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Toronto Film Festival Unveils a Starry Lineup — and Hopes the Strike Ends by September 

Kate Winslet. (AP)
Kate Winslet. (AP)
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Toronto Film Festival Unveils a Starry Lineup — and Hopes the Strike Ends by September 

Kate Winslet. (AP)
Kate Winslet. (AP)

The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled a starry lineup to its 48th edition on Monday, even if remains unclear if stars will be there to walk red carpets due to the ongoing actors and writers strikes.

Among the films making their world premieres at TIFF this year are Craig Gillespie's GameStop drama "Dumb Money," with Paul Dano and Pete Davidson; Ellen Kuras' "Lee," starring Kate Winslet at war photographer Lee Miller and Tony Goldwyn's "Ezra," with Robert De Niro and Rose Byrne.

Also headed to Toronto are Michael Keaton's "Knox Goes Away," starring Al Pacino and James Marsden; Kristen Scott Thomas' "North Star," featuring Scarlett Johansson and Sienna Miller; David Yates' Netflix drama "Pain Hustlers," starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans; and Maggie Betts' "The Burial," with Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.

Those films, and many more including directorial debuts by Anna Kendrick ("Woman of the Hour") and Chris Pine ("Poolman"), will make up some of the gala premieres at TIFF, the largest film festival in North America.

The festival is a key platform for Hollywood to debut its fall fare and awards hopefuls. But like the Venice Film Festival, which begins about a week before TIFF launches on Sept. 7, Toronto organizers are anxiously following the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.

While those strikes continue, actors and writers are prohibited by their unions from promoting their films. TIFF will go forward, regardless, but an ongoing strike would sap the festival of A-listers and surely lessen the usual cacophony of buzz emanating from Toronto.

The strike has already led to one of Venice's top titles — Luca Guadagnino's "Challengers," starring Zendaya — pulling out as the festival's opening night selection and postponing its release to April.

Other major titles coming to TIFF include Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers," starring Paul Giamatti as a boarding school professor; Richard Linklater’s "Hit Man," an action comedy starring Glen Powell and Adria Arjona; Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s "Nyad," starring Annette Bening as long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad; Mahalia Belo's "The We End Start From," starring Jodie Comer as a mother fleeing a flooded London; and Ethan Hawke's "Wildcat," featuring his daughter, Maya Hawke, as author Flannery O'Connor.

TIFF previously announced that Taika Waititi’s soccer comedy " Next Goal Wins " will open this year's festival, which runs through Sept. 17.

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Entertainment

Eurovision Song Contest Is Expanding with an Asian Edition Later This Year

JJ from Austria stands on the stage with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025. (AP)
JJ from Austria stands on the stage with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025. (AP)
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Eurovision Song Contest Is Expanding with an Asian Edition Later This Year

JJ from Austria stands on the stage with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025. (AP)
JJ from Austria stands on the stage with the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest, in Basel, Switzerland, May 18, 2025. (AP)

The music spectacle Eurovision is holding its first Asian edition in Bangkok later this year.

The Eurovision Song Contest Asia 2026 has confirmed artists from at least 10 countries across Asia competing: Thailand, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. More are expected to join before the finale in November.

“As we mark the 70th anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest, it feels especially meaningful to open this next chapter with Asia, a region rich in culture, creativity and talent,” Martin Green, the director of the contest, said in the announcement Tuesday.

Bangkok is the perfect city to host the contest because it “has always been a place where cultures come together, where music fills the air, and where celebration is part of everyday life,” said Chuwit Sirivajjakul, a representative of the Thailand Tourism Authority.

The main gala, run by the European Broadcasting Union, draws more than 100 million viewers every year.

This year's main competition with 35 competing countries is scheduled to be held in Vienna in May. Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain are boycotting due to discord over Israel’s participation.

The contest strives to put pop music before politics but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It also has been roiled by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organizers to clamp down on political flag-waving.

Similar tensions could emerge in Asia. Thailand and Cambodia engaged in deadly border clashes twice last year.

Entertainment

Celine Dion Announces Comeback Following Health Struggle

Celine Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. POOL/AFP/File
Celine Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. POOL/AFP/File
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Celine Dion Announces Comeback Following Health Struggle

Celine Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. POOL/AFP/File
Celine Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. POOL/AFP/File

Megastar singer Celine Dion on Monday announced her return to performing after a lengthy break prompted by a rare health condition, calling the comeback news revealed on her birthday "the best gift".

Addressing fans in a video released on social media, the 58-year-old Canadian said her condition had improved and she would perform a series of shows in Paris beginning in September.

"This year, I'm getting the best birthday gift of my life. I'm getting the chance to see you, to perform for you once again," she said.

Dion will also release a new single, her entourage confirmed to AFP, by one of her best-known composers, Jean-Jacques Goldman, who was behind the album "D'eux" that made her famous.

She is expected to perform the new song at the Paris shows -- an event that comes more than six years since she was forced to step away from the stage.

Her "Courage World Tour," launched in late 2019 was cancelled a few months after it began because of the Covid-19 pandemic, then due to the singer's health problems.

- 'Feeling good' -

"I want to let you know that I'm doing great, managing my health, feeling good," she said in her post on Monday.

Dion first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, an incurable autoimmune disorder.

The Quebec-born star was forced to cancel the remainder of her shows indefinitely.

Treatment can help alleviate symptoms of the condition that can cause stiff muscles in the torso, arms and legs.

The 2024 documentary "I Am: Celine Dion" provided an intimate look at the charismatic performer's career and the severity of her pain from the condition, including suffering a seizure.

Despite the diagnosis, Dion vowed she would fight her way back to the stage.

"I'm not dead," the singer told AFP in 2024 on the red carpet ahead of the premiere of the documentary.

Later that year Dion sang from the Eiffel Tower for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony, while athletes sailed down the river in pouring rain.

The Eiffel Tower was again lit up Monday for Dion, as crowds gathered to watch a light show with written messages on the side of the tower saying "Paris, I'm ready," followed by her cover of Edith Piaf's "L'hymne a l'amour" (Hymn to Love).

- Singing again -

Dion was launched onto the global stage in 1988 representing Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin.

Then aged 20, she sang "Ne partez pas sans moi" (Don't Leave Without Me), which won her the prize.

The following year, Dion opened the TV extravaganza for host Switzerland with her winning French-language song.

She then premiered the single "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" -- heralding her career switch into English, which set her on the path to global chart domination.

She has sold more than 260 million albums during a career spanning decades, and has won five Grammys -- two for "My Heart Will Go On", the hit song from the 1997 epic "Titanic".

On Monday, Dion told fans that she has continued to feel their support despite her years off stage.

"Even in my most difficult times, you were there for me. You've helped me in ways that I can't even describe, and I'm truly so fortunate to have your support," she said, describing that she was now "singing again, even doing a little bit of dancing".

Dion is set to perform 10 shows over five weeks at the Paris La Defense Arena beginning on September 12.

Entertainment

Taylor Swift Sued for Trademark Infringement Over ‘Life of a Showgirl’

Taylor Swift arrives at the IHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift arrives at the IHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
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Taylor Swift Sued for Trademark Infringement Over ‘Life of a Showgirl’

Taylor Swift arrives at the IHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Taylor Swift arrives at the IHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, March 26, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Pop megastar ‌Taylor Swift was sued by a Las Vegas performer on Monday who said Swift's latest hit album "The Life of a Showgirl" violates her trademark rights. Maren Wade said in the complaint that marketing for Swift's album threatened to "drown out" her long-running "Confessions of a Showgirl" stage show and asked the court to block Swift from creating confusion with her album title.

Spokespeople for Swift and her label Universal Music Group, also a defendant, ‌did not ‌immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wade's ‌attorney ⁠Jaymie Parkkinen said ⁠they "have great respect for Swift's talent and success, but trademark law exists to ensure that creators at all levels can protect what they've built."

"The Life of a Showgirl," Swift's 12th album, was released in October and shattered Spotify streaming records on its way to becoming ⁠the biggest-selling album of 2025.

Wade said ‌in the complaint that ‌she began writing her "Confessions of a Showgirl" column for ‌Las Vegas Weekly in 2014.

She said she has ‌since toured a stage show with the same name featuring "candid and often humorous accounts of the challenges and absurdities of a career in the entertainment industry, from getting stuck ‌inside a giant birthday cake to impersonating a Madonna impersonator."

The US Patent and Trademark ⁠Office rejected ⁠Swift's application last year for a federal "Life of a Showgirl" trademark covering "musical performances and live entertainment services," citing potential confusion with Wade's pre-existing "Confessions of a Showgirl" trademark.

Wade said in the complaint that Swift's continued use of the "Life of a Showgirl" name "drowns out" her trademark "until consumers begin to assume that the original is the imitation."

"What Plaintiff had built over twelve years, Defendants threatened to swallow in weeks," Wade said.

Wade requested a court order blocking Swift's use of her "Showgirl" brand and unspecified monetary damages.