Entertainment News Roundup: Earthquake Bird; Favreau teases more 'Star Wars' surprises and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

A Minute With: Alicia Vikander, Wash Westmoreland on thriller 'Earthquake Bird'

Swedish-born Oscar winner Alicia Vikander performs in both English and Japanese in her new movie, thriller "Earthquake Bird", as she immerses herself in 1980s Tokyo. The actress portrays an expat translator caught up in a love triangle in the film, directed by Wash Westmoreland and based on the novel of the same name by Susanna Jones.

'Mandalorian' creator Favreau teases more 'Star Wars' surprises

"The Mandalorian" creator Jon Favreau and cast members debuted the "Star Wars" series on Wednesday at a red-carpet event for fans and promised more surprises following the reveal of an unexpected new character in the first episode. "The Mandalorian," which runs on Walt Disney Co's new Disney+ streaming service, is the first live-action series set in the galaxy far, far away that was first seen on screen in the 1977 movie "Star Wars".

Jay-Z, Iconix settle lawsuits over licensing, alleged fraud

Jay-Z and Iconix Brand Group Inc have settled a series of legal disputes arising from transactions between the rapper and the clothing licensing company dating back to 2007. In a Wednesday regulatory filing, Iconix said it agreed to sell some intellectual property assets to Jay-Z's Roc Nation LLC and membership interests in his Marcy Media Holdings LLC affiliate, in exchange for $15 million.

Rare photographs capture Rolling Stones' humble beginnings

A series of rarely seen black-and-white photographs dating back to the Rolling Stones' first concert tour in 1963 will go on display in east London this month. The images, taken in a London recording studio and at a gig in Cardiff, Wales, had been kept under photographer Gus Coral's bed for years before he decided to dust them off.

Pidgin perfect: Slang spreads message for Nigeria's 'opera queen'

Dressed in a bright red and blue robe and backed by a local band with an eclectic range of instruments, Helen Epega beats a steel drum as she declaims dramatically to an unseen audience. The opera she composed and is performing in a Lagos theatre is an unusual, trance-like mix of classical and indigenous music - but what makes it unique is that she is singing in pidgin.

Beyond Baby Shark: creator of viral hit eyes China with dinosaurs

The creator of the children's song "Baby Shark," which has become a global phenomenon, says the firm is eyeing the Chinese market, where the tune did not quite catch on, with a brand new character featuring dinosaurs. The popular song about a family of sharks has been a rallying cry at Lebanese anti-government protests, played at the White House and praised by President Donald Trump and become the unofficial anthem of the baseball World Series champions Washington Nationals. It has also prompted parodies and a dance craze.

Taylor Swift 'not allowed' to perform at awards amid music row

American pop singer and songwriter Taylor Swift has told fans that her upcoming performance at a music awards ceremony is in doubt after two record executives said she could not perform her songs on television. The 29-year-old appealed to her 85 million followers on Twitter to express their support for her in an ongoing row over the ownership of her songs, and accused the executives of exercising "tyrannical control" over her music.

'The Crown' welcomes its new royals in Season 3 launch

Television fans welcomed a new queen on Wednesday as Olivia Colman and other stars of royal drama "The Crown" turned out for the world premiere of the Netflix show's third season. Colman, who won an Oscar earlier this year for playing a different royal in dark comedy "The Favourite," portrays Queen Elizabeth in a retelling of the life of Britain's reigning monarch. Colman replaces Claire Foy, who won a Golden Globe for the role as a younger version of Elizabeth.

Netflix to change Nazi guard documentary after Polish complaint

Netflix said on Thursday it would make changes to maps in a documentary that showed German Nazi death camps inside the borders of modern Poland, after Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki pressed the streaming and production company to act. The maps in the documentary series "The Devil Next Door" were criticized by Morawiecki earlier this week for implying that Poland existed at that time as an independent nation within its postwar borders and thus could share responsibility for the atrocities committed at the camps during World War Two.

'Ford v Ferrari': racing and friendship 'told at 230 mph'

You don't need to be a motor racing fan to watch "Ford v Ferrari" because the battle to win is played out as much between the men making the cars as those behind the wheel. Starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, the movie opening on Friday in U.S. theaters is based on the little-known true story of the American and British car designers and engineers who built the Ford GT40 to take on Italy's fabled Ferrari team at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race.

(With inputs from agencies.)