Entertainment – International

Taylor Swift concert organizer apologizes after Rio fan death

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 23, 2023 (AFP) – The chief executive of the company organizing Taylor Swift’s tour dates in Brazil apologized Thursday after a fan died in a searing heat wave during the pop superstar’s Rio de Janeiro show. Organizers have faced criticism after fans said they were forbidden to enter the stadium with water bottles at the concert last Friday, despite a heat index that hit 59 degrees Celsius (138 Fahrenheit) in the […]

Jimmy Kimmel to host Oscars for fourth time

LOS ANGELES, Nov 15, 2023 (AFP) – Late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel is returning — again — to host the Oscars for a fourth time, organizers said Wednesday. Kimmel will preside over Hollywood’s biggest awards show for the second consecutive year, after television ratings rebounded at last year’s well-reviewed ceremony. “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times,” joked Kimmel, in a statement issued by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and […]

Hollywood celebrates strike end as actors get back to work

By Andrew MARSZAL LOS ANGELES, Nov 9, 2023 (AFP) – Hollywood celebrated Thursday after actors agreed to end a crippling months-long strike, kicking off a race to get the cameras rolling and salvage next year’s movies and television shows. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) called off its 118-day strike after reaching a tentative agreement with studios for a new contract including higher pay and protections against the use of artificial intelligence. While the deal needs […]

‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry laid to rest in Los Angeles: media

LOS ANGELES, Nov 4, 2023 (AFP) – American actor Matthew Perry of the hit sitcom “Friends” was laid to rest at a Los Angeles cemetery on Friday during a private funeral attended by family and co-stars, US media reported. The 54-year-old, known for his role as Chandler Bing in “Friends,” which aired from 1994-2004, was found dead on October 28. “The service was held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles near Warner Bros. […]

Blackpink star Lisa removed from Chinese social media after cabaret show

SHANGHAI, Nov 3, 2023 (AFP) – K-pop singer Lisa of megastar girl group Blackpink has been banned from China’s Weibo social media platform, sparking speculation among fans Friday that the censorship was tied to a burlesque performance she gave in Paris. Lisa, whose full name is Lalisa Manobal, disappeared from Weibo this week, with her personal page replaced by an error message saying her account was “not viewable due to being reported for violating laws […]

New Beatles single ‘Now and Then’ released

By Stuart GRAHAM, Helen ROWE LONDON, Nov 2, 2023 (AFP) – A new Beatles song produced with a little help from artificial intelligence and including the vocals of John Lennon was released on Thursday — to lukewarm reviews. The song comes more than four decades after it was originally recorded as a demo, but despite the hype left critics distinctly underwhelmed. “‘Now and Then’ is not terrible… But ultimately, it’s kind of mundane,” wrote Geoff […]

‘Friends’ actor Matthew Perry dies aged 54

By Andrew MARSZAL LOS ANGELES, Oct 29, 2023 (AFP) – Matthew Perry, troubled star of the smash hit TV sitcom “Friends,” was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday, US media reported. He was 54. First responders found Perry unconscious in a hot tub at his house and were unable to revive him, law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times. “We responded at 4:10 pm… It is a death investigation for […]

Richard Roundtree, America’s ‘first Black action hero,’ dead at 81

WASHINGTON, Oct 25, 2023 (AFP) – American actor Richard Roundtree, heralded as “the first Black action hero” for his starring role in the iconic 1971 hit “Shaft,” died Tuesday at 81, US media reported. Hollywood publication Deadline said that the actor, known for opening doors for other Black artists in the industry, died with his family at his bedside, “after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.” “Shaft,” in which Roundtree played the eponymous private eye […]

French geeks plan world’s biggest video game museum

By Quentin TYBERGHIEN, avec Mathias CENA à Tokyo BUSSY-SAINT-GEORGES, France, Oct 19, 2023 (AFP) – French gaming nerds are planning to open the world’s biggest video game museum near Disneyland Paris. The Odyssey Project — named after the first ever console designed by Magnavox in 1972 — will house one of the biggest collections of games ever assembled. The complex, which will also include a “Japanese village” dedicated to the country’s popular culture and cuisine, […]

Taylor Swift’s concert film breaks records, rakes in $96 million in opening weekend

LOS ANGELES, Oct 15, 2023 (AFP) – After her sold-out stadium tour, pop superstar Taylor Swift filled movie theaters with screaming fans as her concert film took in an estimated $96 million in its opening weekend in North America, smashing records in the category. “This is a sensational domestic opening,” said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. While ticket sales for “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” — which features scenes from three concerts […]

Talks to end Hollywood actors’ strike collapse

By Andrew MARSZAL LOS ANGELES, Oct 12, 2023 (AFP) – Talks between Hollywood actors and studios over an ongoing strike have collapsed, in a blow to hopes for a swift end to a crisis that has crippled the entertainment industry. Heads of studios such as Disney and Netflix had been meeting regularly since last week with negotiators for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), whose members walked off film and TV sets in July. In a […]

Former gang leader charged with rapper Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder

By Huw GRIFFITH LOS ANGELES, Sept 29, 2023 (AFP) – A quarter of a century after Tupac Shakur was gunned down in a gang feud in Las Vegas, a man was charged Friday with his murder, a killing that came to symbolize the violence of gangsta rap as it surged into the mainstream. Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 60, had long acknowledged his involvement in the slaying, boasting he was the “on-site commander” in the effort […]