Iron Maiden's lead singer Bruce Dickinson is free from cancer, the British heavy metal band have announced. However, while he recovers from the illness, discovered when the 56-year-old had a routine check-up last year, the band will not tour or perform live until next year. "I would like to thank the fantastic medical team who have been treating me for the past few months, resulting in this amazing outcome," Dickinson said. "The encouragement from the global Maiden family meant a great deal to me. Right now, I'm feeling extremely motivated and can't wait to get back to business as usual, as soon as I can." Manager Rod Smallwood said that for the next few weeks the band would focus on putting the finishing touches to a new studio album. Formed in 1975, Iron Maiden have sold 80 million albums and are one of the most successful heavy-metal bands of all time. – AFP
Minaj and Brown lead BET nominations
Nicki Minaj and Chris Brown led the nominations for the Black Entertainment Television Awards. Minaj was nominated for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist and five other awards. Brown, whose popularity has rebounded since his 2009 arrest for beating his girlfriend at the time, Rihanna, also has six nominations, including Best Male R&B/Pop Artist. Beyoncé and outspoken rapper Lil Wayne each received four nominations. The BET Awards will be presented on June 28 in Los Angeles. It is the 15th edition of the awards, designed to recognise African-American and other minority artists. Sam Smith, the Grammy-winning British soul singer, is a rare Caucasian nominee with two nods. Iggy Azalea, a white Australian, was nominated for Best Female Hip-Hop Artist. – AP
De Niro opens Nobu Hotel in Philippines
Robert de Niro and his business partners formally opened Asia's first Nobu Hotel in the Philippines on Monday, May 18. The 321-room hotel within the bayside casino and entertainment City of Dreams complex in Manila opened to the beat of traditional drums and a shower of gold and silver confetti. De Niro and his Nobu Hospitality partners, renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Hollywood producer Meir Teper, led the ribbon-cutting. The Oscar-winning actor said he not only lent his name to the project but has been personally involved. "I've looked at what everything is, I am aware very much about the design and so on, and if there's anything I don't like, I say it," he said. "To me you have to do more than lend your name, you gotta be there in order to just be more a part of it and really believe in it." The first Nobu Hotel opened in Las Vegas in 2013 in a venture that evolved from Nobu Restaurants. – AP
Clooney helps launch WTC observatory
Hollywood star George Clooney will help New York City's mayor Bill de Blasio and TV news host Anderson Cooper to open the new observatory at One World Trade Center today. They will appear on the CBS This Morning TV show to take a look at the 102nd-floor attraction, which will open to the public on May 29. The 104-storey skyscraper is the tallest in the United States. It is 1,776 feet (541 metres) tall, in honour of the year the US was founded. It replaces the Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the attack on September 11, 2001. – AP