You can never be too young to be a Swiftie. Young Taylor Swift fans can now learn more about the pop star through a children’s book biography, already topping bestseller lists ahead of its May release. The 24-page picture book, written by the self-professed “Swiftie” Wendy Loggia, tracks the singer’s beginnings in Nashville through her…
‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Series Ordered at Paramount+
A “Star Trek” series set at Starfleet Academy has officially been ordered at Paramount+, Variety has learned. The series has been in the works for some time, as Variety first reported on the development of a Starfleet Academy show in 2018, though that project had a different creative team. The premiere episode hails from writer…
Tory Lanez Requests New Trial in Megan Thee Stallion Shooting Case
Nearly two months after a Los Angeles jury found Tory Lanez guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in the feet during an altercation in July 2020, the Canadian rapper has requested a new trial. Lanez’s legal team is now claiming that the judge assigned to the case “erroneously allowed” jurors to assess a September 2020…
John Owen Lowe Was Nervous About Working With Dad Rob Lowe in ‘Unstable’: I ‘Want to Get Out of My Father’s Shadow’
When John Owen Lowe began writing on “9-1-1: Lone Star,” which stars his dad, Rob Lowe, he couldn’t resist venting to members of his team. His complaints about going “stir crazy” were so funny that they told him to pitch it as a show. With that, Netflix’s “Unstable” was born: The sitcom, which premieres March…
Paramount Pictures Lands Rebecca Serle Bestseller ‘One Italian Summer’
Film rights to Rebecca Serle’s novel “One Italian Summer” have sold to Paramount Pictures. The Brian Robbins-led studio won a competitive auction for the bestseller, published by Simon & Schuster’s Atria label. Temple Hill will produce a feature adaptation and Serle is executive producing with David Stone of TFC Productions. “One Italian Summer” follows Katy,…
Fake Peacock Reality-Dating Show ‘Love Language’ Is Actually a Real Partnership With Duolingo
NBCUniversal’s Peacock has announced a hot new reality dating show — but, you know, not really. In an early April Fool’s Day stunt, Peacock announced a new show with language-learning app Duolingo: “Love Language,” purportedly following 10 “confident and flirty singles” from across the globe coming together “to share a house in paradise in hopes…
Judy Blume Doesn’t Miss Writing. She’s Not Afraid of Dying, Either
Prologue At the start of the 1950s, in the suburbs of Elizabeth, N.J., a nearly teenage Judy Blume found herself at odds with the rhythms of her body. She hadn’t inherited her Aunt Gert’s large breasts. (“My mother worried terribly that I would take after my father’s sister, who had to have bras made to…
PBS Documentary Series ‘Independent Lens’ Reveals Spring Slate of Films (EXCLUSIVE)
The Award-winning PBS documentary series “Independent Lens” has released its spring slate of documentary films, which will begin debuting on April 24. This season’s films will highlight a myriad of marginalized communities and current affairs by documenting both personal and important stories from around the world. First to debut is documentary film “Free Chol Soo…
Elon Musk, After Buying Twitter, Is Now Twitter’s Most-Followed User
If nothing else, $44 billion has bought Twitter power-user Elon Musk status as the No. 1 most-followed account on the social network. As of Thursday morning, Musk had 133.088 million users — up more than 20% since he closed the Twitter deal last October. That pushed the billionaire ahead of the previously most-followed account, that…
Emmy Predictions: Lead Actress (Comedy) – Selena Gomez’s Emmy Snub for ‘Only Murders’ Last Season Was Bad, a Second Would be Worse
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences…