New York, United States | AFP | Pop star Ariana Grande’s sugary new music video for the hit “Thank U, Next” is now the fastest to rack up 100 million views on YouTube, the platform told AFP Wednesday. After dropping Friday, the clip needed little more than three days to …
Read More »Beyonce, Jay-Z dazzle South Africa at Mandela gig
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Beyonce was leading an all-star line-up including Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Usher in Johannesburg at a concert to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. The concert was the climax of a year of events celebrating the centennial of Mandela’s birth in 1918, …
Read More »Beyonce to lead Mandela tribute concert
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Beyonce will lead an all-star line-up that includes Ed Sheeran, Jay-Z and Usher in Johannesburg on Sunday when she performs at a concert to honour the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela. The concert is the climax of a year of events celebrating the centennial …
Read More »Egyptian actress to face trial for wearing racy dress
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | An Egyptian actress is set to face trial in January for wearing a see-through dress at the Cairo film festival this week that showed her legs, a judicial source said Saturday. Rania Youssef appeared at the closing session Thursday of the Cairo International Film Festival …
Read More »Oprah honours Mandela ahead of global charity concert
Soweto, South Africa | AFP | US television celebrity Oprah Winfrey on Thursday paid emotional tribute to Nelson Mandela as she prepared to host a star-studded concert in Johannesburg to cap celebrations marking 100 years since his birth. Winfrey will co-host the Global Citizen festival on Sunday, where artists including …
Read More »Viva Forever! Spice Girls reveal 2019 UK reunion tour
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Say You’ll Be There: Best-selling 90s girl band the Spice Girls promise to give fans what they really, really want on a UK reunion tour next year. The band — minus pop star-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham — released details of a comeback tour, which …
Read More »Kanye West says his eyes are now open, no more politics
New York, United States | AFP | Rapper Kanye West, who has been outspoken in his support for President Donald Trump, now says he’s going to focus on his music and fashion after being “used” in the world of politics. In a series of tweets, the 41-year-old West lashed out …
Read More »‘Genius’ behind ‘Teletubbies’ in new go-to-sleep kids show
Cannes, France | AFP | “Teletubbies” creator Andrew Davenport has come up with a new show “guaranteed to stop children climbing the walls”, BBC bosses claimed Sunday. Davenport, an actor and puppeteer known as the “J.K. Rowling of the under-fives”, also wrote and made the worldwide hit “In the Night …
Read More »Children drowning in ‘digital diet of pizza and sweets’
Cannes, France | AFP | Children are being swamping by the visual equivalent of “pizza and sweets” in “a digital Wild Wild West”, some of the world’s top kids television programme makers have warned. With YouTube replacing Disney as the most-loved brand among young children in the US, and streaming giants …
Read More »Spotify to stop promoting R. Kelly songs over sex abuse claims
New York, United States | AFP | Spotify on Thursday announced it would no longer feature R. Kelly songs in its playlists or user recommendations, after the Time’s Up movement for gender equality urged the music business to dump the R&B star over sexual abuse allegations. The move marks the …
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