Entertainment – International

‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’: Marvel’s first superheroine movie

by Frankie TAGGART Agence France-Presse PASADENA, United States (AFP) – They made history and $1 billion with the first titular superhero of color in “Black Panther” — now Marvel’s creatives and stars are repeating the trick for gender equality. “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” the sequel to 2015’s “Ant-Man,” is the 20th release in a decade from the Marvel Cinematic Universe series of comic book movies, and the first to feature a woman in the title. […]

‘Game of Thrones’ Jon Snow marries on-screen flame

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)–Actors Kit Harington and Rose Leslie, who played on-screen lovers Jon Snow and Ygritte in fantasy TV saga “Game of Thrones”, wed in Britain on Saturday. The 31-year-old stars tied the knot in northeastern Scotland, with co-stars Emilia Clarke, who played Daenerys Targaryen, and Peter Dinklage, who played Tyrion Lannister, arriving at nearby Aberdeen on Friday. The couple, who met on set in 2012, announced the engagement in the Times newspaper last September, and […]

Disney boosts Fox bid to $71.3-B to counter Comcast

by Rob Lever with John Biers Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Disney raised its offer for key assets of 21st Century Fox on Wednesday to $71.3 billion to counter a rival bid from Comcast in the latest move in a bidding war that could create a dominant player in the media-entertainment world. The move by Walt Disney Co. comes a week after Comcast, the largest US cable provider and owner of the […]

Paul McCartney turns 76 and teases ‘Egypt Station’

NEW YORK,United States (AFP)—Paul McCartney on Monday teased news of “Egypt Station” — presumed to be the title of his next album — as the former Beatle celebrated his 76th birthday. The rock legend on social media released a video of the Pyramids and palm trees swaying in the wind on a sand-colored background set to snippet of ambient music mixed with vehicular traffic. McCartney and his label did not provide further details but speculation […]

‘Incredibles 2’ makes heroic N. America box office debut

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) —  “Incredibles 2,” the long-awaited return of a quirky animated superhero family from Disney-Pixar, reigned supreme at the North American box office, raking in a record $182.7 million in its debut, data showed Monday. It was the highest ever opening for an animated film, easily besting the $135 million debut of its Pixar stablemate, “Finding Dory” (2016). The sequel picks up the story of the Parr family as matriarch Helen (Holly […]

Mozart manuscript expected to sell for 500,000 euros

PARIS, France (AFP) — The first draft of music Mozart wrote for the last act of his opera “The Marriage of Figaro” is expected to sell for half a million euros ($578,000) when it goes under the hammer in Paris. The “exceptional” manuscript from 1786 which will be auctioned on Wednesday in the French capital comes from the peak of the composer’s career in Vienna, the auction house Ader Nordmann said. Called “Scena con Rondo”, Mozart […]

‘Incredibles 2’ set to break more records for Disney

by Frankie TAGGART Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — After a glut of lucrative box office juggernauts from its Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney is looking to break more records with “Incredibles 2,” the long-awaited return of a quirky animated superhero family. The film — which comes out Friday, a full 14 years after “The Incredibles” — looks set to score the highest debut ever for an animated film at the North American box […]

‘Fallen Kingdom’ caps 25 years of ‘Jurassic’ thrills

by Frankie TAGGART Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — “God creates dinosaurs, God destroys dinosaurs, God creates Man, Man kills God, Man brings back dinosaurs,” Jeff Goldblum deadpanned in “Jurassic Park,” released 25 years ago this week. It was a pithy summary of Steven Spielberg’s landmark monster movie and the series it launched that left audiences gasping in wonder as they handed over a dino-sized $3.8 billion for tickets over four films. […]

Elvis’ drummer DJ Fontana dies at 87

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Drummer DJ Fontana, the last surviving member of Elvis Presley’s original band whose hard-driving but self-effacing style helped shape rock percussion, has died, his family said Thursday. He was 87. His son David Fontana wrote on Facebook that his father died peacefully in his sleep Wednesday evening. An inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Dominic Joseph Fontana introduced drums to the concoction that became rock […]

‘Fortnite’ frenzy reigns at E3 gaming expo

  by Glenn Chapman Agence France-Presse   LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) wrapped up in Los Angeles on Thursday with the video game “Fortnite” knocking out other contenders to emerge as the star of a show which highlighted the surging interest in competitive eSports. “Fortnite” maker Epic Games has found a groove with its “battle royale” title in which scores of players fight against each other to be the […]

Comcast outbids Disney with $65 bn offer for Fox assets

Comcast on Wednesday offered $65 billion for key film and television assets of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox, topping an offer from Walt Disney Co. for a deal that could create a dominant media-entertainment power. The move by Comcast, which is the largest US cable provider and also owns the NBCUniversal media group, opens up a new round of competition for the prized assets being shed by the Murdoch family empire. The deal, if approved, […]

Actor Sylvester Stallone under probe for sexual assault

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP)~US prosecutors have launched a probe to determine whether film star Sylvester Stallone should be charged in connection with a sexual assault reported last year, a spokesman said Wednesday. “A case was presented today by the Santa Monica Police Department regarding Sylvester Stallone,” Greg Risling, a spokesman at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office, told AFP. “It is under review by our sex crime task force.” The case involves a woman […]