LOS ANGELES, Sept 27, 2023 (AFP) – The leaders of the Writers Guild of America on Tuesday called off a monthslong strike that has paralyzed Hollywood, accepting a pay deal hammered out with production studios. The powerful writers’ union’s board of directors “voted unanimously to recommend the agreement,” it said in a statement, adding “the strike ends at 12:01 am” Los Angeles time on Wednesday. The union’s 11,500 members will have final say on whether […]
Tag: entertainment
Jungkook, Anitta draw fans to Central Park aid fest despite rain
NEW YORK, Sept 23, 2023 (AFP) – Thousands of people gathered in a swampy Central Park for a concert urging global development aid, with Jungkook of BTS fame and Brazil’s Anitta highlighting the marathon show’s first half. Jungkook had the poncho-clad crowd screaming and swaying along as he serenaded them with hits including “Still With You” during the Global Citizen Festival marked by a chilly, persistent rain. Wearing acid wash jeans and a brown shirt, […]
Everybody hurts: Los Angeles suffers as Hollywood strike hits 100 days
BURBANK, United States, Aug 9, 2023 (AFP) – In his dry cleaning shop near the Warner Bros. and Disney studios, Tom Malian looks in despair at a carousel mostly empty of the shirts, jackets and pants it held before Hollywood went on strike. Film and TV production ground to a halt 100 days ago when writers downed their pens, only to be joined on the picket lines in mid-July by actors. The double strike emptied […]
‘Barbie’ stays atop ‘hill of cash’ in N.America theaters
LOS ANGELES, July 30, 2023 (AFP) – Warner Bros.’ blockbuster “Barbie” earned an estimated $93 million in North American theaters this weekend as it continued “rolling down a hill of cash,” industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday. Taken together with Universal’s dark biopic “Oppenheimer,” which took in a mighty $46.2 million in its own second weekend out, the two films provided a much-needed “Barbenheimer” boost during a middling Hollywood summer. “July would have been a […]
Tony Bennett, last of classic American crooners, dead at 96
NEW YORK, July 21, 2023 (AFP) – Tony Bennett, the last in a generation of classic American crooners whose ceaselessly cheery spirit bridged generations to make him a hitmaker across seven decades, died Friday in New York. He was 96. Raised in an era when big bands defined US pop music, Bennett achieved an improbable second act when he started winning over young audiences in the 1990s — not by reinventing himself but by demonstrating […]
No stars? Comic-Con returns to roots as Hollywood strikes
By Andrew MARSZAL Agence France-Presse SAN DIEGO, United States (AFP) — Comic books, video games and colorful “cosplay” outfits took center stage at Comic-Con as the giant pop culture event kicked off Thursday without its usual A-list stars due to the Hollywood strike. Braving the soaring heat, tens of thousands of fans dressed as characters from Wonder Woman to Barbie and Ken flocked to San Diego, California. While Comic-Con typically draws headlines for glitzy movie […]
Taylor Swift sets women’s record for most number one albums
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Taylor Swift now has more number one albums than any other female artist in history following the recent release of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version),” Billboard said Monday. The record debuted at the top of the Billboard charts, becoming the pop queen’s 12th number one album and surpassing Barbra Streisand for the most among women. For male performers, Jay-Z and the Beatles both have over a dozen number one albums, […]
Hollywood shuts down as actors go on strike
By Andrew MARSZAL Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Tens of thousands of Hollywood actors will go on strike at midnight Thursday, effectively bringing the giant movie and television business to a halt as they join writers in the first industry-wide walkout for 63 years. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) issued a strike order after last-ditch talks with studios on their demands over dwindling pay and the threat posed by artificial intelligence ended […]
When is an eSport not an eSport? Olympic event puzzles gamers
By Satish Cheney Agence France-Presse SINGAPORE, June 20, 2023 (AFP) — ESports has long been derided as “not a real sport”. But now, an Olympic-organized event is being dismissed by competitive gamers as not real eSports. Many long-time backers of big-money digital contests, which are edging their way towards elite-level recognition, are puzzled by the choice of games at the inaugural Olympics Esports Week that kicks off in Singapore on Thursday. Instead of well-established gaming […]
Golden Globes journalist group to be dissolved as awards taken private
By Andrew MARSZAL Agence France-Presse LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The scandal-hit association of foreign journalists that created the Golden Globes will be wound down as the Hollywood award show is formally purchased by private investors including US billionaire Todd Boehly, it was announced Monday. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association — a group of around 100 entertainment writers with links to overseas publications — has handed out the Globes to A-list film and television […]
Simply the best: Rock queen Tina Turner has died at 83
LOS ANGELES, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – Rock legend Tina Turner, the growling songstress who electrified audiences for decades, died Wednesday at the age of 83 after a long illness. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner,” read a statement on the official Instagram page of the eight-time Grammy winner. “With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired […]
Eurovision returns, to Liverpool via Kyiv
LIVERPOOL, May 13, 2023 (AFP) – Twenty-six countries, each with three minutes to convince juries and the voting public: Britain hosts the Eurovision grand final on Saturday night on behalf of last year’s runaway winners Ukraine. The heavily tattooed and plant pot hat-wearing Kalush Orchestra took away the coveted glass microphone trophy with their hip-hop/folk music mash-up “Stefania” last time round. But Russia’s invasion ended Ukraine’s hopes of staging the contest and welcoming legions of […]





