LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Disney delayed the releases of more than a dozen major films Friday, but has not given up on a summer blockbuster with “Mulan” now penciled in for a July launch despite the coronavirus pandemic. The revised schedule confirmed eagerly awaited Marvel movies “Black Widow” and “The Eternals,” as well as the latest “Thor” and “Doctor Strange” sequels, have all been pushed back as the virus shutters theaters around the […]
Tag: entertainment
Veteran Afro-jazz star Manu Dibango dies after contracting coronavirus
PARIS, France (AFP) — Veteran Afro-jazz star Manu Dibango died on Tuesday after contracting the new coronavirus, his representatives have confirmed. The 86-year-old Cameroonian, best known for the 1972 hit “Soul Makossa”, is one of the first worldwide stars to die as a result of COVID-19. “He died early this morning in a hospital in the Paris region,” his music publisher Thierry Durepaire said. A message on his official Facebook page confirmed that his death […]
Harvey Weinstein tests positive for coronavirus: report
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, US media reported Sunday. Weinstein, 68, is in prison in northern New York state after being sentenced to 23 years in jail for rape and sexual assault. The fallen film producer’s diagnosis was first reported Sunday evening by local paper the Niagara Gazette. Weinstein’s spokespeople have declined to comment to US media on the subject. The New […]
Tom Hanks released from hospital after virus quarantine
GOLD COAST, United States (AFP) — Tom Hanks has been released from the Australian hospital where he was in isolation since testing positive for the coronavirus last week, but his wife Rita Wilson remains hospitalized, health officials said Tuesday. The multiple Oscar-winning actors were on the Gold Coast near Brisbane to film an Elvis Presley biopic directed by Australian Baz Luhrmann when he and Wilson, both 63, came down with the disease. Wilson, a singer-songwriter, […]
BTS cancel Seoul concerts as coronavirus spreads in S. Korea: agency
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — K-pop megastars BTS on Friday canceled four concerts they were due to hold in Seoul in April, their agency said, as the coronavirus outbreak spreads in South Korea. The country has so far confirmed more than 2,000 cases of the novel coronavirus, by far the largest national total outside China, the origin of the disease. “We regret to announce” that the Seoul concerts have been canceled, BTS agency Big Hit […]
Harvey Weinstein convicted of sexual assault and rape in ‘new era’ for #MeToo
by Peter HUTCHISON Agence France Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) – Harvey Weinstein was convicted Monday of sexual assault and rape but cleared of the most serious predatory sexual assault charges, a verdict hailed as a historic victory by the #MeToo Movement against sexual abuse. The jury of seven men and five women, delivering their decision before a packed New York courtroom, found the once powerful Hollywood producer guilty of criminal sexual acts […]
Coronavirus forces BTS to stream album press conference from empty hall
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea’s coronavirus outbreak forced K-pop superstars BTS to Livestream a conference promoting their new album from an empty hall Monday, with members urging fans to take care of themselves. The country has so far confirmed more than 800 cases of the novel coronavirus, by far the largest national total outside China, the origin of the disease. In light of the outbreak BTS streamed the conference on Youtube, the band’s […]
Pneumonia forces Elton John to cut short Auckland gig
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AFP) — Elton John has tearfully apologized to fans after cutting short a concert in New Zealand due to illness, with the British superstar saying he was suffering from “walking pneumonia”. The 72-year-old, who is in the midst of a gruelling world tour, struggled to sing while seated at a grand piano during a performance at Mount Smart Stadium on Sunday night. After being checked by a medic with a stethoscope, he […]
‘Parasite’: South Korea’s barrier-breaking satire
by Claire LEE SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean thriller “Parasite” — a dark comedy about modern poverty and wealth that has brought down language barriers to open new audiences to foreign film — can now call itself a history-making Oscar winner. The movie’s Academy Award for the best original screenplay was the first Asian win in that category and the first for a Korean in any category. It comes after the 100th anniversary […]
Brad Pitt back on top with Oscar win
by Jocelyne ZABLIT HOLLYWOOD, United States (AFP) — Brad Pitt’s Oscar win on Sunday marks a fitting comeback for the veteran actor whose personal life, rather than his on-screen roles, has dominated headlines in recent years. Pitt won the golden statuette for his role as a laid-back fading stuntman in Quentin Tarantino’s ode to 1960s Tinseltown, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.” “This is incredible, really incredible,” the 56-year-old said as he accepted the […]
Joaquin Phoenix wins best actor Bafta for ‘Joker’
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Joaquin Phoenix on Sunday won a Bafta for his brooding performance as the troubled man who would become Batman’s arch-nemesis in dark comic book tale “Joker”. He beat Leonardo DiCaprio (“Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood”), Adam Driver (“Marriage Story”), Taron Egerton (“Rocketman”) and Jonathan Pryce (“The Two Popes”). © Agence France-Presse
Grammys gala begins with love letter to late NBA star Kobe Bryant
by Maggy DONALDSON LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The 2020 Grammys kicked off Sunday with an emotional tribute to the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, whose sudden death in a helicopter crash left Los Angeles in tears on music’s marquee night. Before the star-studded event’s top nominee Lizzo owned the stage at the Staples Center with a show-stopping medley of her top hits — where Bryant made NBA history as a championship-winning Laker — […]





