Entertainment – International

Glass protegee finds music’s emotion in technology

  by Shaun Tandon Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Wearing a dress made of 100 speakers might seem to be a fashion statement. But for composer Pauchi Sasaki, the aesthetic goes deeper — it is a way to express humanity. The Peruvian artist and chosen protegee of Philip Glass, one of the world’s most influential living composers, had first covered herself with amplification equipment when she played her violin in the ancient Pachacamac temple […]

LOOK: The Duterte-Trump ASEAN handshake makes it to “The Simpsons”

Robert Mueller meets with President Donald Trump… #TheSimpsons pic.twitter.com/h693XgOPFM — TheSimpsons (@TheSimpsons) December 14, 2017 (Eagle News) — The popular President Rodrigo Duterte has made it to what could be the longest-running animated series on United States television–or at least his cartoon version. In an episode titled “Robert Mueller meets with President Trump,” cartoon Duterte, who is wearing white, and US President Donald Trump are seen shaking hands in a picture frame right behind the […]

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ second-highest opening ever in N. America

by Issam AHMED Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” soared to $220 million on its North American opening weekend, data released Sunday showed, backing up months of hype and earning critical praise even as early audiences didn’t quite feel the Force. The latest instalment of the epic space opera was bettered only by 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the first movie in the saga’s sequel trilogy which […]

Film about poor kids at Disney’s gates is fairy tale hit

by Fiachra Gibbons © Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — It is already the fairy tale of this year’s Oscars race: A little film about homeless children living in the shadow of Walt Disney World in Florida that threatens to turn the tables on the big-budget favourites. Director Sean Baker, who shot his last film on an iPhone, has scored a surprise hit with a gritty yet heartwarming tale, “The Florida Project”. It has already been showered […]

Beauty in 3D: Taiwan filmmaker’s vibrant vision

by Michelle Yun Agence France-Presse TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — From the migration of purple butterflies to the crafting of bamboo steam baskets, Taiwan’s leading 3D film director has spent a decade painstakingly capturing the island’s beauty. After a life-threatening tumor left him partially deaf and blind in one eye in 2002, Charlie Chu moved away from making television series and music videos, instead seeking to focus on life’s precious details. His new 3D movie “Formosa […]

Blockbuster: Disney to expand empire with Fox tie-up

by Luc Olinga with Rob Lever in Washington Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Walt Disney Co. agreed Thursday to buy key film and television assets of 21st Century Fox, in a $52.4 billion deal that bolsters the media-entertainment powerhouse’s challenge to Netflix and emerging rivals in the streaming wars. The blockbuster stock transaction also vastly reduces the Fox media empire built by Rupert Murdoch, leaving the 86-year-old tycoon and his two sons […]

Four jailed in Singapore over forged Ed Sheeran tickets

SINGAPORE (AFP) — An Australian, a Briton and two New Zealanders have been jailed for four weeks each in Singapore for selling forged tickets to an Ed Sheeran concert. The Australian, 56-year-old Paul Cosgrove, was sentenced Wednesday after admitting that he abetted Briton Martin Keane in a scheme to sneak fans into the British singer-songwriter’s sold-out concert in the city-state using the fake tickets. Keane, 60, was jailed last month after pleading guilty to his […]

Hayek details harrowing ordeal by ‘monster’ Weinstein

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — A-lister Salma Hayek on Wednesday joined the scores of actresses to accuse Harvey Weinstein, alleging that the fallen Hollywood mogul sexually harassed her, subjected her to escalating rage and once threatened to kill her. “For years, he was my monster,” the Mexican-born star wrote in an essay published in The New York Times, detailing the torturous production of the 2002 movie “Frida” that eventually earned Hayek an Oscar nomination […]

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson honored with Hollywood star

by Frankie Taggart Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — He’s been named “sexiest man alive” and the “world’s highest paid film star” — now Dwayne Johnson can celebrate being accepted into the Hollywood establishment with a Walk of Fame star. The 45-year-old football player turned wrestling pro and then actor sported a sharp black suit and was joined by longtime partner Lauren Hashian and their almost two-year-old daughter Jasmine at the ceremony on […]

Weird but cute: Japan’s capsule toys play big in Internet age

by Natsuko Fukue Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A tiny replica of an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus and a plastic cat squatting on sushi: just two of the weird-and-wonderful capsule toys that have become a multi-million-dollar craze in cute-obsessed Japan. The industry is now worth an estimated 30 billion yen ($265 million), with the fastidious attention to detail in the toys appealing to the Japanese sense of precision along with a well-documented love of all […]

Gwyneth Paltrow brings The Go-Gos to Broadway

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The Go-Gos, the pioneering all-woman rock band, are heading to Broadway, with an assist by Gwyneth Paltrow. The Hollywood star was announced Tuesday as a producer for “Head Over Heels,” an upcoming musical that will trace the story of the rockers known for infectious pop-rock songs such as “Vacation.” “If you told us 30 years ago that our songs were going to be in a musical, we’d have said, […]

Princes William and Harry attend ‘Star Wars’ London premiere

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Princes William and Harry attended the European premiere of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” on Tuesday, joining the all-star cast in London for the latest instalment of the sci-fi saga. The British royals walked the red carpet dressed in tuxedos for the screening at London’s Royal Albert Hall, where they were greeted by the rolling droid character BB-8 who dutifully bowed to the princes. The two reportedly have cameo roles […]