China’s Wanda Seeks Buyers for Australia’s Hoyts Cinema Chain

King Charles III and Queen Camilla's unexpected cameo during Sunday's was almost as big a surprise for Ryan Seacrest as it was for everyone watching.Following Sunday's new episode of, Seacrest spoke with ET's Denny Directo, and explained how quickly the high-profile cameos came together.«I have to tell you, I was driving in and my phone rings and it's the executive producer and she says, 'Well, we've got some news,'» Seacrest shared. «I thought maybe something happened [with a contestant].

Kaley Cuoco cozies up to Tom Pelphrey at the 2023 From The Heart Fundraiser.

Hallmark Channel has just updated the lineup for May and June 2023.

Dennis Harvey Film Critic Joe Piscatella’s 2017 “Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower” offered a fairly exhilarating view of youth activism, as it charted one Hong Kong student’s spearheading public opposition to mainland China’s increasingly heavy-handed takeover. The can-do optimism that documentary left viewers with is on life support in the director’s follow-up, which shifts nominal focus to one of Joshua Wong’s fellow protest leaders. But mostly “Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?” observes the gradual crushing of a pro-democracy movement that not long ago had promised to engage Beijing in genuine dialogue. This equally skillful if much more downbeat sequel should follow its predecessor to wide travel on the festival circuit, then broadcast and streaming exposure. 

Naman Ramachandran Indian studio Excel Entertainment has promoted business head Vishal Ramchandani to the newly created position of CEO. An MBA by qualification, Ramchandani joined Excel in 2008, in the marketing division. In 2013, he was entrusted with the duties of heading the division, where he spearheaded award-winning marketing campaigns for films such as “Fukrey,” “Baar Baar Dekho,” “Gold” and “Gully Boy.” In 2018, Ramchandani was elevated to the position of business head. In this role, he played a pivotal role in transforming Excel Entertainment from a creative production house to a studio that self-funds, markets and distributes its films. Under his leadership, the company’s distribution business diversified with the K.G.F. franchise, which became a nationwide blockbuster. He was also instrumental in Excel expanding into different verticals such as a talent division and co-production deals, as well as facilitating new media ventures.

Elon Musk’s decision to gut the platform’s content moderation team amid layoffs, shortly after he bought Twitter in October.“This family does not deserve to see the dead relatives spread across Twitter for everybody to see,” veteran journalist Pat Holloway told the New York Times.According to Reuters, a graphic 10-second video from the scene showed dead bodies, including that of at least one young child, circulated on Twitter. The news wire reached out to Twitter for comment.“In past shootings, social media sites have worked to take down links to such graphic images,” Reuters reported Sunday evening.

Fans of the “Fast and the Furious” movies have an opportunity to earn $1,000 by binge-watching all 10 of the movies in the series and tracking the crashes ahead of the release of the latest film in the franchise.FinanceBuzz, a website that offers informational tips and recommendations about money and things like car insurance, has put out a call for a “Fast and Furious claims adjuster” to take note of damages from all the car crashes in the more than 20 hours of the franchise’s films.“We’ll pay our Fast & Furious Claims Adjuster $1,000, plus $100 to cover the cost of any streaming fees, movie tickets, and snacks,” FinanceBuzz said in a press release. “As a bonus, you’ll get a healthy education about the value of family.”The role involves taking inventory of all the car accidents from the films that result in damage, including the number of accidents, the extent of the damages and what cars are involved.“We’re curious if the number of wrecks in these movies has increased or decreased over the franchise’s history.

Police are spending £650,000 on extra forensic testing in a crackdown on spiking cases after Scots victims revealed huge delays.

The Scottish Government has not started hiring 1,000 mental health specialists yet despite it being one of their key pledges from the last term of Government.

Tom Cruise had a need for speed fulfilled Sunday as he walked the grid at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami, Florida. The 60-year-old "Mission: Impossible" actor mingled with Shakira, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and LL Cool J at the Miami International Autodrome where Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished the race in first place.

The cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars took the golden popcorn for Best Competition Series at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.

Graeme Souness has revealed he has become an atheist after witnessing the effects of a life-limiting skin condition on children.

The SNP have appealed to Labour and Liberal Democrat supporters to lend them votes in Tory-held seats at the next General Election to "lock the Tories out of Scotland". The SNP came second in each of the Scottish seats which the Conservatives won in 2019 and believes it can wipe the Tories out of Scotland if enough Labour and Lib Dem supporters get behind them.

A convicted killer who claimed he was the leading recruiter for the Ku Klux Klan in Scotland is campaigning for Luke Mitchell’s release.

Drew Barrymore dropped out of hosting the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards in solidarity with the writers strike. However, the opening bit that was pretaped before the WGA strike still aired during the telecast and Never Been Kissed fans were treated to the actor reprising her role of Josie Grossie.

It’s a British invasion! King Charles III and Queen Camilla appeared on American Idol after Katy Perry and Lionel Richie played at the coronation concert on Sunday, May 7.

Tom Cruise was soaring after his MTV Movie and TV Awards win — literally. He accepted Best Performance in a Movie from his jet.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” made $28 million of gross box office on its opening weekend in mainland China. That was a solid result in present circumstances, rather than an overwhelming one. The film easily displaced two of the weaker Chinese titles that had been released a week earlier to take advantage of the five-day May Day holiday season. “Born to Fly,” a patriotic action adventure about Chinese test pilots, nose-dived by 75% as it fell from a $40 million first place debut to a $11.2 million third-placed second flap. Its cumulative after two weekends is $77.3 million, according to weekend data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

time from his coronation festivities to join Lionel Richie and Katy Perry for a surprise appearance on “American Idol” Sunday night.Charles and Queen Camilla casually strolled into the throne room at Buckingham Palace for a brief appearance with the two vocalists who had performed at the star-studded coronation concert on Saturday night.“I just wanted to check, how long will you be using this room for?” the 74-year-old monarch deadpanned after interrupting the live feed.The historic space has been used for extravagant balls dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria.The “All Night Long” singer feigned surprise at Charles’ query and told the panel in Los Angeles that he needed to make a quick exit.“We have to give the room up right away,” Richie, 73, joked.Charles then graciously thanked the two singers for their “brilliant performance” at the concert.Richie said that the duo would join the party after their television appearance and thanked the royals, who ambled out of the shot.Perry — who serves as an ambassador for the King’s British Asian Trust — belted out two of her classic hits, “Roar” and “Firework,” to Saturday’s massive crowd.She also gave a shout-out to King Charles III, praising him for “bringing out the firework in so many young people” through the work they’re doing together.Perry was joined by Richie, who also holds a role with a charity close to the King’s heart.The singer was named a global ambassador for The Prince’s Trust in 2019 and snagged a coveted invitation to Saturday’s coronation thanks to his role.As previously reported, the current class of “Idol” contestants are in good hands while the judges visit the UK.

Some viewers of BBC One’s Coronation Concert were left confused after Jordan Banjo took to presenting duties alongside Clara Amfo, despite the star currently taking part in I'm a Celebrity… South Africa. Jordan, who rose to fame on Britain’s Got Talent as part of dance group Diversity, shocked fans when he appeared at Windsor Castle to present the show, leading some viewers to believe that he’d flown all the way from South Africa for the occasion. In fact, with the ITV show currently airing, other viewers believed that the broadcaster had spoiled the show by revealing that 30 year old Jordan had been evicted from the jungle - just in time for the concert.

A number of new driving laws are coming into force this month which could see motorists slapped with a fine if they fail to follow the rules.

Drew Barrymore may not have hosted the MTV Movie and TV Awards, but she still had a presence Sunday night. The clip-heavy awards show featured several prerecorded skits starring Barrymore doing everything from dancing in “Wednesday” to reprising her role in “Never Been Kissed.”Barrymore was originally slated to host the MTV Movie and TV Awards but dropped out of the event last Thursday, two days after the beginning of the WGA strike.

Ethan Shanfeld SPOILER ALERT: This recap contains spoilers for Season 4, Episode 7 of “Succession,” now streaming on HBO Max. The election looms over “Succession,” which means not only will there be a new president of the United States but, more importantly? Nate is back. The charming — or sleazy, depending on how you view him — political strategist, portrayed by Ashley Zukerman, has reentered the world of the Roys in order to mingle with Waystar’s top brass and the political elite, and make Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) jealous in his own home. In Episode 7, titled “Tailgate Party,” Tom and Shiv (Sarah Snook) host a gathering on election eve, at which Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) makes a surprise (well, to the Roy boys) visit. A double agent, Shiv plays informant to the GoJo chief in exchange for a key role in the company should the deal close. But the prospect of a Waystar-GoJo merger, which Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) have been trying to tank since visiting Norway, seems less likely at the end of the episode, as Shiv worries she picked the wrong team. The Waystar co-CEOs believe they’ve exposed cracks in Matsson’s bid to buy their father’s company, so much so that, by episode’s end, Kendall is floating the idea of Waystar acquiring GoJo.

Jordan Moreau SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for Season 4, Episode 5 of “Barry,” now streaming on HBO Max. Last week’s episode of “Barry” ended on one of the show’s most bizarre cliffhangers: Barry (Bill Hader) and Sally (Sarah Goldberg) appeared to be several years older and living in a house in the desert with a young son. The HBO show has toyed with flashbacks and dream-like sequences before, and Sunday’s newest episode didn’t reveal what was going on until the final minutes… …and it’s a time jump into the future! The end of last week’s episode actually moved ahead eight years, during which Barry and Sally have evaded public recognition after he escaped prison. They’re living under brand-new identities, Clark and Emily, and raising their son, John. Barry, newly religious and peaceful, homeschools John but is too afraid to teach him how to play baseball because of the sport’s violence. Sally wears a brunette wig, dons a Southern accent and works at a rinky-dink diner, where she gets sexually harassed by a biker.

The writers strike is now impacting overall deals. Just days into the work stoppage, major TV studios have started sending out letters to writer/producers under overall agreements, telling them that their deals are being suspended.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Sydney Film Festival will present ‘Jane Campion – Her Way,’ a retrospective of films by the pioneering director. Campion herself will appear in conversation with David Stratton on June 10 at the 2023 edition of the festival, its 70th anniversary presentation (June 7-18). Held in association with ACMI and the National Film and Sound Archive, ‘Jane Campion – Her Way’ will encompass screenings of all nine of Campion’s feature films, as well as a selection of her short films. The selection will go on to tour the ACMI in Melbourne (June 15 – July 2) and at NFSA in Canberra (July 20-30). “For our 70th edition, we wanted to present a retrospective commensurate with the milestone, reflecting the audacious and boundary pushing filmmaking synonymous with our festival and region. Campion is a ground-breaking filmmaker who has made a profound impact on cinema with her daring and unforgettable films,” said Sydney Film Festival director Nashen Moodley.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Television Broadcasts, Hong Kong’s leading free-to-air broadcaster, has said that it is considering legal action against a group of shareholder activists. The shareholder group, seemingly led by Chow Ngai Keung and publishing its critiques on Facebook, has made a series of complaints about TVB. These include the allegation that TVB is operating a streaming app Maiduidui in Mainland China without the proper authorization and that TVB has misled shareholders over the official name of the company that ultimately holds executive control. The minority shareholders have also criticized TVB for investments in Mainland Chinese firm SMI and State Reserve Energy Bonds, which have cost the company HK$1 billion ($128 million) of losses, and for its 2021 acquisition of e-commerce platform Ztore.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Jackie Chan-starring nostalgic stuntman comedy film “Ride On” trotted to a second weekend atop the mainland Chinese box office. “The Super Mario” Bros. Movie” remained in fourth place. “Ride On” earned $6.0 million (RMB41.5 million) between Friday and Sunday, a 48% week-on week drop, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. That took it to a $22.6 million total since release on April 7. Below it, Japanese animation “Suzume” and Chinese shaggy dog story “Hachiko” swapped places. “Hachiko,” on its third weekend outing, earned $4.9 million, for a cumulative of $35.1 million. “Suzume” earned $4.5 million in its fourth weekend on release in China, giving it a $109 million cumulative.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japanese electronics giant, Sony has opened a virtual production studio in Shanghai, China, that it says can be used for shooting film, TV and commercials. The studio opened last month and is jointly operated with Gwantsi, one of China’s largest commercials production companies. Virtual production involves the use of high-resolution screens that create a backdrop in front of which actors perform. This can reduce the need for location travel, cut set-up times, shorten post-production and provide a more life-like environment for performers than traditional green-screen environments. VP studios are also well adapted to motion capture production.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A new study published Friday by Screen Australia shows that the country’s on-screen television diversity has increased significantly in the past six years, but there remains more to be done. “Seeing Ourselves 2: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Australian TV Drama” examined the diversity of the main characters in 361 scripted Australian TV and online dramas broadcast between 2016 and 2021. It compared that data with the Australian population and a previous report “Seeing Ourselves” published in 2016. The new report shows that there is higher representation for First Nations people (7.2% of characters, compared with 4.8% in 2016), disabled people (6.6% from 3.6%), LGBTQI+ people (7.4% from 4.5%), and non-European people (16% from 6.9%).

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Michelle Yeoh, who made history by winning the best actress Oscar for her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” last month, made an emotional return trip to her native Malaysia last week. She visited her mother in time for the traditional Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, and stopped by the grave of her father who died in 2014. In an Instagram post on Wednesday she said, “Brought Mr. O home. Without my parents’ love and trust and support, I wouldn’t be here today.”A post shared by Michelle Yeoh 楊紫瓊 (@michelleyeoh_official) Her trip home represented a promise that Yeoh made during her Oscars acceptance speech.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Competition reality TV format “Lego Masters” has been picked up by Tokyo Broadcasting System for adaptation in Japan. The deal is the 19th for the Banijay Rights-represented format and the third in Asia. Production is currently underway for the show, which will see pairs compete against each other to wow judges with inspiring designs and brick builds. “I am looking forward to working with Banijay Rights and not only learn about the production of the show, but also to closely examine the essence of creation behind it,” said Aso Kunihiro, producer, contents solution department at TBS in a prepared statement.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief A growing range of Thai, Japanese and Chinese-language films and TV shows are reaching global audiences – joining the by-now well-established international viewership for South Korean shows.Netflix’s Global Top 10 for the week April 3-10, sees made-for-streaming Korean title “Kill Boksoon” on top of the non-English-language films list, with 27.5 million hours watched in its second week of release. It is immediately followed by Thai film “Hunger,” about a young woman apprentice in an upmarket restaurant working under a tough boss. The film is directed by Sitisiri Mongkolsiri and stars “Bad Genius” breakout Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief U.K.-based sales agent Mister Smith Entertainment has picked up international rights to “Grafted,” a New Zealand-set horror film which marks the feature directing debut of Sasha Rainbow. The film is now in production. Mister Smith will launch sales next month in Cannes. The film tells story of a Chinese student who travels to New Zealand to complete the scientific work of her deceased father only to find a new way of achieving popularity, one body at a time.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Huang Ji and Otsuka Ryuji’s “Stonewalling” won the Chinese-language section of the Hong Kong International Film Festival’s Firebird Young Cinema competition. Lila Aviles’s “Totem” won the equivalent Firebird Award for international films. The festival began on March 30 and concluded on Sunday evening with a world premier screening of “Vital Sign” at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre’s Grand Theatre. The screening was accompanied by cast and crew including Louis Koo, director Cheuk Wan-chi, producer Jacqueline Liu and performers Neo Yao, Angela Yuen, Ng Wing-sze, Tony Wu and So Yuet-yin. In total, “Stonewalling” picked up three awards. In addition to the best film prize, it also collected the best actress prize for leads Huang Xiaoxiong and Yao Honggui and the FIPRESCI Award. The tale of an unwanted pregnancy, the film premiered at Venice and Toronto last year. The HKIFF jury said it “[reminds] us of the confusion, difficulty and suffering women face nowadays and the inescapable responsibilities they have to shoulder.  It inspires the audience to reflect on this important issue in modern society.  It is an invaluable film replete with empathy.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Jackie Chan-starring stunt-man comedy drama “Ride On” pratfalled its way to first place at the mainland Chinese box office with a lowball $11.7 million opening. Still, that was enough to beat another new release, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which ranked fourth over the latest weekend. Chan is an enduring, but fading, star in China and in the past his new release titles were often scheduled for the three biggest holiday seasons. “Ride On,” which sees Chan in an ode to the stunt players he has worked with, was released two days after the Ching Ming (Wednesday 5 April) holiday, when many folks honor their ancestors. Its opening three days were enough to depose “Suzume” from the top spot, where “Suzume” had ranked for the previous two weekends. “Suzume” earned $8.0 million over the latest weekend in China, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. That gives it a $103 million cumulative after 17 days in mainland theaters, a China record for a Japanese animation film.