Entertainment

Top musicians play on despite unpaid wages BAGHDAD, Aug 14, (Agencies): In a dusty Baghdad dance studio, conductor Mohammed Amin Ezzat tries to fire up the musicians of Iraq’s National Symphony Orchestra, whose enthusiasm has been dampened by eight months without pay. An ageing air conditioner fights to beat back …

Crazy rich on film, proud to be Asian BEVERLY HILLS, Calif, Aug 14, (Agencies): Constance Wu had resigned herself to the fact that “Crazy Rich Asians” was not going to work out for her. She was under contract for her sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat”, both were filming in the …

Movies that could’ve won best popular film Oscar LOS ANGELES, Aug 14, (RTRS): Nearly a decade ago, the controversial best-picture snub of superhero hit “The Dark Knight” sparked the motion picture Academy to action. In an attempt to stoke the Oscar odds for populist cinema and to be more inclusive, …

Dembele hits sensational winner TANGIERS, Morocco, Aug 13, (AFP): Barcelona battled back to defeat Sevilla 2-1 and win the Spanish Super Cup  with French World Cup winner Ousmane Dembele hitting a sensational winner to help give Lionel Messi a winning start as captain. It was Barcelona’s 13th Super Cup and …

‘Opulent romantic comedy’ At New York’s Serendipity 3 cafe, money-is-no-object customers can order a $1,000 sundae that’s garnished with gold leaf. Like plunking a cherry atop such an extravagant dessert, the delirious sugar high that is “Crazy Rich Asians” ends with fireworks exploding along the roof of Singapore’s Marina Bay …

‘Queen of Soul’ Franklin gravely ill CHICAGO, Aug 13, (Agencies): Singer Aretha Franklin, a multiple Grammy award-winner star whose legacy stretches back decades, is gravely ill and surrounded by relatives, a reporter and family friend wrote on his website Monday. The 76 year-old “Queen of Soul” Franklin, known for hits …

Pratt’s ‘Cowboy’ pulled from Universal’s release schedule LOS ANGELES, Aug 13, (Agencies): Acclaimed Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan discussed his career and the need for creative independence during a wide-ranging conversation Saturday at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where he is being honored with a retrospective. In an often humorous talk, …

‘He is a precious man’ NEW ORLEANS, Aug 12, (AP): Trumpeter Yoshio Toyama and his wife Keiko moved to the United States 50 years ago to learn about traditional jazz in its birthplace, New Orleans. Nightclubs, churches, house parties, and jazz funerals became their classroom. The lessons took: Singing with …

‘Kim Possible’ live-action movie adds Romano, Oswalt LOS ANGELES, Aug 12, (Agencies): The Sarajevo Film Festival kicked off  with Polish drama “Cold War”, marking a return to the city for Oscar-winning director Pawel Pawlikowski. Pawlikowski, who won the best director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for his film …

‘Land’ privileges style over coherence It’s been six years since Jean Dujardin improbably charmed his way to an Oscar for a sparkling star turn in “The Artist”, and since then, even the French film industry has struggled to make optimum use of the funnyman’s outsize, old-school screen presence. Drug thriller …