Entertainment – International

Oscar winners in main categories

  HOLLYWOOD, United States (AFP) — Here are the winners in key categories at the 91st Academy Awards, which were handed out on Sunday in Hollywood. “Green Book” took home the best picture Oscar, while Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” won for best director, best foreign film and best cinematography. Top acting honors were shared among four different films. Best picture: “Green Book” Best director: Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma” Best actor: Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody” Best actress: Olivia […]

Stanley Donen, famed director of ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ dies at 94

Stanley Donen, who directed such beloved Hollywood classics as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “On the Town” and “Charade,” has died in New York at age 94. His death of a heart attack was confirmed by one of his sons, Mark Donen, the Chicago Tribune reported. Donen, whose films were known as witty, stylish and energetic, worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, from Audrey Hepburn to Fred Astaire. Under Donen’s direction, Gene Kelly’s famously exuberant […]

Superstar R. Kelly charged with sex abuse, including against minors

by Nova Safo, with Maggy Donaldson in New York R&B superstar R. Kelly was charged Friday in Chicago with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sex abuse against four victims, three of them minors. A judge approved a no-bail arrest warrant for the 52-year-old, a Cook County clerk told AFP, a major development in the Kelly saga that has seen him for decades accused of child pornography, sex with minors, operating a sex cult and sexual […]

Fun facts and figures about the Oscars

HOLLYWOOD, United States (AFP) — How much does an Oscar statue weigh? Which actor has received the most ever nominations? Who has the most Oscars ever? Here are some fun facts about the 91st Academy Awards, which will take place in Hollywood on Sunday: – Uncle Oscar? – Hollywood lore has it that the Academy Award was nicknamed Oscar after Academy librarian Margaret Herrick — who eventually became executive director — saw the trophy for […]

Moviegoers react to French film on priest’s abuse of boy scouts

French director François Ozon’s “By the Grace of God,” about the real-life story of a priest accused of sexually abusing boy scouts, hits Paris cinemas, a day after its controversial release was approved by the courts. Moviegoers who saw the film reacted to the controversial movie that touches on a subject that has stirred wounds of sex abuse victims of the Catholic clergy, and also created awareness about the issue. Marcel Benbassat, one of those […]

Folk musician Peter Tork of Monkees fame dies at 77

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Peter Tork, the offbeat folk artist who found fame with 1960s pop band the Monkees, has died, his team announced Thursday. He was 77 years old. “It is with beyond-heavy and broken hearts that we share the devastating news that our friend, mentor, teacher, and amazing soul, Peter Tork, has passed from this world,” the team posted on his official Facebook page, without specifying a cause of death. The […]

Chef Wolfgang Puck unveils lavish Oscars menu

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Coveted prizes aren’t the only thing on the menu at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony. Austro-American chef Wolfgang Puck, who has been feeding the famous at the Oscars for 25 years, has given AFP a peek at this year’s spread: smoked salmon, truffle pasta and Oscar statuettes made out of chocolate. https://youtu.be/hSh43vHaZIg

Pop rockers The 1975 win big at Brits

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Pop rockers The 1975 stole the show at British pop music’s annual celebration on Wednesday, winning the coveted Best Album Brit award with US singer Pink also honored. The Manchester four-piece claimed the prize for their raw number one album  “A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships” ahead of Florence + The Machine and indie singer George Ezra. The band also claimed the best British group award — speaking out against […]

Chicago police charge US actor with filing false report of assault

by Nova Safo US police on Wednesday charged a TV actor with lying to authorities about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack on the streets of Chicago. Jussie Smollett, a gay and black actor who stars in the Fox network drama “Empire,” is facing felony criminal charges of disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. He claimed that on January 29, two masked men beat him late at night in downtown […]

Pink to star at British pop music’s big night

by James PHEBY Dua Lipa, The 1975 and George Ezra are some of the big names vying for prizes at British pop music’s annual celebration on Wednesday, with US singer Pink also set to be honored. The 39th annual Brit Awards at London’s O2 Arena will recognize Britain’s top talent of 2018, and also feature live performances from Hollywood A-lister Hugh Jackman and Pink. The coveted Best Album of the Year Award will be fought […]

China sci-fi blockbuster blasts off at the box office

by Kelly WANG Agence France-Presse SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — China’s first space-age blockbuster is on a trajectory to become the country’s highest-grossing movie ever and is being held up as evidence that big-budget home-grown films can now hold their own with Hollywood on pure spectacle. “The Wandering Earth” has made more than 3.9 billion yuan ($576 million) in domestic box office as of Tuesday morning, putting it on course to eclipse the 5.7 billion yuan […]

Who votes for the Oscars, and how does it work?

by Laurent BANGUET Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The ballots are almost all in! Millions of television viewers around the globe will tune in Sunday to watch the Oscars, the glitziest night in showbiz, but most don’t know how the winners are chosen. Less than 8,000 people in the entertainment industry select the honorees — and Tuesday marks the final day of voting. The following is a look at the complex, sometimes […]