Entertainment News Roundup: Oscar-nominated 'Past Lives' was inspired by immigrant experience, director says; Will Taylor Swift endorse him in 2024? Biden says that's 'classified' and more
During an appearance on NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" on Monday, Biden, a Democrat, joked with Meyers, a comedian, about conspiracy theories that the president and the singer-songwriter are in "cahoots." Meyers said recent polling showed 18% of Americans believed Biden and Swift were somehow working together. Seventeen's album "FML" tops IFPI global chart as K-pop dominates Seventeen's "FML" was on Tuesday named last year's biggest-selling album globally, with the K-pop band topping the chart run by industry body the IFPI for the first time.
Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
US rapper Ja Rule 'devastated' at being denied entry to UK for tour
American rapper Ja Rule said he was "devastated" that he had been denied entry to Britain days before he was due to begin the opening leg of his international tour due to his criminal record. All the British performances of "The Sunrise Tour", including in London, Nottingham and Liverpool, were showing as cancelled on the Ticketmaster website. It was due to begin on March 1.
Detective cites evidence 'Rust' armorer brought live rounds on set
A New Mexico detective on Wednesday said Hannah Gutierrez identified an ammunition box and bandoliers as hers, boosting the prosecution theory that the armorer brought live rounds onto the of set "Rust" where a cinematographer was fatally shot. Recent testimony during Gutierrez's involuntary manslaughter trial has seen prosecutors zero in on how six live rounds - strictly forbidden on movie sets - got onto the production where Halyna Hutchins was shot dead by actor Alec Baldwin on Oct. 21, 2021. Baldwin has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. His trial is scheduled for July 10.
Oscar-nominated 'Past Lives' was inspired by immigrant experience, director says
Korean-Canadian director Celine Song said her life as an immigrant inspired the Oscar-nominated film "Past Lives", speaking ahead of its release in South Korean cinemas on Wednesday. Specifically, she drew on a conversation between her friend visiting from South Korea and her husband at a bar in New York, Song told a press conference in the capital, Seoul.
'Road House' screenwriter sues Amazon to block movie remake
Writer Lance Hill sued Amazon.com on Tuesday to halt its upcoming remake of the 1989 film "Road House," arguing that the film violates his rights in the original's screenplay. Hill said in the California federal court lawsuit that Amazon never received a license to remake his screenplay after he reclaimed his copyright in it. He requested an unspecified amount of monetary damages and a court order to block Amazon from distributing the movie without a new license.
Richard Lewis, comic and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' regular, dies at 76
Comedian Richard Lewis, who rose to fame with his neurotic, self-deprecating wit and later appeared for more than two decades alongside Larry David on the hit HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm," has died at 76, his publicist said on Wednesday. The comic, who disclosed last year that he was battling Parkinson's disease, died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening after suffering a heart attack, publicist Jeff Abraham said.
Will Taylor Swift endorse him in 2024? Biden says that's 'classified'
U.S. President Joe Biden made light of conspiracy theories about him and pop superstar Taylor Swift during an appearance on a late night show and had a ready answer to the question of whether she'll endorse him in 2024: that's classified. During an appearance on NBC's "Late Night with Seth Meyers" on Monday, Biden, a Democrat, joked with Meyers, a comedian, about conspiracy theories that the president and the singer-songwriter are in "cahoots." Meyers said recent polling showed 18% of Americans believed Biden and Swift were somehow working together.
Seventeen's album "FML" tops IFPI global chart as K-pop dominates
Seventeen's "FML" was on Tuesday named last year's biggest-selling album globally, with the K-pop band topping the chart run by industry body the IFPI for the first time. Five of the chart's top 10 albums were by South Korean acts, representing the best ever Global Charts performance for K-pop, the IFPI said.
Palestinian pop singer hopes to compete for Iceland at Eurovision
Palestinian pop singer Bashar Murad hopes to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest in May, and bring a Palestinian voice to the event, which draws millions of television viewers, he said. Eurovision, which this year takes place on May 7-11 in the Swedish city of Malmo, bills itself as a non-political event and can disqualify those it considers to be in breach of this rule.
Netflix taps 'Sherlock Holmes' producer Dan Lin as film division boss
Netflix said on Wednesday Dan Lin, one of the producers of hit mystery thriller "Sherlock Holmes" and the Lego movies, will succeed Scott Stuber as its film division boss. The film industry veteran will begin on April 1 as chairman of Netflix Film and report to Bela Bajaria, Netflix's chief content officer.
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