Luis Gerardo Méndez shows off his dance moves in new mystery series ‘The Resort’

Jamie Lynn Spears, Kate Gosselin and Mel B are among the 16 celebrity contestants competing on Fox’s new reality competition, “Special Forces: The Ultimate Test”, it was announced Wednesday.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Paradigm is turning to local TV and lifestyle stars to help rebuild the agency that has been reshaped by the changing entertainment economy and the wallop of the pandemic. Paradigm Entertainment has acquired three talent agencies from private equity firm Blue Equity to form Paradigm Media Entertainment, which will now be home to Napoli Management Group, 3 Kings Entertainment and Two Twelve Management and Marketing. Napoli Management and 3 Kings both have wide rosters of local TV anchors, reporters, weathercasters and other talent working in markets large and small around the country. Two Twelve focuses on representing chefs and other culinary, hospitality and lifestyle stars.

Selome Hailu Chris Van Amburg has stepped down from his position as head of video marketing at Apple. He announced his exit in a memo sent to staff on Wednesday, citing a desire to spend more time with his family as his reason for leaving the company. Van Amburg joined Apple in September 2018, a year prior to the launch of Apple TV+, and led marketing strategy for the streamer. Projects launched during his tenure include the Emmy-winning comedy series “Ted Lasso” and the Oscar-winning coming-of-age film “CODA.” Before Apple, he worked at Sony Pictures Entertainment for 13 years, where he most recently served as senior vice president of marketing. This is Apple’s second major marketing departure of 2022. As Variety reported exclusively, head of film marketing strategy JP Richards turned in his resignation in May.

Caroline Framke Chief TV Critic In the months after Donald Trump became president and a flush of liberal rage manifested in impassioned Women’s Marches across the country, Hillary Clinton took a sizeable step back from public life. Having been a flashpoint of both controversy and sympathy for her entire adult life, Clinton found herself having to forge a new kind of identity — one that wouldn’t be tied to any kind of political office, but could still use support from those Democrats whose first reaction to Trump’s inauguration was to crochet pink “pussyhats” and march as a unified pink wave of righteous fury. “Gutsy,” Clinton’s new and self-consciously #feminist show produced with her daughter, Chelsea, helps the former candidate do exactly that, tapping everyone from Gloria Steinem to Megan Thee Stallion to explore what it means to be a “gutsy” woman. But watching the show’s eight curated episodes, all of which premiere September 9 on Apple TV+, feels like stepping back in feminism to Clinton’s campaign selling “NASTY WOMAN” T-shirts or Women’s March protesters lifting “IF HILLARY HAD BEEN ELECTED, WE’D BE AT BRUNCH RIGHT NOW” signs. Even with titles like “Gutsy Women Refuse Hate” and “Gutsy Women Have Rebel Hearts,” “Gutsy” bears the appearance of taking on The Hard Questions without doing much to move its conversations forward. Determined to find a silver lining in every cloud, and less furious with the world than annoyed at being misconceived, the Clintons spend much of their time in this series seeking out people who feel the same rather than challenging their own worldviews — or their likely viewers’ — at all.

Clayton Davis If you thought Florian Zeller’s debut film “The Father” was a downer, get ready to fill your handkerchiefs with tears and nose fluids as the credits roll on his sophomore effort, “The Son.” It might be a bruising watch, but the perfectly modulated drama will be an across-the-board contender in all categories including best picture. And it’s a film that puts Hugh Jackman at the forefront of the best actor race for his remarkable performance as a father struggling to help his troubled teenage son (newcomer Zen McGrath).  “The Son,” which debuted at the Venice Film Festival, tells the story of Peter (Jackman), a hard-charging lawyer who agrees to have his son Nicholas (McGrath) live with him after the kid gets in trouble with his school.  Their reunion takes place years after Peter divorced Nicholas’ mother (Laura Dern) and started a new life with his second wife Beth (Vanessa Kirby) and their baby. As the film unfolds, Peter slowly begins to recognize the agonizing torment living within his depressed child.  

Zack Sharf “The Lord of the Rings” cast members Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan banded together on social media to support the diverse casting in Amazon’s new series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” The series, which launched its first two episodes on Sept. 2 to critical acclaim and 25 million global viewers, has been come under fire by racist fans upset by the casting of actors of color in prominent roles. Wood, Boyd and Monaghan posed for a photo wearing t-shirts that features the ears of Middle Earth creatures in various skin tones. “You are all welcome,” Wood’s caption reads. The message is clear: Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan stand by Middle-Earth welcoming diversity just as “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” depicts. Wood included a link to an online store where fans can purchase their own t-shirts with the design on it. The store is also selling a sweatshirt and more clothing items with the same graphic. The shirt as seen in the photo is selling for $22.00. Per the online shop: “50% of all proceeds will go to a charity that support POC.”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Costume designer Arianne Phillips is no stranger to working on midcentury films. From Brad Pitt’s Hawaiian shirt in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” to Reese Witherspoon’s perky frocks in “Walk the Line,” she’s at home with a variety of 1950s looks. For Olivia Wilde’s dystopian thriller “Don’t Worry Darling,” opening Sept. 23 after bowing at the Venice Film Festival, Phillips channeled a look that was grounded in that era without being ultra-realistic. The film’s stars — Wilde, Florence Pugh, Harry Styles and Chris Pine — look like they’re living a carefree Rat Pack lifestyle, but something is off-kilter. In a seemingly idyllic desert town, the men go to work each day at a company known as the Victory Project. The women clean their immaculate houses, take ballet lessons or sip martinis by the pool. When one woman disappears, Pugh’s character, Alice, starts asking questions.

Jane Fonda can feel the “love and support” following her cancer diagnosis, and we’re so happy for her!

Carson Burton A new feature film based on the 1986 sports drama “Youngblood,” this time centering on an African American hockey prodigy, is in the works from Aircraft Pictures and Dolphin Entertainment. Rising filmmaker Charles Officer is on board to direct the film, which is slated to begin principal photography in early 2023. The reimagined update follows hockey prodigy Dean Youngblood, who joins the Hamilton Bulldogs and faces toxic behavior throughout his journey to the National Hockey League draft. The original 1986 film, distributed by MGM, was Keanu Reeves’ feature film debut. It also starred Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze, and it has since become a cult classic among hockey fans.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Apple took the wraps off its next-generation smartphones, the iPhone 14, which promise faster performance and feature larger 6.7-inch screen sizes on the high-end models. It’s also boosted the photo and video features of the devices — with a new 12-megapixel main camera on the regular iPhone 14s and a 48-megapixel main camera on the Pro series. The standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro have a 6.1-inch screen, while the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro Max have a larger 6.7-inch display. The new phones feature an upgraded “action mode” video capture with advanced stabilization, supporting Dolby Vision HDR. The iPhone 14s also support the eSIM, a virtual subscriber identity module, so you don’t have to deal with a physical SIM card to enable wireless service.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Years after the “Game of Thrones” Starbucks cup goof, eagle-eyed viewers have spotted a visual effects mistake in last Sunday’s “House of the Dragon” episode. In Season 1 Episode 3, titled “Second of His Name,” a scene features King Viserys (Paddy Considine) handing a letter to a soldier.

K.J. Yossman Lorton Entertainment, who are currently working on highly anticipated Disney+ documentary “Wagatha Christie,” have set a new unscripted series titled “Horsepower” at Amazon, Variety can exclusively reveal. A four-part documentary series which is set to launch on Prime Video U.K. and Ireland from Sept. 23, “Horsepower” gives viewers a rare glimpse into the world of horce racing via its two protagonists, leading trainer Andrew Balding and his principal jockey Oisin Murphy as they compete over a nine month period culminating in the horse racing world’s most prestigious annual event: Royal Ascot. Audiences will get unprecedented behind the scenes access as they follow Balding (brother of sports host Clare Balding) and Murphy from fall 2020 to summer 2021, watching them train at Balding’s Hampshire stables and competing in events across the country. All seems lost, however, when Murphy tests positive for cocaine: will he be banned from the sport he loves or will he be able to re-build his once promising career?

Billie Eilish is fronting a new Gucci eyewear campaign advert that sees her being stalked by her doppelgänger.The pop star has turned model and actress for the campaign, marketing the brand’s black acetate Navigator glasses with gold Gucci script on the temples, an oversized ’80s-inspired “sun mask”, and pink cat-eye shades.In the advert, Eilish is seen driving through the Hollywood hills with a mystery tail in pursuit.

The Simpsons co-showrunner Al Jean has provided an update on a potential follow-up to The Simpsons Movie.Speaking to Yahoo Movies, the writer, animator and producer said that he was keen to work on another feature-length film, but that he doesn’t see it happening any time soon.“I’d love to work on another Simpsons movie, and we’ve talked about it,” he said, before questioning if a potential sequel would receive a theatrical release or go straight to streaming.“I don’t know exactly what the animation feature world is at the moment,” he continued. “I know there are some movies that have done well, but is it streaming, is it theatrical?“So I think that’s actually a question we would have to wrestle with before we even started working on a script.Last year, Jean revealed that plans for a sequel movie were shelved due the COVID-19 pandemic.“We were really talking about it a lot before the pandemic.

Kate Moss was spotted cosying up to long-time boyfriend Count Nikolai von Bismarck as she celebrated the launch of her new wellness brand. The supermodel, 48, launched her latest product with a lavish affair in London’s Harrods store followed by a night on the town in exclusive members club The Twenty Two. Kate followed the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Holly Willoughby in launching her own wellness brand, having announced the new venture earlier this summer with a daring black-and-white nude photoshoot.

Angelina Jolie has had many a show-stopping red carpet moment. From the the satin and sheer slip dresses of the Nineties and the leg-popping Atelier Versace moment of 2012 Oscars to the Saint Laurent deconstructed tuxedo at the 2014 BAFTA Awards, and her appearances wearing spookily embellished gowns for the Maleficent 2 publicity tour, Jolie commands a red carpet camera like no other. Since becoming a mother, it's now not unusual for the actress to bring along her brood of six children to premieres, award ceremonies and charity galas.

Kerry Katona expressed gratitude for life on her 42nd birthday after previous choices gravely impacted her life to the point where she didn’t think she would mark her special day. In a post shared on her Instagram on Tuesday, the makeup-free Kerry could be seen wearing a charcoal dressing gown as she wrote: “WTF!!!! 42 today!!! Honestly never thought I’d make it after the life I’ve had!!“But here I am 42 today about to release my third autobiography! I am so eternally grateful and blessed to be here for another year!’She continued: “ I am so eternally grateful and blessed to be here for another year! I have my health, my kids and my Ryan, great friends and great family with a great career. Feeling incredibly blessed.

Louie Anderson was a victim of “elder abuse”, his family claim in legal documents. The late ‘Baskets’ star - who died in January this year aged 68 - suffered at the hands of people close to the funnyman, according to a petition filed by his sister Lisa Anderson, who has submitted a motion seeking to disallow them from getting their hands on assets from his estate. In the documents, she requested the judge bar a late amendment in Louie’s will that added certain friends and family members to the list of people who would get a share of Louie’s cash.

Horror author Peter Straub has died aged 79. The ‘Julia’ writer passed away in hospital in Manhattan on Sunday (04. 09.

Friends was a massive hit that’s still a majorly quotable pop culture touchstone for people now, a whopping 18 years after it aired its finale. There are millions of fans who still have the NBC mega-hit on their list of shows to comfort watch when they need a pick-me-up, but we can now confirm that one of those comedy-loving folks is not Kanye West. And after the hit-making rapper let everyone know he thought Friends “wasn’t funny,” Courteney Cox has responded with a perfect video.

Gabriels have announced details of their debut album and shared the title track ‘Angels & Queens’.The record is set be released in two parts, the first being on September 30, and the second in March 2023 via Atlas Artists/Parlophone Records.It has been produced by Sounwave, who has worked with acts including Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé.The rising LA trio have also shared the title track from their debut album, which you can listen to below.“Our debut album ‘Angels & Queens’ is a unique exploration of love and loss from each of our differing perspectives. We were planning to release our album next year, but got the opportunity to collaborate with some of the most amazing people who initially were strangers, but within weeks became family in the most mind blowing process,” the band said of the new record.“As the first part of the album was recorded, we knew we wanted to share it with you as soon as possible.