Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda Discusses Chester Bennington’s Reaction to Chris Cornell’s Suicide in May Interview

Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell were good friends who’d toured and performed together. But on Thursday their association became tragic as Bennington apparently committed suicide on Cornell’s birthday, not even two months after the Soundgarden singer’s self-inflicted death. In a Radio.com interview with Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda and Bred Delson just days after... Read more » Jem Aswad

Michael Jackson’s Estate and Sony/ATV Extend Mijac Administration Agreement

Sony/ATV Music Publishing and the estate of Michael Jackson today announced a long-term extension of Sony/ATV’s worldwide administration of Jackson’s Mijac Music catalog. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded by Jackson in 1980 as his personal publishing company, Mijac Music grew into a formidable catalog, including his own compositions as well as the... Read more » Jem Aswad

Kevin Spacey Playing Author Gore Vidal in Netflix Original Biopic (EXCLUSIVE)

ROME – Oscar winner Kevin Spacey is playing writer Gore Vidal in a new Netflix original biopic, “Gore,” which is in production in Italy. U.S. director Michael Hoffman (“The Last Station”) is helming the 1980s-set film about the late American author, playwright, and occasional political candidate. “Gore” is currently shooting in Rome but will move... Read more » nvivarelli

India’s Reliance Industries Buys Stake in Balaji Telefilms

Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd. is acquiring a 24.9% stake in leading content provider Balaji Telefilms for $64.2 million, part of Reliance’s push into the entertainment sector. Balaji operates the digital content platform ALT and will use the Reliance investment to grow the business further. Led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, Reliance operates in the telecom,... Read more » Henry Chu

Michael Alago, Who Signed Metallica and White Zombie, Gets the Documentary Treatment in ‘Who the F**k Is That Guy?’

If the histories of Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre warrant four hours of prime HBO real estate in “The Defiant Ones,” then certainly Michael Alago, the flamboyant New York punk habitue who signed Metallica to Elektra and White Zombie to Geffen during his stints as an A&R executive, deserves his 77 minutes of recognition. In... Read more » Jem Aswad

‘Wild Kratts’ Tackle New Adventure: PBS’ Live, Wild ‘Alaska’

The “Wild Kratts” have a new beast to tame. Chris and Martin Kratt (above, pictured) have over the years navigated visits with a Western spotted skunk and a moray eel. On Sunday at 8 p.m., the popular PBS Kids duo will tackle something equally difficult to soothe: a media-savvy adult with a remote control close... Read more » Brian Steinberg

MSNBC to Launch ‘The Beat with Ari Melber’ on Monday

Ari Melber will start his new weekday duties with MSNBC on Monday with the debut of his 6 p.m. program, “The Beat with Ari Melber.” Melber was already expected to take over the hour, which had previously been anchored by Greta Van Susteren. Melber will also take on a new role, serving as a legal analyst... Read more » Brian Steinberg

Venice Lineup: New Films by Clooney, Del Toro, Frears Expected to World Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)

ROME – George Clooney’s “Suburbicon,” Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” Stephen Frears’ “Victoria and Abdul,” and Paolo Virzi’s “Ella and John,” starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland, are among the titles strongly tipped to world premiere at the upcoming 74th Venice Film Festival. Also expected to make their worldwide bows on the Lido are... Read more » nvivarelli

FremantleMedia Bringing Heather Lende’s ‘Find The Good’ to TV (EXCLUSIVE)

FremantleMedia has taken the rights to Heather Lende memoirs ‘Find The Good’ and ‘If You Lived Here, I’d Know Your Name’ and will package and pitch them to US and international channels as an accessible family drama. Lende grew up on Long Island’s North Shore before moving to Alaska in the 1980s. The books, based... Read more » Stewart Clarke

Dhani Harrison to Release First Solo Album

Dhani Harrison will release his first solo album, titled “IN///PARALLEL,” on October 6 through BMG. The musician and songwriter had previously performed with the band thenewno2. He has also collaborated with with the likes of Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA, Regina Spektor, Pearl Jam, and Prince, among others. The son of George Harrison, Dhani inducted ELO into the Rock... Read more » Variety Staff

Justin Bieber Banned From China Because of His ‘Bad Behavior’

China has banned pop idol Justin Bieber from performing on the mainland because of his “bad behavior” on and off the stage. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture said the ban was necessary to “purify” the country’s entertainment industry but suggested it was not permanent, expressing the hope that Bieber might improve his behavior and... Read more » Henry Chu

‘Scaffolding,’ ‘On the Beach at Night Alone’ Take Jerusalem Film Festival’s Top Prizes

Matan Yair’s “Scaffolding” and Hong Sang-soo’s “On the Beach at Night Alone” took the top prizes at the 34th Jerusalem Film Festival during an awards ceremony Thursday evening. “On the Beach at Night Alone” won the Wilf Family Foundation Award (worth $20,000) for best international film. The jury, which comprised Israeli director Nadav Lapid, Israeli... Read more » elskes

‘Battlestar Galactica’ Cast and Creators Reunite at Comic-Con

The cast and creators of of “Battlestar Galactica” reunited Thursday at Comic-Con in San Diego to reminisce about the landmark Syfy drama. Executive producers David Eick and Ronald Moore talked about their first meeting to discuss the series in 2001 — just months after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. “It was December of ‘o1 when that... Read more » Daniel Holloway

‘American Horror Story’ Season 7 Title Revealed

And the title of “American Horror Story” Season 7 is…. “Cult.” The news was announced during an “AHS” event at Comic-Con on Thursday, after co-creator Ryan Murphy previously revealed that the next installment of FX’s horror anthology is inspired by the 2016 presidential election. Along with the news, FX also dropped a new website and... Read more » Alex Stedman

‘Game of Thrones’ Creators Defend New Slavery Drama ‘Confederate’: ‘This is Scary For All of Us’

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are no strangers to controversy — the showrunners’ hit series “Game of Thrones” has generated its fair share of headlines throughout its run. But the announcement of their next project, titled “Confederate” — which imagines an alternate timeline, where the southern states have seceded from the Union and slavery is... Read more » Debra Birnbaum

TBS Unveils Three Original Animated Series, Teases New ‘American Dad!’ Episodes (EXCLUSIVE)

TBS fans are about to be bombarded with an array of animated original series, Variety has confirmed at Comic-Con. The TBS animation panel at the San Diego convention released four never-before-seen clips of their upcoming series — “Close Enough,” “Final Space,” and “Tarantula” — as well as a look into the next season of “American Dad!” exclusively to... Read more » dixitalimbachiablog

‘Game of Thrones’ Alum Iwan Rheon Feared Being Typecast With ‘Inhumans’ Role

“Game of Thrones” alum Iwan Rheon was initially reluctant to take on his role in Marvel’s “Inhumans” for fear that it was too close to the character he had just played on the HBO drama — the villainous Ramsay Bolton. “My fear was that … fear of being typecast and just repeating myself,” said Rheon,... Read more » Daniel Holloway

Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Regina King, Abigail Spencer Seek SAG-AFTRA Board Seats

SAG-AFTRA’s upcoming national board election has drawn a quartet of new high-profile candidates — Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Modine, Abigail Spencer and Regina King. With ballots going out July 25, the names were revealed as the self-styled progressives of Membership First and the ruling Unite For Strength Factions have unveiled their candidate slates representing the... Read more » Dave McNary

‘Stargate’ Being Revived With New Digital Series ‘Stargate Origins’

A new “Stargate” series is being cooked up — one that will anchor a new streaming service devoted to the sci-fi franchise. The 10-episode series “Stargate Origins” will tell the story of Catherine Langford, a character who occasionally appeared in previous “Stargate” TV shows. The show will be available via MGM’s new streaming service, titled... Read more » Maureen Ryan

Jennifer Lawrence’s ‘Mother!’ Moves Forward to September Release

Paramount Pictures has moved its Jennifer Lawrence thriller “Mother!” forward by a month to Sept. 15 from its previous Oct. 13 release date. The studio confirmed the date change Thursday but did not elaborate. It’s possible that “Mother!” could be premiered at the Venice Film Festival, which opens on Aug. 30, or the Telluride Film... Read more » Dave McNary