Paramount Plus, Showtime Top 56 Million Subscribers Combined at End of 2021

EXCLUSIVE: Agent Josh Rahm is set to join Verve sources tell Deadline. The former ICM Partners agent will join Verve’s Talent Department which has nearly quadrupled in size in recent months following the news former WME agent Sean Grumman would head up the department. Rahm joins former ICM Partners colleague, talent agent JR Ringer as well, both bringing a roster of up and coming clientele, including Charlotte Hope, Keean Johnson, Evin Ahmad, Ruairi O’Connor, Tadanobu Asano Ludi Lin and Jorge Lendeborg Jr with more announcements to come.

In what has seemed likely for quite some time sources tell Deadline Paramount and Skydance’s Top Gun: Maverick is expected to screen at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Speculation has gone on for several weeks with many believing that even with Tom Cruise’s busy schedule, things could be worked out and the film would likely land at the festival. Sources add the world premiere is still expected to happen in San Diego and that this would come after.

The UK’s Film & TV Charity (TFTVC) has created a mental health toolkit to help UK producers improve their working environment and is targeting 100 productions to be using it by the end of the year.

Martine McCutcheon looks slimmer than ever in new pictures. Martine flaunted her new look after her dramatic weight loss transformation. Martine showed off her impressive weight loss in skintight leather leggings.

BBC MasterChef stars Gregg Wallace and John Torode have announced a major change to the show. The pair of judges have shared the show is making a major change to its tried and tested formula. The duo are set to relocate to Birmingham for the 2024 series.

Shawn Mendes, 23, and Camila Cabello, 25, were making sweet music together for more than two years before announcing their split on November 17, 2021. While making hit songs like “Senorita” together, their love story became the focus of attention for fans. In a new interview with Billboard, Shawn spoke about how the intense attention on his private life affected him and his music.

Happy birthday to Simone Biles! The Olympic star gymnast celebrated her 25th trip around the sun with fiancé Jonathan Owens recently in Turks & Caicos, sporting an adorable Burberry Alagnon check one piece swimsuit, worth $480. “Want to wish my beautiful fiancée a happy birthday!!!” Jonathan posted in a March 14 Instagram, sharing a gorgeous carousel of photos of their trip.

Jennifer Lopez left her fans drooling over a series of sizzling Instagram snapshots once again. The 52-year-old took to social media on March 14 and shared a smoldering photo as the Hustlers actress posed in a series of scantily clad images. As you can see in the photos here, J.Lo looked sexy as ever in a black lace bra and matching garter belt

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Entertainment Latin-Iberia has struck a new partnership with WK Records, the record label founded by WK Entertainment CEO-founder Walter Kolm.WKR artists include reggaeton star Alex Rose, Grammy-nominated/ Latin Grammy-winning producer-artist Foreign Teck, singer-songwriter Emilia, Argentine trap artist Seven Kayne, and Colombian artist Cheo Gallego, with more signings to be announced in the coming weeks.WKR is led by CEO and WKE head of music Horacio Rodriguez (who joined last year after 15 years at Universal Music Latin), with a pop and urban division led by WKR GM/co-founder Oscar Guitián, and a regional Mexican division led by producer-composer-executive Alberto De León, who previously held roles at Universal, Capitol Latin, Machete Music and  Fonovisa/Disa. “We have an incredible relationship with the entire WK family,” said Sony Latin-Iberia chairman-CEO Afo Verde.

Angelique Jackson Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” has been cleared for takeoff with a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival.As Variety predicted earlier this month, the “Top Gun” sequel will screen during the French fest, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.Described by Variety’s Elsa Keslassy as the “planetary blockbuster Thierry Fremaux has been dreaming of since 2020,” the Cannes director first aimed to get the movie secured for an out-of-competition slot before COVID-19 delays upended the film release calendar.Cruise’s long-awaited return to the cockpit had been further delayed by the pandemic, which pushed the movie’s planned release date several times. The film is now set to hit theaters on May 27, while the Cannes Film Festival runs from May 17 to May 28.

Chris Willman Music WriterGlass Animals’ “Heat Waves” took more than a year to get to the top of the Billboard Hot 10, and now that it’s there, the song doesn’t have any plans to vacate quickly. After a rise to the top that took a record 59 weeks, “Heat Waves” is on top of that chart for a second straight week.This week it also takes the No.

Chris Willman Music WriterIt’s one thing to grapple with having been a one-hit wonder, and another when that singular smash may have given the world a wrong impression of what you were all about … or just represented a moment in which selling out was quickly succeeded by flaming out. These are some of the matters troubling former Chumbawamba frontman Dunstan Bruce’s mind in “I Get Knocked Down,” wherein the singer takes part as narrator, co-director, primary subject and putative conscience of a swept-aside alt-rock generation.

A rainbow pathway in Newtown may be just around the corner, after a motion to begin plans for a new pathway in time for next year’s Sydney WorldPride event was carried unanimously by Inner West Council last week.The motion, which was moved by Independent Pauline Lockie and seconded by the Greens Liz Atkins, noted that installing a rainbow crossing in Newtown would be “a visible sign of pride and support for our LGBTQ community”.“Symbols representing our community make it clear that queer people are welcome in our community and, are in fact, to be celebrated,” Cr Atkins told Star Observer when asked about the significance of installing the new rainbow pathway.Cr Pauline LockThis follows a previously resolved motion by council in December 2019, where prospects for a rainbow crossing at the intersection of King Street and Enmore Road in Newtown were being investigated.Although the motion was then approved by councillors, an installation required the approval of Transport for NSW, who “advised Council that it would not support a rainbow crossing in this location and is also unlikely to approve other locations for on-road rainbow crossings”.“That’s quite a complicated intersection anyway, there are multiple sets of lights; multiple crossing points; emergency access points; a train station there”, Cr Lockie told City Hub.Alternative options suggested in the motion included lighting one of the pathways in Camperdown Memorial Rest Park with rainbow lights, painting one of the existing pathways in the park in rainbow colours, and painting a rainbow pathway outside Newtown Town Hall.Two amendments were moved by Cr Mat Howard, who called on council to “submit a request to the Geographical Names Board to rename the public square

Jane Campion has issued an apology for a remark she made toward tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams at the Critics' Choice Awards on Sunday that landed her in hot water while accepting her award for best director. "I made a thoughtless comment equating what I do in the film world with all that Serena Williams and Venus Williams have achieved.

David Byrne says he believes that Spotify is “making artists uncomfortable” around the scandal relating to COVID misinformation shared on Joe Rogan’s podcast.Earlier this year, Rogan and Spotify were heavily criticised for sharing misinformation about the coronavirus vaccine on the exclusive podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, which led to artists including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removing their music from the service.Byrne, who in 2013 publicly criticised the “pittance” artists are paid in terms of royalties from streaming services like Spotify, and claimed he had pulled as much of his catalogue as possible from the service, was asked his thoughts on the ongoing scandal in a new interview with the Guardian.“There’s been all these things about platforms having … let’s say questionable or controversial content [and] putting out misinformation or outright lies or … not exactly hate speech, but things that are making a lot of artists uncomfortable,” he said.“And it’s pretty tough to do anything to help ameliorate that unless you’re a Drake or Taylor Swift, or those kinds of artists. It’s pretty hard for the rest of us to have influence.”Byrne added: “A handful of mega, mega artists are doing really well, and many of the others – especially emerging artists – are having a tough time with it.

Apple TV+ drama about the rise and spectacular fall of WeWork, the revolutionary shared-workspace startup that flamed out in historic Wall Street fashion to the tune of billions.The series, based on on the Wondery podcast “WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork,” stars Jared Leto as Israel-born “serial entrepreneur” Adam Neumann. After a brief flash-forward scene to September 2019 — when the s–t hit the fan — it’s back to 2007.

running from early March into April.The main attraction at the event, dubbed Kerouac @ 100, is certainly the original 120 foot “On The Road” scroll, the original manuscript Kerouac typed out while living on West 20th Street in Chelsea.“Jack changed his writing style for this new novel, which becomes ‘On the Road,’” explained Kerouac’s nephew, Jim Sampas, a music producer and the literary executor of Jack Kerouac’s estate. “He doesn’t want to stop to change sheets of paper in the typewriter and uses this teletype paper so he can write in a continuous flow.”On loan from Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s personal collection, the scroll is part of “Visions Of Kerouac,” an exhibit of artifacts co-curated with the UMass Lowell Kerouac Center (on display Mar.

Bob Saget’s family was granted a permanent order that will block the release of certain records related to his death. In February, the late comedian's family filed a lawsuit against Orange County Sheriff John Mina and the medical examiner’s office blocking a number of photo and video elements from ever seeing the light of day, arguing to the court that allowing such materials to be released would cause the family to "suffer irreparable harm in the form of extreme mental pain, anguish, and emotional distress." The filed motion had been blocked on a temporary basis but now is made official permanently. "The entire Saget family is grateful that the judge granted their request for an injunction to preserve Bob's dignity, as well as their privacy rights, especially after suffering this unexpected and tragic loss.

Clive Myrie has spoken about how the Russia-Ukraine war is "on a different scale" to anything he's seen before in his 30 years of reporting. The conflict in the Eastern European country has prompted an outpouring of support and donations from celebrities and even royalty, with Kate Middleton making a rare political statement in support of Ukraine.

Coronation Street fans think they have already figured out Lydia Chambers' downfall as she is set to brutally attack ex Adam Barlow in upcoming scenes.The ITV soap released explosive spoiler photos over the weekend showing the moment Adam is left for dead after a deadly showdown with ex Lydia. Only recently, Lydia, who has been making Adam's life hell and scheming for weeks to get revenge, pretended that she was having an affair with the solicitor to his wife Sarah.

Maisie Smith has reportedly landed a lucrative new television gig after quitting her longtime role on EastEnders last year. While the 20 year old isn't quite done with her soap days, as a first look for her return cameo has been released, it appears she has been exploring other on-screen opportunities. And according to The Sun Online, the actress will soon be starring alongside presenters Alison Hammond and Vernon Kay on the reboot of the show Friends Like These.The gameshow was initially hosted by best friends Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly for two years on BBC before Ian Wright took over until 2003.

cute pajamas and loungewear to nightly beauty products and sleep-focused aromatherapy — we know better sleep is just around the corner. Better sleep has never felt more possible than with these incredible products, and It's time to treat yourself.To help you gear up for your best year of sleep yet, ET has pulled together the products to make the most of your shut-eye.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterIna Garten’s new Discovery Plus series, “Be My Guest With Ina Garten,” has been renewed for two additional seasons ahead of its launch on March 26.The show will launch with full episodes on Discovery Plus, to be followed by a “food-centric half-hour” airing on Food Network at 12 p.m. ET, along with the debut of a companion podcast.Season 1 consists of four episodes, rolled out weekly in the same manner as the premiere.“Be My Guest With Ina Garten” features Barefoot Contessa inviting friends old and new to her East Hampton home for a day of conversation, connection, food and fun visits to some of her favorite local spots.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterBon appetit! A cooking competition inspired by culinary legend Julia Child and featuring her “superfans” as contestants has been ordered at Food Network and Discovery Plus, Variety has learned exclusively.Based on the legacy of Child, who motivated generations of home cooks with her talent, enthusiasm and humor, “The Julia Child Challenge” will see eight top-notch home cooks compete in high-stakes culinary challenges to find out who has the fire, skill and passion to win the first-ever primetime competition series dedicated to all things Julia, per the show’s official description. The competitors, all Julia Child superfans, share personal stories about their hero, cook in a kitchen recreated in the likeness of where Julia herself cooked, using the same ingredients Julia used and are even guided by Julia herself through a larger-than-life television screen right in the middle of all the action.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterParamount Global (formerly known as ViacomCBS) expects to direct-to-consumer content spending to increase to more than $6 billion in 2024, the company revealed Tuesday during its Q4 earnings and streaming investor day presentation.This is a jump from its previous guidance, which was that Paramount expected streaming content spend to exceed $5 billion 2024, including $4 billion of expenses associated with its DTC services. In 2021, Paramount spend $2.2 billion on direct-to-consumer content.Additionally, Paramount CFO Naveen Chopra said that the company formerly known as ViacomCBS is increasing its DTC revenue goal to over $9 billion for 2024.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Yellowstone” prequel “1883” has been renewed for Season 2 at Paramount Plus, and the ViacomCBS-owned streaming service has ordered another Taylor Sheridan-created origin-story show following the Dutton Family called “1932.” Yes, you guessed it — the show will follow a new generation of Duttons “during the time of western expansion, Prohibition and the Great Depression.”“1883″ stars Sam Elliott, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Billy Bob Thornton, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Marc Rissmann, Audie Rick, Eric Nelsen and James Landry Hébert.The show follows the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. It is a stark retelling of western expansion and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land — Montana.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterParamount Plus will begin integrating Showtime content this summer, launching an in-app upgrade that includes access to the pay TV channel’s programming, ViacomCBS announced during its Tuesday investor event.“So let’s talk about how we’re helping subscribers access even more of our amazing streaming services, right there in the Paramount Plus app,” Tom Ryan, president and chief executive officer of streaming at ViacomCBS, said during the virtual presentation, which covered the company’s fourth-quarter 2021 results and forward-looking goals for this year. “Our existing bundle, of Paramount Plus and Showtime, has performed very well out of the gate.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer“Euphoria” hit another series high on Sunday, drawing 5.1 million viewers across multiple platforms, a 20% increase from last week and up 45% from the season average. That number was reached despite the HBO drama airing opposite Super Bowl LVI on NBC.As Variety previously exclusively reported, “Euphoria’s” Season 2 per-episode-viewership average is up nearly 100% from its first season.“Euphoria” Season 2 takes place amidst the intertwining lives in the town of East Highland, where 17-year-old Rue (Zendaya) must find hope while balancing the pressures of love, loss, and addiction.The series stars Zendaya, Hunter Schafer, Nika King, Eric Dane, Angus Cloud, Jacob Elordi, Algee Smith, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Barbie Ferreira, Maude Apatow, Javon Walton, Dominic Fike, Storm Reid and Austin Abrams.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery Plus has ordered “Serving the Hamptons,” a spinoff of “Selling the Hamptons” following the “young, sexy restaurant staff” at a hot Hamptons restaurant and all of the drama they dish up on and off the clock, Variety has learned exclusively.Premiering on Thursday, April 7, the five hour-long episodes take viewers into one of the most exclusive enclaves in the world while showcasing the juicy lives of the staff at Southampton’s “it” destination for dining. The show brings viewers inside 75 Main Restaurant as its staffers hook up, argue and work together to make sure the clients come back for more, per the show’s official logline.To attract the best employees to serve his elite clientele of celebrities, politicians and the uber rich, 75 Main owner Zach Erdem provides his staff with a gorgeous beach house — provided they follow his rules and take care of his customers.