Variety 8/5/2021

Calling Alan Horn! As the nasty war between Scarlett Johansson and Disney continues to escalate and rage on in the public eye, might it not be beneficial for someone within the not-so-Magic Kingdom — such as Horn — to intervene and help diffuse the hostilities? A highly respected industry statesman who’s always been a voice of reason, Horn should step in and try to get Disney to dial down the vitriol that is alienating some of its own movie fans, angering talent reps and women’s activist groups. Lest we forget: Horn was the seasoned executive who was hired at Disney by leader Bob Iger back in 2012 to help steady the ship after it was rocked by the tumultuous regime of Rich Ross and a string of costly box office…

Last month, to fete the 100th anniversary of the ruling Communist Party, China broadcast a propaganda megashow convened at Beijing National Stadium, which was built for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Throughout the massive two-hour spectacle, Olympic themes intertwined with political imagery to depict the party as a benevolent, beloved world leader. In one number, women plucking traditional instruments accompanied hundreds of dancers dressed in Olympic colors, who held hands to form dozens of spinning rings as a digital display blared a retrospective of President Xi Jinping’s diplomatic milestones. In another key scene, hundreds of performers in Beijing 2008 jerseys held aloft Olympic torches and ran in unison to militant music below videos of Chinese athletes receiving gold medals. A screen overhead showed an animation depicting the blastoff of the nation’s…

Simon Helberg was so invested in landing the role of The Conductor in Leos Carax’s musical movie “Annette,” he became a French citizen. The actor, perhaps best known for his 12-season run on CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory,” steals scenes opposite Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard in the film, which arrives in theaters on Aug. 6 before hitting Amazon Prime on Aug. 20. With a screenplay by Carax and Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks (who also wrote the music and lyrics), the film is largely a two-hander about a famous couple and their talented daughter — the title character. It wasn’t Helberg’s TV stardom or roles in films like “Florence Foster Jenkins” that enticed Carax. “I had never seen Simon’s work in anything,” reveals the director. “He turned out…

As co-host of the “Labyrinths” podcast, Amanda Knox specializes in spotlighting real-life figures who, as she puts it, “lack agency” as they’re drawn against their will into becoming central figures in attention-getting stories. It’s something she knows a lot about, having been finally acquitted in Italy in the 2007 murder of a fellow exchange student, though never escaping being tied to “the Amanda Knox saga.” She’s reliving that in the wake of “Stillwater,” which filmmaker Tom McCarthy has acknowledged uses her story as an inspirational springboard. An eloquent Twitter thread of Knox’s went viral on the film’s release weekend. Here, speaking with Variety, she expands on where she thinks the film went wrong, including comments on the “Amanda Knox character” in the last act (spoiler alert) — and why she’d…

Last week, when Paris Hilton was set to begin a press tour for her new Netflix show, “Cooking With Paris,” the socialite-turned-businesswoman woke up to tabloid rumors that falsely reported she and her fiancé, venture capitalist Carter Reum, were expecting their first child. Hilton’s response to the fake pregnancy news provides a glimpse into her ever-growing empire — and the brains behind her burgeoning businesses. “I can’t wait to have children in 2022, but I am just preparing for the wedding right now,” Hilton clarified on her podcast, “This Is Paris,” which launched in February. “I’m shooting my new TV docu-series, capturing it all. It’s called ‘Paris in Love’ on Peacock,” she continued, expertly working in a mention of one of her two upcoming shows, though she has additional projects…

According to a vast majority of U.S. adults, the four companies that compose Big Tech — Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google — are too influential. A comparable percentage of consumers favor increased government oversight, while a slight majority say the U.S. economy would be better off if Big Tech became Medium-Size Tech. Data fielded for VIP+ by consumer insights platform GetWizer also show that Facebook was chosen most as the company having too much power — by four of five respondents. With Big Tech a point of focus for Congress, expect to see the giant companies launch PR outreach efforts aimed at showing their influence is benign and a boon for the economy. For more data from VIP+, visit variety.com/vip. Source: GetWizer Consumer Insights; fielded to 1,484 U.S. residents ages…