Reality-TV star Kim Kardashian is expecting a baby boy. Kardashian revealed the news of the baby's gender on Instagram and Twitter in a message to her rapper-husband Kanye West. A picture of West reading to their 2-year-old daughter, North West, was captioned: "You're such a good daddy to North & you will be the best daddy to our new son too!" Kardashian had previously revealed the news of her pregnancy in a clip that appeared after an episode of the E! reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The show had documented the 34-year-old's fertility struggles. – AP
Titanic film composer dies in plane crash
James Horner, the celebrated composer of the music from some of Hollywood's biggest hit movies, including Titanic, Braveheart, Field of Dreams and Avatar, died on Monday in a plane crash at the age of 61. An amateur pilot, he was flying a single-engine plane that crashed at about 9.30am on Monday in the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara, California. No one else was on board. "Brilliant composer James Horner, friend & collaborator on seven movies has tragically died in a plane crash. My heart aches for his loved ones," wrote film director Ron Howard on Twitter. Actor Russell Crowe, who starred in the Horner-scored movie A Beautiful Mind, tweeted: "My sincere condolences to the family, loved ones and friends of James Horner." Actress Kirstie Alley tweeted: "I'm so sad to hear about James Horner. He scored the first movie I did, Star Trek 2. Great composer, great person, huge loss." Horner won an Oscar for the song My Heart Will Go On from director James Cameron's historical drama Titanic. – AFP
Hannibal Lecter TV drama cancelled
It's the end of the road for Hannibal Lecter, after American TV network NBC announced the cancellation of its acclaimed drama Hannibal, based on the character from author Thomas Harris's books. The third season, which is currently showing in the United States, will be the last. Although critics raved about the stylish new take on the psychiatrist turned serial killer (played by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen), and Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), the FBI agent trying to bring him to justice, it failed to attract a large audience. The show's creator and executive producer, Bryan Fuller, thanked NBC for keeping the series on the air for three years despite the low ratings and dark subject matter. NBC said it will continue to broadcast all of season three's 10 episodes. – AP
Saudi comic brushes off threats
A prominent Saudi comedian who has mocked ISIL and extremists in the ultraconservative kingdom has said he will not be deterred after receiving online threats. Nasser Al Qasabi, who appears in a new satirical TV sitcom called Selfie on the Saudi-owned MBC network, said that he had "the right to express an opinion". He said: "Allah will protect us. It is the job of the artist to say the truth, even if that is at his own expense. This is the price we have to pay." It is not known who made the threats. A wave of support for the comedian has appeared on social media, including Arabic hashtags on Twitter saying "we are all Nasser Al Qasabi" and "Qasabi mocks Daesh", the Arabic acronym for ISIL. In his sitcom, which is airing during Ramadan, Qasabi plays a Saudi father who pretends to want to join militants in Syria to bring back his jihadist son. Qasabi's popular Tash Ma Tash satirical comedy ran for 18 seasons. – AFP
Berlin orchestra chooses new conductor
The prestigious Berlin Philharmonic, regarded as one of the world’s best orchestras, has chosen 43-year-old Russian conductor Kirill Petrenko as its new chief conductor. In a secret vote on Sunday, the orchestra’s 124 musicians picked Petrenko as a successor to Britain’s Sir Simon Rattle, who will step down in 2018. While Petrenko’s name was often mentioned as a contender, he was seen as an outside chance because he is notoriously media-shy, which would not seem to sit well with such a high-profile appointment as Berlin. Petrenko was born in Omsk, in south-west Siberia, in 1972. He was appointed general music director in the tiny town of Meiningen in the east German state of Thuringia in 1999, then moved to Berlin’s Komische Oper (Comic Opera) as GMD from 2002 until 2007. He is currently GMD of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. – AFP
Diddy out on bail after assault arrest
Hip-hop musician Diddy was released from jail on Monday night after an alleged assault with a weight-room kettlebell at UCLA, where his son is on the football team, police said. Diddy, 45, real name Sean Combs, was freed after posting bail, several hours after his afternoon arrest. Officials did not identify the victim of the assault or reveal the details. No one was seriously injured. Jail records show that Combs’ bail was $160,000 (Dh587,703), but sheriff’s officials said he posted $50,000. Combs’ son Justin is a redshirt junior defensive back on the UCLA football team, but has played in only a handful of games in his three years with the team. Combs was acquitted of bribery and weapons-related charges in connection with a 1999 shooting at a New York nightclub. He was also arrested in 1999 over a beating in New York. This year, an Arizona man accused Combs of punching him in the face at a Super Bowl party but no charges were brought. – AP
New Order releasing first album in 10 years
New Order will release their first full studio album in 10 years in September, the Manchester synth pioneers have announced. Music Complete, their first full studio release since 2005's Waiting For The Siren's Call, will feature the return of keyboardist Gillian Gilbert, who last appeared on an album with the band in 2001. "Music Complete finds the group revitalised, and where the group has previously pushed toward electronics or guitars, here the two are in balance," the band said on their website. New Order were formed in 1980 out of the ashes of Joy Division, following the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis. Remaining band members Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and Peter Hook teamed up with Gilbert and the band had a string of hits including Blue Monday and True Faith. Bassist Hook left the band in 2007 and the line-up is now completed by Tom Chapman and guitarist Phil Cunningham. – AFP
2016 Walk of Fame stars revealed
Quentin Tarantino, Tracy Morgan, Steve Carell, LL Cool J, Kathy Bates, Bruno Mars and Cyndi Lauper are among the celebrities who will be added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame next year. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced its selections for 2016 on Monday. Kurt Russell, Michael Keaton, Gary Sinise, Itzhak Perlman, Rob Lowe and Kevin Hart are also on the list. Recipients are chosen by a committee based on applications submitted by fans or celebrity representatives. Each recipient is responsible for their star's $30,000 price tag. The full list is available at www.walkoffame.com. – AP
Will Smith home intruder in court
A Virginia woman has been sentenced to probation for trespassing at the Los Angeles home of actor Will Smith and refusing to leave. Ariel Archer pleaded no contest to the misdemeanour during her appearance on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court in Van Nuys. Prosecutors said a housekeeper found the 26-year-old woman, from Richmond, Virginia, in the kitchen of the Calabasas house on March 21. Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and their children were not home at the time. Deputy District Attorney Ann Korban said Archer was placed on three probation for three years and ordered to stay 150 yards from the Smith family and their home. – AP
Kubrick screenplay to become trilogy of films
An old screenplay by Stanley Kubrick is being developed as a trilogy of films by World War Z director Marc Forster. Kubrick's script for The Downslope was written in 1956, shortly before he made his 1957 World War I film, Paths of Glory. The Downslope is also an anti-war story but one about the battles in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley during the US Civil War. Kubrick developed the film with the late Civil War historian Shelby Foote. Producers say Kubrick's notes contain hundreds of maps and sketches. The trilogy will expand the story beyond Kubrick's original idea. – AP
Czech film festival to honour Richard Gere
The international film festival at the Czech spa of Karlovy Vary will honour US actor Richard Gere for his outstanding contribution to world cinema. Gere will also present his movie Time out of Mind to kick off the festival, alongside director Oren Moverman and actress Jena Malone. Festival organisers also said that actor Harvey Keitel, who was honoured in 2004, will return with Paolo Sorrentino's new movie, Youth. Actor Jamie Dornan and director Sean Ellis will also be among those attending to introduce their project Anthropoid. The 50th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival opens on July 3 and runs until July 11. – AP
