This is Beirut

George Clooney, Amal, and Twins Embrace French Citizenship

This is Beirut, 15:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Cinema Clooney Family US French Passeport culture

Hollywood star George Clooney has become French, along with his wife, Amal Alamuddin Clooney, and their two children, an official decree seen by AFP on Monday showed. The publication, in France's government gazette, confirms an ambition Clooney alluded to early in December when he hailed French privacy laws that keep his family shielded from ...

Iraq on High Alert: Baghdad Warns of Imminent Israeli Strikes

This is Beirut, 25/12 17:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Israel Middle East UN Security Council Iraq US

According to several corroborating reports cited by Israeli media, Iraqi authorities have been discreetly warned of the possibility of targeted Israeli strikes on their territory, aimed at pro-Iranian armed groups operating in the country. These warnings, described as “extremely serious,” are said to have been delivered through Western and ...

Hollywood Awards Season Kicks Off: 'Sinners' Tops Critics’ Choice Nominations

This is Beirut, 06/12 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film Critics Choice Nominations US Culture

Sinners topped the slate of nominees for the Critics’ Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Friday, as the movie industry's awards season starts to take shape. The acclaimed period horror drama, written and directed by Ryan Coogler, received a whopping 17 nods, including one for best picture, giving it early momentum as Hollywood gears up for the ...

Doctor Jailed for Supplying Ketamine to ‘Friends’ Star Matthew Perry

This is Beirut, 04/12 13:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Entertainment Matthew Perry Justice US Culture

A doctor who supplied Friends star Matthew Perry with ketamine in the months before he fatally overdosed, musing to a fellow physician over "how much this moron will pay" for the drug, was jailed in California on Wednesday. Salvador Plasencia, 44, is the first of five people to face justice over Perry's 2023 death in the hot tub of his Los ...

‘Peter Hujar’s Day’ Leads Spirit Awards Nominations

This is Beirut, 04/12 11:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film Award Spirit US Culture

Biopic Peter Hujar's Day on Wednesday topped the nominations for the Spirit Awards, which also saw singer SZA given a nod for her debut film role. The awards honor lower budget movies and are among the first significant pre-Oscars galas to unveil their shortlists. Peter Hujar's Day, which premiered at Sundance this year, bagged five nods, ...

Netflix Targets Warner Bros Discovery in Major Hollywood Shake-Up

This is Beirut, 02/12 15:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Entertainment Netflix Warner Bros Discovery Film US Culture

Streaming giant Netflix has made a mostly cash offer to buy TV and film group Warner Bros Discovery as the storied yet debt-laden Hollywood studio presses on with a sale that could remake the US media landscape, a report said Monday. According to Bloomberg, Netflix joined Paramount Skydance and Comcast, the owner of NBCUniversal, in a second ...

Disney’s 'Zootopia 2' Leaps to the Top of the North American Thanksgiving Charts

This is Beirut, 01/12 12:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Film North American Box Office Animation Canada US Culture

Disney's feel-good animated sequel Zootopia 2 ruled the Thanksgiving box office in North America, taking in $156 million over the five-day holiday weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday. Zootopia 2, the buddy cop comedy featuring a menagerie of talking animals battling stereotypes, is the much-anticipated follow-up to the 2016 hit, which won ...

'Wicked' Sequel Dominates Box Office With Record-Breaking Debut

This is Beirut, 24/11 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Cinema Box office US Culture Art Wicked

Universal's musical sequel Wicked: For Good stole the box office spotlight in its North America debut this weekend, with a record-setting haul to the tune of $150 million, industry estimates showed Sunday. Variety said the film's debut was the highest ever for a Broadway musical adaptation, while analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment ...

'Black Panther’ Star Chadwick Boseman Honored with Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

This is Beirut, 22/11 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Hollywood Walk of Fame Chadwick Boseman Actor US Culture

Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman was posthumously honored on Thursday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ryan Coogler, who directed Boseman in the 2018 hit, actress Viola Davis, and Boseman's widow, Simone Ledward-Boseman, led the emotional ceremony in the heart of Tinseltown. "Today was a beautiful day," Ledward-Boseman told ...

Miss Mexico Wins Miss Universe Crown After Intense Pageant Turmoil

This is Beirut, 21/11 15:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Miss Universe Art Culture Mexico US Contest

Miss Mexico was crowned Miss Universe in Thailand on Friday, strutting to victory after several dramatic missteps before the final round, including staging a walkout when an organizer of the beauty pageant chastised her. Contestants from Ivory Coast, the Philippines, Thailand and Venezuela also made it to the final stage, selected from more than ...

Warner Music Enters Licensing Deal With AI Music Startup

This is Beirut, 21/11 10:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Music AI Warner Copyright Patent US Culture

Warner Music Group and AI startup Udio announced on Wednesday they have settled a US copyright lawsuit and struck a deal to cooperate on a licensed artificial intelligence music creation service. The landmark agreement resolves litigation between the major label and Udio, while establishing what the companies described as a "clear framework" for ...

Something for Moi? Miss Piggy’s Shoes Go Under the Hammer

This is Beirut, 20/11 15:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Entairtainment Auction Muppets US Culture Jim Henson

Some of Jim Henson's most memorable creations go under the hammer in California next week, with the first US auction of puppets and memorabilia from the late entertainer's decades-long career. Highlights include a pair of shoes worn by the domineering Miss Piggy in a "Muppets" movie, as well as puppets from "Fraggle Rock" and characters from the ...

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