Fifa announced that Jennifer Lopez has pulled out of the World Cup opening ceremony in Brazil, days before the tournament kicks off on Thursday. Lopez, who recorded the official World Cup song We Are One with Pitbull and Claudia Leitte, had been due to perform with them at the opening ceremony in São Paulo, but had to cancel due to unspecified production issues. More than 60,000 people will be in São Paulo's Arena Corinthians to watch the ceremony and kick-off match between Brazil and Croatia. Around one billion people are expected to tune in on TV worldwide. – AFP
Archer book adapted for Indian TV
Kush Sinha, the son of the actor and politician Shatrughan Sinha, will direct a TV adaptation of the English author Jeffrey Archer's bestseller First Among Equals. "It's a layered subject with lots of depth and complexity," said the young Sinha. "Most important of all, the story is extremely adaptable for Indian tastes." The novel, released in 1984, follows the lives of four fictitious British politicians. The producer Sheetal Talwar says the show will be one of the most expensive productions in Indian television. – IANS
