Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Motor racing-F1 drivers defend Netflix series after Verstappen snub

Leading Formula One drivers defended the popular Netflix “Drive to Survive” fly-on-the-wall series on Thursday after Red Bull’s championship leader Max Verstappen said he was snubbing it because he felt some of the rivalries were “faked”. The docu-series, now filming its fourth season, has been credited as a big factor in fuelling the sport’s growth in the United States.

‘Squid Game’ mania has shoppers snapping up Vans’ white slip-on shoes

White slip-on shoes are becoming a hot commodity thanks to the wildly popular South Korean survival drama “Squid Game”, with sneaker maker VF Corp reporting a small increase in demand for its Vans brand. The series, which became a global sensation and the No.1 program on Netflix, shows hundreds of cash-strapped players competing in hyperviolent games, sporting shoes resembling Vans’ all-white slip-ons.

Alec Baldwin shocked and heartbroken over movie set shooting; police give no details

Actor Alec Baldwin said on Friday he was in shock over his accidental fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico movie set, as police investigated the incident and Hollywood debated the safety of prop guns. The star of “30 Rock” and “The Hunt for Red October” said he was “fully cooperating” with authorities to determine how the incident occurred on the set of his Western movie “Rust”.

Major accidents on movie and television sets

Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer and wounded a director when he discharged a prop gun on set during filming of movie “Rust” on Thursday. The entertainment industry has a long history of on-set accidents, from prop guns to car crashes and chariot races.

K-pop megaband BTS leaves Sony for Universal

South Korea’s BTS has signed a new distribution and marketing deal with Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest music label, dropping Sony Music’s Columbia Records, the music band’s manager said on Friday. Hybe Co Ltd-owned Bighit Music, which manages BTS, did not disclose the financial terms of the deal but said Universal and its American record label Interscope would distribute and market BTS’ music in the United States and other regions.

Reactions to actor Alec Baldwin’s fatal shooting of cinematographer

Hollywood was shaken on Friday by news that actor Alec Baldwin had fatally shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza while firing a prop gun on the “Rust” movie set in New Mexico. Following are reactions to the shooting:

Factbox-Five facts about Alec Baldwin

American actor, writer and film producer Alec Baldwin fatally shot a cinematographer and wounded a director when he discharged a prop gun on the sets of the movie “Rust” in New Mexico on Thursday, authorities said. Here are five facts about Baldwin:

Duran Duran drop new album 40 years after debut

When British pop band Duran Duran made their debut, they did not know how long they would last. But 40 years on, the new wave group are still going strong, releasing their 15th studio album, “Future Past”, on Friday. “We would never have expected to be still making music together after all this time. We were just kids and we came together in punk rock,” bassist John Taylor told Reuters.

Swedish rapper shot dead, stoking outrage over gang violence

Einar, one of Sweden’s most popular rappers, was shot dead in Stockholm late on Thursday, heightening outrage over gang-related violence that has afflicted the Nordic country in recent years. Einar, 19, whose real name was Nils Gronberg, was killed in the upmarket Stockholm suburb of Hammarby Sjostad, and no arrests had been made so far. In a previous incident last year, Einar was abducted and assaulted by rival rappers.

(With inputs from agencies.)