Variety writer Jon Burlingame’s new book, “Music for Prime Time: A History of American Television Themes and Scoring,” is published today. The product of 35 years of research and more than 450 interviews, it tells the backstory of every great TV theme dating back to 1949. What follows is an excerpt from the sitcom chapter….
‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,’ ‘Lower Decks’ Renewed at Paramount+, Set Summer Premieres
“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” has been renewed for Season 3 while “Star Trek: Lower Decks” has been renewed for Season 5 at Paramount+. The new seasons of both shows will consist of 10 episodes. In addition, Season 2 of “Strange New Worlds” and Season 4 of “Lower Decks” will both debut this summer. “Strange…
CMT Awards Add Gwen Stefani and Alanis Morissette for Collabs With the Women of Country, Peg Shania Twain for Equal Play Honor (EXCLUSIVE)
The CMT Music Awards telecast has added some star power to this coming Sunday’s CBS telecast, with a couple of pairings that match famous female pop stars with women artists in the country world, plus a diversity-celebrating “Equal Play” honor for crossover queen Shania Twain. On the collaborative front, Gwen Stefani will join recent No….
‘Jackie the Wolf,’ About Right-to-Die Activist, Debuts Trailer, Deckert Boards as Sales Agent (EXCLUSIVE)
“Jackie the Wolf,” which will have its world premiere at Hot Docs in the World Showcase program, has debuted its trailer with Variety (below). Deckert Distribution has boarded the film as its world sales agent. The film is a personal exploration of the life and eventual death of right-to-die activist Jacqueline Jencquel, directed through the…
5 Designer Tote Bags That Wouldn’t Get You Kicked Out of Logan Roy’s Birthday Party
The first episode of the fourth and final season of “Succession” begins in the same setting that kicked off the whole series when it premiered five years ago, at the birthday party of the family patriarch Logan Roy. However, there are some key differences at this year’s extremely depressing fête: Logan’s ousted children, Shiv, Kendall,…
‘The Rising’ Season 2 Canceled by Sky Shortly Before Going Into Production (EXCLUSIVE)
“The Rising” Season 2 has been canceled just months before production was due to start, Variety has learned. Cast and crew were gearing up for the Sky Studios show when they were told to down tools two months before principal photography got underway. “It was canceled before they were due to start filming,” a source…
Madlib Says Posthumous Mac Miller EP Has Been Greenlit by Estate
The estate of Mac Miller has approved the release of a long-awaited EP put together by MadLib and the late rapper. The producer and DJ spoke of the unreleased record to “Sway In The Morning” on March 27, while he and Talib Kweli were promoting their new joint album “Liberation 2.” Madlib told Sway that…
Boygenius Sets Summer Tour Dates, With Carly Rae Jepsen Among Openers
The all-star trio Boygenius has set 14 headlining dates for this summer, on top of festival gigs that include Coachella appearances and concerts under the Re:SET banner that’d previously been announced for the group. Opening acts for the 14 newly set dates include Carly Rae Jepsen, Broken Social Scene, Illuminati Hotties, Bartees Strange and Claud. The…
Ben Affleck Got Pitched ‘Good Will Hunting 2,’ but ‘It’s Not a Sequel We’re Going to Pursue’
It’s been more than 25 years since Ben Affleck became the youngest Oscar winner for best original screenplay for “Good Will Hunting,” which he co-wrote and starred in with Matt Damon. Isn’t it time for a sequel? Not so much. Damon laughed when revealing that Affleck was recently approached for a follow-up movie. “Someone just…
The Killers, Kendrick Lamar, Odesza, the 1975, More Set for 2023 Life Is Beautiful Festival
The Killers, Kendrick Lamar, Odesza, Khalid and the 1975 are among the notable performers set for the Life Is Beautiful festival that takes over downtown Las Vegas in September. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Omar Apollo, Kim Petras, FLUME, Nelly and Bebe Rexha are also lined up to play the 10th anniversary edition of the music…