K.J.Yossman Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

K.J. Yossman The producers of “F9,” the ninth instalment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, have been fined over $1 million in a U.K. court after a stunt performer suffered “life-changing” injuries on set.

K.J. Yossman International writers guilds representing 67,000 professional screen writers across the globe are collaborating on developing an “ethical framework” for the use of AI in screenwriting.

K.J. Yossman Actor, comedian and activist Emily Atack has signed with Curtis Brown for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. She will be repped by the agency in all areas.

K.J. Yossman Director and author Christian Schwochow has signed with CAA for representation, Variety has learned. Schwochow continues to be repped by Curtis Brown in the U.K.

K.J. Yossman Actor, director and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah has joined the board of Endeavor-backed production company The Story Collective. In the role, Kwei-Armah will bring expertise and mentorship to various projects in development as well as nurturing new ideas to bring to screen.

K.J. Yossman Prince Harry has received a judgement in his case against British tabloid newspaper The Mirror. Mr Justice Fancourt, who presided over the trial earlier this year, said he found “extensive” phone hacking between 2006 and 2011, the PA reports.

K.J. Yossman Rumpus Media founders Emily Hudd and Iain Wimbush are exiting the company after 10 years, Variety understands.

K.J. Yossman Fans will soon be able to bring their ghost-busting fantasies to life thanks to Sony Pictures’ first-ever immersive entertainment destination, which is set to open in Chicago next year. Named Wonderverse, the 45,000 square-foot experience will allow audiences to step into the worlds of the company’s films, series and video games including “Ghostbusters,” “Bad Boys, “Zombieland,” “Jumanji” and “Uncharted.” On offer will be a mix of themed physical and immersive multi-media experiences, interactive installations, attractions and dining options including escape rooms, VR and bumper cars as well as bars and restaurants.

K.J. Yossman A documentary about Eddie Hall, the strongman and “Expendables 4” actor, has been acquired for worldwide theatrical release and streaming by sports media company Generation Iron. “Taming The Beast – The Emptiness Within” is a feature-length doc from Switzerland-based Jeridoo Universe about British strongman Hall.

K.J. Yossman Speciality distributor and exhibitor Curzon has tapped Edward Fletcher as its new CEO. Fletcher will take over the role from Philip Knatchbull, who departs the company next week.

K.J. Yossman King Charles III confirmed the Government’s plan to push through with its long-discussed Media Bill on Tuesday morning local time during the traditional opening of Parliament ceremony in London.

K.J. Yossman Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is joining controversial network GB News as an anchor and producer. Johnson, who is set to start his role in the new year, will play “a key role in the channel’s coverage of both the U.K.

K.J. Yossman The partners of transatlantic production company Fulwell 73 have released a statement condemning the “devastating terrorist attack against Israel” two weeks ago and expressing concern over how the conflict is being reported by the media.

K.J. Yossman Israeli actor David Cunio is believed to have been abducted by Hamas alongside his wife, 3-year-old daughters, sister-in-law and niece during Saturday’s massacre. Cunio, who made his debut in Berlinale-premiering feature film “Youth” in 2013 alongside his twin brother Eitan Cunio, was a resident of Nir Oz, a kibbutz in Southern Israel that was the scene of some of the worst atrocities perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists.

K.J. Yossman Director Katie Hindley has spent a lot of time thinking about the Kardashians.

K.J. Yossman Sky boss Dana Strong has said she is “optimistic” that Warner Discovery will renew its content deal with the European cable service when it expires in three years.

K.J. Yossman BBC boss Tim Davie has said the Russell Brand controversy shows that media companies can’t be “complacent.” The BBC is currently investigating following allegations that comedian Brand raped and sexually assaulted four women.

K.J. Yossman The president of the Writers Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), Sandi Toksvig, is set to call for changes to the way in which streamers remunerate writers. Toksvig will speak at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Liverpool, U.K.

K.J. Yossman editor Michael Winterbottom’s production company Revolution Films is opening an Italian outpost, Variety can exclusively confirm. The production outfit, known for films and TV series including the Boris Johnson-inspired “This England” and the upcoming TIFF contender “Shoshana,” is in the process of setting up an office in the country, say sources with knowledge of the expansion.

K.J. Yossman Sacha Baron Cohen is bringing back Ali G, the controversial character with whom he first shot to fame in the late 1990s. Variety understands Baron Cohen has been working on a stand-up tour in which Ali G will make an appearance.

Ellise Shafer HollyShorts Film Festival, the Oscar-qualifying celebration of short films, has announced the jury lineup for its 2023 edition. The 18-person jury includes Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”), Sam Worthington (“Avatar”), Zoey Deutch (“Not Okay”), Alexandra Shipp (“Barbie”), Josh Whitehouse (“Daisy Jones & the Six”), Christina Chong (“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”), Nelu Handa (“Run the Burbs” showrunner) and Jaime Ray Newman (“Skin”). Variety international correspondent K.J.

K.J. Yossman Prince Harry has gotten the go ahead in yet another legal battle, this time against British tabloid The Sun. Harry first launched his legal claim against The Sun publisher News Group Newspapers in Sept.

K.J. Yossman On Wednesday morning, ITV boss Carolyn McCall appeared in front of a Parliamentary committee to be grilled over the network’s culture and duty of care in the wake of the Phillip Schofield scandal. Schofield, a long-time anchor on ITV’s flagship daytime show “This Morning,” resigned last month in ignominy shortly before admitting to an affair with a young male runner on the show while he was married (Schofield has two adult daughters with his wife, Stephanie). Some have questioned the intensity of the coverage, which has unsurprisingly taken a mental toll on both Schofield and his former lover, especially since the affair was, in the anchor’s own words, “unwise but not illegal.” But there are a number of elements – not least the runner’s age – that catalyzed the media tsunami that now threatens to take down not only Schofield but his former co-host Holly Willoughby as well as various network executives including McCall.

K.J. Yossman Prince Harry has returned to London’s High Court for his second day of testimony in his case against British tabloid publisher Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN). Harry, who is also known as the Duke of Sussex, made history yesterday as the first British royal to appear in the witness box in 130 years. During his full day of testimony – which included examination by his own lawyer, David Sherborne KC, followed by cross-examination from MGN’s lawyer, Andrew Green KC – the prince gave evidence in relation to over a dozen articles he claims were based on “unlawfully” gathered information.

K.J. Yossman Convicted sex offender and former television host Rolf Harris has died, PA reports. He was 93. PA said his death, on May 10, had been confirmed by a registrar at Maidenhead Town Hall. The cause of death was listed as neck cancer and old age. Harris, an artist and musician, was a well-known face on British television until 2012 when he was arrested and questioned about a series of sexual assaults he was said to have carried out between 1968 and 1986. In 2014 he was convicted and sentenced to almost six years in prison. He served only three years, after being released in 2017.

K.J. Yossman Prince Harry has lost a legal challenge in the U.K. over paying for private police protection according to the Press Association. The prince, who is also known as the Duke of Sussex, had attempted to launch a judicial review over the decision to reject his bid to privately hire members of the U.K. police force for his (and his family’s) personal protection. A judicial review is a court process that examines the way in which a decision has been reached by a public body. It does not consider the merits of the decision itself. When Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex took a “step back” from the Royal Family by relocating first to Canada and then to California, they lost their entitlement to publicly-funded police protection.

K.J. Yossman Sky boss Stephen van Rooyen said the streamers will have to adapt and change just as linear networks did a decade or so ago. Van Rooyen, who is CEO of Sky U.K. and Ireland and CCO for the Comcast owned-Sky Group, was in conversation with Sky News anchor Sophy Ridge at the Deloitte and Enders Media and Telecoms conference on Thursday in London. When Ridge asked the media boss whether he had relaxed about the threat of streamers since the great “Netflix reset” of last year, he replied: “Actually I never really thought about it that way.” “There’s been a lot of rhetoric about traditional TV versus new TV and all that stuff, particularly over the last seven or eight years,” van Rooyen said. “But we never really thought of it that way. We’ve thought about the customer, we’ve thought about the competition, we’ve thought about how it either presents an opportunity or how it can be aggregative to the consumer experience we deliver.”

K.J. Yossman Less than eighteen months after Disney opened its first “Star Wars” themed hotel in Orlando, Fla. to much fanfare, the company has confirmed Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is set to cease operations. “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is one of our most creative projects ever and has been praised by our guests and recognized for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment,” said a spokesperson for Disney, according to CNBC. “This premium experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms, and we will take what we’ve learned to create future experiences that can reach more of our guests and fans.”

K.J. Yossman The heads of Britain’s four main public service broadcasters gave their verdicts on the current industry climate and the future of PSBs at the Deloitte and Enders Media and Telecoms conference in London on Thursday afternoon. The BBC’s director general Tim Davie, ITV CEO Carolyn McCall, Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon and Maria Kyriacou, Paramount Global’s president of international broadcast and studios (which oversees Channel 5), spoke on a variety of topics including the Media Bill, digital supremacy and even slug sex. Read on for some more highlights from the panel:

K.J. Yossman Culture secretary Lucy Frazer set out her vision for the U.K.’s creative industries on Thursday morning, which included a plan to boost the creative sector’s gross added vale by £50 billion and create a million more jobs by 2030. “Our creative industries are world class,” Frazer said. “We are in the golden age of the silver screen. We rival any country in the world at sound and visual effects, and are on track to double U.K. film stage space by 2025.” Frazer, who was speaking at the Deloitte and Enders Media and Telecoms conference in London, added: “The world over, there is demand for high-end British productions not just because of our fantastic actors and our great locations, but because of our tech know-how and production skills. The imagination of our designers, our producers, our content creators, our writers and artists is spearheading growth right across our economy.”

K.J. Yossman Ukrainian leader President Zelenskyy has reportedly been barred from making an address during the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday. The Times of London reports the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the contest, turned down Zelenskyy’s request on the grounds that it would politicize the event. “The Eurovision Song Contest is an international entertainment show and governed by strict rules and principles which have been established since its creation. As part of these, one of the cornerstones of the contest is the non-political nature of the event,” an EBU spokesman told the Times. “This principle prohibits the possibility of making political or similar statements as part of the contest. The request by Mr Zelenskyy to address the audience at the Eurovision Song Contest, whilst made with laudable intentions, regrettably cannot be granted as it would be against the rules of the event.”

K.J. Yossman Heads may roll if Howard Stern ever visits the U.K. The shock jock slammed the U.K.’s newly-crowned King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla in his radio show on Monday, calling the king a “pussy” and the royal couple “vampires.” “England’s got to get a grip on themselves,” Stern said. “I understand maybe it brings in tourism but Jesus H Christ. First of all Prince Charles is a pussy. That’s number one. And people are acting – the whole ceremony they’re acting like that fucking guy went to war or something and then beat up all the other people.” “They’re like ‘We swear our allegiance to you and you’re a great warrior,'” Stern continued. “I mean the whole thing is fucking nuts and in this day and age.”

K.J. Yossman Netflix’s director of U.K. features Fiona Lamptey has exited the streamer after nineteenth months, Variety understands. No reason has been given for the move and Netflix declined to comment. Lamptey joined Netflix U.K. Oct. in 2021 from Fruit Tree Media with a brief to expand Netflix’s U.K. talent roster and scout new IP to adapt for feature-length productions. She previously spent 13 years at Channel 4 and its feature division Film4. Among the features developed during her time at the streamer are “I Came By,” starring “Downton Abbey’s” Hugh Bonneville, “The Wonder,” which starred Florence Pugh and “The Strays” starring Ashley Madekwe and Bukky Bakray.

K.J. Yossman Composer Patrick Doyle counts “Cinderella,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” among the films he has scored. From Saturday, the two-time Oscar nominee (for his work on “Hamlet” and “Sense and Sensibility”) will have another credit to add to his already-lengthy resume: composing the music for King Charles III’s coronation. It is a gig that will cement his place in the annals of history, joining fellow royal coronation composers including Handel (who was commissioned for the coronation of King George II in 1727) and Elgar (for Edward VII in 1902). So how did the man who also composed the music for “The Emoji Movie” and “Bridget Jones’s Diary” come to be involved in such an historic event?

K.J. Yossman The producers behind Wayne Rooney documentary “Rooney” have unveiled their latest factual sporting series, “Stable,” about the renowned McGuigan family of boxers. Lorton Entertainment, who produced “Rooney” for Amazon Prime Video as well as “Boom! Boom! The World vs Boris Becker” for Apple TV Plus, are set to follow professional boxing’s first family, the McGuigans, in a new series. The four-part series will follow trainers Shane and Jake McGuigan, sons of International Boxing Hall of Famer, Barry McGuigan, as they manage a stable of fighters based at their gym.

K.J. Yossman King Charles III’s coronation is set to be a memorable occasion – if only for the eclectic lineup that will be appearing at a concert thrown in the new monarch’s honor. The latest stars to be confirmed for the Coronation Concert, which will take place in the grounds of Windsor Castle the day after the historic ceremony, are “Top Gun” actor Tom Cruise, Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger and tubby little cubby Winnie the Pooh. It will not be the trio’s first brush with royalty, with all three having attended previous royal events. Cruise was a guest at Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997, Pooh was invited to a children’s garden party at Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II’s 80th anniversary in 2006 and Scherzinger took part in a pageant in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee last year.