Randy Meisner: Eagles founding member dies aged 77

The bassist sang lead vocals on Take It To the Limit and backing vocals on Hotel California. More »

Ivan Reitman: Ghostbusters director dies aged 75

The Czechoslovakia-born filmmaker made some of the biggest comedies of the 80s and 90s. More »

NHL roundup: Scott Wedgewood, Devils shut out Islanders

FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators gather to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that he plans to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals from serving in any capacity in the U.S. military, at the White House in Washington, U.S. July 26, 2017. REUTERS/... More »

BTS score a first for Korean band on Billboard chart with ‘Dynamite’

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – K-Pop band BTS roared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts in the United States on Monday, becoming the first Korean pop act to debut at No. 1. “Dynamite,” the first all-English language single from the seven-member boy ba... More »

Bear necessities? Furry visitor on the prowl in California store

(Reuters) – At a North California supermarket last week, one visitor likely had only one thing in mind – the bear necessities. Shoppers at the Kings Beach Safeway by Lake Tahoe found an otherwise routine trip to the store on Aug. 25 disrupted by an inquisitive... More »

Porn star Ron Jeremy faces 20 more sex charges, one involving 15-year-old

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Porn star Ron Jeremy was charged on Monday with 20 additional counts of rape and sexual assault, including one involving a 15- year-old girl, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said. Jeremy, 67, one of the biggest names in the a... More »

‘Rave on’: Irish president helps celebrate Van Morrison’s 75th birthday

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish President Michael D. Higgins joined a virtual celebration of Van Morrison’s 75th birthday on Monday, namechecking U.S. civil rights champion John Lewis and author James Baldwin in a spoken-word rendition of one of the Northern Irishman... More »

Custom masks, coronavirus and Black lives dominate VMA show

(Reuters) – Lady Gaga dominated the MTV Video Music Awards show on Sunday, with a series of visually arresting outfits, masked performances and four wins, including artist of the year. Gaga, who went into the show sharing a leading nine nominations with Ariana... More »

Factbox: Key winners at the MTV Video Music Awards

(Reuters) – The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) were held as a mostly virtual event on Sunday, with some performances in front of a limited audience at locations in New York City. Following is a list of winners in key categories: VIDEO OF THE YEAR The Weeknd – “... More »

The Weeknd wins video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards

(Reuters) – Canadian singer The Weeknd on Sunday won the video of the year award, the top prize at the MTV Video Music Awards. The Weeknd won for “Blinding Lights”, which was also chosen as best R&B single in the fan-voted show. Source: https://www.reuters.com... More »

Vietnamese man with five-metre hair says lifelong grow-out is divine calling

DONG HOA, Vietnam (Reuters) – While coronavirus lockdowns caused many men across the world to grow their hair longer than usual, none compare with Vietnam’s Nguyen Van Chien who has gone almost 80 years without a trim. The 92-year-old from the southern Mekong ... More »

Nigerian lesbian love film to go online to avoid censorship board

LAGOS (Reuters) – Two young women fill the screen, reclining on a bed, talking about their hope of having children. They are protagonists in a new Nigerian film called “Ife” depicting their love story. The topic is controversial in Nigeria, where same-sex rela... More »

New dog walking rule in Germany leaves owners scratching their heads

BERLIN (Reuters) – A new rule forcing Germans to take their dog for a walk twice a day has unleashed a debate on whether the state can decide what is best for the country’s 9.4 million pet canines. Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner announced this week she h... More »

K-Pop group BTS’ label Big Hit posts profit as it prepares for IPO

(This August 13 story corrects to show that 2019 and 2020 H1 results are based on different accounting standards in paragraph 3, changes percentage change to profit figure in paragraph 1) By Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) – Big Hit Entertainment, the management lab... More »

Virus spike pushes Sarajevo Film Festival online

SARAJEVO (Reuters) – The Sarajevo Film Festival will be launched entirely online on Friday after a spike in coronavirus cases forced organisers to cancel plans to stage Europe’s first in-person movie fair since the outbreak of the pandemic. Just ten days ago a... More »

Disney to stream a new ‘Star Wars’ holiday special with Legos

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A new “Star Wars” holiday special produced with Legos will debut on Walt Disney Co’s Disney+ streaming service in November, the company said on Thursday. The special will feature Rey and other characters from the most recent “Star Wars”... More »

Remove masks, celebrate freedom: fashion grannies return to Beijing street ‘catwalk’

BEIJING (Reuters) – Four famous amateur model grandmothers took off their masks during a saunter down the streets of Beijing on Thursday to demonstrate life returning to normal as the COVID-19 pandemic eases. Glamma Beijing, a group of four women who met durin... More »

MTV’s Video Music Awards drops plans for indoor show due to coronavirus

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – MTV has abandoned the idea of holding its Video Music Awards show at an indoor venue in New York because of the complications of the coronavirus epidemic. The VMA show on Aug. 30, which traditionally features live performances from musi... More »

Swapping shorts for thermals, ‘I’m A Celebrity’ moves to UK from Australia

LONDON (Reuters) – British broadcaster ITV will this year hold its reality TV show “I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here” in a ruined English castle in winter instead of the heat of the Australian jungle, as COVID-19 restrictions make global travel all but imp... More »

U.S. record producer Detail charged with raping five women

(Reuters) – Grammy Award-winning producer Detail, who once worked with Beyonce, has been charged with raping five women and sexually assaulting a sixth, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said on Thursday. Detail, whose birth name is Noel Fisher, was c... More »

‘Dirty Dancing’ sequel in the works with original star Jennifer Grey

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Jennifer Grey, the actress who starred opposite Patrick Swayze in romantic drama “Dirty Dancing,” will appear in a sequel to the classic 1987 movie, the studio behind the film announced on Thursday. Grey also will serve as an executive ... More »

Gwyneth Paltrow stunned by derision over her ‘conscious uncoupling’ announcement

(Reuters) – Gwyneth Paltrow says deciding to split with her first husband Chris Martin was painful enough, but nothing could have prepared her for the public mockery that greeted the announcement of their “conscious uncoupling.” That was the phrase used by the... More »

R&B star Lizzo to produce TV programming for Amazon’s streaming service

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Grammy-winning R&B star Lizzo has signed a deal to produce television programming for Amazon.com Inc’s Prime Video streaming service, the singer announced on Thursday. The 32-year-old singer of “Good as Hell” and “Juice” had a breakout ... More »

Makeover: UK fashion bible Vogue turns serious for September

LONDON (Reuters) – Misan Harriman hopes to encourage employers to cast the recruitment net more widely with his Vogue cover portrait of influential Black activists in place of the usual pouting stars. Footballer Marcus Rashford, who helped force a UK governmen... More »

From omelet to octopus, Selena Gomez gets quarantine busy with TV cooking show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Singer-actress Selena Gomez has been cooking up a storm during the coronavirus lockdown and is now ready to share her hilarious and sometimes embarrassing efforts with the rest of the world. “Selena + Chef,” a 10-episode unscripted seri... More »

‘Made in Italy’ film becomes healing process for Liam Neeson and son

(Reuters) – Eleven years after the sudden death of actress Natasha Richardson, her husband Liam Neeson and their son have found renewed healing in their first film together, “Made in Italy.” “Reading the script was like, what? This is so weird. Like, surely Mo... More »

‘Cocoon’ actor Wilford Brimley dies age 85

(Reuters) – Actor Wilford Brimley, best known for his roles in the Oscar-winning movie “Cocoon” and “The Firm” has died at the age of 85, U.S. media reported. Utah-born Brimley found his way into the film industry through stunt work around horse riding, before... More »

Alan Parker, director of ‘Bugsy Malone’ and ‘Mississippi Burning’, dies at 76

LONDON (Reuters) – British filmmaker Alan Parker, director of movies ranging from “Bugsy Malone”, a gangster comedy featuring children armed with machineguns that fired cream, to the tense prison drama “Midnight Express”, died on Friday aged 76. Parker, who al... More »

NBA’s return doubles typical regular-season audience, broadcaster TNT says

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The NBA’s return to regular-season play for the first time in four months averaged 3.4 million viewers for a close contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, the league and AT&T Inc’s TNT cable network said on Frid... More »

Ellen DeGeneres TV show to make workplace changes after probe of culture

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday sent an emotional message to the staff of her television talk show saying she was taking steps to improve the culture on set following accusations of a hostile working environment. The email followed an inter... More »

Snazzy face mask fashion reaches Nairobi neighbourhood

NAIROBI (Reuters) – Most of us have accepted COVID-19 face masks as an inconvenient, albeit necessary, safety measure. For the style conscious like James Maina Mwangi, however, they are an unmissable fashion opportunity. Mwangi’s brightly coloured suits and ha... More »

MTV’s VMAs to honor coronavirus shutdown music

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Pop stars Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga led a girl power list of nominations on Thursday for the MTV Video Music Awards, which added two new categories to reflect how musicians are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. Grande and Gaga g... More »

‘Breaking Bad’ star Bryan Cranston says he has recovered from COVID-19

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Emmy-winning “Breaking Bad” star Bryan Cranston disclosed on Thursday that he had recovered from mild symptoms of COVID-19 and donated his plasma in the hopes that his antibodies would help others with the disease. Wearing a face mask, ... More »

Adventurer’s ‘Into the Wild’ bus may be headed to Alaska museum

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) – The infamous bus that served as the final campsite for doomed adventurer Christopher McCandless could be preserved as a museum piece under a plan announced on Thursday by Alaska officials. The University of Alaska Museum in Fairba... More »

‘Hopeless addict’ Depp was a violent misogynist, court hears

LONDON (Reuters) – Johnny Depp was a drug addict prone to violent rages and a misogynist who assaulted his wife and used abusive language about women, a London court was told on Monday as the actor’s libel trial against a British tabloid neared its ending. The... More »

Factbox: Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s testimony in ‘wife beater’ libel trial

LONDON (Reuters) – Johnny Depp is suing the publisher of Britain’s Sun newspaper and its executive editor Dan Wootton for libel over an article that described the movie star as a “wife beater”. The Sun’s lawyers told the court they would show the allegation in... More »

‘Gone With The Wind’ star Olivia de Havilland dies aged 104

(Reuters) – “Gone With the Wind” star Olivia de Havilland, considered the last surviving actress of the Golden Age of Hollywood, died on Sunday at the age of 104, the Hollywood Reporter said. She died of natural causes at her home in Paris, where she had lived... More »

Prolific U.S. TV host Regis Philbin dies at 88, People magazine reports

(Reuters) – Regis Philbin, a familiar face to TV viewers as an energetic and funny talk and game show host who logged more hours in front of the camera than anyone else in the history of U.S. television, has died aged 88, People magazine said on Saturday, citi... More »

Fleetwood Mac blues guitarist Peter Green is dead at 73

(Reuters) – Fleetwood Mac guitarist and co-founder of the influential rock group Peter Green has died at age 73, Green’s lawyers said on Saturday. The law firm Swan Turton said in a statement that Green had died in his sleep this weekend. Green, born in London... More »

UK rapper Wiley faces police probe over accusations of anti-Semitism

LONDON (Reuters) – British rap artist Wiley is facing a police investigation after a string of anti-Semitic comments appeared on his social media accounts, prompting his management to drop him. The rapper’s Twitter account, which has half a million followers, ... More »

Norway quarantine is no obstacle for secret agent Ethan Hunt

OSLO (Reuters) – The Norwegian government will make an exception for Tom Cruise and his crew to shoot parts of a new “Mission: Impossible” movie in Norway this autumn without imposing quarantine requirements, a minister said on Friday. Production of the sevent... More »

Man parades down Oxford Street wearing nothing but mask

LONDON (Reuters) – A man strolled down central London’s most popular shopping street on Friday with only a mask to cover his nudity, leaving passerbys astounded, amused and shocked. As the man walked nonchalantly along Oxford Street, naked except for the light... More »

Taylor Swift changes it up with ‘Folklore’ and earns rave reviews

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Taylor Swift on Friday won some of the best reviews of her career with an album produced entirely during the coronavirus crisis that breaks new ground for the Grammy-winning artist. “Folklore” features the 30-year-old singer, who began ... More »

Gambling addiction spikes among South Korea’s work-from-home day traders

SEOUL (Reuters) – Day traders seeking help for gambling addiction have tripled in number in South Korea, as COVID-19 social distancing and working-from-home has freed up more time for online stock market trading, data showed. Retail investors, known locally as... More »

Actress Heard to be quizzed over her Depp ‘wife beater’ claims

LONDON (Reuters) – Actress Amber Heard will be questioned about her allegations that she suffered domestic abuse at the hands of ex-husband Johnny Depp when she begins giving evidence on Monday as part of the Hollywood star’s libel case against a British tablo... More »

Factbox: Johnny Depp’s libel case – The evidence so far

LONDON (Reuters) – Johnny Depp is suing the publisher of Britain’s Sun newspaper and its executive editor Dan Wootton for libel over an article that described the movie star as a “wife beater”. Depp has given five days of testimony. This week, London’s High Co... More »

Movie magic as Paris turns the Seine into open-air cinema

PARIS (Reuters) – While the cinema drive-in may have gotten a boost as lockdowns gradually come to an end amid the COVID-19 outbreak, in Paris film fans can now munch on their popcorn watching a movie from a boat on the river Seine. As part of Paris Plages, th... More »

Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai and daughter in hospital with COVID-19: media

(Reuters) – Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her daughter are in hospital after testing positive for coronavirus this week, days after her husband and father-in-law were admitted, the Times of India reported on Saturday. Rai’s father-in-law Amitabh Ba... More »

Paper made up quotes to defame Depp, actress tells UK libel trial

LONDON (Reuters) – Actress and #MeToo campaigner Katherine Kendall said on Friday Britain’s Sun newspaper had deliberately misused her quotes in an article which labelled Hollywood star Johnny Depp a “wife beater”. Depp, 57, is suing the publisher of that news... More »

Coronavirus fans flames of love in Nigeria’s online dating scene

LAGOS (Reuters) – Oreoluwa Akinnawo is in his element. Lagos’s bars and restaurants are shut and Nigerians are struggling to socialise. The pandemic is his perfect time to find a soul mate online. “The dating thing during this restriction works perfectly for m... More »

No trans characters in major Hollywood movies for 3rd year, report finds

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hollywood increased the numbers of gay and bisexual characters in movies in 2019, but most of them had only fleeting screen time and there were no transgender characters at all, according to a survey released on Thursday. The Studio Res... More »

Child YouTube star Ryan Kaji adds lockdown fun, virus education to repertoire

(Reuters) – Young YouTube sensation Ryan Kaji’s star has kept rising during the coronavirus lockdowns. The eight-year-old, who first began his channel “Ryan’s World” on YouTube to review toys for family members and other youngsters, raked in $26 million as 201... More »

Banksy mural stolen at Bataclan returned to France from Italy

ROME (Reuters) – Italy on Tuesday handed back to France a mural painted by British street artist Banksy which was stolen from the Paris Bataclan theatre, where militant Islamist gunmen killed scores of people in an attack in November 2015. In June 2018, Banksy... More »

Actress Kelly Preston dies of breast cancer at 57

(Reuters) – American actress Kelly Preston who has appeared in films including “Jerry Maguire” and “Twins”, has died aged 57 after battling breast cancer for nearly two years, her husband, John Travolta, announced in an Instagram post late on Sunday. “It is wi... More »

Fans in India pray for Bollywood’s Bachchans to recover from COVID-19

MUMBAI (Reuters) – Fans across India prayed on Monday for Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan and others members of his movie star family who have fallen sick with the coronavirus as the one-day rise in infections hit a new record without any sign of a peak. Bac... More »

Actor Depp concludes evidence in UK libel trial

LONDON (Reuters) – Movie star Johnny Depp on Monday concluded giving evidence in his libel action against Britain’s Sun newspaper after five days in the witness box, again rejecting accusations he had hit his ex-wife Amber Heard and accusing her of using viole... More »

Elvis Presley’s grandson dies aged 27

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – A little-known member of one of rock ‘n’ roll music’s royal families, Benjamin Keough, grandson of the late Elvis Presley and only son of the “The King’s” daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, has died aged 27, her spokesman said on Sunday. The... More »

Dancing robots replace fans at Japanese baseball game

TOKYO (Reuters) – With their stadium devoid of fans due to coronavirus restrictions, Japanese baseball team Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks have come up with an imaginative replacement: dancing robots. Before their most recent Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) game ag... More »

Italian film composer Ennio Morricone dies aged 91

ROME (Reuters) – Ennio Morricone, the Italian composer whose haunting scores to Spaghetti Westerns like “A Fistful of Dollars” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” helped define a cinematic era, has died, his lawyer said on Monday. He was 91. Morricone had bro... More »

UK’s Royal Mint celebrates singer Elton John with new commemorative coin

LONDON (Reuters) – Elton John on Monday became the second artist to be honoured by Britain’s Royal Mint with a commemorative coin paying tribute to the decorated British singer-songwriter. The coin, designed by artist Bradley Morgan Johnson, depicts John’s dis... More »

UK pledges boost for the arts as it eyes socially distant performances

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will invest nearly $2 billion in the arts and hopes to allow outdoor and socially distanced performances at cultural venues as it tries to help a high-profile sector hit hard by the coronavirus. Spanning theatres in London’s West End... More »

UK hopes for socially distanced performances at cultural venues, minister says

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain hopes to permit outdoor and socially distanced performances at cultural venues, minister Oliver Dowden said on Monday, after announcing a nearly $2 billion investment in the arts. “I want all our cultural institutions to return to no... More »

Ennio Morricone, Italian composer most famous for Westerns, dies aged 91

ROME – Ennio Morricone, whose scores for movies such as “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, “The Mission” and “Cinema Paradiso” made him one of the world’s most famous and prolific screen composers, has died, ANSA news agency said on Monday. He was 91. ANSA said... More »

Scaled-down Czech film festival opens in empty auditorium

PRAGUE (Reuters) – A Czech film festival disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic unveiled a scaled-down programme of movies on Friday with an opening ceremony in an empty auditorium and a star-free red carpet. The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, central a... More »

Angolan app gives performers a lifeline – streaming to paying public

LUANDA (Reuters) – When the Angolan government imposed its coronavirus lockdown in late March, local entrepreneur and innovator Claudio Kiala saw a gap in the market when it came to virtual entertainment. Kiala and his team had been developing a performance pl... More »

Harry Potter fan sites step back from Rowling over transgender views

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Two of the biggest Harry Potter fan sites on Thursday distanced themselves from author J.K. Rowling because of her beliefs on transgender issues, calling them at odds with the message of empowerment in her best-selling books. Websites T... More »

Hollywood weighs how to foster lasting Black inclusion

(Reuters) – Hollywood came under intense scrutiny for a lack of diversity in 2015 when the #OscarsSoWhite movement spotlighted the dearth of Black nominees for the film industry’s highest honors. Following the mass protests after the death of African American ... More »

Uffizi masterpieces show Black culture’s role in the Renaissance

ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s Uffizi gallery said on Thursday it was planning to pick out nine of its masterpieces for a project to highlight the part that Black people and culture played in the Renaissance. Under the “Black Presence” initiative, images of works in... More »

Syrian artist’s Silent Demonstration watches over German war crimes trial

KOBLENZ, Germany (Reuters) – Forty-nine faceless figures stand on the lawn outside a German courthouse, facing the windows of a courtroom behind which two suspected members of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s security services are standing trial for torture ... More »

Venezuelan music, dance teachers reach kids online amid pandemic

CARACAS(Reuters) – With Venezuela now three months into a coronavirus quarantine that has kept children locked indoors, music and art teachers and storytellers are for the first time moving their classes online. The change is an uphill battle in the South Amer... More »

A taste of democracy: South Korea’s 16-year fight for a green onion breakfast cereal

SEOUL (Reuters) – It is being hailed as a major win for democracy in South Korea. After 16 years in exile, a president this week triumphantly returned to claim his rightful place – on the front of a box of green onion-flavoured cereal. The limited edition of t... More »

Writing on the wall: Congolese murals counter COVID-19 denial

KINSHASA (Reuters) – In central Kinshasa, freshly painted murals show traditional idols wearing medical masks or applying hand sanitiser, part of an art initiative to counter public disbelief in the face of the coronavirus pandemic sweeping Democratic Republic... More »

Black lives celebrated and mourned at emotional BET Awards

(Reuters) – Black power, suffering and the fight for justice took center stage at the BET awards on Sunday, the first Black celebrity event in the United States since nationwide mass protests broke out this month over systemic racism. The show, which celebrate... More »

Soundtracks from Italian cinema’s golden age get new lease of life

LONDON (Reuters) – Soundtracks from the golden age of Italian cinema are to be made available to a new generation of music and film lovers under a new partnership between Universal Music Group (UMG) and Sugar, Italy’s leading independent label. More than 2,000... More »

AMC delays reopening date by two weeks to July 30

(Reuters) – AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc said on Monday it has delayed the reopening of its theaters in the United States by two weeks to July 30. The world’s largest movie theater operator said that the date aligns with the release of Disney’s “Mulan” and C... More »

Japanese baseball fan enters empty stadium via robot

TOKYO (Reuters) – One lucky baseball fan was taken inside the otherwise empty Tokyo Dome for Yomiuri Giants’ win on Tuesday via a monitor mounted on a robot she controlled from home. Nippon Professional Baseball teams have begun their season without fans in st... More »

Film, pop stars line up for global COVID-19 fundraising gig

LONDON (Reuters) – International music and film stars will headline a globally televised and streamed fundraising concert on Saturday to help fight COVID-19 as part of a joint initiative by the advocacy group Global Citizen and the European Commission. The ini... More »

Tom Petty family tells Trump not to use late rock star’s songs for ‘campaign of hate’

(Reuters) – Tom Petty’s family slammed President Donald Trump for using the late rock star’s hit “I Won’t Back Down” at his sparsely attended rally in Tulsa, sending the campaign a cease and desist warning. “Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to f... More »

After backlash, AMC says it will require masks at all U.S. theaters

(Reuters) – AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc said Friday it will require guests to wear face masks at all of its U.S. movie theaters when they reopen in July, a reversal of a policy from a day earlier that prompted a swift backlash. Regal Cinemas, owned by Cinew... More »

Dutch soccer players boycott TV show over Black Pete remarks

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch men’s and women’s national football team players said on Friday they would no longer grant interviews to a popular TV show due to remarks made by a commentator mocking an anti-racism protester. In a statement first published on ... More »

Live gigs in Britain are back – but you’ll need a car

LONDON (Reuters) – There won’t be any moshing going on, but entertainment company Live Nation Entertainment are rolling out a series of gigs across the UK where fans can be together to get their fix of live events from the safety of their own designated area. ... More »

Kelly Clarkson, Zac Efron to get stars on Hollywood Walk of Fame

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson, actor Zac Efron and British star Benedict Cumberbatch are among celebrities who will be getting a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in 2021. Shia LaBeouf, Missy Elliott and “American Pie” singer-son... More »

Lebanese film director keeps faith after COVID-19 dashes Cannes dreams

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Many directors would have been devastated when their plans to show their first feature at the Cannes Film Festival were wrecked by the spread of COVID-19. But Lebanon’s Jimmy Keyrouz said he took heart from the themes of his movie “Broken Ke... More »

Grief over virus deaths sets Hungarian artist on darker course

BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungarian artist Jozsef Szurcsik lost four of his friends in a matter of weeks to COVID-19 and the tremendous pain and grief he feels has transformed his art. Szurcsik, who teaches at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts and is one of the... More »

Balloon-like object in Japanese sky sets Twitter afire with talk of UFOs, Godzilla

TOKYO (Reuters) – The appearance of a mysterious white object in the sky over northern Japan on Wednesday set social media ablaze, with speculation ranging from UFOs to coronavirus and North Korean propaganda. Television footage taken in the northeastern city ... More »

Thailand’s roving dog groomer back in business

CHONBURI, Thailand (Reuters) – Volunteer pet groomer Kriengkai Thatwakorn is thrilled to be back helping out stray dogs in Thailand, some in urgent need of a shearing after waiting three sweltering months for a trim. A domestic travel ban to contain the novel ... More »

Congolese fashion designer goes virtual as virus hits runway shows

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – U.S.-based Congolese fashion designer Anifa Mvuemba was excited about debuting her fashion line, Hanifa, at this year’s New York Fashion Week. But when her show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mvuemba got creative. The 29-y... More »

‘Avatar’ sequel resumes filming in coronavirus-free New Zealand

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Filming the sequel of James Cameron’s sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar” will bring hundreds of jobs and millions of dollars to New Zealand after it ended its coronavirus outbreak, the film’s producer told media as production resumed on Monday.... More »

Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput found dead in his Mumbai home

MUMBAI (Reuters) – Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who won acclaim for his role in the 2016 biopic of then Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, was found dead at his home in Mumbai on Sunday, police said. He was 34 years old. “It pains us to shar... More »

Bob Dylan on new album: ‘The songs seem to write themselves’

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Bob Dylan gave a glimpse into his song-writing process, commented on the death of George Floyd and said in a rare interview published on Friday that he wished he had written the Rolling Stones ballad “Angie.” Dylan’s wide-ranging conver... More »

Animal baby boom at Palestinian zoo after people disappear

QALQILYA, West Bank (Reuters) – Peacocks, ostriches and baboons joined in an animal baby boom at a Palestinian zoo during the coronavirus closure as they let nature take its course free from human distractions. Fifteen animals were born at the tiny Qalqilya Zo... More »

Police remove emaciated lion from French circus

PARIS (Reuters) – French police have taken away an emaciated lion from a circus in Vironvay, western France, following complaints from an animal rights organization. The prefecture for the Eure region said in a statement the lion had been seized as the circus ... More »

ABBA’s Bjorn speaks out in support of Black Lives Matter protests

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – “The world is full of idiots,” said ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus, as he condemned critics of the Black Lives Matter movement and voiced his support of the worldwide protests against racism and police brutality. “The solidarity that we see in the ... More »

Pirouette like Jagger: Royal Ballet dances to Stones in London streets

LONDON (Reuters) – Dancers from Britain’s Royal Ballet have made a short film in which they perform in London’s deserted streets to the sounds of The Rolling Stones, a project designed to highlight the plight of the arts during the global coronavirus pandemic.... More »

K-pop boyband BTS’ fans match group’s $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter

SEOUL (Reuters) – Fans of the popular South Korean boy band BTS matched its $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter (BLM) in support of U.S. protests against police brutality, an organisation that runs fundraisers for the fans said on Monday. The K-pop group... More »

‘Selma’ snubbed at 2015 Oscars after cast protested police violence, actor Oyelowo says

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The civil rights movie “Selma” was made free for rental on Friday, a day after actor David Oyelowo said Oscar voters had deliberately snubbed the film in 2015. Oyelowo, who played Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the movie, said members of... More »

California says film and TV production can resume as early as June 12

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Film and TV cameras can start rolling in California as soon as June 12, state officials said on Friday as they approved new guidelines to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus on sets. Producers will need approval from local healt... More »

Cate Blanchett reveals ‘a bit of a chainsaw accident’

(Reuters) – Actress Cate Blanchett suffered an accident with a chainsaw during the coronavirus lockdown with her family, she revealed during a podcast. The Oscar-winning star of films like “Blue Jasmine” and “Aviator” gave no details about the mishap but said ... More »

Get Back! Abbey Road Studios reopen after COVID hiatus

LONDON (Reuters) – London’s world-famous Abbey Road Studios reopened on Thursday after closing its doors during the coronavirus lockdown for the first time in its 90-year history. Celebrated for recording the likes of Edward Elgar, The Beatles and Lady Gaga, t... More »

At the movies: ‘Ben Hur’ and ‘Wizard of Oz’ as Japan reopens

TOKYO (Reuters) – The chariots of 1959 epic “Ben Hur” and the yellow brick road of 1939 fantasy “The Wizard of Oz” are back on the big screen in Japan as cinemas begin reopening from the coronavirus crisis with a slate heavy on Hollywood classics. James Dean s... More »

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