Game of Thrones to get dedicated fan convention

Plus, Salman Khan's brother urges clarification; Rolling Stones exhibition goes international; stars unite for car race; and Simon Cowell hopes to reunite Spice Girls.

Kit Harington portrays Jon Snow in Game of Thrones. AP

Game of Thrones is to get its very own fan convention. Fan site Watchers on the Wall has announced that it will host a three-day convention in Nashville, Tennessee, from June 30 to July 2, 2017. The agenda will include panels, performances, workshops, speeches and a chance to get autographs from and photos with people connected to the show. Zack Luye, co-director of the fan site, said no detail will go unnoticed. The book series from George R R Martin began in 1996 and the TV adaptation is HBO's most popular programme. The organisers haven't yet announced who from the show will participate. – AP

Salman Khan’s brother urges clarification

Actor Arbaaz Khan hopes his superstar brother Salman Khan gives a clarification on his controversial "raped woman" statement due to his massive fan following. Salman has been at the centre of controversy after he claimed in an interview that he felt like a "raped woman" walking out of the ring in his role as a wrestler in his upcoming film Sultan. "There is no doubt that in what Salman said, the intention was not bad. Sometimes you say something out of context but your intention is not bad. But if you become oversensitive over it then you can create a controversy out of anything," Arbaaz said at the logo launch of his film Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai. "I am sure that Salman must have realised that the comparison he made was not appropriate and for that, if he feels that he needs to apologise, he will apologise. I don't think I am entitled to say that he has to apologise or not. " Salman's father, writer Salim Khan, has already apologised on his behalf in a series of tweets terming the "simile, example, context" wrong but the "intention right". – IANS

Rolling Stones exhibition goes international

The Rolling Stones are to take Exhibitionism, a showcase of more than 500 recording and artefacts from the band's archive, to New York City in November. This follows the end of the exhibition's five month London run in September at London's Saatchi Gallery. November will mark the exhibit's North American debut at the Industria Superstudio in the West Village – tickets will go on sale in September. Mick Jagger said in a statement the exhibit is "not going to be like walking into a museum. It's going to be an event, an experience". Exhibitionism will include music, art, design, film, video, fashion and performance. Artefacts will include guitars, costumes, personal diaries and audio clips. The London leg closes on September 4. – AP

Stars unite for car race

It wasn’t just the cars drawing fans to Le Mans for the annual 24-hour race over the weekend. Celebrities Brad Pitt, Jason Statham and Jackie Chan were also at the race in North-West France, where drivers from all over the world compete to win the coveted trophy. Actor Jason Statham said he was thrilled to be at the event. “You know, there are a lot of people here,” he said. “The atmosphere is great so I’m really enjoying my time so far.” The race was won in dramatic fashion by the Porsche team car driven by Switzerland’s Neel Jani, Frenchman Roland Dumas and Germany’s Marc Lieb. – Reuters

Cowell hopes to reunite Spice Girls

Music mogul Simon Cowell is reportedly "desperate" to team up with British pop-girl group Spice Girls for their new album. The 56-year-old – who famously failed to sign the girl group when they auditioned for him at the beginning of their career – doesn't want to "miss out" this time. "Simon is desperate to make a new Spice Girls album. He doesn't want to miss out after the first time around. He spent the The X Factor auditions last week quizzing Mel B about the band and said he would do something mega if they signed with him," a source told the British newspaper The Sun. "He kept asking if they were going to be producing new music and said if so, he wants to do it with them. He even went as far as warning Mel that they would better not talk to any other labels before meeting with him." – IANS