मनोरंजन

Dec 15 (Reuters) – Netflix's decision to acquire assets from Warner Bros Discovery has not changed, its co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos said in a letter to employees on Monday. The streaming giant won Warner Bros' vote earlier this month, securing a $72 billion equity deal for its TV, film studios and streaming assets before Paramount launched a hostile $108.4 billion enterprise bid for the whole company. Netflix is committed to theatrical releases of Warner Bros' movies, saying it is "an important part of their business and legacy". "We haven't prioritized theatrical in the past because that wasn't our business at Netflix. When this deal closes, we will be in that business," the letter said, adding that a hostile bid from Paramount Skydance was "entirely expected". Despite growing concerns of heavy regulatory scrutiny, Netflix is confident it will get the approvals, relying on its argument that the deal is necessary to compete with the dominance of YouTube. But attorneys say the Justice Department is unlikely to see Netflix and YouTube as interchangeable rivals, given their different content, audiences and business models. "Even after combining with Warner Bros, our view share would only move from 8% to 9% in the US—still well behind YouTube (13%) and a potential Paramount/WBD combination (14%)," Netflix's letter said. The company said the deal will not result in studio closures amid fears of job losses due to the rise of artificial intelligence. Paramount too had said it does not intend to cut content budgets and aims to run both studio units separately. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)

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By Hanna Rantala LONDON, Dec 15 (Reuters) – A decade after making his feature film debut with acclaimed drama "Masaan", Indian director Neeraj Ghaywan returns with a second movie that seeks to give a voice to people who feel invisible. Based on true events, "Homebound" tells the story of two childhood friends from a northern Indian village whose sights are set on police officer jobs they believe will improve their standing in the world.  Shoaib, a Muslim, and Chandan, a Dalit, once called "untouchables", are among the 2.5 million applicants competing for 3,500 jobs in the police. Their bond gets tested during the wait for the entrance exam results, as each weighs his prospects, under pressure to support their families.      Inspired by Basharat Peer's 2020 New York Times article "Taking Amrit home", the film also looks at the plight of the country's large migrant population and the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.     "I saw big potential in speaking about a lot of things that contemporary India is shying away from showing in mainstream spaces, especially the marginalised community people, who are often looked at only in statistics," Ghaywan said.     Depicting the social issues and the discrimination the two friends face made the project personal for Ghaywan, who included his own experiences of growing up as a Dalit in the film.     "I masqueraded myself as an upper caste member for a very long time and it created a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety inside me. I worked through that shame for a very long time and then put it behind me when I publicly came out with my identity," Ghaywan, 45, said.     Ahead of filming, actors Ishaan Khatter (Shoaib) and Vishal Jethwa (Chandan) spent time in northern India's Barabanki, with locals inviting them into their homes and sharing their meals.     "This film, in many ways, is the story of millions of Shoaibs and millions of Chandans and that is what we try to stay true to," Khatter said. It was selected as India's contender for best international feature film at the 98th Academy Awards – a country by country list that gets whittled down to the five Oscar nominees.     "Homebound", which is executive produced by Martin Scorsese, is streaming on Netflix. (Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Alison Williams)

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Dec 15 (Reuters) – Netflix's decision to acquire assets from Warner Bros Discovery has not changed and the hostile bid from Paramount Skydance was "entirely expected", its co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos said in a letter to employees on Monday. The streaming giant is committed to theatrical releases of Warner Bros' movies, saying it is "an important part of their business and legacy". "We haven't prioritized theatrical in the past because that wasn't our business at Netflix. When this deal closes, we will be in that business," the letter stated. Netflix said its deal is "solid" and it is confident that it is great for consumers and can pass regulatory hurdles. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala 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.)

Dec 15 (Reuters) – Netflix's decision to acquire assets from Warner Bros Discovery has not changed and the hostile bid from Paramount Skydance was "entirely expected", its co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos said in a letter to employees on Monday. The streaming giant is committed to theatrical releases of Warner Bros' movies, saying it is "an important part of their business and legacy". "We haven't prioritized theatrical in the past because that wasn't our business at Netflix. When this deal closes, we will be in that business," the letter stated. Netflix said its deal is "solid" and it is confident that it is great for consumers and can pass regulatory hurdles. (Reporting by Zaheer Kachwala 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 Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES, Dec 14 (Reuters) – Actor-director and political activist Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, and police are investigating the circumstances as an apparent homicide, authorities said. While police declined to publicly identify the two people found deceased, Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom each released statements confirming that Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 68, had died. "This is a devastating loss for our city and our country. Rob Reiner's contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice," the mayor wrote. The Los Angeles Police Department issued a statement on social media calling the case an "apparent homicide." Police had not detained anyone for questioning nor identified a suspect as of Sunday night, Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told a press conference. LAPD patrol officers dispatched to the home late Sunday afternoon discovered two bodies inside the residence. Emergency personnel had first responded to a call for medical aid, a city fire department official said earlier. Detectives of the LAPD's robbery-homicide unit were waiting for a search warrant before entering the home to conduct a thorough search and full-fledged investigation of the premises, Hamilton said, adding that a cause of death will be made public by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office. FROM 'MEATHEAD' TO 'SPINAL TAP' As an actor, Reiner was best remembered for his role on the 1970s CBS television comedy hit "All in the Family" as Mike "Meathead" Stivic, the son-in-law and liberal foil of the lead character, working-class bigot Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O'Connor. The role garnered Reiner two Emmy awards for outstanding supporting actor. Reiner went on to have a prolific Hollywood career as a director, starting with "This is Spinal Tap," a 1984 mockumentary following the trials and tribulations of a fictional hard rock band on tour. The satiric film became a cult classic, known for its mostly improvised script, with Reiner playing the faux documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi. The movie worked, Reiner later said, because of the cast's love for rock 'n' roll. "That was the trick – to make fun of it and at the same time, honor it," Reiner told CBS News show "60 Minutes" in an interview marking the launch of this year's sequel, "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues," which he also directed and appeared in. Reiner directed nearly two dozen films in all, including classics such as "Stand by Me," a 1986 coming-of-age drama about four boys who set out to find the body of a missing youth, as well as 1989's "When Harry Met Sally …," starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. That film, often cited as one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, featured the famed line, "I'll have what she's having," delivered by the director's real-life mother, Estelle Reiner, playing a bit part as a diner reacting to Ryan's character faking an orgasm in a restaurant. Versatile across a range of genres, Reiner directorial credits also included the 1987 fairy tale adventure "The Princess Bride," the 1990 psychological thriller "Misery," an adaptation of a Stephen King novel starring Kathy Bates and James Caan, and the 1992 military courtroom drama "A Few Good Men," starring Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore. PROGRESSIVE CAUSES Reiner's wife, Michele, was at one time a photographer who captured the image of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book "Trump: The Art of the Deal." Rob Reiner, a native of New York City and the son of the late comedy writer and actor Carl Reiner, was also well known as a Democratic Party activist and advocate of various liberal social causes. In the 2004 presidential election, he backed Democratic candidate John Kerry and featured in advertisements taking aim at incumbent President George W. Bush. Reiner also supported Democratic presidential hopefuls Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. He campaigned against California Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot measure that amended the state constitution to ban same-sex marriages. Prop 8 was later overturned by the courts and formally repealed by another voter initiative. He led a separate campaign to pass Proposition 10, a state ballot initiative that created an early childhood development services program. Reiner was first married to Penny Marshall, who played Laverne in the TV sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," and was also a producer and director. He was an adoptive father to Marshall's daughter and had three children with Michele Singer. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Dietrich Knauth in New York; Editing by Sergio Non and Edwina Gibbs)

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By Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES, Dec 15 (Reuters) – Get ready to head back to the wasteland of the Mojave Desert. "Fallout" star Walton Goggins is teasing that the show's second season will heavily channel the spirit of "Fallout: New Vegas", the video game's beloved spinoff. Goggins, who plays the radiation-mutated gunslinger the Ghoul, revealed that the show's creative team plans to tap into the classic video game by introducing a fresh batch of characters, monsters and storylines when it arrives on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday. “It’s (season 2) honoring the game and the threats that they (the game creators) bring into this experience," said Goggins. However, the team isn't just copying the game's blueprint. For writer and co-showrunner Geneva Robertson-Dworet, who is known for co-writing the screenplay for Marvel Studios' “Captain Marvel,” it was important to “get it right” when it came to taking elements from the game. She replayed "Fallout: New Vegas" to find fun details to include for seasoned gamers. “It’s funny when you play, just random details like, ‘Oh it would be fun to use this particular weapon or to encounter this particular creature,’” she said. However, Robertson-Dworet chose not to bring in too many elements from the game into the series. “We wanna always make sure that we’re holding the hands of non-gamers and not overwhelming them with too much lore and too much canon and too much new tech,” she said.   This approach impressed the cast, including co-star Frances Turner who plays Barb Howard, Cooper's wife and a high-ranking executive for a nefarious megacorporation called Vault-Tec. “I really look at it (the storyline) as a mystery,” Turner said.  The second season of “Fallout” continues in the wasteland of post-nuclear America. The Ghoul and Lucy MacLean, an optimistic Vault dweller played by actor Ella Purnell, continue searching for Lucy’s father, Hank MacLean, played by Kyle MacLachlan.   Meanwhile, Maximus, a knight of the Brotherhood of Steel, played by Aaron Moten, must navigate a new set of obstacles within his faction.   The series is based on the 1997 role-playing video game developed by Interplay Productions, which eventually spawned nine main games in the Fallout franchise, including “Fallout 76” and “Fallout 4,” along with spin-offs like “Fallout: New Vegas” and “Fallout 3.”  (Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

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PARIS, Dec 15 (Reuters) – American pop superstar Mariah Carey will be the first major music act in the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, organisers said in a statement on Monday. Carey will perform at Milan’s San Siro Stadium on February 6 at the launching of the Games, with her appearance intended to reflect the cermony'’s central theme of “Harmony”, combining music and sport to highlight values such as inclusion, respect and cultural exchange. The opening ceremony, created and produced by Balich Wonder Studio, will feature performances by international artists alongside elements celebrating Italian culture and innovation. The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will be staged across northern Italy, with events hosted in Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and other venues in Lombardy, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige. (Reporting by Julien Pretot, editing by Ed Osmond)

(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 Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES, Dec 14 (Reuters) – Actor-director and political activist Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, and police are investigating the circumstances as an apparent homicide, authorities said. While police declined to publicly identify the two people found deceased, Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom each released statements confirming that Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 68, had died. "This is a devastating loss for our city and our country. Rob Reiner's contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice," the mayor wrote. The Los Angeles Police Department issued a statement on social media calling the case an "apparent homicide." Police had not detained anyone for questioning nor identified a suspect as of Sunday night, Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told a press conference. LAPD patrol officers dispatched to the home late Sunday afternoon discovered two bodies inside the residence. Emergency personnel had first responded to a call for medical aid, a city fire department official said earlier. Detectives of the LAPD's robbery-homicide unit were waiting for a search warrant before entering the home to conduct a thorough search and full-fledged investigation of the premises, Hamilton said, adding that a cause of death will be made public by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office. FROM 'MEATHEAD' TO 'SPINAL TAP' As an actor, Reiner was best remembered for his role on the 1970s CBS television comedy hit "All in the Family" as Mike "Meathead" Stivic, the son-in-law and liberal foil of the lead character, working-class bigot Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O'Connor. The role garnered Reiner two Emmy awards for outstanding supporting actor. Reiner went on to have a prolific Hollywood career as a director, starting with "This is Spinal Tap," a 1984 mockumentary following the trials and tribulations of a fictional hard rock band on tour. The satiric film became a cult classic, known for its mostly improvised script, with Reiner playing the faux documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi. The movie worked, Reiner later said, because of the cast's love for rock 'n' roll. "That was the trick – to make fun of it and at the same time, honor it," Reiner told CBS News show "60 Minutes" in an interview marking the launch of this year's sequel, "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues," which he also directed and appeared in. Reiner directed nearly two dozen films in all, including classics such as "Stand by Me," a 1986 coming-of-age drama about four boys who set out to find the body of a missing youth, as well as 1989's "When Harry Met Sally …," starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. That film, often cited as one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, featured the famed line, "I'll have what she's having," delivered by the director's real-life mother, Estelle Reiner, playing a bit part as a diner reacting to Ryan's character faking an orgasm in a restaurant. Versatile across a range of genres, Reiner directorial credits also included the 1987 fairy tale adventure "The Princess Bride," the 1990 psychological thriller "Misery," an adaptation of a Stephen King novel starring Kathy Bates and James Caan, and the 1992 military courtroom drama "A Few Good Men," starring Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore. PROGRESSIVE CAUSES Reiner's wife, Michele, was at one time a photographer who captured the image of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book "Trump: The Art of the Deal." Rob Reiner, a native of New York City and the son of the late comedy writer and actor Carl Reiner, was also well known as a Democratic Party activist and advocate of various liberal social causes. In the 2004 presidential election, he backed Democratic candidate John Kerry and featured in advertisements taking aim at incumbent President George W. Bush. Reiner also supported Democratic presidential hopefuls Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. He campaigned against California Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot measure that amended the state constitution to ban same-sex marriages. Prop 8 was later overturned by the courts and formally repealed by another voter initiative. He led a separate campaign to pass Proposition 10, a state ballot initiative that created an early childhood development services program. Reiner was first married to Penny Marshall, who played Laverne in the TV sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," and was also a producer and director. He was an adoptive father to Marshall's daughter and had three children with Michele Singer. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Dietrich Knauth in New York; Editing by Sergio Non and Edwina Gibbs)

(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 Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES, Dec 14 (Reuters) – Actor-director and political activist Rob Reiner and his wife were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, and police are investigating the circumstances as an apparent homicide, authorities said. While police declined to publicly identify the two people found deceased, Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom each released statements confirming that Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 68, had died. "This is a devastating loss for our city and our country. Rob Reiner's contributions reverberate throughout American culture and society, and he has improved countless lives through his creative work and advocacy fighting for social and economic justice," the mayor wrote. The Los Angeles Police Department issued a statement on social media calling the case an "apparent homicide." Police had not detained anyone for questioning nor identified a suspect as of Sunday night, Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told a press conference. LAPD patrol officers dispatched to the home late Sunday afternoon discovered two bodies inside the residence. Emergency personnel had first responded to a call for medical aid, a city fire department official said earlier. Detectives of the LAPD's robbery-homicide unit were waiting for a search warrant before entering the home to conduct a thorough search and full-fledged investigation of the premises, Hamilton said, adding that a cause of death will be made public by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office. FROM 'MEATHEAD' TO 'SPINAL TAP' As an actor, Reiner was best remembered for his role on the 1970s CBS television comedy hit "All in the Family" as Mike "Meathead" Stivic, the son-in-law and liberal foil of the lead character, working-class bigot Archie Bunker, played by Carroll O'Connor. The role garnered Reiner two Emmy awards for outstanding supporting actor. Reiner went on to have a prolific Hollywood career as a director, starting with "This is Spinal Tap," a 1984 mockumentary following the trials and tribulations of a fictional hard rock band on tour. The satiric film became a cult classic, known for its mostly improvised script, with Reiner playing the faux documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi. The movie worked, Reiner later said, because of the cast's love for rock 'n' roll. "That was the trick – to make fun of it and at the same time, honor it," Reiner told CBS News show "60 Minutes" in an interview marking the launch of this year's sequel, "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues," which he also directed and appeared in. Reiner directed nearly two dozen films in all, including classics such as "Stand by Me," a 1986 coming-of-age drama about four boys who set out to find the body of a missing youth, as well as 1989's "When Harry Met Sally …," starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. That film, often cited as one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, featured the famed line, "I'll have what she's having," delivered by the director's real-life mother, Estelle Reiner, playing a bit part as a diner reacting to Ryan's character faking an orgasm in a restaurant. Versatile across a range of genres, Reiner directorial credits also included the 1987 fairy tale adventure "The Princess Bride," the 1990 psychological thriller "Misery," an adaptation of a Stephen King novel starring Kathy Bates and James Caan, and the 1992 military courtroom drama "A Few Good Men," starring Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore. PROGRESSIVE CAUSES Reiner's wife, Michele, was at one time a photographer who captured the image of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book "Trump: The Art of the Deal." Rob Reiner, a native of New York City and the son of the late comedy writer and actor Carl Reiner, was also well known as a Democratic Party activist and advocate of various liberal social causes. In the 2004 presidential election, he backed Democratic candidate John Kerry and featured in advertisements taking aim at incumbent President George W. Bush. Reiner also supported Democratic presidential hopefuls Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. He campaigned against California Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot measure that amended the state constitution to ban same-sex marriages. Prop 8 was later overturned by the courts and formally repealed by another voter initiative. He led a separate campaign to pass Proposition 10, a state ballot initiative that created an early childhood development services program. Reiner was first married to Penny Marshall, who played Laverne in the TV sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," and was also a producer and director. He was an adoptive father to Marshall's daughter and had three children with Michele Singer. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Dietrich Knauth in New York; Editing by Sergio Non and Edwina Gibbs)

(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 Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES, Dec 14 (Reuters) – Two people were found dead at the Los Angeles home of actor-director Rob Reiner, with law enforcement officials investigating the circumstances in an apparent homicide, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement on Sunday. The LAPD gave no details about the identities of the two deceased individuals. But a Los Angeles Fire Department official told Reuters earlier that a 78-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman were found dead at a home in west Los Angeles at an address that public records linked to Reiner. Media outlets identified the deceased as Reiner and his wife. Reiner, 78, co-starred in the 1970s hit CBS television comedy "All in the Family" and directed several well-known movies, including "The Princess Bride," "This is Spinal Tap," "When Harry Met Sally," "Stand by Me" and "The American President." His wife, Michele, 68, was at one time a photographer who took the photo of Donald Trump that appears on the cover of his book "Trump: The Art of the Deal." Aside from his Hollywood career, Rob Reiner, a native of New York City and son of the late comedy writer and actor Carl Reiner, was well known for his political activism. He featured in advertisements taking aim at George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election and supported then-Democratic candidate John Kerry. He also showed support for Democratic presidential hopefuls Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. Reiner was first married to Penny Marshall, who played Laverne in "Laverne & Shirley" and was also a producer and director. He later married actor Michele Singer, with whom he has three children. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Dietrich Knauth in New York; Editing by Sergio Non and Edwina Gibbs)

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