Beyonce leads Grammy nominations
Beyonce leads the 2017 Grammys with nine nominations, including bids for album of the year with Lemonade, and song and record of the year with Formation. The singer, who already has 20 Grammys and is the most nominated woman in Grammy history with 62 nods over the course of her career, is also the first artist to earn nominations in the pop, rock, R&B and rap categories in the same year. Behind Beyonce are Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West, who scored eight nominations each. Adele is also nominated for album, record and song of the year. For album of the year, Lemonade and Adele's 25 – which has sold 10 million copies in a year – will compete against Drake's multi-hit Views, Justin Bieber's redemption album Purpose and surprise nominee A Sailor's Guide to Earth, the third album from rebellious country singer Sturgill Simpson. The Grammys will be presented in Los Angeles on February 12, 2017. - AP
Jimmy Kimmel and his wife expecting second child together
After announcing he is the host of next year’s Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel says he and his wife Molly McNearey are expecting their second child together. On his late-night chat show, Kimmel mentioned the Oscars gig before adding: “My wife is hosting a baby inside her body.” Kimmel congratulated himself on his big day of announcements, joking, “I’m hosting the Oscars and I had sex”. Kimmel and McNearey have a 2-year-old daughter. Kimmel also has an adult son and daughter from his first marriage. - AP
Stars read first-hand stories of refugees in new campaign
Minnie Driver, John Cho and Oliver Platt are among 14 Hollywood stars participating in a new Oxfam America program aimed at inspiring people to help refugees. The ‘I Hear You’ campaign launched earlier this week features videos of the actors, many of them close to tears, reading the firsthand stories of refugees aloud. The refugees express their desires for normalcy, peace, a permanent home, an education and a job. They also talk about the things they miss, including neighborhood cookouts and trips to the amusement park, and articulate the grief they feel for long-lost friends and relatives. The project was created by Julie Anne Robinson, a Golden Globe-nominated director and producer who wanted to show that refugees have the same hopes and dreams that we all have. - AP
Father of slain icon Selena sues to stop TV series
Abraham Quintanilla, the father of slain star Selena has filed a lawsuit to stop production of a television series based on what he calls an unauthorised book by the singer's widower, Chris Perez. Last month, a production company announced it planned to adapt Perez's 2012 memoir, To Selena with Love, into a TV series. The lawsuit seeks to stop production, alleging Perez signed a contract giving all rights to exploit the singer's likeness and name to her estate in exchange for 25 per cent of the profits. Selena Quintanilla-Perez was fatally shot by her fan club's president in 1995. - AP
Internet companies need to do more to combat hate speech
The European Commission says, despite “moving in the right direction”, internet giants Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube are not doing enough to fight online hate speech. All four companies signed an EU code of conduct last May aimed at combatting internet hate speech. “It is our duty to protect people in Europe from incitement to hatred and violence online,” said Vera Jourova, European commissioner for justice, consumers and gender equality. “This is the common goal of the code of conduct. The last weeks and months have shown that social media companies need to live up to their important role and take up their share of responsibility when it comes to phenomena like online radicalisation, illegal hate speech or fake news.” - AFP
Veteran actor Dilip Kumar hospitalised
Veteran actor Dilip Kumar was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday, December 7 after he complained of swelling in one of his legs. The 94-year-old actor was under observation at the time of publication. Kumar was born as Mohammad Yusuf Khan but adopted Dilip Kumar as his screen name. The actor’s last film was 1998’s Qila. He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2015. - IANS
Hollywood director Tom Struthers joins team of Indian film Tiger Zinda Hai
Hollywood director Tom Struthers, who has worked on films like The Dark Knight Rises and X-Men: First Class, has joined the team of Tiger Zinda Hai, starring Salman Khan. Tiger Zinda Hai will be directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. Earlier this week Zafar tweeted, "Tom Struthers action director starts storyboarding 'Tiger Zinda Hai'. Thrill begins." Khan and actress Katrina Kaif will star in the sequel to their 2012 film Ek Tha Tiger, which revolved around an Indian spy code-named Tiger, who falls in love with a Pakistani spy during an investigation. -IANS
