ITV

Category: Movies

  • Seth Meyers of ‘Late Night’ will host the 66th EMMY Awards

    Seth Meyers of ‘Late Night’ will host the 66th EMMY Awards

    MUMBAI: Television producer Don Mischer, best known for steering big galas such as the Super Bowl halftime shows, Olympic Games openings and the Academy Awards, will join the just announced host Seth Meyers for the 66th Primetime EMMY Awards.

     

    “Seth’s expertise and ease in front of a live audience during ‘Saturday Night Live (SNL),’ as well as his comedic brilliance both as a writer and in front of the camera, makes him the perfect choice to host the EMMY,” said Late Night president and NBC Entertainment alternative programming Paul Telegdy in a press statement. “Plus, with Don’s vast experience at putting these types of big productions together, we’ll be in great hands.”

     

    Primetime EMMY winner Meyers took over hosting duties on NBC’s Late Night in February following Jimmy Fallon’s jump to the Tonight Show. He also voices the character Prock on Hulu animated original The Awesomes, the superhero series he executive produced and co-created with Mike Shoemaker.

     

    Widely recognised as the longest serving anchor on iconic Saturday Night Live segment “Weekend Update”, the Northwestern University alum also served as head writer for SNL for nine of his 13 seasons with the series.

     

    Meyers won a Primetime EMMY for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for SNL host Justin Timberlake’s musical monologue in 2011 and has 10 additional EMMY nominations for television writing to his credit. Earlier today, Meyers was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world for 2014.

     

    Acclaimed television and live events producer Mischer returns for his twelfth Primetime EMMYs run and his eighth time as executive producer.

     

    He has been honoured with 14 EMMY Awards, a record 10 Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, 2 NAACP Image Awards and a Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting. Mischer is also the recipient of Europe’s prestigious Golden Rose of Montreux and the 2012 Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television from the Producers Guild of America.

     

    “Seth is such a talented performer and writer, and we know he will bring something unique to hosting the Primetime EMMY Awards,” said Television Academy chairman and CEO Bruce Rosenblum.

     

     “We are also excited to welcome Don back this year and very much look forward to the collaboration as we celebrate television’s biggest night during one of the most transformative years in Television Academy history.”

     

    Mischer has also produced specials with Beyoncé, Bono, Jennifer Hudson, Rihanna, Britney Spears, James Taylor, Taylor Swift, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Garth Brooks, Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Barbra Streisand, the Black Eyed Peas and Carrie Underwood, among others.

     

    The 66th Primetime EMMY Awards will air live on Monday, 25 August from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

  • Films to form important part of Festival of India in China

    Films to form important part of Festival of India in China

    NEW DELHI: A film festival organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals on behalf of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry will form an important component of the Festival of India in China which will be celebrated from next month to March next year.

     

    Culture Secretary Ravindra Singh on Thursday launched the logo, posters and webpage for the festival, simultaneous with their release in Beijing by Indian Ambassador to China Ashok K. Kantha. 

    Singh said pursuant to the mutual understanding reached during the visit of the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to India in May 2013 and that of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to China in October 2013, the year 2014 was designated as the India-China Year of Friendly Exchanges. As part of the Year of Friendly Exchanges, the Culture Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Embassy of India in Beijing, along with the Consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, are organizing the Festival of India in 12 cities in China. 

    A 75 member Indian delegation led by Singh would be visiting China in the first two circuits beginning 7 May. 

    The Festival of India in China covers a wide-range of events showcasing Indian performing arts, exhibitions of modern Indian art, visual and photographic exhibitions on Buddhist heritage of India and its links with China, food festivals, and film festivals, as well as events involving eminent Indian and Chinese scholars and writers. Business and tourism promotion events will also constitute key components of the Festival.

     

    The Ministry of Culture Institutions – Kalakshetra Foundation, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Sangeet Natak Akademy, Kathak Kendra, National Gallery of Modern Art, and Sahitya Akademi – would be participating in the festival. In addition the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Department of Ayush and the Ministry of Tourism would be participating in the Film Festival, Yoga Festival and Food Festival. 

    The Festival of India in China will be celebrated in four circuits, circuit one covering Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing and Chengdu, Circuit two will cover Beijing, Kunming, Dali and Shenzen; Circuit three will cover Lhasa, Urumqui, and Hangzhou and Circuit four will cover Chongquing, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The classical dance program of Kalakshetra will cover the following: Krishna Leela, Kolkali, Suppada, Excerpts from Meenakshi Vijayam, Kalinga Narthanam and Thillana. The Sangeet Natak Academy would be presenting a new composition by senior choreographer Madhavi Mudgal comprising six dance forms representing the diversity of India’s culture Bharatanatyam of Tamil Nadu (and the rest of southern India); Kathak, preeminently the dance of northern India; Odissi, from Odisha in eastern India; Manipuri from Manipur, the north-eastern State of India; Kathakali of Kerala at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula; 

    The colourful logo designed for the Glimpses of India Festival consists of a Kathakali and a Beijing Opera mask side by side. It has been chosen to depict the Indian and Chinese cultures that are shown to be seamlessly blending into one another, thus mirroring the long tradition of friendship and cooperation between the two countries. The left side of the logo is a Kathakali mask from the classical Indian dance tradition that originated in Kerala. The right part of the mask derives from world famous Beijing Opera – a vivid embodiment of Chinese performing art. While the Kathakali dance involves delicate use of hand and eye gestures to communicate, masks in Beijing Opera symbolize different characters and emotions. This convergence of elements from great art forms of the two countries reflects the centuries-old civilizational contacts between India and China. Encompassed within a circle, a symbol of perfection, and with Indian and Chinese colours and motifs symbolising happiness and celebration, the logo represents the spirit of cooperation and harmony underlying the ‘Glimpses of India Festival’. 

    Two posters for Circuit one and Circuit two have been released indicating the festival’s events. 

    The Culture Ministry has created a dedicated webpage http://indiaculture.nic.in/FOI for the Festival of India in China. The webpage covers event schedule and the updates as also photographs and video links. 

  • ‘The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants’ becomes everlasting

    ‘The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants’ becomes everlasting

    MUMBAI: The director of the original film, The Sisterhood of The Travelling Pants, Ken Kwapis (He’s Just Not That Into You) will return to direct, with Liz Garcia (The Lifeguard) writing the script, The Wrap reports. Les Morgenstein, president of Alloy Entertainment, and Elysa Dutton, vice president of Alloy Features, will produce along with Christine Sacani.

     

    From the New York Times bestselling author Ann Brashares, comes the welcome return of the characters whose friendship became a touchstone for a generation in Sisterhood Everlasting. Now Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget have grown up, starting their lives on their own. And though the jeans they shared are long gone, the sisterhood is everlasting.

     

    Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness.

    Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

     

    As moving and life-changing as an encounter with long-lost best friends, Sisterhood Everlasting is a powerful story about growing up, losing your way, and finding the courage to create a new one.

     

    Alloy, along with Alcon Entertainment, was responsible for the first two Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants films, which starred Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls, Mad Men), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) and Amber Tamblyn (Two and a Half Men). The first film was released in 2005 and earned $42 million worldwide, and the sequel followed in 2008, earning $44.4 million worldwide.

     

    “The Sisterhood series is one of Alloy’s most cherished properties and we are looking forward to continuing its legacy with Sisterhood Everlasting nearly a decade after the first film was released,” said Morgenstein in a report. “The original film brought together an incredible group of talent who we hope to unite for fans once again.”

  • Reliance MediaWorks partners with ‘2 States’

    Reliance MediaWorks partners with ‘2 States’

    MUMBAI: Reliance MediaWorks, the media and techno-creative solutions provider and a part of the Reliance Group has announced its association with the recently released 2 States.

     

     Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and Karan Johar the film has been directed by Abhishek Varman and stars Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in lead roles. A film that depicts the diversity in the cultural fabric of India, 2 States is set in several parts of the country including Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.  Thus VFX played an important role in easing the logistics and depicting different cities while still being shot at a studio.

     

     Reliance MediaWorks has been offering end-to-end visual postproduction services for films including VFX, DI and Digital Mastering, and 2 States is the latest marquee film that it has worked on. With 250 odd VFX shots, largely for chroma compositing and set extensions, the project entailed around 30-35 minutes of VFX work for the film.

     

    Dharma Productions chief executive officer Apoorva Mehta said, “The team at Reliance MediaWorks has always delivered high quality work at prompt timelines, helping us successfully complete the film and provide a visual delight to the audience.”

     

     Added Varman, “2 States is a very special film for me and in order to deliver my best I wanted to partner with the best creative partners. I’m very happy working along with the team at Reliance MediaWorks on this film.”

     

    To create the visual allure of different cities while maintaining the overall look of the film, the RMW team worked closely with legendary cinematographer Binod Pradhan, thus with his expertise, tactfully bringing together the vibrancy of Punjabi Delhi, the serenity of Chennai and the cultural vivacity of Ahmedabad.

     

     Pradhan said, “2 States is a movie rich in culture, colours and energy. To get a consistent look while maintaining the authenticity of each Indian province was the key focus. Reliance MediaWorks was an important partner in accomplishing this task.”

     

    Reliance MediaWorks senior colorist Ken Metzker said, “Working with an industry stalwart such as Binod Pradhan is always a great experience in itself. 2 States had the perfect balance of vibrancy and subtlety in its look, which allowed us to make the characters tell their story while looking good and not having the images overtake the storytelling. Looking forward to newcomer director Abhishek Varman’s next film.”

     

    Blending the VFX shots with the film seamlessly was an important task. 2 States is a romantic comedy and most of the VFX work involved was on account of logistical convenience for the shoot. So it had to be subtle and immersive.

     

     Reliance MediaWorks VFX head Prasad Sutar, who also headed the project said, “VFX technology today is no longer limited to action flicks and sci-fi movies. Directors today are wisely using it to ease the logistics and facilitate the shooting process, and with 2 States we have achieved that quite successfully.”

     

     Reliance MediaWorks CEO Venkatesh Roddam added, “It is always a pleasure to work with Dharma Productions. The team has worked dedicatedly to achieve the envisioned outcome. We are sure our work would be appreciated by viewers across the country.”

  • Emerging technologies create problems for release of new films

    Emerging technologies create problems for release of new films

    NEW DELHI: Over 350 different versions of Captain America: The Winter Soldier was created in just 17 days, in order to play in all its formats in theatres across the United States and internationally.

     

    Those formats include: 2D, 3D, film and digital. Other variants might include 4D, IMAX, and high frame rate. In the near future, laser light projectors, Dolby Atmos, and Barco Auro will require even further versions of feature films. These can include any combination of 2D, 3D (typically at least two versions at different light levels), possibly Imax and in the case of The Hobbit, a high-frame-rate option. If one has a “4D” release, each of the three 4D companies — CJ 4DPlex, MediaMation and D-Box — require their own proprietary version.

     

    With tight turnaround times, and an ever-increasing number of variables to consider, executives are not seeing an end to this problem, though they are hoping that standards will help alleviate at least some of the workflow.

     

    “Standards will help with some of the chaos,” says an executive. “But we can’t afford to stay static. This is the new normal. We get it done, but it’s not easy. We learn, we get more efficient, and then something new comes along. It’s a cycle.”

     

    With more than 95 per cent of the cinema screens in North America now converted to digital, executives find the situation is getting chaotic.

     

    “Controlled chaos” is how one studio exec (who was not involved with The Winter Soldier) describes the situation as. The reason is that the various options afforded by digital technologies means that multiple versions of a movie are needed. “The number has skyrocketed.”

     

    Several sources confirmed that it is not uncommon for a studio to create roughly 15 different versions of a movie for a domestic release — and some recent tentpoles have exceeded 30 different versions just for North America.  

     

    Meanwhile, laser light projectors with the promise of offering brighter images will be made available this year — and that may require another version. Barco’s recently unveiled Escape system (which creates a sort of Cinerama experience) would require another.

     

    Film prints are still needed for the remaining theatres, though domestic distribution of a typical tentpole title to 4,000 screens generally means fewer than 100 film prints are being created. “It’s getting harder because all of this takes time,” admitted one studio executive. 

  • 2-day Global Business Forum to coincide with IIFA weekend

    2-day Global Business Forum to coincide with IIFA weekend

    NEW DELHI: A ‘FICCI-IIFA Global Business Forum’ (GBF) is being organised on 24 and 25 April at Tampa Bay in Florida to coincide with the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA).

     

    The meet is being organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in partnership with Wizcraft and international business development agencies such as Enterprise Florida, Visit Tampa Bay and the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation.

     

    The meet is aimed at coinciding with the IIFA weekend from 23 to 26 April.

    FICCI vice president Harshavaradhan Neotia will be leading a 20-member CEOs delegation to the US for the GBF which covers the economic and intellectual component of IIFA. The objective of the delegation is to focus on enhancing business between the two countries and pave way for resolution of trade and investment issues that have cropped up in the recent times.

    The theme of the GBF is ‘Indo-U.S. Partnership: A Catalyst for Economic Growth’. The first day of the event will focus on Indo-US commercial relations, with panels deliberating on the challenges and opportunities in Indo-US Commerce, Resource Efficiency and India-US Collaboration in Life Sciences – Safe & Affordable Healthcare.

    The second day of the event will comprise sessions focusing on Opportunities in Tourism, Education and Skills Development, US-India Collaboration in the Services Sector, Opportunities in Sports Management, Girl Rising Project, Women Leaders – Shaping Tomorrow, Media and Entertainment. Leading business leaders from India and the US, along with eminent Indian-Americans, have been invited to participate as speakers in various sessions.

    Globally acclaimed visionaries such as Dr. R K Pachauri, who spearheads the Nobel prize winning UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; N R Narayanmurthy, co-founder and executive chairman of Infosys; Ajit Kumar, consul general of India, Atlanta and Congressman Gus Bilirakis, will be addressing the GBF this year.

    Some of the prominent women leaders such as Nisha Desai Biswal, US assistant secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs; actor Priyanka Chopra, Shabana Azmi, and Renu Khator, president of University of Houston, will also address the forum.

    Business leaders from global multinational corporations such as Syntel, Accenture India, Microsoft IT India, TATA Motors and L&T InfoTech, will share their perspectives on India-US economic engagement. These discussions are expected to help in taking forward the business agenda between India and the US by adding depth to the existing areas of cooperation and defining new emerging opportunities.

    According to a FICCI spokesperson, the timing of this forum is apt as the new Indian government will be looking forward to greater cooperation with the US. The US-India strategic partnership has always been a priority for both the countries and FICCI has been playing its role in enhancing the engagement between the two nations with initiatives such as the GBF.

  • Danny Boyle may direct biopic on Steve Jobs

    Danny Boyle may direct biopic on Steve Jobs

    MUMBAI: According to a report filed by The Hollywood Reporter (THR) negotiations are mid-way with Danny Boyle on the Steve Jobs biopic with Aaron Sorkin attached to write the screenplay, based on Walter Isaacson’s New York Times bestselling book. The deal is not yet sealed, but the studio is moving quickly to get this to the start line.

     

    A report in THR says Leonardo DiCaprio is the choice to star, and his name was in circulation at the very beginning when the book first was optioned by Sony with producers Mark Gordon and Guymon Casady, who were joined by Scott Rudin when Sorkin came aboard to adapt. However, DiCaprio has just committed to The Revenant with Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu directing scheduled for the fall, so the timing might not work.

     

    Walter Isaacson’s bestseller is based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years, as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues. The author has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

     

    He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering. Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against.

     

    His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted. Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple’s hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

  • Katrina distances herself from Hrithik, to please Ranbir!

    Katrina distances herself from Hrithik, to please Ranbir!

    MUMBAI: The sizzling on-screen chemistry between Katrina Kaif and Hrithik Roshan in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, will be seen once again in their upcoming flick Bang Bang.

     

    According to reports by zoOm, the reel life bond is because of their growing fondness for each other off-screen. But to avoid any link-up stories, Katrina is maintaining distance from Hrithik Roshan. Seems like, Katrina wants to avoid all the possible rumours that may surface, just like it did earlier during Salman-Katrina-Ranbir love triangle!

     

    Sources claim that during the shoot of Bang Bang, Katrina and Hrithik shared excellent rapport, but before anyone could speak about their ‘friendship’, Katrina suddenly started making attempts to stay away from Hrithik. And it clearly points that this step is to evade possible media news on Ranbir-Katrina break-up!

     

    May be the real reason will never be known, considering Katrina’s repeated denial on her relationship status with Ranbir. So discussing her bond with Hrithik is a far-fetched story!

  • ‘2 States’ sizzles at box office

    ‘2 States’ sizzles at box office

    MUMBAI: 2 States, a youth oriented love story with all the traditional Indian ingredients packaged to contemporary tastes, took off with flying colours, the opening day being to near full houses at the multiplexes.

     

    The film maintained well on Saturday and peaked on Sunday as expected. The film collected Rs 37.6 crore for its opening weekend.

     

    Bhootnath Returns, which opened to weak collections on Friday, improved on Saturday and Sunday only to lose the momentum as the week progressed. After a weekend of Rs 18.2 crore, the film could add only Rs 10.1 crore over other four days to show Rs 28.1 crore at the end of its first week.

     

    Main Tera Hero sustained well in its second week to collect Rs 12.55 crore taking its two week total to Rs 48.75 crore.

     

    Ragini MMS 2 has added a symbolic Rs 20 lakh in its fourth week taking its four week total to Rs 47.05 crore.

     

    Queen reaches the end of its glorious run by adding another Rs 1.05 crore for its sixth week and taking its six week total to Rs 57.5 crore.

     

    The success of Queen has made the forthcoming Kangna Ranaut starrer Revolver Rani, a movie to look forward to in the film trade and also with the audience. On this count, the exhibitors expect more from this film than the other two releases slated for 25 April, Samrat & Co. and Kaanchi.

  • “There is not a single nude scene in Love & Passion,” clarifies David Wolfe

    “There is not a single nude scene in Love & Passion,” clarifies David Wolfe

    MUMBAI: Veteran Hollywood director David S Wolfe is livid. And very rightly so. He sacked his PR agent in Mumbai for running a story titled ‘Bengali bombshell actress Anjana B almost nude for a Hollywood film’, which was very widely reported in the online media. Wolfe who has done almost 100 short films and documentaries in a career spanning over 30 years in Hollywood is directing his first Bollywood film with a well-known male actor in the main lead, says content agency IndyaNewz.com. Bollywood actress and dancer Anjana B has been signed on as the female lead.

     

    Anjana has acted in films like Zilla Gaziabad, Right Ya Wrong, Chashme Baddoor and others and is a renowned theatre artiste and Indian classical dancer. She has been trained for over 10 years in Bharat Natayam and Kathak and has given about 250 Indian classical performances till date. Wolfe in a statement to the content agency said, “I signed on Anjana as she is a very good actor after auditioning for three days in Mumbai and meeting almost 50 prospective actors who were shortlisted by the casting agents in Mumbai. She has done theatre in Mumbai and Kolkata for several years and is an established classical dancer. She has a great figure, but that does not mean there is any nudity in my film. The PR agent goofed up in her enthusiasm to get the news published causing great harm to my project. She even spelt the lead actresses name incorrectly.”

     

    “We are making this film at a budget of over Rs 100 crore. It is a big budget film and will be screened both in India as well as all over the world. It is in two versions – one for the Hollywood market in English and another version or edition for the Indian market,” Wolfe explained.

     

    Love & Passion will be aesthetically shot in locales like Scotland, Thailand and in southern parts of India including Goa and Pondicherry, Wolfe revealed.

     

    Wolfe is the producer and owner of Weeping Shadow Films from Sussex, Great Britain and has tied up with a Hollywood studio for international distribution of Love & Passion. The film is expected to be released in November 2014 and will go on floor in late June this year.