Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
NFL-Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg aim to cement hip-hop's place on Super Bowl stage
The hip-hop megastars set to perform at the Super Bowl on Sunday have promised to deliver a memorable show that will wow audiences and leave no doubt that rap music deserves a spot in the year's biggest musical showcase. The halftime show at SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles will feature area natives Dr. Dre, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg, plus rapper Eminem and R&B singer Mary J. Blige.
Angelina Jolie advocates for U.S. domestic violence law
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Wednesday agreed on a deal to renew a long-lapsed law to strengthen domestic violence protections, just hours after Hollywood actor and humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a tearful speech of support. Jolie's voice broke as she acknowledged the women and children "for whom this legislation comes too late" in a speech in Washington D.C.
Berlinale opening film explores #Metoo questions of power and control
French director Francois Ozon's "Peter von Kant" -- a film about a director's possessive relationship with a young actor -- explores the power directors hold over actors: a question that resonates strongly in the #MeToo era, Ozon said. In the film, which premiered at Thursday's opening of this year's Berlin film festival, Ozon said he aimed to pose these questions to directors and the audience, four years after the #MeToo movement shook the film industry around the world.
Super Bowl ads are moving on from pandemic with humor and hope
A year ago, many Super Bowl advertisers tiptoed into the U.S. football championship trying to respectfully acknowledge a difficult year in the COVID-19 pandemic. This Sunday, brands will return to the big game using the time-tested tactics of going for big laughs, or trying to uplift audiences with messages of strength and triumph.
Hitmaker Sting sells career music catalogue to Universal
British singer-songwriter Sting has sold his career music catalogue to Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), the company said on Thursday, in the latest such move by an artist to cash in on their work. The deal comprises the entirety of Sting's solo works as well as those when he was with rock band The Police - including classics "Every Breath You Take", "Roxanne", "Shape Of My Heart", "Message in a Bottle", "Fields Of Gold", "Desert Rose" and "Englishman in New York" among others.YouTube floats ideas of verifying NFTs, watching games in metaverse
YouTube on Thursday elaborated on its blockchain and metaverse plans for 2022, saying it could harness the emerging technologies to cut fraud in the fast-growing digital art market and offer a more social viewing experience for gaming content. The world's largest streaming service, which is owned by Alphabet Inc's Google, over the past year has sought to hang onto users with better guidance about upcoming features amid increasing competition with ByteDance Inc's TikTok and Meta Platforms Inc's Instagram.
Disney closes gap with Netflix, streaming industry future still in question
The strong subscriber additions by Disney+ in the latest quarter helped Walt Disney Co's flagship streaming service close the gap with market leader Netflix Inc, but industry watchers focused on future prospects for streaming in a saturating market. Disney+ added 11.8 million https://reut.rs/3suczXC subscribers in the first quarter as viewers signed up to watch hits like "The Mandalorian" and "Black Widow".
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