Reuters Entertainment News Summary

08/26/2016 16:55

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Oops! Britney Spears does it again in latest pop culture comeback

Britney Spears is hitting up pop culture one more time, releasing a new album, singing retro karaoke hits and about to take the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) stage for the first time since 2007. Spears, 34, who became a teen pop phenomenon with breathy, sexually-charged hits like "Toxic" and "Oops!.. I Did it Again," released new album "Glory" on Friday ahead of a much anticipated return to the VMA show on Sunday in New York.

EU may require YouTube, DailyMotion to seek deals with music industry

Websites such as Google's YouTube, DailyMotion and Pinterest could be required by the European Union to seek licenses or revenue-sharing deals with artists for content that is uploaded by their users. The music industry has long complained that services such as YouTube do not pay artists enough for their music and has urged regulators to close what it calls the "value gap."

Home, studio of late U.S. rocker Prince to be opened to public

Paisley Park, the suburban Minneapolis estate and studio of late rock musician Prince, will be opened for public tours starting on Oct. 6, the administrator of the singer's estate said. Prince, 57, collapsed and died at the 65,000-square-foot (6,040-square-meter) estate in April after an accidental overdose of the powerful opioid fentanyl.

Netflix drug drama 'Narcos' returns for second series

Netflix Inc drama "Narcos" returns for a second season next week, continuing the real life story of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and his reign over the Medellin cartel. The dark crime show, which first aired last summer, follows the cartel's cocaine smuggling to the United States in the 1980s. Escobar was killed in 1993.

Exclusive: Accidental mogul - China property billionaire's route to Hollywood

Wang Jianlin, the billionaire Chinese property tycoon turned entertainment mogul, says his push into movies was entirely accidental. "We didn't have a choice, we were forced into it," Wang, whose Dalian Wanda Group controls Hollywood studio Legendary Pictures and U.S. cinema chain AMC Entertainment Holdings, told Reuters in an exclusive interview this week.

Horror-thriller 'Don't Breathe' set to trump 'Suicide Squad' at the U.S. box office

"Don't Breathe," a tense psychological horror-thriller, is expected to topple DC antiheroes "Suicide Squad" at the U.S. box office this weekend. According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, "Don't Breathe," about a group of friends who plan to rob a blind man's house with terrifying consequences and made for less than $10 million, is predicted to take between $11 million and $14 million in its first three days.

U.S. Homeland Security probes hacking of actress Leslie Jones' website

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is investigating a new incident involving actress Leslie Jones, who has been targeted by online abusers, after hackers posted nude photos and personal information on the "Ghostbusters" star's website. "The investigation is currently ongoing. In order to protect the integrity of the case, no further details are available at this time," Rachel Yong You, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said on Thursday in an email to Reuters.

Rihanna, Ariana Grande set to perform at MTV Video Music awards

It's empty now, but in four days New York's Madison Square Garden will be filled with some of the world's biggest music stars for the annual MTV Video Music Awards show. Beyonce leads the nominations with a career-high 11 nods, Adele has notched seven and Rihanna has multiple nods for her collaborations with DJ Calvin Harris on "This is What You Came For," and with Drake on "Work."

Batman suit boasting 23 gadgets earns Guinness World Record

Boasting a "bat tracker," a bat sign projector for the nighttime sky, smoke guns and an array of other devices, a Batman costume fitted with 23 gadgets has earned a place in the Guinness World Records book. The bulky black-caped suit, made by Batman fan and special effects expert Julian Checkley, takes the title for "the most functional gadgets on a cosplay suit," Guinness World Records said in a statement.

Dwayne Johnson dethrones Robert Downey Jr. as highest paid actor

Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne Johnson topped a Forbes magazine list of the world's highest paid actors on Thursday with an estimated 2016 payday of $64.5 million. Johnson, 44, knocked Robert Downey Jr. off the top spot and more than doubled his 2015 earnings, largely thanks to his action comedy "Central Intelligence." Johnson, known as "The Rock" during his wrestling career, also collected advance fees from the eighth installment of the popular "Fast and Furious" racing movie franchise.

08/26/2016 16:55