Entertainment News Roundup: Colorful, violent and silly, 'The Suicide Squad' makes a comeback; Singer Rihanna is officially a billionaire, Forbes says and more

Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, teamed up with "Bridesmaids" actress Melissa McCarthy for the tongue-in-cheek video to launch her "40x40" initiative. Latin singer Selena featured in new U.S. comic book Selena, the Tejano music performer killed in 1995, will be the star of a U.S. comic book debuting later this month.


Reuters | Updated: 06-08-2021 19:00 IST | Created: 06-08-2021 18:33 IST
Entertainment News Roundup: Colorful, violent and silly, 'The Suicide Squad' makes a comeback; Singer Rihanna is officially a billionaire, Forbes says and more
Rihanna (Image courtesy: Instagram) Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Colorful, violent and silly, 'The Suicide Squad' makes a comeback

Margot Robbie leads a cast of unhinged supervillains as "The Suicide Squad" returns on Friday in a sequel that its cast calls colorful and crazy. With a new director in James Gunn and fresh characters played by Idris Elba, Jon Cena and Sylvester Stallone, "The Suicide Squad" follows the 2016 movie that did well at the box office but got weak reviews.

Singer Rihanna is officially a billionaire, Forbes says

Popstar Rihanna's net worth is estimated at $1.7 billion, making her the richest woman musician in the world, but her music is not the primary source of her wealth, Forbes magazine said on Wednesday. The Barbados-born singer, whose birth name is Robyn Fenty, derives an estimated $1.4 billion of her fortune from her 50% stake in the Fenty Beauty cosmetics line, Forbes reported.

Lily Allen says West End debut comes with 'huge amount of pressure'

British singer-songwriter Lily Allen has performed in front of tens of thousands but she says taking the stage in London's West End is "much scarier". Allen, who rose to fame in the late-2000s with hits such as "Smile" and "Not Fair", is making her theatre debut in "2:22 - A Ghost Story", a supernatural thriller which opened for previews at the Noel Coward Theatre on Aug. 3.

Weibo pulls celeb ranking list after state media raps 'unworthy' stars

China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo said on Friday it would take down an online list that ranks celebrities by popularity after state media said social media platforms ought to rein in the promotion of celebrity culture to protect children. The announcement came hours after the state-owned People's Daily published an editorial criticizing platforms that prioritize traffic and create celebrities out of "unworthy" individuals, who can draw attention and money from fans.

Meghan teams up with Melissa McCarthy for birthday mentorship video

Britain's Duchess Meghan celebrated her 40th birthday on Wednesday with a light-hearted video and an appeal for people to mentor women trying to get back into the workforce. Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, teamed up with "Bridesmaids" actress Melissa McCarthy for the tongue-in-cheek video to launch her "40x40" initiative.

Latin singer Selena featured in new U.S. comic book

Selena, the Tejano music performer killed in 1995, will be the star of a U.S. comic book debuting later this month. Selena, whose birth name was Selena Quintanilla-Perez, will be the focus of "Female Force: Selena," a comic book in English and Spanish being released by TidalWave Comics on Aug. 11.

Grammy Awards show to make diversity part of the contract

The Grammy Awards show has committed to hiring a diverse team of people working on and off stage to produce the highest honors in the music industry, organizers said on Wednesday. The Recording Academy said it was adopting a so-called "inclusion rider" to its contract with producers of the January 2022 Grammy ceremony to boost diversity at every level.

'We'll scream our pain': Gaza's first rock band, Osprey V, takes wing

An accountant, two lawyers, an agronomist, and a Swiss humanitarian worker have formed Gaza's first rock band, giving voice in English to the pain of war in the Palestinian territory. The unlikely group got together more than two years ago to create Osprey V, posting video clips online and projecting an aura of mystery by keeping their faces hidden.

Louis C.K. announces first tour since sexual misconduct scandal

Comedian Louis C.K. on Wednesday announced a 30-city stand-up tour, his first major gigs since admitting in 2017 to sexual misconduct. The former star of the TV comedy "Louie" announced dates on his website starting in mid-August in New York City and running through to December. He will also perform in Ukraine, Germany, Denmark, and Romania in early 2022.

Kendall Jenner says $1.8 million suit by Italian brand 'without merit'

A representative of U.S. top model Kendall Jenner fired back on Wednesday against a $1.8 million suit from Italian label Liu Jo, saying a claim that she had breached terms of a modeling contract was "without merit." At the center of the dispute is a fashion shoot that was delayed by the COVID-19 emergency, with the contemporary Italian fashion label alleging Jenner turned down proposals to reschedule it, according to a complaint filed by Liu Jo in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan late on Monday.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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