Page 346 - Entertainment Culture

'Dark Phoenix' new poster has comic book references

The 'X-Men' films by Fox have always had a strained relationship with the comic book canon throughout the two decades they been in existence. However, the new poster for 'Dark Phoenix' has a few elements for long time X-Men fans.In teasing the debut of a new trailer for the latest - and final - Fox 'X-Men' installment, the new poster for 'Dark Phoenix' has been revealed, showing not only Sophie Turner's Jean Grey in both "regular" and "powered by a cosmic entity" flavours, but also targeting readers of the early 2000s New X-Men comic book run by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely et al, where Jean's new X-Men costume originated, revealed The Hollywood Reporter.Die-hard fans of the franchise will notice that Turner's Phoenix outfit echoes the Phoenix costume worn by Famke Janssen in 2006's 'X-Men: The Last Stand.'Notably, it is similar to the costume worn by Magneto in the climax of the Morrison New X-Men comics, as illustrated by Phil Jimenez.Furthermore, hidden at the bottom of the image .

Spotify debuts in India to take on Amazon Music, JioSaavn

Music streaming service Spotify Wednesday announced its foray into the Indian market, where it will compete head-on with players like JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Gaana. The Swedish firm said it will offer local and international music for Indian listeners with the app available to download for free. Users can also upgrade to Spotify Premium for Rs 59 onwards per month. Talking about the opportunity in the Indian market, Spotify India Managing Director Amarjit Singh Batra said a 2018 report by IMI and IFPI states that an average Indian internet user spends 21.5 hours listening to music per week. "The same report also says that the income from subscription audio streams tripled from 2017, to Rs 220 crore; that number gives a sense of how Indians are starting to consume music digitally," he told PTI. Batra said while the national number of people paying for music is small, statistics show that there is definitely a growing section of users who are seeing the value in subscriptions. "...we

Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Shweta Tripathi Sharma to come together for crime-thriller 'Raat Akeli Hai'

Shweta Tripathi Sharma who recently completed filming her debut Tamil film 'Mehandi Circus' will next be seen alongside actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the upcoming film 'Raat Akeli Hai'.This is the second time Shweta has been paired with Nawazuddin after 'Haraamkhor' that won both of them much acclaim. 'Raat Akeli Hai' is a crime thriller set in rural India and has Shweta playing an important role.Speaking about it, Shweta said, "Acting alongside Nawaz Bhai is a learning. He is a master of the craft and makes you look good by just being in the same frame. I take it as an honour and opportunity to be working with him again in 'Raat Akeli Hai'."The actor added that incidentally 'Haraamkhor' was her debut film as it was shot before the making of 'Masaan', however, it released later."I feel fortunate to have made my debut alongside Nawaz bhai," said Shweta.'Raat Akeli Hai' is currently being shot with both Shweta and Nawazuddin in Lucknow. The film also features actors Radhika Apte, ...

Nathan Lane cast in 'Penny Dreadful: City of Angels'

Nathan Lane has joined Showtime's upcoming drama series "Penny Dreadful: City of Angels". According to EW, the actor will play Lewis Michener, a wise and ruthless LAPD veteran who is the partner-mentor of the central character, Detective Tiago Vega. Daniel Zovatto is attached to Vega. Described as a spiritual descendant of the original "Penny Dreadful," the new series opens in 1938 Los Angeles. When a grisly murder shocks the city, Detective Tiago Vega is embroiled in a story that reflects the history of Los Angeles: from the building of the city's first freeways and its deep traditions of Mexican-American folklore, to the dangerous espionage actions of the Third Reich and the rise of radio evangelism. According to a press release, "Penny Dreadful: City of Angels explores an exciting mix of the supernatural and the combustible reality of the period, creating new occult myths and moral dilemmas within a genuine historical backdrop. This chapter is a bold new vision that will employ all

Rajkummar Rao's next a horror comedy titled 'Rooh-Afza'

After "Stree", Rajkummar Rao is set to star in another horror comedy, "Rooh-Afza". The film revolves around a singing ghost who puts grooms to sleep so it can possess their brides. Every time there is a wedding in town, local women come together to keep the groom awake through the first night in a bid to avoid the wrath of the ghost, read a press release. Co-produced by "Stree" producer Dinesh Vijan and Mrighdeep Lamba, director of the "Fukrey" franchise, "Rooh-Afza" features Rajkummar in the lead along with Varun Sharma. The film will be set in Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad and will see another ghost trying to capture newly-wed men. The leading lady and director will soon be finalised.

Freedom is not a blank cheque: Prasoon Joshi

In the long run, every true artist recognises that life trumps art, and is therefore sensitive to both oneself as well as the faintest murmurs in society, says lyricist and chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Prasoon Joshi.

Shakira has been called to appear in Spanish court in tax fraud case

Music sensation Shakira has been summoned to appear in Barcelona court on June 12 in an ongoing tax fraud case in Spain, according to Catalonia's High Court of Justice.The Colombian singer is charged with failing to pay taxes in Spain valued at just over 14.5 million Euros for the period from 2012 to 2014, according to court documents, revealed The Hollywood Reporter.Shakira, who has been cited in the documents under her full name Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, is married to Barcelona soccer star Gerard Pique, and the two reportedly live with their children in the Barcelona suburb of Esplugues de Llobregat, the location of her anticipated June court appearance.However, according to reports from December when the case was first made public, she claimed to have lived the majority of her time outside of Spain during the 2012-2014 period.According to local reports, the prosecutors claim that during this period she spent the minimum number of days per year in Spain to determine fiscal ...

'Hotel Transylvania 4' locks 2021 Christmas release date

Sony has booked a 2021 Christmas release date for the fourth chapter in the "Hotel Transylvania" franchise. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the CG-animated picture has been green-lit and will open December 22, 2012. This is the first time the studio has gone for a date in the year-end holidays. "Hotel Transylvania 4" will clash with Universal's "Wicked" and less than a week after "Avatar 3" hits the screens on December 17. Featuring Adam Sandler as Count Dracula, the last installment, "Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation", grossed the highest USD 528.6 million following its release last July. The series consists of an ensemble cast, also led by the voices of Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez.

Spotify makes India debut despite Warner Music hurdle

Throwing a big competition to music streaming services like Gaana, JioSaavn, Apple Music and Amazon Music, Swedish firm Spotify on Wednesday made its debut in the country with all-new features, including for regional music.

Zachary Levy bats for 'Captain Marvel' after film is hit with fake reviews

"Shazam!" actor Zachary Levy has come out in defence of Brie Larson-fronted "Captain Marvel", which has been hit with fake reviews online, saying there is no competition between the two films. Larson's movie, which is set to bow out on March 8, has been subjected to fake reviews on the site Rotten Tomatoes with many people pitting the Marvel movie against Levy's "Shazam!". In a video message, currently being circulated on social media, Levy expressed his disappointment over the "fictitious" posts against Larson and her film, which he described as "inflammatory" and "defamatory". "There are people out there making inflammatory, defamatory, and completely fictitious like reviews and posts of Brie Larson's 'Captain Marvel' and trying to pit 'Shazam!' against it, you know saying they're going to support us and not them, because of things that by the way they are making up - things that they're saying, they saw some screening and this, that or the other is in the movie. "I just found this .

One of the least likeable characters: Harrelson on playing himself in 'Lost in London'

Woody Harrelson says playing himself in "Lost in London" was "one of the least likable characters" he ever took up. The 2017 film, written and directed by Harrelson, recounted an infamous 2002 incident when he had landed in jail for breaking the ashtray in a taxi after a heavy night-out drinking in a London club. In an interview with Metro, the 57-year-old actor described the one-shot film, which was broadcast live into cinemas, as "wonderfully liberating". "This is probably one of the least likable characters I've ever played and I'm playing me. So I wish I had made some reason to like him a little more," Harrelson said. "I gotta say it was something so wonderfully liberating about everything working out. You get a shot at redemption. It's a pretty glorious thing because what it taught me, and what the theme of the movie is, is that you've gotta feel pretty lucky for what you have you know? I was made aware of how lucky I was and hopefully I haven't taken it lightly since then," he ..

Ellen Page says she was told to refrain from revealing her sexuality

Ellen Page has revealed that after she found fame, she was asked by people in Hollywood to hide her sexuality. The 32-year-old actor, who is married to Emma Portner, became a known face in Hollywood after she starred in films such as "Juno", "Inception" and "X-Men: The Last Stand". She came out a homosexual in 2014. In an interview with Net-A-Porter, Page said she was initially directed by the people in the industry to never talk about her sexual orientation in public domain. "I was distinctly told, by people in the industry, when I started to become known: 'People cannot know you're gay'. And I was pressured forced, in many cases to always wear dresses and heels for events and photo shoots. "As if lesbians don't wear dresses and heels. But I will never let anyone put me in anything I feel uncomfortable in ever again," she said. Page is a vocal advocate for LGBTQ issues and had most recently called out Chris Pratt for following an "infamously anti-LGBTQ church".

Kevin Feige says Disney+ Marvel shows will be connected to MCU

Kevin Feige has revealed the Marvel series on Disney's upcoming streaming service, Disney+ will be connected to the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe. The company had recently green-lit a stand-alone series based on popular Marvel comics character Loki, played by British star Tom Hiddleston in the MCU. The studio is reported to be planning similar shows on characters such as Scarlett Witch, Winter Soldier and Falcon. Feige said the proposed show will be a Marvel Studios production. "These will be Marvel Studios productions. They will be entirely interwoven with both the current MCU, the past MCU, and the future of the MCU," the Marvel Studios head told ComicBook.com. When asked about the future production from the studio after the release of "Spider-Man: Far From Home", Feige said, "As we've been doing for years, (we) aren't going to announce anything post 'Avengers: Endgame' or 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' until post 'Endgame' and 'Spider-Man'." "Avengers: Endgame" will hit worldwide .

Acting alongside Nawazuddin is 'learning' for Shweta Tripathi Sharma

Actress Shweta Tripathi Sharma has collaborated with actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui for a second time. She says acting with the "master of the craft" is a learning experience for her.

Here's why Emma Thompson dropped out of John Lasseter's 'Luck'

In what could be a major boost to the Time's Up movement, Emma Thompson, on Tuesday, wrote a letter explaining why she decided to exit 'Luck' as John Lasseter takes over at Skydance Animation.According to the letter, as cited by The Hollywood Reporter, Emma wrote to the producers, "It feels very odd to me that you and your company would consider hiring someone with Mr. Lasseter's pattern of misconduct given the present climate in which people with the kind of power that you have can reasonably be expected to step up to the plate."The Hollywood Reporter revealed that representatives for Thompson confirmed that the letter obtained by the Los Angeles Times was from the actress.Lasseter was named head of Skydance Animation by Skydance Media CEO David Ellison following his leave of absence from Disney in November 2017, after admitting he committed unspecified "missteps" that left some employees feeling "disrespected or uncomfortable.Thompson in her letter acknowledged that the reasons for .

Janet Jackson to launch Las Vegas residency in May

Janet Jackson will launch her first Las Vegas residency in May. The 'Metamorphosis' show will begin May 17 at Park Theater, Park MGM resort and will have an initial run of 14 shows across May, July and August.According to a statement cited by Variety, 'Metamorphosis' "peels peels back the layers of the immensely private life of Janet Jackson, sharing her transformation from a young girl with issues of self-esteem to global Icon."The statement further added, "The centerpiece of this all new thought-provoking show, will be Janet herself, captivating you through your senses with electrifying visuals, explosive dance numbers, chart-topping hits and fan favorite deep cuts. Fans will follow her path to self-love, empowerment, motherhood and activism, amidst the challenges faced along her personal journey."The show also features a special 30-year anniversary celebration of her ground-breaking album 'Rhythm Nation.'The singer, who released a new single, 'Made for Now,' back in August is ...

Odisha cabinet approves State Film Policy 2019

With an aim to promote Odia films and create a conducive eco-system for production of films in the region, Naveen Patnaik-led state cabinet gave its nod to the Odisha State Film Policy-2019.The policy will promote quality Odia films, facilitate film tourism in the state, establish Odisha as a destination for film shooting and improve screen density in the state.The policy has been formulated in consultation with stakeholders including film industry associations, experts from the film fraternity, government departments and agencies.To enhance the ease of filming and facilitate the development of related institutions, the Odisha State Film Policy 2019, it is proposes to implement a single window approval process for shooting of films in Odisha, it is proposed that all proposals for film cities multiplexes and cinema halls will be facilitated through the government of Odisha- Single window for Investor Facilitation and Tracking (GO-SWIFT).To encourage filmmakers to shoot in Odisha, a ...

Actress Payal Ghosh quits smoking

"Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi" actress Payal Ghosh has given up smoking.

I like limitlessness: Sangita Ghosh on playing antagonist

Popular actress Sangita Ghosh says that playing the antagonist in TV shows gives her the power of limitlessness.

Ali Fazal now more conscious about using social media

Bollywood actor Ali Fazal, whose nude picture was leaked on the Internet, says the incident has made him more conscious about using social media.