Entertainment News Roundup: Actress Julianne Moore to head Venice Film Festival jury; After pandemic debut, K-pop stars aespa rub shoulders with fans for first time and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Disney’s ESPN+ to hike monthly subscription by $3

Walt Disney Co plans to raise the monthly subscription fee for its sports streaming platform ESPN+ by $3 a month, a 43% hike, the company said on Friday. The price of an ESPN+ subscription will rise to $9.99 per month starting Aug. 23, while the cost of an annual subscription will go up to $99.99 from $69.99. Subscribers will be officially notified next week.

Actress Julianne Moore to head Venice Film Festival jury

Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore will head the main competition jury at this year’s Venice Film Festival, organisers said on Friday. Moore will be joined in deciding this year’s winners by French director Audrey Diwan, who scooped the festival’s Golden Lion award last year for her film “Happening”, Iranian actress Leila Hatami, Italian director Leonardo Di Costanzo and Nobel Prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro.

After pandemic debut, K-pop stars aespa rub shoulders with fans for first time

Making their debut in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic didn’t stop Korean pop group aespa from winning fans, but it did stop the band from meeting them. The group – made up of members Karina, Winter, Giselle and Ningning – has tried to remedy that since launching in late 2020. On a tour to promote their new album “Girls,” the group performed at Coachella and appeared on “Good Morning America” – and are soaking up the chance to see fans in person.

(With inputs from agencies.)