Russell Brand Says He’s Getting Baptized To ‘Leave The Past Behind’ After Multiple SA Allegations & Investigations… Uhhh??

Don’t lose hope on Bennifer yet — they haven’t completely thrown in the towel!

Barry Keoghan‘s forthcoming film Bird received a seven-minute standing ovation following its premiere at Cannes Film Festival.The Saltburn actor stars in the new drama directed by Andrea Arnold (American Honey, Fish Tank).Also starring Bafta-winning Top Boy actor Jasmine Jobson, Passages star Franz Rogowski, and child actor Nykiya Adams, Bird centres around a 12-year-old named Bailey (Adams) who, after searching for attention and adventure outside of her family, comes across a mysterious stranger named Bird (Rogowski) who asks for her help.The film premiered at Cannes on Thursday (May 16) and received a seven-minute standing ovation from the audience upon its conclusion. The festival is known for its lengthy applauses, with the longest-ever thought to last 22 minutes for Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 fantasy-horror Pan’s Labyrinth.Elsewhere at the festival, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga received a six-minute standing ovation.

Sabrina Carpenter has explained the meaning behind the lyrics to her new song ‘Espresso’.The song arrived last month, and came as the follow-up to her hit 2022 album ‘Emails I Can’t Send’ and recent singles ‘Nonsense’ and ‘Feather’.It also came following the singer dropping a Christmas EP, and hitting the road with Taylor Swift, as she joined the pop icon as the support act for her recent run of ‘Eras’ tour dates across the US and Asia.Now, Carpenter has opened up on the meaning behind the lyrics to the song, and explained that it’s about embracing the times when your confidence is skyrocketing.“Now he’s thinkin’ about me every night / Is it that sweet? I guess so / Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know / That’s that me, espresso / Move it up, down, left, right, oh / Switch it up like Nintendo”, she sings in the chorus, also making more references to the feeling of someone being addicted to you in a relationship.Explaining how she came to write the song in a new interview with Apple Music, the pop star revealed that she began work on the track while she was in France and looking to create a song that would be ideal to play live, but also have a sense of humour to it.“There was something really exciting about the fact that there was so much personality throughout the entire song, because those are the ones that are really, really fun to sing live with a crowd,” she explained.“Those are the ones that people, I think when they don’t know my music or who I am or anything, they can just tune in to a single song and kind of leave with a better idea of my sense of humour.”She also made reference to the empowering lyrics throughout, and explained that she was looking to capture the time when she felt confident in herself.“This was

Billie Eilish has finally released her highly anticipated third album ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’, and the lyrics to the final track ‘Blue’ have caught the attention of fans.Find out how the lyrics of the song relate to every track on the setlist below.The album marked the long-awaited follow-up to the singer’s sophomore album ‘Happier Than Ever’, and the third LP in her discography following on from 2019’s breakthrough debut ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’.Not only does it see Eilish step into new territory with her songwriting, it also comes as a rollercoaster of emotions and appears to see the singer dealing with themes of heartbreak and isolation.It also sees Eilish take on a particularly blue theme, which is seen both through the album artwork and in the powerful and aptly-named closing track ‘Blue’.The song has been reported as being the album version of a previously unreleased Eilish song called ‘True Blue’, which the singer has frequently hinted at during her live shows and was originally meant to appear on her second album (via Capital FM).Now, following its release on ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’, fans have begun looking at the intriguing lyrics in the song, and it seems that Eilish uses the track to make a nod to every other song featured on the album.In the first part of the song, for instance, Eilish includes the phrase ‘Birds of a feather’ – a nod to the title of the fourth track on the album, which is speculated to be about her past relationship with ex Jesse Rutherford.Later in the song, around the two-minute mark, ‘Blue’ changes direction and becomes more solemn, as she sings about someone who was “born bluer than a butterfly”.Before then, though, she seems to make more nods to the other songs in the

Babyshambles drummer and psychotherapist Adam Ficek has shared his new report into music and mental health – telling NME that “musicians keep falling between the cracks of formal structured support systems”.“It’s business, but the product is a human being,” read one quote from a musician in the report. Another: “I was asking myself, ‘OK, am I here because I’m good enough for this? Or am I here because I’m a Black woman and now it’s a trend to have a black woman in a band?'”A third voice from Ficek’s research ultimately concluded that “It might look like I’m just shouting down a microphone.

Cyndi Lauper‘s son is in BIG trouble with his luxury Manhattan apartment building!

EXCLUSIVE: Even though his traditionalist strategy made him an unlikely candidate, we included Sony Motion Pictures Group chairman Tom Rothman in our 2022 Cannes Disruptors magazine. At a time when every other major prioritized the building of streaming services above all else because of the Netflix juggernaut, Rothman was invited to defend his model. The one that sustained studios forever, where turning movies into tangible culturally relevant entities through aggressive marketing would lead to big ancillary sales through Sony’s output deal with Netflix, the place everyone else had cut off. His argument that Wall Street would soon realize that subscriber growth was a false metric and that profit is the telltale indicator would soon come to roost as the shine came off streaming ventures that have costs rivals billions to build.

Michael Leach, who was the first White House chief diversity and inclusion officer, has signed with Buchwald for entertainment and literary representation.

The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” (now streaming), Affleck said that he refused to have their relationship broadcast on social media.“Getting back together, I said, ‘Listen, one of the things I don’t want is a relationship on social media,’” he said in the film. “Then I sort of realized it’s not a fair thing to ask.

Taylor Swift‘s three back-to-back-to-back ‘Eras Tour’ concerts at Friends Arena with special guest Paramore.In fact, the city is so excited about the pop star’s visit they’ve “temporarily declared (themselves) ‘Swiftholm'” according to AOL.And while Swift enthusiasm is at an all-time high, ticket prices to see the Time 2023 Person Of The Year is at an all-time low.Back in 2023, ticket prices typically started over $1,000 when Tay Tay was touring the US. That’s not the case in Stockholm.At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on tickets was $82 before fees on Vivid Seats.When we last reported on prices for the Stockholm shows on Monday, they started at $171 before fees.That’s nearly $90 in savings just for exercising patience.

The Secret: A Treasure Hunt.”Each key can be exchanged with Preiss’s estate for a valuable gemstone. Followers of “The Secret” widely believe that one of the clues featuring an image of a woman in a white gown floating above topaz gems directs readers to a treasure hidden in New York City. Hager and others have noted that the woman’s face strongly resembles that of the Statue of Liberty.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Elon Musk is retiring one of the last vestiges of Twitter — the twitter.com web address — as the social network has fully moved over to the x.com domain name. “All core systems are now on X.com,” the multibillionaire tech mogul posted on the platform late Thursday.

A.D. Amorosi When we last heard from Willow — the mononymous title for Willow Smith, daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith — she was bald, boldly rocking out, and conquering the prog-power-pop game with 2022’s loud “Coping Mechanism” for Roc Nation, her label home since 2010’s pop hit, “Whip My Hair.” Two years can make a big difference.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Mallory Wanecque, the breakout actor of “The Worst Ones” who headlines Cannes competition title “Beating Hearts,” is starring alongside Sami Bouajila (“Through the Fire”) in “Vultures,” a thriller directed by Peter Dourountzis (“Rascal”). Produced by Mediawan-owned 24-25 Films (“Black Box”), “Vultures” is represented internationally by Ginger & Fed, the new international film sales arm of Federation Studios headed by former TF1 Studio boss Sabine Chemaly.

Tatiana Siegel An iconic woman needs an apt setting. So, to mark its 100th anniversary, Columbia Pictures has teamed with the Municipality of Cannes to put the studio’s instantly recognizable Torch Lady and roster of legendary actresses on full display as part of a free photographic exhibit in the historic city’s town square, just off the Croisette and with the Palais and Mediterranean Sea serving as a backdrop.

Jordan Moreau John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds are imagining box office success this weekend. Their new movie “IF,” which stands for and follows “imaginary friends,” has made $1.75 million in previews so far at the box office. The family-friendly Paramount film is on track to dethrone last week’s box office champ, Disney’s “The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” “IF” is projected to make around $40 million in its opening weekend, with some estimates lower at $35 million and others as high as $45 million.

Todd Gilchrist editor Chronicling the eponymous Navy flight squadron across a season of demonstrations, “The Blue Angels” easily ranks near the top of the many Hollywood films to be considered “military propaganda” for their glowing depiction of the activities of U.S. men and women in uniform.

EXCLUSIVE: June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie) is the newest addition to the cast of Weapons, New Line‘s mysterious new horror thriller from director Zach Cregger.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Neon has bought North American rights to “The Unknown” (“L’Inconnue”), the hotly anticipated next movie from “Anatomy of a Fall”’s Oscar-winning co-writer Arthur Harari. As revealed by Variety earlier this week, the movie will star Léa Seydoux (“Dune 2”) and is being represented in international markets. Harari is rolling off of “Anatomy of a Fall” which he co-wrote with director Justine Triet, abd won an Oscar, two Golden Globes, a BAFTA and the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The highly-anticipated trailer to “It Ends With Us” dropped Thursday, giving viewers a first look at the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover‘s bestselling book of the same name. Starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, “It Ends With Us” tells the story of Lily Bloom (played by Lively in the film), and follows her loving yet tumultuous relationship with husband Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).

Neon has picked up North American rights to The Unknown, the next feature from Anatomy of a Fall writer Arthur Harari. 

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor BuzzFeed is changing the way it compensates founder and CEO Jonah Peretti, who will now receive most of his pay package in stock, in addition to introducing new incentives for other top execs — a bid to persuade shareholders that the senior leaders will be better incentivized to turn things around at the struggling digital media company. In an SEC filing Friday, BuzzFeed said Peretti’s annual base salary was immediately reduced from $325,000 to $115,000, “which approximates the median employee compensation for BuzzFeed and its peers.” That will also reduce the annual cash bonus for which Peretti is eligible (the target amount of which remains 100% of his salary).

Jamie Lang Iair Said‘s first fiction feature, “Most People Die on Sundays,” will world premiere in this year’s Acid section at Cannes, although until recently, the filmmaker knew little about the platform. “It was something new to me,” he told Variety in a recent interview when asked about being picked for this year’s lineup. “I’m not very informed about these kinds of industry things; I just make films to express myself.” Although the Acid sidebar is new to Said, this isn’t his first time at Cannes.

Alex Ritman Sam Taylor-Johnson has pushed back against criticism of how “Back to Black,” her Amy Winehouse biopic starring Marisa Abela as the late iconic singer, depicts some of its main characters. The Focus Features film finally lands in the U.S. today, more than a month after it released in the U.K.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Cynthia McFadden, the TV-news veteran whose career has taken her from co-anchoring ABC News‘ “Nightline” to a senior perch on NBC News‘ investigations team, is stepping away from broadcast journalism. “It is hard to leave a job you love but this is the right time — I have a list of things I have often said I wanted to do ‘someday’. Well, someday is now, while I am still raring to go — and playing with a relatively full deck,” McFadden said in a note to colleagues Friday.

Ireland’s screen industry is having a moment. With the Cannes Film Festival well underway, there’s a notable strong Irish presence in this year’s line-up including Element Pictures’ three entrants – Competition title Kinds of Kindness from Yorgos Lanthimos, Rungano Nyoni’s sophomore feature On Becoming A Guinea Fowl and Ariane Labed’s directorial debut September Says (both in Un Certain Regard). There’s also Competition title The Apprentice, which is co-produced with Irish outfit Tailored Films and Lorcan Finnegan’s Nicolas Cage starrer The Surfer premiering in the Midnight Screenings strand. Even Andrea Arnold’s Competition title Bird is rich with Irish talent with star Barry Keoghan and Oscar-nominated cinematographer Robbie Ryan both having worked on the film. 

C-SPAN coverage of Congress turned into a Jerry Springer-like spectacle of name-calling and insults on Thursday, as a verbal jab lobbed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) triggered an extended period of outcry from several Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.

Sutton Foster, just off a run in Sweeney Todd, will star in a musical revival of Once Upon a Mattress on Broadway this summer.

John Krasinski’s imaginary friend feature IF made $1.75M in Thursday night previews that began at 4PM. It’s been awhile since we had a live-action PG-rated feature, so comps are tough. The outlook heading into the weekend is $40M. The highest grossing opening for an original live-action PG film was Hop at $37.5M.

EXCLUSIVE: Since being launched in 2017 by a quartet including Jesse Armstrong, Various Artists Limited (VAL) has made shows ranging from Michaela Coel‘s I May Destroy You to Julia Davis’ Sally 4Ever,but bosses now see the comedy landscape heading in a somewhat different direction.

A group of 86 producers responsible for generating the lion’s share of film and TV in Hollywood have banded together to form Producers United. While acknowledging they have made a good living, the collective aims to address the fact that producers typically spend lengthy periods in development with little to no pay or benefits. This means that only tenured producers — those with enough personal assets to survive long, speculative stretches — can survive within the current system. And, without essential support, up-and-comers struggle to find a foothold. Producers United members want to open the doors for the future generations of producers-in-training, and they feel that inaction will not only hurt the producers, but surely whittle down the influx of creative minds in the business, and thus the quality of future projects.

The Onyx Collective’s Reasonable Doubt will return with its second season on August 22 with two episodes. New episodes stream on Thursdays via Hulu.

It’s been 31 years since Screen Ireland (formerly the Irish Film Board) was re-established by the now President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins. In those years, the government has continued to give strong support to the screen sectors, with the country offering an attractive 32% tax incentive on eligible spend for film and television production. Last year, the country’s government increased its section 481 tax incentive cap on eligible expenditure from €70 million to €125 million in a move to attract larger scale productions.  

EXCLUSIVE: The Africa Channel (TAC) has unveiled an AVOD option for its streaming service, a suite of FAST channels and struck deals with several content suppliers.

UPDATE, with Scheffler statement: Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 golfer, arrived at Louisville’s Valhalla Golf Club following his arrest and detainment this morning, reportedly making his tee walk to chants from onlookers of “Scottie! Scottie! Scottie!” and “Free Scottie!”

Illinoise, the dance-musical hybrid nominated for four Tony Awards (including Best Musical) is the seventh collaboration between Justin Peck, the resident choreographer and artistic advisor of the New York City Ballet, and his old friend and creative partner Sufjan Stevens, the indie singer-songwriter turned Oscar nominee (for his song “Mystery of Love” from 2017’s Call Me By Your Name). But it’s safe to say this quirky gem is something unique. Unlike the duo’s previous projects, which include commissions from major dance companies across the country, Illinoise isn’t exactly a ballet. It’s not exactly a musical either.