All About: Elton John, Sarah Bernhardt, 'Star Wars', Paris Bataclan concert

Under the agreement signed with John's company Rocket Entertainment, Universal Music Group (UMG) will represent the veteran British singer's new music "for the rest of his career" on top of his work from the last 50 years.

 

Ferragamo brings the Tuscan countryside to Milan with a new collection

The Tuscan countryside sprung in the heart of Milan on Saturday as Italian fashion designer Salvatore Ferragamo showed its spring-summer 2019 collection, full of soft hues and rich leather. Creative director of women's collections, Paul Andrew, and Guillame Meilland, head of the group's ready-to-wear, said the collection was inspired by the color palette of Tuscany's rolling hills, vineyards, and olive groves.

Elton John signs with Universal 'for the rest of his career'

Elton John has signed a deal with Universal Music Group for his back catalog and any new work as well as brand management, merchandising and licensing rights, the company said on Friday. Under the agreement signed with John's company Rocket Entertainment, Universal Music Group (UMG) will represent the veteran British singer's new music "for the rest of his career" on top of his work from the last 50 years.

'Bernhardt/Hamlet' offers modern Broadway twist on French diva

The life of French actress Sarah Bernhardt arrives on Broadway in a new play that brings a contemporary twist to her career as a woman who broke the rules of male-dominated theater. “Bernhardt/Hamlet,” a comedy starring British actress Janet McTeer, focuses on Bernhardt’s 1899 performance in Paris as the first woman to play Shakespeare's Hamlet.

'Star Wars' fans applaud movie release slowdown

Plans by Disney to slow down the release of future "Star Wars" projects are getting a thumbs up from fans, who also hope that new movies in the multi-billion dollar sci-fi franchise will be more creative. In an unexpected admission that the slew of "Star Wars" films and spinoff projects may be causing fan fatigue, Walt Disney CO. Chief Executive Bob Iger said it had been a mistake to release a new movie every year.

Annual Oktoberfest kicks off in Munich with beer, lederhosen, sausages

Thousands of visitors, many of them dressed in traditional lederhosen or dirndl corseted dresses, descended on Munich on Saturday for the start of the annual Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival. Munich's mayor, Dieter Reiter, kicked off the festivities by tapping open the first beer keg with a traditional shout of "O zapft is!" ("It's tapped" in English).

Cavalli raises hemlines in body conscious show in Milan

Short and wrapping designs that highlighted the body's form and movement marked out Roberto Cavalli's dynamic spring-summer 2019 collection in a runway full of energy on Saturday at Milan Fashion Week. The show, held in a former railway depot in the northern part of Italy's fashion capital, moved to the pounding beat of the drum-based tribal music, with jungle noises in the background.

Kenya lifts ban on lesbian film, making it eligible for Oscars

A Kenyan judge temporarily lifted a ban on an acclaimed film portraying a lesbian relationship on Friday, making it eligible to be entered for a Foreign Language Oscar, delighting the filmmakers but angering the sensor. "Rafiki" - "Friend" in Swahili - premiered at Cannes, the first Kenyan film to be selected by the prestigious festival.

Muslim rapper cancels Paris Bataclan concert after far-right protests

A French Muslim rapper said on Friday he was canceling two gigs at a Paris concert hall attacked by Islamist militants three years ago, saying he couldn't go ahead for security reasons after the far-right accused him of stoking divisions. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen welcomed the cancellation of rapper Medine's concerts at the Bataclan, where 90 people died in an attack coordinated by Islamic State, calling it "a victory for all the victims of Islamist terrorism".

Versace plays with prints and leather for its spring/summer designs

Italy's Versace played with bold prints, patchwork, and leather in its spring/summer 2019 women's collection in a star-studded show on Friday, the third day of Milan's fashion week. Singers Leona Lewis, Nicki Minaj, and Rita Ora, model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, actor Luke Evans, and Italian influencer Chiara Ferragni were all in the front row of an enormous industrial space in the modern CityLife neighborhood where the runway show was held.

Tom Hardy says on-screen 'Venom' stays true to Marvel comics

British actor Tom Hardy said on Friday he believes his new superhero movie "Venom" remains faithful to the Marvel Comics books in its portrayal of an investigative journalist whose body becomes the host for an alien with enhanced powers. Hardy, who previously starred in "Dunkirk" and "Mad Max: Fury Road," plays the sharp-toothed title character and his human alter-ego, reporter Eddie Brock.