Variety (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine
founded in New York City
, New York
, in 1905 by Sime Silverman
. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry
, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles
, California
, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the Daily Variety Gotham edition, based in New York City was added. All three have been in continual operation since. Now delivered to 60 countries, Variety presents in-depth news, exclusive reports, trend stories, box office information and reviews.
Variety.com is a paid site and has all the latest news and reviews from the industry, and also offers searchable archives, interactive box office charting, international box office grosses, a credits database, film and television production charts, an in-depth industry calendar and reviews dating back to 1914.
Variety Events target every aspect of the entertainment industry. These events include the Variety Screening Series, held in both NYC and LA showcasing award contenders and Variety's philanthropic "Power of" events, including Power of Youth, Power of Women, Power of Comedy, and Power of Music. Variety also delivers content-driven conferences that provide platforms for industry leaders to discuss and debate the future of the entertainment industry.
The magazine is owned by Reed Business Information
, a division of Reed Elsevier
.
with its headquarters in New York City. In 1933, Silverman launched Daily Variety, based in Hollywood
.
Silverman was the editor of the Variety Inc. publications until selecting Abel Green
as his replacement in 1931; he remained as publisher until his death in 1933 soon after launching the daily. His son Sidne Silverman (1901–1950), known as "Skigie", succeeded him as publisher of both publications. Both Sidne and his wife, stage actress Marie Saxon (1905–1942), died of tuberculosis
. Their only son Syd Silverman, born 1932, was the sole heir to what was then Variety Inc. Young Syd's legal guardian
Harold Erichs oversaw Variety Inc. until 1956. From then Syd took over and managed the company until 1987, when he sold it to Cahners Publishing (later absorbed by Reed Elsevier) for US$64 million.
For twenty years its editor-in-chief was Peter Bart
, who worked previously at Paramount Pictures
and The New York Times
. In April 2009, it was announced that Bart was moving to the position of "vice president and editorial director", characterised online as "Boffo No More: Bart Up and Out at Variety". The current editor is Timothy M. Gray.
Variety’s Power of Youth is an initiative that celebrates top young talent and their involvement with philanthropic and humanitarian causes, and encourages their fans around the world to get involved and give back too. The event, now in its fourth year, is an invitation-only afternoon full of fun and festivities, with live performances, interactive games, activities, food, photo opportunities and a special presentation.
2010 honorees include Justin Bieber, David Henrie, Victoria Justice, Shailene Woodley and Bow Wow, each of whom, through their efforts, have made a significant difference to their chosen causes.
Past Variety’s Power of Youth supporters/honorees include: AnnaLynne McCord, Corbin Bleu, Keke Palmer, Jesse McCartney, Abigail Breslin, The Jonas Brothers, Miranda Cosgrove, Hilary Duff, Dakota Fanning, Selena Gomez, Taylor Lautner, Miley Cyrus and many more.
Variety hosts an exclusive event celebrating the Power of Women and their impact on philanthropic and charitable causes. Variety honors a select group of women in entertainment who, through their efforts, have made a significant difference to their chosen causes. 400 invite-only guests made up of Hollywood insiders and A-list talent come to celebrate, support and pay tribute to the philanthropic efforts of these amazing women. Variety’s philanthropy bizarre provides an interactive area for guests to engage with the participating brand sponsors and the featured charities. The goal of Variety’s Power of Women is to inspire and encourage people from all walks of life to get involved, give back and make a difference.
Variety's Power of Comedy is an annual stand-up comedy and improv show that benefits the Noreen Fraser Foundation, an organization focused on funding women's cancer research and raising awareness of the importance of early detection for the prevention of women's cancer. This event attests that using humor is cornerstone to the mission of many philanthropic organizations, as humor serves to break the ice on important subjects that can be uncomfortable to discuss and reminds people of the healing power of laughter.
Variety plans to add the Power of Music event to their philanthropic line-up in 2012.
called slanguage or varietyese (a form of headlinese
) that refers especially to the movie industry, and has largely been adopted and imitated by other writers in the industry. Such terms as "boffo box-office biz", "sitcom", "sex appeal", "payola", and even "striptease" are attributed to the influence of the magazine, although its attempt to popularize "infobahn" as a synonym for "information superhighway" never caught on. Its most famous headline was from October 1929, when the stock market
crashed: "Wall St. Lays An Egg". Another favorite, "Sticks nix hick pix
", was made popular—although the movie-prop
version renders it as "Stix nix hix pix!" in Yankee Doodle Dandy
(1942), Michael Curtiz
's musical
-biographical film
about George M. Cohan
starring James Cagney
; translated, it means that rural audiences were not attending rural-themed films. Television series
are referred to as "skeins", and heads of companies or corporate teams are called "toppers". In addition, more-common English
words and phrases are shortened; "audience members" becomes simply "auds", "performance" becomes "perf", and "network" becomes "net", for example.
A significant portion of Varietys revenue comes during the movie-award season leading up to the Academy Awards
. During this time, large numbers of colorful, full-page "For Your Consideration" advertisements inflate the size of Variety to double or triple its usual page count. These advertisements are Hollywood's attempt to reach other Hollywood professionals who will be voting in the many awards given out in the early part of the year.
in the heart of the Miracle Mile
area. The building was dubbed the Variety Building because a red, illuminated "Variety" sign graced the top north and south sides of the building. The 31-story tower can be seen from any direction in Los Angeles, and has totally unobstructed, 360-degree views of the city. The city welcomed the new landmark with a lighting ceremony in December 2008
Film reviews in Variety continued after the dates of the last reprints.
, an 11-volume set, including alphabetical index. Four additional bi-annual reprints were published (for 1987–1994) before the reprint series was discontinued.
Trade journal
A trade magazine, also called a professional magazine, is a magazine published with the intention of target marketing to a specific industry or type of trade. The collective term for this area of publishing is the trade press....
founded in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in 1905 by Sime Silverman
Sime Silverman
Sime Silverman was an American newspaper publisher best known as the founder of the weekly Variety in New York in 1905 and the Hollywood-based Daily Variety in 1933....
. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the Daily Variety Gotham edition, based in New York City was added. All three have been in continual operation since. Now delivered to 60 countries, Variety presents in-depth news, exclusive reports, trend stories, box office information and reviews.
Variety.com is a paid site and has all the latest news and reviews from the industry, and also offers searchable archives, interactive box office charting, international box office grosses, a credits database, film and television production charts, an in-depth industry calendar and reviews dating back to 1914.
Variety Events target every aspect of the entertainment industry. These events include the Variety Screening Series, held in both NYC and LA showcasing award contenders and Variety's philanthropic "Power of" events, including Power of Youth, Power of Women, Power of Comedy, and Power of Music. Variety also delivers content-driven conferences that provide platforms for industry leaders to discuss and debate the future of the entertainment industry.
The magazine is owned by Reed Business Information
Reed Business Information
Reed Business Information is a large business publisher in the United States, United Kingdom, continental Europe, Australia and Asia, often referred to as RBI...
, a division of Reed Elsevier
Reed Elsevier
Reed Elsevier is a publisher and information provider operating in the science, medical, legal, risk and business sectors. It is listed on several of the world's major stock exchanges. It is a FTSE 100 and FT500 Global company...
.
History
Variety has been published since 1905, when it was launched by Silverman as a weekly periodical covering vaudevilleVaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
with its headquarters in New York City. In 1933, Silverman launched Daily Variety, based in Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
.
Silverman was the editor of the Variety Inc. publications until selecting Abel Green
Abel Green
Abel Green was an American journalist best known as the editor of Variety for forty years. Sime Silverman first hired Green as a reporter in 1918, and Green's byline first appeared on May 30, 1919....
as his replacement in 1931; he remained as publisher until his death in 1933 soon after launching the daily. His son Sidne Silverman (1901–1950), known as "Skigie", succeeded him as publisher of both publications. Both Sidne and his wife, stage actress Marie Saxon (1905–1942), died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Their only son Syd Silverman, born 1932, was the sole heir to what was then Variety Inc. Young Syd's legal guardian
Legal guardian
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...
Harold Erichs oversaw Variety Inc. until 1956. From then Syd took over and managed the company until 1987, when he sold it to Cahners Publishing (later absorbed by Reed Elsevier) for US$64 million.
For twenty years its editor-in-chief was Peter Bart
Peter Bart
Peter Benton Bart is an American journalist and film producer. He perhaps best known for his lengthy tenure as the editor of Variety, an entertainment-trade magazine....
, who worked previously at Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. In April 2009, it was announced that Bart was moving to the position of "vice president and editorial director", characterised online as "Boffo No More: Bart Up and Out at Variety". The current editor is Timothy M. Gray.
Circulation
Circulation hovers around 27,000 for the daily editions, and 25,000 for the weekly edition (Audit Bureau of Circulations, March 17, 2010)Editions
- Variety (started in 1905) is a glossy tabloid edition with a broad coverage of movies, television, theater, music and technology, written for entertainment executives. It is published weekly and delivered internationally.
- Daily Variety (started in 1933) is the name of the Los Angeles-based Hollywood and BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
daily edition. - Daily Variety Gotham, (started in 1998) is the name of the New York City-based edition which gives a priority focus to East CoastEast Coast of the United StatesThe East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
show-businessShow businessShow business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
news and is produced earlier in the evening than the Los Angeles edition so it can be delivered to New York City offices the following morning. - Variety.com (launched in 1998) is the internetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
version of Variety. It was one of the first online newspapers to charge for access when it launched. While the publication did briefly provide free access, it brought back its paywall in December 2009. At the same time, Variety introduced a new type of subscription; now subscribers receive Variety.com, Digital Variety, Daily Variety and Weekly Variety for one price. - Variety On-The-Go Variety is also available as an app on the iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows phone. This app is an interactive content-driven platform providing entertainment industry updates on the go.
Variety Foundation
The Variety Foundation focuses on charitable causes in the entertainment space, and facilitates the raising and donating of funds to these charities via the “Power Of” franchise and various other projects. The Foundation uses its position in the entertainment industry to increase public awareness and encourage people from all walks of life to get involved and give back.Variety’s Power of Youth is an initiative that celebrates top young talent and their involvement with philanthropic and humanitarian causes, and encourages their fans around the world to get involved and give back too. The event, now in its fourth year, is an invitation-only afternoon full of fun and festivities, with live performances, interactive games, activities, food, photo opportunities and a special presentation.
2010 honorees include Justin Bieber, David Henrie, Victoria Justice, Shailene Woodley and Bow Wow, each of whom, through their efforts, have made a significant difference to their chosen causes.
Past Variety’s Power of Youth supporters/honorees include: AnnaLynne McCord, Corbin Bleu, Keke Palmer, Jesse McCartney, Abigail Breslin, The Jonas Brothers, Miranda Cosgrove, Hilary Duff, Dakota Fanning, Selena Gomez, Taylor Lautner, Miley Cyrus and many more.
Variety hosts an exclusive event celebrating the Power of Women and their impact on philanthropic and charitable causes. Variety honors a select group of women in entertainment who, through their efforts, have made a significant difference to their chosen causes. 400 invite-only guests made up of Hollywood insiders and A-list talent come to celebrate, support and pay tribute to the philanthropic efforts of these amazing women. Variety’s philanthropy bizarre provides an interactive area for guests to engage with the participating brand sponsors and the featured charities. The goal of Variety’s Power of Women is to inspire and encourage people from all walks of life to get involved, give back and make a difference.
Variety's Power of Comedy is an annual stand-up comedy and improv show that benefits the Noreen Fraser Foundation, an organization focused on funding women's cancer research and raising awareness of the importance of early detection for the prevention of women's cancer. This event attests that using humor is cornerstone to the mission of many philanthropic organizations, as humor serves to break the ice on important subjects that can be uncomfortable to discuss and reminds people of the healing power of laughter.
Variety plans to add the Power of Music event to their philanthropic line-up in 2012.
Culture
For much of its existence, Varietys writers and columnists have used a jargonJargon
Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
called slanguage or varietyese (a form of headlinese
Headlinese
Headlinese is nonconversational, abbreviated writing style used in newspaper headlines.-Syntax:Because space is limited, headlines are written in a compressed telegraphic style, using special syntactic conventions:...
) that refers especially to the movie industry, and has largely been adopted and imitated by other writers in the industry. Such terms as "boffo box-office biz", "sitcom", "sex appeal", "payola", and even "striptease" are attributed to the influence of the magazine, although its attempt to popularize "infobahn" as a synonym for "information superhighway" never caught on. Its most famous headline was from October 1929, when the stock market
Stock market
A stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
crashed: "Wall St. Lays An Egg". Another favorite, "Sticks nix hick pix
Sticks nix hick pix
STICKS NIX HICK PIX was a headline printed in Variety, a newspaper covering Hollywood and the entertainment industry, on July 17, 1935, over an article about the reaction of rural audiences to movies about rural life...
", was made popular—although the movie-prop
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
version renders it as "Stix nix hix pix!" in Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Yankee Doodle Dandy is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney.The movie was written by...
(1942), Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
's musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
-biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
about George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
starring James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
; translated, it means that rural audiences were not attending rural-themed films. Television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
are referred to as "skeins", and heads of companies or corporate teams are called "toppers". In addition, more-common English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
words and phrases are shortened; "audience members" becomes simply "auds", "performance" becomes "perf", and "network" becomes "net", for example.
Facts and figures
- On January 19, 1907, Variety published what is considered the first film reviewFilm criticismFilm criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films, individually and collectively. In general, this can be divided into journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, and other popular, mass-media outlets and academic criticism by film scholars that is informed by film theory and...
in history. - On December 7, 1988, Bart's predecessor, Roger Watkins, proposed and oversaw the transition to four-color print. Upon its launch, the new-look Variety measured one inch shorter with a washed-out color on the front. The old front-page box advertisement was replaced by a strip advertisement, along with the first photos published in Variety since Sime gave up using them in the old format in 1920: they depicted Sime, Abel and Syd. (www.simesite.net/roger.asp, 7th paragraph).
A significant portion of Varietys revenue comes during the movie-award season leading up to the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
. During this time, large numbers of colorful, full-page "For Your Consideration" advertisements inflate the size of Variety to double or triple its usual page count. These advertisements are Hollywood's attempt to reach other Hollywood professionals who will be voting in the many awards given out in the early part of the year.
Location
In late 2008, Variety moved its Los Angeles offices to a high-rise office building on Wilshire BoulevardWilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for Henry Gaylord Wilshire , an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. Henry Wilshire initiated what was to become Wilshire...
in the heart of the Miracle Mile
Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California
The Miracle Mile in Los Angeles, California, is an area in the Mid-Wilshire region consisting of an almost two-mile stretch of Wilshire Boulevard between Fairfax and Western Avenues...
area. The building was dubbed the Variety Building because a red, illuminated "Variety" sign graced the top north and south sides of the building. The 31-story tower can be seen from any direction in Los Angeles, and has totally unobstructed, 360-degree views of the city. The city welcomed the new landmark with a lighting ceremony in December 2008
Reprints of film reviews
This is the short list of English-language periodicals with 10,000 or more film reviews reprinted in book form:- Variety as Variety Film ReviewsVariety Film ReviewsVariety Film Reviews is the 24-volume hardcover reprint of feature film reviews by the weekly entertainment tabloid-size magazine Variety from 1907 to 1996...
(1907–1996) in 24 volumes. - New York Times as New York Times Film Reviews (1913–2000) in 22 volumes.
- Harrison's ReportsHarrison's ReportsHarrison’s Reports was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher was P. S...
as Harrison's Reports and Film ReviewsHarrison's Reports and Film ReviewsHarrison's Reports and Film Reviews is the 15-volume reprint of the complete run of the weekly magazine Harrison's Reports from its founding in 1919 to its demise in 1962. Volumes 1 through 14 are facsimile reprints of the more than 2,000 weekly issues. The reprints were edited by D...
(1919–1962) in 15 volumes.
Film reviews in Variety continued after the dates of the last reprints.
Reprints of obituaries
The complete text of approximately 100,000 entertainment-related obituaries (1905–1986) were reprinted as Variety ObituariesVariety Obituaries
Variety Obituaries is a 15-volume series with facsimile reprints of the full text of every obituary published by the entertainment trade magazine Variety from 1905 to 1994.Information for each deceased person can include the following:...
, an 11-volume set, including alphabetical index. Four additional bi-annual reprints were published (for 1987–1994) before the reprint series was discontinued.
Film trailer charts
In 2009, Variety launched a chart showcasing the top performing film trailers ahead of theatrical release in partnership with media measurement firm Visible Measures. An example of these charts can be found here.See also
- Reed Business InformationReed Business InformationReed Business Information is a large business publisher in the United States, United Kingdom, continental Europe, Australia and Asia, often referred to as RBI...
- The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterFormerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
- Paidcontent.orgPaidcontent.orgpaidContent is an online media hub that covers news, information and analysis of the business of digital media. It was founded in 2002 by journalist Rafat Ali to "chronicle the evolution of digital content that is shaping the future of the media, information and entertainment industries."Funded by...
- TubefilterTubefilterTubefilter, Inc. is a privately held company based in Los Angeles, California that operates media properties focusing on the online entertainment industry. Tubefilter is best known for Tubefilter News, a blog targeted at the producers and distributors of web television content where the best in...