The Hunger Games

• LOS ANGELES, Jan. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- PBS SoCal, Southern California's flagship PBS station, announced today the lineup for the 19th season of the Emmy® Award-winning series VARIETY STUDIO: ACTORS ON ACTORS.
• All episodes will stream on pbssocal.org following their premieres and will also be available to watch on the free PBS Video app.
• The special features both Television and Film actors as they discuss roles, auditions, directing, technique as well as diversity and representation in Hollywood.
• The 19th season of VARIETY STUDIO: ACTORS ON ACTORS will be airing on PBS stations across the nation following the premiere on PBS SoCal.

• The transaction values Lionsgate Studios at an enterprise value of approximately $4.6 billion.
• Lionsgate Studios does not include the STARZ platform, which will continue to be wholly owned by Lionsgate.
• Common shares of Lionsgate Studios will trade separately from Lionsgate's Class A (LGF.A) and Class B (LGF.B) common shares as a single class of stock.
• Upon closing of the transaction, it is expected that Lionsgate shareholders will indirectly own an approximately 87.3% stake in Lionsgate Studios, while Screaming Eagle public shareholders, founders and PIPE investors will own approximately 5.7%, 0.7% and 6.3% of Lionsgate Studios, respectively.

• The queer injection into the young adult royal romance reflects a broader shift in what’s being published and read.
• Last year, research showed LGBTQ fiction sales in the US jumped 39% from the same period in the previous year.
• And young adult fiction grew in particular, with 1.3 million more books sold than the previous year.
• Read more:
  Heartstopper depicts queer joy - here's why that can bring about complicated feelings for those in the LGBTIQ community

Royal romance tropes

• It’s been more than 20 years since Anne Hathaway graced our screens in the film adaptation of Meg Cabot’s young adult royal romance The Princess Diaries (2001).
• Other familiar tropes of the royal romance include the “surprise reveal”, where one half of a couple’s royal identity is uncovered, like in Netflix’s The Princess Switch.

A viral success

• Released in 2019, Casey McQuiston’s book quickly went viral, becoming an instant New York Times bestseller, winning awards and making best books lists.
• The classic “enemies-to-lovers” romance trope takes on international significance with the offspring of two world leaders involved.
• Alex and Henry’s initial dislike for each other boils over and catches media attention after they ruin the cake at a royal wedding.
• Read more:
  Spring Fire, the first lesbian pulp fiction hit, satisfied censors with its unhappy ending – but its 'forbidden love' reflected real desires

More royal romances that explore difference

• Other popular young adult royal romances explore queer relationships, too.
• Her Royal Highness, by Rachel Hawkins, is set in a university in Scotland, where American Millie discovers her roommate Flora is a Scottish princess.
• Her Royal Highness is a companion story to Hawkins’ first (heteronormative) royal romance novel, Prince Charming (originally titled “Royals”).
• Other young adult royal romances have maintained the focus on boy-girl couples, but engaged with contemporary audiences in other ways, by exploring concerns around class, wealth and gendered expectations.

• Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) – one of the largest providers of premium content to value-conscious consumers, today announced the Company will be taking full advantage of the strongest theatrical slate in years.
• Beginning with the recent theatrical release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the company expects at least one major theatrical release each week for the remainder of the year.
• This year’s theatrical slate includes the latest installments from some of the highest-grossing film franchises in history, including Creed III, Scream VI, Shazam!
• Redbox kiosks continue to be a destination for millions of consumers seeking the fastest access to the latest entertainment at the most affordable price.