Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
Britney Spears’ dad to relinquish control of her $60 million estate
Jamie Spears has agreed to step down from his 13-year role as conservator of his daughter Britney’s estate, in what the pop star’s attorney on Thursday called a major victory. “We are pleased that Mr Spears and his lawyer have today conceded in a filing that he must be removed,” the singer’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart said in a statement.
Tony Bennett hangs up concert hat on doctor’s orders
American singer Tony Bennett is stepping back from concert performances at the age of 95, his son said on Friday. Bennett, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, canceled a run of concerts planned for later this year and won’t be returning to touring, his manager son Danny Bennett told Variety in an interview.
Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion lead nominees for MTV’s VMA awards
Pop star Justin Bieber and rapper Megan Thee Stallion scored the most nominations for this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, organizers said on Wednesday ahead of next month’s ceremony that will welcome back fans as part of a live audience.
Canadian singer Bieber received seven nods, including artist of the year, best pop song for “Peaches,” and video of the year for “Popstar,” his collaboration with DJ Khaled and Drake.
Musicians at Serbian trumpet festival play on despite pandemic
The sound of trumpets filled the air as thousands of people crowded into a small Serbian town late on Friday for the 60th Guca Brass Band Festival, with visitors undeterred by a resurgence of coronavirus cases in the country. Launched in 1961 when just four bands competed for the Golden Trumpet trophy and only 2,500 visitors attended, the festival is now Serbia’s liveliest traditional music event but, like many events around the world, it was cancelled in 2020 amid the global pandemic.
Films set in coronavirus pandemic to open Sarajevo Film Festival
Two feature films dealing with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on peoples’ lives and economy will on Friday open the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF), the largest film showcase in a region spreading from Vienna to Istanbul. Last year’s festival was pushed online due to the pandemic. This one will open to audiences at a number of new screening sites in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, with nearly a third of locations set in the open air.
No charges for YouTuber Jake Paul in 2020 Arizona looting
YouTuber Jake Paul will not be charged in connection with a looting spree in Arizona last year, authorities said on Thursday. Paul, 24, known for his viral YouTube pranks, was being investigated after he filmed looting at a shopping mall in Scottsdale, Arizona in May 2020 at the height of nationwide protests by Black Lives Matter supporters.
Sony delays ‘Venom’ movie sequel release amid new COVID-19 wave
Sony Corp’s movie studio on Thursday delayed the release of superhero sequel “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” by nearly a month to mid-October as the United States grapples with a new wave of COVID-19 infections. The movie starring Tom Hardy as the Marvel Comics character will now debut in theaters on Oct. 15 instead of Sept. 24, Sony Pictures said via email.
Middle Earth is moving: Amazon shifts ‘Lord of the Rings’ filming to UK
Amazon Studios said on Friday the second season of its multi-million dollar “Lord of the Rings” television series will be filmed in the United Kingdom, moving fictional ‘Middle Earth’ out of New Zealand for the first time. New Zealand’s rolling mountains, meadows and forests were made famous as the backdrop for the “The Lord of the Rings” and the “Hobbit” film trilogies shot in the country by Oscar winning director Peter Jackson.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
