Latvia Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Eurovision 2023 Semi-Final running orders have been revealed – check it out below.The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will take place at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool from May 9-13, with Mae Muller set to represent the UK with ‘I Wrote A Song’.The UK city was announced to stage the contest on behalf of Ukraine, after organisers deemed the country unable to host the event due to the ongoing war with Russia.You can find all the songs that are entered for this year’s competition here.This week, Eurovision shared the running order for the Semi-Final shows, which take place on Tuesday, May 9 and Thursday, May 11.Norway will kick off proceedings for the first Semi-Final, closed out 15 acts later with a performance by Finland. The second event is set to be opened by Denmark, with Australia hitting the stage last.We got #Eurovision2023 Semi-Final running orders ✨➡️ https://t.co/V1tz85qvRD pic.twitter.com/hSjYqudp6j— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) March 22, 2023The Big Five participants – France, Germany, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom, which make the biggest financial contributions to the contest – along with Ukraine, automatically qualify for the Grand Final.Check out the full schedule below.First Semi-Final Eurovision 20231. Norway2. Malta3. Serbia4. Latvia5. Portugal6. Ireland7. Croatia8. Switzerland9. Israel10. Moldova11. Sweden12. Azerbaijan13. Czechia14. Netherlands15. FinlandSecond Semi-Final Eurovision 20231. Denmark2. Armenia3. Romania4. Estonia5. Belgium6. Cyprus7. Iceland8. Greece9. Poland10. Slovenia11. Georgia12. San Marino13. Austria14. Albania15. Lithuania16. AustraliaMeanwhile, Eurovision final 2023 tickets sold out in just 36 minutes.Tickets for all nine shows including the live Grand Final went on sale

The deaths of two pensioners who were killed by a mentally ill neighbour are to be probed on the orders of Scotland's top law officer.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Autlook Filmsales has sold “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” which won the directing award for Anna Hints in the World Cinema Documentary section at Sundance, to more than 20 territories in North America, Europe and Australia. Deals are confirmed with Neue Visionen in Germany, Trigon in Switzerland, Against Gravity in Poland, Fidalgo in Norway, Ost For Paradise in Denmark, Vedetta in Benelux, Filmtrade in Greece and Cyprus, FilmIn in Spain, Alambique in Portugal, Filmladen in Austria, Pasaka Films in Lithuania, Artcam in Czech Rep. and Slovak Rep., Best Film in Latvia, Mozinet in Hungary, and Madman in Australia and New Zealand. The rights in U.S. have been picked up by Greenwich Entertainment and in Canada by Sherry Media Group. The theatrical release in Estonia is by ACME Film.

The family of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya has said an upcoming film inspired by her life is “grossly inaccurate” and misrepresents her work in a statement sent to journalists Tuesday afternoon.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures International Productions has optioned remake rights to Latvian Christmas comedy Accidental Santa in eight territories: North America, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Mexico and Brazil.

Christopher Vourlias Latvian director Viesturs Kairiss, who won the international narrative competition at the Tribeca Film Festival last year with his coming-of-age drama “January,” is prepping his next feature film. “Ulya” is based on the real-life story of Ulyana Semjonova, a girl raised in the Latvian countryside who reaches a height of seven feet and would go on to become a famous professional basketball player. Set in the 1970s in Latvia, which was then part of the Soviet Union, the film follows its titular heroine from the time she leaves the countryside at the age of 14 and travels to Riga to play basketball. Kairiss described that as a “crucial stage” in Semjonova’s life, as her body was undergoing dramatic — and traumatic — changes for a teenage girl, while she also began to learn how to overcome adversity and, through basketball, find her place in life.

Christopher Vourlias When a rock festival held in Tallinn in the summer of 1988 was shut down by Soviet authorities, thousands of Estonians took to the streets, waving Estonian flags and singing patriotic songs in a bold show of defiance of Soviet rule. By the festival’s final night, some 200,000 people had joined what would later be dubbed the Singing Revolution, a catalyst for the non-violent movement that swept across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the early-‘90s and paved the way for independence. Even under Moscow’s thumb the Baltics demanded to be heard. For decades the three small nations have drawn on their historical, cultural and economic ties to create a sum that’s bigger than its parts, a collaborative spirit that’s also energized the countries’ growing screen industries, which will share the stage as joint Countries in Focus at this year’s European Film Market.

Christopher Vourlias This year, Latvia is sharing a spotlight with neighboring Lithuania and Estonia at the European Film Market, which has dedicated its 2023 Country in Focus Spotlight to the Baltic nations. It’s a sign of the tremendous strides the country has taken to put itself on the world cinema map, with the screen industries both producing more films and TV series than ever before and luring increasingly ambitious international projects to Northeastern Europe. Here’s a rundown of some of the top Latvian projects in the pipeline that their producers will be pitching in Berlin: Blue BloodDirector: Juris KursietisProducers: White Picture, Stellar Film, Asterisk*The follow-up to Kursietis’ Cannes Directors’ Fortnight player “Oleg” is the story of a successful couple whose comfortable life is turned upside-down when the husband is implicated in a massive corruption scandal.Sales: N/A

Christopher Vourlias When the European Film Market kicks off in Berlin on Feb. 16, the three Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will share the stage as the EFM’s joint Countries in Focus. The showcase, which is supported by the Estonian Film Institute, the National Film Center of Latvia and the Lithuanian Film Center, will offer a range of events within the framework of the EFM, along with a selection of market premieres and screenings of Baltic films already making waves on the festival circuit. Twelve up-and-coming Baltic producers will also be presented to the international industry during a happy hour on Feb. 17 in the Gropius Bas. Here’s a selection of Baltic buzz titles that the region’s top producers will be taking to Berlin:

Christopher Vourlias When a young Viesturs Kairiss started to dream about becoming a filmmaker thirty-some-odd years ago, he knew his path wouldn’t be straightforward or easy. Before the fall of the Soviet Union, aspiring Latvian directors would have to travel to Moscow or St. Petersburg to enroll in venerable Soviet film schools. After independence, Kairiss was among the first class of graduates from the newly launched film studies program at the Latvian Academy of Culture, one of many ways in which the small Baltic republic attempted to assert its own identity after half a century of Soviet rule. “We didn’t have any technique,” Kairiss admits of he and his film school peers, laughing. For his first feature film, “Leaving by the Way” (2001), he enlisted friends for below-the-line work and recruited actors from the local theater school. When the film bowed in the Crystal Globe competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, it was the culmination of what he describes as “a totally crazy, passionate journey” for a group of filmmakers laboring in an industry that didn’t truly exist.

A woman who vanished from South Wales is believed to have travelled to Scotland.

Livingston are set to sign Hibs winger Steven Bradley but will need to move a player on if they are to offer a deal to defender Luiyi de Lucas.

Harry & Meghan plays out like a carefully curated reel of normalness. Plaid J. Crew shirts, Ray-Ban aviators, and denim cut-offs populate the montage clips of as they work hard to show that, at the heart of this media storm, they are just two regular people, who found one another via Instagram and wore animal onesies to celebrate their engagement.Except that nothing about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s narrative is ordinary.

Livingston captain Nicky Devlin says he's still awaiting discussions on a new contract but confirmed he'd be more than happy to extend his stay in West Lothian.

NBCUniversal Global Distributor has struck an old school multi-year content deal in Europe’s Baltic region.

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s your first look at BAFTA-nominee Maxine Peake (The Village) as the late, fearless Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in feature Anna.

EXCLUSIVE: House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy has dropped out of feature thriller Annaabout fearless Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya due to a scheduling clash, replaced by Naomi Battrick (The Postcard Killings).

The Les Arcs Film Festival will launch a new sidebar showcasing this year’s European entries to the Best International Feature Film Oscar category at its 14th edition, running December 10 to 17 in its namesake French Alps skiing resort home of Les Arcs.

The European Film Academy has unveiled a new public-facing event called the Month of European Film.

Craig Gordon insists Toby Sibbick’s Euro masterclass can be the turning point in his Hearts career.

Michael Smith is looking for Hearts to get their season back on track when they host RFS in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

European Film Academy will honor Italian director March Bellocchio for his mini-series Exterior Night at its 35th European Film Awards ceremony on December 10 in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik.

Naman Ramachandran Italian auteur Marco Bellocchio will be presented with the European Film Academy’s Award for European Innovative Storytelling for his miniseries “Exterior Night.” The director will be guest of honor at the 35th European Film Awards ceremony on Dec. 10 at Reykjavik. In “Exterior Night,” Bellocchio returns to the case of the kidnapping and assassination of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades in 1978, a subject that he tackled in his feature film “Good Morning, Night,” for which he received the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2003 European Film Awards. The academy has also revealed nominations in several categories for the awards.

Gorillaz’ huge London show at The O2 last summer for NHS workers.Now, on October 20, it will go under the hammer as part of the Bonhams Pop X Culture auction at New Bond Street in London, where it’s expected to raise between £5-7,000 for Brian Eno’s climate change charity EarthPercent.Claire Tole-Moir of Bonhams said in a statement: “Both Robert Smith and Gorillaz are true innovators and pioneers of new music, and we are thrilled to be able to work with them by offering this unique customised guitar in aid of Brian Eno’s charity EarthPercent. To be able to own a one-of-a-kind guitar that is both a piece of art and a piece of music memorabilia is already a rare opportunity, but to be able to support EarthPercent’s ongoing campaign of tackling climate change at the same time, is very special and exciting for collectors and fans alike.”EarthPercent added: “We are thrilled to offer this gorgeous, signed guitar so kindly donated by Gorillaz and Robert Smith to EarthPercent.

Eddie Vedder performed a cover of The Cure‘s ‘Just Like Heaven’ at a solo show this week – check it out below.On Friday night (October 7), the Pearl Jam frontman played a gig with his band The Earthlings at the Dolby Live at Park MGM venue in Las Vegas.During the gig, Vedder explained how he and his family would host COVID dance parties at home during lockdown, and that ‘Just Like Heaven’ was on the playlist.“I will always have great memories of those incredible dance parties,” he told the crowd. “The kids would come in and check on us and kind of get embarrassed and have to leave, but we had a fuckin’ blast.

The Cure kicked off their 2022 world tour in Latvia tonight (Thursday October 6), debuting two new songs and welcoming guitarist and keyboardist Perry Bamonte back to the band. Check out footage and the setlist below.The icons, supported by now-regular touring partners and one of frontman Robert Smith’s favourite bands The Twilight Sad, began their long run of 2022 dates with a show at Arena Riga in Riga this evening – airing two new songs fans assume are from their long-awaited new album, ‘Songs Of A Lost World‘.Opening their 25 song set – where they were also joined by Bamonte, returning to the band having been a member between 1990 and 2005 – The Cure started with the sprawling and bittersweet ‘Alone’; a tender track that saw Smith begin with the line: ‘This is the end of every song we sing‘.At the end of the first set, which included classics and fan favourites such as ‘Pictures Of You’, ‘Trust’, ‘Fascination Street’ and ‘In Between Days’, The Cure debuted another new song ‘Endsong’ – a much more sombre number where Smith lamented how ‘it’s all gone‘ repeatedly, in a life with ‘no hopes, no dreams, no love – I don’t belong‘.The band then returned for more more encores, delivering the likes of ‘Plainsong’, ‘Close To Me’, ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’.The new band #thecure #TheCureLostWorld22 (thanks lyse) pic.twitter.com/xaFSV1d882— Jeremy Wulc ©️ (@jeremyWulc) October 6, 2022The new songs are excellent.

Daily Mail reported that his body was found in the Russian city of Krasnodar on Friday (September 30).Petunin had already served in the Russian Army, but his request for a deferment because of mental illness was not granted. Walkie had released 10 albums since his 2015 debut, his most recent was “Walk Out Boy 3.” As of Monday, his most popular song on Spotify has nearly 2 million streams.Since President Vladimir Putin announced the draft on Sept.

Robbie Williams has announced details of the European leg of his ‘XXV’ tour, which marks 25 years of his solo career.The star has already confirmed dates for the UK and Ireland stint of the tour, which will kick off in October.Now, Williams will head to the continent in January, starting the run in Bologna, Italy, on January 20. He will then call at 20 further cities.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Les Films du Losange has closed a raft of major deals on Kasja Naess’s animated feature “Titina” which is produced by the teams behind the Oscar-nominated film “The Triplets of Belleville” and Oscar-winning short “The Danish Poet.” “Titina” will world premiere at Animation Is Film Festival, which takes place Oct. 21-23, and is produced by GKids, in collaboration with Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Variety. Budgeted at $8.5 million, the Norwegian animated movie was produced by Mikrofilm (“The Danish Poet”) and Vivi Film (“The Triplets of Belleville”). The film tells the real-life story of a fox terrier that accompanied her master on an expedition to the North Pole in an air balloon in the 1920’s. It will be released in Norway by Norsk Film Distribusjon, and in France by Les Films du Losange.

The Associated Press.EuroPride organizers and LGBTQ supporters celebrated the fact that the parade was held without large-scale violence as a success, given that opponents had tried to exert their power by compelling authorities to cancel the parade.The European Pride Organizers Association had originally chosen Serbia’s capital as the host city for EuroPride three years ago, in the hope that — like past EuroPride celebrations held in Poland and Latvia, two former Eastern bloc nations known for their social conservatism, in 2010 and 2015, respectively — a successful event would signal that Serbian society was more accepting of LGBTQ progress.Organizers had also hoped that a successful EuroPride would show the country was distancing itself from the more hardline anti-LGBTQ forces in the country, including church leaders, and could draw attention to the need for additional rights and protections for LGBTQ people in the country, including legal recognition of same-sex partnerships.Although several Pride marches have been held in Serbia over the past few years, they have not all been advertised to the extent that EuroPride was, and some of those events — especially the 2001 and 2010 Pride parades — had devolved into violence.Serbian police had banned the parade last week, citing concerns over potential violence from far-right activists and whether local police would have enough officers on hand. In the weeks prior to EuroPride’s opening ceremonies on Sept.