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By Harshita Mary Varghese, Aditya Soni and Svea Herbst-Bayliss Jan 22 (Reuters) – Paramount Skydance on Thursday extended the deadline on its hostile tender offer for Warner Bros Discovery by about a month to February 20, buying more time to persuade investors that its bid for the Hollywood studio trumps a rival deal with Netflix.  The company did not raise its bid on Thursday. Only about 168.5 million Warner Bros shares, representing 6.8% of the company's outstanding stock, had been tendered by the offer's original January 21 deadline. A successful deal will change the landscape of Hollywood by giving the suitor ownership of iconic franchises from "Friends" to "Batman" as well as the HBO Max streaming service.  Netflix on Tuesday revised its $82.7 billion offer to go all-cash in hopes of expediting the deal closure and providing greater financial certainty to investors worried about its previous stock-and-cash deal. It is now willing to pay $27.75 per share in cash for the streaming and studio assets of the David Zaslav-led company, an offer that was unanimously approved by the Warner Bros board. Paramount has launched a charm offensive and sued Warner Bros to bring the HBO owner to the negotiating table. But Warner Bros and analysts have suggested that Paramount needs to raise its offer of $108.4 billion, or $30 per share, for the whole company to restart deal talks. BIDDING WAR LIKELY TO COME DOWN TO SHAREHOLDER VOTE  Shares of Paramount rose 1.9%, while Netflix was down 2.4% and Warner Bros was little changed. "We are confident in our ability to achieve regulatory approval for the Netflix merger," Warner Bros said. It added the deal provided "tremendous and certain value" and that Paramount continues to make an offer its board has rejected repeatedly. Netflix did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Warner Bros' board earlier this month rejected an amended Paramount bid that included a $40 billion in equity, personally guaranteed by Oracle's co-founder and Paramount CEO David Ellison's father, Larry Ellison.  The race is expected to come to a head at a shareholder vote that is likely to be held by April as Warner investors weigh the value of cable assets that Paramount argues are worthless. Once Paramount receives the green light from regulators at the U.S. SEC, it plans to ask Warner Bros investors to vote "against" what it is calling "the inferior Netflix transaction". Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is planning to testify next month at a U.S. Senate committee hearing on the proposed deal, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Paramount has also suggested that if shareholders were to reject the Netflix deal, it would immediately move to oust the Warner Bros board members and replace them with directors who would be ready to review the Paramount offer, a person familiar with the matter said. The company has argued that the Netflix offer relied on offloading $17 billion in debt to the Discovery Global spinoff that would house Warner Bros' cable assets and was essential to the Netflix deal. If Warner Bros cannot move all of the debt as planned, it would substantially reduce what shareholders stand to make on a sale to Netflix, Paramount said. Warner Bros has said that its advisers used three separate approaches for valuing Discovery Global.  The lowest share price they arrived at was $1.33 per share, by applying a single value across the whole company. The high end of the range was a price of $6.86 a share, if the spinoff became involved in a future deal. Paramount has repeatedly said that its offer is superior to Netflix's deal and has a clearer path towards regulatory approval. The Ellisons have argued their relationship with President Donald Trump gives them an easier regulatory path to approval. Sarandos said on a post-earnings call on Tuesday that the company has made progress towards securing the necessary regulatory approvals.  Netflix expects the addition of HBO Max will allow it to offer more personalized and flexible subscription options to better meet the needs of its diverse global audience. It also sees the theatrical business as a new revenue stream. But some analysts argue the deal would create near-term uncertainty around integration costs, content spending and the large debt load of the combined company. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona and Anil D'Silva)

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By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Vampire thriller “Sinners” stormed into Oscars history on Thursday with a record 16 nominations, positioning the Warner Bros film as the frontrunner for best picture and pitting star Michael B. Jordan against Timothee Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio as rivals for best actor. "Sinners," a celebration of blues music and Black culture in the Segregation-era U.S. South, will face off against "One Battle After Another," "Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme" and more for the coveted best picture prize.  The previous record for most nominations was 14, a mark hit by "All About Eve," "Titanic" and "La La Land." "Bugonia," "F1," "The Secret Agent," "Sentimental Value" and "Train Dreams" also were nominated for this year's best picture trophy at the highest honors in the movie business. Together, the nominations span genres – from historical drama to supernatural horror – and reflect a film academy increasingly willing to reward unconventional storytelling. A handful of nominees also are commercial hits, which could help boost viewership for the March 15th Oscars ceremony.  Jordan was nominated for best actor for his dual role in "Sinners" as twin brothers who set up a juke joint in 1930s Mississippi, triggering a bloody gangsters vs. vampires showdown that serves as an allegory for segregation and racism. The Warner Bros film also earned nominations for director Ryan Coogler, supporting actor Delroy Lindo, supporting actress Wunmi Mosaku and cinematography, costume design, original screenplay and visual effects. Jordan's competition includes Leonardo DiCaprio in offbeat action movie "One Battle After Another," which scored 13 nominations, and Timothee Chalamet in table tennis tale "Marty Supreme."  Paul Thomas Anderson earned a nomination for directing "One Battle After Another," which features DiCaprio as a one-time radical turned weed-smoking father of a teenager. Co-stars Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Teyana Taylor were nominated in supporting categories. "My career has been filled with battles, doubts, and moments of deep uncertainty," Taylor said in a statement. "It has felt like one long fight for space, for respect, and for opportunity. But today feels like a gentle reminder that dreams really do survive."  For best actress, Jessie Buckley was nominated for playing William Shakespeare's wife, Agnes Hathaway, in "Hamnet," and Kate Hudson for "Song Sung Blue," the story of a Neil Diamond tribute band.  Chloe Zhao, one of only three women to win best director in the 97 Oscar ceremonies to date, for "Nomadland," landed a nomination for "Hamnet." The film imagines how Shakespeare's family dealt with the death of their 11-year-old son, whose name was Hamnet. Historians believe Hamnet's death inspired the playwright to pen the play "Hamlet."  Paul Mescal, who earned critical praise for his role as Shakespeare, did not receive an Oscar nomination. COUNTDOWN TO MARCH 15TH CEREMONY Winners of the gold Oscar statuettes will be chosen by the roughly 10,000 actors, producers, directors and film craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Walt Disney's ABC will broadcast the awards and stream them on Hulu, and comedian Conan O'Brien will host for the second straight year.  Warner Bros Discovery, the studio subject to a bidding war between Netflix and Paramount Skydance, led all studios with 30 nominations.  Netflix has never won best picture despite nominations for "Roma," "Emilia Perez" and "The Irishman." It has a chance this year with Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein," which earned nine nominations, and "Train Dreams." The streaming service releases its movies in theaters for only a limited time to qualify them for awards consideration. Global phenomenon "KPop Demon Hunters," also from Netflix, was nominated for best animated feature and original song for "Golden." Two best picture contenders are non-English language films. They are Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" and Brazilian political thriller "The Secret Agent." "Sentimental Value" star Stellan Skarsgard said the recognition will boost awareness of a film without a multi-million-dollar advertising budget. "We are depending on the awards and festivals to get it out, so I'm glad it will get out there," he said. The movie has collected $16 million at global box offices, compared with $368 million for "Sinners" and $206 million for "One Battle After Another."  The highest-grossing best picture nominee is Brad Pitt racing drama "F1," with nearly $632 million in worldwide ticket sales. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine;Additional reporting by Danielle Broadway;Editing by Nick Zieminski)

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By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK, Jan 22 (Reuters) – A lawyer for actor Justin Baldoni urged a federal judge on Thursday to dismiss actor Blake Lively's lawsuit stemming from their 2024 movie "It Ends With Us,” saying her sexual harassment case was built on “petty slights.”  Lively, 38, accused Baldoni, who directed and co-starred in "It Ends With Us," and his Wayfarer Studios of coordinating a scheme to silence her and others from speaking out about the hostile environment they allegedly created on the film's set. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman is hearing arguments on whether the case should continue, following a more than year-long acrimonious battle that transfixed Hollywood and involved celebrities including Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds and longtime friend Taylor Swift. Thousands of pages of documents made public this week included Lively's claim that Baldoni, 41, pressured her unnecessarily to simulate nudity during a film scene in which her character gave birth in a hospital. Also released this week were messages between Lively and Swift, including a December 5, 2024, text where the superstar singer likened Lively and Baldoni's relationship to "a horror film no one knows is taking place." Lively is seeking unspecified damages for alleged harassment, invasion of privacy and violations of federal and state civil rights laws. A trial is scheduled for May 18. 'SMALL POTATOES' Jonathan Bach, a lawyer for Baldoni, told the judge that "context matters" and that in the context of making a film with adult situations, the "trivial things and petty slights" that Lively alleged didn't support letting her case continue. "It's not enough to show that sex or sexuality found its way into the workplace," Bach said. "Their burden is to show that it not only entered the workplace, but was used to discriminate against women." Bach also characterized Lively's case as being littered with "small potatoes," prompting the judge to say: "A whole bunch of little things can add up to a big thing." A lawyer for Lively countered that Baldoni's behavior was "consistently inappropriate and crossing boundaries," including by adding unnecessary sexual content when filming. The lawyer said this included the birth scene, as well as a dance sequence in which Baldoni allegedly "nuzzled" Lively. "She did not think this should be a hot and sexy movie at all," the lawyer said. Liman questioned whether some individual defendants, including Baldoni and Wayfarer Chief Executive Jamey Heath, should be held responsible for others' conduct, and how closely Baldoni was required to adhere to the script. "Your proposition would seem to have every director's decision decided by a jury," and that can't be right, the judge said. BALDONI HAS SAID HE ADDRESSED LIVELY'S CONCERNS In seeking a dismissal, lawyers for Baldoni said he resolved Lively's concerns about sporadic misunderstandings and "awkward comments" on the film set, including over her physical appearance, as soon as she raised them. They also said Baldoni had a right to hire a crisis management firm to defend his reputation after Lively began disparaging him publicly. Lively's lawyers countered that a jury should consider the alleged "toxic environment" where Baldoni and Wayfarer ignored numerous women's claims of being sexualized and marginalized, and then pursued a strategy of "deny" and "attack."  The dispute burst into public view in mid-December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, followed by her lawsuit, and a New York Times article titled: "'We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine." Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit accusing Lively and Reynolds of trying to destroy his reputation, but Liman dismissed that case last June. The judge also dismissed Baldoni's related $250 million defamation case against the Times. "It Ends With Us" generated mixed reviews but grossed more than $351 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, writing by Tom Hals; editing by Deepa Babington, Philippa Fletcher and Bill Berkrot)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LOS ANGELES, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Thursday’s Oscar nominations delivered new records, some high‑profile misses and some fresh breakthroughs, including for non‑English performances, women directors and a new casting category. 'SINNERS' SETS A RECORD With 16 nominations, "Sinners" set the record for most nominations for a film. The previous record of 14 was shared by "All About Eve" (1950), "Titanic" (1997) and "La La Land" (2016). SOME NOTEWORTHY BREAKTHROUGHS… The racing drama "F1" scored a surprising best picture nomination. Kate Hudson earned a best actress nod for her role in "Song Sung Blue," her first Oscar nomination since "Almost Famous" in 2001. Widely acclaimed actor Delroy Lindo garnered one of the 16 nominations for "Sinners" for best supporting actor, his first Oscar nod. …AND SOME PERCEIVED SNUBS  Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and their film "Wicked: For Good" failed to win nominations. Paul Mescal missed a nomination for his supporting role in "Hamnet." Other notable snubs included actor Jesse Plemons for "Bugonia" and Jennifer Lawrence for "Die My Love." Miley Cyrus was snubbed for her song in "Avatar: Fire and Ash."  Other films ignored included "Is This Thing On?", "Jay Kelly" and "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere." Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice" failed to muster a nod in the international feature category. A RECORD FOR NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE PERFORMANCES A record four non-English language performances were nominated. They were Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Wagner Moura, Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård. The previous record of three was set in 1976. "The Secret Agent" and "Sentimental Value" are the 12th and 13th non-English language films to be nominated for both international feature film and best picture in the same year. "Parasite," released in 2019, was the only film to win both. A MILESTONE FOR FEMALE DIRECTORS Chloé Zhao’s nomination for "Hamnet" is the 11th directing nomination for a woman in the 98-year-old history of the Oscars. Zhao is the third woman to score multiple nominations in the directing category, alongside prior winners Kathryn Bigelow and Jane Campion. A NEW AWARD The award for achievement in casting is the first new award category established since best animated feature film in 2001. The award formally recognizes the role casting directors contribute to a film's vision and its overall success.  (Editing by Howard Goller and Nick Zieminski)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LOS ANGELES, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Thursday’s Oscar nominations delivered new records, some high‑profile misses and some fresh breakthroughs, including for non‑English performances, women directors and a new casting category. 'SINNERS' SETS A RECORD With 16 nominations, "Sinners" set the record for most nominations for a film. The previous record of 14 was shared by "All About Eve" (1950), "Titanic" (1997) and "La La Land" (2016). SOME NOTEWORTHY BREAKTHROUGHS… The racing drama "F1" scored a surprising best picture nomination. Kate Hudson earned a best actress nod for her role in "Song Sung Blue," her first Oscar nomination since "Almost Famous" in 2001. Widely acclaimed actor Delroy Lindo garnered one of the 16 nominations for "Sinners" for best supporting actor, his first Oscar nod. …AND SOME PERCEIVED SNUBS  Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and their film "Wicked: For Good" failed to win nominations. Paul Mescal missed a nomination for his supporting role in "Hamnet." Other notable snubs included actor Jesse Plemons for "Bugonia" and Jennifer Lawrence for "Die My Love." Miley Cyrus was snubbed for her song in "Avatar: Fire and Ash."  Other films ignored included "Is This Thing On?", "Jay Kelly" and "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere." Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice" failed to muster a nod in the international feature category. A RECORD FOR NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE PERFORMANCES A record four non-English language performances were nominated. They were Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Wagner Moura, Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård. The previous record of three was set in 1976. "The Secret Agent" and "Sentimental Value" are the 12th and 13th non-English language films to be nominated for both international feature film and best picture in the same year. "Parasite," released in 2019, was the only film to win both. A MILESTONE FOR FEMALE DIRECTORS Chloé Zhao’s nomination for "Hamnet" is the 11th directing nomination for a woman in the 98-year-old history of the Oscars. Zhao is the third woman to score multiple nominations in the directing category, alongside prior winners Kathryn Bigelow and Jane Campion. A NEW AWARD The award for achievement in casting is the first new award category established since best animated feature film in 2001. The award formally recognizes the role casting directors contribute to a film's vision and its overall success.  (Editing by Howard Goller and Nick Zieminski)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Vampire thriller "Sinners," a celebration of blues music and Black culture in the Segregation-era U.S. South, stormed into the awards race on Thursday with the most Academy Award nominations of any film in history, landing 16 nods. The large haul sets up "Sinners" as the frontrunner heading into the March 15 Oscars, where it will face off against contenders including "One Battle After Another," "Frankenstein," "Hamnet," "Marty Supreme" and more for the coveted best picture prize. The previous record for most nominations in a single year was 14, a mark hit by "All About Eve," "Titanic" and "La La Land." "Bugonia," "F1," "The Secret Agent," "Sentimental Value" and "Train Dreams" also were nominated for this year's best picture trophy at the highest honors in the movie business. Together, the nominations span genres – from historical drama to supernatural horror – and reflect a film academy increasingly willing to reward unconventional storytelling. Jordan was nominated for best actor for his dual role in "Sinners" as twin brothers who set up a juke joint in 1930s Mississippi, triggering a bloody showdown between gangsters and vampires that serves as an allegory for segregation and racism. The Warner Bros film also earned nominations for best director for Ryan Coogler, supporting actor Delroy Lindo, supporting actress Wunmi Mosaku and best cinematography, costume design, original screenplay and visual effects. Jordan's competition includes Leonardo DiCaprio in offbeat action movie "One Battle After Another," which scored 13 nominations, and Timothee Chalamet in table tennis tale "Marty Supreme."  Paul Thomas Anderson earned a nomination for directing "One Battle After Another," which features DiCaprio as a one-time radical turned weed-smoking father of a teenager. Co-stars Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Teyana Taylor also were nominated in supporting categories. "My career has been filled with battles, doubts, and moments of deep uncertainty," Taylor said in a statement. "It has felt like one long fight for space, for respect, and for opportunity. But today feels like a gentle reminder that dreams really do survive."  For best actress, Jessie Buckley was nominated for playing William Shakespeare's wife, Agnes Hathaway, in "Hamnet," and Kate Hudson for "Song Sung Blue," the story of a Neil Diamond tribute band.  Chloe Zhao, one of only three women to win best director in the 97 Oscar ceremonies to date, for "Nomadland," landed a nomination this year for "Hamnet." The film imagines how Shakespeare's family dealt with the death of their 11-year-old son, whose name was Hamnet. Historians believe Hamnet's death inspired the playwright to pen the play "Hamlet."  Paul Mescal, who earned critical praise for his role as Shakespeare, did not receive an Oscar nomination. COUNTDOWN TO MARCH 15TH Winners of the gold Oscar statuettes will be chosen by the roughly 10,000 actors, producers, directors and film craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Walt Disney's ABC will broadcast the awards, and comedian Conan O'Brien will host for the second straight year. Warner Bros Discovery, the studio subject to a bidding war between Netflix and Paramount Skydance, led all studios with 30 nominations.  Netflix has never won best picture despite nominations for "Roma," "Emilia Perez" and "The Irishman." It has a chance this year with "Frankenstein," which earned nine nominations. The streaming service releases its movies in theaters for only a limited time to qualify them for awards consideration. Another Netflix film, the global phenomenon "KPop Demon Hunters," was nominated for best animated feature and original song for "Golden." Two of the best picture contenders are international films with English subtitles.  Norwegian drama "Sentimental Value" tells the story of two sisters who attempt to reconcile with their estranged father, while Brazilian movie "The Secret Agent" chronicles the life of a man who stands up to the country's military dictatorship in the 1970s. "Sentimental Value" star Stellan Skarsgard said the Oscar recognition will help boost awareness of a film without a multi-million-dollar advertising budget. "We are depending on the awards and festivals to get it out, so I'm glad it will get out there," he said. The movie has collected $16 million at global box offices, compared with $368 million for "Sinners" and $206 million for "One Battle After Another." (Reporting by Lisa Richwine;Additional reporting by Danielle Broadway;Editing by Nick Zieminski)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK, Jan 22 (Reuters) – A lawyer for actor Justin Baldoni urged a federal judge on Thursday to dismiss actor Blake Lively's lawsuit stemming from their 2024 movie "It Ends With Us,” saying her sexual harassment case was built on “petty slights.”  Lively, 38, accused Baldoni, who directed and co-starred in "It Ends With Us," and his Wayfarer Studios of coordinating a scheme to silence her and others from speaking out about the hostile environment they allegedly created on the film's set. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman is hearing arguments on whether the case should continue, following a more than year-long acrimonious battle that transfixed Hollywood and involved celebrities including Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds and longtime friend Taylor Swift. Thousands of pages of documents made public this week included Lively's claim that Baldoni, 41, pressured her unnecessarily to simulate nudity during a film scene in which her character gave birth in a hospital. Also released this week were messages between Lively and Swift, including a December 5, 2024, text where the superstar singer likened Lively and Baldoni's relationship to "a horror film no one knows is taking place." Lively is seeking unspecified damages for alleged harassment, invasion of privacy and violations of federal and state civil rights laws. A trial is scheduled for May 18. 'SMALL POTATOES' Jonathan Bach, a lawyer for Baldoni, told the judge that "context matters" and that in the context of making a film with adult situations, the "trivial things and petty slights" that Lively alleged didn't support letting her case continue. "It's not enough to show that sex or sexuality found its way into the workplace," Bach said. "Their burden is to show that it not only entered the workplace, but was used to discriminate against women." Bach also characterized Lively's case as being littered with "small potatoes," prompting the judge to say: "A whole bunch of little things can add up to a big thing." A lawyer for Lively countered that Baldoni's behavior was "consistently inappropriate and crossing boundaries," including by adding unnecessary sexual content when filming. The lawyer said this included the birth scene, as well as a dance sequence in which Baldoni allegedly "nuzzled" Lively. "She did not think this should be a hot and sexy movie at all," the lawyer said. Liman questioned whether some individual defendants, including Baldoni and Wayfarer Chief Executive Jamey Heath, should be held responsible for others' conduct, and how closely Baldoni was required to adhere to the script. "Your proposition would seem to have every director's decision decided by a jury," and that can't be right, the judge said. BALDONI HAS SAID HE ADDRESSED LIVELY'S CONCERNS In seeking a dismissal, lawyers for Baldoni said he resolved Lively's concerns about sporadic misunderstandings and "awkward comments" on the film set, including over her physical appearance, as soon as she raised them. They also said Baldoni had a right to hire a crisis management firm to defend his reputation after Lively began disparaging him publicly. Lively's lawyers countered that a jury should consider the alleged "toxic environment" where Baldoni and Wayfarer ignored numerous women's claims of being sexualized and marginalized, and then pursued a strategy of "deny" and "attack."  The dispute burst into public view in mid-December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, followed by her lawsuit, and a New York Times article titled: "'We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine." Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit accusing Lively and Reynolds of trying to destroy his reputation, but Liman dismissed that case last June. The judge also dismissed Baldoni's related $250 million defamation case against the Times. "It Ends With Us" generated mixed reviews but grossed more than $351 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, writing by Tom Hals; editing by Deepa Babington, Philippa Fletcher and Bill Berkrot)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Harshita Mary Varghese, Aditya Soni and Svea Herbst-Bayliss Jan 22 (Reuters) – Paramount Skydance on Thursday extended the deadline on its hostile tender offer for Warner Bros Discovery by about a month to February 20, buying more time to persuade investors that its bid for the Hollywood studio trumps a rival deal with Netflix.  The company did not raise its bid on Thursday. Only about 168.5 million Warner Bros shares, representing 6.8% of the company's outstanding stock, had been tendered by the offer's original January 21 deadline. A successful deal will change the landscape of Hollywood by giving the suitor ownership of iconic franchises from "Friends" to "Batman" as well as the HBO Max streaming service.  Netflix on Tuesday revised its $82.7 billion offer to go all-cash in hopes of expediting the deal closure and providing greater financial certainty to investors worried about its previous stock-and-cash deal. It is now willing to pay $27.75 per share in cash for the streaming and studio assets of the David Zaslav-led company, an offer that was unanimously approved by the Warner Bros board. Paramount has launched a charm offensive and sued Warner Bros to bring the HBO owner to the negotiating table. But Warner Bros and analysts have suggested that Paramount needs to raise its offer of $108.4 billion, or $30 per share, for the whole company to restart deal talks. BIDDING WAR LIKELY TO COME DOWN TO SHAREHOLDER VOTE  Shares of Paramount rose 0.6% in early trading, while Netflix was down 1.2% and Warner Bros was little changed. "We are confident in our ability to achieve regulatory approval for the Netflix merger," Warner Bros said. It added the deal provided "tremendous and certain value" and that Paramount continues to make an offer its board has rejected repeatedly. Netflix did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Warner Bros' board earlier this month rejected an amended Paramount bid that included a $40 billion in equity, personally guaranteed by Oracle's co-founder and Paramount CEO David Ellison's father, Larry Ellison.  The race is expected to come to a head at a shareholder vote that is likely to be held by April as Warner investors weigh the value of cable assets that Paramount argues are worthless. Once Paramount receives the green light from regulators at the U.S. SEC, it plans to ask Warner Bros investors to vote "against" what it is calling "the inferior Netflix transaction". Paramount has also suggested that if shareholders were to reject the Netflix deal, it would immediately move to oust the Warner Bros board members and replace them with directors who would be ready to review the Paramount offer, a person familiar with the matter said. The company has argued that the Netflix offer relied on offloading $17 billion in debt to the Discovery Global spinoff that would house Warner Bros' cable assets and was essential to the Netflix deal. If Warner Bros cannot move all of the debt as planned, it would substantially reduce what shareholders stand to make on a sale to Netflix, Paramount said. Warner Bros has said that its advisers used three separate approaches for valuing Discovery Global.  The lowest share price they arrived at was $1.33 per share, by applying a single value across the whole company. The high end of the range was a price of $6.86 a share, if the spinoff became involved in a future deal. Paramount has repeatedly said that its offer is superior to Netflix's deal and has a clearer path towards regulatory approval. The Ellisons have argued their relationship with President Donald Trump gives them an easier regulatory path to approval. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on a post-earnings call on Tuesday that the company has made progress towards securing the necessary regulatory approvals.  Netflix expects the addition of HBO Max will allow it to offer more personalized and flexible subscription options to better meet the needs of its diverse global audience. It also sees the theatrical business as a new revenue stream. But some analysts argue the deal would create near-term uncertainty around integration costs, content spending and the large debt load of the combined company. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona and Anil D'Silva)

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By Jungmin Ryu SEOUL, Jan 22 (Reuters) – Chart-topping K-pop boy band BTS is set to embark on a global concert tour in April, marking its first new album release in more than three years, and on Thursday fans rushed to secure tickets for the tour's opening shows. The band had been on hiatus since 2022 while each of its seven members undertook South Korea's mandatory military service. "I flew all the way to Korea just to get the tickets so it was all worth it," said 34-year-old Joanna Marie in an internet cafe in Seoul. "I've been waiting for them… a very long time, now that we're seeing them again, it's like a big dream." Earlier this month, BTS announced it will release a new album, "Arirang" in March, sparking intense anticipation among fans worldwide, known collectively as "Army". The accompanying world tour launches in Goyang, South Korea on April 9 and will span 79 shows across Asia, the U.S. and Europe through July, the group's agency has said. Fans vying for seats at the first three concerts in Goyang Stadium braced for ticket sales to go live at 8 p.m. Seoul time (1100 GMT). Some even flew into Seoul to take advantage of its high-speed internet connection for the ticketing war. "I think we all waited really long and now that it's happening, let's hope we all are satisfied," said 20-year-old Valentina Le Pera in the cafe. "They really are doing a lot of (tour) dates so I think they know what the fans are expecting." The band's most recent album, "Proof", released in 2022, debuted at number one in 18 countries and has amassed about 16.7 billion streams, according to industry data. (Reporting by Jungmin Ryu; Writing by Joyce Lee; Editing by Ros Russell)

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NEW YORK, Jan 22 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Thursday began hearing arguments on actor Justin Baldoni's bid to dismiss actor Blake Lively's lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment and waging a smear campaign in connection with their 2024 movie "It Ends With Us." Both sides are expected to make arguments at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan, after an acrimonious battle for more than a year that transfixed Hollywood and involved names including Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds and longtime friend Taylor Swift. Lively, 38, accused Baldoni, who directed and co-starred in "It Ends With Us," and his Wayfarer Studios of coordinating a scheme to silence her and others from speaking out about the hostile environment they allegedly created on the film's set. Thousands of pages of documents made public this week included Lively's claim that Baldoni, 41, pressured her unnecessarily to simulate nudity during a film scene where her character gave birth in a hospital. Also released this week were text messages between Lively and Swift, including a December 5, 2024, text message where the superstar singer likened Lively's and Baldoni's relationship to "a horror film no one knows is taking place." Lively is seeking unspecified damages for alleged harassment, invasion of privacy and violations of federal and state civil rights laws. A trial is scheduled for May 18. Jonathan Bach, a lawyer for Baldoni, told the judge that "context matters" and that in the context of making a film with adult situations, the "trivial things and petty slights" that Lively alleged didn't support letting her case continue. "It's not enough to show that sex or sexuality found its way into the workplace", Bach said. "Their burden is to show that it not only entered the workplace, but was used to discriminate against women." Bach also characterized Lively's case as being littered with "small potatoes," prompting the judge to say: "A whole bunch of little things can add up to a big thing." BALDONI HAS SAID HE ADDRESSED LIVELY'S CONCERNS In seeking a dismissal, lawyers for Baldoni said he resolved Lively's concerns about sporadic misunderstandings and "awkward comments" on the film set, including over her physical appearance, as soon as she raised them. They also said Baldoni had a right to hire a crisis management firm to defend his reputation after Lively began disparaging him publicly. Lively's lawyers countered that the dispute concerned more than merely "minor annoyances fueled by creative differences." They said a jury should consider the alleged "toxic environment" where Baldoni and Wayfarer ignored numerous women's claims of being sexualized and marginalized, and then pursued a strategy of "deny" and "attack."  The dispute burst into public view in mid-December 2024 when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, followed by her lawsuit, and a New York Times article titled: "'We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine." Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit accusing Lively and Reynolds of trying to destroy his reputation, but Liman dismissed that case last June.  The judge also dismissed Baldoni's related $250 million defamation case against the Times. "It Ends With Us" generated mixed reviews but grossed more than $351 million worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York, editing by Deepa Babington and Philippa Fletcher)

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