Veteran actor Max von Sydow will  be honoured with Career Achievement Award by the Los Angeles  Film Critics Association (LAFCA).
The 88-year-old actor will be presented with the honour  at the annual awards dinner on January 13, reported Deadline.
"We are thrilled to give the Career Achievement award to  such a magnificently talented actor.
"Over the six decades hes commanded the screen, Mr von  Sydow has earned a reputation as the greatest living actor,"  said LAFCA president Claudia Puig in a statement.
von Sydow has starred in over 100 films, where he played  characters as disparate as an assassin, a king, an exorcist,  the devil and Jesus Christ - in several languages.
He has also worked with filmmakers ranging from Ingmar  Bergman, Bertrand Tavernier, Sydney Pollack, Penny Marshall,  Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders to Steven Spielberg.
The actor will next appear in "Kursk", a drama about the  submarine disaster in 2000, directed by Thomas Vinterberg,  also featuring Lea Seydoux and 

Max von Sydow to receive Career Achievement award from LAFCA

PTI Automatic

Actor Diane Lane will appear in  the upcoming anthology "The Romanoffs".
The eight-episode series will be helmed by Matthew  Weiner, who is set to reunite with a team of 13 producers,  writers, casting directors and costume designers from his uber  popular drama "Mad Men".
The 52-year-old actor will appear in one of the episodes  of the series, which is set around the globe narrating  separate stories about people who believe themselves to be the  descendants of a Russian royal family, according to Variety.
The series also features Christina Hendricks, John  Slattery, Isabelle Huppert, Marthe Keller, Aaron Eckhart, Jack  Huston and Amanda Peet.
"The Romanoffs" airs on Amazon next year.

Diane Lane joins cast of 'The Romanoffs'

Actors Lupita Nyong'o and Josh  Gad will appear in a new zombie comedy "Little Monsters".
The duo is also joined by actor Alexander England in the  film, which will be written and directed by Abe Forsythe,  reported Deadline.
The title follows Dave, to be played by England, a  washed-up musician who joins his nephew's school trip as he  has a crush on his teacher Caroline (Nyong'o).
However, he is challenged by Teddy McGiggle (Gad), who  makes his own plays for her affections. A sudden zombie  outbreak then throws the trip into chaos.
The movie will be produced by The Calders with Made Up  Stories' Papandrea, Jodi Matterson and Steve Hutensky.

Lupita Nyong'o, Josh Gad join zombie comedy 'Little Monsters'

Priyanka Chopra, Taylor Swift,  Josh Groban and Ryan Seacrest are among the celebrities who  have condemned the attack in New York's Lower Manhattan.
At least eight people were killed and 11 other injured in  the area after a gunman in a truck plowed through a busy bike  path, an incident the US termed as an "act of terrorism".
Priyanka praising the city, her new home, for its grit on  Twitter and shared that the attack took place "five blocks"  away from where she lives.
"NYC... As resilient as ever. I love you.  My condolences  to everyone affected by this tragedy.
"This happened five blocks from my home. As I drive back  home from work, dreary sirens remind me that this is the state  of the world," the "Quantico" star tweeted.
Taylor Swift shared a photo of a sunset on her Instagram  Story and captioned it, "I love you New York" and a broken  heart emoji.
Josh Groban narrated the incident in a series of tweets,  saying that he heard gun shots and ran with downtown with his  dog.
"I 

Priyanka, Taylor Swift, Josh Groban mourn Manhattan attack

G Prabha, writer-director of the  Sanskrit movie 'Ishti', feels it is the duty of the government  to ensure films based on "artistic reality", which do not  catch the fancy of producers, get made and released in  theatres.
The director of the first Sanskrit film on a social  theme, said films made merely for the sake of entertainment  and pleasure cannot sustain.
"Films based on artistic reality may not get producers  and commercial success. In that case it is the duty of other  sources like governments and film societies to come forward  and ensure such films are made and released in theatres for an  audience interested in good cinema," he said at the first  Guwahati International Film Festival here.
The former Sanskrit professor said films cannot be  judged on commercial success alone, as cinema is a powerful  medium bringing together people from different walks of life,  and is an art form with an universal language.
"According to me, art is not an industry alone. It is  a part of .

Govt should ensure films on 'artistic reality' get made, says

Netflix has announced that the  production on the sixth and last installment of "House of  Cards" is suspended until further notice in wake of sexual  harassment claims levied against the show's lead Kevin Spacey.
The streaming giant issued a statement on its US official  Twitter account.
"Production on the final season of House of Cards is  suspended until further notice.
"This will give us time to review the current situation  with our producing partners at MRC," the tweets read.
Netflix and Media Rights Capital (MRC) banner jointly  produce the popular political drama, which was being filmed in  Baltimore from early October.
The statement further read, "Execs are on set this week  discussing with our cast and crew. More details to come."
The news comes after actor Anthony Rapp alleged Spacey of  harassing him in an inebriated state at his party when he was  a minor, the two companies issued a joint statement expressed  their concern on learning the claims.
"In response to last ...

Netflix suspends production on 'House of Cards' final season

Following Anthony Rapp's claims  that he was subjected to an unwanted sexual advance by Kevin  Spacey, Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos has accused the "House  of Cards" star of harassment.
In a lengthy Facebook post, the 35-year-old actor claimed  that he was abused by the veteran actor when the latter was  the director of London's Old Vic Theater.
"I myself had a couple of unpleasant encounters with  Spacey that were on the edge of being called harassment.  Moreover, had I been a woman, I probably would not have  hesitated to identify it as such, but I suppose that the lack  of a more specifically direct or aggressive action led me to  justify the incident as 'one of those things'. There are many  of us who have a 'Kevin Spacey story'."
Spacey served the office for a period of full ten years  from 2004.
Cavazos likened the Oscar-winning actor to Harvey  Weinstein, saying he would not be surprised if his victims  "were (in) numbers similar" to the disgraced media mogul.
He said like the 

Mexican actor Roberto Cavazos accuses Spacey of harassment

Deepika Padukone is one of the  highest-paid stars currently working in Bollywood, but the  actor is not ready to talk about money matters.
The "Padmavati" actor sidestepped questions about her pay  package for the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed film, which is  rumoured to be heavier than that of her co-stars Shahid Kapoor  and Ranveer Singh.
"Talking about my remuneration isn't exciting. But I am  proud and confident about the money I get. You are comfortable  with what you are paid. But what makes me happy is that they  (producers) have invested so much money in a film which has a  poster featuring me on it....That makes me proud," said  Padukone during the 3D trailer launch of the film at a  suburban multiplex here.
"In terms of scale, budget and resources, it's a huge  film. We have seen strong female parts at the fore on screen  in different films in different ways. I think this  ("Padmavati") is the beginning of great things women have in  films," she added.
A right-wing outfit .

Deepika sidesteps questions about her 'Padmavati' pay packet

The Kashmir World Film Festival  (KWWF) is returning to the valley for its second edition,  which begins tomorrow.
The five-day festival is being organised by Actos  Creative Theatre (ACT).
"The motive of organising the festival is to restore the  film culture in the valley," KWWF director Mushtaaque Ali  Ahmad Khan told reporters here.
The first edition of the festival, that was held from  July 1 to July 5 earlier this year, witnessed an overwhelming  response from the audience, Khan said.
"It seems that the habit of watching films in the valley  has been lost. We have taken the initiative to set things  back on track," Khan said.
The festival will also screen feature films, feature  length documentary films, short fiction films, short  documentary films, animation and experimental films.
"There will be different sections of films as well that  include international competition, national competition,  student/amateur competition and special screenings," Khan  said.
"Citizen Kane", ...

Kashmir World Film Festival returns to valley for 2nd edition

The Producers Guild of  America banned disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein for life  today, vowing that sexual harassment would no longer be  tolerated within its ranks.
New accusations of sexual assault have continued to  pour in since investigations in the New York Times and New  Yorker three weeks ago exposed the tycoon as a relentless,  bullying sexual predator.
More than 50 women including stars Gwyneth Paltrow,  Angelina Jolie and Mira Sorvino have accused 65-year-old  Weinstein of sexual abuse and harassment, although he denies  forcing himself on anyone.
"In light of Mr. Weinstein's widely reported behavior  -- with new reports continuing to surface even now -- the  Producers Guild's national board has voted unanimously to  enact a lifetime ban on Mr. Weinstein, permanently barring him  from PGA membership," the guild said in a statement.
"This unprecedented step is a reflection of the  seriousness with which the guild regards the numerous reports  of Mr. Weinstein's ...

Hollywood producers kick out disgraced Weinstein

Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar has  paid homage to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 33rd  death anniversary today.
The 88-year-old music legend took to Twitter where she  remembered Gandhi and also posted their black-and-white photo  together.
"Today is the death anniversary of India's first and only  woman prime minister, Indira Gandhi. I pay my tributes to her.
"I shared a good relationship with her. She was really  fond of music and I have heard she was a good singer too,"  Mangeshkar wrote.
Gandhi passed away on October 31, 1984 after she was  assassinated by her personal bodyguards in the aftermath of  Operation Blue Star, which left Amritsar's Golden Temple in  shambles.

Lata Mangeshkar remembers Indira Gandhi on her death anniv

French activists disrupted the  opening ceremony of a retrospective based on filmmaker Roman  Polanski life's work in Paris.
The event organised by Cinematheque Francaise, a Paris-  based major film archive, was attended by Polanski himself.
The two women activists entered the theatre topless with  slogans painted on them reading "VIP  Very Important  Pedocriminal".
They also chanted "No honor for the rapists" at 84-year-  old director, who presented his latest film "Based on a True  Story", reported The Guardian.
The duo was swiftly removed from the audience by the  security.
Outside the theatre, French feminist organisation Osez le  feminisme protested against Polanski with activists chanting,  "Enough of those who want to protect the aggressors".
Several banners read: "If rape is an art form, give  Polanski all the Cesars". Cesars are the French equivalent of  an Academy Award.
Polanski has been living in Europe since fleeing the  United States in the 1970s to avoid prosecution in .

Activists disrupts retrospective planned on Roman Polanski

Karan Johar once again tried to  revive the debate around nepotism by calling himself its brand  ambassador during a promotional event of "Ittefaq".
Johar said people like Shah Rukh Khan and Sidharth  Malhotra, who do not come from a film family, can co-exist  with a 'brand ambassador of nepotism' like him, Sonakshi Sinha  and Akshaye Khanna.
"On the platform, today, there are two non-nepotistic  people- Shah Rukh Khan and Siddharth Malhotra and rest of us -  Sonakshi Sinha, daughter of veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha,  Akshay Khanna, son of late actor Vinod Khanna, Abhay Chopra  and Kapil Chopra, sons of late filmmaker Ravi Chopra, are the  brand ambassador of nepotism.
"As we stand together, it speaks a volume about how worth  they are equally, efficiently and correctly," Johar said.
Kangana Ranaut started the debate around the word by  calling Johar, 45, the "flag bearer of nepotism" on his talk  show.
Johar did not like the comments and made fun of Ranaut at  an award ceremony ...

Karan Johar calls himself ambassador of nepotism

Playback singer Palak Muchhal, who  will be seen as one of the coaches on reality show "The Voice  India Kids", believes talent should not be restricted by age.
Palak, 25, says she started her career as a singer at  a young age and has no regrets about it.
"Even I started singing when I was young, I received  training from the experts at a young age. It was a golden  opportunity for me. Talent should not be bound by any age bar  or limit," Palak tells PTI.
The singer says the makers of the show make sure the  children are happy and do not feel performance pressure.
"We do not put pressure on the kids. We make sure they  are happy. There's an informal atmosphere on the show. The  kids often come to my place, we go out.
"The shooting hours are not long. Their studies also  receive due attention. I think if all these things are taken  care of, reality shows prove to be a great opportunity for  children," adds Palak.
She says the contestants on the second season of the show  are ...

Talent should not be bound by any age limit: Palak Muchhal

Spanish director David Canovas  believes big budget Hollywood movies are posing a challenge to  smaller films across the world.
Canovas, who is on his maiden visit to India to  participate in the first Guwahati International Film Festival  (GIFF), said the only way forward for filmmakers is to make  films with better stories.
"The only way to save films, as I see, is to make  products with more risks. Be brave and make the plots better.  We have to make better pictures and promote them well. Good  publicity is a must," Canovas told PTI here.
The filmmaker, whose debut feature film 'The Tip of The  Iceberg' (La Punta del Iceberg) was screened at GIFF, said,  "Hollywood producers are obsessed with attracting the younger  generation and making films only for entertainment.
"Growth of private movie TV channels have also adversely  affected the film viewing culture everywhere. People get to  see all the films on TV. So, they hardly go to the theatres.
Canovas has not watched any Indian ...

Filmmakers should take more risks: Spanish Dir David Canovas

Pop singer Christina Aguilera  will pay tributes to music icon Whitney Houston on the 25th  anniversary of her first featured film "The Bodyguard" at this  year's American Music Awards.
The 36-year-old singer will honour Houston's contribution  in the field of music and cinema as her performance will also  include the songs from the 1992 movie in which she starred  opposite Kevin Costner, reported Billboard.
Aguilera said she was deeply grateful to receive the  opportunity to honour her idol, Houston.
"I am honoured and humbled to be asked to participate in  such a special tribute of a timeless soundtrack that has been  a huge inspiration not only in my own personal life and  career, but to countless aspiring singers - touching music  lovers worldwide and influencing the history of music itself.
"To be honouring the one and only, Whitney Houston, is a  blessing and I am grateful to celebrate the spirit of her  songs and legend that lives on."
While Houston's estate recalled that the ..

Christina Aguilera to honour Whitney Houston at the AMAs

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has  been a part of remakes like "Devdas" and "Don", said he loved  introducing "Ittefaq" to a new generation as the Rajesh  Khanna-starrer was his mother's favourite movie.
Shah Rukh has produced the remake of 1969 thriller with  Karan Johar and BR Films. Sonakshi Sinha, Sidharth Malhotra  and Akshaye Khanna feature in the new version that has been  directed by Abhay Chopra.
"When I was growing up, it was my mother's favourite  film. Rajesh Khanna and Nanda ji both were good. I found the  story interesting. It is exciting for these two boys (Abhay  and Kapil Chopra) to remake a classic," Shah Rukh said at a  promotional event of the movie last night.
Calling the original film one of his favourite thrillers  in Hindi cinema, Shah Rukh said, "I have done 'Devdas', which  would never be better than the classic (and) 'Don', which  would never be better than Bachchan sahab's (version).
"Somewhere down the line, (it is) just to reintroduce  great cinema that ..

Remakes introduce films to the youngsters, says Shah Rukh

Kevin Spacey's won't be getting an  Emmy as announced earlier and his hugely successful political  drama "House of Cards" is also set to end with the sixth  season.
The developments come after claims by actor Anthony Rapp  that Spacey had made unwanted sexual advance towards him when  he was a minor.
"The International Academy has announced that in light of  recent events it will not honour Kevin Spacey with the 2017  International Emmy Founders Award," the International Academy  of Television Arts and Sciences said in a tweet.
Though Netflix representatives told the New York Times  their decision to end "House of Cards" -- one of the network's  most successful shows that stars Spacey as a scheming  politician who makes it to the White House -- is unrelated to  the scandal, they said they were "deeply troubled" by the  allegations against the actor.
Spacey has been criticised for trying to divert attention  from the accusations made by the "Star Trek: Discovery" actor  by using his ...

No Emmy for Kevin Spacey, no new season for 'House of Cards'

Actor Charlie Heaton has  apologised for his absence from the season two premiere of TV  show "Stranger Things".
The 23-year-old actor, who plays Jonathan Byers on the  hit Netflix series, was reportedly denied entry into the US  by airport officials after traces of cocaine were discovered  in his luggage.
"My planned travel to the US last week was affected by an  issue at US immigration and I am working to rectify it as  soon as possible," Heaton said in a statement to People  magazine.
Dismissing reports, the actor also claimed that he was  not arrested for the alleged offence.
"I do want to clarify that I was not arrested or charged  with a crime, and cooperated fully with the US officials at  LAX.
"I'm sorry to all the fans and my Stranger Things family  for missing the premiere. We are all so proud of this season  and I would never want this story to negatively impact the  show," Heaton said.
"Stranger Things 2" also featuring Millie Bobby Brown,  Winona Ryder, David Harbour, ...

Heaton regrets missing 'Stranger Things 2' premier

Veteran actor and playwright Girish  Karnad is all set to be honoured by Tata Literature Live!  Lifetime Achievement Award 2017.
The award will be presented to Karnad, 79, at the  literature festival's annual awards ceremony which will be  held on November 19 at the National Centre for the Performing  Arts (NCPA), Nariman Point here.
The veteran actor said it is an honour for him to receive  the award as a playwright.
"... What makes theatre such an intricate world, a  febrile network of human relationships woven in words, and  this is why when, at the end of it all, one is told that one  has succeeded, it is such an exhilarating experience.
"This is why when the Tata Literature Live! honours me as  a playwright, I feel enveloped by the warmth rolling in wave  after wave - from across languages, cultures, and even from  bygone generations - saying to me, 'Well done!' What more  could one want? This is the moment a playwright lives for,"  Karnad said in a statement.
His critically ...

Girish Karnad to receive Tata Lit Lifetime Achievement Award

Selena Gomez and The Weeknd  have reportedly called it quits after a 10-month-long  relationship.
Multiple sources confirmed to People magazine that Gomez,  25 and The Weeknd, 27 (real name Abel Tesfaye) have broken up.
"She and Abel have been going back and forth for a few  months about their relationship. It's been hard with him being  on tour and her shooting in New York. That wasn't easy on  them," an insider said.
The distance between the two musicians due to their  careers is being believed to have ended the relationship.
Another source said, while the "Fetish" singer "always  made an effort" to attend The Weeknd's shows when she could,  "that played a part in them getting distant. It's over for  now, but they're still in touch."
One of the sources said, "It's been hard for them to come  to the realisation that this is the direction things were  heading, but it's been hard for months", adding Gomez has not  rekindled romance with ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber.
The former couple was 

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