Billie Eilish Headlining Climate Concert at Eiffel Tower

FILE - This Nov. 2, 2019 file photo shows singer Billie Eilish at the 2019 LACMA Art and Film Gala in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - This Nov. 2, 2019 file photo shows singer Billie Eilish at the 2019 LACMA Art and Film Gala in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
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Billie Eilish Headlining Climate Concert at Eiffel Tower

FILE - This Nov. 2, 2019 file photo shows singer Billie Eilish at the 2019 LACMA Art and Film Gala in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - This Nov. 2, 2019 file photo shows singer Billie Eilish at the 2019 LACMA Art and Film Gala in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Billie Eilish, Lenny Kravitz and Jon Batiste are headlining a concert aimed at building awareness around climate at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Thursday.

The concert, organized by NGO Global Citizen, features on the sidelines of an international summit launched by President Emmanuel Macron, said AFP.

Artists H.E.R. and Eilish's brother Finneas are also on the bill for the free show at the Champ de Mars below the Parisian landmark.

The venue hosted a previous Global Citizen concert in 2021 with Elton John and other huge stars that also had parallel concerts in several cities around the world.

Eilish, 21 and a seven-time Grammy winner, is known for her environmental advocacy.

She has given up the use of private jets and during her 2022 "Happier Than Ever" tour, she set up "eco villages" to encourage recycling, voter-registration and provide information on environmental groups.

Thursday's concert, titled "Power our Planet: Live in Paris", seeks to build pressure for a "new global financial pact".

It wants rich countries to keep promises for climate-related funding to poorer nations, reform development banks to focus on the environment, and get commitments from large polluting companies to move towards net-zero emissions.

"Crises are multiplying and the number of those who place their hope in peace and multilateralism will only grow if we, as a global community, demonstrate that we are there to help the most vulnerable," Macron said in a statement.

The stars will perform a series of short sets for around 20,000 spectators who won a lottery for free tickets.

It will also be broadcast online via multiple sites.

Actresses including Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh will also be present to speak during the event.

 

 



Comic-Con Fans Assemble as Marvel Eyes Major Reboot 

Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)
Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)
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Comic-Con Fans Assemble as Marvel Eyes Major Reboot 

Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)
Convention attendees blur past a wall of illustrated Marvel superhero characters during preview night for Comic-Con International, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in San Diego. (AP)

Comic-Con returns in full force to San Diego this week, where a hugely anticipated Marvel superhero film event is among the draws for tens of thousands of hyped-up fans dressed as fantasy heroes and sci-fi villains.

One of the world's largest pop culture events, Comic-Con began five decades ago as a humble comic book-themed gathering in a hotel basement, but today draws vast crowds and A-list stars promoting new movies and television shows.

Last year's edition was dampened by Hollywood strikes -- which prevented actors from attending, and quelled fan interest -- but Comic-Con is expected to draw 130,000 attendees back to the southern Californian city this time around.

The hottest ticket is the Saturday night Marvel movies presentation, at which parent company Disney is expected to unveil plans to reboot its mega-grossing superhero film franchise, after years of high-profile missteps.

The Marvel movies dominated Hollywood and global box offices for years, with 2019's "Avengers: Endgame" briefly becoming the highest-grossing film of all time at more than $2.79 billion.

But the past few years have brought more flops than hits, as fans complained about over-complicated plotlines and mourned the departure of favorite characters like Robert Downey Jr's "Iron Man."

And the franchise has been rocked by domestic violence revelations about actor Jonathan Majors, who had been set to become the major new supervillain across multiple films.

Majors, who was convicted for assaulting and harassing his then-girlfriend, has been dropped by Marvel, but there is no word on who -- or what -- will replace him.

Saturday's presentation is expected to reveal how Disney will move forward without him, and has been billed as a potential "make or break" moment by some observers.

It will take place inside the 6,000-capacity Hall H, where many camp in line for days to gain access.

"If the company wants to lure in anyone besides the dwindling ranks of... diehards, it needs to bring the answer to these questions to Hall H," wrote Susana Polo, for entertainment news outlet Polygon.

- Aliens, Deadpool and Ancient Rome -

Also on the Comic-Con lineup from Disney are a look at "Alien: Romulus," the latest in the long-running sci-fi saga, and a "celebration" event for this weekend's major superhero release, "Deadpool & Wolverine."

Rival studio Warner, which runs the DC superhero movies, is keeping a lower profile, but will offer a glimpse at its Batman spinoff TV series "The Penguin," starring Colin Farrell.

Elsewhere, "Those About To Die," a bloody romp through Ancient Rome and its macabre world of chariot races and gladiator fights, starring Anthony Hopkins, will host multiple fan events.

Amazon's Prime Video will lift the lid on the second season of its "Lord of the Rings" television series, which aims to improve on the mixed reviews for its hugely expensive debut season two years ago.

And following the success of recent video game adaptations for the small screen such as "Fallout" and "The Last of Us," Amazon will take viewers into the underworld of Japanese crime lords with "Yakuza: Like a Dragon," based on the hit games from Sega.

But for many, Comic-Con is primarily a place to dress up as Disney characters or fearsome samurai warriors, and meet with like-minded fans to buy and trade comic books.

Comic-Con runs from Thursday until Sunday.