Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
R&B singer R. Kelly’s obstruction trial begins in Chicago
R&B singer R. Kelly’s latest federal trial began on Monday with the selection of a jury to hear charges that he lured underage women into having sex with him and obstructed a 2008 state case that ended with his acquittal. In a U.S. district court in his hometown of Chicago, the 55-year-old multiplatinum musical artist faces multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a child, enticement of a female and possession of material containing child pornography.
‘Bullet Train’ repeats No. 1, ‘Top Gun’ returns to second place as box office nearly grinds to halt
Is everyone on vacation? That would be one plausible explanation behind the great box office slowdown. Although three new movies opened nationwide, none were able to crack the top five on domestic charts and only two — A24’s satirical slasher “Bodies Bodies Bodies” and Lionsgate’s vertigo-inducing thriller “Fall” — managed to infiltrate the top 10.
Third Point discloses stake of nearly $1 billion in Disney, pushes for changes
Hedge fund Third Point on Monday disclosed a stake of roughly $1 billion in Walt Disney Co and said it plans to push the media company to make a string of changes, from spinning off cable sports channel ESPN to buying back shares and adding new board members. Billionaire investor Daniel Loeb, who runs Third Point, made a U-turn on Disney when he built a new stake in the second quarter, not long after exiting his position months earlier when fears about rising prices and faster interest rate hikes sparked a sharp market selloff.
U.S. actor Anne Heche taken off life support 9 days after car crash
American actor Anne Heche was taken off life support on Sunday, nine days after suffering severe injuries in a fiery car crash, as a compatible person was found to receive her donated organs, a spokesperson said. Heche, 53, had been legally dead since Friday, though still with a heartbeat, and was kept on life support to preserve her organs so they could be donated, her representatives said.
Tokyo diners nosh on Demogorgon pasta, Eleven’s waffles at ‘Stranger Things’ cafe
Japanese fans of the sci-fi hit “Stranger Things” can chow down on demonic pasta and rock out to retro 1980s tunes at a pop-up cafe inspired by the Netflix Inc horror drama. The shop, a partnership with local restaurant chain Pronto Corp, recently extended its run in the fashionable Shibuya district of Tokyo several months amid overwhelming demand. “Stranger Things” has remained one of the streamer’s top 10 shows in Japan since the release of its fourth season in May.
(With inputs from agencies.)