Julianne Moore has been selected to serve as president of the main competition jury for the Venice International Film Festival this year, festival director Alberto Barbera announced Friday. The Oscar-winning actor will preside over a jury that includes French director Audrey Diwan, whose film “Happening” won the Golden Lion last year, author Kazuo Ishiguro (“Never Let Me Go”) and Iranian actor Leila Hatami (“A Separation”). Also on the jury are Italian director Leonardo Di Costanzo (“The Inner Cage”) Argentinian filmmaker Mariano Cohn (“Official Competition”) and Rodrigo Sorogoyen (“The Candidate”). AllRead more

Actor Pat John, known for the classic Canadian comedy-drama series “The Beachcombers,” has died, according to one of his co-stars. John was a teenager when he was cast as Jesse Jim in the long-running CBC program, and went on to appear in hundreds of episodes, as well as the 2002 TV movie “The New Beachcombers.” He died Wednesday at the age of 69. John had faced health problems in recent years, but at the time of his death was sitting outdoors “looking more peaceful than he has in a longRead more

ROME – Soprano Angel Blue says she won’t perform in an opera in Italy this month because blackface was used in the staging of a different work this summer on the same stage. The U.S. singer posted a note on her angeljoyblue Instagram page saying she will be bowing out of “La Traviata” at Verona’s Arena this month because the theater recently mounted another Giuseppe Verdi opera, “Aida,” that had performers in blackface. She blasted such use of “archaic” theatrical practices as “offensive, humiliating, and outright racist.” Angel Blue, however,Read more

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have obtained a marriage license in Nevada, according to court records posted Sunday. Clark County Court records in Nevada showed the pair obtained a marriage license that was processed Saturday. A marriage license is not proof of marriage. Representatives for Lopez and Affleck did not immediately respond to messages. In April, Lopez made their engagement public in a video posted to her fans showing off a green engagement ring. The court filing showed that Lopez plans to take the name Jennifer Affleck. RELATED STORIES JenniferRead more

With concerts and music festivals in full swing once against, Rage Against the Machine is using the stage to highlight injustices against Indigenous people in Canada. While performing at this year’s Bluesfest last Friday in Ottawa, the U.S. rap-rock band displayed statistics on the violence experienced by Indigenous community members across the country. “An Indigenous person in Canada is over 10 times more likely to be shot and killed by a police officer than a white person is,” read a screen behind the band during the show, citing an analysis conductedRead more