Chris Brown scares the neighbourhood kids, Ang Lee makes TV move

Plus: Bernardo Bertolucci to head Venice fest jury; Piers Morgan to oversee TV series on tabloids; Tyson to star as cartoon detective.

The graffiti painted on the walls of the home of Chris Brown in Hollywood Hills. Barbara Davidson / AP photo
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Ang Lee to direct Middle East TV series

Ang Lee says he's excited to be working on his first TV project, Tyrant. "Tyrant is Middle East intrigue. The subject matter is touchy and pretty scary. I like scary, to scare myself. I am very excited about this project," Lee told a press conference. Tyrant, which is produced by the US cable TV channel FX, centres on "an unassuming American family drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle East nation", according to The Hollywood Reporter. Lee said he has to be "really diligent" in adapting cultures. "As a non-American filmmaker I cannot assume that I know. I have to be modest and diligent adapting all kinds of cultures." - AFP

Chris Brown's scary art irks neighbours

Chris Brown's neighbours are unhappy with what some are calling frightening art he's chosen to have painted along the curb of his Hollywood Hills home. A neighbourhood group said the grimacing, sharp-toothed, red-eyed goblins painted along a retaining wall have been scaring local children, and are an eyesore to boot, the Los Angeles Times reported. Los Angeles city code officials have cited the singer US$376 (Dh1,380) for unpermitted and excessive signage. Brown has been ordered to remove the goblin paintings within 30 days, but his lawyer Mark Geragos said the musician is not backing down. Geragos alleges neighbours are harassing Brown and have also made parking complaints about him and called animal control. - AP

Bertolucci to head Venice fest jury

The Venice Film Festival has announced that the Oscar-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci will chair the jury for its 70th edition. Bertolucci, 73, headed the jury previously in 1983. He said in a statement that the festival will give him the opportunity to discover "the most mysterious niches of filmmaking in the most mysterious countries of the world". The festival will be held from August 28 to September 7. - AP

Morgan to oversee TV series on tabloids

The world of tabloid journalism, London-style, will be showcased in a new TV series produced by the CNN host Piers Morgan, a former editor of News of the World and Daily Mirror. Fleet Street will follow the competitive landscape of tabloid publications in 1970s London. "It was the dawn of the celebrity era, in all its gruesome detail - a revolution that changed pop culture and the relationship between the press and politicians, royals and stars," Morgan said in a statement. Fleet Street is currently in development and does not have a release date. - Reuters

Tyson to star as cartoon detective

Mike Tyson will star as a cartoon detective, with a pigeon as a sidekick, in a new animated series for the US cable network Adult Swim. Tyson, 46, will give voice to his cartoon character on the Mike Tyson Mysteries crime-solving series. The network, known for its zany youth-orientated programmes, did not say when the show would premiere. Tyson has seen his reputation rise following a cameo in 2009's The Hangover. - AP