Entertainment News Roundup: Nicki Minaj stuns fans with retirement announcement

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Prejudice and trauma tackled by South African director in Venice

South African director Oliver Hermanus hopes his new film about young soldiers during apartheid will help open up a conversation about what he calls "toxic masculinity" and LGBT rights. Set in 1981, Hermanus' drama, provocatively called "Moffie" a derogatory slang term for being gay, shows a group of white teenage boys called to complete their two years' compulsory military service.

Saudi women directors bring empowerment message to Venice

Female Saudi Arabian directors Haifaa Al-Mansour and Shahad Ameen brought a message to the Venice Film Festival along with their movies: Women must be seen and heard. Mansour's "The Perfect Candidate" is one of two films by female directors out of 21 competing for the festival's Golden Lion award, telling the story of a woman doctor facing gender-based challenges while running for municipal council.

Macca turns magical Grandude with children's book

He may be one of the world's most famous musicians, but Paul McCartney is also just a regular grandfather - and that is the experience he draws on for his new children's book "Hey Grandude!". While the title is a nod to one of The Beatles' best-known songs, "Hey, Jude", it is inspired by a nickname given to McCartney, 77, by one of his eight grandchildren.

'Bang Bang': Nicki Minaj stuns fans with retirement announcement

Rapper Nicki Minaj took fans by surprise on Thursday with an announcement that she was retiring from the music business to "have my family." Minaj, 36, gave the news to her 20 million Twitter followers, although she had not previously said she was either pregnant or married.

Johnny Depp, Mark Rylance clash in 'Waiting for the Barbarians'

Hollywood star Johnny Depp turns into a cold and cruel officer in "Waiting for the Barbarians", a drama its cast and director say may be set in a faraway desert outpost but is relevant to today's world. The movie, adapted from the 1980 novel by J.M. Coetzee, stars Oscar winner Mark Rylance as The Magistrate, a down-to-earth and well-liked administrator of an isolated border outpost, which is part of an unnamed empire.

Markle expected among A-list attendees at U.S. Open final: reports

Tennis royalty will meet British royalty at the U.S. Open women's final on Saturday, with Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and wife to Prince Harry, attending in support of good friend Serena Williams, according to media reports. Williams, who was one of the celebrity attendees at Markle's star-studded royal wedding last year, is seeking a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title in the final at Flushing Meadows against Canadian Bianca Andreescu.

Michael B Jordan, Jamie Foxx take on wrongful convictions, racism in 'Just Mercy'

Michael B. Jordan and Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx tackle the subjects of wrongful convictions and racism in 'Just Mercy,' which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday. Jordan plays real-life U.S. civil rights attorney and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson in the film based on the latter's 2014 book 'Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.'

Roger Waters rocks Venice Film Festival with 'US + THEM'

Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters brought his "US + THEM" concert movie to the Venice Film Festival on Friday, transporting audiences to one of his live performances. The movie shows the British rocker on stage in Amsterdam in 2017, a stop during his "US + THEM" worldwide tour, playing Pink Floyd songs as well as material from his last album "Is This the Life We Really Want?"

Amazon's 'Jack Ryan' TV series lambasted for promoting Venezuela 'invasion'

Venezuela's culture minister has accused Amazon television series "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" of promoting an invasion of the South American nation, following a trailer for the second season that appears to put Caracas at the center of a global conspiracy involving nuclear weapons. Venezuela under President Nicolas Maduro is suffering an economic meltdown that has fueled mass migration.

Eleven more women accuse tenor Placido Domingo of sexual misconduct

Eleven more women have accused Spanish opera star Placido Domingo of sexual misconduct, allegations that the leading tenor described on Thursday as "riddled with inconsistencies." The accusations, reported by the Associated Press and dating back three decades, follow similar claims published by the news wire in August by more than three dozen other singers, dancers, musicians, voice teachers and backstage staff who said they had witnessed or experienced inappropriate behavior by the singer.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)