Former soldier's chilling threat to partner after ambushing her and attacking her in her own home

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Roku is getting its first voice-activated game: a version of enduring TV hit “Jeopardy!” The game was developed by Volley, a creator of voice-enabled AI games, for the Roku platform. To play the “Jeopardy!” game on Roku, players respond to clues with their voice — just like the actual contestants on the game show. It’s available in single-player mode in which you compete against answers submitted by other real players that have been prerecorded. A leaderboard at the end of each session shows how you stack up against other players. “Jeopardy!” is available now on all Roku devices; a version of the game also is available for Amazon Alexa. Users will be able to play for one week for free; after that, they must buy a $9.99/month subscription to the Volley app on Roku. Initially, “Jeopardy!” is the only game in the Volley app on Roku; the company says it has several additional titles in development but declined to name them.

Ari Herstand Ari Herstand is the author of the best-selling book How To Make It in the New Music Business, the host of the Webby award winning New Music Business podcast, the CEO and founder of the music business education company Ari’s Take, and an independent musician. He currently fronts the original 1970s funk/soul immersive experience Brassroots District. Variety welcomes responsible commentary, please submit to music@variety.com. A couple weeks ago, some of the largest independent distribution companies and streaming services — including Spotify, Amazon Music, DistroKid, Empire, United Masters, Tunecore (and its parent company Believe), CD Baby (and its parent Downtown) — launched what they’re calling “a global task force aimed at eradicating streaming fraud.”

Sinatra, The Musical has cast Tony Award-winning actor-singer Matt Doyle as Frank Sinatra in the world premiere production of the musical bearing Ol’ Blue Eyes’ name, to be staged at Birmingham Rep in Birmingham, England, from September 23 through October 28.

Kelsea Ballerini has been doing her best since her divorce from Morgan Evans — and boyfriend Chase Stokes is playing a big role in her newfound happiness.

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So, we’re going to do the hard work for you.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief

Jessica Kiang The intriguing central location of Anna Roller’s feature debut is an Italian village mysteriously abandoned, Marie Celeste-style, with its wardrobes still groaning with fur coats and its churches fully stocked with altar wine. It is a handy metaphor for “Dead Girls Dancing” itself, which, as a coming-of-age story, plays in heavily pre-trafficked territory, inheriting many of the trappings of the very many films that have preceded it — especially those dedicated to the growing pains of teenage girls exploring their nascent sexuality and the limits of their childhood bonds. But the clothes are borrowed and once they are politely returned, and the woozy contact high of Roller’s impressively confident, hip style wears off, there’s not a lot left that makes a lasting impression in a densely populated category. Just as these girls, however momentous their own experiences, will leave few traces of their presence on the stone streets and crumbling buildings of their temporary hideaway. 

A new development of luxury apartments in Old Trafford is on ‘schedule’ to be completed by the end of the year as part of a huge £22m project.

A much-loved café and bar in Levenshulme has cemented its future in the area after being taken over by Manchester City Council.

Brent Lang Executive Editor James Ashcroft will direct the feature film adaptation of “Old Haunts.” The “Coming Home In the Dark” filmmaker was tapped for the gig by AWA Studios, the film and television division of Artists, Writers & Artisans (AWA), which published the popular graphic novel that is inspiring the movie. Ashcroft will direct the “Old Haunts” adaptation from a script by in-demand scribe Aaron Rabin, who is hot off of the newly launched Marvel series, “Secret Invasion.” Zach Studin, president of AWA Studios, will produce the movie. Since the world premiere of “Coming Home In The Dark” at Sundance, where the psychological thriller made a stir, Ashcroft has become an in-demand filmmaker, lining up projects with AGBO, Legendary, and Netflix.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Raedio, the “audio everywhere” division of Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media, has announced a multi-year deal with Def Jam Recordings. The partnership will give Raedio the opportunity to sign, market, and distribute signed artists through Def Jam’s network, according to the announcement. It includes publishing, music supervision, music library, podcasts, digital content and events divisions. Raedio’s “symbiotic pipeline to Hoorae Media’s ecosystem of film, television production and talent management divisions provides a unique all-in-one infrastructure paving the way for a new, disruptive approach to music label models,” the announcement states.

Dennis Harvey Film Critic Five years ago seems aeons in an era so disrupted by COVID. So it comes as a surprise to realize that the original screen “Bird Box” arrived a full 14 months or so in advance of pandemic restrictions — becoming an early Netflix pop-culture phenomenon before lockdown made that sort of thing a regular occurrence. Susanne Bier’s film of Josh Malerman’s sci-fi horror novel was intriguing and suspenseful enough, even if its emphasis on psychological drama over thrills made for a somewhat unlikely breakout hit.  Inevitably, if belatedly, there’s now a follow-up — but not an adaptation of Malerman’s own print sequel, which continued the travails of the character played by Sandra Bullock. Instead, “Bird Box Barcelona” is a “parallel story” set on another continent entirely. Written and directed by Alex and David Pastor, whose prior genre efforts “The Last Days” (2013) and “Carriers” (2009) both had similar basic premises, it finds a different cross-section of humanity imperiled by unseen but presumed space aliens. When glimpsed, they induce immediate, overwhelming suicidal urges — or, in a chosen few, mind-controlled subservience that drives them to lead unsuspecting others to their doom.

The Boys has been confirmed as a playable character in Mortal Kombat 1, through a TikTok comment exchange on the Amazon Prime show’s official account.Yesterday (June 10), Call of Duty‘s The Boys collaboration was announced, adding Homelander, Black Noir and Starlight as Operators in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.When a fan asked the official The Boys TikTok account if Homelander was also on his way to the newest Mortal Kombat title in the comments of the Call of Duty TikTok video, the account replied with “MK confirmed.”It is assumed that Homelander is planned to be part of a post-launch character pack, as The Boys‘ official TikTok account stated that the villain will be “available at some point” (via Eurogamer).(FYI) The Boys TikTok account confirms Homelander coming to Mortal Kombat 1 pic.twitter.com/ZedtKglP7P— Idle Sloth

Avril Lavigne may have said see ya later, boy to Tyga, but only briefly, as it appears the pair is back together.

Amber Heard has found her peace after moving to Europe.

England fast bowler Mark Wood is ready to bring the thunder to Australia once again when they face off in Manchester next week, hoping to replicate his heroic performance at Headingley.

For the eight years Chris Green has been a Conservative MP in Bolton, the borough has helped make up the Greater Manchester combined authority led by a Labour mayor.

Historical slopes and a Georgian water fountain are to be restored in a Rochdale park as part of a £1m heritage project that will bring new life to the town centre.

Taylor Swift’s upcoming ‘Eras’ tour dates following issues on the site.The issue arose earlier today (July 11) after tickets for the pop star’s tour across Europe and the UK went live. To buy tickets, fans had to first register and receive a unique code that granted them access to tickets in the city of their preference.However, upon tickets going live this morning, fans in France experienced issues as the site began crashing and sales were brought to a halt.“Some of you may be having issues with the site this morning – we are working on it and will let you know,” the company wrote on its Twitter page initially.Around an hour later, it confirmed that tickets for the upcoming show in Paris had been put on hold due to the ongoing issues fans were experiencing and confirmed that it would announce a new on-sale time shortly.“The Taylor Swift sale […] Eras Tour for Paris La Défense Arena has been put on hold,” the translated update read.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Apple TV+ is bringing Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington back to the screen in a new four-part documentary “The Super Models.” The documentary from Imagine Documentaries and One Story Up is directed by Academy Award-winner Roger Ross Williams and Larissa Bills. The series follows the legends of the catwalk as they reveal how they began their careers and ended up dominating the modeling world. Archival footage and interviews provide unprecedented access. As the logline for the series reads, “‘The Supermodels’ travels back to the 1980s, when four women from different corners of the world united in New York. Already forces in their own right, the gravitas they achieved by coming together transcended the industry itself. Their prestige was so extraordinary that it enabled the four to supersede the brands they showcased, making the names Naomi, Cindy, Linda and Christy as prominent as the designers who styled them. Today, the four supermodels remain on the frontlines of culture through activism, philanthropy and business prowess. As the fashion industry continues to redefine itself – and women’s roles within it – this is the ultimate story of power and how four women came together to claim it, paving the way for those to follow.”

Prices for the Playstation 5 have seen a massive slashing thanks to Amazon Prime Day. Gaming enthusiasts can pick up the popular games console as well as one of its biggest selling games for with a 16% discount on Amazon.