Dozens of top musicians have donated songs to an album aimed at raising funds for typhoon disaster relief in the Philippines. Songs by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Beyoncé, U2 and Bruno Mars are among the 39 donated to Songs for the Philippines, available for purchase on iTunes and for streaming on iTunes Radio. The artists, record companies and music publishers have agreed to donate the proceeds to the Philippines Red Cross. Thousands were killed, injured and displaced by Typhoon Haiyan earlier this month and officials have struggled to keep up with humanitarian aid demands. The compilation album has a little of everything, from a live version of Eminem’s Stan to The Beatles’ Let It Be. – AP
Sean Penn says Madonna is in Haiti to see his aid work
Madonna is in Haiti to visit humanitarian projects that her ex-husband Sean Penn has been overseeing since the Caribbean nation’s devastating earthquake in 2010, the actor said on Monday. Penn said he had invited Madonna, with whom he has “maintained a great friendship over the years”, to visit several times and that she had come with her son Rocco. He said they arrived a “couple of days” ago and he wasn’t sure when she would leave. “She’s here, she’s seeing, she’s made the effort to come here and I’m thrilled by that,” Penn said, adding that he hoped Haiti might inspire her to seek out a cause in the country. Madonna has been busy posting photos on Instagram. One shows her posing with others at a new hospital built in the central part of the country and is captioned: “Revolution of Love in Haiti.” Another picture shows a view of the mountains at dusk, captioned: “Sunset in Haiti. This is Heaven!” – AP
Johnny Depp confirmed for Alice in Wonderland 2
The Hollywood actors Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska have been confirmed for a sequel to Alice in Wonderland and will reprise their roles as The Mad Hatter and Alice. Directed by Tim Burton, Disney’s Alice in Wonderland was a 2010 hit. For the sequel, The Muppets director James Bobin will replace Burton. Joe Roth, Jennifer Todd and Suzanne Todd will produce the film, reports contactmusic.com. The film will be out in May 2016. The first movie was a hit worldwide, collecting US$1.02 billion (Dh3.75bn) that year. – AP
Tom Hanks and Will Smith might be tapped for Last Vegas sequel
The Last Vegas director Jon Turtelaub has expressed interest in making a sequel to the buddy comedy with the actors Tom Hanks and Will Smith playing key roles. Turtelaub was recently asked if he was exploring an opportunity to make a sequel to the movie, and he said: “Absolutely. There’s a superstition in Hollywood: you don’t talk about a sequel until the first one’s a big hit, but when it comes up everyone got along so well, it was a big love fest with all the actors and I think everyone would love to come back for a sequel.” Last Vegas stars Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline. The director believes he has a gamut of actors to choose from if the sequel falls into place. “There are still amazing actors and actresses out there, as well. If I could get Tom Hanks and Will Smith into the movie that would be good,” he added. The film is out now in UAE cinemas. – IANS
