MEDIA & CULTURE

US rapper Kendrick Lamar, seen performing in June 2023, has gone far beyond the usual jibes in his feud with Drake

Rap Beef Between Drake And Kendrick Lamar Explodes

Drake, the highest-grossing rapper in the world last year, and Lamar, a Pulitzer Prize winner, have been locked in an escalating war of words in a music genre long known for celebrating and obsessing over beefs between its biggest stars.

TikTok Reaches Music Licensing Deal With Universal, Ending Feud

The Universal-TikTok deal ends closely watched negotations that saw a breakdown earlier this year as two of the most powerful players in the music and tech industries publicly criticized each other as they jockeyed for leverage
The companies released a joint statement that said the new deal included "improved remuneration" for artists and songwriters under the Universal Music Group (UMG) umbrella, and will also assuage concerns over the growth of AI-generated content on TikTok.
Paul Auster, the Mr Cool of American fiction, has set many of his novels in New York City and his works are translated into more than 40 languages

US Novelist Paul Auster Dies Aged 77

Paul Auster, the prolific American novelist whose works included "The New York Trilogy," has died of complications from lung cancer, a friend of the novelist told AFP. He was 77.
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A calendar marking the days day trippers have to pay entry fees

In World First, Venice To Trial Day Tickets

Venice is one of the world's top tourist destinations, with 3.2 million visitors staying overnight in the historic center in 2022 -- dwarfing the resident population of just 50,000.
Leonardo Muylaert, 36, known as the Brazilian Superman, poses for a picture with a woman at the Saens Pena Square in the Tijuca neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro

Clark Kent Lookalike Turns Accidental Superhero In Brazil

Muylaert -- a strapping, bespectacled civil rights lawyer from Brasilia -- was in line at the 2022 Comic-Con convention in Sao Paulo when a stranger surreptitiously shot a cell phone video of him, amazed at his resemblance to "Superman" film star Christopher Reeve.
Pophouse says plans for a movie based on the bands story, an avatar show, and a KISS themed experience are 'already in the works.'

Swedish Firm Acquires Rock Legends KISS' Catalogue

A Swedish entertainment group co-founded by ABBA's Bjorn Ulvaeus has acquired the music catalogue, name and likeness of KISS and plans to produce a movie about the legendary rock band, the company said Thursday.
Kanye West has gone from being one of the entertainment world's most bankable stars to one of its most controversial figures

Kanye West Accused Of Racism And Antisemitism In New Lawsuit

The creative brains behind the Yeezy designer brand, whose music and fashion ventures have made him fabulously wealthy, has repeatedly courted controversy in recent years with racist or antisemitic language and some odd historical revisionism.
Organisers have their work cut out for them to ensure that the world's biggest live music event goes off without a hitch

Sweden Prepares For High Security Eurovision With Gaza Spotlight

The war in Ukraine, and a heightened threat level in Sweden since August after a spate of Koran burnings angered the Muslim world, mean organizers already had their work cut out to ensure that the world's biggest live music event, which runs from May 5 to 11, goes off without a hitch.
'Macron (C) is a technocrat having a go at the populist style,' says a comms expert

Macron Straps On Gloves For Boxing Photoshoot

Where politicians once looked to project health and fitness with jogs in the park, martial sports like boxing have now gained the upper hand, with France's Emmanuel Macron the latest to strap on gloves.
Queen Camilla met actress Helen Mirren who like her now has her own 'Barbie' lookalike

Queen Camilla Immortalized As Barbie

Camilla, 76, whose cancer-stricken husband King Charles III has currently stepped back from royal duties, was presented with the gift in recognition of her work as president of the Women of the World (WOW) Foundation.

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