Elton John gives evidence by videolink at Kevin Spacey’s London trial

By Sam Tobin LONDON (Reuters) – Singer Elton John appeared by videolink in a London court on Monday to give evidence at Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey’s sexual assault trial. Spacey, 63, has pleaded not guilty at London’s Southwark Crown Court to 12 charges of sexual offences allegedly committed against four men in Britain between 2001…

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Canada’s ‘Hollywood North’ hurt by twin strikes in US

By Anna Mehler Paperny and Divya Rajagopal (Reuters) – Rare twin strikes by Hollywood actors and film and television writers are casting a pall over British Columbia’s creative industry, which has become a hub for American film and TV production. Known as “Hollywood North,” the Canadian province and the city of Vancouver comprise one of…

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Drag queens compete for top prize in Nicaragua pageant

MANAGUA (Reuters) – In a packed bar in Nicaragua’s capital, Managua, on Friday night, more than 1,000 people gathered to see a group of drag queens battle it out to snatch the crown for best performance while representing several Central American countries. The Mix Imperial Central American Tropical Drag Royale provided a stage for drag…

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Black Mirror: Actors and Hollywood battle over AI digital doubles

By Dawn Chmielewski (Reuters) -Like a plot from the anthology television series “Black Mirror,” the Screen Actors Guild says it is battling the studios for control over the digital replicas of performers that could be used “for the rest of eternity.” The studios counter that they have offered groundbreaking protections from misuse of images. Artificial…

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‘Pay up!:’ Hollywood actors, writers team on picket lines

By Rollo Ross and Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Striking Hollywood actors joined film and television writers on picket lines for the first time in 63 years on Friday, cheering and chanting outside major studios with calls for higher streaming-era pay and curbs on use of artificial intelligence. The twin strikes will add to the…

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Brazilian school awarded UNESCO stamp for efforts to protect the ocean

By Sergio Queiroz RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA (Reuters) – A group of Brazilian school children gleefully remove pieces of plastic and trash on the sand of a Rio de Janeiro beach during an outing to teach them about the importance of protecting the environment. Their school, called Notre Dame, is located on the city’s tourist hot…

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