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Christopher Walken gets his Hook into Peter Pan live TV musical

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Academy Award winner Christopher Walken, a veteran of both stage and screen, is taking a first crack at a live television musical as Captain Hook in “Peter Pan Live!,” a gig he likens to a sporting event. In the production that airs on Dec... More »

A world of change in 250 photos at London exhibition

LONDON (Reuters) – It is an arresting image for anyone who has been in New York anytime since 1960 – a long row of three-storey buildings with a lone skyscraper at the end of the block, looking almost like an alien presence. This is a view of a New York – and ... More »

Dreamworks’ ‘Penguins’ opens below forecasts

(Reuters) – Dreamworks Animation’s latest film, “Penguins of Madagascar,” opened below expectations over the Thanksgiving weekend. The film, which was distributed by Twenty-First Century Fox’s Fox studio, generated $36 million in ticket sales over the five-day... More »

Sony hires Mandiant after cyber attack, FBI starts probe

BOSTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Sony Pictures Entertainment has hired FireEye Inc’s Mandiant forensics unit to clean up a massive cyber attack that knocked out the studio’s computer network nearly a week ago, three people with knowledge of the matter said on Su... More »

Sony hires Mandiant to help clean up after cyber attack

BOSTON/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Sony Pictures Entertainment has hired FireEye Inc’s Mandiant forensics unit to clean up a massive cyber attack that knocked out the studio’s computer network nearly a week ago, three people with knowledge of the matter said on Su... More »

Fans bid farewell to beloved Mexican comic ‘Chespirito’

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Thousands of fans bid a final farewell to beloved Mexican actor and screenwriter Roberto Gomez Bolanos at a large-scale memorial in Mexico City on Sunday. Gomez Bolanos, known as “Chespirito,” a word play on ‘Little Shakespeare’ for his... More »

One Direction makes Billboard history, knocks Swift from No. 1

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – British boy band One Direction became the only group to score four consecutive No. 1 debuts on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, ousting Taylor Swift from her chart-topping reign. One Direction’s latest album, “Four”, sol... More »

Canadian celebrity radio host charged with sexual assault

TORONTO (Reuters) – A celebrity radio host at the heart of one of Canada’s biggest sex scandals was charged with sexual assault on Wednesday in a case that has grabbed headlines. Jian Ghomeshi, 47, former host of the internationally syndicated music and arts p... More »

Garth Brooks cancels TV appearances amid Ferguson unrest

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Country music star Garth Brooks canceled scheduled media appearances this week, saying it would be in poor taste to promote his comeback album during national protests after a grand jury did not indict a white policeman in the fatal sho... More »

Broadway finds a new stage in an old venue: Cuba

HAVANA (Reuters) – In Bob Nederlander Jr.’s mission to export Broadway to new markets around the world, he found an old one where the American art form lay dormant for a least 50 years – communist Cuba. After testing the Cuban appetite with a 2011 concert of B... More »

Turner film, exhibition reveal British master to a new generation

LONDON (Reuters) – With an epic sweep worthy of a J.M.W. Turner masterpiece, a new portrayal of one of Britain’s greatest painters is winning the Romantic artist a new generation of admirers. Joseph Mallord William Turner overturned 19th Century conventions by... More »

‘Birdman’ soars ahead in Independent Spirit Award nominations

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Existential black comedy “Birdman” led the Independent Spirit Awards nominees on Tuesday, as thriller “Nightcrawler,” coming-of-age chronicle “Boyhood” and civil rights drama “Selma” followed with five nods each. “Birdman,” which follow... More »

Boy bands top American Music Awards, ladies lead performances

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Boy bands bested pop’s leading women in the top award categories at the American Music Awards on Sunday, but the ladies delivered the most high-octane performances including a derriere-flaunting number by Jennifer Lopez and Iggy Azalea.... More »

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Katy Perry to headline NFL’s 2015 Super Bowl halftime show: NFL

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Pop singer Katy Perry will headline the halftime entertainment at February’s Super Bowl, the most-watched U.S. sporting and television event, according to an announcement by the National Football League on Sunday. The 30-year-old “Roar”... More »

‘Hunger Games’ tops U.S. box office with $123 million opening

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) – “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1” tallied $123 million in ticket sales to top weekend box office charts and score the year’s biggest U.S. opening, according to studio estimates. The third installment of the blockbuster “Hu... More »

Sold-out Cosby show goes ahead amid sex assault claims

MELBOURNE Fla./LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Bill Cosby played a sold-out comedy show on Friday in Florida, despite a wave of sexual assault allegations this week that prompted the cancellation of several upcoming shows and two major studios to halt projects involvi... More »

Cosby comedy gigs to go on in midst of swirling allegations

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – All three of Bill Cosby’s live comedy shows in November will proceed as planned, venue organizers said on Thursday, despite mounting allegations from multiple women saying the comedian sexually assaulted them decades ago. Cosby will per... More »

Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ tops U.S. Billboard album chart again

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Taylor Swift’s “1989” topped the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart for the third consecutive week on Wednesday. The most pop-oriented turn from the onetime country singer sold 312,000 copies last week, according to figures compiled by Niel... More »

U2’s Bono fitted with metal plates, screws after bike accident

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Bono, frontman of the Irish rock group U2, required hours of surgery for fractures to his face and shoulder blade and to have metal plates inserted in his arm after a cycling accident in New York’s Central Park, Rolling Stone magazine said... More »

A Minute With: Christoph Waltz on being a ‘Horrible Boss’

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – As Colonel Hans Landa in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” Christoph Waltz embodied an unsettling charm and cruelty, unleashing terror while maintaining his manners and securing an Oscar in the process. In “Horrible Bosses 2,”... More »

Japanese tough guy actor Ken Takakura dies at 83

TOKYO (Reuters) – Ken Takakura, an actor known as “Japan’s Clint Eastwood” for his portrayal of tough but principled gangsters in over 100 movies and who gained international fame in director Ridley Scott’s “Black Rain,” has died at the age of 83. Takakura, wh... More »

U2’s Bono injured while cycling, ‘Tonight Show’ gig delayed

(Reuters) – U2 frontman Bono was injured while cycling in New York’s Central Park, forcing a delay in the Irish rockers’ return to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” the band said on Sunday. U2 was scheduled to perform on “The Tonight Show” from Monday ... More »

Pink Floyd top British album charts for first time since 1995

LONDON (Reuters) – British progressive rock group Pink Floyd topped the album charts for the first time in nearly 20 years on Sunday with “The Endless River”, the Official Charts Company said. The newly-released album, which the band says will be their last, b... More »

Bill Cosby will not discuss sex assault allegations: lawyer

(Reuters) – Comedian Bill Cosby will not comment on “discredited” accusations of sexual assault that have resurfaced in recent weeks against him, his lawyer said on Sunday. Allegations that Cosby, 77, drugged and sexually assaulted several young women decades ... More »

Cosby declines to answer questions about sex assault accusations

(Reuters) – Comedian Bill Cosby, in an interview that aired on Saturday, declined to answer questions by a National Public Radio journalist about accusations of sexual assault that resurfaced in recent weeks. Cosby, 77, responded by shaking his head to signal ... More »

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British stars gather to record Band Aid single for Ebola

LONDON (Reuters) – Boy band One Direction and U2 lead singer Bono joined some of the biggest names in British pop and rock music on Saturday to record a new version of the Band Aid charity song to raise money to combat Ebola in Africa. The single, “Do They Kno... More »

A Minute With: Steve Carell on his creepy turn in ‘Foxcatcher’

BEVERLY HILLS Calif. (Reuters) – Hollywood makeup wizardry made comic Steve Carell unrecognizable for his latest star turn as heir John du Pont in director Bennett Miller’s “Foxcatcher.” The film, which opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, portrays the tragic rel... More »

Plane carrying U2’s Bono lost hatch while approaching Berlin

BERLIN (Reuters) – A private plane carrying U2 frontman Bono lost its rear hatch while approaching Berlin, but the pilot managed to touch down safely and the Irish rock star was never in danger, airport authorities said on Thursday. The hatch, 80-centimetre by... More »

Iranian blues and jazz bands find fans in Tehran

DUBAI (Reuters) – Behzad Omrani grew up in Tehran, in a house ringing to the sounds of his father’s record collection – mostly the twangs and twirls of American Country & Western. Years later he formed Bomrani, one of the Islamic Republic’s first country-blues... More »

TV ‘Cake Boss’ star arrested in NYC on drunken driving charges

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The star of the reality TV show “Cake Boss” was arrested on drunken driving charges early on Thursday after he was stopped for weaving his sports car through traffic in New York City’s upcoming Hudson Yards neighborhood, police said. Celeb... More »

Taylor Swift shakes off competition to hold Billboard top spot

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Taylor Swift reigned atop the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart for a second consecutive week on Wednesday after scoring the biggest debut in a dozen years. “1989” sold 402,000 copies in its second week according to sales figures compiled ... More »

YouTube launches paid music subscription service

(Reuters) – Google Inc’s YouTube is rolling out the long-awaited paid monthly subscription service called YouTube Music Key. The subscription for the ad-free service will start at $7.99 per month and will allow users to watch videos offline and listen to music... More »

Soprano Renee Fleming at 55: ‘I may leave well enough alone’

LONDON (Reuters) – Super Bowl fans heard her hit a creamy “high A” note when she sang “The Star Spangled Banner” in February, and she has a jazzy new Christmas album. But people who want to see Renee Fleming in the operas that made her “America’s sweetheart” b... More »

Randy Jackson exits ‘American Idol’ after 13 seasons

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “American Idol” judge and mentor Randy Jackson is leaving the Fox TV singing competition after 13 seasons, the network said on Tuesday, after the show suffered a decline in ratings in recent years. Music producer Jackson, 58, was one of... More »

Rolling Stones in insurance battle over canceled Asia tour dates

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Legendary rock group The Rolling Stones are locked in a legal battle with an insurance company over a $12.7 million claim for canceled tour dates in Australia and New Zealand following the March death of Mick Jagger’s girlfriend, designer ... More »

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Alpine skiing-Violinist Mae gets four-year ban over manipulation

BERNE (Reuters) – Pop violinist Vanessa Mae has been banned by the International Ski Federation (FIS) for four years over the manipulation of giant slalom races which allowed her to qualify for the Sochi Olympic Games at the last minute. An FIS panel also bann... More »

Joseph Gordon-Levitt to play Edward Snowden in Oliver Stone film

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Edward Snowden in a movie directed by Oliver Stone about the former National Security Agency contractor who blew the whistle on the U.S government’s mass surveillance programs, the film’s backers sai... More »

Darker ‘Hunger Games’ won’t lose viewers, star Lawrence says

LONDON (Reuters) – Hooded people are shot dead in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”, third in the dystopian fantasy films aimed at teenage girls that had its world premiere on Monday, but star Jennifer Lawrence does not think the darker plot will lose vi... More »

Clinic that treated Joan Rivers cited for multiple failings

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The New York outpatient clinic where the late Joan Rivers suffered cardiac arrest did not follow all the standard protocols during the throat procedures it conducted on the comedian, according to a government agency report released on Mond... More »

Geldof to fire up charity hit 30 years on to fight Ebola

LONDON (Reuters) – Musician and philanthropist Bob Geldof, who in 1984 inspired a host of rock stars to record a charity single for Africa, will raise money to combat Ebola with a new version of the song. Geldof, frontman for Irish new wave band The Boomtown R... More »

Actor Jeff Daniels laughs last with ‘Dumb and Dumber To’

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Jeff Daniels’ phone rang, and his agents were on the line. “It was an intervention,” said the actor, who had a reputation for serious roles in successful films, of the failed attempt two decades ago to prevent him from doing low-brow co... More »

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Breakthrough Prizes in science, math earn winners $3 million each

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Academia doesn’t usually bring rich financial rewards. But that changed Sunday for recipients of a record 12 Breakthrough Prizes, the award created two years ago by Russian billionaire venture capitalist Yuri Milner, Facebook founder ... More »

‘The Hunger Games’ stage show to open in London in 2016

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The blockbuster post-apocalyptic action franchise “The Hunger Games” is hitting the stage and will open London in the summer of 2016 in a new purpose-built theater next to Wembley Stadium, Lionsgate said on Friday. The studio behind “The H... More »

London exhibition celebrates female empowerment through fashion

LONDON (Reuters) – From a jade green wool dress suit worn by former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher to the suffragettes’ lace blouses, clothes have been a defining feature of women’s empowerment, according to a new exhibition in London. “Women Fashion... More »

Rolling Stones cancel Australian concert, Jagger sick

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Rock legends The Rolling Stones have canceled a Nov. 8 Australian concert after lead singer Mick Jagger was diagnosed with a throat infection, promoters said. Tour promoter Frontier issued a statement on their website saying the 71-year-old ... More »

Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan win big at country music awards

NASHVILLE Tenn. (Reuters) – Singer Miranda Lambert won four Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday, and Luke Bryan took home the top honor as entertainer of the year as U.S. politics and the absence of Taylor Swift played supporting roles in the televis... More »

Disney announces ‘Toy Story 4’ for 2017, directed by Lasseter

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co said on Thursday it will extend one of Pixar’s most successful film franchises by making “Toy Story 4” for release in 2017, directed by John Lasseter. “John created ‘Toy Story’ and directed its first two films and it’s gr... More »

Taylor Swift gives gloomy U.S. album sales a platinum shine

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Taylor Swift’s “1989,” the strongest pop turn for the longtime country singer, roared to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday with the biggest opening week in a dozen years for the declining album sales industry. Backed... More »

New ‘Star Wars’ film will be called ‘The Force Awakens’

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The upcoming installment of the “Star Wars” film franchise has finished shooting and will be called “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” Walt Disney Studios said on Thursday. The film is scheduled to be released in December 2015 and will sta... More »

21st Century Fox to tread carefully with streaming video

(Reuters) – Twenty-First Century Fox Inc Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey said the company is being “disciplined” about its options when considering streaming video offerings that bypass cable and satellite subscriptions. “We believe the traditional bundle ... More »

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Angelina Jolie ‘open’ to pursuing life in politics: Vanity Fair

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Academy award winning actress Angelina Jolie is “open” to pursuing a life in politics, diplomacy or public service, she told Vanity Fair magazine. Jolie, who won a best supporting actress Oscar award for her role in “Girl, Interrupted,” ha... More »

American director Aronofsky to head Berlin festival jury

BERLIN (Reuters) – American director, screenwriter and producer Darren Aronofsky was named jury president for the 65th Berlin International Film Festival, the festival announced on Tuesday. Aronofsky, whose “Black Swan” set in the ballet world was a big hit in... More »

With big album on sale, Taylor Swift pulls music from Spotify

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Singer Taylor Swift, whose new album is likely to have the biggest opening week of sales in a dozen years, on Monday pulled her entire catalog from online music streaming service Spotify. Singers and bands, including Beyonce and Coldpla... More »

Fashion world bids farewell to designer Oscar de la Renta

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The fashion world mourned the loss of one of its greatest designers on Monday at the private funeral of Oscar de la Renta, who died last month at 82 after battling cancer. The tall Dominican-born de la Renta dressed New York socialites, Ho... More »

Ed Sheeran tops UK singles chart after longest climb to top spot

LONDON (Reuters) – Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has seized the top spot in Britain’s singles chart with his track “Thinking Out Loud” after the longest ever climb to the top spot, the Official Charts Company said on Sunday. The English artist’s song spent 19 w... More »

‘Heaven Knows What’ takes top prize at Tokyo film festival

TOKYO (Reuters) – Joshua and Benny Safdie’s “Heaven Knows What,” the story of a young heroin addict who finds love in the streets of New York, took the top prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival on Friday. The Safdie brothers also won the best director... More »

Conchita Wurst gets her burlesque on at Paris Crazy Horse

PARIS (Reuters) – Bearded Eurovision queen Conchita Wurst, who found fame in the 2014 version of the singing competition, brings her distinctive brand of sexy to the famous Parisian cabaret club the Crazy Horse next month. Alongside a bevy of topless burlesque... More »

Expectations high for record spending at New York art auctions

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The gavel will not come down on the first lot of New York’s major fall auctions until Tuesday, but records have already fallen and more are virtually certain once the bidding actually begins. With a global pool of collectors competing for ... More »

Inspiration for Harry Potter nemesis Umbridge revealed on website

LONDON (Reuters) – As a Halloween treat for her fans, J.K. Rowling has revealed that the much-hated character Dolores Umbridge from her “Harry Potter” stories is based on a teacher to whom she took an instant dislike – but whose name she has not disclosed. Umb... More »

Polish prosecutors question Polanski over U.S. sex crime warrant

KRAKOW (Reuters) – Polish prosecutors interviewed filmmaker Roman Polanski on Thursday in connection with a U.S. arrest warrant over a 1977 sex crime conviction, then let him go free saying there were no grounds to hold him. Polanski plans to shoot a film in P... More »

Undercover French politicians sample ‘real life’ for TV show

PARIS (Reuters) – Eight French politicians will disguise themselves as citizens struggling with real-world problems in a TV show aimed at narrowing the gap between France’s often remote political elite and the public they are elected to serve. But “Mr and Mrs ... More »

Indian film-maker hopes to take gay issues out of the closet

MUMBAI (Reuters) – An Indian director is hoping her new film will throw a spotlight on gay rights in a country where homosexuality remains taboo and little progress has been made on repealing a colonial-era law banning gay sex. “Margarita, With a Straw”, which... More »

Jake Gyllenhaal prowls wild side in LA thriller ‘Nightcrawler’

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – He’s a coyote, a starving coyote. Actually, he’s a television reporter hankering for more blood and guts than anyone else. He’s another deeply disturbing character for Jake Gyllenhaal. In the new crime thriller “Nightcrawler,” Gyllenhaa... More »

Marvel expands with Dr. Strange, female Captain Marvel films

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Marvel cinematic universe is expanding with new characters Doctor Strange, Black Panther and Captain Marvel, who will be the first female superhero to anchor her own Marvel film, the Walt Disney Co-owned studio said on Tuesday. Marv... More »

Neil Patrick Harris takes hosting talents to NBC variety series

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – With the Emmys and Tonys under his belt and his first Oscars hosting gig lined up, actor Neil Patrick Harris is turning his talents to anchor a new NBC variety show, the Comcast Corp-owned broadcast network said on Monday. Harris, 41, b... More »

Matthew McConaughey enjoying his ‘Interstellar’ career heights

KILLEEN Texas (Reuters) – Matthew McConaughey’s upcoming film about a journey beyond the stars may as well be about the Texas actor’s own stratospheric career these days. From winning his best actor Oscar in March for “Dallas Buyers Club” to his lead role in t... More »

Rock star Sting’s musical ‘The Last Ship’ docks on Broadway

NEW YORK (Reuters) – “The Last Ship,” a musical by Grammy-winning rock star Sting based on his childhood in a shipbuilding town in northeastern England, landed on Broadway with a star-studded opening. Actors Robert De Niro, Liam Neeson, Bill Pullman and Alan C... More »

‘Super Mario’ creator flirts with film, games still true love

TOKYO (Reuters) – “Super Mario Bros” creator Shigeru Miyamoto has produced some of the world’s biggest video game hits over the past three decades, and now he has added film producer to his long list of credits. Miyamoto unveiled his latest project, “PIKMIN Sh... More »

‘Ouija’ spells out win on U.S., Canada movie charts

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) – “Ouija”, a horror film inspired by the board said to contact the dead, haunted the top of movie charts in the United States and Canada, collecting $20 million in weekend ticket sales and knocking Brad Pitt’s “Fury” out of first... More »