Anthony Hopkins Felt His Father’s Presence While Making ‘The Father’

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterDiscovery CEO promises that the company is not in a race to win the “spending wars” on content when it closes its deal to acquire AT&T’s WarnerMedia and become Warner Bros. Discovery.“We’re going to spend more on content — but you’re not going to see us come in and say, ‘Alright, we’re spending $5 billion more on content,” Zaslav said during an investor call Thursday to discuss the company’s Q4 earnings results.Zaslav says the new company — which will run both Discovery’s current major streamer Discovery Plus and WarnerMedia’s HBO Max — will be “looking to monetize our IP to grow the value of the overall company.”Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels echoed Zaslav’s point, saying “it’s not about winning” and “spending more money doesn’t score goals.” Click here to sign up for Variety‘s free Strictly Business newsletter covering earnings, financial and investment news, and more.Discovery revealed Thursday it reached 22 million paying streaming subscribers across its portfolio of offerings by the end of 2021.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLeading production conglomerate Fremantle announced a new structure in Australia that will bring the development and production of all its entertainment, reality, and game show formats under the control of unscripted producer, Eureka Productions. Eureka is led by co-CEOs Chris Culvenor and Paul Franklin.

Wilson Chapman editorLL Cool J will host the ninth edition of the iHeartRadio Music Awards and Jennifer Lopez will receive the iHeartRadio Icon Award, iHeartMedia and Fox Entertainment announced today. The 2022 ceremony is scheduled for March 22 at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium.A 2021 inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, LL Cool J was one of the first hip-hop artists to achieve mainstream success with his debut album “Radio” in 1985. He has since released 13 studio albums, won two Grammy awards, and was the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAs Italy marks the centennial of Pier Paolo Pasolini‘s birth with a series of special events, the Academy Museum is honoring the influential film director, poet, writer and intellectual, whose 1975 murder remains a mystery, with a complete retrospective.Titled “Carnal Knowledge: The Films of Pier Paolo Pasolini,” the Los Angeles tribute in the Academy’s Renzo Piano designed temple of cinema opened Feb. 17 with Oscar-winning production designer Dante Ferretti on hand.Ferretti, in a moving tribute, said he owed his career to Pasolini, having worked on nine of his films, starting with Pasolini’s first work “The Gospel According to Matthew” and ending with his incendiary condemnation of the Italian upper classes “Salò – or the 120 Days of Sodom,” released in Italy just a few weeks after Pasolini’s murder on Nov.

Wilson Chapman editorLena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Productions and Indeed have announced the 10 filmmakers selected for season two of Rising Voices, their initiative to support the work of filmmakers of color.Established last February, the program provides resources for BIPOC filmmakers across the United States to create a short film that will premiere at the Tribeca Festival, planned for June 8-19 in New York City.“Indeed’s Rising Voices not only levels the playing field for BIPOC creators in Hollywood by creating opportunities for individuals to be seen, heard and represented, but also empowers the next generation of storytellers, providing access to funding, on-site skill, career development and mentorship,” Waithe said in a statement. “Our continued mission at Hillman Grad Productions is to ensure that program mentees are truly set up for success as they continue to grow within their individual careers.” The ten selected filmmaker teams for the 2022 edition of Rising Voices are Cara Lawson, Gbenga Komolafe, Georgia Fu, Jalmer Caceres, Justin Floyd, Leon Cheo, Shanrica Evans, Tara Motamedi, Travis Wood and Urvashi Pathania.The finalists were selected from 900 applicants based on their submitted screenplays.

Naman Ramachandran Global streaming aggregator ScreenHits TV (SHTV) has partnered with international news network Euronews and will provide live and on-demand TV editions of Euronews and Africanews on its platform. Euronews, which offers round-the-clock news coverage from a European perspective, broadcasts in 160 countries and is distributed in more than 440 million homes, including 68% of homes in the European Union and the U.K.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentIn the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Danish producer Monica Hellström (“Flee”) and Sundance-winning helmer Simon Lereng Wilmont have joined forces to orchestrate the evacuation of some of the subjects portrayed in their Oscar-shortlisted documentary “The Distant Barking of Dogs.”Hellström told Variety that she and Lereng Wilmont quickly enlisted the help of their assistant director and local production coordinator to evacuate Oleg Afanasyev and his grandmother Alexandra, the protagonists of “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” from their war-torn village of Hnutove in Donetsk. The news was first reported by the website Nordic Film and TV News.Meanwhile, the children at the shelter that was the focus of “A House Made of Splinters,” which just earned Lereng Wilmont a best director award at Sundance last month, have also been evacuated to a safer area after facing a bombing threat.

Sasha Urban editorWWE announced today a multi-year partnership with event hospitality and experience firm On Location.The deal will provide WWE fans with hospitality packages for major WWE events including SummerSlam, Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, and Survivor Series. The first packages will be available for Money in the Bank at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this July, for which the packages are available today beginning at 12pmET.On Location, which is controlled by Endeavor Group Holdings, will exclusively be WWE’s hospitality provider for live events, and all-inclusive packages will include meet-and-greet experiences and premier seating options.“WWE is one of the premier sports and entertainment organizations in the country and is known for giving their passionate fan base exactly what they want,” said On Location president Paul Caine.

"So he spent the night in there, but they've rang today to say he's responded really well to treatment overnight," she said.The star went on to reveal that she's planning to bring Ollie home this evening provided his scan is given the all clear.She went on: "He's been on a drip overnight and they're just going to do a sonogram, but they think he'd be able to come home tonight."I went to see him at the vets after the radio yesterday and his tail was wagging, as he does."But yeah, he's responded well to treatment."But has anyone else's dog had this? And if so, what did you do?" she eagerly asked her fans before signing off.Last year, Gemma sparked concern after posting a video montage of her two dogs Ollie and Norman to Instagram, leading fans to worry that something had happened to prompt the emotional clip.The Strictly star took to social media to clarify the reason behind posting the video, simply explaining that her phone had made it for her.

Gary Lineker, believed by many to be football's best striker of all time, after the conversation turned to a very different kind of strike and whether it should be imposed on Russia for "war crimes" against neighbouring Ukraine.The 61-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur star found himself bombarded with messages telling him to save his critiques for the world of football."All those trillions spent on a so called nuclear deterrent. Madness," he mused in a now-deleted tweet mocking Britain's war policies amid the attacks on Ukraine.However, chief economist Ian Shepherdson, who has over 21,000 followers on Twitter to Gary's 8.3 million, delivered a mocking swipe back to him.Targeting his history advertising Walker's Crisps on TV, he quizzed: "Which nuclear-armed country has been invaded by Russia?"Stick to the football and crisps Gary."Gary was unconvinced that the threat should be played down, shooting back: "None yet…let’s hope things don’t escalate."Keeping his cool, he added: "One question: why is it ok for you to have an opinion as a microeconomist but I can’t as a former footballer?"Ian responded: "Macro, not micro.

Twitter yesterday to share her heartbreak over her friend Anna Karen’s death. Anna, who starred in EastEnders and popular sitcom On the Buses, tragically died in a house fire on Tuesday evening. Cheryl, 67, took to Twitter to remember her friend in view of her 34,300 followers. “I have just heard the awful news that my fabulous mate, #AnnaKaren has died in a house fire,” the singer revealed.“What an horrific way to die, I can’t bear to think about it. “I adored her - She was an absolute treasure, both on and off the screen.”Anna, who was 85 at her time of death, was pronounced dead after a fire raged at her home in Essex.Firemen were reportedly summoned to the scene at Windsor Road in Ilford on Tuesday night at around 10.30pm.However, despite their best efforts, the actress died at the scene.Anna’s family friend confirmed the tragic news, telling Mail Online: “We are absolutely horrified at the news about Anna.”A London Fire Brigade spokesman told the Daily Mirror: “Sadly, a woman has died following a house fire on Windsor Road in Ilford.“Part of the ground floor of a mid-terrace house was damaged by fire.

Patrick J. Adams can vividly recall how his former "Suits" co-star Meghan Markle reacted when she first saw him get naked on stage. It was nearly a decade ago during the first season of the legal drama that the actor appeared in a Los Angeles production of "9 Circles," which the former actress saw at the time.

JAMAL Edwards told how he wanted to meet his real dad three years before the star's tragic death. In 2019 he told The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett podcast that he'd searched for the dad he never met. The 31-year-old passed away suddenly on Sunday from a suspected heart attack.

In a wide-open year for Best Actor nominations, the buzz has been consistent around one performance in particular: Anthony Hopkins’ turn in Sony Pictures Classics’ The Father as an elderly man whose confused descent into dementia has heart-rending consequences for himself and his daughter. Co-starring Olivia Colman, Olivia Williams, Imogen Poots and Rufus Sewell, the film is an adaptation of Florian Zeller’s hit 2012 play, which the writer directed for the screen from a script by Christopher Hampton.

Anthony Hopkins has said that he was scared to speak with Jodie Foster as they started work on Silence of the Lambs.

Silence of the Lambs actors Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins have reunited for the film’s 30th anniversary.The pair, taking part in Variety‘s Actors on Actors series, sat down for an hour over video chat to talk about their new projects. Foster is starring in The Mauritanian, while Hopkins plays the lead role in The Father.Hopkins recalled receiving the script, saying: “After 10 pages, I phoned my agent.

Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins are opening up about The Silence of the Lambs ahead of the film’s 30th anniversary.

Oscar-winning duo Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster reunited on Tuesday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of The Silence of the Lambs happening February 14.'It's a life-changing adventure, that movie, for both of us,' the 58-year-old Los Angeles native said during a one-hour remote conversation for Variety's Actors on Actors.'I'm sure you still get people who come up to you and say, "Would you like a nice Chianti?"' 'It's a life-changing adventure, that movie, for both of us': Oscar-winning duo Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster reunited on Tuesday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of The Silence of the Lambs happening February 14 The 58-year-old Los Angeles native (L) said on Variety's Actors on Actors: 'I'm sure

Ramin Setoodeh New York Bureau ChiefThirty years ago, “The Silence of the Lambs” terrified audiences worldwide — along with its two stars.As directed by Jonathan Demme, the R-rated blockbuster didn’t just rely on blood and guts to haunt viewers’ nightmares. It was a cerebral horror movie, one that exorcised our deepest fears to paint a portrait of unadulterated malevolence.

Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins are reflecting on Hannibal Lecter ahead of the 20-year anniversary of “The Silence of the Lambs”.

Jodie Foster (“The Mauritanian”) and Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”) reunited for a virtual chat for Variety’s Actors on Actors series. For more, pick up the Jan.