Page 1201 - Entertainment Culture

Bollywood marketing caught in a 70-year time warp (Comment)

It is well known that in spite of producing the largest number of films in the world the health of the industry is not very sound. With a success rate of a mere 10 per cent, there is no way the business can hope to thrive or even rise to its full potential.

Marshmello to headline YouTube OnStage

DJ Marshmello, whose hits "Alone" and "Silence" have over one billion YouTube views, will headline the YouTube OnStage event. The artiste has 14 million subscribers and 2.4 billion views on his three-year-old channel on the video sharing website, reported Variety. The event will be held Thursday, June 21, at The Arena at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, will also feature appearances by top Youtube creators, including Liza Koshy, who will appear alongside the cast of her highly anticipated Original "Liza on Demand". Collins Key, Merrick Hanna and Kyle Hanagami are some of the other names to perform at the event. YouTube is once again teaming up again with Viacom-owned VidCon for the event which seeks to promote music and homegrown creators at the online-video confab's flagship US event next month.

Good vs evil fight in storytelling has caused harm: Sudhir Mishra

Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra is unhappy with the portrayal of villains in films and says the good vs evil fight has caused great harm.

Not interested in politics: Abhishek Sharma (TV Snippets)

Actor Abhishek Sharma, who plays Babbu Singh in the "Nimki Mukhiya" TV show, says he has no interest in politics in real life unlike his on-screen character.

'Khajoor Pe Atke' laughs at death (Movie Review ***)

Starring: Manoj Pahwa, Seema Bhargava, Vinay Pathak, Dolly Ahluwalia; Written and Directed by Harsh Chhaya; Rating: *** (3 Stars).

UK among biggest markets for Punjabi films: Sargun

Actress Sargun Mehta, who has starred in Punjabi films like "Love Punjab" and "Angrej", says the UK is one of the biggest markets for the genre.

Playing intelligence officer commands certain degree of discipline: Yami on 'Uri'

Actor Yami Gautam is prepping hard for her role of an intelligence officer in upcoming film "Uri". As part of her training, the "Kaabil" actor will soon start learning Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). "The prep work for 'Uri' has just begun. In terms of the action training, we are shortlisting best options and MMA is a crucial part of the role and that's why intense training for that will be what time would be invested in," Yami said in a statement. "The MMA is more to suit the body language which the script demands. Playing an intelligence officer on screen commands a certain degree of discipline and needs a body mannerism which is tough and MMA training will serve exactly that," she added. "Uri", to be directed by Aditya Dhar, is based on Indian Army's surgical strikes across the LoC. "Raazi" star Vicky Kaushal will be playing the role of a commander-in-chief who led the 2016 surgical strike in Uri. The film produced by Ronnie Screwvala's production arm, RSVP, will go on floors soon. Yami .

Ian McKellen is a shy person, says director Joe Stephenson

Joe Stephenson, who directed the documentary "McKellen: Playing the Part", said he found veteran actor Ian McKellen as a gentle and shy person. The documentary is built around 14 hours of interviews with the "Lord of the Rings" star and has a raft of never-before-seen archive material, including behind-the-scenes footage from film and stage. It covers his early years, with access to diaries and private photo albums, his acting career, and his role in the gay rights movement, according to Femalefirst. "He's a very gentle and quite a shy person, really. Which is quite a strange thing - a juxtaposition, really, with how outspoken he is about things and how brave he is and how much of a strong performer he is. He is actually quite a shy individual," Stephenson said. "The thing that surprises me about him is that he's not as certain about himself as I thought he was. I had an idea of just age being a thing, like when you get to a certain age you must be certain about yourself, and you must

Lando Calrissian is pansexual, says 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' writer

"Solo: A Star Wars Story" scribe Jonathan Kasdan has revealed that the character of Lando Calrissian is pansexual. In an interview with Huffpost, Jonathan, who wrote the film's story with his father Lawrence Kasdan, revealed that Lando, who is portrayed by singer-actor Donald Glover in the new film, is "pansexual" which means that he is "not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity". "There's a fluidity to Donald and Billy Dee's (portrayal of Lando's) sexuality. I mean, I would have loved to have gotten a more explicitly LGBT character into this movie. "I think it's time, certainly, for that, and I love the fluidity ? sort of the spectrum of sexuality that Donald appeals to and that droids are a part of," Jonathan said.

Mark Tully conferred RedInk Award for Lifetime Achievement

Former BBC correspondent and veteran journalist Sir William Mark Tully was conferred the Mumbai Press Club's RedInk Award 2018 for Lifetime Achievement, a statement said here on Saturday.

Bhojpuri film actress killed in road accident in UP

A 45-year-old Bhojpuri film actress was killed when a car hit the motorcycle on which she was travelling here, police said. Superintendent of Police S P Ganguly said the incident took place at Chhitauni village yesterday when a car collided with a motorcycle. "Manisha Rai, a Bhojpuri film, actor died on the spot," she said. She was on her way to a nearby shooting site with her associate Sanjiv Mishra on the motorcycle, Ganguly said. Mishra has also sustained injuries in the accident. The car driver fled from the spot after the incident and efforts are on to nab him, police said.

'Race 3' singer excited about Salman grooving to her song

Singer Rimi Nique says its a dream come true to have superstar Salman Khan grooving to her "Saasein hui dhuan dhuan" song from the upcoming film "Race 3".

Not great to be brown or black in some parts of US: Indian-origin actor Karan Soni (IANS Interview)

Karan Soni finds the Apu controversy "cool". The "Deadpool" actor of Indian origin says it is a great time for people of colour in Hollywood, but he cannot say the same for the entire US, especially under Donald Trump's presidency.

Don't know how I survived: Shama Sikander on bipolar disorder struggle

Actress Shama Sikander, who in 2016 had openly spoken about her struggle with bipolar disorder and how she had once even attempted suicide, says talking about it was the toughest thing she has ever done. When she looks back, she wonders how she overcame it.

I don't have victim mentality: Ash King on indie music

Instead of complaining about how Bollywood music is overshadowing the independent music scenario in India, singer Ash King, whose latest single "Mann ki dor" is receiving a positive response, believes in making quality work that would inspire music producers to promote it.

Justin Timberlake delays European tour, cancels three shows in UK

Justin Timberlake has postponed the European leg of his The Man Of The Woods tour and cancelled three shows in the UK. The 37-year-old hitmaker was scheduled to kickstar the next leg of tour in Paris on 22 June but it has been pushed back to July 3 at AccorHotels Arena in the French capital. A statement released by Live Nation said Timberlake apologises "for any inconvenience to fans". "The Man Of The Woods European tour start has been slightly delayed resulting in the following changes to the UK performances," the statement read, according to Contactmusic. "Unfortunately, we are unable to reschedule the concerts previously scheduled for June 28 in Birmingham, July 2 in Manchester and July 6 in Glasgow, fans holding tickets will receive a refund at point of purchase," it added. The European leg of the tour will take Timberlake, who is currently touring in the US, to countries including the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Norway and Germany.

'John Wick: Chapter 3' gets release date

The threequel to hit action film "John Wick" will be hitting the theatres on May 17, 2019. The news was shared by the official Twitter account of John Wick: Chapter Three. "Be seeing you 5.17.19. #JohnWick3," it tweeted. Actor Keanu Reeves, who played the titular role in "John Wick" and "John Wick: Chapter 2", will be back for the third part. The franchise proved to be a major commercial as well as critical success for Lionsgate and raked in a combined USD 260 million in worldwide grosses. Both the films were directed by Chad Stahelski from scripts written by Derek Kolstad with Reeves portraying a retired hitman seeking vengeance for the killing of his puppy, a gift from his late wife.

Andy Bean, James Ransone join 'It: Chapter 2'

Actors Andy Bean and James Ransone have boarded the cast of sequel to the horror hit "It". The two actors join Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and Bill Hader in the film, which has been titled "It: Chapter Two", and will be once again helmed by Andy Muschietti, reported Variety. Gary Dauberman is penning the script. Bean, who recently appeared in the HBO show "Here and Now", will take on the role of adult Stanley while James Ransone, best known for "The Wire", will play adult Eddie in the sequel. Chastain is playing the role of adult Beverly while McAvoy will portray adult Bill Denbrough. Hader was cast as Richie Tozier in the film. Bill Skarsgard is expected to return as Pennywise the Clown for the sequel. "Chapter One" of "It" followed the first half of Stephen Kings novel, telling the story of a group of children who are terrorized by Pennywise and forced to face their own demons to defeat him. "Chapter Two" will follow the last half of the novel, where the characters return to ...

Bradley Cooper to star in Clint Eastwood's 'The Mule'

Actor Bradley Cooper is all set to reunite with his "American Sniper" director Clint Eastwood for a new film, "The Mule". The 43-year-old actor is in negotiations to join the cast of crime-drama from Eastwood, who will also star in the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This will be the 87-year-old legend's first film as an actor since 2012's sports drama "Trouble With the Curve". "The Mule" is based on a 2014 New York Times magazine story that tells the true story of 90-year-old WWII veteran and horticulturist Leo Sharp who became a drug courier for Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel. The film's story follows Earl Stone (Eastwood), a man in his 80s who is broke, alone, and facing foreclosure of his business when he is offered a job that simply requires him to drive easy enough. But unbeknownst to Earl, he's signed on as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel, and also hit the radar of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates (Cooper). Eastwood will also produce the project through his Malpaso

Try. Fail. Try again. Fail again. (Book Extract - Exclusive to IANS) (May 19 is Ruskin Bond's 84th Birthday)

Try once more! That just about sums up my life. A series of failures leading up to a modicum of success.