NEW YORK — Rows of tiny bullet-proof vests hang on clothing racks and “safety defense” lunchboxes adorn the walls. It looks like an apparel store — almost.

AN UNJUSTLY exiled barber, Sweeney Todd, returns to 19^th century London seeking vengeance. His revenge leads him to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop.

SEOUL — Yang Hyun-suk, founder of South Korea’s YG Entertainment which manages top K-pop performers, stepped down on Friday from his duties as chief producer, in the aftermath of drug and sex scandals involving his artists.

MORE than a month into the summer movie season, one thing has become clear: Many of Hollywood’s sequels, reboots, and reimaginings are falling flat.

ROME — Franco Zeffirelli, who directed the world’s greatest opera singers and brought Shakespeare to the cinema-going masses, has died. He was 96.

ON JUNE 20 and 21, Instituto Cervantes and the Embassy of Spain will present “Contemporáneos,” a film cycle featuring four contemporary Spanish films. The screenings will take place at the UP Film Institute in UP Diliman, Quezon City.

DEEPAK CHANDRAN was an IT engineer based in Singapore when boredom hit him so hard he decided to become a stand-up comedian. Now, together with Indian comedian Sorabh Pant and Australian comedian and actor Imaan Hadchiti, the three are coming to Manila for a one-night, two-hour comedy special on June 22 at the Tent in Enderun Colleges in Taguig City.

ECHOES PH is joining this year’s Fête de la Musique with a secret lineup and a space for open jam. Dubbed as the “Discovery Stage,” this pocket stage will be held at Warehouse Eight, on June 22, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Entrance is free.

LONDON — Gun control, poverty and the marginalized, Madonna’s new album Madame X sees the Queen of Pop wanting to “fight back” in what she sees as a frightening modern world.

CONSIDERING the significant interest generated by Sniper Elite V2 on the Nintendo Wii U and the lack of tactical shooters on the console’s successor, it was no surprise to find Rebellion Developments bringing the game’s remastered iteration to the Switch. Perhaps it would have done so regardless of circumstance; after all, the reboot-cum-sequel of 2005’s Sniper Elite remains the most popular title in the series. Announced in 2011, it was slated for release only on the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Sony PlayStation 3. However, clamor from quarters seemingly left out by the limited offering led the developer to look beyond its partnership with 505 Games and publish by itself a version for the personal computer soon after.

SINGAPORE-BASED beauty distribution company, Luxasia Pte. Ltd., has named the Philippines as a potential “growth pillar in the Asia Pacific region in terms of global beauty sales,” according to the company’s chief executive as the company unveils regional expansion plans and introduces more brands to its Philippine portfolio.

IT’S EASY to blow P500,000 in a day. You can buy mounds of jewelry, buy out a store, or drop a downpayment for a car. Integrated entertainment property and rich people-playground Okada gives you a new way to spend P500,000 in a day, and we’re not talking about the casinos.