Page 336 - Entertainment Culture

Ian McKellen apologises for controversial comments

Veteran actor Ian McKellen has apologised after making controversial comments about the sexual assault allegations that have been levelled against actor Kevin Spacey and filmmaker Bryan Singer.

Tyrese Gibson to star as R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass in biopic

Tyrese Gibson is set to play R&B icon Teddy Pendergrass in his biopic. The film marks the "Fast and Furious" star's return to his music roots in the Warner Bros Pictures, reported People magazine. Pendergrass broke into the music scene in the 1970s as the frontman of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes and went on to see success as a soloist. But a near-fatal car accident in 1982 left him paralysed from the chest down. After his recovery, the music artiste learned to sing from scratch and made an emotional return to the stage at the historic Live Aid concert in London in 1985. He performed for two decades, retired in 2007, and died in 2010. Gibson, who is also attached to produced, said he is honoured to take this journey. "This is the role that I feel I was born to play. Teddy Pendergrass embraced me and before he passed, put the responsibility on my shoulders to tell his story... Teddy, I just hope we make you, your wife and family proud," the actor said. Little Marvin is writing

UP Police dons role of media during Kumbh Mela

News bulletins prepared by Uttar Pradesh Police on daily activities at the Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, have become a big hit, with Bollywood celebrities such as Sanjay Mishra and Prakash Jha hosting shows. Available on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, the bilingual 'Suraksha Bulletin' is shot by media students and professionals. "This is the first attempt of its kind by any government organisation anywhere in the world to produce anchor-based news bulletins. For this, the police deployed has prepared capsules, providing information on everyday's development in the Kumbh Nagri," DGP O P Singh told PTI. The capsules have been very successful in providing information to visitors at the Mela, the DGP said, adding, "We are also contemplating to replicate this arrangement in the entire state." A studio has been set up in the SSP office with standard background and lightning. The newsroom has several celebrity anchors such as filmmaker Prakash ..

'Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3' will have James Gunn's screenplay, says Kevin Feige

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has confirmed that "Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3" will use the screenplay penned by embattled director-writer James Gunn. The threequel took a hit after Disney sacked Gunn from the new film last July when his old offensive tweets resurfaced on social media. Gunn was in the middle of writing the script for the third film when he was fired from the job. Feige has said the controversy may have pushed the movie with the studio currently concentrating on other projects but "Vol 3" is happening. "I mean, when it was pushed back, it was pushed back. Meaning the release date, because it's not coming out although we've never announced a release date actually, but it was gonna happen sooner rather than later, initially of course. "Outside of knowing that we're gonna use (Gunn's) draft, (we have) been focusing on other projects," Feige told Collider. Last month, Chris Pratt, who plays Peter Quill/ Star-Lord in the "Guardians" series, assured fans that the third

The Jonas Brothers perform at secret concert days after releasing new song

The Jonas Brothers, who recently reunited and dropped a new song titled 'Sucker', performed at a secret concert at The Box Theatre in New York City.On Friday, the sibling trio, comprised of Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas performed at a secret show which consisted of their latest track and old hits. The concert tunes included 'Sucker', 'Burnin' Up', 'Year 3000', 'SOS' and 'That's Just the Way We Roll', reported E! News.After taking a break for nearly six years, Nick, Joe and Kevin, got back together and dropped the single and music video for 'Sucker', which they previewed on an episode of James Corden's ' The Late Late Show'.Their music video features Kevin, Joe, and Nick with their lovely leading ladies- Danielle Jonas, Sophie Turner and Priyanka Chopra.The song, which welcomed the boy band back to the music scene, is about being head-over-heels in their relationships. The video features the love birds happily flocking together while oozing romance.The three brothers appeared ..

Stupidity goes a long way in Bollywood: Emraan

Emraan Hashmi says there are not many producers who are ready to take risks in Bollywood, an industry where stupidity dominates, making it harder for actors to be smart. The actor says today there are at least a handful people trying to push the envelope, which was not the case earlier. "It is difficult being a smart actor in Bollywood. Stupidity goes a long way here. The audience is smart but not too many producers and directors take that (risk) and understand that. Now at least we have the new blood coming up with new stuff," Emraan told PTI. "Back then, it was just about making escapist films with a star, do what a star is supposed to do and get bums on seats. Right now, the audience wants to see more than that," he added. Emraan started his career in mid-2000s, gaining fame for featuring in films which were dubbed "bold". The actor eventually shed the "serial kisser" tag with films such as "Shanghai", "Ghanchakkar" and "Ek Thi Daayan" among others. The actor says before he turned .

Aretha Franklin, Count Basie to be inducted into Blues Hall of Fame

Aretha Franklin, Count Basie and Booker T and the MGs will be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as part of the 40th class this year. According to Variety, the blues and R&B legends will be honoured at a ceremony to be held on May 8 at the Halloran Centre for the Performing Arts and Education in Memphis. 'Queen of Soul' Franklin passed away August 16, 2018 at the age of 76 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Also joining the Blues Hall are singer Ida Cox and guitarist Pee Wee Crayton. The late Folkways Records executive Moses "Moe" Asch will also be honoured. The Foundation names recordings as well as artistes to its Hall of Fame. The singles being inducted this year include Muddy Waters' "Rollin' Stone", Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman", Elmore James "Shake Your Moneymaker" and along with Elmore James' 1965 compilation "The Sky Is Crying". The induction ceremony will be followed a night later by contemporary honours given out at the 40th annual Blues Music Awards. The ...

Content-rich films gaining momentum in Bengal: Actor

Actor Jisshu Sengupta, who is waiting for three big-ticket releases, said Sunday the length of his role in a project does not matter to him as long as it adds value to the film. Sengupta, who earned plaudits for portraying Gangadhar Rao in Kangana Ranaut's 'Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi', noted that content-driven films are gaining momentum in the Bengal as the audience is "lapping up fresh and mature concepts like never before". "I will always opt for a content-driven film where the script will have something significant to offer to my character," he said. The actor also said that he was keenly waiting for audience response to his next Bollywood outing 'Devidas Thakur', which delves deep into the underworld of Mumbai. "I have wrapped up shooting for my part in 'Devidas Thakur'. The post-production work is on. I gave my nod to the film as I liked the script," Sengupta said. The film, starring Sengupta and Shruti Hassan, has been directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. "Whether .

Rose McGowan doesn't regret abortion decision

Actress Rose McGowan accepted that she had an abortion and says she does not regret her decision.

I only opt for characters that's relevant to a film: Darshan Kumaar

Actor Darshan Kumaar says that he only opts for roles that are impactful and offers some kind of relevance to a film.

Ian McKellen apologises over Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer comments

Veteran actor Ian McKellen has apologised for insinuating that Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer sexually assaulted people because they were "in the closet". On a podcast, the 79-year-old actor had said "their problems" were the result of the fact that they had to be secretive about their sexual orientation. McKellen later released a statement on Twitter Saturday, saying that his comments were wrong and offered an "unreserved" apology to the LGBT community for putting his thoughts across "clumsily". "As part of an extended podcast recently, I suggested that if closeted people were instead open about their sexuality they wouldn't abuse others. That, of course, is wrong. "My intention was to encourage the LGBT audience I was addressing, to be proud and open about their sexuality. In doing so, my point was clumsily expressed. I would never, ever trivialise or condone abuse of any kind," he said. McKellen, who has worked with Singer in "Apt Pupil" and three "X-Men" films, said if the ...

Aretha Franklin, Count Basie join Blues Hall of Fame

Aretha Franklin, Count Basie, Booker T. & the MGs are among the performers named as inductees to the Blues Hall of Fame.

Shraddha Kapoor shares 'Shades of Saaho' chapter 2 on her birthday

Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor, who turned 32 today, treated her fans with a new video tiled 'Shades of Saaho Chapter 2' from her upcoming film 'Saaho'.The birthday girl took to her Twitter handle to share the new promo video. She wrote, "And here it is! https://youtu.be/ZtwjxGnkeys #ShadesOfSaahoChapter2 @sujeethsign @TSeries."The video features glimpses of a power-packed action filled world. The teaser begins with a lot of villains firing guns and a few seconds into the video, enters Prabhas, who fights against them without any weapons or guns. The makers of the film also show some action-packed sequences with amazing sound effects.The audience also gets a glimpse of the heavy weapons and equipments being used for the action scenes.The video later introduces Shraddha, who looks fierce, intense and beautiful in a red outfit. Shraddha is shown to be reluctant on whether to shoot or not but soon lifts the gun and fires. Holding a gun and with full determination in her eyes, Shraddha .

A new round of Bhed Chaal (Column: B Town)

Filmmaking has been all about trendsetting and following trends. Sounds nice. But, when the same thing is said in Hindi, it is called Bhed Chaal, not so complementary a term.

Trevor Noah defends his joke on Indo-Pak war

Comedian Trevor Noah, host of 'The Daily Show', who received widespread criticism over his controversial joke about the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, has defended his comments.The 35-year-old comedian took to his Twitter handle to state that he finds it amazing that his joke about the conflict between the two countries is trending more than the actual conflict."It's amazing to me that my joke about the conflict in India and Pakistan trended more than the story of the actual conflict itself. Sometimes it seems like people are more offended by the jokes comedians make about an issue than the issue itself," he wrote.A Twitter user wrote, "It's sad when someone who's had a violent past mocks war through a Bollywood stereotype. @Trevornoah 's mother was shot in the head by her husband(Trevor's stepfather).Imagine someone making fun of it with a Xhosa stereotype - the tribe his mum belongs to."Noah responded to the tweet, saying, he uses comedy to "process pain and ...

If we can do it, then any girl in world can do it: Sneha, Suman of 'Period. End of Sentence' gets rousing welcome

It was a rousing welcoming for Sneha and Suman at Delhi International Airport early on Sunday.Sneha and Suman, featured in India-based documentary 'Period. End of Sentence', which won the Oscars 2019 for Best Documentary Short Subject.Flashing cameras, paparazzi and loud cheers were a few unusual sites that Sneha and Suman witnessed as soon as they exited from the airport.Talking to ANI, Sneha said: "Whatever was shown in the documentary was a reality. Nothing was fake. Neither we are actors, nor were we acting. Everything was real."On being asked how she feels after receiving the award, Sneha said: "I am very happy. I just want to say that if I can do it, then any girl in the world can do it."'Period. End of Sentence', which tackles the stigma of menstruation in the country, created history at the 91st Academy Awards after winning in the best documentary short."This was not a day's struggle, the award bears testimony to 20 years of hard labour," Suman told ANI."Menstruation is not a .

Bollywood is classist, says Kangana Ranaut

Actor Kangana Ranaut Saturday said the system in place in Bollywood helps people with privilege and repels when it is challenged. At the India Today Conclave 2019, she said her many fallouts in the industry happened because she was always presented do-or-die situations in which she always fought her survival. "I come from a situation where I really do not have a backup plan. I don't have a plan B. It's not like I wake up in the morning and think about 'Oh wait a minute. How many people can I offend today and how to make my life difficult?' That's not how it is. "... The kind of story I have I wasn't left with an option. I wish they did. I wish they let me do my thing and I wish there wasn't this do or die situation. I would have preferred it like that. But if one of us has to do die I will make sure that it is not me," Kangana said. A couple of her past few films have been plagued by controversies. Her 2017 film "Simran" was marred by a spat between her and screenwriter Apurva Asrani,

I had no ambition to be a professional singer: Rekha Bhardwaj

Singer Rekha Bhardwaj says she had no ambition to become a professional singer. The singer, who performed in an episode of "MTV Unplugged", learnt singing out of passion.

Microsoft offers refunds for Band users, kills Health Dashboard apps and services

Microsoft has announced that it is putting to rest its Microsoft Band and Microsoft Health Dashboard apps and services. The services will be defunct on May 31, 2019.Although Microsoft discontinued its Band fitness trackers more than two years ago, it kept the related apps active to support existing users. On May 31, the backend services will end and the apps will be removed from the Microsoft Store, Google Play, and Apple's App Store, The Verge reported.If you are an existing Band user, you will be able to export your data before the end of May. Some of the Microsoft Band users will also be eligible for a refund.Active users who have synced data from a Band tracker to Health Dashboard between December 1st 2018 and March 1st 2019 can apply for a refund on their hardware. A refund of USD 79.99 will be available for Band 1 owners, and USD 175 for Band 2 owners.

YouTube CEO says disabling comments on minors' videos a trade-off for child safety

Earlier this week, YouTube announced a series of changes to its platform in response to reports about paedophiles abusing the service to connect with others. One of the major steps to curb the issue, YouTube disabled comments on videos featuring minors.The move evidently upset the creators and according to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, the decision to disable comments was a trade-off between upsetting the young video creators and upholding the safety of children, asserting that protecting children was the company's priority, Cnet reported.Although the decision to disable comments aims to curb the issue of child exploitation on the platform, it hurts the innocent creators who rely on feedback from their viewers to improve their content or simply connect with them.The 'paedophilia ring' controversy began last week when a Redditor exposed how YouTube's algorithm suggested inappropriate videos and that predators could enter a wormhole of such videos of children in sexually suggestive ...