Meredith Woerner Deputy Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comThe first reviews for Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” are in, and the reactions are split.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comSPOILER WARNING: Do not read if you haven’t seen “Black Widow,” now in theaters and on Disney Plus.“Black Widow” is full of layered surprises and heart, from Florence Pugh’s huge little-sister energy to Rachel Weisz’s stunning pig mind control. But truly the next breakout star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov, a.k.a.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comYour one and only source into the scandalous lives of Manhattan’s elite has returned. HBO Max has finally debuted the first footage from its “Gossip Girl” revival.Gone are the tights and headbands of yesteryear, the class of 2021 has a whole new vibe.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comSo much of what makes “Hacks” work is the chemistry between its two central characters, played by Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder. The HBO Max comedy hinges on the connection between these two seemingly disparate women So how did this pair find that connection? By lobbing insults at each other in the dark.The very first interaction between comedians Deborah Vance (Smart) and Ava (Einbinder) in the pilot swiftly unravels into a sparring match.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comWhat makes HBO Max’s “Hacks” stand out from a slew of new TV offerings (and other shows about the same topic of stand-up comedy), isn’t just its stellar cast, it’s also the premise that two women share a connection, despite being worlds apart, through the desire of making others laugh.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com“Ted Lasso” is back. The AFC Richmond coach and team are reunited in the first ever trailer for the for the hotly anticipated second season.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.We’re grateful for 4/20.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.Spring is here and there’s no better way to celebrate the return of sunshine and allergies than with National Gin and Tonic Day.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.“Top Chef” has returned and our hearts are full of quickfire delights and watching Padma Lakshmi discerningly analyze a plate of food.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comSan Diego Comic-Con is returning in 2021. Despite recent news that the massive, pop culture convention would be going virtual in July, plans have changed.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comDirector Judd Apatow describes himself as the “anti-David Fincher.”“I’m not the person that thinks you need to do 10 or 20 takes to get rid of all self-consciousness, to drain the actors so that they become so pure and in the moment,” the “King of Staten Island” helmer revealed on Variety’s Directors on Directors series.“I love it, I mean, what’s better than ‘Zodiac?'” Apatow continued.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comFor once, Ben Affleck gets to ask the questions.That’s how the actor-director framed his duty of leading a conversation with longtime friend and “Gone Girl” boss David Fincher, the esteemed director whose Netflix film “Mank” has emerged as a top awards contender for 2021.“This is a real role reversal from having to just be Fincher bitch, having to go over and over again,” Affleck teased the director, alluding to Fincher’s notorious preference for many

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comSpike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” captured a critical point of view lost from film. After decades of producing blockbuster war stories and award-winning battle scene epics, the story of the Black Vietnam veteran has been largely neglected by Hollywood.Lee’s Netflix film changed that by putting the story of four 60-something veterans reuniting in Vietnam under his lens.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comThe Motion Picture & Television Fund and BrightFocus Foundation announced a special Valentine’s virtual concert featuring acclaimed multi-hyphenate and Grammy-nominated vocalist Seth MacFarlane in support of the two nonprofits working together on research and care around Alzheimer’s disease.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comEmerald Fennell’s pitch meetings for “Promising Young Woman” were telling, to say the least.Explaining her 2017 process to fellow director Olivia Wilde (of “Booksmart” fame), Fennell recalled the stunned faces of male studio executives after she detailed the brutal, pre-title sequence of her film.“One guy said, ‘Oh, I got it. So she’s a psycho,'” Fennell exclaimed.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.Valentine’s Day is swiftly approaching, so don’t get caught without the perfect gift for your pop culture-loving significant other.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comIn August of 2020 a tiny TikTok song dedicated to Remy the Rat (the animated star of the 2007 Pixar film “Ratatoullie”) sparked a musical metamorphosis. Within days theater kid TikTok was all asking the same question, “What if there was a ‘Ratatoullie’ musical?”The social media app became awash with 60 second offerings from designers, singers and choreographers all adding contributions to the opus.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comTime magazine has named Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, President-elect and Vice President-elect, as its 2020 Person of the Year.Biden and Harris, were selected from a shortlist that included Donald Trump, frontline health care workers with Dr.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comSix-time Academy Award nominated star Amy Adams is returning to her most beloved role, Princess Giselle. Adams will reprise her role from the beloved live action film “Enchanted” for a brand new Disney Plus original feature.Announced at the Disney Investor Day by President of Production at Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production Sean Bailey, the presentation was short on details but there was one clue.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comDarth Vader is returning to a galaxy far, far away. President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy announced at the Disney Investors Day that the “Star Wars” prequel star Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Darth Vader for the Obi-Wan spinoff series.The Obi-Wan series, starring Ewan McGregor (who played the beloved Jedi in prequel films) will air on Disney Plus.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com“Succession’s” Logan Roy and Gerri are reunited and looking to get the vote out.Several cast members of HBO’s hit drama — Brian Cox (Logan Roy), J.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comFight back tears as the original cast of Aaron Sorkins’ “The West Wing” reunite for charity.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comThe range of musicians, actors, directors and creatives around the globe publicly mourning the loss of legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen demonstrates how far his music and his talent reached.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comIt’s time to call the corners, again.The first trailer for “The Craft” reboot has dropped. The sneak peek at the new movie conjures up new witches while resurrecting an old demon.Directed and written by actress Zoe Lister-Jones, whose Sundance debut “Band Aid” charmed audiences in Park City, the fresh spin invokes the spirit of the original opening with the beloved “light as a feather stiff as a board” game.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comIt’s a bird, it’s a plane, it a dream come true because Daniel Dae Kim is Superman! After DC FanDome’s wild ride of announcements and special panel presentations, Variety is debuting the exclusive video from the celebrity-filled charity re-recording of the 1940s Superman radio specials.Television and film stars Jason Alexander, Henry Winkler, Giancarlo Esposito, Tony Shalhoub, Alfre Woodard, C.C.H.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comIf you missed the critically acclaimed 2018 Broadway adaptation of “The Boys in the Band” — starring Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Tuc Watkins, Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer, Michael Benjamin Washington and Robin de Jesús — now is your chance.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.com“Center Stage” stars Zoe Saldana, Amanda Schull, Sascha Radetsky and Ethan Stiefel reunited 20 years after the film’s debut to discuss the cultural touchstone and life-changing ballet film.

Meredith Woerner Deputy Editor, Variety.comThe Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s  “The Sandman” will be slightly different than the original comic book series. While discussing the incredibly popular graphic novel and audio adaptation on the DC FanDome panel with Dirk Maggs, G.