In this week’s edition of the Variety Movie Commercial Tracker, powered by the always-on TV ad measurement and attribution company iSpot.tv, Disney Pixar claims the top spot in spending with “Onward.” Ads placed for the animated film had an estimated media value of $4.99 million through Sunday for 784 national ad airings on 35 networks.…
Trafalgar Releasing has set a re-release for the concert documentary “Elvis: That’s the Way It Is” for April 22 in 14 countries, Variety has learned exclusively. 32 more words
via ‘Elvis: That’s the Way It Is’ Documentary Set for Re-Release (EXCLUSIVE) — Variety
U.K. coroners have labeled former “Love Island” host Caroline Flack’s death a suicide. The TV presenter was 40 years old. Flack, who left the show in December and was due to stand trial on assault charges in March, was found unresponsive at her London home on Saturday. 10 more words
via Caroline Flack’s Death Ruled Suicide as Unpublished Instagram Post Surfaces — Variety
“Everybody smile and say ‘cinema,’” young Myroslava Trofymchuk instructs several Ukrainian soldiers, as they obligingly pose and perform for her camera, their brawny tank reduced to a prop in the rubbly, wintry background. 27 more words
Time is doubling down on its elite, invitation-only events business. The mag’s second annual Time 100 Summit in New York, which springboards off the 16-year-old Time 100 list of the world’s most influential people, will run two days (April 21-22, 2020) up from the one-day event in 2019. 9 more words
via Time 100 Summit Expands to Two Days, Costs Up to $20,000 to Attend Under Membership Model — Variety
PARIS — “Narcos” showrunner Chris Brancato and “Godfather of Harlem” star Giancarlo Esposito, actors Carole Bouquet and Zabou Breitman, and the cast and crew behind the Canal Plus series “The Bureau” will be among the many guest of honor at this year’s Series Mania, which will kick off its 11th edition on March 20. Returning…
via ‘The Luminaries,’ ‘The Eddy,’ ‘Patria’ Set for Series Mania — Variety
Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan, and Willem Dafoe have been cast in “The Card Counter,” a casino-set revenge thriller starring Oscar Isaac. Paul Schrader is directing the movie from a screenplay he wrote. 26 more words
via Tiffany Haddish, Willem Dafoe and Tye Sheridan Join Oscar Isaac in ‘The Card Counter’ — Variety
Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke was fatally shot Wednesday morning at a home in the Hollywood Hills, law enforcement officials confirmed to the Los Angeles Times. He was 20. 30 more words
“This Is Us” dipped to match its lowest TV rating to date, but still managed to come out on top on Tuesday night. The NBC drama scored 1.3 rating among adults 18-49, equalling its lowest ever score from episode seven of season four. 16 more words
via TV Ratings: ‘This Is Us’ Matches Previous Low, ‘The Conners’ Holds Firm After Live Episode — Variety
In an era of overflowing choice, focus is more important than ever for traditional television executives. On the latest episode of Variety podcast Strictly Business, A+E Networks’ president of programming Rob Sharenow discusses how the cable giant pulled its flagship brands out of the ratings trenches over the past two years, thanks in large part…
via Listen: How A+E Networks Bucked the Trend and Fell Back in Love With Lifetime Movies — Variety
Festival Reviews 