Tag: entertainment

‘The Shape of Water’ scores big with 13 Oscar nominations

by Veronique Dupont Agence France Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Fantasy romance “The Shape of Water” topped the Oscars nominations list on Tuesday with 13 nods, one shy of the record, as the Academy also gave a rare nomination to a woman in the directing category. In second place was tense World War II epic “Dunkirk,” with eight nods, while crime drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” generally thought to be the favorite […]

Neil Diamond reveals Parkinson’s, ends touring

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Neil Diamond, one of the best-selling singers of all time, announced Monday he was immediately retiring from touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Following his doctor’s advice, the Brooklyn native who turns 77 on Wednesday scrapped Australia and New Zealand stops scheduled for March as part of a global tour to celebrate his 50th anniversary as a recording artist. However, Diamond said in a statement that he plans […]

Danny McBride to play Crocodile Dundee’s son in new movie

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — More than 30 years after Mick Crocodile Dundee delighted audiences by wrestling wild animals and facing down New York muggers with his massive knife, a reboot is in the works. “Dundee: The Son of A Legend Returns Home,” the fourth film in the $600 million “Crocodile Dundee” franchise, will star Danny McBride as Brian Dundee, the son no one knew Mick Dundee had. “I’m not going to lie to […]

How to take a bullet, by ‘Den of Thieves’ star 50 Cent

by Frankie Taggart Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Note to action movie directors: you probably don’t need to tell Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson — juvenile crack dealer turned multi-millionnaire rapper and movie star — how to take a bullet. It was a liberty first-time filmmaker Christian Gudegast felt comfortable taking, however, during the filming of Jackson’s latest movie, gritty heist thriller “Den of Thieves.” “There’s a point where I get shot in […]

NBA: Williams, Hart, Fergie among All-Star performers

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Pharrell Williams and his hip-hop group N.E.R.D. will perform at half-time of next month’s NBA All-Star Game, the league announced Thursday, with actor-comedian Kevin Hart opening festivities and introducing teams. The 67th annual clash of elite NBA talent will be staged February 18 in Los Angeles and also feature pre-game national anthems, the American sung by Fergie and the Canadian performed by Canadian rock band Barenaked Ladies. Williams, an […]

Contested Versace murder drama hits US television

by Thomas Urbain Agence France-Presse NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Dismissed as “fiction” by the Versace family and met with mixed reviews, a controversial new drama depicting the 1997 murder of Gianni Versace makes its US television debut Wednesday. “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” is the second edition of a crime story franchise whose first iteration won rave reviews and a bevy of awards for revisiting the 1995 O.J. Simpson murder […]

Lebanon reverses ban on Spielberg’s ‘The Post’

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — The Lebanese government has allowed the release of Steven Spielberg’s latest film, “The Post,” overturning a ban by the General Security authority, a ministry said Wednesday. The security body had on Monday announced it was banning the Hollywood thriller to comply with an Arab League boycott targeting supporters of Israel. In a rare move, the interior ministry chose not to sign off on the decision by General Security, which in addition to controlling […]

Kim Kardashian announces birth of third child via surrogate

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Reality star Kim Kardashian and her rapper husband Kanye West Tuesday announced the birth of their third child, a baby girl who was born via a surrogate. “She is here! We’re so in love,” Kardashian, 37, wrote in a post on her website which she then shared with her 58.3 million Twitter followers. In a brief message, she wrote that their “healthy, beautiful” daughter was born Monday at 12:47 […]

Lebanon bans Spielberg film and Israeli adventurer biopic

by Khaled Soubeih Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Lebanese authorities have banned Steven Spielberg’s latest film, political thriller “The Post”, and Australian drama “Jungle” to comply with a boycott of Israel, an official told AFP Monday. “Screening of the film ‘The Post’ has been banned,” said the official from Lebanon’s General Security authority, speaking on condition of anonymity. Spielberg “is blacklisted by the Arab League’s boycott office, which Lebanon complies with”, the official explained. […]

Actress Kruger says Hollywood changing because ‘men are scared’

PARIS, France (AFP) — Hollywood actress Diane Kruger said Monday that the #MeToo movement had scared powerful men but she was afraid that change may be short-lived. The German-born star, who won the best actress in May at the Cannes film festival for “In the Fade” — which is hotly tipped for a best foreign movie Oscar nomination — told French television that she has never been paid as much as her male co-stars. Yet […]

‘Jumanji’ leads the box office pack over holiday weekend

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Sony’s family-oriented movie “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” staked out the top spot at the North American box office this holiday weekend, gripping first place for the second straight week. “Jumanji,” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and funnymen Jack Black and Kevin Hart, was expected to net $33.4 million over the Martin Luther King Day weekend, bringing its domestic total to $289.5 million in its fourth week out, according […]

Naked Cowboy bravely sings of love for Trump in Mexico

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — The Naked Cowboy, whose white underpants, bronzed chest and cowboy hat are fixtures in New York’s Times Square, took his act to Mexico City this week, bravely singing of his love for Donald Trump and his border wall. Robert John Burck is famous for busking on Broadway sporting just a guitar and tighty-whities emblazoned with the words “Naked Cowboy” in red, white and blue, even in the dead of winter. […]