I N T E R N A T I O N A L
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
16 Pages Number 77 7th year
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Monday, April 6, 2015
Kristen Stewart speeds forward
Matt Sayles/Invision/AP
Vin Diesel arrives at the premiere of “Furious 7” at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on Wednesday, April 1, 2015, in Los Angeles.
‘Furious 7’ revs up for April box office record
LOS ANGELES - Hot cars, hot cast and red-hot box office figures -- the juggernaut “Fast & Furious” franchise is revving up for another wild ride. “Furious 7”, the latest installment in the blockbuster action series about a policeman who infiltrates and later becomes part of the world of street racing, hits theaters around the world from Wednesday. The fast-paced film with a racially diverse cast that has won over audiences both at home and abroad is certain to rake in major cash, but it will also tug at the heartstrings of fans. Star Paul Walker, who has played cop-turned-racer Brian O’Conner in the films, died in a fiery car crash in December 2013 at age 40 -- a tragedy reminiscent of his character’s on-screen adventures. To complete the film, which was originally set for
release in summer 2014, the production team turned to his actor brothers Caleb and Cody, who resemble him. Analysts say “Furious 7” will have a very big opening. “Look for the record for biggest April debut to fall hard this weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, of the box office tracker Rentrak. That top spot is currently held by last year’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” at $95 million, but Dergarabedian said “Furious 7” was likely to rake in more than $100 million. Some have gone much farther, saying a US take of $155 million was not out of the question, and a global opening weekend total of $250 million -- or, the film’s total budget.
Besides the obvious predictions of box office success, reviews so far have generally been good. The film has so far earned an 87 percent approval rating on the aggregator site rottentomatoes.com -- putting it ahead of some action films that went on to win Oscars. Dergarabedian says the success stems from “an undeniably appealing concept and an impressive evolutionary path which has taken it well beyond its original concept as a ‘fast cars, hot girls and cool guys’ genre film.” “These films pushed the boundaries of traditional action movie motifs and created a world unto itself that was mainly a product of the incredibly effective casting of the ensemble.” (afp)
NEW YORK — In “The Clouds of Sils Maria,” Kristen Stewart’s celebrity has been inverted. The paparazzi rush right past her. She plays the efficient, constantly emailing assistant to Juliette Binoche’s famed European actress. Reading tabloid stories about a Hollywood starlet (played by Chloe Grace Moretz), she shrugs: “It’s celebrity news. It’s fun.” When she’s running through possible roles for her boss, the former “Twilight” star describes one film as having werewolves “for some reason.” “I had to seriously harness the glee that was exploding across my face when I was saying some of those lines,” Stewart said in an interview. “I don’t think that’s what the movie is fully about. It’s not a commentary about the insane nature of the media in the States, especially. But no one knows about that more than me.” Stewart, 24, doesn’t seem so much like she’s fleeing her teen idol past as she’s already long gone, maybe just glancing back, with a wink. “The Clouds of Sils Maria,” directed by French filmmaker Olivier Assayas (“Carlos,” ‘’Summer Hours”), which opens in theaters April 10, is part of a string of recent and upcoming films Stewart has made in a headlong rush.
“I’m having more fun now than I ever have,” says Stewart. “These movies go by (she snaps her fingers). We made ‘Camp X-Ray’ in 20 days. It’s just better when it’s faster.” The frenetic pace is in stark contrast to the plodding demands of a five-film franchise like “Twilight.” The movies now are largely independent, and the roles (like in “Sils Maria”) are often supporting or part of an ensemble. She costarred as Julianne Moore’s daughter in “Still Alice” and played a Guantanamo guard in “Camp X-Ray.” She’s completed a science-fiction romance (“Equals”), a stoner thriller (“American Ultra”) and a New York mugging drama (“Anesthesia”). She’s been filming Kelly Reichardt’s adaptation of Maile Meloy short stories, and she’s to co-star in Woody Allen’s
next film. “Because of the lack of expectation of any of these movies, there were no moments that people had read in a book that were the most important thing in their lives,” she says, referring to her “Twilight” role. “I really let go.” Shew adds she’s “gotten a lot better at trusting myself and not thinking that you need to use these nerves and crazy inertia to convince everyone on the set that you’re legitimate.” Stewart’s post-”Twilight” work reveals (or perhaps reminds) that her nature is less as a megawatt star than an actress bent on naturalism, instinct and inquisitiveness. She has basically returned to making much the same kind of indies she made outside of “Twilight”: “Adventureland,” ‘’Welcome to the Rileys,” ‘’The Runaways.” There’s a distinct lack of preciousness in choosing projects or any evident career-building. When asked about how “Twilight” changed her, Stewart rambles reluctantly on how it helped her realize she’s an actor. But when it’s pointed out that it sounds like “Twilight” is far from her thoughts, she quickly nods. “Completely. I only have to think about that when someone asks me.” (ap)
SEOUL - One of K-pop’s biggest boy bands, Big Bang, announced Thursday their first world tour in three years, spanning Asia and the Americas to promote a much-anticipated new album. The five-members of the South Korean group are among the best-known faces of the K-pop phenomenon, whose popularity has swept Asia and beyond over the last 10 years.
The upcoming tour kicks off with two concerts in Seoul on April 25 and 26 and then moves to at least 15 countries including China, Japan and the United States, the band’s agency YG Entertainment said in a statement. A total of 70 concerts have been scheduled, with the agency promising new venues and well trodden K-pop stages in Southeast Asia.
Popular rapper and the band’s leader G-Dragon earlier said Big Bang was planning to release a new album along with the global tour. Their last album, “Alive”, was released in 2012 and became the first Korean-language entrant in the US Billboard 200 album chart. Since then, the five members of the band have largely concentrated on individual projects. (afp)
Photo by Drew Gurian/Invision/AP
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Monday, April 6, 2015
Pope, thousands brave rain for Easter in St. Peter’s Square Page 6
Chelsea takes another step to title Page 8
Crash pilot’s profile prompts questions, deep unease Page 13
Australian tourist arrivals in Bali increasing
DENPASAR - The Indonesian plan to execute two Australian nationals on death-row convicts regular direct flight from Japan to for a drug case has not reduced Australian tourist visits to Bali. “This indicates that Australian Denpasar. In the January - February 2015 tourists are ignoring warnings against visiting Indonesia, particularly Bali,” tourism observer period, the number of Japanese Tjok Gede Agung said. In January 2015, Bali recorded 85,059 tourist arrivals from Australia. During the past two months, Australian tourists visiting the province were the highest among other foreign tourist arrivals, reaching 156,424, up 16.74 percent from the same period last year, when their number was recorded a 133,966.
Further, Australian tourist arrivals were the highest among foreign tourists arriving from different countries. They accounted for 24.41 percent of the total number of foreign tourists arriving in the first two months of 2015, which stood at 640,739.
The highest number of Australian tourists arriving in Bali was followed by the number of tourists coming from China, which stood at 145,747 during the same period (January and February, 2015). The number of Japanese tourists visiting Bali has also begun to increase since the opening of
turists was recorded on the third biggest list, recording 40,544 arrivals, followed by that of South Korea which stood at 28,523. The political issues are expected to not affect the foreign tourist arrivals in Bali. Therefore Agung hoped that the government, tourism operators and the people should continue to increase the quality of
their services. “This needs to be done because Bali still constitutes the main destination of foreign tourists in Indonesia,” he said. (ant) News can also be heard in “Bali Image” at Global Radio FM 96.5 from 9.30 until 10.00 am. Listen to Global Radio FM at http:// globalfmbali.listen2myradio.com or live video streaming at http://radioglobalfmbali.com and http:// ustream.tv/channel/global-fm-bali.
K-pop icons Big Bang announce world tour
IBP/Wawan
Foreign tourists sunbathed at Canggu Beach, recently. In January 2015, Bali recorded 85,059 tourist arrivals from Australia. During the past two months, Australian tourists visiting the province were the highest among other foreign tourist arrivals, reaching 156,424, up 16.74 percent from the same period last year, when their number was recorded a 133,966.