ENTERTAINMENT

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s film company is to use “inclusion riders” in its contracts as part of a drive to improve diversity on and off screen. Frances McDormand used her Oscars best actress acceptance speech to call on Hollywood to use the clauses. Inclusion riders specify that women and people of minorities must be properly represented in the cast ...

A new film about Mary Magdalene sets out to refute the commonly held assumption that she was a prostitute redeemed by Christ. Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus Christ Superstar. The Last Temptation of Christ. Just a selection of the films, television dramas and stage shows that have depicted Mary Magdalene as a fallen woman redeemed by the Son of God. A ...

New York’s Metropolitan Opera has fired eminent conductor James Levine, after an internal inquiry found “credible evidence” to support claims he sexually abused young male musicians. Mr Levine, who denies the allegations, was suspended in December when they were made public. The conductor, now 74, was music director at the Met for 40 years. He retired for health reasons in ...

(AllHipHop News) Miami rapper Rick Ross is back home and recovering, after spending four days in the hospital. According to reports, Rick Ross left the hospital earlier this morning, after emergency crews were called to his home in Florida last Thursday morning, after an assistant found the rap boss breathing heavily and unresponsive. The “Purple Lamborghini” hitmaker fell ill overnight ...

(AllHipHop News) Rapper Eminem has overtaken Taylor Swift and Katy Perry to become the second highest-selling singles artist in U.S. chart history. The “Stan” hitmaker has sold 107.5 million certified units since rising to fame in the late 1990s, pushing pop rivals Taylor and Katy into third and fourth place, respectively, in the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) rankings. ...

He’s going to the Oscars for the first time in four decades – but Star Wars’ Mark Hamill says he’d rather be watching the ceremony in his pyjamas. Hamill – Luke Skywalker in the films – last attended in 1978 when Star Wars: A New Hope was up for best picture. Speaking at the Oscar Wilde Awards, where he was ...

For Britney Spears, the opportunity to expand into the fragrance market was heaven-scent. Think back to 2004. MSN Messenger, Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction, the end of Friends and the start of X Factor. Britney was at the top of her game as a singer, having just released Toxic – the latest in a long line of utterly colossal pop bangers. ...

Westworld actress Evan Rachel Wood has given powerful testimony to Congress in the US about her experiences as the victim of violent sexual assault. She said she was raped by an ex-partner while unconscious and was “mentally and physically tortured until my abuser felt I had proven my love for them”. Wood was one of three women giving evidence in ...

Lewis Gilbert, the British director of Alfie, Educating Rita and three James Bond films, has died at the age of 97. Born in London in 1920, he started out as a child actor before directing war films including Reach for the Sky and Carve Her Name with Pride. He made his Bond debut with 1967’s You Only Live Twice, going ...

Fans have gathered in the western Indian city of Mumbai to pay their respects to Bollywood star Sridevi Kapoor, who died in Dubai on Saturday. Her body which was flown back to India on Tuesday, is currently at the Celebration Sports Club near her home to accommodate the crowds. The funeral will be held later on Wednesday. The actress, 54, ...