News

Exclusive: I May Destroy You producer Various Artists Limited (Val) has landed its latest BBC project, a drama series about a family holiday to Greece that turns into a nightmare.

Val is currently casting on Two Weeks in August, which comes from The Shrink Next Door writer Catherine Shepherd. ITV Studios is producing in association with and selling worldwide.

Two Weeks in August tells the story of a woman who goes on holiday with her family and friends to rediscover joy in her life. Zoe begins to act on her deepest desires and the holiday she hoped for becomes a reckoning for a group of adults who refuse to grow up. But when they discover they are trapped on the island, and become faced with real life-or-death situations, the group soon turn on each other to find out who is to blame.

Val is on a hot streak with the BBC,...

The third annual Women’s Rock Fantasy Camp has been set for December 5th through the 8th in Los Angeles.

The camp is open to “women only,” and attendees will join a band mentored by a rockstar counselor, performing songs related to the following headliners: Lita Ford, Sheila E. (of Prince fame), Nancy Wilson of Heart, Nita Strauss, and Rhonda Smith (Jeff Beck).

Depending on the band, campers will jam and learn iconic songs such as Heart’s “Crazy on You” (Nancy Wilson), The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb” (Lita Ford), Prince’s “Purple Rain” (Sheila E.), and Alice Cooper’s “No More Mr. Nice Guy” (Nita Strauss), among many more.

The weekend will culminate with campers performing live onstage alongside their respective headliner at The Viper Room on the Sunset Strip. So you’ll be joined by Nita Strauss if your band was learning Alice Cooper songs in the days prior,...

To celebrate International Women’s Month, Hard Rock International announced a new “We Are” initiative honoring its ongoing commitment to championing women’s health and empowerment.

Hard Rock's official International Women's Month We Are t-shirt

Through its “We Are” campaign this March, Hard Rock will join forces with Eva Longoria to encourage women around the world to share their personal stories, help uplift women’s narratives on critical issues and spotlight nearly 1,000 performances by talented female musicians in special events at its Cafe, Hotel and Casino locations throughout the month. Hard Rock is also releasing a limited-edition t-shirt and exciting food and beverage menu items. Through its charitable arm, Hard Rock Heals Foundation, the company is raising funds throughout the month to benefit two organizations working to support women and women’s health: Global Gift Foundation and Magee-Womens Research Institute.

“While International Women’s Day is March 8 and Women’s History Month is March,...

Eva Longoria is mixing up something special with Hard Rock Cafe to celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day.

The Flaming Hot director and her luxury tequila brand, Casa Del Sol, are adding an exclusive Pink Lace Margarita to Hard Rock Cafe menus in the U.S. and select Mexico locations through April as part of the hotel and restaurant chain’s We Are initiative. A portion of proceeds from the colorful cocktail will benefit Magee-Womens Research Institute (Mwri) and the Eva Longoria Foundation to further the nonprofit’s efforts in supporting education and entrepreneurship opportunities for Latinas and their families.

In addition to serving up the pink drink, Hard Rock Cafe and Hotels will showcase female musicians at its outposts around the world as part of a series with Women Who Rock. On March 7, Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas will host the We Are Exceptional benefit...

A star-studded gathering of musicians honored the late guitar legend Jeff Beck with two tribute shows on Monday (May 22nd) and Tuesday (May 23rd) at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Eric Clapton, Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Rod Stewart, Johnny Depp, Zz Top’s Billy Gibbons, and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry were among the major names who took the stage to perform material and covers that Beck himself played during his lifetime.

Highlights included a rousing cover of Beck and Depp’s take on “Isolation” by John Lennon — performed by Hammett, Gibbons, and Depp (who released the song as a collaborative single with Beck in 2022); Stewart tearing through a four-song medley with Clapton; and Gibbons and Depp taking on Zz Top’s “Rough Boy,” a song Beck and Gibbons used to play together.

Elsewhere, Clapton performed lengthy sets on both nights, dipping into Beck’s songbook for originals like “Beck’s Bolero,...

A pair of tribute concerts for the late guitar legend Jeff Beck are set for May 22nd and 23rd at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The shows will feature a plethora of Beck’s friends and musical colleagues, including fellow former Yardbirds member Eric Clapton. The other confirmed performers are Johnny Depp (who released a collaborative album with Beck in 2022), Rod Stewart (a onetime member of The Jeff Beck Group), Zz Top’s Billy Gibbons, Doyle Bramhall, Gary Clark Jr., Imelda May, John McLaughlin, Robert Randolph, Olivia Safe, Joss Stone, Susan Tedeschi, and Derek Trucks. The complete list of performers will be finalized closer to the show dates.

Ticket pre-sales begin Tuesday (March 14th) at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster for May 22nd here and May 23rd here. General sales begin Wednesday (March 15th) at 10 a.m. local time.

If the concerts sell out, you can also buy tickets via Viagogo,...

Exclusive: Ne-Yo (Step Up: High Water) has signed on to star alongside his real-life aunt Kym Whitley (Twenties) and niece Tyler Kay Whitley (The Game) in the indie romantic comedy The Pact, from writer-director Robert Mychal Patrick Butler (Life Ain’t Like The Movies).

The film follows best friends Jessie (Tyler Kay Whitley) and Brandon, who made a pact in college to get married on their 30th birthday, should they both be single at the time. After Brandon gets dumped by his longtime girlfriend Amanda (Grace Aubry) on the eve of his 30th, he heads to Vegas with Jessie, marrying her after a night of drunken shenanigans. Back home, confronted with the fallout of their decision, Jessie has to deal with a new relationship and her upset Aunt Porsha (Kym Whitley), who found out her favorite niece has gotten married on social media. She’s at the same time tasked by her manager,...

Jessica Brown Findlay (“Brave New World”) and Anthony Welsh “Master of None”) are set to star in a new U.K. drama series from Paramount Plus titled “Flatshare.”

The six-episode series has already started shooting in Bristol, U.K. Production will also take place in London and Brighton.

“Flatshare” tells the story of two twentysomethings trying to get by – by sharing not only an apartment but a bed. Brown Findlay will play Tiffany, a minimum wage worker employed by a clickbait news site will Welsh will play Leon, who works night shifts in a hospice.

To save money, they capitalize on their opposing timetables and time-share their apartment and their bed, with Tiffany sleeping through the night, while Leon is working, and Leon catching up on his sleep during the day, when Tiffany is at her desk in the office. They communicate entirely by Post-It note.

Despite never meeting, however...

Paramount+ has set Flatshare from London/LA-based The Girl Before production and management firm 42 as its third UK scripted original.

Deadline revealed that the six-parter from On the Edge’s Rose Lewenstein was in development with the BBC but the show was unveiled in the past hour as a Paramount+ original and will feature Brave New World’s Jessica Brown Findlay and Master of None’s Anthony Welsh in the lead roles of Tiffany and Leon, alongside the likes of Bart Edwards (The Witcher), Shaqi B Grant (Gangs of London), Shaniqua Okwok (It’s a Sin) and Jonah Hauer-King (World on Fire).

Based on Beth O’Leary’s bestselling novel, Flatshare follows cash-strapped Tiffany and Leon who share a bed but have never met. With neither able to afford to rent their own flat, they decide to time-share a bed as Tiffany spends her days earning minimum wage for minimum appreciation...

The Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp mentorship program has announced its first-ever Women Only Rock Camp, to be held in Los Angeles over the Grammys weekend, January 27th through 30th, 2022.

At the program’s Rock Camps, participants form a band where they are then mentored by a counselor and rehearse songs to jam with the special guests. Melissa Etheridge, Nancy Wilson, Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go’s, and Orianthi will act as headlining mentors at the Women Only camp, with more to be announced. Other mentors include Rhonda Smith (Prince,...

Ben Hardy has been cast in the upcoming BBC One, HBO Max series “The Girl Before,” Variety has learned exclusively.

Hardy joins previously announced cast members David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Jessica Plummer. The four-episode series is based on the book of the same name by J.P. Delaney.

The series tells the story of Jane (Mbatha-Raw), who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (Oyelowo). There’s just one catch: occupants have to abide by his list of exacting rules. Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways, but when she makes a shocking discovery about her predecessor Emma (Plummer), she’s forced to confront unnerving similarities. As the two women’s timelines interweave, Jane begins to question if her fate will be the same as the girl before.

Hardy will play Simon in the series. Simon can’t...

EastEnders actress Jessica Plummer has joined Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo in HBO Max and BBC One’s limited series The Girl Before.

Deadline revealed the adaptation of Jp Delaney’s bestselling psychological thriller in January, and Plummer has signed up to play Emma in the series. It represents one of her first big roles outside of her work on BBC soap opera EastEnders.

The Girl Before follows Jane (Mbatha-Raw), a traumatized woman who falls in love with an extraordinary minimalist house, which remains under the spell of the architect (Oyelowo) who originally designed it. But when she discovers that another damaged woman died in the same One Folgate Street property three years earlier, she starts to wonder if her own story is just a rerun of the girl before.

Here’s Emma’s logline: “Fun loving and confident, Emma is stuck working at an unfulfilling marketing job, and is...

Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo have been set to star in the upcoming psychological thriller ‘The Girl Before’ for BBC One and HBO Max.

The limited four-part series is adapted from Jp Delaney’s own best-selling novel of the same title. Delaney will co-write episodes of the series while Emmy nominated Lisa Brühlmann (Killing Eve; Servant; Blue My Mind) will direct.

The Girl Before tells the story of Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (David Oyelowo). There’s just one catch: occupants have to abide by his list of exacting rules. Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways, but when she makes the shocking discovery that her predecessor Emma died in the house, she’s forced to confront unnerving similarities. As the two women’s timelines interweave, Jane begins to question if her...

Emmy-nominated David Oyelowo has signed on to star alongside Gugu Mbatha-Raw in The Girl Before, a four-episode limited series based on Jp Delaney’s best-selling psychological thriller, from BBC One and 42.

As Deadline reported in January, HBO Max was considered the U.S. frontrunner to co-produce with BBC One and 42, and that is now official. The limited series will stream in the U.S. on HBO Max and will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK, with WarnerMedia also controlling rights for additional select territories around the world. Emmy-nominated Lisa Brühlmann will direct and executive produce.

Created, written and executive produced by Delaney, The Girl Before tells the story of Jane (Mbatha-Raw), who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (Oyelowo). There’s just one catch: occupants have to abide by his list of exacting rules.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo will star on the HBO Max and BBC One limited series “The Girl Before,” the WarnerMedia-owned streaming service said Tuesday.

The four-episode limited series is based on J.P. Delaney’s best-selling thriller of the same name and will be directed by Lisa Brühlmann.

“The Girl Before” tells the story of Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), “who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (Oyelowo),” per HBO Max’s description. “There’s just one catch: occupants have to abide by his list of exacting rules. Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways but, when she makes the shocking discovery that her predecessor Emma died in the house, she’s forced to confront unnerving similarities. As the two women’s timelines interweave, Jane begins to question if her fate will be the same as the girl before…...

HBO Max is getting an adaptation of J.P. Delaney’s bestsellling “The Girl Before” novel.

WarnerMedia announced on Tuesday that HBO Max and BBC One will co-produce the project as a four-episode limited series starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Beyond the Lights”) and David Oyelowo (“Selma”). The upcoming project, which is billed as a psychological thriller, will be directed by Lisa Brühlmann who’s previously helmed episodes of “Killing Eve” and “Servant.”

Per HBO Max:

“The Girl Before” tells the story of Jane (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who gets the chance to move into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (played by David Oyelowo). There’s just one catch: occupants have to abide by his list of exacting rules. Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways but, when she makes the shocking discovery that her predecessor Emma died in the house, she’s forced to confront unnerving similarities.

BAFTA-nominated actors Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“The Morning Show”) and David Oyelowo (“Selma”) will lead HBO Max and BBC One psychological thriller series “The Girl Before.”

The four-parter, created, written and executive produced by J.P. Delaney, is based on his bestselling novel of the same name.

“The Girl Before” follows Jane (Mbatha-Raw), who moves into a beautiful, ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect (Oyelowo). There’s just one catch: occupants have to abide by his list of exacting rules. Jane starts to feel the house changing her in unexpected ways but, when she makes the shocking discovery that her predecessor Emma died in the house, she’s forced to confront unnerving similarities.

Marissa Lestrade (“White Stork”) will co-write episodes and Emmy-nominated Lisa Brühlmann (“Killing Eve”) will direct. U.K. outfit 42 (“Watership Down”) will produce.

Executive producers are Eleanor Moran, Rory Aitken and Ben Pugh for 42, Ben Irving for the BBC, J.

The Pursuit Of Love executive producer Charles Collier has revealed that his production outfit Open Book and Moonage Pictures are planning to make three seasons of the buzzy Lily James period drama.

The adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s classic novel is a co-production between the BBC and Amazon, and Collier told a Mipcom Online+ event on Monday that his aim is also to bring the author’s two sequel books to the screen.

“It’s part of a trilogy of books. We hope to bring the books to life in future seasons, so The Pursuit Of Love Season 2 would be called Love In A Cold Climate based on a brilliant book by Nancy. The third book would become our third season, Don’t Tell Alfred,” he explained.

The Emily Mortimer-penned and -directed project follows James as free-spirited aristocrat Linda, who falls in love, first with a stuffy Tory politician,...

Amazon has come onboard the BBC One series “The Pursuit of Love” from Emily Mortimer. Filming on the series has now begun after it was delayed in the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Written and directed by Mortimer, the three-episode series adaptation of the Nancy Mitford novel of the same name is set in Europe between the two World Wars. It story follows Linda Radlett (Lily James) and her best friend and cousin Fanny Logan (Emily Beecham).

Consumed by a desire for love and marriage, the two women are on the hunt for the ideal husband. Their friendship is put to the test as Fanny settles for a steady life and Linda decides to follow her heart, to increasingly wild and outrageous places. The cast also includes Dominic West, Dolly Wells, Andrew Scott, Mortimer, and Beattie Edmondson.

The show will be filmed primarily around the Bristol and Bath area in the UK.

Amazon will co-produce the BBC’s adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s celebrated novel The Pursuit Of Love, with an eye-catching cast joining Lily James.

Deadline first revealed last December that James will star in the three-part Emily Mortimer-penned series, while we also reported in June that it will be among the first dramas to restart production in the UK. The BBC confirmed today that filming is underway.

Joining James in the Open Book and Moonage Pictures-produced The Pursuit Of Love is Andrew Scott, Emily Beecham, Dominic West, Dolly Wells, Beattie Edmondson, Assaad Bouab, Shazad Latif and Freddie Fox.

The story is based on the first book in a trilogy about an upper-class English family between the First and Second World Wars. The comedy deals with issues of growing up and falling in love among the privileged and eccentric. James plays Radlett family daughter Linda, who falls first for a stuffy Tory politician,...

Amazon has joined BBC One in producing a TV adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s “Pursuit of Love,” starring Lily James, Emily Beecham, Dominic West and Andrew Scott. The series, which has begun filming in the U.K. after being delayed by the pandemic, is being adapted by Emily Mortimer, who will also direct and star on the show.

The three-episode hour-long series is one of the first to start shooting in the U.K. following the months-long, Covid-forced shutdown.

“The Pursuit of Love” is “a romantic comedy-drama about love and friendship,” per Amazon. “Set in Europe between the two World Wars, the story follows the adventures and misadventures of the charismatic and fearless Linda Radlett, played by Lily James and her best friend and cousin Fanny Logan, played by Emily Beecham.”

Also Read: Summer TV 2020: Premiere Dates for New and Returning Shows (Photos)

“Consumed by a desire for love and marriage,...

Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck shared a heavy take on John Lennon’s “Isolation,” which marks the pair’s debut single as a duo after they spent the past few years working on music together behind the scenes.

The tune finds the pair transforming Lennon’s tidy piano rocker into a moody, bluesy ripper. On guitar, Beck drifts effortlessly, as always, from nimble picking to scorching heroics, while Depp delivers a sturdy vocal performance, bellowing: “The sun will never disappear/ But the world may not have many years/Isolation.” The...

Exclusive: Downton Abbey and Baby Driver star Lily James is to front an Emily Mortimer-penned and directed adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s classic novel The Pursuit of Love for BBC One.

The British public broadcaster has ordered a three-part series based on the 1945 book from BBC Studios-backed Moonage Pictures and Open Book, the Charles Collier-founded joint venture between BBC Studios, Original Talent and Tavistock Wood.

The Pursuit of Love is the first book in a trilogy about an upper-class English family between the First and Second World Wars. The comedy deals with issues of growing up and falling in love among the privileged and eccentric.

The Pursuit of Love follows the travails of the Radlett family, focusing on Linda, the most beautiful and wayward Radlett daughter, played by James, who falls first for a stuffy Tory politician, then an ardent Communist, and finally a French duke named Fabrice,...

Jeff Beck has planned a short U.S. tour around his appearance at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads festival this September. The tour will end with a special gig the guitarist has planned at the Hollywood Bowl where he will reunite with his former Jeff Beck Group singer Rod Stewart. He’s billing it as his and Stewart’s “most in-depth concert in over 35 years.”

For the rest of the tour, which kicks of in Kansas City, Mo on September 17th, Beck will be accompanied by drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Rhonda Smith...

Production has kicked off on Julian Fellowes’ Netflix drama The English Game. This comes after HBO picked up Downton Abbey creator’s period drama The Gilded Age, taking over from NBC.

The English Game, which is written and exec produced by Fellowes and produced by Traitors and Watership Down producer 42, is a six-part series that charts the origins of football and how those involved in its creation reached across the class divide to establish the game as the world’s most popular sport. It is currently shooting in the UK and will launch on Netflix in 2020.

The series will star Edward Holcroft (Kingsman: The Golden Circle), Kevin Guthrie (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), Charlotte Hope (The Spanish Princess), Craig Parkinson (Black Mirror: Bandersnatch), James Harkness (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Niamh Walsh (Jamestown), Gerard Kearns (Last Kingdom), Joncie Elmore (Downton Abbey), Sam Keeley (Anthropoid), Daniel Ings (The Crown...

The 40th edition of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, which runs from July 6 to 15, featured a truly impressive range of music with approximately 100 venues hosting over 1400 performing acts. The citywide celebration relies on a loose consortium of independent promoters, producers, programmers, musicians and club owners to book an array of talent showcasing Danish artists, elder journeymen, new talent and international stars from the world over — all with a healthy respect for the history and traditions of jazz.

Marquee acts like Jeff Beck, The Roots, and the Brad Mehldau Trio all had big nights early in the festival, while saxophone icon Pharoah Sanders (pictured) took the stage for two sold-out shows at the intimate Brorson’s Church. Veteran drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath enjoyed the support of a decidedly international band, as did Boston saxophonists George Garzone and Jerry Bergonzi, both of whom have been coming to the festival for years, each playing...

This week Betrayed examines the murder of 42-year-old church volunteer Rhonda Smith, in a case of extreme jealousy that turned deadly. Springfield Township, Pennsylvania, and Rhonda Smith had only been a member of the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church for a few years. She volunteered at the church and had also been reaching out for some support as she struggled with some personal issue. Fellow member of her congregation had been very suportive and she felt welcome and at home. However, fellow church member 65-year-old Mary Jane Fonder was less than impressed with the reception Rhonda was getting. She’d been a member of the...read more...

Rada graduate Stefanie Martini has been cast as young Jane Tennison, the role made famous by Helen Mirren in the acclaimed Lynda La Plante crime drama Prime Suspect.

The much-anticipated prequel - Tennison, has begun filming on location in London.

Stefanie (represented by Troika), graduated from Rada last year, and has previously featured in TV dramas Thorne, Endeavour and Emerald City. The new series follows the young Jane Tennison at the beginning of her career, revealing why she became such a complex and formidable character in the Metropolitan Police.

Rosie Day (represented by Troika) will play Jane's sister Pam, whilst Nick Sidi and Geraldine Somerville are cast as Jane’s parents, Andrew and Joyce.

Sam Reid and Blake Harrison also star as Jane’s superiors Dci Len Bradfield and DS Spencer Gibbs.

The producer is Rhonda Smith and the series director is David Caffrey.

The 6 x 60 minute series is written by Lynda La Plante,...

Channel 4 have announced that filming has begun in Manchester on their eight part young-adult comedy series Fresh Meat, the latest show from Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong, the writers of Peep Show.

The 45 minute long episodes will follow six first-year University students who;

Away from home for the first time, on the brink of adult life, they are about to discover who they really are. From the moment they ship up as freshers at their shared house, their lives are destined to collide, overlap and run the whole gamut of appalling behaviour and terrible errors of judgment.

From the sounds of things it’s kind of Skins/Inbetweeners for an older crowd but from Bain and Armstrong we can expect something far more darkly sinister, I imagine. The movie is due to air later this year.

Full cast after the jump…

British comedian Jack Whitehall gets top billing as...

Toyota U.S. COO and President Jim Lentz testified in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce today that the two recalls Toyota has issued for floor mats and sticking accelerator pedals in 5.6 million vehicles will 'not totally' solve problems of unintended acceleration. Because they are haunted by the unhappy ghosts of Japanese women and children.

One woman, Rhonda Smith of Tennessee, USA, was almost killed by her posessed vehicle and showed up at the hearings today with a terrifying story of ghostly encounters.

"I’m going to read this, because if I tell you it still upsets me today," said Rhonda. She then recounted how, when driving her new 2007 Lexus ES350 on a Tennessee highway in October 2006, a ghost or demon took control of the vehicle and nearly killed her at 100 mph. Smith said she tried to put the car in neutral and even reverse, and threw...