Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni lawyers due in court ahead of 'It Ends With Us' trial

Lawyers for actors ​Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are due in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday for a final ​hearing ahead of a highly anticipated civil trial stemming from Lively’s allegations of ‌sexual ​harassment by Baldoni during the filming of their 2024 romantic drama "It Ends With Us." The civil trial set to begin in May will be limited to Lively’s retaliation claims against Baldoni’s production company after a judge threw out her sexual harassment claims. Both actors are expected to testify about Lively’s claims after a steady drip of details emerged ‌in more than a year of acrimonious and widely publicized litigation.

Spotify expects profit below estimates as North America, Europe growth slows

Spotify forecast second-quarter earnings and premium subscribers below estimates on Tuesday, a sign of slowing growth in the Swedish streaming giant's major markets of Europe and North America, sending its shares down 12% in premarket trading.

Investors closely monitor Spotify's profitability after price hikes and cost-cutting efforts in recent years, as the company aims to improve discovery and engagement by adding more artificial ‌intelligence features on its platform.

Man pleads guilty in murder of Run DMC's Jam Master Jay

A New York man on Monday pleaded guilty to taking part in the 2002 murder of pioneering hip-hop star Jam ‌Master Jay of famed group Run-DMC as part of a dispute over a drug deal, according to federal prosecutors. Appearing in court in Brooklyn, Jay Bryant, 52, admitted to playing a role in the fatal shooting of Jason Mizell, better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, and faces up to 20 years in prison, the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a statement.

Taylor Swift files to trademark her voice, likeness to ward off AI deepfakes

Pop superstar Taylor Swift filed trademark applications for two audio clips and one image ⁠of herself in ​what a trademark attorney said is an attempt to protect ⁠her voice and likeness from deepfake videos and audio created by artificial intelligence. The applications were filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Friday and list Swift's TAS Rights Management as being the owner of the audio clips and image.

David Attenborough centenary celebrations start with closer look at 'Life ⁠on Earth'

Celebrations to mark the 100th birthday of renowned British naturalist David Attenborough start next week with a show delving deeper into his milestone 1979 TV series "Life on Earth". That programme - with its famous face-to-face encounters with mountain gorillas in Rwanda - set the pattern for ​natural history documentaries in the decades that followed and helped establish him as one of the world's most authoritative voices on conservation.

Amazon secures exclusive rights to Oprah Winfrey's podcast

Amazon signed a multi-year deal with ⁠American talk show host Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Entertainment that gives its Wondery podcast unit exclusive distribution and advertising rights to "The Oprah Podcast" in audio and video, the companies said on Monday. The podcast features Winfrey's interviews with cultural figures and everyday people on topics including relationships and financial health. Guests ⁠have ​included tennis player Serena Williams, actor Hugh Jackman, television cook Ina Garten and author Adam Grant.

Austrian man pleads guilty to foiled attack on Taylor Swift's Vienna concert

A 21-year-old accused of planning an Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024 that was foiled at the 11th hour pleaded guilty as his trial opened on Tuesday. The defendant, an Austrian identified as Beran A, was arrested on August 7, 2024, the day before the first ⁠of three planned concerts by the U.S. pop star in Vienna.

Paramount seeks FCC approval for foreign investors backing Warner Bros acquisition

Paramount Skydance has asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to greenlight foreign investments backing its acquisition of Warner ⁠Bros Discovery, according to regulatory filings made public on Monday. A Paramount ⁠spokesperson said the filing is completely standard for investments such as the ones at issue and is not a condition to closing Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. FCC rules govern foreign investments in U.S. television broadcasting.

Kimmel says his joke was misconstrued, Trump says ABC should fire late-night host

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel said on Monday his joke about U.S. ‌first lady Melania Trump had been ‌misconstrued and was not a "call to assassination." Kimmel used the opening monologue of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to address comments made last Thursday ​in a parody segment on the White House correspondents' dinner.