Variety 2/1/2023

CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Meow! Our cover subject this week holds nothing back, which makes for a terrific read and a smooth segue into the Grammy Awards ceremony on Feb. 5. Doja Cat, the rapper who heads into the Grammys with five major nominations, was extremely candid with senior music writer Chris Willman about how she’s balancing the pressures of fame with her desire to grow as an artist. Shirley Halperin, our executive editor of music, has wanted to nab the provocative musician for an in-depth sit-down for some time, and Doja Cat’s Grammy-noms haul this year made for perfect timing. “I’ve had my eye on Doja Cat since she released ‘Mooo!’ in 2018,” Halperin says. “From the very start, she was an attention-grabber. As we’ve witnessed over the past five years, Doja’s talents…

Senior music writer Chris Willman swapped fun pet stories with cat and dog (and snake!) lover Doja Cat. His previous cover stories include profiles of Taylor Swift and Brandi Carlile. Rome-based international correspondent Nick Vivarelli interviewed Mäneskin in a deserted hotel near their old Roman stomping grounds. He first heard of the band from his teenage daughter, who attended the same school as three of its members. Based in London when he’s not at a film festival somewhere far away, Guy Lodge has been a Variety film critic since 2011 — but this week, he puts on his awards-analyst cap to offer a voters’ guide to the key BAFTA races. Photographer Greg Swales captured Doja Cat in Los Angeles on Jan. 18: “Working with Doja is creating in a space with no…

Beyond the compilation videos of senators quoting Taylor Swift lyrics, what will be the legacy of January’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on anticompetitive practices in the live entertainment industry? Congress has held a few such hearings over the decades, with Pearl Jam famously making an appearance in 1994 and concert industry execs testifying against the Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger in 2009. With the arrival of the latest installment, titled “That’s the Ticket: Promoting Competition and Protecting Consumers in Live Entertainment,” which comes on the heels of the Taylor Swift ticketing debacle, some observers may feel that little has changed — in fact, promoter Jerry Mickelson was back before the committee on Jan. 24, echoing remarks he delivered nearly 14 years ago in opposition to the merger. So questions remain regarding what…

In the niche world of comedy touring, Mike Berkowitz has always been “the guy.” Over his 21-year career, the agent has been a go-to dealmaker in the live entertainment space, diversifying the income of star clients and launching digital crossovers. Berkowitz, who co-heads WME’s comedy group, first distinguished himself by tapping into the lucrative college market. He also blazed a trail for new acts to reach stadium-level stardom in a landscape where only the likes of Eddie Murphy and George Carlin once played. The sector has exploded in the past decade, and Berkowitz has been at the forefront. In 2022, he booked and shepherded production on Bill Burr’s $31 million-grossing tour, as well as Kevin Hart and Chris Rock’s co-headlining shows. He sent out John Mulaney ($50.2 million) and Amy…

The unsung heroes of the Grammy Awards may well be the microphone operators responsible for making sure winners and presenters sound pitch-perfect when they take the broadcast stage. An added challenge: adjusting the ever unpredictable height of the mic stand. Microphone gaffes are legendary in the entertainment biz, and music’s biggest night is no exception. In fact, this year’s Grammy nominees are an especially tall bunch: New artist contender Omar Apollo towers at 6’5” — the same height as Machine Gun Kelly, who found himself hunched over like a giraffe bending toward a zoo visitor as he picked up an American Music Award for favorite rock artist in November. And Jack Harlow is not far behind at a statuesque 6’3”. The women are no slouches either. Taylor Swift is 5’11”…

AWARDS CIRCUIT It’s not Andrea Riseborough’s fault that zero Black women were nominated for best actress this year. Still, with no such representation for the second consecutive year, the “To Leslie” star’s surprise inclusion is far more pronounced. Through a grassroots effort made up of predominantly white acting peers, Riseborough’s managing and publicity teams orchestrated a concentrated campaign that landed her a nom — and exposed an awards ecosystem that doesn’t naturally seek out Black women. Viola Davis (“The Woman King”) and Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) were favored to be best actress nominees — this in a category that has seen only one Black woman, Halle Berry, win in 95 years. After scoring key mentions from industry groups, neither contender received a nod. Alas, their snubs recall what Morpheus says in…