Entertainment News Roundup: Harry and Meghan's Spotify deal comes to an end; Bill Cosby sued for sexual assault by nine women in Nevada and more

Hayek, in the episode released on Thursday, has sold her digital image to Hollywood for use in programming created with artificial intelligence (AI). Cineworld CEO and top execs secure near $35 million exit payout- FT Cineworld's CEO Mooky Greidinger and his top management team will be paid up to $35 million combined to leave the British cinema operator after it emerges from Chapter 11 proceedings next month, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Harper Collins, KKR bidding for Simon & Schuster - WSJ

HarperCollins Publishers and KKR & Co are among the bidders for book publisher Simon & Schuster as it pursues a sale for the second time in less than three years, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters had in February reported that Paramount Global, the owner of Simon & Schuster, was again seeking to sell the publisher, months after the media company's $2.2 billion deal to sell the book publisher to Penguin Random House collapsed.

New Spider-Man film will not screen in UAE, as region debates values

The United Arab Emirates will not screen Sony's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse", Vox Cinemas said on Thursday without explanation, amid debate online and among regional movie fans about the animated film's treatment of transgender themes. The film, a sequel to 2018's Oscar-winning "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse", was released on June 2 in the United States and was set for a June 22 release in the Gulf region.

New Grammy Award rules require human input, curb artificial intelligence use

"Only human creators are eligible" for the Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy declared on Friday, as the body that grants the world's most recognized music awards seeks to curb the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the industry. AI-only work is banned, but some music created with AI help may qualify in certain categories, the academy's updated rulebook reads. "A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any categories."

Harry and Meghan's Spotify deal comes to an end

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's multi-year agreement with streaming giant Spotify to produce podcasts has ended with just one series made. The Swedish company announced the partnership with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in late 2020 after they stepped down from royal duties and began to forge new careers in California.

Take That turn 'Greatest Days' film premiere into a performance

British pop band Take That transformed London's Leicester Square into a concert stage on Thursday as they performed some of their tunes at the premiere of "Greatest Days", a film adaptation of their hit musical. Trio Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald sang "Greatest Day", "Back For Good" and "Rule The World" before hitting the red carpet alongside the movie's cast which includes actors Aisling Bea and Alice Lowe.

Seoul hosts large crowds as BTS fans celebrate 10-year anniversary

An estimated 150,000 people gathered in South Korea's capital Seoul on Saturday as fans from around the globe commemorated the 10th anniversary of the debut of K-Pop boy band juggernaut BTS. BTS is on temporary break as a group with two of its seven members currently doing mandatory military service, but that did not stop a host of celebratory events this week catering to the band's loyal fanbase known as "ARMY".

'The Blackening' hopes to kill off racist Hollywood horror trope

For actor Antoinette Robertson, being in the horror comedy movie “The Blackening” with an all-Black main cast was an opportunity to combine comedy and cultural healing after years of witnessing the racist trope of Black people dying first in horror films. It was also a chance to let the rest of the world enter an environment with Black characters that go beyond "the Black guy always dies first" Hollywood stereotype.

Bill Cosby sued for sexual assault by nine women in Nevada

Nine women have filed a lawsuit in Nevada accusing comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault, the latest in a long series of misconduct allegations against the once-beloved entertainer. The alleged assaults took place between 1979 and 1992 in various locations in Nevada, including in Cosby's backstage dressing room and his Las Vegas hotel suite, according to the lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday in federal court in Nevada.

New 'Black Mirror' season begins by tackling actors' anxiety about AI

In the new season of Netflix Inc's sci-fi show "Black Mirror," an office manager finds that a streaming service is replaying her life using an avatar of Salma Hayek. Hayek, in the episode released on Thursday, has sold her digital image to Hollywood for use in programming created with artificial intelligence (AI).

Cineworld CEO and top execs secure near $35 million exit payout- FT

Cineworld's CEO Mooky Greidinger and his top management team will be paid up to $35 million combined to leave the British cinema operator after it emerges from Chapter 11 proceedings next month, the Financial Times reported on Friday. The lenders have committed to pay Greidinger, his brother and deputy CEO, Israel Greidinger, Chief Financial Officer Nisan Cohen and Chief Commercial Officer Renana Teperberg between $30 million and $35 million in cash within a year of their exit, the FT added, citing people familiar with the matter.

(With inputs from agencies.)