Fans and Family Bid Tearful Farewell to ‘French Icon’ Jane Birkin 

Jane Birkin's daughters French-British actress Lou Doillon (R) and French-British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg (L) arrive to attend the funeral ceremony for late British-French singer and actress Jane Birkin at the Saint-Roch church in Paris on July 24, 2023. (AFP)
Jane Birkin's daughters French-British actress Lou Doillon (R) and French-British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg (L) arrive to attend the funeral ceremony for late British-French singer and actress Jane Birkin at the Saint-Roch church in Paris on July 24, 2023. (AFP)
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Fans and Family Bid Tearful Farewell to ‘French Icon’ Jane Birkin 

Jane Birkin's daughters French-British actress Lou Doillon (R) and French-British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg (L) arrive to attend the funeral ceremony for late British-French singer and actress Jane Birkin at the Saint-Roch church in Paris on July 24, 2023. (AFP)
Jane Birkin's daughters French-British actress Lou Doillon (R) and French-British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg (L) arrive to attend the funeral ceremony for late British-French singer and actress Jane Birkin at the Saint-Roch church in Paris on July 24, 2023. (AFP)

Hundreds of fans joined film legends and family members to bid farewell to British-born actress and singer Jane Birkin at her funeral in Paris on Monday.

Film star Catherine Deneuve, singer Vanessa Paradis and first Lady Brigitte Macron were among the mourners in the Saint-Roch church.

Outside, tearful fans waving banners marked with "Jane Forever" and "Thank you Jane Birkin" watched the ceremony on a giant screen on the corner of Rue des Pyramides and Rue Saint-Honore.

Birkin's songs, including "La Javanaise", played through speakers across the French capital's first arrondissement.

"I already feel the vacuum she is leaving. This is my mother, our mother," Birkin's daughter, the actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, told mourners in the church.

"Mother, thank you for not being ordinary and reasonable," her other daughter, the actress and singer Lou Doillon, said during the ceremony.

Other mourners included singers Alain Souchon, Etienne Daho, who composed her last album, and Matthieu Chedid.

President Emmanuel Macron declared Birkin "a French icon" after she her death was announced on July 16 at the age of 76.

Overseas, she was best known overseas for her sensual 1969 hit “Je t’aime ... moi non plus”, performed with Serge Gainsbourg.

In France, where she had lived since the late 1960s, she became a well-known and much-loved figure for her songs, roles in dozens of films and the stance she took on a range of issues including women's rights.



Technician Dies Installing Stage for Shakira Concert in Rio

A general view of the stage after the death of a worker in an accident that occurred during its setup for Colombian singer Shakira at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 26, 2026. (AFP)
A general view of the stage after the death of a worker in an accident that occurred during its setup for Colombian singer Shakira at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 26, 2026. (AFP)
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Technician Dies Installing Stage for Shakira Concert in Rio

A general view of the stage after the death of a worker in an accident that occurred during its setup for Colombian singer Shakira at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 26, 2026. (AFP)
A general view of the stage after the death of a worker in an accident that occurred during its setup for Colombian singer Shakira at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 26, 2026. (AFP)

A technician was killed on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro setting up a stage where pop superstar Shakira is set to perform a free concert this week, authorities and organizers said.

Crews have been working for weeks to assemble a stage on the sands of the Brazilian city's Copacabana beach, where crowds are expected from around the world to see the Colombian singer perform on May 2 as part of her record-breaking world tour.

The man suffered crushing injuries to his legs in a lifting system, the fire department said in a statement.

Workers managed to free the man and he was taken to hospital, but he did not survive, the state fire department (CBMERJ) said.

"Unfortunately, the technician passed away in hospital," concert organizer Bonus Track said in a statement.

"Out of nowhere, we saw people running, and when we looked, the structure was on the ground," Antonio Marcos Ferreira dos Santos, 51, who was on the beach at the time, told AFP.

"People were saying that a man had gotten trapped underneath. People rushed over to pull him out."


'Michael' Moonwalks to $97 Million Opening, Shattering Record for Music Biopics

Michael Jackson's black sequined jacket with the markings "002 MJJ 87" and "Proto 2" (1987), is displayed before the auction of a collection dedicated to Michael Jackson at the Aguttes auction house in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Michael Jackson's black sequined jacket with the markings "002 MJJ 87" and "Proto 2" (1987), is displayed before the auction of a collection dedicated to Michael Jackson at the Aguttes auction house in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
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'Michael' Moonwalks to $97 Million Opening, Shattering Record for Music Biopics

Michael Jackson's black sequined jacket with the markings "002 MJJ 87" and "Proto 2" (1987), is displayed before the auction of a collection dedicated to Michael Jackson at the Aguttes auction house in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
Michael Jackson's black sequined jacket with the markings "002 MJJ 87" and "Proto 2" (1987), is displayed before the auction of a collection dedicated to Michael Jackson at the Aguttes auction house in Neuilly-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, April 23, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

"Michael," the big-budget Michael Jackson spectacle, shrugged off bad reviews and a troubled production to launch with $97 million in US and Canada theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday, shattering a record debut for music biopics.

A highly authorized portrayal of the King of Pop, co-produced by the Jackson estate, Lionsgate’s “Michael” far surpassed previous biopic top performers like “Straight Outta Compton” (a $60.2 million debut in 2015) and “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($51 million in 2018).

International sales were also strong, The Associated Press reported. “Michael” collected $120.4 million overseas, to give it a $217.4 million global opening — a new high for a music biopic. Universal picked up distribution in most international markets.

Even in the lucrative market of music biopics, “Michael” was an audacious bet by Lionsgate on an extraordinarily popular but controversial figure. The reputation of Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50, has been repeatedly tarnished by allegations of sexual abuse of children. Jackson and his estate have maintained his innocence, though the pop star acknowledged sharing a bedroom with other people’s children. He was acquitted in his sole criminal trial in 2005.

Some Jackson family members opposed the film. Janet Jackson was uninvolved and doesn’t appear in it. Jackson’s daughter, Paris, called it “fantasy land.” But three years after “Leaving Neverland,” the 2009 documentary about Jackson’s alleged sexual abuse of children, “Bohemian Rhapsody” producer Graham King announced plans for the biopic. Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, was cast to star.

“Michael” had an unusually rocky production. After shooting was completed, producers realized they had made a costly mistake. The third act focused on the accusations of Jordan Chandler, then 13 years old, whom Jackson paid $23 million to in a 1994 settlement. The terms of that settlement barred the Jackson estate from ever mentioning Chandler in a movie.

A huge chunk of the film had to be cut. Reshoots for as much as $50 million were done at the estate’s expense. Director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan reworked the movie to conclude in 1988, before any accusations were made.

Yet as bad as things once looked for “Michael,” the movie turned into a hit. The film’s total production cost came close to $200 million. To defray costs, Lionsgate sold international distribution rights to Universal. A sequel, while not yet announced, is expected.

Critics slammed the film for glossing over some of the less convenient aspects of Jackson’s life. It scored a paltry 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences were far more enthusiastic.

“Michael” earned an “A-” CinemaScore.

The opening for “Michael” added to a strong spring for Hollywood boosted by box-office hits like Amazon MGM’s “Project Hail Mary” and Universal’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” After three weeks atop the box office, the “Mario” sequel slid to second place, with $21.2 million. It four weeks, it’s collected $386.5 million domestically.


Screenwriters Overwhelmingly Approve a 4-Year Contract with Hollywood Studios

Flags flutter in front of the Hollywood Sign after US President Donald Trump ordered a 100% tariff on foreign-made films in Los Angeles, California, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Flags flutter in front of the Hollywood Sign after US President Donald Trump ordered a 100% tariff on foreign-made films in Los Angeles, California, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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Screenwriters Overwhelmingly Approve a 4-Year Contract with Hollywood Studios

Flags flutter in front of the Hollywood Sign after US President Donald Trump ordered a 100% tariff on foreign-made films in Los Angeles, California, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Flags flutter in front of the Hollywood Sign after US President Donald Trump ordered a 100% tariff on foreign-made films in Los Angeles, California, US, September 29, 2025. (Reuters)

Members of the screenwriters union overwhelmingly ratified a four-year agreement with Hollywood studios and streamers on Friday, bringing an end to a surprisingly smooth and quick process that brought a prolonged strike the last time around.

Union leaders said 90% voted to approve the deal struck between the Writers Guild of America West, Writers Guild of America East and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Studios will now shift to negotiations with actors and directors.

Leaders of the unions emphasized gains in health coverage.

“In the face of industry contraction and runaway health care cost inflation, writers were able to secure a contract that returns our Health Fund to a sustainable path and builds on gains from the 2023 strike,” WGA West President Michele Mulroney said in a statement.

Guild leaders said the deal also includes minimum pay hikes, especially for comedy and variety writers, with more money in residuals for the re-airing of their work.

The AMPTP congratulated the union on the ratification.

“This deal reflects a collaborative approach that supports both writers and the industry’s long-term stability,” it said in its own statement.

An April 4 tentative agreement came about three weeks after negotiations began — a stark contrast to the contentious contract negotiation that along with an actors strike brought the industry to a standstill in 2023.

The Writers Guild has had its own labor struggles with its staff, whose strike brought the cancellation of their annual awards ceremony in March.

Actors, through their union SAG-AFTRA, are still negotiating their new contract. The groups have negotiated for about a month and are set to resume Monday after a break.

SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin said in a February interview with The Associated Press that he has seen signs that the studios want “to work as partners again."

The Directors Guild begins its contract talks on May 11.