• French Polynesia to welcome tourists again in July
    News
    AFP Relax

    French Polynesia to welcome tourists again in July

    The South Pacific island of French Polynesia said it will reopen to international travel next month to try to salvage its vital tourism industry. The French overseas territory halted all international flights in March in a bid to contain the coronavirus pandemic, and it has reported just 60 cases of

  • Sri Lanka to reopen for tourism in August, with multiple coronavirus tests
    News
    AFP Relax

    Sri Lanka to reopen for tourism in August, with multiple coronavirus tests

    Sri Lanka's virus-battered tourism industry can reopen for foreign guests from August but under strict guidelines, including multiple coronavirus tests during their stay, officials said Saturday. Tourism was only just recovering from the effects of last year's Easter Sunday bombings that killed

  • Celebrity
    AFP Relax

    Italy's 'VatiVision' TV to spread Christian message

    A new on-demand service, VatiVision, that has been dubbed the "Netflix of the Vatican", was due to be launched on Monday in Italy, broadcasting films, series and documentaries with Christian messages, before an eventual rollout to eight other countries. VatiVision President Luca Tomassini

  • Universal Orlando is first big Florida theme park to reopen after virus
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    AFP Relax

    Universal Orlando is first big Florida theme park to reopen after virus

    Tourists donned masks Friday and visited the attractions at Universal Orlando, the first of the major theme parks in Florida to open since the COVID-19 pandemic shut them down almost three months ago. Universal Orlando resort and the other theme parks in this central Florida city closed on March 15

  • Wear masks in public, says WHO in new coronavirus advice
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    AFP Relax

    Wear masks in public, says WHO in new coronavirus advice

    The World Health Organization Friday changed its advice on face masks amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying they should be worn in places where the virus is widespread and physical distancing is difficult. "In light of evolving evidence, WHO advises that governments should encourage the general

  • Zuckerberg promises Facebook policy review
    News
    AFP Relax

    Zuckerberg promises Facebook policy review

    Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on Friday promised to review the social network's policies that led to its decision to not moderate controversial messages posted by US President Donald Trump. The announcement, which came in the form of a letter to employees, appeared aimed at quelling anger

  • California says film, TV production can resume June 12
    Celebrity
    AFP Relax

    California says film, TV production can resume June 12

    California will allow film, television and music production to resume from June 12 if conditions permit after months of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the governor's office said Friday. Film and television productions in the Golden State have been shuttered since mid-March. The reopening

  • ‘Mighty Oak’: Film Review
    Entertainment
    Variety

    ‘Mighty Oak’: Film Review

    Faith — the old-fashioned kind, call it spiritual or religious — is a feeling of earthly but ethereal belief. Yet most of the movies that get lumped into the category known as "faith-based" have a ploddingly literal, you-gotta-see-it-to-believe-it quality. They’re about having faith in something

  • Bill Maher: America Gets the ‘Abusive Part of Policing but Without the Law-and-Order Part’ (Video)
    Entertainment
    The Wrap

    Bill Maher: America Gets the ‘Abusive Part of Policing but Without the Law-and-Order Part’ (Video)

    Bill Maher returned with a new episode of “Real Time” on HBO Friday night, and he largely dealt with the same topic that just about everyone in the country has focused on all week: the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, and the resulting nationwide protests against police violence.In

  • Drew Brees Pushes Back at Trump About Kneeling Protests: It’s ‘Never Been’ About the American Flag
    Entertainment
    The Wrap

    Drew Brees Pushes Back at Trump About Kneeling Protests: It’s ‘Never Been’ About the American Flag

    New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees pushed back at President Donald Trump in an open letter Friday night, saying that Americans  “can no longer use the flag” to “distract” people “from the real issues that face our black communities.”“Through my ongoing conversations with friends, teammates, and

  • ‘I’ll Be Gone in the Dark’ Filmmakers on Their Docuseries’ ‘Responsibility’ to Michelle McNamara
    Entertainment
    Variety

    ‘I’ll Be Gone in the Dark’ Filmmakers on Their Docuseries’ ‘Responsibility’ to Michelle McNamara

    When author Michelle McNamara was investigating the East Area Rapist and Original Night Stalker (soon to be know as the Golden State Killer) cases, she needed to rely on a network of other individuals including members of law enforcement and the survivors themselves to piece together enough of the story

  • Benefit Album of Minneapolis Artists Released by Tompkins Square Records
    Entertainment
    Variety

    Benefit Album of Minneapolis Artists Released by Tompkins Square Records

    In response to George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police, Tompkins Square Records today released "Out of the Ashes," a 16-track compilation album of area artists that will benefit two charitable organizations in the city. The full lineup appears below. The two organizations the

  • ‘The Vast of Night’ DP Miguel Menz on How That One Tracking Shot Was Achieved
    Entertainment
    Variety

    ‘The Vast of Night’ DP Miguel Menz on How That One Tracking Shot Was Achieved

    "The Vast of Night" is a treat for science-fiction fans. Set in a quaint New Mexico town, Fay (Sierra McCormick) and her DJ friend Everett (Jake Horowitz) are working the high school switchboard one night and start hearing strange sounds over the airwaves. After a report of strange sightings

  • Jay Penske Has Something to Say to TheWrap About Claudia Eller
    Entertainment
    The Wrap

    Jay Penske Has Something to Say to TheWrap About Claudia Eller

    PMC CEO Jay Penske rarely goes on the record. So I thought I would share his note to me on Friday in the wake of our story about the exit of Variety Editor Claudia Eller, which followed a town hall where staffers criticized her management.Penske wrote me – and cc’ed Eller and much of Variety’s business

  • China Is Preparing to Re-Open Cinemas
    Entertainment
    Variety

    China Is Preparing to Re-Open Cinemas

    China’s national film administration says that Chinese authorities are actively doing the preparatory work needed to re-open cinemas soon, local reports said Friday.  The Securities Times cited a notice from the National Film Administration as saying that the relevant government departments are in the

  • Mark Zuckerberg Says Facebook Will Address Options for Handling Violating Content
    Entertainment
    Variety

    Mark Zuckerberg Says Facebook Will Address Options for Handling Violating Content

    Mark Zuckerberg has addressed Facebook employees who were disappointed in the CEO’s decision to not flag or take down Donald Trump’s post that suggested the Minneapolis protesters be shot at. In the memo shared publicly on Friday, Zuckerberg acknowledged the backlash and listed seven specific policies

  • Facebook Yanks Donald Trump Campaign’s George Floyd Video Over Copyright Complaint, Following Twitter
    Entertainment
    Variety

    Facebook Yanks Donald Trump Campaign’s George Floyd Video Over Copyright Complaint, Following Twitter

    Facebook, like Twitter, has pulled down videos centered on the killing of George Floyd uploaded by Donald Trump's 2020 re-election campaign, after Facebook received a copyright-infringement claim on content in the segment. The social-media giant removed the campaign video -- in which Trump condemns

  • NFL Admits ‘We Were Wrong’ About Player Protests – but Doesn’t Mention Colin Kaepernick
    Entertainment
    The Wrap

    NFL Admits ‘We Were Wrong’ About Player Protests – but Doesn’t Mention Colin Kaepernick

    The National Football League is now encouraging its players to “speak out and peacefully protest,” while admitting “we were wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier.”“We, the NFL, condemn racism and the systematic oppression of Black People,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday in a video

  • NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Admits League Incorrectly Handled Kneeling Protests
    Entertainment
    Variety

    NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Admits League Incorrectly Handled Kneeling Protests

    NFL commissioner Roger Goodell admitted in video posted to Twitter on Friday that the league should've listened to players' protests against racism and police brutality earlier, and expressed support on behalf of the NFL for the Black Lives Matter movement. "It has been a difficult time

  • ‘The Mandalorian’ Directors Talk Season 2 and Keeping Baby Yoda Secret
    Entertainment
    Variety

    ‘The Mandalorian’ Directors Talk Season 2 and Keeping Baby Yoda Secret

    Fans might be foaming at the mouth with anticipation for "The Mandalorian" Season 2 to come out, but in the mean time, showrunner Jon Favreau and the directors of the first season cast their minds back to shooting the wildly popular Disney Plus series' freshman outing. During a pre-recorded

  • Abbey Road Studios Reopens After Coronavirus Pandemic Lockdown
    Entertainment
    Variety

    Abbey Road Studios Reopens After Coronavirus Pandemic Lockdown

    The legendary Abbey Road Studios has opened its doors after a 10-week closure. The recording studio where the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Oasis and countless other artists recorded classic albums reopened for business on Thursday, June 4. Melody Gardot was the lucky musician to secure the first recording session

  • TV News Roundup: MTV Announces Reality Special About COVID-19 First Responders
    Entertainment
    Variety

    TV News Roundup: MTV Announces Reality Special About COVID-19 First Responders

    In today's TV news roundup, MTV has announced a new reality special, "True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders," and Showtime has made two of their documentaries about racial injustice free to watch.  DATES MTV will premiere a new reality special, "True Life Presents: First-Time

  • ‘Vampire Diaries’ Creator Julie Plec Goes Green in Whimsical L.A. Farmhouse
    Entertainment
    Variety

    ‘Vampire Diaries’ Creator Julie Plec Goes Green in Whimsical L.A. Farmhouse

    Fresh off a new mega-contract with Universal Television believed to be worth upwards of $60 million, prolific fantasy series writer/creator/showrunner Julie Plec ("Vampire Diaries," "The Originals," "Legacies") has spread some of her Midas television touch to the real estate

  • Film, TV Production Can Resume in California June 12
    Entertainment
    The Wrap

    Film, TV Production Can Resume in California June 12

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health said that film and TV production can resume in the state “no sooner” than June 12, as part of guidelines released by the state.Any productions will need to be approved by county public health officials, and cast, crew and other

  • Singles and videos of the week
    Style
    AFP Relax

    Singles and videos of the week

    Two years after the release of "Look Now," a studio album recorded with Elvis Costello and the Imposters line-up, the British singer-songwriter has brought out a new single. On June 11, Costello will be one of the artists performing with Rosanne Cash, the daughter of Johnny Cash, at the "