Continental Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Zack Sharf Digital News Director In a rare new interview while promoting his performance in Zach Braff’s “A Good Person,” Morgan Freeman told The Sunday Times that he’s insulted by Black History Month and the term “African-American.” “Two things I can say publicly that I do not like,” Freeman said. “Black History Month is an insult. You’re going to relegate my history to a month?” “Also ‘African-American’ is an insult,” he added. “I don’t subscribe to that title. Black people have had different titles all the way back to the n-word and I do not know how these things get such a grip, but everyone uses ‘African-American’. What does it really mean? Most black people in this part of the world are mongrels. And you say Africa as if it’s a country when it’s a continent, like Europe.”

The Sunday Times’s Culture magazine in which he discussed his views on race.“Two things I can say publicly that I do not like. Black History Month is an insult. You’re going to relegate my history to a month?” he questioned.“Also ‘African-American’ is an insult.

In a rare interview, Morgan Freeman has expressed his distaste for both the premise of ‘Black History Month’ and the term ‘African-American.’

EXCLUSIVE: African entertainment heavyweight Jan du Plessis is back in business.

The John Wick prequel series is here!

John Wick spin-off prequel series The Continental has arrived – check it out below.The series was first teased in 2017, and was confirmed to be a prequel to the Keanu Reeves-starring movie series, with set “way back in terms of timing of the movies.”Ahead of its September 2023 release date on the Peacock streaming service, the first trailer has arrived for the show.A synopsis for The Continental reads: “The three-part event series will explore the origin behind the iconic hotel-for-assassins centerpiece of the John Wick universe through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, as he’s dragged into the Hell-scape of 1970’s New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind.“Winston charts a deadly course through the hotel’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the hotel where he will eventually take his future throne.”Watch the trailer below.Speaking about the show’s premise, Lionsgate chairman Kevin Beggs explained: “What we’re exploring in The Continental is the young Winston and how it came to be that he and his team of confederates found their way into this hotel which we have met for the first time in the movie franchise 40 years later. That’s the arena.“I won’t give away more than that, but Starz really leaned into this take also, and they have been great collaborators.

The world of assassins gets a ’70s twist.

McKinley Franklin author It’s time to check into “The Continental.” The world of “John Wick” is expanding with the upcoming prequel series “The Continental” — which doesn’t include Keanu Reeves’ staple character, but after seeing the first trailer, it looks like the action-packed show may not need him anyway. “The Continental” is a prequel miniseries based on the four main “John Wick” movies. The original set of films, including last month’s “John Wick 4,” follows Reeves’ ex-hitman character, John Wick, who comes out of retirement on a quest for bloody vengeance. “The Continental” will give audiences a glimpse into the early “John Wick” universe before the timeline of the first film with its three episodes. The show will premiere on Peacock in September. 

Christopher Vourlias Amazon Prime Video launched the latest chapter in its global expansion Thursday night in Nigeria with the flashy premiere of its first African Original, “Gangs of Lagos,” a gritty crime thriller from celebrated multi-hyphenate Jade Osiberu. At a packed house on Lagos’ ritzy Victoria Island, luminaries from the Nigerian film and fashion industries turned out to toast a movie that electrified the boisterous homegrown crowd ahead of its global release. “I’m overwhelmed,” said Osiberu after a rousing ovation. “It’s a dream come true.” “Gangs of Lagos,” which drops globally on Prime Video on Friday, is the first film to come out of the streamer’s three-year overall deal with Osiberu, the creator of domestic box-office sensations “Sugar Rush” and “Isoken” — one of a host of recent pacts with Nigerian creators from the U.S. tech giant as it tries to outflank Netflix in Africa’s biggest market.

An unexpected tragedy. New details regarding Lance Reddick’s death have been revealed, nearly one month after he passed away at the age of 60 on March 17.

Asake is a Nigerian artist with a talent for fusing music from the African continent and beyond, creating tracks that frequently entertain Western notions of pop while sounding totally fresh. "2:30," his second single of the year after the Songs You Need-playlisted "Yoga," is another winner.

Transport bosses have unveiled a plan to breathe new life into Greater Manchester's railway stations and drive investment and potential housing development surrounding them.

Back in 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle filmed their infamous South African documentary which actually left the TV crew reeling.

Nigel Lawson has sadly died at the age of 91.Tributes have started to pour in for the Conservative former chancellor, who was also the father of celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, 63. Following a report in the Telegraph, former prime minister Boris Johnson, Tory chairman Greg hands and ex-chancellor Sajid Javid were among those marking his death. “Nigel Lawson was a fearless and original flame of free market Conservatism," Johnson said.

Naman Ramachandran Leads Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden kicked off the global tour of Prime Video series “Citadel” with its Asia Pacific premiere in Mumbai on Monday. The series, created by Amazon Studios and the Russo Brothers’ AGBO, with David Weil serving as showrunner and executive producer, revolves around independent global spy agency Citadel, which has been destroyed by syndicate Manticore. With Citadel’s fall, elite agents Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) had their memories wiped as they narrowly escaped with their lives and have remained hidden ever since, building new lives under new identities, unaware of their pasts. Until one night, when Mason is tracked down by his former Citadel colleague, Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci), who desperately needs his help to prevent Manticore from establishing a new world order. The six episode series also features Lesley Manville in a pivotal role.

EXCLUSIVE: Fremantle HR boss Nicky Gray is exiting the Got Talent and Normal People super-indie after more than two decades.

With a huge night for Anthony Joshua on Saturday night, his fight will be supported by a high quality undercard with a number of recognisable names to watch at the O2 Arena.

A day that defined history. The late Queen Elizabeth II’s royal coronation marked the beginning of her journey to become the longest-reigning British monarch.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Andrea Scrosati, who is group COO and continental Europe CEO of Fremantle, isn’t too worried about various types of turbulence that are currently creating anxiety in the U.S. media market such as draconian cost cuts being made by juggernaut groups and the impending prospect of a Writers Guild of America strike. Speaking in Italy at a panel titled “Less is More – What to Do When the Streaming Boom is Over” Scrosati noted that the effect of market consolidation in the U.S. and fear due to plunging stock market results that is prompting cost cuts at Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery certainly means that “some of the big buyers are in a conflict.”

LFO, a popular 90s music group known for the smash hit "Summer Girls," has lost one of its founding members. Brian "Brizz" Gillis died on Wednesday at the age of 47. His cause of death is currently unknown.

John Wick: Chapter 4 landed in cinemas last week, with Keanu Reeves reprising the titular role once again on the big screen.Directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch, the action-thriller follows Wick as he “uncovers a path to defeating the High Table”.“But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes,” a synopsis about the new movie adds.You can watch the trailer for John Wick: Chapter 4 below.The John Wick franchise currently consists of four movies. The series kicked off with John Wick in October 2014, before John Wick: Chapter 2 followed in February 2017 – both films were written by Derek Kolstad and directed by Stahelski (with the original also featuring co-director David Leitch).John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum was then released in May 2019 with Stahelski once again directing, while the script was handled by Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins and Marc Abrams.

The Money Saving Expert website has officially named the best chocolate Easter egg for 2023 - and the winner beat out big name brands such as Lindt and Thorntons.

 will reportedly be set in Thailand, according to multiple outlets that have sources close to the HBO production. The reports come after creator Mike White made several comments about setting a new installment somewhere in Asia, following Maui, Hawaii, in season 1 and Sicily, Italy, in season 2. «I think it’d be fun to maybe go to a whole different continent.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director John Wick is a man of few words. No really. A report from The Wall Street Journal reveals that Keanu Reeves’ eponymous assassin says only 380 words across 103 lines of dialogue during “John Wick: Chapter 4,” which runs nearly three-hours long with its 169 minute runtime. Nearly a third of Reeves’ dialogue in the sequel consists of just one single word. As reported by Wall Street Journal: “In the first installment, clocking in at 101 minutes, Mr. Reeves said a total of 484 words. With a run time of 169 minutes, the fourth movie pushes three hours but features just 380 words by Wick. About 10% of them are featured in the movie’s trailer, which makes the hero seem almost chatty; Wick says more in that 2.5 minute clip than he does in the first 25 minutes of the movie itself.”

The world of “John Wick” is getting even bigger.

Marco Tombolini is now sole CEO of Fremantle Italy after Gabriele Immirzi moved to Lorenzo Mielio’s drama house The Apartment Pictures.

Kellogg’s has produced a new coffee-flavoured breakfast cereal which is due to be launched in supermarkets in the coming months.

“John Wick: Chapter 4” is here.And this time around the title character (played once again by Keanu Reeves) is in real trouble. Not only is the High Table, led by the vicious Marquis (Bill Skarsgård), out for his head but he is hunted by several new adversaries, including old chum Caine (Donnie Yen), German High Table member Killa (Scott Adkins) and the Tracker (Shamier Anderson), a shadowy figure who is always just out of reach. Can Wick clear his name and make it out of this gauntlet alive? And if he does, what will be left of him? Find out below.Major spoilers for “John Wick: Chapter 4” are below, obviously.

Jordan Moreau SPOILER ALERT: Spoilers are ahead for “John Wick: Chapter 4,” now playing in theaters. After killing countless High Table henchmen, falling down hundreds of stairs and dueling one blind master swordsman, Keanu Reeves’ John Wick is…dead? “John Wick: Chapter 4” ends with Wick seemingly six feet under, after succumbing to three gunshot wounds he suffered during his final duel with Caine (Donnie Yen). Winston (Ian McShane) and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) even pay their respects at the master assassin’s tombstone, which is located next to his wife’s final resting place.

John Wick manages to achieve new bombastic heights in its third sequel.Directed once again by Chad Stahelski, John Wick: Chapter 4 is the longest and arguably most ambitious entry in the franchise yet – with bigger action sequences and an expanded cast including singer Rina Sawayama.A synopsis reads: “John Wick uncovers a path to defeating the High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.”Not officially. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lionsgate planned to shoot John Wick: Chapter 4 and 5 back to back, but this idea was scrapped due to production delays.While this would suggest a fifth entry is still on the cards, Stahelski told The Hollywood Reporter in March that they are planning to give the franchise “a rest”.“In our minds, Keanu and I are done for the moment,” Stahelski said.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Anderson Cooper, a regular contributor to “60 Minutes,” will now lead CNN’s attempt to put on something similar. Cooper will lead a new Sunday newsmagazine, “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper,” that will present one-hour deep dives into specific topics, interviews, profiles and investigations The show will debut Sunday, April 16 at 8 p.m. “Powered by CNN’s unmatched global journalism operation, ‘The Whole Story’goes behind the headlines, touching every continent and corner of the planet, as we bring our viewers into the heart of the essential stories of our time,” said CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht, in a statement. The show has been on CNN’s drawing board for nearly a year. Licht first articulated a plan for a Sunday program — and a larger block of premium programming on Sunday nights — at last year’s upfront. “Whole Story” would appear to be paired with Chris Wallace’s interview program, which runs at 7 p.m. eastern.

They have played for bragging rights around home course Blairgowrie on countless occasions over the years.

Rina Sawayama has shared a new song from the John Wick: Chapter 4 soundtrack ahead of the film’s arrival in cinemas on Friday (March 24).The song is called ‘Eye For An Eye’ and was produced and co-written by Tyler Bates, who has composed the scores for all four John Wick films. Lyrically, it speaks of revenge: “An eye for an eye, a life for a life/ I’ll see you in hell on the other side,” Sawayama sings.Sawayama also makes her acting debut in the film, in which she plays Akira, the concierge of the Osaka Continental and the daughter of John Wick’s (Keanu Reaves) ally Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada).Check out ‘Eye For An Eye’ below:Speaking to NME for the Big Read cover story in September, Sawayama spoke about scoring the role.

Lance Reddick is getting a posthumous sendoff in “John Wick: Chapter 4”.

Ben Croll Speaking at a panel organized by Series Mania’s Forum, executives from Sky Studios touted flexibility and autonomy as their keys to success, teasing further synergies with fellow Comcast-owned services like Peacock and SkyShowtime while emphasizing that such broadcast bids were but one option among many. “[We take things] very case-by-case,” said Meghan Lyvers, director of original drama at Sky Studios U.K. “Not all projects that we develop as Sky Originals in Europe will go into the SkyShowtime cluster of territories, [but] they can. And we [welcome] this flexibility, because it allows projects to come to us with other territories attached.”  

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Fremantle’s Documentaries division has launched Undeniable, a label dedicated to producing premium feature documentaries and series, in partnership with high-profile talent and international commissioners, Mandy Chang, Fremantle’s global head of documentaries, revealed Tuesday at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen. The label is already developing several international projects and partnerships with high-profile filmmakers, including Amy Berg (“Deliver Us From Evil,” “Phoenix Rising”), Chris Smith (“Tiger King,” “Bad Vegan”), and Penny Lane and Gabriel Sedgwick (“Hail Satan?,” “Listening to Kenny G”). Chang said: “The launch of Undeniable further underlines our commitment and ambition to build Fremantle’s documentary output on the premium side. Working with the very best filmmakers and emerging talent, the label will provide editorial and production expertise and support in multiple genres. Importantly, it will provide a platform and freedom for creative talent to unlock and explore important issues and stories to be told.”