Holly to Bolly: Ska legend Prince Buster dies at age of 78, Binoche speaks out on immigrants, and more

Jamaican ska legend Prince Buster has died at the age of 78. The musician, whose real name was Cecil Bustamante Campbell, died in a hospital in Miami, his wife Mola Ali said on Friday. A stroke in 2009 left him unable to walk and Ali said his death followed recent heart problems. Buster was a pioneering producer and performer with bands including The Vikings and The Folkes Brothers. His biggest hits included ska classics such as Judge Dread and Al Capone. He was among the first performers to take the ska sound to the United Kingdom in the 1960s, and his influence was confirmed when ska revivalists The North London Invaders renamed themselves Madness, after one of his songs, in 1979. Under the new name, the band were one of the biggest successes of the late 1970s/early 1980s UK ska scene, with hits such as Our House and Night Boat to Cairo. – AP, The National

Binoche speaks out on immigrants

French actress Juliette Binoche is the latest celebrity to comment on the refugee debate. Speaking at a film festival in Hungary, she urged Europeans to let go of the fear of immigrants and to respect the right of Muslim women to wear the veil or not as they choose. Binoche, who achieved global stardom in films including Chocolat and The English Patient, winning an Academy Award for the latter, has often promoted women's rights and spoken out in favour of freedom of expression. Women should be free to wear a veil if they choose to, she said, adding: "I remember I went to Bosnia. I had a meeting with a Bosnian director ... she had the veil on and I asked how come you have the veil. Her husband doesn't want her to have it. Her children don't want her to have it. But to her, it's a kind of freedom to have it. It's very much, for some women, a fashion (statement) and of their indication of saying ... 'I want to dress the way I want, you don't judge me and tell me what to do.' ... I think it's as bad from the western point of view to say 'don't do this'. It's for the women to choose." – Reuters

Divergent star rejects a move to teleVision

Actress Shailene Woodley is not interested in starring in a TV continuation of the Divergent films, saying that was not what she "signed up" to do. Woodley, the star of the first three Divergent films, distanced herself from the project after producers Lionsgate hinted that the fourth and final instalment in the series might move to the small screen following the box-office failure of the third film, Allegiant. "Last I heard they were trying to make it into a television show. I didn't sign up to be in a television show," Woodley told website Screen Rant. – The National

Janet Jackson secretly living in Dubai?

Gossip site Hollywoodlife.com has claimed that pop star Janet Jackson is living in Dubai, where she plans to start a family away from the prying eyes of the western media. The website quotes a source close to the singer as saying: “Janet Jackson moved to the Middle East years ago so she could keep her plans of starting a family a secret and a mystery. Whether she carries her baby herself or employs a surrogate, the level of privacy in Dubai allows her to do as she pleases without the scrutiny of the media. After spoiling herself on a luxurious rental in Malibu this summer, Janet has returned to her secluded life with her husband, Wissam Al Mana, in the Middle East ... She prefers the quiet, secluded life especially now that she is focusing on starting their family.”– The National

Manj Musik ‘working with Kylie Jenner’

British-Indian composer and singer Manj Musik, who is riding high on the success on his latest party number, Lak Hilaade, has reportedly approached reality-TV star Kylie Jenner to work with him on his next Punjabi single, Supermodel. Musik, real name Manjeet Singh Ral, plans to surprise everyone by having Jenner sing a few lines in Hindi. Rapper Raftaar, who has sung in movies starring Bollywood celebrities such as Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Varun Dhawan and John Abraham, will also appear on the single. An anonymous source said: "Manjeet is in discussion with Jenner for his single Supermodel, that will be filmed in Los Angeles. The song has a very global feel. There are good chances of Jenner singing a few lines in Hindi, and from what we are told she is being paid a whopping amount to be a part of this project. In fact, Jenner has requested to wrap up the entire shoot in not more than five hours." – IANS