On today’s episode, Variety ’s Todd Spangler explains the latest wrinkle in Paramount Skydance’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery with its lawsuit filed in Delaware. And Joe Otterson takes the pulse of WWE viewership and fandom one year after the storied grappling franchise moved to Netflix. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 13, 2026•19 min
On today’s episode, Variety 's Rebecca Rubin breaks down the weekend box office and encouraging starts for Paramount’s “Primate” and Neon’s “No Other Choice.” And host Cynthia Littleton offers reporter's notebook observations after a week that started with the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and ended with the Golden Globe Awards swirl in Hollywood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 12, 2026•16 min
Today's episode includes highlights from Variety ’s two-day summit at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Actors Simon Helberg and Billy Magnussen preview AMC Network’s Silicon Valley-set dramedy “The Audacity,” and a rare one-on-one conversation with Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 09, 2026•31 min
On today’s episode, in our Cover Story segment, Variety’s Daniel D’Addario discusses his revelatory profile of Jodie Foster. And Marc Malkin has a Red Carpet Rundown from the Golden Globes' Golden Eve celebration of Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Mirren. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 08, 2026•14 min
On today’s episode, as Los Angeles marks the one-year anniversary of the devastating Eaton and Pacific Palisades fires, NBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff details the cathartic process of writing his new book, “Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America’s New Age of Disaster.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 07, 2026•16 min
On today’s episode, Variety’s Jazz Tangcay explains why the 98th annual Academy Awards may well mark a breakthrough moment for female cinematographers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 06, 2026•11 min
On today’s episode, we’ll break down the holiday box office with Variety’ s Rebecca Rubin. It was a bountiful end of the year for exhibitors. And Todd Spangler does some crystal ball gazing with Variety ’s predictions for 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 05, 2026•17 min
"Strictly Business" co-host Andrew Wallenstein traveled to Israel last month to take part in Jerusalem Sessions, a first-time festival where local TV and film pros discussed how to contend with the dark cloud that has been cast over their industry since Oct. 7, 2023. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 02, 2026•15 min
On today’s episode, showbiz historians David Monod and Peter Rader describe the entertainment marketplace as it existed in 1905, the year Variety began publishing in New York. The pair have great insights into how the past has informed the present in the world that Variety has covered for 12 decades and counting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 19, 2025•28 min
On today’s episode, Variety ’s Clayton Davis and Michael Schneider unpack Hollywood’s latest big surprise – the Oscar telecast’s move to YouTube starting in 2029. And Marc Malkin gets the details from "Heated Rivalry" star Connor Storrie about how his big break happened and what he advised his mother about watching the HBO Max hockey drama. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 18, 2025•15 min
On today’s episode, we dive into the creation of Variety’s 120th anniversary issue with deputy editor Trish Deitch and design director Ted Keller. The two discuss how we tackled 12 decades of showbiz history – and why the discovery of a long-forgotten photo of Liberace and Michael Jackson sparked joy in the newsroom. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 17, 2025•14 min
On today’s episode, we go back in time to December 16, 1905, to celebrate Variety’s 120th birthday. Showbiz historians David Monod and Peter Rader explain what the entertainment marketplace was like at the time Variety was born. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 16, 2025•24 min
On today’s episode, Variety’s Marc Malkin helps put Rob Reiner’s legacy and impact in Hollywood into perspective. And Rebecca Rubin breaks down the weekend box office as “Zootopia 2” reclaims the No. 1 spot and “Ella McKay” stumbles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 15, 2025•18 min
On today’s episode, Cinema United CEO Michael O’Leary addresses the alarm among exhibitors at the prospect of Netflix acquiring Warner Bros. and HBO. He also discusses the state of moviegoing and points to some positive signs that have emerged amid a rocky year at the box office. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 12, 2025•26 min
On today’s episode, Variety’s Peter Debruge and Matt Donnelly break down the Sundance lineup and what to expect at the festival’s nostalgic final outing in Park City, Utah. And Jennifer Maas previews The Game Awards to explain how the event has grown into the Oscars for video games by blending kudos and ballyhoo. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 11, 2025•18 min
On today’s episode, Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of Cinema United, discusses the state of moviegoing and the reaction among exhibitors to the Netflix-Warner Bros. Discovery news. He unpacks why movie theater owners are so worried about Netflix taking the keys to Hollywood’s biggest producer of theatrical films. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 10, 2025•15 min
On today’s episode, Variety’s Gene Maddaus discusses the opposition in the entertainment industry that has assembled to fight Netflix’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. and HBO. And Alex Ritman reports on the scene at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 09, 2025•19 min
On today’s episode, Paramount Skydance goes hostile for Warner Bros. Discovery. Will David Ellison bust up WBD’s engagement to Netflix? And Variety's Brent Lang breaks down the weekend box office as “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2” adds another win for video game adaptations on the big screen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 08, 2025•13 min
'Apt.' co-writer Theron Thomas discusses the ins and outs of being one of the music industry's most consistently successful songwriters. He reminisces on his early days making music in his native St. Thomas, and he traces his career trajectory to the present day. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 05, 2025•40 min
On today’s episode, we hear from Brooke Zaugg, executive director of Faith & Media Initiative, on the coalition’s work to influence portrayals of spirituality and people of faith in media and pop culture. And Variety’s Marc Malkin talks with Richard Gere about his new documentary on the Dalai Lama, “Wisdom of Happiness.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 04, 2025•16 min
On today’s episode, Variety ’s Jem Aswad details our annual Hitmakers issue, featuring cover star Sabrina Carpenter. He details the year-long effort that goes into assembling the survey of the year’s top 25 tunes. And Todd Spangler gives us an update on the state of bidding for Warner Bros. Discovery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 03, 2025•18 min
On today’s episode, Variety’s Brian Steinberg details a deal between TelevisaUnivision and JCPenney to produce microdramas and microdrama branded content. And Chris Willman discusses the unique pleasures of standing in line with fellow music lovers on Record Store Day, Black Friday Edition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 02, 2025•17 min
On today’s episode, Variety's Rebecca Rubin unpacks the Thanksgiving feast at the box office with “Zootopia 2” and “Wicked: For Good” lighting up screens around the world. And Marc Malkin sits down with Jeremy Allen White as the actor turns his attention back to filming “The Bear.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Dec 01, 2025•16 min
On a special Thanksgiving Day edition, the legendary Marlo Thomas revisits the remarkable story of how – and why -- her father, entertainer Danny Thomas, launched St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn . And we take a Vintage Variety look back at how St. Jude's origins played out in our pages. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 27, 2025•16 min
On today's episode, "The Studio" star Ike Barinholtz discusses his tubthumping campaign to raise money for the Motion Picture and Television Fund . And we take a Vintage Variety look back at the birth of the MPTF as covered the pages of Variety . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 26, 2025•16 min
On today’s episode, Variety’s chief film critics Owen Gleiberman and Peter Debruge detail the how and the why behind their selections for Variety’s 100 Greatest Comedy Movies of All Time list. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 25, 2025•19 min
On today’s episode, Variety’s Rebecca Rubin unpacks Universal Pictures’ risky decision to break “Wicked” in two parts, and how it paid off with a record haul. And Jennifer Maas gives us an update on the mood at HBO as the parent company slides into sale mode yet again. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 24, 2025•18 min
On today’s episode, UTA board members and partners Blair Kohan and Jason Heyman have a deep conversation about where the heat and the headwinds are in the business of comedy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 21, 2025•25 min
On today’s episode, we’ll hear from Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman about his rediscovery of an under-appreciated Martin Scorsese classic, 1995’s “Casino. ” And Joe Otterson unpacks his reporting on the turmoil behind the scenes on Sylvester Stallone’s “Tulsa King” series as the Taylor Sheridan drama shoots Season 4 in Atlanta. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 20, 2025•18 min
On today’s episode, in our Cover Story segment, Variety’s Matt Donnelly unpacks his reporting on Producers United and its quest to address the dilemmas and the disrespect that contemporary producers battle. Donnelly is joined by Producers United members Jonathan Wang and Laura Lewis who put a human face on the issues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 19, 2025•18 min