Below you will find a summary of the latest news briefs from the entertainment industry.
TV series based on the “Yakuza” video game focuses on Japanese culture
Japanese actor Ryoma Takeuchi believes video game fans will have a special connection to the new television series “Like a Dragon: Yakuza.” The series, based on the popular video game “Yakuza: Like a Dragon,” will stream on Amazon Prime Video starting October 24. It was unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con last month.
“Jackpot” film inspired by martial arts icon Jackie Chan
For director Paul Feig, the comedy “Jackpot” is what he calls “the lost Jackie Chan movie,” referring to the work of the famous Hong Kong actor and martial artist. “His (Jackie Chan’s) characters are always classic characters who don’t want to get into the situation, who are overwhelmed and are trying to get out of it, who are not aggressive, but are just trying to fight their way out of the situation,” Feig said.
Katy Perry in trouble for shooting video on Ibiza beach
Frolicking on a Spanish beach in her new music video “Lifetimes” could land US pop star Katy Perry, known for “The One That Got Away”, in trouble after authorities launched an investigation into allegedly unauthorised filming in Ibiza. The Balearic Islands’ Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment said on Tuesday that the production company responsible for shooting the video in Ibiza, famous for its beaches and wild nightlife, had not applied for a permit.
Two doctors among the five defendants in connection with the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry
Two doctors and three other people, including a personal assistant to Matthew Perry, have been charged with supplying the “Friends” star with ketamine, the powerful sedative that led to his overdose death nearly a year ago, authorities said Thursday. The defendants, including a woman known as the “ketamine queen,” were part of a criminal network that distributed the drug to Perry and others, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said.
Hollywood union signs agreement for advertisers to recreate actors’ voices with AI
Hollywood actors’ union SAG-AFTRA announced a deal with online talent marketplace Narrativ on Wednesday that will allow actors to sell advertising rights to have their voices recreated using artificial intelligence. As performers fear AI will make the theft of their images commonplace, the new agreement is designed to ensure that actors earn money from the technology and have control over how and when their voice recreations are used.
Peter Marshall, original host of the TV show “Hollywood Squares,” dies at the age of 98
Peter Marshall, the jovial actor, singer and nightclub comedian who was one of America’s best-known game show hosts on the long-running “The Hollywood Squares” from 1966 to 1981, died Thursday. He was 98. Marshall, who hosted more than 5,000 episodes of “The Hollywood Squares” and won five Emmy Awards, died of kidney failure at his home in Encino, near Los Angeles, according to a statement from his family.
China’s latest blockbuster shines a rare, harsh light on the gig economy
One of the most successful films to hit Chinese cinemas this summer tackles some of the country’s biggest economic problems: an uncertain job market, social decline and the hard lives of millions of people working in gig jobs. “Upstream” tells the story of a middle-aged programmer who is laid off, barred from office jobs because of his age and pushed into the dangerous gig economy of food delivery to keep his family afloat.
Football-Ed Sheeran acquires minority stake in hometown club Ipswich
Singer Ed Sheeran has fulfilled “every football fan’s dream” by purchasing a minority stake in his hometown club, newly promoted Premier League team Ipswich Town. Sheeran’s total stake in the club is 1.4 percent and he will not join the board, Ipswich said in a statement on Thursday.
Enthusiasm for Taylor Swift outweighs safety concerns among London fans
Fans arriving at Taylor Swift’s concert in London on Thursday said solidarity among Swift’s peers helped ease their safety concerns after her Vienna concerts were canceled last week. The American singer-songwriter is back in London for five dates before her record-breaking Eras tour returns to North America.
Taylor Swift prepares for emotional return to London after terror threat
Taylor Swift will take to the stage in London on Thursday, continuing her biggest concert tour in the world amid heightened security after a foiled Islamic State-inspired attack forced the cancellation of her Vienna concerts last week. British police said there was no indication the events in Vienna would affect the five performances at Wembley Stadium, where 90,000 “Swifties” will cheer her on each night. But security will be tight.
(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
