ENTERTAINMENT

Japanese anime director Isao Takahata, co-founder of the famed Studio Ghibli, has died at the age of 82. Mr Takahata was nominated for an Oscar in 2014 for The Tale of the Princess Kaguya but is best known for his film Grave of the Fireflies. He founded Studio Ghibli with iconic director Hayao Miyazaki in 1985. It has produced several ...

When is a political album not a political album? When it’s the new record by actor and singer Jared Leto’s band Thirty Seconds to Mars. America, the band’s fifth album, is out today and for all its bombastic stadium rock and pseudo-inspiring call to action, tries to steer clear of any specifics, choosing instead to paint slogans with a rather ...

Former WWE wrestler, manager and later television star “Luscious” Johnny Valiant has died. The 71-year-old – whose real name was Thomas Sullivan – was hit by a pick-up truck while crossing a road in his hometown in Pennsylvania on Thursday. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Mr Valiant wrestled alongside his stage brother, Jimmy Valiant, in the 1970s. After ...

If you were to list the people you wouldn’t want to get in an argument with, Vin Diesel and The Rock would probably be fairly near the top. The pair have apparently clashed with each other, though – with The Rock (aka Dwayne Johnson) confirming they didn’t shoot any scenes together for The Fate of the Furious. One scene in ...

An Indian court has sentenced Bollywood superstar Salman Khan to five years in jail for poaching rare antelope back in 1998. The court in Jodhpur also fined him 10,000 rupees ($154; £109) for the crime. He has since been taken to jail. Khan killed the two blackbucks, a protected species, in the western state of Rajasthan while shooting a film. ...

(AllHipHop News) Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter rarely gives interviews, so when the Roc Nation founder speaks publicly it becomes an event in Hip Hop culture. David Letterman tapped the music legend to be on an episode of his Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. In a clip released by the streaming giant, Jay talks about what makes a good ...

Queen guitarist Brian May has admitted the making of a biographical film about the band has been “a long and bumpy road” with “a good deal of wreckage”. “I hope it’s okay and we don’t come across [badly],” he said of Bohemian Rhapsody, due out in November. The film has been through a number of stars and directors since it ...

Ken Simons has had his hands on Picasso paintings, moved Tracey Emin’s bed and manoeuvred an Antony Gormley sculpture though a third-floor window. For him, a famous painting or sculpture isn’t just a precious creation to be admired – it’s a practical puzzle. Will it fit through the door? How can it be carried? Which trolley is best to wheel ...

Thousands of fans of Sir Ken Dodd have joined friends and family to say a final “tatty bye” to the comedy legend at his funeral in Liverpool. Some waved his trademark tickling sticks in the air at the end of the service at the Anglican cathedral. There was also a rousing round of applause as his coffin was carried out ...

Revivals of much-loved TV series can be hit and miss. And Roseanne has been welcomed back by critics – but they say it doesn’t quite match the original. Many of the sitcom’s stars are back 21 years on, including Roseanne Barr and John Goodman as Roseanne’s husband Dan. The New York Times said the show was still “feisty and funny” ...