Entertainment – International

‘Top Gun’ among blockbuster sequels targeting Oscar noms

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – The Oscar nominations for a year in which the big-screen box office finally bounced back from the pandemic will be unveiled Tuesday, with Academy voters expected to reward blockbusters such as “Top Gun: Maverick” for helping to save movie theaters. Tom Cruise’s long-awaited sequel to his huge 1986 hit is the most likely crowd-pleaser to make the cut for best picture — Hollywood’s most coveted prize — but other popular […]

Rosalia, women designers, stark contrasts: Paris menswear highlights

PARIS, France (AFP) – One of the buzziest menswear weeks in recent memory wrapped in Paris on Sunday. Here are some of the highlights: – Dior vs Louis Vuitton – Two very different approaches from two of the biggest houses, who built giant rival hangars on either end of the Tuileries Gardens that run through central Paris. While Vuitton created an entire apartment full of primary colors and brought along Rosalia for a thumping performance on […]

Netflix soars to 230 mn subscribers, co-founder steps down

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — US streaming giant Netflix on Thursday said it ended last year with more than 230 million global subscribers, beating analysts’ expectations as hits such as “Wednesday” and “Harry & Meghan” enticed new viewers. “2022 was a tough year, with a bumpy start but a brighter finish,” the company said in a letter announcing bumper fourth quarter earnings. Netflix also announced that co-founder Reed Hastings was standing down as CEO, […]

URGENT: Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida dies: minister

Rome, Italy (AFP) Italian actor Gina Lollobrigida, one of the last icons of the Golden Age of Hollywood, has died aged 95, culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said on Twitter Monday. “Farewell to a diva of the silver screen, protagonist of more than half a century of Italian cinema history. Her charm will remain eternal,” Sangiuliano wrote after Italy’s ANSA news agency reported her death. Lollobrigida, famed when younger for her biting wit and sensual beauty, underwent […]

Blanchett slams ‘patriarchal’ awards shows after accepting best actress prize

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Cate Blanchett criticized the “patriarchal pyramid” of Hollywood awards shows as she accepted a best actress gong from the Critics Choice Association in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Australian actor and Oscars frontrunner, whose performance as an ambitious, morally dubious conductor in classical music drama “TAR” is sweeping awards, told a packed ballroom that she wished the whole “structure” of awards shows could be changed. “It’s like, what is this […]

‘The Way of Water’ stays afloat atop N.America box office

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – “Avatar: The Way of Water” easily stayed atop the North American box office for a fifth straight week, taking in an estimated $38.5 million on a long holiday weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday. That brought the domestic total for the Disney/20th Century blockbuster — the story of a blue-skinned race on a distant moon — to an impressive $570 million, on top of an international total of $1.33 […]

‘The Last of Us’ — a new test for video game adaptations

by Andréa BAMBINO Agence France Presse New York, United States (AFP) — However thrilling they are to play, video games rarely translate well to the big or small screen — indeed, the crossover genre is littered with flops. But the dystopian, zombie-filled HBO series “The Last of Us,” premiering in the United States on Sunday and the following day elsewhere, could be about to break the curse. The series has already won a slew of […]

Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis, dead at 54

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley, died Thursday at age 54, according to her family. Presley, who led a tumultuous life in the sprawling shadow of her world-famous father, and who had been seen just this week at an awards ceremony, was rushed to a California hospital’s intensive care unit for cardiac arrest. “Priscilla Presley and the Presley family are shocked […]

Golden Globes slump to new ratings low on return from scandal

Los Angeles, United States (AFP) — Golden Globes television ratings slumped to a new low of just 6.3 million viewers, even as the troubled award show tried to bounce back from its recent scandals, broadcaster NBC’s preliminary figures showed Wednesday. The audience on Tuesday night fell from 6.9 million in 2021 — itself a massive drop suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic, when award shows were held remotely — and was down from more than 18 […]

Spielberg, ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Avatar’ face off as Golden Globes eye comeback

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” musical biopic “Elvis” and the long-awaited sequels to “Top Gun” and “Avatar” will do battle Tuesday at the Golden Globes, as the Hollywood awards show seeks to rebuild its reputation after being tarnished by recent scandals. The Globes gala, traditionally a raucous celebrity-packed event that kicks off the annual movie awards season, has not had its usual glitz for two years, due to the pandemic and revelations […]

List of key Golden Globe nominees

Los Angeles, United States (AFP) — Here are the nominees in key categories for the 80th Golden Globe Awards, which will be handed out on Tuesday. “The Banshees of Inisherin” — a dark comedy about the abrupt end of a friendship on a tiny Irish island during the 1920s — leads all films with eight nominations, followed by surreal sci-fi flick “Everything Everywhere All at Once” with six. Comedian Jerrod Carmichael will host the Globes, […]

‘Avatar’ on top but ‘M3GAN’ scares up strong sales in N.America

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Not surprisingly, James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” clung to first place on North American movie screens this weekend, pulling in an estimated $45 million, but an unexpectedly popular horror movie placed a strong second. The “Avatar” sequel has now led the box office for four weeks, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. The 20th Century sci-fi film has amassed domestic earnings of $516.8 million and $1.19 billion internationally, […]