Entertainment News Roundup: Beyonce leads Grammy nominees with 9, ahead of Kendrick Lamar and Adele; Actor Kevin Spacey faces more sexual assault charges in Britain and more

He is now on trial in Los Angeles Superior Court and had been facing 11 charges of rape and sexual assault. U.S. senator questions Ticketmaster after Taylor Swift sales complaints Ticketmaster faced new questions from a Democratic U.S. senator over its sales practices on Thursday, two days after Taylor Swift fans complained about website outages and long waits to buy tickets to her upcoming U.S. tour.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Beyonce leads Grammy nominees with 9, ahead of Kendrick Lamar and Adele

Pop superstar Beyonce led the field of musicians nominated for Grammy awards on Tuesday, setting up a showdown with Adele, Harry Styles and others for the top prize of album of the year. Beyonce landed nine nominations for the highest honors in music. That brought her career total to 88, tying her with husband Jay-Z as the most nominated artist in Grammy history.

Actor Kevin Spacey faces more sexual assault charges in Britain

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised seven additional charges against Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey for a number of sexual assaults against one man between 2001 and 2004, it said on Wednesday. The new CPS charges include one of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent and others of indecent and sexual assault. The new charges follow a review of evidence gathered by British police.

Weinstein defense challenges accuser Siebel Newsom as some charges dropped

An attorney for Harvey Weinstein challenged accusations by documentary filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom on Tuesday at his Los Angeles rape trial, and a judge dismissed some of the charges against the once-powerful film producer. Weinstein, the man who became the face of #MeToo allegations five years ago, is serving a 23-year prison sentence for sex crimes in New York. He is now on trial in Los Angeles Superior Court and had been facing 11 charges of rape and sexual assault.

U.S. senator questions Ticketmaster after Taylor Swift sales complaints

Ticketmaster faced new questions from a Democratic U.S. senator over its sales practices on Thursday, two days after Taylor Swift fans complained about website outages and long waits to buy tickets to her upcoming U.S. tour. In the letter to Ticketmaster parent Live Nation Entertainment Inc, Senator Amy Klobuchar voiced "serious concern about the state of competition in the ticketing industry and its harmful impact on consumers."

GQ Awards honour 'Squid Game' star Lee, rapper Stormzy, among others

Actors Lee Jung-jae, Sydney Sweeney and Andrew Garfield, England soccer captain Leah Williamson and rapper Stormzy were among the honourees at the 2022 GQ Men Of The Year Awards in London on Wednesday. The men’s fashion and style magazine celebrated nearly 30 names from across the worlds of entertainment, culture and sport for its 25th GQ Men of the Year event, which this year swapped its past awards categories for a format of toasting honourees at a special dinner.

Beyonce ties Jay-Z as most nominated artists in Grammy history

Pop icon Beyonce on Tuesday received the most 2023 Grammy nominations with nine in total, putting her into a tie with her husband, rapper Jay-Z, as the most nominated artists of all time. Beyonce and Jay-Z both have 88 nominations in total for the peer-voted music awards. Jay-Z received five 2023 nominations for contributions to Renaissance and DJ Khaled’s song, “God Did.”

Taylor Swift resale ticket prices soar past $28,000 amid fan frenzy

Ticket resellers were trying to fetch as much as $28,000 per ticket on Wednesday for Taylor Swift's upcoming U.S. stadium tour as fans flocked online for a second day looking to score seats to see the "Anti-Hero" singer live. Presales began on Tuesday and brought millions of people to the Ticketmaster website, causing periodic outages and long online wait times.

Adele returns to Las Vegas for delayed concerts

Music star Adele begins her Las Vegas residence on Friday, 10 months after she cancelled the shows at the last minute citing COVID-19 delays. The British singer-songwriter faced online backlash in January for the announcement's short notice as some fans were already travelling to Nevada for the concerts, called "Weekends with Adele".

(With inputs from agencies.)