Variety 6/22/2022

1 Beyoncé’s Upcoming Album to Include Country Songs Beyoncé’s new album, “Renaissance,” will feature both dance and country-leaning tracks, a source tells Variety. The news came shortly after the renowned artist revealed her sixth solo album will drop on July 29. It will include contributions from songwriter Ryan Tedder, who co-wrote her 2008 hit “Halo” as well as songs for Adele, Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers and his own group, OneRepublic. Also said to be involved is Raphael Saadiq, who has crafted hits for Mary J. Blige, D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Andra Day as well as releasing solo albums. — Jem Aswad 2 ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ Airs Final Episode “The Wendy Williams Show” came to an end after 13 seasons on June 17, as Variety exclusively reported.…

“Halo” is a hit built for the future of TV. The Paramount+ drama-fantasy series based on the enduring video game franchise has done its job domestically for the Paramount Global streamer: It ranks No. 2 to “Yellowstone” prequel “1883” as the streamer’s most-watched original series on Paramount+, and it fueled sign-up activity for weeks around its March 24 debut. But Paramount’s real payoff for investing nearly $10 million an episode on the series is just starting. “The success of ‘Halo,’ just like the success of ‘1883,’ will inevitably shape how we think about future programming for Paramount+.” --David Nevins Halo, a Microsoft-owned franchise with 21 years and counting of storytelling history, has been a cornerstone of the international rollout strategy for Paramount+ that has picked up speed this year. The…

Sun Valley, colloquially known as “summer camp for billionaires,” kicks off right after the July 4 holiday. But the moguls who flock to the Allen & Co. retreat may not be as relaxed as usual when they touch down in Idaho: From darkening economic clouds to choppy leadership transitions at some of the most storied media companies, there are plenty of reasons for the 1% of the 1% to be breaking a sweat these days. Here’s a look at what the CEOs and media barons should expect when they hit the posh mountain retreat. Awkward Encounters There may be some tense moments by the duck pond. After all, both Bob Chapek, the embattled Disney chief, and Bob Iger, the man he has struggled to replace, are on the guest list…

Netflix has a message for Hollywood: We’re not broke. In the wake of a massive stock slide triggered by a subscriber dip during the first quarter, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, head of global film Scott Stuber and head of global television Bela Bajaria have launched a charm offensive, stressing to top creators and agents that they will continue to spend aggressively to make and market movies and shows. Sources say they have positioned the April stock drop as a setback while reassuring filmmakers and showrunners that they remain well-capitalized. Also mentioned: that their content budgets are locked for 2022 and 2023 (Netflix spent $17 billion on content in 2021 and expects to shell out the same this year). A source familiar with the company says that agency and creator check-ins…

Four years after she was elected to run the Producers Guild of America with Lucy Fisher, Gail Berman is ready to fully dig back into producing. Like many in show business, she didn’t initially think she had the time to serve as guild president in 2018 — but was assured the gig would only require an hour from her schedule per week. “I can use the time that I’m doing the elliptical machine, I thought. Then COVID came,” Berman says. With only weeks before she and Fisher are termed out of their jobs in August, she is proud that “we saw it through, and thankfully we’re on the other side and the organization is still standing. It’s in its best financial state ever.” The lone woman to serve as both…

Variety has solidified the leadership of its creative department with two key appointments. Jennifer Dorn has been elevated to visual content director. The four-year Variety veteran oversees all photography and photo imagery for the brand. She reports to incoming co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh and coeditor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton. Steven Banks has joined Variety as creative director. The publishing veteran steers the brand’s design and aesthetic across all editorial platforms, reporting to Setoodeh and Littleton. Based in Los Angeles, the two lead a department that is seeing record activity in publication of Variety’s weekly print magazine as well as dozens of digital and print extra editions each year around events such as the Oscars, the Emmys, the Cannes Film Festival and more. “In her four years at Variety, Jennifer has been synonymous with…