Entertainment News Roundup: Duchess Meghan, Scrabble beatdown, Apple-Shazam deal

Duchess Meghan makes a first royal solo outing for an art exhibition

Meghan Markle attended the opening of London's new "Oceania" exhibition on Tuesday evening in what was her first royal solo outing since marrying Britain's Prince Harry in May. Meghan, 37, who is officially known as the Duchess of Sussex, visited the Royal Academy of Arts, where on display are some 200 works including ornaments, canoes, and images from the Pacific region Meghan will visit with Harry on their first overseas tour next month.

I used to call you Meghan (and I still do) but dear Duchess of Sussex your first project "Together" a cookbook bringing women of all cultures together. I could not be more excited about it and proud of you. It's beautiful - diversity, inclusivity, coming together in grief or joy pic.twitter.com/RkB2O35qmG

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) September 17, 2018

Sirius XM to buy Pandora in $3.5 billion streaming push

Satellite radio company Sirius XM Holdings Inc will buy online music service Pandora Media Inc in a $3.5 billion all-stock deal that will help it battle growing competition from streaming rivals Spotify and Apple Music. Sirius XM, controlled by media mogul John Malone's Liberty Media Corp, has built a name supplying more than 175 channels to car drivers but has largely trailed Pandora, Spotify Technology SA and Apple in mobile and streaming content.

Marilyn Monroe's 1956 roadster could fetch $500,000 at auction

A two-seater convertible car owned by Marilyn Monroe is going up for auction in November and could fetch up to $500,000, organizers said on Tuesday. The 1956 raven black Ford Thunderbird, owned by the movie star for six years until shortly before her death in 1962, is being auctioned for the first time.

The secret to Scrabble beatdown: 300 words added to game's dictionary

Ew. Just when you've mastered enough legitimate Scrabble words to beat your bestie on the game board and twerk in victory, Merriam-Webster has released a sixth edition of The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. The newest dictionary for Scrabble, the popular board game in which players use letter tiles to spell words, includes more than 300 new entries, including "ew," defined as an expression of disgust; "bestie," a best friend, and "twerk," which is a dance that involves shaking your buttocks while squatting.

Apple completes deal to buy Shazam

Apple Inc has completed the acquisition of music discovery app Shazam, it said on Monday, weeks after the European Union approved the deal. The deal, announced in December last year, is expected to help the iPhone maker better compete with Spotify, the industry leader in music streaming services.

Swedish TV satire on Chinese tourists sparks Beijing protest

China complained to Sweden on Monday over a satirical news show on Swedish state television that advised Chinese tourists how to avoid culture clashes in a way that Beijing said insulted the Chinese people. The satire program Svenska Nyheter (Swedish News), was aired a week after police removed three Chinese citizens from a Stockholm hotel which, local media reported, they had refused to leave although they were not booked to stay there.

Cooper says 'explosion of chemistry' with Gaga key to 'Star is Born'

When first-time director Bradley Cooper hired pop superstar Lady Gaga for her first movie role in the remake of the classic film "A Star is Born" both were taking a leap of faith. Trust, hard work and chemistry were key to their re-telling of the romance between an aging alcoholic musician and an ingenue who had previously been played by Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland.

Friend Saw "A Star Is Born"Last Nite & Said it was GREAT‼️"Bradley Cooper did GREAT JOB DIRECTING &ACTING,& GAGA WAS SO NATURAL IT DIDNT SEEM LIKE SHE WAS ACTING‼️To Bradley...WELL DONE👏🏻TO GaGa.... BABE....I ALWAYS FELT YOU COULD DO IT,& IM SO PROUD OF YOU 🙌🏻💋

— Cher (@cher) September 25, 2018

Celebrities gather on Milan's 'Green Carpet' to promote sustainability

Italy's fashion elite and celebrities such as film stars Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, and Colin Firth gathered at a "green-carpet" event on Sunday at Milan's fashion week to urge greater environmental sustainability in the global fashion industry. The black-tie gathering was the closing event to the city's six-day fashion extravaganza, a week after London's fashion week declared itself fur-free for the first time.

Bill Cosby sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for sexual assault

Bill Cosby was marched out of court in handcuffs on Tuesday after being sentenced to between three and 10 years in prison for sexual assault, capping the downfall of the once-beloved comedian known as "America's Dad." Cosby, 81, was found guilty in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for the drugging and sexual assault of his one-time friend Andrea Constand, a former Temple University administrator, at his Philadelphia home in 2004.

Theatrics, glitter and Jane Birkin: Gucci does Paris

PARIS, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Italy's Gucci brought a dose of eccentricity to Paris Fashion Week on Monday, with a runway show featuring a parrot, eerie videos, frilly sequined looks and a surprise performance by British singer and actress Jane Birkin. The brand has become one of the luxury world's fastest-growing in recent years - propelling an earnings bounce at parent group Kering - thanks to its flamboyant reinvention under designer Alessandro Michele, showcased at elaborate catwalk displays.

(With inputs from Reuters)