Monday, 10 April, 2017
ARTS
13
MAhiRA BeCoMeS BollywooD ToP GRoSSinG ACToR in 2017 ENTERTAINMENT DESK
M
AHIRA Khan made her Bollywood debut with none other than King Khan himself
in Raees. While the movie was not
cleared by the Censor Board to screen in Pakistan, SRK-Mahira starrer did extremely well worldwide. Therefore, when Bollywood Life went on to determine which actor did the best in the first quarter of 2017, Mahira beat the famous divas of Bollywood.
with Johny LLB 2 respectively. The Ho Mann Jahan star beat Bollywood ace actors such as Alia Bhatt with Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya and Deepika Padukone with her Hollywood debut, xXx: Return of the Xander Cage takes fourth and fifth position in the list. However, she might not be
According to the report, the Bol actor starrer, Raees, did exceptionally well with minting over $21 million only in India. The huge box-office collection escalates Mahira to the pinnacle. The second and third position holders are Yami Gautam with Kaabil and Huma Qureshi
able to top the list for a long time due to the ban on Pakistani artists in India. Be it beginner’s luck or not,
her fans wait with bated breath to see how this success translates into more and better roles for Pakistan’s leading female star.
Morgan Freeman re-enacts some ‘Shawshank Redemption’ for Graham Norton All you have to do is say “Shawshank Redemption” and “Morgan Freeman” and I’m all ears. So when I saw a clip of Morgan Freeman on the Graham Norton show with him actually doing some of Red from Shawshank Redemption, I knew instantly it was going up on this site. P.S. if there’s one talk show outside of the United States that you need to follow, it’s Graham Norton. He had a small late night stint here in the states called “The Graham Norton Effect” but it never really took off. However, the guy’s huge in Britain and he gets the same caliber guests as our main late night guys do here. I must admit I didn’t think much of Graham Norton first time I laid eyes on him,” narrated Freeman. Freeman continued to narrate things bout Norton’s life, demeanour and drinking habits. He also got an opportunity to express a quiet desire for mercy. “I hope people stop asking me to do stupid voice-overs like this,” said the Academy Award certified actor. “I hope.” ENTERTAINMENT DESK
Arjun Rampal booked for allegedly assaulting a man NEW DELHI: According to a report in a foreign news publication, the model turned actor has been booked for assault as he injured a man in a Delhi five-star hotel. The actor allegedly snatched the man’s camera and threw it at him, apparently injuring the man. The actor was at a city five-star to perform at a DJ night. The victim, Shobit told the publication, “I went for a Saturday night party. Arjun Rampal was playing the DJ console. He suddenly threw a camera towards the audience, which hit me.” “I don’t know why he threw the camera. The incident took place at around 3.30am. I have complained, but the police have not taken any action. No FIR has been registered till now,” he added. The Rock On star has not commented on the matter till now. AGENCIES
Ricky Martin joins Versace: American Crime Story Ricky Martin has signed on to star in the third season of Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology. Martin, who is best known for shaking his bon bon while livin’ la vida loca, will star as Antonio D’Amico, the longtime partner of Gianni Versace. This marks Martin’s first major acting role, although he previously guest-starred in an episode of Glee, which was also created by Murphy. But while Martin’s casting may be surprising, it doesn’t mean it won’t pay off. The last time Murphy took a chance and cast a singer in one of his shows, Lady Gaga ended up walking away with the Golden Globe for American Horror Story: Hotel. Versace will be the third installment of the Emmy-winning series, which will tell the story of Gianni Versace’s murder in 1997. ENTERTAINMENT DESK
The Rock and I are close in a weird way: Vin Diesel ENTERTAINMENT DESK Actor Vin Diesel says he and his The Fate of the Furious co-star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are close to each other in a weird way. In August last year, there was buzz that Diesel and Johnson had a fight during the shooting of the upcoming film when Johnson slammed a co-star without naming him on Instagram. However, Diesel has cleared the air stating that they are working fine together. “I don’t think the world really realises how close we are, in a weird way. I think some things may be blown out of proportion. I don’t think that was his intention. I know he appreciates how much I work this franchise. In my house, he’s Uncle Dwayne,” asserted Diesel. Diesel said that he cares about Johnson “more than he’ll ever know”. “I protect the franchise. I protect
everybody including Dwayne. I protected Dwayne more than he’ll ever know. And it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have to know. But he appreciates it. He knows it. “Dwayne has only got one Vin in his life. Dwayne Johnson only has one big brother in this film world and that’s me,” he said. The rumours about Diesel and Johnson’s feud spread in the final weeks of The Fate of the Furious shooting. During that time, Johnson wrote: “Some conduct themselves as stand up men and true professionals, while others don’t. The ones that don’t are too chicken shit to do anything about it anyway. “When you watch this movie next April and it seems like I’m not acting in some of these scenes and my blood is legit boiling-you’re right.” The Fate of the Furious is set to to release on April 14.
Carrie Fisher will appear in Star Wars Episode IX Carrie Fisher’s Star Wars legacy will continue posthumously as the actor will appear as her iconic character Princess Leia in in Episode IX of the third Star Wars trilogy, reports Deadline. Earlier reports of the same were recently confirmed by Carrie’s brother Todd Fisher who released a statement saying, “She’s as much a part of it as anything and I think her presence now is even more powerful than it was, like Obi Wan — when the saber cuts him down he becomes more powerful. I feel like that’s what’s happened with Carrie. I think the legacy should continue.” Filming of Episode IX has yet to begin, but Todd Fisher said he and Carrie’s daughter Billie Lourd have given the Lucasfilm permission to feature previously shot
unused footage of Fisher in the 2019 film. Todd continued, “Both of us were like, ‘Yes, how do you take her out of it?’ And the answer is you don’t.” While the first draft of Episode IX has been written, it’s currently unclear how the Star Wars storyline has been altered after Carrie’s death or what footage producers will utilise. In an earlier statement, Disney and Lucasfilm had announced that they will not feature the actress via CGI technology in Episode IX after having done so for her Rogue One cameo. Carrie Fisher had finished shooting the upcoming Episode VIII: The Last Jedi at the time of her December 27th death. Leia reportedly plays a significant role in The Last Jedi. ENTERTAINMENT DESK
KSA to build entertainment city
RIyADh AGENCIES
Saudi Arabia announced plans on Saturday to build a 334 square kilometer “entertainment city” south of the capital Riyadh, to feature sports, cultural and recreational facilities including a safari
and a Six Flags theme park. The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund will be the main investor in the project, which will break ground in 2018 and open in 2022, according to a statement by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman carried by state news agency SPA. Other local and international investors will
also provide capital, the statement said, without elaborating on the size of the investment. “This city will become, by God’s will, a prominent cultural landmark and an important center for meeting the future generation’s recreational, cultural and social needs in the kingdom,” said Prince Mohammed in a statement. US-based Six Flags announced in June that it had begun talks with the Saudi government to build theme parks as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 efforts to expand its entertainment sector and diversify the economy. Chief Executive Jim ReidAnderson said later in the year that the company aimed to build three parks in Saudi Arabia, with each costing between $300 million and $500m. The Vision 2030 reform programme contains plans to shed the kingdom’s austere reputation, wean the economy off oil and create jobs for young Saudis. But developing a leisure sector is fraught with difficulties in the Islamic kingdom, which adheres to a strict social code where women are required to wear loose-fitting robes, cinemas and alcohol are banned and public spaces are gender-segregated.
CMYK
Janet Jackson splits from her husband after five years of marriage The pop star has split from the Qatari business man after five years of marriage, The Mail reported on Sunday. The couple welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Eissa Al Mana, just months ago on January 3, 2017. A source told The Mail, who was first to report the news, “They’re both busy people but determined to be good parents, even if they’re apart. It’s amicable and Eissa will stay with his mother, who is basing herself in London.” Jackson and Al Mana, who have kept most of their romance hidden in privacy while splitting their time between Dubai and Qatar, famously met in 2010 at a hotel opening. Two years later, the then-lovebirds announced their engagement only to come forward once more and reveal they had ties the knot during an intimate ceremony. In April 2016, the “Rhythm Nation” songstress postponed her Unbreakable World Tour to start planning for a family of her own at the age of 50. Since becoming a mom, Jackson has remained in London. ENTERTAINMENT DESK
‘Better Call Saul’ writer Gordon Smith inks overall deal with Sony TV Better Call Saul writer-producer Gordon Smith has closed an overall deal with the studio behind the acclaimed AMC series, Sony Pictures TV. Under the pact, he is currently a consulting producer on Sony TV’s WGN America drama series Outsiders and will return to Better Call Saul for the fully expected fourth season. Smith is a home-grown talent. He started as a production and writers assistant on Sony TV’s Breaking Bad before landing a staff writer job on prequel Better Call Saul, where he quickly emerged as a key writer. Smith’s very first produced TV script, the 2015 Better Call Saul episode “Five-O,” earned Smith a writing Emmy nomination, with the “Gloves Off“ 2016 episode landing him a WGA Award nomination this year. Smith also shared in Better Call Saul‘s 2016 and 2017 WGA nominations for best drama and best new series. ENTERTAINMENT DESK
7 years with Dev Patel were impactful: Freida Pinto
Los ANgELEs: India-born US-based actress Freida Pinto, who was earlier in a relationship with actor Dev Patel for seven years, is currently single. She says it feels like she is born again. “For the first time, I finally understand the concept of self-love and self-care. I’m single and happy, and busy. I haven’t been single for a long time. It’s like being born again,” Pinto told a foreign news publication. Freida and Dev, who started dating during the filming of Slumdog Millionaire, which released in 2008, parted ways in December 2014. “You can be with someone and it can be really good for your growth. That’s what Dev was for me. The seven years I was with him were so impactful. But I ended up being single when I started thinking about these other things,” she said. AGENCIES