Entertainment News Roundup: New Spider-Man film will not screen in UAE, as region debates values; Harry and Meghan's Spotify deal comes to an end, and more

Van der Sluis, a former Wales youth international, is heading to Spain after requesting an early release from his contact to take a break from his professional career. 'The Blackening' hopes to kill off racist Hollywood horror trope For actor Antoinette Robertson, being in the horror comedy movie “The Blackening” with an all-Black main cast was an opportunity to combine comedy and cultural healing after years of witnessing the racist trope of Black people dying first in horror films.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Harper Collins, KKR bidding for Simon & Schuster - WSJ

HarperCollins Publishers and KKR & Co are among the bidders for book publisher Simon & Schuster as it pursues a sale for the second time in less than three years, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters had in February reported that Paramount Global, the owner of Simon & Schuster, was again seeking to sell the publisher, months after the media company's $2.2 billion deal to sell the book publisher to Penguin Random House collapsed.

New Spider-Man film will not screen in UAE, as region debates values

The United Arab Emirates will not screen Sony's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse", Vox Cinemas said on Thursday without explanation, amid debate online and among regional movie fans about the animated film's treatment of transgender themes. The film, a sequel to 2018's Oscar-winning "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse", was released on June 2 in the United States and was set for a June 22 release in the Gulf region.

Harry and Meghan's Spotify deal comes to an end

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's multi-year agreement with streaming giant Spotify to produce podcasts has ended with just one series made. The Swedish company announced the partnership with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in late 2020 after they stepped down from royal duties and began to forge new careers in California.

Take That turn 'Greatest Days' film premiere into a performance

British pop band Take That transformed London's Leicester Square into a concert stage on Thursday as they performed some of their tunes at the premiere of "Greatest Days", a film adaptation of their hit musical. Trio Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald sang "Greatest Day", "Back For Good" and "Rule The World" before hitting the red carpet alongside the movie's cast which includes actors Aisling Bea and Alice Lowe.

Soccer-Shelbourne goalkeeper leaves club for Love Island

Irish side Shelbourne are grappling with an unconventional transfer after goalkeeper Scott van der Sluis announced he was leaving to participate in dating reality show "Love Island". Van der Sluis, a former Wales youth international, is heading to Spain after requesting an early release from his contact to take a break from his professional career.

'The Blackening' hopes to kill off racist Hollywood horror trope

For actor Antoinette Robertson, being in the horror comedy movie "The Blackening" with an all-Black main cast was an opportunity to combine comedy and cultural healing after years of witnessing the racist trope of Black people dying first in horror films. It was also a chance to let the rest of the world enter an environment with Black characters that go beyond "the Black guy always dies first" Hollywood stereotype.

Bill Cosby sued for sexual assault by nine women in Nevada

Nine women have filed a lawsuit in Nevada accusing comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault, the latest in a long series of misconduct allegations against the once-beloved entertainer. The alleged assaults took place between 1979 and 1992 in various locations in Nevada, including in Cosby's backstage dressing room and his Las Vegas hotel suite, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday in federal court in Nevada.

'Rust' armorer may have brought live rounds on set -prosecutors

Prosecutors say they have evidence pointing to the possibility the armorer for the movie "Rust" introduced live rounds onto the set where a gun that actor Alec Baldwin was holding fired a bullet, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021. Prosecutors had previously said it might never be clear how live rounds, which are not allowed on movie sets, got to the "Rust" set in New Mexico. Charging documents had held Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was working as chief weapons handler on her second film, was responsible for "allowing live ammunition on the set," but not for bringing in the live rounds.

New 'Black Mirror' season begins by tackling actors' anxiety about AI

In the new season of Netflix Inc's sci-fi show "Black Mirror," an office manager finds that a streaming service is replaying her life using an avatar of Salma Hayek. Hayek, in the episode released on Thursday, has sold her digital image to Hollywood for use in programming created with artificial intelligence (AI).

Cineworld CEO and top execs secure near $35 million exit payout- FT

Cineworld's CEO Mooky Greidinger and his top management team will be paid up to $35 million combined to leave the British cinema operator after it emerges from Chapter 11 proceedings next month, the Financial Times reported on Friday. The lenders have committed to pay Greidinger, his brother and deputy CEO, Israel Greidinger, Chief Financial Officer Nisan Cohen and Chief Commercial Officer Renana Teperberg between $30 million and $35 million in cash within a year of their exit, the FT added, citing people familiar with the matter.