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Pop superstar Taylor Swift has added two more London dates to her blockbuster Eras Tour.

Swift, 33, is already playing six dates at Wembley Stadium next 21, 22, 23 June and 15, 16, 17 August.

She will now also play 19 and 20 August, 2024.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour performance in Nashville. File pic: AP
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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour performance in Nashville. Pic: AP

Taylor Swift performs at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. Friday, July 28, 2023. (Jessica Christian/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
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Taylor Swift performs at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California in July. Pic: AP

But fans hoping to grab coveted tickets are required to have registered for the previous round of ticket sales.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, announcing the dates, Taylor Nation – the star’s management and PR team – said, “God, we love the English” in a reference to her 2019 song London Boy.

“TS The Eras Tour just added TWO new London shows in August 2024. A limited number of fans who previously registered for shows in London will be selected for access to the sale and receive notifications via email starting today.”

Tickets will be on sale for those who were previously registered and who receive an access code on 14 and 15 November.

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Rock band Paramore is set to be the opening act for all of Swift’s UK dates.

Swift will also play previously announced shows at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on 7, 8 and 9 June 2024 before heading to Liverpool’s Anfield stadium for 13, 14 and 15 June.

She will perform at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 18 June before the first set of London dates.

Taylor Swift fans buy concert merchandise outside Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Thursday, July 27, 2023. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
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Taylor Swift fans buy concert merchandise outside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California in July. Pic: AP

Taylor Swift concert is shown at Acrisure Stadium, Friday, June 16, 2023, in Pittsburgh. (Benjamin B. Braun/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP)
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Taylor Swift’s concert at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh in June. Pic: AP

She will then play dates in Ireland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Poland and Austria before returning to Wembley in August.

Swift just finished a three-day run of the tour in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this week where her rumoured boyfriend American football star Travis Kelce was in attendance.

Video showed Swift kissing Kelce and she appeared to change a lyric in the song Karma to reference his NFL team the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce embrace

She also appealed to fans not to throw items on stage during one of the recent concerts.

Swift will play six dates in Brazil starting on Friday before visiting Japan, Australia and Singapore in February and March.

By the time the tour ends in December 2024, Swift will have played 151 shows across five continents.

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The record-breaking tour is also set to gross more than $1bn (£813m) according to reports.

Meanwhile, the film version of the tour – recorded in Los Angeles during the US leg this summer – broke the record for the most profitable concert film in history one week before its release.

Global ticket sales had topped $200m (£163m) as of 3 November.

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Donald Trump wades into Sydney Sweeney ad debate

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Donald Trump wades into Sydney Sweeney ad debate

Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.

The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.

It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.

One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
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One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP

In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.

Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”

Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”

Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.

But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.

The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.

In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”

Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.

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Trump clearly couldn’t wait to get involved in the discourse

They say all publicity is good publicity, and Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad is certainly notching up the column inches, especially now Donald Trump has intervened.

The US president must have been breathlessly excited when he found out Sweeney was a registered Republican because he wrote a Truth Social post in support of her before deleting it twice and reposting three times to correct various spelling and grammatical errors.

He clearly could not wait to get involved in the discourse.

“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the HOTTEST ad out there,” he wrote. “Go get ’em Sydney!”

In any other era, the president weighing in so heavily on one side of a pop culture issue would’ve been unusual.

But the current president knows people are talking about the ad around their dinner tables and at parties right now. By injecting himself into the discussion, they will now be talking about him too.

In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.

“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.

Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.

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Actor Dhanush criticises AI-altered ending for re-release of hit film Raanjhanaa

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Actor Dhanush criticises AI-altered ending for re-release of hit film Raanjhanaa

Indian actor Dhanush says he has been left “completely disturbed” by the re-release of one of his hit films with an alternative ending assisted by AI – but the production company behind it has rejected criticism of the move.

Hindi-language romantic drama Raanjhanaa, called Ambikapathy in its Tamil-language title, has made headlines over its re-release 12 years after first hitting cinemas in 2013.

Eros Media World says the new version, which sees the film’s original ending switched to a happier one, is a “lawful and creative reinterpretation, not a replacement”, and that the change and use of artificial intelligence has been made clear to viewers.

The company says the alternate ending was “crafted under the direction of a human creative team using AI only as an assistive tool – not as an autonomous content generator”.

In a statement sent to Sky News, group chief executive Pradeep Dwivedi said the studio wanted to offer “fresh dimensions for audiences” and never intended “to undermine the original essence” of the film.

However, the AI-assisted re-release has already drawn criticism from the film’s director Aanand L Rai, and now its star Dhanush has released a statement to say the “AI-altered climax” had left him “completely disturbed”.

“This alternate ending has stripped the film of its very soul, and the concerned parties went ahead with it despite my clear objection,” Dhanush said in a message posted on X. “This is not the film I committed to 12 years ago.”

Dhanush said the use of AI to alter films or other content “is a deeply concerning precedent for both art and artists” that “threatens the integrity of storytelling and the legacy of cinema”.

He added: “I sincerely hope that stricter regulations are put in place to prevent such practices in the future.”

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Eros said Dhanush’s “wonderful performance” in the role of Kundan had brought the character to life “in an unforgettable way”. However, the studio said the actor’s team had been aware of the plans before the re-release and that they had received “no formal objection”.

“While we acknowledge and respect differing views on the use of AI in film, our aim has been to explore how technology can complement storytelling and offer fresh dimensions for audiences – never to undermine the original essence of a film,” Mr Dwivedi said. “The original Raanjhanaa and Ambikapathy remains much loved and widely available, and the IP is fully preserved.”

He added: “Just as storytelling evolves, so too does music – and with responsible use of AI, even the most iconic soundtracks are being respectfully reimagined as remixes to resonate with new generations while preserving their original soul.

“We deeply respect the creative community and remain committed to collaborating in ways that ensure mutual respect, innovation, and progress for the cinematic arts. As one of India’s most storied film studios, Eros remains committed to celebrating Indian cinema, nurturing talent, and embracing technology responsibly.”

Dhanush’s comments come after statements posted by Rai, who has described the re-release as “a betrayal” to the original that has been “dressed up as innovation”.

Writing on Instagram, he said: “This was never just a film to us. It was shaped by human hands, human flaws, and human feeling. What’s now being circulated is not a tribute. It is a reckless takeover that strips the work of its intent, its context, and its soul.”

Responding to the director’s criticism, Mr Dwivedi reiterated that the re-release is “a respectful creative reinterpretation – clearly labelled and separate from the original version” and said such practices are “common in global cinema, and reflect our long-standing commitment to innovation, audience engagement, and cultural preservation”.

He also highlighted an ongoing legal dispute between Eros and Colour Yellow Productions, the studio co-founded by Rai.

Demonstrators at the picket line outside Warner Bros. Studios oin August 2024. File pic: AP
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Strikes by video game actors ended in June after starting last year. File pic: AP

The re-release comes as artificial intelligence continues to cause concern among some in the creative industries. In June, video game actors in the US ended a strike after nearly a year of industrial action over the use of AI by game studios – an issue that was also part of the concerns raised by the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023.

Earlier this year, Oscar-nominated film The Brutalist made headlines for using the technology to “refine” Hungarian accents.

It has also been used for de-aging stars such as Harrison Ford for the latest Indiana Jones film and Tom Hanks in the 2024 picture Here – and for helping to create “the last Beatles record” featuring John Lennon’s vocals, released in 2023.

There is a “good side” to the technology but also a “scary side”, Sir Paul McCartney has said, adding: “We will just have to see where that leads.”

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Oasis ‘shocked and saddened’ after man dies at Wembley Stadium concert

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Oasis 'shocked and saddened' after man dies at Wembley Stadium concert

Oasis have said they are “shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan” at their Wembley Stadium concert on Saturday.

Together with their bandmates, Liam and Noel Gallagher have offered their “sincere condolences to the family and friends of the person involved”.

Metropolitan Police said officers on duty at the stadium responded, alongside venue medics and the London Ambulance Service, to reports a person had been injured at around 10.20pm.

The statement continued: “A man – aged in his 40s – was found with injuries consistent with a fall. He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.”

According to media reports, the man fell from the stadium’s upper tier.

A concertgoer on social media said they saw the incident and described it as “horrific”.

Oasis on stage. Pic: AP
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Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage at their first reunion gig. Pic: AP

Metropolitan Police said: “The stadium was busy, and we believe it is likely a number of people witnessed the incident, or may knowingly or unknowingly have caught it on mobile phone video footage.

“If you have any information that could help us to confirm what happened, please call 101.”

Oasis performed at the venue as planned on Sunday night, delivering the final concert of a five-night run at Wembley.

Addressing fans at the stadium, singer Liam said: “This one’s for all the people who can’t be here tonight, but who are here if you know what I mean, and aren’t they looking lovely. Live Forever.”

The band then played the track of the same name.

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Oasis support act Richard Ashcroft paid tribute on Instagram, writing: “I was shocked to hear of the death of one of the audience last night sending my love to the family and friends.”

A spokesperson for Wembley Stadium said: “Our thoughts go out to his family, who have been informed and are being supported by specially trained police officers.”

They will then head to Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the United States, before returning to Wembley for two more dates in September.

The reunion tour began at the start of July and marks the Gallagher brothers’ first performances together since Oasis split acrimoniously in 2009.

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