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Actress Sonakshi Sinha has confirmed she will perform as part of Justin Bieber’s Purpose world tour stop in India. The 29-year-old star will be one of the opening acts at the gig to be held at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on May 10. “I am really fond of Justin Bieber’s music and I love how his sound has evolved over the years,” says Sonakshi, “Today he reaches out to a universal fan base. I’m definitely looking forward to this event.” The Lootera actress is currently working on a new single of her own and intends to debut it for fans on Bieber’s night. The Purpose tour started on March 9 and finishes on September 8. Other cities on the schedule include Dubai (May 6) and Canada. — IANS
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Athiya Shetty keen to widen acting horizons
Actress Athiya Shetty, who is currently shooting a romantic-comedy called Mubarakan, says she would love to explore different film genres. The 24-year-old was inspired to explore new mediums after she took part in a Maybelline eyeliner campaign. “I absolutely enjoyed donning the biker girl look for the television commercial,” she says. “And, if given a chance, I’d love to do an action film as well.” Shetty, who is the daughter of veteran actor Suniel Shetty, made her debut in the 2015 romantic-action film Hero, directed by Nikhil Advani. From June, the star will be seen on screen with actors Anil Kapoor and Ileana D’Cruz in Mubarakan, which is directed by Anees Bazmee. — IANS
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Ed Sheeran storms US Billboard chart
Ed Sheeran has stormed the United States music charts, taking the top spot on the Billboard 200 with his new album Divide. The 26-year-old also topped the digital songs chart with lead single Shape of You. The British singer-songwriter sold an overwhelming 451,000 units of Divide in its debut week, giving him the biggest US sales week for any album so far this year. His US success follows an even bigger debut in his native Britain, where he achieved the status of fastest selling album by a solo male artist in British chart history. The singer also made news this week when his guest appearance in HBO’s Game of Thrones was confirmed for the new season, which starts in July. — Reuters
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Snoop Dogg releases provocative Trump video
Snoop Dogg aims a fake gun at US President Donald Trump in a new music video of the remixed song Lavender. The second version of the video, originally released last November, also shows a television screen airing a news conference in which the headline reads, “Ronald Klump wants to deport all doggs,” airing live from The Clown House. Most of the characters in the video, including Trump, are dressed as clowns, aside from the 45-year-old rapper. Actor-comedian Michael Rapaport also makes a guest appearance. The song Lavender was originally recorded with Canadian group BADBADNOTGOOD and featured Snoop Dogg and the DJ-record producer, Kaytranada. — Associated Press
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Dragon Tattoo follow-up scheduled for 2018
Columbia Pictures has confirmed that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will begin production in September with a brand new cast. Fede Alvarez will be the director, however, actresses Rooney Mara and Noomi Rapace will not make an on-screen return this time around. The new film will be based on author David Lagercrantz’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web, the fourth book in the series created by Stieg Larsson. The film has been set for an October 2018 release. Columbia released a David Fincher adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo back in 2011, starring Mara and Daniel Craig. Rumours of a follow-up with the same cast have circled ever since. — Associated Press
