System of a Down’s Serj Tankian announces his memoir (of sorts)

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren’t here quite yet but Therabody already has unbeatable deals on their coveted massage tools as we head into the holidays. The Hollywood-loved brand is known for their expertly engineered devices, which all use percussive therapy to loosen knots and release tension in the muscles.

Jordan Moreau Disney is wishing upon a box office star this Thanksgiving, as its latest animated movie “Wish” takes on Apple’s historical drama “Napoleon.” “Wish” is expected to come out on top this weekend, but “Napoleon” won the first box office battle in previews. “Napoleon” made $3 million in previews, which began on Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving holiday, and “Wish” made $2.3 million. The family friendly animated movie about Disney’s iconic wishing star is expected to make $35 million over the typical weekend.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Chewing Gum” was named winner of the NT$1 million Grand Prize, the top award at the 2023 Golden Horse Film Project Promotion production event. Other prizes were awarded for works in progress and for TV series. The winners were announced at a ceremony on Wednesday at the New Horizon Event Space in Taipei, Taiwan.

Todd Gilchrist editor In a year in which evaluating the contributions of writers became a major point of contention across the entertainment industry, Variety is especially pleased to announce its list of 10 Screenwriters to Watch. Some among them are scribes whose work has already made waves — cultural as much as commercial — with others on the precipice of transforming this year’s awards season and the broader landscape of film for years to come.

Scream VI after she refused to reprise her role due to a pay dispute.The actor, who played Sidney Prescott in the horror franchise, announced her decision not to return for the sixth instalment in June last year.“I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise,” Campbell told Variety. “It’s been a very difficult decision to move on.”Campbell has since discussed her views on Scream VI during a panel at Monster-Mania Con this month, saying she only saw the film two weeks prior to the event. Scream VI was released in cinemas in March this year.“It took me a minute.

Richard Kuipers Like a contracted movie star loaned out by a studio in Hollywood’s heyday, Godzilla has returned to Japanese parent company Toho after doing a stint in the U.S. MonsterVerse to take center stage in “Godzilla Minus One,” a stellar entry in the world’s longest continually running film franchise. Set in a devastated post-war Japan, Takashi Yamazaki’s reboot gets back to basics in grand style, with engrossing human drama alongside spectacular mass destruction.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent After being convincingly portrayed by Marion Cotillard in the 2007 film “La Vie en Rose,” legendary French singer Edith Piaf will come to life in an animated biopic “Edith” that looks to break new ground by using AI to recreate her voice and image. When Warner Music, which is producing the feature-length movie with Paris-based company Seriously Happy, broke news of the project last week, it stirred an avalanche of reactions — many of them skeptical — across social media. To clear up some concerns and shed light on the decisions behind the creative endeavor, Variety spoke to Julie Veille, who came up with the original idea, and Gilles Marliac who are co-producing through their banner Seriously Happy and co-wrote the script.

Quake players in the world has confirmed Elon Musk’s claims that he once played with the game’s top-level competitors, though he “wasn’t very good”.In a podcast with computer scientist Lex Fridman, Elon Musk stated that he has a “lifetime of playing video games”. Musk then said that “at one point I was, you know, maybe one of the best Quake players in the world”, and mentioned that he “actually won money” in “the first paid esports tournament in the US.”Posters on X (formerly Twitter) doubted the claim, with many questioning whether Musk was simply trying to brag.

Doctors have been warned to 'think measles' when treating children - and our map highlights the areas that have seen a 'devastating resurgence' of this 'virtually eliminated' disease. Falling vaccine rates have seen cases of measles soar this year, with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) notified of twice as many suspected cases as in 2022.

Manchester United return to Premier League action this weekend as the final international break of 2023 draws to a close. The Reds will be in good spirits heading back into the domestic campaign after they tasted victory last time out at home to Luton Town. When Victor Lindelof's goal secured the narrow result after a disappointing loss in Copenhagen.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in his autumn statement that National Insurance will be slashed in the New Year.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here fans have shared their desire for one campmate to do a trial in a bid to get her more 'air time'. Actress Danielle Harold was among the ten famous faces who headed into camp when the show launched on Sunday (November 19).

Tributes have been paid to a mum-of-two who died following a crash in Cheshire. Jane Hickson's family has released a statement in the wake of the tragedy.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), who House Republicans unanimously voted for last week, has scrubbed his personal website, apparently deleting all 69 weekly podcasts he and his wife Kelly began recording last year.Kelly Johnson’s business website, Onward Christian Counseling, has also been scrubbed. HuffPost reports she “runs a counseling business that advocates the belief that homosexuality is comparable to bestiality and incest, according to its operating documents.” Attempts to access both websites now result in an “Error” message, although those web addresses have been archived.Speaker Johnson has been described as a far-right Christian nationalist and Christian dominionist.Last week, after Johnson was elected the third-most powerful official in America, Politico published a profile on “the Christian nationalist ideas that shaped House Speaker Mike Johnson.” The New York Times wrote, “The new House speaker has put his faith at the center of his political career, and aligned himself with a newer cohort of conservative Christianity that some describe as Christian nationalism.”An MSNBC columnist last week wrote, “Mike Johnson’s Christian nationalist track record isn’t a mystery — it’s a tragedy,” and added, “The new speaker cut his teeth trying to erode the separation of church and state and abortion and LGBTQ rights as a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund.”On Thursday, in a Daily Beast opinion piece, David Rothkopf wrote, “Here’s Why Mike Johnson Is More Dangerous Than Donald Trump.”“In interviews he has spoken of the fact that ‘We don’t live in a democracy’ we live in a ‘Biblical republic,'” Rothkop said.

Mike Pence is no longer running for president.

System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan has claimed he has lost friends as well as “hundreds of thousands of fans” due to his controversial opinions.Dolmayan first courted controversy for his opinions when he became a vocal supporter of Donald Trump before and while he was in the White House in stark contrast to the band’s frontman Serj Tankian, who staunchly crticised Trump and even called for his resignation. Dolmayan insisted, however, there was “no danger whatsoever” of him being fired from System Of A Down.He drew further ire for saying Black Lives Matter “never had legitimacy” and was a “propaganda tool” for the Democrat Party, and for arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic “has always been about money”.Now, Dolmayan has reflected on what his “unwillingness” to accept the “narratives” those close to him believed in have cost him in a new Instagram post.“I lost people that I thought were friends over the last few years primarily due to my unwillingness to accept the narratives they are now questioning the validity of,” he wrote.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) is seeking to escape the fate of three of his predecessors and win over almost all of the 221 Republican House majority to win the speakership today, bringing to an end a three-week crisis that has halted all work in the lower chamber.

System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian has announced his new memoir Down with the System, set to be released next year.Tankian revealed the memoir with a post on his social media, writing, “Boom! – I wrote a new book. I had a blast working on this accidentally hatched philosophical memoir as it’s given me the unique opportunity to deep dive into my family history, my own motivations from a young age and lessons I didn’t know I had learned.”The memoir is set to be released on May 14 next year via Hachette Books, with the publisher’s website promising that Tankian’s memoir will be “far more than just a rock ‘n’ roll fable”.Describing the tome as “an immigrant’s tale, it’s an activist’s awakening, and it’s a spiritual journey from darkness toward light”.

“screwed” him over. “I’ve always thought Tom was a great host,” Spicer, 52, told The Post Tuesday adding that he “loved being a part of Season 28” and is “thoroughly enjoying the current season.” Spicer, who served under President Donald Trump, made the exclusive statement following Bergeron’s, 68, declaration on Cheryl Burke’s “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast on Monday.

Tom Bergeron, former longtime host of Dancing With The Stars, is opening up about his exit from the reality competition series. After hosting DWTS since its launch in 2005, Bergeron was dismissed in 2020 after being publicly critical of the show’s choice to cast Donald Trump’s White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer in Season 28.

NBCUniversal News Group filed its own request to televise Donald Trump‘s election conspiracy trial, citing the extraordinary circumstances of a former president facing criminal charges.