Entertainment

Rockstar’s owner expected GTA 6 to be big, but not this big: “The numbers will speak for themselves”

• GTA 6 pre-orders are tracking well above Take-Two’s expectations.
• Estimated pre-order sales have reached about $730 million.
• Take-Two forecasts $8 billion in net bookings for 2027.

Take-Two Interactive says pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI are far exceeding its initial expectations, despite the company already anticipating a major release. The figures reinforce expectations that the game could become one of the biggest launches in video game history and help drive a record year for…

Age Of Quarrel: 40 Years Of Quarrel

• CRO-MAGS have re-recorded their influential 1986 debut.
• Harley Flanagan says the project helps address unpaid songwriting.
• The album adds a demo-era bonus track.

CRO-MAGS have re-recorded their landmark 1986 debut, *The Age Of Quarrel*, as *Age Of Quarrel: 40 Years of Quarrel*. Led by Harley Flanagan, the project celebrates the album’s influence and aims to resolve lingering disputes over payment for songs written in the early 1980s. The new versions feature…

Take-Two CEO says human creativity still drives hit games

• Zelnick says human creativity remains central to making hit games.
• Take-Two is bolstering defences against AI-assisted piracy.
• GTA 6 pre-orders are above expectations.

Investors asked Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick about AI-assisted piracy and whether AI could give Rockstar a competitive advantage as it develops GTA 6. He said technology has long helped game makers, but that creating major hits still depends on human creativity. Zelnick said Take-Two is strengthening its technical…

In 1988, Kurt Russell was snubbed for an iconic role he “was hoping” he’d get. Six years later, it happened again

• Russell wanted to play Batman.
• He was shortlisted again in 1994.
• Schumacher chose Val Kilmer.

Kurt Russell missed out on playing Batman twice, despite saying it was one of the few roles he regretted not getting. He hoped to be cast when Tim Burton’s film was being developed in 1988, but Michael Keaton got the part; six years later, Russell was again passed…

Democrats pledge cost cuts; panda return offers a bridge to China

The party plans to tackle food and healthcare bills, raise wages and curb corporate power after a strong midterm result. Meanwhile, pandas are back at Washington’s National Zoo, while a New York heiress sues relatives over her money.

AI authorship trails emerge as Trump faces calls for accountability

The briefing covers pressure on Democrats to hold Trump’s allies accountable, tools to document how authors create work, and Tiësto’s company opening in New York. It also highlights concerns over testosterone advertising and Barry Keoghan’s early career advice.

Jessica Lange on Bringing ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ Back to the Big Screen, Returning to ‘American Horror Story’ and Retirement Rumors

• Lange calls Mary Tyrone the greatest role she may ever play.
• Her film adaptation took nearly a decade to reach the screen.
• She has returned to American Horror Story and awards contention.

Jessica Lange says she could imagine ending her acting career with Mary Tyrone in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, a role she considers unmatched. At 77, she has returned to the character for a film adaptation after playing it on stage in London and Broadway, and is promoting…

4 Songs That Prove the Early 1970s Were the Best Era of One-Hit Wonders

• Four early-1970s hits became lasting one-hit-wonder favourites.
• “Mississippi Queen” reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• “Spirit in the Sky” was Norman Greenbaum’s signature hit.

The article argues that the early 1970s produced memorable one-hit wonders, defining these as songs that reached the Billboard Hot 100 while their artists did not achieve another Top 40 hit. It highlights four tracks whose enduring appeal outlasted their chart success. Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen” peaked at No.…

Who played the kazoo on Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Crosstown Traffic’ in 1969?

• Hendrix played the kazoo on ‘Crosstown Traffic’.
• He used it to evoke traffic without car horns.
• The song uses traffic as a metaphor for a difficult relationship.

Jimi Hendrix played the kazoo heard in his 1969 song ‘Crosstown Traffic’, using it to suggest the sound of traffic. The unusual part helps give the track its buzzy, energetic character and reflects Hendrix’s willingness to use unconventional sounds in rock music. The song’s traffic is a metaphor…

A Former Country Star Said the CMA Wouldn’t Let Him on the Red Carpet. All Hell Broke Loose

• Sammy Kershaw says the CMA denied his red-carpet request.
• Musicians voiced support, and some called for a boycott.
• The dispute has renewed scrutiny of whose exclusion prompts protest.

Sammy Kershaw, a 1990s country hitmaker and lifetime member of the Country Music Association, says the organisation denied his request to walk the CMA Awards’ media red carpet with his wife. His complaint prompted support from other musicians and calls for a boycott, shifting attention ahead of the…