Blockchain Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

EXCLUSIVE: The Gotham Group has launched an NFT-focused Emerging Technologies department, with the Hollywood management and production company tapping longtime manager Matt Shichtman to run it, while elevating him to partner.

EXCLUSIVE: Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns) is in advanced talks and Ron Perlman (Hellboy) and Lin Shaye (Insidious) are attached to star in action director Renny Harlin’s (Cliffhanger) horror-thriller Carrier, scripted by the 10 Cloverfield Lane writing team Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken.

Ed Meza @edmezavarThe founder of the blockchain-based film sales platform Cinemarket is launching Cineverse, an ambitious start-up that will make it possible for filmmakers, distributors and producers to market films directly using blockchain and NFT tech.Established by Cinemarket CEO Adrian Lugol and partners Vincent Lopez and Daniel Siegler (pictured), Cineverse will allow users to buy, share, gift, sell and resell films over the platform.The idea for the project came to Lugol during Christmas of 2020, when he wanted to give his young nephew some DVDs of his favorite films. The plan was thwarted when he learned the family no longer owned an old-fashioned DVD player.“I was like, wow, how am I going to give you these movies in a simple way?” Lugol recalls.

Nick Clement Like its Park City counterpart, the Slamdance Film Festival has pivoted to an all-virtual affair this year, but it will now get underway Jan. 27, one week after Sundance, its proudly DIY spirit intact.

Global payments giant Visa has partnered with blockchain technology solutions firm Consensys to develop technology for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

EXCLUSIVE: Peter Bogdanovich, who died January 6 at age 82, had one final creative project that will just got set for release. Weeks before his death, the disruptive filmmaker made LIT Project 2: Flux, which stars Kim Basinger in the first NFT collaboration between a legendary director and Oscar winning actress created specifically for and available only on the Ethereum blockchain. The project has been scheduled for January 25 release on that platform. Bodganovich worked with LIT, a project on the Ethereum blockchain dedicated to pushing the boundaries of NFTs.

After almost two years of downtime which has seen him grow his family and cherish every parenting milestone, Nick Carter’s preparing for the “uprooting” of returning to life on the road with the Backstreet Boys. But while he may be soaking up every moment with wife Lauren Kitt Carter and their three children, his eldest isn’t quite as interested in making the most of Carter’s last months in fulltime daddy mode.

Donald Trump paid a $2 million court-ordered fine after conceding he used his charitable foundation as a personal piggy bank.

Ubisoft‘s NFT program, a French trade union representing Ubisoft Paris has criticised the company’s new move.Earlier this week, the publisher revealed Ubisoft Quartz, which the company is calling the ‘first playable NFTs’ and will debut in Ghost Recon Breakpoint.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterA new blockchain technology company spotlighting creator equity is rolling out its first series of non-fungible tokens — a collection that includes five unreleased tracks from DMX and a photograph of jazz legend Miles Davis.Melanated NFT Gallery, a Black- and female-owned startup in the NFT and metaverse space, is backed by marketing executive and New York Times bestselling author Nea Simone.

Angelique Jackson Slamdance has announced the full film lineup lineup for its 2022 edition, with a feature film competition that boasts 23 premieres, including 13 world premieres, six North American premieres, and four U.S. debuts.The independent film festival, known for its “by filmmakers, for filmmakers” mentality, will showcase a total of 28 features, 79 shorts, and seven episodes during its 28th edition.

The line of seven non-fungible tokens (NFTs) was announced by Tarantino and blockchain company Secret Network earlier this month and includes uncut and unreleased scenes from “Pulp Fiction.” But those that buy the NFTs will also receive exclusive access to extras, including commentary from Tarantino and images of the handwritten first draft of the film’s screenplay.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefPhoenix Waters Productions in partnership with tech companies Marvion and Coinllectibles is launching digital entertainment studio Omnific Blockchain Studios to develop and produce entertainment-related non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and digital goods.NFTs have taken the art world by storm and are now encroaching into the entertainment scene.It will kick off with “Marvion’s Music Monarch,” an NFT-only music competition where artists around the world will have their

EA has declared that NFT and blockchain games are “the future of our industry”.In the earnings call and as first spotted by PCGamer, EA CEO Andrew Wilson explained that NFT and play-to-earn games are the “future”.He noted that “I think that in the context of the games we create and the live services that we offer, collectible digital content is going to play a meaningful part in our future.” He followed that up by admitting it was “still early to tell” how things would change.

which will reveal “secrets about the film and its creator.”The never-before-seen or heard assets are one-of-a-kind and will only be visible to the owner of the NFT. “I’m excited to be presenting these exclusive scenes from ‘Pulp Fiction’ to fans,” Tarantino said in the statement.

NFTs and blockchain technology may be a regular sight in Ubisoft games in the not too distant future, as the developer and publisher has outlined plans to focus on “play-to-earn” features.Speaking on an earnings call (as spotted by IBT), CEO Yves Guillemot said that the games industry “is changing regularly with lots of new revolutions happening,” and that Ubisoft “consider[s] blockchain one of those revolutions.”Guillemot added that use of blockchain technology “will imply more play-to-earn

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorWWE is the latest entertainment company to catch NFT fever.The wrestling entertainment producer inked an exclusive, multiyear deal with Fox Entertainment’s Blockchain Creative Labs to launch an NFT marketplace for licensed digital WWE tokens and collectibles.Under the pact, WWE said it will create “authentic NFTs that celebrate the company’s entire catalog of digital assets,” including iconic moments, WWE Superstars, and tentpole events like WrestleMania and