Entertainment News Roundup: South Korea's 'Squid Game' is Netflix's biggest original show debut; Branagh's 'Belfast' gets UK premiere as Oscar buzz grows and more

The mainly black-and-white film centres around nine-year-old Buddy and his family, who live in a working-class neighbourhood of North Belfast where Protestants and Catholics live side-by-side. Blue Origin gets ready to send 'Star Trek' actor Shatner into space Billionaire U.S. businessman Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin is set for its second suborbital tourism flight on Wednesday, with actor William Shatner - who embodied the promise of space travel on the "Star Trek" TV series and films - among the four-person all-civilian crew poised to blast off in Texas.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

South Korea's 'Squid Game' is Netflix's biggest original show debut

Hit South Korean show "Squid Game" has officially become Netflix's biggest original series launch, the streaming service said on Wednesday. The nine-part thriller, in which cash-strapped contestants play childhood games with deadly consequences in a bid to win 45.6 billion won ($38 million), has become a worldwide sensation for Netflix since its launch less than a month ago.

Branagh's 'Belfast' gets UK premiere as Oscar buzz grows

Actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh takes audiences to the city of his birth and his childhood with the semi-autobiographical comedy drama "Belfast" which had its European premiere at the London Film Festival on Tuesday. The mainly black-and-white film centres around nine-year-old Buddy and his family, who live in a working-class neighbourhood of North Belfast where Protestants and Catholics live side-by-side.

Blue Origin gets ready to send 'Star Trek' actor Shatner into space

Billionaire U.S. businessman Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin is set for its second suborbital tourism flight on Wednesday, with actor William Shatner - who embodied the promise of space travel on the "Star Trek" TV series and films - among the four-person all-civilian crew poised to blast off in Texas. Shatner, at age 90, is due to become the oldest person ever in space. He and his crewmates are scheduled for a 9 a.m. (1000 EDT/1400 GMT) takeoff aboard the 60-foot-tall (18.3 meters-tall) fully autonomous New Shepard spacecraft at Blue Origin's launch site about 20 miles (32 km) outside the rural west Texas town of Van Horn.

It's an allegory: North Korea website says 'Squid Game' reflects South Korea's 'beastly' society

A North Korean propaganda website said on Tuesday that the international Netflix hit "Squid Game" exposes the reality of South Korean capitalist culture where "corruption and immoral scoundrels are commonplace". North Korea's Arirang Meari site cited unnamed South Korean film critics as saying that the TV series shows an "unequal society where moneyless people are treated like chess pieces for the rich."

"Succession" TV series returns for third season of family power struggle

The cast of Emmy-winning "Succession", the biting drama series about power struggles in a family media empire, celebrated the premiere of the show's third season on the red carpet in New York on Tuesday. Actor Jeremy Strong, who plays media executive Kendall Roy, said he felt lucky "to be part of something that is such a sort of cultural lightning rod and part of people's lives and at the center of the culture in a meaningful way."

Matt Goss hopes new album will take him from Vegas to world tour

Lockdown provided singer Matt Goss the break from live performance that his body needed and the chance to write an album, which he hopes will take him back on a world tour. The British-born musician, who found fame with his twin brother Luke Goss in the late 1980s, has spent the last decade performing in Las Vegas.

Mini-series 'Dopesick' tells stories from all sides of the opioid epidemic

New television series "Dopesick" aims to tell stories from the opioid epidemic still ravaging the rural United States, weaving together accounts from Purdue Pharma board members, prescription drugs salespeople, victims and government officials. Based on the book by Beth Macy, the semi-fictional mini-series is produced by 20th Television and will air on Hulu starting Wednesday.

Media veteran Alan Horn to retire as Disney Studios head

Walt Disney Co's Alan Horn, who turned the company's studio business into a media powerhouse and oversaw blockbusters such as "Avengers:Endgame" and "Black Panther", is retiring at the end of the year after nearly a decade. A former U.S Air Force captain, Horn joined Disney in 2012 and led the integration of Marvel Studios, home to some of the biggest box-office successes worldwide. Horn also oversaw "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" - the highest-grossing domestic release in history.

With 'Captain Kirk' aboard, Blue Origin to return to 'space, the final frontier'

Three months after billionaire U.S. businessman Jeff Bezos soared into space aboard a rocketship built by his Blue Origin company, the craft is set on Wednesday to take another all-civilian crew on a suborbital ride, this time with "Star Trek" actor William Shatner in the lead role. As one of four passengers selected for the flight, Shatner, at age 90, is poised to become the oldest person ever to venture into space.

Amy Winehouse possessions hit the auction block

Nearly 800 of Amy Winehouse's belongings, including the short dress the late British singer wore in her final concert, are up for auction. The green-and-black dress, and a heart-shaped Moschino purse the Grammy Award winner was frequently photographed with, are each expected to fetch $15,000 to $20,000.

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