Wimbledon uk hopefuls

There was a moment last November when Channel 4 ’s senior executives breathed a sigh of relief. Sat at the top table of Channel 4’s 40th birthday party, Chief Executive Alex Mahon was flanked by her friend Elisabeth Murdoch and doyens of UK broadcasting, including BBC Director-General Tim Davie and Carolyn McCall, ITV’s Chief Executive. They were raising a glass to a British success story in a rare public display of unity. On the same table was Thérèse Coffey, a senior government minister who had survived three prime ministers in the space of little more than three months. Her presence at the V&A Museum event bemused others, who believed the government only had hostile intentions for Channel 4 after sanctioning a sale of the broadcaster against its wishes. Things soon got weirder. Coffey turned to Mahon and asked if she could raise a glass to Channel 4. She then proceeded to surprise the room full of TV luminaries by serenading her hosts with a rendition of happy … [Read more...] about Channel 4: Inside The Doomed Sale Of A Crown Jewel Of British Television

EXCLUSIVE: The Kinoteka Polish Film Festival has set the lineup for its 21st edition, running March 9 — April 27 at venues across London. The festival will open at the Institute of Contemporary Arts with the UK Premiere of Polish filmmaker Damian Kocur’s debut feature, Bread and Salt . Inspired by true events, the pic follows Tymek, a young and talented student of the Warsaw Academy of Music who returns to his provincial hometown for vacation. Upon his return, he discovers that the central meeting point for local youth is a newly created kebab bar. Tymek witnesses a growing conflict between the shop workers, who are Arabs, and his friends from the neighborhood, leading to a conflict that will turn out to be tragic. The film debuted at Venice last year. The festival will close with a gala screening of the 1977 film Top Dog (Wodzirej) at the Cine Lumiere in South Kensington. Causing much debate in Poland on its original release, Top Dog follows the story of … [Read more...] about London’s Kinoteka Polish Film Festival Unveils 2023 Lineup Including BFI-Backed Jerzy Skolimowski Retrospective

UPDATED with content spend stats from annual report: Giant Amazon said its total expenses for video and music came to $16.6 billion last year, up from $13 billion in 2021. Video and music expense includes licensing and production costs associated with content offered within Amazon Prime memberships, and costs associated with digital subscriptions and sold or rented content, according to the company’s latest annual report that followed fourth quarter financials yesterday. On an earnings call Thursday, CFO Brian Olsavsky noted that Amazon spent $7 billion on originals, live sports and licensed content in 2022, up from $5 billion the year before. It’s unclear if those figures include all worldwide video content, which is increasingly central to Amazon’s strategy in driving membership for Prime, the biggest loyalty program in the world and the beating heart of the company. Amazon (which acquired MGM last year for $8.5 billion in cash) carefully evaluates its return on … [Read more...] about Amazon Praises Video As Key Driver Of Prime; 2022 Content Spend, Including Music, Hit $16.6 Billion

Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches is set to fly again after being renewed for a second season at AMC . The cable network is bringing back the series, which along with Interview with a Vampire is part of its extended Anne Rice universe, after becoming its number one new series premiere on its streaming service AMC+. This comes despite a plethora of recent cancelations at AMC Networks. The company pulled Demascus and Invitation to a Bonfire as well as second seasons of Pantheon , Moonhaven and 61st Street, which were in various stages of completion and production, as part of a major cost-cutting drive. Mayfair Witches , which is based on Rice’s trilogy of books, focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon, Rowan Fielding, played by Alexandra Daddario, who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches. As she grapples with her newfound powers, she must contend with a sinister presence that has haunted her family for generations. It also … [Read more...] about ‘Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches’ Renewed For Season 2 At AMC

For the BBC , spooky mystery format The Traitors is the gift that keeps on giving. While BBC One’s UK version proved an outsized hit and ratings bonanza, the U.S. version’s premiere has just become the most-watched show on the relaunched BBC Three linear network. With 1.2M consolidated viewers over the past two weeks, the opening episode, titled The Game is Afoot, sits atop the BBC Three charts, according to Barb data supplied by Liam Hamilton. Separately, the U.S. version, which airs on Peacock and was acquired from All3 Media International, has also been available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer since the start of last month. Hosted by Alan Cumming , the U.S. version differs from the UK’s in that it mixes a number of reality TV icons with non-celebrities. Having become the most-watched Peacock reality series, it was greenlit for a second season yesterday along with an Andy Cohen-hosted reunion special for later this month. Set in the Scottish … [Read more...] about ‘The Traitors’ U.S. Premiere Becomes Most-Watched BBC Three Show Since Linear Relaunch

Benedict Cumberbatch is to lead and EP Netflix ’s Eric , playing a puppeteer whose son goes missing in 1980s Manhattan. Netflix has set cast on the Abi Morgan -penned show from Chernobyl producer Sister and the likes of Gaby Hoffman, McKinley Belcher II, Dan Fogler and Phoebe Nicholls will star opposite Cumberbatch. Cast is rounded out by Clarke Peters, Ivan Morris Howe, David Denman, Bamar Kane, Adepero Odyue, Alexis Molnar and Roberta Colindrez. The six-parter follows Vincent Anderson (Cumberbatch), a grief-stricken puppeteer on a leading TV show whose young boy goes missing and who finds solace through his friendship with Eric, the monster that lives under his son’s bed. The Split scribe Morgan’s Little Chick is producing with Sister and Morgan EPing alongside Cumberbatch, Jane Featherstone, Lucy Dyke and Lucy Forbes. “Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980’s New York, and the good bad and ugly world of Vincent,” said Morgan. “The chance … [Read more...] about Benedict Cumberbatch To Lead & EP Netflix’s ‘Eric’ From Abi Morgan & Sister

Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne , Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, French filmmaker Alice Diop and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu have demanded that Iran ’s Fajr International Film Festival remove their films from the line-up of its current edition, running from February 1 to 11. The filmmakers said in separate statements that they discovered by chance that their respective films Tori And Lokita , Saint Omer , Rebel and R.M.N. had been included in Fajr’s selection without their personal permission. The issue only came to light as the festival kicked off because it had kept its line-up under wraps in a bid to head off boycotts by directors and producers, due to the brutal crackdown of ongoing protests related to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September. Paris-based sales agent Wild Bunch International which handles the titles said their inclusion in the Fajr line-up was also a surprise to them. Two other … [Read more...] about Dardennes, Alice Diop, Cristian Mungiu, Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah Demand Iran’s Fajr Film Fest Remove Titles From Line-Up

SplashNews.com There's plenty of perks to being Madonna 's daughter -- but apparently, even those perks have their limits -- like automatic entry into fashion shows. Lourdes Leon and a friend thought they'd be able to stroll right into the Marc Jacobs Runway show Thursday night without issue ... but that wasn't the case. Check out the video, paps swarm Lourdes on her way into the Park Avenue Armory. SplashNews.com The two try to walk past security, but the guards aren't havin' it ... blocking the entry and refusing to let them inside. At one point, even the paparazzi chant "Let her in!" as Lourdes and her friend crack up, but the security guards don't crack. Gallery Launch Gallery Getty Finally, after a few phone calls, Lourdes and her friend give up -- getting back into their waiting SUV and leaving. Unclear where they were headed, but hopefully they had a reservation. … [Read more...] about Madonna’s Daughter Lourdes Leon Denied Entry to Marc Jacobs Runway Show

Getty The NFL is promoting CPR awareness following the Damar Hamlin incident ... teaming up with the American Heart Association and Red Cross to help train those involved in youth sports to learn the procedure. The league says it is committed to ensuring all participants at the youth sports level are educated properly and have the necessary equipment to respond to medical emergencies in light of what happened to the Buffalo Bills safety during Monday Night Football last month. Getty "Being able to deliver care in emergency situations is not just important at sporting events, but in all walks of life," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "Our continued partnerships with the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross will ensure even more people have the capability to administer CPR and respond to emergencies." "The tools and trainings exist to keep young athletes safe -- we embrace our responsibility to ensure that … [Read more...] about NFL Collabs With American Heart Association, Red Cross To Promote CPR Training

Lil Keed 's family has released a new song from the YSL rapper ... nearly one year after his tragic passing from a rare blood cell disorder. Keed's mother, Tonnie "HoodMama" Woods-Reed , lead the charge for the rollout with a heartfelt message of bereavement, but still wanted his fans to have music to attach to their own sorrow. "On May 13, 2022, I lost my son Raqhid Render—who many of you knew as the artist Lil Keed. While this journey through the different phases of grief has been indescribably hard, a way that I have found to cope is through his music." Getty Rapper Lil Keed Dead at 24 She continued, "Right before his passing, Keed was hard at work on what would’ve been his highly anticipated next album, Keed Talk to ’Em 2. As much as he was a great father, son, and friend—he was also an artist who (thanks to many of you) lived and continues to live through his music. With that being said, the time has come to share some of our last pieces of … [Read more...] about Lil Keed’s 1st Posthumous Song ‘Long Way to Go’ Drops