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Country star Mac Davis, who launched his career crafting the Elvis hits 'A Little Less Conversation' and ' In the Ghetto,' and whose own hits include 'Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me,' has died. He was 78. His longtime manager Jim Morey said in a press release that Davis died in Nashville on Tuesday after heart surgery and was surrounded by family and friends. Davis had a long and varied career in music for decades as a writer, singer, actor and TV host and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. He was named 1974’s entertainer of the year by the Academy of Country Music and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Thank you, dear Lord Jesus, for letting us know the man to whom you gave the most incredible talent,” said Reba McEntire in a statement. “He entertained and spread joy to so many people. What a wonderful legacy he left all of us with his music. Mac was one of a kind. I’m so blessed to have been one of his many friends.” Born in Lu...

Netflix unveiled the first look images of fourth season of its critically-acclaimed series,  The Crown .  Based on the play, The Audience , it gives an insider look of Queen Elizabeth II's decades-long reign, and her struggle to juggle both her private and public lives. The official synopsis reads: "As the 1970s are drawing to a close, Queen Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) and her family find themselves preoccupied with safeguarding the line of succession by securing an appropriate bride for Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor), who is still unmarried at 30. As the nation begins to feel the impact of divisive policies introduced by Britain's first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson), tensions arise between her and the Queen which only grow worse as Thatcher leads the country into the Falklands War, generating conflict within the Commonwealth. While Charles’ romance with a young Lady Diana Spencer (Emma Corrin) provides a much-needed fairytale to unite the Bri...

Salman Khan is set to resume filming for his upcoming action thriller film Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai from 2 October. Shooting for the feature began early November 2019 and was halted when the government declared a nationwide lockdown in March to contain COVID-19. The shoot will be at ND Studios in Karjat, near Mumbai. After shooting there for 15 days, the cast and crew will return to Mehboob Studios in Bandra, Mumbai. "A health and safety officer, along with a doctor and ambulance, will be stationed on the set. Signage and colour bands for bifurcation of the team will be followed, along with government mandates on insurance. A team of specially trained personnel has been inducted to dispose of the PPE kits and masks after use according to the guidelines provided," producer Sohail Khan told The Times of India . India Today writes that the makers have decided not to include any elderly actors and kids in this shooting schedule. A hotel has been booked close to the stu...

Actor couple Gurmeet Choudhary and Debina Bonnerjee have tested positive for coronavirus and are currently quarantining at home. Choudhary, who starred with Bonnerjee in 2008 television series Ramayan , shared the news in a post on Twitter on Wednesday. "My wife Debina and I have tested positive for COVID-19 today. We are, touch wood, doing fine and are taking all the necessary precautions, in isolation at home," the 36-year-old actor wrote. Read his tweet here My wife Debina & I have tested positive for COVID-19 today. We are touch wood, doing fine and are taking all the necessary precautions, in isolation at home. We request all those who have been in contact with us to take care🙏🏻 Thank you all for your love and support — GURMEET CHOUDHARY (@gurruchoudhary) September 30, 2020 Choudhary also requested all the people who came in contact with them to get tested for the novel disease. "We request all those who have been in contact with us to take care. Th...

During a panel discussion at the recent virtual edition of Singapore’s All That Matters conference, music industry professionals from India talked about how international acts can break our market. Broadly, they highlighted two routes artists could take: the traditional way —touring consistently to build a fan base, or the more recent phenomenon of having a song go viral on social media platforms. Universal Music’s vice president of brand partnerships Preeti Nayyar, cited DJ Snake, who’s performed across the country multiple times at music festivals, Holi parties and on New Year’s Eve (and also filmed a music video here) as an example of the former. The founder of 9122 Records, Sunil D’Sa, mentioned the success of reggae singers Conkarah and Shaggy’s collaboration 'Banana', which was aided by a TikTok trend , as an example of the latter. Their panel got me thinking about how one gauges the success of international music in a country where – despite the considerable incre...

Raghava Lawrence’s Laxmmi Bomb , starring Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani, will release in theatres in select overseas markets - Australia, New Zealand and UAE - on November 9. In India, the film is set for a direct-to-digital release on the same day on Disney+ Hotstar. Lootcase , Dil Bechara and Sadak 2 are among the other Bollywood films that will release in Australian cinemas this October. As Indian theatres remain shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, the makers already premiered them on Disney+Hotstar. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh wrote that Kunal Khemu's Lootcase will be the first of the three to be out in Australia on 8 October, followed by Sushant Singh Rajput's Dil Bechar a on 15 October and Sadak 2 on 22 October. Here is the update This Diwali, #LaxmmiBomb to release on 9th November in Australia, New Zealand and UAE. #YehDiwaliLaxmmiBombWaali 💥 #FoxStarStudios pic.twitter.com/23HsgQHpxo — Fox Star Hindi (@foxstarhindi) September 30, 2020 @akshaykumar...

A sequel to the comedy Borat has been purchased by Amazon Prime and is expected to hit the streaming platform before November's US election, a source familiar with the deal told AFP  on Tuesday. The movie will see British comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen reprise his cult favourite role as a bumbling and politically incorrect reporter from Kazakhstan, after nearly 15 years. The project is reportedly titled: Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan .” The 2006 original, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,  grossed more than $260 million, winning over critics and spawning endless catchphrases among devoted fans. It even earned an Oscar screenplay nomination. According to Deadline , the follow-up movie was shot covertly with a minimal crew as soon as coronavirus restrictions eased this summer in the US and overseas. The original saw Cohen's f...

Language: Hindi (with some Tamil) Ayyan Mani is an assistant to Arvind Acharya, the arrogant director of a government-run scientific research institute in Mumbai. Mani is a Tamilian who moved to Mumbai as a child, which is the explanation he offers for his bad Tamil. The difference in social standing between the protagonist and his boss is not a factor of class alone – Mani (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is Dalit, and Acharya (M Nasser), a fellow Tamilian, is Brahmin. “Moron, imbecile, knobhead” – these are the epithets hurled by those in power at Mani and his ilk, irrespective of how much they try to please. As revenge, the “morons” have come up with the term “serious men” for educated people privileged enough to conduct studies on “ chutiastic ” subjects. Awareness of the oppression that his family has suffered for generations, resentment towards Acharya and a determination to escape his present life in a cramped one-room tenement with his wife Oja and son Adi are all the motivat...

During a panel discussion at the recent virtual edition of Singapore’s All That Matters conference, music industry professionals from India talked about how international acts can break our market. Broadly, they highlighted two routes artists could take: the traditional way —touring consistently to build a fan base, or the more recent phenomenon of having a song go viral on social media platforms. Universal Music’s vice president of brand partnerships Preeti Nayyar, cited DJ Snake, who’s performed across the country multiple times on New Year’s Eve and at Holi parties (and also filmed a music video here) as an example of the former, while the founder of 9122 Records, Sunil D’Sa, mentioned the success of reggae singers Conkarah and Shaggy’s collaboration 'Banana', which was aided by a TikTok trend , as an example of the latter. Their panel got me thinking about how one gauges the success of international music in a country where – despite the considerable increase in its c...

Bollywood actor Abhay Deol and UK's Meera Syal have joined the cast of Disney Channel Original movie Spin , reported Variety . The film is being directed by Manjari Makijany of Desert Dolphin fame and has Avantika Vandanapu in the lead. The film is about an Indian American teen who discovers her artistic side through the unique world of DJ culture. Vandanapu will star as Rhea, an Indian American teen who learns she has a passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the textures of her Indian heritage and the world around her. Speaking about the project, the director said that the film is special as it is giving her a way to introduce her culture in an authentic manner. "The team at Disney is committed and passionate about representation and have been extremely supportive of my vision from casting a talented Indian actor such as Abhay Deol and the fantastic Meera Syal, to smaller details in the story that reflect the culture," she added. The script of Spin is written b...

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah actress Priya Ahuja has been diagnosed with COVID-19. The television personality became one of the many Hindi show actors to have contracted the virus. Priya plays the role of Rita Reporter in the popular SAB TV show. This news comes after she delivered her first child Ardaas in November last year. Priya is married to the show's director Malav Rajda. She wrote about her condition on social media. Her situation has however not stopped the shoot for the show as she was not shooting recently due to her maternity break. The actress said in an Instagram post that it was her duty to inform everyone that she has tested positive. She asked people who came in contact with her in the last couple of days to get tested. She wrote that she was not shooting currently and she was “at home all this while” and “still got this virus.” Priya urged everyone to keep themselves safe and wear their masks. The actress ended the note by urging all to pray for her health...

Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday announced its new project, Putham Pudhu Kaalai , an anthology of five Tamil short films. Five celebrated directors of Tamil cinema -- Sudha Kongara, Gautham Menon, Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Rajiv Menon and Karthik Subbaraj -- have come together to create stories of love, new beginnings, second chances and hope, said the streaming platform in a statement. Putham Pudhu Kaalai  is slated to start streaming from 16 October See the post 5 of your favorite storytellers bring you 5 heartwarming stories! #PuthamPudhuKaalai , October 16. @menongautham @Sudhakongara_of @DirRajivMenon @hasinimani @karthiksubbaraj pic.twitter.com/mb4vfQJKpr — amazon prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) September 30, 2020 Actor-music director GV Prakash Kumar too tweeted that he is happy to have been associated with the movie. Super happy to be a part of this project. Can’t wait for you guys to catch #PuthamPudhuKaalai on @PrimeVideoIN , Oct 16th. #SudhaKongara @dirrajivm...

Alicia Keys, Bad Bunny, Luke Combs, and leading nominee Post Malone will perform at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards. NBC and dick clark productions on Tuesday announced the performers for the show, which will broadcast live from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 14 October. Check out the announcements below . @aliciakeys will make her long awaited return to the #BBMAs stage for the first time since 2012! Don't miss her performance, October 14th at 8/7c on NBC. pic.twitter.com/wSSnE5Ckrh — Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) September 29, 2020 This year's most nominated artist, @PostMalone , is performing at the #BBMAs . DO NOT miss this, October 14th at 8/7c on NBC. pic.twitter.com/ag8kp3T7Bi — Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) September 29, 2020 When it rains it pours! @lukecombs will be taking the #BBMAs stage on October 14th at 8/7c on NBC. pic.twitter.com/ccszeDr56w — Billboard Music Awards (@BBMAs) September 29, 2020 Making his #BBMAs performance deb...

Lootcase , Dil Bechara and Sadak 2 are among the new Bollywood films that will release in Australian cinemas this October. As Indian theatres remain shut due to the coronavirus pandemic, the makers already premiered them on Disney+Hotstar. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh wrote that Kunal Khemu's Lootcase will be the first of the three to be out in Australia on 8 October, followed by Sushant Singh Rajput's Dil Bechar a on 15 October and Sadak 2 on 22 October. Here is the update BREAKING NEWS... After premiering on #DisneyPlusHotstar , #Lootcase , #DilBechara and #Sadak2 to release in *cinemas* across #Australia [except #Victoria ]... Dates... ⭐ #Lootcase : 8 Oct 2020 ⭐ #DilBechara : 15 Oct 2020 ⭐ #Sadak2 : 22 Oct 2020 pic.twitter.com/PVeCVIVHjQ — taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) September 29, 2020 Lootcase , is directed by Rajesh Krishnan and also stars Rasika Dugal, Vijay Raaz and Ranvir Shorey. Meanwhile, Dil Bechara is an official Hindi adaptation of John Green's...

Suhana Khan is calling out the obsession with fair skin in India and how dark skin is associated with ugliness. Taking to her Instagram account, the 20-year-old shared how she has been called ugly because of her skin tone since she was 12 years old. This post was also targeted at internet trolls who kept commenting on how Suhana looked lighter-toned than usual in a recent picture. Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter also posted screenshots of some of the comments that she had received. “There’s a lot going on right now and this is one of the issues we need to fix!!” she wrote in a long caption to her latest post adding that this is not only about her, but rather about every young girl and boy who has grown up feeling inferior for no reason. Suhana further stated that these were just a few of the comments made on her appearance, including being called ugly just because of her skin tone since she was 12 years old. She then wrote that the sad part about this colour obsession was, as Indians, mos...

The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons has revealed that he and his husband, producer Todd Spiewak, had contracted the coronavirus in the middle of March. During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon , the actor said their experience "defied the descriptions" of the COVID-19 virus. "Todd and I both had it early on. It was like... the middle of March. We didn't know what it was. We thought we had colds. And then it seemed less likely, and then finally we lost our sense of smell and taste. It defied the descriptions for me. I didn't realise how completely taste and smell could be gone," Parsons told Fallon. The Hollywood actor said losing two senses under lockdown when there is "nothing to do but eat" resulted in "a lot of wasted calories". Parsons, 47, said he took up painting and writing to distract his mind in quarantine but was unable to commit to anything. "I don't know if the truth is, 'Well, you're ...

The Walt Disney Co will make a follow-up to the 2019 live-action The Lion King with Barry Jenkins, the director of the Oscar-winning Moonlight , and the James Baldwin adaptation If Beale Street Could Talk , set to direct. Disney announced plans Tuesday for a kind of prequel to last year’s poorly reviewed but highly popular photorealistic remake. The new Lion King grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide, so a sequel was perhaps always likely. Less expected was a Lion King with Jenkins directing. The film, Disney said, will explore the mythology of The Lion King , including Mufasa’s origin story. “Helping my sister raise two young boys during the ’90s, I grew up with these characters,” Jenkins said in a statement. “Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love, and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true.” See his post This. Yes, THIS👇🏿 ‘The ...

Helen Reddy, who shot to stardom in the 1970s with her rousing feminist anthem I Am Woman and recorded a string of other hits, has died. She was 78. Reddy’s children Traci and Jordan announced that the actor-singer died Tuesday in Los Angeles. “She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman,” they said in a statement. “Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever.” Reddy’s 1971 version of ' I Don’t Know How to Love Him ' from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar launched a decade-long string of Top 40 hits, three of which reached No 1. The Australian-born singer enjoyed a prolific career, appearing in Airport 1975 as a singing nun and scoring several hits, including ' Ain’t No Way To Treat a Lady,' 'Delta Dawn, ' ' Angie Baby ' and ' You and Me Against the World.' In 1973 she won the best female vocal pop performance Grammy Award for ' I Am Woman ' quickly than...

Gabrielle Union and NBC said Tuesday that they have settled their differences in their dispute over her firing as a judge on America’s Got Talent , which she said was retaliation for her complaints that the show tolerated racism on the set. “We’ve reached an amicable resolution,” Union and the network said in a joint statement. “NBC Entertainment appreciates the important concerns raised by Gabrielle Union and remains committed to ensuring an inclusive and supportive working environment where people of all backgrounds are treated with respect." Both sides declined further comment, and would not give further details. Union, known for her roles in the films Bring It On and Bad Boys II , appeared on the talent showcase created by Simon Cowell for a season, until she and fellow first-year judge Julianne Hough weren’t asked to return. Variety reported soon after that Union, who is Black, believed she was fired because she had asked NBC and the show’s producers to respond to an en...

Noted filmmaker Shekhar Kapur was on Tuesday appointed president of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society and chairman of the institute's governing council, an official said. FTII Director Bhupendra Kainthola said Kapur's appointment was announced by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The 74-year-old filmmaker's tenure will be till 3 March, 2023, the official said. Born on 6 December, 1945 at Lahore in Pakistan, the critically acclaimed director and actor is known for films like Elizabeth (1998), Bandit Queen (1994) and The Four Feathers (2002). Shekhar Kapur directed the 1983 film Masoom starring Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Urmila Matondkar. I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar tweeted, "Happy to inform that renowned international film personality Shekhar Kapur has been appointed as the President of FTII Society & Chairman of Governing Council of FTII." "Kapur, who has vast experience, will a...

Anushka Shetty and Madhavan's Nishabdham,  directed by Hemant Madhukar, marks the reunion of Anushka Shetty and Madhavan fourteen years after their last Tamil outing Rendu , which marked Anushka's debut in Kollywood. "Anushka was a tall and charming lady back then and was a newcomer without much experience. Now, after fourteen years, she carries the same charm. She has become an experienced actor. Having seen her passionate involvement in shooting activities, I felt really proud. After Baahubali , she has become a huge star but she was very grounded and there's no starry air as such. She's a wonderful lady and it was a great experience to work with her," told Madhavan in a group interaction about reuniting with Anushka in Nishabdham . Talking about essaying the role of a musician in the film, Maddy said, "I play an international cello artist. So, I had to have the flair of an international artist. Since I wanted to look authentic on-screen, I learned to...

Bollywood actors took to social media to express their anger over the death of a 19-year-old Dalit girl who was gang-raped allegedly by for upper-caste men in Hathras district of Uttar Pradesh. Actors Kangana Ranaut, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Farhan Akhtar, Richa Chadha, and others condemned the incident and demanded justice for the girl. The girl was attacked a fortnight ago at a village in Hathras, some 200 km from Delhi. She was dragged by her dupatta into the fields where she had been cutting grass with her family. She was admitted to Aligarh hospital and was in ICU. She was later moved to Delhi. Read a few reactions here Shoot these rapists publicly, what is the solution to these gang rapes that are growing in numbers every year? What a sad and shameful day for this country. Shame on us we failed our daughters #RIPManishaValmiki — Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 29, 2020 Kumar said the laws and its enforcement in the country must be more strict so that the ...