Entertainment – International

Justin Bieber engaged to model Baldwin: reports

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Trouble-prone pop star Justin Bieber will be a married man after popping the question to model Hailey Baldwin whom he has dated for one month, reports said on Sunday. The 24-year-old Canadian heartthrob, who has become better known for his off-stage antics, proposed to the 21-year-old over dinner Saturday night at a restaurant in The Bahamas, the celebrity news site TMZ said. The site quoted witnesses at the restaurant, […]

Dystopian ‘Sorry to Bother You’ affirms vitality of black cinema

by Catherine Triomphe  Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP)–With its dystopian story of racial exploitation behind the veneer of modern America, “Sorry to Bother You,” the first movie by the rapper Boots Riley, is showing the fresh vitality in African American cinema. The movie, which hits US theaters on Friday, comes a year after the runaway success of “Get Out,” the first feature film by Jordan Peele about a town of wealthy white people […]

Nobel cancels peace prize concert for lack of funds

OSLO, Norway (AFP) – The traditional concert after the annual awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10 in Oslo will not be staged this year due to financial difficulties, the organisers said Tuesday. “There will be no Nobel Peace Prize concert” in 2018, said a statement from theNobel Institute, Warner Bros Norway and the Gyro Event company. “The decision emerges from a wish to re-think the concert format and content but also reflects […]

‘Cats’, ‘Phantom of the Opera’ choreographer Gillian Lynne dies at 92

  LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British choreographer Gillian Lynne, who was best known for her work on the long-running musicals “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera, has died aged 92, her husband said. Lynne died on Sunday at the Princess Grace Hospital in London. “She leaves behind a huge legacy & is adored by many,” her husband, actor Peter Land, said on Twitter, paying tribute to his “dearest wife & friend & love for […]

‘Jurassic’ dinos shake earth, boost North American box office

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – Big-grossing films “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Incredibles 2” again dominated the North American box office this weekend, but two new entrants beat expectations to place third and fourth, according to industry estimates on Sunday. Universal’s latest earth-stomping dinosaur movie took in $60 million for the three-day weekend, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported. The superhero-family-next-door of “Incredibles 2,” a Pixar/Disney animation, earned $45.5 million. Together they helped estimated industry […]

Kendrick Lamar vows no complacency after Pulitzer

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – Kendrick Lamar has vowed to resist complacency and stay creative after he became the first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. In his most extensive remarks since he was announced as the prestigious award’s recipient in April, the 31-year-old told Vanity Fair magazine in an interview published Thursday that any good news “motivates me to do more.” “I don’t want to get complacent. If you asked seven […]

Michael Jackson’s artistic legacy explored in London show

  by Joséphine Gruwe-Court Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Michael Jackson’s legacy as a pop-culture and artistic icon is explored in a new exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery opening Thursday. “Michael Jackson: On the Wall” — a play on the title of classic 1979 album “Off the Wall” — follows the king of pop, who still captivates artists nine years after his death, through his multi-million selling career. The exhibition features paintings, […]

Grammys expand nominee field after criticism on diversity

    by Shaun TANDON Agence France-Presse   NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – The Grammys will expand the number of nominees in main categories for music’s most prestigious awards as organizers try to counter a backlash over how few women and minorities are winning. In one of the biggest changes at the Grammys in years, the Recording Academy — which administers the prizes — said Tuesday in a letter to members that next year’s […]

Motion Picture Academy announces record recruitment

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday it has swelled its ranks by a record 928 members, as part of its drive for a more inclusive Hollywood. The Oscar-awarding body announces a round of invitations every year, and has been bolstering its ethnic and female representation following criticism over its predominantly white, male membership. More than a third of the list — drawn from 59 countries […]

Big, mean and making the green: ‘Jurassic’ tops N. America box offices

  HOLLYWOOD, United States (AFP) — Huge, green and scary stomped on cute, young and funny in North American theaters over the weekend as new release “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” took in a healthy $150 million to leap past last weekend’s leader, “Incredibles 2.” The dinosaur sequel, from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment studio, fell short of the then-record $208 million opening by the last “Jurassic” movie in 2015, according to figures released Sunday by industry […]

‘Jurassic’ tops box offices in N. America

HOLLYWOOD, United States (AFP) — Huge, green, and scary stomped on cute, young, and funny in North American theaters this weekend as new release “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” took in a healthy $150 million to leap past last weekend’s leader, “Incredibles 2.” The dinosaur sequel, from Pixar and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment studio, fell short of the then-record $208 million opening by the last “Jurassic” movie in 2015, according to figures released Sunday by industry […]

5 Seconds of Summer ends Jay-Z, Beyonce No. 1 debut streak

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Australian pop band 5 Seconds of Summer stunned Beyonce and Jay-Z by opening Sunday at the top of the US album chart, with the couple’s surprise collaboration ending the superstars’ streak of number one debuts. 5 Seconds of Summer had stepped up promotion of their album “Youngblood” after Jay-Z and Beyonce dropped “Everything Is Love,” with the Australians telling fans they were in a close race for number one […]