Reuters Entertainment News Summary

08/02/2016 8:59

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Sony wins unconditional EU approval for Michael Jackson deal

EU antitrust regulators on Monday cleared Sony Corp's bid to buy out Michael Jackson's stake in its music publishing joint venture, the world's largest with copyrights to the Beatles' songs and songs by Taylor Swift. The European Commission said deal would not hurt competition in the recorded music and music publishing industries.

Box Office: 'Jason Bourne' scores with $60 million debut, 'Bad Moms' hits big

Audiences turned out in force to see Matt Damon in "Jason Bourne," pushing the spy sequel to a sterling $60 million debut. The film marked the actor's return to the action franchise after a nine-year hiatus, during which he repeatedly hinted that he might be done with his most popular role. He and director Paul Greengrass argued that 2007's "The Bourne Ultimatum" had brought the character full circle by filling in him on the shadowy bureaucratic maneuvers that transformed him into a killing machine. What was left?

Drake holds off Gucci Mane for 12th week at top of Billboard 200

Canadian R&B artist Drake held off rapper Gucci Mane for a 12th non-consecutive week at the top of the weekly U.S. Billboard 200 album chart on Monday. Drake's "Views" album sold 16,000 albums, 152,000 songs and was streamed 80 million times in the past week, totaling 85,000 album units, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

J.K. Rowling bids farewell to Harry Potter at 'Cursed Child' gala

A new "Harry Potter" play that opened to swooning reviews and delighted gasps from the audience marks the end of the journey for the beloved boy wizard, his creator J.K. Rowling said at the play's premiere in London on Saturday. Billed as the eighth installment in the series, the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" and a book based on its script have helped awaken a new wave of Pottermania five years since the previous episode was made into a movie.

Andrew Lloyd Webber brings hit musical 'Cats' back to Broadway

"Cats," composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical based on poet T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," has returned to Broadway after 16 years. The revival show, starring singer Leona Lewis, had its official opening on Sunday at the Neil Simon Theater. "Cats" debuted in London's West End in 1981 and came to Broadway a year later, going through 7,485 performances before closing in 2000.

Gloria DeHaven, perky star of 1940s-50s Hollywood musicals, dies at age 91

Gloria DeHaven, the perky singing actress who starred in a parade of breezy Hollywood musicals in the 1940s and 1950s and gave Frank Sinatra his first big-screen kiss, has died at age 91, her agent said on Monday. DeHaven, who appeared in more than two dozen films starting as a child in a bit role in Charlie Chaplin's last silent movie, died on Saturday in hospice care in Las Vegas, Scott Stander said in an email.

08/02/2016 8:59