A - A sad story on screen
B - Event goes ahead as planned
C - Family matters
D - Last-minute cancellation
E - Later than initially planned
F - Professional dispute to be settled in court
G - Singer finally finds happiness
H - Well-known actor to wear a suit
1
It was supposed to be the grand European launch of one of the year’s biggest blockbusters, but the blasts in Belgium which killed at least 30 people made the organisers of the Batman v Superman premiere rethink the carpet. Warner Bros., the film’s distributor, released a statement, saying: Our hearts go out to the victims of recent terrorist attacks, their families and communities impacted around the world. Rather than yield to terror, we’ve decided to join the film’s fans and move forward with the London premiere of Batman v. Superman this evening. However, they had one condition - that television crews and radio journalists were excluded from the event, but that photography could still go ahead. This left European television presenters at a loss around London’s Leicester Square, while the stars did their usual meet-and-greet with fans.
2
Pop star Kesha has appealed a court decision that ties her to a recording contract with companies owned by music producer Dr. Luke. A judge in February declined to release the “Tik Tok” singer from her six-album recording contract. But in court documents filed on Saturday, Kesha’s attorney Mark Geragos appealed the February decision. Although it recognized that slavery was done away with a long time ago and that you can’t force someone to work in a situation in which they don’t want to work, the court’s ruling requiring Kesha to do work for Gottwald’s companies, purportedly without his involvement, does just that. Dr. Luke’s attorney, Christine Lepera replied with a statement: her attorneys can continue manufacturing even more false and outrageous claims, but the fact remains that her time would be better spent in a studio than wasting time having her lawyer and mother spin lies in the media.
3
The latest big name actor to inhabit Batman’s suit is Ben Affleck. He’s playing the caped crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it doesn’t mark the first time Affleck has donned latex. He also appeared in the poorly received 2003 film, Daredevil. Affleck follows in the footsteps of Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Val Kilmer and Christian Bale. But while Affleck has put a stamp on his character, his co-star Henry Cavill, who plays Superman, feels he still has a way to go. I’m still waiting to put my official stamp on this character. This is still the development stage of Superman and I’m adding my little bit of flavour here and there trying to get as much of the human psychology present in this superpowered alien through his development stages. We’re not seeing the final finished product of Superman which we see in the comic books, we’re seeing the guy making his mistakes. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens internationally from March 23.
4
The stars of new movie Demolition hit the red carpet in New York for a special screening of the intimate story of grief and how people deal with it. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a New York investment banker coming to terms with his wife’s sudden death. An unexpected connection with a vending machine customer service employee, played by Naomi Watts, eventually helps him express his grief. A scene in which Gyllenhaal demolishes his home is getting plenty of attention, but the star said he enjoyed his dancing sequences much more. Demolition will be released in US theaters on April 8.
5
A British judge made a fresh plea on Monday for Madonna and Guy Ritchie to work out an amicable solution to the custody battle over their teenage son. The Material Girl singer is in dispute with her film-director ex-husband over where 15-year-old Rocco should live. After they divorced in 2008 it was agreed that their son should live with the pop icon. Rocco has been living in the British capital with Richie since last year, and in December ignored a court order to return to the United States to stay with his mother. Hearings have been held in New York and London, but Madonna recently asked for the English proceedings to close. Judge Justice Alistair MacDonald granted the singer permission to end the proceedings in Britain at Monday’s hearing, which neither Ritchie nor Madonna attended. The pop star wrapped up her Rebel Heart world tour with shows in Sydney over the weekend.
6
Very soon the sound of the Rolling Stones will echo around Havana. The Stones added a free show in Cuba to the end of their Latin American tour, becoming the first major international rock stars to play in the country. That show’s been delayed by five days because of the coincidental arrival of another foreign visitor - US President Barack Obama. The scale of the show is unprecedented for Cuba. The Stones have brought in 61 shipping containers with 500 tonnes of equipment including a stage, lights and video screens.
KEY:
1B 2F 3H 4A 5C 6E