News Analysis India

Category: Entertainment

  • Actor Noma Dumezweni joins Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: “The Undoing” breakout Noma Dumezweni has come aboard Disney’s live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid”.

    The film, to be directed by Rob Marshall, will feature singer-actor Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as her evil aunt Ursula.

    The cast also includes Oscar winner Javier Bardem as King Triton, while British actor Jonah Hauer-King will take on the role of Prince Eric.

    The original film, which released in 1989, narrated the story of Ariel, a teenage mermaid who dreams of living on the surface world and marrying Prince Eric.

    Her fortunes change when a sea witch named Ursula offers to send Ariel to the human world in exchange for her beautiful voice.

    The details of Dumezweni’s role in the movie have not yet been disclosed, but according to Deadline, a new character has been created especially for her.

    The film will incorporate the original songs from the animated classic as well as new tracks from Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

    Miranda is also producing the project along with Marshall, Marc Platt and John DeLuca.

    Dumezweni recently won accolades for playing Hugh Grant’s defense lawyer in HBO’s “The Undoing”, which also featured Nicole Kidman.

    The actor had also featured in BBC and Hulu’s “Normal People”, starring Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones.

  • Warner Bros re-ups Walter Hamada as president of DC Films

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: The American diversified multinational mass media Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc has re-appointed Walter Hamada as a president of its subsidiary film studio DC films.

    According to Variety, Hamada will continue to oversee the DC film fragment, along with features produced for the HBO Max streaming platform. His new contract will run through 2023.

    Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros Pictures Group said, “Walter is not only passionate about story and the DC canon, he’s also a thoughtful and incredibly talented executive who is fully committed to investing the time and care necessary for moviemaking on this scale.”

    “With Walter overseeing our DC movies for theatrical exhibition and on HBO Max, we are excited for him and his team to bring more of these stories to life, working with new and established talent to broaden the reach and diversity of the DC cinematic universe,” he added.

    The re-enrolment comes after Hamada’s name came up during an investigation by Warner Bros into conduct on its original Justice League. Hamada was not in charge of DC feature production and release of Justice League; he was a New Line executive at the time but has been looped in to the matter as acting president, reported Variety.

    Hamada currently oversees WBPG’s slate of films based on DC’s superheroes and super-villains, as well as titles based on other characters and stories also licensed from DC including its Vertigo and Mad Magazine imprints.

    The group in a conversation with Variety told that it is looking forward to increasing its production level through producing several feature-length productions specifically for the HBO Max platform each year, while continuing to produce a roster of theatrical releases through the Warner Bros Pictures and New Line labels.

    In 2019, Hamada oversaw production of ‘Shazam!’ and Warner Bros Pictures’ blockbuster ‘Joker’, which earned almost $1.1 billion at the global box office. It was nominated for 11 Oscars, winning best actor for Joaquin Phoenix and for Hildur Gudnadottir’s original score.

    In February 2020, DC-Based Films released ‘Birds of Prey’ and Galo Gadot starred ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, which received a mixed review from critics and fans across the globe.

    Of the late, DC films will reportedly be coming up with ‘The Suicide Squad’, in theaters worldwide and on HBO Max in the U.S. this summer, and ‘The Batman’, ‘Aquaman 2’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Black Adam’, ‘Shazam!’, ‘Fury of the Gods’, ‘Batgirl’, ‘Static Shock’, and the recently announced Wonder Woman 3 in 2022.

  • Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ comes out as number one album of 2020

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: Taylor Swift’s eighth album ‘Folklore’ has come out to be the No. 1 album of 2020 with over 2.3 million album units.

    ‘Folklore’ left Lil Baby’s ‘My Turn,’ behind which came in second with 2.1 million in the album-equivalent-unit derby.

    According to Variety, the results come via Rolling Stone, which broke down the year’s music consumption data into several different year-end charts, with the differences providing some interesting points of comparison.

    Swift has also topped the list of the biggest sellers of 2020 and Lil Baby could not make it to the top 10 of the list.

    On the other hand, Lil Baby landed atop a ranking of the biggest streamers of the year where Swift was not seen in the list of top 10, reported Variety.

    The overall list of top 100 albums of the year sees Pop Smoke, the Weeknd, Post Malone, Juice WRLD, Roddy Ricch, Harry Styles, and Luke Combs, after Swift and Lil Baby. 

  • Rapper Lil Nas X releases children’s book ‘C is for Country’

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Rapper Lil Nas X has launched a picture book, titled “C is for Country”, that will take the readers from ages three to seven on an alphabetical journey.

    The Grammy winner, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, officially released the book on Tuesday, reported Billboard.

    “My children’s book ‘C is for Country’ is out now! Go get it please I really need to pay my rent,” the 21-year-old artiste joked on Twitter.

    The book has illustrations by Theodore Taylor III and is published by Random House Kids, a division of Penguin Random House.

    According to Random House Kids’ page, “C Is for Country” is full of “plenty of hidden surprises” for the “Old Town Road” hitmaker’s biggest fans within its pages filled with “wide-open pastures, farm animals, guitar music, cowboy hats, and all things country”.

  • Actor Ben Radcliffe comes aboard Netflix show ‘Anatomy of a Scandal’

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Actor Ben Radcliffe is the latest addition to the cast of Netflix’s new series “Anatomy of a Scandal”.

    Radcliffe, known for starring in The CW series “Pandora”, will have a recurring role in the six-episode show, opposite Sienna Miller, Michelle Dockery, Rupert Friend and Naomi Scott.

    Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Sarah Vaughan, the project hails from “Big Little Lies” creator David E Kelley and former “House of Cards” showrunner Melissa James Gibson, reported Deadline.

    The London-set show follows the story of a scandal among the British privileged elite, and explores the themes of sexual consent and privilege.

    Radcliffe will play the younger version of Friend’s character James.

    SJ Clarkson, whose credits include “Succession” and “Jessica Jones”, will helm the series.

    Kelley and Gibson are attached as writers, showrunners and executive producers of “Anatomy of a Scandal”.

    The series is being backed by Liza Chasin’s 3dot productions and Bruna Papandrea’s Made Up Stories.

  • Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham’s ‘Five Eyes’ adds actor Cary Elwes

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: 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 upcoming thriller “Cash Truck”.

    As per Deadline, 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 billionaire arms broker.

    Elwes, who most recently starred in popular shows “Stranger Things” and “Marvellous Mrs Maisel”, will portray Nathan Jasmine, the overseer of Statham’s mission.

    “Five Eyes” will also feature “Parks and Recreation” alum Aubrey Plaza.

    Miramax will finance the project and produce with STXfilms.

    Elwes recently completed “A Castle for Christmas” for Netflix and will also feature in horror movie “Shrine”, being produced by Sam Raimi.

  • Rapper​ Dr Dre ‘doing great’ after hospitalisation

    By PTI
    LOS ANGELES: Rapper and recording producer Dr Dre suffered an apparent brain aneurysm and he said he is getting “excellent” medical care at a hospital here.

    The 55-year-old music mogul, who is receiving treatment at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, also thanked well-wishers and friends for their prayers.

    “Thanks to my family, friends and fans for their interest and well wishes. I’m doing great and getting excellent care from my medical team.

    “I will be out of the hospital and back home soon. Shout out to all the great medical professionals at Cedars. One Love!!” Dre said in a statement issued by his team on Tuesday.

    The rapper and producer, whose real name is Andre Young, was reportedly rushed by ambulance to the medical centre’s intensive care unit on Monday.

    A multiple Grammy winner, Dre is regarded as one of the top earners in hip-hop.

    Eminem has been one of his longtime collaborators, with his most recent credits on the rapper’s 2020 album ‘Music To Be Murdered By – Side B’, where Dre raps on “Guns Blazing” and also served as a co-producer for another track.

    Dre’s collaborators also include the likes of Gwen Stefani, Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent, among others.

    He is also the former co-owner of Death Row Records and co-founder of the hip hop group NWA also produced the 2015 NWA biopic “Straight Outta Compton”.

    Dre is currently in divorce proceedings from his wife Nicole Young after 24 years of marriage.

    A hearing on spousal support and their prenuptial support had been set for Wednesday.

  • Actor Tanya Roberts passes away, day after premature death declaration

    By ANI
    WASHINGTON: One-time Bond girl Tanya Roberts who was incorrectly declared dead on Sunday (local time) by her representatives, passed away on Monday night (local time).

    According to Fox News, the late actor’s longtime partner Lance O’Brien on Tuesday (local time) said that Roberts died on Monday night after being hospitalised for complications of a UTI that he says had spread to her kidneys, liver, and gallbladder before it “got into her blood.”

    She was 65.

    She was earlier wrongly reported to be dead by her partner on Sunday who on Monday morning clarified that though he thought she was dead, the hospital later called to clarify that she was alive.

    Born Victoria Leigh Blum, Roberts had a glorious career in modelling and TV advertisements before making her film debut in 1975.

    Roberts played Stacey Sutton in the 1985 James Bond film ‘A View to a Kill’ and Midge Pinciotti on ‘That ’70s Show.’

  • Grammy Awards 2021 shifted to March due to worsening COVID-19 situation in US

    By PTI
    NEW YORK: The 2021 Grammy Awards will no longer take place this month in Los Angeles and will broadcast in March due to a recent surge in coronavirus cases and deaths.

    The Recording Academy told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the annual show would shift from its original Jan.31 broadcast to a later date in March.

    The Grammys will be held in Los Angeles at the Staples Center.

    Los Angeles County, the epicenter of the crisis in California, has surpassed 10,000 COVID-19 deaths and has had 40 per cent of the deaths in California.

    It is the third state to reach the 25,000 death count.

    An average of six people die every hour from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County, which has a quarter of the states 40 million residents.

    County health officials fear the incoming Christmas and New Years surge.

    “The Daily Show” host and comedian Trevor Noah is set to host the 2021 Grammys, where Beyonce is leading contender with nine nominations.

  • Priyanka Chopra announces sequel of we can be heroes

    By Express News Service
    Priyanka Chopra Jonas has announced the sequel of her recent superhero film, We Can Be Heroes. Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, the film is a spin-off of his The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D and the Spy Kids franchise. It was released on Netflix on Christmas Day 2020 in the US.

    The streamer has disclosed that 44 million people have viewed We Can be Heroes since its premiere. Priyanka said a follow-up to the film is in development at Netflix, with Rodriguez set to return.

    Touted as an action-adventure, We Can Be Heroes features Priyanka as a nemesis to a group of children who team up to save the planet and their superhero parents, who are kidnapped by the aliens.

    Rodriguez, also known for directing the Mexico trilogy — El Mariachi, Desparado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico — and Alita: Battle Angel, produced the film as well. Apart from Priyanka, the film also features Pedro Pascal, Christian Slater, Boyd Holbrook, Sung Kang, and veteran actor Christopher McDonald. Child stars Akira Akbar, Nathan Blair, Andrew Diaz, Andy Walken, and Hala Finley are also part of the cast. Priyanka is currently filming for Text For You.