Celine Dion and Lady Gaga perform at the Olympic opening ceremony

 Gaga helped officially kick off the Olympics with a rousing number, while Dion brought the ceremony to a close after the cauldron was lit.

    By Lindsay Lowe, Today

    This handout released by the Olympic Broadcasting Services, shows a view of singer Celine Dion performing on the Eiffel        Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024.Handout / Screengrab by IOC via        Getty Images

Bienvenue à Paris, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga!

Dion took center stage at a rainy Olympic opening ceremony in Paris on July 26 with a powerful performance to close the event. It marked the first time she has performed in public in years following her stiff person syndrome diagnosis.

She sang Edith Piaf's “Hymne à l’amour” after the cauldron was lit. Her rendition received immediate praise on social media.

In a statement on social media, Dion wrote that she was "honored" to perform at the opening ceremony and "so full of joy to be back in one of my very favorite cities!"

"Most of all, I’m so happy to be celebrating these amazing athletes, with all their stories of sacrifice and determination, pain and perseverance," she said in a slideshow post of photos from the event. "All of you have been so focused on your dream, and whether or not you take home a medal, I hope that being here means that it has come true for you! You should all be so proud, we know how hard you have worked to be the best of the best. Stay focused, keep going, my heart is with you!"

Earlier, Olympic viewers saw Lady Gaga perform a stylish number at the opening ceremony.

Gaga makes a grand entrance at the opening ceremony. Maja Hitij / Getty Images

She serenaded the assembled crowd with “Mon Truc En Plume” in a tribute to French dancer and actor Zizi Jeanmaire. She was joined by several dancers holding pink feather fans during the performance.

Afterward, Gaga wrote on her social media accounts she was "completely grateful" for the opportunity.

"Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music — I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth — Paris," she added.

The ceremony followed public sightings of both music icons earlier in the week.

Dion, 56, seemed to hint in recent months that she may be making an appearance in Paris sometime soon.

She told Vogue France in April that she had been training “like an athlete” to manage her physical health and her singing voice, and name-dropped a Parisian landmark.

“I’ve chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team,” she told the publication. “I want to be the best I can be. My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again!”

Two days before the opening ceremony, Dion also revealed on Instagram that she was in Paris, sharing photos of herself at the Louvre.

“Every time I return to Paris, I remember there’s so much beauty and joy still to experience in the world,” she wrote in the caption. “I love Paris, and I’m so happy to be back! Thank you to our wonderful friends at The Louvre!”

Dion has been open about her health struggles in recent years. In December 2022, she revealed she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological condition that can cause muscle stiffness, sensitivity to noise and touch, emotional distress, and severe muscle spasms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

In May 2023, the singer canceled all remaining dates of her "Courage World Tour" due to her illness.

The “My Heart Will Go On” singer opened up about her experiences with stiff person syndrome, and her efforts to return to the stage, in her recent documentary, “I Am: Celine Dion.”

The documentary, available to stream on Prime Video, captured several raw, intimate moments, including one scene in which Dion experiences a severe, full-body spasm on camera.

Dion has opened up about her determination to perform once more and connect with her fans.

“I’m going to go back onstage, even if I have to crawl. Even if I have to talk with my hands. I will. I will,” the singer told Hoda Kotb in June in a prime-time special, her first broadcast interview since her diagnosis. 

“I am Céline Dion, because today my voice will be heard for the first time, not just because I have to, or because I need to,” she continued. “It’s because I want to. And I miss it.”

As for Gaga, she was spotted earlier this week in Paris, blowing kisses and waving to fans from outside a car, per video shared to X. She wore a black hat, sunglasses and a leather jacket as she formed a heart with her hands to the crowd.

Earlier this year, Gaga dropped a bombshell announcement at the end of her HBO concert special, “Gaga Chromatica Ball,” teasing new music. As she struck several poses in the shadows, “LG7” and “Gaga Returns” flashed across the screen.

At the premiere of her concert film, Gaga confirmed her seventh studio album was in the works.

“I have written so many songs and I have produced so many songs,” Gaga said before hinting at a possible genre change for her music. “It’s nothing like anything that I’ve ever made before. I love to break genre, and I love to explore music. There’s something really beautiful about knowing that you will be loved no matter what you do.”

Along with being in the studio, Gaga had also been on set filming “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the sequel to the 2019 “Joker” film.

The movie follows the story of the Joker, being reprised by Joaquin Phoenix, meeting his love interest, Harley Quinn, portrayed by Gaga. The sequel will reportedly feature musical elements and choreographed numbers.

“Joker: Folie à Deux” drops in theaters Oct. 4.

The marathon Indian wedding turning heads around the world

    By Zoya Mateen and Meryl Sebastian, BBC News

After months of festivities, the Ambani wedding is finally coming to an end

How much is too much?

That's the question many in India are asking as the months-long wedding festivities for the youngest son of Asia's richest man enter their final phase.

The celebrations are expected to culminate this weekend when Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, ties the knot with Radhika Merchant, daughter of pharma tycoons Viren and Shaila Merchant.

There have been four months of lavish events leading up to the wedding itself. All the glamourous outfits, stunning jewellery, fairytale-like decor and rare performances by Indian and global stars have been the focus of much public attention.

"It is nothing short of a royal wedding," says writer and columnist Shobhaa De. "Our billionaires are the new Indian maharajahs. Their shareholders expect nothing less than a mega extravaganza."

Indians "have always loved pomp and pageantry - just like the British", she says, adding that "the scale [of the wedding] is in keeping with the Ambani wealth".

But the hullabaloo around the wedding has drawn as much ire as public fascination. Many have criticised the opulence and the sheer magnitude of wealth on display in a country where tens of millions live below the poverty line and where income inequality is extreme.

"[The wedding] can easily be seen as a kind of a mockery, a sort of blindness to the reality of the country at one level. At another level, however ridiculous this might be, it is still in keeping with the grossly distorted, almost grotesque bloating of Indian weddings in the last decade or so," writer and commentator Santosh Desai tells the BBC.

"It is part of a larger shift that is taking place. A generation or two ago, wealth was spoken of in whispers. Today, wealth must speak as loudly as possible. Even then, the scale of this wedding makes it an outlier."

The main wedding is set to take place at the family residence in Mumbai

Parents Neeta and Mukesh Ambani are leaving no stone unturned to make the celebrations memorable

With a sprawling business empire - ranging from oil, telecoms, chemicals, technology and fashion to food - the Ambanis are a ubiquitous presence in India and their lives are the subject of intense public fascination.

Mr Ambani's personal fortune is estimated at a staggering $115bn (£90bn). Anant, 29, holds a position on the Reliance Industries board of directors.

Ambani senior, along with fellow Indian business tycoon Gautam Adani, is reported to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, with opposition parties accusing the authorities of unduly favouring the two business houses - accusations both the government and the businessmen deny.

While the Ambani family’s enormous wealth and clout are well known in India, many outside the country may not have realised the extent of their riches until now.

That changed in March, when Mr Ambani hosted a three-day pre-wedding party for his son.

   Some of Bollywood's biggest stars, like Janhvi Kapoor, have attended the pre-wedding events

  The festivities have included musicians, parties, luxury cruises and several traditional ceremonies

The festivities were held in the family's hometown Jamnagar in the western state of Gujarat, which is also the location of Mr Ambani's oil refinery - the largest in the world. Some 1,200 guests attended, including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft's Bill Gates.

The party began with a dinner held inside a glasshouse especially built for the occasion. The stunning structure reportedly resembles Palm House, a crystalline Victorian-style building located in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which was a favourite of Ms Merchant when she was a college student in New York City.

The feast was followed by a performance by Rihanna and viral videos showed the Ambani family grooving with the popstar on stage. If people hadn't been paying attention, they definitely were now.

    Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was among the guests at the pre-wedding celebrations in March

Popstar Rihanna performed for the family in March

Through it all, dozens of speciality chefs served some 2,000 dishes, carefully curated from around the world, to guests lodged in luxury tents, with personal makeup artists and stylists at their service.

There was also a 10-page manual on the dress code for the events, which included a "jungle fever" theme for a visit to a family-owned animal sanctuary, followed by a Moulin Rouge-themed "house party" held at the sprawling grounds of their palatial residence.

The bride-to-be wore a number of specially crafted outfits, including two lehngas (long bridal silk skirts) - one studded with 20,000 Swarovski crystals and another that reportedly took 5,700 hours to make - and a pink version of a Versace dress that actor Blake Lively wore to the 2022 Met Gala.

The groom mostly wore Dolce & Gabbana outfits and flaunted a Richard Mille wristwatch, worth an estimated $1.5m. A viral video of Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan gawking at the watch went viral in India.

Newspapers and websites perfectly captured the opulence of these dazzling events, attended by the glitterati from around the world. "It was almost like the time of maharajahs 100 years down the line," the New York Times reported.

   Akash Ambani and Anant Ambani with Shloka Mehta Ambani, wife of Akash, and bride-to-be Radhika Merchant

There was also backlash after India's government overnight designated the city's small airport into an international airport, expanded its staff and deployed military and air force personnel in service of the family.

The final night of the three-day jamboree, which ended with a shower of confetti, fireworks and a lightshow, set the tone for what was to come next.

In June, the couple and their guests took their pre-wedding celebrations overseas, literally. The party, which included top Bollywood stars, embarked on a luxury cruise along the stunning azure coastline of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Italy, to the French Mediterranean.

They stopped in Rome, Portofino, Genoa and Cannes for late-night revelry that reportedly brought complaints from local people.

This time, the celebrations had performances by 90s teen heartthrobs The Backstreet Boys, singer Katy Perry and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

This week, yet another set of wedding celebrations kicked off on the family's home turf, Mumbai, with a performance by Justin Bieber.

A video of him singing at the edge of the stage as the bride and her friends sing along has been viewed 38 million times. It shows ecstatic women in sequined gowns and saris as they punch their fists skyward in glee. The crowd doesn't miss a beat to Bieber's verse: You should go and love yourself.

   Justin Bieber's performance captured attention around the world

Groom and bride have made public appearances throughout the celebrations

The scale of the celebrations show that nothing is out of reach for the family. And there is speculation that Adele could be performing at the actual wedding this weekend - the family, however, are tight-lipped.

Of course, India isn't a stranger to the concept of big fat weddings - the country is the largest spender on marriage ceremonies after the US.

Tina Tharwani, co-founder of the Shaadi Squad, says in recent years, there's been a noticeable trend where weddings have become larger-than-life events that veer towards excessiveness, driven by societal expectations, competitive displays of status, and a desire to create memorable moments.

So, we've seen expensive weddings routinely make headlines in recent years, such as this $74m wedding in 2016.

Other Ambani children have also had lavish pre-wedding festivities. Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among attendees at Isha Ambani's pre-wedding bash in 2018, which featured a performance by Beyoncé. A year later, Akash Ambani's pre-wedding bash featured a performance by Coldplay.

  Ivanka Trump (left) met Nita Ambani at the pre-wedding celebrations in March

   Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan has attended the pre-wedding events

When it comes to scale, though, this is the mother of all weddings, says Ashwini Arya, owner of an event management company that has managed weddings in 14 countries.

"It's like the bible for the industry with the best of logistics, tech, design and grandeur.

"You're talking about preparations of a minimum of two years, multiple recce trips, approvals and permissions from several countries, along with the logistics of arranging security and transport for some of the biggest personalities of the world," he says.

  As part of celebrations, the family hosted a mass wedding for underprivileged couples

The Ambanis have not revealed how much this wedding is costing them but Mr Arya estimates that they "have already spent anywhere between 11bn and 13bn rupees [$132m-$156m]". It was rumoured Rihanna had been paid $7m (£5.5m) for her performance, while the figure suggested for Bieber is $10m.

Money was also lavished on constructing 14 temples inside a sprawling complex in Jamnagar to showcase India's cultural heritage and provide a backdrop for the wedding. As part of the celebrations, the Ambanis hosted a mass wedding for 50 underprivileged couples too.

It's being said the family pulled out all the stops because with all the Ambani children married, this would be their last wedding for the foreseeable future.

But with each event, public criticism of the celebration in India has grown - from people aghast at the massive jewels worn by Nita Ambani to exasperation and anger among Mumbai residents over traffic restrictions in a city already struggling with traffic jams and monsoon flooding.

    The celebrations have caused anger and exasperation among Mumbai residents

  But for Bollywood's biggest names, this is the place to be

For India's wedding industry though, it’s still an exciting marketing opportunity.

This is an excellent chance for designers to showcase the more refined side of India's couture, artistry and craftsmanship, says Anand Bhushan, a fashion designer. That said, the frequency, with celebrities changing five-six outfits per event can sometimes feel a "little saturating", he admits.

Ms Tharwani says the wedding serves as “an exemplary case” of orchestrating a multi-event, multi-location celebration "that combines tradition, modernity, and unmatched hospitality standards".

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, Varindar Chawla, one of Bollywood's best-known paparazzi, is sifting through the photographs of the celebrations.

There are a few of celebrities posing at the entrance as they arrive to attend the various events.

Each one of these pictures - even the unflattering ones, such as of a star looking stunned as the glare of a camera-flash hits them in the face - has been fetching millions of views and shares.

“Usually it’s hard to penetrate events of this scale. But this family has gone out of the way to ensure we are there to cover every little detail," he says.

"It's a royal wedding and we are getting a royal treatment."

Gladiator II: Paul Mescal battles a rhino in upcoming film

     By Helen Bushby, Culture reporter, BBC

Paul Mescal plays Lucius, whose character was the grandson of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius in the first Gladiator film

The trailer for Ridley Scott's sequel to Gladiator has dropped, showcasing several epic scenes, including a water battle in Rome's Colosseum and Paul Mescal being rammed by a rhino.

All Of Us Strangers star Mescal plays Lucius, fighting for his life as a gladiator, despite his high status as nephew of corrupt former Emperor Commodus.

Sir Ridley's first film in 2000, which starred Russell Crowe as soldier-turned-gladiator Maximus, won five Oscars including best actor.

The trailer opens as Lucius recalls his childhood memory, when ex-Roman commander Maximus battled his uncle in the arena.

"I remember that day. I never forgot it, that a slave could take revenge against an emperor," Lucius says, before we see him in a flashback from the first film, being dragged to safety by his mother.

Paramount

A rhino is ridden into action in the arena

Here's a quick recap of the first Gladiator film: the plot revolves around upstanding Roman general, Maximus Decimus Meridius, who was asked to inherit the role of emperor from ailing Marcus Aurelius.

But Commodus murdered the emperor and took the title, before killing Maximus' family and leaving him a slave. Maximus rose up to become a gladiator, returning to Rome in order to exact his revenge.
World History Encyclopedia describes gladiatorial contests as "bloody entertainment... an opportunity for emperors to display their wealth", where up to 50,000 spectators enjoyed "contests which were literally a matter of life and death".

Some battles included wild animals - Gladiator featured tigers in the arena, while an angry-looking rhino with a bloodied horn charges at Mescal in the sequel.

It's fair to say the first film caused a flurry of excitement among admirers of Crowe's powerful portrayal of Maximus.

Given Mescal enjoyed a huge surge in his fanbase after he starred in BBC drama Normal People, it's possible his role in Gladiator II may have a similar impact.

Paramount

The arena is turned into the site of a bloody water battle - but are there sharks?

Paramount

Denzel Washington as gladiator sponsor Macrinus, tells Lucius: "Rage is your gift”

Lucius is undoubtedly reminiscent of the honourable Maximus, battling from below while having a much higher purpose.

In the sequel, Lucius has been captured from his home far from Rome, and brought there as a prisoner.

He becomes a gladiator, working for Macrinus, played by Denzel Washington, who sponsors fighters much like Oliver Reed's Proximo did in the first film.

Lucius protects his birthright, saying he doesn't know where he was born, adding: "I never knew a mother and or father."

"You will be my instrument," Macrinus responds.

It appears that the twin emperors now in place - played by Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger - are also corrupt. We see them laugh demonically while gladiators die in their mock water battle (which did happen in real life).

Lucius's mother, Lucilla, played by Connie Nielsen in the original film as well, watches with horror while her son fights beneath her, although we don't know if she recognises him.

However we see her take him full circle, back to Maximus, by giving him a ring which belonged to the Roman general before he died.

Paramount

Connie Nielsen plays Lucilla, daughter of the late Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius

Like the original, the film appears to be about the corruption of power, with worthy, embattled individuals taking on the might of Rome's rulers.

Lucius favours "strength and honour", while another Roman general, Marcus Acacius, played by The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal, says: "I will not waste another generation of young men for their vanity," alongside footage of the emperors.

We don't yet know enough about Pascal's character to know where his morals fully lie.

The trailer ends with Mescal and Pascal battling in the arena, with the gladiator looking like he has the advantage, as he holds two swords crossed over the army general's neck.

Paramount

Mescal and Pascal battle at the end of the trailer

Initial responses on X were a mixture of both positive and negative, with some people excited for the sequel, while others said it wouldn't be as good as the original.

Some fans spotted what looked like sharks in the water battle, with filmmaker Kyle Prohaska saying: "I'm all in on Gladiator II. I'll go just for some of those insane sequences. Sharks in the arena? A rhino? Denzel? Come on. This is definitely one of those sequels nobody asked for, but this one looks better than most."

Another post, from a user called @FilmmakerJeff, called the trailer "underwhelming".

"I hate to report that I’m not a fan of the Gladiator II trailer," he said.

"Terrible music choice, nothing from it gave me reassurance that it could be even close to as good as the original, and honestly, it looks like it could be pretty good at best. My hype meter dropped a notch."

Paramount

Sir Ridley Scott and Paul Mescal on the set of the film

There was also disagreement on social media over the soundtrack, which was No Church in the Wild, by Jay-Z and Kanye West.

One user wrote: "In what world does the sequel to Ridley Scott's Gladiator need Jay-Z and Kanye West? Stop shoehorning songs into trailers."

Another in favour though, wrote: "That pounding hip-hop really works on the Gladiator 2 trailer. Fits so well to the era."

Sir Ridley, who made 2023's epic Oscar and Bafta-nominated film Napoleon, told Deadline last year that he made Gladiator II because "economically, it makes sense...

"I thought the [first] film was, as it were, completely satisfactory, creatively complete, so why muck with it, right?

"But these cycles keep going on and on and on, they repeat globally for the last 20 years. It started to spell itself out as an obvious thing to do, and that’s how it evolved."

Gladiator II is released in UK cinemas in November.

 

Critics split on Beverly Hills Cop sequel Axel F

By Noor Nanji, BBC

Critics have given a mixed response to the fourth outing of Beverly Hills Cop, which sees Eddie Murphy and other cast members from the original 1984 film reunite.

Many reviews agreed Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F inspired feelings of nostalgia, with Murphy back in the iconic role of Detective Axel Foley 40 years after the first film smashed box office records.

In a three-star review, USA Today called the film "a true comfort-food throwback".
But The Guardian gave it just two stars, arguing there was "little energy to enliven their formulaic reunion".

The original Beverley Hills Cop made Murphy a superstar and led to two sequels over the following decade and a chart-topping soundtrack.

In the new film, released on Wednesday on Netflix, Foley is back on the beat in Beverly Hills and his estranged daughter's life is threatened.

The Independent's Clarisse Loughrey awarded it two stars, writing: "The film has the confidence to poke fun at the franchise’s infamously bad third entry, yet comes to the table with nothing to prove, nothing to say, and nothing for Murphy to work with."

She continued: "It has landed at Netflix, with a bloated $150m [£118m] budget, hot on the tail of Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

"Bad Boys owes a large chunk of its existence to Beverly Hills Cop, and yet that franchise has succeeded in maturing where this one has certainly failed. A lot of it has to do with the simple acknowledgement that time has passed."

There was more enthusiasm for the film from USA Today's Brian Truitt, who described it as "a confident fourth outing" in the action-comedy franchise.

Truitt praised the film's classic elements, including "retro Bob Seger and Pointer Sisters tunes, that signature Detroit Lions varsity jacket and the impressive commitment to on-duty ridiculousness".

"And while it's a very modern release – via streaming rather than movie theatres – everything else leans pretty old school," he noted.

The LA Times said it was "clear that Murphy possesses an affection for the title character"

In the LA Times, Glenn Whipp was similarly positive, commenting that from as early as the opening credits, "you realise that everyone involved understood the assignment".

"The solution to creating a new Beverly Hills Cop movie was to simply make the first one all over again."

He continued: "Murphy is effective, even if the tone has shifted from a brash swagger to nostalgic cheer. The heat is gone."

"While it’s easy to view Axel F as a calculated cash grab, it’s clear that Murphy possesses an affection for the title character."

Original cast members Judge Reinhold and John Ashton have joined Murphy for the fourth instalment.

The film also stars Taylour Paige, as Foley's daughter Jane, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as his new partner, detective Bobby Abbott.

However, Robert Daniels at The New York Times criticised the film, writing that Murphy "struggles to revive the moribund action-comedy franchise".

"Murphy returns with the same Detroit Lions jacket, his familiar chuckle and his movie star grin.

"But there’s little to smile about in this painfully lacklustre retread desperately trying to justify its own existence," he added.

Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian agreed, adding: "There’s something a bit tired and formulaic about this further go-around for his iconic Detroit cop Axel Foley.

He continued: "It’s still funny when Murphy does his “white people” voice, once a staple of his stand-up days. But like Murphy’s Coming 2 America, this feels a bit stale, and a mature guy like him can’t play the subversive anarchist comedy energy in the way he did.

"Murphy could still play comedy or drama with the right script, but this presumes a great deal on the audience’s brand loyalty."

The latest film is the first time Murphy has reprised the role, which paved the way to his stardom, in 30 years.

He was in his 20s when he shot the first film, and is now 63, with a string of films including The Nutty Professor, Shrek and Norbit under his belt.

The Hollywood Reporter said the sequel "seems past its expiration date"

In a four-star review, the Telegraph's Robbie Collin said: "Murphy’s comedy is stuck in the 80s – and that’s fine.

"First-time director Mark Molloy and his team uncannily recreate the original film’s rhythm, texture and spirit," he said, adding that "Murphy is on bright, lively form, and seems to be enjoying the experience".

The Hollywood trade publications broadly approved of the first new instalment in three decades, with Deadline's Pete Hammond commenting: "Thanks to Murphy and the cast reunion, [the film] is great fun and moves like a rocket.

"It should have been in theatres where it could have thrived, but Netflix subscribers will love it."

Variety's Owen Gleiberman suggested the film "might tickle your nostalgia bone", but added: "Of course, the difference between then and now is that in the 40 years since Beverly Hills Cop, there have been 400 action comedies spun out of these same tropes. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is just one more of them."

Ultimately, the film will "satisfy diehard fans," concluded The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney.

"But the shortage of fresh perspective, the absence of excitement and the slavishness with which the filmmakers stick to the original formula in one unimaginative action sequence after another makes the sequel seem past its expiration date."