Actor who played little Irish boy in Titanic still receives payments 25 years on

Leonine And Lionsgate Strike Germany/Austria Film Deal

Naman Ramachandran Leonine Studios has secured all German and Austrian rights for Lionsgate’s upcoming film slate, including Keanu Reeves’ “John Wick 4” and its spin-off “Ballerina,” starring Ana de Armas.The deal, which extends Lionsgate’s existing relationship with Leonine, also includes culture-clash comedy “About My Father” from stand-up comedian Sebastian Maniscalco (“The Irishman”) starring opposite Oscar-winner Robert De Niro (“Meet The Parents”); action thriller “Shadow Force” with Kerry Washington (“Django Unchained”); the untitled new comedy from director Adele Lim starring Tony winning actress Ashley Park (“Emily in Paris”); gamer comedy “1Up” with Ruby Rose (“Batwoman”); and horror-thriller “Dear David,” centering on the urban legend that had its origins on the Twitter channel of Adam Ellis, starring Augustus Prew (“The Morning Show”) in the lead. Fred Kogel, CEO of Leonine Studios, said: “We are thrilled to extend our strong partnership with our friends at Lionsgate with this tremendous feature film slate.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorIn a new series, Variety catches up with the directors of the films shortlisted for the International Feature Film Oscar to discuss their road to the awards, what they’ve learned so far, and what’s taken them off guard.In “Great Freedom,” the winner of the runner-up prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, Austrian director Sebastian Meise takes an empathetic look at the relationship between two prisoners in a German jail: convicted murderer Viktor (Georg Friedrich), and a gay man, Hans (Rogowski), imprisoned repeatedly over three decades under the country’s homophobic Paragraph 175 statute. The film is Austria’s entry in the International Feature Film category of the Oscars, and is one of 15 films to be shortlisted. What does it mean to you to be shortlisted for the best international feature Oscar?It’s incredibly exciting, and personally, I wasn’t expecting it at all.

Hanging up his cleats! Tom Brady is officially retiring from the NFL after more than 20 years in the sport.

Moving on! Alex Rodriguez is hoping to find love again after his split from Jennifer Lopez, but he’s enjoying the single life in the meantime.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterSunday’s Kansas City Chiefs-Buffalo Bills game on CBS was the most-watched NFL divisional playoff game on any network in five years, drawing an average of 43 million viewers, according to Nielsen’s final time-zone adjusted data.The Chiefs’ dramatic overtime win over the Bills, airing from 6:41-10:02 p.m. ET, drew the largest audience for an NFL divisional playoff game since the Green Bay-Dallas game on Jan.

Tom Brady is thinking about the future.

Iraq through a series of concerts and other projects to support culture and education.The audience at the Iraqi National Theater were on their feet, overcome with emotion as Shamma played a night of classics from the Iraqi songbook and modern compositions.“We will work on lighting the stage, to get out of the darkness into the light,” he told the crowd, before kicking off the evening with, “Sabah El Kheir Ya Baghdad,” or, “Good Morning Baghdad.” Behind him, an orchestra, including young women musicians, played traditional instruments.The 59-year-old Shamma is considered a modern-day master of the oud, a pear-shaped stringed instrument similar to a lute whose deep tones and swift-changing chords are central to Arabic music.Born in the southern city of Kut and raised in a conservative family, he received his first oud lesson at the age of 11 and later graduated from the Baghdad Academy of Music in 1987.He fled Iraq in 1993 during Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship and gained international fame, performing around the world and receiving dozens of awards. In Cairo, he founded the House of the Oud, a school dedicated to teaching the instrument to new generations.Shamma, who currently lives in Berlin, returned to Iraq for the first time in 2012 to perform in a concert hosted by the Arab League.

The Liverpool bomber's asylum claim was dismissed six years before he tried to carry out the attack, court documents show.

Slowly but surely. While Joseph Baena now has a tight bond with his dad, Arnold Schwarzenegger, that wasn’t always the case.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorJan Mojto’s international sales company Beta Film has sold police series “Faster Than Fear,” a hit for ARD in Germany, to three high-profile international buyers. The six-hour series has been acquired by ORF in Austria, Disney Plus in Spain, and Walter Presents in Australia and New Zealand. In Germany, the show was commissioned by ARD under its initiative termed “Mediathek First” for shows that launch first on its streaming platform, the ARD Mediathek.

(CNN)The service arrangements for Betty White will be private, her friend and agent Jeff Witjas told CNN Thursday.Witjas said the beloved actress, who died last week at the age of 99, didn't want people making a fuss over her in life and that will be the case in death. "The arrangements are being handled privately and that was Betty's wish," Witjas said.Instead he said those wishing to honor her to are encouraged to donate to some of her favorite organizations, including Actors and Animals for Others, The Aquarium of the Pacific, Guide Dogs For the Blind, The Los Angeles Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Tree People, and the Wildlife Learning Center.

A year after NAACP’s production partnership with CBS Studios formally launched with the hire of Sheila Ducksworth as President, the venture has sold its first projects. The five shows — spanning platforms (broadcast and streaming) and genres (drama, dramedy, comedy, limited series), include a reboot of cult 1991 movie Soapdish for Paramount+, with original co-star Whoopi Goldberg reprising her role and Jane the Virgin creator Jennie Snyder Urman co-writing the dramedy adaptation.

Feuding? While Tom Brady emotionally asked Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans to have empathy for former teammate Antonio Brown after his now-viral NFL exit, the receiver has claimed his former teammate does not have his support.