Elizabeth Wagmeister Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent The first project that Netflix greenlit after inking a mega-deal with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, is finally coming. More than two years after the streamer gave the go to “Heart of Invictus,” the docuseries will debut Aug.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent Filmmaker Emma Cooper had to turn her notifications off. The director of Netflix’s “Depp v. Heard” knew that by diving back into the trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, her latest project would attract a lot of commentary online.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent “The View” will welcome back all of its co-hosts next season, keeping moderator Whoopi Goldberg at the table alongside fellow returnees Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro for Season 27, Variety has learned exclusively. The co-hosts’ return for another season comes as “The View” ended the 2022-2023 TV season on a high note, ranking No. 1 among all daytime talk shows among both households and total viewers.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent After years in development, ABC’s senior citizen spinoff of “The Bachelor” is finally underway — and Variety has the first interview with the leading man himself since production has begun. Still weeks away from “The Golden Bachelor” premiere this fall, Gerry Turner, a 71-year-old grandpa from Indiana, is currently filming his season at “The Bachelor” mansion in Los Angeles, Calif., in hopes of finding love later in life.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent For years, Keltie Knight has been interviewing Hollywood’s biggest stars. A longtime entertainment correspondent, the on-air personality has rubbed shoulders with A-listers on red carpets, at premieres and award shows. Now, she’s recruiting those stars to appear on her own show, “Superfan,” which premieres Wednesday night on CBS.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent The biggest YouTube star in the world — Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast — is being sued by Virtual Dining Concepts, the ghost kitchen company that operates his virtual restaurant chain, MrBeast Burger. Virtual Dining Concepts and Celebrity Virtual Dining (VDC) are suing the YouTuber and his Beast Investments for failing to honor his contractual obligations, as well as intentional tortious interference.

William Earl Variety, the iconic entertainment publication, and iHeartPodcasts, the No. 1 podcast publisher globally according to Podtrac, announced Wednesday the co-production of an exciting new true crime podcast, “Variety Confidential.” The podcast dives into Variety’s archives exploring stories of sex, money and murder in the entertainment industry.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent This summer, “Barbie” has revived the box office, making nearly $500 million worldwide in its first week. Earlier this year, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” surpassed the billion-dollar mark.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent After dominating the box office and breaking records with “Barbie,” Mattel has officially arrived in Hollywood. In 2018, after a tumultuous period of declining toy sales, Mattel brought in a new CEO, businessman Ynon Kreiz, who had a vision to turn the storied toy company into an IP-driven machine, essentially creating a Mattel cinematic universe. Now, with the immense success of “Barbie,” the path is clear for Mattel to make whatever they want — and they already have a ton of projects in the works with A-list partners attached.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent Britney Spears is getting back to the music — again. The Princess of Pop and her frequent collaborator, Will.i.am, have dropped a new single, “Mind Your Business,” which is the second song to be released after her 13-year conservatorship was terminated. “Mind Your Business” marks the first reunion for Spears and Will.i.am since their triple-platinum hit “Scream & Shout” in 2012. One decade after that release, their song is still breaking records: earlier this year, “Scream & Shout” hit the milestone of reaching one billion views on YouTube.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent The wait is almost over. After years in development, the senior citizen spinoff of “The Bachelor” is coming — and its leading man is about to be revealed. ABC will unveil the identity of the star of “The Golden Bachelor” on Monday morning. But for now, we have the first glimpse at the first-ever mature star of “The Bachelor” franchise in its two decades on the air. From the looks of the key art for “The Golden Bachelor,” the leading man does indeed appear to be more senior than the typical cast on the franchise. The marketing materials for the upcoming season, which debuts this fall, show the back of the mystery man’s head — and we can see some salt-and-pepper in his hair and beard.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent Country singer Jimmie Allen is countersuing two anonymous women who sued him for sexual assault. The women, who have been identified as “Jane Doe,” sued Allen separately. Their allegations were unrelated to one another. In the first lawsuit against Allen, filed this past May, the multiplatinum singer was accused of raping his former day-to-day manager, who alleged she endured continuous assault and abuse over the course of 18 months while she was working on the musician’s team. In June, the Grammy-nominated singer was hit with another lawsuit from second woman who claimed she filed a police report after Allen secretly filmed her during sex in a Las Vegas hotel room.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent At long last, it’s finally time for “The Golden Bachelor.” After years and years — and years! — of waiting for “The Bachelor” franchise’s senior citizens spinoff, the first teaser for the new series is here. In ABC’s first promo, exclusively revealed by Variety, the franchise’s signature red rose is turned gold for its golden man. The quick trailer is set to the tune of “This Magic Moment.” While Variety has the first footage for the show, the golden man isn’t being unveiled quite yet. ABC plans to reveal the identity of its mature mystery star next week on “Good Morning America” on Monday July 17 — so stay tuned for that.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent Britney Spears has set a date and revealed the title for her upcoming, much buzzed-about memoir. Titled “The Woman in Me,” Spears book is slated for release on Oct. 24, according to People, who first reported the news. “The Woman in Me” will be published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Spears landed the massive publishing deal for a tell-all last February, just a few months after her conservatorship was terminated. At the time, a source close to Spears told Variety that the book is said to provide the pop star’s accounts of and commentary on her rise to fame, her music career and her relationship with her family.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent “Bones” ran for 12 seasons and over 240 episodes on Fox, an accomplishment in procedural broadcast television that now seems to be an apex in retrospect. But with a streaming era that has made reboots and revivals more popular than ever, could “Bones” ever come back? According to the show’s creator, there is hope. “We are in contact with each other,” Hart Hanson, who created “Bones,” tells Variety. “Everybody on ‘Bones’ is in contact with each other. At separate times, it’s like, ‘What are you doing? What’s the availability?’” Speaking to Variety at the “Bones” reunion WGA picket, Hanson spoke about the realities of reviving the show, noting the very different media landscape today compared to when “Bones” aired on Fox from 2005 to 2017.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent Britney Spears knows a thing or two about being bombarded by fans, but a fan-girl moment for the pop star herself went terribly wrong when she was allegedly smacked in the face after trying to snag a picture with NBA star Victor Wembanyama. Spears’ husband shared lengthy commentary about the altercation on Instagram stories. “I am opposed to violence in any form, especially without justification in the defense of yourself or someone else who is unable to defend themselves,” he wrote. “Self-defense can be unavoidable, but the defense of any woman, especially my wife, is not debatable. I consider my reaction subdued considering what occurred, and I hope the man in question learns a lesson and changes his disregard for women. Thank you for the support.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from “The Kardashians” episode “Deeper Than Dolce,” now streaming on Hulu. On the latest episode of Hulu’s “The Kardashians,” filmed in the fall, Kim Kardashian cries as she speaks about her ex-husband Kanye West’s antisemitic remarks. “It’s really confusing for me that it’s so different than the person that I married because that’s who I loved and that’s who I remember,” Kardashian says to the camera. “I’ll do anything to get that person back.” She continues, “The whole situation is sad, and I don’t know how to emotionally manage it. I’m conflicted because I don’t ever want to jump in and be apart of a downfall for the father of my kids.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent SPOILER ALERT:This story discusses major plot developments in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which is now playing in theaters. Shaunette Renée Wilson (“The Resident,” “Black Panther”) landed the role of a lifetime when she was cast opposite Harrison Ford in his final “Indiana Jones” film. Wilson was hand-picked by director James Mangold to play Agent Mason in the major summer release. After a Zoom meeting with Mangold, she was cast and didn’t even have to audition, but when she received the script, she wanted to implement some changes.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent On “The Idol,” Da’Vine Joy Randolph brings a rare bit of heart to the much-discussed show. Playing Destiny, Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) manager, the actor portrays one of the only stabilizing forces surrounding the sexualized pop star who has been wrapped up in a dangerous world, led by wannabe musician and cult leader Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye). Randolph was hand-picked by “Idol” co-creator Sam Levinson after the “Euphoria” creator took over the show during a complete overhaul in which he shot it again, after an initial version helmed by Amy Seimetz was completely scrapped, Randolph says. Controversy began before the show even premiered, with a Rolling Stone article that claimed production on “The Idol” had gone “disgustingly off the rails” and that Levinson’s version played like “twisted torture porn.”

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent Hannah Brown, known as a former star of “The Bachelorette,” is launching a podcast with SiriusXM, Variety has learned exclusively. “Better Tomorrow With Hannah Brown” is a new lifestyle podcast hosted by Brown, as she seeks to answer life’s big questions: “Am I better today than I was yesterday?” and, “How can I learn to be better tomorrow?” The weekly series will premiere on July 19. Brown’s podcast will build on those questions, focusing on topics like confidence, relationships, love, faith and making time for yourself. Brown will be joined by guests on the series, including experts, celebrity friends, artists and entrepreneurs.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent SPOILER ALERT: This contains spoilers for the Season 20 premiere of “The Bachelorette,” which aired on June 26 on ABC. On “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” the very first red rose of the season — dubbed the “first impression rose” — is handed out by the lead on the first night in the mansion to a contestant they have their eye on. As Bachelor Nation knows, this rose often indicates a frontrunner who regularly ends up as a finalist by the end of the season. On Charity Lawson’s season premiere of “The Bachelorette” on Monday night, she handed out her first impression rose to a suitor who seemingly might also be the season’s villain.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent “The Bachelorette” launched its 20th season Monday night, marking the first season to air without franchise creator Mike Fleiss on board — except Fleiss’ name still appeared when the credits rolled. During the ending credits at the conclusion of the episode, the very last name to appear on-screen was Fleiss’ accompanied by the words “created by.” Unlike past seasons, Fleiss was not credited as an “executive producer” and his production company, Next Entertainment, was not listed. In former seasons, Fleiss’ name appeared first on the credits, instead of last.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Chief Correspondent When “The Bachelorette” returns on Monday night with its milestone 20th season, the franchise will continue to make history with leading lady Charity Lawson. Lawson is the fourth woman of color on the long-running dating series, following Rachel Lindsay (who starred in Season 13 in 2017), Tayshia Adams (Season 16, 2020) and Michelle Young (Season 18, 2021). Over the years, “The Bachelor” has faced criticism for its lack of diversity but has pledged to increase its efforts, which have been seen on-screen in recent seasons. As the star of a primetime network show whose love story will be broadcast to millions, Lawson doesn’t take her role lightly.

Eva Longoria put Hollywood on notice during her Kering Women in Motion talk at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The “Desperate Housewives” alum, who was joined by University of Southern California Annenberg professor and researcher Dr. Stacy L. Smith, is making her feature directorial debut with “Flamin’ Hot,” an inspirational story about a Frito-Lay janitor who invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The film won an audience award at the SXSW Film Festival. As a female director, a first-time director and a Latina director, Longoria said she “felt the weight of my community” and “the weight of every female director” when production started on “Flamin’ Hot.” Speaking with Variety chief correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, Longoria noted that Hollywood does not play fair when it comes to films directed by women flopping versus male directors. There can be no margin of error for a director like Longoria, as one flop could cost her another directorial gig, she says.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jeremy O. Harris is best known as the playwright of “Slave Play,” which picked up a record-setting 12 Tony Award nominations in 2021, but he’s also a producer on HBO’s Emmy-winning “Euphoria.” During an interview as part of Variety and Kering’s Women in Motion talks at Cannes, Harris called on Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav “to make a deal” so that the ongoing writers strike can end and “Euphoria” Season 3 can go into production as scheduled. “All I’ll say is Sam Levinson is not a scab,” Harris said about the “Euphoria” creator not crossing picket lines to go into production. “He’s not a scab. David Zaslav, make a deal. That’s what I’ll say about Season 3 of ‘Euphoria.’ Make a deal, David. It’s easy. Just come to that table.”

William Earl Variety has announced the initial lineup for the Kering Women in Motion talks at the Cannes Film Festival. Moderated by Variety’s Senior Correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister, this year’s talks include some of the most important women working in cinema and offers a mix between up-and-coming talent and iconic figures such as Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh. On Thursday, May 18, playwright, actor and philanthropist Jeremy O. Harris, who stars in Directors’ Fortnight premiere “The Sweet East,” will kick off the Women in Motion series to discuss female representation in his work. Following Harris’ talk, actress and director Katie Holmes will speak about her work as a director and how the industry has changed in its approach to female directors since she first began working in television.

Ethan Shanfeld Variety garnered a record 96 nominations for the SoCal Journalism awards sponsored by the Los Angeles Press Club, with nods across magazine and entertainment journalism, art and photography, video, audio, online content and social media during the 2022 calendar year. Among the nominations announced Friday were Tim Gray for print journalist of the year and Clayton Davis for online journalist of the year. In addition, Owen Gleiberman, Chris Willman and Daniel D’Addario were nominated as entertainment journalists of the year. “We are extremely proud of our newsroom for a banner year in record-breaking traffic, hard-hitting investigative journalism, profile writing and video. These nominations are a testament to the great work Variety is doing covering the entertainment industry,” said Variety co-editor-in-chiefs Ramin Setoodeh and Cynthia Littleton.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” Mark Consuelos doesn’t mind hand-me-downs from Ryan Seacrest. Consuelos tells me he’s inheriting Seacrest’s dressing room when “Live With Kelly and Ryan” becomes “Live With Kelly and Mark” on April 17. “I’m no dummy,” Consuelos says on this week’s episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “Ryan is very fancy — he’s got fancy stuff.” At the same time it was announced in February that Seacrest was leaving “Live,” it was revealed that Consuelos will replace him as his wife Kelly Ripa’s co-host on the syndicated daytime talk show. “The first conversations started with like, ‘That is the worst idea ever,’”

Charna Flam ABC has announced Ashley Graham, Vanessa Hudgens, Lilly Singh will host the upcoming “Countdown to the Oscars,” pre-show, airing ahead of the ceremony on March 12 at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on ABC. Leading into the pre-show will be ABC News’ live coverage during the “On The Red Carpet Live: Countdown to Oscars 95,” hosted by Linsey Davis and Whit Johnson and featuring Variety‘s own Elizabeth Wagmeister and Clayton Davis. Hudgens returns for her second consecutive year co-hosting the pre-show, while Graham and Singh join for the first time. In addition to Hudgens, Graham and Singh, the pre-show will include backstage coverage from content creator Reece Feldman. Alongside Feldman, TV personality Rocsi Diaz will also provide an insider perspective, as the correspondent for the Academy’s member viewing party in NYC.

Vanessa Hudgens, Lilly Singh and Ashley Graham have been tapped to host Countdown to the Oscars, the official lead-in to the 95th Oscars, on ABC. The pre-show will air Sunday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. EDT/3:30 p.m. PDT on ABC.