Holly to Bolly: Harry Potter sweeps at Olivier Awards, Kendall Jenner lying low after Pepsi ad controversy, and more

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Harry Potter and The Cursed Child triumphs with magical sweep at Olivier Awards

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, a stage adaptation of JK Rowling's fantastical world of witches and wizards, cast a magical spell at the Olivier Awards on Sunday, scooping nine wins at Britain's big theatre night.

The critically-acclaimed production, which opened last year in London’s West End, was nominated for 11 awards in total. Its victorious haul made it “the most decorated production in the ceremony’s history”, according to awards organisers.

The play, the eighth story in the Harry Potter series, follows Rowling's young boy wizard and friends Ron and Hermione into adulthood. It took best new play, best actor, best actor and actress in a supporting role as well as best director.

Jamie Parker, who portrays the older Harry, won best actor, beating off competition from the likes of Ian McKellen and Ed Harris. Anthony Boyle, who plays Scorpius Malfoy, took best actor in a supporting role while best actress in a supporting role went to Noma Dumezweni, who plays an adult Hermione. — Reuters

Fate of the Furious cast say Johnson and Diesel feud overblown

The Fast and the Furious franchise has seen its share of drama outside of the films, but rumoured infighting between the series' biggest stars, Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is uncharted territory for the long-running series.

The riff was put into the spotlight last year when Johnson, while shooting The Fate of the Furious, took to Instagram to express his appreciation for his female co-stars and at the same time embarrass some of his male counterparts for perceived unprofessional behaviour. It's alleged he was referring to Diesel. But at the film's world premiere Saturday night in New York, many attributed the situation between the two stars as nothing more than "business as usual" on set.

Johnson and Diesel were not seen together during promotional appearances, nor did they pose together on the red carpet. Johnson walked the carpet at the beginning of the premiere, while Diesel arrived later. — Associated Press

Boss Baby, Beauty outshine Smurfs 3 at box office

The Smurfs are feeling a little blue this weekend as a result of box office takings. The third instalment in Sony's animated series, Smurfs: The Lost Village, made its box-office debut in third place, with US$14 million — far behind family-friendly holdovers The Boss Baby and Beauty and the Beast, according to studio estimates.

Featuring the voices of Demi Lovato and Joe Manganiello, Smurfs, which reportedly cost $60 million to make, has not charmed critics either. Its earnings were worse than the 2013 opening of Smurfs 2, which went on to gross $347.5 million worldwide despite a $17.5 million debut and a heftier $105 million price tag. — Associated Press

Kendall Jenner is lying low after Pepsi ad controversy

Kendall Jenner is staying out of the spotlight while the controversy surrounding her protest-themed Pepsi commercial, which was retracted by the brand following backlash, dies down. After returning to Los Angeles from Paris on Friday, the 21-year-old model is taking it easy and leaning on her family, according to people.com. A source told the magazine the model and member of the Kardashian clan was still unhappy about the controversy and plans on laying low until things calm down. The source added that she is seeking solace in her family.

Jenner was working abroad when the ad was released and immediately met with a firestorm on social media, many calling the commercial “tone deaf.” The ad has drawn criticism for minimising the Black Lives Matter message across the country. — The National Staff

Henry Cavill wears Reeve’s Superman suit in test photo

Director Zack Snyder has shared a photo of actor Henry Cavill from his test for the 2013 film Man of Steel in which the star is wearing the suit original big-screen Superman Christopher Reeve sported. "First test with Henry ... I knew right away he was my Superman," Snyder wrote on a digital platform where he shared the photo, reports hollywoodreporter.com. "We didn't have the suit made when Henry was auditioning, so he wore the original Christopher Reeve suit," Snyder told Dejour in 2016. "He put it on and when he came out of the trailer, everyone was like, 'Dang, you're Superman!'" Cavill is set to appear in November's Justice League, though so far no footage of Superman in the film has been released. — IANS

Indian actor Arjun Rampal denies assault charges

A complaint has been filed against Arjun Rampal for allegedly assaulting a man in a club earlier this week. But the actor claims the news is “untrue”. Rampal tweeted on Sunday: “Woke up to be flooded by messages of assaulting a fan? Man! Where do people make this news up from? Not assaulted anyone. Untrue. Fake news.” The incident allegedly occurred at Club Privee in Delhi.

According to the complaint, the actor was infuriated over the actions of a photographer who was trying to take his photo. Rampal allegedly snatched the camera and threw it, which then hit Shobhit, the complainant, on his head and injured him.

A Delhi police spokesman told IANS an investigation was ongoing. According to the police, the CCTV footage of the club is also being investigated. — IANS