Monday, 30 January, 2017
ARTS america has to be ‘better’ than trump: John legend
Govt allows screeninG of indian films, panel to take call on nocs ENTERTAINMENT DESK
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HE government has decided to maintain the present policy regarding the import of Indian cinematograph films, said Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb. A special committee will initiate the process of issuing no objection certificates (NOCs) to the Indian movies, said Marriyum Aurangzeb. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had formed this committee for the clearance of Indian movies to be screened in Pakistan. Marriyum, who is heading the panel, said the clearance to any foreign content will be given according to the Commerce Ministry’s new import order. “Importing the foreign content will be planned and the content will be shared with the censor board and passed through other procedure,” media quoted Marriyum as saying. Other matters being scrutinised include the standard operating procedures of the Central Board of Film Censors and the sale and purchase of uncensored, pirated foreign
Oscar-winning singer-songwriter John Legend implored Hollywood Saturday to stand against Donald Trump, telling the Producers Guild Awards the Republican president’s political outlook was anti-American. Legend, 38, was at the glitzy ceremony in Beverly Hills to represent the musical “La La Land,” in which he stars opposite Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. “We are the voice, the face of America. Our America is big, it is free and it is open to dreamers of all races, all countries, all religions,” Legend said as he introduced a clip to Damien Chazelle’s acclaimed movie. “Our vision of America is directly antithetical to that of President Trump and I want specifically tonight reject his vision and affirm that America has to be better than that.” Legend’s speech came after Trump signed a sweeping executive order to suspend the arrival of refugees for at least 120 days and impose tough new controls on travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen for the next three months. Since then, travelers from those countries have been stopped from boarding US-bound planes, triggering angry protests and detentions at airports. AGENCIES
JEREMY SCAHILL Sure feel safer now that Trump kept a 68 year old diabetic Yemeni woman with a Green Card out of the country.
MUHAMMAD FAYSAL America feels like Kashmir. Fascists signing in laws that dehumanise people & people fighting it back on the streets. Except nobody got shot.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada
TWITTER Twitter is built by immigrants of all religions. We stand for and with them, always.
MICHAEL MOORE Denver, DC Dulles, Dallas airports, many others jammed w/ protesters. I hope the Muslim world is watching.This is the real American majority
Oscar-nominated British actor John Hurt, known for his roles in “Elephant Man” and “Harry Potter”, has died aged 77 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, his wife said Saturday. The versatile actor, who played Mr Ollivander in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” and in two other films in the series, passed away in Norfolk, eastern England, on Wednesday, according to wife Anwen Rees Meyers. He starred in the movie adaptation of George Orwell’s novel “1984” and played the role of Kane in “Alien”, who dies when the creature dramatically bursts from his chest in one of the most memorable death scenes in movie history. He was twice nominated for an Oscar, in the best supporting actor category for his performance in the 1978 film “Midnight Express” as Max, a British man imprisoned in Turkey, and for his
Sanjay Leela Bhansali assaulted by fringe group for ‘distorting facts’ ENTERTAINMENT DESK The attack on ace filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of his upcoming film Padmavati in Jaipur by activists of a Rajput organisation has left many fraternity members “appalled”. They have demanded a strong action by the government. On Friday, the Karni Sena activists entered the Jaigarh Fort and assaulted Bhansali, according to the police. They even misbehaved with the crew and criticised the National Awardwinning director for “distorting” history in the film about the medieval-era Delhi ruler Alauddin Khilji, who fell in love with Rajput queen Padmavati. “He (Bhansali) has packed up and has said he will never shoot again in Jaipur,” a source said. Speaking about the incident, Vivek Singh of Karni Sena told media, “We had earlier requested him (Bhansali) to show us the script which he did not do. We are against distorting of historical facts and we know that he has distorted historical facts.” Karni Sena claimed they have got a big library. “In no book is it written that Alauddin Khilji fell in love with Padmavati or he was her lover,” a senior leader from the organisation said. The film’s lead actors star Deepika
Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor have condemned the attack by tweeting that they were in a “state of shock” and had been left “disheartened”. “Sanjay sir is one of the most accomplished and authentic filmmakers we have in India, and he won’t ever do anything to hurt anyone’s feelings,” Ranveer tweeted. While Shahid posted, “Words do fall short and feel too little to express feelings. Violence is unacceptable. This incident has shocked me. We need to look deep within as a society, as a country, as people… where are we headed.” Siddharth Roy Kapur, President of The Film & Television Producers Guild of India strongly condemned the “acts of vandalism” on the sets of Padmavati as a direct attack on freedom of expression in India’s democracy. “The film industry has become the softest target for any fringe group looking for media attention, and we need the strongest possible intervention from the concerned authorities to end this and to end it now,” he said. Kapur urged the “Government of India and the state government of Rajasthan to take immediate steps to ensure the strongest possible punitive action is taken against these miscreants, so it serves as a deterrent in preventing the recurrence of such unacceptable events in the future”
generosity of spirit. He touched all our lives with joy and magic and it will be a strange world without him.” “Lord of the Rings” star Elijah Wood paid tribute to the actor, writing on Twitter: “Very sad to hear of John Hurt’s passing. It was such an honor to have watched you work, sir.” Among many other tributes to flood in, American actor Chris Evans described Hurt as “remarkable”. “John Hurt was one of the most powerful, giving, and effortlessly real actors I’ve ever
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film CDs/DVDs. Aurangzeb also said that the Prime Minister has given the approval to introduce polices that would incentivise the local production and broadcast industry in Pakistan. A review of the regional and global best practices and models of the production and broadcast industry is being conducted to replicate them in Pakistan. For the purpose, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has planned a consultative meeting of the stake holders with the production and broadcast industry in February. The decision is made in light of the economic advantages of screening Indian films for the Pakistani cinema industry, which in turn supports local filmmaking, “[From] the close examination of historical and empirical data including the trends of the industry since 1965 till date, it is evident that the inclusion of all foreign content, including Indian film content in local cinemas, have a multiplier impact on the commerce and development of the Pakistani film trade and industry as a whole,” read Aurangzeb’s statement. The Pakistani film industry has been revived and strengthened after the resumption of import of Indian films into the country in 2007, she emphasised. The screening of Indian movies in Pakistani cinemas was blocked in October last year following the escalation of tensions with India over the latter’s unprovoked ceasefire violation along the Line of Control. The ban was imposed by the Film Exhibitors Association of Pakistan.
kangana ranaut is all set to get hitched this year ENTERTAINMENT DESK After a chain of controversies, linkup rumours and battle, Kangana Ranaut after all talks about settling down. Recently, the actor said that she had been planning to get married in 2017. When asked about it by HT Cafe, the actor said, “Yes, it’s true. The kind of world we live in, the whole dating scene has become very upsetting. Everyone is looking above everyone’s shoulders in a bid to find a better partner,” Miss Kyra reported. “There has to be a commitment in a relationship. And dating is frivolous, no matter how intense it is, as there’s no real sense of commitment. So, I would want to go the serious way. That’s what I plan and I will do it this year. It’s very hard to be single, especially when your family doesn’t live with you. There’s no one watching your back and you really cannot rely on.” Kangana added. Elucidating further, the Queen actor said, “People find it surprising that I am young and I don’t have to get married now. However, I don’t think career and marriage are interlinked. Age has nothing to do with marriage. But I turn 30 this March and I should have babies (she laughs). Even marriage is not important for babies but to have a family of your own is everyone’s dream. One can get lonely in the film world, especially when you are an actor.”
Veteran British actor John Hurt dies starring role two years later in “Elephant Man” about a severely deformed man in 19th century London. He received a BAFTA award for “Midnight Express” as well as a Golden Globe in the best actor in a supporting role category. Hurt’s death was confirmed by his widow Anwen. “It is with deep sadness that I have to confirm that my husband, John Vincent Hurt, died on Wednesday 25th January 2017 at home in Norfolk,” she said in a statement released by publicist Charles McDonald. “John was the most sublime of actors and the most gentlemanly of gentlemen with the greatest of hearts and the most
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worked with Remarkable human being. U will be missed,” he wrote on Twitter. - ‘Cinematic immortality’ Born on January 22, 1940 in Chesterfield, central England, Hurt first began his career as a teacher of drawing. But he quickly moved to a life on camera and, after entering the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, he began his career in British film in the 1960s. But it was at the end of the 1970s when his
career definitively took off following back-to-back roles in “Midnight Express” and “Alien”. Hurt, who appeared in some 140 films, often playing supporting roles, also maintained a strong television presence, making appearances in cult British series “Doctor Who” among others. He also showed a lighter side, playing a parody of his Kane character in spoof sci-fi comedy “Spaceballs”, directed by Mel Brooks. The veteran US comic posted on Twitter that he was “terribly sad today to learn of John Hurt’s passing. “No one could have played The Elephant Man more memorably,” he added. “He carried that film into cinematic immortality. He will be sorely missed.” The actor, who received a total of four BAFTAs, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2014. AGENCIES