Mulder and Scully return as 'The X-Files' revived

Mulder and Scully return as 'The X-Files' revived

LOS ANGELES: Cult television thriller "The X-Files" will return for a limited series with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson reprising their FBI agent roles, Fox Broadcasting network said on Tuesday.

"The X-Files," which premiered on Fox in 1993, followed FBI special agents Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) as they investigated cases of the unexplained, UFOs and often paranormal phenomenon.

Scully was the logical, practical partner of Mulder, who believed that alien worlds could exist within the universe and constantly searched for the truth in government cover-ups and conspiracy theories.

The show created by Chris Carter became the longest-running sci-fi series in U.S. network TV history with nine seasons, concluding in 2002.

The new series will comprise six episodes, due to start production this summer. An air date has not yet been announced.

"I think of it as a 13-year commercial break," Carter said in a statement. "The good news is the world has only gotten that much stranger, a perfect time to tell these six stories."

"The X-Files" revival comes on the heels of Fox's recent programming hits with Batman prequel "Gotham" and hip hop drama "Empire." – Reuters

Shabana Azmi says Javed Akhtar never wrote poetry for her

Shabana Azmi says Javed Akhtar never wrote poetry for her

KARACHI: The Indian film, TV and theatre actress, Shabana Azmi has smilingly protested that her husband Javed Akhtar never wrote any song or poetry for her.

 

Today, Shabban Azmi graced Media studio with her presence and talked to the anchor Najia Ashar.

 

When asked whether Javed Akhtar wrote the song ‘Aik Larki Ko Dekha Tau Aisa Laga’ keeping her in mind, Shabana Azmi said it was written for Manisha Koirala – the Bolllywood actress who co-starred with Anil Kapoor in ‘1942 A Love Story’. “He never wrote any couplet for me.”

 

She said her husband justified it by saying: “If someone works in a circus, would you expect him to remain suspended upside down in his home too.”

 

Shabana Azmi, to a question if she feels there was anything her life lacked, said she cannot cook and even today she considered it as a deficiency.

 

Shabana Azmi is in Karachi to participate in the 1st Sindh International Film Festival being held in collaboration with the UK-based Raindance Film Festival and Independent Film Trust. The two-day event is being held as part of the two-week Sindh Culture Festival.

Hoffman's NYC funeral attracts Hollywood stars

Hoffman's NYC funeral attracts Hollywood stars

NEW YORK: Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Ethan Hawke, Brian Dennehey, Amy Adams and Ellen Burstyn were among the stars who paid their respects Friday at a private funeral for Philip Seymour Hoffman that combined sadness and humor to honor an actor widely considered among the best of his generation.

 

The coffin holding Hoffman's body was brought out of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola by pallbearers and put in a hearse as family and guests began to stream out Friday afternoon. Streep hugged Diane Sawyer as they left.

 

"He left an enormous amount of love behind. It's a terrible loss," said Jose Rivera, a playwright whose work has been produced by Hoffman's LAByrinth Theatre Company.

 

He said the service was loving and simple, with people sharing their memories of Hoffman and laughing. "It was quite beautiful and heartfelt and sincere, and everybody had a lot to remember, in terms of Phil," Rivera said.

 

The list of mourners also included Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, Joaquin Phoenix, Louis C.K., Mary Louise Parker, John Slattery, Laura Linney, Jerry Stiller, Chris Rock, Marisa Tomei, Spike Lee and Sawyer's husband, the director Mike Nichols. Playwright David Bar Katz, who found Hoffman's body, was visibly upset as he arrived.

 

"Phil was a lovely guy, a great artist," said Lee, who directed Hoffman in "The 25th Hour." ''I was only able to work with him one time, but I love him and, a big loss, a big loss."

 

Hoffman, 46, was found dead Sunday of an apparent heroin overdose in his apartment. He leaves behind his partner of 15 years, Mimi O'Donnell, and their three children. O'Donnell was seen cradling their youngest child as she entered the church.

 

Police did not allow anyone to linger on the block outside the church, and the media was penned in an area far from the mourners.

 

A larger memorial service is being planned for later this month. On Thursday evening, family and close friends gathered for a private wake at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home in Manhattan.

 

The rumpled, heavy-set Hoffman was known to dive into roles and was nominated for Academy Awards four times: for "The Master," ''Doubt," ''Charlie Wilson's War" and "Capote," which he won. He also received three Tony nominations for his work on Broadway, which included an acclaimed turn in 2012 as the weary and defeated Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman."

 

The theater community mourned the actor Wednesday with a candlelit vigil outside his beloved LAByrinth company downtown and with Broadway's marquee lights turned off for a minute.

 

More tests are needed to determine what exactly killed Hoffman, who was found with a syringe in his arm and what authorities said were dozens of packets of heroin in his apartment. Autopsy results were inconclusive, authorities said this week.

 

Hoffman spoke candidly over the years about past struggles with drug addiction. After 23 years sober, the versatile actor reportedly checked himself into rehab for 10 days last year after relapsing in 2012.

 

Amid an investigation into Hoffman's death, three people have been arraigned on drug charges, including one who is facing a felony charge of heroin possession with intent to sell. Lawyers for the three people charged vigorously denied their clients had any role in Hoffman's death.

 

Many of those who attended the funeral had professional ties to Hoffman. He and Blanchett co-starred in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." Burstyn and Hoffman were in "Red Dragon," and Hawke co-starred with Hoffman in "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead." Slattery directed Hoffman in his new film "God's Pocket," and Nichols directed Hoffman on Broadway in "Death of a Salesman." Phoenix shared the screen with Hoffman in "The Master." (AP)

Sonic undergoes makeover for new game, TV series

Sonic undergoes makeover for new game, TV series

LOS ANGELES: The conference room inside Big Red Button Entertainment's offices would look unremarkable if it weren't for the vibrant panoramas of a cartoony, tree-filled world plastered next to portraits of colorful creatures and robots on the walls. At first glance, one of the critters looks like Sonic the Hedgehog — if he donned a brown scarf and sport tape around his appendages.

 

But it's not a blur. Or a shadow. That's indeed the intrepid new look of the iconic video game character, who originally raced into gamers' hearts in 1991 as the star of the fast-paced side-scroller "Sonic the Hedgehog" before becoming the face of game maker Sega. The latest makeover of Sonic isn't simply about accessorizing the 22-year-old character with new gear.

 

It's part of a "Sonic" revolution.

 

Sonic and his three pals — tinkering fox Tails, brutish echidna Knuckles and hammer-wielding hedgehog Amy — are starring together in a new Nintendo 3DS and Wii U game, as well as a Cartoon Network series set for release later this year, called "Sonic Boom." The games and TV series will share the new style, voice actors, locales, storylines and more. The collaborative take on "Sonic" will extend to merchandising, too.

 

"We're looking at this more than just a video game," said Marcella Churchill, senior marketing director of Sega of America. "Yes, Sega is primarily a video game company, but Sonic is a very viable character for us. We're always looking for new ways to expand the franchise, and we knew we wanted to grow the appeal of Sonic and reach many different touch points."

 

Churchill expects innovations on both the game and TV show formats to draw new fans, not only gamers nostalgic for the ring-hording hedgehog. For example, the TV series will forgo old-school cartoon cheesiness to instead blend action and comedy together, while the game will feature more open-world exploration than in Sonic's previous interactive escapades.

 

With split-screen, four-player functionality, the game — the third in Sega's deal to exclusively release "Sonic" titles on Nintendo platforms — serves as a prequel to the cartoon, the first "Sonic" series to be computer animated. Both the game and the TV series, which is being created by OuiDO Productions, will deeper emphasize the characters' personalities and teamwork.

 

The focus on Sonic's crew inspired the developers, animators and everyone else working on "Sonic Boom" to make each hero distinct, in both form and function. In the case of Knuckles, that meant putting the once Sonic-sized sidekick through puberty — not steroids — in an effort to make the burly red echidna stand out from the pack, as well as pack a punch.

 

However, the creators are quick to note that the sportier, teenaged rendition of Sonic and his team doesn't erase the depictions from four previous TV series and more than 70 games. "Sonic Boom" is merely a new branch of the "Sonic" universe with sensibilities they hope will appeal to modern youngsters who expect their entertainment to cohesively cross screens.

 

"When you have a franchise with the depth and fan base of this one, you can have more than one incarnation existing side by side," said Evan Bailey, executive producer of the TV show. "Look at Batman or Mickey Mouse. There are many iconic characters with more than one rendition and none is the definitive take, so hopefully fans don't firebomb our houses."

 

Unintentionally, "Sonic Boom" has become the franchise's biggest multicultural effort to date, with game developers and executives in California working in tandem with TV executives based out of New York, as well as animators in France, on a new iteration of a blue hedgehog born in Japan. Initially, however, the biggest barrier in crafting this Sonic wasn't language.

 

"Before we first met, we're thinking, 'Oh, boy. TV people," said Bob Rafei, CEO of Big Red Button. "They're gonna want to change everything. They're not going to understand games. To my surprise, Evan actually plays more games than I do. I don't know where he finds the time, but he understands the fundamental differences of mechanics and fiction."

 

Rafei, who previously worked on such landmark game franchises as "Crash Bandicoot" and "Jak and Daxter" at Naughty Dog, noted the most challenging aspect of taking on a "Sonic" game was illustrating the character's signature speed without sacrificing new gameplay elements. The other major issue? Figuring out just what the heck Sonic is allowed to wear.

 

"The clothing argument was a big one," said Rafei, leaning back in his chair in Big Red Button's conference room. "The most surreal moment in my life occurred when I was conveying with passion through a translator to the 'Sonic' team in Japan why Sonic needed to wear pants. Looking back at it, I'm glad they didn't go for it. Sonic wouldn't really be Sonic with pants on." (AP)

Hoffman autopsy inconclusive, further tests needed

Hoffman autopsy inconclusive, further tests needed

NEW YORK: Four people were taken into custody on drug charges after police investigating Philip Seymour Hoffman's death executed search warrants, two people with knowledge of the investigation said Wednesday, and the medical examiner's office said more tests are needed to determine what killed him.

There was no timetable for Hoffman's autopsy to be finished, said medical examiner's office spokeswoman Julie Bolcer, who declined to discuss the pending tests. Toxicology and tissue tests are typically done in such cases.

Police believe the Oscar-winning actor may have died from a drug overdose, though his death is being investigated as suspicious pending a more definitive ruling by the medical examiner.

Hoffman was found dead Sunday with a needle in his arm, and tests found heroin - but no traces of the potent synthetic morphine additive fentanyl, which is added to intensify the high and has been linked to 22 suspected overdose deaths in western Pennsylvania - in samples from at least 50 packets in his apartment in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, law enforcement officials have said.

The four people were taken into custody Tuesday night after police executed search warrants at several city apartments based on a tip provided by a confidential source that they may have supplied Hoffman with drugs, according to two people with knowledge of the investigation who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because investigators have not obtained evidence to corroborate the reported connection.

Police say undisclosed quantities of heroin and marijuana were found in three apartments in a lower Manhattan building. The four suspects, three of whom live in the building, face charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Two also face charges of criminal use of drug paraphernalia. They were awaiting arraignment.

The New York Police Department hasn't officially announced a connection between the arrests and the Hoffman investigation.

The NYPD has launched an intensive effort to determine the source of drugs in Hoffman's apparent overdose even though courts have found that under state law drug dealers can't be held liable for customers' deaths.

A 1972 state appellate division case found a dealer can't be found guilty of manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide for selling heroin and syringes to a customer who later dies because, the court ruled, legislation enhancing punishment for drug crimes didn't redefine homicide to include the sale of an illicit drug that results in death.

And holding a drug dealer criminally liable for a customer's overdose death could prove difficult for the district attorney's office, said James Cohen, a Fordham University School of Law professor who runs a clinic that represents federal criminal defendants.

"It's not just enough that you know, if you will, theoretically or academically, that heroin could kill," he said.

Former NYPD detective Scott Prendergast, who worked on the high-profile investigation into the 1996 heroin overdose death of Jonathan Melvoin, a keyboard player with the rock band Smashing Pumpkins, said it's not uncommon for investigators to track down dealers following suspected overdose deaths especially when the drugs are stamped with telling names.

Some of the packets found in Hoffman's apartment were variously stamped with the ace of hearts and others with the ace of spades. Melvoin was said to have used heroin called Red Rum.

Investigators have determined that the "Capote" star made six ATM transactions for a total of $1,200 inside a supermarket near his home the day before his death, law enforcement officials have said. Investigators are examining a computer and two iPads found at the scene for clues and recovered syringes, a charred spoon and various prescription medications, including a blood pressure drug and a muscle relaxant, law enforcement officials have said.

Hoffman's relatives have planned a private funeral for Friday.

On Wednesday night, Broadway theaters were to dim their lights in memory of the Tony Award-nominated actor, and members of the theater community planned to hold a candlelight vigil. (AP)

Prince plays London living-room gig

Prince plays London living-room gig

LONDON: When Prince came to London a few years ago, he played more than 20 nights at the vast O2 arena. This time, he played a suburban living room to a dozen people.

 

The enigmatic star flew into London on Tuesday at the start of a still-evolving string of dates in support of forthcoming album "Plectrum Electrum," recorded with all-female trio 3RDEYEGIRL.

 

Details remain scarce, but Prince said he hoped to play "iconic" venues along the lines of music club the Bag o' Nails — where Jimi Hendrix once played — storied rock venue Electric Ballroom and Ronnie Scott's jazz club.

 

"We'll work our way up, if people like us, to bigger venues," Prince said.

 

His first stop was the East London home of British soul singer Lianne La Havas, who met Prince last year while she was touring the United States.

 

In her cozy living room in front of a crackling fire, the band played two acoustic tracks of what Prince called their "funky rock 'n' roll," including the newly released single "PretzelBodyLogic."

 

The tracks on the new album were developed during epic jam sessions at Prince's Paisley Park studios near Minneapolis.

 

"We've been together for over a year and it's perfect," said Prince, who sipped a mug of strong tea with honey as he chatted to La Havas, her housemates and three journalists. "The more we play, the more fun it is, and addictive it is."

 

Drummer Hannah Ford said the band sometimes jammed for 12 hours or more — interspersed with games of ping pong.

 

"A lot of the time we didn't even know we were recording for an album," she said. "We were just jamming and vibing off one another."

 

Prince said he hoped to record the band live during their stay in London, as well as buying "some clothes — and some tea." (AP)

'Lego Movie' built to be a better toy film

'Lego Movie' built to be a better toy film

NEW YORK: Toy movies occupy a spot on the respectability meter somewhere between talking dog films and "Showgirls."

 

Even in a business not always known for the most honorable of ambitions, films based on toy lines smack of a crass grab at cross-merchandizing.

 

Since the popularity of the "Transformers" franchise, Hollywood has increasingly turned to Hasbro toys like G.I. Joe and Battleship to capitalize on their familiar brands.

 

Chris Miller and Phil Lord, co-writers and co-directors of "The Lego Movie," were well aware of the dim reputation of toy movies. But in their short but rapidly ascending careers, the comic duo has turned weak premises like a "21 Jump Street" remake and an adaptation of "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" into surprisingly fresh, crowd-pleasing hits.

 

"One day we want to work on a movie that sounds like a good idea from the start," jokes Miller. "Our success has been based on low expectations."

 

"The Lego Movie," opening Friday, is far more inventive and satirical than you might expect. Made with a conscious resistance to the pitfall of toy-based movies, it's imbued with a childlike playfulness and a subversive mockery of corporate control.

 

"We actually really enjoy a challenge and get excited by solving a seemingly impossible puzzle," Miller says. "Each one of those movies — 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,' '21 Jump Street' and 'The Lego Movie' — we were like, 'That sounds terrible. It's probably going to be terrible, unless ... unless, there is one way you could do it.'"

 

"That's basically our entire career," says Lord.

 

The concept that Lord, 36, and Miller, 38, came up with was to capture the experience of playing in a deep box of the interlocking plastic bricks. In a world composed of Legos, following the rules, or the instructions, is a way of life. Workers happily sing the anthem "Everything Is Awesome," and are pacified by bland state-controlled entertainment, like the TV show "Where Are My Pants?"

 

A law-abiding construction worker named Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) inadvertently stumbles across a rebellion against leader Lord Business (Will Ferrell), revealing a ragtag of mismatched characters, from Batman (Will Arnett) to Abraham Lincoln (Will Forte). A battle ensues between lock-step uniformity and creative chaos.

 

Saying just how much the movie mimics the experience of a child playing with Legos would spoil it. The Los Angeles Times called the film "the first-ever postmodern toy movie."

 

"It was as open and infinite as looking at a bucket of bricks itself," Miller said in a recent joint interview with Lord while the two stepped away from editing their upcoming sequel "22 Jump Street." ''Our thinking was: What if this movie is told by an 8-year-old? We really wanted it to feel like it had the whimsy and randomness of being from the mind of a child."

 

The Denmark-based Lego Group was approached by Warner Bros. producers in 2007 about making a movie, with an earlier story outline by Dan and Kevin Hageman. The company has in recent years expanded beyond toy sets to build numerous international theme parks, release several lines of video games with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and air the Cartoon Network TV series "Ninjago" (for which there are movie plans, too).

 

"The last thing that we wanted to do was be perceived as 'Oh, this is just Lego trying to make more money, just to sell more toys,'" says Matthew Ashton, vice president of creative design for Lego and a producer on the film. "If you look at Lego as a creative medium, it's very much like modeling clay is in a 'Wallace & Gromit' movie. It's just a different way of expressing a story."

 

Ashton says filmmakers were given wide creative leeway and no featured toys were dictated by Lego: "Then we went through the script and cherry picked what we thought could make good toys and co-developed those things together."

 

Miller and Lord met as freshman at Dartmouth College, drawn together by their similar sense of humor. They both had comic strips in the school paper and churned out student videos (a sample: Lord's "Man Bites Breakfast" was told from the perspective of cereal).

 

Lord describes being skeptical about making what could be dismissed as a 90-minute commercial for Lego before they were energized by "a grassroots, bottom-up approach."

 

"Then it started to get really exciting and feeling like, 'Oh this can almost be subversive and cool and feel like we got away with something,'" Lord says.

 

Though Ashton says the pair challenged the Lego brand in a healthy way, Lord and Miller occasionally needed reminding that "The Lego Movie" was a family film.

 

"Our 'Clockwork Orange' sequence didn't go over very well," says Lord, laughing.

 

They initially penned a re-education scene for Emmet, with his eyes forcibly held open, after he strays too far from Lord Business' way of doing things. The Stanley Kubrick reference was deemed "not perfectly appropriate for family audiences."

 

Miller and Lord nevertheless chuckle at what they were able to get away with in the movie.

 

"A lot of people are surprised that we don't do drugs," Lord says. "We're able to access that childlike kind of thinking unassisted." (AP)

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead in apartment: report

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman found dead in apartment: report

NEW YORK: Award-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead in his apartment in New York City on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a

law-enforcement official.

The New York Police Department is investigating, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is to determine the exact cause of death, the newspaper reported.

Hoffman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 2005 biographical film Capote, and received three Academy Award nominations as Best Supporting Actor.

Oscar-winning actor Maximilian Schell dies at 83

Oscar-winning actor Maximilian Schell dies at 83

VIENNA: Austrian actor Maximilian Schell, who won the best actor Oscar in the early 1960s for his portrayal of a defense attorney in the drama "Judgment at Nuremberg," has died. He was 83.

 

Schell's agent Patricia Baumbauer said Saturday that Schell died overnight at a hospital in Innsbruck following a "sudden and serious illness," the Austria Press Agency reported.

 

The Vienna-born Schell won his Oscar in 1961 and later was honored with further Oscar nominations — in the best actor category for "The Man in the Glass Booth" in 1975, and for best supporting actor in "Julia" in 1977.

 

Born to a Swiss writer and an Austrian actress, he was the younger brother of Maria Schell, an icon of the German-speaking film world, who died in 2005. (AP)

Bieber’s friend charged with drug possession

Bieber’s friend charged with drug possession

LOS ANGELES: Prosecutors have charged Justin Bieber’s friend Lil Za with two counts of drug possession after detectives found him with ecstasy and oxycodone in the singer´s California mansion this month.

The would-be rapper was arrested on Jan. 14 when detectives searched Bieber´s mansion looking for evidence in an egg-tossing incident that caused thousands of dollars in damage to his neighbor´s home.

Lil Za, whose real name is Xavier Domonique Smith, was the only person arrested during the search.

Bieber remains under investigation for felony vandalism.

Smith was also charged with damaging or destroying a jailhouse phone. All three charges are felonies.

Jail records do not list an attorney for the 20-year-old. Authorities initially said they arrested Smith on suspicion of cocaine possession, but they amended the charges after testing the drugs. (AP)

Police charge Justin Bieber with assault

Police charge Justin Bieber with assault

TORONTO: Troubled heartthrob pop star Justin Bieber was charged Wednesday with assaulting a limousine driver, Canadian police said, after the 19-year-old turned himself in with a crowd of female fans screaming their support.

The charges are the latest run-in with the law for the teen singer after his arrest in Miami Beach on January 23 for drag racing and impaired driving, and after his Los Angeles mansion was searched because he allegedly hurled eggs at a neighbor´s house.

Bieber will appear in court on March 10, Toronto police said in a statement, just over two hours after he sparked scenes of chaos as he arrived to turn himself in a black all-terrain vehicle.

Social media lit up as word spread that Bieber had surrendered and adolescent fans, most of them female, thronged the police station.

"On Wednesday, January 29, 2014, Justin Bieber, 19, of Calabasas, California, surrendered to police at 52 Division," the Toronto police statement said, adding the troubled star will go before court at Toronto´s Old City Hall.

Bieber is charged with hitting a limousine driver "several times" over the back of the head. The car had picked him and five others up from a nightclub in the city in the early hours of December 30.Earlier, before going to the club, Bieber had been to a hockey game.

"While driving the group to a hotel, an altercation occurred between one of the passengers and the driver of the limousine," the statement said.

"In the course of the altercation, a man struck the limousine driver on the back of the head several times."

The driver stopped the limousine, exited the vehicle and called police. "The man who struck him left the scene before police arrived."

Earlier, wearing a baseball cap turned backwards and a black hooded winter coat, the singer entered the station in Toronto, escorted by officers who rushed him through a large crowd of screaming fans and journalists.

"Move back, don´t push! Don´t push!" a police officer barked as girls shrieked at the sight of Bieber´s large black limousine. CTV television said the pop star pulled up around 7:30 pm (0030 GMT Thursday).Fans rushed in holding up smartphones hoping to get a picture of the clean-cut, baby-faced young star turned tattooed, barely adult bad boy.

A girl screamed "I love you, Justin, I love you!" as dozens of cameras flashed to light up the night.

Justin Bieber has a Valentine's Day date with a Florida judge

Justin Bieber has a Valentine's Day date with a Florida judge

MIAMI: Pop singer Justin Bieber has a Valentine's Day date with a South Florida judge on charges of DUI, resisting arrest and driving with an expired license.

A Miami-Dade County judge on Tuesday set a Feb. 14 arraignment date for the 19-year-old star. In an arraignment, prosecutors formally file charges and a plea is entered, although a defendant's lawyer can enter the plea in writing. Bieber might not be required to attend.

Bieber and R&B singer Khalil Amir Sharieff were arrested last week in Miami Beach during what police described as an illegal street drag race between a Lamborghini and a Ferrari. Neither has been charged with drag racing.

Police say Bieber admitted to smoking marijuana, drinking and taking a prescription medication. (AP)

Miles Teller rides Sundance wave to leading roles

Miles Teller rides Sundance wave to leading roles

PARK CITY: Miles Teller is a name movie fans can expect to hear a lot this year.

 

The 26-year-old actor stars alongside Zac Efron and Michael B. Jordan in the romantic comedy "That Awkward Moment," opening Friday. He appears in the anticipated dystopian adventure "Divergent" this spring. And he dazzled Sundance Film Festival audiences with his passionate performance in "Whiplash," which won both jury and audience honors Saturday at the festival's awards ceremony.

 

"It's rare to get a script where they really trust an actor, especially an actor my age, to really do some heavy lifting and some hard work, and that's my favorite," he said. "When I was in college, I never did scenes from romantic comedies. I always picked the weird stuff or the darker stuff, more challenging material. So hopefully this is a trend for things that I want to do and accomplish."

 

In "Whiplash," Teller plays a jazz drummer determined to succeed. He foregoes friends and romantic relationships, opting instead to practice until his hands bleed. As a student at the nation's leading music conservatory, he fights for a spot in the competition band, led by an unforgiving, intimidating and often abusive instructor (played by J.K. Simmons at his scariest).

 

Writer-director Damien Chazelle introduced "Whiplash" as a short film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival to gain funding for his debut feature that opened the festival this year. And from the start, he wanted Teller for the role.

 

"I saw 'Rabbit Hole,' his first movie when it came out, and it was right around the time I was writing the first draft of this script," Chazelle said. "I was just immediately like, 'Who the hell is this kid? I've got to work with this kid.'"

 

"Even though you were only two years older than me at the time," Teller added.

 

The young actor is in nearly every frame of the film, and he took four-hour drum lessons three times a week to prepare for the part. Like his character, Teller's hands blistered and bled as he thrashed at the drum kit.

 

"I remember (he) was really proud when (he) showed me the first drop of blood (after) doing the drum solo," Chazelle said. "(He) was like, 'Look, it actually happened! It's not makeup!'"

 

"Whiplash" will be distributed in North America by Sony Pictures Classics, though no release date has been announced.

 

Teller has two other films slated for release in 2014: the comedies "Two Night Stand" and "Get A Job." He also earned accolades for his Sundance debut in 2013, playing opposite Shailene Woodley in the coming-of-age drama "The Spectacular Now." (He and Woodley reunite in "Divergent.")

 

"As a young actor, you just know about Sundance and all the great film festivals, and you think about what it would be like to get up there," he said. "And last year it completely lived up to that. It was a really special moment in my career. And now to come back with this film and have it open up and have the response that we're getting, it's very rewarding. It feels good." (AP)

Deepika, Farhan win Filmfare Best Actor awards

Deepika, Farhan win Filmfare Best Actor awards

MUMBAI: If there was any fear that India's sporting legends have been forgotten, the 59th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 demolished that notion. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, the incredibly realistic biopic of sprint champion Milkha Singh, scored three out of the top four awards including best actor, best director and best film. 

The picture won a total of six prizes. The star-studded awards ceremony was held at YashRaj Studio in Andheri Friday evening.

 

Farhan Akhtar outran other nominees in the race for best actor while Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra gained winning position as best director. Deepika Padukone, who was expected to win best actress given she had two nominations, won for Goliyon Ki Raasleela, Ramleela.

 

Milkha Singh had made the country proud in the 50s and 60s and his revival in 2013 got extremely lucky as well. He was away in his hometown Chandigarh and unable to attend the awards ceremony.

 

Leading the list of nominations were films that pleased the box office in 2013, even if not all of them made it to the Rs 100-crore club. Chennai Express shared space with Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Ramleela and Raanjhanaa.

 

The jury also acknowledged the popularity of Kai Po Che, Aashiqui 2, Lootera, Krrish 3 and the little nugget, The Lunchbox.

 

Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who won for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, recalled his previous walk down the red carpet with Aks. "Winning a Filmfare is such a proud moment.

 

In fact Amitabh Bachchan had recalled during Aks how he used to join the crowd outside Shanmukhananda Hall in the '60s just to watch the stars arrive for the awards," he said. Amid the widespread praise that Bhaag... has received, the odd critic has questioned actor Farhan Akhtar's capability as well. Mehra said, "I welcome criticism, it is always better than exaggerated praise and points a mirror to your faults."

 

Javed Akhtar was cheering for son Farhan all the way. "We are here with great hope for Farhan," he said earlier in the evening, as wife Shabana interjected to say, "Farhan has to win, his movie also has to win." "He ran so fast that he has to reach somewhere. My most memorable Filmfare was the one in 1975 when I won three awards. This was the year when both Sholay and Deewar released. When the third award was announced, there was thunderous applause. This year I am happy to cheer for my son."

Veteran comic Cosby said to be planning new TV show: reports

Veteran comic Cosby said to be planning new TV show: reports

LOS ANGELES: Veteran US comedy actor Bill Cosby is to make a new family TV show for the NBC network that aired his popular sitcom in the 1980s, media reports said Thursday.

 

The 76-year-old will work with producer Tom Werner, who produced "The Cosby Show" from 1984 to 1992 in what was seen at the time as reviving the sitcom genre, said Deadline Hollywood.

 

CNN reported Cosby will play the patriarch of a multigenerational family. Representatives for NBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

Cosby´s publicist David Brokaw had no comment, telling AFP: "We have nothing further to add at the moment.

 

"Cosby told Yahoo in November that he wanted a show with "a married couple that acts like they love each other, warts and all, children who respect the parenting, and the comedy of people who make mistakes.

 

Warmth and forgiveness.""I hope to get that opportunity, and I will deliver the best of Cosby," he added.

 

Analysts cautioned that NBC was taking a risk on an old favorite producing a new hit, noting the "anemic" ratings for "The Michael J. Fox Show," starring the Emmy-winning actor who has Parkinson´s Disease.

 

"Its philosophy seems to be that there´s nothing wrong with NBC that can´t be solved by what was right with NBC in around 1984," said Time magazine´s TV critic James Poniewozik.

 

"This season, it gave beloved past star (Fox) an extraordinary full-season commitment for what turned out to be a bland sitcom with anemic ratings ... As NBC should have learned this season, a famous name is itself no guarantee.

Famous playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed attacked in Lahore

Famous playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed attacked in Lahore

LAHORE: Famous playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed was attacked here on Tuesday when unknown gunmen fired on his vehicle.

 

The attack took place near the Shaukhat Khanum Hospital, in which, according to police, Asghar Nadeem was targeted.

 

The playwright was shifted to a private hospital for treatment.

Famous playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed attacked in Lahore

Famous playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed attacked in Lahore

LAHORE: Famous playwright Asghar Nadeem Syed was attacked here on Tuesday when unknown gunmen fired on his vehicle.

 

The attack took place near the Shaukhat Khanum Hospital, in which, according to police, Asghar Nadeem was targeted.

 

The playwright was shifted to a private hospital for treatment.

Mukhtar Mai incident inspires New York opera

Mukhtar Mai incident inspires New York opera

NEW YORK: To those who complain that opera is an elitist indulgence served up to snobs in dinner jackets, New York´s latest world premiere may come as something of a shock.

 

Inspired by the horrific gang rape of illiterate Pakistani woman Mukhtar Mai on orders of a village council, "Thumbprint" is a $150,000 production currently having an eight-night run in a basement theater in Manhattan.

 

One of the most infamous sex crimes against women in South Asia, Mai´s 2002 rape, survival and metamorphosis into an international rights icon is as far removed from opera-house pomp as possible.It may have earned a less-than-glowing review from The New York Times -- "muted," "not quite enough" -- but the score is an alluring blend of South Asian and Western music, and the production starkly innovative.

 

With a simple backcloth doubling up as a film projection screen, a few chairs and charpoys, the simple but powerful staging evokes the heat, the dust and the traditions of a Pakistani village.

 

Mai, now in her 40s, was raped to avenge her 12-year-old brother´s alleged impropriety with a woman from a rival clan.Six men were sentenced to death for her rape in a landmark ruling. But five were later acquitted and the main culprit had his sentence reduced to life imprisonment: facts the opera omits.

 

Mai´s story has fresh resonance since the brutal gang rape of a student on a New Delhi bus and her death a little over a year ago sparked international outrage about the levels of violence against women in India."It´s inspiring," said the opera´s Indian-American composer Kamala Sankaram, who also sings the lead role.

 

"This is a person who was completely illiterate and knew nothing of her rights and the laws of her country and yet she had the courage to step out," she told AFP.

 

There is no staged recreation of the rape, which is instead portrayed by muffled shrieks of terror interspersed with a knife slashing open bags of sand.

 

Sankaram worked to recreate Mai´s world by combining Hindustani music, Western composition, qawwali and Bollywood."I am a sitar player as well as being a Western musician so I wanted to bring in elements of traditional culture but still keep it something acceptable to Western listeners," she said.

 

Pakistan may be thousands of miles from New York but playwright and novelist Susan Yankowitz, who wrote the libretto, says the opera is about courage and universal vulnerability of women.

 

"The main question that is repeated throughout the opera is where did you find your courage... In a dry season, someone must be the first drop of rain," Yankowitz told AFP.

 

"The courage is to be the first drop of rain and that´s what I hope people will take away from it and inspire people to take some action they would otherwise not have the courage to do."

 

Compared to the majesty of New York´s Metropolitan Opera House a couple of miles up the road, "Thumbprint" is a tiny production with a six-person chamber orchestra and cast of just six singers.Shown as part of a small chamber music opera festival in its second year, tickets cost just $25 for the 90-minute production, which organizers hope will eventually tour India and Pakistan.

 

Unable to find a suitable sarangi player, Sankaram´s score has been written for flute, violin, viola, piano (with harmonium on the side), and a brilliant double bass and percussionist.

 

Most of the singers perform more than one part and the Baruch Performing Arts Center seats just 170 people.The run ends Saturday, but it´s unclear what Mai makes of it all.

 

Since the attack, she has set up a school for girls and won prominence in the West for her outspoken stance on the oppression of women.Manu Narayan, the Broadway star who has won rave reviews as an all-too-realistic unrepentant rapist, welcomed the opera and the Prototype opera festival as a vital platform for young composers.Bankruptcy forced New York City Opera to close last year.

 

Some artists and musicians complain that original culture in New York City is being priced out of the metropolis by big business."I think the music´s spectacular," Narayan told AFP.

 

"This festival is so wonderful. It really creates a very focused platform for new works and great stories that need to be told, and the story of Mukhtar Mai is one of the prime examples." (AFP)

Unlikely friendship explores humanity in Gitmo film 'Camp X-Ray

Unlikely friendship explores humanity in Gitmo film 'Camp X-Ray

PARK CITY: Guantanamo Bay may be a hot button topic in the political field, but new film "Camp X-Ray" provides an intimate look at the lives of the military and the detainees, and actress Kristen Stewart explores an unconventional friendship in her latest role.

In "Camp X-Ray," which premiered on Friday at the Sundance Film Festival and is a contender in the festival's U.S. drama competition, Stewart plays young military officer Amy Cole on the suicide watch team at Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The U.S. prison is located in Cuba and has been condemned internationally for holding enemy combatants for years without trial.

The role was a new direction for Stewart, 23, who is best known for being the lead in the teen vampire "Twilight" film franchise, but has been taking riskier choices, such as 2012's "On the Road," to break out of the "Twilight" spotlight.

The actress said that while "people are a little bit afraid of doing movies about current issues," writer-director Peter Sattler had created a character in Cole that reflected most young women today.

"It's a story about a girl who is really simple and really relatable, and just like probably most girls across the entire country. She's a really normal, simple-minded girl from Florida who wants to do the right thing and ultimately doesn't feel like she is," Stewart told Reuters.

While observing detainees every three minutes to make sure no one has harmed themselves, Cole bonds with detainee 417, otherwise known as Ali (played by Payman Maadi), who constantly asks for the final installment of the Harry Potter novels.

The seemingly simple request generates laughs on the surface, but deeper down, unearths Ali's own desperate search for how both Harry Potter and his own story will end.

"When you involve people from very different backgrounds and differences of opinions, there's something there that never goes away but you're both human, even though you may be in a position where you're pitted against each other," Stewart said.

The biggest challenge that Stewart said she faced was to make sure she looked the part, and trained hard to represent a military soldier.

"Even though I walk in circles and this job becomes very mundane, I still had to look like I had learned everything. You sort of have to breathe in and it changes your entire physicality. I wanted to represent them right," she said.

Stewart's performance has already been gaining buzz early in the festival, and the film garnered a positive response from the audience at Friday's premiere. In an early review from The Hollywood Reporter on Friday, film critic David Rooney called the film "riveting," and Stewart's performance "her best screen work to date."

Sattler, who makes his feature film debut with "Camp X-Ray," said he wanted to avoid making a political comment on Guantanamo Bay, and instead focus on something that he felt would connect with audiences - a friendship.

"I'm always fascinated by movies and art that takes extraordinary and difficult subjects but focuses on some of the unexpected, more mundane aspects of it," Sattler said.

"I was really interested in the idea of how to explore the subject matter in a different way, through characters, not through politics."

The result is an intimate drama that is littered with lighter moments such as the young U.S. officers bonding off duty, that quickly inhabit darker undertones, be it Cole's attempt to understand her place among her peers or Ali's eager and often rash attempts to understand humanity.

"There's something very uplifting in a sense about that, even though the movie has darker notes and bittersweet moments, there is this really human connection that exists in this movie," Sattler said. (Reuters)

Romney attends Sundance premiere of 'MITT'

Romney attends Sundance premiere of 'MITT'

PARK CITY: Mitt Romney surprised filmgoers when he came to the Salt Lake City premiere of "MITT," the documentary that tracks his run for the presidency. But he declined to share what he thought about the movie afterward, even with the filmmaker behind it.

 

"If he hated it, I don't know if he's going to tell me," director Greg Whiteley said. "He's nice and he and (his wife) Ann are gracious. I wonder what they really think."

 

Whiteley followed the Romney family for six years, from the Massachusetts governor's first attempt for the Republican nomination in 2006 to his run against now-President Barack Obama in 2012. Whiteley said the Sundance Film Festival premiere Friday was the Romneys' first look at the film, which will debut on Netflix on Jan. 24.

 

Romney and his wife are also expected to attend Saturday night's premiere of the film in Park City, Utah.

 

Whiteley said he long admired the Romneys because, as a Mormon, he'd heard of George Romney while growing up.

 

"What Hank Greenberg and Sandy Koufax is to young Jewish kids probably is what George Romney was to me," Whiteley said. "When I heard that Mitt Romney was running for president, I had just finished my second film and occurred to me that might make a great movie."

 

Through a meeting with Romney's eldest son, Tagg Romney, Whiteley pitched the documentary idea and he "thought it was great."

 

Romney's campaign, however, not so much. Whiteley had unfettered access to the Romney family, which made campaign officials nervous, but the family went along with it anyway.

 

Part of any campaign strategy, Whiteley said, is to "present the most polished, most veneered, most presidential image as you can."

 

"What we forget is we need to connect with these people," Whiteley said. "They're human beings, and that gets lost in all of this."

 

The portrait of Romney in "MITT" is very human. He's shown playing in the snow with his grandkids, eating pasta from a plastic takeout container and brainstorming with his family about what to say in a concession speech. He discusses the pros and cons of his presidential run with his wife, children and siblings. Intimate footage shows his moments of confidence and doubt and the emotional toll the campaign took on his family.

 

Romney comes off as warm and likable, but the director said that wasn't the goal of the film.

 

"I had no agenda in trying to make him look good," Whiteley said. "I had no agenda in trying to convince people to vote for him."

 

He describes the film as "very apolitical."

 

"I really saw my job as to just shut up, film everything I can, and when I'm editing this footage, just try and find a balance between just being as honest and authentic and as entertaining as I possibly can."

 

Whiteley said he's as thrilled to have "MITT" premiere at Sundance - which he compared to Yankee Stadium or the MET for a documentary filmmaker - as he is to have it reach worldwide audiences on Netflix next week.

 

"Streaming is the future, and we've been able to do something that I think is unprecedented," he said, "Premiere it worldwide during the festival and capitalize on all this great media that were getting now."

 

The Sundance Film Festival continues through Jan. 26.