Celebs & Events

Robbie Williams To Open World Cup

hollywoodreporter.com: British singer Robbie Williams will perform at the opening ceremony of the soccer World Cup in Moscow on Thursday, organizers have announced.

Williams will perform at the World Cup's main stadium, Moscow's Luzhniki, before the opening match in which Russia will take on Saudi Arabia. Local opera diva Aida Garifullina is also scheduled to perform.

It's not yet known, what song Williams will perform. According to some media reports, it will be his 1997 hit Let Me Entertain You.

William's has been chosen despite his Russian-themed song Party Like a Russian, causing controversy in the country two years ago.

Released in September 2016 and accompanied by a risqué video of scantily clad Russian dancers, the song was criticized by some commentators in Russia who accused Williams of pandering to "crude stereotypes of Russians" in the song.

The song - set to a soundtrack that samples Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights - best known to British TV viewers at the theme tune to lyrics The Apprentice - opens with the lines "It takes a certain kind of man with a certain reputation/To alleviate the cash from a whole nation".

Williams has denied the lyrics refer to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, or specifically to one of Russia's super-wealthy oligarchs. Writing on his website at the time, "It's about hedonism and the spirit of partying," he wrote.

"It's not about being Russian, but it's about partying like a Russian. The person singing is a bit me, and a bit of a character," he added.


CELEBS & EVENTS

Demi Moore Wins First Acting Award
Lady Gaga To Release New Album - Harlequin
Taylor Swift Wins 7 Awards at the 2024 MTV VMAs
Jimmy Kimmel Declines Offer to Host the 2025 Oscars!
Robert Downey Jr Returns to Marvel Cinematic Universe as 'Doctor Doom'

FEATURED SHOWS

Desperate Mrs. Seonju
Mrs. Seonju is desperate to start over after a failed marriage.
Professor T
Maxima
Máxima Zorreguieta steps into the spotlight beside the Dutch crown prince.
Prelude of Revenge
Two friends bound by a traumatic past experience!
Sweet Diva
She may lose everything. Except the courage to move on.

MOVIES THIS WEEK

The Lost King
The Angry Birds Movie 2
This summer, winter is coming.
Stockholm
Based On An Absurd But True Story
Memory
His mind is fading bus his conscience is clear.
Paddington 2

HOLLYWOOD ONE ON ONE

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
Feature film based on the children's book about a crocodile that lives in New York City.
Black Adam
The world needed a hero. It got Black Adam.
Amsterdam
In the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history.
Ticket to Paradise
A divorced couple teams up and travels to Bali to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago.
The Woman King
A historical epic inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey.

Twitter