Gabe ’Nandez looks skyward on “Venus in Mercury”

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Sales company The Match Factory has boarded the documentary “Cinéma Laika,” which focuses on Aki Kaurismäki’s construction of his own movie theater in Karkkila, Finland. Veljko Vidak directed the film, which was shot “in close harmony with Kaurismäki’s cinematic style,” according to a statement. The documentary offers an opportunity for the audience to delve into the realm of the Finnish master, engage with his peers, including Jim Jarmusch, and fully immerse themselves in the world of Kaurismäki’s cinema. In Karkkila, a small village in Finland, which has relied solely on metallurgical activities for the past two centuries, Kaurismäki and his friend the poet and writer Mika Lätti construct their own movie theater, called Kino Laika, within an old foundry. Using recycled wood and metal, and pre-owned furniture, Kaurismäki and the residents of Karkkila collaboratively craft Kino Laika.

Jurors will hear “many damned lies” and “some deliberate exaggerations” in the trial of Kevin Spacey, according to the American Beauty star’s lawyer.

Fan favourite couple Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu and Davide Sanclimenti have announced their break-up on social media. The reality TV stars have separated just 1 year after winning ITV’s dating show Love Island.

Blackpool, the vibrant seaside resort loved by many, is facing a major problem that is driving tourists away. Derelict properties, including abandoned cannabis farms, are wreaking havoc on the town, leading to an increase in anti-social behavior and a decline in holidaymakers.

Coronation Street's newest star Claire Sweeney couldn't have looked more different to how she looked during her on-screen debut earlier this week as she stepped out for a charity bash.

An award-winning Cheshire company is set to make waves in the global market as it seeks to expand its saffron-growing business. The Cheshire Saffron Company has recently submitted a planning application to the Cheshire West and Chester Council for a proposed development in Alvanley, off Commonside.

Plans for a new primary school in Cheshire have been given the green light, but not without some reservations regarding parking concerns. The proposed school, designed to accommodate 210 children and equipped with additional resources for pupils with special educational needs, will be constructed on unused land off Richard Gibson Road in Nantwich.

Manchester United Women have confirmed another four senior players will leave the club this summer following the expiration of their contracts.

Princess Andre has been showered with love and best wishes as she celebrated turning 16. The daughter of former couple Peter Andre and Katie Price appeared to spend her special day with her dad and older brother Junior who recently marked turning the big 18 in Ibiza.

temporary injunction prohibiting the state from seeking to enforce Section 4 of Senate Bill 150, a sweeping anti-LGBTQ bill that, in addition to barring gender-affirming medical care for minors, restricts which restroom and locker room facilities transgender students can use, allowing teachers and other students to misgender trans-identifying minors, and prohibits certain types of classroom instruction on LGBTQ-related topics and topics related to sexuality, HIV, or other sexually-transmitted diseases.The measure was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear in March over concerns that it infringed not only on LGBTQ students’ right to freedom of expression and equal protection under the law, but the parental rights parents who choose to affirm their children’s identities.In issuing the injunction, Hale sided with the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which sued to overturn the law on behalf of seven families with transgender children.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Augmented-reality games pioneer Niantic Labs is laying off 230 employees, about 25% of its workforce, and shutting down its Los Angeles studio as it refocuses on flagship title Pokémon Go. CEO John Hanke announced the cuts in a memo to staff Thursday, saying “we have allowed our expenses to grow faster than revenue” after the sales boom it saw during the COVID pandemic subsequently evaporated. As part of the reorg, Ninatic is “sunsetting” NBA All-World and stopping production on Marvel: World of Heroes games. “Post Covid, our revenue returned to pre-Covid levels and new projects in games and platform have not delivered revenues commensurate with those investments,” Hanke said in the memo, which Niantic released publicly.

Naman Ramachandran Harrison Ford playfully smacked co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge on her first day on the set of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” Waller-Bridge told the BBC on Friday. The scene was set in a New York bar. “I was a little nervous. And I said to him, ‘If I get like, a little in my head, and if I’m just rubbish, at any point, you can tell me to go again.’ And he was like ‘You in your head, why?’ And I said, ‘Well, you know, it’s here. And it’s with you.’ And then he just rolled up his script and just smacked me on the head with it and was like, ‘Does that help?,'” Waller-Bridge told the “Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James” show.

Taylor Swift has shared a preview of the Taylor’s Version of ‘Back To December’ in the new trailer for season two of The Summer I Turned Pretty.The Amazon Prime Video show will air the first episodes of its second season on July 14, two days after Swift releases her latest re-recorded album, ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’.As she did with a preview of the re-recording of ‘1989’ song ‘Wildest Dreams’ in a Spirit Untamed trailer in 2021, Swift has shared a first look at the new album via a sync in the trailer for the new season.The trailer, which also features Swift’s ‘Folklore’ track ‘August’, sees the characters try and untangle a messy web and work to understand a love triangle.Watch the new trailer and hear the first preview of ‘Back To December (Taylor’s Version)’ below.A synopsis of season two of The Summer I Turned Pretty reads: “Belly used to count down the days until she could return to Cousins Beach, but with Conrad and Jeremiah fighting over her heart and the return of Susannah’s cancer, she’s not sure summer will ever be the same.“When an unexpected visitor threatens the future of Susannah’s beloved house, Belly has to rally the gang to come together—and to decide once and for all where her heart lies.”In the season one trailer of the show, Swift also previewed a new song called ‘Carolina’, which was then released in conjunction with the movie Where The Crawdads Sing.Elsewhere, Swift told fans that she isn’t seeking for fans to “defend” her on the internet when she releases ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ this July.Taylor Swift is set to release ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ on July 7.

Arnold Schwarzenegger says he believes that The Terminator has “become a reality”.According to Schwarzenegger, James Cameron’s film, which stars the former California governor, predicted the future regarding the rise of AI.Speaking at An Evening with Arnold Schwarzenegger event in Los Angeles this week (June 28), the actor said he believes the current fear of AI can be linked to the film’s plot.“Today, everyone is frightened of it, of where this is gonna go,” he said of AI. “And in this movie, in Terminator, we talk about the machines becoming self-aware and they take over.”He added that, given when the film was made in 1984 humans had only “scratched the surface of AI, artificial intelligence,” the writing was full of “brilliance”.“Now over the course of decades, it has become a reality,” he added.

Madonna has been discharged from hospital following a serious bacterial infection.The news arrives following reports that the pop icon was admitted to hospital and spent time in an intensive care unit last week.Now, she has been released from the hospital, and transported by a private ambulance to her home in New York. An insider close to the situation also told news outlet CNN that the 64-year-old is “in the clear”.Expected to make a full recovery from the health scare, it was reported yesterday (June 29) that the singer’s relatives were initially “preparing for the worst” when they discovered how unwell she was.“For the past couple of days, no one really knew which direction this was going to turn, and her family was preparing for the worst,” a member of her family told the DailyMail.

A grand jury in Harris Country, Texas has declined to indict Travis Scott in relation to the Astroworld tragedy that occurred in November 2021. Jurors likewise concluded that there we insufficient grounds to pursue criminal charges against five other people involved in organising the event.Ten people died and hundreds more were injured when a crowd surge occurred during Scott’s headline set at the Houston-based festival he founded, which took place at the city’s NRG Park on 5 Nov 2021.A criminal investigation got underway almost immediately, with police investigating whether the actions of Scott and various other people working on the Live Nation-promoted festival contributed to the crowd surge.That investigation was completed last week and resulted in a report that runs to over 1000 pages.

Holly Humberstone has announced that she will release her debut album ‘Paint My Bedroom Black’ later this year. To celebrate this long-awaited news, she’s put out not one, but more than one new single. A double A-side, if you will.

Cooking Vinyl Publishing has extended its deal with songwriter Matt Attard – the company having originally taken him on in 2019.To date, Attard’s biggest success has been with Norwegian artist Pedar Elias, whose album ‘Love & Loneliness’ went six times platinum in 2022.“I’m so happy to extend our relationship with Matt”, says Cooking Vinyl Publishing MD Ryan Farley. “He is the real deal; super talented, musically versatile, hardworking, open-minded and a genuinely good guy to have in the room!”Referencing the platinum discs awarded to ‘Love & Loneliness’, Farley continues: “It was a joy to present [Matt] with his first plaque for the Pedar Elias record and I’m sure it will be the first of many.

Logic has sold his music catalogue to the BlackRock and Warner Music-backed Influence Media Partners in an “eight-figure deal”.“Logic is a changemaker with an independent mindset and entrepreneurial spirit”, says Founding Advisor Rene McLean. “He’s proven himself to be a multifaceted artist who never confines himself to one box”.“Logic has made a tangible impact not only on the music charts, but on culture, and his commitment to destigmatising and raising awareness around mental health issues is admirable”, he goes on.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Cineteca di Bologna film archives have unearthed a small treasure trove of shorts documenting the early career of late icon Gina Lollobrigida, who was hailed as a major European sex symbol of the post-World War II era. The prominent archives, known globally as a prime film preservation entity, have found and restored three vintage clips dated between 1947 and 1948 in which Lollobrigida – who died at 95 in January – sings Italian folk songs billed under the name Diana Lori. Described by the archives as precursors to MTV-style music videos, the shorts were directed by Pietro Francisci, later known for hit swords-and-sandals titles such as 1958’s “Hercules” starring Steve Reeves as its titular hero. In the shorts Lollobrigida appears to sing (she may have been dubbed) Italian folk songs “O sole mio!”; “Na sera ‘e maggio”; and “Stornellata Romana.”

K.J. Yossman The prosecution in Kevin Spacey’s trial for sexual assault told the jury it was normal to be “starstruck or overwhelmed” as the trial began, but warned “you must keep yourself grounded and true to the oath.” Spacey is on trial for 12 counts of sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court in London, U.K. The prosecution alleges the assaults took place against four men in the U.K. between 2001 and 2013, when Spacey was living and working in London. Barrister Christine Agney KC gave the prosecution’s opening statement on Friday morning, in which she set out who Spacey was, calling him an “extremely famous actor who has won a number of awards” and setting out the charges against him.