Category: Entertainment

Jackie Shroff recently shared a touching story about the late Dev Anand, who helped him when he was just starting in the film industry. Jackie talked about how he creates a welcoming environment for new actors on set by remembering his own experiences.

He recalled a time when he was filming and having trouble with an action scene. The action director was upset and scolded him. That’s when Dev Anand, a big star, stepped in and told the director, “Don’t be hard on him; he’s new. He will learn.” Jackie felt grateful for Dev’s kindness and support, realizing how important it was for newcomers to feel comfortable.

Jackie also shared that he never went to acting school because he couldn’t afford it. Instead, he learned from legends like Dev Anand and Subhash Ghai. He likes to adapt to every situation on set and has a deep trust in his team.

Jackie Shroff and Dev Anand worked together in Jackie’s first film, Swami Dada, released in 1982. This action movie was directed by Dev and also starred famous actors like Mithun Chakraborty and Naseeruddin Shah. After that, they shared screen space in several films like Sachche Ke Bol-Bala, Return of Jewel Thief, Censor, and Chargesheet.

Fans of Jackie can look forward to his new crime drama series Chidiya Udd, premiering on MX Player on January 15. The show is based on a novel by Aabid Surti and dives into the dark, tough world of Mumbai’s crime scene. It is directed by Ravi Jadhav and features a talented cast, including Bhoomika Meena and Sikandar Kher.

Filmmaker Andy Muschietti recently talked about why his 2023 movie, The Flash, did not do well at the box office. The superhero film received bad reviews and made only about $270 million worldwide, just a little more than the $200 million it cost to make. Muschietti mentioned that the film didn’t attract different types of moviegoers.

In an interview on Radio Tu’s YouTube show La Baulera del Coso, he said, “The Flash failed for many reasons, but one big reason is that it didn’t appeal to all four types of audiences. When you spend $200 million on a movie, you want to attract everyone, even grandmothers!”

He also learned that many people, especially women, just weren’t interested in The Flash as a character. However, he’s still proud of the movie.

The “four quadrants” refer to four main audience groups: young men, older men, young women, and older women. The Flash starred Ezra Miller as The Flash and included actors like Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, and Michael Keaton.

The movie faced a lot of trouble before it was released, especially because Ezra Miller had some legal problems, including accusations of bad behavior.

The wildfires in Los Angeles have caused a terrible loss in the music world. The original music sheets from famous composer Arnold Schoenberg were destroyed in the fire. Belmont Music Publishers, the company that handles Schoenberg’s works, shared this sad news. They said, “We have lost our full inventory of sales and rental materials.” However, they are hopeful and stated, “We hope to ‘rise from the ashes’ online, as we still have some digital copies.”

Who Was Arnold Schoenberg?
Arnold Schoenberg was a composer from Austria who moved to the U.S. to escape the Nazis and settled in Los Angeles, where he passed away in 1951. He changed the way music was written during the 20th century and is known for his unique style called the 12-tone technique. He also taught other well-known composers and formed a group called the Second Viennese School with his students. Some of his famous pieces include “Ewartung,” “Gurre-Lieder,” “Verklärte Nacht,” and “Pierrot Lunaire.” Many of his works had political messages, like “Ode to Napoleon,” which made fun of dictators, and “A Survivor from Warsaw,” which honored Holocaust victims.

About the LA Wildfires
The wildfires in Los Angeles have destroyed thousands of homes, and sadly, 24 people have lost their lives. Many others are still missing, and officials expect this number may rise.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is facing serious accusations from a new woman, referred to as Jane Doe. She says that when she was just 16 years old, Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted her in New York City. This happened around late August or early September 2000, after she was walking home from babysitting.

In her lawsuit, she claims she worked for someone living in a building where a famous woman, who Diddy was dating, lived. As she was leaving the building, she saw Diddy sitting in a car. He talked to her and seemed worried about her walking alone at night.

Thinking he was being friendly, she got into his car. But instead of taking her home, things took a scary turn. Diddy gave her a drink that made her feel dizzy and weak. There were also two other men in the car. She says they took her somewhere, and that’s where Diddy sexually assaulted her. Afterward, they dropped her off at her building.

This accusation is part of a bigger pattern, as over 40 other people have also come forward with claims of sexual assault against Diddy in the past 16 months. Diddy’s lawyers deny these claims, saying he has never hurt anyone and insists that the truth will come out in court. He is also facing criminal charges related to sex trafficking and remains in custody in Brooklyn. His trial is set for May.

The Oscars, which is the big awards show for movies, announced on Monday that they are canceling their fancy luncheon for nominees due to the terrible wildfires in Los Angeles. These fires have caused a lot of destruction, and many people have lost their homes. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decided to share the nominees online instead. This announcement will happen on January 23.

Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said, “We are all heartbroken by what the fires have done to our community. The Academy has always brought people in the film industry together, and we want to support each other during this tough time.”

The wildfires have sadly affected many stars, including Anthony Hopkins and Billy Crystal, who lost their homes. Filming for some TV shows and movies has also been paused. Many in Hollywood feel it might be disrespectful to hold celebrations while so many people are suffering.

Actress Jean Smart suggested that all the awards shows should stop this year and that networks should donate the money they would make to help fire victims. But the Academy still plans to hold their final awards ceremony on March 2, where they will honor both the firefighters and those affected by the fires.

The Grammy Awards, which is the big music awards show, also plans to go ahead as scheduled and will raise money to help with fire relief. They will show appreciation for the first responders working hard against the fires.

The team behind Ram Charan’s new movie, Game Changer, has taken action against a group of people for leaking a stolen version of their film online. They believe this group also tried to blackmail them before sharing the movie illegally.

Game Changer, directed by Shankar, stars Ram Charan and Kiara Advani. It was released on January 10, just in time for the Sankranthi holiday and became a target for pirates on its release day. The producers claim a gang of about 45 people leaked the movie online.

Led by Dil Raju, the film’s producers have filed a complaint with the cybercrime department, providing proof of the piracy. They stated that before the movie came out, they received threats through social media and WhatsApp messages from the same group, asking for money under the threat of leaking the film.

When the producers refused to pay, some details about the movie were leaked online two days before the premiere. Finally, on the day of the release, a high-quality version of the film was shared on various sites like Telegram. Authorities are now investigating to find out if this group acted alone or had help.

Game Changer has received mixed reviews but opened strongly at the box office, making ₹88.50 crore in its first weekend in the domestic market. While most of the earnings came from the Telugu version, the Hindi-dubbed version also performed well, earning ₹22.90 crore during the first three days. The film has also been released in Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Big names in Korean entertainment are starting to see how important Indian fans are. As more people in India watch Korean dramas on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video is also stepping up by adding more Korean content. To make it easier for Indian fans to enjoy this kind of entertainment, a new channel called Channel K launched in November 2024. It’s India’s very first channel dedicated to Korean entertainment!

Channel K has a low subscription price of just 1 INR, making it affordable for everyone. The channel is adding lots of exciting new content in the New Year, including K-pop concerts and special K-drama releases. Here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming up for K-drama and K-pop fans in January 2025:

Channel K’s January 2025 Releases:

1. Family Matters (New K-drama)
– Cast: Bae Doona, Lomon, Ryu Seung Beom
– Release Date: TBA
– Synopsis: This thrilling series mixes comedy and horror when a group with special abilities pretend to be a family while facing dangerous criminals.

2. The Tale of Lady Ok (New K-drama)
– Cast: Lim Ji Yeon, Choo Young Woo
– Release Date: TBA
– Synopsis: Set in the Joseon period, this drama follows a woman with a hidden past who falls in love with a storyteller.

3. Accident by Accident 2 (Reality Show)
– Cast: Kian84, DEX
– Release Date: January 4, 2025
– Synopsis: Three Koreans explore India, experiencing fun and unexpected adventures.

4. My Lovely Sam Soon (Old K-drama)
– Cast: Hyun Bin
– Release Date: January 7, 2025

5. Cheese in the Trap (Movie)
– Cast: Park Hae Jin
– Release Date: January 9, 2025

6. 200 Pounds Beauty (Movie)
– Cast: Kim Ah Joong
– Release Date: January 9, 2025

7. TOUR-ING: SEVENTEEN World Tour (Concert Movie)
– Cast: SEVENTEEN
– Release Date: January 12, 2025

8. Bitch X Rich (K-drama)
– Cast: Yeri from Red Velvet
– Release Date: January 16, 2025

9. Music Bank in Belgium 2024 (Concert)
– Release Date: January 24, 2025

10. BTS SPEAK YOURSELF in WEMBLEY (Concert Movie)
– Release Date: TBA

11. Boys Over Flowers (Classic K-drama)
– Cast: Lee Min Ho
– Release Date: January 28, 2025

Some exciting shows that are already available include BTS Bring the Soul: Docu-Series and the new drama The Midnight Romance in Hagwon.

In 2024, many big movies were released, and while some were huge hits, others didn’t do well at all. A report from Ormax Media reveals that only three films crossed the ₹500 crore mark at the box office this year. The biggest film of 2024 was “Pushpa 2: The Rule,” starring Allu Arjun, which made ₹1,403 crore! This film also set a record for the highest-grossing Hindi film ever, bringing in ₹889 crore from its Hindi version.

Overall, the Indian box office made ₹11,833 crore in 2024. Although this is a bit less than 2023’s total of ₹12,226 crore, it’s still the second-best year ever for Indian films. This year, Hindi films struggled, making only ₹4,679 crore, down from ₹5,380 crore last year. Hindi films now only represent 40% of total earnings, compared to 44% last year.

“Pushpa 2: The Rule” and another film, “Stree 2,” along with “Kalki 2898 AD,” were the only films to cross ₹500 crore. Other notable films like “Devara – Part 1,” “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3,” and “The Greatest Of All Time” made over ₹300 crore.

On a positive note, the Malayalam film industry had a fantastic year, doubling its box office share to 10%. Gujarati films also saw a big boost, with a 66% increase in their earnings.

However, Hollywood had a tough time, too. Their box office dropped by 17% this year, earning just ₹941 crore. No Hollywood movies made more than ₹200 crore in India, and only three films reached ₹100 crore. Popular titles like “Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” led the way, but overall, it was a weak year for Hollywood, with only 3.8 crore tickets sold.

A cake that looks like Claudia Winkleman, the host of “The Traitors,” has gone viral on TikTok! This fun cake, created by Keith Scovell, 55, from Kentish Town in London, features Tic Tacs for teeth and black icing to mimic Claudia’s famous hairstyle. Keith loves to make funny cakes that make people smile. He started posting his amazing creations on social media during the pandemic.

His latest Winkleman cake has gained almost 200,000 views and over 30,000 likes on TikTok! Keith enjoys bringing joy to others with his cakes, which often have unusual and silly designs. He said, “I thought, can I recreate Claudia’s face?” His cake has an oversized mouth with Tic Tac teeth and a quirky look, which he believes adds a “comedic” touch.

Keith, who is not a professional baker, makes these cakes for fun, often for his friends and family. For example, he made a special Taylor Swift cake for his niece’s birthday. Even TV stars like Ant and Dec have praised his funny creations! He shared that people from America and Australia want to buy his cakes but joked that they might scare kids if displayed in a shop.

It takes him around two to three hours to make a cake, plus the baking time. He admits that his baking skills are “very basic,” but he enjoys the process. Keith feels amazed by the positive reactions he gets online, saying there hasn’t been a single negative comment. He wants to keep making cakes to spread happiness and encourages everyone to share their joyful moments.

“If it makes you smile, it will likely make someone else smile too!” he said.

In the scary situation caused by the Palisades Fire, actor Ben Affleck was seen sharing a heartfelt moment with his oldest daughter, Violet. As the flames got closer to his $20 million home in Los Angeles, they had to evacuate quickly. Ben was photographed hugging Violet tightly when he returned to their property.

Wearing a comfy gray hoodie, Ben looked emotional as he held Violet, who was dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, wearing an N-95 mask to protect herself from the smoky air. The picture, shared by Page Six, shows Ben gently touching Violet’s hair and kissing her forehead, showing how relieved and thankful he felt after a really tough time. Even in the chaos, the 52-year-old managed a small smile with his daughter.

Violet is getting ready to go back to Yale University for the spring semester. Her younger siblings, Seraphina (16) and Samuel (12), were not seen with her. Ben shares his three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, and they live with her in Brentwood.

After the evacuation order, Ben returned to his Pacific Palisades house on Wednesday and felt relieved to find it had survived the wildfires.

Ben, who recently finalized his divorce from Jennifer Lopez just a day before the evacuation, has been staying in touch with her during this difficult time. The wildfire has been tragic, taking 16 lives and causing many people, including celebrities like Paris Hilton and Tom Hanks, to evacuate. Some homes were completely destroyed, while others just had minor damage.

Ben bought his mansion in July 2024, a few months before the wildfires. Initially, he sought shelter at his ex-wife Jennifer Garner’s home when the evacuation order came. But later, it was reported that he returned to his house after the fire, feeling grateful it was safe amid the widespread destruction. Sources said, “Ben’s home is still under evacuation orders, but he is very thankful it is okay for now.” He has also been reaching out to help others who lost their homes in the disaster.