Entertainment News Roundup: Cannes Film Festival rolls out red carpet as crowds descend for 75th anniversary; Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra feted on return home after Eurovision win and more

"We need a new (Charlie) Chaplin to prove that today cinema is not silent," said Zelenskiy, referring to Charlie Chaplin's satire of Adolf Hitler at the outset of World War Two in 1939. Depp lawyer questions Heard about drugs, love notes in defamation case Johnny Depp's attorney grilled the actor's ex-wife Amber Heard on Tuesday, producing affectionate notes she wrote during their short-lived marriage to challenge her accounts of frequent violence and bolster the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star's case for defamation.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 18-05-2022 18:50 IST | Created: 18-05-2022 18:34 IST
Entertainment News Roundup: Cannes Film Festival rolls out red carpet as crowds descend for 75th anniversary; Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra feted on return home after Eurovision win and more
Kalush Orchestra Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Cannes Film Festival rolls out red carpet as crowds descend for 75th anniversary

The Cannes Film Festival rolled out the red carpet Tuesday as the Mediterranean port city filled up with cinema stars, festival-goers and oglers for the 75th-anniversary event, bringing buzz and glamour back to the resort destination. "I'm simply overjoyed," the festival's jury president Vincent Lindon told a packed press conference, flanked by jury members: actors and filmmakers including Rebecca Hall, Noomi Rapace, Deepika Padukone, Jeff Nichols, and Asghar Farhadi.

Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra feted on return home after Eurovision win

Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra returned to their homeland on Monday after an emotional Eurovision Song Contest victory, greeted at the border with Poland by servicemen and women whose cause the band had championed in Turin. Frontman Oleh Psiuk was presented with a bouquet of yellow and blue flowers - the colours of Ukraine's flag - and reunited with his girlfriend before he and his band launched into an impromptu version of "Stefania," their winning song.

Gibson guitar smashed on night rock band Oasis split sold at auction

A 1960 Gibson electric guitar used by Oasis star Noel Gallagher before it was smashed up by his brother and former bandmate Liam Gallagher during a row on the night the band split sold at auction in Paris for 300,000 euros ($315,900) on Tuesday. Liam Gallagher wrecked the red Gibson at a festival in the French capital in 2009, shortly before the band had been due on stage, in a fit of fury that was to become a cult moment in music history.

"Death was coming" - Bataclan band recalls Paris attack

The U.S. rock band Eagles of Death Metal were midway through their set when Islamist militants sprayed the Bataclan concert hall in Paris with gunfire, cutting down revelers, frontman Jesse Hughes recounted before a French court on Tuesday. Guitar technician Eden Galindo's first thought had been that the sound system was exploding, but Hughes said he knew instantly the venue was under attack.

Swimming-Australian pop singer Simpson qualifies for Commonwealth Games

Australian pop singer-turned-swimmer Cody Simpson qualified for this year's Commonwealth Games after finishing third in the 100 metres butterfly final at the national trials in Adelaide on Wednesday. Simpson, 25, turned heads earlier on Wednesday when he upstaged Olympic freestyle gold medallist Kyle Chalmers and won his heat in a personal best time of 51.79 seconds behind defending champion Matt Temple (51.64).

'Downton Abbey' returns with a silent movie and a trip to France

Twelve years since it first premiered, television hit "Downton Abbey" is back with a second stand-alone film about the fictitious Crawley family and their servants running a sprawling English country estate in the early 20th century. Set in 1928, "Downton Abbey: A New Era", released in U.S. cinemas on Friday, sees a film crew arrive at Downton as well as some family members travel to the French Riviera.

Cannes Film Festival opens with Zelenskiy appeal to world cinema

The Cannes Film Festival opened up Tuesday with crowded red carpet arrivals, a star-studded ceremony and a call from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the world of cinema to speak out against the war. "We need a new (Charlie) Chaplin to prove that today cinema is not silent," said Zelenskiy, referring to Charlie Chaplin's satire of Adolf Hitler at the outset of World War Two in 1939.

Depp lawyer questions Heard about drugs, love notes in defamation case

Johnny Depp's attorney grilled the actor's ex-wife Amber Heard on Tuesday, producing affectionate notes she wrote during their short-lived marriage to challenge her accounts of frequent violence and bolster the "Pirates of the Caribbean" star's case for defamation. Depp, 58, is suing Heard for $50 million, saying she defamed him when she claimed she was a victim of domestic abuse. He has testified that he never hit Heard and argued that she was the abuser in their relationship.

'Rust' producer says movie will be completed - Hollywood Reporter

A producer of the movie "Rust," whose set saw the fatal accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins last year, said the movie will be completed, the Hollywood Reporter reported on Monday. Hutchins was killed https://reut.rs/3PoJbwM in October when a revolver that actor Alec Baldwin was rehearsing with during filming in New Mexico fired a live round that hit her and movie director Joel Souza. Souza was wounded but survived.

Key moments in the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial

Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are suing each other for defamation, each claiming they were abused before and during their roughly two-year marriage. A Virginia jury is hearing the case, which is expected to run through late May. Below are key moments in the trial so far:

(With inputs from agencies.)

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