Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Film 'One in a Million' follows ​young Syrian refugee's journey over 10 years

Israa was 11 ​years old and selling cigarettes with her father ‌on ​a street corner in Turkey when filmmakers Jack MacInnes and Itab Azzam met the Syrian refugee in 2015. They were charmed by the bubbly young girl and wanted to tell ‌her story as her family, who had fled war-ravaged Aleppo, journeyed across eight countries to settle in Germany.

Jordan Firstman brings a softer side to screen in directorial debut 'Club Kid'

Actor and filmmaker Jordan Firstman wanted his directorial debut, "Club Kid", to reveal a side of himself ‌audiences had not seen before. "In my real life, I'm very sensitive. I'm very emotional," he told Reuters. "I wanted to wear my ‌heart on my sleeve and make a movie that reflected that."

New York Times Company in advanced talks to acquire Letterboxd for roughly $330 million, NYT reports

The New York Times Company is in exclusive talks to acquire film-focused social platform Letterboxd in a deal valued at about $330 million, the New York Times ⁠reported on ​Thursday, citing two people familiar with ⁠the discussions. A deal would extend the media organization's push beyond its core news business, following acquisitions including sports site The Athletic, product-review service Wirecutter and the Wordle ⁠game. The company added 420,000 digital-only subscribers in the third quarter, bringing total paid subscribers to 13.8 million.

Macklemore says US venues rejected his ​Free Palestine tour

American rapper Macklemore, an outspoken critic of Israel's war in Gaza, said on Friday that major US ⁠concert venues including New York's Madison Square Garden refused to book his Free Palestine tour that just concluded three dates in Europe. The "Thrift Shop" performer launched the ⁠effort ​after he was removed as the opening act on musician Ed Sheeran's concert tour in August. Macklemore said at the time that stadium owners had objected to him saying "Free Palestine" on stage.

Russell Brand, convicted of rape, now likely to face ⁠more allegations, says UK police chief

Russell Brand, once a high profile British comedian and star of several Hollywood movies, is likely ⁠to face further allegations as more ⁠victims come forward in the wake of his rape conviction, the country's top policeman said on Friday. Brand, the former husband of US pop singer Katy Perry, is facing a lengthy jail ‌term after being ‌convicted in a London court on Thursday of raping a woman ​and sexually assaulting three more.