Paramount’s Pluto TV Sets Canada Launch for Free Streaming Service

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount+ announced today that its documentary The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s “American Pie” will premiere exclusively on the streamer on July 19th, both in the U.S. and internationally, where the service is available. The film will also get an Academy-qualifying run in Los Angeles and New York City starting on July 8th, screening in Showcase Cinemas and associated theaters globally on July 14th and 17th.

Ben Croll Preschool fare and short-form docs ruled the roost at this year’s MIFA TV pitch session, with more than half the projects boasting episodes running under eight minutes in length, and nearly just as many titles aimed at the under-five crowd.Of the nine projects pitched, the preschool series “Yukon: The Space Botanist” (pictured) received the most vocal reception, drawing hearty laughs from a room full of buyers and commissioning editors at least three decades older than the show’s intended audience. Produced by Norway’s Imaginær Film, the 3D animated series gives computer graphics a tactile polish, featuring characters surfaced to resemble plastic figurines and background full of physical elements scanned in.

Icona Pop and Ultra Naté have joined forces to revamp the latter’s classic dance anthem ‘Free’ for the song’s 25th anniversary – listen to ‘You’re Free’ below.Released on March 31, 1997, the house-influenced club staple has been given a makeover by Aino Jawo and Caroline Hjelt, who used to play the original cut in their DJ sets before forming Icona Pop.“It is the ultimate expression of what we want Icona Pop to represent; freedom to be whoever you want to be, live life to the fullest, and have fun,” Icona Pop said in a statement (via Rolling Stone).“At first it was intimidating when we started to play around with the idea of making a new version, but it felt natural and really came together when Ultra Naté said she wanted to collaborate on our version. We are beyond honoured.”Referring to Ulta Naté as a “legend”, the duo added: “We hope that we have done it justice.”Listen to ‘You’re Free’ below:Ultra Naté shared her excitement about working with the Swedish duo on the reworking of her song, explaining that she “immediately felt good” with Icona Pop’s approach to the club classic.

Lauren Graham and her longtime partner, Peter Krause, called it quits after more than 10 years together.A rep for the alum told that the 55-year-old actress and 56-year-old actor «quietly ended their relationship last year.» It's unclear what led to the breakup or why they decided to keep it private until now. ET has reached out to the actress' rep for comment.Graham and Krause's relationship romantic after they co-starred as siblings on the NBC dramedy,, which ran for six seasons from 2010 to 2015.During an appearance on  in 2014, Graham struggled to answer when asked what the future held for the couple at the time.«I never know how to answer this question,» she quipped.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefA manga (comic book) companion to the Disney/Pixar animated film “Turning Red” is in preparation and will be launched in the second quarter of 2023 by Viz Media. The teen-focused “Turning Red” franchise has already stretched far beyond the film and related content has clocked up more than two billion views on TikTok.The Domee Shi-directed original film premiered on Disney+ in North America and in limited international theatrical markets earlier this year.

‘Allo Insiders, Jesse Whittock here. The sun is scorching out there in London today (I promise you this does happen occasionally), but I’ve stayed just cool enough to bring you a rundown of this week’s biggest stories.

Manori Ravindran International EditorThe moody mountainscape surrounding the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel may have been tailor-made for the British Columbia-shot thriller “Yellowjackets,” which was honored at this week’s Banff World Media Festival, but the real survival drama was raging between Canadian broadcasters and the streaming giants.The tension was palpable among the country’s legacy broadcasters and the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, both of which were prominent at the 43rd edition of the festival. While this fraught dynamic — which has ramped up as the digital platforms launch originals divisions in Canada — is nothing new, relations are coming to a head as the much-ballyhooed Bill C-11, the proposed update to Canada’s dated Broadcasting Act, is fiercely debated in Parliament.

TMZ reported this week.  Rocky actor Dolph, 64, cut a dapper figure as the pair arrived at the swanky Via Allora restaurant in a $205k silver Ferrari.  The Swedish star layered a dark navy blazer over a striped powder blue shirt and smart jeans, teamed with running trainers.

Anna Marie de la Fuente In a bid to further expand job opportunities in the animation industry, France’s first free animation school ÉCAS (Ecole Cartoucherie Animation Solidaire) has partnered with French animation producer Frog Box and post-production service provider Titrafilm to create a new course that will train professional actors in the art of dubbing animation projects.News was announced Thursday at the MIFA market at this week’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival where the issues of inclusion, diversity and labor shortages in the sector were discussed in some forums at the festival, particularly at the Women in Animation summit.Founded in 2018 by TeamTO in response to the under-representation and lack of diversity in the animation sector, ÉCAS has trained a new generation of underprivileged talent in 3D character animation and storyboarding (in partnership with Canada’s House of Cool) for the past four years. Said Guillaume Hellouin, president of ÉCAS and TeamTO: “Over the past few years, there has been a general awareness and desire among producers, major platforms and traditional broadcasters to integrate a greater representation of society.

EXCLUSIVE: SonyLIV has ordered its most ambitious original series to date, an adaptation of Indian independence non-fiction book Freedom at Midnight, as the streamer gears up to become a global service within three years.

In 1911, two huge personalities and historic ships raced to be the first to lead an expedition to the South Pole.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentRaffaele Annecchino, president of Paramount International Studios, Networks and Streaming, is leaving the company.A terse internal Paramount memo obtained by Variety says that JC Acosta, president, International Studios, Streaming and Networks for Southern Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa; Maria Kyriacou, president, Australia , Canada, Israel and UK; and Mark Specht, EVP and managing director, Central and Northern Europe and Asia, “will be stepping in as interim heads to lead the international business.”There was no immediate comment from Paramount International on Wednesday.As he rose through the ranks at what is now Paramount Annecchino is known to have had a close rapport with Paramount CEO Bob Bakish, but it appears that this rapport has suddenly gone sour.

More riches are coming exhibitors’ way, particularly during the late summer dry period, as Crunchyroll and Toei Animation are releasing the next Dragon Ball movie, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, on Aug. 19 in the U.S. and Canada at 2,300 theaters and select Imax venues.

Manchester City officially announced the signing of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund on Monday, a little over a month after they had confirmed that they had reached an agreement to sign the striker.

Reelz & Paramount+ Among Pre-Buyers Of Princess Diana Doc

Naman Ramachandran The Walt Disney Company’s streamer Disney+ will be available in 42 new countries and 11 new territories this week following the launch on Tuesday in Greece, Turkey and countries in Central Eastern Europe, including Poland, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic and Croatia. Tuesday’s series of launches follow the arrival of the service in South Africa on May 18 and across West Asia and North Africa on June 8.

Amber Heard is opening up following the verdict against her in the defamation trial filed by ex-husband Johnny Depp.

Pluto TV, which was founded in 2013 and has grown into a key asset in the portfolio of Paramount Global, is finally about to do business in Canada.

A woman who woke up from a month-long coma has told how she was ghosted by her partner who moved on with someone else.

Roku is launching Espacio Latino, a free streaming hub for Hispanic programming, on the Roku Channel.