Entertainment News Roundup: Just one concert held at Baalbek's ancient ruins; Angolan app gives performers a lifeline and more

Country star Charlie Daniels, singer of 'Devil Went Down to Georgia,' dies at 83 Country music band leader Charlie Daniels, singer and fiddler player on the Grammy-winning hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," died on Monday at age 83 at a hospital in Tennessee, his publicist said.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Just one concert held at Baalbek's ancient ruins this year as message of hope

The usually grand Baalbek Music Festival, set among 3,000-year-old Roman ruins in Lebanon, was reduced to just a single concert this year by the COVID-19 pandemic. For maestro Harout Fazlian, however, it was one of the most special of his career.

Angolan app gives performers a lifeline - streaming to paying public

When the Angolan government imposed its coronavirus lockdown in late March, local entrepreneur and innovator Claudio Kiala saw a gap in the market when it came to virtual entertainment. Kiala and his team had been developing a performance platform known as Soba Channel App, before the crisis struck, where artists would be able to stream live shows and fans would pay to gain access.

UK's Royal Mint celebrates singer Elton John with new commemorative coin

Elton John on Monday became the second artist to be honoured by Britain's Royal Mint with a commemorative coin paying tribute to the decorated British singer-songwriter. The coin, designed by artist Bradley Morgan Johnson, depicts John's distinctive straw boater's hat, and fashions his trademark glasses out of a pair of musical notes.

Cineworld hits back at Cineplex in tussle over scrapped deal

Cineworld said on Monday it planned to make a counter-claim against Cineplex following the Canadian cinema chain's legal action against the British group for damages after it scrapped a $1.65 billion takeover. Cineplex said last week it was suing Cineworld for damages, including about C$2.18 billion that Cineworld would have paid on closing of the deal.

UK pledges boost for the arts as it eyes socially distant performances

Britain will invest nearly $2 billion in the arts and hopes to allow outdoor and socially distanced performances at cultural venues as it tries to help a high-profile sector hit hard by the coronavirus. Spanning theatres in London's West End, opera houses and ballet companies putting on big-budget performances to provincial venues up and down the country, the industry is a prominent British export and popular among tourists and locals alike.

With miniature mannequins, Dior unveils post-lockdown collection

French couture house Christian Dior upended its traditional catwalk show on Monday, presenting its intricate designs on miniature mannequins in a twist brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Brands are having to unveil their collections online and through film as part of Haute Couture week in Paris, a showcase of high-end craftsmanship and one-of-a-kind outfits, after the presentations usually attended by fashionistas from around the world were cancelled in the wake of the outbreak.

'Hamilton' weekend release boosts Disney+ downloads

Walt Disney Co's streaming service app Disney+ was downloaded more than half a million times over the Fourth of July weekend globally, following the launch of musical "Hamilton" on the platform. From Friday through Sunday, the mobile app was downloaded 513,323 times globally and 266,084 times in the United States, according to data from research firm Apptopia.

Kaepernick signs production deal with Disney, ESPN for life documentary series

ESPN Films will produce a documentary series about the life of NFL quarterback and civil rights advocate Colin Kaepernick as part of a wide-ranging production deal announced by Walt Disney Co on Monday. Under the arrangement, Kaepernick's company Ra Vision Media will produce scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social justice and the quest for equity, a statement from Disney said.

Country star Charlie Daniels, singer of 'Devil Went Down to Georgia,' dies at 83

Country music band leader Charlie Daniels, singer and fiddler player on the Grammy-winning hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," died on Monday at age 83 at a hospital in Tennessee, his publicist said. Daniels, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, died from a stroke, according to a statement from his publicist, Don Murry Grubbs.

Italian film composer Ennio Morricone dies aged 91

Ennio Morricone, the Oscar-winning Italian composer whose haunting scores to Spaghetti Westerns like "A Fistful of Dollars" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" helped define a cinematic era, died on Monday. He was 91. Morricone broke his femur 10 days ago and died at dawn in a clinic in Rome, his lawyer Giorgio Assumma told Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies.)