MUMBAI: The weekend is here, and we bring you the news and fresh happenings from the world of Hollywood.
Piers Morgan's son angry over his father-Ariana Twitter row
Journalist Piers Morgan's son Spencer Morgan is not happy with his father over his offensive remarks against Little Mix band members and singer Ariana Grande.
Spencer even blamed Piers for ruining his chances of romance with Break free hitmaker Ariana, reports by media.
Retweeting Ariana's tweet in which she has slammed Piers, Spencer wrote, "Ahh... there go my chances."
The feud started a few days ago when the Good Morning Britain show's host criticised the band members and said that they use nudity to sell their albums.
Piers comments offended a large number of people including Ariana's mother, Joan Grande.
Joan came to Little Mix's defence before criticising Morgan for his previous remarks about talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
She said, "Honestly what is wrong with you Piers Morgan? Didn't your mother ever teach you, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it! You came for 'The Ellen Show' yesterday which was disgraceful, she is an angel. Little Mix today, did you ever hear of paying homage? And...well never mind."
Piers quickly responded to Joan, calling DeGeneres a hypocrite, and denouncing both Little Mix and Ariana for using their nudity to sell albums.
Later the journalist's tweet prompted a series of posts from Ariana herself, during which the pop star praised DeGeneres before defending the use of her own sexuality and signing off with the title of her latest single, "Thank you, next".
"Ellen is an incredible and kind human being... I use my talent and my sexuality all the time because I choose to. Women can be sexual, naked and dignified. it's our choice and we will keep fighting til people understand," Ariana tweeted.
Ariana ended the conversation by calling out Piers' double standards by sharing his tweet of a semi-nude photograph of himself in front of a fireplace.
Chinese actress Zhao banned from securities market
Chinese actress Zhao Wei aka Vicki Zhao has been banned for five years from holding senior positions in any listed company in China.
The ruling was made by the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The punishment relates to the failed 2016 takeover bid announced by Tibet Longwei, a company controlled by Zhao and her husband, Huang Youlong, for 29 per cent of Zhejiang Wanija, reports of leading publication.
The couple were found to have "disrupted market order" and to have benefited from a "celebrity effect" when they announced their bid, but did not have the financial resources to go through with it.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission had previously punished the pair with a five-year ban from trading on the Shanghai market and a $170,000 fine for the same offence.
Zhao rose to fame with the 1990s TV series My Fair Princess. She then featured in movies like Shaolin Soccer and Red Cliff. In 2014, Zhao also made her directorial debut with the film So Young.
I hope I am representing Asians well: Claudia Kim
She was advised to spend at least 20 years in the Asian film market before heading to the West, some asked her to go for something else and some made remarks about her looks. But that didn't deter actress Claudia Kim from making her Hollywood dream come true.
After being part of big films like Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Dark Tower and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the actress hopes she is representing Asians in the West well, and calls it a "huge responsibility".
"Everyone gets their own story. Before Hollywood happened to me, I just took a break to think about whether I belong in the industry or whether I should be listening to whatever people were telling me," Kim told to media in an exclusive interview here.
"And I was dreaming that maybe there aren't any boundaries. And also with my identity -- being Korean, not American -- I had to take time to think about things and take the fact that those things, which might be considered insecurities, could work better and come as a blessing," she added.
What were people telling her when she was introspecting about her career?
"That I need to spend at least 20-30 years in the Asian market. Or that I couldn't do both. (About) Looks and anything. Some people suggested that I should try something else. It was a lot of things but nothing really stood out for me. Nothing felt right and this job as an actor happened by coincidence... but maybe it was not a coincidence. I like to think that it was fate and there was a reason that they found me first."
With conversation around diversity gaining steam in Hollywood, Kim hopes she is representing Asians well.
"That is definitely a huge responsibility that I will be carrying throughout my career."
She continued, "We are just starting that movement. Diversity has definitely been increasing but still we have the issue of inclusion and that is why I am so grateful about playing the role of Nagini in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. It is great to have other platforms being developed and to see a lot of Asians being included in a project... To come into a huge franchise where most of the actors and crew are not Asians is important. That is something we all have to work on. I hope for it to flourish."
Talking about getting the role of Nagini, she said, "It was all very inviting. Everyone was so supportive. I watched the trailer with some influencers in New York. I was so nervous to walk into that room because I didn't expect to have to reveal my character before the film premieres. I didn't know what to expect and all I heard was cheering, clapping and screaming. And all the people back home are supporting me. It is an honour to play such an iconic and loved character."
Her character is introduced in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which explores the fight between good and evil, right and wrong -- with a focus on belief, tolerance and acceptance.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is set in 1927, 70 years before the Harry Potter franchise. It is the second in the planned five-movie spin-off franchise from the Harry Potter films. The Warner Bros Pictures project opened in India on 16 November.
What next?
"There are some discussions going on. I am also looking to do Asian projects. I always wanted to do both."
Kim Kardashian West to launch her first mascara
Reality TV star Kim Kardashaian West's make-up brand KKW Beauty is releasing its first ever mascara.
The lash-booster comes as a part of the brand's Glam Bible Smokey Volume 1 set, which features a full collection of products that allow you to re-create the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star's signature look, reports of leading publication.
The product is described as a long-lasting creamy formula which defines lashes instantly and the beauty mogul claims the mascara is the "holy grail" of beauty needs and is the perfect Christmas gift for loved ones.
In a statement, Kim said, "This is the holy grail for all my beauty needs, I wanted everyone to have access to the products and tools you need to recreate some of my favourite looks, and there's no better time to treat yourself or your loved ones than the holidays!"
The Glam Bible also includes a new six-shade eyeshadow palette, false lashes, a black pencil liner, a brick red blush, a glittering gold highlighter, a peach lip liner, two lipsticks with peachy tones, a make-up sponge, a lip and eyeliner sharpener and finally, a powder puff.
Justin Timberlake secretly signs copies of his autobiography
Singer Justin Timberlake has been sneaking into book stores and secretly signing copies of his autobiography.
He took to Instagram and posted a third video of him sneaking into a store, this time here and signed a number of books, reports of leading publication.
He captioned the video, "Strikes again. Come and get them, part III..."
The video followed previous similar posts shared by the Filthy singer, having visited a different branch of store Barnes & Noble two days after the book was released.
Among the revelations the 37-year-old singer made in his book was the fact he "almost got expelled" from school for smoking when he returned to Tennessee in 1994 after The All-New Mickey Mouse Club was cancelled.
He recalled, "I came home a lot more sophisticated and aware than I had been before the show, but I tried to downplay it because I just wanted to seem like everyone else.
"I became the class clown, disrupting class with my bits, not caring if the teachers were mad, only wanting to be accepted by the other kids. I started getting in trouble. I smoked pot for the first time. I got myself a can of tobacco and almost got expelled for that."
Dolly Parton wants to die on stage
Country music legend Dolly Parton has no plans to retire and would like to die on stage mid-performance.
"It will happen when it happens. That's how I feel. I am grateful that I am still here. So many people have more talent than I've ever dreamed of having that never get to see dreams come true. There's a whole lot to be said for loving your work and having confidence in yourself. I never once thought of retiring..." Parton told by media.
She added, "I just hope I fall dead in the middle of a song, hopefully one I wrote, right on stage. That's the way I go!"
However, the Jolene singer said she would think about slowing down if her husband needed her.
"If my husband needed me, or someone in my family, I would put him first. I've always put myself first and my career first, but if something were to happen to him, I would pull back on that."
However, Parton wouldn't retire completely.
She said, "I'd still find a way to work, still find a way to be productive."
William Sadler joins 'Alice Fades Away'
Actor William Sadler will star in Ryan Bliss directorial Alice Fades Away.
Being jointly produced by Bliss, Anthony Ambrosino, Andrew James, and Janine Moore, the film centres on a troubled woman in the 1950s New England stumbling upon an isolated farmhouse and being taken in by its idealistic residents - until a murderous figure from her past arrives, reports by media.
The film is Bliss' feature directorial debut. The production recently shot scenes at the Great House on Castle Hill in Massachusetts.
Apart from Sadler, the film also features actors like Ashley Shelton, Blanche Baker, Paxton Singleton and Joanna Pickering.
We wanted to explore good, bad of Internet: ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet' co-director
Along with a heart-warming tale of friendship, Ralph Breaks the Internet puts the spotlight on the dark side of the Internet, and co-director Phil Johnston says they wanted to explore the good and bad of the virtual world with the animated film.
With Ralph Breaks the Internet, Johnston along with Rich Moore is bringing the second chapter from the story of the adventures of Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz, on the big screen once again. The sequel of Wreck-It Ralph balances between the good and bad. Though the core theme revolves around the emotions of friendship, it doesn't shy away from tackling important social issues like bullying and online trolling.
"The Internet sort of invites a lot of issues to be dealt with. Because there are so many things that are right with it and so many things which are wrong with it," Johnston told by leading publication in an exclusive interview here.
"We wanted to explore both sides of it. Both the things that are remarkable and amazing, the friendships that can be formed in the online community but also the more toxic elements like bullying and trolling and things like viruses -- the darker side of the Internet."
Johnston thinks "a movie which is about friendship particularly with one of the friends being insecure with self-doubt facing Internet does allow you to explore some of the more complicated sides of human emotions from joy to sorrow".
"I think the Internet does allow you to tackle things that might be difficult to do in a movie that takes place in real world," he added.
This time, Ralph and Vanellope go on a journey to explore the world of Internet, where they hope to find a replacement steering wheel for Vanellope's own racing game, the arcade classic Sugar Rush. The Walt Disney Animation Studios' project will release in India on 23 November.
Talking about the second instalment, the director said, "We didn't start thinking seriously about making a sequel unless we had a good story. But we had a concept on one of the great things -- Internet. What will the movie be about came to us when we were re-watching the first movie."
He continued, "The first part had a sweet ending. But the more we thought about it, it seemed a little emotionally unhealthy that Ralph feels this way. What if the other person doesn't think of him as a best friend? What would happen if Vanellope didn't love him? How would Ralph feel without her? What will that do to him?
"And that is when we realised that Ralph has a lot of growing and maturing to do. And we felt that there is another story to be told."
What about the third part?
"It is interesting that when we finished the first movie we thought that was it. We are done and story has been told. And then with a little bit distance from it, we found this story. I think right now it feels to me that these two movies serve as a very nice and complete story of a friendship that goes from childhood into adulthood -- even though our characters' ages are sort of irrelevant -- but that is how I think about it right now.
"I personally can't think of another story that I am eager to tell. But I am also tried and maybe after some time off, I can think about it," said Johnston, who has also worked on Zootopia ,Cedar Rapids and A Merry Friggin Christmas.
Ariana Grande blasts Piers Morgan over 'nudity' comments
Singer Ariana Grande has slammed journalist Piers Morgan for passing offensive remarks against her and the Little Mix musical band.
The feud started a few days ago when Morgan criticised the band members and said that they use nudity to sell their albums, reports of media.
Morgan's comments offended a large number of people including Ariana's mother, Joan Grande.
Joan came to Little Mix's defence before criticising Morgan for his previous remarks about talk show host Ellen DeGeneres. She said, "Honestly what is wrong with you Piers Morgan? Didn't your mother ever teach you, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it! You came for 'The Ellen Show' yesterday which was disgraceful, she is an angel. Little Mix today, did you ever hear of paying homage? And...well never mind."
Morgan quickly responded to Joan, calling DeGeneres a hypocrite, and denouncing both Little Mix and Ariana for using their nudity to sell albums.
Later the journalist's tweet prompted a series of posts from Ariana herself, during which the pop star praised DeGeneres before defending the use of her own sexuality and signing off with the title of her latest single, "Thank you, next".
"Ellen is an incredible and kind human being... I use my talent and my sexuality all the time because I choose to. Women can be sexual, naked and dignified. it's our choice and we will keep fighting til people understand, Ariana tweeted.
Ariana ended the conversation by calling out Morgan's double standards by sharing his tweet of a semi-nude photograph of himself in front of a fireplace.
"When you do it, it's ok?," she added.
Dan Fogler's surreal reason to be in ‘Fantastic Beasts'
Actor Dan Fogler says it is surreal to be part of the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
"It is surreal for different reasons. For the first one, meeting J.K. Rowling was like ‘oh my God' moment. She is superstar and a genius," Fogler told by media here.
"Now, when I see her I am taken aback because she sees me and goes ‘Hi, Dan' and gives me a hug. And I am thinking I am on her mind and she is thinking about my character and knows me. It is just like a certain gift which keep popping up as life goes along," he added.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is the second in the planned five movies spin-off franchise from the Harry Potter films. The first part Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them came out in 2016.
With the franchise, Rowling went back in time to introduce a thriving world of magic, magical creatures and wizards in New York. It brought forward new characters like Tina, Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), Queenie (Alison Sudol) and Jacob Kowalski (Fogler).
In the series, Jacob is a 'no-maj' -- a term used for the person without any magical abilities. He stumbles upon the magical world with Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), and decides to continue on the mysterious path despite the twists and turns. The Warner Bros project released in India on 16 November.
(Source : IANS)
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