Entertainment News Roundup: Taylor Swift releases re-recording of hit 2008 "Fearless" album; French audiences develop a taste for window theatre and more

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts ceremony is being held virtually over two nights as the COVID-19 pandemic prevents the usual celebrity-packed show with a live audience. Rapper, actor DMX, five-time Billboard chart topper, dead at 50 American rapper and actor Earl Simmons, known by the stage name DMX or Dark Man X, died on Friday, his record label said, after he suffered a heart attack during what media reports said was a drug overdose.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 12-04-2021 02:32 IST | Created: 12-04-2021 02:29 IST
Entertainment News Roundup: Taylor Swift releases re-recording of hit 2008 "Fearless" album; French audiences develop a taste for window theatre and more
File Photo Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

'Top Gun' sequel delayed in summer movie setback for theaters

Paramount Pictures has pushed the release Tom Cruise movie "Top Gun: Maverick" to November from July, the studio said on Friday, a move that deprives theaters of what was expected to be one of the biggest releases of the summer blockbuster season.

The sequel to 1986 hit "Top Gun" will now debut in theaters on Nov. 19, the day Paramount had planned to release Cruise's seventh "Mission: Impossible" movie. That film was moved to May 2022, according to Paramount, a unit of ViacomCBS Inc.

Taylor Swift releases re-recording of hit 2008 "Fearless" album

American music star Taylor Swift released a re-recording of her 2008 hit album "Fearless" on Friday, as the Grammy Award winner seeks to take back control of her early catalogue. "Fearless (Taylor's Version)" features 26 tracks, including six previously unreleased songs from the vault. It has all of the original album's 13 songs and six more from the record's platinum version.

Recession drama 'Nomadland' wins best film at BAFTA awards

U.S. recession drama "Nomadland", about a community of van dwellers, was the big winner at Britain's BAFTA awards on Sunday, scooping best film and prizes for its Chinese-born director Chloe Zhao and leading actress Frances McDormand. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts ceremony was held virtually over two nights, with nominees joining in by video, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Box Office: 'Godzilla vs. Kong' Roars to $13.4 Million in Second Weekend

"Godzilla vs. Kong" stormed to the top of the domestic box office, picking up $13.4 million in its second weekend of release. That brings the monster mashup's stateside haul to $69.5 million, an impressive gross considering it comes in the midst of a global pandemic. The Legendary and Warner Bros. release's robust commercial performance has been all the more notable because it comes as COVID restrictions are in place, limiting capacity in theaters, and also as the film is available on HBO Max. The film dropped 58 percent compared to its opening weekend gross of $32.2 million. Warner Bros. is releasing its entire 2021 slate on HBO Max at the same time they debut in theaters as a concession to coronavirus and a way to bolster the streaming service.

Jazz drama 'Ma Rainey' wins two prizes at BAFTAs opening night

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", a jazz drama set in 1920s Chicago, won two awards at the opening of the BAFTAs on Saturday, but the race for the main prizes remains open with a list of contenders that shines a spotlight on diversity. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts ceremony is being held virtually over two nights as the COVID-19 pandemic prevents the usual celebrity-packed show with a live audience.

Rapper, actor DMX, five-time Billboard chart topper, dead at 50

American rapper and actor Earl Simmons, known by the stage name DMX or Dark Man X, died on Friday, his record label said, after he suffered a heart attack during what media reports said was a drug overdose. He was 50 years old. The chart-topping artist's songs included "Party Up (Up in Here)" and "X Gon' Give It To Ya." His career had been marked by legal troubles and prison time.

French audiences develop a taste for window theatre

French actress Isabelle Cagnat is pining to get back on stage once the pandemic is over, but on Sunday she had to be content with performing from behind the windows of a fashion boutique. Outside the hip apparel store in central Paris, a small crowd of several dozen people gathered under a cold grey sky, some passers-by, others who had seen notices on social media. Organisers implored the audience to stand well apart to avoid trouble with police.

(With inputs from agencies.)

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