Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Halls was the first "Rust" crew member to praise armorer Hannah Gutierrez during her two-week involuntary manslaughter trial in which former colleagues have said she was less professional than other weapons handlers they had worked with. Taylor Swift mania hits Philippine classrooms The Taylor Swift craze has arrived in classrooms in the Philippine capital, with a premier university rolling out a celebrity studies course examining the singer and her impact on global pop culture.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Swifties make pricey pilgrimage to star's only Southeast Asian stop

Filipina Charlyn Suizo is in Singapore this week for one reason only: Taylor Swift. The 30-year-old software engineer, who heads a Philippines group of Swifties, as fans of the singer are known, flew in from Manila on Friday with 17 friends.

Animal rights activists disrupt Victoria Beckham show in Paris

Animal rights activists from PETA disrupted Victoria Beckham's runway show at Paris Fashion Week on Friday. The activists entered the runway as the models were walking down it, holding up placards that read "Viva Vegan Leather" and wearing t-shirts with the message "Turn your back on animal skins," and "Animals aren't fabric," before being escorted away by security.

A Minute With: the 'Dune: Part Two' cast on costumes, politics and veils

The sci-fi epic "Dune" saga, based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel and starring Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, returns for its second installment this week in Denis Villeneuve's critically acclaimed film adaption. The Canadian director takes audiences back to the desert planet Arrakis for his follow-up to 2021's "Dune," with Chalamet's Paul Atreides joining forces with Zendaya's Chani and the Arrakis locals, known as the Fremen, to seek revenge against those who killed his father.

'Rust' assistant director praises armorer, takes blame for shooting

"Rust" first assistant director Dave Halls on Thursday testified that the movie's armorer was diligent in her work and he was ultimately to blame for the 2021 fatal shooting of the film's cinematographer as he did not do a final check on a gun. Halls was the first "Rust" crew member to praise armorer Hannah Gutierrez during her two-week involuntary manslaughter trial in which former colleagues have said she was less professional than other weapons handlers they had worked with.

Taylor Swift mania hits Philippine classrooms

The Taylor Swift craze has arrived in classrooms in the Philippine capital, with a premier university rolling out a celebrity studies course examining the singer and her impact on global pop culture. As the performer visits Asia this week, more than 300 students signed up for the elective course at the University of the Philippines, filling limited slots within minutes and prompting the administration to launch an extra class.