Today's entertainment news: Tom Cruise in talks to join Beyoncé film

Plus: Royal Opera House Muscat announces April line-up; Sarah Palin dismisses controversial HBO movie; Taylor Swift is Billboard's top earner; John Mayer cancels tour and Paan Singh Tomar storms Indian cinemas.

The actor Tom Cruise, shown here at the Taj Mahal in Agra, is set to work with Clint Eastwood and Beyoncé on the film A Star is Born.
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Tom Cruise is in talks with the actor-director Clint Eastwood to star alongside Beyoncé in the musical film A Star is Born, reported Deadline.com.

Cruise is likely to play the role of an established musician who helps launch the career of a newcomer, played by Beyoncé.

Cruise’s role has been attached to other actors in recent weeks, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Will Smith and even the rapper Eminem.

The film is a remake of the 1967 rock musical starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.

Cruise has recently started shooting two new projects: Oblivion, directed by Joseph Kosinski, and We Mortals Are, directed by Doug Liman.

Royal Opera House Muscat announces April line-up

There will be something for everyone at the Royal Opera House Muscat next month.

Early this week the ROHM announced its April programme. Highlights included the National Ballet of Ukraine's performance of Cinderella (April 4-6); the Camerata Salzburg Chamber Orchestra (April 9); the Vienna Boys Choir, in their regional debut (April 12-13); the Turkish flautist Omar Faruk Tekbilek (April 15); the Accademia Teatro alla Scala Orchestra (April 18-19) and the world-renowned soprano Angela Gheorgiu (April 25).

Tickets are now on sale at www.roh.org.om.

Sarah Palin dismisses controversial HBO movie

Sarah Palin shrugged off on Friday a controversial new HBO movie that portrays her as unstable and unprepared for the 2008 vice-presidential run that made her a Republican political star.

Game Change, which premiered on HBO yesterday, is based on a book of the same name by the journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin about Republican John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.

Both Palin, who is portrayed by Julianne Moore in the movie, and McCain have said they will not watch the movie.

“I believe my family has the right priorities and knows what really matters,” Palin said in an email to ABC News on Friday.

“For instance, our son called from Afghanistan yesterday and he sounded good and that’s what matters. Being in the good graces of Hollywood’s ‘Team Obama’ isn’t top of my list,” Palin said.

* Reuters

Taylor Swift is Billboard’s top earner

The singer Taylor Swift is the top act on Billboard’s “Money Makers” list.

Swift earned more than US$35 million (Dh129m) last year, according to the Billboard list released on Friday.

The band U2 came in second with US$32m while Kenny Chesney, Lady Gaga and Lil Wayne rounded out the top five.

The rankings were based on income sources from US tours, album sales and publishing royalties. Billboard said in a press release that it didn’t factor in “sponsorships, merchandise sales or synchronisation deals”.

Adele came in at 10th place on the list. Though she cancelled a number of concert shows due to issues with her vocal cords, her album 21 sold more than five million units last year.

* AP

John Mayer cancels tour

John Mayer announced on Friday that persistent throat problems will keep him from touring for his new album, Born and Raised.

“I went in for a visit on Wednesday and a scope of my vocal cords revealed that the granuloma has grown back where it had mostly healed,” Mayer wrote on his Tumblr site (jhnmyr.tumblr.com). “This is bad news. Because of this, I have no choice but to take an indefinite break from live performing. Though there will be a day when all of this will be behind me, it will sideline me for a longer period of time than I care to have you count down.”

Mayer added: “I’m completely bummed. Nothing feels worse than having to break the stage down before a show.”

Paan Singh Tomar storms Indian cinemas

Paan Singh Tomar, a biopic about a bandit-turned-athlete, has emerged as a surprise winner at the Indian box office, netting collections of Rs40m (Dh2.9m) in its first weekend.

Starring Irrfan Khan in the lead role, the movie is directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. Released with relatively less fanfare than this week's other Bollywood releases, Paan Singh Tomar opened to dismal ticket sales on March 2, then did a sudden turnaround after trending on Twitter and Facebook.

The film is expected to continue its strong showing over the next two weeks, Bollywood trade analysts predicted.

* Anjali A

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