Straight Outta Compton director to helm Fast & Furious 8?
Can director F. Gary Gray repeat his Straight Outta Compton success with Fast & Furious 8?
Universal hopes so, as the movie studio is said to have met with the US film-maker to helm the next instalment of the franchise.
Gray's biographical drama Straight Outta Compton, which opens here tomorrow and centres on hip hop group N.W.A, is a box office hit, having made over US$196 million (S$280 million) worldwide.
In a major hint that a deal might have been inked, Fast and Furious star and producer Vin Diesel posted a photo of himself with a smiling Gray on his Facebook page.
Gray last directed Diesel in A Man Apart (2003) and also worked with another Fast & Furious alumnus, Dwayne Johnson, in Be Cool (2005).
Avril Lavigne to collaborate with ex-husband
Their marriage may be over, but Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger are still making beautiful music together.
Singer Lavigne, 31, posted a photo of herself on Instagram, strumming a guitar and wearing a cowboy hat. "YeeHaw! Writing with Chad today," wrote the Complicated singer.
She also posted a photo of the 40-year-old frontman of rock group Nickelback, with the caption: "Back where it all started..."
It appears the Canadian duo, who met while working on Lavigne's fifth album in 2012 and got married that same year, still plan to collaborate, despite announcing their separation last month.
Will Smith to reunite with DJ Jazzy Jeff
Hollywood star Will Smith, 47, who surprised the world last week when he rapped on a remix of Bomba Estereo's Colombian electronic hit Fiesta, now says he's planning a world tour next year with long-time partner DJ Jazzy Jeff.
The US rapper-turned-actor revealed on Zane Lowe's Beats 1 radio show that his new-found musical creativity stemmed from shooting the upcoming Suicide Squad movie.
"I'm pretty much popping (into) the studio every day and I'm looking for artists to collaborate with," said Smith. "I've probably recorded 30 songs."
Date night at Horror Nights
Rita Ora and her new beau, US rocker Travis Barker, were spotted enjoying the scary attractions at the Halloween Horror Nights inside Universal Studios Hollywood last Sunday.
The date night came a week after the couple made their relationship public, reported E! News.
The 24-year-old British singer and Barker, 39, spent the entire evening together without any friends.
"At @horrornights with the mama," the Blink-182 drummer and father of two wrote on his Instagram after attending the event.
Demi Lovato speaks up for mental illness
Demi Lovato is an advocate of de-stigmatising mental illness.
She has spoken about her own battles with bipolar disorder, addiction and an eating disorder.
The US pop singer explained during a recent appearance on MSNBC Live With Tamron Hall about being fed up with the US public rushing to conclusions about the recent Oregon mass shooter's mental well-being.
Lovato, 23, was referring to Christopher Harper-Mercer, the gunman who killed nine people at an Oregon community college last week before taking his own life.
Lovato is also urging the US Congress to focus on the national initiative Be Vocal: Speak Up For Mental Health.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
