Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Cynthia Erivo Talks Rigorous Vocal Training to Prepare for ‘Wicked’ and Ariana Grande Burning Her Butt Before ‘Defying Gravity’ by Matthew Minton

With the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz” forever ingrained in pop culture history, seven-time Oscar-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley knew it was the necessary starting place …

SOURCE: Variety at 07:57PM

Marcia Gay Harden to Guest Star in Apple Series ‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’ by Joseph Otterson

Marcia Gay Harden is the latest addition to the cast of the upcoming Apple series “Margo’s Got Money Troubles.” Variety has learned that Harden will guest star in the series, the cast …

SOURCE: Variety at 07:57PM

YouTube Viewing on TV Now Surpasses Mobile, Desktop in U.S. by Todd Spangler

As YouTube marks its 20th anniversary this year, CEO Neal Mohan is positioning the video platform as a core player in the media and entertainment ecosystem — and the culture at large. Moha…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:09PM
Monday, February 10, 2025

Jeremy O. Harris, Raphael Picciarelli on Reinventing the Williamstown Theatre Festival With a Bold 2025 Season by Brent Lang

When Jeremy O. Harris was tapped to help reinvigorate the Williamstown Theatre Festival, he didn’t just think about traditional showcases for plays and musicals. “The American festivals …

SOURCE: Variety at 06:00PM

‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Editing Is Ahead of Schedule, Duffer Brothers Promise at SCAD TVfest: ‘We’re Definitely on Target’ for 2025 by Michael Schneider

Matt and Ross Duffer want to clear up any confusion: Yes, the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” is coming this year. As a matter of fact, it may be even sooner than expected. �…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:19PM

David Johansen, New York Dolls Co-Founder, Suffering From Stage 4 Cancer, Seeks Donations for Health Care by Jem Aswad

David Johansen — the sole surviving founding member of the New York Dolls and a solo artist who also performs as the lounge singer Buster Poindexter — is suffering from stage four cance…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:19PM

Green Day-Inspired Comedy Movie in the Works From Live Nation Productions (EXCLUSIVE) by Ethan Shanfeld

A comedy movie inspired by (and developed with) Green Day is being produced by Live Nation Productions. Titled “New Years Rev,” the film is a coming-of-age story of three friends — pla…

SOURCE: Variety at 04:19PM

Colman Domingo Met Marvel About Rumors of Replacing Jonathan Majors as Kang: ‘I Want a Role to Be Mine. Something Didn’t Feel Right About Replacin by Zack Sharf

Colman Domingo revealed on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast that he met with Marvel executives to discuss the onslaught of rumors claiming the studio wanted him to replace Jonathan Major…

SOURCE: Variety at 02:06PM

Ariana Grande Says Studios and Labels Need to Offer Weekly Therapy in Contracts for Young Stars: ‘That Should Be Non-Negotiable’ by Ellise Shafer

Ariana Grande is advocating for therapy for young stars in both the acting and music worlds, saying that weekly appointments should be built into their contracts. The Oscar-nominated actor a…

SOURCE: Variety at 11:03AM

‘DDLJ’ at 30: Britain’s Railway Joins India’s Yash Raj Films for Musical Celebration (EXCLUSIVE) by Naman Ramachandran

Britain’s railway system and Bollywood titan Yash Raj Films (YRF) are teaming up for a cultural celebration marking two major milestones in 2025: the railway’s 200th anniversary and the …

SOURCE: Variety at 06:42AM
Sunday, February 9, 2025

Denzel Washington Says He’s ‘Been Around Too Long’ to Care About ‘Gladiator II’ Oscar Snub: ‘Aww. Oh, I’m So Upset’ by Lauren Coates

Some may have been surprised by Denzel Washington’s exclusion from the best supporting actor race at the 2025 Academy Awards, but he’s not losing sleep over it. Amid a chaotic Oscar seas…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:58PM

‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Super Bowl Trailer: Toothless and Hiccup Take Flight in Live-Action Remake by Matthew Minton

Live-action remakes aren’t just Disney’s anymore. Universal debuted a full look at the reimagining of DreamWorks Animation’s beloved “How to Train Your Dragon” during the Super Bow…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:58PM

Box Office: ‘Mufasa’ Leaps to $671 Million Globally, ‘Paddington in Peru’ Crosses $100 Million Milestone Overseas by Rebecca Rubin

“Mufasa” is still showing box office strength, with the photorealistic “Lion King” prequel clearing $671 million in global ticket sales. Over the weekend, the film added another $8.5…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:58PM

How Led Zeppelin Changed the World by Owen Gleiberman

Led Zeppelin, if you take in the full measure of their annihilating sunburst grandeur, are a very hard band to categorize. They’re usually thought of as the gods of metal, and few would de…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:58PM
Saturday, February 8, 2025

‘Wicked’ and ‘Conclave’ Lead Costume Designers Guild Awards: Full Winners List by Jazz Tangcay

“Wicked” and “Conclave” were the big winners of the 27th Costume Designers Guild Awards on Thursday evening. This was the guild’s second instance awarding “Wicked” designer Pa…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:54PM

‘Wicked’ Director Jon M. Chu Jokes ‘I’m Gonna Win That Oscar’ After Academy Snub in Stunned Acceptance Speech at Critics’ Choice by J. Kim Murphy

“Wicked” director Jon M. Chu beat out several Oscar nominees for best director at the Critics’ Choice Awards Friday evening, taking home the prize from that body. The filmmaker seemed …

SOURCE: Variety at 12:54PM

Cynthia Erivo Denies Speaking With Academy About Performing ‘Wicked’ Songs at the Oscars: ‘I Don’t Know Why We Would Be Doing That’ by J. Kim Murphy

Cynthia Erivo is already going to the Oscars as a best actress nominee for “Wicked,” but some have expected the star to have a bigger spotlight during the ceremony. As reported by Puck, …

SOURCE: Variety at 12:54PM

‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ Is an Exhilarating, Hard-Rocking Documentary of the Band’s First 18 Months by Jem Aswad

The world loves a good “rise of” story — one that captures the first months of a now-superstar artist’s meteoric rise, whether it’s Elvis or the Beatles or Madonna or Prince or Nir…

SOURCE: Variety at 12:54PM
Friday, February 7, 2025

Tony Roberts, ‘Annie Hall’ Actor and Broadway Star, Dies at 85 by J. Kim Murphy

Tony Roberts, who appeared in Woody Allen films including “Annie Hall” while enjoying a long, bountiful career on Broadway, died Friday due to complications of lung cancer. He was 85 yea…

SOURCE: Variety at 07:28PM

Donald Trump Says He Will Fire Kennedy Center Board Members and Name Himself Chairman by Katcy Stephan

President Donald Trump has declared his intention to take over the leadership of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. D.C. After The Atlantic first reported the …

SOURCE: Variety at 07:09PM
Thursday, February 6, 2025

Tim Robinson Said Lorne Michaels ‘Lost His F—ing Mind’ Inviting Trump to Host ‘SNL’: ‘Someone Needs to Shoot Him’ by J. Kim Murphy

When Donald Trump was invited to host “Saturday Night Live” just months after launching his presidential campaign in 2015, the decision stunned staffers and left months of lingering tens…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:06PM

Controversial Prince Netflix Documentary Will Not Be Released, Estate Is Free to Create New Project by Thania Garcia

Netflix has canceled the release of what was supposed to be a six-part Prince documentary directed by Ezra Edelman. “The Prince Estate and Netflix have come to a mutual agreement that wil…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:06PM

‘Mayor of Kingstown’ Season 4 Casts Edie Falco, Lennie James, Laura Benanti by Joseph Otterson

“Mayor of Kingstown” Season 4 has added four new cast members. Edie Falco (“The Sopranos,” “Nurse Jackie”), Lennie James (“The Walking Dead,” “Save Me”), and Laura Benant…

SOURCE: Variety at 10:06PM

Tituss Burgess to Take Over Lead Role in Broadway’s ‘Oh, Mary!’ by Brent Lang

Tituss Burgess is about to don Mary Todd Lincoln’s bouncy curls and voluminous gowns. The “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star will take over the lead role in Broadway’s “Oh, Mary!” …

SOURCE: Variety at 09:00AM
Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Neil Patrick Harris, James Norton, Jessica Gunning Join Bella Ramsey in Coming-of-Age Comedy ‘Sunny Dancer’ (EXCLUSIVE) by Alex Ritman

Five-time Emmy winner Neil Patrick Harris (“A Series of Unfortunate Events”, “Gone Girl”), BAFTA nominee James Norton (“Joy”, “Bob Marley: One Love”), and recent Golden Globe…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:26PM

Bob Iger Explains Why Venu was Scrapped, Why Disney Bought Fubo and Why New Skinny Bundles Help ESPN by Brian Steinberg

Disney thinks an emerging suite of so-called “skinny bundles” serves as a better way to make ESPN available to cord-cutters than Venu, a now-scuttled streaming sports joint venture with …

SOURCE: Variety at 08:26PM

Disney Earnings Boosted by ‘Moana 2,’ Disney+ Loses 700,000 Subscribers as Streaming Business Swings to Another Profit by Todd Spangler

Animated blockbuster “Moana 2” put wind into Disney’s sales for the last three months of 2024. The sequel’s strong showing at the box office, along with another profitable quarter fo…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:26PM

Billie Eilish Interviews Ariana Grande at ‘Wicked’ Screening, Goes Full Fangirl: ‘My Brother Used to Be Like: Don’t Call Her ‘Ari,’ You Do by Chris Willman

No one lauds the “Wicked” quite like Billie Eilish, at least when she is in full Ariana Grande fangirl mode, as she was in interviewing her longtime singing heroine after a screening of …

SOURCE: Variety at 08:26PM

Lin-Manuel Miranda Asked Director Jon M. Chu to Cast Him as a Munchkin in ‘Wicked’: ‘It Would’ve Been Distracting’ by Jack Dunn

After Lin-Manuel Miranda collaborated with director Jon M. Chu on the 2021 movie musical “In The Heights,” the pair almost worked together on 2024’s biggest Broadway adaptation: “Wic…

SOURCE: Variety at 08:26PM
Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Grammys Draw 15.4 Million Viewers on CBS, Down 12% From Last Year by Ethan Shanfeld

Music’s biggest night drew 15.4 million viewers on CBS Sunday night. That’s down 12% from last year’s Grammys, which brought in 17.5 million viewers on CBS, per Nielsen Live + Same Day…

SOURCE: Variety at 06:29PM

All that Chat

2024-2025 BROADWAY SEASON
Jun 05, 2024: Home - Todd Haimes Theatre
Jul 11, 2024: Oh, Mary! - Lyceum Theatre
Jul 30, 2024: Job - Hayes Theater
Sep 12, 2024: The Roommate - Booth Theatre
Nov 14, 2024: Tammy Faye - Palace Theatre
Nov 17, 2024: Elf - Marquis Theatre
Dec 12, 2024: Cult of Love - Hayes Theater
Dec 19, 2024: Gypsy - Majestic Theatre
Mar 17, 2025: Purpose - Hayes Theater
Apr 10, 2025: Smash - Imperial Theatre
TBA: Titanic
TBA: Ragtime