Sony “expected to release” PS5 Slim in 2023, alleges Microsoft

An alleged victim of Kevin Spacey has said he put his allegations “in a box” initially because the Oscar-winning actor was seen as a “golden boy.”

Amazon Prime Day 2023 coming on July 11, there is no shortage of summer savings this month. Amazon has a ton of Fourth of July deals on tech right now, including 4K TVs from top brands like Samsung, LG, Sony and more.

Celine is canceling their show.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Sony Pictures Television has announced a new division focusing on music development, headed by Palash Ahmed, who worked as a music producer before joining the company in 2017. The move is intended to leverage the company’s ties to Sony Music Group and the larger music industry. In this role, Ahmed will be collaborating on music-related projects across SPT’s production groups (U.S. scripted, international production, nonfiction and kids divisions).  SPT Chairman Ravi Ahuja made the announcement in an internal note to staff, obtained by Variety. 

Naman Ramachandran Sony Music-owned music distribution company AWAL has launched in India and South Asia, following the acquisition of OKListen, a digital music platform for independent artists and record labels. Based in Mumbai and supported by Sony Music India, AWAL will offer independent artists in the region a range of services including global marketing, creative, synch and brand partnerships, radio promotion and distribution as well as access to real-time music analytics. Vijay Basrur, who founded OKListen in 2012 as India’s first homegrown digital distribution service, has been appointed head of India and South Asia, AWAL, reporting into Lonny Olinick, CEO of AWAL and Vinit Thakkar, managing director, Sony Music India.

EXCLUSIVE: Kapil Talwalkar (Night Court), Olivia Liang (Kung Fu), Karan Soni (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and Tom Everett Scott (That Thing You Do!) are set to star in Paper Flowers, an inspirational indie based on the true story of Shalin Shah, a 22-year-old whose battle with cancer gained viral attention in 2015. 

PC Music label has announced that it is to stop releasing new music after 2023.The label was founded by A.G. Cook in 2013 and has announced upon its 10th anniversary that it will cease working on new projects.In a statement, Cook wrote: “After a decade of activity, 2023 will be PC Music’s final year of new releases.“Following that, the label will be dedicated to archival projects and special reissues.

Fatboy Slim paid tribute to the late Maxi Jazz of Faithless during his set at Glastonbury Festival yesterday (June 24).The DJ took to the Park Stage on Saturday night to play a one hour and 15 minutes set, where he was joined by surprise guest Rita Ora to perform their new track ‘Praising You’ together.During his performance, Fatboy Slim – real name Norman Quentin Cook – paid tribute to Maxi Jazz, who died in December 2022, aged 65.Clips of the Faithless singer played on the screen behind as the DJ performed a snippet of the late artist’s iconic 1995 track ‘Insomnia’, met by cheers from the crowd.You can watch footage of the moment below.YES Fatboy Slim paying tribute to Maxi Jazz ❤️ #glastonbury2023 @FatboySlim @faithless pic.twitter.com/M293MVBGPe— Sanny Rudravajhala

Taylor Swift is looking back at one of her most iconic breakup songs – “Dear John.”

Comic-Con is the latest event to be hit by Hollywood’s labor issue.

2020 acquisition of ZeniMax was, at least in part, to stop Sony from paying the company to skip Xbox releases of its games, according to a statement by head of Xbox Phil Spencer during the FTC v. Microsoft hearing.“When we acquired ZeniMax one of the impetus for that is that Sony had done a deal for ‘Deathloop’ and ‘Ghostwire’… to pay Bethesda to not ship those games on Xbox,” said Spencer.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment Writer Can San Diego Comic-Con catch a break? For two years, the biggest annual fan convention in North America was forced to cancel the five-day gathering due to the COVID-19 pandemic — placing Comic-Con International, the non-profit organization that runs SDCC, under unprecedented financial strain. Last year, SDCC came roaring back with a masked-and-vaccinated convention that was a robust success, with blockbuster Hall H panels for the “Star Trek” TV universe, “House of the Dragon,” “The Walking Dead” and, especially, Marvel Studios. This year’s Comic-Con — which is scheduled to start July 19, less than a month away — is increasingly likely to have none of those panels.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music In what may be the first AI-specific senior executive role in the music industry, Sony has hired former BPI CEO Geoff Taylor as executive vice president of AI, according to an internal memo obtained by Variety. In his new role, Taylor, who was CEO of the British Phonographic Industry trade organization for 15 years and is a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), will report to Sony Music Entertainment COO Kevin Kelleher. According to the memo, Taylor’s responsibilities will include coordinating the company’s business efforts surrounding artificial intelligence, and coordinate across the global digital business and business and legal affairs division.

Earlier this week, Sony dropped its first trailer for its next “Spider-Man” spinoff, “Kraven The Hunter,” which hits theaters this October. That film was supposed to be the first of three Spidey spinoffs in the next year, the other two being “El Muerto” and “Madame Web,” both set for early 2024 releases.

Zoe Ball told former husband Fatboy Slim she ‘tried to block him from her memory’ as she interviewed him on her radio show. The 52 year old host made the joke as she chatted to her DJ ex - real name Norman Cook - on her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show about all things Glastonbury on Friday morning. Zoe and Norman were married in 1999 and had two children together - Woody, 22, and 13 year old Nelly - but divorced in 2016, saying they had come to ‘the end of their rainbow’ after ‘many exciting adventures together’.

Microsoft also revealed Xbox trailed in the share of existing consoles in use with only 21%.In related news, Beth Wilkinson, Microsoft’s lead attorney, said the case was going to determine whether Microsoft’s Activision acquisition happens or sends the companies into a multiyear “administrative nightmare” that sinks the transaction altogether. The company hopes to close the deal by July 18.The hearing also unearthed fresh details on games that have otherwise been extraordinarily light on news, such as Bethesda’s upcoming “Indiana Jones” title.

Sony has confirmed that it won’t share any PS6 details with Activision Blizzard if Microsoft successfully purchases the company.Speaking to the US Federal Trade Commission (via Eurogamer) PlayStation boss Jim Ryan confirmed that it would not take the risk of sharing console details with its competitor.“[Sony] simply could not run the risk of a company that was owned by a direct competitor having access to that information,” he explained.His comments were received by the FTC in April after he was quizzed about statements submitted by Sony that explain the company’s position on Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard.In an FTC v MS/ABK deposition, PlayStation chief Jim Ryan said that, if deal closes, Sony couldn't tell Activision about its next consoleIs then asked about Sony working with Mojang (Minecraft) after MS bought them.

deposition transcript for the FTC vs Microsoft and Activision Blizzard King case, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s CEO Jim Ryan explained why the company wouldn’t be able to share key info about its upcoming PlayStation console with Activision were Activision to be bought by Microsoft (via Stephen Totilo).“We simply could not run the risk of a company that was owned by a direct competitor having access to that information,” Ryan said, alluding to the possibility that if Sony shared info with Activision to help it craft console-exclusive features for hypothetical PlayStation 6 launch titles, Activision’s (would-be) parent company, Microsoft, would examine the details of the still-in-development PlayStation 6 and have unfair knowledge of what its rival was cooking up. This knowledge would possibly enable Microsoft to integrate its competitor’s console’s benefits into its own next-generation hardware.Ryan also said he believed Activision under Microsoft would not be incentivized to take advantage of unique PlayStation features, as Activision would be focused first and foremost on making its game experiences great on Microsoft’s systems (Xbox and PC).

Spider-Man spin-off film El Muerto starring Bad Bunny has been pulled from Sony’s 2024 release schedule.The company announced the film had been removed from its release slate on Wednesday (June 21), after it was originally scheduled for January 12, 2024. It was set to be directed by Jonás Cuarón, the son of director Alfonso Cuarón.According to The Hollywood Reporter, progress on the project has been impacted by the ongoing writers strike in Hollywood, with sources claiming that the “script needed additional work” as of mid-spring which hadn’t yet been addressed.It’s also claimed Bad Bunny’s touring schedule left the film’s release date up in the air, with it currently uncertain whether the project will go ahead.Bad Bunny originally announced a film adaptation of El Muerto at CinemaCon in April 2022, where he confirmed he’d take on the lead role.

Sad news for Bad Bunny fans.