Culture, style, and media — the stories, sounds, and scenes shaping the conversation.

Darren Aronofsky has showcased the work his new AI-forward studio Primordial Soup can do. Now he wants more money to do it. The company disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing last week that it was seeking to raise $15 million in cash in exchange for equity in th

Video giant YouTube, one of the world’s biggest entertainment businesses, continues to turn in double-digit increases in ad revenue. YouTube posted ad sales of $11.06 billion for the second quarter of 2026, up 12.6% year over year. The results exceeded Wall Street analysts expect

Sophie Thatcher knows what you think about her. She’s seen the headlines and social media posts. She’s dark. Maybe it’s the acting choices, like Natalie, her tortured teen on “Yellowjackets,” or an abducted missionary in “Heretic,” or the enslaved robot girlfriend in “Companion.”

Sacha Baron Cohen’s secret Ali G movie, titled “Ali G: Who Iz I?”, has been officially unveiled by the comedian and Amazon MGM Studios. It will release in theaters Oct. 23. Cohen directed the movie, marking his feature directorial debut. Cohen posted a video in on his Instagram,

Benicio Del Toro is set for a lead role opposite Ben Stiller in the upcoming Apple TV comedy series “Protective Custody,” Variety has learned. The show was originally announced in May with Stiller attached to star and executive produce. It marks the first lead series comedy role

In a sea of perfunctory prequels and sequels, you have to hand it to a spinoff that actually comes up with a creative angle. Such is the case with “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,” the third offshoot of “The Big Bang Theory,” which forms a useful contrast with its predecessors

After going on pause in 2025, popular YouTube creator Seán “Jacksepticeye” McLoughlin’s annual charity event Thankmas is returning this year as a six-month fundraiser for Make-A-Wish with a goal of $3 million. Dubbed “Wishmas,” the overarching event (which will culminate in Jacks

The Writers Guild of America is piling on in the effort to immediately stop Paramount Skydance’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. Early Wednesday, the union filed a motion seeking a preliminary injunction to bar Paramount and WBD from “closing or consummating” their merger or

“I was nervous as fuck,” Travis Scott says. That’s shocking coming from someone who just wrapped up the highest-grossing solo rap tour of all time, with raging crowds in the tens of thousands. But when Scott climbed atop a wooden table in an ancient castle on a remote Italian isl

Lauren Neustadter and Reese Witherspoon are having a big summer, with back-to-back high-profile releases: July’s debuts of “Legally Blonde” prequel series “Elle” on Amazon’s Prime Video and the Anya Taylor-Joy-led action miniseries “Lucky” at Apple TV. Premiering just two weeks a

Darren Aronofsky has showcased the work his new AI-forward studio Primordial Soup can do. Now he wants more money to do it. The company disclosed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing last week that it was seeking to raise $15 million in cash in exchange for equity in th

Christopher Nolan fans can now bring the filmmaker’s latest epic home — no 70mm projector required. Nolan’s complete script for the blockbuster mythological adventure is listed on Amazon, where it’s already a No. 1 bestseller. Published by Faber & Faber, the 240-page paperback wi

On today’s episode of “Daily Variety” podcast, country music superstar Reba McEntire discusses celebrating her golden anniversary in music this year with a series of EP releases that pair a newly recorded song with several vintage tunes. McEntire also weighs in on how she’s navig

Olivia Wilde recently appeared on “The Louis Theroux Podcast” and slammed Elon Musk while also speaking out against misogynistic incel culture at large. “The Invite” director and star revealed she once toured Musk’s SpaceX headquarters and met the business tycoon long “before he

As his megahit CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” prepared to end its run, Chuck Lorre came up with a wild pitch for a spinoff. Not “Young Sheldon” — that prequel was already, on the air and doing gangbusters. No, Lorre had something even more fantastical in mind. “I had a strange

A coalition of 13 attorneys general joined with DirecTV on Wednesday in accusing Nexstar of violating an injunction by appointing the members of Tegna’s board. The two TV station groups were ordered in April to halt their integration and to maintain independent operations pending

In 2024, “Loki” star Tom Hiddleston reunited with the film’s executive producer Kevin R. Wright to create a documentary that wasn’t about a salacious murder, a cult or Hiddleston’s acting career. Instead, the duo set out to make a doc about Pompeii and the attempts of three real

Video giant YouTube, one of the world’s biggest entertainment businesses, continues to turn in double-digit increases in ad revenue. YouTube posted ad sales of $11.06 billion for the second quarter of 2026, up 12.6% year over year. The results exceeded Wall Street analysts expect