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Jean-Claude Van Damme is reportedly the subject of criminal charges in Romania over allegations that he knowingly engaged in sexual relations with women trafficked by a criminal group.

The 64-year-old action star, known for his performances in Street Fighter and Double Impact, is accused of receiving five Romanian women as a “gift” from a group of traffickers while in Cannes, France.

According to a report by the local CNN affiliate Antena 3, a criminal complaint has been filed with the Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).

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DIICOT launched their investigation after a woman allegedly witnessed the incident at an event organized by Van Damme in Cannes and shared what she had seen with prosecutors, according to the outlet.

Antena 3 quotes attorney Adrian Cuculis, who is representing one of the victims, as saying that “several Romanians who are currently being investigated for forming a criminal group and pimping, allegedly offered Jean-Claude Van Damme five Romanian women — photo models in Romania — for him to have sexual relations with.”

Cuculis added that “the person who received those benefits knew their condition,” and that the women "were in a state of vulnerability, with the suspicion that they were exploited within the meaning of Article 182 of the Criminal Code."

Percy Pig’s US invasion could be called to a halt amid fears that Donald Trump’s tariffs could affect sales of Marks & Spencer’s popular confectionery brand which has just launched in Target stores across the Atlantic.

Archie Norman, the chair of M&S, has described Percy as the retailer’s “gift to America” but he told the Retail Technology Show in London that “we might have to change our minds” as Trump imposes additional taxes on imported goods. While M&S is not considering withdrawing the sweets, tariffs could push up prices and make them less popular.

The pink confectionery which sells more than 18m bags a year in the UK and is apparently enjoyed by celebrities including Adele and Olivia Rodrigo, went on sale in the US on 30 March both in Target stores across the US and on its website in what was described as Percy’s “biggest journey to date”.

For his part, Baker spent a great deal of time on the campaign trail discussing the headwinds faced by indie filmmakers. In his Indie Spirits speech, referring to the time it takes to make a film, he asked a rhetorical question: “How do you support yourself with little or no income for 3 years?”

We posed that question to producer Alex Saks on this week’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast as we explored the issue of why even the most successful indie filmmakers are unable to make a living. Saks is an indie producer, with 24 producing credits that include Baker’s “A Florida Project” and “Red Rocket.” Prior to producing she was a  film finance agent at ICM, where she structured indie film deals and helped director clients get their films off the ground.

“Sean said at his Indie Spirit Awards speech, ‘I’m able to do this because I don’t have kids, I don’t have a family,’ and it’s objectively not sustainable otherwise,” said Saks on the podcast. “He’s done it because of sheer passion and force of will, and probably because he can’t possibly see himself doing anything else, but that is such a rarity on multiple levels. It is a big point to how is this sustainable, and I think the answer is it’s not.”

While on the podcast, Saks got into the reasons this is the case, including a breaking down the math involved with equity investment, which is how a majority of how the films premiering at the bigger festivals get financed. Using the rosy (some would say dream) scenario of a film costing $5 million and selling for $7 million, Saks explained how little money actually reaches the creative team.

Under this scheme, the equity investor floated cash flow to make the movie. They would recoup their $5 million investment, plus a 20 percent premium — so, $6 million goes to the investor. The sales agent would also take a 10 percent fee from the sale; that’s $700,000. From the $7 million sale, that leaves $300,000 to split between the investor and the filmmakers. That means just $150,000 for the creative team, which can include the producers, writer, director, and crew members. The splits vary from project to project, and are individually negotiated.

Under this same $5 million hypothetical budget, the director drew a salary for their services during production. However, if a film takes three years to make, it could amount to less than minimum wage.

Kendrick Lamar’s untitled comedy won’t debut on America’s birthday after all. Paramount, the studio behind the closely guarded movie from Lamar and “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, has been delayed from July 4, 2025 to March 20, 2026.

Lamar will be away for much of the spring and summer on his Grand National stadium tour, which kicks off on April 19 in Minnesota and concludes on Aug. 19 in Sweden. On its new date, the yet-to-be-titled film will open on the same day as Liongate’s faith-based “I Can Only Imagine” sequel with Dennis Quaid.

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As for Lamar’s movie, not a single detail — not the cast, logline or title — has been revealed at this point. What is known, however, is the live-action comedy is written by comedian Vernon Chatman and follows a young Black man who interns as a slave re-enactor at a living history museum.

The UK came together (and might need a lie down and a cup of tea after that) and voted for their Lemmyvision Song Contest entry. The official winner of the selection round, and now moving forward to the finals, was.... 🥁:

"God's Country" by the Lambrini Girls

May the best song win!

A woman who accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault says she has four days to live after a car accident.

In a post on Instagram, Virginia Guiffre said she was in a car that was hit by a school bus "driving 110km [68.3mph] as we were slowing for a turn".

Ms Giuffre then said: "I've gone into kidney renal failure, they've given me four days to live, transferring me to a specialist hospital in urology.

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A spokesperson for Ms Giuffre told Sky's US partner network in a statement: "Virginia has been in a serious accident and is receiving medical care in the hospital.

"She greatly appreciates the support and well wishes people are sending."

She sued the Duke of York for sexual abuse in August 2021, saying Andrew had sex with her when she was 17 and had been trafficked by his friend, the billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The leader of a small group of self-described satanists and three other people were arrested Friday following a scuffle inside the Kansas Statehouse arising from an effort by the group’s leader to start a Black Mass in the rotunda.

About 30 members of the Kansas City-area Satanic Grotto, led by its president, Michael Stewart, rallied outside the Statehouse for the separation of church and state. The group also protested what members called the state’s favoritism toward Christians in allowing events inside. Gov. Laura Kelly temporarily banned protests inside, just for Friday, weeks after Stewart’s group scheduled its indoor ceremony.

The Satanic Grotto’s rally outside drew hundreds of Christian counterprotesters because of the Grotto’s satanic imagery, and its indoor ceremony included denouncing Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is the Son of God. About 100 Christians stood against yellow police tape marking the Satanic Grotto’s area. The two groups yelled at each other while the Christians also sang and called on Grotto members to accept Jesus. Several hundred more Christians rallied on the other side of the Grotto’s area, but further away.

Kelly issued her order earlier this month after Roman Catholic groups pushed her to ban any Satanic Grotto event. The state’s Catholic Bishops called what the group planned “a despicable act of anti-Catholic bigotry” mocking the Catholic Mass. Both chambers of the Legislature also approved resolutions condemning it.

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Satanic Grotto members, who number several dozen, said they hold a variety of beliefs. Some are atheists, some use the group to protest harm they suffered as church members, and others see Satan as a symbol of independence.

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Video shot by KSNT-TV showed that when Stewart tried to conduct his group’s ceremony in the first-floor rotunda, a young man tried to snatch Stewart’s script from his hands, and Stewart punched him. Several Kansas Highway Patrol troopers wrestled Stewart to the ground and handcuffed him. They led him through hallways on the ground floor below and into a room as he yelled, “Hail, Satan!”

There's the old claim that test screenings don't make a movie. Still, It’s interesting how James Gunn and Warner Bros have allowed “Superman” to test so openly given the inevitable leaks that could occur, not to mention the risk of having negative reactions pummeling advanced hype.

Yes, a few days ago, “Superman” had its first non-internal test screening — I only spoke to a few attendees. Suffice it to say, they both felt underwhelmed by Gunn’s film, and I'm being kind here. No need to taint the film further.

Now, reporting on two people who didn’t like “Superman” doesn't mean much in terms of quality. I've heard of people being turned off by the inherent humor, and silliness, that comes with a James Gunn movie — which Superman seems to have in spades.

So far, based on what’s leaked, we've had the usual “scoopers” weighing on the reactions. MyTimeToShineHello says the reactions were “decidedly mixed.” According to “insider” Daniel Richtman, people he spoke to “loved it.”

Yesterday, scooper ViewerAnon shared, "The response I heard directly from Warner Bros was decidedly less glowing than Daniel [Richtman]'s post. Not to say it went terribly, but it’s a divisive film with a particularly silly tone. Some people click with it, some seem to bounce right off."

In the small town of Kawara in Fukuoka Prefecture, something unexpected is happening at the Saidosho Community Center. While kids in most parts of Japan are obsessed with Pokémon cards — or perhaps the franchise’s latest smartphone game, Pokémon TCG Pocket — the children of Kawara are clutching to something a little closer to home.

They are playing a trading card game (TCG) where the stars aren’t fantasy creatures, anime heroes or even famous baseball players, but ojisan (middle-aged or older men) from the local community of Saidosho.

On the surface, this Ojisan TCG looks like any other collectible card game. As of March 18, there are 47 different cards in the collection, including 28 featuring local men with stats and special abilities.

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The creator of the game is Eri Miyahara, the Secretary General of the Saidosho Community Council.

“We wanted to strengthen the connection between the children and the older generations in the community. There are so many amazing people here. I thought it was such a shame that no one knew about them,” she said in an interview with Fuji News Network (FNN). “Since the card game went viral, so many kids are starting to look up to these men as heroic figures.”

The plan worked. Kids have started attending local events and volunteering for community activities — just for a chance to meet the ojisan from their cards. Participation in town events has reportedly doubled since the game launched.

Interestingly, Ojisan TCG didn’t start as a competitive game. The first set of cards was designed purely for collecting, but the local children quickly turned it into something more dynamic. They began comparing stats and declaring, “My card is stronger than yours.”

Seeing this, the game’s creator decided to take it to the next level. New rules were introduced, allowing the cards to be used in actual battles. The objective isn’t to defeat the opponent’s card but to outplay it based on the characters’ skills and abilities.

Earlier this week, A24 announced that the highly-anticipated Ronnie Spector biopic, starring Zendaya, will be directed by Barry Jenkins. The film, titled Be My Baby (of course), is based on Spector’s 1990 memoir Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, or, My Life as a Fabulous Ronette. The girl-group legend personally chose Zendaya to play her shortly before her death in 2022. “Thank you for sharing your life with me, I could listen to your stories for hours and hours,” Zendaya wrote in a tribute back then. “I hope I make you proud.”

Be My Baby is just one of the several highly buzzy biopics of female musicians that are currently in the works. There’s also the long-promised Janis Joplin film starring Shailene Woodley, as well as a Linda Ronstadt movie where the powerhouse vocalist will be played by Selena Gomez. These movies all follow a slew of successful male biopics — most obviously last year’s Bob Dylan film A Complete Unknown, which garnered Oscar nominations for star Timothée Chalamet and others, but also the Queen movie, which Rami Malek actually won an Oscar for, and don’t forget the recent films that dramatized the life stories of Elvis, Elton John, Bob Marley, Mötley Crüe, and Robbie Williams as a chimp for some reason. It will be refreshing to see female musicians get the same Hollywood treatment.

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The long-awaited Red Sonja movie reboot is one step closer to arriving on movie screens worldwide. The film’s release was delayed as the producers secured a theatrical release and an R-rating in the United States. Both these tasks have now been accomplished.

The character of Red Sonja was originally created as a supporting character for Marvel Comics‘ Conan the Barbarian comic series. Based on two historical heroines created by Robert E. Howard (Red Sonya of Rogatino and Dark Agnes), she was intended to act as a foil to the young Conan. Sonja grew to be popular in her own right, with her comics inspiring a 1985 film starring Brigitte Nielsen. However, the finished film took little from the source material, and was an infamous box office bomb.

Deadline confirmed that Samuel Goldwyn Films will distribute the Red Sonja movie reboot. The MPAA later confirmed the movie had been presented with an R-rating for “strong/bloody violence.” This indicates that the final film will be truer to the source material than the 1985 adaptation.

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A release date for the Red Sonja movie reboot has yet to be specifically announced. However, it has been confirmed that it will be released during the later half of 2025. It has also been confirmed that the reboot movie will be based on the more recent comics, based on Red Sonja’s rebooted history in 2013. In her new origin, Sonja lost her family earlier in life and was not blessed by a war goddess in exchange for an oath of chastity.