Tag: Entertainment-Variety

Turner Classic Movies has acquired the exclusive rights to “Beyond The Border: Latino Representation in Hollywood,” a documentary feature directed, written and produced by the sister filmmaker duo Clara and Julia Kuperberg. The film will be released in September on TCM during Hispanic Heritage Month. 

The documentary will trace a “century-long struggle for Latino representation, showing how artists reclaimed their image and reshaped cinema, and the way we imagine the world,” per the film’s logline, and will feature archives and film clips. Voices featured in the film include John Leguizamo, casting director Carla Hool, Esai Morales, Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos, director Gregory Nava, director Patricia Riggen, José Zúñiga and more. 

“As French filmmakers, we’ve spent over 20 years exploring American cinema and culture, so in a way, this film is part of a larger journey,” said the Kuperbergs. “What has always fascinated us is how Hollywood not only reflects society, but also shapes global perceptions of identity, power, and belonging. When it comes to Latino representation, we were struck by a paradox. Latinos are a fundamental part of American history and culture, and one of the largest communities in the United States, yet their presence in Hollywood has long been limited, stereotyped, or overlooked. That gap between reality and representation felt both striking and urgent.”

The Kuperbergs have made films together for more than two decades, writing, directing, producing and editing more than 60 documentaries through their company Wichita Films. Their work has screened at Cannes, by AMPAS and has been distributed globally across platforms including HBO Max, Amazon, Hulu and TCM.

Martine Melloul serves as co-producer for the film and Daniel Talbott serves as executive producer. The film was produced by TCM Cinema and Wichita Films, in association with Kali Pictures.

Yet into the wee hours of Monday morning, as many exhausted festival attendees headed home and many online viewers simply ran out of energy, Colombian dynamo Karol G delivered an explosive performance that leaned heavily into Latin and female empowerment, covering multiple genres of music and guest appearances while showing off her formidable talents as a singer, performer and conceptualist. The show was an explosion of music, dancing, colors and symbols that words could never do justice — it’s streaming for another few hours (and for weekend two next Sunday) so dig in while you can.

Karol was, as she noted, the first Latin female artist in 27 years of Coachella to headline. She leaned heavily into that role: The show opened with a spoken-word fable, with a translation in English appearing on the massive screens, about a young woman who “came into this world being wild, untamable, free” but was then repressed by a voice saying “If you want to belong, you must surrender to the world” — but of course she did not stay repressed forever, recovering her power as she “lloked around and felt the power of every woman by her side,” finishing with the words “Forever wild — Latina forever.”  

She and a dozen-odd limber-limbed dancers clad in gold lame bikinis then tore into that song, performing on a giant, multi-level stage that was designed like a series of caves — symbolizing origin — with her (apparently all-female) musicians on the ground floor. After a rousing start (setlist below), what followed was a vivid, loving tribute to all different flavors and musical genres of Latin culture, as loaded with subtext as Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl headlining performance. An all-female mariachi band took the stage for a brief performance; Becky G and Mariah Angeliq joined Karol for sultry duets on “Mamiii” and “El Makinon” respectively; Puerto Rican rapper Wisin performed a long medley of his hits in the middle of the set; legendary Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval delivered a powerful solo during “Ivonny Bonita”; Karol performed back-to-back with guitarist Greg Gonzales, of the band Cigarettes After Sex on a new song.

Karol was an explosive presence throughout the show, leading a huge troupe of colorfully clad dancers onto the walkways leading into the crowd; performing atop a giant model of a macaw (another symbol of Latin culture) with its wings outstretched; performing with her dancers in a sculptured pool and incorporating the splashing water into the choreography; quieting things down with a couple of low-key ballads; and later going into the front row of the audience and looking on with an incredulous smile as a young woman rapped her lyrics note for note.

As the set wound down, Karol, surrounded by dozens of musicians and dancers, gave a brief speech, noting that it took 27 years for Coachella — which has leaned heavily into Latin music in recent years — to book a female Latin performer as a headliner before saying, “Before me there were so any legendary Latino artists that gave me the opportunity to be here tonight, so this isn’t just about me: This is about my Latino community,” she said to cheers.

“And at the same time, this is for my Latinos that have been struggling in this country lately — we stand [with] them, and at the same time I am very proud because this brings out the best in us: unity, resilience, and a strong spirit. We do this because we want everyone to feel welcome to our culture, so I want everyone to feel proud of where you come from: Don’t feel fear, feel pride!”

The set then closed out with ten minutes of joyous music and dancing from the entire troupe, punctuated by fireworks, blazing laser lights, blasts of flame and more. It was an explosive set that found Karol leaning heavily into her moment and emerging triumphantly.

Both “The Rookie” and “Will Trent” have been renewed for new seasons at ABC.

The renewal will take “The Rookie” to its ninth season, while it will bring “Will Trent” to its fifth. Both shows are currently airing new seasons on ABC, with both slated to air their respective season finales in early May.

As previously reported, ABC has already renewed its primetime dramas “9-1-1,” “9-1-1: Nashville,” “High Potential,” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” Likewise, the hit comedy series “Abbott Elementary” was renewed in March. That means the only shows awaiting word on new seasons are the freshman drama “R.J. Decker” and the sophomore multi-cam comedy “Shifting Gears.”

ABC recently shot a pilot for an offshoot of “The Rookie” titled “The Rookie: North.” Starring Jay Ellis, the pilot follows a man who joins the police force in the Pacific Northwest after a violent home invasion. At the time of this publishing, it is still awaiting word on a series pickup.

“The Rookie” stars Nathan Fillion as John Nolan, Mekia Cox as Nyla Harper, Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Wade Grey, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Eric Winter as Tim Bradford, Jenna Dewan as Bailey Nune, Shawn Ashmore as Wesley Evers, Lisseth Chavez as Celina Juarez, and Deric Augustine as Miles Penn.

Alexi Hawley created the series and serves as executive producer and showrunner. Mark Gordon, Fillion, Michelle Chapman, Bill Norcross, Brynn Malone, Moira Kirland, Bill Roe and Jon Steinberg are also executive producers on the series. It is produced by Lionsgate Television in partnership with 20th Television.

“Will Trent” Ramón Rodríguez as Will Trent, Erika Christensen as Angie Polaski, Iantha Richardson as Faith Mitchell, Jake McLaughlin as Michael Ormewood, Kevin Daniels as Benjamin Franklin, with Sonja Sohn as Amanda Wagner.

The series is based on Karin Slaughter’s “Will Trent” books. Liz Heldens and Daniel Thomsen developed the series for television and serve as executive producers along with Karine Rosenthal, Slaughter, Oly Obst, Jason Ensler, Ellen Marie Blum and Rodríguez. Heldens, Thomsen and Rosenthal also serve as showrunners. The series is produced by 20th Television.

Senior figures within the film community in Hungary gave two thumbs up to Péter Magyar’s landslide victory Monday, although the scale of reforms needed within the media and entertainment sector are daunting.

Contacted by Variety, Hungarian filmmaker László Nemes, who won an Oscar with “Son of Saul,” wrote: “Free at last! Hungary has chosen hope over fear, freedom over submission, humanism over anti-humanism. This election is a profound game-changer, not only for the people, but also the arts, liberating all those who were despised, sidelined or silenced by the corrupt regime. Hungary has rich artistic traditions and we’re thrilled to wake up from this nightmare.”

Another Hungarian filmmaker, Ildikó Enyedi, whose “On Body and Soul” was Oscar nominated, told Variety, “I am in Hong Kong with my last film ‘Silent Friend,’ so, because of the time difference I was one of the first to vote. It was still the middle of the night in Hungary… It is such a euphoria to see that despite all the wounds and distortions, the democratic system works and is able to fulfill its main function – to represent the true intentions of the citizens. The healing can start – and, I am sure, we all will be much more attentive while observing how the politicians, our public servants work.”

Hungary is a major destination for Hollywood and other big budget international shoots, ranking number two in Europe as a production hub. This position relies on its 30% tax rebate, whose future had been in doubt under the government of Viktor Orbán.

That doubt has been swept away with Magyar’s victory, according to Adam Goodman, managing partner of Hungarian production company Mid Atlantic Films, which has worked on numerous Hollywood films and series including the “Dune” franchise, “F1” and “Ballerina.”

He told Variety: “Since June 2025 the outgoing administration cast doubt on the reliability of the Hungarian incentive program. There have been discussions with the incoming administration during the election cycle, in which they pledged to fix the uncertainty and added the film industry to their policies platform.

“It will take some time for the incoming government to appoint new ministers of culture and finance and work through all the issues that need their attention, but we expect the current issues regarding the security of the incentive and the registration procedures will be rectified.”

When it comes to the media sector in Hungary more broadly, the new government faces a mammoth task. According to the media freedom lobbying group Reporters Without Borders, Orbán supporters control 80% of the country’s media through organization like KESMA, which has a stranglehold on private television, and MTVA, which controls the public broadcasting network.

This control is enshrined in law so Magyar’s first objective will be a legislative overhaul. The size of his majority allows him to make amendments to the constitution, should those be required. Magyar’s Tisza party took 138 seats, with Orbán’s Fidesz on 55 and the far-right Our Homeland on six.

First-time actor Angus Cloud was an immediate standout when “Euphoria” premiered on HBO in 2019, and built that momentum even further in Season 2. His character, drug dealer Fezco, ends up in a climactic shootout when his home is raided by a SWAT team, creating one of the biggest cliffhangers of the season finale in 2022. But in 2023, while “Euphoria” was on hiatus, 25-year-old Cloud died from a fentanyl overdose.

Now “Euphoria” is back after more than four years off the air. The Season 3 premiere picks up after a five-year time jump, with its previously high school-age characters all exploring early adulthood in different ways. And Fez, surprisingly, is still alive.

He first comes up when Rue (Zendaya) is catching up with Lexi (Maude Apatow) and tells her, “You know, you really should call Fez.” Lexi looks uncomfortable, and says she knows she should, but that she’s been too busy. Rue says Fez has told her multiple times that he misses Lexi, and Lexi makes the excuse that their hours don’t line up.

“Just pick up the phone and call him. It’s not like he’s going anywhere. He’s in prison for 30 years,” Rue says.

Speaking to Variety‘s Marc Malkin on the red carpet for Season 3, series creator Sam Levinson said, “There’s a lot of scenes where people are talking to him on the phone. I thought, if I couldn’t keep him alive in life, then maybe within this show I could keep him alive.” He added that Cloud “would be cracking up at his storyline” in the last few episodes of the season. “I think he would love it,” he said.

In another interview with Variety, Levinson expanded on his thoughts about Cloud. “Losing Angus was a tragedy,” he said. “I spent a lot of time trying to make sure that he was healthy, and when he passed, I was very angry. He’s one of 70,000 people that died of a fentanyl overdose in this country in that year. There’s a lot of questions that poses as an individual who’s loved someone and lost them. What is this all about? What does this mean? And I think death has a way of giving life its meaning. You realize how much the small moments matter. The interactions, the good deeds, the way you talk to the people around you. It reveals how precious life is.”

“And in terms of ‘Euphoria, I thought, how do I how do I tell a story about that?” Levinson continued. “How do I tell a story about what it means to be alive and to have the freedom to choose whatever path you want to choose — but there’s also the consequences that come with it? In many ways, this season was about honoring Angus and exploring what the greater meaning of life is. And I think what it comes down to is gratitude. You gotta have gratitude for the small moments, for the tragedies and also the beautiful parts of life. It became the thematic backbone.”

The “Euphoria” Season 3 premiere also paid tribute to Cloud with an “in memoriam” note at the end of the episode that features his name alongside supporting actor Eric Dane, who died earlier this year, and executive producer Kevin Turen, who died in November 2023.

Additionally, the episode seemed to reference Cloud’s death by depicting the dangers of fentanyl in the plot. For spoilers, read Variety‘s recap.

Marc Malkin contributed to this story.