Page 1542 - Entertainment Culture
Cuoco's friends not in favour of her wedding with Cook
Actress Kaley Cuoco's friends are not in favour of her quick decision to marry equestrian Karl Cook.
Woman accuses film star Steven Seagal of rape in 1993
A once-aspiring actress has alleged Steven Seagal raped her at a wrap party for the film "On Deadly Ground," claiming he undressed her and assaulted her on his bed while she focused on a photo of Seagal's wife on the nightstand. Regina Simons called the alleged assault "very predatory, very aggressive and traumatising" during an interview that aired Friday on "Megyn Kelly Today." She was 18 at the time. Seagal's lawyer did not immediately return calls for comment Friday. Simons said she was surprised to find that she was the only one invited to Seagal's 1993 party to celebrate the end of filming. She had been and extra and said "before I knew it, he was on top of me and I couldn't move." She says she froze and "felt like I left my body." During the alleged attack, Simons said she remembers looking at picture of Seagal and "the lady from 'Weird Science.'" At the time, Segal was married to Kelly LeBrock, who starred in "Weird Science." Other women have accused Seagal of ..
Cutting-edge journalism seeing paradigm shift, admit top practitioners
They represent journalism at its most exciting, influential but also lethal. Top journalists who have covered a wide spectrum of issues from the repressive life in North Korea, to brutal Islamist terrorism, to the plight of the Rohingya refugees admit that "frontline" reporting is now undergoing a paradigm shift due to various factors, especially the communications revolution which allows everyone to tell their story without intermediaries.
Petrol bomb hurled at theatre screening 'Padmaavat' in K'taka
Unidentified bike- borne miscreants hurled a petrol bomb at a cinema theatre screening controversial film "Padmaavat" here, police said today. However, no one was injured in the incident. Late last night, the miscreants threw a bottle filled with petrol which exploded in a huge fireball outside Prakash theatre, they added. The explosion sparked panic among the audience, police said. The controversial film has infuriated Rajput groups which allege that the period drama distorts history and hurts the sentiments of their community. Several acts of vandalism were reported in different parts of the country during protests against the film. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Padmaavat" was released yesterday after the Supreme Court gave its nod to the film.
Top male BBC earners agree to pay cut after gender gap furor
The BBC reported today that six of its highest-paid male broadcasters have agreed to take pay cuts after revelations of a gender divide in salaries. The BBC said in a statement that the public service broadcaster was "very grateful" to Huw Edwards, Nicky Campbell, John Humphrys, Jon Sopel, Nick Robinson, and Jeremy Vine for agreeing to reduce their salaries. "These are great journalists and presenters, who have a real connection with the audience. We are proud to have them working at the BBC," the broadcaster said. Details of the voluntary salary cuts were not announced. The BBC was embarrassed last year when a list of top earners showed that two-thirds of the best-paid workers were men. Many men also were also found to be receiving much larger salaries than women in comparable jobs. The BBC's China editor, Carrie Gracie, quit this month to protest what she called a failure to address the pay gap. Gracie did not appear on the list of BBC staff members earning at least ...
Police raid Moscow cinema for showing banned 'Death of Stalin'
Russian police today raided a Moscow cinema after it screened British comedy "Death of Stalin" in defiance of an official ban. The culture ministry withdrew permission for British director Armando Iannucci's film, which satirises the death of the dictator, on Tuesday after Russian officials labelled it offensive and "extremist." But Moscow cinema Pioneer, named after the Soviet youth organisation, decided to go ahead with its screenings of the film. Reports of the cinema's planned defiance led the culture ministry on Thursday to warn movie houses they will bear "legal responsibility" for showing the film. Today, six policemen accompanied by a group of men in civilian clothing went to the cinema following a matinee screening of the film, and at one point held an administrator and other cinema employees behind closed doors. Asked by an AFP reporter why they were there, the policemen repeatedly refused to give an answer. "We just wanted to go to the cinema at lunch," one ...
Steven Spielberg to remake 'West Side Story'
It's one of the most beloved movies in musical cinema and now Steven Spielberg is giving "West Side Story" a makeover -- except this time, he is recruiting Latino talent to play the lead roles. The original film version of Leonard Bernstein's musical -- Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" reimagined in the world of warring New York gangs -- came out in 1961, winning 10 Oscars and captivating a generation on the cusp of huge societal change. For the remake, Spielberg is teaming up with playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner, who has previously collaborated with the three-time Oscar-winning billionaire director on "Lincoln" (2012) and "Munich" (2005). Casting director Cindy Tolan has issued a casting call for actors aged 15-25 to play the lead roles of Tony, Maria, Anita and Bernardo. Candidates "must be able to sing," with dance experience "a plus," it said. The ad also specified that Maria, Anita and Bernardo were Hispanic characters. In the original movie, the Puerto ...
Paradigm shift in cutting-edge journalism, say top practitioners
They represent journalism at its most exciting, influential but also lethal. Top journalists who have covered a wide spectrum of issues from the repressive life in North Korea, to brutal Islamist terrorism, to the plight of the Rohingya refugees, admit that "frontline" reporting is now undergoing a paradigm shift due to various factors, especially the communications revolution which allows everyone to tell their story without intermediaries.
R. Madhavan is back, this time in web series 'Breathe' for Amazon
The actor who completes 22 years of film acting in 2018, speaks to Subhash K. Jha on doing a web series at this juncture of his career. Excerpts:
Supriya Devi dead, cremated with state honours
Veteran Bengali actor Supriya Devi, famous for her role in Ritwik Ghatak's iconic 'Meghe Dhaka Tara', died of cardiac arrest at her residence here early today, her daughter said. She was 85 and survived by her daughter and grandson. Supriya Devi was born in 1933 at Michkina in British Burma as Krishna Banerjee. She made her debut in Uttam Kumar starrer 'Basu Parivar' in 1952, starred in 'Sonar Harin' in 1959 and went on to deliver many other hits with him. She also acted in Ghatak's 'Komal Gandhar' and her other classics were 'Chowringhee', 'Bagh Bandi Khela', 'Sanyasi Raja', 'Debdas' besides 'Meghe Dhaka Tara'. 'Namesake', which was released in 2007, was among her last outings in the big screen. Supriya Devi had received Padma Shri award and the West Bengal government's highest civilian award Banga Vibhushan besides the Filmfare East Award Lifetime Achievement Award. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid tribute to the actor. She said in a tweet "Very saddened .
I saw Khilji as a challenge: Ranveer on 'Padmaavat'
Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, who has registered his biggest opening day collection with "Padmaavat", says most people had told him that a hero shouldn't play the anti-hero.
Paul Bettany no longer in talks to play Prince Philip in 'The Crown'
The search to find a replacement for Matt Smith's portrayal of Prince Philip for the third series of 'The Crown' continues, as Paul Bettany has pulled out of negotiations to take on the part.According to the Independent, the actor has now dropped out of talks to play the part after being unable to commit to filming because of his busy schedule.Bettany is tied up with roles in the Marvel cinematic universe and a part in the Han Solo spin-off 'Star Wars' film.Along with Prince Philip, the roles still to be cast include the Queen Mother (played so far by Victoria Hamilton) and Princess Margaret's husband Antony Armstrong-Jones (played by Matthew Goode).Olivia Colman has already been confirmed to play Queen Elizabeth II, while Helen Bonham Carter is widely expected to replace Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret.The season three will also see the introduction of two major characters in Camilla Parker Bowles and Princess Diana - the latter of which will play a much bigger role in the fourth .
Veteran Bengali actress Supriya Devi dead, Bengal gives gun salute (Roundup)
Veteran Bengali film actress Supriya Devi, who reached legendary heights for her portrayal of the protagonist Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak's cult movie "Meghe Dhaka Tara", died at her residence here on Friday following a massive cardio-respiratory failure, her physician said.
I was always loved by press as bizman: Trump
US President Donald Trump today said he was always loved by the media as a businessman and he could realise "how fake" the press could be only after he joined politics and assumed presidency. Hisses and boos came out loud from the audience here at the World Economic Forum (WEF), including from a large number of journalists, as Trump made the remarks while talking about his journey to presidency in reply to a question. "As a businessman, I was always treated really well by the press... and it wasn't until I became a politician that I realised how nasty, how mean, how vicious and how fake the press can be," Trump said. Trump had coined the term 'fake news' during his presidential campaign, targeting media houses for "biased" coverage. Earlier this month, he also declared winners of the 'Fake News Award'.
Would have loved to do any character in a Ray film : Shabana
Actor Shabana Azmi today said she would have agreed to do any character in a Satyajit Ray film and was lucky to work with the maestro in his flick 'Shatranj Ke Khilari'. "I consider myself very lucky to have played the role of Khurshid (in Shatranj ...) and to have been cast by a director like him (Ray)," Shabana said to questions at the fifth day of Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet here. Asked which character of the maestro she would have liked to portray other than her role in 'Shatranj Ke Khilari', she said "Every single one, including children and men - anything," Shabana had played the role of the wife of a nobleman Mirza Sajjad Ali portrayed by late Sanjeev Kumar in 'Shatranj ki Khilari'(1977) based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name. Her work in the Ray film, which was set in 1856 on the eve of the Indian rebellion of 1857 when the British were about to annex the Indian State of Awadh, was only for three days, Shabana said. Recalling the first day
Usage of explicit language in my films not deliberate: Kashyap
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap today said that people may see many things happening in daily life but when the same is presented in a film then it is criticised. On a question from the audience that why he uses abusive terms in films, the filmmaker pointed out that it is not used deliberately but are set in a natural way. "Abuses are not deliberately used in my films. I let things happen in natural and organic way. I have tried for the first time that no such thing should be there in the film 'Mukkabaaz'," he said. "We have become like this that we can see and hear such things in our routine life but not in film, as if the entire burden of the society on films. Many things may happen in the country but if they are screened in cinema, then the society will be ruined," he added. Kashyap, who has been credited as a director, producer, writer and actor, said that his epic two-part film Gangs of Wasseypur was life changing films for him. "The very source of this film was Italian ...
I was not like Manto, had to purify myself: Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Noted actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was welcomed with a packed house in the front lawns of Diggi Palace as he arrived to participate in a session at the ZEE Literature Festival themed on his upcoming film which charts the life of Saadat Hasan Manto.
'Call me by Your Name' sequel to deal with AIDS
Luca Guadagnino, director of the Oscar-nominated movie 'Call me by Your Name', has revealed that it might not be the last time we see Oscar nominee Timothee Chalamet as his character Elio.According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 46-year-old filmmaker said that he plans to return for the sequel of the critically acclaimed movie. He also shared that sequel will pick up exactly where the first film left off.Guadagnino said, "In my opinion, 'Call Me' can be the first chapter of the chronicles of the life of these people that we met in this movie, and if the first one is a story of coming-of-age and becoming a young man, maybe the next chapter will be, what is the position of the young man in the world, what does he want - and what is left a few years later of such an emotional punch that made him who he is?"Guadagnino also revealed that he would like the sequel to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and '90s head on.The directors noted, "I think it's going to be a very relevant part
Opposition encourages me to write more: Hansda Sowvendra
People who engaged in online harassment and burned my effigies have only emboldened me to "write more", noted writer Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar has said in the wake of the controversy sparked by his second book 'The Adivasi Will Not Dance'. The 34-year-old writer, a recipient of a Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, had to face continuous online flak for a year- and-a-half from members of the Adivasi community who thought the book portrayed his own Santhal people, especially women, "in a bad light". In August last year, the Jharkhand government banned the book. It suspended the writer, a medical officer at a district health centre 400 km from the capital Ranchi, and asked him to explain his actions. "It was embarrassing. The irony was that the people who have been accused of harassing women were the ones showing that they respect women," Shekhar said at the eleventh edition of Jaipur Literature Festival. "I was told that a law and order situation was created because of my ...
Would love to have acted in all of Ray's films: Shabana
Expressing her admiration for Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray, veteran actor and theatre artist Shabana Azmi on Friday said she would have loved to act in all the films Ray made.