Reuters Entertainment News Summary

09/01/2016 8:58

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Musical about L.A. dreamers opens 73rd Venice film festival

Damien Chazelle's "La La Land," a musical comedy-drama about the joys and pains of pursuing one's dreams, opened the Venice film festival on Wednesday, kicking off days of screenings, parties and red carpet glamour. The movie, starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, tells the story of a struggling jazz pianist, Sebastian, who falls in love with Mia, an aspiring actress in modern day Los Angeles. Sebastian is trying to get people, young and old, to care about traditional jazz, while Mia hopes one of her many auditions will finally land her an acting gig.

Mariachi musicians honor late singer Juan Gabriel in Mexico City

Mariachi folk musicians joined the faithful in Mexico City's historic Garibaldi Square on Tuesday to pay tribute to late singer Juan Gabriel, who died of a heart attack on Sunday. Gathering around a statue of the Mexican performer considered a musical icon across Latin America for over 40 years, the musicians played his signature tunes and a priest held a service in his honor.

Exclusive: Australia's two biggest cities cancel Mao Zedong concerts, citing safety concerns

Australia's two biggest cities Sydney and Melbourne canceled concerts commemorating the death of former Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong, with one citing safety concerns, after Chinese Australians complained the content was insensitive. The incident signifies the continued divisiveness of Mao among Chinese, both at home and abroad, four decades after his death.

Chris Brown arrested for suspected assault at L.A. home

Pop star Chris Brown was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on Tuesday after a daylong standoff at his Los Angeles home that began with a dawn 911 call from a woman, police said. Brown, 27, denied any wrongdoing in posts on Instagram before he was taken into custody and said he had woken up to find police outside the property in the Tarzana neighborhood in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.

Wal-Mart plans early layaways to catch 'Star Wars' boost

For the second year in a row, Wal-Mart Stores Inc will begin its holiday layaway program two weeks early, hoping for a head start to the year-end shopping season and a repeat of last year's strong toy sales driven by "Star Wars" products. Layaway programs, which let shoppers pay for holiday gifts in installments, tend to have a big impact on sales. Analyst estimates suggest the program may account for as much as 15 percent of holiday revenues at Wal-Mart stores in poorer areas of the United States.

Polish director Skolimowski appeals for more films on immigrants

Veteran Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski on Wednesday pleaded for more films to made about migrants, saying immigration was one of the world's biggest problems. Speaking at the Venice film festival where he was awarded the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement, Skolimowski said migrants deserved to be looked at in a "sympathetic way."

Gender and emotion examined in artificial intelligence tale 'Morgan'

The struggle to replicate human emotion in artificial intelligence is often explored in movies, but what happens when an artificial being is too emotional? "Morgan," out in theaters on Friday, is set in a near future reality where a group of scientists from a corporate AI company breed a synthetic baby.

Macau gambling revenue breaks two-year downward trend with one percent August rise

Macau, the world's biggest casino hub, posted a 1.1 percent rise in gambling revenue in August, the first positive monthly year-over-year growth in more than two years, after the opening of Wynn Macau's $4 billion resort in the southern Chinese territory. August marks the first upward tick for the former Portuguese colony since May 2014, after monthly revenues plummeted to five-year lows due to slowing economic growth in the world's second largest economy. A major anti-graft campaign also kept the very rich from openly flaunting their wealth.

Flying pigs and prisms: Pink Floyd expo to open at London's V&A

A pink inflatable pig the size of a bus floated above London's venerable Victoria and Albert museum on Wednesday but unlike an infamous outing above Battersea Power Station in 1976 it did not break free and ground planes at Heathrow. Instead, it perhaps slowed traffic a bit, but most certainly caused passers-by to exclaim: "The pig!".

Actor Tom Sizemore charged with domestic abuse

Actor Tom Sizemore, who co-starred in the films "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down" before he was convicted in 2003 of assaulting ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss, has been charged with domestic abuse stemming from an arrest in July. Sizemore, 54, faces one count each of three misdemeanors - abuse of an intimate partner, battery of an intimate partner and making terrorist threats - all punishable by up to a year in jail, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office said on Wednesday.

09/01/2016 8:58