Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
Money, money, money: ABBA sues over Abba Mania cover band
The Swedish pop supergroup ABBA on Friday filed a lawsuit to stop a British cover band known as Abba Mania from using that name. In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, lawyers for ABBA accused Abba Mania’s managers of “parasitic and bad-faith conduct” by trading off ABBA’s goodwill and cachet in promoting Abba Mania.
Aml Ameen makes director debut with UK’s first Black Christmas rom-com
Partly inspired by his own life, actor Aml Ameen says his directorial debut “Boxing Day” is different from other festive films: it is the first British Christmas rom-com led by a majority Black cast. As well as directing and co-writing the movie, Ameen plays Los Angeles-based British author Melvin, who returns to his London home for Christmas to introduce his American fiancee Lisa to his British-Caribbean family.
Real and virtual fans attend ‘The Witcher’ London premiere
The cast of Netflix’s “The Witcher” hit the red carpet in London’s Leicester Square on Wednesday for the premiere of the second season of the epic fantasy series that fans attended in person and virtually. Based on the series of novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, the highly-anticipated second season follows Geralt of Rivia, played by British actor Henry Cavill, as he hunts monsters in a fantasy realm known as the Continent.
Criminal charges possible in ‘Rust’ movie shooting, prosecutor says
Some of the people who handled guns on the set of Alec Baldwin’s movie “Rust” may face criminal charges in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer, the New Mexico district attorney said on Friday. Mary Carmack-Altwies said in a statement that she had not made any decision yet on charges but that everyone involved “in the handling and use of firearms on the set had a duty to behave in a manner such that the safety of others was protected.”
Alec Baldwin denies responsibility for fatal shooting on movie set
Alec Baldwin on Thursday denied responsibility for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of his Western movie “Rust,” saying he would have killed himself if he believed it was his fault. In an emotional television interview, the actor said he did not pull the trigger on the gun he was holding during a rehearsal, and that he did not think he would be criminally charged in the case.
More minority faces in film, TV, music as audiences demand diversity
More minorities are showing up in mainstream U.S. entertainment, from films and TV to music, as audiences demand stories that reflect the world’s diversity, showing that inclusion is good business, industry executives said. “Our industry has caught up with reality. The majority of the world is actually Asian,” said Bing Chen, president of Gold House, a nonprofit collective that promotes Asian Pacific Islander voices, on a panel at the Reuters Next conference broadcast on Thursday.
K-pop sensation BTS hopes to ‘see you in Seoul’ in March
K-pop sensation BTS hopes to hold an in-person concert in Seoul for the first since the pandemic, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday, after the group posted a tweet promising to “see you in Seoul, MARCH 2022”. The tweet included hashtags for the group’s “Permission to Dance” stage performances but provided no other details.
NFTs next hit may be music industry, former manager for Elton John, Beyonce says
As a former music manager who once counted Elton John, Beyonce, and Guns N’ Roses as clients, Merck Mercuriadis has an eye for talent and a knack for identifying trends. As streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music gained mainstream popularity, Mercuriadis formed the Hipgnosis Songs Fund to acquire music rights. The fund, which went public in 2018, has invested $2.5 billion acquiring the publishing rights to 64,000 compositions from such hitmakers as Timbaland, Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham, The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, Rick James and Neil Young.
Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh’s charisma extended beyond luxury
It was a “kid in a candy store” moment for Billie Essco when he found himself in a cavernous space beneath the Louvre Museum in January last year, backstage before a show for fashion designer Virgil Abloh’s luxury streetwear label Off-White. Essco, a 31-year-old Black American artist, musician, and clothing designer from Buffalo, New York had made a last-minute decision to join his friend, rapper Westside Gunn, on a trip to Paris with hopes of sneaking into a show during Fashion Week.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
