Listening test: Entertianment News April 2017

Listen to some news related to the world of entertainment and choose the heading A-G which goes with each extract. There are two headings you do not need to use.


A - And they lived happily ever after
B - Battling a long-term addiction
C - Long battle to recover artist’s own creations
D - Social media addiction
E - Star sentenced to prison term
F - Stormy relationship
G - Wrong identity

1 Stormy relationship
Spice Girl Mel Brown, also known as Scary Spice or Mel B, has filed for divorce from her husband of 10 years, Stephen Belafonte. Citing irreconcilable differences, the performer filed the papers on Monday March 20 at the Superior Court of California County of Los Angeles. The couple married on June 6, 2007 and the court papers specify the pair separated on December 28, 2016. They have one child together, Madison Brown Belafonte. Belafonte is a film and television producer behind films such as ‘Thank You for Smoking’, and, with his wife, recently invested in Serafina, an Italian restaurant in West Hollywood. No statements from either party have been given regarding the split.

2 Wrong identity
Grammy award-winning hip hop artist Wyclef Jean said he was handcuffed and treated like a criminal when he was briefly detained by law enforcement officers in Los Angeles as they investigated a robbery. In tweets and video of the incident posted on his Instagram and Twitter feed, the Haitianborn former Fugees singer said he appeared to have been the victim of “another case of mistaken identity” and threatened to sue. Jean blamed the Los Angles Police Department for the incident, which occurred around 1 a.m., but in fact it involved sheriff’s deputies, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. The department said Jean was
briefly detained while deputies were looking for a suspect matching the description who had carried out an armed robbery at a gas station in West Hollywood. The singer was placed in handcuffs and released without charge when it was determined he was not the suspect. Jean emigrated to the United States from Haiti at the age of 9, but has maintained his Haitian citizenship. Tuesday’s incident comes amid heightened sensitivity about racial issues and the US justice system following shootings by police of unarmed black people.

3 Social media addiction
Pop star Selena Gomez said she cancelled her world tour last year and went to therapy because she was depressed, anxious and her self-esteem was shot. 24-year-old Gomez, who has more than 113 million Instagram followers, also said in an interview with Vogue magazine that she was freaked out by her social media obsession and no longer has the Instagram app on her phone. “As soon as I became the most followed person on Instagram, I sort of freaked out. It had become so consuming to me. It’s what I woke up to and went to sleep to. I was an addict,” Gomez explained in a cover story of its April edition. The former Disney Channel star and actress made headlines last August when she abruptly quit her “Revival” world tour, saying she needed to take time off to deal with panic attacks and depression. She told Vogue she had entered a treatment program for three months saying: “My self-esteem was shot. I was depressed, anxious. I started to have panic attacks right before getting on stage, or right after leaving the stage. Basically I felt I wasn’t good enough, wasn’t capable. I felt I wasn’t giving my fans anything, and they could see it - which, I think, was a complete distortion.” Gomez said that she also found it hard - as have other young stars like Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan - to shake off her perky “Wizards of Waverly Place” persona from her Disney days. “For a guy there’s a way to rebel that can work for you,” she said. “But for a woman, that can backfire. It’s hard not to be a cliché, the child star gone wrong.”

4 Long battle to recover artist’s own creations
Paul McCartney’s potential hold. The singer has waited decades to reclaim ownership of hundreds of Beatles’ songs and Sony/ATV Music Publishing says he should wait a little longer rather than continue his US lawsuit. In a filing with the US District Court in Manhattan, a lawyer for Sony/ ATV said the publisher had never challenged the validity of McCartney’s notices to terminate its copyright in the songs, starting in October 2018. As a result, McCartney’s lawsuit “impermissibly seeks an advisory opinion on a hypothetical claim” and
should be dismissed for the time being, a lawyer wrote. McCartney was outbid in 1985 for the rights to the songs he created with John Lennon such as “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude” by pop star Michael Jackson. The rights were rolled a decade later into Sony/ATV, a joint venture with Sony Corp. Jackson’s estate sold its stake in the venture to Sony for $750 million last year. Lawyers for McCartney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

5 Battling a long-term addiction
Hollywood star Ben Affleck says he’s completed treatment for alcohol addiction. The ‘Argo’ director posted on Facebook on Tuesday that the treatment was the first of many steps towards recovery. He also said he wanted to be the best father he could be and thanked his ex-wife Jennifer Garner for her support. The Batman actor wrote I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I’ve dealt with in the past and will continue to confront. The two-time Oscar winner is currently working on upcoming film The Batman, in which he stars as the caped crusader himself.

KEY: 
1F 2G 3D 4C 5B 

Listening test: Entertainment News

Listen to some recent entertainment news and choose the best heading A-G which suits each one. There are two headings you do not need to use.


A - 56-year-old star retires
B - Discrimination in 21st century
C - Health problems for star
D - Second reunion for singer and city
E - Singer wins legal battle
F - Toys on sale before the movie
G - Weight problems lead to legal battle

1
Former teen idol David Cassidy said Monday he’s suffering from dementia. It came just a day after
weekend performances in California in which he forgot his words and appeared to fall off stage, raising concerns over his health. The 66-year-old former Partridge Family star told People magazine he was fighting dementia, a disease his mother also suffered from. He said he was in denial, but ‘part of me always knew this was coming’. Cassidy told the magazine he’d decided to stop touring as a musician to focus on his health. His publicist said his comments were accurate, but gave no further details. Cassidy has struggled with drinking and financial troubles in recent years.

2
Cher and Vegas are together again. The legendary singer opened a new residency show in Sin City on February 8. Titled “Classic Cher,” the concert at Monte Carlo’s Park Theatre, features some of her greatest hits like “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “Half Breed.” During the 90-minute show Cher has 11 costume changes, all designed by her long time collaborator Bob Mackie. Cher will be playing the 5,000-seat theatre through February 25, before returning for another block in May. This is the second residency Cher has had in Nevada. The Grammy and Oscar-winner performed a three-year engagement at Caesars Palace from 2008 to 2011.

3
Disney has announced that they will once again be holding a ‘Force Friday’ to unveil the latest toys from the upcoming ‘Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi’. Like last time, the event, called ‘Force Friday II’ will be held worldwide at 12:01 am on September 1, allowing fans from around the globe to get a first glimpse of what will feature in the eighth film in the franchise. ‘Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi’ will launch two and a half months after the toys on December 15.

4
Singer Kesha has released a series of emails in which her producer Dr. Luke says that musicians were unwilling to give her their songs to perform because of her weight. The emails were part of a set of court documents filed this week amid the singer’s case to get out of her recording contract. 29-year-old Kesha has been involved in a three-year battle to be released from a deal with Sony Music and pop hit maker Dr. Luke. Documents filed in New York state court this week show a 2012 email chain between Kesha’s manager and Dr. Luke in which he chastised the singer for breaking her juice diet by drinking soda and eating turkey. Another email chain outlines a dispute between the singer and the producer over the lyrics of a song. But representatives for Dr. Luke say the documents don’t show the full story. Kesha first filed a civil lawsuit in 2014 in Los Angeles against Dr. Luke with numerous allegations including that the producer’s criticism of her appearance had caused her to develop bulimia. The “Tik Tok” singer later dropped the lawsuit in California but her lawyers said she would continue her case in New York to get out of her contract. A New York judge last year denied Kesha’s bid to extricate herself from her recording contract, which sparked an emotional #FreeKesha campaign by the singer’s fans on social media.

5
13th argues that although it’s been 150 years since slavery was officially abolished, it is still alive in the United States in the form of mass incarceration that disproportionately affects the black population. It’s
already won a BAFTA and director Ava DuVernay has also received her fair share of acclaim and was recently announced as the first black female director to commandeer a $100 million movie budget. DuVernay’s documentary also shows how the black community has been wrongfully characterized over the years. Part of the reason why you can have a Muslim ban is that enough people don’t exactly know what that even means. You know what I mean, that enough people don’t know other kinds of people. They haven’t sat at your table, you haven’t read their history, you don’t know their music, you don’t know their poetry, you don’t know what their religion even really is, you only know what has been fed to you, you know, and it’s all about the ways that we don’t know each other. If we knew each other more, there would be more compassion and empathy and I think we’d be in a better place.

KEY: 
1C 2D 3F 4G 5B

Listening test: Talent shows

Listen to two BBC reporters discuss talent shows and choose the option A, B or C that best completes each sentence. 0 is an example.

Source: BBC 6 Minute English

0 In singing talent shows contestants
A are well-known artists.
B don’t compete with each other.
C want to become famous.

1 According to Neil,
A the format is successful.
B the music is generally bad.
C these shows suit his favourite music.

2 Simon Cowell
A is pleasant to the contestants.
B makes a lot of money out of the shows.
C used to be a successful singer.

3 Putting someone down is
A impolite.
B funny.
C usually done on TV.

4 Producer Pete Waterman believes Simon
A thinks a lot of himself.
B is the biggest talent in the world.
C is obsessive.

5 What motives Simon is
A artistic ambition.
B great music.
C notoriety.

6 According to George Ergatoudis, winners of the show
A are successful for two or three years.
B don’t even have a successful album.
C don’t have a long career.

7 The oldest person to audition for the X Factor was
A 84.
B 94.
C 101.

Photo: BBC 6 Minute English

Kate: Hi Neil.
Neil: Hello Kate
Kate: Well Neil, I know you're quite a big music fan so I wanted to start the programme today by asking you what you know about the TV singing talent shows that everyone seems to be talking about.
Neil: Well, I think you mean shows like 'The X Factor', 'Pop Idol' and numerous others. They are basically singing competitions or talent shows which are aired on TV. Talent shows are events where people compete to show how skilled they are in a particular area – and here it's singing. Many people who are aspiring pop stars or performers try to impress judges with their musical talent in the hope of getting a record deal, fame and fortune.
Kate: Yes, it seems there are a lot of people out there who want to be pop stars! So we know that TV singing talent shows are very popular but what do you personally think of them, Neil?
Neil: Well it's certainly a winning format where people audition and the judges and audience voters gradually eliminate them and until there is just one winner left. This works very well so we can call it a winning format. But although many people seem to find it compelling viewing, I'm afraid I find the music too mainstream, unoriginal, predictable, and accepted by most people. It doesn't interest me at all. The type of music I like I'm afraid doesn't really feature in these shows.
Kate: Well, the man behind one of these shows 'the X Factor' is someone called Simon Cowell and he has sold his winning format to more than 40 countries worldwide including Denmark, Italy, Spain, Russian, Colombia and India.
Neil: Yes, he's been very successful – he is a judge on the actual shows, the owner of the format and the person who profits from the sales of the music after the show has ended. He is also well known for being incredibly rude to the contestants.
Kate: Let's hear an example of how he speaks to people who are auditioning:
You can't sing. Not very good and incredibly annoying
I just think you should give us a chance
But a chance to do what?
To improve.
Yeah - Girls we have weeks not decades
Neil: Comments like these can be called put downs. You can 'put someone down', which means that you are rude them and insult them as a person or their ability to do something. Not a very nice thing to do.
Kate: Now let's hear what one of fellow producers, Pete Waterman says about him:
He's got an ego – the biggest ego in the world. Simple as that. He's driven. He sees an opportunity and he's built it into the world's biggest format. Quite incredible.
Kate: So what is it do you think it is that drives Simon Cowell – money perhaps? The desire to make great music or maybe it's just down to artistic ambition? Let's hear what Pete Waterman says about this:
Artistic ambition! Give me a break – it's about being famous!
Kate: But what about the winners' musical careers after the show has ended? Next we're going to hear from someone else in the music industry. George Ergatoudis, Head of Music at BBC Radio 1. Do the artists or singers go on to have long or fulfilling careers?
Extract 4
A lot of the artists that have come through his show have pretty short lived careers. You know, they have a bright moment following the show perhaps 2 or 3 successful singles or a successful initial album and the story kind of starts to wane….'
Kate: Well this doesn't seem to stop people wanting to take part in the show and watch it.
Kate: And lastly the answer to the question I asked you. What age was the oldest person to audition for the X Factor?
Neil: I said 101.
Kate: I'm afraid they weren't quite as old as that. The oldest person was actually 84 which is still quite good going. That's all for today. Thanks for joining us today. Until next time. Goodbye!

KEY:
1C 2B 3A 4A 5C 6C 7A

Listening test: Entertainment news December 2016

Listen to some entertainment news and match each extract 1-6 with the best heading A-H.



A - Body search refusal
B - Connection between crime and cinema
C - Film reigns over the first Awards ceremony
D - Most profitable actors
E - Prolific dad
F - Scandal on the set
G - Song part of the soundtrack of a forthcoming film
H - Time for seasonal films

1 
Awards season kicked off with the Critics Choice Awards Sunday, seeing ‘La La Land’ scoop the top prize for best picture. The musical love story stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. It won eight of the 11 categories it was nominated for. On the red carpet Stone said her favourite part of making the film was the connection she had with her co-stars. Casey Affleck took home best actor for ‘Manchester by the Sea’, about a working-class American family dealing with tragedy. Natalie Portman’s portrayal of first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in ‘Jackie’ earned her Best Actress. Meanwhile Viola Davis and Mahershala Ali won best supporting actress and actor. The Critics Choice Awards are chosen by more than 300 members of the Broadcast Film Critics Association.

2 
American pop star Taylor Swift and former One Direction member Zayn surprised their fans with a special Christmas treat. Malik and Swift swap verses in ‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever’ a melancholic R&B-tinged track which unexpectedly appeared in the US iTunes Store just before midnight on Friday. The song will feature in the sequel to the “Fifty Shades of Grey” film, based on the erotic romance trilogy by E.L. James. Grammy Award winning Swift shared news of the single on social media, with the cryptic comment: “Z T 50”. Malik, who quit the chart-topping boy band One Direction last year, posted a picture of himself with Swift with the hashtag #idontwannaliveforever.

3 
Judge Reinhold has been arrested at Dallas Love Field Airport after he refused to be screened at a security check point, police said. The 59-yearold actor was taken into custody on Thursday and charged with disorderly conduct. That’s according to a statement by the Dallas Police Department. Reinhold’s lawyer told local media his client went through a TSA scanner and was stopped when his bag set off an alarm. He added that agents asked to pat Reinhold down, but the actor didn’t understand why it was needed after he went
through the scanner without setting off the alarm. Police officials weren’t immediately available for comment.

4 
Star power doesn’t always bring in dollars at the box office. Johhny Depp and Will Smith have topped a list of Hollywood’s most overpaid actors. Depp found himself at the top of the Forbes list for the second year in a row after his movie “Alice Through The Looking Glass” brought in just $300 million at the global box office after costing around $170 million to produce. Will Smith joins Johnny. His 2015 film “Concussion”, grossed just $13 million more than its $34 million budget. And gorgeous George came in 5th on the list, with a box office return of $6.70 for every $1 he was paid, largely because of the failure of “Tomorrowland” which cost $190 million to produce. “Magic Mike” star Channing Tatum and comedian Will Ferrell rounded out the top 5.

5 
Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger has become a dad for the eighth time. His ballet dancer girlfriend gave birth to a son in New York. His publicist confirmed that both mother and father are delighted and Mick was at the hospital for the arrival. The 73-year-old singer already has seven children with previous partners, as well as five grandchildren, and he became a great-grandfather in May 2014. Jagger and Hamrick, who is 29, began dating about two years ago, according to media reports.

6 
The animated Disney film, Moana, remains the ‘hero’ of the North American box office. The movie about a teenaged girl trying to save her people collected nearly $19 million to hold on to the number one spot for the third week in a row. Moviegoers apparently were ready. Paramount’s “Office Christmas Party” took in $17.5 million dollars in its opening weekend. Jennifer Anniston and Jason Bateman lead an ensemble cast
to second place at the box office. Even though some audiences went elsewhere, the Harry Potter prequel, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”, still came in third at the box office. The Warner Brothers’ film snagged nearly $11 million in weekend sales. Rounding out the top five is “Arrival” at number four, with 5.6 million. And the fantasy science fiction film, “Doctor Strange” at number 5. It took in $4.6 million.

KEY: 
1C 2G 3A 4D 5E 6H

In-Flight Entertainment Gets High-Tech

Virgin America is the cream of the crop when it comes to high-tech in-flight entertainment, says tech columnist Molly Wood.

Self-study activity:
Watch the video and say whether the statements below are true or false.



1 You can order food and drink from your seat on Virgin America planes.
2 Only Virgin America international flights enjoy these in-flight entertainment amenities.
3 The new Jet Blue internet service, fly-fi, is already available.
4 You pay $8 per flight for internet connection with Southwest.
5 Delta Studio is only available for free on backseat screens.
6 You can watch the traditional overhead TV with United and American.
7 High-speed satellite wi-fi will be usual on almost any flight in a few years’ time.

Let’s face it. The only thing that makes air travel bearable anymore is upgrades or hours and hours of in-flight entertainment. Airlines are starting to realise that in-flight technology makes all the difference, and the cream of the crop, Virgin America.
Virgin America does it all and all from the screen on the seat in front of you. There’s wi-fi on every plane, there’s free satellite TV, movies on-demand, music, video games and touch-screen ordering of food and drinks. You can even send someone else a drink at another seat. There are also power outlets and USB plugs on every seat and all these amenities are available on every flight.
The next best checked airline is Jet Blue. Like Virgin they have power outlets at the seat, live streaming TV and movies and other entertainment on demand, but they’ve also just announced a new faster internet service called fly-fi. It includes free basic web surfing and there’s some content that you can get for free too, like college classes from Corserian, cooking shows, box TV and even books. Jet Blue says the system is coming this spring, so you won’t probably see it on  every plane just yet.
Now if you’ve ever been on a Southwest flight, you know those planes are a little bit more barebones, so they’re not going with the full seatback entertainment setup, they are more about letting you bring your own device. You can pay for a wi-fi for $8 a day and you can serve gate-to-gate on Southwest, which means you can actually use the web on the ground. But they also offer some free content without hooking up to their wi-fi, on your tablet or your phone you can watch free-dished TV, a couple of shows. You can also listen to some B-playlists.
As for the old school domestic carriers, Delta is probably the best. They’ve just announced a new programme called Delta Studio that gives people free access to movies, TV, music and games on either their own devices or seatback screens and Delta said anyone on a flight over 90 minutes will have one of those options. The content varies, though. If you’re in couch, expect to pay for the good TV and movie content.
After that, there’s a previous team dropoff in in-flight tech depending on what plane you get. United and American lead all kinds of a hotchpotch of seatback entertainment, personal device options and the dreaded overhead TVs. Domestically, they all use Gogo for in-flight wi-fi, which is more expensive than something like Jet Blue and usually a lot slower too.
But overall things are looking up for high-flyers. In a few years, high-speed satellite wi-fi will be the norm on almost any flight you take, so until then take advantage of one of the last places on earth where you’re not expected to be working, blogging, tweeting and emailing. Just disconnect.

KEY:
1T 2F 3F 4F 5F 6T 7T

Listening test: Entertainment news

Listen to some entertainment news and match headings A-H with the corresponding news item. There are two headings you do not need to use.


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