Entertainment News Roundup: Netflix's modest growth forecast casts pall over streaming; ABBA settles lawsuit against tribute band over Abba Mania name and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Next two 'Mission: Impossible' movies delayed until 2023, 2024

The seventh and eighth movies in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise starring Tom Cruise have been delayed until 2023 and 2024 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, producers Paramount Pictures and Skydance said in a statement on Friday. "Mission: Impossible 7" had been scheduled to debut in movie theaters in September 2022, followed by "Mission: Impossible 8" in July 2023.

'Bat Out of Hell' singer Meat Loaf dies aged 74

Meat Loaf, the U.S. rock star whose debut "Bat Out of Hell" became one of the best-selling albums of all time, has died aged 74. Delivering epic anthems about love, lust and motorcycles with an intensity bordering on melodrama, Meat Loaf became an enduring - and sometimes bombastic - rock icon in the late 1970s.

Dior Homme swings romantic with embellished men's looks at Paris Fashion Week

Dior Homme took to the catwalk with a lineup of embellished men's looks, offering a romantic take on tailoring for one of the major shows of Paris fashion week. Fashion industry events have remained subdued due to the recent surge in coronavirus cases, which kept many international visitors from attending, but the Dior show drew crowds of onlookers to the Place de la Concorde angling for a view of the celebrity arrivals, who included Naomi Campbell.

ABBA settles lawsuit against tribute band over Abba Mania name

The Swedish pop supergroup ABBA has settled its lawsuit accusing a British cover band of using the name Abba Mania without permission. ABBA had sued on Dec. 3 in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, accusing Abba Mania's managers of "parasitic and bad-faith conduct" for trading off its fame and goodwill and making fans think ABBA endorsed Abba Mania.

Analysis-Netflix's modest growth forecast casts pall over streaming

Even as Netflix Inc executives sought to reassure investors in a Thursday video interview that its long-term prospects for streaming media remain bright, with its popular series "Bridgerton" returning for a second season and a science-fiction film starring Ryan Reynolds coming soon, shares slipped. By the end of the 45-minute earnings interview, Netflix stock was down more than 20%, casting a pall over the entertainment industry. Wall Street analysts and the company's own executives struggled to explain why the world's dominant streaming service forecast modest growth for the first three months of 2022, when many had anticipated a return to predictable, pre-pandemic quarterly gains.

Elton John says hello again with resumed goodbye tour

Flamboyant British rocker Elton John has resumed his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, returning to the stage in New Orleans after a nearly two-year hiatus. The "Tiny Dancer" and "Crocodile Rock" hitmaker, 74, played the Crescent City on Wednesday night. Marking his retirement from performing on the road, John's global tour began in September 2018. Like other musicians he was forced to postpone live shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Placido Domingo breaks silence over misconduct accusations, says he harassed no-one

Spanish opera star Placido Domingo addressed in a newspaper interview on Friday accusations about sexual harassment that emerged two years ago, telling newspaper El Mundo that he had done nothing wrong and regretted not speaking out sooner. A 2020 investigation by the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) concluded that Domingo, 81, had behaved inappropriately with female performers after it heard evidence from more than three dozen singers, dancers, musicians, voice teachers and backstage staff who said they had witnessed or experienced inappropriate behaviour over three decades.

Emmy-winning actor Louie Anderson dead at age 68

Louie Anderson, a three-time Emmy Award winner, comedian and game show host, died on Friday morning after a battle with cancer, his publicist told Deadline. He was 68. The star of the comedy series "Baskets" died in Las Vegas, where he was admitted into a hospital earlier this week for treatment of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, publicist Glenn Schwartz told the entertainment publication.

Tearful Adele postpones Las Vegas shows due to COVID delays

A tearful and apologetic Adele on Thursday postponed a series of Las Vegas concerts due to start on Friday because half her crew was sick with COVID-19 and the pandemic has caused delivery delays. The British superstar had been scheduled to start a three-month residence at the Caesars Palace Hotel in what were to be her first live appearances since 2017.

(With inputs from agencies.)