Entertainment News Roundup: What to expect from this Year's Super Bowl ads; John Travolta's 'Chicken Dance' causes flap on Italian TV and more

While high-priced Super Bowl commercials often play for laughs in trying to make an impression, the flashy productions can also reflect the national mood. NFL-What to expect from this Year's Super Bowl ads Super Bowl ads captivate audiences during the U.S. television broadcast of the event and this year's showpiece game in Las Vegas on Sunday features the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

NFL-Usher says Super Bowl halftime show will be a career crescendo

R&B superstar Usher, fresh off of a wildly successful Las Vegas residency, said his performance at Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show will be the latest peak in his 30-year career. "Las Vegas has been amazing for me," Usher, clad in a long black leather jacket, black gloves and dark sunglasses, told a packed press conference on Thursday.

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

Fans can expect celebrities and more lighthearted commercials, along with glimpses of Taylor Swift, during the Super Bowl on Sunday, as corporate advertisers avoid the recent practice of using the big game to promote social causes. While high-priced Super Bowl commercials often play for laughs in trying to make an impression, the flashy productions can also reflect the national mood.

NFL-What to expect from this Year's Super Bowl ads

Super Bowl ads captivate audiences during the U.S. television broadcast of the event and this year's showpiece game in Las Vegas on Sunday features the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Following is information about this year's ads:

‘Dune: Part Two’ director decided to tell sequel story his own way

Canadian director Denis Villeneuve is inviting audiences back 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 based on author Frank Herbert’s highly acclaimed 1965 novel of the same name.

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

U.S. designer Christian Siriano looked to the sweeping landscapes from science fiction epic “Dune” at his Fall/Winter fashion show, presenting a collection deeply rooted in the tones of the desert. Models wore draped coats and jackets in earthy browns and reds, while frocks came in shiny metallics at the catwalk presentation on Thursday at The Plaza Hotel, held ahead of Friday's official start of New York Fashion Week: The Shows.

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

It was a stellar 2023 for Malaysian filmmakers with awards at Cannes and the Oscars, but signs of heightened censorship at home and death threats have fuelled worries about whether the optimism built off the back of the global success can last. Muslim-majority Malaysia typically restricts content seen as offensive or infringing upon religious, cultural and moral values, but last month, rare criminal charges were levelled at two filmmakers for "wounding religious feelings" through their film "Mentega Terbang".

John Travolta's 'Chicken Dance' causes flap on Italian TV

U.S. actor John Travolta, famed for his dance routines in movies such as "Saturday Night Fever" and "Pulp Fiction", faced a flurry of poor reviews on Thursday after performing the "Chicken Dance" on Italian television. The dance, in which people flap their elbows and shake their hips to imitate a chicken, is popular with children, but also features regularly 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 family the Von Erichs to the screen with "The Iron Claw", with Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White in its ensemble cast. The five Von Erich brothers, led by the patriarch Fritz Von Erich, were successful professional wrestlers in the 1980s. Alongside their accomplishments, the family was struck by several tragedies, leading them to believe they were cursed. The film centres on the sole 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 only met once, but their coming-of-age stories run parallel in family, community, loss and sacrifice as shown in National Geographic’s anthology series “Genius: MLK/X.” To kick off Black History Month, new weekly episodes on Disney+ and Hulu bring viewers into the homes of the two leaders from their childhood to fatherhood, glimpsing the lives that led up to the historical speeches for which they are known.

Japan's Seiji Ozawa, one of world's best-known conductors, dead at 88

Japan's Seiji Ozawa, one of the best-known orchestra conductors of his generation, died on Tuesday of heart failure at the age of 88, public broadcaster NHK announced on Friday. Ozawa, who was born in China, spent decades in the rarefied atmosphere of top orchestras around the world but wore baseball-themed ties to interviews and preferred to be called by his first name, not "maestro".

(With inputs from agencies.)