Following is a summary of current entertainment news
briefs.
Video shows new judge Nicki Minaj in heated exchange at
“Idol” auditions
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The controversial rap star Nicki
Minaj, who recently joined the “American Idol” judging panel,
is shown yelling and making heated comments toward her fellow
judge Mariah Carey, in a video posted to celebrity website TMZ
on Tuesday. The release of the video, which TMZ reported was
recorded during an audition of “Idol” hopefuls in Charlotte,
North Carolina, follows rumors that Minaj and Carey had been
feuding.
Grohl says Foo Fighters not splitting, on hiatus
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Lead singer Dave Grohl of
Grammy-winning rock band Foo Fighters said on Tuesday the band
was not splitting up but was taking a break. Grohl, 43, fueled
speculation about a split by telling fans at a New York
festival on Saturday that “this is the show where we come out
and we play as many songs as we can … I don’t know when we’re
going to do it again,” according to MTV News.
Lena Dunham vows to put some color into “Girls”
LAGUNA NIGUEL, California (Reuters) – “Girls” writer,
director and actress Lena Dunham said on Tuesday she was adding
new, more diverse characters for the next season of her HBO
show, after criticism that the first season failed to portray
the rich culture of its New York City setting. And the
26-year-old, who often sheds her own clothes on the show, also
acknowledged that, most of the time, “it’s not a good idea to
be naked on television.”
Magician David Blaine readies for million-volt stunt in New
York
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Magician David Blaine climbed atop a
wobbling platform above a high-voltage Tesla coil in a tent on
a Manhattan pier on Tuesday, dressed in a 20-pound chain-mail
suit, and proceeded to shoot purplish arcs of lightning out of
his hands and the top of his head. The event – an unusual sort
of press conference at which journalists were asked to stop
their ears with foam plugs – was a preview of a stunt he will
undertake starting on Friday, when he plans to stand on a
20-foot-high platform for 72 hours without food amid an
artificial lightning storm crackling between low-current,
million-volt Tesla coils.
Fresh air at Chanel’s Paris fashion show and Queen Bee at
McQueen
PARIS (Reuters) – Fashion changes as quickly as the wind,
and maybe that’s what Karl Lagerfeld had in mind on Tuesday at
Chanel, where enormous wind turbines greeted guests at his
spring/summer 2013 show in Paris. But with the floors of the
expansive Grand Palais made to resemble solar panels, one might
have thought the prolific German designer was instead making a
statement on going green.
Drew Barrymore gives birth to baby girl
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Drew Barrymore has given birth to a
daughter named Olive, her first child with husband Will
Kopelman, the actress said in a statement on Monday. “We are
proud to announce the birth of our daughter, Olive Barrymore
Kopelman, born September 26th, healthy, happy and welcomed by
the whole family. Thank you for respecting our privacy during
this most special time in our lives,” Barrymore said.
“Sweet Magnolias” cookbook takes favorites from fiction to
fact
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The town of Serenity, South Carolina,
the imaginary setting for author Sherryl Woods’s “Sweet
Magnolias” novels, now has real food in it. “The Sweet
Magnolias Cookbook” contains 150 recipes inspired by the
popular series which follows a coterie of women friends, the
sweet magnolias of the title, through life’s trials and
triumphs, family barbeque days and margarita nights.
NBC breaks TV losing streak, orders more “Revolution”
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – NBC won U.S. television’s official
premiere week with key viewers for the first time since 2003,
and swiftly announced full season orders on Tuesday for three
of its new shows. Boosted by “Sunday Night Football – the
nation’s most watched program – singing contest “The Voice” and
futuristic new drama “Revolution,” NBC was first in the 18-49
age group prized by advertisers and showed a 12 percent
increase in that demographic compared to the 2011 TV premiere
week, Nielsen data showed.
“Deadhouse” art show unites paintings, headstones
LONDON (Reuters) – Above ground Somerset House boasts one
of London’s most famous courtyards, a neo-classical gem used
for film sets, fashion shows and a glamorous skating venue in
the winter. Beneath the spectacular square are little-known
underground passageways called the “Deadhouse”, which this week
open to the public for the first exhibition of paintings ever
to be held there.
Film composer Williams wins two UK classical awards
LONDON (Reuters) – Veteran film composer John Williams
picked up two Classic BRIT Awards in London on Tuesday, adding
a best composer honour to the lifetime achievement prize which
had been previously announced. The classical music awards, held
at the Royal Albert Hall, also saw 20-year-old British pianist
Benjamin Grosvenor become the youngest male recipient of a
Classic BRIT Award, winning the critics’ prize for the album
“Chopin, Liszt and Ravel”.
