Page 1004 - Entertainment Culture
James Corden, Taylor Swift, Ian McKellen to star in 'Cats' movie musical
Jennifer Hudson, James Corden, Taylor Swift and Ian McKellen will star in a new film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's beloved musical "Cats". Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper will helm the project which is expected to start shooting in England in November, reported Deadline. Lee Hall will adapt the screenplay for the musical, which Lloyd Webber based on T.S. Eliot's children's poems. The film will follow the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make what is known as "the Jellicle choice" and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. Hudson, who won an Oscar in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls", will take on the role of Grizabella, a former "glamour cat" ostracised by the Jellicles, while McKellan will play Old Deuteronomy, the elderly Jellicle Leader. Swift will portray Bombalurina, a flirtatious red cat. The stage version of the musical is the fourth-longest-running show in Broadway history and the ...
'Spirituality gave way to sensuality in Rajasthani miniature paintings' (Book Review)
Title: Rajasthani Miniatures: The Magic of Strokes and Colours; Author: Dr Daljeet; Publisher: Niyogi Books; Pages: 392; Price: Rs 4000
Frances McDormand joins Amazon's 'Good Omens'
Oscar-winning actor Frances McDormand has joined the cast of Amazon series "Good Omens". The series is an adaptation of the Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman book of the same name. Gaiman has adapted the script of the six-part series, which will be directed Douglas Mackinnon. McDormand, who won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in "Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri, at the Academy Awards this year, will provide the the voice for God. She will be a series regular. The actor joins Jon Hamm, David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Adrian Arjona and Nick Offerman in the series. It follows the angel Aziraphale (Sheen) and the demon Crowley (Tennant), who dread the Apocalypse and Final Judgement visible on the horizon. The show is scheduled to hit Amazon worldwide next year.
Jason Clarke to star opposite Helen Mirren in 'Catherine the Great'
Actor Jason Clarke has joined the cast of HBO miniseries "Catherine the Great". The four-episode series will feature Helen Mirren as the Russian empress Catherine, reported Variety. Clarke, 49, will play Grigory Potemkin, "a Russian military commander who became Catherine's lover, favoured statesman and life-long friend" in the show. The series will be directed by Mirren, 72, alongside Phillip Martin and it follows the end of Catherine's reign and her affair with Potemkin that helped shape the future of Russian politics. The project is a co-production between HBO and British broadcaster Sky with Mirren, Martin, David M. Thompson and Charlie Pattinson as executive producers. Clarke, meanwhile, will be next seen in Damien Chazelle's upcoming film First Man opposite Ryan Gosling.
Disney fires 'Guardians of the Galaxy' director James Gunn over provocative old tweets
Disney has removed James Gunn as the director of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" after the filmmaker's old offensive tweets resurfaced. In the old tweets, screenshots of which are available online, the 51-year-old director cracked crude jokes dealing with pedophilia and rape. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Walt Disney Studios released a statement in response to the controversy, saying they have removed the filmmaker as the director of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3", which was expected to start shooting later this year. "The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James's Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values, and we have severed our business relationship with him," Alan Horn, chairman of Walt Disney Studios, said in the statement. The screenshots of Gunn's tweets, which ranged from 2009 through 2012, were shared by a conservative website The Daily Caller. Gunn, who has been quite vocal in his criticism of US President Donald ...
Varun Dhawan flexes with WWE Superstar Braun Strowman
Bollywood power-packed actor Varun Dhawan is on cloud nine as he had a fan moment when he met WWE star Braun Strowman.The actor, who posed with Braun wore a grey T-Shirt and blue shorts with a grey zipper jacket and a pair of red tights. He completed his look by pairing up with white sneakers. While Braun was wearing a yellow printed vest and green shorts.The 31-year-old actor took to his Instagram and treated his followers with a photo of himself and Braun flexing together. He wrote, "@braunstrowman the monster and me get into a flexing contest. Great guy had a lot of fun meeting him thank u @wwe for setting it up."Prior to this, the 'October' star has also met WWE stars like Jinder Mahal, Triple H, and Sasha Banks.On the professional front, Varun is all set to share the screen space with actress Anushka Sharma in the upcoming film 'Sui Dhaaga'.Helmed by Sharat Katariya, the film has been produced by Maneesh Sharma under the banner of Yash Raj Films. The flick is based on Prime ...
Zelda Williams pens heartfelt note for late father
American actress Zelda Willians penned down a heartfelt note for her late father and actor Robin Williams two days before his birthday.Williams posted a photo of herself and her father on social media along with the message."It's that time of year again. Everyone who has dealt with loss knows the pain of certain anniversaries, moments full of memory that come round like clockwork and usurp all others, no matter how hard you may try to prepare for or avoid them," she wrote.The 'Dead of Summer' star shared that social media makes the anniversary of her father's death even more difficult."These weeks are the hardest for me, and thus, you'll see me a lot less, if at all," she wrote. "For all the internet's good intentions in expressing to me their fondness for dad, it's very overwhelming to have strangers need me to know how much they cared for him right now. It's harder still to be expected to reach back."She also thanked her father's fans for their support they showed in the four years .
Oscar-nominated producer Anthony Ray dies
Oscar-nominated producer and son of director Nicholas Ray, Anthony Ray passed away at the age of 80.Ray's family informed that the actor-producer died on June 29 in Saco, Maine, confirmed The Hollywood Reporter.Ray appeared on Broadway in the Elia Kazan and William Inge drama 'The Dark at the Top of the Stairs'.He also appeared on the big screen in Anthony Mann's 'Men in War' (1957), Sidney J. Furie's 'A Cool Sound From Hell' (1959) and on television show 'The Twilight Zone', 'The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis', 'The Untouchables' and the soap opera 'Search for Tomorrow'.
Roseanne Barr to create her own talk show
After being ousted from her show 'Roseanne' following racist remarks against an Obama administration official, actress Roseanne Barr is all set to create her own talk show.Barr's been holed up in her son Jake Pentland's studio for shooting interviews with friends and family members.TMZ quoted Jake's statement, "The plan to release the content on Roseanne's YouTube channel without any big networks is getting involved which will get a truly unfiltered and unedited version of Barr."The actress' iconic sitcom 'Roseanne' was revived with a bent favouring US President Donald Trump, which garnered favourable ratings.The television broadcasting company ABC is currently working on a spin-off of 'Roseanne' titled 'The Conners' that will not feature Barr's character and will focus on the rest of the cast instead.
'Glass' trailer is all about supernatural powers
The trailer of M. Night Shyamalan's 'Glass' is out and it is about three people with supernatural powers.The trailer introduces Dr. Ellie Staple, played by Sarah Paulson, a psychiatrist who specializes in 'those individuals who believe they are superheroes'. The movie welcomes stars Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Anya Taylor-Joy and Sarah Paulson.The three characters have come together in a hospital under Staple's skeptical supervision for treatment.Shyamalan's film has come 18 years after 'Unbreakable' and also combines characters from last year's 'Split', which was a surprise sequel to his 2000 deconstruction of the superhero genre.The movie will hit the theatres on January 18, 2019.
Drinking doesn't 'suit' Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who was detained at an airport here for being involved in a verbal fight with his wife and smoking e-cigarettes on flight, said he was at fault for losing his senses and ordering a drink following a series of "frustrating" events.
James Gunn exits 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'
Disney Studios severed business ties with Hollywood director James Gunn.As a result, Gunn is exiting the upcoming film 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' as the director.According to the Hollywood Reporter, the move comes after the filmmaker tweeted jokes on controversial topics like paedophilia and rape resurfaced."The offensive attitudes and statements discovered on James' Twitter feed are indefensible and inconsistent with our studio's values, and we have severed our business relationship with him," Hollywood reporter quoted Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn as saying in a statement.Gunn in response tweeted that, "Many people who have followed my career know, when I started, I viewed myself as a provocateur, making movies and telling jokes that were outrageous and taboo. As I have discussed publicly many times, as I've developed as a person, so has my work and my humour."The tweets came to the fore after the conservative website 'The Daily Caller' did some digging on the ...
Sylvester Stallone posts flashback video with Michael B. Jordan
Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone posted a flashback video with fellow actor Michael B. Jordan before the first film of the boxing drama series 'Creed' was made.Posting a video on Instagram, Stallone could be seen giving boxing lessons to Michael B. Jordan while filmmaker Ryan Coogler was filming it.He captioned the video, "FLASHBACK! This is the very first time I ever discussed movie boxing with Michael B Jordan before the making of the first CREED film.. The films brilliant director, Ryan Coogler, of course, was filming everything behind the scenes!!"'Creed,' earned more than $170 million at the worldwide box office.In the upcoming 'Creed II' movie, Sylvester Stallone will be playing the role of a boxing coach to Michael B. Jordan's character (Adonis Creed), like in the first film.These are spinoffs of Stallone's movie 'Rocky'.
Gurmeet trained by father for 'Paltan'
Actor Gurmeet Choudhary was trained by his father for his upcoming war film "Paltan", helmed by veteran filmmaker JP Dutta.
Hollywood rapper Offset arrested for alleged gun possession
Hollywood rapper Offset has been arrested over alleged possession of at least one gun.According to TMZ, the rapper's vehicle was pulled over by the police in Atlanta for having tinted windows.During Offset's arrest, neither the rapper's wife Cardi B nor their child was present in the car.He has been arrested under four different charges-- possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of a weapon during a crime, possession of marijuana (one ounce or less), and an improper lane change.On a related note, Hollywood rapper Cardi B and rapper husband Offset welcomed their first child, Kulture earlier this month.
Jennifer Conelly in talks to join 'Top Gun' sequel
Hollywood star Jennifer Connelly is in talks to join upcoming sequel of 'Top Gun'.According to Hollywood Reporter, if talks come through, she will be seen playing the lead role of a single mother who runs a bar near a Navy base.Connelly is well known for her Oscar-winning film 'A Beautiful Mind'. She recently appeared in 'Only the Brave' and will also be seen in upcoming 'Alita: Battle Angel'On a related note, Tom Cruise will portray the role of Maverick from his 1986 film 'Top Gun', while Miles Teller will play the role of the son of Maverick's friend (Goose) who dies in the first film.The movie is slated to start shooting in September at San Diego.
Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson cast in 'Cats' movie adaptation
Actors Taylor Swift, Jennifer Hudson, James Corden and Ian McKellen will star in an upcoming movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webbers smash musical "Cats".
'Sanju' becomes fifth highest grossing Bollywood film
Bollywood biopic 'Sanju', based on the life of Sanjay Dutt, recently became the fifth highest grossing Hindi film.Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to his Twitter handle to announce the news.He wrote, "#Sanju continues to woo audience... Is now the FIFTH HIGHEST GROSSING *Hindi* film, after Week 3... [Week 3] Fri 4.42 cr, Sat 7.75 cr, Sun 9.29 cr, Mon 2.81 cr, Tue 2.59 cr, Wed 2.42 cr, Thu 2.34 cr. Total: ? 326.80 cr. India biz. ALL TIME BLOCKBUSTER."The movie earned Rs 202.51 crore in the opening week, thus surpassing the first-week collections of 'Dangal', 'Sultan', 'Baahubali 2' and 'Tiger Zinda Hai' in the Indian Box Office.'Sanju', which hit the big screens on June 29, rocked the box office as it earned a whopping Rs 120.06 crore in its opening weekend.Written and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, 'Sanju' stars Ranbir as Sanjay Dutt, along with Manisha Koirala, Paresh Rawal, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Jim Sarbh and Anushka Sharma in pivotal roles.
Lin-Manuel Miranda to make directorial debut
"Hamilton" creator Lin-Manuel Miranda will make his feature film directorial debut with "Tick, TickBoom!" for Imagine Entertainment.
Dhadak leaves much to be desired (IANS Review **½)
Dhadak: Starring Ishaan Khattar, Janhavi Kapoor, Directed by Shashank Khaitan, Rating: ** ½ (2 and a half stars).