Tag: Entertainment – Variety

A delegation of California Democrats campaigned with union leaders on Tuesday for a federal film incentive as they seek to build momentum to pass the measure by the end of the year.

Sen. Adam Schiff and eight Democratic representatives from Southern California argued that the U.S. must counter incentives from 65 other countries that have lured American production jobs overseas.

“We are so close to getting this done,” Schiff said in 100-degree heat outside the Alex Theatre in Glendale. “Whatever we can do to get this done, that is job No. 1. It just can’t wait. It’s too important. The losses so far have been too extraordinary.”

Lawmakers introduced a bill last month that would create a 20%-30% transferable tax credit for U.S. labor costs on films and TV shows. Schiff said that 12 senators are on board — six Democrats and six Republicans. The latest to join as cosponsors are Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Chris Coons, D-Del., according to Schiff’s office.

They will have about five weeks during the lame-duck session of Congress after the election to try to pass the bill. Rep. Laura Friedman, whose office organized Tuesday’s press conference, said she is “cautiously, guardedly optimistic.”

“We need to have this on the president’s desk by mid-December, as far as I’m concerned,” she said in an interview, adding that she hopes the bill will pass in essentially its current form as part of a larger tax package. “This has been almost two years of constant work. It hasn’t just come together in the last few weeks. It’s been a snowball effect. It started out as this idea, and then we just kept building and building and building. So I feel like we have a great momentum.”

The proposal includes a 5% bonus for filming in a disaster area, which would apply to the entirety of Los Angeles County until January 2030, due to last year’s fires. There are also bonuses for independent films and for filming in rural opportunity zones. The total tax credit could rise to 50% or more when combined with state incentives in places like California and New York — easily surpassing the incentives offered by other countries.

“It is fair to say that these other countries they recognize the quality of these jobs — that’s why they put these measures in place,” said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the executive director of SAG-AFTRA. “That’s why they are eating not only our lunch, but our breakfast and our dinner as well. And we have to change that. This is our opportunity to do it.”

A coalition of industry unions published a report on Monday documenting the erosion of U.S. production as a share of global spending over the past 25 years. According to the report, the U.S. share fell from 74% to 42% in film and from 94% to 64% in television, though both industries have also grown considerably over that time period.

In August, President Donald Trump called on Congress to “immediately” pass an incentive and pronouncing that “Hollywood is a Complete and Total Disaster!”

The Motion Picture Association, representing the studios, has sought to emphasize that the bill would benefit not only California and New York, but all 50 states. The MPA has also been more cautious about the timing, saying that while it’s important to move quickly, it’s also important to “get this right.”

But union leaders said Tuesday that their members can’t afford to wait.

“When this passes in this lame-duck session, it will immediately impact production in 2027,” said Mike Miller, vice president of IATSE. “And there are hundreds of thousands of entertainment industry workers that are counting on it.”

George Cheeks, newly appointed to the role of Skydance TV co-chair and chief content officer, laid out his vision to staffers Tuesday, as the $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery officially closed.

Hours after Skydance chairman and CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz sent a memo to employees at the combined company outlining their operating philosophy and goals for the new company, Cheeks sent his own email to TV staffers across studios and networks.

That note started didn’t spell out a structure just yet, but it’s understood that divisional bosses who will report to him include Warner Bros. TV Group and U.S. networks chairman/CEO Channing Dungey, CBS Studios president David Stapf and Paramount TV Studios topper Matt Thunell. Alongside Cheeks, JB Perrette (previously WBD’s CEO/president of global streaming and games) serves as co-chair of Skydance TV, as well as chief business officer. Perrette additional holds those roles for the Skydance DTC streaming division.

“The work ahead is significant, and so is the opportunity,” he said in the note. “I am energized by the possibilities. Together, we’ll build on our collective strengths to create an even stronger future.”

Cheeks’ ascension at Skydance was a huge vote of confidence from Ellison, who had previously tapped the exec to serve as Paramount TV media chair last year when Skydance first took control of Paramount. Prior to that, Cheeks was one of the three co-CEOs of Paramount Global (previously known as ViacomCBS) — and was the only one of that triumvirate to make the transition to the new company.

Here’s his note:

Team,

Today is the start of a new chapter. By bringing together Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, we’ve assembled a remarkable collection of television brands, networks and studios, backed by some of the most talented teams in the industry.

I want to acknowledge the hard work, creativity and dedication you each bring to this historic moment. Thank you for playing through the noise this past year. I am excited to move forward together and shape our future as one team.

Our Skydance Television group

This newly formed Skydance Television group is an unmatched mix of networks, studios, platforms and programming genres.

There are too many standout shows to name individually, but one thing is clear: the breadth and quality of programming across this group is unrivaled, spanning some of the most watched, most acclaimed and most award-winning in the industry.

Our team
This next chapter will be defined by the strength of our people. I know you’re eager to hear more about leadership, structure and strategy. More details will be shared as soon as we can.

What happens next
This is a moment of transition. With that comes uncertainty. The stress of this is not lost on me. Expect to hear more on our structure and priorities in the weeks ahead. Please continue to reference our Integration Hub.

The work ahead is significant, and so is the opportunity. I am energized by the possibilities. Together, we’ll build on our collective strengths to create an even stronger future.

Thank you for everything you do.

More to come.
-George

Busta Rhymes discussed the fundamentals of his new album “Dillagence II” last night at Los Angeles’ Grammy Museum, breaking down a handful of key tracks during a Q&A with musician Anderson .Paak and performing a string of his greatest hits along with a guest appearance from Common.

On “Dillagence II,” which was released in August, Rhymes raps over a spate of beats from the late James “J Dilla” Yancey, who died in 2006. At the Grammy Museum, he began by admitting that the weight of the moment had caught up with him and sharing appreciation for all the folks in attendance including Dilla’s mother Ma Dukes, music executive Sylvia Rhone, manager Mona Scott-Young and musician Jimmy Jam.

“I’m emotional tonight. Shed a little tear backstage,” he said. “To be able to be in this room tonight and know that I’m being given this opportunity to share and to articulate and to be vulnerable, it’s a fucking amazing feeling.”

.Paak, who is featured on the album alongside special guests D’Angelo, Ludacris, Lil Wayne, Jon Batiste and more, set the foundation for the discussion by asking about hearing the unreleased instrumentals that ended up on “Dillagence II” for the first time and then executive producing them for the album.

“Interestingly, a lot of the beats that I have, he personally gave them to me. Dilla always gave these beat CDs that had 25 beats on them,” said Rhymes, discussing how the tapes would always feature beats that would fade in and out, making it difficult for him to loop them into full tracks. He recalled visiting Dilla at his mother’s home in Detroit amid his health struggles and how she basically became his engineer as he dealt with physical complications.

“Ma Dukes is Ma. And then Ma Dukes is also Busta Rhymes‘ Ma in their home,” he said. “She cooked food for us. She engineers Dilla. She goes and finds the record he wants to sample from the alphabetically ordered record collection in the coat closet. And then he would make my beat CDs based on the beats that he would make that day and send me home with it. And I would live with these records over the years. Sometimes the beats were so incredible, I would actually be scared to rhyme on them because I didn’t want to mess up the way the beat was as far as how dope I thought it was.”

Busta Rhymes performs his verse from “Look at Me Now” following a Q&A about his new album “Dillagence II” at Los Angeles’ Grammy Museum pic.twitter.com/GZDwDzoiTe

— Variety (@Variety) October 6, 2026

Rhymes then discussed the particulars of several tracks on “Dillagence II” including “This Woman” featuring D’Angelo, recalling how he received the late singer’s vocals in February and laid down his rhymes that day. .Paak also asked him about “What We Got in Common” with Common and Batiste and their own collaboration “Kingpin (Knock Ya Head Off),” which also features Ludacris.

Near the end of their conversation, .Paak asked Rhymes what it would mean for “Dillagence II” to get recognition from the Recording Academy, considering he has been nominated 12 times but hasn’t won. “What it would mean is beyond what I could actually describe, especially doing an album where every beat is a beat. I actually created an album that was a moment that was captured in time. Like, I don’t think y’all understand. I’m a hoarder of production, right? I have these long relationships with many incredible producers and artists that’s still popping now, right?”

He named a few producers who had given him scores of beats — the Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, Timbaland — and said that he wouldn’t give them back if asked because they’re “moments in time that you can’t even recreate.” “The most incredible part about these moments is a lot of the shit that they was doing was timeless,” he said. “And that’s what Dilla did. Every production from him is older than 20 years old. But it now has Cascade dishwasher liquid sparkle all around it. And it makes the magic so beautiful because what he did is timeless. What we’re giving it is now and it is the proper ingredients to add to what he was having marinate with his seasonings. So when we finally put it in a stove and feed it to the street, nothing about it feels like 20 years ago.”

To cap off the evening, Rhymes gave a 30-minute performance of his classics including “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” “I Know What You Want” and “Break Ya Neck,” alongside new cuts like “Talk Ya Shit” and “What We Got in Common,” where he was joined by Common. He then brought out Ma Dukes to thank her for giving her blessing for “Dillagence II.”

“This gift that we experienced with this project, and everything that I’ve been able to do from 30 years ago on my first solo album to today, and everything that we’re gonna continue to do, is with the grace and the blessing of the Yancey family and the estate,” he said. “I want to say thank you, Ma Dukes, beyond description, words cannot be found to describe how much I love you.”

Another Black Friday, another Record Store Day Black Friday… that also happens to be pink Friday, yellow Friday, silver Friday, crystal clear Friday, “red and yellow splatter” Friday, “organic earth brown” Friday, “sky blue” Friday, “black-and-white galaxy” Friday and… well, you get the picture. But the semiannual Record Store Day sales events in independent retail shops that happen in April and again in November are not just about fetishizing colored vinyl, but about giving the LP-loving public a shot at material that is either heretofore unreleased, not previously available to the public in this format, or long out of print.

Plus, this year, RSD has a growing number of CDs — it’s the kids’ new fad!

The lineup for Record Store Day Black Friday 2026 is out now, with about 185 exclusive titles lined up to go into the bins the morning after Thanksgiving. You can take a look at the official RSD website here for a full list of releases, as well as a guide to participating stores. But for starters, you can first check out our cheat sheet that previews 13 top titles that are either bound to be top sellers or otherwise caught our eye. These include titles from artists who’ve had a big footprint in RSD events of the past — like Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, the Grateful Dead and even the “Wicked” and “KPop Demon Hunters” franchise and Noah Kahan — to first-time participants like Katseye, Sombr, Victoria Monet and Playboi Carti.

Before scanning these highlights, know that the ’26 roster also includes artists such as Cher, 2Pac, the B-52s, George Harrison, Tori Amos, the Eagles, Coco Jones, Sparta, New Edition, Jason Falkner, Tom Verlaine, Rainbow KItten Surprise, Biz Markie, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Charlie Parker, Rae Sremmurd, Godsmack, the 13th Floor Elevators, XTC, INXS, NRBQ, Genesis, George Strait, Florence + the Machine, Motley Crue, Motorhead, Traveling Wilburys, Funkadelic, Albert Ayler, They Might Be Giants, the Pandoras, Jefferson Airplane, Old 97s, the Jerry Garcia Band and the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Again, consult the host website for details on all 185.

Now, our selection of teasers that are sure to have something to ensnare music buffs’ pre-holiday wallets and ensure they have little left over for friends and family:

Noah Kahan, “The Last of the Bugs”
10,000 copies
12-inch EP
Kahan has recently achieved the rare feat of having two albums in the top 10 on a regular basis. With this EP, he will up that total to three concurrent bestsellers, if only for the short time it takes this to sell out. “The Last of the Bugs” is made up of four bonus tracks that have accompanied his latest album, “The Great Divide,” in digital formats — including “Orbiter,” which has become a staple of his stadium shows, as well as “Lighthouse,” “Staying Still” and “A Few of Your Own.” Kahan has become one of RSD’s biggest draws with his regularly timed special releases, so fans will be happy Thanksgiving 2026 is no exception for him. As a bonus, he has a separate release also hitting the racks for RSD-BF: a 7-inch single of “Draw You Out,” his song from “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” pressed on “porcelain powder”-colored vinyl.

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, “Live at Tower Theater Philly 1975”
14,500 copies on 4-LP vinyl
3,720 copies as 2-CD set
For a lot of Bruce buffs, 1975 is where it’s at, and they’ll get plenty of it with this set — available as a limited-edition double-CD as well as on vinyl. There’ll be lots of flipping to get across all eight sides of the four-LP set, but it will be worth it to have all 18 songs in their entirety. The show was recorded on New Year’s Eve during the group’s run Philadelphia’s Tower Theater in the wake of “Born to Run” changing everything. How expansive are some of those 18 tracks? Well, for one, his cover of “Quarter to Three” gets its own side (side G, if you must know).

Katseye, “KATSEYE: The Dance Breaks”
5,000 copies
12-inch yellow vinyl EP
Includes three “dance break” live arrangements, as heard on the group’s “Beautiful Chaos” tour: “Debut,” “Gnarly,” and “Gabriela,” all on one side with an etching on the flip side of the yellow vinyl. (Each copy includes 2 of 6 randomly selected unique photocards.)

Prince, “3121 Las Vegas Live”
9,400 copies on 3-LP Crystal Blue Caraçao vinyl
2,700 copies as a 2-CD set
In January 2007, coming off his “3121” studio album, Prince was midway through a six-month Las Vegas residency and just says away from his legendary Super Bowl halftime show. This action-packed two-hour-plus set includes its fair share of greatest hits, but dig if you will the covers, including a Mavis Staple guest appearance on “I’ll Take You There” and dips into the catalogs of everyone from Chuck Berry and the Beatles to Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige and Gnarls Barkley.

Billy Joel, “Billy Joel Tonight”
4,600 copies on 2-LP black vinyl
And so it goes: That HBO doc has brought Billy back into the forefront of half the country’s consciousness, if it ever left, so this will be one of RSD’s hotter items. This post-“Turnstiles” show was captured on December 5, 1976 at Connecticut College for Joel’s first television special. Fifty years, Legacy says the show is being presented in stereo, newly mixed from the original multitracks. It also includes “I’ve Loved These Days” and “Souvenir” from a production session that took place the following day.

JID, “JID Live from NPR’s Tiny Desk”
4,000 copies
Recorded in NPR’s offices weeks before the release of “The Forever Story,” JID’s set features a live band and background singers and includes live debuts as well as older fan favorites, from “Never” and “Surround Sound” to the closer, “Kody Blu 31.”

Carly Rae Jepsen, “Day and Night (Continued)”
4,000 copies
Her recent studio album “Day and Night” gets a vinyl sequel with this collection of all eight bonus tracks, previously only available digitally, including “Reaching for a Star” and “In Pure Faith.”

Soundtrack, “Wicked + Wicked: For Good”
3,000 copies of pink and green-colored vinyl boxed set
The two previous “Wicked” soundtrack releases have been among the hardest-to-get RSD releases, and with only 3,000 pressed of this boxed set newly combining the two, you can once again to expect “Wicked” heads to be at the front of the line Thanksgiving night. Actually, if you’re not already in line, it may be too late.

Joni Mitchell, “Live at Carnegie Hall – 1972”
5,000 copies on 2-LP 180g black vinyl
Her second solo appearance at NYC’s world famous Carnegie Hall, broken out as an individual item from the “Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 3” CD boxed set, in a gatefold jacket. Includes many of her most classic songs, from “A Case of You” to “The Circle Game.”

Sombr,”In Another Life”
7,500 copies on 12″ EP
Sombr still seems like such a fresh presence in pop that it does’t feel like he’s been around since 2023, but yes, his debut EP came out just over three years ago, and it finally makes its vinyl debut xclusively for Record Store Day on silver-colored vinyl.

Victoria Monet, “Life After Love, Pt. 1 & Act 2”
1,500 copies on brown and tan galaxy vinyl
Monet’s twin EPs put her on the map but have only ever been issued individually as physical releases until now. As the description says, “The dual project charts a complete emotional arc, chronicling the delicate journey from heartbreak to self-actualization. Part 1 delves into the raw vulnerability and quiet introspection of a breakup’s immediate fallout”, while Part 2 “turns the page toward rediscovery, blooming into an exploration of newfound confidence and sensuality… By pressing these two landmark EPs together on wax, this release offers long-time fans and vinyl collectors the ultimate way to experience Monét’s early masterwork as a unified narrative.”

Soundtrack: “Kpop Demon Hunters”
10,000 copies on “Derpy Sussie splatter” vinyl
As with the “Wicked” release, these “Demon Hunters” are no strangers to RSD already, but this version features “exclusive, all-new art created by official KPop Demon Hunters production designer Mingjue Helen Chen and visual development artist Marion Bordeyne Further expect holographic art on the front cover and triple gatefold, plus 3 of 6 mini inserts, 1 of 3 holographic mini inserts, a sticker sheet, and an oversized poster.

The Doors, “1966”
7,000 copies
Hope you like “Moonlight Drive” and “Indian Summer,” because those are the only two songs on this disc — even though it includes 28 (!) tracks. It’s look deep into a Doors session at Sunset Sound on August 29, 1966 as they laid down their debut album; the disc’ multiple takes “include chatter, complete takes, false starts, etc.” Neither of those two songs ended up making the final album, but they get their vengeance and then some here.

Playboi Carti, “Music – Sorry 4 Da Wait”
5,000 copies on red 2-LP set
It’s sometimes seemed like there is a dearth of hip-hop at Record Store Day, but this year feels like a different ballgame, with the first vinyl edition of Playboi Carti’s album from last year hitting as a red vinyl double-album on Black Friday.

David Ellison wasted no time in adding the Skydance name to the iconic Warner Bros. water tower in Burbank.

On Tuesday morning, shortly after Paramount officially closed its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery to form Skydance, the famous landmark on the Warner Bros. studio lot was updated with a new line: “A Skydance Corporation.”

There’s precedent for the move: After Ellison closed Skydance Media’s takeover of Paramount Global in August 2025, the water tower on the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood was updated to add “A Skydance Corporation” as well. That indicates, by the way, that Ellison’s plan all along was to rename a merged Paramount-WBD as Skydance, the name of the film production firm he founded in 2006.

Here’s a photo of workers adding the Skydance name to the WB water tower:

The merger — which had been opposed by many actors, filmmakers and other industry professionals — brings together the two major studios; TV networks including CBS, CNN, Comedy Central, MTV and TNT; and streaming services Paramount+ and HBO Max. The new Skydance will have annual revenue of nearly $70 billion, according to the company, but it also will have to manage paying down some $80 billion in net debt.

The Ellison family, with the backing of Larry Ellison, David’s multibillionaire father, holds the largest equity stake in Skydance. The Ellisons and investment firm RedBird Capital Partners together are the sole holders of Paramount Class A common stock, which gives them 100% control of the combined company’s voting shares.

David Ellison, who is the new Skydance’s chairman and CEO, and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz (formerly chief exec of Mattel) sent a lengthy memo to employees at the combined company Tuesday morning. They outlined their goals for Skydance, while acknowledging that there will be job cuts coming as a result of integrating the operations of Paramount and Warner Bros.

“Integrating two companies will bring change, including difficult decisions that affect our workforce,” the execs wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by Variety. “We are committed to handling this process thoughtfully and respectfully.”

Anime giant Crunchyroll kicks off its inaugural Anime Future Forum at New York’s Javits Convention Center, on Oct. 7. The event will serve as a precursor to New York’s Comic Con.

Over 90 companies will be represented, with top anime studios showcased. These include leaders from Toho (Taichi Ueda, film producer and executive officer), MAPPA (Manabu Otsuka, president and CEO) and Sony Music’s Aniplex (Atsuhiro Iwakami, group CEO, representative director of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. and chairman of Aniplex Inc.). In addition, over 500 people are expected to attend with 200 people flying in from Japan.

Crunchyroll’s Chief Operating Officer, Gita Rebbapragada, says, “Four years ago, we brought the Crunchyroll Anime Awards to Tokyo so more of the creators behind anime could be in the room as their work was recognized. We were overwhelmed by the energy — not only around the awards, but in the conversations happening between people who care deeply about anime and its future. That stayed with us. The Anime Future Forum grew from a simple idea: create a place for those conversations to happen, ideas to be exchanged and the people shaping anime to imagine what comes next together.”

The conference tracks will focus on four key themes: fandom, technology, storytelling and IP protection. Fandom will be a key spotlight during the forum.

Rebbapragada explains, “With growth comes diversity. We don’t say it’s a genre; it’s a medium. For us, it’s our whole world and we see so much diversity within anime and we’re excited to share some of those learnings.”

Technology will be another fundamental topic. “You can’t ignore that there is a lot of innovation happening in technology, and it is great to hear from people who are using it and just do knowledge sharing on that,” Rebbapragada says. “We want to protect the creative integrity — that’s a big area we want to share information on as well. Storytelling is kind of at the heart of it all. We’ve got some amazing storytellers too, from all different types of content, sharing their stories, what they’ve learned, their successes and mistakes. I think that knowledge sharing is incredibly important.”

Also participating in the forum are director James Gunn plus Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson, directors of Sony Pictures’ upcoming animated sequel “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.” Anime influencers including Amber Glenn, Big Sean and Jordan Howlett will also attend. Sony’s top leaders will be out in force to support the event.

Crunchyroll boasts the largest library of anime for streaming and has been under the Sony Pictures Entertainment umbrella since 2021, when the studio acquired Crunchyroll and merged it with Sony’s existing Funimation unit.

The subscription streaming platform has blossomed into Sony’s biggest footprint in streaming and an engine of distinctive content for the company. Crunchyroll partnered with Sony Pictures for the theatrical rollout of 2025’s “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle,” which set U.S. box office records for an anime feature.

Rebbapragada stresses the company’s deep mission, is to connect fans and creators. She adds, “We want to do more with fans. We want to contribute to the anime ecosystem. This is one way where we feel like we have the opportunity to bring a lot of people together, and everyone comes out of it learning something new.”

Michael Douglas is wading into the “nepo baby” debate.

The “Wall Street” actor, who is the son of the late Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, opened up on a recent episode of the “SmartLess” podcast and said the title “really pisses” him off.

While discussing his success with hosts Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman and Will Arnett, Douglas said, “Well, first of all, you know, Hollywood royalty. I mean… this ‘nepo’ thing really pisses me off.” He continued: “I don’t know a career where a father or mother don’t try to help their son or daughter get into their business and this and that, and why they picked on this because of the well-known aspect of it.”

Beyond the discussion of nepotism, Douglas also noted that the best advice he could give to aspiring actors is to recognize “good material.” “The problem we all have is we don’t play an instrument, or we don’t paint, or we don’t write,” he said. “We’re standing there. But a good piece of material, man, a good piece of material helps things along well.”

His father, Kirk, died in 2020 at 103. He starred in films including “Spartacus,” “Seven Days in May,” “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” “Champion,” “The Bad and the Beautiful,” “Lust for Life,” “Paths of Glory” and “Lonely Are the Brave.” He earned three Oscar nominations and was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1996.

Douglas is known for his turns in “Fatal Attraction,” “Behind the Candelabra” and more films. Douglas has won one Oscar for acting and one for producing; he took home the trophy for best actor in a leading role in 1988 for “Wall Street” and best picture in 1976 as a co-producer of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Douglas’ forthcoming memoir, “One Helluva Ride,” comes out Tuesday.