Entertainment News Roundup: Lady Gaga, Netflix's investment, Led Zeppelin

Lady Gaga says 'Star is Born' character not at all like her

Lady Gaga's performance as an aspiring singer who makes it big in "A Star is Born" might seem to be modeled on her own rise to fame, but Gaga says nothing could be further from the truth. In her first movie role, the New York-born musician behind hits like "Born This Way" and "Bad Romance" plays a struggling singer called Ally who has a chance meeting and intense romance with country star Jackson Maine, played by Bradley Cooper.

Netflix to double investment in France, produce more local shows

U.S. video streaming company Netflix Inc plans to double its investment in France and produce 14 local shows, twice as many as first planned, Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings said on Friday. Hastings did not disclose how much Netflix would invest, though it would be "many millions of euros", he told French radio station BFM Business.

Led Zeppelin must face new trial claiming it stole 'Stairway' riff

Led Zeppelin was ordered by a U.S. appeals court to face a new trial over whether it stole the opening guitar riff for its 1971 anthem "Stairway to Heaven" from an obscure instrumental written four years earlier. In a 3-0 decision on Friday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco threw out a June 2016 verdict in the rock band's favor, citing a series of errors by the trial judge.

Mortensen thought twice about bouncer role in 'Green Book'

Danish-American actor Viggo Mortensen says he was nervous at first about playing a burly Italian-American bouncer from the Bronx in comedy-drama "Green Book", unsure whether he could portray the character convincingly. The 59-year-old, best known for "The Lord of the Rings" and "Captain Fantastic", also had to gain weight for the role of Tony Lip, who is hired to drive black pianist Don Shirley, played by Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, on a concert tour of the segregated U.S. Deep South in the early 1960s.

A movie about corrupt priests outrages politicians in Catholic Poland

A new movie featuring drunk, fornicating and child-abusing priests has outraged some conservative politicians in Poland and fueled debate about the Catholic Church's influence in one of Europe's most devout nations. "Kler" ("Clergy") revolves around the lives of three fictional Catholic priests who swill vodka and mock the church. One of them sexually abuses a blind orphan boy.

Hillary Clinton jokes about email in 'Murphy Brown' return to TV

Hillary Clinton made a surprise appearance on the revival of the television comedy "Murphy Brown" on Thursday, joking about her experience with emails in an episode that took jabs at President Donald Trump and the media. The show that became a flashpoint in the U.S. culture wars in 1992 returned to the air for the first time in 20 years with star Candice Bergen again playing the pioneering journalist.

Hooked on body suspension: extreme art finds a niche in China

Inside a dimly lit bar in Shanghai, amazed spectators held their smartphones high as artist Wei Yilaien suspended a couple in mid-air from hooks piercing their bodies. Onlookers snapped pictures and videos as the tattooed bodies dangled from a metal frame for 20 minutes before Wei and two assistants lowered the couple to the floor.

Aging Japan: Manga comics turn gray - but spirited - along with readers

Japan's graying population is changing the character of its beloved manga comics, spawning a new genre in which the elderly aren't pitiable oldsters but protagonists making discoveries, finding friends and sometimes even having hot sex. Demand for stories focused on the elderly has grown alongside their audience: 27.7 percent of Japanese are older than 65, up from 21.5 percent just a decade ago.

CNN founder Ted Turner says he's suffering a form of dementia

Ted Turner, the billionaire founder of cable news channel CNN, says he is suffering from a form of dementia that leaves him exhausted and forgetful. Turner, 79, told CBS television in an interview that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder.

From the trenches comes Peter Jackson's World War One film

Featuring voice-overs from veteran soldiers and transformed 100-year-old archive footage from the battlefield, Peter Jackson offered a first look at his upcoming World War One film "They Shall Not Grow Old". The short trailer, released on Friday, shows original black and white footage of soldiers eating, riding on horseback and firing weaponry.

(With inputs from Reuters)