Monday, October 31, 2016

James Bond star Naomie Harris to receive the Variety Award


London-born James Bond star Naomie Harris is set to receive the Variety Award at the forthcoming British Independent Film Awards. It will be for her contribution to the British film industry. She will be the first black woman to win the prestigious prize - and she follows fellow Bond star Daniel Craig, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sir Michael Caine and Dame Helen Mirren in winning the accolade.
This has been received in news.sky.com dated 28 October 2016.
The award gives recognition to a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and has helped to focus the international spotlight on film in the UK. Naomie Harris is best known for playing Eve Moneypenny in the two Sam Mendes-directed Bond instalments - Skyfall and Spectre.
This year, she has appeared in the awards contender Moonlight which is the story of a young black man growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami. She is also to star opposite Will Smith in the already Oscar tipped Collateral Beauty.
Incidentally, she has already starred as Winnie Mandela in the 2013 biopic Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Pine needles to produce electricity in Uttarakhand

Lost £250 wedding ring retrieved after the eight million gallon lake was drained

Jakarta to pay $1.5 for every rat caught to contain rat menace


Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Lord Shiva’s Durga puja is about selfish people and selfies (satire)


Carey Mulligan leaves teddy bears outside gates of 10 Downing Street to protest attacks on Aleppo

Battle to liberate Mosul rages and ISIS fighters flee the city dressed as women

Group clashes in prisons in Brazil kill at least 18 inmates


The Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer released

Trailer of xXx: Return of Xander Cage starring Deepika Padukone launched in four Indian languages

Jackie Chan's Kung Fu Yoga to release on 28th January 2017

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Justin Bieber throws tantrums in Manchester - storms off stage mid-concert.


Justin Bieber annoys his fans and furious parents have branded him a 'spoilt brat' after he stormed off stage mid-concert in Manchester. The 22-year-old pop star dropped the mic and flounced off the stage after he was booed by fans for taking too long between songs during the show.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 25 October 2016.
This incident was the latest in a string of embarrassing outbursts from the singer since the start of his UK tour. It seems last week he told Manchester concert-goers to be quiet while he sung ballads. Moreover, he called concert-goers 'obnoxious' during a performance at Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena.
Obviously, parents of disappointed young fans did not take kindly to these outbursts. They said that they had spent a 'fortune' on tickets for their children.
Incidentally, price of tickets for the singer's upcoming Glasgow dates are priced at £88 and can go up to £550 per person for special positions like to stand in the 'pit' next to the stage.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Pine needles to produce electricity in Uttarakhand

Lost £250 wedding ring retrieved after the eight million gallon lake was drained

Jakarta to pay $1.5 for every rat caught to contain rat menace


Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Lord Shiva’s Durga puja is about selfish people and selfies (satire)


Carey Mulligan leaves teddy bears outside gates of 10 Downing Street to protest attacks on Aleppo

Battle to liberate Mosul rages and ISIS fighters flee the city dressed as women

Group clashes in prisons in Brazil kill at least 18 inmates


The Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer released

Trailer of xXx: Return of Xander Cage starring Deepika Padukone launched in four Indian languages

Jackie Chan's Kung Fu Yoga to release on 28th January 2017

Sunday, October 23, 2016

The Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer released


The Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer has been released. It is a 2-minute trailer but it holds out promises of an unforgettable experience. It will have the same group of unwilling misfits: Star Lord aka Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and, of course, the tiny Groot (Vin Diesel).
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 20 October 2016.
Marvel Entertainment has released a small teaser to bring revive memories of the comedy-laced, action-filled galactic battle. The teaser trailer wraps up the show in less than two minutes, and covers visuals of the green Gamora brandishing her sword, gunslinger Peter Quill with his freaky mask and Rocket the raccoon with his now tiny Groot — all of them are back in action.
It will be directed by James Gunn and this is a sequel to Marvel’s blockbuster Guardian of the Galaxy. The first part was released in 2014 and is believed to have minted close to $773 million which was thrice the budget.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Calcutta Tramways Company to increase frequency of tram service at night from November

Tampara wetland, a tourist spot in Ganjam district, to get a facelift

Durga idol of 2016 to be preserved in Park Street metro station


Moody becomes moody after surgical strike (satire)

Lord Shiva in the world of deodorants (satire)

Three cheers for Didi – the Jill of all trades (satire)


Terrorist attacks and suicide bombing kill at least 46 in Iraq

21 school girls of Chibok, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, return home

Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war


Power Rangers to return after a decade and hit the screens on March 24 next year

Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old American folk singer, wins Nobel Prize for literature

Antonio Banderas gifted a pair of monkeys to Salma Hayek on her birthday

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Trailer of xXx: Return of Xander Cage starring Deepika Padukone launched in four Indian languages


Deepika Padukone is certainly going places. She is the star of the action-packed Hollywood film xXx: Return of Xander Cage and trailer has been launched across four languages — English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. As a result, the trailer which has a focus on Deepika is tailor-made for the Indian audience.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 18 October 2016.
In the film Deepika plays a character named Serena Unger and it features Vin Diesel in a key role. The trailer gives a glimpse into the daredevil avatar of Deepika and her role appears to be a departure from her portrayal in most Bollywood films she has done. And she hasn’t taken on the Hollywood accent.
The special trailer gives more screen time to Deepika as compared to Diesel, who has a huge fan following across the world.
The film is directed by DJ Caruso and is a sequel to the 2002 film xXx and 2005 film xXx: State of the Union. Other actors in the film are Ruby Rose, Samuel L Jackson, Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa and it will release in January 2017.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Calcutta Tramways Company to increase frequency of tram service at night from November

Tampara wetland, a tourist spot in Ganjam district, to get a facelift

Durga idol of 2016 to be preserved in Park Street metro station


Moody becomes moody after surgical strike (satire)

Lord Shiva in the world of deodorants (satire)

Three cheers for Didi – the Jill of all trades (satire)


Terrorist attacks and suicide bombing kill at least 46 in Iraq

21 school girls of Chibok, abducted by Boko Haram in 2014, return home

Indications are there that both United States and Russia are preparing for war


Power Rangers to return after a decade and hit the screens on March 24 next year

Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old American folk singer, wins Nobel Prize for literature

Antonio Banderas gifted a pair of monkeys to Salma Hayek on her birthday

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Power Rangers to return after a decade and hit the screens on March 24 next year


After a gap of nearly a decade, the third film of the Power Rangers franchise is set to hit the screens on March 24 next year. As a treat to the Might Morphin fandom, the filmmakers have released a preview of the trailer and it debuted at New York Comic Con.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 10 October 2016.
The new sci-fi action features five outcast school teens who begin to explore their superpowers as they try to save Earth from alien invasion. The teaser trailer is like any superhero-themed movie (like Chronicles or Fantastic Four).
The movie cast includes Dacre Montgomery playing Jason Lee Scott (the Red Ranger), Naomi Scott as Kimberly Hart (the Pink Ranger), RJ Cyler as Billy Cranston (the Blue Ranger), Becky G as Trini Kwan (the Yellow Ranger) and Ludi Lin as Zack Taylor (the Black Ranger). And, of course, Elizabeth Banks who is playing the baddie and rangers’ enemy, Rita Repulsa.
The comic relief robot Alpha 5 will get the voice of Bill Harder.
Incidentally, this movie is the second feature film for director Dean Isarelite who made his debut with Project Almanac in 2015 - the budget of the movie is $150 million.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

Goddess Durga and her kids wait for the annual bash (satire)


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

MH17 flight shot down by rocket over Ukraine in 2014 was work of pro-Moscow rebels

Shooting in Burlington - gunman on the run after shooting dead four women in a shopping center


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000

Friday, October 14, 2016

Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old American folk singer, wins Nobel Prize for literature


Bob Dylan, the 75-year-old American folk singer, has won this year's Nobel Prize for literature. He had become an icon of 1960s counterculture but his voice has reached widely and evocatively into the American past. He is the author of some of rock’s early anthems such as ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’. He used to tap into classic folk and gospel songs to rejuvenate defining US forms of story-telling.
Since early in his career he has experimented with the intersection of the literary and the musical.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 14 October 2016.
He had humble beginnings as Robert Allen Zimmerman. He was born in 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota and he taught himself to play the harmonica, guitar and piano. He was captivated by the music of folk singer Woody Guthrie and. one day, changed his name to Bob Dylan — reportedly after the Welsh poet Dylan Thoma. Then he began performing in local nightclubs and, after dropping out of college he moved to New York in 1960.
His first album contained only two original songs, but the 1963 breakthrough “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” featured a slew of his own work including the classic “Blowin’ in the Wind.” He had recorded an astonishing 300 songs in his first three years.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

Goddess Durga and her kids wait for the annual bash (satire)


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

MH17 flight shot down by rocket over Ukraine in 2014 was work of pro-Moscow rebels

Shooting in Burlington - gunman on the run after shooting dead four women in a shopping center


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Jackie Chan's Kung Fu Yoga to release on 28th January 2017


Legendary actor Jackie Chan-starrer Kung Fu Yoga is all set to release on 28th of January 2017. Actress Amyra Dastur will be seen sharing screen space with the Rush Hour star. This movie is a Sino-Indian project and is a part of the three-film agreement that had been signed between the two countries during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India.
This has been re[ported in indianexpress.com dated 4 October 2016.
Since it is a Sino-Indian venture, the film also stars actor Sonu Sood. It seems Hindi film stars have performed some adrenalin-pumping action sequences. There is also a Bollywood number in the movie - it is choreographed by none other than Farah Khan.
Kung Fu Yoga is directed by Stanley Tong and the action comedy has been filmed in India and Iceland.
Incidentally, this is not the first time that Jackie Chan will be starring along Indian actors. He has previously collaborated with Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat in his 2005 film “The Myth”.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

Taiwan struck by Typhoon Megi, third typhoon in two weeks

Terrorist alarm in Uran was the figment of a 12-year-old schoolgirl's imagination

Tourist season in Kaziranga National Park to start from October 1 instead of November 1


Moody is off mood – Na Buzz had fooled him again (satire)

Didi’s version of ABCD - cycle to work to bypass potholes (satire)

Goddess Durga and her kids wait for the annual bash (satire)


9300 people killed in Russian airstrikes in Syria during last year

MH17 flight shot down by rocket over Ukraine in 2014 was work of pro-Moscow rebels

Shooting in Burlington - gunman on the run after shooting dead four women in a shopping center


Mark Wahlberg talks about movie on Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico

Adele creates a record - her latest album 25 has gone platinum in the US

Movie memorabilia go under the hammer - Batman's batpod fetches £312,000

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Biopic on M S Dhoni a huge hit with 2nd highest first day collection of 2016


It was a great start for Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. The much-awaited movie, a biopic on M S Dhoni, the captain of the Indian cricket team, has risen up to expectations of one and all. Its first collection of Rs 21.30 cr is the 2nd highest opener of 2016, after Salman Khan-starrer Sultan.
This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 1 October 2016.
The multiplexes were packed and is proof of the huge popularity of the Indian captain. It is the story of real life Dhoni that is pulling the crowd to theaters. If early reviews are to be believed, then Sushant Rajput, who portrayed the role, has not disappointed either. The movie saw a good opening in morning shows.
The movie had a great response in Chennai because he is the captain of the IPL cricket team Chennai Super Kings. The love and admiration that he enjoys in the city were there for all to see when the biopic film on the cricketing legend released. Incidentally, some theaters ran early morning shows which is a first for a dubbed film.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

For pandal hoppers during Durga Pujas in Jamshedpur - try the pool bus service

Rejuvenate the lakes of Bengaluru - bring back the birds

Bengal unable to hold on to homegrown start-ups - they end up flourishing in other states


Lord Shiva in the world of deodorants (satire)

Didi off to Rome in search of goodies (satire)

Moody learns about honey traps (satire)


Syrian ceasefire breaks down - airstrike in Aleppo claims at least 45 civilian casualties

Construction begins on the Great Wall Of Calais to keep out illegal migrants

MI6 to recruit 1000 extra people to assist in solving modern day crimes


Tamil film Visaranai is India's official entry for Academy Awards 2017

Tension on the Indo-Pak border has its effect on Bollywood movies

Shah Rukh Khan could make a movie on tennis star Sania Mirza