Oscar-Winner Gabriele Salvatores Shooting ‘Napoli – New York’ From a Federico Fellini Treatment – First Look Image (EXCLUSIVE)

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Roughly two years after his return to Naples for “The Hand of God,” Paolo Sorrentino is heading back to his hometown for a movie that plays on local mythology. The still untitled film is about a woman named Partenope “who bears the name of her city but is neither siren nor myth,” the Oscar-winning auteur has revealed to Variety. In Greek mythology, Parthenope, as she is known in English, is the name of a siren who having failed to entice Odysseus with her songs, cast herself into the sea and drowned. Her body washed up on a symbolic foundational rock where Naples lies. Neapolitans in Italy are also known as “Parthenopeans.”

Miami Heat star Kevin Love has shared the first picture of his newborn baby he has welcomed with Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Bock. The star couple have not yet revealed the baby's name or gender but a first look at the newborn was shared by the NBA player on Instagram this week. Bock shared the picture on her own Instagram story with the caption 'mine' along with a white heart emoji.

EXCLUSIVE: Blockbuster animated feature The First Slam Dunk will open Japan Cuts, a festival of Japanese cinema in New York, which will also feature a special tribute to late Oscar-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. 

John Bleasdale Guest Contributor As far as history goes, you can’t get much more historical than Taormina for a film festival. The Antico Teatro (or Greek Theater) – where the latest films will be shown – dates back to 300 BC. More recently – as in a mere century or so – the Sicilian coastal town has proved an irresistible getaway for many, from Oscar Wilde to Greta Garbo. Born in 1955 as the Taormina and Messina Film Festival, the festival has frequently hosted many international stars of cinema, and intermittently distributed the Nastri Azzurri awards voted on by Italian journalists, and at others the David di Donatello, Italy’s equivalent to the Italian Oscars. Here are some key moments from its history. When Dickie fought with Liz: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor had used Taormina as a getaway right at the beginning of their romance fresh from the set of “Cleopatra.” In 1967, they returned to Taormina to attend the film festival with Franco Zefferelli’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” for which Burton received the David di Donatello as best foreign actor. According to rumors, a blazing row on the terrace of their hotel – the San Domenico Palace – ended when Taylor conked Burton on the head with a mandolin.

When Kristen Lovell relocated to New York in the ’90s, she lost her job as she began her transition. She needed money and began sex work in a Manhattan Meatpacking district area called “The Stroll.” Decades later, co-directors Lovell and Zachary Drucker remember that time in a new HBO documentary of the same name.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s feature debut “Goodbye Julia,” a timely morality tale that takes place just before the 2011 secession of South Sudan and won the Un Certain Regard section’s Prix de Liberté (Freedom Prize) at Cannes, has scored a raft of sales following its launch. The first Sudanese film ever to screen in Cannes official selection, “Goodbye Julia” is the story of two women — one from the North, the other from the South — who are brought together by fate in a complex relationship that attempts to reconcile differences between northern and southern Sudanese communities in the currently war-ravaged country.

Naman Ramachandran The first look images from Lenny Henry’s “Three Little Birds,” executive produced by “It’s a Sin” creator Russell T Davies, have been unveiled. The series stars Rochelle Neil (“The Nevers”), Yazmin Belo (“What Just Happened”) and Saffron Coomber (“Tracey Beaker Returns”). Designed as a celebration of immigration, community and the strength of Black womanhood, the series is inspired by the stories of Henry’s mother. Set in 1957, it follows sisters Leah (Neil) and Chantrelle (Coomber) and their virtuous, bible-loving acquaintance, Hosanna (Belo), as they board a cruise ship from Jamaica bound for a new life in Britain. Once they reach they discover that life is not smooth sailing but are determined to succeed and overcome the many obstacles of integration and build a new life in Britain.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent “Prisma,” the groundbreaking Amazon Italian original series centered around identical adolescent teen twins who challenge gender norms in different ways, has been renewed for a second season. The second installment of the show is being financed and distributed under a different business model than the first season with Germany’s Beta Film now coming on board as a co-financier and international distributor outside Italy. Shooting is underway in and around the city of Latina, just south of Rome, on “Prisma” season two with director Ludovico Bessegato back at the helm. Bessegato, who previously gained local prominence as showrunner of “Skam Italia” – the hit Italian adaptation of the Nordic young adult drama – also serves as writer of “Prisma” 2. He is now working with Francesca Scialanca following his collaboration with writer Alice Urciuolo on the first installment that launched last year from the Locarno Film Festival.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italian actor-turned-director Andrea Di Stefano, whose sleek cop thriller “Last Night of Amore” just had its U.S. premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, is in advanced stages of development on “Karski” a feature about Jan Karski, the World War II Polish resistance fighter who risked his life to blow the whistle on the Holocaust. Di Stefano’s high-profile project, which is titled “Karski,” is being developed by New York City-based production company Phiphen Pictures, the indie founded by Molly Conners most recently behind Netflix’s “Like Father” and “It’s Bruno!,” the director said. Italy’s expanding Indiana Production, which shepherded “Amore,” is also on board.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Prime Video debuted the first-look image and revealed the premiere date for the adaptation of thriller series “Harlan Coben’s Shelter” from New York Times best-selling author Harlan Coben on Thursday. The show marks Coben’s first collaboration with Prime Video. The first three episodes of the eight-episode series will premiere globally on Aug. 18 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide, with new episodes available each Friday, leading up to the season finale on Sept. 22. “Harlan Coben’s Shelter” follows the story of Mickey Bolitar after the sudden death of his father leads him to start a new life in Kasselton, New Jersey. Mickey quickly finds himself tangled in the mysterious disappearance of a new student at his school, Ashley Kent, which leads to uncovering unimaginable secrets within their quiet suburban community.

The world of “John Wick” is expanding.

Unlike many other franchises in popular media, the “John Wick” film franchise keeps growing in popularity. This year, we saw the fourth film, “John Wick: Chapter 4” outgross the first three films by a large margin and earn critical acclaim in the process.

K.J. Yossman Jodie Whittaker, Tamara Lawrance and Bella Ramsey don prison-issue tracksuits in the first image from their upcoming series “Time.” “Doctor Who” star Whittaker, Lawrance (“The Silent Twins”) and Ramsey (“The Last of Us”) star as three inmates in a women’s prison in the U.K. in a follow-up to the Sean Bean series of the same name. Jimmy McGovern returns to pen the second anthology-style season of the show with some actors from the series’ first outing – including Siobhan Finneran as prison chaplain Marie-Louise – reprising their roles. Helen Black co-writes while Andrea Harkin directs.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent British actors Julia Ormond (“Ladies in Black”) and Lydia Page (“Blue Jean”) are set to soon appear in psychological horror movie “Home Education” directed by Italy’s Andrea Niada. Set in the scenic Sila plateau in Italy’s Southern Calabria region, “Home Education” revolves around a family that are followers of an esoteric cult and live in a secluded house deep in the woods. Warner Bros Entertainment Italia, Italy’s Indiana Production and BlackBox Multimedia are producing with support from the Calabria Film Commission. Germany’s SquareOne Productions is handling international sales. Warner Bros. Pictures will release the film in Italian theaters.

Marta Balaga Oscar winner Andrew Ruhemann has returned to the director’s chair for “The Day I Became a Bird.” His first short in 13 years, based on a book by Chabbert Ingrid, will see a boy who falls in love – with a girl that only has eyes for birds. Desperate to get her attention, he comes up with a rather unusual plan. “I was at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and that’s where I found this book. I thought it was a very intriguing image: Why is there this kid in a bird costume? It moved me,” he says. Ruhemann’s previous short, “The Lost Thing,” brought him an Academy Award in 2011, shared with Shaun Tan.  

Shawn Mendes has announced his new song and he appears to be using a photo of New York City’s orange sky as the single artwork.

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off the series finale of CBS’ True Lies, Omar Miller has entered production in Italy on Naples to New York, an indie based on a story penned in the 1940s by a young Federico Fellini, who was not yet a filmmaker, and his longtime friend and collaborator Tullio Pinelli.

EXCLUSIVE: Gaumont Animation, the company behind series including Kristen Bell’s Do, Re & Mi, has struck a first-look deal with Maya The Bee producer Studio 100 Media.

Andy Cohen is opening up about his experience with surrogacy.

It was Pride and Drag Queen picket day in Los Angeles, where around 300 people hit up Warner Bros. Discovery to highlight their issues as the strike marches into its second month.