Record opening for Star Wars

Emma Roberts from the film Homework. Victoria Will / AP Photo

Katy Perry performs at the 2015 Dubai Airshow Gala Dinner at Atlantis, The Palm. Antonie Robertson / The National

Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh promotes Bajirao Mastani in Bhopal, India. Sanjeev Gupta / EPA

The late rock star Scott Weiland. Chris Pizzello / AP Photo

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens hurtled towards takings of US$120 million at the North American box office on Thursday night and Friday, and could be on course for a $215m opening weekend, which would set a record. Ticket sales figures from Disney on Friday indicated that the film is on course to eclipse the $208.8m record set by dinosaur adventure sequel Jurassic World in June. Disney said cinemas were continuing to add screenings to meet "unprecedented demand". Fans flocked to theatres on Thursday night for the first North American screenings, many of them dressed as Stormtroopers or lightsaber-wielding Jedi, as the movie took in $57m. That surpassed the previous opening-day record of $43.5m for the final Harry Potter movie in 2011. The White House got in on the Star Wars act as well, with a beeping R2-D2 and two Stormtroopers surprising reporters with an appearance in the briefing room. First Lady Michelle Obama also hosted a screening for children of families that had lost relatives to war. The Force Awakens is the seventh instalment in the series, created by George Lucas, that began with 1977's Star Wars. Disney bought producer Lucasfilm for $4billion in 2012 and spent more than $200m to make The Force Awakens. – Reuters

Roberts has eyes on production

Actress Emma Roberts has admitted she has her eyes set on projects beyond the big screen. "I think as I get older, there might come a time when I don't want to be in front of the camera anymore and want to be more behind the scenes," said the 24-year-old. "I would love to produce and maybe write," she told Allure magazine. The actress, known for her roles in films including Blow, and the TV horror-drama Scream Queens, said: "I thought of it a lot during Scream Queens, when every morning there's full hair and make-up, and heels and mini-dresses," she said. "And I thought, 'You know, I kind of want to show up to work one day and not care what I look like'. It would be nice to just slip away for a little bit." Roberts also opened up about wanting to protect the privacy of her younger sister. "I love her more than anything or anyone in the world," she said of Grace, who is 14. – IANS

Katy Perry app for wannabes

Katy Perry is planning to unveil an app for her aspiring fans to build a virtual career. The game, called Katy Perry Pop, will give budding singers the chance to get advice from a computerised version of the pop star, mirror.co.uk reported. It will allow users to create their own pop-star persona and feature in an interactive journey from aspiring artist to pop stardom. In addition to being able to make their voice pitch perfect, players will be able to tailor their look with hundreds of outfits. The end result will be the creation of music and videos to help further their career. The game has been developed by San Francisco-based Glu Mobile Inc, which also created the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game. – IANS

Singh unnerved by film protests

Protests against Ranveer Singh's movie Bajirao Mastani across cities in India have disturbed the actor. "The feeling definitely gets negative because someone is protesting, when you never had any such intentions," said the 30-year-old. "You work with your heart to entertain people and to make a good film... you work with complete hard work and determination, and then such negativity is created. Obviously we feel bad because it is a negative issue." Five screenings of the film, set in the Peshwa era, were cancelled in Pune on Friday after about 200 workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party, objected to the portrayal of general Peshwa Bajirao I and other aspects of the film. Protesters say the film's director, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, has distorted historical facts. They point out scenes showing Ranveer dancing vigorously in public, for example – their contention is that Peshwa Bajirao I was too involved with his duties to have time for such frivolities. – IANS

Drugs killed Scott Weiland

Rock singer Scott Weiland’s death this month on a tour bus in Minneapolis was due to mixed-drug toxicity, including cocaine, alcohol and ecstasy, and was an accident, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said on Friday. The 48-year-old former Stone Temple Pilots frontman was touring with his new band, the Wildabouts, when he died in his sleep on December 3. Bloomington police said they had found a small amount of cocaine on the tour bus. – Reuters