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Eight state attorneys general are challenging Nexstar Media’s $6.2 billion takeover bid for local TV rival Tegna in court. They claim the merger is an illegal consolidation of stations that will raise pay-TV prices and “degrade” local news coverage in communities across the country. Nexstar is the largest local television station group in the United States, with 201 owned or affiliated stations in 116 markets. The deal with Tegna, which has 64 stations in 51 markets, will bring the combined company’s station count to 265. Nexstar announced an agreement to acquire Tegna last August, which would take its stake in…

Former Bond girl Ursula Andress has claimed that her former manager Eric Freymond has cost her her fortune £16 million ($21.3 million). The 90-year-old actress told German news outlet Blick in a recent interview that she is “devastated” by Freymond’s alleged crimes and believes he intentionally targeted her. “For eight years, I was being courted and wooed,” she said. “They lied to me relentlessly, abused my goodwill and trust, and took everything from me in despicable, even criminal, ways.” Actress Ursula Andress (pictured at the 2013 Django Unchained premiere in Rome) claims her former manager Eric Freymond lost $21 million…

David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance insisted it was “confident in the speed and certainty of the regulatory pathway” in completing its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery in a $111 billion deal. However, the proposed deal between Paramount and WBD is still undergoing antitrust review at the Justice Department, and the new head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division said the proposed deal would “absolutely” not be rushed for approval for political reasons. “The idea that enforcement is somehow politicized is ridiculous,” Omeed Asefi, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s antitrust division, said in an interview with Reuters. Asked if…

Kylie Jenner’s former assistant, Victoria Villarroel, knew she needed to quit her job after their relationship entered unprofessional territory. “I remember like it was yesterday. This was my fifth year,” Villarroel began on Thursday’s episode of the podcast “Better Half,” which he co-hosts with Jenner’s friend Stassie Karanikolaou. “We were in the kitchen and[Jenner]said, ‘Vic, I need your laptop. It’s upstairs.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, who’s going to get that?'” she recalled with a laugh. Kylie Jenner’s former assistant Victoria Villarroel, pictured above, revealed the moment she knew she had to quit her job as a reality star on…

“Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris has partnered with Offscript Worldwide, the employee-run parent company of the Revolt brand, to launch a new company, Revolt Labs, focused on working with creators. Barris and Offscript will operate Revolt Labs as a joint venture, with Barris serving as vice chairman of the new company. The news was revealed Thursday morning by Barris and Revolt/Offscript Worldwide CEO Detavio Samuels, who explained the structure exclusively to Variety. “What excites me about this business is that we can tap into superpowers,” Samuels said. “On the Revolt side, we have proven ourselves from a business perspective as the…

“The Price is Right” model Holly Hallstrom slammed the game show’s late host Bob Barker while discussing her firing Wednesday. “I hate that guy,” the 73-year-old star of E!’s new docuseries Dirty Rotten Scandals declared in a new interview. Hallstrom explained to People that he found himself on Barker’s ST list after he “refused to testify in court on behalf of[the presenter]” when Diane Parkinson accused Barker of sexual harassment in 1994. ‘The Price is Right’ model Holly Hallstrom (pictured above, January 1994, far left) has spoken out about her ‘hate’ for Bob Barker (centre) in a scathing new interview.…

The country’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has blocked the release of Kauser Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated feature film “The Voice of Hind Rajab” in Indian theaters due to political reasons, according to the film’s local distributor. “Voice of Hind Rajab,” which tells the story of a real five-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped in a car attacked by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and later found dead, has been censored by the CBFC because “the film is very sensitive,” distributor Manoj Nandwana, who heads Mumbai-based Jai Viratra Entertainment, told Variety. Nadawana said he had screened The Voice of…

The cancellation of ABC’s new season of “The Bachelorette” will cost the network tens of millions of dollars, sources told Page Six. “It could be $50 million (or more). Someone should be fired for this. It’s ridiculous,” an insider told Page Six. Former “The Secret Life of Mormons” star Taylor Frankie Paul was set to star in the new season of “The Bachelorette.” ABC officials estimate that canceling Taylor Frankie Paul’s season of “The Bachelorette” could cost the network more than $50 million. Disney (via Getty Images) Disney halted production on the hit ABC series three days before its Sunday…

Ellie Heisler has joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips as a partner in the entertainment practice as the firm seeks to expand its reach in the creator economy and the emerging world of creators, influencers and brands. Mr. Heisler joins Manat after more than 11 years with Nixon Peabody, where he built the company’s entertainment operations. She represents the talent of rising creators such as Mattie Matheson, Jordan, Salish Matter, Quen Blackwell (who was named one of Variety’s 10 Creators to Watch earlier this month), Alan Chicken Chow, and media marquees Doing Things and Friday Beers. Joining Mr. Heisler in the…

Lisa Kudrow spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about ‘The Comeback,’ ‘Friends’ and her beauty regrets. Getty Images on IMDb Lisa Kudrow didn’t try Botox until she was 60, but now that she’s 62, she’s “probably done with it.” “I think that’s what caused the inflammation in my eyes and this weird markings on my forehead,” the “Friends” star told The Hollywood Reporter in a new interview anchored in HBO’s highly anticipated third season, “The Comeback.” “I’m nervous that I’ll have to look like my grandmother someday, but I’m looking forward to playing an older role.” The 62-year-old actress didn’t try…