LONDON (Reuters) – Indigenous elders from Alaska to Australia have come together to deliver some tough love in a new film for Earth Day: the human race will only survive if we start putting our minds at the service of our hearts. Produced by Academy and Emmy a... More »
BARCELONA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – British actor and filmmaker Idris Elba launched a new United Nations fund on Monday to help farmers in poorer nations, calling on richer economies to provide aid to prevent “needless hunger and suffering” stemming from ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Bob Dylan’s handwritten lyrics to his 1960s classic “The Times They Are A-Changin’” are going up for sale with a $2.2 million asking price in what could mark a world record for rock lyrics. Gary Zimet, owner of Los Angeles-based autogra... More »
(Reuters) – Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Beyonce and Oprah Winfrey on Saturday headlined a special broadcast of music, comedy and personal stories celebrating those around the world on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.... More »
(Reuters) – AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (AMC.N), the world’s largest movie theater operator, said on Friday it has enough cash to withstand a global suspension of operations until a possible partial reopening of its locations in July. The company said it wa... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – San Diego Comic-Con, an annual celebrity-studded showcase of superhero films and pop culture, has been canceled for the first time in its 50-year history due to the global coronavirus outbreak, organizers said on Friday. Comic-Con had b... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Rolling Stones will join a star-studded global television broadcast on Saturday to honor healthcare workers on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus pandemic, the band announced on Friday. The two-hour “One World: To... More »
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austrian cultural spaces including museums and libraries can reopen from mid-May as part of a gradual loosening of the coronavirus lockdown, the government said on Friday. Austria took a first step in relaxing its month-old restrictions on T... More »
CAIRO (Reuters) – Wearing white face paint, stripy top and bright red spectacle frames, Ahmed Naser stands in a street in Cairo distributing face masks and health advice to passing children. The 22-year-old engineering student has been entertaining youngsters ... More »
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian brothers Nikita and Egor Zigura work on their sculpture of a giant fingerprint as art enthusiasts look on via a live-streaming internet link and make bids for the developing work. The online auction is part of a new “Stay Art Home” s... More »
TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) – French space scientists are using the COVID-19 lockdown as a dry run for what it will be like to be cooped up inside a space craft on a mission to Mars. The guinea pigs in the experiment are 60 students who are confined to their do... More »
(Reuters) – Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) Google said on Friday that they will work together to create contact tracing technology that aims to slow the spread of the coronavirus by allowing users to opt into logging other phones they have bee... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Artist Paul McCartney’s handwritten lyrics to The Beatles’ hit song “Hey Jude” sold for $910,000 on Friday, nine times its original estimate, auction house Julien’s Auctions said. A vintage bass drumhead with The Beatles’ logo that was use... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Harvey Weinstein was charged in Los Angeles on Friday with a third sexual assault case, and prosecutors there said they have started the process of seeking his extradition from New York, where the former film producer is serving prison ... More »
CHIPPING CAMDEN, England (Reuters) – Costume makers in Britain who normally dress actors in shows from Downton Abbey to Game of Thrones and Batman have joined forces to make scrubs for medics fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Working from kitchens, sheds and ... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – A Nintendo Switch video game has been pulled off China’s grey market e-commerce platforms, Reuters’ checks show, after Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong used the game to protest against Beijing’s rule of the Chinese territory. The game, “Ani... More »
(Reuters) – Harvey Weinstein, who is serving a prison sentence for rape, has no symptoms of the coronavirus, his spokesman said on Thursday, more than two weeks after a union official for corrections officers said the former movie producer had tested positive.... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Sketch show “Saturday Night Live” is returning to U.S. television with a new, remotely produced show this weekend, broadcaster NBC said on Thursday. The network said the satirical show, which shut down production in mid-March because of... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian ballet dancers on partial lockdown have begun giving performances at home to keep fans engaged online after theatres across the country closed their doors due to the coronavirus. Seven dancers from the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Pet... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Elmo and Cookie Monster are reaching out to young children confused at being stuck at home during the coronavirus epidemic with a special “Sesame Street” episode airing next week. “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and actors Anne Ha... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Ellen DeGeneres, one of America’s most popular TV personalities, faced a barrage of criticism on Wednesday after comparing her self-isolation in a multimillion-dollar mansion to being in prison. DeGeneres, whose daily television talk sh... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Grammy-winning singer John Prine, who wrote his early songs in his head while delivering mail and later emerged from Chicago’s folk revival scene in the 1970s to become one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, died on ... More »
(Reuters) – Broadway theaters, among New York’s most-visited tourist attractions, will remain closed through June 7 due to the global coronavirus outbreak, an industry group said on Wednesday. The theaters closed on March 12 for what was supposed to be one mon... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – While making blinis one morning in self-isolation, Natalia Goroshko noticed one in her pan had taken the floppy form of one of Salvador Dali’s melting clocks. The 31-year-old Belarusian living in Texas placed three blinis in her kitchen to m... More »
SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Bosnia’s most popular band, Dubioza Kolektiv, invites its audience to “stay connected and disinfected” during a weekly “Quarantine Show” online to cheer up fans locked in their homes due to the coronavirus. Bosnia, like most states in Euro... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese social media celebrity Pikotaro returned as a leading twitter trend in Japan with a coronavirus hand washing song that repurposes his signature Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen (PPAP) to Pray-for-People-and-Peace. The video was among the top ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – An auction of late actress Doris Day’s four Golden Globe awards and other items from her life generated nearly $3 million over the weekend, far outpacing original estimates, Julien’s Auctions said on Sunday. Top-selling items in the liv... More »
(Reuters) – U.S. singer Pink said on Friday she had tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, two weeks ago and has since recovered. “Two weeks ago my three-year old son, Jameson, and I were showing symptoms of COVID-... More »
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Lockdowns and travel retrictions prompted by the new coronavirus have been a boon to JOOX, Chinese tech giant Tencent’s international music streaming platform, driving traffic to its karaoke services up by as much as 50%, an executive sai... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – A conspiracy theory that links 5G mobile telecommunications masts to the spread of the novel coronavirus is dangerous fake news and completely false, Britain said on Saturday after masts in several parts of the country were torched. When ask... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bill Withers, a soulful singer best known for the 1970s hits “Lean on Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine,” has died at age 81 from heart complications, his family said on Friday. Withers produced nine albums, most of them written and... More »
(Reuters) – Country music stars will come together on Sunday with acoustic performances recorded from their homes for a televised special that will replace the annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which were canceled due to the global coronavirus outbreak. ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co will release the live-action epic “Mulan” in movie theaters in July and Marvel’s “Black Widow” in November, the company said on Friday as it reshuffled a schedule disrupted by the global coronavirus outbreak. Among other ... More »
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Infectious disease researchers are using Facebook Inc mobile location data to provide daily updates to U.S. cities and states evaluating the effectiveness of social distancing orders aimed at slowing the novel coronavirus. The COVID-1... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday she was donating $10 million to coronavirus relief efforts, including a new venture to help get food to vulnerable Americans during the coronavirus epidemic. Winfrey, one of America’s richest and most infl... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The release of the much anticipated movie sequel to “Top Gun” has been moved to December, Paramount Pictures said on Thursday, the latest disruption in the movie industry caused by the coronavirus epidemic. “Top Gun: Maverick,” starring... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Fans of musical theatre forced by the coronavirus pandemic to stay at home will be able to watch some of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most popular shows for free on Youtube every week. The series, entitled “The Shows Must Go On!”, will kick off on ... More »
(Reuters) – Netflix Inc led rivals YouTube, Amazon Prime and Disney+ with over 59 million installs in the first quarter of 2020, but more time was spent on YouTube’s Kids service as usage boomed following the shutdown of thousands of schools in March. YouTube,... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Taylor Swift is sending cash to some of her fans and Rihanna has donated $6 million to support people whose livelihoods have been upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Movie and record producer David Geffen said he is self-isolating in t... More »
DUBAI (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co’s (DIS.N) Disney+ content will be available for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa on regional pay television and online streaming service provider OSN from April 9. Dubai-headquartered OSN has signed a “long-te... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Public Enemy’s ouster last month of founding member Flavor Flav was a hoax to generate publicity and provide a commentary on disinformation, members of the rap group said on Wednesday as they released a new album. Founder Chuck D and fo... More »
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wilhelm Burmann, a master teacher and coach for the world’s top ballet dancers for more than four decades, has died of renal failure after his treatment was complicated by the coronavirus, a close friend said. He was 80. Burmann died peace... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – A South Korean K-Pop star on Wednesday pulled an April Fool’s prank announcing that he had contracted coronavirus, and later removed the Instagram post after triggering a backlash. Kim Jae-joong, a member of boyband JYJ, posted on his Instagr... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actress Lindsay Lohan, whose promising movie career crashed a decade ago in a string of legal woes and substance abuse, on Tuesday announced she was making a comeback with a new music single. “I’m back!,” the 33-year-old star of “Mean G... More »
DAKAR (Reuters) – The mural stretched over 10 metres of wall in Senegal’s seaside capital Dakar shows a giant pair of hands reaching out for sanitiser, and a woman in hoop earrings and a facemask colored blue, red, gold and green. It is the work of RBS CREW, a... More »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese comedian Ken Shimura, who had been hospitalized after being infected with the new coronavirus, has died, becoming the first Japanese celebrity to die of the virus. His death, late on Sunday, set off widespread grief among fans. Shimu... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Billie Eilish sang on her sofa, Elton John played a keyboard belonging to his children, and the Backstreet Boys sang in harmony from five locations as dozens of musicians put on a fundraiser for the warriors against a coronavirus. Those... More »
(Reuters) – Beijing-based retired basketball star Stephon Marbury is arranging an urgent shipment of surgical masks from China to New York to fight the coronavirus, he said on social media on Sunday. Marbury, who was born on New York’s Coney Island, said he wa... More »
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazilian rapper MV Bill added his voice to a chorus of criticism of President Jair Bolsonaro for downplaying the gravity of the new coronavirus epidemic in a video clip that urges people to protect themselves. His rap “Quarantine” r... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson returned to Los Angeles on Friday after spending more than two weeks in quarantine in Australia after testing positive for the coronavirus. The “Forrest Gump” and “Toy Story” actor and Wilson were phot... More »
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Moscow’s famed Bolshoi Theater has begun streaming some of its most notable past performances online after being forced to shut its doors to the public as a result of tough new restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. The... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The stars of the movie “Contagion,” which has seen a surge in popularity as the coronavirus has spread across the globe, on Friday urged fans to listen to experts, wash their hands frequently and practice social distancing. “That was a ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Bob Dylan on Friday released a 17-minute song inspired by the assassination more than five decades ago of U.S. President John F. Kennedy – the influential singer’s first original music since 2012. Dylan, 78, announced the release of “Mu... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Five guns which were used in “James Bond” movies, including the last weapon brandished by actor Roger Moore while playing 007, have been stolen from a house in north London by suspects with Eastern European accents, British police said on Fr... More »
ROVANIEMI, Finland (Reuters) – When Peruvian musician Victor Alarcon set out on his dream trip to shoot a music video in the Finnish Arctic for his single called ‘Aurora Boreal’ (Northern Lights), he did not expect the coronavirus outbreak to leave him strande... More »
NEW YORK (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – An award-winning U.S. screenwriter has swapped fiction for fact, donating medical supplies from the set of his hit Netflix series to a New York hospital in a bid to combat the coronavirus. Ryan Murphy, known for creating... More »
MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo said on Sunday he had tested positive for coronavirus and had gone into self isolation with his family. “We are currently all in good health but I developed a cough and a fever and decided to get tested, ... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Members of the Bagby family have operated movie theaters in small U.S. towns for four generations. With the coronavirus outbreak forcing their 400 screens to go dark indefinitely, some of them worry that run could come to an end. The fa... More »
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Alphabet Inc’s Google is exploring ways to use location information to slow the spread of the coronavirus by, for example, determining the effectiveness of social distancing. U.S. Senator Ed Markey, who has long championed consumer priva... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – The Cannes Film Festival, the world’s largest, was forced to postpone its latest edition in May due to the spread of the coronavirus, organisers of the annual event on the French Riviera said on Thursday. The postponement follows weeks of spe... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Daniel Dae Kim, best known for the television series “Hawaii 5-0,” said on Thursday he had tested positive for the coronavirus. Kim, speaking from his home in Hawaii, announced the news in an Instagram posting and video. “Yesterda... More »
(Reuters) – Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group said on Thursday it has laid off almost all of its workforce, except the support team, as social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic forced the Montreal-based circus company to cancel shows. The job cuts ... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Bavaria’s Passion Play, staged every decade since the 1630s when villagers thanked God for the end of the plague, has been postponed for two years due to the coronavirus, organizers in the German village of Oberammergau said on Thursday. Abo... More »
(Reuters) – Abigail Disney, grand daughter of Walt Disney Co’s co-founder Roy Disney, slammed a Twitter post showing a huge crowd at Sunday night’s showing of ‘Happily Ever After’, a fireworks show in Florida’s Magic Kingdom theme park. “Are you … kidding me??... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Much of public life in the United States essentially ground to a halt this week. In the entertainment world, theme parks shut down, Broadway went dark, studios pulled major tentpoles from their release calendar, and virtually all H... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Bans on mass gatherings introduced to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic might have been expected to deal a death blow to musical life, but have instead prompted a boom in free online concerts. One musician to step up to the plate i... More »
(Reuters) – Walt Disney Co said on Friday it would make the sequel to hit animated movie “Frozen” available on its streaming platform Disney+ three months ahead of schedule in the United States, as media companies respond to the coronavirus outbreak. The compa... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. theater operators moved to prevent the spread of coronavirus and reassure audiences ahead of a weekend with options ranging from satirical thriller “The Hunt” to Pixar animated adventure “Onward” and faith-based film “I Still Belie... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Paris’ famed Moulin Rouge cabaret, the Louvre museum and the Eiffel Tower were among top tourism landmarks that closed their doors on Friday after the government banned gatherings of more than 100 people to curb the spread of coronavirus. The... More »
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – The Guadalajara International Film Festival, set to kick off in Mexico’s second biggest city late next week, will be postponed until further notice due to coronavirus fears, event organizers announced on Friday. The decision to suspend ... More »
HAVANA (Reuters) – Dozens of renowned Cuban artists from across the political spectrum are calling for the release of dissident artist and activist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara who was arrested 10 days ago, decrying this as an outdated act of censorship. The 32... More »
HARARE (Reuters) – When Dominic Benhura started creating traditional Zimbabwean stone sculptures as a teenager four decades ago, he never imagined that art would bring him fame or fortune. Born to a peasant family in 1968 in Murewa, 90 kilometers northeast of ... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – The Louvre museum in Paris shut its doors to art lovers and tourists for a second day on Monday as management held talks with workers over the risks associated with coronavirus. Queues quickly formed in the rain outside the world’s most visit... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – From leather bodices to sheer frilly dresses, Italian label Valentino showcased a series of all-black looks in Paris on Sunday as fashion houses pressed on with their shows in spite of the coronavirus outbreak that has kept some attendees awa... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Universal and Blumhouse’s “The Invisible Man” materialized at the top of box office charts after debuting to $29 million in North America over the weekend. “The Invisible Man” is Universal’s latest attempt to remake its classic mon... More »
(Reuters) – Harvey Weinstein is sitting under guard in a cinderblock room at a New York City hospital days after his conviction for sexual assault and rape, and at times “can go stir crazy just staring at the emptiness,” according to a spokesman. The former Ho... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Roman Polanski cast a shadow over France’s Cesar Awards on Friday even as he won best directing for his film “An Officer and a Spy,” with several women in the audience walking out in protest at honoring a man facing rape accusations. The Fren... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Roman Polanski, who faces accusations of rape, won France’s Cesar Award for best directing for his film “An Officer and a Spy” on Friday, prompting several actresses to walk out of the ceremony in protest. Polanski was not at the event, the b... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Filming of Netflix Inc’s big-budget Dwayne Johnson movie “Red Notice” had been scheduled to move to Italy in the coming weeks, but producers now are exploring other locations due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, a source clos... More »
PARIS (Reuters) – Roman Polanski’s film “An Officer and a Spy” collected its first Cesar Award out of 12 nominations on Friday, scooping the prize for best costume designer. Pascaline Chavanne was not at the event to collect her trophy after the entire cast an... More »
(Reuters) – U.S. rock band Green Day on Friday called off all of the Asian shows in its upcoming world tour because of the coronavirus outbreak, the latest music act to pull back from performances in the region. The punk band’s Hella Mega tour was planned to h... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Mad Mike” Hughes, a self-styled explorer and daredevil bent on proving that the earth is flat was killed over the weekend when his homemade rocket crashed in the California desert over the weekend. “Michael ‘Mad Mike’ Hughes tragically... More »
BERLIN (Reuters) – Making films in a bitterly divided Brazil that is increasingly hostile to artistic freedom is an act of resistance in itself, the maker of a new drama about race relations in the years after the country abolished slavery said. Speaking ahead... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – After a close box office battle, Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” pulled ahead of Disney and 20th Century’s “The Call of the Wild” on North American charts. The two movies had been in a tug-of-war for first place. Heading into the ... More »
(Reuters) – WarnerMedia is reuniting its “Friends” cast for an untitled, unscripted special for its upcoming streaming service, HBO Max, the company said on Friday. AT&T Inc’s (T.N) WarnerMedia said series stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Ma... More »
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece distanced itself on Wednesday from suggestions that it planned to drag a centuries-old dispute over the return of the Parthenon marbles into Brexit negotiations. Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Athens would keep up its campai... More »
(Reuters) – British nanotechnology company Nanoco said on Monday it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co and affiliates in a district court in Texas relating to quantum dots. Nanoco, which produces quantum dots that are used t... More »
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Team LeBron beat Team Giannis by two points at the 69th NBA All-Star game on Sunday at a packed United Center that fell silent for eight seconds before tip-off as about 21,000 fans joined hands to pay their respects to global sports icon Ko... More »
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – A small factory in Malaysia’s capital is preparing thousands of ready-to-eat halal meals, from fried rice to chicken biryani, to be shipped off to Japan for 2020’s biggest sporting event. Food firms from Muslim-majority Malaysia, are e... More »
LOS ANGELES, (Variety.com) – Paramount’s family film “Sonic the Hedgehog” ignited over Presidents Day weekend with $57 million in North America and $100 million globally, the best showing ever for a video game adaptation. “Sonic” is expected to earn $68 millio... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Victoria Beckham chose black dresses paired with distinctive belts and chunky thigh-high platform boots for a collection she characterized as a “gentle rebellion” at London Fashion Week on Sunday. The former Spice Girl pop star turned design... More »
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A Russian artist unveiled four giant paintings of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in central Istanbul on Saturday, saying he wanted to show the good ties between Ankara and Moscow despite differences over Syria and other issues. However ... More »
(Reuters) – Singer R. Kelly, already facing trial in three states on sexual abuse, child pornography, kidnapping and obstruction of justice charges, has been hit with an updated indictment in Chicago stemming from a newly-identified victim, court documents sho... More »
(Reuters) – At the heart of Harvey Weinstein’s New York rape trial is a power dynamic between a producer of some of the biggest culture-defining films of the past 20 years and two women who accuse him of abusing that stature by sexually assaulting them. Weinst... More »
KABUL (Reuters) – After a busy afternoon walking the catwalk in a luxury hotel in Kabul on Friday, Salma Hussaini was named Afghanistan’s first “Ms Valentine”. The 20-year-old from Bamiyan province took a final walk down the runway clad in a pink and yellow to... More »
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgarian prosecutors have pressed new charges including unlawful possession of antiques of historical value against fugitive gambling tycoon Vasil Bozhkov, one of the country’s richest men, officials said on Thursday. Bozhkov, owner of sever... More »
LONDON (Reuters) – Residents of a luxury London block who were trying to stop visitors to the neighboring Tate Modern art gallery from peering into their glass-walled apartments lost their case in the Court of Appeal on Wednesday. The dispute began in 2016 whe... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Parasite,” a dark social satire from South Korea, won the Oscar for best picture on Sunday, making history as the first film in a language other than English to claim the movie industry’s highest honor. “Parasite,” about the gap betwee... More »
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korean social media erupted in celebration on Monday after the dark comedy “Parasite” became the first non-English language movie to win the Best Picture award, already having netted three other Oscars in a historic first for the countr... More »
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – At an Oscars ceremony nearly devoid of acting nominees of color and lacking any women among the contenders for best director, it fell to an Asian filmmaker and his cast to bring diversity to the American film industry’s highest honors. ... More »
