Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
‘Star Wars’ model, Elvis suit among movie items headed for auction
From a “Star Wars” X-Wing spacecraft model to a “Thor” hammer, a treasure trove of entertainment memorabilia from much-loved movies is going up for auction in Hollywood next month. More than 1,800 items are being offered at the June 21-24 auction, which film and TV memorabilia company Propstore estimates will raise more than $9 million.
Claire Danes digs into the mystic mystery in ‘The Essex Serpent’
Claire Danes say her first role after nearly a decade in the hit drama “Homeland” was both “wonderful” and “scary”, going from playing a CIA officer to a grieving 19th-century British widow in a new mini-series “The Essex Serpent” . The 43-year-old actress won numerous awards for her portrayal of intrepid bipolar protagonist Carrie Mathison in the 2011-2020 show.
Disney to provide next streaming gauge after Netflix retreat
Walt Disney Co’s streaming TV business will face scrutiny on Wednesday from investors who are re-evaluating the media industry’s aggressive shift from cable television to online video subscriptions. Netflix Inc shook Wall Street last month when the streaming video pioneer disclosed it lost subscribers in the first three months of the year and forecast more defections through June.
‘Everything Everywhere’ creators set out to surprise with sci-fi action comedy
As its title suggests, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” by creative duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, takes audiences on an elaborate adventure across multiple universes. The movie stars Michelle Yeoh as laundromat owner Evelyn Wang who has trouble connecting with her family and paying her taxes.
Apple to pull the plug on iPod after 20 years
Apple Inc is discontinuing the iPod more than 20 years after the device became the face of portable music and kickstarted its meteoric evolution into the world’s biggest company. The iPod Touch, the only version of the portable music player still being sold, will be available till supplies last, Apple said in a blog post on Tuesday.
Game over: EA, FIFA part ways after the decades-long partnership
Electronic Arts is parting ways with world soccer governing body FIFA after a near three-decade partnership and pulling the plug on one of the world’s most successful video-game franchises that have raked in billions of dollars in sales. EA made a “significant offer” to FIFA for an eight-year exclusivity period across all of FIFA’s gaming and esports rights, but the soccer body was unwilling to lock up all of its gaming and football rights with just one publisher, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
A Minute With The ‘Conversations with Friends’ cast on adapting hit book
A highly-anticipated adaptation of Irish author Sally Rooney’s debut novel “Conversation with Friends” premieres this weekend, following in the footsteps of her book-turned-television hit “Normal People”. Alison Oliver and Sasha Lane star as ex-girlfriends and now best friends Frances and Bobbi, who meet older married couple Melissa and Nick, played by Jemima Kirke and Joe Alwyn, during a Dublin poetry night. The story follows their different relationships as their lives become intertwined.
Celebrity chef Mario Batali acquitted of sexually assaulting a woman in Boston
Chef Mario Batali was acquitted on Tuesday of sexually assaulting a woman at a Boston bar in 2017 while posing with her for fan “selfie” photos, with the judge doubting the credibility of the accuser in the latest #MeToo era trial involving a U.S. celebrity accused of misconduct toward women. In the non-jury trial, Judge James Stanton of Boston Municipal Court found Batali, 61, not guilty of a charge of indecent assault and battery brought in 2019.
(With inputs from agencies.)
