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)