Vivendi Media & Entertainment Empire Set For Major Expansion As European Commission Approves Lagardère Acquisition

Ryan Reynolds poses with Great British Bake Off host Prue Leith and Paul HollywoodRyan Reynolds, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood - and no it's not the start of a 'walk into a bar joke' - the actor recently shared a picture of them all looking very happy in front of the Bake Off tent. Fans of the Great British Bake Off have been going wild after the actor was seen wrapping his arms around the TV Stars Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood as they posed together for an Instagram snap. The Deadpool actor shared the image on his Instagram account with the caption “A full and unconditional hug of pure serotonin.

EXCLUSIVE: Luke Wilson (Horizon: An American Saga) and Greg Kinnear (The Present) are set to star in You Gotta Believe, a film based on the inspirational true story of Fort Worth, Texas’ 2002 Westside Little League team. Others on board for roles in the pic from Santa Rita Film Co. include Sarah Gadon (Ferrari), newcomer Michael Cash, Etienne Kellici (Horizon: An American Saga) and Molly Parker (Deadwood).

EastEnders is set for a scheduled shake-up at the start of July as the show will move over to BBC Two as BBC One presents live coverage of Wimbledon. Wimbledon is set to kick off on Monday, July 3, with BBC One covering live matches throughout the day and into the evening.

Anna Marie de la Fuente L.A.-based Campanario Entertainment and Mexico City shingle Addiction House have forged a strategic partnership in the wake of their successful Prime Video series “How to Survive Being Single” (“Como Sobrevivir Soltero”). The pact calls for the joint development and production of five scripted and unscripted projects in English and Spanish, starting with a TV series and a film, both fiction. Campanario Entertainment co-founder and president Jaime Dávila and senior VP Diana Mejia-Jones will work in tandem with Addiction House co-founders/brothers Sebastian and Emiliano Zurita and their partner Ricardo Gaspar to make shows that will hopefully appeal beyond its natural markets, the U.S. and Latin America.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent British actor Jefferson Hall (“House of the Dragons,” “Oppenheimer”) will soon appear on screen in Emirati director Nayla Al Khaja’s psychological thriller “Three,” about a young boy who appears to be possessed. Al Khaja – who is known for standout shorts including horror film “The Shadow” and “Animal” that both play on Netflix – has just wrapped the independently-produced “Three,” her debut feature, which was shot in Thailand. Besides, Hall, “Three” also stars Faten Ahmed; Noura Alabed (“Wiladah”); veteran U.A.E. actor Mari Al Halyan (“On Borrowed Time”); Mohannad Bin Huthail (“Rashash”) and emerging Emirati talent Saud Alzarooni.

Cristiano Ronaldo may be in line for an uncomfortable reunion with old foe Saul Niguez. Atletico Madrid ace Saul, who spent the 2021-22 season on loan at Chelsea, is the latest European star to be linked with a move to Al Nassr. If the 28-year-old agrees to the switch, he would become a team-mate of Ronaldo's after a number of years as his rival.

Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding could work a Miracle with a ninth non-consecutive week at Number 1. The enduring smash lifts two to return to the summit midweek.

EXCLUSIVE: Lana Condor (To All The Boys franchise), Andrew Koji (Bullet Train), Ross Butler (Shazam! franchise), Sung Kang (Fast & Furious franchise) and Elodie Yung (The Cleaning Lady) are among those set to star in Worth the Wait, a romantic comedy marking the U.S. directorial debut of award-winning Taiwanese filmmaker Tom Shu-Yu Lin (The Garden of Evening Mists), which has wrapped production in Vancouver and Kuala Lumpur.

The Sundance Institute revealed on Wednesday that it has received the largest endowment gift in its history, a $4M endowment in support of the the Institute’s Indigenous Program from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, which will provide new support for artists from California-based tribes, both federally and non-federally recognized.

New plays by Pulitzer Prize-winning Paula Vogel and Obie-winning Branden Jacobs-Jenkins will be among the Broadway offering of the Second Stage Theater 2023-24 season, the company announced today.

Academy Award nominee Elliot Page (The Umbrella Academy) is set to star opposite Hillary Baack (Sound of Metal) in Close to You, a new film from BAFTA-winning writer-director Dominic Savage (I Am…), which has wrapped production in Canada.

Noel Gallagher has been announced to perform during a special Later…With Jools Holland episode that’s dedicated entirely to him.Holland revealed his forthcoming appearance “later in the series” during last night’s (June 10) episode of the show on BBC Two.He also previewed the special with Gallagher’s live performance of ‘Open The Door, See What You Find’, taken from his new album ‘Council Skies‘. You can view footage below.The performance will feature a number of live takes from his recent LP.It comes after Arctic Monkeys recently featured in special dedicated entirely to them last November.That show saw the Sheffield band join host Holland for an intimate performance of songs from their album ‘The Car‘, including ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball‘ and ‘Body Paint‘.Meanwhile, Gallagher was last night serenaded by Manchester City fans at a bar in San Diego after he was unable to attend the Champions League final in Istanbul due to touring commitments in the US.Speaking about not attending the final earlier this week, he told the club’s official website: “I won’t be in Istanbul – I always make sure the dates around the Champions League are free and usually that’s always around the end of May.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Vivendi, the parent company of Canal+ Group, has received the green light from the European Commission to proceed with the acquisition of Lagardère, the French media, publishing and travel retail conglomerate. This European Commission has given its approval under Vivendi’s two proposed commitments, starting with the sale of 100% of the share capital of its publishing group Editis, as well as the full sale of Gala magazine. Vivendi said it expects to close both deals by the end of October. It entered into exclusive negotiations to sell Editis to a subsidiary of Czech Media Invest (CMI) founded by Daniel Kretinsky, in March. With the acquisition of Lagardère group, Vivendi’s payroll will rise to 66,000 employees compared to 38,000 at the end of December 2022, with a stronger presence in key markets such as France, the U.K., Spain and the US.

The Tony Awards broadcast this Sunday will feature performances from the casts of Tony Award nominated best musicals and revivals including Camelot, Into The Woods, & Juliet, Kimberly Akimbo, New York, New York, Parade, Shucked, Some Like It Hot and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

EXCLUSIVE: The colorful life of Ecuador’s former President León Febres-Cordero is being adapted for a feature biopic by his grandson, producer James Leon of 8th Gear Entertainment.

EXCLUSIVE: Quebec’s Fantasia International Film Festival will open its 27th edition with the North American premiere of Pascal Plante’s latest pic Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges).

A Global Day of Solidarity will take place in London’s Leicester Square next week as writers from around the world join together to show support for striking scribes in the U.S.

AXA IM Alts, the alternative investment arm of global insurance company Axa, has struck a deal to acquire and expand France’s Bry-sur-Marnes Studios on the outskirts of Paris.

A new “Law & Order” spinoff is coming to Canada, Toronto-based network Citytv announced on Monday. “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” will follow an elite squad of detectives who investigate high-profile crime and corruption in metro Toronto.

Scotland is set for another warm weekend as temperatures will remain above 20C for some areas.