Page 1257 - Entertainment Culture

Defectors send bottles of food and facts to N Korea

North Korean defectors sent water bottles filled with rice and K-pop-loaded USB sticks floating towards their homeland today, even as the two Koreas removed border loudspeakers following a rare summit last week. The North's leader Kim Jong Un and the South's president Moon Jae-in agreed last week to "completely cease all hostile acts" along the Demilitarised Zone from May 1, including loudspeaker broadcasts and leaflet balloon launches. But former North Korean political prisoner Jung Gwang-il and other activists tossed bottles into the sea from an island, hoping the tide will carry them northwards. Seoul is playing into Pyongyang's hands by depriving ordinary North Koreans of much-needed information, Jung said. "What is one thing that Kim Jong Un hates the most?" he asked. "It's North Koreans becoming aware of the reality." The defectors have been throwing hundreds of bottles filled with food, cash, medicine and memory sticks into the sea twice a month for more than two years. It will

Aarya Babbar has high hopes from 'Junglam'

Actor Aarya Babbar has pinned high hopes on his upcoming film "Junglam" as he is confident about its script.

Mel Gibson to direct World War II drama 'Destroyer'

Mel Gibson's "Hacksaw Ridge" follow up film is once again a World War II story, based on the Battle of Okinawa. The 62-year-old actor-director will helm "Destroyer", which tells the story of American naval ship USS Laffey. The ship withstood multiple kamikaze attacks from the Imperial Japanese Army and earned the nickname "The Ship That Would Not Die". Gibson's last directorial venture "Hacksaw Ridge" also revolved around the Battle of Okinawa but showed the battle on ground. The new film is based on the non-fiction book "Hell From the Heavens: The Epic Story of the USS Laffey and World War II's Greatest Kamikaze Attack" by John Wukovits. Gibson's girlfriend Rosalind Ross, who has worked on the TV series "Matador", has penned the script for the film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Besides this project, Gibson is in negotiations with Warner Bros. to co-star with Mark Wahlberg in "The Six Billion Dollar Man".

Armaan feels 'blessed' to sing for Big B-starrer

Singer Armaan Malik says after singing a duet with Amitabh Bachchan in "Bhoothnath" that he feels blessed to lend his voice to another film featuring the megastar.

*NSYNC reunites to receive star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

*NSYNC members reunited in almost two years to receive a star for their group at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. The boy band -- that comprised Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick -- made a rare appearance at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard for the event yesterday, People magazine reported. The honour comes in the anniversary year of the group's first album '*N Sync' they released in 1997. Famous for single hits such as "Bye Bye Bye", "I Want You Back", "This I Promise You" and "Girlfriend", their LP 'No Strings Attached' also sold 2.4 million albums in its first week. In 2015, Adele shattered the record with her '25'. Timberlake, who was present along with wife actor Jessica Biel, thanked the audience for turning up in droves. "This is so surreal. You guys are the best fans in the world... These four guys mean so much to me. We're really a family and the memories that we have and the times that we've shared and the families that we've built from

Bappi Lahiri honoured by London's World Book of Records

Celebrated music director Bappi Lahiri was feted by London's World Book of Records for his contribution to global music with his immortal song "Jimmy Jimmy aaja aaja".

Jackie Chan's estranged daughter says she is homeless, blames 'homophobic parents'

Action star Jackie Chan's estranged daughter Etta Ng has claimed she is homeless and is living on the streets of Hong Kong. Ng, 18, and her girlfriend Andi Autumn posted a short video on YouTube, in which she said she has been living under a bridge. She claimed her ''homophobic parents'' were responsible for her current situation. "We've been homeless for a month due to homophobic parents. We pretty much slept under a bridge, and other things. We've gone to the police, we've gone to the hospitals, the food banks, the LGBTQ community shelters and all of them just don't give a s***," Ng said. "We don't know what to do at this point. We just want to let people know what's going on because at this point it seems ridiculous that no one can help. I don't understand," she added. Ng is Chan's daughter with former beauty queen Elaine Ng, with whom the actor had an affair while married to his current wife Joan Lin. The 64-year-old actor has not spoken publicly about his daughter but has ...

Martin Scorsese blasts review aggregator websites for 'devaluation of cinema'

Veteran filmmaker Martin Scorsese has slammed review aggregator websites such as Rotten Tomatoes and CinemaScore for "devaluing cinema" and leading movies to be "instantly judged and dismissed". The 75-year-old director made the comments after receiving The Robert Osborne Award at TCM's Annual Classsic Film Festival in Hollywood, presented to him by his frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio. "It can all be summed up in the word that's being used now: content. All movie images are lumped together. You've got a picture, you've got a TV episode, a new trailer, you've got a how-to video on a coffee-maker, you've got a Super Bowl commercial, you've got 'Lawrence of Arabia', it's all the same," Scorsese said in his acceptance speech, according to Entertainment Weekly. "If there's no sense of value tied to a given movie, of course, it can be sampled in bits and pieces and just forgotten... The horrible idea they reinforce (is) that every picture, every image is there to be instantly judged

Javed Akhtar condemns Sufi group for 'threatening' Sona Mohapatra

Veteran film writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar, on Tuesday, hit back at the Madariya Sufi Foundation for allegedly threatening singer Sona Mohapatra to take down a music video.Mohapatra, in a series of tweets on Monday, had alleged that the foundation had sent her a notice to remove her latest video 'Tori Surat' as it doesn't conform with their norms of a 'Sufi song'.Akhtar took to Twitter to condemn the organisation "in strongest possible words"."In strongest possible words I condemn those regressive and reactionary organisations who are threatening Sona Mahapatra for making a music video of a Amir Khusrau ' Geet . These mullas should know that Amir Khusrau belongs to every Indian . He is not your property," said the 73-year-old.The tweet where the 'Ambarsariya' singer had opened up about the threats, read, "Dear @MumbaiPolice I have received a threatening notice from the Madariya Sufi Foundation to remove my music video Tori Surat from all communication mediums. They claim that the ..

Challenges make an actor: Omkar Kapoor

Actor Omkar Kapoor says essaying the role of Ankush Patel in web series "Kaushiki" came with its own challenges.

Director Raman Hui breaks down success code in Hollywood

Director Raman Hui, whose "Monster Hunt 2" will release in India on May 11, says there is no one particular success formula when it comes to filmmaking.

*NSYNC reunites to get Hollywood Walk of Fame star

Former *NSYNC band members Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick reunited to receive their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

I have a lot of deep feeling for her: Orlando Bloom on Katy Perry

Orlando Bloom has opened up about his "surprise" romance with Katy Perry saying he never imagined they will ever be together, but now he has a lot of respect for the singer. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star says he and Perry have a ''remarkable connection''. ''It is a very odd one. She's a remarkable human being, actually. Completely surprising, because I am not her demographic. I am a little older than her, so I wasn't someone overly familiar with her artistic endeavours when we met. I wouldn't have imagined anything happening. And, you know, when you get hit sideways you get hit sideways. ''You don't pick who you fall in love with. And then you come around and there's all sorts of things that happen in between, right? We had a really remarkable connection. And it's difficult. She's on tour, I'm doing a play, everything evolves. I have a lot of respect for her and a lot of deep feeling. So we will see," Bloom told The Times. The 41-year-old actor's comments come after it was ...

Mel Gibson to direct World War II drama

Actor-director Mel Gibson will direct World War II drama "Destroyer".

Kunal Kemmu clamps cast of 'Kalank'

Karan Johar's multi-starer production, ' Kalank', has kickstarted its shooting and actor Kunal Kemmu has also joined the ensemble cast.According to sources, "Abhishek feels Kunal is extremely promising and he has already shot a few scenes that the filmmaker has loved."The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Madhuri Dixit-Nene.Earlier, Karan Johar revealed the poster of the film. With several ruins and offset colours, the poster gave off major old-world vibes.Helmed by Abhishek Varman, the epic period drama is going to be set in the 1940s, around the hard times faced by India and Pakistan.Produced by Fox Star Studios, Dharma Productions, and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, the movie is slated to release on April 19, 2019.

Guilt made Prateik Babbar open up about drug addiction

Actor Prateik Babbar, who battled substance abuse in 2013, opened up about his drug addiction like few do in Bollywood. He says he was marred by "guilt", which made him go public on his personal life.

Female characters in my films stronger than in most films: Meghna Gulzar

Dainty and demure female characters don't find a place in director Meghna Gulzar's films. She says her films are not always women-centric, but agrees that the female characters in her movies are stronger than those in most films.

'We're in the Money': Sainsbury's CEO filmed singing after Asda deal

LONDON (Reuters) - The chief executive of Sainsbury's was filmed singing "We're in the Money" hours after announcing that the supermarket he runs would buy rival Asda, boosting his company's value by 860 million pounds ($1.18 billion).

Shania Twain to host new country music talent show

Singer Shania Twain has been roped in to host USA Network's new county music TV singing competition titled "Real Country". The "That Don't Impress Me Much" hitmaker has previously appeared as a guest mentor on "The Voice" and guest judged "American Idol". "It's been an incredible year for me, releasing my new album and coming back to country music. I feel it's time for me to add my own support in finding our greatest undiscovered talent. It's beyond thrilling to be leading the charge with Real Country, and I'm on a mission to find artists who will keep country music diverse and dynamic. The kind of diversity that inspired all of us," Twain told the network. Premiering later this year, the eight-part show will soon start filming in Nashville and is produced by Wilshire Studios, with Twain, Nicolle Yaron, Stijn Bakkers, and Leslie Garvin set to executive produce. ACM Award-winning and platinum-selling singer-songwriter Jake Owen will co-host the show.

After 'Shiraz', keen to compose music for 'modern ' films: Anoushka Shankar (IANS Interview)

Anoushka Shankar's maiden project as a film music composer was unique. After scoring for the restored 1928 Indian silent period drama "Shiraz: A Romance of India", the British Indian sitar player is enthused about taking up more film projects, albeit with "modern" narratives and "normal conversations".