Korea Box Office: Topical Local Titles ‘Mayor,’ ‘Case Note’ Head Weekend

Two topical new releases, “The Mayor” and “The King’s Case Note,” landed on top of the South Korean box office. Opening on Wednesday (Apr. 26), Showbox’s election drama “Mayor” scored $6.13 million from 904,000 admissions over five days. The Choi Min-shik-starrer sees an incumbent  Seoul mayor seeking a third term and employing all means to... Read more » Patrick Frater

Series Mania Winner ‘Transfer’ Adds To French TV Sci-Fi Build

Ask anyone working in TV and they will say the same thing: For a show to do well internationally it has to first do well locally. In Europe, indigenous programming, regardless of budget or production values, consistently out-performs all but the very highest-rated series coming from across the Atlantic. It stands to reason then that... Read more » John Hopewell

Universal Music Group’s Lucian Grainge Named Cannes Lions Media Person of the Year (EXCLUSIVE)

Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge has been named Cannes Lions Media Person of the Year — the first music executive to receive the honor since it was launched in 1999. The award, which recognizes innovators who have shaped the future of media, will be presented at a ceremony on Wednesday, June 21 during the annual festival... Read more » Jem Aswad

Daytime Emmys: ‘The Talk,’ ‘General Hospital,’ Steve Harvey Score Big Prizes

With a heat wave soaring into the high 80s, guests came to the red carpet for the 44th Daytime Emmy Awards prepared with umbrellas to brave the sun and speeches for their forthcoming victories. Mary Hart, who took home the Lifetime Achievement Award, was one of those who brought along a pre-prepared speech. “I really am... Read more » Debra Birnbaum

China Box Office: ‘Shock Wave’ Dents ‘Furious 8’ for May Day Weekend Win

A crowd of Chinese movies jostled with record breaking “The Fate of the Furious” for the top spot at the China box office during the first weekend of the May Day holiday week. Star-studded bomb disposal action thriller, “Shock Wave” emerged on top on Friday and Saturday giving it a weekend win. Directed by Hong... Read more » Patrick Frater

Daytime Emmy Winners: Updating Live

The 44th annual Daytime Emmy Awards were held Sunday at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, hosted by Mario Lopez and Sheryl Underwood. ABC’s “Good Morning America” claimed the Emmy for best morning program, one of the night’s top prizes. Going into the night, CBS and its soap “The Young & the Restless” led the pack in nominations,... Read more » Variety Staff

Fox Reportedly in Talks With Blackstone to Launch Joint Bid for Tribune Media

Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox is in talks with private equity firm Blackstone to launch a bid to acquire Tribune Media, according to a report in the Financial Times on Sunday evening. Per the report, which cites two sources familiar with negotiations, Fox and Blackstone would form a joint venture to acquire the conglomerate. According... Read more » Alex Stedman

CEOs Keep Close Tabs on WGA Talks, Hope for Movement After Latest AMPTP Offer

Top leaders of Hollywood’s major TV players held a conference call Sunday morning to discuss the state of the WGA contract negotiations as worries mount about the potential for a strike to begin on Tuesday. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers made several new offers to the WGA during Sunday’s afternoon negotiating session.... Read more » Cynthia Littleton

Val Kilmer Confirms Cancer Rumors, Says He’s in ‘Healing’ Stages

Val Kilmer finally confirmed numerous reports that he was battling cancer during a recent AMA on Reddit. The actor had never acknowledged the rumors as legitimate, but now confirms that he has had a “healing of cancer.” Michael Douglas first revealed Kilmer’s oral cancer diagnosis on Halloween last year when speaking to Jonathan Ross about the pair’s film... Read more » JD Knapp

Mandy Moore Shark Attack Movie ‘47 Meters Down’ Gets Fresh Trailer

Mandy Moore dives into shark-infested waters in this summer’s open ocean survival horror, “47 Meters Down.” There have been trailers for Johannes Roberts’ take on the classic deep-sea scenario floating around, but a fresh sneak peek just washed ashore this weekend. In this trailer, we get an even more in-depth look at Moore’s Lisa as she and... Read more » JD Knapp

Kelly Ripa to Announce New Co-Host on Monday’s Show

A year after Michael Strahan’s messy exit, Kelly Ripa is poised to announce her permanent co-host on Monday’s edition of “Live with Kelly.” Ripa teased the news to come with a short video distributed on her social media platforms Sunday afternoon. “We’re going to need a bigger mug,” Ripa wrote. The video depicted Ripa sitting... Read more » Cynthia Littleton

‘The Last Ship’ on Production Hiatus as Eric Dane Battles Depression (EXCLUSIVE)

Production on TNT’s “The Last Ship” has been temporarily shut down at the request of star Eric Dane, who suffers from depression, Variety has learned. The series, which is set to debut its fourth season this summer, is going on a production hiatus through Memorial Day, sources say. “Eric asked for a break to deal with personal... Read more » Elizabeth Wagmeister

Britney Spears Honored as Icon, Mom, Sister at 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards

Allesia Cara, Hailee Steinfeld, Train, Grace Vanderwaal, and Julia Michaels performed at the fifth annual event. Shirley Halperin

Concert Review: The Weeknd Drafts Kendrick Lamar for Commanding Night at the Forum

Saturday night was meant for guesting as Kendrick Lamar, Rae Sremmurd, Belly, and 6lack hit the stage during The Weeknd's set. Shirley Halperin

Shania Twain Premieres New Single, Performs With Kelsea Ballerini and Nick Jonas at Stagecoach Festival

Shania Twain left no doubt that her headlining gig Saturday night at the Stagecoach Festival in California was a special occasion. “To celebrate, I’m going to eat a big bag of potato chips,” she announced before the closing number of the show, her only currently scheduled one for 2017, admitting she’d been dieting up a... Read more » Alex Stedman

Allison Janney Brings ‘West Wing’ Role to ‘Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner’

Samantha Bee may have been front and center of her “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” on Saturday, but it was actually Allison Janney who started the ceremonies. The actress reprised her role as C.J. Cregg from “The West Wing” in a cold open where she vented her frustrations about having to deal with so... Read more » JD Knapp

Netflix Hackers Could Have Three Dozen Additional TV Shows, Films From Other Networks and Studios

The group of hackers that leaked the upcoming fifth season of “Orange Is the New Black” this weekend may have also secured access to some three dozen other shows and movies. TheDarkOverlord, as the group calls itself, provided cybersecurity blog DataBreaches.net with a long list of movies and TV shows it claimed to have stolen from Larson Studios, a... Read more » Janko Roettgers

‘Hot Girls Wanted’ Showrunners Fire Back at Porn Industry Criticism of Netflix Series (EXCLUSIVE)

The creators of Netflix’s “Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On” are countering complaints that the documentary series features sex workers who did not consent to their inclusion. In an interview with Variety, filmmakers Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus defended their series, saying they adhered to standards of documentary filmmaking and fair use. “The narrative has kind... Read more » Daniel Holloway

Memo Tells Writers Guild Captains to ‘Be Ready to Strike Tuesday’

With contract negotiations going down to the wire, leaders of the Writers Guild of America have been laying the groundwork for a strike action on Tuesday. “Be ready to strike Tuesday May 2. If you’ve left anything great in your office on a studio lot, consider packing it up on Monday – just in case,”... Read more » Dave McNary

Hollywood Wonders if Writers Guild Will Strike for Seventh Time

If the Writers Guild of America walks out Tuesday, it will be the guild’s seventh strike since 1960. And if history is an indicator, it will likely last for several months. All six strikes have lasted for at least three months, except for a two-week walkout in 1985. The most recent strike remains fresh in the... Read more » Dave McNary

Will Ferrell Revives His George W. Bush Impression for Samantha Bee’s ‘Not the WHCD’

Samantha Bee teased a surprise guest from the very beginning of her “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” and Will Ferrell was eventually revealed to be the cameo in question. The comedian resurrected his iconic George W. Bush impression during one of the special’s final acts. After sauntering onto stage with a cigarette in hand,... Read more » JD Knapp

White House Has ‘Looked At’ Changing Libel Laws, Reince Priebus Says

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said that the Trump administration has looked into changing libel laws, pointing to the frustration over stories that he says have “no basis in fact.” This update comes just one day after President Donald Trump decided to skip the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “I think it’s something that... Read more » Ted Johnson

Strike Watch: Frustration Mounts and Clock Ticks as WGA, Studios Resume Talks

Both sides are expecting the other to make significant moves Sunday when contract negotiations resume between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The sides are meeting in a rare Sunday session with less than 48 hours before the midnight PT Monday contract expiration deadline could give way... Read more » Cynthia Littleton

Box Office: ‘Latin Lover’ Tops ‘The Circle,’ ‘Fate of the Furious’ Rides to Third Straight No. 1

It has become a familiar story — “The Fate of the Furious” is, once again, the box office champ. The massively popular eighth episode in the Fast and Furious franchise earned $19.4 million this weekend from 4,077 locations, placing it securely in first place during a sputtering weekend, anticipating the Summer season. After winning the domestic box... Read more » Seth Kelley

‘Close-Knit’ Wins Top Prize at Udine Far East Fest

ROME — Japanese director Ogigami Naoko’s tender drama “Close-Knit” in which a transgender woman becomes a mother figure to a young girl won the Audience Award, the top prize, at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, which is Europe’s biggest showcase of genre and mainstream Asian cinema. South Korean director Choi Kook-hee’s offbeat bowling... Read more » nvivarelli

The Elephant in the Dining Room: Washington’s Media Elite Celebrate, Awkwardly, Without the President They Helped Create

Nearly every minute of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was laced with desperation. Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, the journalists that comprise the White House Correspondents’ Association gathered to celebrate their industry — or more accurately, to defend it. President Donald Trump, who is alternately both combative with and ingratiating to the press, became... Read more » Sonia Saraiya

Samantha Bee’s ‘Not the WHCD’ Should Be An Annual Tradition If Trump Continues to Boycott the Real One

Hours before “nerd prom” kicked off at the White House Correspondents Dinner in D.C. — minus the president — Samantha Bee and her “Full Frontal” cohorts took the stage at DAR Constitution Hall for TBS’ “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.” The alt-TV special was more than twice the length of a regular “Full Frontal”... Read more » Stuart Oldham

Hasan Minhaj Makes Brutal, Biting Swipes at Trump During White House Correspondents Speech

Hasan Minhaj delivered a brutal and biting monologue about President Trump at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, in an appearance that was as much a statement as it was a bit of satire. Minhaj said that Trump does not respect the First Amendment. “The man who tweets everything the enters his head, refuses to... Read more » Ted Johnson

Watch Hasan Minhaj’s Full Speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner

“The Daily Show” correspondent Hasan Minhaj was Saturday’s host at the Trump-less White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington. Minhaj ripped everyone from Bill O’Reilly to the 45th President (“In four hours Donald Trump will be tweeting about how badly Nicki Minaj bombed at this dinner”). He also turned serious to acknowledge the importance of free... Read more » Variety Staff

Record Store Day 2017: Top Sellers Revealed, eBay Be Damned

A week after the 2017 edition of Record Store Day, the music-geek holiday designed to boost awareness of independent retailers, the results point to a record 10th year. With increased turnout and sales reported across the country, stores reported an unprecedented instant sell-through of the vast majority of their stock of the day’s 350 limited-edition new... Read more » Shirley Halperin

White House Correspondents Dinner: Bob Woodward Tells Trump, ‘The Media Is Not Fake News’

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein spoke to the White House Correspondents Association dinner, recalling their most famous story to the press corps gathered as the media is under attack from President Trump and others in the administration. “The effort today to get this best obtainable version of the truth is largely made in good faith,”... Read more » Ted Johnson

‘The Godfather’ Reunion: Francis Ford Coppola, Cast on the Complicated Journey to Make Film History

The Corleone family and then some got back together Saturday night to recount the making of “The Godfather” during the Tribeca Film Festival’s closing night. Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton and Talia Shire took the stage to discuss the film’s complicated origin story during the panel hosted by... Read more » Seth Kelley

Barbra Streisand: Sexism Cost Me Multiple Oscar Nominations

Barbra Streisand argued that sexism cost her Oscar nominations for “Yentl” and “The Prince of Tides” during a spirited public interview at the Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday. But it wasn’t just men who balked at the idea of a woman calling the shots on a major motion picture. “There were a lot of older people,”... Read more » varietybrentlang

Trump Bashes Media, Hollywood and Correspondents Dinner at 100th Day Rally

President Trump, marking his 100th day in office with a rally in Harrisburg, Pa., once again bashed media outlets as “fake news” while making much of the fact that his event was going on at the same time as the White House Correspondents Association Dinner. “As you know there is another big gathering taking place... Read more » Ted Johnson

‘Orange Is the New Black’ Leak Shows: Hollywood Cybersecurity Lives and Dies With Third-Party Vendors

This weekend’s leak of the upcoming fifth season of Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black” may turn out to be Hollywood’s biggest breach since the Sony hack in 2014. But security experts aren’t surprised by the incident, even as details about it still emerge. That’s because many have been warning of weak security at third-party vendors for years. “Third-party... Read more » Janko Roettgers

2017 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Audience Award Winners

The jury prize winners from the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival were already announced earlier in the week, but now the final two audience awards have finally been given out as well. For the narrative competition, the award went to the women’s rights period piece “The Divine Order” (“Die göttliche Ordnung”), written and directed by Petra Volpe out of Switzerland.... Read more » JD Knapp

How to Stream the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Online

The annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner has long established itself as a cornerstone (albeit an increasingly glamorized one) of Washington’s commitment to upholding the tenets of the First Amendment and preserving the freedom of the press. The event, though initially devised as a means of honoring journalists from around the country, has grown to... Read more » eczachor

James Corden Cracks Cancer Jokes, Ariana Grande Performs at Taste for a Cure Gala

James Corden presented many laughs along with an award at UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation’s 22nd Annual “Taste for a Cure” event, which honored Yael and Scooter Braun, at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. “They do to cancer what united does to its passengers, they grab it by the scruff of the neck and say get out,” joked... Read more » Variety Staff

2017 Nashville Film Festival: Complete Winners List

The 2017 Nashville Film Festival has officially come to an end after selecting its winners and honorees Saturday. The rapidly growing competition received over 5,500 submissions this year, and 303 of those films and shorts were selected. “Some Freaks,” a love story about an overweight girl and a boy with one eye, from director Ian... Read more » JD Knapp

Samantha Bee Tackles Trump, CNN, in ‘Not the White House Correspondents Dinner’

Samantha Bee was ready to make one thing clear: She appreciated journalists trying to find the truth and has little time for those trying to obscure it. In a taped segment before the no-holds-barred  comedienne launched her “Not The White House Correspondents Dinner” Saturday after at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., an audience of... Read more » Brian Steinberg

Luc Besson Pens Impassioned Letter Blasting French Presidential Candidate Marine Le Pen

PARIS — Director-producer Luc Besson has taken aim at France’s far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, making him one of the few French artists to speak out about the election that is seen as pivotal decision amid the rising tide of nationalism sweeping across the U.S., U.K. and Europe. In a long letter titled “The... Read more » elskes

Strike Watch: How Hollywood Labor Strife Would Affect Your Favorite TV Shows

The WGA’s master contract with Hollywood’s major studios is set to expire at midnight on Monday. If no new agreement is in place, striking writers could be marching with picket signs the next morning — instead of writing TV shows. A writers strike would not mean that all television would suddenly be thrust into reruns. But... Read more » Daniel Holloway

The Revolution Pay Tribute to Prince With an Emotional New York Concert

The Revolution BB King Blues Club & Grill New York, NY April 28, 2017 There are an infinite number of ways that The Revolution going on tour and playing Prince songs barely a year after their leader’s death could have gone badly. The hole in the center of the stage and the sound could have been... Read more » Jem Aswad

‘Trollhunters,’ ‘Days of Our Lives’ Lead Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award Winners

Netflix’s animated comedy “Trollhunters” and NBC’s “Days of Our Lives” were among the top winners Friday night at the 44th annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The toon series inspired by Guillermo del Toro’s book of the same name took six trophies, including writing for an animated program (Marc Guggenheim) and directing (Rodrigo Blaas, del... Read more » Variety Staff

Seth Rogen, The Lonely Island Tease Fyre Festival-Type Comedy

Seth Rogen and The Lonely Island are capitalizing on the failure of the now-infamous Fyre Festival. Following Ja Rule and investor tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland’s ridiculed Bahamian concert series, the comedians announced on Twitter Friday that they are working on a movie with a strikingly similar scenario. Fyre Festival was touted as a “luxury” music festival with... Read more » JD Knapp

LL Cool J, Dikembe Mutombo, A Tribe Called Quest Unite for Nile Rodgers’ We Are Family Gala

Nile Rodgers wears many hats. Beyond his recognizable backwards Kangol cap, Rodgers is a prolific chart-topping songwriter, record producer, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. On Friday, he put on his founder hat to welcome hundreds to the annual celebration and fundraising gala for his and his wife and co-founder Nancy Hunt’s We... Read more » Mannie Holmes

White House Correspondents Reclaim Their Weekend Without President Trump

WASHINGTON — President Trump is skipping this year’s White House Correspondents Association dinner, counter programming on Saturday evening with is own rally in Harrisburg, Penn. Vanity Fair, Bloomberg, Time, and People have canceled their parties after years of tradition. Other parties have scaled back into smaller spaces. This annual weekend grew, grew, and grew during... Read more » Ted Johnson

‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’: 12 Things We Learned About Season 3 at Tribeca Screening

Sushi on a naked Amy Sedaris, Titus as Queen Bey and Trump University are among the many things that fans can expect from the third season of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” which bows May 19. On Friday, Tribeca film fest-goers got to see the first two episodes of the Emmy-nominated Netflix comedy. Kimmy, played by Ellie Kemper,... Read more » Cynthia Littleton

Hacker Uploads Stolen ‘Orange Is the New Black’ Season 5 Episodes to Piracy Site

An anonymous hacker has carried through on a threat to release “Orange Is the New Black” season five episodes online — after Netflix allegedly failed to respond to the cybercriminal’s shakedown demands. Variety was unable to verify the authenticity of the “OITNB” episodes the hacker claimed to have shared on popular file-sharing site the Pirate... Read more » Todd Spangler

Netflix Hacker Also Claims Theft From ABC, Fox, IFC, National Geographic

The hacking group that goes by the name The Dark Overlord doubled down on its piracy of the new season of Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” by claiming to have absconded with content from four other networks as well. ABC, Fox, National Geographic and IFC were specifically cited in a tweet issued late Friday... Read more » Andrew Wallenstein