Digital Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney had won enough of the shareholder votes cast for its 12 board candidates as of Tuesday evening to successfully defeat an aggressive, months-long proxy fight waged by Nelson Peltz‘s Trian Partners hedge fund, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources. Enough votes had been cast as of Tuesday evening to put Disney’s board directors “safely ahead” of Trian’s two nominees for the board — Peltz and ex-Disney CFO Jay Rasulo — per the Reuters report. In addition, the three board candidates proposed by investment firm Blackwells Capital failed to win enough votes, according to the report.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Marketing veteran Scott Donaton has joined VersusGame, an AI-powered interactive content company, as chief marketing officer. Donaton, most recently senior VP of marketing at Disney’s Hulu, will oversee all marketing functions for Versus, including brand strategy, communications, content, social media and consumer insights. Donaton had joined Hulu in 2019; he introduced the streaming industry’s first branded entertainment practice before exiting Hulu in the spring of 2023.

Plans to erect two giant digital advertising billboards on one of Kilmarnock's busiest roads have been approved.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Michael Keaton participated in a career retrospective interview for GQ magazine and admitted that his casting as Batman in Tim Burton’s 1989 superhero movie was “ballsy” considering he was more known for his comedic roles in films like “Mr. Mom” at that point in his career. Keaton’s casting was met with backlash among comic book fans at the time.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Hunter Schafer said in a new GQ cover story that she has been strategic in trying to shift the public’s focus away from her gender identity as a transgender person. The “Euphoria” favorite does not want her identity to be the sole talking point about her and has at times tried to avoid saying the word “trans” during interviews in order to ensure her career is not solely defined by her gender identity. “It has not just happened naturally by any means.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Minnie Driver said during a recent interview on Jameela Jamil’s “I Weigh” podcast that producers on her 1998 disaster movie “Hard Rain” allegedly told her not to wear a wetsuit while filming with rain machines because “they wanted to see my nipples” (via Entertainment Weekly). The film, directed by Mikael Salomon, opened a year after Driver’s breakthrough in “Good Will Hunting,” which earned her an Oscar nomination. Morgan Freeman and Christian Slater headlined “Hard Rain.” “It’s set during this massive storm, there were huge rain machines.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Lizzo is not quitting music or social media. Days after the Grammy winner stirred up headlines for posting “I quit” on social media, she took to Instagram to clarify exactly what she meant and assure fans that she still plans to release new music in the future.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Andy Cohen kicked off the April 1 episode of his SiriusXM radio show by sharing regret over fueling conspiracy theories about Kate Middleton‘s public absence (via Vanity Fair). It was Cohen’s first show back on the air since Middleton revealed her cancer diagnosis. “I just want to say, I am heartbroken by the news about Princess Kate, and I think someone on Sky News called me a numpty during that whole conversation and they were right,” Cohen said, later adding: “And of course, I wish I had kept my mouth shut and we are all praying for Princess Kate and King Charles.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Endeavor, three years after the sports and entertainment company went public, announced that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by private-equity firm Silver Lake. The deal gives Endeavor an equity value of $13 billion, the companies said.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Steve-O said on a recent episode of his “Wild Ride!” podcast that he had to turn down a request to appear on Bill Maher‘s podcast because Maher allegedly refused not to smoke pot during the interview. “Jackass” alum Steve-O is 16 years sober. Maher is often seen smoking marijuana during his “Club Random” podcast interviews.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Ang Lee is moving on from 3D filmmaking after a trio of hit or miss releases: “Life of Pi” (2012), “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” (2016) and “Gemini Man” (2019). The former title was an acclaimed blockbuster that won Lee the Oscar for best director, while the latter two releases, also distributing in high-frame rate at 120 frames per second, were mostly critical misfires and big financial disappointments. Lee hasn’t made a movie since “Gemini Man.” “I tried higher frame rate and I tried 3D,” Lee recently told IndieWire.

Selena Kuznikov Visual effects house DNEG has acquired the exclusive license to Ziva from Unity. The company will also onboard a significant proportion of the Ziva team.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jon Stewart made headlines in February when he appeared on “CBS Mornings” ahead of his return to hosting Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and said that Apple canceled his previous talk show, “The Problem With Jon Stewart,” because “they didn’t want me to say things that might get me in trouble.” On the April 1 episode of “The Daily Show,” Stewart went into greater detail about Apple’s concerns over the direction of his now-axed talk show and corresponding podcast. Stewart was interviewing Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan on “The Daily Show” and told her that he once pitched to have her as a guest on “The Problem” podcast.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Stevie Wonder, Pearl Jam, Kacey Musgraves, Camila Cabello and more than 200 other artists have joined with the Artist Rights Alliance non-profit – an artist-led education and advocacy organization – to issue an open letter supported by more than 200 artists calling on “AI developers, technology companies, platforms, and digital music services to cease the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to infringe upon and devalue the rights of human artists.” A full list of signatories appears below. While AI-related threats such as deepfakes and voice cloning continue to attract significant (and legal) scrutiny, the letter also highlights two related trends: the use of musical works by AI developers without permission to train and produce AI “copycats,” and the use of AI “sound” to dilute royalty obligations.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney and CEO Bob Iger have pulled into the lead for their 12 board candidates to win reelection — with activist investor Nelson Peltz trailing — with more than half of shareholder votes cast ahead of the Mouse House’s April 3 annual meeting, according to the Wall Street Journal. Two of Disney’s institutional investors — BlackRock (which owns about 4.2% of outstanding shares) and T. Rowe Price (0.5%) — support the company’s own slate of directors, which include Iger, per the Journal, citing anonymous sources.

Drew Barrymore had Maya Rudolph as a guest on The Drew Barrymore Show and recalled she had to beg to do the Saturday Night Live digital short “Body Fuzion.”

Thania Garcia The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has upped Michele Ballantyne to President. She will also continue to serve as chief operating officer, running daily operations and managing the 56-employee team. Ballantyne serves on the executive leadership team alongside Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “The X-Files” creator Chris Carter is not involved in the upcoming reboot, which is being shepherded by “Black Panther” filmmaker Ryan Coogler. In a new interview with Inverse, Carter said he has no reservations about letting someone else put their stamp on his beloved franchise. “It’s interesting, people say, ‘Aren’t you possessive of it?’ And I say, ‘No, I’m looking forward to seeing what somebody else does with it,’” Carter said, adding that he had a “really nice conversation” with Coogler when the latter first pitched his idea for an “X-Files” reboot to Fox.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Zoe Saldaña was asked on an upcoming episode of The Playlist’s “Discourse” podcast if she was “done” playing Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy has ended. Gunn has moved on to DC, and some of Saldaña’s co-stars like Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer) have vowed that “Vol. 3” was their last “Guardians” movie.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Steven Miron and Steven Newhouse resigned from the Warner Bros. Discovery board after the Justice Department informed them it was investigating “whether their service on the Board of Directors violated Section 8 of the Clayton Antitrust Act,” the company announced Monday. Miron, CEO of media company Advance/Newhouse Partnership and a senior executive officer at the Newhouse family’s investment business Advance, and Newhouse, co-president of Advance, were both independent directors of Warner Bros.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Frankie Muniz shared on the latest episode of “I’m A Celebrity Australia” (via News.com.au) that he once “walked off” the set of his beloved Fox sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle” when everyone else was refusing to stand up to certain people who were “controlling or rude or disrespectful.” Muniz starred on the comedy as the eponymous child genius for seven seasons, but he missed two episodes because of his decision. “There were two episodes I’m not in. I walked off the set,” Muniz said, explaining that his actions were due to set tensions.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Shakira graces the cover of Allure magazine and holds nothing back when asked about her thoughts on “Barbie,” the Greta Gerwig-directed blockbuster that topped the 2023 box office with $1.4 billion worldwide and earned eight Oscar nominations, including best picture. The music icon said she somewhat agreed with her two sons who strongly disliked “Barbie,” suggesting that it was a piece of pop culture that robbed “men of their possibility to be men.” “My sons absolutely hated it,” Shakira said. “They felt that it was emasculating.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Lynda Carter, who became a television icon as the star of the live-action “Wonder Woman” series from 1975 to 1979, delighted comic book fans when she popped up at the end of Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman 1984” as Asteria, a legendary Amazonian warrior previously thought to be dead. The tease led many to believe a third “Wonder Woman” movie would unite Carter and Gal Gadot on the big screen, but the sequel was announced as dead in August 2023. In a new interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Carter heavily suggested that she would’ve been back as Asteria had Jenkins and Gadot’s “Wonder Woman 3” taken flight at Warner Bros.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Barbara Rush, who won a Golden Globe for most promising newcomer in “It Came From Outer Space” and went on to appear in “Peyton Place” and many other movies and TV shows, died Sunday. Her daughter, Fox News Channel correspondent Claudia Cowan, confirmed her death to Fox News Digital.

Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” arrived on Friday to critical acclaim, ushering listeners into her new era.

The disturbing drama between Christine Quinn and her estranged husband continues.

Though her experience as a child actress on Nickelodeon was "wonderful" overall, Melissa Joan Hart is standing strong with fellow stars who have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse and harassment against some of the network's executives. Hart, who starred on Nickelodeon’s "Clarissa Explains It All," from 1991 to 1994, explained why she "100%" believes the people who came forward during an appearance on the "Meghan McCain Has Entered the Chat" podcast Thursday. "I have not seen the documentary, and that’s a mistake," Hart said, referencing Investigation Discovery's four-part docuseries, "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV." "I think I need to see the documentary.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Dev Patel makes his feature directorial debut with the upcoming action movie “Monkey Man,” which blew the roof off SXSW earlier this month and earned strong reviews, but getting the film made was no walk in the park. During a Reddit AMA ahead of the film’s April theatrical release, Patel told fans that directing, acting in and producing “Monkey Man” was “the most demanding thing I’ve ever done in my life” because “everyday we faced absolute catastrophe.” “I begged our financier not to shut us down a few weeks before principal photography,” Patel wrote.

UPDATED, 1:01 p.m.: Freestyle Digital Media has set an April 23rd release date for its poetry-themed documentary Our Worlds Collide, executive produced by Rosario Dawson, also unveiling a first look clip, which you can find above.

Beyonce is channeling country western style in a new photoshoot for W Magazine to celebrate the release of her album Cowboy Carter.

EXCLUSIVE: Odd Projects, the management company that represents a number of digital stars, has hired two Authentic Talent execs.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire delivered one of the most iconic movie kisses of the 21st century in 2002’s “Spider-Man,” but it was “kind of miserable” to shoot. Dunst is the latest guest on “The Jonathan Ross Show” (via The Independent) ahead of the release of her new movie “Civil War,” and she remembered how not ideal it was to kiss Maguire in the pouring rain while he was upside down as Spider-Man.

More than a million visits were made to council services including libraries and partnership centres in West Lothian in the first full year since the covid lockdown.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. and Legendary are hoping for a monster-sized opening weekend for “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” and are tapping every method possible to pull in moviegoers, including partnering with Roblox to grab the attention of its young audience so that they will sway their parents to take them to the theater. Over the past two weeks, Warner Bros.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Vince McMahon, the founder and former CEO of wrestling entertainment company WWE, received about $100 million through a sale of about 3.5 million shares of TKO Group. TKO Group was formed last year through the Endeavor-led merger of UFC and WWE. Endeavor maintains a majority interest in TKO.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Larry David railed against “little baby” Donald Trump in a recent interview on CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Seinfeld” creator has long spoken out against Trump, even having his fictionalized “Curb” self wear a Make America Great Hat in a Season 10 episode because it’s a “a great people repellant.” “How much has the 2020 election — and everything that has flowed from it — pissed you off?” Wallace asked David. David fired back that he “can’t go a day without thinking about what [Trump has] done to this country because he’s such a little baby.” “He’s thrown 250 years of democracy out the window by not accepting the results of [the election]. I mean, it’s so crazy.