Entertainment News Roundup: Harry and Meghan make final split; Korean-language movie is talk of Hollywood and more

Big Hit Entertainment said it was teaming with Universal Music Group to find, develop and train the new K-Pop boy band. Rebranded for the digital age as Virgin Music Label & Artist Services, the label is now part of the giant Universal Music Group (UMG), which hopes its global reach and economic clout can help the indie scene thrive.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Harry and Meghan make final split with British royal family

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan made their final split with the British royal family, telling Queen Elizabeth that they will not be returning as working members of monarchy, Buckingham Palace said on Friday. Harry and Meghan, who announced they are expecting their second child on Sunday, shocked senior royals last year by announcing plans to step back from their royal roles.

A year after 'Parasite,' Korean-language movie 'Minari' is talk of Hollywood

A year after South Korean satire "Parasite" took Hollywood by storm, another Korean-language movie, "Minari," is making waves during awards season. Yet the two films could not be more different.

Wanted: New K-Pop band, American style

The company behind South Korean boy band BTS on Wednesday announced a project to find the next K-Pop sensation, through a global audition program that is expected air in the United States in 2022. Big Hit Entertainment said it was teaming with Universal Music Group to find, develop and train the new K-Pop boy band.

Pandemic blues fuel record sales for Czech vinyl maker

Housebound music lovers starved of live shows during the pandemic got their groove on with vinyl records instead, fuelling a buying boom that drove the world's biggest LP maker to its best-ever annual sales and profit. GZ media, which presses records ranging from global superstar Lady Gaga to independent punk band Cock Sparrer saw sales jump 11% to 4 billion crowns ($187 million) and shipped 38 million LPs in 2020, said Chief Executive Michal Sterba.

Virgin record label revived as Universal looks to boost indie scene

Virgin, the storied record label once home to acts including the Sex Pistols and Spice Girls, was relaunched on Thursday with a mission to nurture a new generation of indie talent. Rebranded for the digital age as Virgin Music Label & Artist Services, the label is now part of the giant Universal Music Group (UMG), which hopes its global reach and economic clout can help the indie scene thrive.

Digital London Fashion Week kicks off

A completely digital London Fashion Week kicked off on Friday, with designers hoping to entice trend-followers from the comfort of their homes with their latest creations. With Britain under a national lockdown, streamed videos have replaced the usual bustling catwalk presentations.

Guest rotations and temperature checks at Rebecca Minkoff NY fashion show

Designer Rebecca Minkoff recreated an indoor botanical garden for her latest line at New York Fashion Week in one of the event's few live shows, with a limited number of guests. Some 100 fashionistas had to fill out a COVID-related form and have their temperature checked before entering the presentation on Tuesday, a video of which was released on Thursday. They then rotated in groups of 15 every 20 minutes for two hours.

Google adds Apple's TV app to latest Chromecast device

Alphabet Inc's Google has added Apple Inc's TV app, which includes paid streaming service Apple TV+, to the latest Chromecast TV device, the search giant said on Thursday. The move comes at a time when Apple has grown warmer to granting access to its services to hardware devices outside its ecosystem, with Chromecast users getting access to its renowned originals like "The Morning Show" and "Greyhound".

Demi Lovato says 2018 overdose led to three strokes and heart attack

Pop star Demi Lovato said she had three strokes and a heart attack when she was hospitalized for a drug overdose in 2018, and was also left with some brain damage. Lovato, 28, was promoting a new documentary on Wednesday that she said would give full details of the widely-publicized overdose that almost killed her.

(With inputs from agencies.)