Entertainment News Roundup: ‘Sunset Boulevard’ and Scherzinger shine at UK’s Olivier awards; Russian ballet shows in South Korea cancelled for a second time and more | Entertainment

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Russian ballet shows in South Korea cancelled for a second time

A ballet show in South Korea featuring principal dancers from Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet was cancelled a day before opening night, the organiser said on Monday, amid tensions between Seoul and Moscow over Ukraine and North Korea. The last minute cancellation came after Seoul performances of a ballet starring Svetlana Zakharova, a Ukrainian-born Russian prima ballerina and a vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, were called off in March.

Olympics-Macron wants Nakamura to sing at Games despite ‘racist’ backlash

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed shock on Monday at a “racist” backlash to the possibility of Franco-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura singing at the Paris Olympics opening. Macron said he very much hoped Nakamura, the most listened to French female singer in the world, would be chosen as part of the July 26 ceremony beside the river Seine.

Ritchie’s tale of ungentlemanly warfare aims to be fun

With his latest movie “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”, which is inspired by a real World War Two mission, director Guy Ritchie aims to shine a light on a historically significant event yet still make it fun. The movie is a fictional retelling of Operation Postmaster, a 1941-42 raid on German and Italian ships off the coast of West Africa, carried out by a commando unit formed by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the Special Operations Executive, a group of military officials including author Ian Fleming.

Russia adds director and playwright to ‘terrorists and extremists’ list

Russian theatre director Zhenya Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk have been added to an official list of “terrorists and extremists” as they await trial on charges of “justifying terrorism”. The pair were arrested in May last year. The charges against them relate to an award-winning play about Russian women who married Islamic State fighters.

‘Rust’ armorer sentenced to 18 months in fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin

Hannah Gutierrez, the chief weapons handler for the Western movie “Rust,” was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Monday in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was shot when actor Alec Baldwin was handling a gun during the film’s production in 2021. In March, Gutierrez, 27, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for mistakenly loading a live round into a revolver Baldwin was using on a Santa Fe, New Mexico, movie set.

‘Sunset Boulevard’ and Scherzinger shine at UK’s Olivier awards

A revived version of “Sunset Boulevard,” the musical based on the 1950s film, and its leading actress Nicole Scherzinger were among the big winners at the Olivier Awards on Sunday, picking up seven prizes at Britain’s top theatre ceremony. The show’s lead duo of U.S. singer Scherzinger, who rose to fame with pop band The Pussycat Dolls, and Britain’s Tom Francis were named best actress and actor in a musical, while Jamie Lloyd won the award for best director.

(With inputs from agencies.)