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You might perhaps have come across music by a British grime rapper named Looney or Loonz. A number of his tracks can still be found online at (no www.) soundcloud.com/looneytellem What you may not know is this was the original stage name of 25-year-old Londoner Che Wolton Grant, better known now as AJ Tracey. He had performed as Looney for three years before deciding upon the name change in 2014. AJ bade farewell to Looney in style. His final release under the old name was No More Looney, a 33-track mix-tape which remains available to hear and download at www.datpiff.com/AJ-Tracey-No-More-Looney-mixtape.643211.html Fellow grime MC Big Zuu is one of the guest artistes on No More Looney. He also happens to be AJ’s cousin. “I’m keeping it in the family,” AJ smiled. “I get on great with my cousin. Always have done so collaborating with him is something we both enjoy. But my whole family is musical. My dad is from Trinidad. He was a rapper. My mother is Welsh but she was a jungle DJ on pirate radio. I started rapping when I was six so it was probably inevitable that I’d make my career in music.” His career choice might have been predestined but AJ was initially set on an entirely different career path. “I had decided to study criminology at London Metropolitan University. But the call of music was just too strong. I only really liked one of my university lecturers so it wasn’t as if I particularly enjoyed doing the course. I was still making songs on a part-time basis so it wasn’t a difficult choice for me to drop out of uni and work full-time on my music.” Despite his initial output being available free of charge, AJ was not afraid to apply strict quality control. He scrapped both an EP and a mix-tape. “A lot of artistes might have thought they were wasting money. But I regarded scrapping those things as an investment in my future. If I could listen to them and feel some of the songs were not good enough, I’m sure the same would be true for critics and fans. I wasn’t going to put out anything I felt was substandard.” The quality of his musical output, allied to numerous performances on pirate radio, quickly earned AJ a loyal and ever-growing fan following. He became feted as one of the grime genre’s hottest up and coming MCs. “I released two EPs in 2015, The Front and Alex Moran. There was no charge for either and I threw in another free EP as a Christmas Day gift to my fans. These releases really got me noticed and put me in the front rank of younger grime artistes. “I don’t want to sound arrogant but I knew I was creating quality work. I knew the ability I possessed and the plan I had. I knew what I wanted to put out so I really believed things would go well for me.” The following year saw AJ release his first pay for EP, Lil Tracey. He also recorded but did not release a trap EP, Rain. “I wanted to diversify my output. I released a couple of tracks from Rain but decided the EP as a whole wasn’t good enough. I was becoming really well known so didn’t want to risk my career progression by releasing something which wasn’t quite right.” His next EP, 2017’s Secure the Bag, became AJ’s mainstream breakthrough. It reached number 13 on the UK albums chart and spawned his first UK top 75 single, Quarterback (Secure the Bag!). AJ’s subsequent singles have all become UK chart hits. But it was his self-titled debut album which has made him an internationally acclaimed artiste. AJ Tracey has so far peaked at number three. “I wanted to prove I’m more than just a grime MC and I’ve achieved this with the songs on my album. There are loads of different genres on there but everything is cohesive. “I didn’t want it to sound experimental. I wanted it to sound natural. That’s what it is because I enjoy music from all different genres. The album tracks cover different speeds as well as different styles. I even sing as well as rap. “The album was built around three core songs which I really liked. These are Ladbroke Grove, Rina and Necklace. They are completely different in terms of topics, genres and moods. This gave me the basis around which I could develop the rest of the songs.” The lead single Butterflies, which won him the GRM Daily Track of the Year award for 2018 and features his close friend Not3s, perfectly represents the variety of styles on AJ’s album. It is a nod to his West Indian paternal roots fusing Trinidadian soca with dancehall. “It’s my take on those styles. They aren’t heard much on the UK music scene so I wanted to showcase them. But Butterflies is not a traditional soca or dancehall track. It’s like all the different genres on my album. Just as Country Star is my interpretation of country music so Butterflies is my interpretation of soca and dancehall.” The confidence AJ has in his music is not only displayed in the songs which stray from his established style of grime but also in the eponymous album title. “I’ve always thought it was cool when artistes self-titled their albums. It’s like expressing belief in the quality of their work. They’re saying this is my project, here you go. “That’s the kind of thing I wanted to say about my album. But, there is also a second reason in that I’m about to begin a world tour promoting the record. I didn’t want anyone who sees me to be in any doubt about which album to buy.” Emma Bunton There has been a good deal of talk in recent years about a possible Spice Girls reunion. Plans for concerts and new albums have been announced but none have yet to materialise. Something never mentioned amongst all those Spice Girls twists and turns has been new music from Emma Bunton. But the 43-year-old mother of two, formerly tagged as Baby Spice, has returned to the music scene with Baby Please Don’t Stop, her first solo single since 2007’s All I Need To Know. The track is taken from Emma’s fourth solo album, My Happy Place, which is scheduled for release on April 12. It is her first album since 2006’s Life in Mono. Despite reaching the UK top 10 with her first two solo albums, A Girl Like Me and Free Me, the failure of Life in Mono, which peaked at number 65, led to Emma losing her record deal with Universal Music. The album did spawn one big hit single, a cover of Downtown, Petula Clark’s 1964 international chart-topper, but this was a charity song for the BBC’s Children In Need appeal. It is the BMG label which has shown faith in Emma’s ability to generate solid sales with her new music. Yet My Happy Place features just two new songs, Baby Please Don’t Stop and Too Many Teardrops. The other tracks are covers of some of Emma’s favourite songs. Interestingly, one of these is the Spice Girls hit, 2 Become1, which includes guest vocals from Robbie Williams. The video for Baby Please Don’t Stop, which also features members of Emma’s family, is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=68NM1axZ9XE. At the height of her popularity, the song would have undoubtedly become a massive hit. Let’s see what happens now. Sugababes Despite Emma Bunton releasing a new single and forthcoming album, the latest Spice Girls reunion plan is still on course. There are a total of 13 concerts scheduled for May and June in large capacity sports stadiums across Britain and Ireland. It now seems like the Sugababes could also be reuniting for a British and European concert tour. Singer Amelle Berrabah recently revealed that numerous promoters have offered lucrative contracts for the girls to re-form. But unlike the Spice Girls, there have been four different Sugababes line-ups covering a total of six girls. Conflicts and contradictions characterised pretty much their entire history from 1998 onwards. Fortunately, Sugababes fans cared much more about their music than the group’s internal troubles. Five of their seven studio albums made the UK top 10, including a chart topper with Taller in More Ways, while they recorded 18 top 10 hit singles six of which reached number one. Their faithful fans would certainly welcome a Sugababes comeback tour. The only question would be which of the girls made up the re-formed group. Drake Ariana Grande may have made many headlines but it is Drake who has been named as the world’s best-selling recording artiste of 2018. His 25-track double album, Scorpion, reached number one in 92 countries. It broke multiple global streaming records and was further boosted by massive hit singles such as God’s Plan, Nice For What and In My Feelings. The Global Recording Artist of the Year Award was only established in 2013 when One Direction were the initial recipients. But Drake has now become the first artiste to receive the accolade on two occasions. He was previously the world’s top-selling artiste in 2016.

It’s a case of ‘dil maange’ more for Divya Dutta as far as risky films and characters are concerned. After an eventful 2018 in which she won a National Award as Best Supporting Actress, Divya’s slate for 2019 is diverse and impressive. There’s the Malala Yousufzai biopic Gul Makai, Netflix film Music Teacher, children’s film Jhalki... A Different Childhood, a psychological thriller with Arshad Warsi and Juhi Chawla, Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai and Ram Singh Charlie – all signifying quite a mix of genres and number. “It’s great. I think I have become slightly greedier and more selective, but I think it’s lovely,” Divya told IANS in an interview. “There’s no strategy or plan that now I will only do this. But it’s just that your heart says ‘now don’t do this’ and ‘only do this’ or ‘go ahead and do just something drastically different’... I love to experiment more. “When you are accepted and acknowledged and loved, I think they (the industry members) give you the freedom to choose more and take more risks. I have always done that, but I think I want to do more. It’s like dil maange more. I think I am in a position to sit and just look at the scripts and say ‘I want to do this’ or ‘I don’t want to do that’,” she added. Divya’s Bollywood journey had started in 1994 with Ishq Mein Jeena Ishq Mein Marna. She has been appreciated for her impactful performances in films like Veer-Zaara, Delhi-6, Heroine, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Traffic and Irada for which she won the National Award. At the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) last year, Divya had opened up about how she thought it was “blasphemous” to play a supporting role in Yash Chopra’s Veer-Zaara, which came her way after a couple of multi-starrer projects which she was not proud of. But her role as Shabbo in the cross-border love story continues to garner love. Is playing the lead girl in a Yash Raj Films’ banner film a dream she still harbours? “I think times have changed now. Everyone is now story-oriented. All your so-called stars want to do the roles that I do. It’s like that... It’s become a role reversal everywhere. The stories have become distinct. “But of course, we have grown up on Yash Chopra’s films. If given a chance, I would definitely dance in the Alps in a chiffon sari,” she said with a laugh. – IANS

Nepal Magar Association (NMA) – Qatar Chapter recently celebrated its 37th anniversary at Al Nakhyan Restaurant. The event was chaired by Sher Bahadur Roka Magar, Chairperson of NMA. Mahendra Thapa Magar, Chief Adviser of NMA, was the chief guest at the event. The event was attended by notable personalities, including Bhim Bahadur Taramu Magar, former Chairperson of NMA; and Youba Raj Sharma, Nepali community leader.  The event focused on preserving history, language and culture of the Magar community. Magar is one of the oldest ethnic and indigenous communities in Nepal. The event kicked off with a lamp lighting ceremony, which was followed by the national anthem of Nepal. Bibek Pulami Magar, Secretary of NMA, briefed the audience about the event. The event was hosted by Bijaya Magar and Naresh Sinjali Magar. The event featured various folk dances, including tappa, chudka, salaiju and kauraha andhurra by the artistes of Nepal Magar Cultural Family-Qatar (NMCF). The dances were choreographed by Janak Thapa Magar and Yogen Khamcha Magar. The first look of a video song by Som Thapa was also unveiled on the occasion. Poornima Bhuhathok, long term resident of Qatar and member of NMA, was also bid farewell on the occasion. Mahendra Thapa was felicitated at the event for his contribution to NMA.  Sher Bahadur Roka proposed a vote of thanks. 

Priyanka Chopra has always walked to the beat of her own drum. But the actress says glorification of trolling has added “crazy pressure” on entertainers. She feels the increasing prevalence of trolling culture only leads to bullying and depression. “First of all, the pressure comes from people’s opinion and how in today’s age everyone’s opinion becomes news,” Priyanka said in an interview when asked about the pressures that comes with the ‘global star’ tag. “Most of the time, I see media writing about trolling that someone got trolled for this and that. I have never understood how somebody’s opinion becomes news. How the media gives such credence to maybe 500, 600 or 1,000 people writing behind the anonymity of the computer,” added the actress, who came to India for professional as well as personal reasons. Priyanka – who managed to squeeze out time from her busy schedule to talk about her Hollywood film Isn’t It Romantic, which released in India on streaming platform Netflix – admits there are “pressures of living in the digital world”. “Those are the pressures that are not even created by us or the fans. It is just created by the one thing which is the Internet. It has made people’s job easier. You can make a story out of anybody’s comment.” The Quantico star thinks the “glorification of trolling has added the crazy pressure on to entertainers”. “There is something called living your life according to the social responsibility that you feel as an individual and then there is something else like living your life according to how everybody else wants you to live. And that is not the world we should live in,” said the actress, who has herself faced the wrath on social media for sometimes her dressing style or using firecrackers on her wedding last year or for taking her husband and singer Nick Jonas’ name. Priyanka, who proved her mettle with projects such as Don, Fashion, 7 Khoon Maaf, Barfi!, Mary Kom and Bajirao Mastani in India, pointed out a serious implication coming out of the trolling culture. “Our children should not be thought that people’s opinions are that important. When they get bullied in school or when they get bullied as teenagers because of the comments written on Instagram and it leads them to depression leading them to take harsh decisions in their life. “It is being propagated by these kinds of stories where we give so much importance to what we look like on Instagram or what we talk about on Twitter or what our imagery is.” According to Priyanka, that is the only pressure which she feels “sometimes is unnecessary but being put on” a public personality. Talking about herself, she said: “I have been not someone who has lived my life according to somebody else. I have walked to the beat of my own drum but I am very cognizant of somebody’s feelings as a public person.” On the film front, the actress is getting great response for Isn’t It Romantic, which tells the story of a New York architect Natalie (Rebel Wilson) who works hard to get noticed at her job, but is more likely to be asked to deliver coffee and bagels than to design. Priyanka essays the role of a yoga ambassador. It also stars Liam Hemsworth and Adam Devine. – IANS

Say hello to your friends, Baby-Sitters Club fans. Again. Netflix announced Thursday that it’s creating a new televised take on Ann M Martin’s best-selling book series.  The contemporary-set, live-action show will follow the friendship and babysitting adventures of five best friends in Stoneybrook, Conn. Spanning 10 episodes, the family-friendly adaptation includes Rachel Shukert (GLOW) as showrunner and Lucia Aniello (Broad City) as director and executive producer. “The themes of The Baby-Sitters Club still resonate 30 years after the original book series was released and there has never been a more opportune time to tell an aspirational story about empowering young female entrepreneurs,” said Melissa Cobb, Netflix vice president of content for kids and families, in the announcement. Martin’s beloved book series, which began in the mid-1980s and wrapped up in 2000, has more than 200 books licensed in more than 20 territories with more than 180 million copies sold.  The titles tell stories of female friendship and empowerment – topics that got the franchise lauded by the New Yorker for its “feminist legacy” in 2016. “I’m amazed that there are so many passionate fans of The Baby-Sitters Club after all these years, and I’m honoured to continue to hear from readers – now grown, who have become writers, editors, teachers, librarians, filmmakers – who say that they see a reflection of themselves in the characters of Kristy and her friends,” Martin said in a statement Thursday. The Baby-Sitters Club novels, first published in 1986, were previously adapted for the screen in 1990.  The single-season series first aired on HBO and was then syndicated by Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.  The books were also adapted into a feature film in 1995, starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Larisa Oleynik and Schuyler Fisk. Frank Smith, president and CEO of Walden Media: “For generations, young people have been captivated and inspired by the enterprising young women of The Baby-Sitters Club. Bringing this iconic series to life comes at a pivotal moment in Walden’s expansion into scripted televised content.” In 1986, Scholastic published the first The Baby-sitters Club book, Kristy’s Big Idea. Before long, the books were hitting bestsellers lists and what started as a four-part miniseries would eventually grow to more than 200 books.  The Baby-Sitters Club series has over 176 million copies in print worldwide and inspired a generation of young readers.  Matin’s other words and novels include the Main Street series; Belle Teal; the Newbery Honour book A Corner of the Universe; Here Today; A Dog’s Life; and On Christmas Eve; as well as the much-loved collaborations P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail, No More with Paula Danziger. — Los Angeles Times/ TNS

The Jonas Brothers have reunited for a single titled Sucker after a gap of six years.  Pop singers Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas sported ensembles designed by New York-based Nepalese designer Prabal Gurung for their single cover. Gurung on Friday shared the cover on Twitter, and captioned it: “The Jonas brothers wear Prabal Gurung on the cover of their new album (single) Sucker. So stoked that our first menswear collection is on my favourite brothers thank you Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas... I am over the moon.” In the album cover, Nick is seen sporting salmon pink pants and a black and yellow t-shirt. Joe looks dapper in an ice-blue twin set, while Kevin is seen wearing a bright orange and blue twin suit. Its video also features Nick Jonas’ actress wife Priyanka Chopra. Excited about having worked on a video of her husband and brothers-in-law’s song, Priyanka says it was fun working with them. “This is the first time we’ve worked together but not for a moment did it feel like work. Such a fun family affair... Proud of you husband,” Priyanka tweeted while unveiling the song among netizens. The video also stars Kevin Jonas’ spouse Danielle and Joe Jonas’ fiancee and Game of Thrones fame   actress Sophie Turner. Priyanka added: “Such a fun family affair... Jonas Brothers and the J sisters cheering each other on.” Nick also took to Twitter to announce the band’s comeback. He said: “Sucker video is officially out! We really had the best time shooting this video in England with our family. Hope you guys love it. Feels good to be back.” Nick also complimented Priyanka saying she looks “so beautiful in this video”. The band has created hits like Burnin’ up, Hold on and Fly with me. The Jonas Brothers split up in 2013. –IANS

It’s time to discuss Captains Marvel. Yes, Captain Marvel in the plural – because there have been a lot of them. Ironically, the character starring in Shazam, premiering April 5, started out as a Captain Marvel. And the character starring in Captain Marvel, premiering March 8, did not. But given those movies, the long strange history of the name “Captain Marvel” must be addressed. And it’s a doozy. The Shazam guy, it should be noted, was the first, original Captain Marvel. Debuting in Whiz Comics No. 2 (1939), from Fawcett Comics, young orphan Billy Batson was able to turn into the adult, super-powered Captain Marvel by saying a magic word: Shazam, the name of the wizard who gave him his powers. Those powers included flight, super-strength and invulnerability – which he shared with another famed superhero, Superman. And Billy Batson became a journalist (a radio reporter), an element he shared with Clark Kent. The publishers of Superman, the forerunners of today’s DC Comics, decided that was enough to sue The World’s Mightiest Mortal for copyright infringement. The lawsuit dragged on into the 1950s, and eventually Fawcett threw in the towel. They got out of the comic book biz altogether in 1953. Without anybody protecting it, the trademark for the name Captain Marvel fell into public domain. Anybody could use it. And the first company to do so was a tiny firm called M.F. Enterprises. The new Captain Marvel launched in his own eponymous title in 1966. It only lasted four issues, though, because the whole concept was utterly terrible. For one thing, he wasn’t a he – he was an it. The new Captain Marvel was an alien robot, sent to Earth to escape the nuclear destruction of his home world. He had jet boots and laser eyes, but that wasn’t his main, or most memorable, super-power. That would be his ability to break apart into six discrete parts by yelling the word “Split!” His arms, legs and head would separate from his torso, and all those parts would go into battle separately. Yeah. The awful image that just crossed your mind is entirely accurate. Somebody actually thought that was a good idea. As noted, though, the M.F. Enterprises Captain Marvel didn’t last long. But maybe it lasted long enough to alert Marvel Comics that the name Captain Marvel was up for grabs. And if you’re Marvel Comics, wouldn’t you want that name? And they got it. According to the book Slugfest, Marvel actually nudged M.F. Enterprises to get out of the Captain Marvel business, and threw in a $4,500 sweetener. And lo, a Marvel Captain Marvel was born. An anthology title, Marvel Super-Heroes, introduced Captain Mar-Vell in 1967. A spy for the Kree Empire, Mar-Vell was assigned to Earth, specifically to Cape Canaveral, where he took the disguise of dead rocket scientist Walter Lawson. Unfortunately for Mar-Vell, Lawson had a criminal past, and he immediately became an object of suspicion for the Cape’s tough head of security, USAF Captain Carol Danvers. More on her, anon. Needless to say, Mar-Vell didn’t stay a bad guy for long; he came to love Earth and began fighting for her in his green-and-white Kree uniform, which we gullible Earthlings assumed to be a superhero costume. Going by the name Captain Marvel – a corruption of his actual name and rank – Mar-Vell graduated to his own series, where he fought aliens, met Avengers and was given super-powers by mysterious cosmic entities. Oh, wait, that last part probably deserves explanation. A cosmic intelligence named “Zo” informed Mar-Vell that he was destined to be the “balance” of the universe, and in concert with the Supreme Intelligence – an amorphous blob of minds that leads the Kree – remade Mar-Vell. He gained flight, super-strength, great resistance to injury and “cosmic awareness,” a sort of universal clairvoyance or precognition. He also gained a snappy red, blue and gold super-suit –and his own Billy Batson, sort of. Writer Roy Thomas tipped his hat to the original Captain Marvel by sending the new version to the Negative Zone, where he could only be freed when ubiquitous sidekick Rick Jones changed places with him. Instead of yelling “Shazam,” teenage Jones would clang together cosmic wrist jewellery called Nega-Bands – “Ktang!” – and be replaced by the adult Mar-Vell. Mar-Vell could reverse the swap by ktanging his own Nega-Bands together. But all good things must come to an end, they say, and Mar-Vell did as well. In a shocking twist, he died of cancer, in the aptly-named Death of Captain Marvel graphic novel (1981). Which freed up the name Captain Marvel again. Marvel wasn’t about to let it get away, especially since DC Comics had acquired the original Captain Marvel. Unable to use the name on covers due to Marvel’s trademark rights, DC had begun publishing the first Captain Marvel in all his glory in a series titled Shazam in 1973. So Marvel created another Captain Marvel in 1982: Monica Rambeau, a police lieutenant in the New Orleans harbour patrol. Able to transform herself into any kind of energy, Rambeau has been poorly used in comics, ceding the name Captain Marvel in the ’90s and taking in succession the names Photon, Pulsar and Spectrum before more or less fading into comic book limbo. (A character named Monica Rambeau will appear in the Captain Marvel movie, so she’s got that going for her.) And to whom did Monica cede the legendary name? Why Genis-Vell, Mar-Vell’s formerly unknown biological son. Despite the blood connection, though, he didn’t last in the role either, taking the name Photon (again, from the hapless Monica Rambeau) before dying, being dismembered and having his parts spread throughout the Darkforce Dimension so they can never be reunited. (It’s true that no one is ever really dead in comics, but this comes pretty darn close.) Did I mention Genis had a sister? He did, and his sibling Phyla-Vell also became Captain Marvel for a spell, before changing her name to Quasar, then Martyr, and apparently dying (although we’ve seen her soul in an infinity stone, so don’t count her out). Then a Skrull named Khn’nr wore the Nega-Bands, and was brainwashed into thinking he was Mar-Vell, somehow resuscitated. After he died, another Kree named Noh-Varr claimed the bands and the name, before changing his nom du combat to Protector. Gee, that’s a lot of Captains Marvel. A cynical mind might assume Marvel was just assigning the name to one character after another to protect the trademark. But now it’s finally stuck. Remember Carol Danvers? You should, because she has claimed the mantle, and with her upcoming movie, is unlikely to ever give it up. But she didn’t get the name right away. She surfaced as a superhero in 1977 with her own comic book and Captain Marvel-related super-powers. Unfortunately, Mar-Vell wasn’t dead yet, so she settled on the name Ms. Marvel. Various adventures saw her changing her name again and again, but Captain Marvel was never available when she did. She became Binary, then Warbird, then Ms. Marvel again. Finally, in 2012 she was again ready to change her name, and nobody was using “Captain Marvel.” So now she’s got it. Whew! Meanwhile, over at DC Comics, Captain Marvel struggled along without being able to use his name on a cover. With one series after another using some variation of Shazam as a title, fans began calling him that – and now it’s official. With its 2011 reboot, DC gave up on “Captain Marvel” and renamed Billy Batson’s other self Shazam. And that’s why when you say Captain Marvel to a comics fan, he or she will inevitably say “which one”? It’s a storied title, but the stories star a lot of different people! – TNS Captain Marvel: The Most Cosmic Super-Hero of All Mar-Vell (1967-1982) Monica Rambeau (1982-1996) Genis-Vell (1995-2005) Phyla-Vell (2003-2006) Khn’nr (2007-2008) Noh-Varr (2009-2010) Carol Danvers (2012-Current)

The more globally famous the celebrity, the tougher audiences tend to be on a biopic. Unless it’s Bohemian Rhapsody, because, you know. All those hits. A different sort of hit-making and punishment-taking sets the tone in Fighting with My Family, based on a true story. It’s not a story, or a milieu, I knew anything about going in. In other words, nothing much held me back from enjoying writer-director Stephen Merchant’s engaging, charismatically acted underdog fable. Best known as a performer, Merchant has a serious knack for casting. He snagged Nick Frost and Lena Headey as the heads of a scrappy, resourceful Norwich, England, wrestling clan. The excellent young actor Jack Lowden (‘71, Dunkirk) captures the essence of thwarted ambition as son Zak. And in the lead, the superb Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth) takes on the World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., star known as Paige. Offstage she’s Saraya-Jade Bevis, now 26. On screen in Fighting with My Family, as played by Pugh, she’s a tough, continually underestimated striver, with the eye of the tiger and a heart of gold. Merchant takes the sports biopic cliches just seriously enough. His adaptation, inspired by the (credited) 2012 British documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family, streamlines events so that the plot stays close to the sister/brother dynamics. The Britain we see here is one of gray skies, council houses and pints at the pub, consumed prior to the next available brawl. The Knight family makes a living in the wrestling game, fully into the theatrics but serious about the skill required. Saraya aka Paige gets her shot through tryouts with the WWE’s developmental league. Brother Zak doesn’t make the cut and returns to Norwich, where he trains kids (including a blind wrestler-to-be) in the ring. Paige, unencumbered by relationships or domestic concerns, is stuck with only her loneliness. In Florida, sunny to a ridiculous degree by Norwich standards, Paige finds herself comically and dramatically at odds with her surroundings. Vince Vaughn plays the tough but secretly empathetic trainer, part drill sergeant, part cheerleader. Surrounded by former models and dancers turned highly decorative wrestlers, working-class, Paige feels shunned by all that blonde. Fighting with My Family charts her ascendancy in the ring, while keeping tabs on her family in Norwich. Some of the writing’s fresh and spiky, as when one of Paige’s American cohorts gushes over her accent (You sound like a Nazi in a movie!). Other parts are more expedient and frankly hokey. Any five minutes of the 2012 documentary on the Knights shows you that the real people this movie’s based on are more rough-edged, and pungently compelling, than their comfortably scruffy movie counterparts. Still, it all feels true enough for the movies, if you know what I mean. A little research points to the project’s chosen parameters. A WWE Studios co-production, Merchant’s film elides the various controversies and setbacks its protagonist has endured in recent years, notably a tape hacking, and a 2018 ring injury that forced her retirement from wrestling. Dwayne Johnson, an executive producer on the project, plays himself in Fighting with My Family, the guardian angel and pop-up mentor for Paige, in a way that seems both authentic (who the hell else is going to play The Rock?) and cheerfully, amusingly fake. The whole film is like that: an entertaining gloss on the truth. Pugh quietly invests every moment with a strong current of feeling, as do Frost and Headey. These people are neither angels or thugs, though two of the main characters have known prison time, and a third looks as though he may be heading there himself. They’re entertainers and entrepreneurs. And they’re lively company. – Chicago Tribune/TNS

Bollywood has seen a surge of politically themed films, be it Raajneeti, Indu Sarkar, Thackeray or the upcoming movie on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s life. Actor Darshan Kumaar, who plays a journalist in PM Narendra Modi, says if the film industry can make biopics on sports stars, then why not on politicians as well. According to reports, the latest to join the bandwagon is a biopic on Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. On the biopics boom on politics or politicians, Darshan told IANS, “Audience wants something new, something close to real life. Thus biopics are working superbly.” As movies like Indu Sarkar, Raajneeti, Thackeray, Manto and Airlift faced opposition from certain sections, Darshan said, “Politics is an integral part of life, whether people are conscious or not. The Mahabharata is the greatest example of that. The audience accepts a film if the content is good.” Veteran actor Anupam Kher’s latest release The Accidental Prime Minister, based on former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh’s years in power, was termed a “propaganda film”. On being asked if that’s fair and also would he like his film PM Narendra Modi be looked at with the same prism, Darshan said: “Not at all. This movie reflects the strength of determination and hope. “It shows if you believe in yourself, work hard and have the passion to pursue a dream, you will achieve it. It hardly matters if you dream to become scientist, doctor, actor or Prime Minister.” PM Narendra Modi, a film by Omung Kumar also stars Vivek Oberoi, Waheeda Rahman, Boman Irani and Barkha Bisht Sengupta. Darshan has earlier worked under the baton of Omung in films like Mary Kom and Sarbjit, both based on real life stories. Darshan faced a lot of challenges while preparing for his role as a journalist in PM Narendra Modi. “While working on a biopic, the greatest challenge for any actor is to play and do justice to a real-life character in a limited time. The greatest challenge was to learn and depict before camera the way a journalist speaks and behaves,” he said. – IANS

Nawalpur Service Society (NSS), a Nepali organisation, recently organised an interactive session at Al Doshari Park. The new working committee of NSS was also elected on the occasion, led by Pitambar Chapagai.  The event was divided into three parts. The first part of the programme was chaired by Rishi Kumar Wagle. The event kicked off with the national anthem of Nepal. Krishna Rimal welcomed the gathering. Speaking on the occasion, Dev Pariyar highlighted about the objectives of NSS. The event also featured various musical performances. Nepali singers, including Gita Bhattarai, Ganesh Chhetri, Mahendra Thapa, Rabi Pulami Magar, Gita Gaire and Dipa Aryal performed at the event. The second part of the programme was hosted by Ganesh Chhetri. The applications for interested candidates for the new working committee were called. The newly elected working committee of NSS, includes Rishi Kumar Kafle, Bhim Bhattarai, Goma Thapa, Raghu Sharma, Krishna Prasad Rimal, Surya Narayan Sapkota and Yagya Gaire, Ramesh Lama, Prakash Sunar, Pitambar BK, Gita Bhattarai, Dhruba Raj BK, Khim Sunar, Ram Kumar Shrestha, Mahendra Gauli, Arju Bhusal, Sudip Febali, Anjeet Regmi, Sanjay Rimal and Binod Nyaure.  The new advisers for NSS, include Balkrishna Neupane, Deb Pariyar, Arjun Shrestha, Suresh Bhatta and Khagaraj Khatri. Arjun Sharma and Keshav Dhakal are the patrons of NSS. 

Recently a short film titled Ishq, directed by Fahd bin Nur appeared on my social media feed and there was something about this Pakistani production that got me thinking how this short film can even seize the cinema screens – probably the actor and her expressions but most importantly the perfect shots. A 5-minute story that epitomises love, remorse, guilt and heart break – featuring an array of emotions that makes one laugh, cry and fall in love, but hooked to the screen, left a taste for more. I wanted to know what Fahd is all about. What I discovered was a young man aspiring to inspire with his craft of story-telling.  The feeling is that people are daring more today and not afraid of what is considered ‘different’ of its nature. There’s a real cult of originality, the desire to challenge the clichés, today in Pakistan entertainment industry. You do not really need an hour and a half of reel time to be able to tell beautiful, exclusive, dreamy stories. Short films is the new trend in this part of the world after Hollywood has embraced it successfully and swiftly.  Well, if you’re a social media savvy and follow Pakistan entertainment industry, there’s no way you don’t know about Speak your Heart with Samina Pirzada, an exposé show, where celebrities share their deepest thoughts, secrets and have a heart filled conversations with the veteran Pakistani actress, Samina Pirzada. It won’t be erroneous to say that Speak your Heart is one of the first few Pakistani shows to take YouTube as its platform instead of a mainstream channel and reach out to its audience such effortlessly. It has defined a niche. There are many talk shows in India and Hollywood for that matter that are only YouTube centric, but this one has targeted an untapped Pakistani market and set a bar for creativity, intelligence and content generation successfully. Fahd is the person behind this show as well. This guy is something. “Speak Your Heart with Samina Pirzada was pure luck. I was this crazy kid streaming my idea about a feature film with the now producer of the show Adnan Butt, and well Samina was there, and Rabia Asif, so just the four of us got connected and the rest is history. It was Samina’s vision, Adnan’s determination and Rabia’s determination that made the magic. And yeah my eccentric craziness.” recalls Fahd. Where short films are now the happening trend in cinema. There is either a festival or a submission deadline for a festival practically every month of the year. Talking about the ‘it’ trend, he says, “Yes sadly, it’s the new ‘it’ thing. Everyone is after the new frontier of digital now. Scared I am that what will become of this but at the same time I am so happy that a lot of people who dreamed like me, will get a chance to prove themselves. Yes, short films are taking over Pakistan now, slowly and gradually. It’s human nature to tell stories and shorts happen to be a medium very easy for people. As true filmmakers, who actually have the urge to tell stories find it easy. In small budget they can share what they feel with the world. Hollywood is full of such surprises, shorts that turn into mega budget projects because of their content, like pixels, district 9, lights out and so on and so forth.” Is it something one can relate to millennials? Fahd adds, “I don’t agree it’s something from Generation Y or Z, I believe it is there since the advent of mankind. Yup the content people are doing overseas is millennial but not here in Pakistan.” Drama serial, film and a short film are three different mediums for a film-maker. Over to Fahd. “Well, dramas here in Pakistan are shot in a very strange manner, you have to do insane number of scenes in a day, it’s simply Master, CU or midshot, people don’t experiment and above all give time in executing scenes or even working with their actors. In Pakistan, especially we use the term, ‘this film is shot like a drama’ in a very condescending and derogatory term. So, shooting for a film or a short and drama is poles apart in this region. It’s like an architect who has to see every nook and corner of the building, the light design, space and aesthetics. And mind you I am not targeting people related to drama, the people are doing their job absolutely fine with all the circumstances and pressure they are facing,” he says.  Fahd’s new short film, Khirki is an intense journey highlighting the harsh realities of the society and stars Juggan Kazim and Omair Rana in the lead roles. Releasing today. We already have our hands on the popcorn, Do you? 

Spike Lee didn’t even try to hide it: He was upset that Green Book won best picture. As soon as Julia Roberts announced the Academy Award winner, Lee jumped from his seat and walked down the aisle toward the exit, gesticulating wildly and visibly angry. But by the time he had made it to the Governors Ball after-party about an hour later, he had gotten a few glasses of champagne in him and seemed to be in higher spirits. Clutching his Oscar for adapted screenplay, his first competitive win for an Academy Award, he walked into the party and immediately ran into Ryan Coogler. The Black Panther director congratulated Lee on his Oscar, mentioning how much he’d admired him over the years. “But you’re the future, man!” Lee responded. “I’m 61! 61!” Lee was then whisked to a booth where Barbra Streisand was sitting, flanked by numerous security guards stationed to make sure no one took a photo of her unless she allowed with her explicit permission. Lee and Streisand – the latter of whom apparently contacted the academy to request she introduce BlacKkKlansman, her favourite movie of the year – huddled close for about 20 minutes as kissed her hand repeatedly. She admired his Love/Hate gold knuckle rings and asked to hold his Oscar for a joint photo. “Vanity Fair! Vanity Fair!” he suddenly said, jumping up and suggesting his posse move on to the next party. But he needed to make his way to the Oscar engraving station first – especially since he was heading to Thailand on Monday morning to start a film about Vietnam with Chadwick Boseman. He told a reporter that he was surprised to hear his Green Book reaction was the talk of Twitter – “what are they saying?” – but when asked what he didn’t like about the film, he initially demurred. “You know what, let me just give you a hug instead,” he suggested. Pressed further, he said he was upset with the decision but had “no choice” but to accept it. “I mean, if the academy overturned it,” he said. “But it’s not like you go to the videotape and look in the booth and change the call. I can’t change the call. “I’ll celebrate this,” he added, looking at his Oscar. “And I got to meet Barbra Streisand for the first time. Brooklyn’s finest.”  Such are the star-studded encounters at the Governors Ball, one of a handful of dazzling after-parties that bookended Sunday’s Academy Awards. And while this was the 91st annual ceremony, it marked the 25th year that Wolfgang Puck catered the Governors Ball soiree, which was held in the Ray Dolby Ballroom after the Oscars. Even for this celebrity chef, serving 1,500 guests is no small feat. Party-goers are ravenous because they had been nibbling only on potato chips, popcorn, chocolate chip cookies and bar mix throughout the three-hour-plus awards show. This is no backyard barbeque. The academy spares no expense for its after-party. The organisation’s most recently available financial reports peg the price of the gala at about $2 million. That includes the venue, security, servers, decorations (purple orchids and red ruffled tulips), entertainment and plenty of food. Streisand, fashionable in her black beret, was prominently near the centre of the room. Sitting next to her husband, James Brolin, the singer dug into small baked potatoes wrapped in gold-coloured foil, topped with a dollop of sour cream and caviar. She also polished off a mini chicken pot pie, which seemed to be among the most popular dishes at the event, along with Puck’s truffle-topped helping of macaroni and cheese. “Yes, the chicken pot pies are doing well, and the quail too,” Puck told The Times. Michael B. Jordan, star of Black Panther, greeted a steady stream of well-wishers in a section of the room reserved for productions under the Walt Disney Studios banner. Walt Disney Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Bob Iger congratulated Hannah Beachler, in a majestic poppy red gown. She made history as the first African American to win production design for her work on Black Panther and was one of the most ebullient at the Governors Ball. Olivia Colman, still beaming from her upset win for lead actress, sat with friends at a long table reserved for Fox Searchlight. Oscar winners proudly showed off their newly acquired hardware. Across the room, Keegan-Michael Key sat at a table. In one of the most impressive performances during the ceremony, Key descended from the rafters of the Dolby Theatre on a cable, a la Mary Poppins. “It was a blast,” Key said. “I was more worried about my umbrella not working.” Richard E. Grant had big plans for his first face-to-face meeting with Streisand. He had been thinking about the potential encounter for at least a month, when he first tweeted out a fan letter he’d written to the singer 47 years ago, when he was 14. To his surprise, Streisand responded to his tweet, telling him she’d loved his “terrific” performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? And so on the red carpet on Sunday, Grant joked with reporters that he was planning to propose marriage to Streisand should he meet her inside the ceremony. Alas, no proposals took place, but Grant did get to meet his hero at the Oscars. The first encounter came earlier in the night, when, “like a heat-seeking missile,” his co-star Melissa McCarthy located Streisand and made an introduction. But the more substantive conversation between Grant and Streisand came at the Governors Ball, where he spotted the performer chatting with BlacKkKlansman director Spike Lee, who has become his awards-season buddy. “I just jumped into the middle of their conversation,” he said gleefully, moments after walking away from the chat inside the party. “They’re both from Brooklyn. We were talking about Brooklyn and coming from nowhere and getting up to Oscars tonight. They’ve won ‘em. I’m a nominee.” “My life is made!” he said, smiling. “I love you!” — Los Angeles Times/ TNS

With Ariana Grande continuing to dominate the US and UK pop charts, the music industry is searching for the girl who might become the next major female recording artiste. But Interscope Records may have already found her. Step forward 17-year-old singer/songwriter Billie Eilish. Born into a family of actors and musicians, Billie has been singing all her life and wrote her first song when she was just four. “That was about falling into a black hole,” she laughed. “Pretty cool subject matter for someone that age. I began really serious songwriting when I was 11.” She was so vocally talented that Billie joined the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus at the age of eight. Despite all these musical leanings, her initial intentions were to become either an actress or dancer. “I was in plays when I was little. My parents and brother are actors. Living in Los Angeles means there are always auditions for something or other. One day, I came home from an audition where some pretty lame stuff had happened and I just said I was never going to act again. That’s when I decided to concentrate on dancing.” Ironically, it was through dancing that Billie came to realise her true vocation. “My dance instructor knew about my musical background. He’d heard me sing a song to myself called Ocean Eyes. It’s such a beautiful song which was written by my brother. Finneas is incredibly talented. You might have seen him acting in things like the TV shows Glee and Modern Family. He also has his own band, The Slightlys. He’s been writing and producing songs since he was about 12. “I loved the song and couldn’t get it out of my head. I’d go around humming or singing it quietly. My dance teacher picked up on this. He asked if I could record Ocean Eyes and send it to him so that he could choreograph a dance routine to the song. “I recorded it with Finneas and we put Ocean Eyes on SoundCloud ready for my teacher. We’d already put two songs on SoundCloud, one that I wrote and one Finneas wrote, just for fun and for our friends to hear. We uploaded the song, I went to bed, checked SoundCloud the next morning and found it had a whole bunch of plays. “That was just the start. I remember being really thrilled when Finneas told me Ocean Eyes had got 1,000 plays. We were over the moon. We thought we’d made it. But it just kept going. I didn’t really appreciate how big it was becoming until we reached 50,000 plays. It now has about 15 million.” Record companies knew a good thing when they heard it. Interscope won the battle to sign Billie and were immediately rewarded by the world-wide chart success of her 2017 debut EP, Don’t Smile At Me. Containing nine tracks, 11 on the expanded edition, it is really more like an album than an EP which would usually house four or five songs. A number 12 spot on the UK Albums chart was almost matched by a number 14 peak on the Billboard 200. Top ten positions were reached in the Scandinavian countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands. Don’t Smile At Me also hit number one on Billboard’s Alternative Albums chart. While Billie’s burgeoning music career was moving from strength to strength, there was one important aspect of her life which left her feeling decidedly downcast. “I couldn’t dance. I got a bad injury. I strained my growth plate. My hip bone separated from my muscle. It’s something that can’t happen if you’re over 16. But I was in a dance class with seniors because my ability was at that level. We were doing a hip hop dance and it just popped. I love movement and performing the most challenging choreography so being unable to dance was horrible and so frustrating.” The injury did leave Billie free to concentrate on her music. Although she and Finneas have occasionally teamed with other writers, they much prefer just working together. The siblings have written and produced almost every song Billie has recorded. But don’t look for Billie Eilish among the writing credits. “My name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell. Baird is my mother’s family name and I almost didn’t get Pirate as a middle name because my uncle said pirates were bad. I use Billie O’Connell as my writing name so that’s what appears on the credits.” Billie and Finneas have now created the songs for her 14-track debut album, When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Set for release on March 29, the first two singles, You Should See Me In a Crown and When The Party’s Over, sold fairly well. But it is the third single, Bury a Friend, which has given Billie her initial taste of truly significant singles chart success. The track hit number seven in Britain, 14 in America, top ten in numerous countries and number one in Sweden. “I’m so pleased that the song has proved so popular. It was a very important song in that when we made Bury a Friend, the whole album clicked in my head. I immediately knew what it was going to be about, what the visuals were going to be and everything in terms of how I wanted it to be perceived. Bury a Friend effectively inspired the entire album. “The song is written from the perspective of the monster under my bed. If you put yourself in that mindset, what is this creature doing or feeling? I also confess that I’m this monster because there are times when I’m my own worst enemy. I might also be the monster under your bed.” As with her previous work, Billie’s album was created in her brother’s bedroom at the O’Connell family home in Highland Park, Los Angeles. “We tried renting a studio but it didn’t really work. It was far better at home. Some songs start with lyrics, others with a melody or beat. It’s different each time. Working at home means we can do it at whatever time, day or night, whenever ideas and inspiration might come. “It might seem strange not to work in a professional studio. But Finneas’ bedroom is just as good in many ways and it seems like the best place for us to make what we hope are great songs.” Ariana Grande Not since The Beatles 55 years ago has any act achieved the kind of US chart dominance currently enjoyed by singer/songwriter Ariana Grande. The latest Billboard Hot 100 sees Ariana hold the top three spots with 7 Rings, Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored and Thank U, Next. The last time this happened was on the April 25, 1964, chart when The Beatles took numbers one, two and three with Can’t Buy Me Love, Twist and Shout and Do You Want To Know a Secret. The Fab Four do still hold at least one US singles chart record over Ariana. In the chart dated April 4, 1964, they occupied the top five positions. Thanks to the relatively recent use of online streams being counted towards chart placings, all 12 tracks on Ariana’s Billboard 200 chart-topping album, Thank U, Next, are listed on the Hot 100. Eleven are in the top 40. This sets a record for the most simultaneous Billboard Hot 100 top 40 entries by a female artist. Only Make Up missed out by charting at number 48. It would undoubtedly be a similar story on the UK singles chart. However, recent rule changes introduced to discriminate against songs which are not officially released singles restrict artistes to just three entries. This means that while Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Boreds debuted at number one and 7 Rings dropped to number two, former chart-topper Thank U, Next would appear to have fallen from number 28 to outside the top 100. This is certainly not the case but the song is no longer able to be listed because album track, Needy, has entered the chart at number eight. Lady Gaga Lady Gaga is single again. She and her former fiance, Christian Carino, have ended their engagement. Christian was Gaga’s agent when they began dating in February, 2017. Although he apparently proposed marriage just a few months into their romantic relationship, Gaga did not go public with the news until last October when she flashed her engagement ring and named Christian as her fiance during a speech at Elle magazine’s 25th annual Women in Hollywood Celebration. Rumours about the failure of their romance began on Valentine’s Day when Gaga posted pictures of two new tattoos on social media but made no mention of her fiance. A few days later, Christian did not accompany her to the Grammy Awards ceremony and she did not wear her engagement ring. This is Gaga’s second failed engagement. She had previously been engaged to actor Taylor Kinney but they split up towards the end of 2016.

Change is hard. It never happens quite like you want it to and most of the time it is very, very messy. This year’s Oscars reflected an institution in the midst of great change. Three years after #Oscarssowhite, the largest and most diverse Academy membership in history made history with first-time wins for black female filmmakers and a record number of awards for black filmmakers. They gave an Oscar to the female creators of a short film about menstruation, the first Pixar film directed solely by a woman and Spike Lee. Alfonso Cuaron won three awards for Roma, which is a black-and-white film entirely in Spanish that is distributed by Netflix. The nearly 8,000 voters also continued to baffle and irritate critics with their stubbornly retro fondness for Bohemian Rhapsody and their choice of the old-fashioned Green Book for best picture over Black Panther, Roma and BlacKkKlansman. And, like the smaller and more homogenous group before it, this academy stayed true to its inexplicable, and frankly unforgivable, “no Oscar for Glenn Close” rule. (Glenn, you should have brought the dog.) All of which occurred in a telecast that came as close to the three-hour mark as it’s probably ever going to get if we are going to continue to let people sing and honour the dead. Even the set looked way better on television than it did in photos. All of which is kind of a miracle. Never has an Oscar telecast been preceded by so much fretting, fuming, Twitter-lashing, letter-writing and general hand-wringing. A popular Oscar? No way! Kevin Hart as host? Uh-uh! No host? That won’t work either. Hand out awards in four categories during the commercials? We have a petition! A three-hour telecast? Impossible! You say Queen is opening the show? That’s crazy. And that set? It looks like Donald Trump’s hair. Seriously, for an event that usually spends its final weeks wondering what to wear, it was intense. But Queen was fine, if a little redolent of all those beer-soaked floors from which sweaty teenagers of at least four generations have sung We Are the Champions. Instead of a host making jokes about how long the show is and how big the ratings dip will be, there was a far more optimistic “all hands on deck” energy that bounced the action between awards and performance. Any show that manages to get Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Barbra Streisand, Serena Williams and Melissa McCarthy with a rabbit hand puppet on stage is doing something right. In fact, for all the last-minute angst producers Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss endured, the show felt pretty polished – the presenters were prepared, and announced the correct winners. There were so many inclusive and inspired pairings – Helen Mirren and Jason Momoa (and his scrunchy), McCarthy and Brian Tyree Henry in an equally outlandish costume – that when Mike Myers and Dana Carvey came out to introduce, of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the sight of two white men seemed a bit strange. Especially after the first 40 minutes of the show in which Regina King’s supporting actress win, for If Beale Street Could Talk, was followed by Ruth E Carter winning for costume design and Hannah Beachler for production design, both for Black Panther. Carter and Beachler were the first African-Americans ever to win in their categories. And while women remained shut out of the directing and cinematography categories this year, as in most years, the directors and producers of Period. End of Sentence. which won short documentary, and Bao, which won animated short, were women, as was the producer of the live-action short winner Skin. Nowhere was the tension between the old and the new as obvious as during the writing awards. Many saw Green Book, a fairly standard odd-couple tale in which a white man drives a black musician on a tour of the South and both learn something, as an antithesis to the more modern BlacKkKlansman, in which a black cop and a white cop infiltrate the Klan and both learn something. So when Greenbook won for best original screenplay, social media lit up with disgust only to settle down minutes later when BlacKkKlansman won for adapted screenplay. In the end Green Book, a story of racism told largely from the perspective of a white man, prevailed, beating not only a glorious kingdom of black warriors and superheroes and the story of a black man infiltrating the Klan, but also stories of a love triangle between a queen and her female consorts, the quiet but dramatic life of a Mexican housekeeper, and a rising female star. But it beat Bohemian Rhapsody too, and that’s something. Change is hard: It takes time, it makes a lot of people mad, and it takes a lot of work. The Academy and its leadership have taken a lot of flak for a lot of things, some if it justified – seriously, you have to stop dropping bombshells via random press releases as if you had never met your membership. Still, this year’s nominees and winners represent a very different and more wide-ranging worldview than we’ve seen in previous years. And if the evening ended, as so many of these evenings have, with a bunch of white guys thanking the academy, well, it opened with Regina King. And that’s always a good sign. — Los Angeles Times/ TNS Interesting Oscars facts: l The longest acceptance speech was by Greer Garson, which was during the 15th Awards ceremony, and was six minutes long. l During the Second World War, winners of the 1943 ceremony received plaster filled trophies.  l It was on March 19, 1953 that the Oscars were shown for the first time on television. l The person with the maximum nominations without a win was sound mixer Kevin O’Connell. l The first person to win an Oscar for playing an Oscar winner was Cate Blanchett, who portrayed Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator (2004). l Walt Disney has received 26 Oscars, the highest till now. He was nominated for a staggering 64 awards! l Tatum O’Neal was the youngest Oscar winner ever at the age of 10. She won the Best Supporting Actress for the film Paper Moon. l Jessica Tandy was the oldest person to receive the Oscar at the age of 81. She received the Best Actress Award for her part in Driving Miss Daisy. l The shortest Oscar speech was shared by William Holden and renowned director Alfred Hitchcock, whose speech was simply, “Thank you.”  l The phrase “And the winner is..” was abandoned in 1989 and the line mostly used since then has been, And the Oscar goes to…”

It’s cachet if observers are drawing parallel between your art pieces and the pieces of Picasso, legendary Spanish painter. It is not just a matter of pride but rather an indication that you’re well on your way of making it big in the world of creativity and arts in particular.  An exhibition ‘Past to Present’ by Hamad al-Humaidhan, a 19-year-old artist from Kuwait also called as ‘Young Picasso,’ recently opened at Art29 Gallery at W Doha Hotel. The exhibition features 28 paintings and will remain open for public till March 30 from 10am to 10pm every day. The exhibition’s opening co-incided with the celebrations of Kuwait National Day. ‘Past to Present’ is a compilation of Hamad’s work throughout the years selected from 2014 till date. Each painting illustrates a particular story and when all put together, the collection inevitably depicts the developments made throughout Hamad’s journey. Dubbed by critics early in his career as ‘Young Picasso’, the Kuwaiti artist developed his recent collection to narrate the inspiring tale of his life as depicted through vibrant strokes of colour and movement.  The painting reflects his sensibility. His works, inspired from the life, symbolises the feminity, the nostalgia and the love. The paintings approached without preconceived ideas and opened forms of expressions, delivered to the blow of heart. Heavily influenced by his father at a young age, most of Hamad’s inspiration came from either watching his father paint or browsing one of his father’s many art books. Greatly inspired, young Hamad started going to museums, galleries, exhibitions and historic buildings – turning his hobby into a newly full-blown passion. It was a sheer coincidence that the young artist adopted a Picasso cubist style of painting, not having ever previously seen any of Picasso’s works. He paints his world with youthful emotions. Each character, fiction or non-fiction, is composed with delicate mastery. Young Picasso did not falter in his exploration of different pictorial genres and consistent questioning of concepts, all refining and enriching his colour palette. At the opening ceremony, Hamad’s father and mother also attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition. Speaking on the occasion, his father shared the sequence of events of artistic journey of Hamad and expressed his pride for the success of his son. He also narrated how the British press started calling Hamad, the young Picasso. Talking to Community, Hamad said, “I started painting when I was only seven-year-old. As a child, I did not wish to be a successful artist that I am today. I show people what I can do. My future goal is to keep going and never give up. No matter how old I am. Even if I am 90 and living, I will paint. I want to inspire people and show them my talent. I believe everybody has some kind of talent. My next exhibition will be in Bahrain. It will open on March 9. The exhibition will have small paintings and small sketches. “I have been using different techniques for my creative works. I think the genre that fits me the most is abstract cubistic. I mean I do not try to paint in a certain way. I just paint how I paint. It just becomes a style itself. I use many paints. I use oil colours, acrylic coulours, and wash colours. I want to experiment with different sizes of brushes and different styles of canvasses.” Describing his works on the display, Hamad said, “I will describe all the works put together as a collection of happy paintings. A collection of paintings that inspires people. When you look at the paintings you get motivated, may be, to paint yourself. Happy colours inside the paintings are motivating. I do not like to paint dark colours. Each painting has its own message. Overall, the message says to stay close to your families and close to your loved ones. You have to be happy in life. There is no point in being sad. Try and avoid being sad. “To be successful in life, you need to have a goal first. You have to keep practising and show people what you can do. So that they can help you and support you anyway they can.” “So far, it is my first visit to Qatar. I am so happy to exhibit here and I am so excited with the feedback that I’m getting. I am loving it. I appreciate that everyone came for my exhibition.” Carlos Hernández, Ambassador of Argentina, said, “I did not know much about the artist. But, now I am quite impressed with his works because of the colours and quality of his work. I am surprised because he is very young. He has already been selling his paintings. I like his style. It is a very nice exhibition. I’m so impressed with his work and creative talent that I’ve already asked him to do something in Argentina as well. “Qatar is extremely supportive to everyone when it comes to art. Qatar is famous for doing this all over the world. I learnt about that before I was posted here. I have been here for only six months.” Pasquale Salzano, Ambassador of Italy, added, “I am very impressed to see this exhibition by the young and talented Kuwaiti artist. He is called as the young Picasso. Indeed, these pieces of art are an impressive combination of sentiments, ideas and colours. I am particularly impressed by one piece of art called ‘United We Are Stronger.’ This is a very important message.” Wassim Daaje, General Manager of W Doha, said, “Young talent coupled with such passion is quite rare and we are proud to encourage the youth of Qatar as well as the region to express themselves through their art. ART29 will always be a creative platform for talent and inspiring artists to come together and motivate one another to keep chasing after their dreams and goals.”

After a case of fraud was registered against Sonakshi Sinha in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh, the Bollywood actress’ management agency yesterday said the organiser is using the media to release false and manipulated facts and that if he doesn’t stop at this, Sonakshi and her team will be forced to take legal action. Police said yesterday that four others have been named in the complaint alleging that the actress along with four others – Malvika Punjabi, Dhumil Thakkar, Edgar Sakaria and Abhishek Sinha – has defrauded the complainant of Rs3.2 million. In the police complaint, Pramod Sharma has said that an amount of Rs3.2 million had been transferred to Sonakshi’s account for her presence at an event but she did not turn up. Accusing the police of inaction, Sharma had consumed poison recently but was saved. A police official said that they have registered a case after a probe into the matter and the organiser was trying to unnecessarily exert pressure on them by acts like consuming poison. The official said that the India Fashion and Beauty Award programme was organised on September 30 last year. Talent Full On Company was roped in for the event and after talking to the private secretary of Sonakshi, Rs3.2 million was deposited in her account. At the last minute however, Sonakshi cancelled her appearance causing losses to the organiser. On learning about the “misinformation” doing the rounds, Sonakshi’s management agency released an official statement yesterday: “Sonakshi was approached by the event organiser in Delhi to attend an event. However, despite repeated reminders, the organiser failed to make the payments to Sonakshi before the event as contracted. “The tickets to Delhi were not in order/as were agreed, the organiser also didn’t send return tickets for Sonakshi and her team, despite knowing that she had a shoot the next morning after the event. This put everyone in a tough spot.” Several attempts were made to contact the organiser requesting him to make the contracted payments and send the tickets. However, he “remained incommunicado and didn’t live up to his end of the bargain”. The statement further read: “Due to a lack of commitment by the organiser, Sonakshi and her team were left with no choice but to return home from Mumbai airport.” Ever since that day, Sonakshi’s management agency has been trying to reach out to the organiser to find an “amicable solution” to the extent of offering an alternate date and tried to connect but to no avail. “The organiser is now using the media to release false and manipulated facts. If the organiser doesn’t stop at this, Sonakshi and her team will be forced to take a legal course of action to set this straight. We request media to not let anyone use their platform without looking into the facts.” – IANS

With all the recent talk about how the motion picture academy could change the Oscars telecast – and the fierce blowback to any proposals that they would – we’re reminded of why we’ve loved watching the Academy Awards for so long. At their best, the Oscars do more than just honour great achievements in filmmaking. They also provide those unforgettable TV moments – wonderful, terrible and somewhere in between – that can be just as singular as the movies they celebrate.  Below, 12 of The Times’ entertainment staff writers and editors share their individual picks for most memorable Oscar’s moment. 1973 It should have been a triumph – Marlon Brando winning his second Oscar for a career-revitalising role in The Godfather, Instead, Brando sent actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who with a polite wave of her hand refused the statue in protest of the film industry’s portrayal of Native Americans. Brando had engineered a pre-woke-era stand for inclusive representation. – Mark Olsen 1974 With Richard Nixon’s presidency unravelling and political unrest roiling the country, Oscars co-host David Niven was telling viewers it seemed “the whole world is having a nervous breakdown” when, as if on cue, a man named Robert Opel ran naked across the stage, flashing a peace sign. Political protest, performance art or faddish prank? Hey, it was the ’70s. – Josh Rottenberg 1989 Thirsty for ratings, the 61st Academy Awards delivered a night to remember – for the wrong reasons – with a cringe-inducing, 11-minute opening in which a singing Snow White co-opted Proud Mary with Rob Lowe, backed by dancers dressed as Cocoanut Grove tables and Grauman’s ushers. Celebs could barely hide their horror from the cameras. – Jen Yamato 1996 For me, the single best Oscar speech was delivered by Emma Thompson when she won adapted screenplay for Sense and Sensibility. Before I came, Thompson said, “I went to visit Jane Austen’s grave, in Winchester cathedral, to pay my respects, you know, and” – small pause here – “tell her about the grosses.” – Stuart Emmrich 2008 When the tiny Irish indie Once won original song for Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s Falling Slowly, Hansard made charmingly shocked remarks. But after only 36 seconds, Irglova stepped up and was loudly played off. After the break, host Jon Stewart brought her back on ... “Hi, everyone,” she said. “I just want to thank you so much ... . Fair play to those who dare to dream and don’t give up.” – Michael Ordona 2014 Under hot lights and in front of cameras streaming live to millions, even big Hollywood stars get nervous. Just ask John Travolta. In 2014, he was on stage to introduce Idina Menzel performing Let It Go from Frozen. Instead, in one of the most epic pronunciation fails, he referred to her as “Adele Dazeem.” – Amy Kaufman – Los Angeles Times/ TNS

Once again, a great comic book an even better TV show – without slavishly following the source material. The Umbrella Academy, currently streaming on Netflix, tells the same story as the comics in broad strokes, but makes subtle changes to take advantage of the new medium. The Umbrella Academy began, of course, at Dark Horse Comics – a brilliantly weird book by writer Gerard Way (frontman for My Chemical Romance) and artist Gabriel Ba (B.P.R.D. 1947, Daytripper). The first six-issue miniseries, Apocalypse Suite, appeared in 2007, and has been followed by Dallas and Hotel Oblivion. Umbrella Academy tells the story of seven super-powered people who were among the 43 children who were mysteriously born simultaneously to non-pregnant women in 1989. Eccentric billionaire, explorer and inventor Sir Reginald Hargreeves adopts the seven – whom he numbers, instead of names – to forge a superhero team to “save the world, of course.” Among the many changes the TV show makes is to de-emphasise the superhero aspects of the comic book. This is a wise move. Superheroes and science fiction in general work great in comics, where there is no budget on the special effects and over-the-top is the order of the day. That doesn’t work so well on TV, where there is a budget to limit F/X, and super-costumes tend to look ridiculous. But what TV has that comics don’t is actors – actors who can convey characterisation in a wink or a gesture or a few lines of dialogue that it takes comics miles of pages to do. Take, as a case in point, the first episode of Umbrella Academy, where one of the seven plays I Think We’re Alone Now on an old-timey record player, and all of them begin dancing. But they dance to Alone – that word by itself conveys a lot – in separate rooms, each doing an individual dance. That single scene, with actors and music, told us everything we needed to know about how isolated these characters were and what they did– and did not –have in common. They were seven individuals who had grew up together, but had failed to form a family. Speaking of music, Academy uses a lot of it expertly to convey information, to inform mood and sometimes just because it’s fun. They sample from various eras, and the selection is uniformly excellent. From Hazy Shade of Winter (The Bangles) to Istanbul (Not Constantinople) (They Might Be Giants) to One is the Loneliest Number (Three Dog Night) to Dancing in the Moonlight (King Harvest), the songs are emotionally evocative, scene-appropriate and dance-inducing. Meanwhile, the show takes the basic premise of the comic book, but tells it in a different way. The easiest way to convey that – and with Spoiler Warnings Ahoy – is by looking at how each of the major characters was altered for TV: – Sir Reginald Hargreeves: In the comics he is actually an alien – which alone might explain why he’s such a sorry excuse for a father to the seven children. The TV show only makes an allusion to this, in an otherwise inexplicable scene where a young Hargreeves is shown at the bedside of a dying woman (his wife, if that arrangement exists on other worlds), but then releases some sort of pixie dust to the air as rockets are shown leaving a bizarre city on an alien planet. – 00.01: The leader of the Academy kids is “No. 1,” although one wonders how he was assigned that role, given how lousy he is at it. Perhaps it’s because of his size and super-strength, as that might be intimidating to someone else trying to give him orders. At any rate, Hargreeves is forced to extreme measures to save his life after a mission goes bad; in the comics it is implied his head has been grafted onto a gorilla body, whereas on TV he is given a serum based on simian physiology. In both cases, he becomes rather ape-like below the neck. No. One’s superhero name is Spaceboy in the comics, and he routinely uses a rocket pack and ray gun. The other characters usually refer to him as “Spaceboy” or “Space.” All of that is ditched on the TV show, and the others refer to him by his given name, Luther. (Although who gave him and the others their names is unclear.) Luther is portrayed by Tom Hopper, who gives this none-too-bright character – who in lesser hands would have been played for laughs – a sad, somber stoicism. In both media, he is in love with No. 3. – 00.02: Diego does a bad Batman impression in both incarnations. His “Commissioner Gordon” is Eudora Patch on TV, but in the comics it is Inspector Lupo, a grumpy old detective whose partner is an intelligent chimp. Patch is an invention for TV, who serves to broaden Diego’s characterisation significantly from the comics, where he is somewhat one-note. Also in the comics, Diego is usually referred to by his superhero name (The Kraken), and he is secretly in love with Vanya. Neither element seems to have made the transition to TV. David Castaneda walks a fine line between a funny Batman parody and a literal No. 2 who, like the old Avis commercial, is trying harder. – 00.03: Once again, the comics make use of this character’s superhero name (The Rumor) more than her given name (Allison). Otherwise her function and fate are much the same. Emmy Raver-Lampman’s performance makes the character more memorable and sympathetic than her comics counterpart. – 00.04: Called The Seance in the comics, Klaus dresses in black and speaks rarely and sardonically, in line with his morbid ability to commune with the dead. He is also a powerful telekinetic, an ability which doesn’t appear in Umbrella Academy Season 1. But what doesn’t appear in the comics is Robert Sheehan’s hilarious and scene-grabbing performance, transforming No. 3 from a background Goth character into a frenzied, drug addict who drives both scenes and narrative. In both media Klaus turns to drugs to numb himself from the wailing of the dead, but it’s on TV where that necessity is brought to life – or larger than life, really. – 00.05: In both media No. 5 has no other name, and is an old man in a 13-year-old’s body who knows of the coming apocalypse because he spent decades in the future. He is, of course, the most mature and ruthless on the team, which plays hilariously against his appearance. Actor Aidan Gallagher is a marvel in the role, playing a convincing adult without clumsy affect – and in his actual teenage body. The TV show dives feet-first into No. 5’s former employer, the Commission, inventing a great deal of material that doesn’t exist in the comics. In fact, readers don’t learn much at all about them, or meet Hazel and Cha-Cha, until the second six-issue series, Dallas. – 00.06: Alas, poor Ben –”The Horror” in the comics – is dead in both media. At least on TV Justin Min gets to bring him to life as Klaus’ conscience and in flashbacks, plus a surprise action sequence (of sorts) in the final episode. – 00.07: Vanya follows the same path from forgotten sibling to The White Violin in both media. But it’s relatively abrupt, and somewhat unconvincing, in the comics. On TV, Ellen Page – the maestro of misery, the sensei of sadness – makes her story far more believable. Even as a killer, she remains sympathetic. In the comics, she is mentored into super-villainy by The Conductor and his Orchestra Verdammten, about whom we learn almost nothing. The introduction of Leonard Peabody (John Magaro) as her Iago is an insightful change. Not that Apocalypse Suite isn’t worth reading. I only emphasise its faults here to contrast them with the TV show’s clever alterations. And I’m not the only one who feels that way. “I believe in the medium of comics so much,” Way told Collider, “that I set out to make a really great comic, and that was it. But I’m a visual thinker, so I could also see this stuff, visually, not beyond a comic, but as moving images. So, I was extremely nervous (about the TV show). ... I wasn’t sure if they would be able to capture it, and they did.” In the same interview, Ba said much the same: “They kept the essence of the characters. ... They have fresh ideas for everyone and the story, which are great and fit in, and add up to this whole, if you can call it, mythology.” If the co-creators of Umbrella Academy the comic book – who also serve as executive producers on Umbrella Academy the TV show – think the Netflix version works, who are we to say them nay? – TNS

A handwoven Kota sari, one of Sridevi’s favourites, is on auction online ahead of her first death anniversary today. The amount will be directed towards a cause. According to Parisera, a Chennai-based online platform, which specialises in Indian handicrafts and is hosting the auction ‘Being Generous, With Sridevi’, the Kapoor family has decided to donate the proceeds from the auction to Concern India Foundation, a charitable trust which has programmes for the benefit of women, children, the differently abled, the underprivileged and the elderly and works in the fields of education, health and community development. The bid started at Rs 40,000 a few days ago, is underway and had reached Rs 130,000. A tweet from Parisera on February 20 invited bids from the sari. A description of the Kota sari reads: “It is light, bright and emanates the perfect essence of Sridevi.” Officials at Parisera said they were proud to play a simple yet strong role in the auction of Sridevi’s sari, and invited admirers to “bid for a part of the actress’s legacy while making a contribution towards the betterment of society”. To mark a year since Sridevi left, Boney and his daughters - Janhvi and Khushi - held a puja in Chennai earlier this month. Sridevi, Bollywood’s first female superstar, died aged 54 on February 24, 2018, by way of accidental drowning in a bathtub in a Dubai hotel, leaving the film industry, her family and legions of fans in a state of shock. Sridevi’s tryst with the arclights began at a tender age of four with a devotional film Thunaivan. There was no stopping her from experimenting with genres, languages, looks and characters, leading her to become one of the most formidable actresses of the 1980s and 1990s in Bollywood. She slipped into myriad roles - whether the double role in ChaalBaaz, as a woman with retrograde amnesia in Sadma, a shape-shifting woman in Nagina, a goofy crime journalist in Mr. India, the warm mother act in English Vinglish or the fierce and revengeful mom in Mom - as effortlessly as she won hearts with expressive eyes, comic timing and her fluid dancing skills. – IANS

Imagine The Godfather made by dazzling Latin American directors who combine bravura filmmaking with political awareness and a probing social conscience. Better than imagining it, see it for yourself in the visually stunning, dramatically gripping Birds of Passage, a film of great scope and passion that was the talk of the Cannes Film Festival when it debuted there last year. A rare example of provocative cinema on an epic scale, combining genre elements with classic tragedy and cultural fidelity, Birds is the latest film from the Colombian team of Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra. Co-directing here, Gallego and Guerra last collaborated (she produced, he directed) on the extraordinary Embrace of the Serpent, the first film from their country to get a foreign-language Oscar nomination. Well aware of the sensationalistic drug-trade movies that have come before, invariably done from an American point of view, the filmmakers set out to do things differently, to look at the situation from a Colombian perspective, using compelling technique to keep the dramatic interest at a fever pitch. Birds also has the advantage of not being told from a generic nationalist viewpoint but from the perspective of the Wayuu people, a powerful indigenous group from the Guajira region in northwest Colombia with a very particular culture. Though there is a bit of Spanish and a few words of English, almost all of the film’s dialogue is in the Wayuu language (which actress Natalia Reyes learned so perfectly that her native co-stars thought she was one of them). More than that, Birds is broken up into chapters and framed folklorically, with the story sung by a blind shepherd (think Homer and The Iliad) who introduces us to a tale of “love and desolation, wealth and pain,” a saga of “how a great family destroyed itself.” A happily ever after story this film definitely is not. Written by Maria Camila Arias and Jacques Toulemonde and inspired by events that took place between the 1960s and the 1980s, Birds does not stint on betrayals, double-crosses and even massacres (thankfully shown off screen). But it is equally interested in delineating the complex specifics of Wayuu culture and exploring how and why drugs and drug money came into it and the chaos that resulted. The Wayuu, who co-operated with the filming, live in a particular world where dreams and reality intersect. (If that sounds a little like the work of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, it turns out that his maternal family were Wayuu, and Wayuu women helped raise him.) Suspicious of all outsiders, who are called alijunas or “the ones who damage,” the Wayuu are represented by Ursula, played with righteous hauteur by Carmina Martinez, a veteran actress who was born in the Guajiro region and has tribal connections. A woman of great authority and influence among the Wayuu and someone who believes passionately in the power of family, Ursula is introduced indoctrinating her daughter Zaida (Reyes) in what matters in this life. Almost immediately, Zaida, covered in a bright red robe that makes her resemble an enormous predatory bird, participates in la yonna, a stunning courtship dance that showcases how strong the film is in both vivid cinematography (by David Gallego who also shot Embrace of the Serpent) and a site-specific score (Leonardo Heiblum) rich with unsettling echoes of indigenous music. Dancing with Zaida is Rapayet (Jose Acosta), an ambitious young Wayuu who was raised among alijunas and needs the help of his respected uncle Peregrino (Jose Vicente Cote) to navigate the tribe’s elaborate courtship rituals. Though he’s a deadly serious young man (Acosta, normally a comedian, affects a remarkable transformation), Rapayet faces a formidable antagonist in Ursula, who insists on a hefty dowry for her daughter’s hand. Used to doing small business deals with his alijuna partner, happy-go-lucky party animal Moises (Jhon Narvaez), Rapayet catches a break when he hears that some young Americans in the area as part of the Peace Corps are in the market for drugs. It just so happens that Rapayet’s uncle Anibal (Juan Bautista Martinez) is a grower deep in the mountains, and though he is suspicious of alijunas as customers, a deal is struck soon enough. As the domestic American market opens up and huge sums of money change hands – so much that the bills are weighed rather than counted – it all seems easy enough. Rapayet and Zaida marry and prosper. But, as Ursula prophetically says, “what’s hard is not making a family, it’s keeping it together.” Birds of Passage tells a story of a traditional culture fighting for its life against incursions from the outside world, of how insidiously clan ways and spiritual values can be compromised, and it certainly has familiar elements. But the electric filmmaking, sense of tragedy and cultural specificity are far from usual. “This was an opportunity to use elements of genre to subvert them” co-director Guerra summed up at the film’s Cannes premiere. “These films are usually glorifications of murders, they never reflect on the damage done to society.” Or do so in such a memorable, unforgettable way. – Los Angeles Times/TNS