‘Rings of Power’ Cast Slams Racist Backlash at Monte-Carlo Television Festival, Teases ‘Action-Packed’ Season 2

From Studio Ghibli leading the charge for the expansion of anime to BTS and BLACKPINK topping the music charts to TV series and films such as “Squid Games,” Parasite,” “Minari,” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once” dominating the awards circuit, the popularity of Asian culture and media has surged recently in the United States in recent years.

Former Manchester United fans' favourite Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes that he has played a key role Sandro Tonali's development ahead of his impending move to Newcastle United.

So long, soundstage of 1,000 memories.

full-frontal nudity.The premise revolves around 32-year-old Maddie (Lawrence), who is hired by 19-year-old Percy’s (Andrew Barth Feldman) parents to date him. The stars of the flick clapped back at the recent backlash to the movie’s plot and rated-R raunchiness.Percy’s overprotective (and wealthy) parents are played by Laura Benanti and Matthew Broderick.“It’s a cautionary tale,” Benanti, 43, explained to the Hollywood Reporter about the hate.“If you are a helicopter parent who puts your child in such a bubble, they do not know how to exist outside of that bubble, you are going to make the exact opposite and insane choice, which is what they are doing here.“I feel like it is a very satirical look at what can happen if you do not give your children a longer leash to figure things out for themselves,” the “Nashville” star continued.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The 28th edition of the Shanghai TV Festival wrapped up on Friday with its Magnolia Awards presented to a range of TV drama series, documentaries and animation programs. The drama awards were dominated by two shows “A Lifelong Journey” and “Bright Future.” “A Lifelong Journey,” adapted from a novel of the same name by Liang Xiaosheng, tells the story of three generations of one family in China’s Northeast as time moves from the late Cultural Revolution period through to the country’s reform and opening up. With a starry cast and broadcasters including CCTV-1 and Jiangsu Satellite TV, the show is reported to have attracted 310 million viewers at the beginning of 2022. In mainland China, it ran for 58 episodes, while in Hong Kong it played in 35 parts.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The members of the international juries that will decide the Magnolia prizes at the ongoing Shanghai Television Festival were Thursday made to do double duty as speakers in public masterclasses that were open to a generation of aspiring documentary and animation makers. David Stephan, jury president in the animation category, along with fellow judges Spencer Ooi and Jia Fou, spoke at length about getting their starts in the business and finding inspiration. “When I studied animation, I didn’t have a textbook available. I saw extremely limited things, so I did further research to make myself understand what I was doing in such a career,” said Jia.

Princess Charlene of Monaco is simply stunning during a rare, solo appearance!

The French film Le Colosse aux Pieds d’Argile and UK-Australia series Ten Pounds Poms took the top fiction prizes at the 62nd annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival, which were handed out Tuesday in Monaco. See the full winners list below.

Ben Croll “The Fragile Colossus,” “Ten Pound Poms” and “The Seed” ruled the roost at this year’s Monte-Carlo Television Festival, with the three programs collecting two prizes each at a small-screen showcase that ran June 16 – 20 in the Monaco capital. Produced by Make It Happen Studio and Shoot Again Productions in partnership with TF1 France, telefilm “The Fragile Colossus” took home Monte-Carlo’s Golden Nymph for best film and the special jury prize. The French drama follows a one-time rugby star (played by soccer player-turned-actor Eric Cantona) confronting his history as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, and is based on the life and memoires of rugbyman Sébastien Boueilh.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor U.S. actor Robin Wright will be awarded the President’s Award at the 57th Karlovy Vary Film Festival’s closing ceremony. In honor of Wright, it will screen “The Princess Bride.” Wright is best known for her performance in Netflix series “House of Cards.” She earned three Golden Globe nominations and a win in 2014. She earned five Screen Actors Guild award nominations for the show, and received five consecutive Emmy nominations. In 2017, Wright played Lieutenant Joshi in “Blade Runner 2049,” and Amazon warrior General Antiope in “Justice League” and Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman.” The following year, she reprised her role as Antiope in “Wonder Woman 1984.” She will be seen this Fall starring opposite Millie Bobby Brown in the fantasy film “Damsel,” and co-starring with Tom Hanks in “HERE,” directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor At the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, the cast of “Harlan Coben’s Shelter” – which debuts on Prime Video on Aug. 18 – spoke about how the show rings true when it comes to presenting a true representation of the country’s diversity, and delivering an authentic depiction of teenage life in the U.S. At the press conference for the show, which followed its world premiere at the festival, were Jaden Michael, Constance Zimmer, Adrian Greensmith and Abby Corrigan, alongside Edward Ornelas, one of the show’s executive producers and directors. Michael, who plays Mickey Bolitar in the teen thriller, said: “When I was growing up, there was one movie I watched religiously. It was called ‘Imagine That’ with Eddie Murphy, Nicole Ari Parker and Yara Shahidi – it was one of her first projects. And I watched that movie on repeat daily, because it was the only movie where I saw someone who looked like me.

Josh Duhamel and wife Audra Mari are back on the red carpet for the premiere of Buddy Games 2: Spring Awakening during the 2023 Monte Carlo TV Festival on Sunday (June 18) in Monaco.

Zeeko Zaki‘s fiancée Renee Monaco is showing off her engagement ring!

Raymond Lee is showing off his better half – Stacy Kusumolkul – on the red carpet while attending the 2023 Monte Carlo TV Festival in Monaco over the weekend.

The upcoming Netflix action thriller Heart of Stone has received its first trailer and you can watch right here!

Angelique Jackson Gal Gadot is going from superhero to super spy in the action-packed first trailer for the international espionage thriller “Heart of Stone.” Gadot was joined by co-stars Jamie Dornan and Alia Bhatt at Netflix’s Tudum fan festival in São Paulo, Brazil, where the trio debuted the film’s first trailer. The footage features heart-stopping stunts, like Gadot’s Rachel Stone — an intelligence operative for a shadowy global peacekeeping agency — skydiving from a death-defying height. Stone’s steely demeanor and adrenaline-junkie habits are explained as her boss (Sophie Okonedo) warns, “You know what you signed up for. No friends, no relationships… What we do is too important. When governments fail, the only thing left is the Charter.”

With the start of production on Season 4 of Netflix’s comedy Emily In Paris delayed by the writers strike, star Lily Collins dropped some clues while fans wait during the streamer’s Tudum event.

Ben Croll Without a market component, the Monte-Carlo Television Festival has nevertheless built out and bulked up its industry section with each passing edition. More than anything, the move came out of sheer practicality, says executive director Cécile Menoni. “We realized that the professionals who were already present could benefit from certain professional content,” Menoni explains. “The idea was to involve the many people who were already in attendance. To federate the juries, nominees and journalists, and to convey their overall vision of cotemporary industry concerns.” This year’s festival business program runs from June 17 – 19, beginning with a conversation moderated by Variety’s Leo Barraclough that will find Amazon Studio’s Rola Bauer and executive producer Edward Ornelas discussing the challenges and opportunities, casting choices and artistic ambitions of the festival’s opening series, “Harlan Corben’s Shelter.”

Ben Croll Running the Monte-Carlo Television Festival since 2012, Laurent Puons has always tried to look ahead. From his embrace of streamers and digital platforms back in 2017 to his growing emphasis on diverse formats, the festival director sees his summer showcase as a bellwether event for the wider television industry – and what the industry could use right now, in Puons’ view, is flexibility.  “There are already so many festivals today dedicated to series,” Puons explains. “But Monte-Carlo follows a wholly different concept. We’re a home for all kinds of content, and one of the only festivals with both fiction and factual competitions. And when you see what’s broadcast on platforms like Netflix and Amazon, [you need to cover that full range.]”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Best-selling novelist and showrunner Harlan Coben kicked off the 62nd edition of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival Friday with an expression of solidarity with the striking members of the Writers Guild of America, of which he is a member. Coben, the co-showrunner and executive producer of Prime Video series “Harlan Coben’s Shelter,” which opened the festival with the world premiere of its first episode, said he wouldn’t be taking part in the promotion of the show at the festival to demonstrate his support for the strike. Standing on stage alongside Monaco’s Prince Albert II, the festival’s honorary president, Coben said: “I am just going to say I am supporting the Writers Guild of America, my union, that is striking right now, so I am not going to participate in any of the question and answers, and none of the media – I’m just here for the prince, and will introduce you to the wonderful cast who will take over for you.”