Page 687 - Entertainment Culture
Metoo movement: Music Academy drops seven musicians from Dec
As the #Metoo movement gathers pace, the Madras Music Academy Thursday has dropped seven Carnatic musicians from its list of performers for the Margazhi music festival, an event held every December, following allegations of sexual harassment against them. The artistes are vocalists N Ravikiran, O S Thyagarajan, Mridangam players Mannargudi A Easwaran, Srimushnam V Raja Rao, Thiruvarur Vaidyanathan, violinist Nagai Sriram and musician R Ramesh, academy president N Murali said. The movement that has been storming the country's entertainment, media, film, political, among other streams for over a month, recently forayed into the Carnatic industry with some women artistes narrating their experiences on social media. "In the wake of #Metoo movement, we cannot be oblivious of what is happening. We also want to express our solidarity to the victims of this alleged act," Murali told PTI. The decision was communicated to the artistes through e-mail, he said, adding that it did .
'The Conners' losing viewers post Roseanne Barr's exit
Turns out, Roseanne Barr's exit has lead to a reduction in American TV show The Conners' viewers.In the second episode of the 'Roseanne' inspired TV show, The Connors lost 25 per cent of its viewers, reported the Fox news. The episode registered a total of 7.9 million viewers as compared to 10.5 million viewers in the first episode.Industry experts had estimated that the viewers had tuned in to watch Barr's pro-Trump character, but in the second episode, there was no trace of the character.Notably, the first episode of 'The Conners' lost around 35 per cent of the viewers when fans tuned in to watch the return of the original series in March. Last year, when 'Roseanne' was rebooted again after 20 long years, it garnered in 18.2 million viewers.The Barr inspired character was decided to be pulled down four months after Roseanne was axed out of this spinoff following racist remarks against former US President Barack Obama's aide Valerie Jarrett.The original show 'Roseanne' ran from ...
Study: LGBTQ characters on network TV hit record high
A study says a record-high percentage of LGBTQ characters are part of the new network TV season. The annual study by media advocacy group GLAAD also found an increase in the characters' ethnic diversity, with slightly more LGBTQ people of colour than white for the first time. While the percentage of LGBTQ characters on scripted broadcast shows hit an all-time high of 8.8 percent of all series regulars, GLAAD says that number falls short. The organization called on networks to reach 10 percent inclusion for LGBTQ characters in prime-time. GLAAD praised the FX drama "Pose" for including the most transgender series regular characters ever on a US drama. Meanwhile, Nielsen announced it will begin reporting TV ratings for what same-gender couples and their households are watching.
2nd GIFF begins, 108 films from 52 nations will be screened
The 2nd Guwahati International Film Festival began Thursday with a collection of 108 acclaimed films from over 50 countries to be screened in the next one week. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the seven-day long film extravaganza saying that the festival is aimed to integrate the world as a family. "The aim of cinema is to integrate the society, humanity and create brotherhood. It's like a global village and small family. We need to stay together," he said while welcoming a host of dignitaries here. Sonowal said India and Assam does not need conflict and want coordination, peace of life and humanity. "GIFF is to develop mind. Films can give lots of confidence and generate peace, creativity and imagination," he added. The Chief Minister also informed that the state government will soon notify a new film policy to encourage local filmmakers in production and exhibition of their products. The ceremony was also attended by Lithuanian Ambassador Julius ...
Retrospective on painter Sachida Nagdev kicks off at IGNCA
A retrospective exhibition "Rang Smriti" on prominent Indian painter Sachida Nagdev kicked off on Thursday at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here, showcasing his rich oeuvre spanning over five decades.
Salim-Sulaiman offer song to reality show contestant
"Indian Idol" contestant Renu Nagar has been offered a song by composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant.
Aamir Khan shoots for 'KBC' with Big B
Ahead of the release of Yash Raj Film's mega adventure film "Thugs of Hindostan", its lead actors Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan reunited on the small screen and had a gala time.
Amy Schumer is all smiles after announcing pregnancy
American comedian-actor Amy Schumer, who recently announced her pregnancy, looked beautiful as she was spotted in New York City, first time after she made the revelation.The 37-year-old actor was seen bundled up in a sweater and matching hat while carrying a coat and sneakers in one hand, reported E! Online.Her public appearance comes shortly after the 'I Feel Pretty' actor revealed the happy news of expecting her first child with her husband Chris Fischer on Monday.The star had shared her happy baby news in a rather unusual way. She made the announcement on her Instagram account with an image of her and Fischer's faces photoshopped onto the bodies of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who announced last week that they will be having a baby.In the caption, she mentioned the profile of a journalist named Jessica Yellin who had posted a list of Schumer's 20 recommendations for candidates for the upcoming US midterm elections. The list ended with the words: "I'm pregnant - Amy Schumer".In a
'The Playboy Mr. Sawhney' producer wanted to make feature film
Karan Arora, producer of the short film "The Playboy Mr. Sawhney", says the initial thought was to make a full-length feature movie on the interesting storyline that they had, but then they scrapped that idea as it would have taken a long time to make it.
Goulding, Diplo, Swae Lee's 'Close to me' out now
Singer Ellie Goulding, DJ-record producer Diplo and rapper-singer Swae Lee have unveiled their new single "Close to me".
Nawazuddin, Athiya's next film a 'gift for children, family'
Acclaimed actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui's next film will be titled "Motichoor Chaknachoor" and he says it is a "special gift" for children and family.
Minister tells children to follow good films
Arunachal Pradesh Information and Public Relations minister Bamang Felix Thursday exhorted children to watch and follow only good, educative and morally enriching films. Addressing the inaugural day of the two-day Childrens Film Bonanza at Naharlagun, near here, Felix asked children to take full advantage of the bonanza and take lifes lessons from the beautiful films on an entire gamut of issues that would be screened for two days. The minister said films influence human mind and the society at large. "Children could change the course of history by dint of their hard work and innovative imagination," he said. Arunachal Film and Television Institute had started functioning in the state that would facilitate the aspiring film makers and actors in the state, the minister added. IPR special secretary Himanshu Gupta lauded the Childrens Film Society of India for collaborating with the department of IPR to organise such a meaningful event for the children and hoped that the ...
Suspicious package sent to De Niro in NY: police
A suspicious package was sent to Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, who along with prominent Democrats who received pipe bombs this week has been critical of President Donald Trump, New York police said Thursday. An employee of TriBeCa Productions, a television and film production company co-founded by the Hollywood megastar, alerted police to the package around 5:00 am (0900 GMT), a police spokesman told AFP. Police dispatched the bomb squad and the package was removed for analysis, the spokesman said. The package was outwardly similar in appearance to those received by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, other prominent Democratic figures and CNN in a spree of pipe-bomb mailings that began on Monday. In June, 75-year-old De Niro received a standing ovation at the Tony Awards in New York for using an expletive to condemn Trump. When Trump was campaigning for president in 2016, the New York-born actor slammed the Republican candidate as "blatantly stupid," "totally nuts" and an "idiot." ..
Aparshakti waiting for right script to act with brother
Actor Aparshakti Khurana is looking forward to acting with his brother and actor Ayushmann Khurrana, and says they are going through some scripts but nothing exciting has come their way.
'Total Dhamaal', 'De De Pyaar De' release postponed
Actor Ajay Devgn's films "Total Dhamaal" and "De De Pyaar De" have been pushed to February 22, 2019 and April 26, 2019 respectively due to extensive work around visual effects, he announced on Thursday.
SRK aka Bauua Singh from 'Zero' joins Twitter
Seems like Shah Rukh Khan is too excited for his upcoming science-fiction romantic drama 'Zero' as the superstar has introduced his character, Bauua Singh, on Twitter.Shah Rukh Khan, who is already well-known for his witty comments, shared his first tweet as Bauua Singh on Thursday and it is hilarious to say the least.The introductory tweet read," I am Bauua Singh people...respect that fact and those who don't. I will kill them with my love. Get ready Twitter people! Bauua Singh has arrived!"Director of the film, Aanand L Rai, retweeted Bauu's tweet and wrote, "My friend has arrived."Written by Himanshu Sharma, 'Zero' officially marks the return of SRK on silver screen after two years.The 'Chennai Express' star will play the role of dwarf who falls in love with a superstar played by Katrina Kaif, while Anushka Sharma will also play a pivotal character.The teaser of the film featuring SRK and Salman Khan was released on Eid this year.SRK and Anand L Rai are working together for the ...
Chris Pratt to star in Taylor Sheridan's next film
American actor Chris Pratt is all set to star in Taylor Sheridan's next action thriller film.With 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3' postponed, Pratt is in talks to join Sheridan for the new writing and directing project, reported Variety.The film is being produced by David Heyman, which is set up at Warner Bros. The story revolves around a former Special Forces Commando played by Pratt, who is recruited by the Drug Enforcement Administration to lead a black ops strike team targeting drug dealers who are protected by the Central Intelligence Agency.The working title of the movie is 'Fast', it would be Sheridan's follow-up to his directorial debut 'Wind River which had released in 2017.The project gives Pratt yet another potential franchise, he expressed immediate interest in the film upon meeting with Sheridan.Pratt has been a part of 2018's two biggest films including 'Avengers: Infinity War', which grossed over USD 2 billion worldwide and 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' which minted ..
Rajkummar, Bhumi to sip 'Koffee' with Karan
Amidst the buzz about the next pairing, television's favourite anchor, Karan Johar revealed that Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar will be seen together on his chat show 'Koffee with Karan'.The producer-director confirmed that he was all excited to shoot the show with the two actors and also asked the audience if they have any questions in store for the duo."Ok guys!!! Going to shoot with the two wonderful actors @psbhumi and @RajkummarRao for #KoffeeWithKaran.... let me know if you guys have any exciting questions! Will ask them your top 3 questions! Let's do this.....#koffeewithkaran," the host wrote on Twitter.The sixth season of the chat show premiered on Sunday with Bollywood divas Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt as the opening guests. The second episode promises to be a fun-filled ride as it will feature versatile actor Akshay Kumar and Bollywood powerhouse Ranveer Singh.The starry guest-list of the show also boasts of father-daughter duo Sara Ali Khan and Saif ...
Aiming to release 'Dabangg 3' towards 2019 end: Arbaaz Khan
Actor Arbaaz Khan, who is gearing up for the release of his forthcoming "Jack & Dil", says he is aiming to release his next production venture "Dabangg 3" at the end of next year.
'The Marvelous Mrs Maisel' season 2 to premiere on December 5
The second season of "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel" is set to air on December 5. Set in 1950s, the Amazon Prime Video series revolves around an Upper West Side housewife, played by Rachel Brosnahan, who ventures into stand-up comedy after her picture-perfect marriage falls apart. The upcoming installment of the dramedy takes up from one year post Midge begins performing stand-up comedy sets of her own after her husband leaves her. According to the official synopsis, "After Midge's triumph at the Gaslight, the fallout from her takedown of Sophie Lennon looms large, making her climb up the comedy ladder more challenging than ever. "As the actual grind of being a comic begins to take its toll on Midge, the pressure to come clean to her family weighs on her especially as her choices have a ripple effect on everyone around her." The show also stars Alex Borstein, Marin Hinkle, Tony Shalhoub, Michael Zegen and Kevin Pollak. "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel" won eight Emmys this year, including comedy