Byron Allen on Continuing to Make ‘Strategic Acquisitions’ in Television: ‘I Haven’t Yet Done What I Set Out to Do’

EXCLUSIVE: Tubi has landed U.S. and Canadian rights to South African limited series Devil’s Peak about a Detective tracking down a vigilante killer in Cape Town.

Dame Maureen Lipman, star of films including The Pianist and Educating Rita, has hit out at BAFTA over its decision to offer award-winners gender-neutral prizes.

The Jennifer Hudson Show has been renewed for a third season by the Fox Television Stations and Hearst Television.

EXCLUSIVE: Utopia’s arthouse distribution label Circle Collective has acquired U.S. rights to the dark comedy With Love and a Major Organ, which debuted in the experimental Visions program last year at SXSW. 

Annie Nightingale, the first female presenter of a BBC Radio 1 show and co-host of The Old Grey Whistle Test, has died after a short illness. She was 83.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Tel Aviv-based sales company Cinephil has acquired world rights for feature documentary “Agent of Happiness,” which delves into the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, ahead of its upcoming Sundance Film Festival debut in the World Cinema Documentary competition. Co-directed by Arun Bhattarai, who is Bhutanese, in tandem with Hungary’s Dorottya Zurbó, “Agent of Happiness” revolves around a 40-year-old man named Amber, who is one of the agents employed by the Bhutanese government to measure its so-called Gross National Happiness level.

Michelle Keegan has opened up on the heartbreaking toll her fame has had on her mum Jackie Anne Thornton as she admits she will no longer be spotted leaving public spaces such as restaurants with her.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit designed to help people over the age of 16 and under State Pension age with the extra daily costs of living for more than 540 health conditions or disabilities, which may be physical, sensory, mental, intellectual or cognitive, or any combination of these.

Emmerdale star Roxy Shahidi has hinted at her exit from the long-running soap after posting a video about "missing this place" ahead of her Dancing on Ice debut this weekend.

Dame Barbara Windsor's death came as a heartbreak to many across the country when the former TV royalty star passed away three years ago.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could make an enormous profit if they decide to sell their Montecito mansion in California which has reportedly risen by over £10m in value since they bought it.

Holly Willoughby has broken her silence for the first time since her shock decision to step down from her role at ITV presenting This Morning after 14 years.

Cereal brand Kellogg's is to open a "Corn-er Shop" pop-up in Manchester - and punters can book in to get free bowls of cereal. They will take over the Black Milk cereal café in the Northern Quarter for the free event later this month.

Sir Keir Starmer has said that only a 'handful' of cases linked to the Horizon scandal may have been handled by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) during his time in charge of the organisation. The Labour leader, who was the Director of Public Prosecutions at the CPS between 2008 and 2013, has said he was not aware of Horizon cases brought against subpostmasters.

Naman Ramachandran Variety has secured access to an exclusive clip from Indian film “Naangal” (“This Is Us”), which has its international premiere in International Film Festival Rotterdam‘s Bright Future strand. The film is directed by Avinash Prakash, a veteran of commercials and music videos who also directed Prime Video stand-up comedy special “Aravind SA: Madrasi Da” (2017). “Naangal” is his fiction feature debut.

Ellise Shafer Usher has unveiled a trailer for this year’s Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show, teasing a performance that has been “30 years in the making.” The minute-long clip weaves together footage of fans jamming out to the singer’s hit tune “Yeah!,” with everything from a gospel choir to a creaky oven replicating the song’s infectious melody. The trailer also features a few famous faces showing their love for the track, including LeBron James, J Balvin and Jung Kook. Usher was revealed to be this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performer in September.

Alex Ritman After just one weekend of international release, “Priscilla” — Sofia Coppola‘s biopic starring Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley and Cailee Spaeny as The King’s (then) teenage bride “Priscilla” — has already hit several major milestones for arthouse streamer and distributor Mubi. Produced by Fremantle’s The Apartment, the film currently sits on a box office in excess of $20 million in the U.S., where A24 released the film on Oct.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Winner of a Spanish Academy supporting actress Goya Award for “Marshland” and nominated for a 2023 best doc short Spanish Academy Goya Award for “Memory,” which she also directed, Nerea Barros, star of “The Gypsy Bride” is preparing “The Coast” (“La Costa”) which will mark her directorial feature debut. Also written by Barros, “The Coast” will make its market debut in March at the 2024 Malaga Festival Fund & Co-Production Event (MAFF). Its news comes little more than a month after the end of the run on Nov.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Tom Cruise may be headed back to the danger zone. Paramount has tapped “Top Gun: Maverick” co-writer Ehren Kruger to work on a script for a sequel to the action blockbuster, according to Puck. The studio is also reportedly hoping that “Top Gun: Maverick”director Joe Kosinski will get back into the cockpit for another installment in the series, which would potentially see Cruise’s younger co-stars Miles Tiller and Glen Powell return for more high-altitude excitement.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Heartbreak feels good in a place like the Sotheby’s “Visions of America” auction. The grey, pin-striped Michael Kors suit that Nicole Kidman wears in her iconic AMC pre-film advertisement is now being auctioned off for $5,000 to $10,000 as part of Sotheby’s new “Visions of America” series.

Liam Gallagher has reflected on Oasis’ split, claiming that his brother Noel “threw me under the fucking bus” at the time.The comments arose as part of a new joint interview between Britpop legends Liam Gallagher and John Squire – who recently joined forces for a new collaborative project, which they launched last week with the single ‘Just Another Rainbow’.In the discussion with The Guardian, Gallagher took a moment to reflect on the Manchester group’s 2009 break-up, and accuse his former bandmate Noel – along with Oasis’ manager Marcus Russell, as blaming him for the decision.According to the singer-songwriter, Noel had always intended to go solo but decided to blame the disbandment on Liam’s drinking rather than admit he wanted to leave the line-up.“If you want to do your little thing because you’re not getting enough attention, feel free, mate,” he said, referring to how Noel would often play solo acoustic shows between Oasis’ touring commitments. “I’ll go to Barbados and sit on a beach for six months, but don’t be pulling the plug on the band.

Kylie Minogue’s viral hit ‘Padam Padam’ was nearly given to Rita Ora, the producer has revealed.The update on the track – which became one of the most popular anthems of summer last year – was shared by producer Lostboy as part of a new interview.Lostboy, who worked with Norwegian songwriter Ina Wroldsen on the song, shared that there were initially doubts whether it would be the right fit for the Australian pop star, and was nearly passed to Rita Ora instead.“We wrote Padam in February 2022 and there were maybe four or five months of us sitting on it, then I sent it to their label, and someone suggested to me, ‘Kylie would kill this’,” he told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column (via Music News).“They were unsure and there was a moment when Rita was going to cut it and it was worming around a few artists on that label,” he added. “They were trying to make it work but they didn’t think it was for Kylie.”The producer has written and produced multiple hit pop songs over his career, including creating songs for the likes of Dua Lipa, Lewis Capaldi, Anne-Marie, Ellie Goulding and Bebe Rexha.

Ubisoft has released a free demo of Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown ahead of its launch next week.Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown is the first new installment in the long-running Prince Of Persia franchise since 2010’s The Forgotten Sands and is due for release on January 15 for PlayStation 5, PC and Xbox Series X/S.Ahead of The Lost Crown’s release, Ubisoft has shared a free demo that’s available now direct from the studio as well as the Epic Games Store.“Dash into a stylish and thrilling action-adventure platformer set in a mythological Persian world where the boundaries of time and space are yours to manipulate. Play as Sargon and evolve from sword-wielding prodigy to extraordinary legend as you master acrobatic combat and unlock new time powers and unique super abilities,” reads the game’s description with the demo offering “carefully selected sections from the game” alongside “early unlocks of time powers and amulets”.This allows the demo to “show the main gameplay features while not spoiling the story”.Ubisoft has also confirmed that progression in the demo will not carry over to the finished game.Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s free demo is available now on all platforms! While you download it, come watch us show off never-before-seen gameplay right now on https://t.co/qsHW1TnJRV!— Prince of Persia™ (@princeofpersia) January 11, 2024Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown was surprise-confirmed in May 2023 during the Summer Game Showcase.

Kristen Stewart has said that she “hated” making Charlie’s Angels, the Elizabeth Banks-directed reboot that flopped at the box office in 2019.Stewart starred alongside Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska in the film, and although her personal performance was praised, reviews for the movie in general were mixed.In a new cover interview for Variety, the actress was challenged to a round of ‘Know Their Lines’, before being read a piece of dialogue from the film’s opening scene: “Did you know that it takes men an additional seven seconds to perceive a woman as a threat compared to a man?”“This was a mouthful at the time,” Stewart said, instantly recognising the dialogue. “I remember saying that.

Golden Globes host Jo Koy has insisted he wasn’t making fun of Taylor Swift during his poorly received opening monologue.In the speech, Koy made light of Swift’s highly publicised displays of support for her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce, noting that the pop singer is often pictured at his games.“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift… there’s just more to go to here.”The joke seemingly didn’t go down well with Swift, as she awkwardly pursed her lips and took a sip of her drink. Her icy reaction later went viral on social media, with Koy coming under heavy criticism.“I didn’t understand the Taylor tiff,” the comedian told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday (January 11). “Mind you, that [joke] was just getting rewritten 50 million times, never ran it through, all the way up until we had to walk out.

BBC TV and radio globally,” the message read.“Never underestimate the role model she became. Breaking down doors by refusing to bow down to sexual prejudice and male fear gave encouragement to generations of young women who, like Annie, only wanted to tell you about an amazing tune they had just heard.”Very sad news.

Mean Girls movie has been described as a “lively musical update” by critics, although reviews have generally been mixed.Directed by Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne, and written by Tina Fey, the revamped musical version of Mean Girls was released in UK cinemas today (January 12).The new film is an adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical, which itself is based on the original 2004 movie, also written by Fey.

The Japanese House has been announced as the support act for The 1975‘s upcoming UK headline tour.Matty Healy and co. are due to embark on their ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ tour next month.

Skincare buffs are going wild over a budget-friendly anti-ageing night cream that works to hydrate the skin, while plumping out the skin, reducing fine lines and give a more youthful 'glow'. The £14 Neutrogena anti-wrinkle cream has been flooded with five-star ratings, with some shoppers saying they've ditched more premium products in favour of it.

A man has been charged following fires at the iconic Midland Hotel and the Royal Exchange Arcade in Manchester city centre.

Brits are being warned to not sign up for a new mobile phone contact until next week.

Some parts of the UK will get up to 10cm of snow next week as cold arctic air sweeps over the country.

Manchester Airport says it's celebrating its busiest December ever, with record numbers of passengers passing through over the festive period. December also marked the third consecutive month in a row that passenger numbers outstripped pre Covid-pandemic levels, added the airport.

Rochelle Humes has been branded 'unreal' by her fans and followers as she shared a string of throwback snaps from the white sandy beaches she spent a month surrounded by after returning to the UK's cold snap.

Coronation Street star Charlotte Jordan has joked she's a 'mess' as she returned to work following the Christmas and New Year break. The actress was back on the Salford-based set this week after an interesting end to 2023 and the start of 2024 for her on-screen character.

Farewell to Sud and welcome Rigatoni's.... The team behind the popular Italian restaurant Sud, with sites in Manchester, Sale and Altrincham, have now changed things up with their new concept with big, bold branding and a simplified menu.