Page 1605 - Entertainment Culture

Franco now accused of sexual misconduct by five women

The number of women, who have accused James Franco of sexual misconduct has gone up to five, overshadowing his Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards wins. The allegations first surfaced when Franco won his maiden Golden Globe for "The Disaster Artist" where like many other stars in Hollywood, he showed up wearing the 'Time's Up' pin. The 'Time's Up' campaign was launched by powerful Hollywood women to fight against sexual harassment in wake of Harvey Weinstein scandal. "It (Time's Up pin on Franco) was like a slap in my face," Sarah Tither-Kaplan, a former acting student at the film school Franco founded, told the Los Angeles Times. Tither-Kaplan who went on to appear in several of his productions, is one of five women who have accused the 39- year-old actor of inappropriate or sexually exploitative behaviour. Of the five women, four were Franco's students from an acting school that he ran for a while. The fifth accuser called him her mentor. They said they thought ...

Refused big banner films due to their 'arrogance': Dobriyal

Deepak Dobriyal has created a space for himself in the film industry today but the actor recalls a time when he was asked to work for free or shown "arrogance" by big production houses. The actor, who was noted for playing the hilarious Pappiji in Aanand L Rai's "Tanu Weds Manu" series, has featured in prominent films like "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo", "Hindi Medium" and "Lucknow Central" in the recent past. The actor, however, says things were different five years ago. "I had said no to a lot of producers and directors in the last four-five years. At some places there was attitude problem or monetary issues. There was this arrogance that 'we are giving you mileage, a big banner, we won't pay you'. "They asked me to do films for free, lesser money and of course the attitude problem was there. These things were negative but somehow they had a positive effect (on me)," Deepak says in an interview with PTI. The turnaround for Deepak has been sweet as the actor and some of the ...

James Franco wins CCA trophy amid sexual misconduct claims

Actor James Franco won the Critics' Choice Awards but gave the ceremony a miss after five women accused him of sexual misconduct. Franco was awarded Best Actor for his work in "The Disaster Artist" at the ceremony after also taking home the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, at the 2018 Golden Globes. The Los Angeles Times published a report on January 11 in which five women went on record accusing Franco of sexually inappropriate and exploitative behaviour. Four of the accusers are Franco's former acting students. The Times piece came just days after the actor addressed the accusations several women made on Twitter during the Globes broadcast while appearing on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers". Franco is nominated for a SAG Award for his work on "The Disaster Artist" and as of January 12, 2018, Franco's attorney Michael Plonsker has denied the women's allegations.

Always had a feel for the romanticised horror: Vikram Bhatt

Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt, ready with his new film "1921", yet another supernatural-horror thriller, says his obsession with the spooky comes from how fear is the most palpable of all emotions.

James Franco's novel describes how he approaches women

Actor James Franco's novel "Actors Anonymous", which he penned in 2013, has resurfaced in news amid allegations of sexual misbehaviour against him.

Padmavat: Karni Sena workers detained, say changing name not enough

Over 100 Shri Rajput Karni Sena workers were detained here on Friday for protesting outside the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) office in connection with the release of film 'Padmavat'.The protesters said changing the name of the film from 'Padmavati' to Padmavat was not enough."The police are detaining us without any reason. We are not here for any type of rebellious activity, we just wanted to talk to the CBFC and tell them that Padmavat film violates the Indian history and request them to not release it," Prakash Singh Parmar, a Karni Sena worker, told ANI.He added that the Sena was requesting the censor body that they should not do anything which in turn would hurt anyone's cultural beliefs."Therefore, we all came here to have a discussion but they have detained us. They have changed the name of the film but that does not change anything," Parmar stated.Another Sena worker, Ganpat Singh said the film should be banned completely.Meanwhile, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum .

'Hate Story 4' to now release on March 9

Film director Vishal Pandya's fourth installment of the "Hate Story" franchise is now scheduled to release on March 9 -- a week later than scheduled.

Anupam congratulates 'The Big Sick' team

Veteran actor Anupam Kher has congratulated the entire cast and crew of his film "The Big Sick", which bagged the Best Comedy film at the Critics Choice Award.

Mary J. Blige gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige has been honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the recording category.

John Fogerty blasts Henson's film for using his song

Rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival's co-founder John Fogerty has blasted actress Taraji P. Hensons new film "Proud Mary" for using his song without his consent.

'Paddington 2' an over-cute pain (Movie Review: Rating **)

Film: 'Paddington 2'; Director: Paul King; Starring: Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonnerville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson; Rating: **

'Kaalakaandi': Black humour hard sold (IANS Review, Rating: **1/2)

Film: "Kaalakaandi"; Director: Akshat Verma; Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Sobhita Dhulipala, Akshay Oberoi, Isha Talwar, Deepak Dobriyal, Vijay Raaz, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Shenaz Treasurywala, Amyra Dastur, Neil Bhoopalam, Shivam Patil; Rating: **1/2

#CriticsChoice: Brooklynn Prince tears up while accepting Best Young Performer award

Winning a Critics' Choice Award can be a memorable moment for any actor, but it can be really "over-whelming" if you win the award, when you are just seven years old.Brooklynn Prince, the 7-year-old-actress from 'The Florida Project' won the 'Best Young Actor' award for her role in the movie and began to break down in tears as she was led on stage, reports Entertainment Weekly.She said, "Wow, this is such an honor but I would like. All the nominees are great - we should go and get ice cream afterward," causing laughter.She was helped up the stairs by her father as the presenters guided her to the microphone to give her speech.Prince continued his speech by thanking for this wonderful opportunity and director Sean Baker."God, I would like to thank you for this wonderful opportunity and I would like to thank Sean [Baker, the director] for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be his Mooney," noted Prince.In The Florida Project, Prince plays Moonee who lives in a week-to-week budget ...

Mohit Suri promotes indie artistes

Director Mohit Suri along with EMI Records India on Friday announced the launch of VYRL Originals to promote independent singers, music producers, lyricists and composers.

Ellen DeGeneres' father Elliot dies at 92

TV host Ellen DeGeneres' father, Elliot DeGeneres, has passed away. He was 92. The "Ellen DeGeneres Show" host, 59, broke the news to her audiences that her father, a former insurance salesman, had passed away earlier this week. "Before we go to break, there's something else I want to talk about. I mentioned yesterday when I was talking about all the mudslides that are going on in my community of Montecito, which is heartbreaking, I said that I had a lot going on in my life. In addition to what's going on in Montecito, I lost my dad this week," DeGeneres began in a video shared on her Twitter account. "That is my dad, Elliot. That's me when I was, I don't know how old I was, but I do remember that picture," she said, referencing a black-and-white image of herself and her father that displayed on the screen. Talking about her relationship with her father, DeGeneres said that Elliot "was very proud of me. He loved this show and he was a kind man, very accepting man. There .

Mission Impossible? The odyssey to become and stay Alec Baldwin (Book Review)

Title: Nevertheless: A Memoir; Author: Alec Bladwin; Publisher: Harper/Harper Collins Publishers: Pages: 288 Price: Rs 599

Minnie Mouse to get her own star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Minnie Mouse will be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on her 90th anniversary. The polka-dot bow wearing mouse will be joining creator Walt Disney, long-time paramour Mickey Mouse and other beloved Disney icons like Donald Duck, Tinker Bell, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, and Kermit the Frog, reported Variety. Minnie will receive the star on January 22 at 6834 Hollywood Boulevard in front of Disney's El Capitan Theatre, dedicated in the category of Motion Pictures. Disney CEO Bob Iger and pop star Katy Perry will be present for the unveiling. "Minnie Mouse is a woman of the ages and her iconic status makes her a great addition to our Walk of Fame. Generations of fans of all ages have been looking forward to her seeing her bright new star," said Ana Martinez, Producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies. Minnie Mouse made her debut with Disney's iconic "Steamboat Willie" cartoon. Mickey received his star in 1978 in celebration of his 50th anniversary.

Success always gives happiness: Prabhudheva

Filmmaker-choreographer and actor Prabhudheva says success gives happiness but also brings a lot of pressure for doing better.

Olivia Munn sarcastically toasts 'good guys' at Critics Choice awards

Everyone knew that the #MeToo movement and #TimesUp movement will be something that people at Critics' Choice awards will be referring to and host Olivia Munn took a different approach to address the matter.According to Entertainment Weekly, took the stage with Niecy Nash for a skit titled "Toast to the Good Guys".Olivia started, "At this time, my friend Niecy Nash and I would like to make a toast to all the good guys in Hollywood. I'd like to raise a glass to that studio executive who had me meet him in the studio conference room, instead of his actual hotel room."Munn and Niecy Nash also raised a glass for that famous actor who "didn't treat her like crap after she said she didn't want to get drinks with him after the show."'Way to be regular human beings,' Olivia deadpanned.This ironic toast was made in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal that rocked Hollywood.Niecy then offered another toast saying, "Thank you to all the men for speaking up at the Golden Globes", to ...

Jessica Chastain and Sam Rockwell to make SNL debut

Actors Sam Rockwell and Jessica Chastain will be making their "Saturday Night Live" hosting debuts this month. Rockwell, who recently won a Golden Globe for his performance in the film "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," will host "SNL" on January 13, reported Variety. Halsey will join Rockwell, who is also marking her debut as musical guest. Chastain will host the "SNL" on January 20. Troye Sivan will appear as musical guest for the first time. "SNL" veteran Will Ferrell, who was a cast member from 1995-2002, will return to the show's stage as host for the fourth time on January 27.