Jake Shane, a 23-year-old comedian and TikTok content creator best known for his character dubbed “octopusslover8,” has signed for representation with WME. To date, Shane’s octopusslover8 has gained 1.5 million followers on TikTok alone, with celebs and companies commenting on his posts including Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Hulu. His bio on TikTok reads, “Rating/reviewing…

Note: This article is based on Variety Intelligence Platform’s special report “2023 Media & Tech Trend Tracker,” available exclusively to subscribers. With the rate of growth in digital advertising declining, some market entrants big and small in the social media space are feeling the competitive threat of Meta now more than ever.  After registering as…

Guy Pearce issued a lengthy apology statement on Twitter after he generated backlash for a controversial statement on transgender actors. In a since-deleted tweet, the “Memento” and “Mare of Easttown” actor mused about the roles trans actors can play. “A question — if the only people allowed to play trans characters are trans folk, then…

While an official announcement is not expected until later in the week, multiple sources tell Variety that Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Tool and Iron Maiden headline a new festival called Power Trip from Coachella founders Goldenvoice. The sources say the festival will take place at Coachella’s home base, Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif., in October. The…

U.K. broadcaster ITV has revealed the schedule changes brought about by the death of popular British presenter and comedian Paul O’Grady. At 5pm U.K. time on March 29 “Paul O’Grady’s For the Love of Dogs: A Royal Special” will be repeated on ITV1, replacing the repeat of “The Chase.” At 8pm U.K. time on April…

Focus Features has dropped the trailer for Wes Anderson’s upcoming comedy “Asteroid City.”  “Asteroid City” is set in the 1950s in a fictional American desert town. At a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention, which is designed to unite students and parents in scholarly competition, chaos ensues as world-changing events take place.  The film’s main cast includes…

Top Middle East broadcaster MBC Group has forged a partnership with U.S. anime and manga distributor Tokyopop under which they are forming a hub dedicated to the licensing, promotion, and production of anime content in the region. The joint venture, called MBC Anime, is led by Stu Levy, the American anime and manga expert who…

‘BAD KIDS’ ARE AS GOOD AS ‘GOLD’ “The Bad Kids,” a hit series from Chinese streamer iQiyi, is to be remade as a Japanese feature film “Gold Boy.” The 12-episode gritty crime thriller depicts the troubles that arise after three children accidentally film a murder. The series was previously licensed to Japanese pay-TV group Wowow….

Former Amazon Studios Europe boss Georgia Brown has revealed her first industry role since leaving the streamer last year. She is set to chair a skills task force for the U.K. screen industry with the intention of focusing on critical labor shortages in the production sector. Joining her on the task force will be senior…

Netflix will give a May launch to “Sanctuary,” a sports drama series set in the specialized world of Japanese sumo wrestling. Produced by the Slowtide company for the streamer, the show follows a juvenile delinquent who becomes a sumo apprentice. He soon finds himself on a collision course with a voiceless wrestler carrying a secret….