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By Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES, Jan 29 (Reuters) – – The music industry will hand out its highest honors on Sunday at the Grammy Awards, where Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga will battle for the most coveted album of the year prize and a chance to make history. Trevor Noah is returning to host for a sixth time, which he says will be his last Grammys gig. The show will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at 5 p.m. Los Angeles time (0100 GMT on Monday).  Any of the three artists could take home the album accolade during the ceremony in Los Angeles, awards experts say. None of the musicians has ever won the honor, which last year went to Beyonce for "Cowboy Carter." A 'SUPER TIGHT' THREE-WAY RACE "It's going to be super tight," Paul Grein, awards editor at Billboard, said of the album category. Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper who is scheduled to headline next month's Super Bowl halftime show, is in the running for "Debi Tirar Más Fotos." It would be the first Spanish-language album to win in the category since the Grammys began 68 years ago. If Lamar wins for "GNX," he would be the first solo male rapper to win the award. Only two hip-hop musicians have been honored in the category – female artist Lauryn Hill and the duo Outkast. For pop singer Lady Gaga, the album prize would be the first of her celebrated career. She has never won any of the top four Grammy prizes despite more than two decades in the music business. This year, she is competing with the album "Mayhem." Grein predicted the trophy would go to Lamar, who won five Grammys a year ago for the single "Not Like Us." Current events may boost support for Bad Bunny, Grein said. BAD BUNNY SKIPPED U.S. SHOWS FOR FEAR OF FEDERAL RAIDS The singer skipped the continental United States on his recent concert tour, saying he feared federal agents carrying out U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown would show up to arrest his fans. His selection for the coming Super Bowl halftime show on February 8 also drew objections from critics who argued the National Football League championship game's entertainment should be performed in English. "I think the culture wars work in his favor," Grein said. "There are people who will vote for him in part – not only for this reason, but in part – as a rebuke to President Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric." Lamar and Gaga are represented by Universal Music Group. Bad Bunny is signed by Puerto Rican label Rimas Entertainment. Grammy winners will be chosen by the roughly 15,000 voting members of the Recording Academy — industry peers including artists, songwriters, producers and engineers — whose ranks have been revamped over the past seven years to increase diversity. About 1,000 Latin Grammys voters became eligible to vote this year, and 73% of members have joined since 2019. Recording Academy Chief Executive Harvey Mason Jr. said the changes reflect the growing popularity of different types of music such as KPop and Afrobeats that now have fans around the world. "For us, the academy, we had to keep up with that," he said. "We have to make sure we are responsible and we're honoring music regardless of where it comes from." KPop will be represented in the song of the year category, an honor for songwriters. "Golden," from Netflix movie "KPop Demon Hunters," will face off with "APT.," a duet between KPop singer Rosé and Bruno Mars. "APT." also will vie for record of the year, given to the performers and producers, against Lamar's "luther" collaboration with SZA and Gaga's "Abracadabra." In the best new artist category, R&B and soul musician Leon Thomas is considered a frontrunner. He received six Grammy nominations in total including an album of the year nod for "Mutt." His competitors include British soul-pop singer Olivia Dean and pop musician Alex Warren. Scheduled performers include Sabrina Carpenter, Addison Rae and all eight best new artist nominees. Producers promised some surprise appearances among performers and presenters who have not been announced. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Rollo Ross; Editing by Howard Goller)

(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 Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES, Jan 29 (Reuters) – – The music industry will hand out its highest honors on Sunday at the Grammy Awards, where Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga will battle for the most coveted album of the year prize and a chance to make history. Trevor Noah is returning to host for a sixth time, which he says will be his last Grammys gig. The show will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at 5 p.m. Los Angeles time (0100 GMT on Monday).  Any of the three artists could take home the album accolade during the ceremony in Los Angeles, awards experts say. None of the musicians has ever won the honor, which last year went to Beyonce for "Cowboy Carter." A 'SUPER TIGHT' THREE-WAY RACE "It's going to be super tight," Paul Grein, awards editor at Billboard, said of the album category. Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican rapper who is scheduled to headline next month's Super Bowl halftime show, is in the running for "Debi Tirar Más Fotos." It would be the first Spanish-language album to win in the category since the Grammys began 68 years ago. If Lamar wins for "GNX," he would be the first solo male rapper to win the award. Only two hip-hop musicians have been honored in the category – female artist Lauryn Hill and the duo Outkast. For pop singer Lady Gaga, the album prize would be the first of her celebrated career. She has never won any of the top four Grammy prizes despite more than two decades in the music business. This year, she is competing with the album "Mayhem." Grein predicted the trophy would go to Lamar, who won five Grammys a year ago for the single "Not Like Us." Current events may boost support for Bad Bunny, Grein said. BAD BUNNY SKIPPED U.S. SHOWS FOR FEAR OF FEDERAL RAIDS The singer skipped the continental United States on his recent concert tour, saying he feared federal agents carrying out U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown would show up to arrest his fans. His selection for the coming Super Bowl halftime show on February 8 also drew objections from critics who argued the National Football League championship game's entertainment should be performed in English. "I think the culture wars work in his favor," Grein said. "There are people who will vote for him in part – not only for this reason, but in part – as a rebuke to President Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric." Lamar and Gaga are represented by Universal Music Group. Bad Bunny is signed by Puerto Rican label Rimas Entertainment. Grammy winners will be chosen by the roughly 15,000 voting members of the Recording Academy — industry peers including artists, songwriters, producers and engineers — whose ranks have been revamped over the past seven years to increase diversity. About 1,000 Latin Grammys voters became eligible to vote this year, and 73% of members have joined since 2019. Recording Academy Chief Executive Harvey Mason Jr. said the changes reflect the growing popularity of different types of music such as KPop and Afrobeats that now have fans around the world. "For us, the academy, we had to keep up with that," he said. "We have to make sure we are responsible and we're honoring music regardless of where it comes from." KPop will be represented in the song of the year category, an honor for songwriters. "Golden," from Netflix movie "KPop Demon Hunters," will face off with "APT.," a duet between KPop singer Rosé and Bruno Mars. "APT." also will vie for record of the year, given to the performers and producers, against Lamar's "luther" collaboration with SZA and Gaga's "Abracadabra." In the best new artist category, R&B and soul musician Leon Thomas is considered a frontrunner. He received six Grammy nominations in total including an album of the year nod for "Mutt." His competitors include British soul-pop singer Olivia Dean and pop musician Alex Warren. Scheduled performers include Sabrina Carpenter, Addison Rae and all eight best new artist nominees. Producers promised some surprise appearances among performers and presenters who have not been announced. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Rollo Ross; Editing by Howard Goller)

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

NUREMBERG, Germany, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Mattel launched a new line of action figures on Thursday for its upcoming live-action movie "Masters of the Universe", aiming to repeat the success of its 2023 smash hit "Barbie". The toymaker has more than a dozen movies in development as it looks to reinvigorate its brands and spur demand. "Masters of the Universe" is Mattel's second major theatrical release after "Barbie", which grossed more than $1.4 billion worldwide and won an Academy Award. The toy launch builds on momentum from the new movie's first teaser trailer, released last week, which has since racked up more than 30 million YouTube views. Roberto Stanichi, Mattel's chief global brand officer, said there was a lot of nostalgia for a toy line that first came out in the 1980s. "So we've been waiting for the right moment to bring it back in a way that really delivers on the legacy", he said at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair in Germany. The decision to relaunch the brand was driven by Mattel finding the right team to make the movie, led by Oscar-nominated director Travis Knight, he told Reuters. The action figures – including He-Man, Skeletor and Evil-Lyn – will retail for about $25 and roll out globally from April, around two months before the movie, starring Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, hits theatres. The cast includes Jared Leto as the villain Skeletor, as well as Idris Elba, Alison Brie and Camila Mendes. (Reporting by Louisa Off in Nuremberg and Miranda Murray in Berlin. Editing by Mark Potter)

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

NUREMBERG, Germany, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Mattel launched a new line of action figures on Thursday for its upcoming live-action movie "Masters of the Universe", aiming to repeat the success of its 2023 smash hit "Barbie". The toymaker has more than a dozen movies in development as it looks to reinvigorate its brands and spur demand. "Masters of the Universe" is Mattel's second major theatrical release after "Barbie", which grossed more than $1.4 billion worldwide and won an Academy Award. The toy launch builds on momentum from the new movie's first teaser trailer, released last week, which has since racked up more than 30 million YouTube views. Roberto Stanichi, Mattel's chief global brand officer, said there was a lot of nostalgia for a toy line that first came out in the 1980s. "So we've been waiting for the right moment to bring it back in a way that really delivers on the legacy", he said at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair in Germany. The decision to relaunch the brand was driven by Mattel finding the right team to make the movie, led by Oscar-nominated director Travis Knight, he told Reuters. The action figures – including He-Man, Skeletor and Evil-Lyn – will retail for about $25 and roll out globally from April, around two months before the movie, starring Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, hits theatres. The cast includes Jared Leto as the villain Skeletor, as well as Idris Elba, Alison Brie and Camila Mendes. (Reporting by Louisa Off in Nuremberg and Miranda Murray in Berlin. Editing by Mark Potter)

(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 Hanna Rantala LONDON, Jan 28 ((Reuters)) – Actors Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo reunite in the new heist thriller "Crime 101", which had its European gala premiere in London on Wednesday – the Marvel Cinematic Universe co-stars' fifth collaboration. Hemsworth plays Mike Davis, a high-end thief who has managed to evade capture while carrying out a string of heists along the 101 Freeway. Spotting a pattern, detective Lou Lubesnick (Ruffalo) starts closing in on Davis just as he teams up with disillusioned insurance broker Sharon (Halle Berry) for a major robbery, upending the lives of all three.     "I signed on to the film first. I read the script and thought of Mark, texted Mark and he said, 'Oh my God, this is one of the greatest things I've read'," Hemsworth said at the film's London premiere on Wednesday. "To get back together with him, he's such a wonderful person…it was a dream."    The film sees Davis carefully selecting his targets, acting fast and without violence. It shows off both his skill set and his emotional side, as well as the psychological warfare between the characters, Hemsworth said.    "It's a very different character than I'd played before. It was about sort of shedding a lot of the default mechanisms or tools I had applied through, especially action films, and films where there was a lot of strength and posturing and showmanship," Hemsworth said.    Berry, 59, found the struggles of the high-performing Sharon, who keeps being passed over for a promotion at work, relatable.    "This is a woman that's very close to me, being a woman of a certain age and feeling like at this certain age the world is trying to diminish me in some way or tell me that my time is up and that things are over," Berry said. "I just refuse to accept that. It's not over. I'm just getting started."    Also starring Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro and Nick Nolte, "Crime 101" is written and directed by Bart Layton and based on the 2020 novella of the same name by Don Winslow. It begins its global theatrical rollout on February 12. (Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Michael Perry)

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

(Removes extraneous words paragraph 3, no other changes to text) By Hanna Rantala LONDON, Jan 28 ((Reuters)) – Actors Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo reunite in the new heist thriller "Crime 101", which had its European gala premiere in London on Wednesday – the Marvel Cinematic Universe co-stars' fifth collaboration. Hemsworth plays Mike Davis, a high-end thief who has managed to evade capture while carrying out a string of heists along the 101 Freeway. Spotting a pattern, detective Lou Lubesnick (Ruffalo) starts closing in on Davis just as he teams up with disillusioned insurance broker Sharon (Halle Berry) for a major robbery, upending the lives of all three.     "I signed on to the film first. I read the script and thought of Mark, texted Mark and he said, 'Oh my God, this is one of the greatest things I've read'," Hemsworth said in London. "To get back together with him, he's such a wonderful person…it was a dream."    The film sees Davis carefully selecting his targets, acting fast and without violence. It shows off both his skill set and his emotional side, as well as the psychological warfare between the characters, Hemsworth said.    "It's a very different character than I'd played before. It was about sort of shedding a lot of the default mechanisms or tools I had applied through, especially action films, and films where there was a lot of strength and posturing and showmanship," Hemsworth said.    Berry, 59, found the struggles of the high-performing Sharon, who keeps being passed over for a promotion at work, relatable.    "This is a woman that's very close to me, being a woman of a certain age and feeling like at this certain age the world is trying to diminish me in some way or tell me that my time is up and that things are over," Berry said. "I just refuse to accept that. It's not over. I'm just getting started."    Also starring Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro and Nick Nolte, "Crime 101" is written and directed by Bart Layton and based on the 2020 novella of the same name by Don Winslow. It begins its global theatrical rollout on February 12. (Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Michael Perry)

(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 Mike Scarcella WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire testified on Wednesday at the U.S. criminal tax trial of Tom Goldstein, telling jurors in Greenbelt, Maryland that he once hired the prominent American lawyer to help recover more than $7 million in poker winnings. Maguire said he met Goldstein, a former top U.S. Supreme Court lawyer, through “poker circles.” The actor, who starred as Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s 2002 blockbuster film, recounted learning poker in his youth, before later playing in casinos and at private homes. Federal prosecutors allege that Goldstein concealed his true finances while leading a “high roller” lifestyle as a high-stakes card player. Maguire turned to Goldstein in 2020 and 2021 to recover more than $7 million that the actor said he won playing poker with a Texas businessman. Maguire, who is not accused of wrongdoing, testified that Goldstein had him route his $500,000 legal fee to a third party rather than pay it directly to Goldstein. Prosecutors, who called Maguire to testify on the eighth day of trial, allege Goldstein used the payment to pay off one of his own poker debts. A lawyer for Goldstein said that it was common in the poker world to have three-way transactions to resolve debts. Maguire declined to comment after his testimony. Goldstein pleaded not guilty last year to charges he failed to report millions of dollars he won in poker games, lied on loan documents and made improper payments through his law firm Goldstein & Russell.  He contends that he relied on his accountants and law office managers for tax and financial matters, and never willfully violated any federal laws. Goldstein co-founded the SCOTUSblog news website and argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court before retiring in 2023. His trial is expected to last about four weeks. Professional poker player Vivek Rajkumar also testified on Wednesday and recounted having won $200,000 to $300,000 in matches with Goldstein. “He was an unpredictable player, I would say — definitely capable of bluffing,” Rajkumar said, describing his opponent. “A smart player, but wasn't afraid to gamble.” (Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by David Bario, Rod Nickel)

(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 Mike Scarcella WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire testified on Wednesday at the U.S. criminal tax trial of Tom Goldstein, telling jurors in Greenbelt, Maryland that he once hired the prominent American lawyer to help recover more than $7 million in poker winnings. Maguire said he met Goldstein, a former top U.S. Supreme Court lawyer, through “poker circles.” The actor, who starred as Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s 2002 blockbuster film, recounted learning poker in his youth, before later playing in casinos and at private homes. Federal prosecutors allege that Goldstein concealed his true finances while leading a “high roller” lifestyle as a high-stakes card player. Maguire turned to Goldstein in 2020 and 2021 to recover more than $7 million that the actor said he won playing poker with a Texas businessman. Maguire, who is not accused of wrongdoing, testified that Goldstein had him route his $500,000 legal fee to a third party rather than pay it directly to Goldstein. Prosecutors, who called Maguire to testify on the eighth day of trial, allege Goldstein used the payment to pay off one of his own poker debts. A lawyer for Goldstein said that it was common in the poker world to have three-way transactions to resolve debts. Maguire declined to comment after his testimony. Goldstein pleaded not guilty last year to charges he failed to report millions of dollars he won in poker games, lied on loan documents and made improper payments through his law firm Goldstein & Russell.  He contends that he relied on his accountants and law office managers for tax and financial matters, and never willfully violated any federal laws. Goldstein co-founded the SCOTUSblog news website and argued more than 40 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court before retiring in 2023. His trial is expected to last about four weeks. Professional poker player Vivek Rajkumar also testified on Wednesday and recounted having won $200,000 to $300,000 in matches with Goldstein. “He was an unpredictable player, I would say — definitely capable of bluffing,” Rajkumar said, describing his opponent. “A smart player, but wasn't afraid to gamble.” (Reporting by Mike Scarcella; Editing by David Bario, Rod Nickel)

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