Page 1305 - Entertainment Culture
Dharmendra to receive Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement award
Veteran actor Dharmendra and filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani will be conferred with the prestigious Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement and Raj Kapoor Special Contribution awards, respectively, Maharashtra culture minister Vinod Tawde announced here today. Veteran Marathi actor Vijay Chavhan will receive the V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement award, while actor-director Mrinal Kulkarni has been named for V Shantaram Special Contribution awards. "Delighted to announce veteran actor Dharmendra ji as the recipient of Maharashtra State's Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement Award and director Rajkumar Hirani on being selected for the Raj Kapoor Special Contributions Award. Congratulations (sic)," Tawde tweeted. Dharmendra, 82, who earned himself the sobriquet of "He-Man" after he starred in a number of action films and has movies such as "Sholay", "Chupke Chupke", "Yaadon Ki Baaraat", "Satyakam" and "Seeta Aur Geeta" to his credit. Hirani is regarded as one of the most celebrated filmmakers of Hindi ...
Serious crimes ignored and celebs made soft targets: Mika
Popular Punjabi singer Mika Singh has urged quick and stern action against those who raped an eight-year-old. He says people tend to forget such instances and focus on Salman Khan's blackbuck poaching case just because celebrities are soft targets.
Swara blasts troll for shaming Kareena
Swara Bhasker today defended her "Veere Di Wedding" co-star, Kareena Kapoor Khan, from a troll who shamed the actor for marrying Saif Ali Khan. The 30-year-old actor recently shared Kareena's photo on Twitter, where she could be seen holding a placard demanding justice for the minor girl, whose gangrape-murder in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district shocked the entire country. A user criticised Kareena for marrying into a Muslim family and naming her son, Taimur. "She should be ashamed of the fact that despite being a Hindu (she) is married to a Muslim. Has a child with him and named him Taimur, after a brutal Islamic barbarian (sic)" the person wrote in reply to the actor's tweet. Swara slammed the Twitter user for spreading hate. "You should be ashamed you exist. That God gave you a brain which you chose to fill with hate and a mouth you chose to spew filth from. "You are a shame on India and Hindus. That s**ts like you feel emboldened to talk this crap publicly is this government's .
Digital media replaces audio CD launches this Bengali new year
With a steady decline in audio CD sales in recent years, a leading music label has decided to use the digital media to launch a large collection of Rabindra Sangeet numbers, this Bengali New Year. Popular songs by late Rabindra Sangeet exponent Debrata Biswas would be posted on the platform, Mahua Lahiri said on behalf of Asha Audio. "Today's generation is more adaptive to the digital medium and we can also include a large number of songs in a chip. This is our 'Bangla Nababarsho' gift for the Tagore lovers. It is named 'Relive the Baritone Magic - 24 Carat Gold' by Debabrata Biswas," Lahiri said. With the emergence of digital media, audiences cutting across age groups are hooked to the new medium, and so 500 timeless tracks by Biswas were loaded on a 16 GB memory card/music card, Lahiri said. The music label has already launched another composition called 'Sajani Sajani' - a compilation of Tagore songs by Debojyoti Mishra and Debalina Ghosh - on YouTube, she said. The .
Mariah Carey thankful for 'overwhelming support' after revealing bipolar disorder
Popstar Mariah Carey, who recently opened up for the first time about her battle with bipolar disorder, is feeling "inspired" by the "overwhelming support" she has been receiving from all over.The singer took to social media to share an encouraging post."I've been hard at work, feeling inspired by each of your stories and uplifted by your overwhelming support," she wrote on Instagram. "Let's continue to encourage each other on our journeys."In an interview with People Magazine, the 48-year-old had revealed she was first diagnosed with the disorder in 2001, when she was hospitalised for a physical and mental health breakdown."I didn't want to carry around the stigma of a lifelong disease that would define me and potentially end my career," she said. "I was so terrified of losing everything.""Until recently I lived in denial and isolation and in constant fear someone would expose me," Carey told the magazine. "It was too heavy a burden to carry and I simply couldn't do that anymore. I ..
Shekhar Kapur 'stunned' by regional cinema at National Awards
Shekhar Kapoor, who headed the feature film jury for this year's National Film Awards, has said the quality of regional cinema left him "stunned". The veteran filmmker appealed to the media to highlight the good films being made outside mainstream Hindi cinema. While announcing the National Film Awards on Friday, Kapur said he was moved by the regional cinema, particularly Malayalam, and films such as "Bhayanakam", "Take Off", and "Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum". The 72-year-old director tweeted, "What an eye-opener it has been chairing the National Film Awards 2018. The quality of regional cinema has left us stunned. "It's world class and it's time to take away the tag of regional cinema. For Hindi cinema no longer can compete with the quality we saw from other languages." Kapur also said the mainstream media should focus more on regional films, which remains "hidden" from the audiences. "Unfortunately, mainstream media and Bollywood enjoy a highly incestuous relationship. So the ...
'The Simpsons' showrunner responds to Apu controversy
"The Simpsons" showrunner and executive producer Al Jean has responded to the feedback surrounding a recent "Simpsons" episode that attempted to address the controversy over the depiction of character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.
Global film fraternity pays tribute to director Milos Forman
Tributes for Oscar-Winning director Milos Forman, who died earlier this week, came in from celebrities from the film community in many parts of the world.
Emma Thompson to direct 'Nanny McPhee' musical
Emma Thompson has been roped in to direct the Nanny McPhee stage musical after playing the title character in the 2005 movie. The 59-year-old actor is not expected star in the film-to-stage adaptation, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She is also set to write the lyrics for the stage outing and singer-songwriter Gary Clark will compose the music. Thompson played the strange yet beloved nanny who used magic to rein in seven misbehaving children in her care. She penned the screenplay for the movie. The actor also co-wrote the sequel, "Nanny McPhee Returns", with Christianna Brand, on whose "Nurse Matilda" book series the original "Nanny McPhee" movie was based. Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, from Working Title Films, will produce.
Dharmendra to get Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement Award
Veteran actor Dharmendra has been chosen for Maharashtra government's Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement Award and director Rajkumar Hirani will get the Raj Kapoor Special Contributions Award.
Marvel doesn't want a repeat of what's worked well: Robert Downey Jr
Actor Robert Downey Jr, best known for playing superhero Iron Man since 2008, says the creative team of Marvel Studios doesn't believe in repeating what has worked well in the past movies.
Bollywood underrates me: Arunoday Singh
Actor Arunoday Singh, who has been a part of the Hindi film industry since 2009, feels his talent is under-utilised, and says Bollywood underrates him.
Nobody can take over Iron Man from Robert Downey Jr: Joe Russo
Robert Downey Jr became an instant fan favourite when he first starred in "Iron Man" and after a decade, amid the reports of him dropping the armour, director Joe Russo says no actor can replace the Hollywood star as Tony Stark. There have been rumours that Downey Jr, who has played the iconic superhero in around 10 Marvel films, including the upcoming "Avengers: Infinity War" and its sequel, will step down as Iron Man after the release of "Infinity War". "There is nobody who can take over Iron Man from Robert. I don't think the audience would accept that. He never mentioned to us about leaving 'Iron Man', but it will happen at some point of time. "He can't play the character forever. I am sure there are lots other things he wants to do in his career. But he loves playing the character, I know that, and we love working together. We will see where it goes from here," Joe, who has co-helmed the film with brother Anthony Russo, said in a group interview here. "Infinity War" boasts of a ..
Time to take away tag of regional cinema: Shekhar Kapur
Internationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, jury chairperson of the 65th National Film Awards, says the tag of "regional cinema" must not be attached to Indian movies in languages other than Hindi.
Donald Glover to host SNL and perform as musical guest
Donald Glover is in for double glory in his "Saturday Night Live" debut as the actor will both host and perform as the musical guest on the May 5 episode. The news was announced during the April 14 episode, hosted by John Mulaney, EW reported. "SNL" official Twitter handle also confirmed the news with a picture that had words "May 5... Donald Glover... Childish Gambino" written on three different-coloured cards. The photo was captioned, "Mark your calendars! May 5!!!! #SNL." Childish Gambino is Glover's hip hop act. The "Atlanta" star joins the list of the few artistes who have both presented and performed as the musical guest in a single "SNL" episode, such as Mick Jagger, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber and Bruno Mars.
Nicki Minaj teases tour plans
Nicki Minaj has teased fans that she is all set to announce new tour dates. The 35-year-old rapper, who recently dropped two new singles from her forthcoming album, "Chun-Li" and "Barbie Tingz", said she saw her "official tour schedule" and she was ready to go on a trek. "I def missed you guys. Thank you to all of you. Creatively, I've never felt better. See soon & see u guys on tour. I saw my official tour schedule today (sic)" Minaj replied to a fan on Twitter. The "Anaconda" hitmaker was lately keeping a low profile on social media until April 10, when she teased her followers with the artwork of her two singles.
Avril Lavigne hints new LP in cryptic post
Singer Avril Lavingne has teased that a new album might be in the works. The 33-year-old singer shared a cryptic black-and-white photo on Twitter, where she can be seen scribbling on a piece of paper and holding an acoustic guitar in another hand. Lavigne captioned the picture, "Homestretch B**tches". This would be her sixth album. Last September, the singer had hinted that new music will "be here before you know it." Her last, an eponymous LP, released in 2013.
We are fans and critics of our own work: Robert Downey Jr
Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr, known to fans internationally as the iconic Iron Man, believes the upcoming film "Avengers: Infinity War" may be the best work to come from the Marvel franchise till date. The 53-year-old actor, who completes 10 years in MCU this year, said the team always tries to do a better job from the previous films and this time with "Infinity War", they may have "nailed it". The upcoming film is inarguably one of the largest superhero gatherings, with Guardians of Galaxy pitching in to help the Avengers thwart Thanos (played by Josh Brolin), being touted the deadliest villain they ever faced, from collecting all the Infinity Stones. "We might be making the movies but we also are fans and critics of our own work. We try to make it better. But I think this time, we might have nailed it," Downey Jr said at a press conference for the film here. The actor was accompanied by co-actors Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr Strange) and Karen Gillian (Nebula). When asked how ...
Agyness Deyn, Gayle Rankin join Elisabeth Moss in 'Her Smell'
Actors Agyness Deyn and Gayle Rankin are on board the punk rock feature "Her Smell" with Elisabeth Moss. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Moss will star as Becky Something, the lead singer of a pioneering female rock band, who struggles with the pressures of fame, handling her ex-husband and drug abuse as she attempts a comeback. While Deyn will portray Marielle, Becky's best friend who finally leaves the punk partying culture behind only to be reunited with her friend years later once they make amends, Rankin will play Ali the sober, drummer who is a balancing agent in the band. Alex Ross Perry, who has previously collaborated with Moss on two other features, wrote and will direct the movie. Matthew Pernicaro will produce under the Bow and Arrow banner.
Lily James cried while waiting to meet Meryl Streep
Lily James said she was overwhelmed with emotion when she was waiting to meet Meryl Streep on the sets of the "Mamma Mia!" sequel. The 29-year-old actor plays the younger self of Streep's character Donna in "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again". "(Meryl) was singing this song in a chapel and it was so emotional. I was sat outside knowing I was about to meet her. And crying. And it was like: 'Hold it together, Lily!' It was too much!" James told PorterEdit. The actor said, while prepping for the role, she tried to steer clear of Streep's aura and focused on the essence of her character. "I tried not to focus on the Meryl Streep-ness of it all, but tried to focus on the Donna Sheridan-ness of it all. "Having said that, I did go through all of Meryl's movies, especially stuff from when she was younger. I loved watching 'Postcards from the Edge' - there's a spunky kind of madness where she sings in that - and even 'Death Becomes Her'." James added the multiple-time Oscar winner made her feel ...