Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

‘Start Me Up’ – Rolling Stones open store in London despite pandemic

The Rolling Stones will open their first dedicated store on Wednesday in London’s Carnaby Street, despite the coronavirus pandemic having drastically reduced footfall and the number of tourists visiting the city. RS No. 9 Carnaby will sell clothes, merchandise and music and feature a video wall with a film of the band, a soundwave installation to represent part of the 1960s track “Paint It Black” and a super-sized version of the band’s lips and tongue logo.

British entertainment, left in dark, seeks government insurance help

British theatres and live music venues say the show will only go on if the government provides a financial backstop, as the COVID-19 pandemic means they can no longer get commercial insurance. While venues for indoor live performances are not yet open in all of Britain, theatres and concert halls in England have in theory been open to socially-distanced audiences since mid-August.

Lloyd Webber urges UK to set date for theatres to open at full capacity

British theatres urgently need to be given a date when they can reopen at full capacity if they are to survive the coronavirus pandemic, composer and theatre owner Andrew Lloyd Webber told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. The man behind a string of hit musicals including Cats, The Phantom Of The Opera and Evita said a pilot show that took place at one of his London theatres in July had shown that it was not viable for venues to operate at 30 percent of capacity.

Netflix delays ‘Cuties’ film launch in Turkey

Netflix has delayed the launch of French film “Cuties” in Turkey after broadcasting watchdog (RTUK) ordered it to be removed saying it might lead to potential child exploitation. “We are considering RTUK’s demand – and in the meantime have delayed the launch of Cuties in Turkey,” a Netflix spokesperson said on Monday.

Singapore’s concert for the dead goes online during pandemic

The studio lights dim, the band begins to strum, and it’s showtime for a Singapore getai concert – a popular form of entertainment in southeast Asia that features songs, skits and over-the-top costumes to celebrate the dead. Because of the coronavirus, instead of being watched by a live audience of thousands, the performance is taking place in a studio and broadcast over the internet. The livestream is a lifeline for performers like Febe Huang, who earns her living staging getai with her husband across the region.

Israeli brand shoots pyjama ad in Dubai after normalisation deal

Israeli May Tager has become the first model from her country to pose for a photoshoot in the United Arab Emirates, after the two nations agreed to normalise relations last month. She posed in modest pyjamas during a desert shoot alongside a UAE-based model known as Anastasia.

Cheek to cheek,’Dancing with the Stars’ waltzes back despite pandemic

There will be no studio audience, no group dances, no sky box where the celebrities and their partners congregate. But there will be all the usual tangos and waltzes, and no masks on the dancers when television’s “Dancing with the Stars” returns next week with Derek Hough as a new judge.

Hong Kong director describes ‘fantastic struggle’ to make new film

Director Ann Hui has described her “fantastic struggle” to make her new film “Love After Love” as pro-democracy protests broke out in her home Hong Kong and then the global pandemic all but halted travel. Hui, 73, will be awarded a Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement by the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday. Alberto Barbera, the festival’s director, called her “one of Asia’s most respected, prolific, and versatile directors.”

Disney’s ‘Mulan’ sparks backlash over Xinjiang, Hong Kong

Walt Disney Co’s release of “Mulan” , which is set in China and meant to appeal to audiences there, has provoked a backlash on social media over its star’s support of Hong Kong police and for being partly filmed in the Xinjiang region. Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong and internet users in Taiwan and Thailand are among those who promoted hashtags “#BoycottMulan” and “#BanMulan” on Twitter, following this month’s launch of the film on Disney’s streaming platform.