Entertainment News Roundup: Adam Driver not allowed to drive a Ferrari in his 'Ferrari' film; Taylor Swift's concert film headed to movie theaters and more

Disney pulled ESPN, ABC and other cable channels off Spectrum, which serves huge markets including New York and Los Angeles, in the middle of U.S. Open tennis coverage as well as other live sporting events including college football. Venice shows small films can make it, Danish director says The warm reception given to Danish film "The Promised Land" at the Venice Film Festival on Friday showed that small-budget, independent films can flourish as a strike brings much of Hollywood to a standstill, its director said.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

'Why is there no sex in movies anymore?' asks Yorgos Lanthimos

"Poor Things", a gothic comedy that feeds off the Frankenstein fable, premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Friday, bringing wit, surrealism and large dollops of sex to the Lido. The picture was made by Yorgos Lanthimos and stars Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life after committing suicide in Victorian London.

"Barbenheimer" makes waves for July's movie spending, but box office recovery still lags

"Barbenheimer" - the twin-bill summer box office phenom - sure helped to drive U.S. consumers back to cinemas last month, but movie-going is still struggling to catch up to other recreational spending categories post-pandemic. Outlays for movie theater-going grew in July at an annualized rate of nearly 11% from June, outshining the spending gains last month at sporting events and concerts or live theater, data out Thursday from the Commerce Department showed. Total consumer spending increased a stronger-than-expected 0.8% last month.

Adam Driver not allowed to drive a Ferrari in his 'Ferrari' film

Adam Driver, star of the latest film to hit Venice, "Ferrari", revealed on Thursday that he wasn't allowed to drive any of the eponymous race cars that feature in a biopic of famed Italian carmaker Enzo Ferrari. "They were the scariest things on set, but they wouldn't let me drive the cars for insurance reasons," Driver told reporters.

Taylor Swift's concert film headed to movie theaters

After crushing records with her billion-dollar concert tour, pop superstar Taylor Swift is set to light up the big screen with a documentary about the event that dominated the music scene this summer. "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" will play in cinemas in North America starting Oct. 13, the "Anti-Hero" singer announced on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.

Roald Dahl shouldn't be touched, director Wes Anderson tells Venice

The books of Roald Dahl should not be bowdlerised, U.S. director Wes Anderson said on Friday, as he presented his latest film adaptation of a book by the British author - "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar". The publisher of the famed children's novelist caused a stir earlier this year when it emerged that new editions of his books had removed or changed references to gender, race and physical appearance to avoid causing offence.

'Barbie Botox' goes viral but doctors inject caution

The viral trend of "Barbie Botox" that has women as young as in their 20s rush for toxin-based procedures to mimic the looks of the movie's lead actress Margot Robbie may lead to resistance among them and hinder medical use in future, doctors cautioned. The procedure, also known as "Trap Tox", has been widely used by doctors to inject a class of drugs known as botulinum toxins, such as Botox, into the trapezius muscles of the upper back to treat migraines and shoulder pain.

Music and light shows bring new energy to derelict Hungarian power plant

A derelict power plant in Hungary came back to life on Thursday, powered by music and light shows as thousands of festival-goers marvelled at its three huge cooling towers dominating the starry late summer sky. The INOTA coal-fired thermal plant, built in the 1950s during the Communist era and once one of the country's largest industrial sites, was shut down in 2001.

Lebanon approves 'Barbie' film for release after bid to ban it

Lebanon on Friday approved the "Barbie" film to be screened in cinemas following an initial attempt to ban it by its culture minister over claims it contradicts conservative values. Lebanon's General Security agency, which is responsible for reviewing any films, plays or books to be released in Lebanon, issued a decision on Friday allowing the film's screening, according to a copy of the decision seen by Reuters.

Disney, Charter rates dispute spills over to TVs as ESPN, ABC go dark

Walt Disney and Charter Communications traded salvos over their unresolved distribution agreement after several channels including ESPN went dark on Thursday for customers of Charter's Spectrum cable service. Disney pulled ESPN, ABC and other cable channels off Spectrum, which serves huge markets including New York and Los Angeles, in the middle of U.S. Open tennis coverage as well as other live sporting events including college football.

Venice shows small films can make it, Danish director says

The warm reception given to Danish film "The Promised Land" at the Venice Film Festival on Friday showed that small-budget, independent films can flourish as a strike brings much of Hollywood to a standstill, its director said. Starring Mads Mikkelsen, the movie portrays the stoic battle of a taciturn, retired army captain in the mid-18th century as he tries to tame the hostile Jutland landscape and outwit an evil, sadistic local aristocratic.

(With inputs from agencies.)