Variety Wins 16 Southern California Journalism Awards

Variety won 16 first-place awards on Sunday night as the Los Angeles Press Club gave out the 68th annual Southern California Journalism Awards.

Variety's top wins included awards for music criticism, won by music editor Jem Aswad; film criticism under 1,000 words, won by Owen Gleiberman; and TV criticism, won by Aramide Tinubu.

These awards were given during a long ceremony held at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Variety entered the night as the top nominee with 100 total mentions.

The Southern California Journalism Awards include print newspapers and magazines, TV, radio, and digital news outlets, as well as radio, podcasts, and social media.Variety's wins were spread out across their large editorial team, which is the biggest in the industry focused on entertainment business news.

Other first-place winners from Variety included:

Selome Hailu for a feature under 1,000 words titled "How Planned Parenthood's Caren Spruch Works With Lena Dunham and Other Creatives to Sensitively Portray Abortion on Screen"

Brent Lang for a film/broadcast-related feature online titled "Controversy Swirls, Legal Threats Fly After Sundance Documentary 'The Stringer' Questions Origin of Iconic 'Napalm Girl' Photo"

Trish Deitch for a personality profile titled "'I Can't Not Be Who I Am': Jamie Lee Curtis on Her 47-Year Career, Falling in Love With Christopher Guest and Why She Hopes Charlie Kirk Found God"

Ellise Shafer for a personality profile, music and arts personalities titled "Diana Silvers on Her Debut Album 'From Another Room' and Following Folk Heroes by Speaking Truth to Power: 'If Your Art Doesn't Scare You, It's Not Really Worth It' (EXCLUSIVE)"

Richard Phibbs, Jennifer Dorn, and Jennifer Halper for an entertainment photo titled the May 2025 cover "A$AP Rocky"

Daniel D'Addario for an obituary appreciation for film and TV personalities titled "Hollywood's Humanist: Rob Reiner Was a Gifted Collaborator Who Understood Why We Tell Stories"

K.J.

Yossman for consumer news or feature titled "BBC Crisis Explained: How the Beloved U.K.Broadcaster Walked Into One of the Worst Scandals in Its 100-Year History — and Where It Goes From Here"

Kate Aurthur for a film feature, production histories titled "Bravo Boss Frances Berwick on the 'Joy' of BravoCon and Who Can Be Forgiven by the Network (Karen Huger!) — and Who Can't (Jen Shah, Probably)"

Naman Ramachandran for a theater/arts feature titled "'MJ the Musical' Star Jamaal Fields-Green on the 'Huge Responsibility' of Playing Michael Jackson on Stage"

Ethan Shanfeld for a music feature titled "Inside the Diddy Trial Circus: How Screaming Fans, Baby Oil and Street Preachers Turned the Courthouse Into a Madhouse"

Ramin Setoodeh for an entertainment feature, TV/streaming related titled "Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri Aren't Holding Back: 'After the Hunt' Stars on Making the Year's Most Provocative Movie"

Brian Steinberg for culture news/TV feature-related titled "CBS Put 'Evening News' Through Massive Overhaul.

Now It Needs People to Watch"

Brian Steinberg for business reporting titled "TV News Faces Creator Chaos as Anchors Chase Digital Dreams That Bring Big Bucks (or Return Little Reward)"

Owen Gleiberman also placed second in the category of film critic over 1,000 words.

Brian Steinberg placed second in the online journalist of the year category, as did Daniel D'Addario in the print journalist of the year category.

Honorary awards were given out at the ceremony to Rob Fukuzaki, a veteran Los Angeles sportscaster at KABC-TV, for lifetime achievement; singer Kenny Chesney for public service; NBC News' Craig Melvin for social impact; and civil rights attorney Carol Sobel for defense of journalists.

Nobel Peace Prize-winning journalist Maria Ressa was honored with the club's Daniel Pearl Award for extraordinary courage and commitment to journalism in the face of adversity.

Ressa, who is a strong advocate for press freedom and investigative reporting in her native Philippines, shared a compelling story of her long investigation into Southeast Asian links to Al-Qaeda, which was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, and the brutal January 2002 murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Ressa warned the audience of top journalists in the region about what she called "the Philippine-ization of America" and urged them to "hold the line" on First Amendment rights and protections.

She mentioned her own experience of facing 11 separate prosecutions in her home country for doing her job as a journalist.She noted she had to get permission from the country's top court to travel to Los Angeles to accept the award in person.Her main opponent, former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested last year under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.

"Here I am in front of you," Ressa said to the crowd.

"He's now in prison at The Hague awaiting trial."

Ressa also spoke about Pearl's tragic death, which often comes to mind as she pursues a dangerous profession.

She said the current era is no less dangerous for journalists, given the attacks on the media in many countries and the decline in public trust in journalism.In a time of what she called "information armageddon," she said journalists must be brave in their work.She pointed out the alarming spread of misinformation and outright "lies," and said journalists need to ask themselves, "What are you willing to sacrifice for the truth?"

‘Michael’ Surpasses ‘Oppenheimer’ as Highest-Grossing Biopic With $977 Million Worldwide

"Michael" has made $977 million worldwide, passing "Oppenheimer" as the highest-grossing biographical film ever.

Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" was the previous record holder for biopics, earning $975 million around the globe.

That's a big number for an R-rated historical story that's almost three hours long."Michael" was already the biggest musical biopic, beating "Bohemian Rhapsody" from 2018, which made $911 million worldwide.

"Michael" was released by Lionsgate in the U.S.

and Universal internationally.It has made $607.2 million overseas and $370.2 million in the U.S.since April.The movie started with $97 million in the U.S.and $217 million worldwide, which broke the opening record for musical biopics, previously held by "Straight Outta Compton" from 2015, which opened with $60 million.Because of good word-of-mouth and people watching it multiple times, "Michael" stayed strong during the busy summer movie season.

"Michael" is directed by Antoine Fuqua and tells the story of the performer's journey from the Jackson 5 to becoming the King of Pop.

Jaafar Jackson, the singer's real-life nephew, acts as Michael Jackson in his first acting role.Colman Domingo and Nia Long play Joe and Katherine, his parents.Some film critics have said "Michael" presents a cleaned-up version of Jackson's life because it doesn't include the child sexual abuse allegations he faced later in his career.Since the movie skips the most controversial parts of his life, Lionsgate focused on the more entertaining parts in their marketing, like detailed recreations of concert performances and music videos.

"Michael" also set a new record for Lionsgate as their highest-grossing film ever, surpassing "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" from 2013, which made $865 million.

The studio is likely to make another movie about Jackson's life.

Supergirl’ Stumbles With $38 Million Debut, ‘Toy Story 5’ Remains No. 1 With $70 Million

 "Supergirl" is having a hard time doing well at the box office.The movie is based on a comic book and is about Superman's cousin, and it made only $38 million from 3,600 theaters in North America and $68 million worldwide.The studio expected it to make around $50 million to $55 million in the US, which is already not great for a big movie.The movie's mixed reviews and strong competition during the summer movie season are making it hard for the film to stay popular in theaters.That's a problem because the movie cost a lot to make—$170 million, not including the marketing.To break even, it needs to make at least $375 million because theaters keep about half of the money.A person close to the movie says the break-even point is actually around $300 million.

Critics were not happy with "Supergirl," which has a 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Audiences also had mixed feelings, giving it a "B-" on CinemaScore.The movie mostly drew in male viewers, so it didn't attract a wider audience beyond superhero fans.Milly Alcock plays Supergirl, who goes on a journey with her dog Krypto and meets an alien girl named Ruthye, whom she helps with a revenge mission.The movie was directed by Craig Gillespie, who has directed other films like "I, Tonya" and "Cruella," and written by Ana Nogueira, who worked on "The Vampire Diaries."

"Supergirl" comes a year after "Superman," which was a reboot of the DC Universe.

That movie made $125 million and ended up with $618 million worldwide, which is a decent result for a superhero movie.Warner Bros.Discovery's CEO, David Zaslav, talked about a 10-year plan to build up the DC Universe, saying the plan was clear and moving forward.But the weak start of "Supergirl" shows that this plan might be facing some challenges.

"Superman" had the advantage of being about one of the most famous superheroes, while Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, isn't as well-known.

The success of "Supergirl" might show whether lesser-known characters get big-screen treatment or if future DC movies will only focus on popular characters.The next movie is "Clayface," which is a smaller budget film, and then there's "Superman: Man of Tomorrow" in 2027 with popular actors returning.

Another movie this weekend was "Jackass: Best and Last," which didn't do well, making $8.4 million in the US and $10.3 million worldwide.

That's the worst opening in the series.Compared to "Jackass Forever" which made $23 million in the US and $80 million globally, this one didn't do as well.However, it had a lower budget of $10 million, so it doesn't need to make as much to be profitable.

Critics and audiences actually liked "Jackass: Best and Last," with an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an "A-" on CinemaScore.

The movie had some old and new stunts but wasn't completely new, which might have affected its audience.David A.Gross from FranchiseRe said it's a weak opening but noted that having a fifth movie in the series is an accomplishment and it should be profitable even if it underperformed overseas.

Neither of these new movies came close to beating "Toy Story 5," which remained number one.

It made $70 million in its second weekend, a 55% drop from its first $160 million."Toy Story 5" is on track to be one of the biggest movies of the year with $297 million in the US and $585 million worldwide after 12 days.It's also expected to break the record for the franchise set by "Toy Story 4" with over $1.07 billion.

"Obsession" came in third, behind "Supergirl" and ahead of "Jackass: Best and Last." The movie has been in theaters for seven weeks and made $9.8 million, with a 27% drop in ticket sales.

It has made $233.9 million in the US and $370 million globally, making it a huge success for the studio and theaters.

Steven Spielberg's movie "Disclosure Day" finished fifth, making $8.1 million, a 54% drop from the previous weekend.

It has made $94.3 million in the US and $193 million worldwide after three weekends.Since the movie cost $115 million, it needs about $300 million worldwide to be profitable.

A24's comedy "The Invite" made $379,104 in just seven theaters in New York and Los Angeles, which means it earned about $54,158 per location.The film's success so far is a good sign, but it will be interesting to see how it does as it opens in more places before coming to theaters nationwide on July 10.Olivia Wilde directed "The Invite," which got good reviews.In the movie, she and Seth Rogen play a married couple who argue and host a dinner for their more wild upstairs neighbors, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton.

Even though this weekend's new movies didn't do as well as expected, Hollywood is having its best summer since the start of the pandemic.

Box office numbers are just 1.7% lower than they were in 2019, according to Rentrak.Next weekend is July 4th, and that's when the family-friendly "Minions & Monsters," a spinoff of "Despicable Me," comes out.Other big movies coming up include Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" and "Spider-Man: Brand New Day."  

Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak, says, "Those lovable little Minions will create some box office excitement.

The summer hit parade just keeps going."

Stranger Things’ Stars Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour Reunite for Netflix Spy Drama

Netflix is bringing back two stars from Stranger Things for a new show.The streaming service has decided to make a straight-to-series spy drama, which will star Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour.The show hasn't been given a title yet and is being made by A24, the same company that created Enola Holmes and Adolescence.The show is created by Jack Thorne.

David Harbour will play Matt Wolfe, a former FBI agent who now works as a security consultant.

He gets pulled back into his old life when his daughter, Rebecca (played by Millie Bobby Brown), goes missing during a mission.Rebecca is an FBI agent who wants to follow in his footsteps.This forces Matt to go back to a world he's not really ready for anymore.

Jinny Howe, Netflix's head of scripted series, said they are happy to make the show with the team they've worked with before.

She said Jack Thorne is great at finding deep, human stories in thrillers.She also said fans will enjoy seeing Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour reunite, this time as estranged father and daughter in a big crisis.She added that A24 is the perfect partner for the project.

The show will be executive produced by Jack Thorne, David Harbour, and Millie Bobby Brown.

They are also joined by Jake Bongiovi and Robert Brown from PCMA Productions, Joe Hipps and Patrick McDonald from Cut To (which is part of A24), and KC Wenson from Bravo Axolotl.

This is the first time that David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown have worked together since Stranger Things ended as Netflix's biggest original series.

Earlier this year, the Daily Mail in the UK published a story saying that Millie Bobby Brown had filed harassment and bullying claims against David Harbour.This story made Harbour go through a breakdown.He told Variety that it's normal to have disagreements with people you're close to for a long time.He said that in a family, even if you have arguments, you eventually come back together.

Millie Bobby Brown also said that while working on Stranger Things for five seasons (over almost ten years), their relationship became more creative and collaborative.

She expressed a lot of gratitude for the time they spent on the show.

Supergirl’ Flies to $18 Million on Opening Day Box Office

Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” made $21 million domestically from 4,425 screens as it entered its second weekend in cinemas.

By Sunday, it’s expected to collect $70 million to $80 million, pushing its North American haul to just under $300 million.Last weekend, “Toy Story 5” notched the biggest domestic debut of 2026 with $160 million, and pulled in a series best $312 million worldwide.

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and DC’s “Supergirl” did the best of the newcomers on Friday, landing in second place with $18 million domestically from 3,602 theaters.Through the weekend, it should collect about $50 million.For context, James Gunn’s “Superman,” which cost $225 million, debuted to $125 million last summer and ended its run with $618 million.“Supergirl” was a bit cheaper to produce at $170 million, but will still need to stick around in theaters to justify the pricetag.

“Supergirl” follows Milly Alcock as the titular 20-something-year-old Kryptonian, who teams up with a sheepish alien girl on a quest for interplanetary justice.

Other cast members include Eve Ridley, Jason Momoa, Matthias Schoenaerts, Diarmaid Murtagh, Ferdinand Kingsley and David Corenswet.“I, Tonya” filmmaker Craig Gillespie directed the film with a script from Ana Nogueira.

“Jackass: Best and Last” landed in the No.

4 slot with $3.8 million from 2,855 North American theaters.It should make about $8.5 million by Sunday.While that ranks as the lowest opening in the franchise, the film only cost $10 million to produce, meaning it will have no problem recouping its budget and then some.2022’s “Jackass Forever” debuted to $23 million and ended its run with $80 million.

“Jackass: Best and Last,” like the last four official films, follows the antics of Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and their pals as they participate in outlandish, and usually highly dangerous, stunts and pranks.

Jeff Tremaine serves as director.

Rounding out the top five this week were Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” and Focus Features’ “Obsession.” “Obsession” took fourth with $2.9 million, and the horror thriller is expected to make $9.4 million by Sunday.

Through seven weekends of release, Curry Barker’s “Obsession,” which was made for less than $1 million, will hit a North American tally of about $233 million.“Disclosure Day” landed in fifth with $2.3 million on Friday, on its way to an estimated $7.8 million through Sunday.After three weekends of release, “Disclosure Day” should land at a domestic total of $94 million.

7 Dogs Movie

7 Dogs

2026 | R | 2h 5m

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Thriller, Action

Release date

June 26, 2026 (United States)

Directed by

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah

Written by Mohamed El-Dabbah

Story by Turki Alalshikh

Starring

Ahmed Ezz

Karim Abdel Aziz

Monica Bellucci

Nasser Al Qasabi

Sayed Ragab

Tara Emad

Cinematography Robrecht Heyvaert

Music by Lorne Balfe

Production

company

Sela Studios

Release date

27 May 2026

Running time 125 minutes

Country Saudi Arabia

Languages

Arabic

English

Budget $40 million

Camp Movie

Camp

2025 | 1h 51m

Genre: Horror

Director

Avalon Fast

Writer

Avalon Fast

Cast

Zola Grimmer

Alice Wordsworth

Cherry Moore

Composer

Max Graham

Cinematographer

Eily Sprungman

Editors

Avalon Fast

Taylor Nodrick

Casting Director

Abhinav Singh

Makeup Department

Jesse Palechek

hair & makeup head of department

Tayana Savoury

hair & makeup artist

Release date

June 26, 2026 (United States)

Country of origin

Canada