Entertainment News Roundup: S.Korea's Kakao makes $962 million tender offer for K-pop agency SM; Diverse talent in Hollywood takes reins to speed up change and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

S.Korea's Kakao makes $962 million tender offer for K-pop agency SM

South Korean tech group Kakao launched a 1.25 trillion won ($962 million) offer for K-pop agency SM Entertainment on Tuesday, escalating a takeover battle with BTS manager HYBE, whose proposal did not win enough support from SM investors. The offer sent SM shares up nearly 15% to 149,200 won on Tuesday, just shy of Kakao's tender price of 150,000 won to acquire up to 35% of the entertainment group behind popular K-pop groups such as Girls' Generation, NCT and Aespa.

Diverse talent in Hollywood takes reins to speed up change

For Angela Bassett, vying for an acting Oscar for the second time next Sunday in a 40-year career, every role she has taken has been an opportunity to break through perceptions of "us as Black women." “To show our humanity, to tell the diversity of our stories, and to share the complexity of what it means to be Black and woman,” Bassett said last week at the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Awards. Nominated for her role in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”, the 64-year-old waited 29 years for her second Oscar nomination.

Tuxedos and jumpsuits: menswear dazzles on awards season red carpets

From classic tuxedos to shiny jumpsuits, menswear has dazzled on the red carpets this awards season, sometimes even attracting the most attention with eye-catching looks. Singer Harry Styles arrived at the Grammy Awards in a chest-baring sparkling harlequin jumpsuit, while Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan has chosen ensembles in pale blue and red as his style choices for the Golden Globes and British Academy of Film (BAFTA) Awards.

Women's stories stand out in Oscars race, but Hollywood lagging in gender parity

Michelle Yeoh battles her way through a multiverse, Angela Bassett leads a grieving nation at war, and Cate Blanchett deviously manipulates members of a world-class orchestra. Wide-ranging stories led by female actors fill the list of movies vying for Academy Awards on Sunday, reflecting gains in an industry that has long relegated women to secondary roles in the shadow of male heroes.

Pierre Cardin returns to Paris Fashion Week with space age lineup

French label Pierre Cardin returned to the official Paris fashion week schedule for the first time in decades, sending out a colorful, off-beat lineup of styles that recalled its space age heyday. Models paraded two-toned suit jackets with triangular shaped lapels, asymmetrical dresses and capes, shimmery gold trousers and thin ties that formed an arrow-like shape at the tip.

Chris Rock unleashes on Will Smith and wife Jada a year after Oscars slap

A year after he was slapped on stage at the Academy Awards, Chris Rock hammered Will Smith and his wife in a comedy special streamed live around the world, joking that he enjoyed seeing the actor beaten in his latest film. Live on Netflix on Saturday from the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, Rock said he had been watching slavery drama "Emancipation" just to see Smith "get whooped," cheering "hit him again" and "you missed a spot."

Horses on the catwalk: Stella McCartney pushes leather-free style

Stella McCartney drove home her leather-free fashion message by sending a team of horses to canter alongside models wearing styles crafted from new, eco-conscious materials. The designer said she sought to explore the relationship between humans and nature.

Louis Vuitton shows playful, French styles at Musee d'Orsay in Paris

Louis Vuitton took to the Musee d'Orsay for its fall-winter catwalk show on Monday, sending a modern lineup of playful, sculptural looks down a slick, black runway designed to evoke a Paris street. Exploring notions of French style, Nicolas Ghesquiere, artistic director of the label's womenswear collections, played with volumes of clothing and trompe l'oeil effects, including boots that looked like black high heel shoes worn with white socks and fuzzy coats resembling blazers.

(With inputs from agencies.)