‘Desperate Souls, Dark City, & The Legend Of ‘Midnight Cowboy” Review: A Thorough, Thoughtful Historical Survey [Venice]

Naman Ramachandran AGC International, the international sales and distribution arm of Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, has revealed a raft of pre-sales on Richard Linklater’s “Hitman” and Anna Kendrick’s “The Dating Game.” “Hitman” will begin production in New Orleans in early October and “The Dating Game” in Vancouver later the same month. “The Dating Game,” which marks Kendrick’s directorial debut, tells the chilling true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala, who appeared on popular U.S. dating program “The Dating Game” — and was selected to go on a date with contestant Cheryl Bradshaw (to be played by Kendrick) — before his grisly crimes were ultimately exposed.

Make way for Mark Ballas! The pro dancer returned to the Dancing With the Stars ballroom for season 31 after a five-year break — and he couldn’t be more excited.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Ryan Spicer, after more than 14 years with WarnerMedia and Turner Broadcasting, is joining Atmosphere, which operates a national out-of-home streaming news and entertainment network, to lead ad sales in the role of chief revenue officer. Most recently, Spicer served as VP of sales and partnerships for WarnerMedia Digital, which is now part of Warner Bros. Discovery, covering the CNN Digital portfolio as well as the HBO Max with ads streaming platform. Prior to joining Turner Digital in 2008, he worked as a sales exec at MTV Networks. At Atmosphere, Spicer reports to chief operating officer Blake Sabatinelli. Spicer officially started in the role on Sept. 6.

BLACKPINK have added a number of extra dates to the North American leg of their 2022 ‘Born Pink World Tour’.The South Korean group are scheduled to kick off in North America at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on October 25, with an extra date now added at the same venue on October 26.The K-pop four-piece are also adding extra dates at the Toyota Center in Houston on October 30, Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on November 3, and the Banc Of California Stadium in Los Angeles on November 20.The ‘Born Pink’ tour dates will then resume at London’s The O2 on November 30 and December 1. It then moves to Barcelona, Spain; Cologne, Germany; Paris, France; Copenhagen, Denmark, and Berlin, Germany before closing at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Netherlands on December 22.Tickets went on general sale last Friday (September 16), the same day as the release of their second studio album ‘Born Pink’.

 will feature four new faces when season 48 of the sketch show kicks off Oct. 1 on NBC. Marcello Hernandez, Molly Kearney, Michael Longfellow, and Devon Walker are being added as featured players on the long-running sketch series.The new additions come on the heels of significant departures last season, including those of Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon and Melissa Villaseñor, among others.

EXCLUSIVE: Director Ti West tonight unveiled to Toronto viewers at the Midnight Madness premiere of Pearl that there will be a third installment of his hit cult favorite franchise that began with X. Deadline sniffed out that there was a third movie, that will be called MaXXXIne from A24. We are able to give Deadline readers an exclusive look at the teaser unveiled moments ago to attendees of the premiere of Pearl. The teaser played at the end of the movie.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Fox’s Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins-led country music drama “Monarch” didn’t the highest of Nielsen notes Sunday night, but it did manage to keep enough of its NFL lead-in audience to land the network’s most-watched fall scripted premiere in three years. Immediately following an NFL doubleheader, “Monarch” debuted at 7:45 p.m. ET/4:45 p.m. PT to a 0.8 rating among adults in the 18-49 age demographic and 3.8 million total viewers, according to initial Nielsen data. Due to the nature of live sports, these results will likely adjust (likely down) when finalized numbers come in later Monday.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Magnolia Network’s top PR exec John Marsicano has been tapped as Endeavor’s new vice president of internal communications, Variety has learned exclusively. Beginning in the New York-based position Monday, Marsicano will be leading internal communications efforts across Endeavor’s network of more than 7,000 employees and supporting engagement with the company’s subsidiaries. He will report directly to Kim Ulrich, senior vice president of corporate communications at the Ari Emanuel-run company. Marsicano has worked with the Gaineses since 2017, when he began at the “Fixer Upper” couple’s national home and lifestyle brand by overseeing all communications efforts, both internal and external, for the company and its portfolio of businesses. He exited that role to join Magnolia Network, the Gaineses’ joint venture with Warner Bros. Discovery (previously Discovery, Inc., ahead of the April merger with WarnerMedia), in the comms chief role under network president Allison Page.

The cause of death for beloved singer and Pop Idol alum Darius Campbell Danesh has been revealed.

Oh no… Why here? Why now??

Comeback king! Mark Ballas will once again be hitting the dance floor on Dancing With the Stars, five years after he exited the show after season 25.

Emily Longeretta Grab your cowboy boots. Fox is making a major push for the upcoming premiere of “Monarch,” Variety can exclusively share. On Thursday, Sept. 8, the “Monarch” retail pop-up shop will open in New York City on 27 Mercer Street. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sunday, Sept. 11, the premiere date. The fully customized space will include items from many of the show’s partners including Allen’s Boots, Fret Zealot Music, Nyrelle Jewelry and Union Western Apparel. There will be a photo opportunity for fans to sit in the “Queens of Country” throne and attendees can take home a customized bandana or snapback hat.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Something’s not quite right with Pearl, who wields a pitchfork less like a tool than a sex toy when tending the family farm. Such macabre behavior will come as no surprise to fans of Ti West’s “X,” who met the character in her advanced years, horny and homicidal, killing the amateur adult film crew staying on her property, then feeding their pieces to a grateful alligator. West wrapped that early-2022 horror offering with a trippy teaser for “Pearl,” a stand-alone origin story rendered in the style of a Douglas Sirk melodrama. The trailer suggested something practically avant-garde, with a dance scene, dream sequences and a super-saturated color scheme, but the reality is more mundane than A24 audiences have come to expect.

The greatest strength of Ti West’s “X,” the very A24 vibes ‘n all sex-slasher which premiered to tepid acclaim at South By Southwest earlier this year, was never its reverence for “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” nor its lurid ‘70s grit and grain, nor its abundance of pornstaches. No, no: a double-dipping Mia Goth was the lynchpin, be it caked in prosthetics as the melting, murderous octogenarian Pearl or starlet-in-the-making (with an aptly porn-y name) Max Minx.

Smashing Pumpkins have announced they’ll play a free show in New York City later this month, with the show serving as a warm-up for their forthcoming North American tour with Jane’s Addiction.Billy Corgan and co. will deliver an “intimate club performance” at Irving Plaza on Thursday September 22.

A family affair. The latest dating show from Netflix puts a new twist on finding love — this time including siblings in the mix.

th century, as we learn how each influenced the author both personally and professionally. Vitija also makes great use of Highsmith’s unpublished diaries, which are not only gorgeously written (no surprise) but unexpectedly expressive.

is back with new castaways vying for the $1 million prize on season 43.The long-running CBS reality staple will introduce 18 new castaways who will attempt to outplay and outwit each other to earn the title of Sole Survivor. The upcoming edition, hosted by Jeff Probst, kicks off with a two-hour premiere Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m.