Entertainment News Roundup: Radiohead strummer tests radical redesign of electric guitar; Shares in K-pop group BTS' management label Big Hit drop after debut and more

Shares in K-pop group BTS' management label Big Hit drop after debut Shares in Big Hit Entertainment defied the pre-listing hype to dip on their first day of trade on Thursday, giving the management label of South Korean superstar K-pop group BTS a market valuation of 8.7 trillion won ($7.61 billion).

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Analysis: Fewer movies in theaters? Big Media turns focus to streaming video

Walt Disney Co's revamp of its media and entertainment businesses represents Hollywood's latest move to prioritize streaming media, raising questions about how much big media companies will continue to support movie theaters. On Monday, Disney said it had restructured its media and entertainment businesses to accelerate growth of Disney+ and other streaming services as consumers increasingly gravitate to digital viewing.

AT&T Inc and Comcast Corp have made similar moves. TV's 'West Wing' swaps fictional politics for the real thing

Fourteen years after television political drama "The West Wing" shut down its White House set, the show is back with its idealized version of a U.S. president and a mission to get Americans to the polls on Nov. 3 to choose a real one. Martin Sheen - who played the liberal-leaning U.S. President Jed Bartlet on the show - reunites with fictional White House staffers portrayed by Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Rob Lowe, Dule Hill, Janel Maloney and Richard Schiff for a one-off special to promote voting.

TV's serial killer drama 'Dexter' gets a revival

Dexter, one of America's best known TV serial killers, is on his way back. Cable network Showtime said on Wednesday it had given the go-ahead to a 10-episode revival of "Dexter," with star Michael C. Hall once again playing blood spatter specialist Dexter Morgan who works with the Miami police department and moonlights as a vigilante killer.

Fender releases new professional guitars as sales boom during pandemic

Fender Musical Instruments Corp on Tuesday released a new range of electric guitars aimed at professional players, hoping that a sales boom in entry level guitars will carry over into $1,000-plus instruments, even as many live music venues remain shuttered. Fender released updated "American Professional II" versions of its iconic Stratocaster and Telecaster models long played by artists such as Eric Clapton and Bruce Springsteen.

Stevie Wonder releases two songs appealing for love and unity

Stevie Wonder on Tuesday released two new singles appealing for unity amid the challenges of systemic racism and the coronavirus pandemic, and said he would donate 100% of the proceeds of one of them to the non-profit Feeding America. "Where Is Our Love Song" and "Can't Put It In the Hands of Fate," are songs Wonder, 70, said he had started writing years ago about romantic relationships but was inspired to give them a different twist by the tumultuous events of the past year.

Shares in K-pop group BTS' management label Big Hit drop after debut

Shares in Big Hit Entertainment defied the pre-listing hype to dip on their first day of trade on Thursday, giving the management label of South Korean superstar K-pop group BTS a market valuation of 8.7 trillion won ($7.61 billion). Big Hit, which relies heavily on the boy band for revenue, doubled its initial public offering price to debut at 270,000 won per share, for a 9.6 trillion won valuation. Shares surged by as much as 30% in early trade before dropping back.

Radiohead strummer tests radical redesign of electric guitar

British band Radiohead's rhythm guitarist Ed O'Brien has been putting a radical redesign of the electric guitar through its paces. The Circle Guitar features a rotating disc that can be fitted with plectrums to strum the strings, freeing up one hand for the guitarist to experiment with new sounds.

(With inputs from agencies.)