Reuters Entertainment News Summary US
Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
Pine no more! Monty Python celebrates 50 years of silliness
In what is billed as an "extremely silly" event, hordes of Monty Python fans will gather in full Gumby attire in London on Saturday to celebrate the British comedy troupe's 50th anniversary. Kitted out in rubber boots, sleeveless sweaters, rolled-up trousers and with knotted handkerchiefs on their heads, they will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Gumbys.
University of Kansas sorry for Snoop Dogg show with stripper poles
The University of Kansas has apologized for a performance by rapper Snoop Dogg that featured drug references and dancers on stripper poles, saying the show fell short of creating a "family atmosphere." The California rapper, whose songs include "Murder Was the Case" and "Sexual Eruption," appeared in Lawrence, Kansas, on Friday night at an annual event dubbed Late Night in the Phog, which ushers in the school's basketball season.
Charmed lives and comebacks: Eddie Murphy returns in 'Dolemite Is My Name'
Sure, Eddie Murphy hasn't been around for a while, and his new movie "Dolemite Is My Name" is getting rave reviews. But don't call it a comeback. "I've been making movies for almost 40 years, and every five years I'm in my comeback - they say I'm coming back," Murphy said.
Late INXS singer Hutchence remembered in intimate film 'Mystify'
A new documentary seeks to move away from "rumors and tabloid headlines" to paint an intimate portrait of late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, charting his rise to global stardom and personal troubles. "Mystify: Michael Hutchence" features interviews with family members, colleagues and former partners - including singer Kylie Minogue and model Helena Christensen - about the rock singer, who was found dead in a Sydney hotel room in 1997 aged 37.
Diahann Carroll, TV trailblazer for black women, dead at 84
Diahann Carroll, a versatile singer and stage actress who quietly blazed a trail for black women on American television in the late 1960s by playing a widowed nurse and single mother in "Julia," died on Friday at age 84, her manager said. Carroll, whose career also was punctuated by a pioneering Tony Award and an Oscar nomination, had been suffering from cancer and died in her sleep at home in Los Angeles with her daughter by her side, her manager, Brian Panella, said by phone.
Beatles' 'Abbey Road' back at top of charts 50 years after release
The Beatles' "Abbey Road" album has returned to the top of the British album charts 50 years after its first release. "It's hard to believe that Abbey Road still holds up after all these years. But then again it's a bloody cool album," former Beatle Paul McCartney said in a press release.
Security stepped up as 'Joker' opens in U.S. movie theaters
Police in major U.S. cities were on alert on Thursday as "Joker" opened in movie theaters after weeks of publicity surrounding its disturbing portrait of a bullied loner raised fears it might spark violence. "Joker," an origin story about Batman's comic-book arch nemesis, stars Joaquin Phoenix in what movie reviewers have called a brilliant but terrifying performance as a mentally unhinged outcast who unwittingly finds fame through an act of violence.
Monty Python fans, handkerchiefs on heads, gather to mark anniversary
Monty Python fans, sporting knotted handkerchiefs on their heads, rolled up trousers and Wellington boots, gathered in London on Saturday for a suitably silly celebration of the 50th anniversary of the comedy troupe. The costumes matched those of the Gumbys who were characters in the "Monty Python's Flying Circus" series that first aired on BBC television on Oct. 5, 1969.
Two women accuse actor James Franco of sexual exploitation in lawsuit
Two women filed a civil lawsuit against Hollywood actor James Franco on Thursday, accusing him of running a bogus film school where young women eager to advance their acting careers were duped into auditioning nude or shooting explicit sex scenes. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accused the 41-year-old, Oscar-nominated actor, currently starring in the HBO television series "The Deuce," of exploiting aspiring actors at his now-defunct school.
Harvey Weinstein loses bid to have rape trial moved out of New York City
Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein on Thursday lost his bid to get his upcoming rape trial moved out of New York City, where he has said intense media scrutiny would make it impossible for him to get a fair jury. Once among Hollywood's most powerful producers, Weinstein 67, is scheduled to stand trial in Manhattan in January. He is accused of assaulting two women in 2006 and 2013. To bolster their case, prosecutors will call a third woman to testify that Weinstein raped her in 1993.
