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Dec 26 (Reuters) – Amos Poe, the New York director and screenwriter credited with chronicling the city's downtown punk movement, died on Thursday at 76 after a battle with an aggressive cancer, his wife and daughter said on social media. Poe, diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2022, underwent intensive chemotherapy before moving to home hospice care. “Amos took his last breath today at 3:33 p.m., surrounded by loved ones,” said Claudia Summers, his wife, on Instagram. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help offset his medical costs, drawing support from the filmmaking community. Emily Poe, his daughter, wrote on Facebook: “We said goodbye today to Amos Poe and the world will never be the same." LEADING CULTURAL FIGURE, HELPED SHAPE PUNK Poe was a leading figure in the so-called No Wave cinema of experimental and low-budget filmmaking in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which has influenced today's world of independent movie making. Poe was a fixture in New York’s downtown cultural scene, helping shape the punk explosion on the Bowery and documenting it on film. His seminal work, "The Blank Generation", along with "The Foreigner" and "Subway Riders", cemented his reputation. In comments to Reuters in 2011, Poe talked about the emergence of No Wave cinema. "Our whole aesthetic, or the way we approached it, was that you didn't necessarily have to have the professionalism or the understanding of making films, you had to have the inspiration and the will to put yourself completely into it." In a 2020 profile titled "His Film Is a Punk Classic, but the Credits Now Roll Without Him," The New York Times said Poe lost control of his music documentary after a dispute with guitarist Ivan Kral. Poe turned to directing his own features, starting with "Unmade Beds", a DIY project starring friends Duncan Hannah, Eric Mitchell and Debbie Harry, followed by "The Foreigner" and "Subway Riders". Alongside contemporaries such as Jim Jarmusch, Abel Ferrara and Vivienne Dick, Poe became a central figure in the No Wave scene. Janus Films paid tribute on X, posting a black-and-white portrait of Poe in a leather jacket with the caption: “Farewell Amos, Prince of New York.” "MY STOMACH AND INTESTINES ARE A COLOSSAL MESS" In 2024, Poe posted from Greece: "My stomach and intestines are a colossal mess. What I needed was to get back to work – but as anyone who's been in intense, unrelenting pain will tell you, it's tiring as hell. So a few weeks, a month in the Mediterranean seemed the right prescription … and here we are. The Mrs. and I." Tributes poured in from across the industry. U.S. indie director Jarmusch, who called Poe a key influence, and Emmy-winning actor Michael Imperioli, who worked with Poe on "Joey Breaker", shared condolences on social media. (Reporting by Mrinmay Dey, Rishabh Jaiswal, Preetika Parashuraman and Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus and Neil Fullick)

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Dec 26 (Reuters) – Amos Poe, the New York director and screenwriter credited with chronicling the city's downtown punk movement, died on Thursday at 76 after a battle with an aggressive cancer, his wife and daughter said on social media. Poe, diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2022, underwent intensive chemotherapy before moving to home hospice care. “Amos took his last breath today at 3:33 p.m., surrounded by loved ones,” said Claudia Summers, his wife, on Instagram. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help offset his medical costs, drawing support from the filmmaking community. Emily Poe, his daughter, wrote on Facebook: “We said goodbye today to Amos Poe and the world will never be the same." LEADING CULTURAL FIGURE, HELPED SHAPE PUNK Poe was a leading figure in the so-called No Wave cinema of experimental and low-budget filmmaking in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which has influenced today's world of independent movie making. Poe was a fixture in New York’s downtown cultural scene, helping shape the punk explosion on the Bowery and documenting it on film. His seminal work, "The Blank Generation", along with "The Foreigner" and "Subway Riders", cemented his reputation. In comments to Reuters in 2011, Poe talked about the emergence of No Wave cinema. "Our whole aesthetic, or the way we approached it, was that you didn't necessarily have to have the professionalism or the understanding of making films, you had to have the inspiration and the will to put yourself completely into it." In a 2020 profile titled "His Film Is a Punk Classic, but the Credits Now Roll Without Him," The New York Times said Poe lost control of his music documentary after a dispute with guitarist Ivan Kral. Poe turned to directing his own features, starting with "Unmade Beds", a DIY project starring friends Duncan Hannah, Eric Mitchell and Debbie Harry, followed by "The Foreigner" and "Subway Riders". Alongside contemporaries such as Jim Jarmusch, Abel Ferrara and Vivienne Dick, Poe became a central figure in the No Wave scene. Janus Films paid tribute on X, posting a black-and-white portrait of Poe in a leather jacket with the caption: “Farewell Amos, Prince of New York.” "MY STOMACH AND INTESTINES ARE A COLOSSAL MESS" In 2024, Poe posted from Greece: "My stomach and intestines are a colossal mess. What I needed was to get back to work – but as anyone who's been in intense, unrelenting pain will tell you, it's tiring as hell. So a few weeks, a month in the Mediterranean seemed the right prescription … and here we are. The Mrs. and I." Tributes poured in from across the industry. U.S. indie director Jarmusch, who called Poe a key influence, and Emmy-winning actor Michael Imperioli, who worked with Poe on "Joey Breaker", shared condolences on social media. (Reporting by Mrinmay Dey, Rishabh Jaiswal, Preetika Parashuraman and Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus and Neil Fullick)

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By Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Amanda Seyfried acknowledges she knew little about Ann Lee, the 18th-century founder of the Shaker movement, before portraying her in “The Testament of Ann Lee,” a film opening Christmas Day that explores the visionary leader’s quest for equality and communal living. “I was surprised that I didn’t learn about her in my own American history classes,” Seyfried – who starred in "Mamma Mia!" – told Reuters. “This woman is the leader of the Shaker movement.” The Shakers were a Christian movement also known for their celibacy and ecstatic worship to shake off evil. The film, directed by Mona Fastvold and distributed by Searchlight Pictures, follows Ann Lee, proclaimed as the female Christ by her followers. In the movie, Ann Lee aims to establish a utopian society where the Shakers worship through song and dance, based on real American history. Along with Seyfried, the film stars Lewis Pullman as William Lee, Ann’s brother; Christopher Abbott as Abraham Standerin, Ann’s husband, and Thomasin McKenzie as follower and friend of Ann, Mary Partington. Like Seyfried, Pullman didn’t know anything about Ann Lee before working on the film. “The more you learn about her, the more she seems like she should be a pivotal figure in history,” he said. Pullman describes the real Ann Lee as a humanist who advocated for the rights of everyone. For both Pullman and McKenzie, it was impressive to see how Seyfried captured both the pain and the powerful presence of Ann. The film’s musical elements were a key part of the movement's story, as the Shakers used song and dance to worship God and advocate for equity. It was revolutionary for Seyfried when she realized that for the role of Ann, her singing went beyond giving a good performance. “I’m singing to be alive. I’m not singing to sound, to perform. It’s like oxygen. It definitely shifted my perspective on what it means," the "Dear John" actor said. “It’s a musical but not the way we know musicals,” she added. (Reporting by Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway)

(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 Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Amanda Seyfried acknowledges she knew little about Ann Lee, the 18th-century founder of the Shaker movement, before portraying her in “The Testament of Ann Lee,” a film opening Christmas Day that explores the visionary leader’s quest for equality and communal living. “I was surprised that I didn’t learn about her in my own American history classes,” Seyfried – who starred in "Mamma Mia!" – told Reuters. “This woman is the leader of the Shaker movement.” The Shakers were a Christian movement also known for their celibacy and ecstatic worship to shake off evil. The film, directed by Mona Fastvold and distributed by Searchlight Pictures, follows Ann Lee, proclaimed as the female Christ by her followers. In the movie, Ann Lee aims to establish a utopian society where the Shakers worship through song and dance, based on real American history. Along with Seyfried, the film stars Lewis Pullman as William Lee, Ann’s brother; Christopher Abbott as Abraham Standerin, Ann’s husband, and Thomasin McKenzie as follower and friend of Ann, Mary Partington. Like Seyfried, Pullman didn’t know anything about Ann Lee before working on the film. “The more you learn about her, the more she seems like she should be a pivotal figure in history,” he said. Pullman describes the real Ann Lee as a humanist who advocated for the rights of everyone. For both Pullman and McKenzie, it was impressive to see how Seyfried captured both the pain and the powerful presence of Ann. The film’s musical elements were a key part of the movement's story, as the Shakers used song and dance to worship God and advocate for equity. It was revolutionary for Seyfried when she realized that for the role of Ann, her singing went beyond giving a good performance. “I’m singing to be alive. I’m not singing to sound, to perform. It’s like oxygen. It definitely shifted my perspective on what it means," the "Dear John" actor said. “It’s a musical but not the way we know musicals,” she added. (Reporting by Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway)

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SEOUL, Dec 23 (Reuters) – A K-Pop concert will be held in Hong Kong in February and aired across mainland China by a state-run broadcaster, the organiser said, amid growing hopes of cultural exchanges between China and South Korea after nearly a decade of an unofficial ban. Chinese President Xi Jinping last month visited South Korea for the first time in 11 years and held a summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, where the two leaders also discussed cultural exchanges, raising hopes of China lifting its unofficial ban on Korean culture. The unofficial ban was introduced in 2017 as China protested against the U.S. deployment of a missile shield system in South Korea and has in effect meant no Korean concerts or TV shows have been approved by the Chinese authorities. Dream Concert 2026 will be held at Kai Tak Sports Park for two days from February 6 and the recording will be broadcast by China's state-run Hunan Television, according to From Entertainment, a South Korean firm organising the event. "It will be the first time for a K-Pop concert to be broadcast in mainland China since cultural exchanges were severed. First in years," an official at From Entertainment said on Tuesday. China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday it was not aware of any planned concerts or lifting of the unofficial ban on K-Pop. The two countries are also coordinating a visit by Lee to China early next year, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in an interview with Yonhap News on Monday. The From Entertainment official gave no details of which K-Pop acts would be performing. However, shares of K-Pop agencies rallied on Tuesday, with HYBE rising 5%, SM Entertainment gaining 8%, JYP Entertainment adding 3% and YG Entertainment jumping 4%. Dream Concert, a K-Pop event hosted annually by the Korea Entertainment Producer's Association, was held this year in Abu Dhabi in November, after South Korean media reported that earlier plans of holding it in mainland China and Hong Kong were cancelled. South Korean entertainment firm CJ ENM also hosted its annual MAMA Awards in Hong Kong last month. (Reporting by Jihoon Lee in Seoul, Additional Reporting by Joe Cash in Beijing; Editing by Alison Williams)

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By Akash Sriram Dec 22 (Reuters) – Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has stepped in to personally guarantee $40.4 billion in Paramount Skydance's latest effort to pry Warner Bros Discovery away from selling its prized Hollywood assets to streaming giant Netflix. The guarantee, disclosed in a filing on Monday, seeks to allay the Warner Bros board's doubts about Paramount's financing and the lack of full Ellison family backing, which had pushed it toward the competing cash-and-stock offer from Netflix. Warner Bros shares closed up 3.5%, while Paramount added over 4%. Warner Bros said it will review and consider Paramount's revised terms, adding that board is not modifying its recommendation with respect to the Netflix deal. Netflix did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Paramount said the amended terms do not change the $30-per-share all-cash offer even as the fight for Hollywood's sought-after assets heats up, with control of Warner Bros' vast library offering a decisive edge in the streaming wars. "I doubt many Warner Bros shareholders that are on the fence or planning to vote no were holding out due to issues the revised bid addresses such as a guarantee from Larry Ellison on the funding front," said Seth Shafer, principal analyst at S&P Global. As part of the revised terms, Ellison also agreed not to revoke the family trust or transfer its assets during the pendency of the transaction, the filing showed.  Paramount said it has raised its regulatory reverse termination fee to $5.8 billion from $5 billion to match the competing transaction and extended the expiration date of its tender offer to January 21, 2026. The bid follows Warner Bros asking its shareholders to reject the $108.4 billion offer from Paramount for the whole company, including cable TV assets, on doubts over its financing and the lack of a full guarantee from the Ellison family.  But Warner Bros investors, including the fifth largest shareholder Harris Associates, have said they would be open to revised offers from Paramount if it presents a superior bid and addresses issues with deal terms.  Under the Netflix agreement, Warner Bros would owe Netflix $2.8 billion as breakup fee if it walks away from that deal.  REGULATORY SCRUTINY For either suitor, winning shareholder support is only the first hurdle, as both deals would face intense antitrust scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about consolidation in the media industry, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said he plans to weigh in on the transactions. A Paramount-Warner Bros combination would create a studio larger than industry leader Disney and combine two major television operators, a move some Democratic senators say would give one company control over "almost everything Americans watch on TV." A Netflix-Warner Bros tie-up would cement Netflix's dominance in streaming, creating a group with a combined 428 million subscribers. Netflix has said it would honor Warner Bros' theatrical commitments and argued the deal would benefit consumers by lowering costs through bundled offerings. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has said he is confident the deal would win regulatory approval, arguing it would avoid job cuts in an industry already struggling with uneven box-office returns. (Reporting by Akash Sriram, Aditya Soni and Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)

(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 Akash Sriram Dec 22 (Reuters) – Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has stepped in to personally guarantee $40.4 billion in Paramount Skydance's latest effort to pry Warner Bros Discovery away from selling its prized Hollywood assets to streaming giant Netflix. The guarantee, disclosed in a filing on Monday, seeks to allay the Warner Bros board's doubts about Paramount's financing and the lack of full Ellison family backing, which had pushed it toward the competing cash-and-stock offer from Netflix. Warner Bros shares rose about 3%, while Paramount added over 7%. Warner Bros and Netflix did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Paramount said the amended terms do not change the $30-per-share all-cash offer even as the fight for Hollywood's sought-after assets heats up, with control of Warner Bros' vast library offering a decisive edge in the streaming wars. "I doubt many Warner Bros shareholders that are on the fence or planning to vote no were holding out due to issues the revised bid addresses such as a guarantee from Larry Ellison on the funding front," said Seth Shafer, principal analyst at S&P Global. As part of the revised terms, Ellison also agreed not to revoke the family trust or transfer its assets during the pendency of the transaction, the filing showed.  Paramount said it has raised its regulatory reverse termination fee to $5.8 billion from $5 billion to match the competing transaction and extended the expiration date of its tender offer to January 21, 2026. The bid follows Warner Bros asking its shareholders to reject the $108.4 billion offer from Paramount for the whole company, including cable TV assets, on doubts over its financing and the lack of a full guarantee from the Ellison family.  But Warner Bros investors, including the fifth largest shareholder Harris Associates, have said they would be open to revised offers from Paramount if it presents a superior bid and addresses issues with deal terms.  Under the Netflix agreement, Warner Bros would owe Netflix $2.8 billion as breakup fee if it walks away from that deal.  REGULATORY SCRUTINY For either suitor, winning shareholder support is only the first hurdle, as both deals would face intense antitrust scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about consolidation in the media industry, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said he plans to weigh in on the transactions. A Paramount-Warner Bros combination would create a studio larger than industry leader Disney and combine two major television operators, a move some Democratic senators say would give one company control over "almost everything Americans watch on TV." A Netflix-Warner Bros tie-up would cement Netflix's dominance in streaming, creating a group with a combined 428 million subscribers. Netflix has said it would honor Warner Bros' theatrical commitments and argued the deal would benefit consumers by lowering costs through bundled offerings. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has said he is confident the deal would win regulatory approval, arguing it would avoid job cuts in an industry already struggling with uneven box-office returns. (Reporting by Akash Sriram, Aditya Soni and Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)

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LONDON, Dec 22 (Reuters) – Chris Rea, an English singer-songwriter and guitarist best known for his festive hit "Driving Home For Christmas", has died aged 74 following a short illness, his family said on Monday. Hailing from Middlesbrough, a port town in northeast England, Rea's song "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" from his debut studio album in 1978 was his biggest chart hit, reaching the U.S. billboard Hot 100 and earning him a Grammy nomination. He released 25 studio albums and sold more than 40 million records worldwide in a career spanning five decades, cementing his reputation as one of Britain's most prominent pop artists. "Driving Home for Christmas," written during a snowy journey when he was unemployed and released in 1986, became a seasonal staple in Britain, re-entering UK charts annually and featuring in festive advertising campaigns. "My manager had just left me, I'd just been banned from driving, my now wife, Joan, she had to drive down to London, pick me up in the mini and take me home, and that's when I wrote it," Rea said in a video clip posted on Instagram last week. The song was used this year in a Christmas-season ad campaign by retailer M&S. A motor-racing enthusiast, Rea took part in the 1993 British Touring Car Championship as a guest driver. Two of his album covers, "Auberge" in 1991 and "The Best of Chris Rea" in 1994, featured cars. Rea battled serious health issues in later years, including pancreatic cancer in the 1990s and early 2000s, and a stroke in 2016, which left him with slurred speech and reduced movement in his arms and fingers. But he continued recording and touring, releasing his last album, "One Fine Day", in 2019. He is survived by his wife, who he met when they were both teenagers, and two daughters. His family said he died peacefully in hospital after a short illness, describing their loss as "immense". (Reporting by Muvija M, Edward BaranEditing by William Schomberg, Alexandra Hudson)

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By Akash Sriram Dec 22 (Reuters) – Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has stepped in to personally guarantee $40.4 billion in Paramount Skydance's latest effort to pry Warner Bros Discovery away from selling its prized Hollywood assets to streaming giant Netflix. The guarantee, disclosed in a filing on Monday, seeks to allay the Warner Bros board's doubts about Paramount's financing and the lack of full Ellison family backing, which had pushed it toward the competing cash-and-stock offer from Netflix. Warner Bros shares rose about 3%, while Paramount added over 7%. Warner Bros and Netflix did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Paramount said the amended terms do not change the $30-per-share all-cash offer even as the fight for Hollywood's sought-after assets heats up, with control of Warner Bros' vast library offering a decisive edge in the streaming wars. "I doubt many Warner Bros shareholders that are on the fence or planning to vote no were holding out due to issues the revised bid addresses such as a guarantee from Larry Ellison on the funding front," said Seth Shafer, principal analyst at S&P Global. As part of the revised terms, Ellison also agreed not to revoke the family trust or transfer its assets during the pendency of the transaction, the filing showed.  Paramount said it has raised its regulatory reverse termination fee to $5.8 billion from $5 billion to match the competing transaction and extended the expiration date of its tender offer to January 21, 2026. The bid follows Warner Bros asking its shareholders to reject the $108.4 billion offer from Paramount for the whole company, including cable TV assets, on doubts over its financing and the lack of a full guarantee from the Ellison family.  But Warner Bros investors, including the fifth largest shareholder Harris Associates, have said they would be open to revised offers from Paramount if it presents a superior bid and addresses issues with deal terms.  Under the Netflix agreement, Warner Bros would owe Netflix $2.8 billion as breakup fee if it walks away from that deal.  REGULATORY SCRUTINY For either suitor, winning shareholder support is only the first hurdle, as both deals would face intense antitrust scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about consolidation in the media industry, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said he plans to weigh in on the transactions. A Paramount-Warner Bros combination would create a studio larger than industry leader Disney and combine two major television operators, a move some Democratic senators say would give one company control over "almost everything Americans watch on TV." A Netflix-Warner Bros tie-up would cement Netflix's dominance in streaming, creating a group with a combined 428 million subscribers. Netflix has said it would honor Warner Bros' theatrical commitments and argued the deal would benefit consumers by lowering costs through bundled offerings. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has said he is confident the deal would win regulatory approval, arguing it would avoid job cuts in an industry already struggling with uneven box-office returns. (Reporting by Akash Sriram, Aditya Soni and Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)

(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 Akash Sriram Dec 22 (Reuters) – Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has stepped in to personally guarantee $40.4 billion in Paramount Skydance's latest effort to pry Warner Bros Discovery away from selling its prized Hollywood assets to streaming giant Netflix. The guarantee, disclosed in a filing on Monday, seeks to allay the Warner Bros board's doubts about Paramount's financing and the lack of full Ellison family backing, which had pushed it toward the competing cash-and-stock offer from Netflix. Warner Bros shares rose about 3.2%, while Paramount added nearly 8%. Warner Bros and Netflix did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Paramount said the amended terms do not change the $30-per-share all-cash offer even as the fight for Hollywood's sought-after assets heats up, with control of Warner Bros' vast library offering a decisive edge in the streaming wars. "I doubt many Warner Bros shareholders that are on the fence or planning to vote no were holding out due to issues the revised bid addresses such as a guarantee from Larry Ellison on the funding front," said Seth Shafer, principal analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan. As part of the revised terms, Ellison also agreed not to revoke the family trust or transfer its assets during the pendency of the transaction, the filing showed.  Paramount said it has raised its regulatory reverse termination fee to $5.8 billion from $5 billion to match the competing transaction and extended the expiration date of its tender offer to January 21, 2026. The bid follows Warner Bros asking its shareholders to reject the $108.4 billion offer from Paramount for the whole company, including cable TV assets, on doubts over its financing and the lack of a full guarantee from the Ellison family.  But Warner Bros investors, including the fifth largest shareholder Harris Associates, have said they would be open to revised offers from Paramount if it presents a superior bid and addresses issues with deal terms.  REGULATORY SCRUTINY For either suitor, winning shareholder support is only the first hurdle, as both deals would face intense antitrust scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about consolidation in the media industry, and U.S. President Donald Trump has said he plans to weigh in on the transactions. A Paramount-Warner Bros combination would create a studio larger than industry leader Disney and combine two major television operators, a move some Democratic senators say would give one company control over "almost everything Americans watch on TV." A Netflix-Warner Bros tie-up would cement Netflix's dominance in streaming, creating a group with a combined 428 million subscribers. Netflix has said it would honor Warner Bros' theatrical commitments and argued the deal would benefit consumers by lowering costs through bundled offerings. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos has said he is confident the deal would win regulatory approval, arguing it would avoid job cuts in an industry already struggling with uneven box-office returns. (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)

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