Paramount To Pay $122.5M To Settle 2019 Shareholder Lawsuit Over Viacom-CBS Merger

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent LILLE, France — Paramount+ will be bowing “Drag Race Italia” Season 3 on the streaming service in Italy, followed by the U.S. and Latin America later this year.  The Italian Season 3 follows on the recent announcement of three new “Drag Race” editions in Brazil, Germany and Mexico and a “Global Drag Race All Stars,” which will air on Paramount+ in their respective territories this year, Paramount+ announced Wednesday. “As we expand Paramount+’s global footprint, it was important to recapture ‘Drag Race’ in key international markets and also build an interconnected competition series with a new ‘Global Drag Race All Stars’ – it’s like a global Super Bowl for Drag,” said Chris McCarthy, president-CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios & Paramount Media Networks.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s attorney is coming out swinging in defending the actress against a $300,000 lawsuit filed by a retired optometrist who alleges she was negligent in a 2016 accident at a Utah ski resort.

Gwyneth Paltrow is in court on Tuesday, March 21st, in Park City, Utah, to resolve a lawsuit against her for allegedly crashing into a man while skiing in the popular ski resort of Deer Valley, on Flagstaff Mountain.Terry Sanders, a retired optometrist, is suing the star after the February 26, 2016 incident for $300,000.

The musicians suing The Weeknd have reached a settlement agreement with the Canadian artist.

Two producers who sued The Weeknd over song theft allegations have reached a provisional settlement with the musician.In a 2021 lawsuit, producers Suniel Fox and Henry Strange claimed that The Weeknd’s 2018 hit ‘Call Out My Name’ ripped off their 2015 track ‘Vibeking’.And that happened, they said, after they sent a copy of their song to one of The Weeknd’s collaborators, Eric White aka PNDA.

Rosalind Wiseman is taking matters into her own hands.

An iconic clothing shop chain that has now vanished from our high streets was once THE place in Manchester to meet friends or a date.

Djimon Hounsou got very real about his treatment in Hollywood.

EXCLUSIVE: Joaquina Kalukango (Lovecraft Country), Lonnie Chavis (This is Us), Rob Morgan (Mudbound), Ryan O’Nan (Queen of the South), and Justin Hurtt-Dunkley (Mare Of Easttown) have been tapped for key recurring roles opposite David Oyelowo and Dennis Quaid in Bass Reeves, from Yellowstone co-creator/showrunner Taylor Sheridan.

Barry Keoghan is in negotiations to join the cast of Paramount’s sequel to Gladiator that has Ridley Scott returning to direct and Paul Mescal set to star.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Somebody must be flashing their pearly whites. Paramount Pictures has entered a multi-year, first-look deal with Parker Finn to write, produce and direct features.  The pact comes on the heels of Finn’s breakout horror hit “Smile,” which became a sleeper box office sensation. Finn wrote and directed the creepy tale, which went on to be the top grossing original horror movie of 2022, raking in $216 million worldwide on a $17 million budget. It was based on his short film “Laura Hasn’t Slept.” “‘Smile’s’breakthrough success is a testament to Parker’s unique and fresh filmmaking, and we are thrilled that he will make Paramount his home,” said Paramount Pictures President & CEO Brian Robbins.

The Rolling Stones are facing a copyright lawsuit over their 2020 track, ‘Living In A Ghost Town’.In the suit, a little-known songwriter called songwriter Sergio Garcia Fernandez, who performs under the name Angelslang, claims that the legendary band’s recent track “misappropriated many of the recognisable and key protected elements” from two of his songs, 2006’s ‘So Sorry’ and the following year’s ‘Seed Of God’.Fernandez claims that he gave a CD of music to an “immediate family member” of Mick Jagger, with elements of the two tracks then allegedly used in the band’s 2020 song.In a statement (via Billboard), Fernandez’s lawyers said: “The immediate family member … confirmed receipt … to the plaintiff via e-mail, and expressed that the musical works of the plaintiff and its style was a sound The Rolling Stones would be interested in using.”It goes on to allege that ‘Living In A Ghost Town’ lifted “vocal melodies, the chord progressions, the drum beat patterns, the harmonica parts, the electric bass line parts, the tempos, and other key signatures” from ‘So Sorry’, and the “harmonic and chord progression and melody” from ‘Seed Of God’.Representatives for The Rolling Stones did not respond to a request for comment from Billboard.Elsewhere, The Rolling Stones are reportedly collaborating with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on their new album.According to Variety, multiple sources have confirmed that two surviving The Beatles band members have contributed to an as-yet unannounced Stones album, which is said to be produced by Andrew Watt.

BreAnna Bell Garrett Hedlund has been cast in a recurring guest role in Taylor Sheridan’s forthcoming “Bass Reeves” series set at Paramount+, Variety has learned exclusively. He’ll portray Garrett Montgomery, a so-called posse man of the era who Bass hires for his riding know-how and expertise of the area. She joins previously announced stars including lead and executive producer David Oyelowo, and series regulars Lauren E. Banks, Demi Singleton, Forrest Goodluck and Barry Pepper. Dennis Quaid and Grantham Coleman will also appear in recurring roles. Hedlund can currently be seen in Paramount+’s “Tulsa King” and will next star in the film “The Tutor,” which is scheduled March 24th theater release. He recently completed production on the films “Desperation Road” opposite Mel Gibson and “The Marsh King’s Daughter,” co-starring Ben Mendelson and Daisy Ridley. His other credits include Lee Daniels’ “Mudbound,” “On the Road,” “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” “Mojave,” “Inside Llewyn Davis,” “Pan,” “Unbroken,” “Tron: Legacy,” and “Country Strong.”

Last year, as the industry was looking to lift itself out the pandemic’s purgatory at the box office, SXSW lit the wick on A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, which wound up dynamiting the 18-34 hipster moviegoer set in what became the highest-grossing indie film of 2022, the best ever for the New York-based distributor, and now a potential Oscar Best Picture winner.

former Showtime leader David Nevins’ offer to buy the network for about $3 billion.“Yeah, we got an unsolicited offer for Showtime. We looked at it,” Bakish said. “And the reality is, it wasn’t that interesting to us.

filing Friday. The settlement is still subject to approval by Delaware’s Court of Chancery.CalPERS, California’s state pension fund, was the lead plaintiff in the litigation, which also named Shari Redstone and the Redstone family’s National Amusements as defendants.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Paramount Global disclosed on Friday that it will pay $122.5 million to settle lawsuits from Viacom shareholders arising from the company’s merger with CBS. In a securities filing, the company revealed that it has agreed to settle the class action litigation now pending in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The settlement still requires judicial approval. The plaintiffs had alleged that Paramount Global’s chairwoman, Shari Redstone, ousted board members in a “tyrannical” effort to merge the two companies. The suit alleged that CBS stock was overpriced in the merger, and that Viacom was undervalued, causing harm to Viacom shareholders.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Demi Singleton is the latest addition to the cast of the “Bass Reeves” series at Paramount+, Variety has learned exclusively. Singleton will appear in the period drama as a series regular opposite series lead David Oyelowo, who will star as the titular legendary lawman. Additional cast members include Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, and Grantham Coleman. Per the official logline, the show “will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”

Vanessa Bryant has settled a lawsuit regarding photos that were taken of husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna’s remains at the site of their 2020 helicopter crash.

EXCLUSIVE: Grantham Coleman (Rustin) is the newest addition to the Paramount+ limited series Bass Reeves, exec produced by and starring David Oyelowo.