Rod Stewart Cancels Tour Dates After Heart Surgery

Rod Stewart performs during the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP)
Rod Stewart performs during the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP)
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Rod Stewart Cancels Tour Dates After Heart Surgery

Rod Stewart performs during the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP)
Rod Stewart performs during the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England, Sunday, June 29, 2025. (AP)

British rock star Rod Stewart, 81, has cancelled forthcoming US tour dates after having a heart operation, his social media announced.

A message posted late Tuesday on his Instagram page said the raspy-voiced rocker has "successfully undergone a routine coronary stent procedure".

This procedure is to widen blocked or narrowed coronary arteries by interesting a tube that allows blood to flow more freely.

He had been due to play a series of US tour dates this month including in Las Vegas.

Now, "on the advice of his doctors, he will take the next four weeks to recuperate and regain full fitness before returning to the stage," his management said.

"Unfortunately, this means he will be unable to continue his current tour dates".

The spiky-haired singer and songwriter, who had a string of megahits in the 1970s and 1980s, has kept up a busy touring schedule despite his age.

He wrote in 2025: "I love what I do, and I do what I love. I'm fit, have a full head of hair and can run 100 meters (330 feet) in 18 seconds."

Stewart has recently cancelled several US shows over ill health, however, most recently on Sunday in Cincinnati, described at the time as due to "an unforeseen but minor medical procedure".

In June, he cancelled a concert in California at the last moment after contracting laryngitis, but faced criticism for attending a World Cup match the next day.

Later in June he was seen receiving oxygen during a show in Utah and told the audience he had nearly fainted.



Movie Review: ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ Is a Southern Fried Flick with Too Many Ingredients

 This image released by Black Bear shows Matthew McConaughey, left, and Angelina LookingGlass in a scene from "The Rivals of the Amziah King." (Kyle Kaplan/Black Bear via AP)
This image released by Black Bear shows Matthew McConaughey, left, and Angelina LookingGlass in a scene from "The Rivals of the Amziah King." (Kyle Kaplan/Black Bear via AP)
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Movie Review: ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ Is a Southern Fried Flick with Too Many Ingredients

 This image released by Black Bear shows Matthew McConaughey, left, and Angelina LookingGlass in a scene from "The Rivals of the Amziah King." (Kyle Kaplan/Black Bear via AP)
This image released by Black Bear shows Matthew McConaughey, left, and Angelina LookingGlass in a scene from "The Rivals of the Amziah King." (Kyle Kaplan/Black Bear via AP)

It turns out that the honey business isn't as sweet as it sounds: In the new movie “The Rivals of Amziah King,” beekeepers steal from each other, poison rivals' insects and rip folk off. “It’s not full of kind people,” the title character warns.

“The Rivals of Amziah King” isn't as sweet as it thinks it is, either. Instead of picking a single variety to explore, the movie is a maddening mishmash of genres — blending Quentin Tarantino's sudden brutality, a coming-of-age tale, a heist flick, a revenge fantasy and a sweet, music-filled country hoedown.

Matthew McConaughey returns to the big screen playing the title character in what can only be called Matthew-McConaughey-turned-up-to-11 mode, pure Cheshire Cat smile, rascally wink and buttery, Southern gentlemanly charm. Suspenders and scruff on, cowboy boots snug, McConaughey is the one who makes everyone's life instantly better just by showing up.

Written by Andrew Patterson and James Montague and directed by Patterson, “The Rivals of Amziah King” follows McConaughey's honey-producing King as he negotiates his patch of rural Oklahoma until he inexplicably leaves the movie at the hour mark and hands it off to Angelina LookingGlass, making her film debut.

We meet King ordering chicken fried steak sandwiches and cherry Cokes as he plays the banjo in a quartet of musicians at a beloved food joint. That gets interrupted when authorities need his knowledge to find out who abandoned $250,000 worth of honey barrels on the road and King starts to investigate. Then someone gets a chunk of their skull — including ponytail — ripped off in an industrial accident and that takes over. Settle in, the whiplash is just beginning.

King soon connects with his former foster daughter — that's LookingGlass, fierce and preternaturally grounded — who he gets to mansplain in the local ways, like what to eat at the potluck (“There's a story in every dish”), life lessons (“Patience is better than being smart”) and beekeeping (“Every queen is a survivor”). Bees here, if you didn't already get from the clunky writing, represent community, sharing and caring.

Cinematographer M.I. Littin-Menz's camera techniques never settle down in this movie, like a puppy forever pulling on its leash. Early sequences employ frozen shots irritatingly dropped into the mix and later we have furious close-ups, quick cuts, quirky flashbacks, ethereal river sequences and lingering poetic images of close-up bees like from a documentary, a kinetic approach that seems not to have much faith in the actual story keeping viewers' interest alive. Music supervisor Winslow Bright swamps many scenes with loud choirs, loud banjo and loud strings.

Maybe that's because as soon as you've settled down for one genre, it gets hijacked by the next. Warm and extended moments of communal song — the great T Bone Burnett had a hand in some of the outstanding Americana tunes like “Quill” with McConaughey exuberant, and “Johnny Come Outside” — are undercut by seeing kids smash their heads on school bus roofs or a cool Western-like tracking of a honey-stealing local rascal that is marred by his horrific, boiling-to-death murder. There are so many montages of honey production that viewers may qualify for a beekeeping certificate.

Great turns are produced by Kurt Russell as a lethal local kingpin who schmoozes his way past the law, and Jake Horowitz, a former Marine who knows how to plan a theft with military precision, mostly shirtless. One brazen theft here is of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” and, however you liked that movie, you realize now how hard it was to actually pull off.

Patterson likes to remind viewers of his Oklahoma bona fides, but much of the overlong movie was shot in Alabama. And that hints at what's wrong with “The Rivals of Amziah King” — it just doesn't feel authentic, either in place or in story. Forget honey, it sort of leaves a vinegary taste behind.


Taylor Swift Wedding-dress Fever Puts Bridal Brands on High Alert

Taylor Swift arrives at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, US, August 28, 2022. (Reuters)
Taylor Swift arrives at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, US, August 28, 2022. (Reuters)
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Taylor Swift Wedding-dress Fever Puts Bridal Brands on High Alert

Taylor Swift arrives at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, US, August 28, 2022. (Reuters)
Taylor Swift arrives at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, US, August 28, 2022. (Reuters)

Taylor Swift's wedding dress remains under wraps. But wedding chain David's Bridal is already betting brides will want one just like it. Fans are eagerly awaiting the reveal of the Christian Dior dress Swift wore at her tightly controlled Madison Square Garden celebration on July 3. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong design team at David's Bridal, which owns roughly 200 stores across the US, has already sketched about two dozen looks based on the pop star's likely aesthetics, with a focus on Hollywood glamour and drop-waist silhouettes, CEO Kelly Cook told Reuters.

Those preparations will help the brand "move very quickly when we have an idea of where the dress has landed," Cook explained. David's Bridal has already seen an uptick in searches for Swift-inspired designs on its website, which lists dresses ranging from hundreds of dollars ‌to more than $3,000.

Designers say ‌they will be looking out for elements of her outfit that could blossom ‌into ⁠bridal fashion trends.

Viola ⁠Chan, head of couture and design at David's Bridal in Hong Kong, said her team studied Swift's personal life to sketch three groups of designs: embellished ball gowns, simple gowns with a touch of detail, and short dresses in case of a mid-ceremony outfit change.

"It could be her makeup, her hair styling, and could be the number of gowns that she changed, the color of her gowns, the floral decoration," Chan said, while showcasing a template adorned with flowers and lace.

Barcelona-based bridal wear designer Pronovias, with distribution in more than 100 countries, said it plans to draw inspiration from the silhouettes, fabrics and "attitude" of Swift's look, as ⁠the brand has done for royal and other high-profile celebrity weddings in the past.

NEW SWIFT-INSPIRED ‌DESIGNS

An unusual color or fabric - pink or metallic lace, for example - could ‌ripple through the bridal industry, said Sharon Sever, the creative director at Tel Aviv-based luxury wedding dress company Galia Lahav. A unique ‌veil might also inspire new fashion trends.

For now, brands like Galia Lahav and New York-based Jenny Yoo are in ‌a wait-and-see mode, along with their customers.

"The images make all the difference in the design world," said Liza Pontoni, design director at Jenny Yoo. The Justin Alexander Group, a US-based bridal fashion house, is in the process of finalizing sketches for its spring and summer 2028 collection, which will be available in stores in autumn 2027. If Swift reveals her Dior dress in the coming weeks, the company ‌might incorporate certain elements into the designs, said CEO and creative director Justin Warshaw.

And if boutiques signal a surge in interest for Swift-inspired gowns, the fashion house might ⁠pull strings to make the ⁠new collection available to retailers and brides even sooner than the typical one-year timeline, Warshaw said.

For indie bridal franchise Lovely Bride, new details will be at most referential to Swift's look, said Lanie List, the founder and CEO.

"We'll definitely tell our brides things that we have that are similar, if something she wears inspires them," she said.

LEGAL RISKS

For designers and brands, the risk of falling into legal trouble depends on what exactly they copy, said Brad D. Rose, co-chair of law firm Pryor Cashman's Intellectual Property Group, who works with luxury brands.

US copyright law generally does not protect the cut, shape or silhouette of clothing. That means a bridal company can often lawfully create a dress that mimics an aesthetic. But specific decorative elements such as embroidery or beadwork may be protected.

If a bridal brand were to falsely suggest an affiliation with Swift or LVMH-owned Dior, trademark and unfair competition concerns could arise, Rose added.

Pronovias leans into seasonal trends rather than emulating specific pieces or names, a spokesperson said. The designer will, for example, avoid using Swift or Dior's name in marketing, while still drawing inspiration from trends that emerge from the collaboration.

 


Green Day Pours Punk Rock Spirit Into ‘Nimrods’ Film

Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool from rock band Green Day pose on the day they unveil their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, May 1, 2025. (Reuters)
Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool from rock band Green Day pose on the day they unveil their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, May 1, 2025. (Reuters)
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Green Day Pours Punk Rock Spirit Into ‘Nimrods’ Film

Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool from rock band Green Day pose on the day they unveil their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, May 1, 2025. (Reuters)
Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool from rock band Green Day pose on the day they unveil their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, May 1, 2025. (Reuters)

Green Day, the punk rock band that rose to global fame, are turning to filmmaking with "Nimrods," a coming-of-age comedy inspired in part by their early years as musicians.

Written and directed by Lee Kirk, the film follows three teenagers pursuing their dreams of making it in music, a journey the band says mirrors aspects of its own rise.

"The first dream we ever had was to play a gig and we finally got a chance to play a gig," ‌lead singer Billie ‌Joe Armstrong said.

Armstrong said Green Day's ambitions grew alongside its success, ‌progressing ⁠from landing gigs ⁠to filling stadiums and, ultimately, making a movie.

In the film, Tommy, played by Mason Thames, dreams of opening for Green Day after handing the band a demo tape at a meet-and-greet.

After his brother Wayne convinces him that Green Day has invited his band to open a New Year's Eve show, Tommy and his bandmates, Fred, played by Kyle Coffman, and Chad, portrayed by Ryan Foust, embark on a cross-country trip from Kansas to Los Angeles determined to make ⁠it happen.

Band members said the road-trip storyline draws on experiences from ‌Green Day's early touring years.

"You never know ‌when you're living those moments in your life and you're doing cool stuff, you don't realize ‌in that moment that this is going to be a bitching scene in a ‌movie some day," drummer Tre Cool said.

Bassist Mike Dirnt said the film aims to capture the band's youthful outlook and rock-and-roll spirit.

"We had nothing to lose and we wanted to go out and take over the world. If that meant playing for six people, that's great, if it lands at ‌68,000 later on, that's still great. But I just think the spirit is there, the spirit of rock and roll really," ⁠he said.

Armstrong said ⁠the comedy was influenced by films such as "Rushmore" and the work of director John Hughes.

"I've always had a part teenage brain, part teenage heart or whatever. So, those are some of my favorite movies, so we definitely used that as an influence," the "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" singer said.

While Green Day plays a key role in the story, the band largely remains off screen, with its music instead featured prominently throughout the soundtrack.

"You don't have to be a Green Day fan to love this movie. You can just love this movie and you'll probably end up liking Green Day after, I hope," Cool said.

"Nimrods," produced by Live Nation Studios, opens in US theaters on August 14.

Green Day rose to mainstream success with its 1994 album "Dookie" and is known for hits including "Basket Case,Good Riddance" and "American Idiot." The band has won four Grammy Awards and inspired a Broadway musical with "American Idiot."