Ramachandran A feature documentary on champion athlete Carl Lewis will be the first film under the Noah Media Group‘s recently revealed multi-million dollar content fund. The documentary will be executive produced by Uninterrupted, the Emmy-winning athlete empowerment brand founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. In a record-breaking career spanning 18 years, Lewis won nine Olympic gold medals in track and field and was voted Sportsman of the Century by the International Olympic Committee. Currently in production, the film will explore the man behind the medals, with exclusive access to his family, closest friends and an unseen, vast archive. It will show the transformational impact Lewis’s career had – both in his sport and in wider society – and is set against a contemporary narrative as Lewis, now a coach and politically engaged, confronts issues around his country’s future.

Amber Dowling Cineflix Productions has confirmed it is in development with comedian Bonnie McFarlane on a scripted comedy series based on her 2016 memoir, “You’re Better Than Me.” The project is inspired by McFarlane’s time as a high schooler in Cold Lake, Alberta, in the mid-1980s. McFarlane serves as the creator and writer for the half-hour series, which takes place on a farm “294 kilometres outside the nearest pizza delivery zone.” There, a 16-year-old Bonnie flexes her smart mouth, hangs out with her BFF bovine, and recognizes that she’s not the easiest person to get along with.

BreAnna Bell Netflix has unveiled the official trailer for its forthcoming “Bridgerton” prequel series, “Queen Charlotte.” The first full trailer of the upcoming season introduces viewers to a young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio), who goes on a journey of self-discovery and love. After being paired in an arranged marriage to King George, a worried Charlotte opens the nearly three-minute clip wondering why she was chosen by the royal family to ascend the throne as the wife of England’s young leader. “Centered on Queen Charlotte’s rise to prominence and power, this ‘Bridgerton’-verse prequel tells the story of how the young Queen’s marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in ‘Bridgerton,'” reads the show’s official logline, per Netflix.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor 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. Predictions are updated every Thursday. Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

Mark Sutherland Lauren Laverne is buzzing with excitement. She woke up to the news that Lizzo had given her a shout-out from the stage at London’s O2 Arena. “Lauren Laverne played my record on Radio 6 and just like that, I was flying to England every other weekend,” declared the singer, who had her first major radio exposure on Laverne’s BBC 6 Music show back in 2013. “What an utter queen,” laughs Laverne, who has been helming the station’s flagship breakfast show since 2019. “For everybody at 6, it’s a dream come true to have a world-changing, game-changing artist standing up on stage and describing what we do. We’re this little greenhouse; we plant these seeds and what grows out of them, who knows?”

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic Hong Chau — the Oscar-nominated actor, who’s appeared in “The Whale,” “The Menu,” and “Downsizing” — is an interesting element on Netflix’s new series “The Night Agent,” and a revealing one. To cast Chau, a gifted and hardworking performer who’s been elevating projects for years, is to announce a certain ambition. Here, she’s playing the determined White House Chief of Staff, a figure close to the heart of various intrigues on a political thriller with schlock in its DNA. And yet she does it so elegantly, so excellently that she elevates the whole thing. So it is with “The Night Agent,” created by Shawn Ryan of “The Shield,” and based on a novel by Matthew Quirk. Here, Gabriel Basso (who played the future U.S. Senator J.D. Vance in the film “Hillbilly Elegy”) stars as Peter Sutherland, whose employment at the FBI is at such a low level that an offer to stand by and monitor a rarely used emergency hotline on the night shift comes to feel attractive. Wouldn’t you know it — one evening, that phone rings, and the caller is a tech founder who has found herself drawn into a drama she barely understands when her aunt and uncle were killed. Peter and Rose (Luciane Buchanan), his unlucky protectee, must piece together what happened on the fly, as they attempt to keep her safe and, just maybe, redeem Peter’s unfortunate family history of perfidy.

Ruth Langsford looked sensational on Monday, when she was spotted looking ultra glamorous in a pair of slick skinny jeans for her special birthday lunch.Taking to her Instagram account with an exciting video, the former Good Morning Britain star, 63, was a vision in her all-black ensemble which featured a chic silk shirt and stylish leather jacket.In the clip, Ruth and her friends could be seen wining and dining with her friends at James Martin's brand new Cotswold's restaurant, The Lygon Arms. See Ruth's glamorous celebrations in the video below.WATCH: Ruth Langford's special birthday celebrationCaptioning the post Ruth penned: "Celebrated my birthday with my girls @lucyalexandertv @louiseathenapr & @hungrywomancooks in the Cotswolds with lunch at @jamesmartinchef new restaurant at the @lygoncotswolds.

Black creatives’ struggle in the media world can often feel quite stark. “Swarm,” the new Amazon prime series from the collective minds of Janine Nabers and Donald Glover, is in its first week of release at the time of writing.

Jennifer Lawrence is a highly acclaimed actress best known for her performances in The Hunger Games, American Hustle and X-Men. She scooped her first Oscar win in 2013 for her starring role in Silver Linings Playbook and has since gone on to achieve unprecedented stardom.Away from the spotlight, the award-winning actress lives a life of domestic bliss with her husband Cooke Maroney.The besotted couple were first linked in 2018 after being introduced by a mutual friend.

Christina Ricci portrayed teacher Marilyn Thornhill in season one of Wednesday on Netflix.