Michael Owen's son calls dad ‘inspirational’ as he opens up on rare disease that caused blindness

Naman Ramachandran Film and TV studio Fifth Season has secured international distribution rights to “Monsieur Spade,” the crime drama series starring and executive produced by Clive Owen. Fifth Season will represent the title at the upcoming Berlin European Film Market. The six-episode series is based on Dashiell Hammett’s hard-boiled private detective Sam Spade, the protagonist of 1930 novel “The Maltese Falcon,” adapted several times for the screen, most notably in 1941 by John Huston with Humphrey Bogart as the sleuth.

Usher made it clear that he wanted to pay homage to iconic Black artists when he took the stage for the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show on Sunday (February 11), and we caught at least one reference to the late King of Pop – Michael Jackson.

according to Billboard.The deal would also be the biggest ever for the work of a single musician, the BBC reported.Jackson, who died in 2009, remains immensely popular on music streaming services like Spotify, where he averages 40 million monthly listeners.Just two of his countless hits, “Billie Jean” and “Beat It,” have each been played more than one billion times on Spotify alone, according to the BBC.The deal comes just as an upcoming biopic about Jackson’s life and career starring his nephew is set to hit the big screen next year.The deal also reportedly includes tracks by other artists that had been acquired by Jackson’s Mijac publishing group — including hit songs by Ray Charles, Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, the BBC reported.The Jackson deal is as big or bigger than the $1.2 billion deal sought by Queen, which includes royalties for streams and other uses like the Freddy Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” and theatrical productions, according to Billboard.Sony’s deal with Jackson’s estate does not include royalties from the Broadway play and other theatrical productions featuring his music, the outlet reported.Sony paid $100 million in 1991 to buy the first half of what became Sony/ATV— ATV being the catalog that Jackson purchased in 1985 that included the Beatles catalog, according to Billboard.

Michael Jackson‘s catalogue in a landmark deal.According to Billboard, the company will fork out at least $600million (£475million) for its stake in the late star’s publishing and recorded masters catalogue, with sources valuing it at between $1.2billion and $1.5billion in total. However, no exact figure is known currently.Should these numbers be accurate, the deal is expected to be the biggest-ever valuation of an artist’s music assets.It is said that Sony’s deal with the Michael Jackson estate does not include royalties from Broadway’s MJ The Musical and other theatrical productions featuring the King Of Pop’s material.But it reportedly includes songs by other acts from Jackson’s Mijac publishing catalogue such as Sly & The Family Stone, Curtis Mayfield and Ray Charles.The deal, which Billboard said closed in late 2023, trumps the $1.2billion that Queen are currently seeking for their recorded music, publishing and other income streams like royalties from the Bohemian Rhapsody biopic.Almost exactly one year ago, it was reported that the Michael Jackson estate was nearing a huge deal to sell half of its ownership in his catalogue.

Antoine Fuqua‘s Michael Jackson biopic deviates from the director’s usual modus operandi of actioners. But with the cast he’s accrued for “Michael,” the upcoming film could be a sleeper hit.

"At Cristiano's request - who has again expressed his desire to leave - and after discussions with the player's representatives, United have agreed to give Real Madrid permission to talk to the player."

Michael Jackson’s father, Joe Jackson, in an upcoming biopic based on the King of Pop.According to a Variety report, Domingo will play Joe Jackson in the upcoming film alongside Michael’s nephew Jaafar and 9-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi – both of whom will play an adult and child version of Michael respectively.Domingo said of his casting via Variety: “It’s exciting to do it with Jaafar. Jermaine Jackson’s son is playing Michael, and he is breathtaking, and I think Graham King, the producer, has assembled an incredible cast.”He added: “I’m excited to be a part of a film that explores both the complicated soul of the legendary Michael Jackson as well as his impact on music and culture as a global icon.

Noah Centineo has officially embarked on another dangerous adventure as Owen Hendricks in The Recruit, and the cast has been unveiled.

Colman Domingo is the latest star to join the cast of the forthcoming Michael Jackson biopic!

Coming off of his first career Best Actor Oscar nomination for Netflix’s Rustin, Colman Domingo has more to celebrate: He just landed the role of Jackson family patriarch Joe Jackson in Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International’s Michael Jackson biopic Michael.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Fresh off receiving his first Oscar nomination, Colman Domingo has been cast as Joe Jackson, the father of Michael Jackson, in the Antoine Fuqua-directed biopic “Michael.” The casting announcement comes after the news Jackson’s real-life nephew Jaafar would portray the King of Pop, with 9-year-old Juliano Krue Valdi tackling the singer during his early days. “It’s exciting to do it with Jaafar,” Domingo tells Variety exclusively during an upcoming episode of the Awards Circuit Podcast.

Sofía Vergara was — jokingly — offended by Kelly Clarkson saying her jaw-dropping physical transformation in the new Netflix series “Griselda” looked natural. The 51-year-old Columbian beauty stopped by Clarkson’s daytime talk show on Wednesday and discussed morphing into the real-life Griselda Blanco, a Colombian cartel leader known as “The Black Widow.”“This is incredible,” Clarkson, 41, said of Vergara’s makeover. “I feel like they only changed your nose or something.”“What?” Vergara loudly asked the “American Idol” alum.

Just last week, news broke that Ryan Coogler was set to team up, yet again, with Michael B. Jordan for a new film.

Michael Owen has emotionally said that he and his wife Louise Bonsall "pray every night" for a cure to be discovered for their son James' rare genetic condition. James, who is soon to celebrate his 18th birthday, was diagnosed with Stargardt disease at just eight years old. It affects his eyesight, and he is now 'clinically blind', meaning he had to give up his dream of following in Liverpool FC legend Michael Owen's footsteps and becoming a footballer.

Sony Group Corporation has ended its more than two-year attempt to merge its TV and streaming businesses in India with local giant Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. In a statement, issued Monday, Sony Group said: “The merger did not close by the end date as, among other things, the closing conditions to the merger were not satisfied by then.

Apparently, some people do not want this show to go on! Those behind a tribute act to Michael Jackson in Las Vegas claimed the late singer’s estate has been trying to cancel their show — so they’re taking them to court to battle it out now!

EXCLUSIVE: Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night Live origin pic is gaining a ton of momentum as Gabriel LaBelle is set to play Lorne Michaels, Cooper Hoffman is on board to play Dick Ebersol and Rachel Sennott will play Rosie Shuster. Reitman will write and direct.

Nine-year old Juliano Krue Valdi has won the role to play young Michael Jackson in Lionsgate and UIP’s Antoine Fuqua’s directed Michael.

In Netflix’s San Gabriel-based crime action–comedy The Brothers Sun, actor Sam Song Li plays Bruce Sun, a kind-hearted college student who dreams of being a master of improv despite his mother’s wishes for him to be a doctor. However, his life gets turned upside down upon the arrival of his long-estranged brother, Charles (Justin Chien), a cutthroat assassin who enlists the help of their mother, Mama Sun (Michelle Yeoh), to take down a dangerous crime syndicate. Throughout the eight-episode series, co-created by Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk, Bruce has to contend with learning that his family, unbeknownst to him, are major players in one of the most lucrative and dangerous gangster businesses in Taiwan.

Michael Jackson is about to begin principal photography, with a release date now locked in.The film will be titled Michael, and it will star the musician’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, 27, in the title role.The production company behind the film, Lionsgate, has confirmed that the film will receive a theatrical release in the United States on April 18, 2025.Michael will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, who is known for films including Training Day, The Equalizer and Brooklyn’s Finest. It will also be written by John Logan, who has previously written on films including Gladiator, The Aviator, Skyfall and Spectre.Given the connection to the Jackson estate, it is unclear whether the film will explore the most controversial aspects of his life, including the allegations of child sexual abuse.In other Michael Jackson news, in December, it was announced that the audio from Jackson’s first ever studio session would be released as part of a limited-edition package.The recording was made 56 years ago, when Jackson was aged just nine and entered the One-derful studios in Chicago for the very first time with his brothers.In the session – which took place on July 13, 1967 – The Jackson Five produced a song titled ‘Big Boy’, and it has been confirmed that this was the first time that the iconic singer’s voice was put on tape.Visit here for more information and to purchase the track.