WGA Leaders Endorse Tentative Deal With Producers On New Film & TV Contract

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery CEO promises that the company is not in a race to win the “spending wars” on content when it closes its deal to acquire AT&T’s WarnerMedia and become Warner Bros. Discovery.“We’re going to spend more on content — but you’re not going to see us come in and say, ‘Alright, we’re spending $5 billion more on content,” Zaslav said during an investor call Thursday to discuss the company’s Q4 earnings results.Zaslav says the new company — which will run both Discovery’s current major streamer Discovery Plus and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max — will be “looking to monetize our IP to grow the value of the overall company.”Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels echoed Zaslav’s point, saying “it’s not about winning” and “spending more money doesn’t score goals.” Click here to sign up for Variety‘s free Strictly Business newsletter covering earnings, financial and investment news, and more.Discovery revealed Thursday it reached 22 million paying streaming subscribers across its portfolio of offerings by the end of 2021.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLeading production conglomerate Fremantle announced a new structure in Australia that will bring the development and production of all its entertainment, reality, and game show formats under the control of unscripted producer, Eureka Productions. Eureka is led by co-CEOs Chris Culvenor and Paul Franklin.

Wilson Chapman editorLL Cool J will host the ninth edition of the iHeartRadio Music Awards and Jennifer Lopez will receive the iHeartRadio Icon Award, iHeartMedia and Fox Entertainment announced today. The 2022 ceremony is scheduled for March 22 at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium.A 2021 inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, LL Cool J was one of the first hip-hop artists to achieve mainstream success with his debut album “Radio” in 1985. He has since released 13 studio albums, won two Grammy awards, and was the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAs Italy marks the centennial of Pier Paolo Pasolini‘s birth with a series of special events, the Academy Museum is honoring the influential film director, poet, writer and intellectual, whose 1975 murder remains a mystery, with a complete retrospective.Titled “Carnal Knowledge: The Films of Pier Paolo Pasolini,” the Los Angeles tribute in the Academy’s Renzo Piano designed temple of cinema opened Feb. 17 with Oscar-winning production designer Dante Ferretti on hand.Ferretti, in a moving tribute, said he owed his career to Pasolini, having worked on nine of his films, starting with Pasolini’s first work “The Gospel According to Matthew” and ending with his incendiary condemnation of the Italian upper classes “Salò – or the 120 Days of Sodom,” released in Italy just a few weeks after Pasolini’s murder on Nov.

Wilson Chapman editorLena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Indeed have announced the 10 filmmakers selected for season two of Rising Voices, their initiative to support the work of filmmakers of color.Established last February, the program provides resources for BIPOC filmmakers across the United States to create a short film that will premiere at the Tribeca Festival, planned for June 8-19 in New York City.“Indeed’s Rising Voices not only levels the playing field for BIPOC creators in Hollywood by creating opportunities for individuals to be seen, heard and represented, but also empowers the next generation of storytellers, providing access to funding, on-site skill, career development and mentorship,” Waithe said in a statement. “Our continued mission at Hillman Grad Productions is to ensure that program mentees are truly set up for success as they continue to grow within their individual careers.” The ten selected filmmaker teams for the 2022 edition of Rising Voices are Cara Lawson, Gbenga Komolafe, Georgia Fu, Jalmer Caceres, Justin Floyd, Leon Cheo, Shanrica Evans, Tara Motamedi, Travis Wood and Urvashi Pathania.The finalists were selected from 900 applicants based on their submitted screenplays.

Naman Ramachandran Global streaming aggregator ScreenHits TV (SHTV) has partnered with international news network Euronews and will provide live and on-demand TV editions of Euronews and Africanews on its platform. Euronews, which offers round-the-clock news coverage from a European perspective, broadcasts in 160 countries and is distributed in more than 440 million homes, including 68% of homes in the European Union and the U.K.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentIn the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Danish producer Monica Hellström (“Flee”) and Sundance-winning helmer Simon Lereng Wilmont have joined forces to orchestrate the evacuation of some of the subjects portrayed in their Oscar-shortlisted documentary “The Distant Barking of Dogs.”Hellström told Variety that she and Lereng Wilmont quickly enlisted the help of their assistant director and local production coordinator to evacuate Oleg Afanasyev and his grandmother Alexandra, the protagonists of “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” from their war-torn village of Hnutove in Donetsk. The news was first reported by the website Nordic Film and TV News.Meanwhile, the children at the shelter that was the focus of “A House Made of Splinters,” which just earned Lereng Wilmont a best director award at Sundance last month, have also been evacuated to a safer area after facing a bombing threat.

Sasha Urban editorWWE announced today a multi-year partnership with event hospitality and experience firm On Location.The deal will provide WWE fans with hospitality packages for major WWE events including SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, and Survivor Series. The first packages will be available for Money in the Bank at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this July, for which the packages are available today beginning at 12pmET.On Location, which is controlled by Endeavor Group Holdings, will exclusively be WWE’s hospitality provider for live events, and all-inclusive packages will include meet-and-greet experiences and premier seating options.“WWE is one of the premier sports and entertainment organizations in the country and is known for giving their passionate fan base exactly what they want,” said On Location president Paul Caine.

Patrick J. Adams can vividly recall how his former "Suits" co-star Meghan Markle reacted when she first saw him get naked on stage. It was nearly a decade ago during the first season of the legal drama that the actor appeared in a Los Angeles production of "9 Circles," which the former actress saw at the time.

JAMAL Edwards told how he wanted to meet his real dad three years before the star's tragic death. In 2019 he told The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett podcast that he'd searched for the dad he never met. The 31-year-old passed away suddenly on Sunday from a suspected heart attack.

TOWIE stars Mark Wright and Billie Faiers have revealed they're almost set to move into their incredible Essex mega-mansions. Mark and his wife Michelle Keegan, both 34, bought their mock-Tudor house for £1.3million in October 2019 and made the big decision to knock it down in a bid to rebuild their dream home.

LL Cool J is getting ready to step into a new role — awards show host! The music artist and actor has been tapped to host the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards.iHeartMedia and FOX Entertainment announced on Thursday that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee will helm the event, which will be held at the The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 22.LL Cool J will also be taking the stage for a live performance, and the star said he's looking forward to the big night.«It’s an honor to return to the stage as host of the iHeartRadio Music Awards and bring live music back to fans all over the world as we celebrate our favorite artists,» he shared in a statement released Thursday. «I have a special performance for the fans, and the show will have some great surprises throughout the night.»Additionally, Jennifer Lopez will be honored with the prestigious 2022 iHeartRadio Icon Award, which celebrates and honors performers' «impact on pop culture, longevity and continued relevance as a touring and radio force with a loyal fan base worldwide,» according to the press release.The full list of nominees were announced back in January, and include Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Karol G, Drake, Ed Sheeran, Megan Thee Stallion, Bad Bunny and many more.The 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards will air live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, on Tuesday, March 22 on FOX.

VICTORIA Beckham has dropped a big clue that she could be set to join the Spice Girls on stage at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee concert. The Sun revealed the band is hotly tipped to reform for a best of British gig to celebrate the monarch’s reign later this year.

Halyna Hutchins, emotionally recalled the moment he learned of his wife's death on the set of the film this past October.In his first television interview, Matt spoke with show's Hoda Kotb about how he discovered his wife had been fatally shot with a prop gun, and how he broke the news to their 9-year-old son, Andros. «I remember the production team told me that Halyna had been shot and my heart sank right away,» he shared. «Completely inexplicable to me that it could have happened.

Matt Hutchins, husband of the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, spoke candidly to Hoda Kotb about the moment he learned of his wife’s tragic death in a new interview with NBC News’ “Today”.

It’s all in Daniel Craig’s eyes.

Lorraine Kelly was stunned by Avril Lavigne ’s youthful appearance as she interviewed her on Thursday 24 February. The 62 year old presenter was shocked by how young the punk star looked, twenty years after her debut album, Unplugged, was released.

On Tuesday evening celebrities flocked to the ASOS Beauty Awards to celebrate the winners at Magazine in London. As always it was the Love Island ladies that stole the show in an array of fabulous looks, as the likes three previous Islanders showed up in the same shoes.

Loose Women panellist Gloria Hunniford has sent her love and support to co-star Brenda Edwards following the tragic death of her son Jamal Edwards. Gloria, who lost her daughter Caron Keating to breast cancer in 2004, appeared on the ITV lunchtime show for the first time since the sad news broke that Jamal had lost his life aged 31.The 81 year old used the opportunity to send her condolences to Brenda, 52.

Greg Evans Associate Editor/Broadway CriticFifteen-year-old Claudia Conway, daughter of Kellyanne Conway and conservative anti-Trumper George Conway, might have just made the holiday weekend a bit tense in the family home: After dad George tweeted to journalists to “desist” from communication with his minor children, the newly outspoken Claudia (or her Twitter account, anyway) responded, ‘you’re just mad that i’m finally getting my voice heard.”Then her kicker: “sorry your marriage failed.”The response was soon deleted, apparently by George Conway.Claudia Conway has just recently become outspoken on social media – TikTok, Twitter – and seems just as resistant to controversy as her mom, the president’s counselor and former campaign manager,

Greg Evans Associate Editor/Broadway CriticStage actor and writer Sidney DuPont (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Trevor: The Musical) has gathered a group of Broadway and Off Broadway performers to launch “The Walkout Project,” a movement to urge the exclusive patronage of Black-owned businesses on July 4.DuPont and a large ensemble that includes Hamilton’s Tamar Greene and Jared Dixon have recorded the new song and music video “Walkout,” dropping tomorrow on the holiday.Watch a trailer below.“Black people have lived in fear,” DuPont said in a statement. “We have been methodically, systematically, and socially conditioned to make white people feel comfortable.

Greg Evans Associate Editor/Broadway CriticJust days after Actors’ Equity Association urged members not to take jobs with Florida’s Walt Disney World until the resort agrees to provide COVID-19 testing, the amusement park reports that “tens of thousands of cast members” are preparing to return for the phased opening that begins July 11.On the official Disney Parks Blog today, Laurel Slater, Manager of Communications, Walt Disney World Public Affairs, writes, “With just eight days until we reopen our first theme parks at Walt Disney World Resort, tens of thousands of cast members have been straightening up our nametags (and grabbing our face coverings!) as we begin to return to work.

Greg Evans Associate Editor/Broadway CriticThe 2021 SAG Awards will take place on March 14, a month and a half later than expected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 27th annual awards show had been set for Jan. 24, 2021.Eligibility requirements have also been modified, with the eligibility period extended by two months.

Greg Evans Associate Editor/Broadway CriticGhislaine Maxwell, the British confidante of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has been arrested by the FBI, NBC News is reporting. The arrest involves Maxwell’s charges stemming from an investigation by New York federal prosecutors into Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse of girls and young women.Epstein was arrested a year ago almost to the day – July 5, 2019 – on sex-trafficking and conspiracy charges.

Greg Evans Associate Editor/Broadway CriticEXCLUSIVE: The executive committee of Actors’ Equity Association has unanimously rejected Walt Disney World’s reopening safety plan for workers because the proposal does not include coronavirus testing for the park’s performers.In an email to its members, Equity writes, “Disney knows that testing makes for a safer work place. Why else would Disney agree to testing for film productions? If testing helps keep a film set safe, that is also true for performers in the parks.

Greg Evans Associate Editor/Broadway CriticEXCLUSIVE: Producer Scott Rudin will bring actor Dustin Hoffman to Broadway in a 2021 staging of Our Town, to be directed by Bartlett Sher (To Kill A Mockingbird).Hoffman will play the role of the Stage Manager in the classic Thornton Wilder play, sources close to the production say.The production will be Hoffman’s first Broadway role since his Tony Award-nominated performance of Shylock in 1989’s The Merchant of Venice. He played Willy Loman in an acclaimed 1984 revival of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, and appeared in several productions during the 1960s, including Jimmy Shine, The Subject Was Roses and A Cook for Mr.