Nov Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi-owned MBC Group, the Middle East’s top broadcaster, has announced it is floating a 10% stake on the Riyadh stock exchange seeking to raise up to 831 million riyals ($222 million) in a move to boost growth and help fuel its output of high-end productions. “Institutional and retail investors will be allowed the opportunity to acquire shares and participate in the long-term growth plans of the company and the Saudi media market,” MBC Group said in a statement on Thursday.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Madrid-based Sideral, a production-distribution-sales label launched by Spain’s Elamedia Estudios early this year, has boarded Uruguayan Ventana Sur-Blood Window project “Capital Variable,” the feature debut of Uruguayan helmer-scribe Marco Caltieri. Elamedia Studios CEO Roberto Butragueño will produce the thriller/dark comedy with Sideral’s Paola Botrán and Uruguay’s Clara Charlo of To Je To serving as executive producers. Sideral will be handling international sales on the project, which was pitched at genre forum Blood Window at Ventana Sur, the preeminent annual film-TV market in Buenos Aires, co-organized by Cannes Festival and Marché du Film and by Argentina’s INCAA film institute.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent BUENOS AIRES — Delivering a masterclass in Buenos Aires just days after the election victory of far-right libertarian Javier Milei on Nov. 18, Cannes Film Festival head Thierry Frémaux voiced his support for Argentina’s INCAA public sector film-TV agency, which Milei has promised to destroy. Frémaux’s one and brief direct reference to the INCAA – which oversees Argentina’s crucial federal film funding, without which much of Argentine filmmaking would wither – came towards the end of a 90-minute masterclass entitled Cinema (of) Tomorrow.

Naman Ramachandran Shah Rukh Khan‘s “Jawan” and “Pathaan,” Rajinikanth‘s “Jailer” and Sunny Deol‘s “Gadar 2” are among the most popular Indian theatrical releases of the year on Amazon’s online entertainment database IMDb. The IMDb year-end rankings mirror the films’ box office performance as the charting films are the biggest Indian hits of the year. Netflix occupies the top two spots in IMDb’s 10 most popular streaming films of the year with “Lust Stories 2” and “Jaane Jaan.” Hitmaking duo Krishna D.K.

Frances Sternhagen, the legendary Broadway actress who won two Tony Awards, was nominated for another five and achieved lasting and widespread recognition for her comedically stern portrayal of Esther Clavin, the demanding mother of insufferable postman Cliff Claven on Cheers, died Nov. 27 of natural causes. She was 93.

Marc Thorpe, the visual effects artist who worked on various Star Wars and Indiana Jones films and created the Robot Wars concept in the early 1990s – around the same time he was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s – died Nov. 24 of complications of the disease. He was 77.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The returns of both CM Punk and Randy Orton saw the ratings for WWE‘s “Monday Night Raw” rise by nearly a third over last week. The Best in the World and the Apex Predator helped the “Raw” viewership rise to 1.88 million viewers, up 29% over last week and 13% over the comparable show a year ago. That is the highest viewership for a “Raw” episode since August 7.

Todd Longwell In addition to a top-to-bottom organization overall, the Golden Globes has added two new categories for its next awards, for cinematic and box office achievement and stand-up comedy performance on television. The creation for a box office achievement award is clearly a move to attract viewers who have tuned out kudofests in recent decades because they tend to focus on little-seen movies.

Michaela Zee Marc Thorpe, the visual effects artist who worked on several “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” films before launching the bot battling competition Robot Wars, has died. He was 77.

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco has unveiled the dates for his ‘It Ain’t Right’ tour, his touring run for 2024 which kicks off at Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, VA on July 11 and will be the biggest of his career to date.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival, after being postponed due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, has announced it will hold a special edition from Dec. 14 to 21.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Rita Hollingsworth, a longtime publicist for entertainment clients and non-profit organizations, died Nov. 16 in Los Angeles. She was 61.

Thania Garcia A slate of hot new releases, surprise hits and holiday favorites featuring everyone from Dolly Parton to Drake have shaken things up on the latest Billboard charts. On the Hot 100, Jack Harlow scores his third No. 1 single with “Lovin on Me,” which samples the 1995 R&B track “Whatever.” “Lovin on Me” takes the spot from last week’s chart-topper, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” just one week after the viral smash debut at No.

Disney+ is getting strong response to the trailer for its upcoming series Percy Jackson and The Olympians. Within 10 days of the trailer’s Nov. 16 release, it has garnered 126.5M impressions, 84.3M video views, and 1.8M engagements across Percy Jackson Series, Disney+, and talent accounts (11/16-11/26).

Variety. Shooting on the historical epic was delayed when the actors went on strike in July. But the Nov.

Paris Hilton is gushing over life as a mom of two!

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor The first Floodlight Summit will take place from Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 in Cartagena, Colombia.

Hulu has just announced the return of their annual Cyber Monday deal, which brings down the cost of their basic, ad-supported plan to only $.99/month. The deal, which runs from Nov. 21-28, saves subscribers $84 during a 12-month period.

best Cyber Monday deals for streaming devices, smart displays, cord cutting accessories, smart speakers and more, below: Amazon has the Fire TV Stick on sale for $19.99 (was $39.99) and the Fire TV Stick Lite marked down to $15.99 (was $29.99) this week. The retail giant also has selling the Fire TV Stick 4K for $24.99 (down from $49.99), the Fire TV Stick 4K Max for $39.99 (was $59.99) and the 2022 model of the Fire TV Cube is discounted down to $89.99 (was $119.99). Best Buy has the Google Chromecast 4K on sale for $37.99 (was $49.99) for Cyber Monday, while barebones HD model is priced at $19.99 (was $29.99).

Anna Marie de la Fuente Chile-based Escala Humana Prods., led by Sebastián Brahm and Che Sandoval, is developing an ambitious English-language series titled “Golpe” about a little-known story behind the CIA’s involvement in the fall of Chile’s first Socialist president, Salvador Allende. Intended for a U.S.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Frenchie Shore,” the local adaptation of the popular American reality show “Jersey Shore,” rivaled Ridley Scott’s historical epic “Napoleon” as November’s most polarizing entertainment topic in France. Since launching on Paramount+ and MTV France on Nov. 11, the reality show has inundated social media, especially TikTok where users have been posting sexually explicit, yet blurred, clips from the show illegally.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Jointly organized by Cannes’ Marché du Film with a Thierry Fremaux Cannes Film Week adding star auteur glamor, Ventana Sur turns 15 this week unspooling Nov. 27-Dec.1 at its usual venue of the Universidad Católica Argentina in Buenos Aires’ Puerto Madero, its most modern and most chic of districts.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Diane Kruger, Bollywood star Ranveer Singh and Saudi actor-writer Abdullah Al-Sadhan are set to receive career honors at Saudi Arabia’s upcoming Red Sea International Film Festival, which has also announced its full jury roster. Joining Baz Luhrmann, who is presiding over the main Red Sea jury, are Swedish-American actor Joel Kinnaman (“Suicide Squad”); Freida Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire”); Egyptian actor Amina Khalil; (“Grand Hotel”) and Spain’s Paz Vega (“Sex and Lucía,” “The OA”).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief China’s nationwide annual box office passed the symbolic $7 billion and RMB 50 billion marks in recent days, confirming a decent, but still incomplete recovery of the theatrical cinema industry. According to consultancy Artisan Gateway, the running box office total to Nov. 26 was $7.15 billion.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Korean drama “12.12: The Day” brought life back to South Korean cinemas with a powerful $11 million opening weekend. Directed by Kim Sung-soo and starring the reliable Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung, the film recounts a nine-hour period in 1979 in which a military coup was attempted. It is understood to be based on real events, but with a fictional telling. It earned $11.2 million between Friday and Sunday accounting for four out of every five tickets sold in the country.

Anna Marie de la Fuente With Brazil under focus at Ventana Sur’s this year, highlighting the work of Spcine, Cinema do Brazil and Projeto Paradiso, São Paulo film-TV commission Spcine has organized a series of panels and other events to signal Brazil’s return to normal after the devastating tenure of Jair Bolsonaro. With President Lula da Silva back in the saddle since his stunning re-election in October 2022, confidence in Brazil as a partner in film and TV investments is awakening large expectation.

Tim Chan If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Two undefeated champions face off in the boxing ring tonight as two-time Super Middleweight World Champion David “El Monstruo” Benavídez defends his Interim WBC Super Middleweight Title against two-division World Champion Demetrius Andrade. The Premier Boxing Champions event takes place tonight, Saturday, Nov.

Caroline Brew editor Ross McDonnell, an Irish filmmaker known for his Emmy-winning cinematography on “The Trade,” has died, his family confirmed more than a week after his body was reportedly found on a New York City beach. He was 44. McDonnell died “unexpectedly” on Nov.

Film editor and former American Cinema Editors board member Doug Ibold, died Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the Motion Picture & Television Fund Mary Pickford House in Woodland Hills, California. He was 83 and died of cancer, according to a report.

Michaela Zee Doug Ibold, who edited episodes of “Law & Order,” “Magnum, P.I.” and “Miami Vice,” died on Nov. 8 after a battle with cancer, his family announced. He was 83.

Ben Croll Martin Scorsese will no longer attend nor participate in the Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops, citing personal reasons. The award-winning filmmaker was slated to serve as artistic godfather for Marrakech’s industry arm, which spotlights development titles and works-in-progress from dynamic new talents from across the MENA world.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. This year we’re thankful for an action-packed college football season. Following the highly anticipated game between Penn State and Michigan Spartans, the Oregon State Beavers will take on the Oregon Ducks at 8:30 p.m.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The mystery of why Daryl Hall obtained a restraining order against John Oates has been solved, at least in part, now that part of the case has been unsealed by a Tennessee judge who previously ordered all details to be kept under wraps. It’s now been revealed that Hall is attempting to block his longtime musical partner from selling his share in their joint venture to Primary Wave Music. On Friday afternoon, the Associated Press was first to report the actual reason for the restraining order, after the judge quietly unsealed some — but not nearly all — of the case two days earlier, on Thanksgiving eve.

The stars are stepping out in Morocco!

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor SAG-AFTRA has released the full 128-page contract that ended the actors strike on Nov. 8, with union leaders urging members to vote yes on the deal by the Dec. 5 ratification deadline.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Venom: Let There Be Carnage Cameras Rolling! Production has restarted on “Venom 3,” the film’s star Tom Hardy reported on Instagram Friday. “Thankfully we are back to shooting; and I want to take a moment just to thank all the teams thus far on the ride from V1 to here all our fantastic cast and crew- good friends and family – we’ve come a long way,” he wrote about the latest installment in the trilogy about an alien symbiote who exists in the same universe as Spider-Man. Hardy had also posted a photo from the “Venom 3” set on Nov.