Page 1230 - Entertainment Culture

Thrilled to be at Cannes that captures generosity of movies: Manish Malhotra

Manish Malhotra is making his Cannes Film Festival debut this year and the ace designer says that being a movie lover since childhood, he is thrilled to be at the festival that captures "the generosity and glamour of the movies so beautifully".

Annette Bening joins 'Captain Marvel'

Annette Bening has been roped in to star in "Captain Marvel". The Marvel Studio film marks the four-time Oscar nominee's first appearance in a superhero movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Oscar winner Brie Larson is headlining the movie as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, a US Air Force pilot whose DNA is fused with that of an alien during an accident, which imbues her with the powers of superhuman strength, energy projection, and flight. The film, being directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, will also feature Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury without his iconic eye-patch. Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) also star, along with Ben Mendelsohn, Gemma Chan and Jude Law. Captain Marvel is yet to make her on-screen MCU debut, but she was referenced in the "Avengers: Infinity War" post-credits scene, when Fury paged her to send an SOS signal before disintegrating. Production is currently underway and the film will hit arrive on March 8 next year.

Barred directors, banned film and Manto: Cannes's 'freedom' theme is set

Sections of the Indian contingent at the 71st Cannes Film Festival are keenly awaiting the world premiere of the only title from the subcontinent in the official selection Nandita Das' "Manto". But you wouldn't guess if you went by the activities unfolding in the India Pavilion in the festival's Village International. The presence of the long-deceased Manto, an uncompromising writer who fought all his working life to protect his creative freedom, is being felt more in his absence. A buzz could be expected on Sunday when the film, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the eponymous role, surfaces in the competitive Un certain regard section. Coincidentally, Manto will screen within an hour of Jafar Panahi's main Cannes Competition title "Se Rokh" (3 Faces). The feted Iranian director, under house arrest in Tehran for the 'crime' of making films inimical to the regime, will not be in attendance as official permission for him to travel to the French Riviera is unlikely to be granted. Fellow ..

'Monster Hunt 2': A fun film that is audio-visually vibrant (IANS Review, Rating: ***)

Film: "Monster Hunt 2"; Director: Raman Hui; Cast: Tony Leung Chui Wai, Baihe Bai, Jing Boran, Yo Yang, Eric Tsang, Yuchun Li, Tony Yo-ning Yang; Rating: ***

Excited to train for a character after years: Varun on 'Kalank'

Varun Dhawan says getting into the training mode for his character in "Kalank" has excited him after years. The 31-year-old actor, who will star in the film along with Sonakshi Sinha, Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur, shared his workout video on Twitter. "Night training for #kalank. After years I've got a character for whom I'm very excited to train for. Try this only once you get used to the movements. It's taken me sometime to master this. Keep your core engaged at all times. "PS that the new mission impossible theme playing," Dhawan wrote, alongside the clip. Directed by Abhishek Varman, the epic drama set in the 1940s also features Madhuri Dixit and Sanjay Dutt. The film marks the collaboration of Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, Fox Star Studios and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. Dhawan was last seen in Shoojit Sircar's "October" that released on April 18. His other projects include "Sui Dhaaga" opposite Anushka Sharma.

Shamshera: Sanjay Dutt to be 'roaring villain' against Ranbir

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt has been roped in to play the role of a "roaring villain" against Ranbir Kapoor in 'Shamshera.'Yash Raj Films took to Twitter to make the revelation, writing, "We've got an ultimate casting coup! Our upcoming action adventure #Shamshera has a roaring villain against #RanbirKapoor. It's the one & only #SanjayDutt | @duttsanjay | @karanmalhotra21 | @ShamsheraMovie"The 'Sanju' star will appear in a never seen before avatar of a dacoit in the Karan Malhotra-directorial.'Shamshera' is set to go on floors by the end of this year and the shooting is expected to wrap by mid-2019.

Economist as short-story writer: Aiming to revive dying art (IANS Interview)

He is a man who wears several hats. From being India's Principal Economic Adviser to urban theorist from environmentalist to writer, Sanjeev Sanyal brings to his body of work experience from a very wide canvas.

Difficult to make SRK, Salman dance together: Mika

Singer Mika Singh, who performed at the wedding reception of Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja, says it is very difficult to make two superstars like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan dance together on the stage.

Got an exciting role after years: Varun on 'Kalank'

Actor Varun Dhawan says it is after years that he has got an exciting role in upcoming movie "Kalank" for which he is thrilled to train for.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to finally make social media debut?

If there is one star whom millions of people want to see on social media, it is definitely Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.Fulfilling the wish of scores of fans and followers, the 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' star will be making her much-awaited debut on Instagram.Ahead of the Cannes Film Festival 2018, the 44-year-old is all set to expand her digital imprints by making her presence felt on the photo-sharing app on Friday."Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has always been a private person and her presence on the social media platform is basically her way of thanking all her well wishers who have been hiving her so much love through the start of her career; a way to directly connect with them," revealed a source.On the work front, Aishwarya will be next seen in 'Fanne Khan' opposite Anil Kapoor along with Rajkummar Rao.

Christina Aguilera announces 'The Liberation Tour'

Gear up to be liberated! Christina Aguilera has announced her first tour dates in over a decade.The 'Beautiful' singer, who will begin the tour this September, will be singing in 22 cities.She took to social media to make the announcement, writing, "THE LIBERATION TOUR. Tickets on sale May 18 christinaaguilera.com."'The Liberation Tour' will be her first official tour since 'Back to Basics,' which ran from November 2006 to October 2008.

Arunoday Singh begins shoot for 'Apharan'

Actor Arunoday Singh has started shooting for the web series titled "Apharan". He says the role is very challenging and hopes to do justice to it.

Kate Walsh joins 'Umbrella Academy'

"13 Reasons Why" star Kate Walsh has joined the cast of Netflix's series 'The Umbrella Academy'. She joins actors Ellen Page, Mary J Blige, Tom Hopper, Cameron Britton, Robert Sheehan in the show. The 50-year-old actor will portray the role of The Handler, a composed and confident leader of a mysterious, bureaucratic company, the streaming giant said in a statement. Steve Blackman, best known for "Fargo" and "Altered Carbon", will serve as the showrunner and executive producer on the project. The show is an adaptation of Gerard Way's comic series of the same name and it follows the estranged members of a dysfunctional family of superheroes as they work together to solve the mysterious death of their adoptive father Reginald Hargreeves, while coming apart at the seams due to their divergent personalities and abilities.

Adam Sandler, David Harbour to receive special achievement honours at Webbys

Actors Adam Sandler and David Harbour will be honoured with Special Achievement Awards at the Webby Awards. Sandler, 51, will be presented with Webby Special Achievement Award for his stellar performances across several Netflix films, such as "The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Second)", "The Week Of", "The Ridiculous Six", "Sandy Wexler", and "The Do-Over", and for his role in bringing more recognition to the power, popularity, and profitability of streaming platforms. Harbour, 43, will receive the Webby Special Achievement for Best Actor for his starring role as Sheriff Jim Hopper in Netflix's hit series "Stranger Things" and for skilfully using social media to engage fans and spread positivity on the Internet. The two actors join previously winners -- #MeToo activist Susan Fowler, actors Laura Linney and Jesse Williams, artiste FKA twigs, Mozilla executive chairwoman Mitchell Baker, "Ugly Delicious" creator David Chang, director Steven Soderbergh, NFL player Chris Long, and the former

Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem received equal pay for 'Everybody Knows'

Actor Penelope Cruz has revealed that she received pay at par with her co-star and husband Javier Bardem for the Asghar Farhadi-directed film "Everybody Knows". The 44-year-old, who has collaborated with Bardem on films such as "Jamon, Jamon", "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Loving Pablo", talked about working together on their new project. When asked whether she got equal pay, Cruz told Variety, "Actually, yes." The debate around equal pay kicked off after it was revealed that Mark Wahlberg earned nearly USD 1.5 million more for reshoots on the film "All the Money in the World", which was way more than what his co-star, Michelle Williams, made. Cruz, who got married to Bardem in 2010, said they do not take their work home. "We don't take the characters home at the end of the day. We have similar ways of work. The fact that we know each other and trust each other helps," Cruz said. "It's not something we plan on doing every two years. That will be once in a while, if we feel it's ...

Will be creative up until the day I die: Elton John

Elton John may be retiring from touring but the veteran singer says he plans to be "creative" till the last day of his life. The 71-year-old musician, who announced his decision to hang his boots from touring after almost 50 years in the music scene in January, said he is looking forward to spending the time off with family and will see how things turn out eventually. "I'm always going to be creative, I'm always going to be interested in creative stuff, and you know, I think after this tour is finished, I'll take a few years off and see what's going to happen. "But creatively, I will be doing writing a lot, and who knows what's going to happen. If you let things happen for you, that's the magic of life. I will be creative, hopefully, up until the day I die," John said in an appearance on "George Ezra & Friends" podcast. The multiple Grammy-winning artiste said though performing live "fuels" him, he now wants to channelise his passion into his final, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road .

Here come the 'Bad Boys'

'Bad Boys' Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are all set for another round of action.The third installment of the action comedy franchise 'Bad Boys for Life' will open on January 17, 2020, reports The Hollywood Reporter.Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are directing the film, which will see Smith and Lawrence getting in the shoes of Miami Narcotics Detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey respectively.'Bad Boys,' which released in 1995, launched Smith as an internationally known star.Sony Pictures Entertainment also announced a release date of Tom Hanks-starrer 'You Are My Friend,' which will hit the big screens on December 18, 2019.The film is inspired by a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and award-winning journalist Tom Junod.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to make Instagram debut tomorrow

Actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is set to make foray into social media through Instagram tomorrow. The 44-year-old actor, who has steered clear of the digital space since time immemorial, will make her debut on the photo-video sharing social networking service. "Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has always been a private person and her presence on the social media platform is basically her way of thanking all her well wishers who have been hiving her so much love through the start of her career; a way to directly connect with them," a press release from the actor's PR team stated. A source close to Aishwarya revealed it is due to constant requests from her well-wishers and admirers from across the globe that she opted to have an official handle on Instagram to keep her fans abreast of her life, projects, etc. Aishwarya will also attend the ongoing Cannes Film Festival. On the work front, the actor will be seen in "Fanne Khan" opposite Anil Kapoor along with Rajkummar Rao in a pivotal role.

J Lo 'so excited' to perform at 2018 Billboard Music Awards

Jennifer Lopez is the latest name to be added to the performance roster of this year's Billboard Music Awards.The 'Amor Amor Amor' hitmaker took to social media to share her excitement."I'm so excited to perform at the @BBMAs! Going to be LIVE 05.20 on NBC. #JLO_BBMAs," she wrote.Previously announced performers include Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Dua Lipa, BTS and this year's Icon Award recipient, Janet Jackson.Christina Aguilera and Demi Lovato will also team up for a performance of their new collaboration 'Fall In Line.'The event, to be hosted by Clarkson, will broadcast live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 20.

Being different is big differentiator in web series: Suparn Verma

Far from the herd mentality in the film industry, in the world of web series, being different counts, says Suparn Verma, who has directed a new digital show "Kaushiki".