Entertainment News Roundup: Manager for Britney Spears resigns, attorney expected to follow; Female-led Cannes jury hopes for end to gender debate and more

Platforms like Netflix have thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic and picked up several top film awards, while studios and cinemas have struggled as coronavirus restrictions closed movie theatres and pushed more viewers online. Marion Cotillard, Jodie Foster lead Cannes glamour in red carpet return Decked out in a shimmering silver Chanel gown, Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard helped kick off Cannes' comeback on Tuesday as movie stars from far and wide descended onto the red carpet for the French cinema showcase.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Swiss Alps, sailboats are 'magic' decor for Ibrahim Maalouf at Montreux Jazz Festival

French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf gave back-to-back shows at the Montreux Jazz Festival on Monday night, performing on a floating stage built specially on Lake Geneva for a limited number of fans with a COVID 19-free certificate. With the Swiss Alps and sailboats as a stunning backdrop, he appeared for the fourth time at one of Europe's most prestigious summer music festivals, cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

Assassin-turned-Avenger 'Black Widow' finally takes movie spotlight

After numerous delays because of the global pandemic, Marvel's Black Widow takes center stage in a new movie that debuts Friday and delves into the past of the Avengers character played by Scarlett Johansson. The actress reprises the role for the ninth time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though Black Widow died in 2019 blockbuster "Avengers: Endgame."

Female-led Cannes jury hopes for end to gender debate

Women will outnumber men on the Cannes Film Festival jury this year - but members including French actress Melanie Laurent said on Tuesday they dreamed of a time when female representation would no longer be newsworthy in the cinema industry. The world's biggest movie festival, along with rival showcases in the likes of Venice, has long come under scrutiny over the low number of women directors in the running for top awards or in positions of influence.

Chanel splashes plenty of colour at haute couture live show

Colourful flowers, sequins and feathers adorned Chanel's Impressionist-inspired haute couture show in Paris on Tuesday, held in front of a live audience as COVID-19 restrictions ease in France. Celebrities including film director Sofia Coppola and French actress Carole Bouquet mingled in the courtyard of the Palais Galliera fashion museum, where an exhibition on Chanel's founder, Gabrielle Chanel, is currently on show.

All the world's an audience whether theatres are light or dark

For many it is theatre’s darkest hour. For others, Britain’s Royal Shakespeare Company included, lockdown has speeded up the use of technology that has transformed stagecraft and revealed new audiences and business opportunities. Even before COVID-19 closed theatres, they had distributed recorded performances via cinemas for people who could not get to the West End or Broadway.

Spike Lee tells Cannes Black people still 'hunted down like animals'

Director Spike Lee on Tuesday denounced the state of race relations in the United States three decades after he first shook audiences in Cannes with films on bigotry and violence, drawing parallels with the 2020 killing of George Floyd. Lee, the first Black person to head up the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, said little had progressed since 'Do The Right Thing' premiered on the French Riviera in 1989 - a Brooklyn-based tale of spiralling racial tensions and police brutality with a startling resonance now.

Manager for Britney Spears resigns, attorney expected to follow

Britney Spears' longtime manager has resigned, saying the pop star plans to retire and no longer needs his services, and her court-appointed attorney was reported on Tuesday also to be planning to step down. Larry Rudolph, who has managed the singer's career for 25 years, said in a letter released to media outlets late on Monday that he had become aware that Spears had been "voicing her intention to officially retire."

Cannes director criticises rivals for allowing Netflix movies in too easily

The head of the Cannes Film Festival took a swipe at rival events on Monday, saying some had been too quick to allow movies made by streaming giants into their main competitions without applying strict rules, and had harmed cinema as a result. Platforms like Netflix have thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic and picked up several top film awards, while studios and cinemas have struggled as coronavirus restrictions closed movie theatres and pushed more viewers online.

Marion Cotillard, Jodie Foster lead Cannes glamour in red carpet return

Decked out in a shimmering silver Chanel gown, Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard helped kick off Cannes' comeback on Tuesday as movie stars from far and wide descended onto the red carpet for the French cinema showcase. The world's biggest film festival is marking its return after skipping 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in slightly more subdued form, with fewer attendees and parties over the 12-day whirlwind of film premieres.

Film fans, holidaymakers mingle for COVID-conscious Cannes comeback

Armed with coronavirus tests and face masks, movie stars will start arriving in Cannes from Tuesday for the return of the world's biggest film festival, which aims to help cinema bounce back from the blow dealt it by the global pandemic. Organisers and local authorities are banking on strict coronavirus protocols and testing to keep the event trouble-free, as the French government steps up warnings over growing cases of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant.

(With inputs from agencies.)