LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British pop icon Elton John contracted a “potentially deadly” infection while on tour which saw him spend two nights in intensive care and has forced shows to be cancelled. The musician became “violently ill” during a flight from the Chilean capital Santiago, where his Latin America tour ended April 10, his public relations representatives Murray Chalmers said in a statement. On landing in Britain he was immediately admitted to hospital […]
Entertainment – International
“Fate of the Furious” tops $163 million in sales
(Reuters) — “The Fate of the Furious” netted another win at the North American Box office from Friday (April 21) through Sunday (April 23). The film earned more than 38 million this weekend and a total of 163 million in combined U.S. sales according to Box Office Mojo. It has already garnered more than 908 million dollars worldwide. In the second place slot, a hold over from previous weeks is “The Boss Baby” which added […]
Oprah Winfrey conquers acting fears in ‘Henrietta Lacks’
by Catherine TRIOMPHE Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Before Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer in 1951, doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore removed some of her cancerous cells to grow outside her body in a petri dish. Dubbed HeLa, the cell line from the 31-year-old African-American woman became one of the most utilized in medical research, helping establish billion-dollar biomedical industries around the world for cancer treatment, vaccines — […]
The Chainsmokers top Billboard charts
Reuters — Dance-pop DJ duo The Chainsmokers ousted rapper Drake from the top spot on the weekly United States Billboard 200 chart on Monday, scoring their first chart-topping album after a slew of hit singles. “Memories … Do Not Open,” the debut full-length album from The Chainsmokers, racked up the equivalent of 221,000 in sales, including 60 million streams of the album and 166,000 copies sold, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan. The album includes […]
Celebrities shine at Beijing International Film Festival
BEIJING, China (Reuters) — The seventh annual Beijing International Film Festival (BIFF) marked its opening Sunday (April 16) evening, with a traditional red carpet ceremony that was attended by stars and filmmakers. Celebrities including Jean Reno, Aaron Kwok, and Ian Somerhalder, walked down the red carpet as fans yelled their names and took photos. The musical director Marius De Vries, who is famous for directing “La La Land”, showed on red carpet as well. Danish […]
‘The Fate of the Furious’ races to top spot at weekend box office
Reuters — The latest installment of “The Fast and the Furious” movie franchise raced to the top spot at the North American box office this weekend with a haul of an $100.2 million, according to boxofficemojo.com The film, titled “The Fate of the Furious,” features the signature fast car chases, daring stunts and explosions of the previous seven films but this time it has the bonus of Oscar-winner Charlize Theron playing the principal villain. “The […]
Disney announces girl power Star Wars spin-offs
Reuters — “Star Wars” is beefing up its girl power through a new series of animated short movies featuring the sci-fi saga’s heroines including Princess Leia, Rey and Jyn Erso. Walt Disney Co and Lucasfilm announced on Thursday April 13) that “Star Wars Forces of Destiny” will focus on the “untold stories of everyday heroism that shape the destinies” of the main female characters in the franchise. The move is the latest by Disney to […]
Cannes set to unveil movies for 70th birthday fest
by Solange UWIMANA Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — The Cannes Festival was due Thursday to unveil which films have made the cut for its 70th birthday edition, where the silver screen’s finest will be vying for glory next month. Organisers of the world’s top film event on the French Riviera traditionally guard their selections jealously for the competition and the out-of-competition programme, but there has been fevered speculation over the line-up for months. Sofia […]
Singapore asks top court to review showbiz pastor case
SINGAPORE (AFP) — Singapore prosecutors are seeking a review of a court ruling which sparked a public outcry by reducing the jail term of a showbiz pastor who misused millions in church funds to promote his wife’s music career. The case, which involved raunchy music videos featuring celebrities like rapper Wyclef Jean alongside the wife of City Harvest Church’s leader Kong Hee, originally saw the senior pastor given an eight-year jail term. But the High […]
No charges expected for 1D’s Louis Tomlinson
LOS ANGELES, United States (Reuters) — One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson is not expected to be criminally charged over a tussle with a photographer at Los Angeles airport last month, judicial officials said on Tuesday (April 11). The British singer and the photographer, who was not named, will instead be summoned to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office to be interviewed and “advised of the law and ways to avoid similar incidences in the […]
Hela hustles Thor in new movie
Reuters — The first teaser trailer for ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ has been released on Monday (April 10) and shows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) with a new look, and gives a first glimpse of Cate Blanchett as Hela, the goddess of Death. The film is one of three Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in 2017, with ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2’ and ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ also being released this year. They will all be paving the way for 2018’s ‘Avengers: […]
Harry Styles channels glam rock in post-1D debut
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles on Friday released a ballad with touches of 1970s glam rock as he became the latest member of the boy band to go solo. “Sign of the Times” is the first solo single by the 23-year-old English singer who is expected to put out a full album at a later date. The song starts with a dark chord progression on a piano before quickly […]