Reuters Entertainment News Summary
Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
Madonna issues 'wake up' call on gun violence in graphic music video
Madonna stepped into the gun violence debate on Wednesday with a music video containing graphic dramatizations of a mass shooting. Called "God Control," the disco beat song and video depicts a gunman opening fire in a crowded nightclub or bar and images of actors playing dancers who fall to the ground, bleeding, or try to flee.
'Korean Wave' celebrity couple to split, fans mourn
South Korean actors Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki are splitting up less than two years after their fairytale marriage, the couple said on Thursday, shocking fans across Asia. The co-stars of the 2016 hit television melodrama "Descendants of the Sun" - who played a soldier and doctor who fall in love - planned to seek a divorce due to personality differences.
Jackson fans sing, sob, leave sunflowers and roses on 10th anniversary of death
With roses crafted into heart shapes and crowns made of bright yellow sunflowers, Michael Jackson fans from as far afield as Iran and Japan paid tribute on Tuesday to the King of Pop on the 10th anniversary of his death. Several hundred fans gathered outside his burial place in the Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, north of Los Angeles, and held a minute's silence at 2:26 p.m., the moment when Jackson, 50, was pronounced dead on June 25, 2009. They then broke into a rendition of "Heal the World" as some mourners quietly sobbed, hugged or wiped away tears.
'Bohemian Rhapsody' movie makes magic for Queen as music sales soar
British rock band Queen sold more albums in North America than any other artist in the first half of 2019, as music featured in movies and television sent streaming and downloads soaring. A midyear report by Nielsen Music released on Thursday said the soundtrack to the musical "Bohemian Rhapsody," which won four Oscars in February, was the best-selling rock title of the first six months of 2019, with Queen's "Greatest Hits 1" compilation coming in second.
Cuba legalizes independent movie-making
Cuba's Communist government on Thursday issued a decree legalizing the country's independent movie industry in a move that should facilitate production, although critics said it fails to resolve issues of censorship and distribution. Until now, Cuba's independent filmmakers have had to scramble to get their projects made due to the lack of legal recognition. And while their works have sometimes won renown in film festivals abroad, they have lacked distribution at home.
Thousands start rocking up as UK's Glastonbury Festival opens
Glastonbury, the world's largest greenfield festival, opened its gates on Wednesday to thousands of lucky ticket holders who have descended on Worthy Farm in southwest England to see performers ranging from Stormzy to Kylie and Janet Jackson. Two million people pre-registered for the ballot to buy one of 135,000 general admission tickets for the festival, which returns in 2019 after taking last year off.
Spider-Man leaves New York for Europe in 'Far from Home'
Spider-Man leaves New York for Europe in Marvel's latest film about the web-slinging superhero, who once again has to fight off a new enemy. Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Spider-Man: Far From Home" sees protagonist Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland, take on his superhero responsibilities again when Samuel L. Jackson's super-spy Nick Fury, a regular "Avengers" character, asks him to step up against a new threat.
'Loudest Voice' TV series casts critical eye on Roger Ailes and Fox News
Two years after his ouster and death, Roger Ailes returns to television in a new drama series that traces the rise and fall of the controversial creator of Fox News and underscores his lasting impact on the U.S. media landscape. In "The Loudest Voice," Oscar-winner Russell Crowe portrays Ailes, who launched Fox News in 1996 and within six years made it not only America's most-watched cable news network but also a force in the modern Republican Party.
Law passed to restrict foreign film production in Tanzania
Foreign companies filming in Tanzania must give the government the right to vet raw footage and let the country use the movie in promotional material, according to a bill passed by parliament on Thursday. Opposition groups said the bill - which still has to be approved by the president - would likely squash the country's fledgling foreign film ventures.
Actor Kevin Spacey's alleged sex assault victim sues over 'lascivious conduct'
The man former "House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey is charged with sexually assaulting at a bar on the Massachusetts beach island of Nantucket three years ago has sued the Oscar-winning actor. Spacey's alleged victim sued the 59-year-old defendant in Nantucket County Superior Court on Wednesday, seeking unspecified damages over his "explicit sexual behavior and lewd and lascivious conduct."
