In TikTok Executive Overhaul, Disney Vet Zenia Mucha Joins As Chief Brand And Communications Officer

Thania Garcia Universal Music Group (UMG) has partnered with Kevin “Chief” Zaruk and Simon Tikhman, co-founders of a leading entertainment and talent management company Core Entertainment (TCE), to launch The Core Records. The new global label venture will sign and develop new artists, working hand-in-hand with UMG’s network. Tikhman and Zaruk founded TCE with Live Nation in 2019 as an independent entertainment collective that specializes in talent management, business and strategic partnerships, and advancements in the music, technology, and lifestyle industries. Additionally, TCE develops film and television projects and works with professional athletes.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Peter Webber has signed on to direct the wartime thriller “Irena Sendler.” It tells the true story of Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker who defied the Nazis and organized a team of young women to smuggle 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Casting is currently underway and production is expected to start in Poland later this year or early in 2024.   The script was penned by Agatha Dominik, Brian Pittman & Rachel Long, Stuart Hazeldine, and Jeff Most. The film will be produced by Most (“The Crow”), BAFTA Award winning and Academy Award winning producer Ewa Puszczyńska (“Cold War,” “Ida”), Jeff Rice (“Lone Survivor,” “A Private War”), Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros (“The Peanut Butter Falcon,” “Mudbound”), andGolden Globe winning producer Gareth Wiley (“Match Point,” “Vicky Christina Barcelona”) of Phoenix Wiley.

Naman Ramachandran Disney releases “Elemental” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” were locked in a near dead heat at the U.K. and Ireland box office, with the animated elements edging out the veteran archaeologist. “Elemental” debuted with £3.049 million ($3.876 million), according to numbers from Comscore. In its second weekend, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” whipped up £3.046 million ($3.873 million) for a close second and now has a total of £13.1 million. If looking at weekend numbers alone, Harrison Ford’s last adventure as the man in the hat won the race as the “Elemental” numbers include “limited secret sneak previews from across the market,” according to Disney.

Kate Hudson and fiance Danny Fujikawa enjoyed a double date with fashion designer Stella McCartney and husband Alasdhair Willis on Friday night (July 7) in London, England.

We can knock Disney all we want over less-than stellar post-Covid results on Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm titles, but the fact of the matter is the brands are still delivering, making the theatrical motion picture studio the continued box office leader with $3.4 billion worldwide for the period of Jan. 1-July 2.

Prince William and Kate Middleton tagged along to Scotland for an event honoring King Charles III as the new monarch and Queen Camilla.William, Charles and Camilla all donned traditional royal garb, while Middleton looked stunning in a long blue coat — to go along with her blue heels and blue hat — at a ceremony held Wednesday at St. Giles' Cathedral.

Naman Ramachandran Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £7.1 million ($9 million), according to numbers released by Comscore. The release marked the fifth biggest opening weekend for a film in 2023 in the territory, including previews, with a market share of 43%. In its fifth weekend, Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” racked up a further £1.5 million in second place, taking its total to £25.9 million. Universal’s “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken” debuted in third position with £885,056. In its sixth weekend, Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” earned £837,859 in fourth place for a total of £25 million.

Wes Anderson has said he’s afraid to look at people’s TikTok tributes of his films.During a new interview with Le Monde, Anderson opened up about the new trend on the video streaming platform, which has seen users turning everyday content into Anderson-esque footage using elements of his signature style.Anderson told the publication he wasn’t a fan of the the videos, saying: “I protect myself from that. I’d be afraid to think: ‘Is this really how people see my films?'”He did say that he was a fan of the Accidentally Wes Anderson Instagram account, which posts photos that look like they are from an Anderson film.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The casual Oscar observer might wonder how some of the 398 new members invited to join the Academy’s ranks qualify for the honor that includes Oscar voting rights. From Taylor Swift to Warner Bros-Discovery CEO David Zaslav, it’s not always obvious how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decides who to invite as next year’s class of new members. Oscar winners are automatically invited to join the ranks after their big moment, so Billie Eilish was therefore eligable after she won the Oscar for the James Bond song “No Time to Die” (2021) with her brother Finneas.

Seth Meyers just announced his latest project.

Nearly five years after Rihanna launched her Savage x Fenty lingerie brand, she is stepping down as its chief executive officer.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Zenia Mucha, who spent two decades as Disney’s top spokesperson before leaving the company in 2021, has been hired at TikTok. She’ll serve in the newly formed role of chief brand and communications officer and will be responsible for TikTok’s global marketing and communications strategies. Mucha’s hiring is part of a larger shakeup at TikTok. Vanessa Pappas is stepping down as the company’s chief operating officer and Adam Presser, the current chief of staff, has been promoted to head of operations. “Given all the successes reached at TikTok, I finally feel the time is right to move on and refocus on my entrepreneurial passions,” Pappas said in a note to staff.  “I know the company has a very bright and stable future under the strong leadership of Shou Chew and our executive team, I will be here to support him, the leadership team and all of you during this transition by taking on an advisory role for the company.”

Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ Candle Media has struck a partnership with TikTok, with an initial focus on Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine to uncover underrepresented independent authors and literary material from the #BookTok community.

Ben Croll The walls of Barcelona’s international convention center might soon rattle once the 4,000 European exhibitors, suppliers and service providers in town for the CineEurope trade show breathe out a collective sigh of relief. At the root of such succor are Europe’s more than encouraging box-office admissions, which saw a marked uptick in late 2022 and have continued to rise into the new year. “I think this edition will be very much about celebrating because 2022 was a much better year than 2021,” says Laura Houlgatte, CEO of the Intl. Union of Cinemas (UNIC), which tends to the needs of cinema trade associations and exhibitors across the old continent. “[What’s more] the numbers for the first quarter of 2023 have left everyone in a very good mood.”

Selome Hailu “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” has had the biggest debut of any documentary series ever produced by Amazon Studios, Variety has learned. The limited series investigates controversies surrounding the Duggar family, best known for TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” including Josh Duggar’s conviction for possession of child pornography and the family’s connection to the Institute in Basic Life Principles, a controversial Christian organization. After premiering on Amazon Prime Video with all four episodes on June 2, “Shiny Happy People” reached more viewers in its first nine days than any Amazon docuseries, including high-profile titles like “LuLaRich,” the 2021 docuseries that examined the LuLaRoe pyramid scheme. (An exact tally of viewers for these series is unknown.)

Brent Lang Executive Editor Josh Duhamel will join the ensemble of the survival thriller “Not Without Hope,” an adaptation of Nick Schuyler and Jere Longman’s best-selling book that will be written and directed by Joe Carnahan. Also joining the cast are JoBeth Williams, Quentin Plair, Terrence Terrell and Marshall Cook.  As previously announced, Zachary Levi (“Shazam!”) is starring in the film, which tells the real-life story of a tragic 2009 boating accident involving Schuyler, his friends Will Bleakley (Cook) and NFL players  Marquis Cooper (Plair) and Corey Smith (Terrell). Levi will play Schuyler. The search-and rescue-operation captivated national attention. Duhamel will portray U.S. Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close, who oversaw a crew that cut through the ocean to try to find the friends who went missing. Carnahan has some experience orchestrating survival tales, having previously directed “The Grey,” which found Liam Neeson battling very hungry wolves after a plane crash stranded his character in a snowy mountain range. This time the foes are a raging sea, dehydration, severe hypothermia and various marine predators. At one point, “Not Without Hope” was slated to be made as a film starring Miles Teller, but production delays due to COVID scrambled those plans.

As Love Island season 10 enters its second week, we're fully getting to know all the Islanders and what makes them tick in the world of fashion and beauty. For Molly Marsh, it's House of CB dresses, for Jess Harding it's a Sleek Liptick; and for Ruchee Gurung it's a velvety bronzer, which we spotted her using in the famous girl's dressing room.The powder product happens to be a part of a limited-edition collaboration between much-loved beauty brand Morphe and America's popular TikTok star and make-up influencer Avani Gregg.

The Expendables 4 (officially titled Expend4bles) – check it out above.Directed by Scott Waugh (Need for Speed), the fourth entry in the franchise sees Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture reprise their roles from the previous films.New additions to the cast include Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Train and Andy Garcia.A synopsis reads: “Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give ‘new blood’ a whole new meaning.”A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent)The film’s script is co-written by Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart and Max Adams, from an original story by Wimmer, Daggerhart and Spenser Cohen.

Getting down to business. Ariana Madix is laying down the law in the first official look at her upcoming role in Lifetime’s Buying Back My Daughter.