Entertainment
Embracer Reviews 10% Drop in Leisure Gross sales Blaming Tolkien IP
Published
3 weeks agoon
Embracer has reported disappointing outcomes for the second quarter of 2024, reporting a big drop in internet gross sales of 21% throughout the gaming group to SEK 8.6 billion ($782 million), with internet gross sales of its leisure and companies additionally dropping by 10%.
Adjusted working revenue fell by 33% to $109 million between July and September 2024, lacking projected forecasts.
In its leisure and companies division, which additionally consists of comedian guide writer Darkish Horse Media, Embracer reported a 14% drop in natural development, which it put right down to “decrease exercise and difficult comparability figures yr on yr” inside subsidiary Center-earth Enterprises, the holding firm for “Lord of the Rings.”
Whereas Center-earth Enterprises had a “sluggish quarter” year-on-year because of an absence of latest video games releases, it did present “larger movie income than anticipated,” the corporate reported.
Embracer snapped up the Tolkien IP in 2022 for $395 million.
By far the most important drop throughout Embracer’s secure was in its PC/console video games division, which noticed a internet gross sales lower of 46%. Cellular video games gross sales additionally dropped by 8% and tabletop video games by 6%. The outcomes have been attributed to launch delays and will increase in manufacturing prices in addition to “a troublesome comparability from the releases of ‘Remnant II’ and ‘Payday 3’ final yr,” stated CEO Lars Wingefors.
In the meantime the PC/Console sport “The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria” was launched on Steam and Xbox earlier this summer time and in keeping with the corporate “carried out barely above administration expectations.” Different notable titles this yr included “Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed,” which carried out “slower than anticipated” in preliminary digital gross sales, Embracer reported.
After a rocky few years for the Swedish-headquartered conglomerate, which has undergone a vigorous restructuring and divestment program, it’s set to separate into three publicly traded firms by 2025. One, tabletop video games division Asmodee, will likely be spun off inside this monetary yr. The opposite two, Espresso Stain & Buddies, a digital gaming entity, and Center-earth Enterprises & Buddies – which will likely be devoted to managing the “The Lord of the Rings” and “Tomb Raider” IPs in addition to growing triple A video games – are set to observe.
“We’re specializing in the perfect allocation of firms and belongings in our future construction,” Wingefors stated in an announcement on Thursday. He additionally unveiled the sale of subsidiary puzzle sport cell developer Easybrain to digital video games firm Miniclop for $1.2 billion on Thursday.
On the horizon, the corporate is pinning its hopes on upcoming anime “The Lord of the Rings: The Warfare of the Rohirrim,” which is able to launch within the U.S. and internationally subsequent month, with Wingefors saying he expects “notable earnings development yr on yr” because of the movie. Embracer’s quarterly report additionally famous there’s “growing anticipation for the discharge, with encouraging fan reactions.”
Q3 has up to now seen the discharge of video games “LEGO® Monkey Palace” and “The Lord of the Rings: Duel for Center-earth,” that are each exhibiting sturdy traction in keeping with Embracer whereas “Star Wars: Limitless” is because of launch Set 3 “Twilight of the First Republic,” which they’re additionally hoping will buoy gross sales.
“Over the previous 15 months, we’ve created a stronger basis for long-term worth creation, decreasing our internet debt and our capex,” stated Wingefors. “We’ve got many high-performing and environment friendly firms, a number of with trade main margins. Nonetheless, we acknowledge that components of our PC/Console and Leisure & Providers segments are nonetheless underperforming because of delays and low ROI for primarily small and mid-sized releases. Mixed with mounted working prices this creates unacceptable margins which we’re firmly addressing forward of the spin-offs.”
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Laura Benanti Slams Co-Star Zachary Levi for COVID Misinformation
Published
3 minutes agoon
December 7, 2024
Laura Benanti might have led the Broadway revival of “She Loves Me” with Zachary Levi in 2016, however the actress definitely doesn’t share the sentiment of the title. Benanti opened up concerning the ailing emotions she maintains about her former co-star this week on the That’s a Homosexual Ass Podcast, hosted by Eric Williams.
“I by no means appreciated him. Everybody was like, ‘He’s so nice!’ And I used to be like, ‘No, he’s not. He’s sucking up all of the fucking vitality on this room. He needs to mansplain everyone’s half to them,’” Benanti stated. “He actually sucked everyone in along with his dance celebration vitality, like, ‘We’re doing a dance celebration at half-hour.’ I used to be like, ‘Good luck, have enjoyable.’”
Benanti’s criticism of Levi reached an emotional peak when the dialog touched on their “She Loves Me” co-star Gavin Creel, who died in September on the age of 48. The Tony Award winner, whose Broadway credit additionally included “Hair,” “Hey, Dolly” and “Into the Woods,” died of a metastatic melanotic peripheral nerve sheath sarcoma. Talking about Creel’s demise on Instagram in October, Levi floated an unscientific principle tied to COVID vaccinations.
“I do know that that is going to offend some individuals and make some individuals mad, and I want it didn’t. A couple of weeks in the past, my buddy Gavin Creel died. He was 48 years previous, and he was one of many healthiest individuals I knew. … You higher consider that, with every thing in me, I consider that if these COVID vaccinations weren’t pressured on the American public…” Levi stated earlier than trailing off.
Benanti blasted Levi for utilizing the subject of Creel’s demise to unfold vaccine misinformation: “For him to make use of Gavin’s reminiscence — an individual he was not buddies with — to make use of his reminiscence for his political agenda and to observe him attempt to make himself cry till he had one single tear, which he didn’t wipe away, I used to be like, ‘F—ok you endlessly.’”
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Mark Withers Lifeless: ‘Dynasty’ Actor Was 77
Published
1 hour agoon
December 7, 2024
Mark Withers, a tv actor identified for portraying Ted Dinard within the unique “Dynasty” collection, died Nov. 22. He was 77.
Mark Withers’ dying was confirmed by his daughter, Jessie Withers. The trigger was pancreatic most cancers.
His daughter remembered him fondly, writing: “He confronted his sickness with the identical power and dignity he delivered to his craft, making a legacy of heat, humor, and dedication, alongside together with his exceptional means to make each function unforgettable. Mark’s enduring expertise and dedication to the trade shall be fondly remembered by colleagues, associates, and followers alike.”
Along with his function as Steven’s boyfriend Ted in “Dynasty,” Withers had visitor appearances on “Surprise Lady,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “The Dukes of Hazzard,” “Hart to Hart,” “Remington Steele,” “Dallas,” “L.A. Regulation,” “Days of Our Lives,” “Matlock,” “Kaz,” “The King of Queens” and “Frasier.”
Lately, he continued his tv profession with roles in “True Blood,” “Prison Minds,” “Sense8,” “Fortress,” “Drop Lifeless Diva,” “Reckless” and “Stranger Issues.” He additionally had varied roles in manufacturing on movies like “Fundamental Coaching,” “The Final Life,” “Flip Round Jake” and “Bolden.”
Lengthy earlier than he had a SAG card or starred in any exhibits, he was an completed athlete who earned an NCAA soccer scholarship to Penn State College.
He started his performing profession starring in a nationwide marketing campaign for McDonald’s after being found by an agent. He additionally went on to star in nationwide spots for main manufacturers like Folger’s Espresso, Irish Spring, Tartar Management Crest and American Airways.
Withers is survived by his spouse, Haiyan Liu Withers, and his daughter, Jessie Withers. Donations could also be made to St. Jude Youngsters’s Analysis Hospital.
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Kiernan Shipka Leads Reductive, Raunchy Rom-Com
Published
2 hours agoon
December 7, 2024
A long time after “When Harry Met Sally” requested audiences if grownup women and men might be buddies, yet one more romantic comedy poses the identical query of a recent collegiate crowd. Nevertheless, in director Jordan Weiss’ “Sweethearts,” which revolves round two besties breaking apart with their hometown romances over a vacation weekend, the time-honored question waits till the final minutes to develop, whereas a separate pair of screwball-comedy plotlines haven’t correctly concluded. Although the movie incorporates a gifted ensemble and compelling sentiments about self-acceptance and platonic friendship, it performs like two half-baked screenplays mashed collectively, sure by wafer-thin connections.
Ben (Nico Hiraga) and Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) have been finest buddies since childhood and are decided to stay collectively by way of their maturity, beginning with attending the identical school in the identical dorm at Densen College. Outdoors of their tightknit bond, nevertheless, is a world stuffed with problems, from Ben’s roommate Tyler (Zach Zucker), who treats him like a doormat, to Jamie’s roommate Kelly (Olivia Nikkanen), whose a number of makes an attempt to tug her out of her shell have failed. Even their romantic relationships are inflicting them issues. Ben’s sexy, long-distance girlfriend Claire (Ava DeMary), who’s nonetheless in highschool again house, monopolizes his time and takes him with no consideration. Claire’s dopey jock boyfriend Simon (Charlie Corridor) usually annoys her along with his requests for sexts and film nights. All this has led the pair to turn into the category outcasts — they usually’ve had it.
With a purpose to higher slot in and begin anew, Ben and Claire provide you with a scheme to dump Claire and Simon once they journey house to Ohio for Thanksgiving. They plan to make use of their pal Palmer’s (Caleb Hearon) home, as he’s again from dwelling overseas in Paris and internet hosting a small coming-out celebration. But from the primary second on the day of the breakup, Ben and Claire encounter a collection of issues, the whole lot from a bus trip with an obnoxious eavesdropping passenger (Stavros Halkias) to reuniting with an overzealous crush (Kate Pittard). Their important others additionally go lacking earlier than they will lower them free. In the meantime, Palmer’s journey additionally takes just a few detours, like studying their small city has a queer bowling league attended by his former highschool coach, Coach Reese (Tramell Tillman).
Weiss, together with co-writer Dan Brier, employs all of the formulaic “one loopy night time” teen comedy shenanigans with minor tweaks that add a refreshed shellac on stale items. Claire and Simon get wasted at a boring soiree, not a raging, rowdy home celebration, though there’s a kind of featured later within the climax. A traumatic, poisonous buddy (Sophie Zucker) from Jamie’s previous emerges, to not bully her, however to forgive and befriend her once more. Ben and Jaime are compelled to steal a dorky, cherry crimson tandem bicycle, not a elaborate vehicle. And, in one of many image’s smartest strokes of ingenuity, Ben will get caught utilizing the ID of a lifeless man by a burly bouncer (Darius ‘Nastyelgic’ Jackson) who occurred to be a pallbearer on the funeral for its unique proprietor.
Regardless of the filmmakers’ makes an attempt at raunchy humor, there’s not a lot that’s significantly humorous, groundbreaking or memorable. They over-orchestrate these occasions, which blessedly floor early within the first and are then deserted going ahead (apart from a clumsy intercourse tape lastly revealed proper earlier than the tip credit). Ben and Jamie’s botched frat celebration sequence is ham-handed — the seeds of the potential disasters are planted, however we all know how they’ll escalate and may predict their final outcomes. The development of jokes is affordable and simplistic, starting from a bitter partygoer who tosses her drink on Ben to the sloshed tertiary character who goes full frontal in service of a gross-out gag.
Whereas Palmer has a fleshed-out arc unbiased of the platonic buddies, his story monitor fails to align a lot with theirs. His inclusion feels both vestigial or an afterthought when he ought to’ve been both prioritized or excised fully. He’s touted as their third finest buddy within the opening credit, however isn’t handled as such within the movie’s execution. He’s separated from the pair for many of his display screen time, on a quest to find the queer neighborhood hiding beneath his nostril — although it’s a stretch that he by no means observed given how a lot it’s emphasised they dwell in a tiny city. He’s additionally made to apologize to Ben and Jamie on the finish, once they’re those who ought to apologize for ignoring him for virtually their entire go to.
Ben and Jamie have an effervescent, rhythmic repartee that bubbles to the floor of their frank discussions about intercourse, love, hopes and anxieties. The narrative works finest when centered on their conflicts and conundrums. Shipka and Hiraga are a captivating match in the best way they verbally volley in relaxed, informal conversations. Shipka finds just a few weak grace notes to play that increase her empathetic drive. Hiraga, who’s been a spotlight in “Rosaline” and “Booksmart,” is a superb main man, elevating weaker elements of the fabric and making his hero second really feel earned.
DeMary and Corridor, because the spurned soon-to-be exes, give their characters depth and dimension. Christine Taylor, who performs Ben’s caring mom, and Joel Kim Booster, who performs Coach Riggs’ boyfriend and Palmer’s sage confidante, add much-needed coronary heart to the proceedings. It’s a disgrace, nevertheless, that this strong solid is relegated to such forgettable fodder.
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TMZ Accuses Ex-Worker of Embezzling $100,000
Published
3 hours agoon
December 6, 2024
TMZ is taking a former govt to small claims courtroom, alleging that he embezzled not less than $99,509 from the corporate.
In line with the swimsuit, Alex “Woody” Wooden labored for the media outlet from January 2023 to February 2024. The grievance accuses him of “exploiting his place of belief” by siphoning cash out of petty money.
“Wooden is an embezzler and a fraudster,” the swimsuit alleges.
A trial is about to be held on the Beverly Hills Courthouse on Monday morning.
Wooden can be accused of paying private bills on an organization card, after which mendacity to cowl it up, and of diverting TMZ’s cash to companies he owned.
“After being caught, Wooden admitted his wrongdoing and promised to repay the cash he stole,” the lawsuit states.
He made a sequence of funds to TMZ from April by means of July, however then stopped, and nonetheless owes about $45,000, the grievance states.
The corporate says he has “refused repeated requests” to repay the remaining stability.
TMZ sued in small claims courtroom on Oct. 1.
Although the corporate claims it’s owed $45,000, probably the most it may well get better in small claims is $6,250.
Wooden hung up the cellphone when reached for touch upon Friday. He’s credited on IMDb because the “govt in command of manufacturing” on TMZ’s Christmas particular final 12 months, entitled “TMZ’s Merry Elfin Christmas.”
WarnerMedia bought TMZ to Fox Corp. in 2021 for about $50 million. Harvey Levin based the corporate in 2005, following a prolonged profession as a legislation professor, authorized commentator and TV information reporter.
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Entertainment
TMZ Accuses Ex-Worker of Embezzling $100,000
Published
3 hours agoon
December 6, 2024
TMZ is taking a former govt to small claims courtroom, alleging that he embezzled not less than $99,509 from the corporate.
Based on the swimsuit, Alex “Woody” Wooden labored for the media outlet from January 2023 to February 2024. The grievance accuses him of “exploiting his place of belief” by siphoning cash out of petty money.
“Wooden is an embezzler and a fraudster,” the swimsuit alleges.
A trial is about to be held on the Beverly Hills Courthouse on Monday morning.
Wooden can be accused of paying private bills on an organization card, after which mendacity to cowl it up, and of diverting TMZ’s cash to companies he owned.
“After being caught, Wooden admitted his wrongdoing and promised to repay the cash he stole,” the lawsuit states.
He made a sequence of funds to TMZ from April via July, however then stopped, and nonetheless owes about $45,000, the grievance states.
The corporate says he has “refused repeated requests” to repay the remaining steadiness.
TMZ sued in small claims courtroom on Oct. 1.
Although the corporate claims it’s owed $45,000, probably the most it could possibly recuperate in small claims is $6,250.
Wooden hung up the telephone when reached for touch upon Friday. He’s credited on IMDb because the “govt answerable for manufacturing” on TMZ’s Christmas particular final yr, entitled “TMZ’s Merry Elfin Christmas.”
WarnerMedia bought TMZ to Fox Corp. in 2021 for about $50 million. Harvey Levin based the corporate in 2005, following a prolonged profession as a legislation professor, authorized commentator and TV information reporter.
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Entertainment
How Noah Kahan’s Song Went Viral Before it Was Recorded
Published
3 hours agoon
December 6, 2024
A breakup song and a love letter to his home state of Vermont, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” had a longer road to chart glory than most. The story begins deep in the pandemic, when Kahan teased the opening verse on Instagram, instantly striking a chord with lonely and isolated followers. He performed the song live in 2021 and released it the following year as the lead single and title track of his third album.
That was only the beginning. “Very early on it became clear that ‘Stick Season’ was touching a nerve and turning casual listeners into superfans,” says Ryan Langlois, general manager of Kahan’s management firm, Foundations Music. The response wasn’t lost on his label, Mercury Records. “Fans were demanding the song,” says Alex Coslov, Mercury exec VP. “We knew ‘Stick Season’ would be a hit before we released it.”
But nailing the recording was key. Enter producer Gabe Simon, who stayed true to Kahan’s vision. “It became about keeping the song simple while moving it forward,” he says.
With the song in the can, the conversation turned to strategy. “Noah wanted to speak about his hometown and paint a picture that was vivid and specific to Vermont,” manager Drew Simmons says. Mercury brought in digital agency the Trenches to collaborate on teasers, content and prerelease strategy.
By 2023, “Stick Season” had spawned an Olivia Rodrigo cover and cracked the Billboard top 10 in the U.S. Kahan’s collaborators put the song’s success down to its authenticity. “Coming out of the pandemic, people craved that more than anything — music that doesn’t ignore feelings but embraces them,” Simon says.
Songwriter: Noah Kahan Producer Gabe Simon
Label: Mercury / Republic
Hitmakers:
•Ben Adelson, GM, Mercury Records
•Alex Coslov, EVP, Mercury Records
•Ryan Langlois, GM, Foundations Music
•Drew Simmons, manager & partner, Foundations Music
•Gabe Simon, producer
Publishers: Sony Music Publishing, Secret Meadow Songs
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Entertainment
How Noah Kahan’s Song Went Viral Before it Was Recorded
Published
3 hours agoon
December 6, 2024
A breakup song and a love letter to his home state of Vermont, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” had a longer road to chart glory than most. The story begins deep in the pandemic, when Kahan teased the opening verse on Instagram, instantly striking a chord with lonely and isolated followers. He performed the song live in 2021 and released it the following year as the lead single and title track of his third album.
That was only the beginning. “Very early on it became clear that ‘Stick Season’ was touching a nerve and turning casual listeners into superfans,” says Ryan Langlois, general manager of Kahan’s management firm, Foundations Music. The response wasn’t lost on his label, Mercury Records. “Fans were demanding the song,” says Alex Coslov, Mercury exec VP. “We knew ‘Stick Season’ would be a hit before we released it.”
But nailing the recording was key. Enter producer Gabe Simon, who stayed true to Kahan’s vision. “It became about keeping the song simple while moving it forward,” he says.
With the song in the can, the conversation turned to strategy. “Noah wanted to speak about his hometown and paint a picture that was vivid and specific to Vermont,” manager Drew Simmons says. Mercury brought in digital agency the Trenches to collaborate on teasers, content and prerelease strategy.
By 2023, “Stick Season” had spawned an Olivia Rodrigo cover and cracked the Billboard top 10 in the U.S. Kahan’s collaborators put the song’s success down to its authenticity. “Coming out of the pandemic, people craved that more than anything — music that doesn’t ignore feelings but embraces them,” Simon says.
Songwriter: Noah Kahan Producer Gabe Simon
Label: Mercury / Republic
Hitmakers:
•Ben Adelson, GM, Mercury Records
•Alex Coslov, EVP, Mercury Records
•Ryan Langlois, GM, Foundations Music
•Drew Simmons, manager & partner, Foundations Music
•Gabe Simon, producer
Publishers: Sony Music Publishing, Secret Meadow Songs
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Entertainment
Latin Grammy Winner for Finest New Artist Was 97
Published
4 hours agoon
December 6, 2024
Angela Alvarez, winner of the 2022 Latin Grammy greatest new artist award, died on Friday per her grandson, composer and producer Carlos José Alvarez, who shared the information with an obituary printed by Billboard Español. She was 97.
Born in June of 1927, in Camagüey, Cuba, Angela Alvarez realized to sing as a toddler however didn’t pursue the leisure trade as a profession, as a substitute opting to quiet down and begin her household. After a few years, José Alvarez went on to supply and launch his grandmother’s unpublished music, leading to her 2021 self-titled debut album and an accompanying documentary.
Alvarez additionally had a cameo in the Andy Garcia-starring remake of “Father of the Bride” as Tía Pili, and sang “Quiéreme Mucho” (“Love Me a Lot”) for the soundtrack.
The success of the LP resulted in a historic Latin Grammy win for greatest new artist in 2022. Alvarez was 95 years-old when she received the award in a tie with Silvana Estrada, who was 25 years-old on the time.
“That is one thing that occurred from day to nighttime,” Alvarez informed Selection shortly after she accepted her win that night time. “I’ve at all times beloved to sing since I used to be just a little woman… when the household would have events for Christmas or birthdays, I used to be the artist they usually’d make me lengthy clothes and announce my entrance to sing.”
She continued, “There are numerous open doorways on the market — the one individual shutting these doorways is your self. If we don’t attempt, the doorways might be closed. I needed to wait 80 years to get to the place I’m right here at this time.”
Angela Alvarez is survived by three sons, 9 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
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