Reuters Entertainment News Summary

08/09/2016 16:57

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

DJ Khaled ousts Drake for first No. 1 on Billboard 200 chart

Music producer and social media star DJ Khaled scored his first chart-topping album on the weekly U.S. Billboard 200 album chart on Monday, ousting Canadian R&B artist Drake. DJ Khaled's "Major Key" album sold 59,000 albums, 80,000 songs and was streamed nearly 42 million times in the past week, totaling 95,000 album units, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

LeAnn Rimes returns with new 'soul-based' album

Country music singer LeAnn Rimes says her forthcoming studio album is more spontaneous and organic than her last offering "Spitfire," describing her new work as "soul-based." The Grammy Award winner, who rose to fame aged 13 and is known for hits such as "How Do I Live" and "Can't Fight The Moonlight," will put out "Remnants" in October, her first album release on new label RCA UK.

'Suicide Squad' smashes records with $135.1 million debut, 'Nine Lives' dies

"Suicide Squad" smashed records, scoring a colossal $135.1 million debut despite suffering some of the worst reviews of the year. That sets a new high-water mark for an August launch, lapping "Guardians of the Galaxy's" $94.3 million bow. It also ranks as a new personal best for star Will Smith, trumping "I Am Legend's" $77.2 million debut in 2007.

Renee Zellweger slams media speculation about plastic surgery

Actress Renee Zellweger criticized media outlets for discussing her appearance, and said she did not have any surgery to alter her face, in an essay published on Friday. Zellweger, 47, whose appearance has led to widespread speculation in various media outlets in the past year, said she wanted to "make some claim on the truths of my life," in a blog post entitled "We Can Do Better" on Huffington Post.

Twitter scores Leslie Jones a Rio role after overcoming abuse

"Ghostbusters" actress Leslie Jones almost quit Twitter last month after receiving online abuse, but the comedian had the last laugh on Monday as her humorous Olympics tweets landed her an invite from NBC to cover the sporting event. Comcast Corp-owned NBC Sports said Jones, a cast member on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," will be in Rio de Janeiro by Friday and will cover live Olympics sports, meet the athletes and "spread her passion for sports and the Olympics."

A Minute With: Robert Redford on magical childhood stories

Hollywood veteran Robert Redford returns to his childhood love of fantasy stories in "Pete's Dragon," a new Disney film about an orphaned boy living in a forest and his friendship with one such creature. The fantasy adventure is a remake of the 1977 movie of the same name and this time movie features a realistic green-furred computer-generated creation of the dragon named Elliot.

'Game of Thrones' author's 'Wild Cards' to become sci-fi TV series

As HBO's hit "Game of Thrones" heads towards its concluding seasons, George R. R. Martin, the author behind the medieval fantasy series, has already lined up his next TV project, a new anthology series called "Wild Cards." The new sci-fi series was announced by Martin over the weekend and will be based on the "Wild Cards" novels and stories written by numerous authors and curated by Martin and Melinda Snodgrass.

Too old to rap, Bow Wow announces retirement at age 29

U.S. rapper Bow Wow has announced he is retiring from music, saying he has made over $20 million and doesn't see himself rapping as a 30-year-old. Bow Wow, 29, who found fame at the age of 13 as Lil' Bow Wow, said in a series of Twitter messages on Sunday and Monday that his final album will be the upcoming "NYLTH." He did not give a date for the release.

Robert De Niro to open Sarajevo Film Festival

The Sarajevo Film Festival will honor two-time Oscar-winning U.S. actor and producer Robert De Niro with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to film on its opening night on Friday. "We are honored to have Robert De Niro as the first recipient of the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo - Lifetime Achievement Award," director Mirsad Purivatra said in a statement on Monday.

08/09/2016 16:57