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(Reuters) -Ticketmaster-parent Live Nation reported a rise in third-quarter revenue on Tuesday, helped by demand for concerts and festivals. Fans are spending on immersive live entertainment despite economic headwinds, benefiting Live Nation, which is a bellwether for discretionary spending across the entertainment industry. "Strong fan demand drove another record quarter, as we continue to attract more fans to more shows globally," CEO Michael Rapino said in a statement. Rapino added that 2026 is off to a strong start, driven by a double-digit increase in the large venue show pipeline and increased sell-through levels for these shows. The Beverly Hills, California-based company said ticket sales for Live Nation concerts in 2026 have reached 26 million, up double digits overall. The company reported third-quarter revenue of $8.50 billion, compared with $7.65 billion, a year ago. Analysts on average were estimating $8.57 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Live Nation's concert business, which accounts for the majority of its overall revenue and includes merchandise sales and production of live music events, generated $7.28 billion in the quarter, below analysts' expectations of $7.67 billion. In the quarter, ticket sales reached an estimated total of about $797.6 million, above analysts' estimates of $793.2 million. (Reporting by Nithyashree R B in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)

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By Marie-Louise Gumuchian LONDON (Reuters) -Westlife celebrate 25 years with a new album and tour they say will take fans down memory lane as well as treat them to "the best show" the Irish pop group have ever done. The boy band, formed in 1998 when its original five members were teenagers, has sold more than 55 million records and scored 14 UK No. 1 hits with songs such as "Swear It Again", "Flying Without Wings" and "Uptown Girl". A foursome since 2004, members Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily parted ways in 2012 before reuniting in 2018. They released single "Chariot" last month, one of four new songs on upcoming album "25 – The Ultimate Collection", out in February. They also expanded their 2026 "Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour", which marks 25 years since their first world tour. Feehily, who in recent years has suffered health-related issues, is not joining them on tour but features on the album. In an interview with Reuters, Filan, Egan and Byrne spoke about the tour, recording with Feehily and looking back on 25 years. Below are excerpts edited for length and clarity. Q: What can fans expect from the tour? Filan: “We want to put on our best show we've ever done … probably picking the setlist is always the hardest part because every fan has a different memory for that song. But it'll be full of hits, obviously, but we're going to elevate it from a kind of visual aspect as well." Q: What was it like working all together on the album? Filan: “It was great to have Mark on there. Obviously, he can't tour with us at the moment, he's unable to, but it was very important obviously that he was on the songs and he's singing better than ever … one of the songs coming out is some of his best vocals … We can't wait to have him back obviously as well when he's ready." Q: You recently performed at the Royal Albert Hall. What was that like? Byrne: “It just felt like an event … the Oscars meets a brilliant wedding and we were on fire … And now it's like, ‘Wow, did that just happen?’ We're tired today, but by next Saturday we'll be going ‘Right lads, how do we do this again? Where could we go next?’ And the truth is, who knows? Can it be … Madison Square Garden? Can it be the Sphere? There are no rules." Q: How does the success you imagined in those early days compare to the reality? Egan: "I don't think any of us would have ever been able to say to our young selves ‘This is what you're going to be doing when you're 45 … We like to think we're normal guys … yes, we're in this big pop act and we travel around the world … but we go home and we live quite normal lives … We’ll be back to taking the bins out tomorrow." (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alison Williams)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Marie-Louise Gumuchian LONDON (Reuters) -Westlife celebrate 25 years with a new album and tour they say will take fans down memory lane as well as treat them to "the best show" the Irish pop group have ever done. The boy band, formed in 1998 when its original five members were teenagers, has sold more than 55 million records and scored 14 UK No. 1 hits with songs such as "Swear It Again", "Flying Without Wings" and "Uptown Girl". A foursome since 2004, members Shane Filan, Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily parted ways in 2012 before reuniting in 2018. They released single "Chariot" last month, one of four new songs on upcoming album "25 – The Ultimate Collection", out in February. They also expanded their 2026 "Westlife 25: The Anniversary World Tour", which marks 25 years since their first world tour. Feehily, who in recent years has suffered health-related issues, is not joining them on tour but features on the album. In an interview with Reuters, Filan, Egan and Byrne spoke about the tour, recording with Feehily and looking back on 25 years. Below are excerpts edited for length and clarity. Q: What can fans expect from the tour? Filan: “We want to put on our best show we've ever done … probably picking the setlist is always the hardest part because every fan has a different memory for that song. But it'll be full of hits, obviously, but we're going to elevate it from a kind of visual aspect as well." Q: What was it like working all together on the album? Filan: “It was great to have Mark on there. Obviously, he can't tour with us at the moment, he's unable to, but it was very important obviously that he was on the songs and he's singing better than ever … one of the songs coming out is some of his best vocals … We can't wait to have him back obviously as well when he's ready." Q: You recently performed at the Royal Albert Hall. What was that like? Byrne: “It just felt like an event … the Oscars meets a brilliant wedding and we were on fire … And now it's like, ‘Wow, did that just happen?’ We're tired today, but by next Saturday we'll be going ‘Right lads, how do we do this again? Where could we go next?’ And the truth is, who knows? Can it be … Madison Square Garden? Can it be the Sphere? There are no rules." Q: How does the success you imagined in those early days compare to the reality? Egan: "I don't think any of us would have ever been able to say to our young selves ‘This is what you're going to be doing when you're 45 … We like to think we're normal guys … yes, we're in this big pop act and we travel around the world … but we go home and we live quite normal lives … We’ll be back to taking the bins out tomorrow." (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Alison Williams)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -English actor Jonathan Bailey, who returns to movie theaters this month in the musical film "Wicked: For Good," was named this year's "sexiest man alive" by People magazine on Monday. The 37-year-old Bailey said it was a "huge honor" to receive the pop culture accolade previously awarded to stars including Chris Hemsworth and George Clooney. "Obviously, I'm incredibly flattered. And it's completely absurd," Bailey told People with a laugh. He joked that he had only shared the news with his dog, Benson. The selection of Bailey, also known for his role as Lord Anthony in the steamy period drama "Bridgerton," was announced on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." Bailey played Prince Fiyero in last year's blockbuster "Wicked," a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz," and will reprise the role in the coming sequel "Wicked: For Good." The actor also starred in dinosaur flick "Jurassic World: Rebirth" this summer. "The Office" actor John Krasinski was named "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2024. Other actors and singers who have been given the title by People magazine's editors include Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Idris Elba and Channing Tatum. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Kate Mayberry)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -English actor Jonathan Bailey, who returns to movie theaters this month in the musical film "Wicked: For Good," was named this year's "sexiest man alive" by People magazine on Monday. The 37-year-old Bailey said it was a "huge honor" to receive the pop culture accolade previously awarded to stars including Chris Hemsworth and George Clooney. "Obviously, I'm incredibly flattered. And it's completely absurd," Bailey told People with a laugh. He joked that he had only shared the news with his dog, Benson. The selection of Bailey, also known for his role as Lord Anthony in the steamy period drama "Bridgerton," was announced on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." Bailey played Prince Fiyero in last year's blockbuster "Wicked," a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz," and will reprise the role in the coming sequel "Wicked: For Good." The actor also starred in dinosaur flick "Jurassic World: Rebirth" this summer. "The Office" actor John Krasinski was named "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2024. Other actors and singers who have been given the title by People magazine's editors include Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Idris Elba and Channing Tatum. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Kate Mayberry)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Patricia Reaney (Reuters) -American actress Diane Ladd, a triple Academy Award nominee for her supporting roles in "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," "Wild at Heart" and "Rambling Rose," has died at the age of 89, her daughter said on Monday. Ladd died at her home in California, said Laura Dern, Ladd's daughter with ex-husband Bruce Dern. Both Bruce and Laura are also actors. Ladd was known for playing strong, intelligent and complex women in roles including a sassy waitress, a domineering, mentally ill mother and an eccentric 1930s housewife during a seven-decade career that began on stage in the 1950s. The tall blonde starred in films such as "White Lightning" (1973), David Lynch's 1990 crime drama "Wild at Heart" (1990), the black comedy "Citizen Ruth" (1996), "Daddy and Them" (2001) and HBO's "Enlightened" (2011), with her daughter. The two often played mother and daughter. Ladd and Dern were both nominated for an Academy Award for the 1991 drama "Rambling Rose." They were the first, and only, mother-daughter duo to receive Oscar nominations for the same film in the same year. "She is just the greatest actress, ever. You don't even use the word brave because she just shows up like that in life. She doesn't care what anybody thinks," Dern said of her mother. "She leads with a boundarylessness," she added in a 2019 interview with "Inside the Actors Studio." The mother-daughter duo's talents extended beyond acting. In 2023, they published a joint memoir, "Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life, Death, Love." The book was based on their conversations during daily walks together after Ladd was diagnosed with a lung disease and given only months to live. Her doctor recommended the walks to strengthen her lungs. "The more we talked and the deeper and more complicated of subjects we shared, my mother got better and better and better," Dern said in an interview with National Public Radio in 2023. "It's been a great gift." SOUTHERN BELLE Diane Ladd was born Rose Diane Lanier on November 29, 1935, in the small town of Meridian, Mississippi. She was the only child of a country veterinarian and an actress and housewife. From a young age, the precocious child who finished school at 16 knew she wanted to act. "Somehow in my soul, even as a child, I felt I was going to be an actress," Ladd said with a southern lilt in a 2022 talk at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. She was offered a college scholarship but instead opted to try her luck in New York where she worked as a model and Copacabana dancer. She joined the Actor's Studio, which is known for method acting. Ladd made her New York stage debut in 1952 in the off-Broadway production of "Orpheus Descending" by Tennessee Williams, who was her third cousin. It was also where she met her first husband, Bruce Dern. The actress worked in classic 1960s TV dramas such as "Perry Mason," "77 Sunset Strip" and "The Fugitive" before being cast in Roger Corman's 1966 motorcycle saga "The Wild Angels" with her husband Dern, Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra. Two years later, Ladd made her Broadway debut in "Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights." She had more than 120 TV and film credits, including Roman Polansky's "Chinatown" (1974) and David O. Russell's 2015 comedy/drama "Joy," and she earned three Emmy nominations in the 1990s for guest roles in "Touched by an Angel," "Grace Under Fire" and "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman." Ladd also wrote short stories and screenplays, and directed and starred in the 1995 comedy "Mrs. Munck" with Bruce Dern. Ladd, Dern and their daughter Laura were each awarded side-by-side stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a triple ceremony in 2010. "Diane is a Renaissance woman," film producer Barbara Boyle said during the ceremony. "She has uncanny perception and insight into people that informs her acting and directing." In her 2006 memoir "Spiraling Through the School of Life," Ladd wrote about the high and low points of her life, including the death of her first daughter in a tragic accident in 1962 when she was a toddler. Deeply spiritual, Ladd was a proponent of complementary and alternative medicine. After being told she would never be able to have another child, her second daughter, Laura, was born five years later. Ladd was married three times and continued to work into her 80s. "Art is just a mirror, and that's why we go see movies: to learn who we are," she told the New York Times in 2023. (Reporting by Patricia Reaney in New York, Additional reporting by Danielle Broadway in Los Angeles, Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)