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Mar12025 by cineverseNo Comments

New York Times Asks Court to Dismiss Justin Baldoni’s Defamation Lawsuit

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By Angelique Jackson, Brent Lang According To The variety The New York Times is asking a federal judge to dismiss Justin Baldoni‘s defamation suit against the paper for its role in publishing a bombshell report that ignited his legal battle with Blake Lively. Baldoni has accused the Times of working in coordination with Lively and her PR team on the Dec. 21 article entitled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine” that revealed the actress had filed a civil rights complaint accusing her “It Ends With Us” director and co-star of misconduct. The piece also contained allegations that Baldoni and his representatives engaged in an elaborate effort to tarnish Lively’s reputation in retaliation after she raised her concerns about his on-set behavior. In its filing,...

Mar12025 by cineverseNo Comments

Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa’s Bodies Test Negative for Carbon Monoxide; Hackman’s Pacemaker Stopped on Feb. 17

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By J. Kim Murphy According To The variety The deaths of Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, remain under investigation, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adam Mendoza shared at a press conference Friday afternoon. In a statement, Mendoza stated that both Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies tested negative for carbon monoxide poisoning. The sheriff also disclosed that Hackman’s pacemaker recorded its “last event” on Feb. 17, meaning that it is currently assumed that that is the date that the actor died. Mendoza said there remains uncertainty over the order of the couple’s deaths. Final toxicology and autopsy reports remain pending — a process that Mendoza says “could be a month or three months or longer.” Initial findings indicate that there was “no external trauma to either in...

Mar12025 by cineverseNo Comments

Blake Lively Hires CIA Alum for Crisis PR in Legal Battle With Justin Baldoni (EXCLUSIVE)

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By Tatiana Siegel According To The variety Blake Lively has hired a PR crisis manager with deep government ties as her legal battle with Justin Baldoni escalates. The actress, who is suing and being sued by her “It Ends With Us” director and co-star, is quietly working with Nick Shapiro, the CIA’s former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to former director John Brennan. “The litigation team for Ms. Lively retained Mr. Shapiro to advise on the legal communications strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit occurring in the Southern District of New York,” says a member of the actress’ legal team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. In December, Lively filed a letter with the California Civil Rights Department in which she claimed that...

Feb262025 by cineverseNo Comments

Wicked,’ ‘Moana 2’ and Other Holiday Hits Lift AMC Theatres Quarterly Earnings, Losses Shrink to $135.6 Million

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By Brent Lang According To The variety Wicked,” “Moana 2” and holiday hits like “Mufasa: The Lion King” lifted quarterly earnings at AMC Entertainment. Revenues at the world’s largest movie chain hit $1.3 billion, up more than 15% from the $1.1 billion that it reported in the year-ago period. Losses at AMC narrowed from $182 million in the prior-year period to $135.6 million in the most recent quarter. There was a diluted loss per-share of 18 cents compared to a loss of 54 cents in the year-ago period. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization more than tripled from $49.9 million to $164.8 million. AMC’s quarterly losses included a non-cash impairment charge of $106.9 million, which it said stemmed from “long-lived assets.” More moviegoers bought t...

Feb262025 by cineverseNo Comments

Roberto Orci, ‘Star Trek’ and ‘Transformers’ Writer-Producer, Dies at 51

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By Jack Dunn According To The variety Roberto Orci, the writer-producer behind the late 2000s reboots of “Star Trek” and “Transformers” and creator of “Fringe,” died Tuesday in his Los Angeles home from kidney disease, Variety has confirmed. He was 51. With partner Alex Kurtzman, Orci co-wrote projects including 2007’s “Transformers” and 2009’s “Star Trek.” Orci’s other credits include producing work on the “Now You See Me” franchise, “Ender’s Game” and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” as well as writing credits on “Mission Impossible 3.” On the TV side, Orci and Kurtzman developed the 2010 reboot of “Hawaii Five-0” which ran for over 200 episodes. He also created “Sleepy Hollow” and “Fringe” for Fox. Born in Mexico, Orci attended Crossroads School in Los Angeles where he met...

Feb252025 by cineverseNo Comments

Deadpool’ Creator Says Kevin Feige Should ‘Get Off the Mound. He’s Spent’ as ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ Suffers Huge Box Office Drop

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By Zack Sharf According To The variety Captain America: Brave New World” fell at the box office with a 68% drop in its second weekend, marking the third biggest drop of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far after flops like “The Marvels” (78% drop) and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (69% drop). “Deadpool” creator Rob Liefeld reacted to the news with a blunt statement on X about the president of Marvel Studios: “Get [Kevin] Feige off the mound. He’s spent.” Liefeld announced earlier this month that he is cutting ties with Marvel after he and his family weren’t invited to Disney’s afterparty at last July’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” premiere. He said on his podcast at the time that Disney’s decision was “meant to embarrass, diminish and defea...

Feb252025 by cineverseNo Comments

Rachel Zegler Says Live-Action ‘Snow White’ Backlash Is Due to ‘Passion’ For the Original Movie: ‘We’re Not Always Going to Agree With Everyone’

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By Jack Dunn According To The variety “Snow White” star Rachel Zegler says the backlash against Disney‘s latest live-action remake is due to “passion” for the original film. While Disney’s live-action re-releases have seen better days since 2019’s “The Lion King,” the “Snow White” rehash has been a particular point of contention in some circles due to Zegler’s Columbian heritage. The outrage came to a head when the “Y2K” star called the 1937 original “dated,” featuring a prince that “literally stalks” Snow White. Zegler now says she interprets the controversies as an overprotective reaction to a beloved Disney classic. “I interpret people’s sentiments towards this film as passion,” Zegler told Vogue Mexico. “What an honor to be a part of something tha...