Variety 7/26/2023

In her 64 years as America’s favorite doll, Barbie’s been an astronaut, a nurse and even president. But her latest role may be the toughest one yet. With the help of actor-producer Margot Robbie and director Greta Gerwig, the doll at the center of Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” has saved the summer box office. Millions of theatergoers dressed in their rosiest, as well as a national shortage of pink paint, were early indicators of just how huge the film might get — and at $162 million for its opening weekend, “Barbie” is without precedent. It’s the biggest opening of all time for a movie made by a female director, not to mention the biggest of the year, leaving “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in its sparkly dust. The success of “Barbie,”…

Executive editor Brent Lang spent four months trailing Brian Robbins for this week’s cover. The Paramount chief asked him if he was writing a multivolume biography instead of an article. Three months after exposing CNN anchor Don Lemon’s misogyny, executive editor Tatiana Siegel returned to familiar turf following the exit of CEO Chris Licht. This time, she uncovered a secret plot to wrest control of the storied cable news network. “Big Brother” host Julie Chen Moonves admitted to senior editor Emily Longretta that sometimes she watches the live feeds. Before she made that admission, though, she said a prayer. Cover photographer Dylan Coulter says of shooting this week’s cover, “Brian Robbins was a fantastic collaborator, but frankly, getting Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello to stay on their marks was a challenge.”…

Prince Royal, an actor in Los Angeles, was working as an extra on a Warner Bros. superhero film when he was directed to a tractor trailer to “take pictures.” Inside were hundreds of cameras. He stood with his arms up as the operators took a 3D scan, which he was told would be used for continuity and special effects. “We were told if we didn’t do it, we’d be sent home without pay,” he says. Now he feels like he was duped. “We don’t know what all our scans are being used for,” he says. “They could possibly use our scans in other movies and shows.” That fear has become a flash-point of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the union’s chief negotiator, has warned that studios want to scan background…

For the first time in decades, San Diego Comic-Con held its annual fan convention without any major stars or blockbuster panels from Marvel and DC — and the vibes were deeply chill. With actors joining the writers on the picket lines, several panels were canceled outright, and Hall H, the 6,500-person main stage, often sat empty during the convention, which was held July 19-23. Many events for the franchises that did appear — like panels for the “Star Trek” and “The Walking Dead” TV shows and the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” movie — relied heavily on exclusive footage to keep attendees entertained. The tiny handful of stars who showed up did so on the fringes: Both Jamie Lee Curtis and Patton Oswalt came to promote their new comics.…

Pop-jazz singing legend Tony Bennett died July 21 at age 96, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease seven years earlier. His 75-year career followed a classic three-act structure: a rise through the 1950s and early ’60s that culminated in his biggest hit, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” in 1962; the loss of pop opportunities as rock took over, resulting in deeper explorations of jazz; and a return to superstardom in the 1990s as he won the album of the year Grammy for “MTV Unplugged.” Actually, “we had a fourth act, with Lady Gaga, that lasted 10 years,” says his son Danny Bennett. Danny became his dad’s manager in 1986 and oversaw one of the great comebacks in music, which ended with Bennett and Gaga taping a final special at…

Sitting in her writing office, surrounded by mossy green bookshelves, Jenny Han is telling an origin story of sorts. She was 24, and her first novel was about to be published. At the time, it wasn’t considered appropriate for authors to put their headshot on the back flap of their books. But Han wanted hers to be on it — not for vanity’s sake but to reinforce the magnitude of her achievement. Because when she was younger, she “just didn’t know it was possible to be an author.” Eleven books, three movies and two TV shows later, the YA writer has built a fervent fan base through her ability to capture the flutter of an emerging crush, the euphoria of falling in love, the scald of heartbreak. Netflix’s adaptation of…