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Pharrell Williams to Bring Star Power to Web Summit Tech Event

File photo: Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
File photo: Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
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Pharrell Williams to Bring Star Power to Web Summit Tech Event

File photo: Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)
File photo: Pharrell Williams upon arrival at the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the eve of Paris Olympics opening ceremony, at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP)

Singer Pharrell Williams is due to kick off one of Europe's biggest tech events on Monday, the Web Summit in Lisbon, with organizers keen to move on from last year's edition when several big firms pulled out.
The event will bring together some 70,000 attendees with more than 3,000 startups and 1,000 investors, according to the organizers.
Google, Meta and a string of other firms pulled out of last year's event after Web Summit chief executive Paddy Cosgrave wrote social media posts accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza, AFP said.
He was forced to apologize and step down from his role, though he is now back in charge of the organization, which also holds events in other parts of the world.
"Those cancellations revolved more around big tech," Web Summit's head of startups Ricardo Lima told AFP in an interview on Wednesday, stressing the focus on smaller firms and innovation.
"It's safe to say the impacts were felt in 2023 but in 2024 (big tech firms) were all part of the events and part of the discussion."
Trump effect
Google and Meta have a low-key presence this year in Lisbon.
Microsoft President Brad Smith is the highest-profile big tech executive at the event.
He is due to lay out how the software juggernaut envisages the next phase of its artificial intelligence strategy, after spending billions to infuse the technology into most of its products.
AI is expected to be the central theme of the get together.
The conference said in a statement there would be discussions on "the impact of AI on the planet, art, and social interactions, as well as the government's role in regulating technology and the responsibilities of tech giants".
The re-election of Donald Trump as US president, with tech mogul Elon Musk expected to be given a key role in his administration, is also expected to be top-of-mind.
Some of the sessions will deal directly with the election's impact on the tech industry but Lima said it was still too early to judge the reaction.
"I think everyone is still digesting the news, I am also very curious to understand the impact," he said.
The opening night on Monday broadens the agenda with a speaker list that this year includes Pharrell Williams, who is about to star in the latest Lego movie "Piece by Piece".
The summit wrote on its X account that Williams would be talking about "the intersection of culture and commerce".
"Discover how Pharrell's visionary approach has led to extraordinary success across multiple industries," the post said.

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Entertainment

The Grammys Add 5 New Categories and Announce Changes to Best New Artist

Grammy awards are displayed at the Grammy Museum Experience at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 10, 2017. (AP)
Grammy awards are displayed at the Grammy Museum Experience at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 10, 2017. (AP)
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The Grammys Add 5 New Categories and Announce Changes to Best New Artist

Grammy awards are displayed at the Grammy Museum Experience at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 10, 2017. (AP)
Grammy awards are displayed at the Grammy Museum Experience at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Oct. 10, 2017. (AP)

The Recording Academy has tweaked some of its rules for the 2026 Grammy Awards, including the addition of five new categories.

The academy on Tuesday announced the addition of a best Asian pop music performance category — celebrating releases across K-pop, J-pop, C-pop and beyond — awarded to the performer.

A new best traditional pop vocal performance category will be awarded to performers whose music “cannot properly be intermingled with present forms of pop music,” according to a press release.

Also, a new best Latin song category will recognize songwriters for their work on Latin songs recorded predominantly in Spanish.

The other changes affect the R&B and folk categories. A new best R&B collaboration or duo/group performance award joins the reimagined best R&B solo performance category.

Folk has experienced a similar change that country experienced last year: Best folk album has become best contemporary folk album. A best traditional folk album category has been added.

In addition to the five new categories, changes have been made regarding the criteria of a few releases. Most noteworthy: alterations to the best new artist category.

The Grammys will now allow artists to submit in the category four times, up from three. That is in an attempt to better reflect the current music market, where it can take time for an artist to break through.

There is no specified maximum number of previous releases and a screening committee is tasked with determining “whether the artist had attained this high degree of impact in the music industry prior to the eligibility year,” according to the rule book. An artist who has received a Grammy nomination in the past is not eligible.

The Grammys will also allow certain qualified members to vote in more categories.

“2027 is going to be an amazing year for the Grammy Awards, and one that reflects the extraordinary growth we’re seeing across music,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy said in a statement.

“The changes advanced by our Recording Academy members speak to the breadth of today’s music industry and the many genres, crafts and creators shaping it. We’re excited to see these updates come to life in the year ahead as we celebrate the music people who are driving music forward.”

Entertainment

Luke’s ‘Empire’ Light Saber, ‘Wizard of Oz’ Witch Hat and Lebowski Rugs Going up for Auction

This combination of images released by Heritage Auctions show the light saber used on screen by Mark Hamill's character Luke Skywalker in the 1980 "Star Wars" sequel "The Empire Strikes Back." (Heritage Auctions via AP)
This combination of images released by Heritage Auctions show the light saber used on screen by Mark Hamill's character Luke Skywalker in the 1980 "Star Wars" sequel "The Empire Strikes Back." (Heritage Auctions via AP)
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Luke’s ‘Empire’ Light Saber, ‘Wizard of Oz’ Witch Hat and Lebowski Rugs Going up for Auction

This combination of images released by Heritage Auctions show the light saber used on screen by Mark Hamill's character Luke Skywalker in the 1980 "Star Wars" sequel "The Empire Strikes Back." (Heritage Auctions via AP)
This combination of images released by Heritage Auctions show the light saber used on screen by Mark Hamill's character Luke Skywalker in the 1980 "Star Wars" sequel "The Empire Strikes Back." (Heritage Auctions via AP)

A light saber with Luke Skywalker's severed hand from “The Empire Strikes Back” that is expected to sell for seven figures headlines an upcoming auction of valuables from movies, music and other corners of pop culture.

The Hollywood & Entertainment Signature Auction presented by Heritage Auctions announced Tuesday and held July 13-17 also includes hats from “The Wizard of Oz” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” hoverboards from “Back to the Future II,” rugs from “The Big Lebowski” and a pair of Rocky 's boxing boots.

A major Beatles artifact will also be up for sale: John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for “If I fell,” written on the back of a Valentine card while he was in New York for the Fab Four's first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1964. The bidding for it will open at $500,000.

The light saber, used onscreen by Mark Hamill in the climactic Cloud City fight in the 1980 “Star Wars” sequel, where Darth Vader declares “I am your father,” includes a severed hand effects rig. It’s never been up for auction before and bidding opens at $1 million.

Bidding starts at $100,000 for a Wicked Witch of the West hat worn by actor Margaret Hamilton in 1939's “The Wizard of Oz” and at $50,000 for the brown top hat worn by Gene Wilder as the title character in 1971's “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”

The auction will also include a pair of boxing boots worn by Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky III.” Stallone wears the showy boots featuring tassels and a Nike swoosh in the opening montage of the 1982 film. Bids will begin at $100,000.

Also up for sale are the two rugs that are essential to the plot of “The Big Lebowski,” including the rug belonging to Jeff Bridges' the Dude that is soiled at the beginning of the 1998 film that “really tied the room together,” and the other that he takes from his wealthy namesake. Bidding on them opens at $15,000 apiece.

“This auction represents the full spectrum of entertainment history, from Hollywood’s Golden Age to modern blockbuster cinema and the most influential moments in popular music,” Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, said in a statement.

Many other items including a Paul Newman hockey jersey from “Slap Shot,” a necklace worn by the title character in “The Bride of Frankenstein” and the inflatable “Otto the Autopilot” from “Airplane” will be up for auction.

Entertainment

Singer Bonnie Tyler Out of Coma

(FILES) Britain's Bonnie Tyler performs during the finals of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest on May 18, 2013. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)
(FILES) Britain's Bonnie Tyler performs during the finals of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest on May 18, 2013. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)
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Singer Bonnie Tyler Out of Coma

(FILES) Britain's Bonnie Tyler performs during the finals of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest on May 18, 2013. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)
(FILES) Britain's Bonnie Tyler performs during the finals of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest on May 18, 2013. (Photo by John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

Singer Bonnie Tyler, known for mega-hits "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero," has come out of a coma following emergency surgery last month, her family said.

The 75-year-old Welsh star, who shot to fame with her hits in the 1980s, was put into a coma at a hospital in Faro, Portugal, in May to aid her recovery.

A message from her team and family posted on her website late Monday said she is "no longer in a coma but remains very unwell and in intensive care" in Portugal.

"Her doctors remain confident that she will make a good recovery but it is going to take time," they added.

All her planned concerts until the end of August are set to be cancelled or postponed as a result, AFP quoted them as saying.

Tyler had been due to perform this year in Germany and Austria and at a festival in Britain.

The family thanked fans for their "huge outpouring of love,” saying Tyler was aware of this.

Tyler shot to fame in the 1970s with hits including "Lost in France" and "It's a Heartache.”

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" later topped the charts in both Britain and the United States.

"Holding Out For A Hero" came out in 1984 and featured on the soundtrack to the huge US box office hit "Footloose.”