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NEW YORK — Warner Bros. will reopen takeover talks with Paramount Skydance after receiving a seven-day waiver to do so from its preferred bidder, Netflix.
Warner Bros. said in a regulatory filing Tuesday that the waiver will allow it to discuss unresolved “deficiencies” in Paramount’s previous offers.
Warner Bros. Discovery now has until Monday to negotiate a possible transaction with Paramount Skydance.
“While we are confident that our transaction provides superior value and certainty, we recognize the ongoing distraction for WBD stockholders and the broader entertainment industry caused by PSKY’s antics,” Netflix said in a statement. “Accordingly, we granted WBD a narrow seven-day waiver of certain obligations under our merger agreement to allow them to engage with PSKY to fully and finally resolve this matter.”
Warner Bros. said Tuesday that its board still recommends unanimously that shareholders vote for the Netflix buyout.
Warner’s leadership consistently has backed the offer from Netflix. In December, Netflix agreed to buy Warner’s studio and streaming business for $72 billion — now in an all-cash transaction that the companies have said will speed up the path to a shareholder vote by April. Including debt, the enterprise value of the deal is about $83 billion, or $27.75 per share.
Unlike Netflix, Paramount wants to acquire Warner’s entire company — including networks like CNN and Discovery — and went straight to shareholders with all cash, $77.9 billion offer in December.
Warner Bros. has a special meeting scheduled for Friday, March 20. The company’s stock rose more than 2% before the market open on Tuesday.
Shares of Paramount Skydance climbed nearly 3%, while Netflix’s stock rose slightly.
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A new artificial intelligence video generator from Beijing-based ByteDance, the creator of TikTok, is drawing the ire of Hollywood organizations
A new artificial intelligence video generator from Beijing-based ByteDance, the creator of TikTok, is drawing the ire of Hollywood organizations that say Seedance 2.0 “blatantly” violates copyright and uses the likeness of actors and others without permission.
Seedance 2.0, which is only available in China for now, lets users generate high-quality AI videos using simple text prompts. The tool quickly gained condemnation from the movie and TV industry.
The Motion Picture Association said Seedance 2.0 “has engaged in unauthorized use of U.S. copyrighted works on a massive scale.”
“By launching a service that operates without meaningful safeguards against infringement, ByteDance is disregarding well-established copyright law that protects the rights of creators and underpins millions of American jobs. ByteDance should immediately cease its infringing activity,” Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the MPA, said in a statement Tuesday.
Screenwriter Rhett Rheese, who wrote the “Deadpool” movies, said on X last week that “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.” His post was in response to Irish director Ruairí Robinson’s post of a Seedance 2.0 video that shows AI versions Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Actors union SAG-AFTRA said Friday it “stands with the studios in condemning the blatant infringement” enabled by Seedance 2.0.
“The infringement includes the unauthorized use of our members’ voices and likenesses. This is unacceptable and undercuts the ability of human talent to earn a livelihood,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement. “Seedance 2.0 disregards law, ethics, industry standards and basic principles of consent. Responsible AI development demands responsibility, and that is nonexistent here.”
ByteDance said in a statement Sunday that it respects intellectual property rights.
“(We) have heard the concerns regarding Seedance 2.0. We are taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorized use of intellectual property and likeness by users,” the company said.
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Ethan Hawke,Rose Byrne and Keke Palmer are just a few of the actors up for prizes at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles. Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” veteran Ego Nwodim is hosting the celebration of independent film and television, which will be livestreamed on YouTube starting at 5 p.m. ET.
Top nominees going into the 41st edition of the show include Ira Sachs’ “Peter Hujar’s Day,” which recreates an interview with the 1970s photographer, played by Ben Whishaw; Clint Bentley’s lyrical Denis Johnson adaptation “Train Dreams,” with Joel Edgerton; and Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby,” about life after an assault.
The show, which serves as a fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, is being held at the Hollywood Palladium for the first time, as its longtime beachside perch in Santa Monica undergoes renovations.
The awards sometimes overlap significantly with major Oscar contenders and winners, as it did with “Anora,” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and sometimes not. Organizers limit eligibility to productions with budgets less than $30 million, meaning more expensive films like “One Battle After Another” are not in the running.
Byrne is one of the few actors nominated for both a Spirit Award and an Oscar, for her performance as a mother on the edge in Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” In the lead performance category, she’s up against the likes of Edgerton (“Train Dreams”), Dylan O’Brien (“Twinless”), Palmer (“One of Them Days”), Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”) and Whishaw. The organization switched to gender-neutral acting categories in 2022.
Supporting performance nominees include Naomi Ackie (“Sorry, Baby”), Zoey Deutch (“Nouvelle Vague”), Kirsten Dunst (“Roofman”), Nina Hoss (“Hedda”) and Archie Madekwe (“Lurker”).
Films nominated in the international category include “Sirāt,”“The Secret Agent” and “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.” “Come See Me in the Good Light,” “My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow” and “The Perfect Neighbor” are also up for the documentary prize.
Hawke, who is nominated for an Oscar for “Blue Moon,” is up for a Spirit Award for his leading performance in the television series “The Lowdown,” where other nominees include Seth Rogen for “The Studio,” Stephen Graham for “Adolescence” and Noah Wyle for “The Pitt.”
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TUCSON, Ariz. — The urgent investigation into the apparent kidnapping of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie continued Sunday, a week after the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie was reported missing in Arizona.
Savannah Guthrie solemnly told the potential kidnappers in a social media video released Saturday that the family was prepared to pay for her safe return. Flanked by her siblings, Guthrie said “we received your message” and that: “This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay.”
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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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By TY O’NEIL – Associated Press
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The goofy and wry relationship comedy “Splitsville” landing on Hulu and fresh albums by J. Cole and Nick Jonas are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Keke Palmer starring in a TV adaptation of the 1989 Tom Hanks movie “The ’Burbs” for Peacock, gamers getting fast and bloody samurai action with Nioh 3 and Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” returning for Season 4.
— One of last year’s funniest original movies, the goofy and wry relationship comedy “Splitsville,” is streaming on Hulu starting Thursday. Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin, the duo behind “The Climb” bring the audience along on a metaphorical ( and literal ) roller coaster a comedy about open relationships, divorce and human mistakes, in which they star opposite Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona. In his review, AP Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that, “though there are elaborately choreographed long takes that smack of contemporary moviemaking, ‘Splitsville’ belongs more to a screwball tradition stretching back to the 1930s,” adding “the performer here who would have been most at home in that bygone comedy heyday is Johnson.”
— Also coming to Hulu, on Thursday, is James L. Brooks’ “Ella McCay,” a starry political dramedy with Emma Mackey playing an ambitious and idealistic lieutenant governor who has to take over for her boss. The film was a major flop with audiences and critics during its theatrical run. The AP’s Jocelyn Noveck, in her review, called it “bafflingly disjointed, uneven, unfunny and illogical,” adding that Mackey is the only reason to watch the film.
— Filmmaker Rory Kennedy (“Downfall: The Case Against Boeing”) tells the story of Judit Polgár, the Hungarian girl who dreamed of conquering men’s chess and defeat champion Garry Kasparov, in “Queen of Chess.” The documentary just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival but will already be available to stream on Netflix on Thursday.
— Nick Jonas, the youngest of the Jonas Brothers trio and fresh off a successful stadium run with his siblings, will release his first solo album in just under five years on Friday, Feb. 6 titled “Sunday Best.” The first taste arrived in the form of lead single “Gut Punch.” It is smooth adult pop — as is his bread and butter — easy listening for those in need of a love song.
— Also on tap: the innovative rapper and producer J. Cole returns with his seventh studio album, “The Fall-Off.” Some fans theorize it may be his final record — and with good reason. The music video for “Disc 2 Track 2,” released in January, begins with a note from Cole describing that he knew “in my heart I would one day get to the finish line.” That track recalls Nas’ 2001 hit “Rewind,” which may offer a tease as to what the album may sound like: a love letter to hip-hop, and the career it has given Cole.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— It may be cold outside, but there’s a heatwave on Bravo as the reality series “Summer House” returns for a 10th season. The show features Manhattanites sharing a shore house in the Hamptons, although recent seasons have also followed the gang when they’re back in New York during the week. It streams on Peacock beginning Wednesday.
— Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” is back for Season 4 beginning Thursday. Based on novels by Michael Connelly, the series follows talented Los Angeles attorney Mickey Haller (played by Manuel García-Rulfo) as he takes on high-profile defendants. This season Haller is the one who needs a strong defense when he’s falsely accused of murder.
— “Puppy Bowl,” the annual TV event promoting animal adoption airs its 22nd iteration on Sunday, Feb. 8. “Puppy Bowl XXII” will simulcast across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, HBO Max and discovery+. Another call-to-action special, The “Great American Rescue Bowl” also takes place Sunday. This one highlights both adoptable dogs and cats and will be available on Great American Pure Flix, Great American Family, and GFAM+.
— Keke Palmer stars in a TV adaptation of the 1989 Tom Hanks movie “The ‘Burbs” for Peacock. All eight-episodes drop Sunday, Feb. 8. Palmer and Jack Whitehall play a couple who move to suburbia with their new baby to live a nice, quiet life. The neighborhood seems less idyllic once the wife becomes fixated on one of her neighbors, whom she connects with a decades-long missing person case.
— Koei Tecmo’s Nioh series has built a cult audience among gamers who like their samurai action fast and bloody. Nioh 3, from Tokyo-based developer Team Ninja, adds some twists. Tokugawa Takechiyo is about to be appointed shogun when his jealous brother unleashes a horde of yōkai — ghouls, demons and other supernatural creatures drawn from Japanese folklore. Takechiyo can fight back with brute-force samurai skills, or switch to more acrobatic ninja tactics, all in a vast open world that promises more freedom than previous installments. Take up arms Friday, Feb. 6, on PlayStation 5 or PC.
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PORTLAND, Maine — The Farmers’ Almanac isn’t going out of business after all, but it is leaving Maine for the bright lights of New York City and a new owner.
Beloved by farmers and gardeners, the almanac was first printed in 1818 and — like the arguably more famous Old Farmer’s Almanac — relies on a secret formula of sunspots, planetary positions and lunar cycles to generate long-range weather forecasts.
It’s been acquired by Unofficial Networks, a digital publisher focused on skiing and outdoor recreation. That means the almanac will keep operating despite announcing in November that its 208-year run was coming to an end.
A new Farmers’ Almanac website will be “a living, breathing publication with fresh, daily content” and there are plans to bring back a print edition, said Tim Konrad, founder and publisher of New York-based Unofficial Networks.
“I saw the announcement that one of America’s most enduring publications was set to close,” Konrad said, “and it felt wrong to stand by while an irreplaceable piece of our national heritage disappeared.”
The deal will prioritize “preserving and sustaining the iconic publication,” according to a statement from Unofficial Networks and Peter Geiger, the almanac’s longtime publisher.
The Farmers’ Almanac was founded in New Jersey before moving its headquarters to Lewiston, Maine, in 1955. The Old Farmer’s Almanac is based in New Hampshire.
Over the years, scientists have sometimes chafed at the publications’ predictions. Studies of their accuracy have found them to be a little more than 50% accurate. That is about on par with random chance.
But Geiger, whose family had the Farmers’ Almanac for more than 90 years, said they’re “going out a winner” by having predicted a cold and snowy 2026.
“For more than 200 years, the values and wisdom of the Farmers’ Almanac have been protected and nurtured by four owner-publishers,” Geiger said. “I am grateful to have found the right next custodian in Tim Konrad. I am also confident he will honor its heritage and carry it forward for generations to come.”
Unofficial Networks was started in 2006 by Konrad and his brother John in a California basement, according to the company’s website.
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As if they’d leave “Clueless” off the list.
Cher Horowitz fans, rejoice: Amy Heckerling’s 1995 teen comedy is one of 25 classic movies chosen this year by the Library of Congress for its National Film Registry.
And if “Clueless” wasn’t your jam — whatever! — maybe this will send you deep into your dreams: Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending “Inception” is in the mix. Other films chosen for preservation include “The Karate Kid,” “Glory,” “Philadelphia,” “Before Sunrise,” “The Incredibles” and “Frida.” There are four documentaries, including “Brooklyn Bridge” by Ken Burns. From old Hollywood, there’s the 1954 musical “White Christmas,” and the 1956 “High Society,” Grace Kelly’s last movie before marrying into royalty.
Since 1988, the Library of Congress has selected 25 movies each year for preservation due to their “cultural, historic or aesthetic importance.” The films must be at least 10 years old.
The oldest of the 2025 picks dates from 1896, filmmaker William Selig’s “The Tramp and the Dog.” The newest of the group is from 2014: Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which, the registry noted, involved “meticulous historical research at the Library of Congress to create visually striking scenery.”
Turner Classic Movies will host a TV special March 19 to screen a selection of the films.
“The Tramp and the Dog” (1896): Once deemed lost, but discovered in 2021 at the National Library of Norway, Selig’s silent film tells the story of a tramp who tries to steal a pie from a backyard windowsill — and is foiled by a dog. The registry notes it’s an early example of “pants humor” — “where a character loses (or almost loses) its pants during an altercation.”
“The Maid of McMillan” (1916): This 15-minute silent film, a “whimsical silent romance” shot by students at a drama club at Washington University in St. Louis, tells the story of the track team captain, Jack, who’s in love with Myrtle, “a pretty coed,” according to the university’s library. It is known, the registry says, as the first student film on record.
“Ten Nights in a Barroom” (1926): A silent film featuring an all-Black cast, it’s based on a stage melodrama adapted from “Ten Nights in a Bar-room and What I Saw There,” an 1854 “temperance novel” written to discourage readers from drinking alcohol.
“High Society” (1956): In what the registry calls “the last great musical of the Golden Age of Hollywood,” Bing Crosby appeared with Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly, in her last movie before retiring and marrying Prince Rainier of Monaco. Louis Armstrong appeared with his band. Kelly wore her Cartier engagement ring during filming, the registry notes.
“Brooklyn Bridge” (1981): Ken Burns’ first documentary broadcast on PBS, in which the filmmaker recounted the building of the iconic landmark. “More than just a filmmaker, Burns has become a trusted public historian,” the registry says.
“The Big Chill” (1983): Lawrence Kasdan’s era-defining story of a group of friends reuniting after a suicide features Glenn Close, William Hurt, JoBeth Williams, Kevin Kline, Jeff Goldblum and Meg Tilly in an ensemble that “portrays American stereotypes of the time — the yuppie, the drug dealer, the TV star — and deftly humanizes them.”
“The Karate Kid (1984): The first film in the franchise, starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita, is “as American as they come,” the registry says — “a hero’s journey, a sports movie and a teen movie — a feel-good movie, but not without grit.”
“Glory” (1989): Denzel Washington won an Oscar as Private Trip in this story of the 54th Regiment, a unit of Black soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The cast also included Morgan Freeman, Matthew Broderick, Cary Elwes and Andre Braugher.
“Philadelphia” (1993): Tom Hanks starred — and won an Oscar — in one of the first big studio movies to confront the HIV/AIDS crisis. The film is also known for Bruce Springsteen’s Oscar-winning song, “The Streets of Philadelphia.”
“Before Sunrise” (1995): The first film of Richard Linklater’s deeply romantic “Before” trilogy, starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. The registry notes Linklater’s “innovative use of time as a defining and recurring cinematic tool.”
“Clueless” (1995): Heckerling’s teen comedy, starring Alicia Silverstone, was a loose adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma” and forever enshrined the phrase “As if!” into popular culture. The registry hails “its peak-1990s colorful, high-energy, soundtrack-focused on-screen dynamism.”
“The Wrecking Crew” (2008): Danny Tedesco’s documentary — not to be confused with the 2026 buddy cop movie of the same name — looks at a group of Los Angeles studio musicians who played on hit songs of the ‘60s and ’70s like “California Dreamin’” and “The Beat Goes On.”
“Inception” (2010): In a movie that asks whether it’s possible to influence a person’s thoughts by manipulating their dreams, Nolan “once again challenges audiences with multiple interconnected narrative layers while delivering thrilling action sequences and stunning visual effects.”
“The Tramp and the Dog” (1896)
“The Oath of the Sword” (1914)
“The Maid of McMillan” (1916)
“The Lady” (1925)
“Sparrows” (1926)
“Ten Nights in a Barroom” (1926)
“White Christmas” (1954)
“High Society” (1956)
“Brooklyn Bridge” (1981)
“Say Amen, Somebody” (1982)
“The Thing” (1982)
“The Big Chill” (1983)
“The Karate Kid” (1984)
“Glory” (1989)
“Philadelphia” (1993)
“Before Sunrise” (1995)
“Clueless” (1995)
“The Truman Show” (1998)
“Frida” (2002)
“The Hours” (2002)
“The Incredibles” (2004)
“The Wrecking Crew” (2008)
“Inception” (2010)
“The Loving Story” (2011)
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014)
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NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Neil Young is giving the people of Greenland the gift of song — his songs, that is.
The veteran rocker announced Tuesday on his blog that he is providing free access to his entire music catalog to residents of Denmark’s semiautonomous territory, whose futures have lately become a point of tension between the U.S. and NATO.
“I hope my music and music films will ease some of the unwarranted stress and threats you are experiencing from our unpopular and hopefully temporary government,” Young wrote. “It is my sincere wish for you to be able to enjoy all of my music in your beautiful Greenland home, in its highest quality.”
The offer is for a year — though Young said renewing is possible — and applicants need to have a Greenland-based cellphone. “This is an offer of Peace and Love,” he wrote.
The offer is in stark contrast to Young’s recent decision to deny listeners his catalog on the streaming Amazon Music platform, a swipe at its founder, Jeff Bezos, who has supported U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Amazon is owned by Jeff Bezos, a billionaire backer of the president,” Young wrote last week. “The president’s international policies and his support of ICE make it impossible for me to ignore his actions. If you feel as I do, I strongly recommend that you do not use Amazon.”
A representative for Amazon Music didn’t immediately respond for comment. Young’s manager also didn’t reply to questions.
Young has long sparred with streaming platforms, like when he pulled his music from Spotify in protest of podcaster Joe Rogan’s episodes on COVID-19 vaccines. Young later relented and his music was added back.
Young, whose hits include “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Heart of Gold,” has never been a huge fan of Spotify. At his insistence, much of his music was removed from the platform for several months beginning in 2015 because of his concerns about audio quality. But his music is there, as it is on Apple Music.
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Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny live at the Grammy Awards and Rose Byrne’s Oscar-nominated performance in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Highguard is the latest entry in the ever-growing field of multiplayer shooters, Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista star in “The Wrecking Crew” and the third season of “Shrinking” checks in on Apple TV.
— If you haven’t seen Rose Byrne’s Oscar-nominated performance in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Mary Bronstein’s psychological drama arrives Friday, Jan. 30 on HBO Max. Byrne plays the stressed-out mother of a young, unseen child who’s struggling with a mystery illness. In her review, the AP’s Jocelyn Noveck wrote that the film “has given Byrne, an actor of effortless appeal in lighter films, a chance to display versatility and grit in surely the toughest dramatic role of her career.”
— Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista star in “The Wrecking Crew” (Prime Video, Wednesday) as estranged half brothers who reunite after their father’s mysterious death. The action comedy is directed by Angel Manuel Soto, who made 2023’s “Blue Beetle.”
— Ira Sachs’ “Peter Hujar’s Day,” the lead nominee to the Independent Film Spirit Awards, is a marvel of historical yet intimate dramatic resurrection. The film (Criterion Channel, Tuesday) is based on a transcript from a 1974 interview by the writer Linda Rosenkrantz (Rebecca Hall) and her friend, the photographer Peter Hujar (Ben Whishaw). Rosenkrantz had planned a book about how artists spend their time. But the book never happened, and Sachs, after coming across the transcripts, dramatizes their dialogue.
— In “I’m Chevy Chase and You’re Not,” the filmmaker Marina Zenovich profiles the irascible “Saturday Night Live” and “Fletch” star. For the film (HBO Max, Saturday, Jan. 31), Zenovich interviews the complicated and sometimes combative comedian about his career, with glimpses of his daily life. Perspectives are offered by Dan Aykroyd, Beverly D’Angelo, Goldie Hawn, Lorne Michaels, Ryan Reynolds and Martin Short.
— ’Tis the season — the 2026 Grammy Awards season, that is. On Sunday Feb. 1, the 68th annual award show will air live on CBS. Watch as Kendrick Lamar, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga and many more go head-to-head in the top prize categories. Plus, the show doubles as a kind of bespoke live concert viewing experience — and who doesn’t like that? The 2026 Grammys can also be watched through live TV streaming services that include CBS in their lineup, like Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV and FuboTV. Paramount+ premium plan subscribers will be able to stream the Grammys live; Paramount+ essential subscribers will have on-demand access the next day.
— California power pop-punk bands Joyce Manor return with their seventh full-length album Friday, the all-too-appropriately titled “I Used to Go to This Bar.” Spoken like a gently aging band whose penchant for hooks knows no bounds.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— Benedict, the second eldest Bridgerton, takes center stage in season 4 of the Netflix romance series, It’s about the love stories of a large family in London during the Regency Era. Season 4 has “Cinderella” vibes with Luke Thompson’s Benedict looking for an enchanting “woman in silver” who is actually Sophie, a housemaid (Yerin Ha) working for his family. Part 1 drops Thursday with the remaining episodes arriving in February.
— The third season of “Shrinking” checks in Wednesday on Apple TV. The series follows Jason Segel as a therapist named Jimmy, a widowed dad to a teenage girl, who shares a practice with characters played by Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams. Between Jimmy’s colleagues, neighbors and friends, he forms a new kind of family. Season 3 features guest stars Michael J. Fox, Jeff Daniels, Sherry Cola, Isabella Gomez, and Candice Bergen.
— School’s back in session. “School Spirits” starring Peyton List, that is. The Paramount+ series also returns for a third season on Wednesday. List stars as a teen trapped in the afterlife which happens to be her high school. She’s there with other ghosts who are also former students that help Maddie to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.
— Kaley Cuoco and Sam Claflin star in a new mystery for MGM+ called “Vanished.” Cuoco plays a woman whose boyfriend (Claflin) goes missing on a train to France. The four-part limited-series premieres Sunday, Feb. 1.
— Highguard is the latest entry in the ever-growing field of multiplayer shooters, offering yet another way to get online with your friends and blow stuff up. In this case, you are Wardens — “arcane gunslingers sent to battle for control of a mythical continent.” Judging by the trailer, you’ll be able to ride mythical beasts and wield magical powers along with the typical arsenal of weapons. It comes from a new studio called Wildlight Entertainment, whose founders have worked on hits like Call of Duty, Apex Legends and Titanfall. And it’s free-to-play, so you might as well give it a shot Monday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S on PC.
— Bandai Namco’s Code Vein, from 2019, tried to answer the question: What if you took the demanding combat of Dark Souls and added vampires? The bloodsuckers — known here as Revenants — are back in Code Vein II, but a mysterious force is turning them into mindless monstrosities. Your job is to travel back in time and prevent the damage before all the Revenants get stupid. The good news is that you can still drain blood from your enemies and use it to upgrade your own fighting skills. Quench your thirst Friday, Jan. 30, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.
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NEW YORK — A reality TV series meant to spotlight the New York Police Department has spawned a real-life legal drama involving the city and the show’s producer, Jordan McGraw — the son of TV’s “Dr. Phil” McGraw.
The city sued the younger McGraw and his production company this week for breach of contract and obtained a court order that blocks them, at least temporarily, from selling or disseminating any footage from the unfinished and unaired show, tentatively titled “Behind the Badge.”
“Dr. Phil” McGraw— a clinical psychologist turned TV personality — hosted the series, interviewing officials and showing up to crime scenes. Episodes were slated to air on his MeritTV cable and streaming channels, where he’d previously done segments featuring the police department.
On Thursday, McGraw’s lawyers filed to move the case from New York state court to federal court.
The city abandoned “Behind the Badge” late last year, hours before then-Mayor Eric Adams ceded City Hall to Zohran Mamdani, after saying that it had expressed concerns to McGraw about the documentary-style show’s quality and content.
Episode “rough cuts” provided to the city by McGraw’s company, McGraw Media, were mostly “unedited footage” dumps and included material not allowed under McGraw’s production agreement with the city, such as discussions of sensitive operations and the identities of undercover officers, crime victims and witnesses, the lawsuit said.
“Intended to highlight the extraordinary work of the NYPD” with special behind-the-scenes access, “Behind the Badge” at times portrayed the nation’s largest police force negatively, violating the agreement, the lawsuit said.
Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media have since “disavowed their obligations” and attempted to wrest editorial control over the project from the city, “risking immediate and irreparable harm” to the city, the lawsuit said.
Chip Babcock, a lawyer for Jordan McGraw and McGraw Media, said the lawsuit came as a surprise “as publication of any programming was not imminent.” McGraw Media, he said, “had worked with the city to address the edits requested” and is willing to continue to do so. The company will seek to remove the court order as soon as possible, Babcock said, calling it a presumptively unconstitutional prior restraint.
New York City partnered with McGraw Media on “Behind the Badge” last April, inking a three-year contract a day after a federal judge dismissed federal corruption charges against Adams. The case went away, in part, because the Justice Department had wanted the mayor’s help with President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Last week, WNBC-TV reported that Adams’ campaign paid $500,000 for another Jordan McGraw company, Fairfax Digital, to produce social media ads.
Adams defended Jordan McGraw’s work on “Behind the Badge,” writing in a social media post on Wednesday that he “brought exceptional talent in revealing the inside story of the dangers NYPD officers face every day.”
“He and his team meticulously addressed every concern raised by City Hall,” Adams wrote. “I’m proud that the work they did tells the real story of our brave police officers. Heroes don’t wear capes, they wear blue uniforms. I understood that. I hope America will get to see that too.”
“Dr. Phil” McGraw, who hosted a “Behind the Badge” segment on his daytime talk show, made waves last year when he and a camera crew embedded with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for raids in Chicago and Los Angeles.
In a precursor to a show now pitting the city against his son, he went on a ride-along with the NYPD in 2024 for a segment on his MeritTV show “Dr. Phil Primetime.” In it, he spoke with officers at police headquarters and interviewed two top officials, including former Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry and former Chief of Department John Chell. Dr. Phil’s company, Merit Street Media, filed for bankruptcy last July.
The “Behind the Badge” contract, a five-page production agreement signed by Jordan McGraw and Adams’ chief of staff Camille Joseph Varlack, called for McGraw Media to produce up to 17 episodes per year, but gave the city the right to opt-out by Dec. 31, 2025, the last day of Adams’ term.
On that date, Varlack told McGraw in a letter that the city was “no longer able to fulfill its obligations” to the project. She outlined concerns with the production process, including shoddy editing and the inclusion of content that the city had found objectionable in “rough cuts.”
Under the production agreement, the city reserved the right to nix what it deemed “Non-Usable Content,” including inaccurate or confidential material, footage that revealed investigative techniques and anything that could compromise public safety or public trust.
Among other things, the lawsuit said, the show contained footage of an officer inputting a security code at a police station entrance, discussions of encrypted police communications and the unblurred faces of people who were arrested by police but who have not yet been tried or convicted of crimes.
In her letter, Varlack warned McGraw that releasing any such footage would violate the contract.
According to the lawsuit, McGraw Media indicated that it would not accept any of the city’s edits and that it intended to distribute the flagged material and was looking for a buyer to air the show.
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TAIPEI, Taiwan — Towering high above Taiwan’s capital city at 1,667 feet (508 meters), Taipei 101 dominates the skyline.
The earthquake-proof skyscraper of steel and glass has captured the imagination of professional rock climber Alex Honnold for more than a decade. On Saturday morning, he will climb it in his signature free solo style — without ropes or protective equipment. And Netflix will broadcast it — live.
The event’s announcement has drawn both excitement and trepidation, as well as some concerns over the ethical implications of attempting such a high-risk endeavor on live broadcast. Many have questioned Honnold’s desire to continues his free-solo climbs now that he’s a married father of two young girls.
Known for his legendary ropeless ascent up Yosemite National Park’s El Capitan, documented in “Free Solo,” Honnold is intent on pushing the limits of climbing around the world.
“When you look at climbing objectives, you look for things that are singular,” Honnold told The Associated Press late last year. “Something like El Capitan where it’s way bigger and way prouder than all the things around it.”
Something like Taipei 101.
Honnold won’t be the first climber to ascend the skyscraper, but he will be the first to do so without a rope. French rock climber Alain Robert scaled the building on Christmas Day in 2004, as part of the grand opening of what was then the world’s tallest building. He took nearly four hours to finish, almost twice as long as what he anticipated, all while nursing an injured elbow and battered by wind and rain.
Honnold, who has been training for months, doesn’t think his climb will be hard. He’s practiced the moves on the building and spoke with Robert on his climbing podcast.
“I don’t think it’ll be that extreme,” Honnold said. “We’ll see. I think it’s the perfect sweet spot where it’s hard enough to be engaging for me and obviously an interesting climb.”
The building has 101 floors, with the hardest part being the 64 floors comprising the middle section — the “bamboo boxes” that give the building its signature look. Divided into eight, each segment will have eight floors of steep, overhanging climbing followed by a balcony that Honnold would be able to rest on.
The “Skyscraper Live” broadcast will be on a 10-second delay and begin Friday evening for viewers in the U.S.
James Smith, an executive with event producer Plimsoll Productions, said he consulted safety advisers almost immediately after he first spoke with Honnold about attempting the climb. Smith works with a risk management group for film and TV called Secret Compass, which has supported productions in filming penguins in Antarctica and helping Chris Hemsworth walk across a crane projecting from an Australian skyscraper’s roof, alike.
Smith and Honnold will be able to communicate throughout the event. They’ll have cameramen positioned inside the building, various hatches and places to bail during the climb and four high-angle camera operators suspended on ropes.
“These people all know Alex. They trust Alex. They’re going to be close to him throughout the whole climb,” Smith said. “They’re going to get us kind of amazing shots, but they’re also there just to keep an eye on him, and if there’s any problems, they can kind of help.”
The production has also commissioned professional weather forecasters to provide updates leading up to climb day. There’s currently a small chance of light rain in the morning, Smith said. Ultimately, if conditions are bad, Honnold won’t climb.
At his local gym, Taiwanese rock climber Chin Tzu-hsiang said he’s grown up always looking up at the Taipei 101 and wondering if he could climb it. Honnold is a household name among rock climbers even in Taiwan, and Chin said he has students who have only been climbing for a year or two who are excited to watch. Based on watching Honnold in his other climbs, Chin said he trusts him to prepare for the challenge and not to recklessly take risks.
“For Alex Honnold to finish the climb, it’s like he’s helping us fulfill our dream,” Chin said.
The novelty and risk involved in the climb are almost built for television.
“This will be the highest, the biggest urban free solo ever,” Smith said. “So we’re kind of writing history and those events, I think, have to be broadcast and watched live.”
Those same factors are crucial when discussing the ethics of the climb, according to Subbu Vincent, director of media and journalism ethics at Santa Clara University.
It’s important that Honnold has a “back-off clause” and the production aspect of the event doesn’t increase the risk he’s already taking, Vincent said. One action that Vincent believes is crucial is using a delay in the live broadcast so it can be stopped immediately if something goes wrong.
“I don’t think it’s ethical to proceed to livestream anything after,” Vincent said.
Taipei 101 officials declined to comment and Secret Compass did not respond to interview requests.
Another consideration is the influence Honnold may have on impressionable youth who may feel more emboldened to take risks after watching him climb, a debate that has existed since Evel Knievel’s televised daredevil stunts.
Many climbers have died from free-soloing, including an 18-year-old rock climber from Texas who fell last June in Yosemite. A trend called “roof-topping” — where people gain access to the tops of skyscrapers, often illegally, to take photos of themselves dangling from the edge — has also led to several deaths.
Jeff Smoot, who authored the book “All and Nothing: Inside Free Soloing,” shares those concerns. But what the general public might not understand is that embracing risk has always been a significant part of climbing culture, he said.
Smoot began climbing in the 1970s watching legendary climbers like John Long and John Bachar free-solo regularly.
“From the public’s perspective, this is thrill-seeking. From the climber’s perspective, it’s a meditative art form,” Smoot said.
When he first heard Honnold would be ascending Taipei 101 without ropes, Smoot had questions — why do it at all, why do it without ropes, why film it live?
But, he concluded, “If it wasn’t dangerous, would people want to watch?”
___
Ding reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalist Simina Mistreanu contributed reporting.
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Netflix capped last year with another solid financial performance despite slowing subscriber growth that underscored the importance of its contested $72 billion bid to take over Warner Bros.’ movie studio and slot HBO Max into its video streaming line-up.
The fourth-quarter results announced Tuesday eclipsed the projections of stock market analysts, but Netflix’s report also noted that the video service ended the year with more than 325 million worldwide subscribers, a figure indicating it has added about 23 million subscribers since 2024.
The 2025 subscriber increase marked a dramatic slowdown from the 41 million picked up during 2024, amplifying investor worries that Netflix’s growth has peaked since the 2022 introduction of a low-priced, advertising-supported version of its service that triggered a massive surge in subscribers.
Management also forecast a profit for the January-March period that was below analysts’ predictions and announced Netflix would stop buying back its own stock while trying to complete the Warner Bros’ deal.
“Overall, this points to a challenging start to the year,” said Investing.com analyst Thomas Monteiro.
Netflix’s shares sank 5% in extended trading, even though its profit and revenue for the past quarter were better than anticipated. The company earned $2.4 billion, or 56 cents per share, 29% increase from the same time in the previous year. Revenue rose 18% from the previous year to more than $12 billion.
The results almost seemed like a footnote next to the stakes involved in Netflix’s bidding war to buy Warner Bros. Discovery .
The tug-of-war took another turn earlier Tuesday when Netflix converted its original offer that included a stock component into an all-cash deal in hopes of simplifying the process and making it easier for Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders to resist Paramount’s overtures.
Although Warner Bros. has reiterated its commitment to getting the Netflix deal done, Paramount isn’t showing any signs of backing down and could still sweeten its counteroffer to turn up the heat another notch.
Besides having to fend off Paramount, Netflix will also need to persuade U.S. regulators that adding HBO to a streaming service that has the most subscribers in the country won’t stifle competition and drive up prices that have already been rising in recent years.
The uncertainty has been reflected in Netflix’s stock price, which has fallen by20% since its agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery was unveiled last month. It’s a cloud likely to hang over Netflix through most of this year because the company doesn’t expect to complete its purchase until Warner Bros. Discovery spins off its cable TV business — a process expected to take six to nine months.
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Dwayne Johnson transforming into MMA pioneer Mark Kerr for “The Smashing Machine” and Louis Tomlinson releasing his third solo album are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Ryan Murphy’s new series “The Beauty” tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in, Jeremy Allen White plays The Boss in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” and Megadeth going out with a bang with their final, self-titled album.
— Dwayne Johnson transformed into MMA pioneer Mark Kerr for “The Smashing Machine,” a surprisingly gentle drama about winning, addiction and self-worth, which is set to debut on HBO Max on Friday, Jan. 23. In his review, Associated Press Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that the potency of Johnson’s performance is “let down by a movie that fails to really grapple with the violent world around Mark, resorting instead for a blander appreciation of these MMA combatants. What does resonate, though, is the portrait of a human colossus who learns to accept defeat.” Filmmaker Benny Safdie won a directing prize for his efforts at the Venice Film Festival, though the awards season spotlight has shifted to his brother, Josh, who made “Marty Supreme.”
— HBO Max also has Judd Apatow’s “Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man!” arriving on Thursday. The two-part documentary includes interviews with Brooks himself as well as the likes of Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler and Conan O’Brien.
— The Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” is also making its streaming debut on Hulu and Disney+ on Friday, Jan. 23. Written and directed by Scott Cooper, the film stars Jeremy Allen White as The Boss during the making of the soulful “Nebraska” album. In his review for the AP, Mark Kennedy called it “an endearing, humbling portrait of an icon,” adding that it is almost a mirror of the album itself, “unexpected, complicated and very American gothic.”
— A few other film festival gems are coming to more niche streamers too. The documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” a 2025 Sundance selection about a Russian teacher who secretly documents his classroom’s transformation into a military recruitment center during the invasion of Ukraine, is streaming on KINO Film on Thursday. And Mubi has Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grazia” starting on Friday, Jan. 23. Star Toni Servillo won the best actor prize at Venice for his turn as a fictional Italian president.
— You’d be right to call it a symphony for dissolution. Last summer, American thrash metal giants Megadeth announced they were going out with a bang. They’ll soon embark on a farewell tour, but before that, they will release their final album, the self-titled “Megadeth.” Pressure’s on, and they’re answering the call with their characteristically complex guitar work.
— Perhaps best known as a candid and cool force in the gargantuan boy band One Direction, the Englishman Louis Tomlinson will release his third solo album on Friday, the existential “How Did I Get Here?” His work usually pulls from his most direct influences, Britpop chiefly among them on 2020’s “Walls” and 2022’s “Faith in the Future.” The “How Did I Get Here?” singles “Lemonade” and “Palaces” seem to suggest those influences are still present, but subtle now in favor of sunny, pop-rock choruses.
— The great Lucinda Williams has returned with a new one titled “World’s Gone Wrong.” It is, of course, uniquely Williams — at the intersection of rock, Americana, country and folk — and stacked with inspirational collaborations from Norah Jones, Brittney Spencer and more. Those, partnered with a powerful rendition of Bob Marley’s “So Much Trouble In The World” with Mavis Staples, makes for a must-listen.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— FX’s new series cocreated by Ryan Murphy tackles beauty standards with some horror mixed in. “The Beauty” features an all-star cast including Evan Peters, Ashton Kutcher, Rebecca Hall, Jeremy Pope, Anthony Ramos and Isabella Rossellini. Bella Hadid also guest stars. Kutcher plays a tech billionaire who has created a drug that can lead to so-called physical perfection but not without dangerous consequences. “The Beauty” is based on a comic book of the same name and premieres Wednesday on Hulu and Disney+ internationally.
— “Drops of God” also returns Wednesday to Apple TV for its second season. It’s about two estranged siblings (played by Fleur Geffrier and Tomohisa Yamashita) competing to inherit their late father’s estate that comes with a massive wine collection. In Season 2, they must search for the source of an unlabelled bottle of wine believed to be the best in the world.
— On the heels of the “Heated Rivalry” phenomenon, Netflix has its own love story to heat up the ice that premieres on Thursday. Where “Heated Rivalry” is based on a steamy romance book series, “Finding Her Edge” is adapted from a YA novel. It’s about a figure skater training for the world championships, who finds herself in a love triangle with her current and former skating partners.
— Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes star in a new faith-based family drama called “It’s Not Like That,” coming to Prime Video on Sunday, January 25. Foley plays Malcolm, a pastor and father of three whose wife recently died and Hayes is Lori, a divorced mother of teenagers. Their families were always close but Malcolm and Lori find themselves relying on each other more and more as they navigate being single parents.
— Flynt Buckler, the hero of Escape from Ever After, lives in a storybook world. But that fantasy goes sour when a greedy corporation invades those books, turning them into cyberpunk dystopias and Lovecraftian nightmares. Can Flynt swashbuckle his way to the top, or will he settle for a crummy office cubicle? Developer Sleepy Castle Studio says it was inspired by Nintendo’s classic Paper Mario games, and the cartoonish 2D settings show off that influence. Turn the page Friday, Jan. 23, on Switch, Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 or PC.
— MIO: Memories in Orbit is another 2D adventure rooted in a Nintendo classic — in this case, Metroid, the mother of an entire subgenre. You are a small robot in an enormous starship called the Vessel, but your AI bosses have stopped working. It’s up to you to figure out what went wrong while fighting off rogue machines, and the more you explore, the more skills you gain. The ship’s sprawling innards have a hand-drawn, pastel look that you might not expect in a sci-fi game. Blast off Tuesday on Switch, Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 or PC.
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NEW YORK — Paramount Skydance is taking another step in its hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery, saying Monday that it will name its own slate of directors before the next shareholder meeting of the Hollywood studio.
Paramount also filed a suit in Delaware Chancery Court seeking to compel Warner Bros. to disclose to shareholders how it values its bid and the competing offer from Netflix.
Warner Bros. is in the middle of a bidding war between Paramount and Netflix. Warner’s leadership has repeatedly rebuffed overtures from Skydance-owned Paramount — and urged shareholders to back the sale of its streaming and studio business to Netflix for $72 billion. Paramount, meanwhile, has made efforts to sweeten its $77.9 billion hostile offer for the entire company.
Last week, Warner Bros. Discovery said its board determined Paramount’s offer is not in the best interests of the company or its shareholders. It again recommended shareholders support the Netflix deal.
David Ellison, the chairman and CEO of Paramount Skydance, said Monday that it’s committed to seeing through its tender offer. “We do not undertake any of these actions lightly,” he said in a letter to shareholders of Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. has yet to schedule its annual meeting or a special meeting to consider the Netflix offer, and Paramount did not name any potential candidates for the board.
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LOS ANGELES — LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Avatar: Fire and Ash” kept on smoldering at the box office, taking the top spot for a fourth straight week on a relatively quiet weekend as the January doldrums began setting in for the industry.
The third chapter in James Cameron’s Pandora epic brought in $21.3 million in North American theaters for The Walt Disney Co., according to studio estimates Sunday.
In total after four weeks, “Fire and Ash” has grossed $342.6 million in North America and $888 million in the rest of the world. Last week it joined its two predecessors as a billion-dollar earner.
The week’s top-grossing new release was Paramount Pictures rampaging-chimp horror film “Primate,” which earned $11.3 million domestically.
Disney’s “Zootopia 2” has shown remarkable staying power since its November release. It continues to be a global juggernaut and a sensation in China. Globally, the animated sequel has piled up $1.65 billion. That put it just on the edge of becoming Disney’s highest grossing animated movie ever, trailing only the $1.66 billion brought in by 2019’s photorealistic “The Lion King.”
In its seventh week, it was fourth at the North American box office with $10.1 million for a domestic total of $378.8 million.
The Sydney Sweeney-driven thriller “The Housemaid” continues to be a good earner for Lionsgate, which earlier this week greenlit a sequel. It collected $11.2 million in North America in its fourth weekend for a total of $94.15 million after costing just $35 million to make.
The figures came on a Sunday when much of Hollywood’s attention is on the Golden Globe Awards. “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Zootopia 2” are nominated for two awards apiece.
But among contenders in top categories at the Globes, only A24’s “Marty Supreme” is in this weekend’s box office top 10, finishing sixth with a $7.6 million take and a $70.1 million four-week total in North America.
It’s nominated for best picture musical or comedy, with star Timothée Chalamet nominated for best actor in a comedy and cowriter and director Josh Safdie nominated for best screenplay.
On the whole, Hollywood started 2026 strongly. Revenues this weekend were up 23% from the same weekend in 2025, according to data firm Comscore. And the 2026 total so far is also up 23% from last year.
The movie industry is coming off a poor 2025, where domestic moviegoing continued to slide. But studios are hoping 2026 could be the best box-office year of the decade as they await the releases of new “Avengers,” “Spider-Man,” “Toy Story,” “Super Mario Bros” and “Dune” movies.
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” $21.3 million.
2. “Primate,” $ 11.3 million
3. “The Housemaid,” $11.2 million.
4. “Zootopia 2,” $10.1 million.
5. “Greenland 2: Migration,” $8.5 million
6. “Marty Supreme,” $7.6 million.
7. “Anaconda,” $5.1 million.
8. “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” $3.8 million.
9. “David,” $3.1 million.
10. “Song Sung Blue,” $3 million.
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NEW YORK — Warner Bros. again rejected a takeover bid from Paramount and told shareholders Wednesday to stick with a rival offer from Netflix.
Warner’s leadership has repeatedly rebuffed Skydance-owned Paramount’s overtures — and urged shareholders just weeks ago to back its the sale of its streaming and studio business to Netflix for $72 billion. Paramount, meanwhile, has made efforts to sweeten its $77.9 billion hostile offer for the entire company.
Warner Bros. Discovery said Wednesday that its board determined Paramount’s offer is not in the best interests of the company or its shareholders. It again recommended shareholders support the Netflix deal.
“Paramount’s offer continues to provide insufficient value, including terms such as an extraordinary amount of debt financing that create risks to close and lack of protections for our shareholders if a transaction is not completed,” Warner Bros. Discovery Chair Samuel Di Piazza Jr. said in a statement. In contrast, he added, the company’s agreement with Netflix “will offer superior value at greater levels of certainty.”
Paramount did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company’s hostile bid is still on the table. Warner shareholders currently have until Jan. 21 to “tender” their shares.
Late last month, Paramount announced an “irrevocable personal guarantee” from Oracle founder Larry Ellison — who is the father of Paramount CEO David Ellison — to back $40.4 billion in equity financing for the company’s offer. Paramount also increased its promised payout to shareholders to $5.8 billion if the deal is blocked by regulators, matching Netflix’s breakup fee.
In its Wednesday letter to shareholders, Warner expressed concerns about a potential deal with Paramount. Warner said it essentially considers the offer a leveraged buyout, which includes a lot of debt, and also pointed to operating restrictions that it said were imposed by Paramount’s offer and could “hamper WBD’s ability to perform” throughout a transaction.
The battle for Warner and the value of each offer grows complicated because Netflix and Paramount want different things. Netflix’s proposed acquisition includes only Warner’s studio and streaming business, including its legacy TV and movie production arms and platforms like HBO Max. But Paramount wants the entire company — which, beyond studio and streaming, includes networks like CNN and Discovery.
If Netflix is successful, Warner’s news and cable operations would be spun off into their own company, under a previously-announced separation.
A merger with either company could take over a year to close — and will attract tremendous antitrust scrutiny along the way. Due to its size and potential impact, it will almost certainly trigger a review by the U.S. Justice Department, which could sue to block the transaction or request changes. Other countries and regulators overseas may also challenge the merger. And politics are expected to come into play under President Donald Trump, who has made unprecedented suggestions about his personal involvement on whether a deal will go through.
Trade groups across the entertainment industry have continued to sound the alarm about both deals.
In a statement addressed to a Congressional antitrust subcommittee on Wednesday, Cinema United — which represents more than 60,000 movie screens worldwide — reiterated it was “deeply concerned” that Netflix’s acquisition could harm both moviegoers and people who work in theaters, pointing to the streaming giant’s past reliance on its online platform. The group said its concerns were “no less serious” for Paramount’s bid — warning of consequences of further consolidation overall, which it said could result in job losses and less diversity in filmmaking.
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Returns to “The Pitt,” the Grid and music of Kid Laroi are some of the new television, films and music headed to a device near you
Returns to “The Pitt,” the Grid and music of Kid Laroi are some of the new television, films and music headed to a device near you.
The first week of January brings a pair of sophomore efforts: Laroi’s album “Before I Forget” and the second season of the Emmy-winning hospital drama “The Pitt.” This week’s streaming offerings, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists, also include the return of “The Night Manager” after nearly a decade.
— Audiences can reenter the Grid when “Tron: Ares” hits Disney+ on Wednesday. The franchise’s third film stars Jared Leto, Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith and features a return of Jeff Bridges. The 1982 original starred Bridges as a hacker who’s transported into a dangerous digital world and kicked off the cult franchise with then-state-of-the-art computer graphics and special effects. AP critic Mark Kennedy praised Leto and Lee’s performances and said despite being a movie that “bites off too much,” it was worth a watch. A bonus for music fans? The film’s Nine Inch Nails soundtrack with some throwbacks to the original film’s score.
— Grammy-nominated artist the Kid Laroi — a direct inheritor of Justin Bieber’s glossy R&B-informed pop — will release his sophomore album, “Before I Forget,” on Friday. Judging by the previously released singles, listeners can expect slow-burn breakup reflections (“A Perfect World”) and high-hat heavy tracks with lovelorn lyrics (“A Cold Play”). It’s frictionless listening to start the new year.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— In what counts as a quick turnaround these days in the world of prestige TV, “The Pitt” returns for its second season, and second day in the life of a frenetic Pittsburgh emergency room run by Noah Wyle’s beleaguered and beloved Dr. Robby. The first episode of Season 2 premieres Thursday on HBO Max at 9 p.m. Eastern. Expectations will be a lot higher this time. In the 10 months since Season 1 ended, “The Pitt” won the best drama Emmy along with four others, including best actor for Wyle and supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa, who will be returning despite her character vowing to quit after taking a punch. Ten months have also passed in the world of the show, which will again follow a single ER shift, this time on a July Fourth weekend.
— After a much, much longer absence, “The Night Manager” will return for a second season. It’s been nearly a decade since Tom Hiddleston’s hotel worker-turned-spy stalked a dirty arms dealer on the show based on a novel by John le Carré. It was meant to be a limited series for the BBC and AMC, but its creators are now bringing it back with a new and original story. This time, its airing on Prime Video in the U.S., beginning with a three-episode drop on Sunday.
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Leonardo DiCaprio emphasized the importance of creating cinema over content at the Palm Springs Film Festival Friday night.
“Movies are still meant to be experienced, together, in a theatre. Right now, that belief matters more than ever. Original films are harder to make and harder to protect. But movies still matter, not content, but cinema. Stories made by people meant to be shared in a dark room in a communal experience,” he said.
The “One Battle After Another” actor accepted the award via a pre-recorded video. Variety reported that he was be unable to attend the film festival due to the ongoing political conflict with Venezuela, which led to the cancellation of multiple flights out of the Caribbean, where the actor was spotted vacationing over the holiday season. His co-stars, Chase Infiniti and Teyana Taylor, accepted the award on his behalf.
The 37th annual International Film Awards at the festival in Palm Springs, California, kicks off Hollywood’s whirlwind award season, honoring some of the film industry’s most anticipated award contenders.
The glamorous night was full of long, heartfelt speeches, each emphasizing the importance of unity amongst artists and the importance of keeping original storytelling and movie theaters alive.
While accepting the Icon Award, Actor Michael B. Jordan told his colleagues to continue to tell original stories that build unity.
“The films were honoring tonight inspire each other to do more, to be better, to see each other more clearly and make the world a brighter place. And maybe when the lights come up in the theater, we could step back into the sun together,” said the actor.
Cyrus accepted the Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award for her song “Dream As One” in “Avatar: Fire and Ash.” The recording artist hopes artists will pivot to becoming more community-focused instead of seeing each other as competitors.
“Numbers can make it feel like a sport, but performance runs so much deeper than a scoreboard, because each artist can bare their soul in a completely unique way and every contribution leaves its own mark on history,” she said.
Jane Fonda briefly led the audience in a breathing exercise before presenting “Hamnet’s” Chloe Zhao, Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley with the Vanguard Award. Fonda credited the call to the action to director Chloe Zhao, who would routinely lead similar exercises before festival screenings of “Hamnet.”
Guillermo del Toro stood alongside his “Frankenstein” cast to receive the Visionary Award.
The director revealed he recently lost his older brother and reflected on the relevance of Mary Shelley’s classic novel as the world continues to grapple with emerging technology and division. For del Toro, it’s relevance means two things: “We never learn, and sometimes the only way to talk about humanity is through monsters.”
Timothèe Chalamet received the Spotlight Award, and focused his speech on his “Marty Supreme” character’s pursuit of greatness and making his dreams come true.
Mahershala Ali presented Ethan Hawke with the Career Achievement Award, reminiscing on how Hawke’s performance in “Reality Bites” was one of many films that inspired his early acting days.
Hawke’s acceptance speech gave credit to the friends and collaborators that left a mark on who he is today and remembered the influence the late River Phoenix had on his life.
“I stand here in front of you a sum accumulation of all of the individuals who helped shape me,” said the actor.
Hawke made his way to the stage a second time for a “First Reformed” reunion with former co-star Amanda Seyfried to present her with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress.
Seyfried was quick to point out the unexpected full-circle moment while receiving the same award as DiCaprio.
“I want to thank Leo for inspiring me to be an actor. So, it’s weird. It’s amazing to get this award. It’s the same title of the award, so it’s like sharing it with him? Sort of? Maybe,” said the actor.
The night continued with laughter from actor and comedian Adam Sandler after Laura Dern presented him with the Chairman’s Award. Sandler accepted his award with none other than a short stand-up routine about what his life would have looked like if he had chosen a quieter life instead of working in entertainment.
“I’d probably still have a deal with Netflix. But I’d be paying them a monthly fee so I can watch ”Stranger Things” last season,” said the comedian.
The cast of “Sentimental Value” accepted the International Star Award as an ensemble. Rose Byrne took home the Breakthrough Performance Award, Actress, for her work on “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” poking fun at the idea of receiving a breakthrough award in her 40s. The show concluded with Kate Hudson accepting the Icon Award, Actress for her work in “Song Sung Blue.”
Award season continues with the 31st annual Critics’ Choice Awards and next Sunday with the 83rd annual Golden Globes.
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LONDON — British children’s author and comedian David Walliams has denied allegations of inappropriate behavior after publisher HarperCollins dropped him.
Walliams, 54, is one of the U.K.’s bestselling children’s book authors and a former judge on the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent.”
In a statement on Friday, HarperCollins said: “After careful consideration, and under the leadership of its new CEO, HarperCollins UK has decided not to publish any new titles by David Walliams. The author is aware of this decision.”
A spokesperson for Walliams said in a statement that he “has never been informed of any allegations raised against him by HarperCollins.”
“He was not party to any investigation or given any opportunity to answer questions. David strongly denies that he has behaved inappropriately and is taking legal advice,” the statement said.
The publisher said it would not comment on internal matters, “to respect the privacy of individuals.”
“HarperCollins takes employee wellbeing extremely seriously and has processes in place for reporting and investigating concerns,” it said.
Walliams has published over 40 children’s books and sold more than 60 million copies worldwide, according to his website. Several of them, including “Gangsta Granny,” have been adapted into a BBC comedy dramas and stage productions.
Walliams left his role as judge on “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2022 after apologizing for making “disrespectful comments” about auditioning contestants.
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