FCC Chairman Announces Effort to Counter Threat From China

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission announced an effort on Thursday to counter the threat posed by China, continuing what has been a bipartisan focus over the last half decade. Brendan Carr said the agency would form a Council for National Security, which would

‘Prison Break’ Reboot Pilot Casts Emily Browning, Lukas Gage, Drake Rodger

The “Prison Break” reboot pilot at Hulu has added three series regulars, Variety has learned. Emily Browning, Lukas Gage, and Drake Rodger have all been cast in leading roles in the pilot, which was originally announced in December. As previously reported, the pilot is set

‘Descendent’ Review: A Security Guard Unravels After Experiencing a Close Encounter in Effective Suspense Drama

When Richard Dreyfuss walked onto the Mothership at the end of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” it was just about the first time — and also nearly the last — that a movie hero voluntarily went on any such ride. More familiar notes of

Douglas Kiker, Viral ‘American Idol’ Contestant Who Made Katy Perry Tear Up at Audition, Dies at 32

Douglas Kiker, a contestant on “American Idol” Season 18 who memorably moved series judge Katy Perry to tears with his audition performance, has died. He was 32 years old. Kiker’s sisters, Angela Evans and Donna Kiker Carrillos-Ramirez, confirmed the news on Facebook Wednesday evening. A

NBC Orders Cheerleader Comedy Pilot From Liz Astrof, Jeff Astrof, ‘Cheer’ Alum Monica Aldama

NBC has given out a pilot order to the single-cam project “Stumble.” The show is described as “A mockumentary about the ridiculously high stakes competitive world of junior college cheer.” The project was originally set up with a put pilot commitment at NBC in late

Miami Beach Mayor Proposes to End Lease, Withdraw Funding for Theater Over ‘No Other Land’ Screenings

The mayor of Miami Beach is asking the city to end a lease agreement and withdraw financial support from an independent theater that is screening the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land.” Mayor Steven Meiner characterized the film as “a false one-sided propaganda attack on the

Amanda Seyfried on Why Her Joni Mitchell Cover Wasn’t a Biopic Audition, and Listening to Taylor Swift on the ‘Long Bright River’ Set After ‘Emotional’ Filming

Joni Mitchell covers are not for the faint of heart or voice, so Amanda Seyfried’s decision to cover a verse from the singer’s 1971 classic “California” on “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” last week was a brave one — not just because of the celestial

‘Split Fiction’ Video Game Sells 2 Million Copies in First Week

Hazelight Studios’s new multiplayer-only game “Split Fiction” sold more than 2 million copies in its first week since its March 6 release. Written by director and Hazelight studio chief Josef Fares and Sebastian Johansson, the game blends fantasy and science fiction, following a pair of