Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
Actor Sterling K. Brown basks in Oscars nomination moment
American actor Sterling K. Brown is no stranger to the thrill of winning awards in Hollywood with three Emmys, a Golden Globe and four Screen Actors Guild awards. So for his first Oscar nomination, the actor has decided to play it cool. “I’m sort of the Vince Lombardi mind, when you score a touchdown, act like you’ve been there,” Brown told Reuters at the Oscars nominees luncheon this month.
Beyonce storms to first UK no.1 in 14 years with ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’
U.S. music superstar Beyonce secured her first UK no.1 single in 14 years on Friday, when her new country hit “Texas Hold ‘Em” stormed straight to the top spot in the British charts. The song is one of two Beyonce released after making a surprise appearance in a Super Bowl commercial earlier this month in which the 32-time Grammy Award winner quipped about “breaking the internet” minutes before announcing a forthcoming album.
Spiritual ‘Shambhala’ marks Nepal’s first shot at Berlinale top prize
A wronged woman’s spiritual journey plays out amid the peaks and villages of the Himalayas in “Shambhala”, Nepal’s first film in competition at the Berlin Film Festival, which debuted Friday. “I feel very happy to be here at Berlinale,” director Min Bahadur Bham told Reuters, saying he was proud to represent not only his film, but also Nepal, his village and his community.
Indie cinema packs a Hollywood punch in unflinching Berlinale refugee drama
From an Aleppo operating theatre under bombardment to the sea off Greece, Brandt Andersen’s refugee drama “The Strangers’ Case” unfolds with the pulse and urgency of a Hollywood thriller. And that is no coincidence, said Palestinian-Lebanese actress Yasmine Al Massri, who plays the doctor in that operating theatre, saving one patient’s life as another pulls a gun on her.
Pornstar Rocco Siffredi bares it all in new series ‘Supersex’
Italian pornographic film star Rocco Siffredi says seeing his life story told in new Netflix series “Supersex” made him feel emotional. “I cried a lot,” Siffredi, 59, said as he premiered the show, which is inspired by his childhood and career, at the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday.
Berlinale film explores opera director’s spiral into emotional turmoil
Having a child had a decisive impact on the career of actress Amanda Seyfried, the star of Berlinale film “Seven Veils”. “Once I popped out a baby, I was just playing mothers,” she said ahead of Thursday’s international premiere of the film, in which she plays an opera director juggling motherhood, a failing relationship and imposing her will on a cast of divas.
London’s V&A museum seeks Taylor Swift superfan for advisory role
Calling all Taylor Swift superfans: your dream job has just been posted. Britain’s V&A museum is looking for a Taylor Swift superfan adviser, one of several advisory roles it is creating to help its curating teams learn more about niche subjects and cultural trends.
Dialogue-free Bigfoot feature a hard sell, say ‘Sasquatch Sunset’ creators
Pitching a full-length movie about four elusive, hairy humanoids who grunt for dialogue was understandably one of the harder projects that directors Nathan and David Zellner have taken on. “It’s the kind of project where either you get it or you don’t,” David told Reuters in an interview alongside his younger brother Nathan about their film “Sasquatch Sunset.”
Eurovision scrutinises Israel’s song lyrics amid Gaza furore
Eurovision Song Contest organisers are scrutinising the Israeli submission after lyrics leaked to the media appeared to refer to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that triggered the Gaza war.
Eurovision, which this year will take place on May 7-11 in the Swedish city of Malmo, bills itself as a non-political event and can disqualify contestents deemed to have breached that rule.
K-pop girl group TWICE aims for top of the Billboard
With an upbeat new album all about love and friendship and a world tour under way, K-pop girl band TWICE has set its sights on a new high on the Billboard main chart, the group told Reuters. The nine-member band has helped to drive the global K-pop phenomenon since its debut in 2015, propelled by cheerful songs, catchy hooks and choreography.
(With inputs from agencies.)
