Tag: entertainment ‘

Hollywood stars among dozens charged over college entrance scam

by Thomas URBAIN “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman and fellow Hollywood actress Lori Loughlin were among dozens indicted Tuesday in a multi-million dollar scam to help children of the American elite cheat their way into top universities. The accused, who also include chief executives, financiers, the chairman of a prominent law firm, a winemaker and fashion designer, allegedly cheated on admissions tests and arranged for bribes to get their children into prestigious schools including Yale, […]

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Stanley Donen, famed director of ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’ dies at 94

Stanley Donen, who directed such beloved Hollywood classics as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “On the Town” and “Charade,” has died in New York at age 94. His death of a heart attack was confirmed by one of his sons, Mark Donen, the Chicago Tribune reported. Donen, whose films were known as witty, stylish and energetic, worked with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, from Audrey Hepburn to Fred Astaire. Under Donen’s direction, Gene Kelly’s famously exuberant […]

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Singer R. Kelly gets $1 million bail

A US judge set a $1 million bail for R&B superstar R. Kelly on Saturday after prosecutors laid out in graphic detail what they said was his long history of sexual abuse of four victims, three of them minors. Kelly, who is known for hits like “I Believe I Can Fly,” surrendered to police late Friday. He is charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against the four females, one of them as […]

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Superstar R. Kelly charged with sex abuse, including against minors

by Nova Safo, with Maggy Donaldson in New York R&B superstar R. Kelly was charged Friday in Chicago with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sex abuse against four victims, three of them minors. A judge approved a no-bail arrest warrant for the 52-year-old, a Cook County clerk told AFP, a major development in the Kelly saga that has seen him for decades accused of child pornography, sex with minors, operating a sex cult and sexual […]

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Chicago police charge US actor with filing false report of assault

by Nova Safo US police on Wednesday charged a TV actor with lying to authorities about being the victim of a racist and homophobic attack on the streets of Chicago. Jussie Smollett, a gay and black actor who stars in the Fox network drama “Empire,” is facing felony criminal charges of disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. He claimed that on January 29, two masked men beat him late at night in downtown […]

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All the winners from the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA), held in London on Sunday evening, honoured the 19-year-old Canadian singer Shawn Mendes with both the Best Artist and Best Song prizes. In a first for the EMAs — created in 1994 — categories were stripped of gender in a bid to “break barriers.” Here is the list of the winners of the 24th edition of MTV EMA: Best artist: Shawn Mendes Best song: […]

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Beyonce surprises country awards with fusion gesture

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Beyonce on Wednesday seized the spotlight at the Country Music Association Awards by cheerily performing a fusion song, in a powerful if unstated message on US race relations. The pop superstar, whose appearance at the awards in Nashville had not been previously announced, took the stage without an introduction and sang a track off her latest album with country veterans Dixie Chicks seamlessly joining in. The song, “Daddy Lessons,” […]

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‘The Accountant’ easily tops North American box office

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Financial thriller “The Accountant” booked $24.7 million in ticket receipts on its opening weekend to score number one at the North American box office, industry data showed on Monday. The Warner Bros. film centers on an autistic mathematics savant who capitalizes on his fondness for numbers by becoming an undercover forensic accountant for criminal organizations. Starring Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick, the film opened to mixed reviews but yielded more […]

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