Innholdsfortegnelse for 03/06/2024 i Variety

A few years ago, we kicked off a new tradition that makes Oscar week gleam a little brighter. In the weeks leading up to the Academy Awards, we reflect on the journey a legendary past winner took to holding a statuette onstage. Everyone from Barbra Streisand to Whoopi Goldberg to Gwyneth Paltrow has graced Variety’s cover as we’ve anticipated new winners joining their ranks. And this year we found a new subject as synonymous with the Oscars as anyone in history. John Williams, who has been nominated for a record-breaking 54 Oscars (and won five), agreed to bring one of his statuettes to the shoot. As he spent the day with writer Chris Willman, he recalled what it was like composing the scores of some of the biggest movies of…

The first time Jimmy Kimmel showed up at the Oscars, he didn’t have a ticket. It was the mid-1990s, back when he was on KROQ’s “Kevin & Bean” morning drive-time show, and he and host Kevin Ryder decided to sneak into the Academy Awards Governors Ball. “I remember us getting there 9 o’clock in the morning in tuxedos,” Kimmel recalls. “We figured that if we hung around long enough, it would seem like we belonged there. But then moments before the guests began to arrive, they kicked us right out.” Their mistake was claiming they were guests of Gil Cates — just a name they saw in the Oscars credits, but actually the longtime Academy Awards executive producer. Still, Kimmel and Ryder slipped back in — and then had a…

Seven decades after four lads from Liverpool formed a band, the Beatles remain a cultural juggernaut. But can the Fab Four rock the box office? Sony Pictures is counting on Beatlemania to drive audiences to theaters not once, but four times — for Sam Mendes’ quartet of biopics that will tell the group’s story from each member’s perspective. It’s the first time that Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and the families of John Lennon and George Harrison have granted permission for scripted films based on their lives. But here’s what makes this project uniquely risky: All four films are planned for theatrical release in 2027. If that sounds like a lot of moptop in a short period, there’s a logic behind the unconventional rollout. Hollywood has surmised that audiences want movies…

‘Spaceman’ Premiere Egyptian Theatre, Hollywood FEB. 26 Carey Mulligan says she’d love to star in a rom-com with Adam Sandler following their work in the Johan Renck-directed Netflix drama. “‘The Wedding Singer’ is one of my favorite movies, ‘50 First Dates,’ everything he’s done with Jennifer Aniston — I am there for it,” Mulligan told Variety. “We have to do a rom-com, 100%!” And she’s already got the pitch, sort of: “We have to pick the location first — where we want to have a really nice holiday — and then build the story around that.” ‘The Regime’ Premiere Museum of Natural History, New York FEB. 26 Kate Winslet stars in the HBO political satire series as the chancellor of a fictional European autocracy. “She has a fantastic imagination. She’s…

Netflix, COVID and social media have been game changers for the comedy business, with the pandemic accelerating shifts already underway across the media landscape. Where once comedians would rely on comedy clubs, sitcom gigs or specials on channels such as HBO to build their names, now they have other options, including direct access to consumers on multiplying social media platforms. Netflix began its stand-up comedy shopping spree in 2016, the year Just for Laughs exec Robbie Praw joined the streaming giant as VP of stand-up and comedy formats. Top-tier performers were offered millions of dollars to perform for Netflix cameras, turning the comedy landscape into a seller’s market and helping to make comedians such as Ali Wong household names. “Netflix was certainly an inflection point when the specials started becoming…

Midday on a Friday not long ago found Lenny Kravitz sitting cross-legged on a couch. He was wearing jeans and a mostly unbuttoned denim shirt (naturally) and was barefoot (again, naturally) and he was perched beneath a canvas giving Basquiat vibes, though he didn’t know the name of the artist who’d painted it — he was staying at a friend’s house. Kravitz — who’ll receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 12 and release his 12th album, “Blue Electric Light,” on May 24, just two days before his 60th birthday — owns a townhouse in the 16th arrondissement of Paris (there’s a Basquiat in the entrance hall and a strict no-shoe policy), as well as a nearly 1,000-acre former coffee plantation outside Rio de Janeiro, and…

In August 2001, Kyle Hausmann-Stokes had just graduated from high school and wanted to escape the confines of his native Wisconsin. So he enlisted in the Army. Then 9/11 happened, and the teen would soon head to Iraq, where he became a paratrooper. As his three-year enlistment was about to end, he was hit with a stop-loss order, an involuntary extension of active duty. “I get a call one night that the colonel wants to see me in his office. I was known throughout the battalion as the film guy. I was always secretly making films of our airborne jumps and our jungle warfare training,” Hausmann-Stokes remembers. “The colonel said, ‘I think you might be destined for something different than going to war with us right now. I’ve made arrangements…

Following multiple nominations for “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest,” industry insiders are excited for more “international” Academy Awards. “The Oscars have been opening up to international filmmakers in recent years. I am happy to be one of them,” says Kaouther Ben Hania, nominated for doc “Four Daughters.” “The Academy has made efforts to diversify its membership and nominations, leading to increased recognition for films from around the world. The expansion of categories like international feature film — formerly foreign-language film — and the inclusion of more international voices in other categories demonstrate a growing appreciation for global cinema,” Ben Hania adds. “Let’s hope this becomes a trend, as audiovisual productions are increasingly global not only in their themes but also in their production models, which involve…

What Oscar records will be broken and which ones will remain intact at the 96th Academy Awards? With a win, Billie Eilish, 22, and Finneas, 26, would become the youngest artists ever to win two Oscars before the age of 30. The pair won for James Bond theme “No Time to Die” in 2022, and are nominated this year for “What Was I Made For?,” from “Barbie.” Only three individuals have clinched two Oscars before turning 30: Luise Rainer earned back to back Oscars by the time she was 28 for “The Great Ziegfeld” (1936) and “The Good Earth” (1937); Jodie Foster in 1989 for “The Accused” (age 26) and in 1992 for “The Silence of the Lambs” (29); and Hilary Swank in 2000 for “Boys Don’t Cry” (26) and…

Loosely based on the experiences of real-life porn sensation Rocco Siffredi, known as the “Italian Stallion,” Netflix’s “Supersex” isn’t actually very sexy at all. Instead, the seven-part series, created by Francesca Manieri, is a tale about family, masculinity and toxic bonds. While the show, which stars Alessandro Borghi in the lead role, has some interesting chapters, the surrealist elements — including some hallucinatory moments and the bizarre way some of the sex scenes are filmed — make it more than a biographical account. Instead, it’s an overly complex examination of relationships and the vices people indulge in to escape their emotional turmoil. “Supersex” opens in Parigi in 2004 with the world-renowned Rocco speaking at a sex convention. Still youthful and energetic, he shocks the porn world by announcing his retirement.…

1 The Bloody Hundredth APPLE TV+ | MARCH 15 Narrated and executive produced by Tom Hanks, the documentary follows the exploits of the the 100th Bomb Group during WWII. The launch coincides with the finale of the Apple series “Masters of the Air.” Steven Spielberg also executive produces. 2 STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces APPLE TV+ | MARCH 29 Featuring unseen footage, the two-part doc spans the iconic comedian’s early days, explosive rise and current career. Oscar winner Morgan Neville (“20 Feet From Stardom”) directs. 3 Girls State APPLE TV+ | APRIL 5 A sequel to Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine’s Emmy-winning documentary “Boys State,” the film centers on teen girls in Missouri participating in an experiment to build a model government from scratch. 4 Project Artemis SONY…

On Oscar night, Hollywood’s biggest celebration, the Governors Ball matches the annual ceremony’s elevated expectations as Wolfgang Puck and his catering team turn out dinner for 1,500 guests and what he estimates is his 150,000th chocolate Oscar. There’s something for everyone, whether they’re die-hard vegans or devoted carnivores, promises Puck, who’s overseeing his 30th post-Oscar dinner. “We can make everything taste good,” says the vet restaurateur, an expert at satisfying Hollywood’s most demanding palates. At past fetes, Joaquin Phoenix lauded Puck’s Asian-influenced, vegan specialties; Martin Scorsese approved his pasta; and if Barbra Streisand shows up, her favorite chicken pot pie will be served. Executive chefs from across Puck’s restaurant empire return for finishing duties at the various small-plate stations at the ball. A new addition to the lineup is exec…

BABES The canon of Ilana Glazer-led indies about childbearing expands. Following 2021’s “False Positive,” Glazer plays pregnant once again in “Babes,” this time from a film script she wrote with Josh Rabinowitz in Pamela Adlon’s feature directorial debut. The Neon comedy follows Eden (Glazer), who gets pregnant from a one-night stand and seeks help from Dawn (Michelle Buteau), a married mother of two. In other words, “Babes” lets the “Broad City” star do what she does best: lean heavily on the support of a best buddy. BLACK TWITTER: A PEOPLE'S HISTORY Come to “Black Twitter: A People’s History” for a who’s who of the funniest moments Black people have created on the social media site now known as X. Stay for what director Prentice Penny calls a coming-of-age story: “Are…

Back in May 2021, singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles returned to the Hollywood Bowl to promote a new album. At one point, she invited her “Girls5eva” co-stars — Renée Elise Goldsberry, Paula Pell and Busy Philipps — to join her onstage. The quartet performed the song “4 Stars” from the comedy, marking the first and only time they’ve sung together in public. But here’s the rub: This was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and all 17,500 seats around the Hollywood Bowl were empty. Bareilles’ concert was being livestreamed, and the cast had no idea what the fans at home felt about their performance. Which sounds a lot like the fate of “Girls5eva” itself. The comedy was one of the first original series on Peacock, but on a nascent streamer, the audiences weren’t huge. Critics…

Producer William Selig and director Francis Boggs came west from Chicago in 1909 to establish the first Los Angeles-based movie studio in a neighborhood that is today known as Echo Park. By 1916, 60% of the films made in the U.S. were shot in Los Angeles. More than a century later, the city and, by extension, the state of California remain at the top of the country’s film and TV production heap. According to a February 2023 report by California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, the state boasts roughly 125,000 industry jobs, more than twice as many as its closest domestic competitor, New York. A big part of California’s allure then and now is its warm weather, wealth of natural light (an average of 284 sunny days a year), and, perhaps…

With “Cuckoo,” German director Tilman Singer expands on the scope of his impressive 2018 debut (demonic-possession-meets-therapeutic-improv exercise “Luz”) while retaining that film’s bird-flipping attitude toward niceties like coherent plotting or narrative logic. Singer makes what ought to be his breakthrough with “Cuckoo,” an outlandish fusion of stylish atmospherics, old-school reproductive horror and pro-switchblade advertorial. The profile of this highly enjoyable, unashamedly convoluted creepfest will be further raised by “Euphoria” star Hunter Schafer’s terrific Final Girl performance and by Dan Stevens’ hilariously eccentric villain. Few are the films and fewer are the actors who can get such sinister mileage out of a character’s insistently Teutonic, semi-sibilant mispronunciation of the name “Gretchen.” Gretchen (Schafer) appears, initially, to be the cuckoo. She is sent to live with her estranged father, Luis (Marton Csokas),…