Entertainment – International

Singer Demi Lovato hospitalized for drug overdose: reports

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Pop star Demi Lovato was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital Tuesday after an apparent drug overdose but remained in stable condition, reports said. A Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that emergency responders transported a 25-year-old woman from an address that matches Lovato’s to a hospital, but did not identify her by name or state her condition. Celebrity news site TMZ released audio of an emergency […]

More than 240,000 people seek James Gunn re-hire

  SAN DIEGO, United States (AFP)–More than 240,000 people have signed a petition for Disney to rehire “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise director James Gunn, who also garnered celebrity support just days after he was axed over a series of offensive tweets. “I’m smart enough to know this most likely won’t change anything but hopefully, this could get Disney to realize the mistake they made and not do it again in the future,” said a person […]

Billy Joel celebrates 100th show at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) New York on Wednesday feted Billy Joel as he played a record 100th concert at Madison Square Garden, although the Piano Man himself was modest about his achievement. “Let’s be real — I’m from New York,” the 69-year-old engine of pop favorites, donning a baseball cap, told a news conference ahead of his 100th performance at the Midtown Manhattan arena. “This is my venue. Fortunately for me, Madison Square Garden […]

Black Panther’s sister Shuri gets own spin-off comic

NEW YORK, United States (Eagle News) — In Marvel’s massively successful “Black Panther” film released this year, one of the major surprises was how the superhero’s sister, tech genius Shuri, stole the show. Now, she is getting her own comic book series. Marvel Comics has announced a spin-off series, to begin in October, in which Black Panther is lost on a mission to space, and Shuri is looked upon to step up to fill the […]

‘Hotel Transylvania’ books spot at top of box office

  LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP)–Sony’s “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” booked a stay at the top of the North American box office, taking $44.1 million in ticket sales, according to industry estimates Sunday. The animated fantasy comedy, whose voice cast includes Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez, follows Count Dracula and his family as they get away from their hotel for their own vacation. It swatted away last week’s number one, “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” […]

Kylie Jenner, 20, on cusp of billionaire status: Forbes

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Aged just 20 and the youngest member of the extended reality-TV Kardashian clan, Kylie Jenner is on track to become America’s youngest “self-made” billionaire, Forbes revealed Wednesday. The young mother, who gave birth to daughter Stormi in February, set up Kylie Cosmetics two years ago and the company has already sold more than $630 million worth of makeup, the magazine said. Forbes conservatively valued her company at $800 million […]

Thailand cave rescue to be turned into Hollywood movie

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The mission to rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach from a Thai cave is to get the Hollywood treatment in a movie announced by faith-based production house Pure Flix. Managing partner Michael Scott, who lives in Thailand and was at the rescue site in Chiang Rai as the boys were being pulled to safety, made the announcement late Tuesday on Twitter. “I couldn’t be more excited. This story […]

Warner Bros. plans $100 mn cable car to Hollywood sign

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Warner Bros. has announced plans for a $100 million cable car to take tourists from its studio lot to the iconic Hollywood sign, an area increasingly choked by tourist traffic. The company, one of Tinseltown’s “Big Six” film distributors, told city officials on Monday it would put up the entire funding for the “Hollywood Skyway.” The six-minute ride would extend more than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from Warner’s base […]

Stan Lee drops $1bn lawsuit against company he started

Comic book legend Stan Lee has terminated a $1 billion lawsuit alleging that the entertainment company he co-founded had tricked him into signing away his image rights. The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in May, accused POW! Entertainment CEO Shane Duffy and co-founder Gill Champion of failing to disclose fully to Lee details of the firm’s 2017 sale to Camsing International. The entertainment icon contended that they took advantage of him at a […]

Drake crushes streaming record for top US album of year

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – Hip-hop superstar Drake’s latest album “Scorpion” has crushed the record for streaming to post the biggest week so far this year on the US chart. “Scorpion” was streamed nearly 746 million times in the United States on audio platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music in the week through Thursday, tracking service Nielsen Music said. The tally easily surpassed fellow rapper Post Malone’s “beerbongs and bentleys” which set an […]

Emmy nominations set to be a race between old favorites

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Television industry watchers are expecting past winners to relive old glories Thursday as Hollywood’s awards season kicks into high gear with the announcement of the Emmy nominations. The Television Academy’s 22,000-plus members were given two weeks in June to sift through a crowded field of several thousand entries for the small-screen equivalent of the Oscars. Critics agree that it hasn’t been a vintage year for new TV, with very […]

‘Ant-Man and Wasp’ fly to top of North American box office

HOLLYWOOD, United States (AFP) — The Disney/Marvel film “Ant-Man and the Wasp” swatted away competition over the weekend, logging $76 million in ticket sales in North America, according to industry estimates on Sunday. The buzzy film, a sequel to 2015’s “Ant-Man,” has outpaced that movie’s opening weekend by about 33 percent in ticket sales, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported. It is the 20th release in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe series of comic book movies, and […]