Entertainment News Roundup: Paramount to enter into exclusive merger talks with Skydance, source says; Exclusive-Disney prevails over Trian in board fight, sources say and more

Enough votes had been cast as of Tuesday evening to put Disney's board directors safely ahead of Trian's two challengers, Peltz and former Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo, the sources said.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Paramount to enter into exclusive merger talks with Skydance, source says

Members of Paramount Global's board agreed on Wednesday to enter into exclusive merger talks with Skydance Media, favoring the independent studio over a $26 billion offer from Apollo Global Management, a person familiar with the matter said. The deal talks, which are more advanced than the offer from the U.S. private equity firm, are part of a two-step process that, if successful, would end Shari Redstone's control of the media empire built by her father, the late Sumner Redstone.

French movie 'The Second Act' to open the 77th Cannes Film Festival

French comedy "The Second Act" will open this year's 77th Cannes Film Festival, the organizers said on Wednesday. The movie, whose original French title is "Le Deuxieme Acte", is a comedy road trip movie directed by Quentin Dupieux. It features Lea Seydoux, Vincent Lindon and Louis Garrel among its star actors.

'The First Omen' fearlessly features graphic female bodies

For "The First Omen" director Arkasha Stevenson, it was imperative to create a fearsome film focused on female body horror, including graphic birthing scenes. "It was really important to us to not shy away from the imagery of the female body," Stevenson told Reuters, ahead of the film's premiere in theaters on Friday.

Brussels seeks UNESCO heritage mark for puppetry, flower carpet

Brussels is looking to protect two of its historical traditions: rod puppetry and a 1,680-square-metre flower carpet rolled out every second year in front of the Belgian capital's city hall, by granting them the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage status. "Those two things are really part of our heritage, of our identity, they're part of our folklore, and we want to make sure they are preserved for the future," said the city's state secretary for heritage, Ans Persoons.

Exclusive-Disney prevails over Trian in board fight, sources say

Walt Disney Co has secured enough shareholder votes to defeat a challenge against its board mounted by Nelson Peltz's hedge fund Trian Fund Management, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Enough votes had been cast as of Tuesday evening to put Disney's board directors safely ahead of Trian's two challengers, Peltz and former Disney chief financial officer Jay Rasulo, the sources said.