Entertainment News Roundup: Lloyd Webber urges UK to set date for theatres to open at full capacity; Singapore's concert for the dead goes online during pandemic and more

Alberto Barbera, the festival's director, called her "one of Asia's most respected, prolific, and versatile directors." Disney's 'Mulan' sparks backlash over ties to 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.

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.

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.

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.

Oscars academy sets out new diversity standards for best picture contenders

The body that hands out the Academy Awards on Tuesday published detailed inclusion and diversity guidelines that filmmakers will have to meet in order for their work to be eligible for a best picture Oscar, starting in 2024. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has been criticized for honoring few movies and creators of color, said the standards represent a new phase of a 5-year effort to promote diversity on and off screen.

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.

TV's 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' to end after 14 years

The American television reality show that shot Kim Kardashian and her family to fame is ending in 2021 after 14 years, the E! network said on Tuesday. "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," which helped make Kim Kardashian and her siblings Kylie, Kendall, Khloe and Kourtney household names and launched their careers in the fashion and beauty business, will air its last season early next year, the network and the extended family said.

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 ties to 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.

Bollywood actor's death grips India with frenzied TV coverage

The demise of a young movie star has transfixed India like no other news in a year of bad headlines. The abrupt death of Sushant Singh Rajput has spurred a debate about the stigma of mental health, the rarefied insider world of Bollywood, and, more recently, condemnation of the media for the non-stop coverage of the duelling accusations between Rajput's family and his girlfriend.

(With inputs from agencies.)