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Tag: Common

  • Paramount to re-release Oscar winning ‘Selma’ in the US

    Paramount to re-release Oscar winning ‘Selma’ in the US

    MUMBAI: In honor of the 50th anniversary of the historic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, Paramount Pictures will re-release its Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning film Selma in the US for a special encore engagement. The film will play in theaters across the US beginning 20 March. 

     

    Moviegoers, who purchase a ticket to see Selma at a participating theater, can receive an additional ticket free. This limited time offer is only available at participating theater box offices. 

     

    Selma won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for “Glory” by Common & John Legend. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director. 

     

    Selma, from Paramount Pictures, Pathé, and Harpo Films, is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s Selma tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”

     

    The film is produced by Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey, the film is executive produced by Brad Pitt, Cameron McCracken, Diarmuid McKeown, Nik Bower, Ava DuVernay, Paul Garnes and Nan Morales. The film is written by Paul Webb. Selma is directed by Ava DuVernay.

     

  • Common & John Legend to perform together at The Oscars

    Common & John Legend to perform together at The Oscars

    MUMBAI: Musical artists Common and John Legend will perform their Oscar-nominated song “Glory” at the 87th Oscars. The Oscars, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will be held on 22 February.

     

    Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said, “Common and John Legend are artists who have always lifted our spirits and made us think. The Oscar stage is that much more profound because of their presence and we welcome them.”

     

    “Glory,” written by John Stephens (a.k.a. John Legend) and Lonnie Lynn (a.k.a. Common) for the film “Selma,” is nominated for Original Song. The four other nominated songs are “Everything Is Awesome” from “The Lego Movie,” “Grateful” from “Beyond the Lights,” “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from “Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me” and “Lost Stars” from “Begin Again.”

     

    Common won a Grammy in 2002 for Best R&B Song for “Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop),” and in 2007 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “Southside,” with Kanye West. His many acting credits include the films “American Gangster,” “Wanted,” “Date Night” and “Selma,” in which he plays the role of Civil Rights leader James Bevel.

     

    Legend is a nine time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter. His critically acclaimed debut album, “Get Lifted,”scored multiple Grammy Awards in 2006, including Best R&B Album, Best New Artist and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The follow up was the platinum-selling “Once Again,” which garnered a Best Male R&B Performance nod. Legend’s most recent highly acclaimed fourth studio album, “Love in the Future,” scored two Grammy nominations and features his break out hit, “All of Me,” which is his highest selling and charting song to date and also earned a 2015 Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.

  • Google teams up with US, UK govt. agencies to bring internet to the common man

    Google teams up with US, UK govt. agencies to bring internet to the common man

    NEW DELHI: Government agencies in the UK and US along with Google have announced a joint venture by the name of “Alliance for Affordable Internet” to bring internet to the population of billions on planet earth.

    The initiative is a joint venture by Google, US agency for International Development and its British Counterpart and philanthropic company run by eBay Founder Omidyar, Omidyar Network.

    Other helping firms include Yahoo, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Ericsson and African ISP MainOne. Alliance is going to work to pursue the governments to regulate and policy formation for better internet access.

    “A4AI has a specific goal in mind: to reach the UN Broadband Commission target of entry-level broadband access priced at less than five per cent of monthly income worldwide,” said Jennifer Haroon, Principal Executive of Google’s access programme, in a blog post.
    Group is working to contact 10 countries till 2015 to negotiate on easing of import of technology and resources to kick start the internet revolution in those countries. This envisaged goal can have far reaching impact not only in those countries but on whole global scenario. It can help reshape the social, corporate and political outlook which is visible by the part played by Social Media in Arab spring.