Len Amato Exits as President of HBO Films, Miniseries and Cinemax

Wilco will play six shows this April to celebrate 20 years since the release of their acclaimed fourth album ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’.The shows, announced earlier this week (February 8), will see the band playing the album in its entirety every night. The shows have been sub-titled ‘We Are Touring To Break Your Heart’ – a reference to the album’s opening song, ‘I Am Trying To Break Your Heart’.Four shows will take place at the United Palace in New York City, while a further two shows will take place in the band’s native Chicago at the Auditorium Theater.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentNordic streamer Viaplay is partnering with filmmaker Mikael Håfström to produce the ambitious period film “Stockholm Bloodbath.” The female-led epic adventure movie will mark the service’s second English-language film original, following Oscar-nominated helmer Lasse Hallström’s biopic “Hilma,” which will premiere later this year.Set in 1520, “Stockholm Bloodbath” explores a dark chapter in Sweden’s history, which saw the infamous massacre of nearly 100 nobles and civilians in the Swedish capital. The story is told through the eyes of Anne and her foster sister Freja as they seek revenge on the men who murdered their family at Anne’s wedding.

Bae Suzy is set to make to return to music later this month with a brand-new single.Today (February 10), the South Korean singer-actress took to her personal Instagram to share a new teaser image for her long-awaited musical comeback ‘Satellite’, featuring the singer’s side profile illuminated by a blue-tinged spotlight.Her agency Management Soop also announced that the former Miss A member is set to drop the song next week on February 17 at 6pm KST.

NCT member Lucas Wong has updated Instagram for the first time in months, since he was embroiled in a cheating controversy last year.On February 9, the scandal-plagued NCT member posted a black-and-white shot of what seemed to be a sunset, notably without an accompanying caption. It’s his first post since August 2021, when he uploaded a hand-written apology before going on hiatus.A post shared by LUCAS (@lucas_xx444)At the time, Wong was embroiled in controversy after a South Korean netizen claiming to be his ex-girlfriend accused him of gaslighting her.

Ryan Reynolds and Mark Ruffalo are attending a special screening of their new Netflix movie!

Dua Lipa has kicked off her Future Nostalgia Tour!

A cosmetics executive was caught drink-driving home from a work colleague's leaving party.

An Oldham GP practice has lost its contract to treat patients after years of spiralling problems including a fraudster manager who swiped £580,000 to feed her gambling habit.

A report detailing a drastic increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes in Greater Manchester has 'shocked but sadly not surprised' the Jewish community.

Everyone in Manchester has an Afflecks story.

Former Celtic keeper Packie Bonner believes Aberdeen have every right to feel aggrieved over the award of Jota's winner during the 3-2 thriller at Pittodrie.

Wishaw boss David Dunn has urged the community to back them as they try to climb the West of Scotland League Conference C table.

Happy Ange Postecoglou praised his Celtic side for making it 20 games unbeaten in the Premiership and insisted there is still plenty more success to come from his table-toppers.

Ross ‘The Boss’ Montgomery insists chats with world number one Gerwyn Price will help him in his quest to improve after an impressive PDC bow.

Shotts boss John McKeown says his side are in a good position as they head into the final straight in the West of Scotland Conference A title race.

Staff at an Ayrshire nursery have been praised for their “consistently warm” and “nurturing” approach to the children under their care.

Anna Marie de la Fuente It’s a new dawn for Chile’s audiovisual industry. When Gabriel Boric, Chile’s youngest (at 35) and most left-leaning president since Salvador Allende, was elected in December, his pledge to more than double the state’s contribution to the arts was greeted with great fanfare.After all, Chile’s prodigious film output this past decade has been remarkable despite the scant public support it has received.“If everything we have achieved in the last 10 years was done with so little money, imagine what we can achieve with an increase in audiovisual funding!” says Constanza Arena, executive director of Chile’s film promotion org, CinemaChile.In recent years, Chile has triumphed at the Oscars, starting when Pablo Larraín’s “No” was nominated for international feature in 2012, and culminating in an Oscar win for Sebastian Lelio’s “A Fantastic Woman” in 2017.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Key Chilean projects being moved at this year’s European Film Market:AlisDirectors: Clare Weiskopf and Nicolás van HemelryckCasatarántula produced this Chile-Colombia-Romania doc along with Pantalla Cines and Defilm. Produced by Alexandra Galvis and Radu Stancu, it world premieres at Berlinale’s Generation 14plus sidebar.

Emiliano De Pablos Barcelona-based Filmax has picked up international sales rights to psychological thriller “Girl Unknown” (“La desconocida”), the sophomore film by Spanish director Pablo Maqueda (“Dear Werner”).The film is based on the hit play “Grooming,” penned by Paco Bezerra, which has been adapted in more than 10 countries. Filmax is launching the film with a first promo at the European Film Market.Produced by Spain’s Elamedia Estudio, La Fragua Producciones and Fórmula Cine, “Girl Unknown” shot on locations in Madrid and Albacete, and is currently in post.Maqueda, Bezerra and writer-producer Haizea G.

Christopher Vourlias Two-time Berlinale prize winner Małgorzata Szumowska (“Body,” “Mug”) will write and direct “The Gambler Wife,” a revelatory portrait of novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s wife Anna Snitkina, to be produced by Russia’s Hype Film, Variety can reveal.Adapted from Andrew D. Kaufman’s book “The Gambler Wife: A True Story of Love, Risk, and the Woman Who Saved Dostoyevsky,” the film tells the story of the courageous woman who saved the life of the Russian literary icon and, as the first Russian woman to found her own publishing house, became a pioneer in the country’s literary history.Ilya Stewart of Hype Film (“Petrov’s Flu,” “Persian Lessons”) will produce in collaboration with Polish production company Nowhere.

Kelly Osborne has been very active on social media since returning last month after taking an extended break from it, and fans have been delighted – until now.MORE: Kelly Osbourne reveals utter devastation following tragic lossOn Wednesday night, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's daughter posted a very controversial picture onto her Stories, showing a pizza covered with peas.WATCH: Kelly Osbourne's emotional update on her sobriety journey"If you don't put peas on your pizza... you ain't living!" she wrote alongside a picture of a Margherita pizza completely covered in them.READ: Sharon Osbourne announces huge TV news amid Whoopi Goldberg suspensionRELATED: Sharon Osbourne breaks silence as Whoopi Goldberg is suspended from The ViewMinutes later, the 37-year-old began resharing her friends' opinions on the matter, and it's clear they were all very taken aback by her suggestion.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorGlobal Screen has secured a presale of the female-led drama “Lost Transport” to Menemsha Films for the U.S. and Canada ahead of the European Film Market in Berlin.Inspired by true events, the film tells the story of the final days of World War II when German soldiers abandon a deportation train, leaving the fate of its occupants in the hands of advancing Russian troops.

Tom Hanks, Gerard Butler, Evan Rachel Wood and Rosamund Pike headline projects being brought onto Berlin’s virtual European Film Market.Just how large its top-tier offers may be is, and the volume of deals, are still open for debate.“Very compact,” Constantin’s Martin Moszkowicz said mid-last week of the EFM, which swelled somewhat thanks to a flurry of title announcements on Feb. 4, followed by a steady trickle of big unveils.“The EFM does not look like it will have the comparable volume of the AFM,” Mister Smith’s David Garrett said.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFrançois Ozon, the prolific and provocative French director who won the Berlinale’s 2018 Golden Bear Award with “By the Grace of God,” is returning to the festival with “Peter von Kant” which will world premiere on opening night. A twist on Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s cult film “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant,” Ozon’s movie has Denis Menochet playing the tormented filmmaker, opposite Isabelle Adjani, who stars as his muse. Like the original film, “Peter von Kant” is about a film about love, jealousy and domination.

J. Kim Murphy Hollywood Teamsters Local 399 have voted in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract with the industry’s major employers.

The January transfer window signings at Bolton Wanderers have made a big difference at the club and standards have been lifted, defender Will Aimson believes.

Spotify-exclusive podcast The Joe Rogan Experience this week, both on-stage and during an episode of the podcast itself.Rogan’s podcast recently prompted protest from the likes of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash and Nils Lofgren, with the musicians pulling their catalogues from the streaming platform.Young sparked the exodus late last month, when he requested his music be taken off Spotify, citing the platform “spreading false information about vaccines” and specifically targeting Rogan.It came after hundreds of scientists and medical professionals asked Spotify to address COVID misinformation on its platform, sparked by comments made on Rogan’s podcast – calling the host’s actions “not only objectionable and offensive but also medically and culturally dangerous”.In response, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said that, while the platform wouldn’t be severing ties with the controversial figure, they would be adding content advisories to podcast episodes which discussed COVID-19, directing users to their dedicated information hub.Rogan himself addressed the boycott on Instagram, telling fans: “I don’t always get it right. I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people perspectives so we can maybe find a better point of view.”Shortly after, Rogan found himself embroiled in controversy again when songwriter India.Arie shared a video that compiled instances the podcast host had used the N-word on his podcast.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterWME partner Phillip Sun and Macro founder and CEO Charles D. King are launching M88, a full-service representation firm that aims to amplify “the voices of artists and creators from the global new majority.”Sun will depart the agency to lead the new joint venture as president and managing partner, and King’s recently launched Macro Management will merge its operations with the company.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterShowtime has officially released a trailer for upcoming two-night limited series “The Comey Rule,” featuring Jeff Daniels as former FBI director James Comey and Brendan Gleeson as President Trump. The miniseries, written and directed by Billy Ray and adapted from Comey’s book “A Higher Loyalty,” premieres on Sunday, Sept.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterFollowing a series of emotional introductions, former Vice President Joe Biden took the stage Thursday night to accept the Democratic nomination for president, striking a hopeful tone even as he zeroed in on President Trump ahead of November’s election, asserting that America’s current leader has “failed in his most basic duty to the nation.”Promising to be “an ally of the light, not the darkness,” Biden vowed that the first thing he would do, once in office, is to “get control of the virus that ruined so many lives.”“The president keeps telling us the virus is going to disappear,” he said. “He keeps waiting for a miracle.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterSupermodel-turned-businesswoman Tyra Banks has signed a first-look deal with Disney Television Studios’ ABC Signature to focus her efforts on producing scripted programming with ABC Signature and unscripted content with ABC Entertainment.“Ever since I was a little girl growing up in Inglewood, California, I’ve been enamored by the magic of Disney. Joining the family at ABC feels like a homecoming of sorts,” says Banks.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterWME partner and literary agent Melissa Myers has been tapped to lead a new joint venture between Kinetic Content founder and CEO Chris Coelen and ProZiebenSat. 1’s Red Arrow Studios.As president and partner of the new company, Myers will oversee the venture’s focus on premium English-language scripted television series targeted at both an American and global audience.“I am excited to be joining the Kinetic and Red Arrow Studios family where I look forward to capitalizing on my expertise by leading their push into scripted entertainment,” said Myers.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterKiko Washington, Warner Bros. Entertainment’s executive vice president of worldwide human resources, is retiring at the end of 2020 after 35 years with the company.“I am so lucky to have spent the last 35 years with HBO and Warner Bros., two very successful companies with incredibly special cultures,” said Washington.

Also Read: Layoffs Begin at WarnerMedia After Major ReorganizationAn individual familiar with the Amato’s decision told TheWrap his departure is not related the recent layoffs at WarnerMedia. Earlier this year, WarnerMedia executives said that Cinemax would wind down its original programming and focus on acquired films.“Len’s dedication and passion for the craft have attracted some of the biggest names in creative talent,” said HBO programming president Casey Bloys.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterCBS Television Studios has signed an exclusive agreement with law enforcement and public safety advisory group 21CP Solutions to consult with the writing staffs of CBS crime procedurals and legal dramas, Variety has learned exclusively.The move comes in the wake of national protests against police brutality, and in Hollywood, discussions about entertainment’s role in how law enforcement is perceived by the public.