Following is a abstract of present leisure information briefs.

NFL-Usher says Super Bowl halftime present can be a profession crescendo

R&B celebrity Usher, recent off of a wildly profitable Las Vegas residency, mentioned his efficiency at Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime present would be the newest peak in his 30-year profession. “Las Vegas has been amazing for me,” Usher, clad in a protracted black leather-based jacket, black gloves and darkish sun shades, advised a packed press convention on Thursday.

Super Bowl adverts ditch politics for celebs, Taylor Swift and AI

Fans can count on celebrities and extra lighthearted commercials, together with glimpses of Taylor Swift, through the Super Bowl on Sunday, as company advertisers keep away from the latest apply of utilizing the massive recreation to advertise social causes. While high-priced Super Bowl commercials usually play for laughs in making an attempt to make an impression, the flashy productions also can mirror the nationwide temper.

NFL-What to count on from this Year’s Super Bowl adverts

Super Bowl adverts captivate audiences through the U.S. tv broadcast of the occasion and this 12 months’s showpiece recreation in Las Vegas on Sunday options the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Following is details about this 12 months’s adverts:

‘Dune: Part Two’ director determined to inform sequel story his personal means

Canadian director Denis Villeneuve is inviting audiences again to the desert planet Arrakis for “Dune: Part Two,” the second installment of the sci-fi epic starring Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya. The “Dune” franchise is predicated on writer Frank Herbert’s extremely acclaimed 1965 novel of the identical identify.

Christian Siriano nods to ‘Dune’ for fall line at New York Fashion Week

U.S. designer Christian Siriano regarded to the sweeping landscapes from science fiction epic “Dune” at his Fall/Winter vogue present, presenting a set deeply rooted within the tones of the desert. Models wore draped coats and jackets in earthy browns and reds, whereas frocks got here in shiny metallics on the catwalk presentation on Thursday at The Plaza Hotel, held forward of Friday’s official begin of New York Fashion Week: The Shows.

Analysis-For Malaysian filmmakers, censorship stifles optimism after abroad glory

It was a stellar 2023 for Malaysian filmmakers with awards at Cannes and the Oscars, however indicators of heightened censorship at house and demise threats have fuelled worries about whether or not the optimism constructed off the again of the worldwide success can final. Muslim-majority Malaysia sometimes restricts content material seen as offensive or infringing upon spiritual, cultural and ethical values, however final month, uncommon legal fees have been levelled at two filmmakers for “wounding religious feelings” by way of their movie “Mentega Terbang”.

John Travolta’s ‘Chicken Dance’ causes flap on Italian TV

U.S. actor John Travolta, famed for his dance routines in films resembling “Saturday Night Fever” and “Pulp Fiction”, confronted a flurry of poor evaluations on Thursday after performing the “Chicken Dance” on Italian tv. The dance, wherein folks flap their elbows and shake their hips to mimic a rooster, is standard with kids, but additionally options recurrently at weddings and beer festivals.

A Minute With: Sean Durkin on curses and the tragic, true story of ‘The Iron Claw’

Writer and director Sean Durkin brings the triumphs, trials and tribulations of Texan wrestling household the Von Erichs to the display with “The Iron Claw”, with Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White in its ensemble forged. The 5 Von Erich brothers, led by the patriarch Fritz Von Erich, have been profitable skilled wrestlers within the Eighties. Alongside their accomplishments, the household was struck by a number of tragedies, main them to consider they have been cursed. The movie centres on the only real surviving brother, Kevin.

MLK Jr., Malcolm X’s parallel lives explored in ‘Genius: MLK/X’

Civil rights icons Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X solely met as soon as, however their coming-of-age tales run parallel in household, neighborhood, loss and sacrifice as proven in National Geographic’s anthology sequence “Genius: MLK/X.” To kick off Black History Month, new weekly episodes on Disney+ and Hulu carry viewers into the houses of the 2 leaders from their childhood to fatherhood, glimpsing the lives that led as much as the historic speeches for which they’re recognized.

Japan’s Seiji Ozawa, one among world’s best-known conductors, useless at 88

Japan’s Seiji Ozawa, one of many best-known orchestra conductors of his technology, died on Tuesday of coronary heart failure on the age of 88, public broadcaster NHK introduced on Friday. Ozawa, who was born in China, spent a long time within the rarefied ambiance of prime orchestras world wide however wore baseball-themed ties to interviews and most well-liked to be known as by his first identify, not “maestro”.

(With inputs from companies.)