Published: 10:55, December 2, 2024
Showbiz in 2024: Taylor Swift, Oasis and Sean 'Diddy' Combs make headlines
By Reuters
Taylor Swift performs at Wembley Stadium as part of her Eras Tour on June 21, 2024 in London. (PHOTO / AP)

LONDON - From Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eras tour to Sean 'Diddy' Combs' arrest, 2024 saw various stories from the entertainment world dominate headlines.

Below are some of the biggest.

* Taylor Swift won more awards, released another hit album and performed her Eras tour, the first to surpass $1 billion in revenue. Her Vienna shows were canceled after authorities foiled a planned attack. Swift closed Eras' European leg in London before she wraps it completely in Vancouver on Dec 8.

Sean "Diddy" Combs performs after being presented with the keys to the city by New York Mayor Eric Adams in Times Square on Sept 15, 2023 in New York City. (PHOTO / AFP)

* US rapper and producer Sean "Diddy" Combs pleaded not guilty to charges he used his business empire, including his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, to sexually abuse women.

Combs has denied wrongdoing and his lawyers have argued the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.

Fans light candles as they pay tribute to the late British singer Liam Payne at the Obelisco in Buenos Aires on Oct 17, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

* One Direction member Liam Payne was found dead after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, triggering an outpouring of tributes from fans.

* Oasis announced a series of reunion gigs. Fans waited long hours in virtual queues to buy tickets only to find hiked prices as part of a "dynamic pricing" scheme, sparking probes into Ticketmaster over the sale.

ALSO READ: Oasis to reunite as Gallaghers end fraternal feud

A new street artwork depicting Oasis' Liam and Noel Gallagher, created by Manchester-based street artist Pic.One.Art. is pictured on the side of the Sifters Record store in Burnage, a suburb of Manchester, northern England, on Aug 27, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

* A New Mexico judge dismissed involuntary manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin, agreeing with his lawyers that prosecutors and police withheld evidence on the source of the live round that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when he pointed a gun at her on the set of Western Rust in 2021.

Armourer Hannah Gutierrez was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months.

The film premiered at a low-key Polish film festival in November.

* Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction for sexual assault and rape was overturned by New York's highest court, reopening the landmark case that fuelled the #MeToo movement.

Harvey Weinstein appears in criminal court in New York, Sept 18, 2024. (POOL PHOTO VIA AP)

* Singer Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty in a New York State court to a lesser traffic charge than drunk driving - driving while ability impaired - after he was arrested when police spotted him failing to obey a stop sign and veering off lane.

* Beyonce's Cowboy Carter became the first album by a Black woman to land at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

* Inside Out 2 became the highest-grossing animated film of all time, taking $1.698 billion at the global box office.

READ MORE: Taylor Swift wins seven VMAs, tying Beyonce for lifetime lead

* The world said goodbye to: actors Donald Sutherland, James Earl Jones, Maggie Smith, Shannen Doherty, Carl Weathers and Louis Gossett Jr., music supremo Quincy Jones and singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson among others.