Beyoncé dominates MTV video nominations, Taylor Swift shut out
Beyonce's critically-praised album Lemonade has earned the R&B singer a career-best 11 nominations for the MTV Video Music Awards, in a list that also included multiple nods for Adele and rapper Kanye West – but nothing for Taylor Swift. Adele's video for her 2015 comeback single, Hello, notched seven nominations, and the British singer earned an eighth mention for Send My Love (To Your New Lover). The controversial video for West's Famous – which features portrayals of 12 nude celebrity look-a-likes, including Swift, sleeping next to the rapper – got two nominations, including the top award of video of the year. The MTV Video Music Awards will be held in New York City on August 28. – Reuters
Verdict appealed in Stairway to Heaven plagiarism case
A plaintiff who failed to convince a Los Angeles jury that Led Zeppelin plagiarised the opening guitar passage for its 1971 rock anthem Stairway to Heaven plans to appeal the verdict. Michael Skidmore, the trustee for the songs of Randy Wolfe, a member of the band Spirit, has filed a notice of appeal. Jurors found that Led Zeppelin's lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page did not steal the opening to Stairway from Spirit's instrumental Taurus, which was written in 1967. Though Plant and Page, who testified at the trial, had access to Taurus, jurors found that the song's riff was not intrinsically similar to the opening of Stairway. The case is expected to continue into next year. – Reuters
Producers admit guilt over Harrison Ford injury on Star Wars set
A production company involved in making Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens has pleaded guilty in a UK court to failing to protect actors and crew after an incident in which Harrison Ford's leg was broken. "This was a foreseeable incident," a spokesman for Britain's Health and Safety Executive said. "Managing on-set risks in a sensible and proportionate way for all actors and staff – regardless of their celebrity status – is vital to protecting both on-screen and off-screen talent, as well as protecting the reputation of the industry." Ford, who was 71 at the time, was airlifted to a hospital in Oxford after the incident and had surgery on his left leg. The star, who plays Han Solo in the Star Wars movies, was injured after he became trapped under a rapidly closing metal-framed door during filming in June 2014 at Pinewood Studios, near London. – Reuters
Simon Cowell hits out at Liam Payne
Music mogul Simon Cowell has taken a swipe at One Direction singer Liam Payne, while praising the loyalty of the other members of the boy-band. Cowell praised the commitment of Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles and Niall Horan, but failed to mention Payne, who recently signed a solo record deal with Capitol Records. “We’re in touch with them all.” says Cowell. “The great thing about all these boys – well not all of them but most of them – is that they are incredibly loyal and you don’t always expect that.” Payne broke news of his record deal last week but said that One Direction would always be his “family”. – IANS
Salman Khan to branch out into jewellery design
Actor Salman Khan’s brand Being Human will make its first foray into the jewellery industry next month, according to his sister Arpita Khan. “It’s really close to our hearts,” said Khan at the Retail Jeweller India Awards 2016. “The Being Human jewellery basically is affordable to all consumers. It’s 70 per cent a ladies’ collection and 30 per cent men’s.” Being Human already includes a clothing line – T-shirts from which the 50-year-old actor often wears. The company also has a charitable foundation that donates a percentage of profits to educational and healthcare projects for the underprivileged. When asked about her brother’s acquittal this week in a poaching case dating back to 1998, Arpita said: “I would just like to thank his fans and his well-wishers and that’s about it.” – IANS
Metallica, Rihanna to headline anti-poverty concert
Heavy metal legends Metallica and pop star Rihanna will headline the latest Global Citizen Festival, aimed at mobilising fans to fight global poverty. The event – on September 24 in New York's Central Park – is the fifth of its kind. Other participants will include singer and actress Selena Gomez and Major Lazer, the crowd-pleasing electronic outfit of Lean On fame. Concluding the main line-up will be Kendrick Lamar, the socially conscious rapper whose 2015 To Pimp a Butterfly album quickly entered the hip-hop canon. Guest performers are tipped to be R&B star Usher and Yusuf Islam, the folk rocker formerly known as Cat Stevens. Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra, who also stars in US TV crime drama Quantico and the upcoming Baywatch movie, and Mexican-born Hollywood star Salma Hayek are also expected to appear. Tickets can be "earned", rather than bought, on the Global Citizen Festival website. www.globalcitizen.org. – AFP