In Partial Victory, Blake Lively Wins Legal Fees from Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively has been in a lengthy legal battle with Justin Baldoni. Leonardo MUNOZ / AFP/File
US actor Justin Baldoni must pay legal fees but not damages to "It Ends with Us" co-star Blake Lively, a New York judge ruled Friday, settling a years-long legal battle.
The decision marks a partial victory for Lively, who was fighting a defamation suit brought by Baldoni and his production company, which Lively claimed was retaliation for sexual harassment allegations she made, said AFP.
The pair settled their dispute in May, avoiding a costly civil trial, though no settlement figure was disclosed.
Lively's initial complaint said Baldoni -- who also directed "It Ends With Us" -- had spoken inappropriately about his sex life and sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script.
It further said that Baldoni waged a PR campaign to wreck Lively's reputation.
Baldoni and the studio Wayfarer in turn countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds with claims of extortion and defamation.
Federal judge Lewis Liman, who issued Friday's judgment, dismissed Baldoni's claims in June 2025 and struck down parts of Lively's complaints this April.
Based on a best-selling novel by US writer Colleen Hoover, "It Ends with Us" made more than $350 million at the box office in 2024, making it one of the biggest hits of the year.
‘Not Easy, but Not Impossible’: Iraq’s Film Industry Sees Slow Revivalhttps://english.aawsat.com/entertainment/5291596-%E2%80%98not-easy-not-impossible%E2%80%99-iraq%E2%80%99s-film-industry-sees-slow-revival
Street vendors gather outside the faded facade of the Granada Cinema, an early 1940s landmark, in the Bab al-Sharqi district of central Baghdad on May 26, 2026. (AFP)
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‘Not Easy, but Not Impossible’: Iraq’s Film Industry Sees Slow Revival
Street vendors gather outside the faded facade of the Granada Cinema, an early 1940s landmark, in the Bab al-Sharqi district of central Baghdad on May 26, 2026. (AFP)
In the heart of old Baghdad, legendary movie theaters stand abandoned and shrouded in dust, bearing witness to Iraq's once-vibrant cultural scene.
A few kilometers away, director Ali al-Bayati oversees his camera operators as they adjust their lenses for a scene in his upcoming horror film, which he hopes to showcase internationally as a new generation of Iraqi filmmakers drives an industry comeback.
Momentum is building, bolstered by recent international recognition for the Iraqi film "The President's Cake", which captures life under crippling sanctions during Saddam Hussein's rule.
"Reviving the cinema sector in Iraq is not easy, but it is not impossible either," Bayati told AFP.
For decades, Iraq's cultural and cinematic scenes flourished.
Film production in Iraq began in the 1940s -- notably with titles co-produced with Egypt -- reaching its peak in the 1950s.
Among the most celebrated productions of that era was Kameran Hosni's film "Said Effendi" (1956), a work recently restored as part of the Iraqi Cinematheque project supported by France, and screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.
But then everything changed.
With Saddam Hussein's rise to power in the 1970s, cinema became a propaganda tool.
This was followed by decades of war, sectarian strife and an extremist insurgency after the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Hussein, ultimately snuffing out the golden age of Iraqi cinema.
Baghdad's old movie theaters that once drew film enthusiasts are now barely standing, with their faded walls, old doors and broken signs.
Dilapidated shops crowd the entrance to the Granada Cinema, with clothes hanging directly on the street. Other theaters have been repurposed as warehouses, with a few old movie posters still clinging to their walls.
- The old and the new -
In recent years, a fragile stability has begun to revive Iraqis' appetite for entertainment and returned focus to Baghdad's cultural scene.
Authorities seized the opportunity last year, launching an initiative to support 58 film projects.
But the funding pool is just four million dollars, an amount that would fund only a single project in other countries, said Wareth Kwaish of the government-led initiative.
Authorities are also working to recover Iraq's historic cinema archive in the country and abroad.
And Baghdad has signed cinematic cooperation agreements with France to support its film industry.
Producer Haider Ibrahim inspects a film reel at the National Centre for Archives and Iraqi Memory in Baghdad on June 14, 2026. (AFP)
Still, the industry remains short on funding and support, making every production a gamble.
Filmmakers rely on small grants, said Bayati, who hopes to market his movie in the US and European countries and is among those who benefited from government funding.
The key for him is gaining the trust of Iraqi audiences to "generate revenues that would lead to sustainability in work and production", he said.
Most Iraqi moviegoers today frequent multi-screen theaters in shopping malls where Hollywood and Egyptian movies dominate the screens, rather than the classic venues.
Syrian filmmaker Abdulhadi al-Rakeb, who made a documentary about Iraq's old movie theaters, said their closure has led to "the disappearance of a culture of watching films in theaters and, as a result, a decline in the very idea of filmmaking".
- 'Cautiously optimistic' -
Recently, "The President's Cake", the Iraqi film that won a prize at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival last year, finally started screening in Iraq.
The movie follows the story of a young girl selected to bake a cake for Saddam's birthday at a time when sanctions made it almost impossible to find the ingredients.
Although the movie was shot in Iraq, the production faced many challenges.
Director Hasan Hadi said a shortage of experienced Iraqi film crews forced him to bring in European professionals.
"The local crew were not aware of international standards," and the foreign crew were unfamiliar with the local cultural context, which created "more problems for us", he said.
According to Hadi, the lack of local crews is one of several reasons Iraqi filmmakers have been unable to work in their own country.
He believes the sector needs workshops to develop local talent, increased funding and better overall organization.
"I am cautiously optimistic," Hadi said.
"There are more people who want to tell their stories and make films, but not enough resources."
Welcome to New York: City Buzzes for Likely Taylor Swift Wedding Weekendhttps://english.aawsat.com/entertainment/5291213-welcome-new-york-city-buzzes-likely-taylor-swift-wedding-weekend
A temporary "no parking" sign issued by the NYPD for a film shoot outside Madison Square Garden, ahead of a reported wedding between singer Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce, in New York City, US, July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Bing Guan
Welcome to New York: City Buzzes for Likely Taylor Swift Wedding Weekend
A temporary "no parking" sign issued by the NYPD for a film shoot outside Madison Square Garden, ahead of a reported wedding between singer Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce, in New York City, US, July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Bing Guan
Fencing is up, streets are closed and all signs point to a lavish wedding for megastars Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in New York City this weekend.
At Madison Square Garden, workers have been hauling in food and decor to make the whole place shimmer.
News cameras captured foliage, a box marked "garden party" and another labeled lobster meat. The venue's public calendar shows no events scheduled till Tuesday - a rare six-day stretch in a summer otherwise packed with concerts, with just the occasional night unbooked.
Several media outlets reported that Swift and Kelce will hold a 100-person event at the sports arena on Thursday followed by a larger celebration in front of 1,000 people on Friday.
The pop superstar and National Football League player have not confirmed when and where they will marry, and Swift's publicist has not responded to requests from Reuters for comment.
New York City already was abuzz with major happenings over the US Independence Day weekend. Tall ships will sail into New York Harbor to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on Saturday, and a World Cup soccer match is set for Sunday in nearby New Jersey.
On Wednesday, onlookers stopped to watch a Russian couple of daredevils who climbed to the top of the Empire State building and unfurled a banner urging world peace.
The big events coincide with high temperatures that prompted city officials to declare a heat emergency. When asked about a potential Swift wedding, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani used the moment to urge people to stay indoors to protect themselves from the extreme weather.
“If you happen to be getting married at MSG, you will be staying inside and staying cool, and I think it’s a good example to set for the city at large,” he told reporters earlier this week.
Reuters confirmed that an event planning company had applied for a permit to close the streets around the Garden from Thursday through mid-day Saturday. Fencing was being erected around the venue's entrances this week.
The venue sits above a major commuter hub, and passersby on Wednesday stopped to watch the preparations.
Hundreds of local law enforcement officers are expected to patrol the area, the New York Times reported, citing a memo titled “Taylor Swift wedding at Madison Square Garden.”
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters that officers were "tracking" an event at the Garden on Friday night and "will, of course, have a detail in place."
A department spokesperson did not respond to a Reuters request for additional information.
The union of the "Love Story" singer and Kansas City Chiefs tight end, dubbed "America's royal wedding," is one of the most anticipated celebrity weddings of the century.
Speculation has intensified since the couple announced their engagement in August following a public courtship that enchanted fans.
Cameras caught Swift cheering on Kelce at Chiefs games and followed him as he jetted around the world to her concerts.
A star-studded crowd is expected, given Swift's roster of celebrity friends, including Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Emma Stone and Gigi Hadid.
In one TV interview, Swift joked that she would invite "anyone that I've ever talked to." On the groom's side, Chiefs coach Andy Reid was photographed being fitted for a tuxedo.
Actor and Activist Danny Glover Says He Has Alzheimer’s Diseasehttps://english.aawsat.com/entertainment/5290917-actor-and-activist-danny-glover-says-he-has-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease
Danny Glover arrives at the Governors Awards on Friday, March 25, 2022, at the Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles. (AP)
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Actor and Activist Danny Glover Says He Has Alzheimer’s Disease
Danny Glover arrives at the Governors Awards on Friday, March 25, 2022, at the Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles. (AP)
Actor and activist Danny Glover, best known for starring as an easygoing police officer in the “Lethal Weapon” franchise, has revealed he has Alzheimer’s disease.
The four-time Emmy Award nominee, who turns 80 on July 22, told “Today” and People magazine that he was diagnosed with the progressive, memory-destroying disease three years ago.
“I’m still not accepting in my mind all parts of it,” he told People magazine. “There are the moments that you keep remembering that validate the fact that you can remember stuff. And there are moments I’ll never forget.”
More than 6 million people in the United States and millions more around the world have Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.
Glover earned four Emmy Award nominations and an honorary Oscar in 2022. Other awards came from the NAACP and Black Entertainment Television, and he received nominations from the Screen Actors Guild.
Glover also served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Development Program from 1998 to 2004. It focuses on poverty, disease and economic development in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
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