Tag: Entertainment-Variety

Generative-AI company Suno has named former Merlin CEO Jeremy Sirota as its chief commercial officer, it announced Monday morning. In the role, Sirota will lead Suno’s commercial strategy, music industry relationships, platform partnerships, and enterprise solutions and will report directly to CEO Mikey Shulman.

During his six years as CEO of Merlin, the digital music licensing partner for independent music labels and distributors, Sirota scaled annual revenue from $900 million to $1.8 billion while rebuilding its technology infrastructure and expanding its data and licensing capabilities. He led licensing agreements with major technology platforms including Apple, Deezer, Meta, Spotify, Twitch and YouTube among others. He also negotiated Merlin’s early AI partnerships.

Prior to Merlin, Sirota held business development, strategy and operational roles at Meta on the music team, was a senior record executive at Warner Music Group, and served as a technology lawyer at Morrison Foerster, where he did licensing work for entertainment companies and advised on intellectual property matters.

“Jeremy is a rare leader who has spent his career working to improve every side of the music business – for fans, artists, music rightsholders, and platforms,” said Shulman, co-founder and CEO of Suno. “What truly sets him apart is his ability to build what doesn’t yet exist, finding opportunity where others see obstacles and bringing all sides with him. That mindset will help craft a better future of music for all, and I couldn’t be more excited to have him join Suno.”

Suno recently announced a partnership with Warner Music Group and last fall, it launched what it claims is the the first generative audio workstation, Suno Studio, which blends pro-grade multi-track editing with AI stem generation.

+ Sony Music Publishing has promoted Greg Prata to chief financial officer, effective March 31. He will continue to be based out of the company’s New York office and will report to SMP chairman & CEO Jon Platt.

In his new role, Prata will oversee all aspects of Sony Music Publishing’s financial operations globally, including reporting, accounting, budget, administration and IT. He succeeds Tom Kelly, who recently announced his upcoming retirement from his position as CFO, after a 35-year career.

Platt said, “Greg has been a trusted leader on our team, and I’m pleased to see him step into the CFO role as we advance our next stage of growth. At the same time, we thank Tom for his remarkable tenure. His leadership has helped drive our success and set a high bar for excellence that Greg will continue to build upon.”

Prata joined Sony in 2012 as senior VP of financial planning & analysis, following his time at EMI. In 2019, he was promoted to executive VP of finance & corporate strategy. Prior to his roles at Sony Music Publishing and EMI, Prata spent over a decade in private equity and investment banking.

+ Patron Saints of Music, the custom music house behind Bravo’s “Below Deck” and others, has named Allie Moskovits head of sync & business development. In this newly created role, Moskovits will lead sync strategy for Patron Saints’ expanding catalog to drive business across TV, film, advertising, gaming, and emerging media. She will also focus on developing new artists and songs to diversify the catalog and expand the company’s footprint beyond unscripted television.

+ Culture Wave, a Los Angeles–based, “rock-forward” artist management company operating in partnership with Red Light Management, has expanded in several areas.

Artist managers Ryan Cunningham and Mike Bingham of Polarizer Management have joined Culture Wave, bringing their rosters into the company’s management division. Cunningham represents the Armed, Prostitute, Trauma Ray, Patrick Shiroishi, Truck Violence, Jodi, while Bingham joins with Trauma Ray, Spiritual Cramp and Agriculture. Cunningham will remain in his role at Biz 3 Publicity where he’s been a publicist for 12 years.

The company also announces the promotion of Rachel Hacken to artist manager, transitioning from day-to-day support for Jason Mageau’s roster. Hacken now manages Kittie, Gore., Thousand Below, and Holy Wars; as well as:

Alana Lopez joins as touring & logistics manager, supporting Jason Mageau’s roster and Culture Wave artists; Madison Stern joins as day-to-day manager for Andrew Jarrin; Ana Garcia joins as digital marketing coordinator; Erin Carignan joins as day-to-day manager for Ryan Cunningham; Joey Mullen joins as co-manager for the band Agriculture with Bingham.

Delroy Lindo spoke to Vanity Fair at one of the 2026 BAFTA after parties and said that he and “Sinners” co-star Michael B. Jordan “did what we had to do” when the N-word was shouted out as they were presenting the award for best visual effects to “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” Lindo added that he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterwards.”

Variety has reached out to BAFTA for comment.

The slur was shouted by John Davidson, who is diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. Davidson attended the BAFTAs as the subject of the nominated biopic “I Swear.” The film’s leading star, Robert Aramayo, won the best actor prize during for playing Davidson, whose condition causes him to produce involuntary vocal tics.

As reported by Variety: “A number of outbursts from Davidson could be heard throughout the BAFTA ceremony, including ‘shut the fuck up’ being shouted during an introductory speech from BAFTA chair Sara Putt and ‘fuck you’ when the directors of ‘Boong,’ which won the BAFTA for best children’s and family film, accepted their award.”

Sources told Variety after the ceremony that floor managers warned guests and attendees sitting around Davidson of his condition, without specifying what kinds of outbursts they might hear. According to multiple sources, none of the nominees or attendees were contacted by BAFTA or BBC ahead of the show with any such warnings.

BAFTAs host Alan Cumming thanked the audience during the ceremony for their understanding after Davidson had several outbursts, including shouting the N-word.

“You may have noticed some strong language in the background. This can be part of how Tourette’s syndrome shows up for some people as the film explores that experience,” Cumming said. “Thanks for your understanding and helping create a respectful space for everyone.”

The host added later on during the ceremony: “Tourette’s Syndrome is a disability and the tics you’ve heard tonight are involuntary, which means the person who has Tourette’s Syndrome has no control over their language. We apologize if you are offended tonight.”

The BAFTAs came under even more scrutiny after the tape-delayed broadcast aired later that night on the BBC with Davidson’s use of the N-word still audible. The BBC then apologized for not editing out the racial slur and removed it from from the version of the BAFTAs streaming on iPlayer.

After pulling the BAFTA Film Awards from iPlayer early Monday afternoon, a BBC spokesperson said: “Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the BAFTA Film Awards. This arose from involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony it was not intentional. We apologize that this was not edited out prior to broadcast and it will now be removed from the version on BBC iPlayer.”

“Wednesday” Season 3 is officially in production, with the show bringing in four new additions to its cast.

Chris Sarandon (“Dog Day Afternoon,” “The Princess Bride”), Noah Taylor (“Peaky Blinders,” “Game Of Thrones”), Oscar Morgan (“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “Gotham Knights”), and Kennedy Moyer (“Task,” “Roofman”) are all set to appear in the hit show’s third season. The new castings come just after it was reported that Winona Ryder would be guest starring in Season 3, while it was previously reported that Eva Green would play Morticia Addams’ sister.

Taylor previously worked with “Wednesday” director and executive producer Tim Burton on the film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” while Sarandon voiced Jack Skellington in Burton’s “A Nightmare Before Christmas.”

“It’s our dark delight to fling open Nevermore Academy’s gates once more as we begin production on Season Three,” series creators and showrunners Al Gough & Miles Millar said. “We thank our invincible cast and crew for their continued commitment to doom and gloom. To the fans, we appreciate your patience and ravenous online commentary – your twisted theories have inspired nightmares. This season we welcome new students, new teachers, and excavate some long-rotting Addams Family secrets. Don’t say you weren’t warned.”

As with past seasons, the third is being shot in Dublin, Ireland. Jenna Ortega will return in the role of Wednesday Addams, who viewers last saw riding off with her Uncle Fester (Fred Armisen) to attempt to rescue her friend and roommate Enid (Emma Myers) from being trapped as an alpha werewolf.

“I’m so excited to be back for Season 3 and it’s great to be reunited with all of the original cast,” Burton said. “The addition of some dear friends and past collaborators of mine – Winona, Eva, Chris, Noah…makes this season extra special. I feel very lucky.”

Aside from Ortega, Myers, and Armisen, the cast of “Wednesday” includes: Hunter Doohan, Joy Sunday, Moosa Mostafa, Georgie Farmer, Isaac Ordonez, Billie Piper, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Victor Dorobantu, Evie Templeton, with Luis Guzmán, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Joanna Lumley.

The show is based on characters created by Charles Addams. Gough, Millar, and Burton are all executive producers. MGM Television is the studio.

“Wednesday” Season 2 was released in two parts in August and September 2025. Like the first season, the second went on to become a massive hit for Netflix, where it currently ranks as the streamer’s fifth most-watched English language season of TV ever. Season 1 is the most-watched season ever.

Kristen Bell is very busy.

Not only is she preparing to star in a workshop of a new stage musical, “Three Months Later,” in Los Angeles, but she’s also getting ready to shoot Season 3 of her hit Netflix rom-com series, “Nobody Wants This.” 

In between those projects, she’ll squeeze in her third time hosting the Actor Awards on March 1.

“I’m in like full throttle bad boss mode,” Bell says. “Well, not a bad boss. More like a worker bee.”

Are you getting used to calling them the Actor Awards and not the SAG Awards?

I’m starting to. It’s a little bit easier because the statue has always been called The Actor so it’s not as if the name came out of nowhere. I think it had been on the burner for a while, and with the broad reach of the show, obviously, not just domestically, but globally, it makes it easier for folks to understand what the show is about, that it is truly honoring actors voted on by actors. It’s closest thing to your high school yearbook that you’re ever going to get. It also embraces a modern identity for the show.

Do you remember the first time you said, “I’m an actor”?

It would have been once I started doing press because I don’t think before I started doing press, I ever would say to anyone casually, I’m an actor.

Did you say it for your first credited role in 2001’s “Pootie Tang”? Were you an actor then?

I sure was.

And what a cast – Chris Rock, Jennifer Coolidge and Wanda Sykes.

That was a fun one. I played Andy Richter’s daughter. It was one scene and it was cut, but they kept it in the credits, and I was still really proud. Even then, I was enamored by comedians. I love comedy. I think smiling is very important. I think to have the sole objective to make people smile is like kind of a cool ethos. So to be with that cast for one scene, felt very exciting

Did they tell you beforehand that you didn’t make the final cut?

They did. It was very respectful. Then I sat through the whole movie and when the credits rolled, my name was still there. I was really happy. 

But look where you are now. Look how far you’ve come.

Look how far you’ve come! Hey, look how far we’ve come!

You just gave me your schedule and it sounds exhausting. 

It is, but it only lasts for certain weeks of the year. There’s like six weeks of the year when I’m in high octane mode. But I will say I’m only in high octane mode because I really do turn off my phone at five o’clock. 

You do?

Yeah, that’s a non-negotiable for me. So I rush, rush, rush during the day to try to get all these things done because when my kids get home and we’re all off work and the family is together, my phone goes into another room and we make dinner and watch a movie. Tonight, we’re watching “Castaway.” I work really hard so that I can play really hard.

How many jokes are written for you for the Actor Awards?

A billion. Usually we start with concepts. Like, are we going to talk about the name change? My vote was, yeah, A, because it is the only year you can do it because this is the year of the name change and, B, I think there’s a lot of comedy to mine within that. What’s pitched more before jokes are concepts, is this funny to goof on? There are anchor shows that we all know like “Severance” and “The White Lotus.” There were some hard hitters that we’ve seen for the first time. Then there’s a ping pong movie so we got ping pong in the mix now that we can goof on and we all kind of just sit and think about what would be the most entertaining and goofiest things to say about those subjects.

When do you decide whether you’re going to sing or not?

I’d always like to sing, but I can’t have it just be a concert. They didn’t buy tickets for the Kristen Bell concert, right? They bought tickets to the Actor Awards. I mean, I don’t even think anybody paid for their tickets, but they’re coming to see this special experience that’s got 30 years of legacy. I can’t just do whatever I want. It’s not the mirror in my bedroom where I can just perform. But if we can find a topic and concept and funny enough version of that that involves singing, I’m here for it.

The 32nd Annual Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA (the Screen Actors Guild — American Federation of Radio and Television Artists) will stream live on Sunday, March 1, on Netflix at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET. 

This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.