Channel 4 Sale: UK Culture Secretary Sets Out Government’s Privatization Ambitions

Kanye West has made the argument that Black History Month – an annual commemoration of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora, celebrated every February in North America – is no longer relevant, instead declaring in a new video that February will henceforth be known as “Black Future Month”.The video shows West – who is legally known as Ye – standing in the centre of a hooded group and delivering a powerful speech on his upbringing and struggles as a Black man in modern America.“The system has been separating families in every way that they can, for years” he said, noting that he was separated from his mother (the first female head of the English department at Chicago State University) and his father (a Black Panther) at a young age, leading to a fractured relationship between West and the latter.He continued: “America is made to enslave us. What they ever gave us? We’d improve.

Anna Kendrick can just hardly believe she’s meeting THE Barbie in Rocket Homes and Rocket Mortgage’s 2022 Super Bowl commercial.

Caleb Kennedy is under arrest.

Adele bagged three gongs at this year's BRIT Awards and dedicated her win to her ex-husband and son in a heartfelt speech.The 33-year-old chart-topper won three of the five awards she was up for during the ceremony and even performed her hit new song I Drink Wine, from her award-winning album 30.She was the star of the night and after winning her third and final gong for Album of the Year.She dedicated her win to her 9-year-old son Angelo Adkins and ex-husband Simon Konecki, 47, reports OK!.Trying to hold back the tears, Adele said: "I would like to dedicate this award to my son."And to Simon, his dad, this album was all of our journeys."The teary-eyed hit maker announced how proud she is of herself. She added: "And I'm very proud of myself for sticking to my guns."It was a night to remember for the Easy On Me singer as Adele took home the statues for Artist of the Year and Single of the Year with her catchy title track from her new album.Absolutely shocked by her win, the singer told the audience she couldn't believe a "little piano ballad" had managed to get the award over "all them bangers".

Liam Gallagher's children, Lennon and Molly Gallagher, made a rare public appearance at this year's BRIT Awards as they were snapped walking down the red carpet in style. .The eldest two children of the Oasis rockstar, Molly, 23, and Lennon, 22, posed up quite a storm ahead of their dad Liam's hotly anticipated performance.Snapped side-by-side, Molly and Lennon created quite a reaction as many noticed how uncanny their resemblance is to their rockstar dad, especially Lennon.Liam's son Lennon, who he shares with his ex-wife and former Emmerdale star Patsy Kensit, is his superstar dad's spitting image, reports OK!The 22-year-old straight-faced model rocked a messy brunette mop of hair and a contrasting dark brown belt for the evening, making him look like a much younger Liam.Sister Molly opted for a leather jacket and black maxi dress, which she paired with a pair of matching boots.The sibling duo ensured they were on hand to support their dad ahead of his iconic performance.

The WGA East, decrying the “negative impact” the Big Tech giants are having on ad revenue for news organizations, has submitted written testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Competition, Antitrust and Consumer Rights for its hearings on “Breaking the News – Journalism, Competition, and the Effect of Market Power on a Free Press.”

Nelly issued an apology on Tuesday after a sex tape he was in was posted to his Instagram Stories.'I sincerely apologize to the young lady and her family, this is unwanted publicity for her/them,' the Grillz artist, 47, told TMZ. 'This was an old video that was private and never meant to go public.'The clip involving the rapper, whose real name is Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., was captured by a number of users before it was deleted.

Director Kenneth Branagh made Oscar history with three of his new film Belfast's seven nominations for his work as a writer, director and producer.Branagh, 61, became the first person ever to receive nominations in seven separate categories - Best Actor (Henry V), Best Supporting Actor (My Week With Marilyn), Best Adapted Screenplay (Hamlet) and Best Live-Action Short (Swan Song), adding another Best Director nomination for Belfast along with Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.He also becomes just the third person ever - after George Clooney and Warren Beatty - to be nominated in all five major Oscar categories, with the multi-hyphenate opening up about the nominations to Entertainment Weekly. Historic:Director Kenneth Branagh made Oscar history with three of his new film Belfast's seven nominations for his work as a writer, director and producer History:Branagh, 61, became the first person ever to receive nominations in seven separate categories - Best Actor (Henry V), Best Supporting Actor (My Week With Marilyn), Best Adapted Screenplay (Hamlet) and Best Live-Action Short (Swan Song), adding another Best Director nomination for Belfast along with Best Original Screenplay and Best PictureBranagh earned his first directing Oscar for his 1989 feature directing debut, Henry V, revealing what still remains the same about the job after all those years.'I was 27 years old when I started directing that first picture that was nominated as Best Director.

Nelly has apologized after a sexually explicit video was shared on his social media account.  On Tuesday, the 47-year-old singer's Instagram Story had a video of him receiving oral sex from a woman. It wasn't long before the R&B crooner noticed the video and took the post down.The "Hot In Herre" singer issued a statement via his rep to Fox News Digital after removing the clip from his social media. "I sincerely apologize to the young lady and her family.This is unwanted publicity for her/them," he said.

Cutting out calls and endlessly buffering TikTok videos could be a thing of the past as more next generation phone masts are set to be bolted on to streetlights in Scotland as part of a scheme to boost connectivity.

Chris Willman Music WriterNot many bands can claim they’re having the best year of their career exactly 50 years into their run. All right — not any bands can make such a claim, historically, except for Sparks, which saw its star rise dramatically in 2021 due not to any recording or touring activity but as film creators and stars, with “Annette” and “The Sparks Brothers,” respectively.

according to South Carolina’s ABC 4 News.The country music singer was a Top 5 contestant on the reality contest but left after a social media scandal in 2020.In a post on Snapchat, Kennedy appeared next to a person wearing a Ku Klux Klan hood. He left the show shortly after.“Hey y’all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise, but I am no longer gonna be on American Idol.

Happy Friday International Insiders. Tom Grater here coming to you live from the San Sebastian Film Festival with the week’s top international news. To get this sent to your inbox every Friday, sign up here.

Boris Johnson‘s significant cabinet reshuffle yesterday (September 15), Dorries has taken on the job as head of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), replacing Oliver Dowden.Following Dorries’ appointment, many across the music and culture industry have been sharing previous opinions and comments from the new chief, including when she claimed that comedy was being killed by “left-wing snowflakes” and that the BBC was “a biased left-wing organisation which is seriously failing in its political representation, from the top down”.One tweet, from 2017, has been widely shared since yesterday’s appointment.

Manori Ravindran International EditorBBC director general Tim Davie has said that the government’s shock cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, which saw the ousting of yet another Culture Secretary, points to a dire need for a “really serious, grown-up” government to discuss the future of the creative industries.Davie, whose Thursday morning keynote opened the second and final day of the Royal Television Society convention in Cambridge, said he had yet to “make contact” with new Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, who replaced Oliver Dowden on Wednesday, but that it was “too early to make any conclusions.”“We’re on 10 culture secretaries in last 10 years,” said Davie.

Tim Davie, the BBC’s Director-General, has said the broadcaster needs “a really serious dialogue with government” in the context of Nadine Dorries replacing Oliver Dowden as the UK’s new Culture Secretary.

Naman Ramachandran On a tumultuous day at the Royal Television Society convention at Cambridge, Channel 4 CEO Alex Mahon and the U.K. government were very much in disagreement over the proposed privatization of the channel.Moments before Mahon took the stage, Oliver Dowden who was due to speak immediately after, was replaced as Culture Secretary by Nadine Dorries, in what was an equally tumultuous day at No.

With the news today that Oliver Dowden has been replaced as UK Culture Secretary by Nadine Dorries, a version of the RTS speech published early this morning was in fact delivered by John Whittingdale, Minister Of State For Media And Data.

Manori Ravindran International EditorJust 45 minutes before Oliver Dowden was slated to address the British television industry at the Royal Television Society confab in Cambridge, the Culture Secretary was replaced in an extensive cabinet reshuffle.Dowden was scheduled as the final session in a packed day on Wednesday.

Channel 4 is “needed” in order for it to “compete with the streaming giants”, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden is expected to say in a new speech.Set to speak today (September 15) at the Royal Television Society Convention, Dowden is due to discuss Channel 4’s current “stable position” while outlining why further investment is key to its growth.“Without [more money], Channel 4 won’t have the money to invest in technology and programming, and it won’t be able to compete with the streaming giants,” he will reportedly say, according to Sky News.Dowden is expected to suggest that the additional money can come either “on the back of the taxpayer” or from private investment.“It’s my strong position – as a point of principle – that I do not believe

Naman Ramachandran U.K. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden is expected to set out the financial benefits that privatization could bring to British public service broadcaster Channel 4.