Category Archives: Entertainment News

Disney to pay almost $439 million to take full control of streaming service Hulu

Disney to pay almost $439 million to take full control of streaming service Hulu

Disney will pay Comcast’s NBCUniversal nearly $439 million for its stake in Hulu, taking full control of the streaming service. Disney said in 2023 that it was acquiring a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for at least $8.6 billion. That amount reflected Hulu’s guaranteed floor value of $27.5 billion, according to a regulatory filing. Disney said in the filing on Monday that its appraiser arrived at a valuation below the guaranteed floor value during the initial phase of the appraisal process, while NBCUniversal’s appraiser arrived at a valuation substantially in excess of the guaranteed floor value. A third appraiser was brought in and concluded that The Walt Disney Co. will pay $438.7 million for the Hulu stake.… Continue Reading

Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400M lawsuit against ‘It Ends With Us’ costar Blake Lively

Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400M lawsuit against ‘It Ends With Us’ costar Blake Lively

A judge has dismissed the lawsuit that Justin Baldoni filed against his “It Ends With Us” costar Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment. The ruling is the latest development in the bitter legal battle surrounding the film. Lively sued Baldoni in late December. Baldoni then sued Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion. The judge ruled that Baldoni can’t sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her lawsuit, because allegations made in court are exempt from libel claims. And the judge ruled that Baldoni’s claims that Lively stole creative control of the film didn’t count as extortion under California law. Baldoni’s lawyers say they will amend the lawsuit.… Continue Reading

Sly Stone, leader of funk revolutionaries Sly and the Family Stone, dies at 82

Sly Stone, leader of funk revolutionaries Sly and the Family Stone, dies at 82

NEW YORK (AP) — Sly Stone, an electrifying musician, songwriter and showman whose Sly and the Family Stone transformed popular music in the 1960s and ’70s, has died. He was 82. His time on top was brief, from roughly 1969 to 1971, but his influence on music and culture lasted for decades after. No band better captured the gravity-defying euphoria of the Woodstock era or more bravely addressed the crash. From early hits as rousing as their titles —“I Want To Take You Higher,” “Stand!” — to the sober aftermath of “Family Affair” and “Runnin’ Away,” Sly and the Family Stone spoke for a generation whether or not it wanted to hear the message.… Continue Reading

Warner Bros. Discovery to split into two companies, dividing cable and streaming services

Warner Bros. Discovery to split into two companies, dividing cable and streaming services

NEW YORK (AP) — Warner Bros. Discovery will calve off cable operations from its streaming service, creating two independent companies as the number of people “cutting the cord” brings with it a sustained upheaval in the entertainment industry. HBO, and HBO Max, as well as Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, will become part of the streaming and studios company. The cable company will include CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., and Discovery, top free-to-air channels across Europe, and digital products such as the Discovery+ streaming service and Bleacher Report. Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery, based in New York City, jumped 11% at the opening bell.… Continue Reading

Video shows dolphin calf birth and first breath at Chicago zoo. Mom’s friend helped

Video shows dolphin calf birth and first breath at Chicago zoo. Mom’s friend helped

CHICAGO (AP) — A bottlenose dolphin at the Brookfield Zoo Chicago gave birth to a calf early Saturday morning with the help of a fellow mom. Video of the birth inside the Illinois aquarium shows the 35-pound calf ejected into the water and sprint to the surface for its first breath, under the watchful eye of the other, older female bottlenose dolphin. A staff veterinarian says that kind of help during a birth reflects dolphin practice in the wild. Brookfield Zoo Chicago is celebrating the first birth from its dolphin group in over a decade. It will close part of the aquatic area while the new calf bonds with its mom and the group. The calf will be named this summer.… Continue Reading

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ex-girlfriend resumes testimony about his sexual interests

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ ex-girlfriend resumes testimony about his sexual interests

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs’ recent ex-girlfriend is back on the witness stand after testifying about how she endured drug-fueled sex marathons right up until the hip-hop titan’s arrest in September. The woman is using the pseudonym “Jane” at Combs’ sex trafficking trial in New York as she testifies for a second day Friday. Combs has pleaded not guilty to running his business empire as a racketeering enterprise that enabled the abuse of women. Jane testified that Combs had control over her life including paying her rent and pressured her into sexual encounters with other men, despite her telling him she didn’t want to.… Continue Reading

What’s next for influencer Livvy Dunne after college gymnastics career? ‘Everything,’ she says

What’s next for influencer Livvy Dunne after college gymnastics career? ‘Everything,’ she says

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — With her college gymnastics days behind her, influencer and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Livvy Dunne is moving on with life — but that doesn’t mean she’ll be far from the public eye. Dunne has more than 13 million followers on social media, and she created a multimillion-dollar personal brand while competing as a gymnast at LSU. Now she’s trying to help other female athletes do the same, helping to educate them about name, image and likeness deals and personal branding. Asked about her future, Dunne told The Associated Press, “What’s next? Everything.”… Continue Reading

What to know about the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 on launch day

What to know about the much-anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 on launch day

NEW YORK (AP) — The Nintendo Switch 2 finally hit store shelves on Thursday, eight years after the initial release of Japanese video-game maker Nintendo’s popular video-game console. Even with a hefty $450 price tag, fans around the world, from Japan to the U.S., lined up outside stores to pick-up pre-orders or have a chance to buy the device. The release ends months of anticipation that included pre-order hiccups and fears that tariffs would delay the release of the Switch 2. Nintendo said it expects to sell 15 million Switch 2 consoles for the fiscal year through March 2026.… Continue Reading

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs paid to hide Cassie beating video because he feared career ruin, witness says

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs paid to hide Cassie beating video because he feared career ruin, witness says

NEW YORK (AP) — A former hotel security guard has testified that Sean “Diddy” Combs feared his iconic career would be ruined if the public ever saw a video of him beating his girlfriend in 2016. The security guard testified Tuesday at Combs’ federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial. Eddy Garcia told a federal court jury that Combs repeatedly made the comment as he was trying to buy what he hoped was the only copy of the video. Prosecutors say Combs’ persistent efforts to hush up the episode fit into allegations he used threats and his fortune and fame to get what he wanted. Combs has pleaded not guilty.… Continue Reading

MrBeast aims to raise millions for his charity by offering a weekend experience to six-figure donors

MrBeast aims to raise millions for his charity by offering a weekend experience to six-figure donors

NEW YORK (AP) — MrBeast plans to turn the success of his Amazon Prime Video reality competition series into millions of dollars for charity. YouTube’s biggest creator is offering an exclusive weekend on the set of Beast Games Season 2 to the first 40 donors who make $100,000 gifts to his registered nonprofit. The invitation comes as MrBeast surpasses 400 million subscribers. Rallying that fervent following to make their own charitable contributions marks a new fundraising strategy for Donaldson and signals his continued philanthropic presence. Donaldson says: “I have some big charity projects I want to fund so I think it’s a win/win.”… Continue Reading

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