Bipasha Basu takes on horror flick

Plus: Ed Sheeran scoops first British No 1; arduous recovery ahead for Tracy Morgan; McCartney postpones tour; D’Souza and Deshmukh expecting; Lil Kim gives birth to girl; Psy releases new single.

Bipasha Basu. Jewel Samad / AFP

The Bollywood star Bipasha Basu has signed on to headline the new horror film Alone, a remake of the 2007 Thai blockbuster of the same name. Directed by Bhushan Patel, the film will also feature the actor Karan Singh Grover. "A love story with chills, my new film is tentatively called Alone," the 35-year-old Basu posted on Twitter on Monday. Shooting begins this month, according to a production statement. – IANS

Ed Sheeran scoops first British No 1

The English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran hit the top of this week's British singles chart with Sing, the 23-year-old's first No 1 track. Sing was co-written and produced by Pharrell Williams and is taken from Sheeran's forthcoming second album, x, which is due for release on June 23. Sam Smith's Stay With Me placed second, while last week's chart topper, I Wanna Feel by Secondcity, dropped to third. – Reuters

Arduous recovery ahead for Tracy Morgan

Tracy Morgan is facing an “arduous” recovery after a car crash, his agent said on Monday. Morgan was critically injured on Saturday in a six-car accident in New Jersey that killed one of his friends. His agent said the actor was still in critical but stable condition: “His fiancée Megan [Wollover] is by his side. Rumours about amputating his leg are completely fabricated. As we shared yesterday, Tracy had surgery on his broken leg. This recovery will be arduous and we hope that you can be patient during this difficult time.” – AFP

Paul McCartney postpones his US tour

Paul McCartney is rescheduling his tour dates in the United States as he continues to recover from a virus he received treatment for last month. The former Beatle announced on Monday that tour stops scheduled for mid-June will be postponed to October. He was supposed to kick off the US leg of his tour on Saturday. Instead, his first show will be on July 5 in Albany, New York. McCartney says he’s taking his doctor’s advice and will take more time to rest. Last month he cancelled his Out There Japan Tour 2014 because of his illness. McCartney turns 72 on June 18. – AP

Psy releases new single

Even Psy is over Gangnam Style. The ubiquitous 2012 hit is one he knows he probably will never top, and that makes creating new music quite a challenge. "I have a severe, heavy pressure on my shoulder. In that way I don't like the song," Psy said in an interview. The 36-year-old South Korean pop star decided switching genres would be his best bet for another hit, so he teamed with Snoop Dogg on the hip-hop track Hangover. The song's video debuted on Sunday on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Psy's YouTube channel. Psy says he will return to his EDM roots on a new EP, due out later this year. But this time he plans to include more English lyrics. "All the people you know, except Korea, they don't have any idea what I'm saying, right? They're just waiting for 'Hey, sexy lady'," he said of an English lyric from Gangnam Style. "Maybe from now on I should communicate more." – AP

D’Souza and Deshmukh expecting

The Bollywood couple Genelia D'Souza and Riteish Deshmukh are expecting their first child. D'Souza, 26, and Deshmukh, 35, confirmed the news in a press conference held on Monday for Deshmukh's forthcoming film Lai Bhari, the actor's debut in Marathi cinema. He also promoted his other new projects, Humshakals and Ek Villain. The actors wed in 2012 after dating for close to 10 years. – IANS

Lil’ Kim gives birth to girl

The American rapper Lil' Kim has a little one of her own: the 38-year-old gave birth to her daughter Royal Reign on Monday. It is her first child. No more details were given by her spokesperson. Lil' Kim, whose real name is Kim Jones, released a song called Haterz in April. She won a Grammy in 2002 for her work on the No 1 hit Lady Marmalade alongside Christina Aguilera, Pink and Mya. – AP