PEOPLE
NEW YORK — Beyoncé's new album inspired by “The Lion King” features collaborations with husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy Carter.
Beyoncé announced Tuesday that “The Lion King: The Gift,” which will be released Friday, also includes songs with Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Pharrell, Tierra Whack and Jessie Reyez.
In the new version of “The Lion King,” in theaters Friday, Beyoncé voices the character of Nala. Beyoncé curated and executive produced “The Lion King: The Gift,” which also features collaborations with Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage and 070 Shake.
Jay-Z appears on the song “Mood 4 Eva.” Blue Ivy is featured on “Brown Skin Girl.”
NEW YORK — Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic has found its King.After a competitive casting contest, 27-year-old actor Austin Butler has been cast as Presley. Ansel Elgort, Harry Styles and Miles Teller all reportedly tested for the role ultimately won by Butler, who last year appeared in the Denzel Washington Broadway revival of “The Iceman Cometh.”Luhrmann says in a statement that through “a journey of extensive screen testing and music and performance workshops, I knew unequivocally that I had found someone who could embody the spirit of one of the world's most iconic musical figures.”Production is to begin early next year on the Luhrmann-directed film. Tom Hanks co-stars as Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker.Butler also has a role in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming “Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood.”
NEW YORK — Jennifer Lopez kept her word to fans who were disappointed when a power outage in New York City forced her to postpone her concert over the weekend.Lopez returned to the stage Monday at Madison Square Garden, saying she was going to celebrate “no matter what.” She called it an “amazing night.”Lopez's show was cut short on Saturday night when problems at a substation left parts of Manhattan without electricity. The Garden, Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts were all evacuated.The power outage came on the anniversary of the 1977 New York City outage that left most of the city without power.By Associated Press
