Entertainment – International

10 years after ‘Gangnam Style’, Psy is happier than ever

by Qasim Nauman and Kang Jin-kyu Agence France-Presse SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Ten years after “Gangnam Style” became a global phenomenon, South Korean rapper Psy is living his best life –- proud of his “greatest trophy” and free from the pressure of repeating that unprecedented success. Uploaded to YouTube on July 15, 2012, the song’s wacky music video became a runaway megahit, with its trademark horse-riding dance spawning thousands of imitations, spoofs and spinoffs. […]

Paramount sued over ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ copyright

The heirs of an author whose article inspired the 1986 film “Top Gun” have sued Paramount Pictures for copyright infringement, according to court documents. Three decades after the blockbuster original, which was based on Ehud Yonay’s 1983 magazine article “Top Guns”, Paramount released a sequel last month that has topped North America’s box office. In their complaint filed Monday to a California court, Shosh Yonay and Yuval Yonay, the writer’s widow and son who live in […]

Depp wins out in bitter Heard defamation trial

  FAIRFAX, United States (AFP) — A US jury Wednesday found both Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard liable for defamation — but sided more strongly with the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star following an intense trial riding on bitterly contested allegations of domestic abuse. The verdict capped a bitterly-fought six-week trial riding on lurid claims and counterclaims of between the Hollywood celebrities. The seven-member jury in Virginia awarded the 58-year-old actor $15 million […]

New ‘Star Wars’ series with Jude Law in works as Disney targets streaming

by Andrew Marszal © Agence France-Presse  Anaheim, UNITED STATES (AFP) — Disney announced a new live-action “Star Wars” series featuring Jude Law at a major fan convention Thursday — but any mention of upcoming films in the beloved sci-fi franchise was conspicuously absent, as the company focuses on its streaming service. Harrison Ford and Ewan McGregor were among the stars who appeared on stage before a raucous and outlandishly dressed crowd in Anaheim, California for […]

‘Goodfellas’ actor Ray Liotta dead at 67

Actor Ray Liotta, who starred in Martin Scorsese’s gangster classic “Goodfellas,” has died suddenly in the Dominican Republic, officials and police said Thursday. He was 67. Liotta, whose blistering turn as real-life mobster Henry Hill in Scorsese’s crime masterpiece won universal admiration, was shooting a new film in the country when he died in his sleep. Police said emergency services were called early Thursday morning to a hotel in Santo Domingo where they found Liotta […]

‘Chariots of Fire’ and ‘Blade Runner’ composer Vangelis dies aged 79

  by John HADOULIS “Blade Runner” and “Chariots of Fire” composer Vangelis, the Oscar-winning electronic music pioneer whose distinctive musical style defined a generation of film soundtracks, has died aged 79, Greece’s prime minister said on Thursday. According to several Greek media outlets, Vangelis died of the coronavirus in France where he lived part-time, as well as in London and Athens. “Vangelis Papathanassiou is no longer with us,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted. “The […]

Johnny Depp was jealous, controlling: actress Ellen Barkin

  by Chris Lefkow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Johnny Depp was jealous, controlling and frequently drunk, and once threw a wine bottle in his hotel room in Las Vegas, his former girlfriend, the actress Ellen Barkin, said in pre-recorded testimony Thursday. Barkin, 68, testifying as a witness in the defamation suit filed by Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard, said she had a brief “sexual relationship” with Depp in the 1990s. […]

Johnny Depp grabbed Amber Heard by hair, hit her repeatedly: sister

Washington, UNITED STATES (AFP) — Johnny Depp grabbed his then-wife Amber Heard by the hair and repeatedly struck her in the face during a heated argument about a month after their marriage, her sister said Wednesday. Heard also punched Depp during the March 2015 fight at their Los Angeles penthouse, Whitney Henriquez testified at the high-profile defamation case between the celebrity couple. Henriquez, Heard’s 34-year-old younger sister, said the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star sought […]

How Tom Cruise survived the end of the star era

Cannes, FRANCE (AFP) — Tom Cruise jets into Cannes on Wednesday for the first time in 30 years to launch “Top Gun: Maverick”, and much has changed in the film industry since his last visit — except his continued box office power. That kind of longevity is a rare thing in Hollywood where superhero franchises have become far more financially important to studios than individual actors and actresses. When Cruise was last in Cannes for […]

Psychologist testifies that Amber Heard has personality disorders

    by Brendan Smialowski with Chris Lefkow in Washington Agence France Presse FAIRFAX, United States (AFP) — A psychologist hired by lawyers for “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Johnny Depp testified on Tuesday at his defamation case against his former wife Amber Heard that she suffers from twin personality disorders. Shannon Curry, a clinical and forensic psychologist, said she had examined Heard’s mental health records and personally evaluated her for 12 hours over two […]

Tom Cruise unveils ‘Top Gun’ sequel with mid-air stunt

  by Andrew Marszal © Agence France-Presse LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — Tom Cruise unveiled the world-first screening of “Top Gun: Maverick” at CinemaCon in Las Vegas Thursday — introducing the long-awaited sequel while balanced atop a flying bi-plane. The new “Top Gun,” which picks up the story of Maverick and his fighter pilot buddies some three decades after the blockbuster original, was scheduled to open in 2020 but was repeatedly delayed by the […]

Johnny Depp says abuse allegations have cost him ‘everything’

  by Chris Lefkow Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Johnny Depp said Wednesday that domestic abuse allegations made against him by his ex-wife Amber Heard had cost him “nothing less than everything” and claimed that she was the one who was frequently violent. Depp, taking the witness stand for a second day of testimony in his defamation case against Heard, said she would regularly insult him and […]