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Tag: Entertainment-Variety

  • ‘War Machine’ Sequel in the Works From Netflix After Action Film Becomes One of Streamer’s Most-Watched Films

    ‘War Machine’ Sequel in the Works From Netflix After Action Film Becomes One of Streamer’s Most-Watched Films

    Alan Ritchson may be re-enlisting in the service.

    Netflix is working on a sequel to “War Machine,” the sci-fi, military-themed action film that has been a viewing juggernaut for the streamer. Ritchson played a staff sergeant who comes face-to-face with a fearsome, supernatural killing machine while undergoing a simulated mission.

    Patrick Hughes, who oversaw “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” and “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard,” will return to direct the sequel. Hughes will also co-write the script with James Beaufort and will produce along with Todd Lieberman through his Hidden Pictures, Range Media Partners’ Rich Cook, Patrick Hughes’ producing partner, Greg McLean, through Huge Film banner. Alex Young will also produce for Hidden Pictures. Valerie Bleth Sharp will serve as executive producer.

    It’s unclear what the plot of the follow-up feature will be, but “War Machine” ends in an open-ended way. Ritchson is best known for his performances in Amazon Prime Video action thriller series “Reacher” and for playing Hank Hall/Hawk on the DC Universe and HBO Max series “Titans.” No mention was made if Ritchson will return. The first film’s ensemble includes  Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, Jai Courtney and Esai Morales.

    Since debuting on Netflix on March 26, “War Machine” has received 139 million views, making it one of the top ten most popular original films to ever bow on the streamer. The film currently sits at number ten but may hit ninth place as the streamer continues to count views up until the 91 day measuring mark. Reviews were mixed with some critics praising the film for its escapism and action and others faulting it as formulaic.

    TheWrap first broke the news about a possible “War Machine” sequel.

  • The Kennedy Center’s National Symphony Orchestra ‘Is in Real Trouble,’ Ben Folds Says — Here’s How We Can Help

    The Kennedy Center’s National Symphony Orchestra ‘Is in Real Trouble,’ Ben Folds Says — Here’s How We Can Help

    For all the stigma and turmoil that President Trump has brought onto the Kennedy Center, the people who are most harmed are the people who work there — including the National Symphony Orchestra, the very existence of which is imperiled by the callousness and confusion surrounding the president’s attempted takeover of the organization (which, of course, was overruled last week by a Federal District Court judge).

    Singer-songwriter-pianist Ben Folds, who was an artistic advisor to the NSO for nearly a decade, has written an impassioned letter detailing the orchestra’s plight and how the public can help. It appears in full below.

    June 2, 2026

    Hi all.


    As you might know, I spent nearly a decade at the Kennedy Center as Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra.  I resigned in February 2025, but I stay in contact with my friends who remained. And I’d like to draw attention to something that has flown under the radar as the drama surrounding the Kennedy Center unfolds.

        ⁃    Our National Symphony Orchestra is in real trouble – it may not survive.
        ⁃    There’s currently no plan or solution in sight to save the organization.
        ⁃    The public can turn the tide with overwhelming support.

    Currently there’s no announcement for programming for the NSO’s upcoming season.  All other orchestras have announced theirs by now because planning is always about18 months ahead of performances. The NSO doesn’t even know if it has a home, given the previously announced two-year closure of the Kennedy Center. This is a very bad sign. Further, the tools for survival are entangled in the Kennedy Center’s legal and financial troubles. Tools such as the NSO’s endowment fund which is tied to a bank note. 


    We all probably know there was a recent court ruling to remove the illegal addition of Trump’s name on the building and to restore political independence to the Kennedy Center.  This is good but not the time for a victory lap because it’s going to be a long messy process to get this all back to a healthy situation.

    US DISTRICT COURT RULING: https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2025cv4480-50

    The NSO doesn’t have the luxury of time as it’s been suffocated by the financial turmoil that resulted from the presidential takeover.

    What can we do for now?

    This is just my list, but I suspect it can make a difference.

    First:

    Note an important Instagram account to follow: @nso_musicians

    Fans of orchestra music and the arts: It’s time for an outpouring of public support and love for our nation’s symphony orchestra.  Whether you’ve had the opportunity to see them perform or not, the existence of a National Symphony is a gift, and we have one of the best in the world.  They have been showing up regardless of the undignified partisan drama, the dwindling audiences, and staff reductions.  We can show up for them now by just following and showing the world we have their backs. Comment publicly.  Write to them personally.  They’re in hell and they needn’t be alone.

    Journalists: Please cover the NSO in your stories. The removal of Trump’s name takes up all the oxygen. The building will likely survive. The institution will heal.  But when you disperse the NSO’s 96 talented musicians and render them unemployed, we will lose something that is not so easily replaceable.

    Donors: As it all unfolds, I suspect the NSO will need a lot of support to get back on its feet. Right now, they’re in purgatory and it’s unclear what might help, but be in touch with them.

    Citizens: Let your congresspeople know we demand safeguards against this ever happening again to the Kennedy Center or any of our federal arts institutions.  We need enforced independence for our arts from politics, so that there can be trust again – trust that artists and audiences of all walks can exchange ideas and art in an apolitical environment.  Further, we need Congress and the Kennedy Center Board to create guidelines requiring any future director of the Kennedy Center to have actual experience in arts administration.  We can now see what happens when an inept director who doesn’t know this business and spends time attacking people and artists who displease him or the President. Audiences and artists go elsewhere.  So much for running the Kennedy Center like it was any other commercial venue.  

    A year after resigning from the Kennedy Center, it still hurts that I had to leave. During Trump’s first term, he stayed out of the Kennedy Center’s business, allowing his Board’s appointees to work in the spirit of cooperation for the good of the Center with the rest of us in a politically free environment.  That all changed after he came back into office.  I would have loved to stay on, but any artist such as myself who associated with the newly politicized Kennedy Center risked being used as a political pawn, implicitly siding with the POTUS’s politics by association. I wouldn’t have done that for either party. And my role was curatorial.  How could I ask an artist to come perform there, putting themselves in danger of displeasing the President or a Kennedy Center director and finding themselves under attack from the right wing?

    ARTICLE ON ARTIST HARRASSMENT: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kennedy-center-union-investigation-yasmin-williams-heckling-1235438829/ (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kennedy-center-union-investigation-yasmin-williams-heckling-1235438829/)

    Alternatively, how could I ask artists to come play but be careful what you say, finding themselves under attack from the left wing for implicitly siding with a politicized Kennedy Center?  It was an impossible situation, and artists and audiences alike learned this the hard way over the past year. The result is now so bad that a federal judge had to intervene.  

    The members of the NSO were in a different position. There was nothing to gain from their resignation, except simple unemployment.  They’ve remained apolitical.  They’ve been performing their butts off in that awful situation.  The National Opera took a different approach and left the Center, but that has presented its own perils.

    I’ve been saying for years that the symphony orchestra institution was itself a symbol of civilization.  For us to strive to work together for the greater good, we need to see that in action, and symphony orchestras do this every night.  It’s an important symbol and when the symphony erodes, that’s the sounding of an alarm for the health of actual civilization.  I’ve spouted this from stages in front of most of the orchestras in the country.  Audiences may have tired of hearing it.  But this threat is happening now, and our National Symphony Orchestra needs us.

    As the politicization of the Kennedy Center makes it very difficult to attract audiences and artists, our methods of support are more limited. But I say, let’s let them know we’re here and ready. Let’s get the word out, even amid the muddy waters of the legal dramas.

    Otherwise, imagine a free western country, with no National Symphony Orchestra.  It’s real.

    Thank you,


    Ben Folds

  • ‘Stop That Train’ Director Shuts Down Claims That RuPaul Movie Used AI: ‘Every Shot Was Made By Human Hands’

    ‘Stop That Train’ Director Shuts Down Claims That RuPaul Movie Used AI: ‘Every Shot Was Made By Human Hands’

    “Stop That Train” director Adam Shankman defended the RuPaul Charles-starring film after social-media chatter over the weekend accusing the filmmakers of relying on generative AI — calling such claims “patently not true.”

    “Every shot in ‘Stop! That! Train!’ was made by human hands!” Shankman wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday. “There are a sum total of ZERO shots conceived by AI in the movie. We employed hundreds of VFX artists who all killed themselves getting this out for release and not one job was taken out of human hands. The movie is a fully human made piece of joy and laughter. Take it in and enjoy it yall! We need the laughter!”

    The statement came after multiple X posts over the weekend alleged that the film used generative AI. In the “Airplane”-esque comedy, RuPaul play President Judy Gagwell as she and a cast of comedians and drag queens (“RuPaul’s Drag Race” alums Ginger Mini, Jujubee and Brooke Lynn Hytes among them) try to stop a runaway high-speed train, the Glamazon Express, from crashing into a fictional natural disaster, a “Stormaganza.”

    “RuPaul movie apparently confirmed to contain mass amounts of genAI with the top billed VFX company literally being AI-based… secret blessing that shit ain’t playing in the UK,” one commenter on X commented.

    “Girlfriend just made a pained sound on FaceTime and when I asked what was wrong they said ‘there’s a ton of AI in the new RuPaul movie,’” read another X post.

    Some of the comments referred to the work of Acme AI and FX on the film, which was reported by the Village Voice. The firm, co-founded by former Relativity Media executive Ryan Kavanaugh, has touted its ability to shorten production schedules and help reduce budgets by filming on a “gray box” soundstage while AI generates the location imagery, such as on the upcoming Doug Liman film “Bitcoin.”

    A source familiar with the production told Variety that Acme AI was contracted exclusively for its visual effects work and any AI use was limited to background workflow processes — and not anything that appeared on screen.

    The accusations also came after an April episode of “Drag Race” featured RuPaul “painting” images of the season’s final four contenders that appeared to be AI-generated, prompting a wave of social media fury. RuPaul did not comment on the allegations, and “Drag Race” production company World of Wonder did not respond to a request for comment.

  • T-Mobile’s Perks Span Steep Discounts on Everything From Concert Tickets and Hotel Stays to Food Delivery

    If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.

    In a wireless industry long accustomed to competing on price and coverage maps, T-Mobile has spent the past several years trying to carve out a different competitive angle: a plethora of perks spanning travel and hospitality to food and entertainment.

    Compared to benefits offered through loyalty programs with other mobile carriers, T-Mobile offers these perks to all customers from day one – at no extra cost.

    The travel-related benefits are among the more substantive offerings. Members receive 15% off stays at participating Hilton-branded properties worldwide, spanning 22 hotel brands from Hampton Inn to Waldorf Astoria. On the rental car side, members can return Dollar rentals at airport locations without refueling, and Hertz rentals without recharging the EV battery. A bundled Hertz Five Star Elite membership also provides access to a broader vehicle selection and shorter counter wait times — perks that normally require a long history of Hertz rentals to earn.

    Food delivery gets a notable boost through a free year of DoorDash’s DashPass membership, which ordinarily runs $96 annually and eliminates delivery fees on eligible orders. A Yelp partnership rounds out the dining benefits with $10 off select restaurant experiences each month.

    Entertainment is where T-Mobile makes its most aggressive play, particularly through its T-Mobile Tuesday offerings. Members get 25% off tickets to more than 8,000 shows and concerts across over 120 venues globally through Live Nation, plus exclusive discounts on StubHub. The Magenta Pass — a digital credential stored in the T-Life app — unlocks dedicated entrances, premium stage-adjacent viewing areas, lounge access, and free merchandise at major events including Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, and the PGA Championship. Even its monthly $5 movie ticket through Atom Tickets is a huge boost, as average U.S. theater prices push well past $15 in major markets.

    Streaming benefits, meanwhile, are plan-dependent. Higher-tier Experience plans bundle Netflix (Standard with Ads), Apple TV+, and Hulu (With Ads), along with MLB.TV and MLS Season Pass for sports fans — a combined retail value T-Mobile pegs at roughly $249 for the sports offerings alone.

    T-Mobile’s wide range of benefits is, at its core, a customer retention strategy, but the they’re substantive enough to influence real purchasing decisions for frequent travelers, live-event regulars, or households that would otherwise pay separately for streaming and food delivery. All in all, it’s one of the more genuinely loaded loyalty programs in the mobile market.

    Learn more and sign up for a T-Mobile plan here.

  • Netflix’s Emily Feingold Out as Comms Chief After 8 Years

    Netflix’s Emily Feingold Out as Comms Chief After 8 Years

    Emily Feingold, Netflix‘s longtime communications chief, is exiting the streaming giant after eight years.

    Feingold was hired in 2017 as communications director and was promoted in 2022 to VP of communications. It’s unclear why the well-respected Feingold is leaving Netflix, a company whose profile she helped raise and whose reputation she protected fiercely during her tenure. Puck first reported the news of Feingold’s departure.

    At Netflix, Feingold helped as the streamer moved into original production. Early viewership successes and Oscar-nominees, including Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and “Extraction” with Chris Hemsworth, debuted during her first years at the company. She later oversaw all communications for the U.S. and Canada and was key in crafting the messages around the Netflix’s shifts into advertising, gaming, live events, and as well as the recent Warner Bros. acquisition. (Netflix ultimately bowed out of the bidding war for Warner Bros. and paved the way for Paramount Skydance to acquire the legacy media giant.)

    Feingold’s departure comes as Netflix brought on new leadership of its media relations team, including the recent hires of chief communications officer Dani Dudeck and VP of global corporate communications Kelly Pakula. The streamer also made two additional hires on the comms team, senior director of product and technology comms Malorie Lucich as well as head of U.S. policy comms and external affairs Caitlin Conant.

    Prior to Netflix, Feingold served as senior VP of corporate strategy and communications at Andell, a private investment firm. She previously spent 13 years at New York-based companies including Ralph Lauren and the Weinstein Company. Feingold began her career in Washington, D.C., working at the White House during the Clinton administration.

    “Emily has been a dedicated member of the Netflix team for eight years, making meaningful contributions throughout her tenure,” said Dudeck, who was hired in late 2025. “We’re deeply grateful for all she has done for our team and for the company, and we wish her every success in her future endeavors.”

  • ‘Noche de los Grandes’ & El Grande Americano Mask vs. Mask Match Draws Over 2 Million Viewers

    ‘Noche de los Grandes’ & El Grande Americano Mask vs. Mask Match Draws Over 2 Million Viewers

    Es bueno ser El Grande Americano.

    The official video of the AAA wrestling event “Noche de los Grandes” on the WWE YouTube channel has drawn over 1.8 million views at the time of this publishing, while AAA’s full video of the event has over 436,000 views for a combined total of 2.24 million views. The event streamed live on May 30, meaning the impressive total has been racked up in less than four days.

    The event, which took place in Monterrey, was headlined by a mask vs. mask match between El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) and The Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable). The match was the payoff to a year-long storyline that began when Gable suffered a number of losses to luchadores. He disappeared from WWE television for a time, only to re-emerge as the masked El Grande Americano, a villainous heel.

    Gable continued to perform as the character in both WWE and AAA until June 2025 when he underwent surgery on his shoulder. Kaiser then began appearing in both organizations as El Grande Americano, where he won over the Mexican audience with his Spanish-speaking abilities and embracing the culture and traditions of lucha libre.

    The match between Kaiser and Gable culminated in Kaiser winning, forcing Gable to unmask and abandon his claim to the El Grande Americano name. The match has received near universal praise from fans and professionals alike, who touted the emotional storytelling and the physical punishment both men endured to a rapturous reaction from the crowd in Monterrey.

    The successful matchup comes roughly one year after WWE acquired AAA, one of the biggest professional wrestling promotions in Mexico, from Mexico-based sports and entertainment holding company Fillip.

  • Netflix’s Emily Feingold Out as Comms Chief After 9 Years

    Netflix’s Emily Feingold Out as Comms Chief After 9 Years

    Emily Feingold, Netflix‘s longtime communications chief, is exiting the streaming giant after nine years.

    Feingold was hired as communications director in 2017 and was promoted to VP of Communications. It’s unclear why the well-respected Feingold is leaving Netflix, a company whose profile she helped raise and whose reputation she protected fiercely.

    Neither Feingold nor Netflix responded to request for comment, though her exit was confirmed by two individuals with knowledge of the situation. Puck first reported the news of Feingold’s departure.

    More to come…

  • ‘Noche de los Grandes’ & El Grande Americano Mask vs. Mask Match Draws Over 2 Million Viewers

    ‘Noche de los Grandes’ & El Grande Americano Mask vs. Mask Match Draws Over 2 Million Viewers

    Es bueno ser El Grande Americano.

    The official video of the AAA wrestling event “Noche de los Grandes” on the WWE YouTube channel has drawn over 1.8 million views at the time of this publishing, while AAA’s full video of the event has over 436,000 views for a combined total of 2.24 million views. The event streamed live on May 30, meaning the impressive total has been racked up in less than four days.

    The event, which took place in Monterrey, was headlined by a mask vs. mask match between El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) and The Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable). The match was the payoff to a year-long storyline that began when Gable suffered a number of losses to luchadores. He disappeared from WWE television for a time, only to re-emerge as the masked El Grande Americano, a villainous heel.

    Gable continued to perform as the character in both WWE and AAA until June 2025 when he underwent surgery on his shoulder. Kaiser then began appearing in both organizations as El Grande Americano, where he won over the Mexican audience with his Spanish-speaking abilities and embracing the culture and traditions of lucha libre.

    The match between Kaiser and Gable culminated in Kaiser winning, forcing Gable to unmask and abandon his claim to the El Grande Americano name. The match has received near universal praise from fans and professionals alike, who touted the emotional storytelling and the physical punishment both men endured to a rapturous reaction from the crowd in Monterrey.

    The successful matchup comes roughly one year after WWE acquired AAA, one of the biggest professional wrestling promotions in Mexico, from Mexico-based sports and entertainment holding company Fillip.

  • Martin Scorsese Backs AI Company and Says He’s Using It to Storyboard Movies: ‘We Have to Be Open to How’ Cinema Can ‘Evolve’

    Martin Scorsese Backs AI Company and Says He’s Using It to Storyboard Movies: ‘We Have to Be Open to How’ Cinema Can ‘Evolve’

    Martin Scorsese is the latest Oscar-winning director to hop on the AI wagon, joining the AI firm Black Forest Labs as an adviser in a bid to “push the bounds of creativity to create deeper and richer experiences for audiences.”

    “Cinema is a young medium, only around 125 years old, so we have to be open to how it can evolve,” Scorsese said in a statement posted on Black Forest Labs’ website. “I utilized 3D with ‘Hugo’ and de-aging technology for ‘The Irishman.’ Now, with this tool, I can share what I’m visualizing more clearly and efficiently to my creative team — the production designer, art designer, and cinematographer — for them to build on to enrich cinematic intelligence.”

    In a video filmed at Scorsese’s New York City office that accompanied the partnership’s announcement, the “Goodfellas“ director uses the firm’s FLUX generative-AI model to help storyboard a scene. He then discusses staging the crime film’s famous Steadicam shot, which tracks mobster Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) as he makes his way through the Copacabana nightclub, and notes how each “vignette” through the scene had to be intricately staged.

    “If you have a tool like this, you could figure it out much much quicker and you could save production time, and also less wear and tear on the crew,” Scorsese said in the video.

    Black Forest Labs CEO Robin Rombach, who co-founded the Freiburg, Germany-based firm in 2024, told the New York Times that Scorsese’s partnership represents “a great proof point that this works.” The director’s spokesperson said he was introduced to the firm through the investment firm BroadLight Capital, an investor in Black Forest Labs that was co-founded by Rick Yorn, Scorsese’s manager. CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz, who has also invested in the AI firm, also helped seal the partnership, according to the Times.

    It was unclear whether Scorsese himself has invested in the firm, and Black Forest Labs did not respond to an immediate request for comment. Scorsese’s rep declined to comment.

    Scorsese, one of the most accomplished directors in film history, joins a host of fellow Acadamy Award-winning colleagues in the adoption of AI — though to varying degrees.

    “Avatar” director James Cameron is on the board of directors for Stability AI, the maker of the text-to-image model Stable Diffusion and where Rombach is an alum. “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson also said at a Cannes Film Festival masterclass last month that “I don’t dislike” AI, comparing it to “a special effect.” Not all agree: “Pan’s Labyrinth” director Guillermo Del Toro last month slammed those who believe “art can be done with a fucking app” and last year the filmmaker said he would “rather die” than use generative AI in his films.

    Scorsese’s endorsement of Black Forest Labs comes as Hollywood enters a new wave of AI adoption. The Tribeca Festival will host the world premiere of “Dreams of Violets,” a 75-minute fully AI-generated docudrama focused on the Iranian civilian resistance. “Rogue One” director Gareth Edwards also said at Amazon’s AI on the Lot event last week that he wants to create a hybrid generative AI film.

    For his part, Scorsese said in his statement that he tested out Black Forest Labs’ tools to help storyboard a scene on an upcoming film and claimed the AI tools helped him better express the image he had in his head.

    “During the pre-production process, time costs money, and this allowed us to move faster without sacrificing quality or craft,” Scorsese said.

  • Will.i.am, Pitbull, Slash and More Join ‘Mi Familia: Sen Dog and the American Dream’ Doc About Cypress Hill’s Senen Reyes (EXCLUSIVE)

    Will.i.am, Pitbull, Slash and More Join ‘Mi Familia: Sen Dog and the American Dream’ Doc About Cypress Hill’s Senen Reyes (EXCLUSIVE)

    Production is underway on the new documentary “Mi Familia: Sen Dog and the American Dream,” which chronicles the life and career of Cypress Hill co-founder, Senen “Sen Dog” Reyes.

    According to an official logline, “Mi Famillia” recounts “Sen’s untold American Dream story, from his family’s humble origins in Cuba to the gangland streets of South Central L.A. and hip-hop superstardom—how they escaped Cuba’s Communist Revolution only to survive a new nightmare when their adopted home of South L.A. was overrun by gang violence in the 1980s, and the extraordinary sequence of events that led to Cypress Hill.”

    Among the doc’s participants are hip-hop and rock icons like B-Real, Slash, Chuck D, DMC, George Clinton, Will.i.am, Emilio Estefan, Pitbull and DJ Matt Pinfield.

    “’Mi Familia’ is a truly unique experience that reconnects me with my Cuban roots and our family’s musical legacy, which stretches back many generations,” Reyes said. “It also brings me closer to so many musical icons who have played a part in breaking barriers and blending genres and cultures, and I feel deeply honored to have them featured throughout my journey in this film.”

    Reyes co-wrote “Mi Familia” and produced with Christina Banker for Freedom Village Films. Director Christian Jean also co-wrote the doc and serves as producer under the Bon Accord Picture Company banner. Sam Okun serves as executive producer.

    Reyes debuted the iconic rap posse Cypress Hill in 1991 along with B-Real (Louis Freese) and producer DJ Muggs (Lawrence Muggerud). They were later joined by percussionist Eric “Bobo” Correa in 1994. The group was a staple of the West Coast hip-hop scene through the late ‘80s and ‘90s, known for their aggressive, bass-heavy sound and unapologetic affinity for smoking weed. Reyes is also the founder of metal bands SX-10 and Powerflo.

    Reyes and Cypress Hill are represented by The Team and Primary Wave; Freedom Village Films and Bon Accord Picture Company are repped by Rosen Law Group; Okun is repped by CAA and Lathem & Watkins, along with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.