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By Luc Cohen and Jack Queen NEW YORK (Reuters) -Sean "Diddy" Combs is due to be sentenced on Friday for prostitution-related charges, with prosecutors pushing for the hip-hop mogul to spend more than a decade in prison and the defense urging his swift release.  A jury on July 2 convicted Combs, 55, on two counts of arranging for paid male escorts to travel across state lines to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances – sometimes known as "Freak Offs" – with Combs' girlfriends while he recorded video and masturbated. The jury acquitted him on the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, which could have earned him a life sentence.  Combs pleaded not guilty and is expected to appeal his conviction after sentencing. The founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs is credited with elevating hip-hop's stature in American culture. The New York-born entrepreneur is one of the most prominent men in the entertainment industry to have faced trial on sex crimes charges.  U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian is due to sentence Combs at a hearing in Manhattan starting at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT). Combs faces up to 20 years in prison, though the judge has a wide degree of discretion in crafting a punishment. Combs, who has been behind bars at a Brooklyn jail since his conviction, is expected to address the court.  In a four-page letter to Subramanian, filed with the court on Thursday, Combs apologized "for all the hurt and pain that I caused others by my conduct," and asked the judge for mercy, saying, "I lost my way." "Lost in the drugs and excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness," he wrote, adding that the ordeal of incarceration had left him "humbled and broken to my core." He also said he was now sober for the first time in 25 years. Combs' lawyers also want to play an 11-minute video about him for the court at the hearing. The video shows Combs with his family, speaking to school children, and running the New York marathon to raise money for charity.  A former personal assistant to Combs, known in court by the pseudonym Mia, is also expected to speak. Mia testified at his trial that he raped her multiple times.  TRIAL CENTERED ON 'FREAK OFFS'  Over the course of a two-month trial earlier this year, prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office argued Combs coerced two of his former girlfriends – the rhythm-and-blues singer Casandra Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane – into partaking in the performances through violence and threats to withhold financial support.  Jurors saw surveillance footage of Combs kicking and dragging Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016, an incident she testified took place after a Freak Off. Jane testified that Combs last year attacked her and told her to perform oral sex on a male escort after she said she did not want to.  Combs' lawyers acknowledged he had physically abused his girlfriends, but argued they willingly took part in the sexual performances. Both Ventura and Jane testified that they at times took part consensually because they loved Combs and wanted to please him.  COMBS TAUGHT JAIL COURSE Prosecutors are pushing for Combs to spend 11-1/4 years in prison.  Defense lawyers say the appropriate sentence is 14 months, which would mean Combs would be released by the end of the year after receiving credit for time served. In pushing for leniency, Combs' lawyers said he helped his fellow inmates at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center by teaching a six-week course on business management and personal development called "Free Game with Diddy." As part of the class, inmates were required to write an essay about "lessons learned from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' journey," court filings show. Combs' sentence could hinge in part on how much weight Subramanian gives to evidence he physically abused his girlfriends. Defense lawyers say Combs' acquittal on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges means that evidence of his abuse should play no role at sentencing. "The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily," Combs wrote in his letter to the judge, expressing remorse and "shame" for the incident. "I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved." Prosecutors said federal guidelines call for higher sentences when crimes involve threats or bodily injury. They said other people convicted on prostitution-related offenses involving violence regularly face significant penalties.  "The defendant should be no exception," prosecutors wrote in a September 30 filing, "particularly when his history and characteristics demonstrate years of violence." (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York;Editing by Noeleen Walder and Nick Zieminski)

(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 Luc Cohen and Jack Queen NEW YORK (Reuters) -Sean "Diddy" Combs is due to be sentenced on Friday for prostitution-related charges, with prosecutors pushing for the hip-hop mogul to spend more than a decade in prison and the defense urging his swift release.  A jury on July 2 convicted Combs, 55, on two counts of arranging for paid male escorts to travel across state lines to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances – sometimes known as "Freak Offs" – with Combs' girlfriends while he recorded video and masturbated. The jury acquitted him on the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, which could have earned him a life sentence.  Combs pleaded not guilty and is expected to appeal his conviction after sentencing. The founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs is credited with elevating hip-hop's stature in American culture. The New York-born entrepreneur is one of the most prominent men in the entertainment industry to have faced trial on sex crimes charges.  U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian is due to sentence Combs at a hearing in Manhattan starting at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT). Combs faces up to 20 years in prison, though the judge has a wide degree of discretion in crafting a punishment. Combs, who has been behind bars at a Brooklyn jail since his conviction, is expected to address the court. In a four-page letter to Subramanian, filed with the court on Thursday, Combs apologized "for all the hurt and pain that I caused others by my conduct," and asked the judge for mercy, saying, "I lost my way." "Lost in the drugs and excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness," he wrote, adding that the ordeal of incarceration had left him "humbled and broken to my core." He also said he was now sober for the first time in 25 years. A former personal assistant to Combs, known in court by the pseudonym Mia, is also expected to speak. Mia testified at his trial that he raped her multiple times.  TRIAL CENTERED ON 'FREAK OFFS'  Over the course of a two-month trial earlier this year, prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office argued Combs coerced two of his former girlfriends – the rhythm-and-blues singer Casandra Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane – into partaking in the performances through violence and threats to withhold financial support.  Jurors saw surveillance footage of Combs kicking and dragging Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016, an incident she testified took place after a Freak Off. Jane testified that Combs last year attacked her and told her to perform oral sex on a male escort after she said she did not want to.  Combs' lawyers acknowledged he had physically abused his girlfriends, but argued they willingly took part in the sexual performances. Both Ventura and Jane testified that they at times took part consensually because they loved Combs and wanted to please him.  COMBS TAUGHT JAIL COURSE Prosecutors are pushing for Combs to spend 11-1/4 years in prison.  Defense lawyers say the appropriate sentence is 14 months, which would mean Combs would be released by the end of the year after receiving credit for time served. In pushing for leniency, Combs' lawyers said he helped his fellow inmates at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center by teaching a six-week course on business management and personal development called "Free Game with Diddy." As part of the class, inmates were required to write an essay about "lessons learned from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' journey," court filings show. Combs' sentence could hinge in part on how much weight Subramanian gives to evidence he physically abused his girlfriends. Defense lawyers say Combs' acquittal on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges means that evidence of his abuse should play no role at sentencing. "The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily," Combs wrote in his letter to the judge, expressing remorse and "shame" for the incident. "I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved." Prosecutors said federal guidelines call for higher sentences when crimes involve threats or bodily injury. They said other people convicted on prostitution-related offenses involving violence regularly face significant penalties.    "The defendant should be no exception," prosecutors wrote in a September 30 filing, "particularly when his history and characteristics demonstrate years of violence." (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York;Editing by Noeleen Walder and Nick Zieminski)

(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 Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES, October 3 (Reuters) -Superstar Taylor Swift's 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," arrived on Friday with a promotional blitz including midnight sales at Target stores, a release party at movie theaters around the globe and pop-up experiences in New York and Los Angeles. It follows "The Tortured Poets Department", which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and sold the equivalent of 8 million albums in the United States, according to Luminate, a firm that tracks music sales. Swift's latest offering is expected to be similarly lapped up by her huge global fan base, even though the music press gave the release a mixed response.    "With this album it's exactly where I am at in my life," Swift told Britain's Capital Breakfast radio show, kicking off promotional appearances. "I am exactly in the same spot as I was when I made this record so it feels very accurate to my life experience right now." Many critics praised the upbeat songs and humour on the 12-song album, whose title track features Sabrina Carpenter. Rolling Stone gave it five stars saying Swift "shoots into a fresh echelon of superstardom — and hits all her marks", while Britain's BBC called it "a triumphant pop victory lap". Awarding it two stars, The Financial Times and Guardian newspapers were cooler, with the former saying the album was "charismatic as ever, but lacks sparkle" and the latter describing it as "dull razzle-dazzle from a star who seems frazzled". 'RARE POSITION' Swift has been building anticipation for the album since August 11, when she posted a countdown on her website that kept fans waiting until 12:12 a.m. ET on August 12, when she revealed the new record. The next day, she appeared on the "New Heights" podcast hosted by her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jason Kelce. The Top-10 rated sports and pop-culture podcast provided a friendly platform for Swift to talk about the album, which she said had been inspired by the joy she felt while performing around the world on her record-setting Eras Tour. The August 13 episode has surpassed 23.4 million views on YouTube.   "She occupies a very rare position in today's fragmented music landscape: she is an active superstar with a massive and loyal fan base," said Tatiana Cirisano, vice president of music strategy for MIDiA Research. These passionate followers, or "Swifties," help the artist rise to the top of the charts, said Cirisano. "So few can get such a massive number of people listening to the same thing at once. So, it would surprise me a lot if the new release did not reach her usual level of success," she said.      Swift's globe-trotting Eras Tour was the highest-grossing tour of all time, surpassing $2 billion in ticket sales by the time it concluded in December 2024, according to Pollstar, a trade publication that tracks the concert industry. That figure does not include the boost to hotel and Airbnb rentals, restaurant tabs and merchandise sales.  Academics have said Swift rivals other pop icons, like Elvis or Michael Jackson, in terms of her cultural impact — whether it's driving tune-in to NFL gamesor leading voter registration drives. Business partners have been eager to tap into the phenomenon that's been dubbed "Swiftonomics." AMC Theatres announced plans to distribute "The Official Release Party of a Showgirl," an 89-minute film that features the album's first music video, "The Fate of Ophelia," behind-the-scenes footage, and Swift's reflections on the album's songs. It will be in limited release, from Friday through Sunday, in more than 50 markets. Retailer Target opened some stores at midnight to sell a limited-edition vinyl pressing of the album with a "gold shimmer," and three CDs featuring exclusive album and poster art. Music streaming service Spotify opened a three-day pop-up in New York on Tuesday, with song lyrics hidden among displays that included a dressing room and other trappings of a concert tour. On Friday, TikTok opened its own "Life of a Showgirl" installation in Los Angeles. Swift's promotional appearances include stops on "The Graham Norton Show" on Friday, "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Monday and "Late Night with Seth Meyers" on Wednesday. (Additional reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian in London; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Toby Chopra)

(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 Aditya Kalra and Arpan Chaturvedi NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Hundreds of AI-generated Bollywood videos with 16 million views have been deleted from Google's YouTube after Reuters reported they were similar to those at the centre of a legal challenge filed by a celebrity couple to protect their rights. Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have asked a New Delhi judge to remove and prohibit creation of AI videos infringing their intellectual property rights. Their lawsuits also challenge YouTube's AI training policy. While a judge had ordered the takedown of a handful of YouTube links last month which the actors sought, Reuters reported this week that the platform was still showing hundreds of other similar videos, some showing celebrities kissing or their lookalikes romancing through AI manipulation. One such popular YouTube channel sharing "AI-generated Bollywood love stories" has been removed. It previously had 259 videos, some sexually explicit in nature, that had been viewed 16.5 million times. On Friday its link stated: "This page isn't available." None of its videos are accessible anymore. YOUTUBE SAYS IT REMOVES DOCTORED, MISLEADING CONTENT YouTube said in an email to Reuters the channel flagged in the news agency's report was deleted by the creator and the content is no longer available on the platform.  It did not elaborate on that account — titled "AI Bollywood Ishq" — but said the company prohibits harmful misinformation and removes content that has been technically manipulated or doctored in a way that misleads users. A message to the email address previously listed for YouTube channel @AIbollywoodishq bounced back on Friday. The owner had not responded to Reuters queries earlier this week. With around 600 million users, India is YouTube's biggest market globally, and it is popular for entertainment content like Bollywood videos. The most popular video on the now-deleted channel was a video with 4.1 million views showing an AI animation of Salman Khan and Aishwarya in a swimming pool. Khan was in a relationship with Aishwarya long before her marriage. Representatives for Khan and the Bachchans did not immediately respond to Reuters queries on Friday. Some other videos similar to the examples cited in Abhishek's lawsuit papers on YouTube were still online as of Friday. Among them were a clip showing Abhishek posing but then suddenly kissing a film actress using AI manipulation, and an AI depiction of Aishwarya and Khan enjoying a meal together, while Abhishek Bachchan fumes. The Bachchans are seeking $450,000 in damages against Google and other little-known websites offering unauthorised merchandise with images of them. (Reporting by Aditya Kalra, Editing by William Maclean)

(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 Aditya Kalra and Arpan Chaturvedi NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Hundreds of AI-generated Bollywood videos with 16 million views have been deleted from Google's YouTube after Reuters reported they were similar to those at the centre of a legal challenge filed by a celebrity couple to protect their rights. Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have asked a New Delhi judge to remove and prohibit creation of AI videos infringing their intellectual property rights. Their lawsuits also challenge YouTube's AI training policy. While a judge had ordered the takedown of a handful of YouTube links last month which the actors sought, Reuters reported this week that the platform was still showing hundreds of other similar videos, some showing celebrities kissing or their lookalikes romancing through AI manipulation. One such popular YouTube channel sharing "AI-generated Bollywood love stories" has been removed. It previously had 259 videos, some sexually explicit in nature, that had been viewed 16.5 million times. On Friday its link stated: "This page isn't available." None of its videos are accessible anymore. YOUTUBE SAYS IT REMOVES DOCTORED, MISLEADING CONTENT YouTube said in an email to Reuters the channel flagged in the news agency's report was deleted by the creator and the content is no longer available on the platform.  It did not elaborate on that account — titled "AI Bollywood Ishq" — but said the company prohibits harmful misinformation and removes content that has been technically manipulated or doctored in a way that misleads users. A message to the email address previously listed for YouTube channel @AIbollywoodishq bounced back on Friday. The owner had not responded to Reuters queries earlier this week. With around 600 million users, India is YouTube's biggest market globally, and it is popular for entertainment content like Bollywood videos. The most popular video on the now-deleted channel was a video with 4.1 million views showing an AI animation of Salman Khan and Aishwarya in a swimming pool. Khan was in a relationship with Aishwarya long before her marriage. Representatives for Khan and the Bachchans did not immediately respond to Reuters queries on Friday. Some other videos similar to the examples cited in Abhishek's lawsuit papers on YouTube were still online as of Friday. Among them were a clip showing Abhishek posing but then suddenly kissing a film actress using AI manipulation, and an AI depiction of Aishwarya and Khan enjoying a meal together, while Abhishek Bachchan fumes. The Bachchans are seeking $450,000 in damages against Google and other little-known websites offering unauthorised merchandise with images of them. (Reporting by Aditya Kalra, Editing by William Maclean)

(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 Luc Cohen and Jack Queen NEW YORK (Reuters) -Sean "Diddy" Combs is due to be sentenced on Friday for prostitution-related charges, with prosecutors pushing for the hip-hop mogul to spend more than a decade in prison and the defense urging his swift release.  A jury on July 2 convicted Combs, 55, on two counts of arranging for paid male escorts to travel across state lines to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances – sometimes known as "Freak Offs" – with Combs' girlfriends while he recorded video and masturbated. The jury acquitted him on the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, which could have earned him a life sentence.  Combs pleaded not guilty and is expected to appeal his conviction after sentencing. The founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs is credited with elevating hip-hop's stature in American culture. The New York-born entrepreneur is one of the most prominent men in the entertainment industry to have faced trial on sex crimes charges.  U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian is due to sentence Combs at a hearing in Manhattan starting at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT). Combs faces up to 20 years in prison, though the judge has a wide degree of discretion in crafting a punishment. Combs, who has been behind bars at a Brooklyn jail since his conviction, is expected to address the court. In a four-page letter to Subramanian, filed with the court on Thursday, Combs apologized "for all the hurt and pain that I caused others by my conduct," and asked the judge for mercy, saying, "I lost my way." "Lost in the drugs and excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness," he wrote, adding that the ordeal of incarceration had left him "humbled and broken to my core." He also said he was now sober for the first time in 25 years. A former personal assistant to Combs, known in court by the pseudonym Mia, is also expected to speak. Mia testified at his trial that he raped her multiple times.  TRIAL CENTERED ON 'FREAK OFFS'  Over the course of a two-month trial earlier this year, prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office argued Combs coerced two of his former girlfriends – the rhythm-and-blues singer Casandra Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane – into partaking in the performances through violence and threats to withhold financial support.  Jurors saw surveillance footage of Combs kicking and dragging Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016, an incident she testified took place after a Freak Off. Jane testified that Combs last year attacked her and told her to perform oral sex on a male escort after she said she did not want to.  Combs' lawyers acknowledged he had physically abused his girlfriends, but argued they willingly took part in the sexual performances. Both Ventura and Jane testified that they at times took part consensually because they loved Combs and wanted to please him.  COMBS TAUGHT JAIL COURSE Prosecutors are pushing for Combs to spend 11-1/4 years in prison.  Defense lawyers say the appropriate sentence is 14 months, which would mean Combs would be released by the end of the year after receiving credit for time served. In pushing for leniency, Combs' lawyers said he helped his fellow inmates at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center by teaching a six-week course on business management and personal development called "Free Game with Diddy." As part of the class, inmates were required to write an essay about "lessons learned from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' journey," court filings show. Combs' sentence could hinge in part on how much weight Subramanian gives to evidence he physically abused his girlfriends. Defense lawyers say Combs' acquittal on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges means that evidence of his abuse should play no role at sentencing. "The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily," Combs wrote in his letter to the judge, expressing remorse and "shame" for the incident. "I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved." Prosecutors said federal guidelines call for higher sentences when crimes involve threats or bodily injury. They said other people convicted on prostitution-related offenses involving violence regularly face significant penalties.    "The defendant should be no exception," prosecutors wrote in a September 30 filing, "particularly when his history and characteristics demonstrate years of violence." (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York;Editing by Noeleen Walder and Nick Zieminski)

(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 Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -While the lead vocalists in animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" are largely inspired by the work of other K-Pop artists, EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna said they also admire Black American hip-hop stars like Kendrick Lamar, Missy Elliott and Doechii. “I think I discovered West Coast rap in high school, and I learned a lot about storytelling, lyricism and rhythm,” Korean American rapper and singer Rei Ami said. All three vocalists told Reuters that rapper and record producer Lamar’s music had particularly impacted their musical styles. “His (Lamar’s) flow is insane, cadence, his way of writing, his way of vocal producing, I learned a lot from that,” Korean American singer and songwriter EJAE said. "KPop Demon Hunters," directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans and available on Netflix, is trending around the world. Its soundtrack has dominated the charts this summer, boasting more than 3 billion global streams to date, and breakout hit “Golden” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Netflix reported in August. The streaming platform reported on Tuesday that the movie was currently its most popular English-language film. A sing-along version of "KPop Demon Hunters" topped the domestic box office during its opening weekend on August 23 and 24, in what appeared to be a historic first for Netflix.  The action-packed movie received 2.1 billion on-demand audio and video streams in the U.S. across all platforms and earned a total of 5.4 billion minutes watched on Netflix in the U.S. by late September, according to Luminate. Luminate added it was the most-consumed soundtrack in the U.S. so far this year when looking at album sales and streaming equivalents.  FIRST LIVE PERFORMANCE WILL BE ON 'THE TONIGHT SHOW' On October 7, the singers will perform "Golden" on "The Tonight Show," marking their first-ever live performance together. "It's official," the singers said in unison, confirming their upcoming live performance debut. "These girls, it's an honor being on stage with them," Rei Ami said, noting that for her, this history-making moment is "overdue." The movie, which came out on June 20, follows a K-pop girl group called HUNTR/X, comprised of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, who are also a trio of demon hunters that perform K-pop music to impress fans and combat demons. EJAE, who co-wrote and performs "Golden", provides the singing voice of the group's lead Rumi, while Rei Ami sings as Zoey and Audrey Nuna is the vocalist for Mira. The film was produced by Sony Pictures Animation. With the musical movie continuing to trend, directors Kang and Appelhans said they are considering what the future may hold. Both said they are thinking about a potential sequel, but right now, they are just trying to take their busy schedules day by day. They are also appreciative of the Oscar and Grammy awards buzz they have received. “It’s an honor to be even recognized, to be potential nominees,” Kang said. (Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Jane Ross; Editing by Mary Milliken and Jamie Freed)

(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 Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES, October 3 (Reuters) -Superstar Taylor Swift's 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," arrived on Friday with a promotional blitz including midnight sales at Target stores, a release party at movie theaters around the globe and pop-up experiences in New York and Los Angeles. It follows "The Tortured Poets Department", which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and sold the equivalent of 8 million albums in the United States, according to Luminate, a firm that tracks music sales. Swift's latest offering is expected to be similarly lapped up by her huge global fan base, even though the music press gave the release a mixed response.    "With this album it's exactly where I am at in my life," Swift told Britain's Capital Breakfast radio show, kicking off promotional appearances. "I am exactly in the same spot as I was when I made this record so it feels very accurate to my life experience right now." Many critics praised the upbeat songs and humour on the 12-song album, whose title track features Sabrina Carpenter. Rolling Stone gave it five stars saying Swift "shoots into a fresh echelon of superstardom — and hits all her marks", while Britain's BBC called it "a triumphant pop victory lap". Awarding it two stars, The Financial Times and Guardian newspapers were cooler, with the former saying the album was "charismatic as ever, but lacks sparkle" and the latter describing it as "dull razzle-dazzle from a star who seems frazzled". 'RARE POSITION' Swift has been building anticipation for the album since August 11, when she posted a countdown on her website that kept fans waiting until 12:12 a.m. ET on August 12, when she revealed the new record. The next day, she appeared on the "New Heights" podcast hosted by her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jason Kelce. The Top-10 rated sports and pop-culture podcast provided a friendly platform for Swift to talk about the album, which she said had been inspired by the joy she felt while performing around the world on her record-setting Eras Tour. The August 13 episode has surpassed 23.4 million views on YouTube.   "She occupies a very rare position in today's fragmented music landscape: she is an active superstar with a massive and loyal fan base," said Tatiana Cirisano, vice president of music strategy for MIDiA Research. These passionate followers, or "Swifties," help the artist rise to the top of the charts, said Cirisano. "So few can get such a massive number of people listening to the same thing at once. So, it would surprise me a lot if the new release did not reach her usual level of success," she said.      Swift's globe-trotting Eras Tour was the highest-grossing tour of all time, surpassing $2 billion in ticket sales by the time it concluded in December 2024, according to Pollstar, a trade publication that tracks the concert industry. That figure does not include the boost to hotel and Airbnb rentals, restaurant tabs and merchandise sales.  Academics have said Swift rivals other pop icons, like Elvis or Michael Jackson, in terms of her cultural impact — whether it's driving tune-in to NFL gamesor leading voter registration drives. Business partners have been eager to tap into the phenomenon that's been dubbed "Swiftonomics." AMC Theatres announced plans to distribute "The Official Release Party of a Showgirl," an 89-minute film that features the album's first music video, "The Fate of Ophelia," behind-the-scenes footage, and Swift's reflections on the album's songs. It will be in limited release, from Friday through Sunday, in more than 50 markets. Retailer Target opened some stores at midnight to sell a limited-edition vinyl pressing of the album with a "gold shimmer," and three CDs featuring exclusive album and poster art. Music streaming service Spotify opened a three-day pop-up in New York on Tuesday, with song lyrics hidden among displays that included a dressing room and other trappings of a concert tour. On Friday, TikTok opened its own "Life of a Showgirl" installation in Los Angeles. Swift's promotional appearances include stops on "The Graham Norton Show" on Friday, "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on Monday and "Late Night with Seth Meyers" on Wednesday. (Additional reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian in London; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Toby Chopra)

(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 Aditya Kalra and Arpan Chaturvedi NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Hundreds of AI-generated Bollywood videos with 16 million views have been deleted from Google's YouTube after Reuters reported they were similar to those at the centre of a legal challenge filed by a celebrity couple to protect their rights. Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have asked a New Delhi judge to remove and prohibit creation of AI videos infringing their intellectual property rights. Their lawsuits also challenge YouTube's AI training policy. While a judge had ordered the takedown of a handful of YouTube links last month which the actors sought, Reuters reported this week that the platform was still showing hundreds of other similar videos, some showing celebrities kissing or their lookalikes romancing through AI manipulation. One such popular YouTube channel sharing "AI-generated Bollywood love stories" has been removed. It previously had 259 videos, some sexually explicit in nature, that had been viewed 16.5 million times. On Friday its link stated: "This page isn't available." None of its videos are accessible anymore. YOUTUBE SAYS IT REMOVES DOCTORED, MISLEADING CONTENT YouTube said in an email to Reuters the channel flagged in the news agency's report was deleted by the creator and the content is no longer available on the platform.  It did not elaborate on that account — titled "AI Bollywood Ishq" — but said the company prohibits harmful misinformation and removes content that has been technically manipulated or doctored in a way that misleads users. A message to the email address previously listed for YouTube channel @AIbollywoodishq bounced back on Friday. The owner had not responded to Reuters queries earlier this week. With around 600 million users, India is YouTube's biggest market globally, and it is popular for entertainment content like Bollywood videos. The most popular video on the now-deleted channel was a video with 4.1 million views showing an AI animation of Salman Khan and Aishwarya in a swimming pool. Khan was in a relationship with Aishwarya long before her marriage. Representatives for Khan and the Bachchans did not immediately respond to Reuters queries on Friday. Some other videos similar to the examples cited in Abhishek's lawsuit papers on YouTube were still online as of Friday. Among them were a clip showing Abhishek posing but then suddenly kissing a film actress using AI manipulation, and an AI depiction of Aishwarya and Khan enjoying a meal together, while Abhishek Bachchan fumes. The Bachchans are seeking $450,000 in damages against Google and other little-known websites offering unauthorised merchandise with images of them. (Reporting by Aditya Kalra, Editing by William Maclean)

(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 Aditya Kalra and Arpan Chaturvedi NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Hundreds of AI-generated Bollywood videos with 16 million views have been deleted from Google's YouTube after Reuters reported they were similar to those at the centre of a legal challenge filed by a celebrity couple to protect their rights. Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have asked a New Delhi judge to remove and prohibit creation of AI videos infringing their intellectual property rights. Their lawsuits also challenge YouTube's AI training policy. While a judge had ordered the takedown of a handful of YouTube links last month which the actors sought, Reuters reported this week that the platform was still showing hundreds of other similar videos, some showing celebrities kissing or their lookalikes romancing through AI manipulation. One such popular YouTube channel sharing "AI-generated Bollywood love stories" has been removed. It previously had 259 videos, some sexually explicit in nature, that had been viewed 16.5 million times. On Friday its link stated: "This page isn't available." None of its videos are accessible anymore. YOUTUBE SAYS IT REMOVES DOCTORED, MISLEADING CONTENT YouTube said in an email to Reuters the channel flagged in the news agency's report was deleted by the creator and the content is no longer available on the platform.  It did not elaborate on that account — titled "AI Bollywood Ishq" — but said the company prohibits harmful misinformation and removes content that has been technically manipulated or doctored in a way that misleads users. A message to the email address previously listed for YouTube channel @AIbollywoodishq bounced back on Friday. The owner had not responded to Reuters queries earlier this week. With around 600 million users, India is YouTube's biggest market globally, and it is popular for entertainment content like Bollywood videos. The most popular video on the now-deleted channel was a video with 4.1 million views showing an AI animation of Salman Khan and Aishwarya in a swimming pool. Khan was in a relationship with Aishwarya long before her marriage. Representatives for Khan and the Bachchans did not immediately respond to Reuters queries on Friday. Some other videos similar to the examples cited in Abhishek's lawsuit papers on YouTube were still online as of Friday. Among them were a clip showing Abhishek posing but then suddenly kissing a film actress using AI manipulation, and an AI depiction of Aishwarya and Khan enjoying a meal together, while Abhishek Bachchan fumes. The Bachchans are seeking $450,000 in damages against Google and other little-known websites offering unauthorised merchandise with images of them. (Reporting by Aditya Kalra, Editing by William Maclean)

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