Entertainment News Roundup: Taylor Swift concert fiasco leads to U.S. Senate grilling for Ticketmaster; Award-winning U.S. saxophonist heads to Cuba for rare collaborative performance and more

The Netflix movie, the first German version of the epic 1929 novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque, was one of the most recognized films in the 2023 Oscar nods, behind "Everything Everywhere All at Once" with 11 and tied with "The Banshees of Inisherin". Taylor Swift concert fiasco leads to U.S. Senate grilling for Ticketmaster U.S. senators slammed Live Nation Entertainment's lack of transparency and inability to block bot purchases of tickets on Tuesday, in a hearing called after a major fiasco involving ticket sales for Taylor Swift's upcoming concert tour.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Armani spins harlequin patterns into ballgowns for haute couture lineup in Paris

Giorgio Armani took to the haute couture catwalk in Paris Tuesday with evening wear spun from a traditional, diamond-patterned harlequin motif in pale pastels. Models moved steadily down a glossy runway carrying the motif, their clothing echoing the colors underfoot - pale pink, green and purple.

Germany's 'All Quiet on the Western Front' revels in nine Oscar nods

Germany's reboot of the famous anti-war classic "All Quiet on the Western Front" landed nine Oscar nominations on Tuesday, including best picture, a haul that surprised its creators. The Netflix movie, the first German version of the epic 1929 novel by German author Erich Maria Remarque, was one of the most recognized films in the 2023 Oscar nods, behind "Everything Everywhere All at Once" with 11 and tied with "The Banshees of Inisherin".

Taylor Swift concert fiasco leads to U.S. Senate grilling for Ticketmaster

U.S. senators slammed Live Nation Entertainment's lack of transparency and inability to block bot purchases of tickets on Tuesday, in a hearing called after a major fiasco involving ticket sales for Taylor Swift's upcoming concert tour. Live Nation Entertainment Inc subsidiary Ticketmaster, which has been unpopular with fans for years, has drawn fresh heat from U.S. lawmakers over how it handled ticket sales last fall for Swift's "Eras" tour, her first in five years. Experts say Ticketmaster commands more than 70% market share of primary ticket services for major U.S. concert venues.

Award-winning U.S. saxophonist heads to Cuba for rare collaborative performance

Grammy-winning U.S. jazz saxophonist-composer Ted Nash traveled to Cuba this week to perform with fellow musicians from the Caribbean island nation, part of a week-long celebration of jazz in the Cuban capital of Havana. Nash - one of the United States´ best-known contemporary jazz performers, will lead a project called Jazz X. He and several Cuban musicians will compose new works inspired by visual art in Cuba´s National Museum of Fine Arts, then present them together to the public in several sessions.

'RRR' composer confident his 'Naatu Naatu' song is Oscar-worthy

"Naatu Naatu", the standout song in the Indian period film "RRR," has won a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award, garnered hundreds of millions of views on YouTube and spawned a TikTok challenge. On Tuesday, it received an Oscar nomination for best original song, making history as the first Indian feature film to be nominated for anything other than best international film at the Academy Awards.

'Better Call Saul' creators seek end of Liberty Tax's defamation lawsuit

The creators of "Better Call Saul" on Tuesday asked a U.S. judge to dismiss Liberty Tax Service's lawsuit objecting to an episode of the hit crime drama, saying the case "stretches the reach of trademark and defamation laws beyond their breaking point." Liberty Tax had sued AMC Networks Inc and Sony Pictures Television Inc over the depiction of "Sweet Liberty Tax Services" in the April 18, 2022 episode "Carrot and Stick."

Ireland toasts record Oscar success with 14 nominations

Ireland celebrated a record 14 Oscar nominations on Tuesday, scooping five of the 20 acting spots up for grabs and for the first time earning a nod for a feature film made in the native Irish language. The haul - which included nine nominations for "The Banshees of Inisherin", the dark comedy filmed on a remote island off the western Irish coast - was the top item on Ireland's flagship evening news programme, relegating politics to second place.

Box office hits 'Everything Everywhere,' 'Elvis' and 'Avatar' land Oscar nominations

Dimension-hopping adventure "Everything Everywhere All at Once" topped the list of movies nominated on Tuesday for this year's Oscars as Hollywood's film academy chose several crowd-pleasing hits to compete for the best picture prize. "Everything Everywhere," a science-fiction flick about an exasperated Chinese immigrant struggling to finish her taxes, landed 11 nominations, including best picture and four acting nods.

Angela Bassett becomes Marvel's first actor nominated for an Oscar

Angela Bassett made history on Tuesday as the first Marvel Cinematic Universe star to be nominated for an acting Oscar for her “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” role as Queen Ramonda. After being nominated in the best supporting actress category, Bassett paid tribute to the character she portrayed.

Shah Rukh Khan's spy film sees bumper Bollywood opening despite protests

Shah Rukh Khan's Hindi spy thriller opened to packed movie theatres in India on Wednesday in one of Bollywood's top openings on record, despite protests from some religious groups over scenes they deemed obscene. The success of "Pathaan", where Khan plays a spy fighting a militant outfit, is crucial for the Indian film industry that has seen a spate of high-profile flops since the COVID-19 pandemic began, as Netflix and Amazon have provided varied, and much cheaper, content at home.

(With inputs from agencies.)