Entertainment News Roundup: Jennifer Aniston defends cutting ties with unvaccinated friends; Lily Allen says West End debut comes with 'huge amount of pressure' and more

The announcement came hours after the state-owned People's Daily published an editorial criticising 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 work force.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Jennifer Aniston defends cutting ties with unvaccinated friends

Actor Jennifer Aniston is defending her decision to drop friends and acquaintances who won't say if they are vaccinated against COVID-19 after questions on social media about the move.

The "Friends" and "The Morning Show" star said in an InStyle magazine interview published this week that there was still a "large group of people who are anti-vaxxers or just don't listen to the facts."

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 criticising 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 work force. 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.

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 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.