Category: Entertainment

Monitoring Desk

LONDON (THE SUN): Good Morning Britain host Ranvir Singh faced a backlash on Monday’s (October 19) show, after an ill-fated video of herself and her dog Schmizzles was played on the show. The 43-year-old ITV star has been partnered with Giovanni Pernice on the new season of Strictly Come Dancing taking to the ballroom in the hopes of winning the Glitterball Trophy. After her debut on the show on Saturday, October 17, Ranvir’s co-hosts Kate Garraway and Sean Fletcher congratulated her dance skills, but it was her unfortunate dog Schmizzles that took centre stage.

A clip of Ranvir and her light-footed partner Giovanni was shown on Saturday’s show, as they took a stroll in a field with her pet pooch in tow. However, Ranvir was so distracted by the conversation with the pro dancer, that she didn’t realise poor Schmizzles was caught up in his lead. Sean was quick to poke fun at the awkward footage, as he exclaimed: “The poor dog. That dog just got dragged along.” Clearly embarrassed by the incident, Ranvir explained: “I tell you what, we were there for like five hours filming. You know what it’s like when you’re filming, it just goes on and on and on. “The poor dog was like a wet rat by the end of the day.” Pretending to be horrified, Sean tried to hold back his laughter and joked: “So you did that to it? Poor Schmizzles!” Meanwhile, similarly holding back her giggles, Kate added: “That’s one way to let your dog know that he’s number two from now on in.”

Blushing over the mishap, Ranvir was quick to apologise to her four-legged friend, reaching out to the pooch from the ITV studios. She pleaded: “I’m so sorry Schmizzles!”Despite her apology, certain GMB fans took offence to the footage, suggesting it was “cruel” behaviour, while others leapt to Ranvir’s defence. One fumed: “Disgusting!” And another griped: “What is so funny about neglecting a dog like this? Poor thing! And they were doing this for 5 hours.”

However, a third fan pleaded her case, arguing: “Oh please. The dog got tangled in a lead… that’s all.”And a fourth made a quip about Giovanni’s good looks, teasing: “Not surprising really, I think we’d all be a bit distracted. Ranvir also issued a heartfelt apology on Twitter after the footage first aired, writing: “My favourite tweet of yesterday [laughing emoji] @pernicegiovann1 #sorry #shmizzels @bbcstrictly.”

NEWYORK (MAIL ONLINE): She has recently been in hot water for cheating on her beau, Made in Chelsea’s Sam Thompson.  And Zara McDermott, 23, was seen leaving popular beauty hub Young LDN in Westbourne Grove on Saturday. 

The 2018 Love Island star decked herself out in PrettyLittleThing garb for the beauty trip, in a summery look that defied the cold October weather. Zara wore a figure hugging white crop top that showed off her enviable curves and toned stomach. She matched her top with a pair of pale denim straight cut jeans, while for footwear, she opted for a set of chunky black Nike trainers. The reality star carried her essentials in an elegant Dior handbag, but otherwise went largely accessory free for the outing.   

Zara wore her caramel tresses straight and loose, while minimal make-up accentuated her natural beauty. Zara and Sam parted ways in August, with MailOnline revealing Zara, 23, cheated on her beau, 28, in the early stages of their relationship – and fans of Made In Chelsea have been eagerly waiting for things to play out.  Viewers are set to finally witness the drama unfold on Monday’s show. 

Episode four of the current 20th season will see tensions run high between the former lovebirds as Zara’s actions come to light. In clips from next Monday’s show, Zara is seen bursting into tears during a lunch with Sophie ‘Habbs’ Habboo and Jamie Laing.  Asked by Habbs if she’s alright, Zara explains: ‘Around a year ago, I slept with someone…’  Sam is then seen having a heart-to-heart with Jamie, saying: ‘She was the one. I can’t be alone. I hate being alone!’  Jamie seems to be against Zara, saying: ‘You have to remember the betrayal you’ve received and the deceit! And the fact that it could happen again!’ Sam and Zara are then seen having it out, with Sam accusing Zara of being ‘so good at lying’ while she sobs: ‘I just want you to forgive me!’ Zara appeared to pre-empt this on Monday, as she shared a video montage of her 16-month relationship with Sam in a last-ditch attempt to win him back. The video started with the caption: ‘To the love of my life, I want you to know how much I adore you. This video will show you why!’    It was earlier this month that the brunette beauty publicly confessed to cheating on Sam, after weeks of speculation.

F.P Report

WASHINGTON: Baywatch star Jeremy Jackson’s ex-wife is reportedly homeless and is forced to live on the streets. The former fitness star was wife to Jeremy Jackson but they got divorced. She was recently spotted living on the streets of Venice Beach, after vanishing from the public eye two years ago. The former fitness model, 37 is suffering from poverty and an addiction to crystal meth and various mental health issues.

While talking to the local media, Loni Willison said that, she is doing fine. She said that no one has contacted her in recent years. Willison said, ‘I haven’t spoken to Jeremy. I don’t want to speak to my friends, I’m doing just fine. I don’t want anyone to help me.’ She insisted to The Sun that she ‘can live on her own’ and that she has ‘everything she needs right here’ in Venice due to the area’s wealthy nature. Currently she carries all her belongings in a shopping cart.

Loni also said that, “I haven’t got a cell phone. I’ve got food and I’ve got a place to sleep. I get money here and there and there’s food in the bins and near the stores. There’s lots here”.

Loni, who was once the face of the cover of Australia’s Glam Fit magazine, looked to be missing numerous teeth and had her hair styled into a pixie cut and dyed pink.

The media reported, she packed her cart to the brim with various pieces of clothing, as well as some other items that caught her fancy while rummaging through nearby trash bins. 

Loni said that, “Nobody really cares about me and I don’t want to see them, they don’t want to see me.” Loni explained that her unfortunate path to homelessness began in 2016 when she lost her job as an assistant at a cosmetic surgery center in LA.

She then claimed that she worked for a short time for a realtor who refused to pay her, which only added to her financial, mental, and emotional turmoil.

Later Loni Willison also began suffering from a more and more severe mental illness that led to her convincing herself that she was being tortured in her apartment with electricity.  Unable to pay her bills or hold down a job, Loni, eventually, was evicted from her West Hollywood apartment and forced to live on the streets. 

Loni added that she lost two jobs and everything crumbled. It’s been two years, I’ve been on the streets since,’ she revealed. Her hardships all occurred years after her divorce from Jeremy, which was finalized in 2014. 

Monitoring desk

LOS ANGELES, Oct 17 — News that Israeli actress Gal Gadot will play Cleopatra has prompted Hollywood’s latest “whitewashing” row — and renewed a historical debate over the ancient Queen of Egypt’s ancestry.

Gadot, best known for Wonder Woman, is confirmed to produce and star in a new big-screen epic from Paramount, taking up the role made famous by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 classic Cleopatra.

The biopic will retell the “story for the first time through women’s eyes, both behind and in front of the camera,” Gadot tweeted.

Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins is on board, as is Shutter Island writer Laeta Kalogridis.

But the announcement immediately prompted social media criticism of the white, Israel-born star’s casting as an African queen.

“Hollywood has always cast white American actresses as the Queen of the Nile. For once, can’t they find an African actress?” tweeted author James Hall.

The furore taps into wider criticism of Hollywood’s history of casting white actors in non-white roles on the apparent assumption of higher box office appeal, a practice commonly referred to as “whitewashing.”

However, other social media users quickly noted that Cleopatra herself — a 1st-century BC ruler descended from Alexander the Great’s general Ptolemy — was of Greek heritage, and may have been white.

“Incredibly excited to get the chance to tell the story of Cleopatra, my favourite Ptolemaic Pharoah (sic) and arguably the most famous Macedonian Greek woman in history,” tweeted Kalogridis, who will also executive produce the film and is of Greek heritage.

Gadot, who has not commented on the row, retweeted the comment.

Others accused the backlash against Gadot’s casting of leaning on anti-Semitic tropes. Several social media users had drawn attention to Gadot’s mandatory service in Israel’s military.

Gadot is no stranger to online criticism, having faced widespread mockery in March for spearheading a video montage of celebrities singing “Imagine” from their sprawling homes.

The video, intended to provide hope for those affected by the Covid lockdown, was slammed as being out of touch with the lives of everyday people.

Gadot’s Wonder Woman 1984 is due in theatres this December, although some analysts predict its release date could follow multiple other blockbusters in shifting to next year. — AFP-Relaxnews

Courtesy: Malaymail

Monitoring desk

Netflix is now screening more content produced in Africa and producers on the continent believer their work will show there’s subscriber appetite for movies that go deeper than the Hollywood stereotypes.

Producers of two African-made films premiering on Netflix this month believe their work will show there’s subscriber appetite for movies that go deeper than the Hollywood stereotypes that often make African viewers groan.

Subscribers to the world’s largest streaming service can now watch Poacher, a Kenyan drama about elephant poaching and Oloture, a Nigerian thriller about a journalist whose world falls apart after she goes undercover as a sex worker.

The films avoid the simplistic portrayals that viewers in Africa often resent, the producers say.

Netflix has begun screening more content produced in Africa, and in June released romantic comedy “Cook Off”, Zimbabwe’s first offering on the streaming service.

Poacher, the first Kenyan film released on Netflix, uses drama to show the lives of everyday people involved in poaching.

“It’s very simple to point fingers,” said Davina Leonard, who co-wrote, co-produced, and stars in Poacher. “When you start a drama, now you’re looking at the people and their motivations.”

The film’s other star, Brian Ogola, hopes Poacher will spur people to action.

“It’s still not enough if we want our grandchildren to see some of these animals in their natural habitat.”

The film ends with a statistic from the World Wildlife Foundation: if current trends continue, elephants will be extinct by 2040.

The other movie, Oloture, joins a host of Nigerian films on the platform, which has nearly 193 million subscribers globally.

Oloture was shot on the gritty streets and in rundown homes of Lagos. It tells the story of impoverished sex workers lured into being trafficked overseas. Human Rights Watch ranks Nigeria a top origin country of trafficking victims in Europe and elsewhere.

In one scene, a businessman drugs and rapes the undercover journalist at a party. In another, sex workers endure a voodoo initiation to scare them into loyalty to pimps trafficking them to Italy.

“I am very happy that this conversation has started so that the government will sit up to their responsibility, so that the agencies that are tasked with fighting human trafficking in Nigeria will maybe clamour for more funding or sit up and do better,” said co-producer James Amuta.

Courtesy: TRT World

Monitoring Desk

ROME:  The Rome Film Festival opened on Thursday with a screening of the Pixar animated film about a jazzman s dreams, “Soul,” despite the lingering coronavirus that has transformed film watching in public.

As at the world-famous cinema festival in Venice last month, thermal scanners will measure audience members  temperatures at the theatre doors, mask-wearing is compulsory and fewer spectators are allowed.

“The safety of everyone takes precedence over everything else,” said festival director Antonio Monda in an interview with Il Messaggero daily.

Attending the opening night ceremony was Italy s Culture Minister Dario Franceschini and the Italian actors lending their voices to the characters of “Soul”, which has received rave early reviews and will be released directly on the Disney+ platform, bypassing movie theatres.

The film premiered last week at the London Film Festival.

One of the most eagerly awaited films in Rome is the documentary, “Mi chiamo Francesco Totti” (“My name is Francesco Totti”), about the legendary footballer who spent his entire career at AS Roma.

However, whether Roma s ex-number 10, who has just lost his father, will turn up is uncertain.

The 15th edition of the festival ends October 25.

Courtesy: (AFP)

Monitoring Desk

LONDON: The mother-of-two, 38, accessorized with a heavy gold chain around her neck, paired with diamond encrusted diamond earrings. Earlier, on the red carpet, Clarkson had dazzled in a silver, heavily tasseled gown. A deep, plunging neckline made the most of the Since U Been Gone hitmaker’s cleavage. 

Later in the evening, Kelly switched things up again by slipping her curvaceous figure into a black, sequined dress with a collar.The 2020 Billboard Music Awards celebrate the music industry’s favorite chart-toppers live from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.  Post Malone managed to get the most nominations, earning 16 nods across 15 categories.

He is followed by Lil Nas X with 13. Billie Eilish and Khalid are tied with 12 nominations a piece.

Kanye West’s foray into gospel Jesus Is King also made an impressive showing, earning nine nominations in Christian categories including top Christian artist, top gospel artist, top Christian album, top gospel album and top Christian song. This year’s Billboard Music Awards will feature three fan-voted categories: Billboard chart achievement award, top social artist and top collaboration.

There will also be several special honors. The first ever Billboard Change Maker Award is set to go to Run The Jewels rapper and social justice activist Killer Mike, who is set to receive his honor from Mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms.Garth Brooks will receive the ICON Award, making him one of only nine artists who have received the trophy. He will also perform. 

Additional performers include Alicia Keys, Bad Bunny, Brandy feat. Ty Dolla $ign, BTS, Kane Brown feat. Swae Lee and Khalid, Luke Combs, Doja Cat, En Vogue, John Legend, Demi Lovato, Sia, Post Malone feat. Tyla Yahweh, and SAINt JHN.

Presenters include Addison Rae, Cher, Garcelle Beauvais, Jane Lynch, Jay Ellis, Jharrel Jerome, Julia Michaels, Lilly Singh, Nicole Richie, Spencer X, Taraji P. Henson, TwinsthenewTrend and tWitch. The show is welcoming back host Kelly Clarkson for the third year in a row.

‘I’m thrilled to be back with my Billboard family,’ Clarkson previously shared in a statement.’I love being part of an event that celebrates our greatest artists and entertains our fans. This a night of music that you won’t want to miss!’ The 2020 Billboard Music Awards – which are based on the chart period of March 23, 2019 through March 14, 2020 – were originally scheduled April 29, 2020 show, but postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The show is welcoming back host Kelly Clarkson for the third year in a row. ‘I’m thrilled to be back with my Billboard family,’ Clarkson previously shared in a statement.

‘I love being part of an event that celebrates our greatest artists and entertains our fans. This a night of music that you won’t want to miss!’

The 2020 Billboard Music Awards – which are based on the chart period of March 23, 2019 through March 14, 2020 – were originally scheduled April 29, 2020 show, but postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nominees and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including MRC Data/Nielsen Music.  

Since 1940, the Billboard charts have been the most trusted way to rank the commercial popularity of artists, songs and albums. The 2020 Billboard Music Awards will broadcast live from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 14th at 8pm EST on NBC.  

Courtesy: (DAILY MAIL)

Monitoring Desk

LONDON: The British countryside is racist and white people need to acknowledge they have benefited from the past, according to Countryfile presenter Ellie Harrison. The BBC broadcaster said that while rural areas may not be more bigoted than other parts of the country, there is ‘work to do’ to stamp out prejudice.

Defending the nature programme’s decision in the summer to show a film exploring racism in the countryside, the 42-year-old said a ‘time of reckoning’ was approaching following the death of George Floyd and the ‘crescendo’ of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

The BBC programme broadcast an episode in June in which TV presenter Dwayne Fields investigated the issue, based on independent research from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

The government’s report, released last year, said some people from BAME communities, alongside white people, felt the UK’s national parks are a ‘white environment’. The post triggered a debate amongst social media users, which presenter Ellie Harrison said had taken the show’s producers a week to pick through. 

Writing in the BBC Countryfile magazine, Harrison said: ‘I spooled through the comments, which broadly came in three flavours: ‘I’m not racist so there is no racism in the countryside’; ‘I’m black and I’ve never experienced racism in the countryside’; and importantly, ‘I have experienced racism in the countryside’.

‘So there’s work to do. Even a single racist event means there is work to do. ‘In asking whether the countryside is racist, then yes it is; but asking if it’s more racist than anywhere else – maybe, maybe not.’ Harrison said that growing up in rural Gloucestershire, there was one black pupil at her school who she said was ‘worshipped’ for being ‘handsome, sporty and brainy’.

But now she wonders if that may not have been his experience. And she says that since the worldwide BLM protests earlier this year, she has had an epiphany in terms of her own behaviour.

The broadcaster says she now realises she needs to do more to challenge and confront prejudice. ‘Until this point, I believed ignorantly, that me being not racist was enough,’ she writes. ‘I believed that I should keep quiet and listen to black people.

‘That because I read and loved every Alice Walker book as a teenager, have watched Oprah every day since I was a youngster…it wasn’t my problem. ‘There is a big and crucial difference between being not racist and being anti-racist.

‘At times in the past I have given measured and polite replies to people – sometimes close to me – who have said racist things.

‘But being anti-racist means being much clearer that it isn’t acceptable…Let the knife and fork squeak uncomfortably over supper.’

White people need to do more to understand what black people have gone through, she said. ‘It’s our individual work to wrap our heads around history,’ she writes. ‘The work also includes recognising the pain of the past and the lingering ambient racism we don’t get to feel.

‘It means acknowledging that we have benefited from the past, the behaviours of many generations ago. ‘It means noticing that for white people, skin colour is not the cause of hardship and suffering, even if our lives haven’t been easy. ‘It’s seeing a problem, even if it isn’t a problem to us; asking what the grievances are and listening to what the solution is. ‘It’s not just protesting about cruelty but being motivated by fairness and making room. ‘And far beyond policing, it’s about economic equality too.’

After the programme was aired, a BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Countryfile based the segment on an independent DEFRA report published last September and we felt it was important to examine such issues now more than ever, particularly in light of recent events.’ (DAILY MAIL)

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Jannat Mirza came forth revealing the actual reason behind her plans of moving outside Pakistan and settling in Japan.

The TikTok star had earlier sent her fans into tizzy when she said she is leaving the country for good.

The news left Mirza’s massive following of over 10 million devastated, making them wonder about the reason that prompted her to move abroad.

While interacting with a fan over the matter, Mirza revealed she is heartbroken over the ‘sick mentality’ of people living in Pakistan.

She confirmed the news in response to a fan’s query, who asked her why she is leaving her homeland and moving to Japan.

“Jannat why u and Alishba ignoring this text. ‘Why r u moving to Japan [sic],'” the fan had asked.

To this, Mirza replied, “Ku k Pakistan bht pyara or acha hai lekin Pakistan k logo ki mentality achi nhi (Because Pakistan is beautiful, but the mindset of its people isn’t).”

Mirza’s decision of moving elsewhere has sparked frenzy amongst her fans, and many believe its related to the sudden ban of Chinese app TikTok in Pakistan.

Mirza rose to fame in the country through the video-sharing app and amassed a staggering following in a short span.

She is also the first TikTok user to hit over 10 million fans in Pakistan.