Entertainment – International

New ‘Game of Thrones’ trailer hints that ‘winter is here’ . . .

Reuters — The most in-depth look to date into the globally successful epic fantasy television series ‘Game of Thrones’ was released on Wednesday (June 21). Playing off the series’ catchphrase ‘winter is coming’, the trailer is called ‘Winter is Here’ and shows all the key surviving characters of the various houses of Westeros as they do battle for the Iron Throne. The trailer is book-ended by the character of Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) whose character […]

Adele surprises Grenfell Tower firefighters

LONDON, England (Reuters) — Singer Adele paid a surprise visit on Monday (June 19) to some of the firefighters who tackled the blaze that ravaged a London tower block last week. “She just turned up at the station and knocked on the window and said she had some cakes for us,” said station manager Ben King in a statement. The death toll from the Grenfell Tower fire has risen to 79 people, police said on […]

Livestreams, bad blood drive Katy Perry’s ‘Witness’ to No.1

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — After weeks of promotion, a 96-hour livestream and an attempt to end some bad blood with Taylor Swift, Katy Perry’s “Witness” made its debut atop the U.S. Billboard 200 chart on Monday (June 19), the singer’s third chart-topping album. “Witness,” in which Perry infuses political themes into pop music, sold 162,000 albums, 51,000 songs and was streamed more than 19 million times in its opening week, totaling 180,000 album units, […]

Pop superstar Beyonce gives birth to twins: reports

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Pop diva Beyonce and her rap mogul husband Jay Z have welcomed twins, the United States singer’s father tweeted Sunday, appearing to confirm the arrival of new additions to a music family that already includes five-year-old Blue Ivy. News that the singer had given birth, reported on Saturday by entertainment outlets including People magazine and US Weekly, ignited social media, with the so-called “Bey hive” fan group buzzing over […]

Stars turn up for Transformers premiere in London

LONDON, England (Reuters) — Mark Wahlberg and his co-stars walked the blue carpet for the global premiere of ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ in London’s Leicester Square on Sunday (June 18). The fifth installment of the live-action Transformers film series directed by Michael Bay is said to be directors’ farewell to the franchise. Reprising his role from the previous Tranformers film ‘Age of Extinction’ Mark Wahlberg indicated that he will follow director’s decision and also won’t […]

Katy Perry makes Twitter history with 100 million followers

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Pop superstar Katy Perry has made history by becoming the first user to garner 100 million followers on Twitter, the social media platform announced. “Today we #WITNESS history,” Twitter said Friday in a tweet, referencing the title of Perry’s recently released fifth album. “Congratulations @katyperry, the first to reach 100 million followers! #LoveKaty.” The 32-year-old singer recently livestreamed her life for 96 hours, inviting fans to watch as she slept, […]

John Avildsen, director of ‘Rocky’, dies at 81

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — John Avildsen, the Oscar-winning director whose blockbuster films like “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid” championed the ascent of underdogs, has died. He was 81 years old. The filmmaker died of pancreatic cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles Times, citing Avildsen’s eldest son. The 1976 hit “Rocky” — an adrenaline-pumping story that captures the rise of a down-and-out boxer from working-class Philadelphia — […]

Los Angeles lights Bat-Signal for late actor Adam West

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) –The late actor Adam West was honored by the city of Los Angeles on Thursday with a ceremonial lighting of the iconic Bat-Signal onto the City Hall building. Hundreds of fans thronged downtown Los Angeles, some dressed in comic character costume, to witness the event and pay respects to the 88-year-old actor who earned a place in American pop culture history with his campy portrayal of the title character in […]

Sting, Wayne Shorter win 2017 Polar Music Prize

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Reuters) — British rock star Sting and American jazz musician Wayne Shorter received Sweden’s Polar Music Prize at a royal ceremony on Thursday (June 15). The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by ABBA manager Stig Andersson and the winners each receive 1 million Swedish crowns. In awarding the prize to Sting, who found fame with The Police in the late 1970s, the committee said that as a composer Sting had “combined […]

Ed Sheeran and Babyface pick up honors at the Songwriters Hall of Fame

NEW YORK CITY, United States (AFP) — Motown founder Berry Gordy, R&B producing duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and pop star Ed Sheeran were honored at the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York on Thursday (June 15) night. Babyface, known for both his solo career and work with stars including Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton and Boyz II Men, was also inducted and called the honor the highlight of his career. Sheeran was presented […]

Adele visits London’s Grenfell Tower following fire

LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) — British singer Adele visited Grenfell Tower in London on Thursday (June 15) during the early hours. The Grammy winner musician was at the place of the disaster around midnight (local time) according to an eyewitness. The 29-year-old singer was near the cordoned-off area, the eyewitness said. The death toll in a fire disaster that destroyed a 24-storey block of flats in London was expected to rise on Thursday (June 15), […]

Hollywood’s Rebel Wilson wins defamation case

SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Hollywood actress Rebel Wilson on Thursday won a lengthy defamation case against an Australian publisher that portrayed her as a serial liar, which she said cost her lucrative movie roles. The 37-year-old “Pitch Perfect” star sued Bauer Media over eight articles in Woman’s Day, Australian Women’s Weekly and OK Magazine in 2015, which her defense said “tore down an Australian star to sell magazines.” The stories claimed the Sydney-born actor lied […]