News Analysis India

Category: Entertainment

  • George Clooney says Capitol attack put Trump family ‘into the dustbin of history’

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Hollywood star George Clooney has condemned the attack on the Capitol Hill in the US by thousands of supporters of Donald Trump saying that the president’s name will now forever be associated with “insurrection”.

    According to The Hollywood Reporter, during an appearance on the The Business weekly podcast, “The Midnight Sky” star said it was “devastating” to watch the people’s house being “desecrated”.

    “This puts Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. Ivanka, all of them, into the dustbin of history. That name will now forever be associated with insurrection,” Clooney said.

    The Trump supporters on Wednesday clashed with police at the Capitol, where members of the Congress were going through the process of counting and certifying the Electoral College votes.

    The violent attack resulted in at least four deaths and interrupting a constitutional process to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the election.

    Clooney said the incident was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

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    “It is also a tremendous overreach in a way — everybody kept waiting for, what’s the one thing, the straw that breaks the camel’s back and it just seemed like that line just kept getting moved and moved and moved and outrage didn’t even matter anymore, even to the point of calling the Secretary of State in Georgia and pressuring him. None of that seemed to matter. This mattered.”

    The 59-year-old actor believes something hopeful will come out of this “disaster”.

    “If this is what it takes to set us on the right path, I think that, not that it’s worth it, it’s not worth it in any shape or form, but at least we should find something hopeful to come out of some of this disaster,” he said.

    Prior to Clooney, Hollywood stars Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, James Mangold, Sacha Baron Cohen, Josh Gadh, James Gunn, veteran singer Stevie Wonder, Selena Gomez and rapper Cardi B among others criticised the attack.

    On Friday, Trump also condemned the violent supporters who stormed the US Capitol, saying they do not represent America, as he vowed to ensure a peaceful and smooth transition of power to President-elect Joe Biden.

    “Now, Congress has certified the results a new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th. My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power,” he said.

  • Damian Chazelle’s Babylon scheduled for Christmas 2022

    By Express News Service
    Paramount Pictures has announced that Oscar-winning filmmaker Damian Chazelle’s next Babylon will be released in the US theatres on December 25, 2022. According to reports, the film will have a limited theatrical release on Christmas 2022, followed by a worldwide release on January 6, 2023. Starring Hollywood star Brad Pitt in the lead, Chazelle will direct the movie from his own screenplay.

    Brad PittMargot Robbie is still in negotiations to join the cast after Emma Stone, who won an Oscar for best actress for Chazelle’s 2016 movie La La Land, left the project over scheduling issues. Exact plot details are currently under wraps, but the story is said to be set during the movie industry’s transition from silent films to talkies in the 1920s.

    Robbie is in talks to play the role of Clara Bow, the early sex symbol and box office star of the movie industry. Pitt will play a fictional silent film star who fails to make the transition to the new technology. The part is rumoured to be based on real-life figure John Gilbert. Marc Platt, who produced La La Land, is one of the producers of Babylon along with Olivia Hamilton, Matthew Plouffe and Tobey Maguire.

  • The Boys Season 3 to begin filming soon in Canada

    By Express News Service
    Season 3 of Amazon Prime’s hit superhero show The Boys will begin filming soon. Jack Quaid, who plays Hughie Campbell, confirmed the news on his social media by posting a photo showing himself traveling to Canada for the show.

    The superhero show, which is based on comic books of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, became one of the most-streamed TV series of 2019 and 2020. After the finale of season 2, there wasn’t much news about the 3rd season. Quaid’s post indicates that the filming should begin in late January.

    Other than Quaid, The Boys also stars Karl Urban, Antony Starr and Erin Moriarty, among a large ensemble cast. The Boys season 3 is expected to take the story in a new direction, with the season 2 finale reveal of Victoria Neuman (Claudia Doumit) as a supe. Hughie signing up to work for Neuman was the cherry on the cake, and fans can expect that the development might create a tense situation between Hughie and Butcher (Urban).  

  • Cyborg written out of The Flash movie?

    By Express News Service
    Reports have stated that Ray Fisher’s Cyborg has been written out of the upcoming The Flash. Starring Ezra Miller as the titular character, The Flash has been quoted to be the film that brings back the Justice League.

    Ray Fisher has been in the headlines for calling out Joss Whedon, for his “unfair, abusive” treatment during the Justice League reshoots, when the latter replaced Zack Snyder. Fisher also spoke against Warner Bros’ lack of response to the allegations. On the other hand, Warner Bros stated that disciplinary action was taken after a detailed investigation.

     Fisher, reportedly only had three scenes in the film, but all the three scenes are reportedly removed. According to The Wrap, Cyborg has now been written out of the movie entirely and will not be recast. Fisher had already publicly declared that he would not be working on DCEU films if the same is under the supervision of DC Films president Walter Hamada.

    Fisher stated that Hamada is an “enabler of the alleged abuse.” With Fisher being written out and with the actor stating he has no plans to continue in the DCEU, Cyborg’s place in the DCEU’s future is unclear. 

  • Demi Lovato channels her anger through music after storming of US Capitol

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: After violent protestors stormed the United States Capitol on Wednesday (local time), American singer and songwriter Demi Lovato expressed her frustration online and announced that she is recording ‘something special’ regarding the events of the traumatic day.

    According to E! News, the ‘Skyscraper’ singer took to her Twitter handle and commented on the day’s harrowing events. She wrote, “My heart is broken. It makes me sad to believe how naive I was to think this couldn’t possibly happen, and yet it did. Here we are,” while retweeting a message from the Black Lives Matter movement’s official account.

    My heart is broken. It makes me to sad to believe how naive I was to think this couldn’t possibly happen, and yet it did. Here we are. For everyone in my comments saying “where’s d7” or wanting me to sing instead of speaking up about what needs to change in this country… pic.twitter.com/md5XPFmj2B
    — Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) January 7, 2021

    Lovato further added, “For everyone in my comments saying ‘where’s d7’ or wanting me to sing instead of speaking up about what needs to change in this country…”

    As per E! News, the 28-year-old singer announced that she is recording some type of commentary on the events of this traumatic day. She did not specify if the music had been written prior to the unrest at the Capitol, nor did she give any further details about what to expect from it, but the posts led her name to start trending on Twitter.

    She continued, “THIS IS WHY I POST AS MUCH AS I DO, THIS IS WHY I CARE. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN ANY F–KING MORE. I’m angry, embarrassed and ashamed. I’m in the studio working on something special after today’s assault on democracy. #impeachtrumptonight.”

    Lovato who is known for her opinionated views on different platforms had recently called out social media influencers on her Instagram Story who are vacationing amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

  • ‘Inexcusable act of carnage, chaos’: Hollywood and Bollywood react sharply to US Capitol attack

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES/ MUMBAI: Several cinema and music personalities, including Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Cardi B, Richa Chadha, and Vir Das, have condemned the attack on the Capitol Hill in the US by thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump who clashed with police, calling it an act of “terror” and assault on democracy.

    The violent attack resulted in at least four deaths and interrupting a constitutional process to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the election.

    The police, outnumbered by the maskless protesters, had a tough time in managing the mob, as hundreds of protesters breached security and entered the Capitol building on Wednesday, where members of the Congress were going through the process of counting and certifying the Electoral College votes.

    Many pointed out the difference in police response to the rioters at the Capitol building and protesters for the Black Lives Matter movement. “Imagine if this was our side. There would be rivers of our blood in the streets and not a single one of us would be armed. This has been allowed. #CoupAttempt,” wrote Ruffalo.

    Imagine if this was our side. There would be rivers of our blood in the streets and not a single one of us would be armed. This has been allowed. #CoupAttempt
    — Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) January 6, 2021

    “Just think of the carnage had they not been white. So many people enabled this,” said Evans. Oscar-winning director Matthew A Cherry said they would have “dropped a whole bomb on the capitol if this was us”.

    The irony is pretty funny………weren’t people just wild animals in the summer for demanding justice and now?……Let me just watch.
    — iamcardib (@iamcardib) January 6, 2021

    Cardi B found the irony “funny” and the rapper asked, “Weren’t people just wild animals in the summer for demanding justice – and now?”

    Democracy is fragile, everywhere…needs to be saved from “leaders” everywhere.
    — TheRichaChadha (@RichaChadha) January 6, 2021

    Chadha said it was a “dark day” for America, describing the country an “erstwhile spreader of offshore democracy”. “Democracy is fragile, everywhere…needs to be saved from ‘leaders’ everywhere,” she tweeted.

    All these world leaders condemning the ‘shocking images’ from America. This is an architectural problem.We need to design leader houses with more windows. So they can see their own back yards.
    — Vir Das (@thevirdas) January 7, 2021

    Das said world leaders condemning these ‘shocking images’ from America was an “architectural problem”. “We need to design leader houses with more windows. So they can see their own back yards,” he tweeted.

    What mob anarchy looks like. #MAGATerrorists #CapitolBuilding #USA pic.twitter.com/Ho825sAVH5
    — Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) January 6, 2021

    Sharing pictures of the attack on Twitter, actor Swara Bhasker said this is “what mob anarchy looks like”. Both the House and Senate and the entire Capitol were placed under a lockdown. Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers were evacuated to safe locations.

    Four people died on Wednesday, including one woman who was shot by a police officer, amid protests and rioting on Capitol Hill that resulted in dozens of demonstrators being arrested, police said.

    If this were a movie, I’d also say there is NO WAY a significant amount of people are gonna fall for this tan sprayed, combed over, blustering charlatan. But I have underestimated the power of a large media site (FOX “NEWS”) pumping propaganda 24/7. But–
    — Mangold (@mang0ld) March 21, 2020

    “Ford vs Ferrari” director James Mangold called for a full boycott of the Fox News appealing for all “fellow content makers” to cancel any appearances on the network and use their power to keep ads for their projects off the channel as well.

    “Frozen” star Josh Gad questioned the police’s credibility over the violent assault on the landmark building. “This is either a dereliction of duty by the Capitol Police or a complicit desire to not plan for the known threat of chaos today. Either way, this is inexcusable. If you can be prepared for imaginary ANTIFA protesters, you had no business not prepping for these actual terrorists,” Gad said.

    “The Office” star Rainn Wilson said the Capitol is “under attack by terrorists”.

    Legendary musician Stevie Wonder was among several Hollywood names who demanded Trump’s impeachment and said he was “heartbroken and astounded” with the turn of events. Calling the outgoing POTUS a “narcissistic and dangerous president”, Wonder said Trump is no longer able to serve as president because “he can’t accept defeat”.

    Scores of celebrities such as Dylan O’Brien, Chris Hayes, Dylan Minnette, and Halsey also called for his impeachment.

    Trump, who earlier encouraged his supporters to head to the Capitol, urged them to abide by the law and go back home after the violent clash. “This was a fraudulent election, but we can’t play into the hands of these people. We have to have peace. So go home,” Trump said in a video message posted on Twitter.

    Director James Gunn said that Trump “had to wait until AFTER his followers had pushed past police and entered the Capitol building and there was a face off with guns, but, you know, okay”.

    Actor-comic Sacha Baron Cohen, a staunch critic of Facebook, urged Mark Zuckerberg and the heads of Twitter, YouTube and Google to ban Trump. “Is that finally enough for you to act?! It’s time to ban Donald Trump from your platforms once and for all!” he tweeted.

    Singer Selena Gomez also slammed social media platforms for “failing” the American people. “I hope you’re going to fix things going forward,” she added. “The President just said ‘we love you’ to the armed mob storming The Capitol, replacing the American flag with a makeshift Trump flag,” ‘Top Chef’ host Padma Lakshmi tweeted.

    The microblogging site later removed the video and some tweets in which Trump appeared to defend the actions of his supporters. In an unprecedented move, Twitter and Facebook have suspended Trump’s accounts after he continued to push conspiracy theories about the November 3 election.

    Twitter suspended Trump’s account for 12 hours and also blocked three of his tweets including a video of his address to his supporters. Facebook said it would be blocking the president’s account from posting for 24 hours due to two policy violations.

    The protesters dispersed following the enforcement of curfew in the national capital. Mayor Bowser announced the curfew to prevent the situation from escalating. Officials said the Capitol was secured, putting an end to nearly four-hour violent occupation by Trump supporters.

    Heavily armed police personnel were deployed to disperse the crowd.

  • ‘9 Months With Courteney Cox’ renewed for season 3

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: A third season of the weekly pregnancy docu-series “9 Months With Courteney Cox” has been ordered on Facebook.

    Ample Entertainment’s Facebook Watch service is bringing out another chapter of the unscripted show, which originally debuted in January 2019.

    Cox, who serves as narrator on the docu-series, said she is excited “9 Months” is back for a third season.

    “We are searching far and wide for the most surprising, most heartfelt pregnancy stories. If you’re trying to get pregnant or recently pregnant, we’re interested in hearing about your experiences and struggles,” the “Friends” star said in a statement to Deadline.

    The show takes an intimate approach to giving viewers raw access of people from all over America of various race, religion, and class as they self-document their nine-month journey of pregnancy.

    The series is produced by Ample Entertainment and Cox’s Hopper Productions.

    Cox recently wrapped the latest sequel of the “Scream” film franchise and will next shoot for the long-awaited “Friends” reunion special for HBO Max.

  • Cary Elwes joins Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham’s Five Eyes

    By Express News Service
    English actor Cary Elwes has joined the cast of filmmaker Guy Ritchie’s next Five Eyes, starring Jason Statham in the lead. The movie marks a reunion between Ritchie and Statham, who started their movie careers together with Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998.The duo also worked on Snatch (2000) and the upcoming thriller Cash Truck.

    As per reports, Ritchie will direct Five Eyes from a screenplay by Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies. Statham will star as a MI6 guns-and-steel agent who is recruited by global intelligence alliance Five Eyes to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order.

    Reluctantly paired with CIA high-tech expert, he sets off on a globe-trotting mission where he will have to use all of his charm, ingenuity and stealth to track down and infiltrate a billionaire arms broker.

    Elwes, who most recently starred in Stranger Things and Marvellous Mrs Maisel, will portray Nathan Jasmine, the overseer of Statham’s mission. Five Eyes will also feature Aubrey Plaza. Miramax will finance the project and produce with STXfilms. 

  • Dexter revival series adds ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ actor Clancy Brown for lead role

    By Express News Service
    Showtime’s upcoming revival of Dexter has roped in Clancy Brown for a leading role.Variety reported that Brown will star as Kurt Caldwell, the primary villain of the show, who is described as the unofficial mayor of the small town of Iron Lake. Caldwell has realized the American dream by going from driving big rigs to now owning several trucks and the local truck stop.

    Brown will join series lead Michael C Hall, who will return to play the titular serial killer. Brown is well-known for a lot of his negative roles, including Krungan in Highlander and Captain Hadley in The Shawshank Redemption. 

    Brown has also voiced the character of Mr Krabds on Spongebob Squarepants for over 20 years.Dexter ran for an original run of eight seasons and followed the life of the titular character, a serial killer who targets other serial killers while also working as a blood spatter expert for the Miami Police Department. The production of the 10-episode limited series revival of Dexter will begin in 2021 with Clyde Phillips returning as series showrunner.

  • Grammy Awards 2021 postponed to March 14 in view of COVID crisis

    By Express News Service
    The 2021 Grammy Awards ceremony has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. The show, which will be hosted by The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah, was originally scheduled for January 31.

    The ceremony is now scheduled to be held on March 14. The official Twitter handle of Recording Academy shared the news on Wednesday.

    Recording Academy and CBS, the network broadcasting the show, said in a statement, “The deteriorating Covid situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.”

    “We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year’s nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times,” the statement further read.The statement is signed by Harvey Mason JR., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy; Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music, Live Events and Alternative Programming, CBS; and Ben Winston, Grammy Awards Executive Producer, Fulwell 73 Productions.

    Meanwhile, the 2021 Grammy Awards nominations are all about women power with Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Dua Lipa leading the way.

    Beyonce is leading the contender at the 2021 Grammy Awards with nine nods. She is followed by Taylor Swift, Roddy Ricch and Dua Lipa, who earned six nominations each.