Variety 03/13/2024

The 96th annual Oscars was a night for the history books. Jimmy Kimmel, in his fourth turn as the ceremony’s host, demonstrated the razor timing and love for the movies of a modern-day Billy Crystal. His show-opening gag, embedding himself in a scene from “Barbie” opposite Margot Robbie, even recalled Crystal, who used to insert himself into ’90s best picture nominees. The evening felt like a throwback in the best way, down to an old-fashioned sweep, with “Oppen heimer” winning seven awards, including best picture and best director. But the highlight of the night came from a nominee who won without taking home a trophy. Decked out in a pink suit, Ryan Gosling belted out “I’m Just Ken” (perfectly on key) with a stage packed with backup-dancer Kens. The audience…

In the run-up to the release of last December’s “Wonka,” Timothée Chalamet made a surprise visit to Hudson Yards in New York for a screening of the fantasy musical for the kids enrolled in After-School All-Stars. With the holiday season in full swing, the 28-year-old actor handed out gift bags filled with Xboxes, Nikes and, naturally, chocolate bars. It was a plan he concocted on his own and was followed by similar events, such as a January visit to a Minnesota high school, where he took selfies with drama students. “He took every kid’s hand who came. He took a photograph with everybody who asked him, which was pretty much everyone,” recalls “Wonka” producer David Heyman. “That was about his heart. But he’s also very savvy about marketing. He gets…

NFL Sunday Ticket subscriber Leo Tolstoy once wrote, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” That’s an apt summation of the New England Patriots during their championship run in the first two decades of this century. There were six Super Bowl wins, but everyone — particularly quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Bill Belichick — seemed to be on an endless deployment aboard the HMS Misery. Eventually, Brady jumped ship for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “Me and Coach Belichick, we did what we loved and competed for 20 years together,” says Brady in an upcoming episode of Apple TV+’s “The Dy-nasty.” “Based on how things had gone, I wasn’t going to sign up for more of it.” Did it have to be that…

Since January, the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael” has released a series of announcements of the film’s cast, including Oscar nominee Colman Domingo as Jackson’s father, Joe; Nia Long as Jackson’s mother, Katherine; and Miles Teller as John Branca, Jackson’s attorney and the co-executor of his estate. Each press release offers the same description, promising a “riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man” that will reflect both Jackson’s “undeniable creative genius” and his “human side and personal struggles.” One significant aspect of Jackson’s life, however, will make that promise practically impossible to fulfill: the multiple allegations that the King of Pop leveraged his global fame to groom prepubescent boys into sexual relationships. According to a report by Puck News, which Variety has confirmed, director Antoine Fuqua, producer Graham…

Last Sunday night, Universal Pictures shut down West Hollywood’s Soho House to celebrate its Oscar haul for “Oppenheimer,” and the anointing of Da’Vine Joy Randolph as best supporting actress for “The Holdovers.” Beneath paper lanterns and aged olive trees, Steven Spielberg held court with NBCUniversal chief content officer Donna Langley and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts. Charlize Theron and Vin Diesel giddily took laps around the expansive rooftop. John Krasinski dove onto a chaise longue with mock exhaustion while wife Emily Blunt greeted revelers. Christopher Nolan and partner Emma Thomas received thunderous ovation from every corner. Could it have been the last grand ball in the house of Soho? Recent headlines about the private club would suggest that. Billed as a home for creative types — where screenwriters could linger from…

Mark Duplass was feeling insecure. At one point in his career, he would get greenlight after greenlight for the projects he pitched on behalf of Duplass Brothers Productions, the beloved indie banner he founded with Jay Duplass in the late ’90s. But recently, he and company president Mel Eslyn noticed a problem. “All the executives who used to buy all of our stuff before we could even open our mouths were passing,” he says. “We were like, ‘Have we lost it?’ And then we started talking to all of our friends. They were like, ‘It’s not you. It’s us too.’ We started sharing these war stories.” The war they spoke of was the decline of Peak TV. For nearly a decade, Hollywood was producing and distributing more television than ever…