David Beckham, Elton John and Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson will mingle with dozens of royal guests at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding, according to an official guest list released Saturday that includes one uncomfortable presence — the Bahraini crown prince accused of a brutal crackdown on protesters.
St. James's Palace also released the seating plan at Westminster Abbey, which showed that relatives of William's mother Princess Diana are sitting across the aisle from the royal family, joining the Middletons in an exception to the traditional division of a church into a bride's side and groom's side.
Full StoryKenyan artist Michael Soi followed the recent arrival of the post-poll violence suspects at the International Court in The Hague with interest -- he had painted that very scene three years ago.
"The Hague Express" in charcoal and acrylic, is one of three huge canvasses piled up in the container that serves as Soi's studio.
Full StoryThe royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29, from A to Z:
A FOR ABBEY: William and Kate will marry in Westminster Abbey, a London church steeped in royal history.
Full StoryHer voice soaring over the stage, a soprano captures the rebellious, violent passion of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, in an opera devoted to the former wife of South African icon Nelson Mandela.
"I know I will be demonized and hated in my day, but there is no other way," she proclaims, as the orchestra thunders from the pit. "With our rubber tires and our boxes of matches, we will liberate this land."
Full StoryFrench actress Marion Cotillard will join Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the cast of "The Dark Knight Rises," the finale to the recent Batman film series, Warner Brothers said Tuesday.
The film reunites the actors with Christopher Nolan, who recently directed them in the the popular film "Inception."
Full StoryThere's a distinct Hong Kong flavor to the nine-member jury that will decide the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival that opens May 11.
Hong Kong director Johnny To and film producer Shi Nansun, wife of director Tsui Hark, are both on the panel that is being led this year by Oscar winner Robert De Niro, said organizers in a statement late Tuesday.
Full StoryA Lithuanian company said Wednesday it had frozen publication of the local version of "The Simpsons" comic after a fine for advertising Duff beer, the fictional favorite of anti-hero Homer Simpson.
"The fine led the company to take the decision to temporarily suspend publication," Indre Pavilonyte of Media Incognito told Agence France Presse.
Full StorySouth Korea's LG Electronics Tuesday unveiled a refrigerator which suggests recipes as it forecast a bright future in the potentially lucrative market for "smart" household appliances.
LG will roll out smart fridges, washers and other appliances in South Korea and North America by the end of this year to compete against rivals including Samsung Electronics and Whirlpool, Lee Young-Ha, president of the home appliance unit, told reporters.
Full StoryFilm noir meets musical comedy -- Maurice Bejart's "Le Concours" represented another change in genre for the Vienna State Ballet as it premiered here Sunday.
A murder mystery set at an international dance competition, the performance -- the latest premiere in Manuel Legris's first season as ballet director -- showed a new side of the company, after it already presented contemporary medleys and full-length modern and classical ballets this year.
Full StoryThree operas opening at the Salzburg Easter Festival in the coming years -- Richard Strauss' "Salome", Georges Bizet's "Carmen" and Richard Wagner's "Parsifal" -- will move to Madrid under the direction of Briton Simon Rattle with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
This was announced by the director of the Easter Festival, Peter Alward and the director of Madrid's Teatro Real, the Belgian Gerard Mortier, at a press conference on Sunday.
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