Entertainment – International

Netflix and Disney poised to shake up TV ad world

New York, United States (AFP) – With the launch of cheaper, ad-supported subscriptions, Netflix and Disney+ are expected to bite into the revenue of traditional television channels as the streaming services look toward continued expansion. After having long-shunned the notion of advertising on its platform, Netflix thisyear accelerated work on just such an offering as inflation prompts consumers to spend less and competition in the streaming television market intensifies. Netflix is expected to launch an […]

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Poitier legacy tackled by Oprah in ‘Sidney’

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) -The late Sidney Poitier was at the peak of his Hollywood career when he came under fire from Black activists and intellectuals, accused of playing stereotypical, safe roles for white audiences just as the 1960s civil rights movement was exploding. “Sidney,” the new Apple TV+ documentary out Friday, produced by Oprah Winfrey and featuring A-list talking heads from Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman to Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, sets […]

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Milan Fashion Week opens with a spring in its step

MILAN, Italy (AFP) – Chinese buyers are back, and business is booming — Milan Fashion Week opens Wednesday on an optimistic note, despite the shadows cast by the soaring cost of energy. Almost 70 catwalk shows, and 110 presentations are scheduled over the next six days, featuring the giants of Italian fashion, from Gucci to Fendi, Prada, Versace, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Bottega Veneta. The return of a mostly full live programmed in February […]

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‘Succession’ and ‘Squid Game’ big winners at television’s Emmys

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Dysfunctional family saga “Succession” on Monday took top honors for best drama at the Emmys, television’s biggest night of the year, as “Squid Game” made history when Lee Jung-jae was named best actor, a first for a non-English-language performer. The South Korean social satire about misfits and criminals competing for cash in twisted versions of schoolyard games had also been in the running for the top prize, but the […]

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Emmys goes glitzy as Hollywood awards are back in person

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Television honored its biggest stars in Los Angeles on Monday with a gowns-and-tuxedos Emmys gala, back at full strength for the first time in the age of Covid-19. Host Kenan Thompson opened the proceedings with a dance number set to a medley of hit TV show themes, including “Friends” and “Game of Thrones,” before bringing on talk show legend Oprah Winfrey, who lauded “the most successful broadcast medium in […]

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‘Squid Game’ in focus as Emmys kick off

by Huw GRIFFITH Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The glitzy Emmy Awards kicked off in Hollywood on Monday with A-listers in their gowns and tuxedos for the first full gala honoring television’s best after several years of Covid-limited productions. Host Kenan Thompson opened the proceedings with a dance number set to a medley of TV show themes, including “Friends” and “Game of Thrones,” before bringing on talk show legend Oprah Winfrey, who […]

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Actress Jane Fonda says she has cancer

  Los Angeles, United States (AFP) US actress and activist Jane Fonda announced Friday that she has cancer, and has begun chemotherapy in her battle against the disease. The 84-year-old Oscar winner, a prominent supporter of the Democratic Party, vowed to fight the “very treatable” illness. “I’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and have started chemo treatments,” she wrote on her verified Instagram account. “This is a very treatable cancer. 80 percent of people survive, […]

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US rapper A$AP Rocky charged over shooting

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — US rapper A$AP Rocky was charged Monday over an alleged shooting in Hollywood last year. The 33-year-old, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, faces two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said. Mayers is alleged to have pointed the gun at a one-time friend during an argument in November. In a later confrontation between the two, he is said to have drawn […]

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Actor Anne Heche ‘not expected to survive’ after crash: US media

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | US actor Anne Heche is “not expected to survive” after suffering a serious brain injury in a car crash in Los Angeles last week, US media has reported. The fiery crash left Heche, 53, comatose with a “severe anoxic brain injury,” according to a statement from a representative quoted by several outlets on Thursday. “It has long been her choice to donate her organs and she’s being kept […]

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Bollywood seeks boost with ‘Forrest Gump’ remake

by Glenda Kwek with Udita Jhunjhunwala Agence France-Presse MUMBAI, India (AFP) — One of India’s biggest stars is banking on a remake of Hollywood feelgood hit “Forrest Gump” to revive the fortunes of Hindi-language Bollywood, after a string of weak box-office showings. Aamir Khan’s “Laal Singh Chaddha”, an adaptation of the 1994 US classic starring Tom Hanks, hits cinemas on Thursday ahead of India’s 75th independence celebrations. Disappointing takings for other Bollywood A-listers have cast […]

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Grease’ star Olivia Newton-John dies aged 73

  LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Singer Olivia Newton-John, who gained worldwide fame as high school sweetheart Sandy in the hit musical movie “Grease,” died on Monday after a 30-year battle with cancer. She was 73. Newton-John “passed away peacefully at her ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends,” said a statement from her husband John Easterling posted on her official social media accounts. The multiple Grammy-winning entertainer, whose career […]

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Directors ‘shocked’ by axing of $90m ‘Batgirl’ film

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The directors of “Batgirl” said Wednesday they were “shocked” that the $90 million dollar superhero film had been axed by the studio and will now not be released in any format. Warner Bros. Discovery announced they were shelving the movie adaptation of the DC Comics character, which was to star Leslie Grace in the title role, alongside Michael Keaton as Batman, preventing it from being seen in either theaters […]

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