Page 1125 - Entertainment Culture
Saudi's first female director to receive Special Recognition Award
Saudi's first female filmmaker, Haifaa al-Mansour has been named as the recipient of CineEurope's inaugural special recognition award.The award will be presented to Al-Mansour at the trade show in Barcelona on Thursday, June 14, confirmed The Hollywood Reporter.She rose to fame with her 2012 feature debut 'Wadjda'. It was the first film to be shot entirely in Saudi Arabia.Since 'Wadjda', Al-Mansour has directed 'Mary Shelley,' followed by the upcoming Netflix rom-com 'Nappily Ever After'.Al-Mansour's project, 'The Perfect Candidate' was unveiled in Cannes as being the first film to receive financial support from Saudi Film Council.
Toby Kebbell leaves CAA, joins ICM Partners
Toby Kebbell, the popular antagonist of several Hollywood films, has parted ways with CAA agency and has signed up with ICM Partners.ICM Partners is one of the most popular talent and literary agencies with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C. and London. The news about this big shift came in from The Hollywood Reporter.The 35-year-old British actor is best known for his negative roles in films such as 'Dawn of the Planet of Apes', 'Ben-Hur', and 'Fantastic Four'.Career-wise, Kebbell will be next seen in crime drama 'Destroyer', alongside Nicole Kidman, Sebastian Stan, and Tatiana Maslany.
First list of artists for Kochi Biennale announced
The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) has announced thefirst list of participating artists working across divergent forms, styles and disciplines for the fourth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. The list features prominent names like Marlene Dumas (the Netherlands), Valie Export (Austria), Jitish Kallat (India), Guerrilla Girls (USA), Nilima Sheikh (India), Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook (Thailand) and Song Dong (China), a KBF release said. Curated by eminent artist Anita Dube, the fourth edition of one of the largest contemporary art biennales, known as the 'People's Biennale,' begins on December 12. Dube, who visited a total of 29 countries as part of her research, emphasised the importance of inclusion and collaboration in her curatorial approach, with a wide range of Indian and international artists, it said. Artists from India and of Indian origin include Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, B V Suresh, Madhvi Parekh, Sunil Gupta & Charan Singh, Vipin Dhanurdharan, Prabhakar .
Avengers: Infinity War joins USD 2 billion club
Marvel's smash-hit superhero ensemble film "Avengers: Infinity War" has crossed the USD two billion mark at the global box-office. The film, which brings together the largest gathering of superheroes, achieved the milestone on 48th day of its release, Disney said in a statement. The global haul of "Infinity War" currently stands at USD 2.002 billion, which includes USD 656.1 million in North America and USD 1.346 billion from other territories. It is the fourth film to achieve the feat and follows "Avatar" (USD 2.788 billion), "Titanic" (USD 2.188 billion) and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (USD 2.068 billion). In the US, the Anthony and Joe Russo-directed film amassed USD 257.7 million in its opening weekend and held the number one spot for three consecutive weeks. In China, the film raked in a total USD 370 million and is the third-biggest Western film of all time. "Avengers: Infinity War" featured Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, ...
Wake up Punchy: Trump slams De Niro for Tonys address
US President Donald Trump today hit back at Robert De Niro for his expletive-laced Tony Awards address, for which the Hollywood veteran received a standing ovation. Making a sly reference to the actor's various boxing-related films such as "Raging Bull", "Hands of Stone", "Grudge Match" and "Night in The City", Trump said De Niro received too many shots to his head. Trump also dubbed the actor as a "very low IQ individual". The POTUS took to social media where he said he watched the awards ceremony and believes the actor was "punch-drunk". "Robert De Niro, a very Low IQ individual, has received to many shots to the head by real boxers in movies (sic). I watched him last night and truly believe he may be 'punch-drunk'. "I guess he doesn't realize the economy is the best it's ever been with employment being at an all time high, and many companies pouring back into our country. Wake up Punchy!," Trump wrote on Twitter. De Niro, who has been a vocal critic of the president, had dropped an
Playing Mozart may keep babies in the womb happy
Playing Mozart to unborn babies is most likely to keep them happy in the womb, say scientists who have found that foetuses prefer classical music to contemporary songs. Bach's sonata for flute as well as Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' from the ninth symphony were also found to elicit happy responses. However, 'Someone Like You' by Adele, as well as Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' scored lowest. Scientists at the Institute Marques in Barcelona in Spain studied the mouth and tongue movements of more than 300 foetuses between 18 and 38 weeks gestation, the Telegraph reported. The babies were exposed each to a mixture of 15 different songs, falling into categories: classical, traditional world music, and pop or rock. The music genre which caused the greatest level of reaction was classical music, 84 per cent, followed by traditional music, 79 per cent, and last but not least pop rock music 59 per cent. It is very unusual for these types of movements to be carried out by foetus during the second and
Baldwin confident about winning US presidential election
Actor Alec Baldwin says he would "absolutely win" if he runs in a presidential election against incumbent Donald Trump.
Kanye West wants his music in 'Deadpool'
Rapper Kanye West says he would happily clear the rights for his songs for the "Deadpool" films.
Mindy Kaling had tough time learning Hindi
Actress Mindy Kaling, who has Indian roots, says it was difficult to learn Hindi for her forthcoming movie "Ocean's 8".
We stand by Priyanka: Varun on 'Quantico' controversy
Actor Varun Dhawan has defended Priyanka Chopra, who faced a lot of flak in India for the plot of an episode in her American TV show "Quantico". Chopra, 35, took to Twitter recently to clear the air around the episode, titled "The Blood of Romeo", which featured 'Indian nationalists' planning to carry out a terrorist attack in Manhattan and frame Pakistan for it days before a summit on Kashmir. At a press conference of the International Indian Filmand Academy (IIFA) here last night, Dhawan, Bobby Deol, Kriti Sanon and Ayushmann Khurrana were asked how much involvement actors have in their characters, in view of the "Quantico" controversy. Khurrana said, "When you play a character, you have your own thought and that can't be right or wrong. You're following a script, a director and that's your first responsibility...There are all kinds of opinions, you will get backlash when you take one side. You can't escape this." To this, Dhawan added, "To end it, Priyanka Chopra has made the ...
John Cena joins 'Project X'
Wrestling star and actor John Cena will replace star Sylvester Stallone in Jackie Chans action-thriller "Project X".
My father a legend but never given best actor award: Bobby
Actor Bobby Deol says getting an award does not matter to him as his father Dharmendra never received a best actor trophy despite being a legend. Asked about the perception that stars get awarded only for serious films, Deol told reporters, "My dad is the biggest example. Most awesome, talented, amazing actor, a legend. (He) was never given the best actor award, ever. "So it doesn't matter. For me, it's the love and appreciation of fans and people around that makes me the best actor." Deol was speaking at the press conference of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) here last night. The 19th edition of NEXA IIFA awards will be held at Siam Niramit Theatre, Bangkok, from June 22 to 24 where the actor will be performing on stage. For Deol, this is a comeback year as he not only returns to stage but also has a film, "Race 3", releasing this week. Asked if he is nervous about the performance, the actor said, "I am the least nervous today sitting in front of you and answering ...
Taapsee Pannu starts shooting for 'Badla'
Actress Taapsee Pannu has commenced shooting for the upcoming thriller "Badla" in Scotland.
Ashley Lobo to take 'Passage to Bollywood' to Istanbul
Choreographer Ashley Lobo, along with his dance company Navdhara India Dance Theatre (NIDT), will travel to Istanbul in Turkey in July to perform at the 57th International Bursa Festival.
Sri Reddy should give evidence rather than naming anyone: Vishal Krishna
Tamil-Telugu actor Vishal Krishna, currently riding the crest of success with his digital hit "Irumbu Thirai" is embarrassed and appalled by actress Sri Reddy's naming game. He says if she can name Telugu superstar Nani, she can name anyone next.
Shekhar Kapur researches new form of storytelling
Internationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur says as an honorary scholar at an institute in Boston, he is researching new forms of storytelling in virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
'Raazi' has opened doors for me: Amruta Khanvilkar
Actress Amruta Khanvilkar, who has featured in a mix of Marathi and Hindi movies, says the success of her latest project "Raazi" has opened up a lot of opportunities for her.
Kanye West launches a campaign with nude Kim Kardashian lookalikes
Rapper Kanye West continues to find inspiration in his wife Kim Kardashian West as he has launched a new campaign with the "nude" lookalikes of reality TV star.
Grande's engagement ring worth $100,000 bought in May
Actor-comedian Pete Davidson bought an engagement ring worth $100,000 for singer Ariana Grande in May, says a jeweller.
Rekha to perform on stage after 20 years
Veteran star Rekha is all set to perform on stage after 20 years at the upcoming International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) event. At the press conference of IIFA here last night, actor Varun Dhawan made the announcement and said it will be the "highlight" of the ceremony. "For me, it is going to be such a big highlight to see her (Rekha) perform live. I know a little bit of her act and to see that live is going to be a huge thing," Dhawan said as he invited Rekha on stage. Asked which songs she would be performing on, the veteran actor said, "I have a second name- mystery. If I tell you now, then what's the point?" Apart from Rekha's special act, IIFA will witness performances by several Bollywood stars including Ranbir Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Kriti Sanon and Iulia Vantur. The main ceremony will be hosted by Karan Johar and Riteish Deshmukh. The celebrations will kickstart with 'IIFA Rocks' and will have a special medley by music director ...