Angelina Jolie’s new film debuts in Cambodia
Angelina Jolie presented her new film on the horrors of the Khmer Rouge era over the weekend at the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia. Cambodia's king and survivors of the communist regime were among 1,500 people invited to the debut screening of First They Killed My Father, directed by Jolie and based on the memoirs of Loung Ung, who was five years old when the Khmer Rouge swept into Phnom Penh. The regime killed up to two million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979 through execution, starvation and overwork. "The movie reflects the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime," Sin Chanchhaya, director of Cambodia's Cinema and Cultural Diffusion Department, said. "This is a big deal for us. There is a strong interest among the Cambodian people (for the film)." It is the second movie Jolie has made tackling the subject of genocide. In 2011, she made a film about the Bosnian conflict featuring entirely local actors. But her latest movie is more personal. Jolie adopted her first son Maddox from an orphanage in Cambodia's western Battambang province in 2002 and frequently travels to the country. She has been awarded Cambodian citizenship by King Norodom Sihamoni. Almost the entire film is in the Khmer language while all the cast members and much of the crew were local hires. The film is also co-produced by Rithy Panh, Cambodia's most acclaimed filmmaker. -AFP
Hugh Jackman talks about his cancer and Wolverine at Berlin Film Festival
Hugh Jackman arrived at the premiere of Logan on the first night of the Berlin Film Festival over the weekend with a small bandage on his nose after announcing on Twitter he had been treated for skin cancer once again. But Jackman insisted he's OK. "It is fine, it is all done, all fixed, all out. Thank you for asking." Jackman revealed last week that he had another basal cell carcinoma on his nose and tweeted out a picture of his bandaged nose. He urged people to wear sunscreen. But his focus at the film festival was the Logan premiere. It's the third instalment of the Wolverine spin-off series. "I didn't want it to be seen as a comic book movie, I wanted it to be seen as a film on its own," said Jackman. The movie is set in a dystopian future and sees Wolverine caring for an aged Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). Jackman has said that this movie is the end of the road for him and Wolverine. -AP
Stephen Colbert show will air live after Trump’s address to congress
Stephen Colbert is going to have his say after President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. CBS said that The Late Show will air live at 11:35pm EST on Tuesday, the night of Trump's scheduled speech. Josh Earnest, former press secretary for the Obama White House, and actress Lisa Kudrow will be Colbert's guests on his 15th live show. Colbert's show has ranked as the most-watched late-night show for the past two weeks. Colbert, who honed his political comedy skills as a Comedy Central host, began edging up on leader Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show after the election. -AP
Nicole Kidman says she was engaged to Lenny Kravitz
Actress Nicole Kidman has revealed that she was once engaged to musician Lenny Kravitz. Kidman confirmed her engagement to Kravitz in a recent interview with Net-a-Porter's magazine The Edit, in which she discussed her upcoming HBO series Big Little Lies. Kidman said she already knew co-star Zoe Kravitz because she was once engaged to her father. Kidman dated Lenny Kravitz a couple of years after her divorce from actor Tom Cruise in 2001. She never disclosed an engagement, although she talked about a failed engagement in 2007 with an unnamed ex. She's currently married to country singer Keith Urban. Kidman said "it's all in the family" when talking about working with Zoe Kravitz and said Lenny Kravitz is "a great guy." -AP
Ed Sheeran tops Spotify
Ed Sheeran is the most popular artist of the moment on Spotify. The English pop star has 42.2 million monthly listeners on the world's most popular streaming service, which means nearly half of Spotify's 100 million users listen to him. He beat R&B sensation The Weeknd, who took the crown in December after his Starboy album came out. The Toronto singer had in turn ended a reign of nearly seven months by his sometime mentor, the rapper Drake. The Weeknd has fallen to third place and Drake to fourth with the New York electronic dance duo The Chainsmokers entering second place. Sheeran has enjoyed massive streaming of his two new songs Shape of You and Castle on the Hill. The two songs appear on Sheeran's third album Divide, which comes out on March 3. -AFP
Mick Jagger refuses to have his memoir published
The Rolling Stones star Mick Jagger has written a 75,000-word memoir, but is refusing to publish it. The 73-year-old icon wrote the memoir in the late 1970s, when the Rolling Stones co-founder was given 1 million pound for the project. But he decided against publishing it and handed the money back. The memoir is in the hands of writer and publisher John Blake now, who revealed in an article that he has it stored in a “secret hiding place”. Blake said: “So far as I have been able to ascertain, a publisher rejected the manuscript because it was light on sex and drugs. In the early 1980s, when it was written, shock and awe was a vital part of any successful autobiography. Read now, however, it is a little masterpiece. A perfectly preserved time capsule written when the Stones had produced all their greatest music but still burnt with the passion and fire of youth and idealism.” Blake claims the book shows a different side of the rock legend. Joyce Smyth, The Rolling Stones’ manager, has confirmed the existence of the book, but said that Blake would not be allowed to publish it. -IANS
Stars to walk at charity fashion show
Veteran actor Jeetendra and actor-producer Arbaaz Khan will flaunt designer Archana Kochhar’s menswear creations for a fashion show for animal welfare charity. Kochhar will be launching her new menswear line at the ‘Forever Friends’ fashion show, which runs today. Singer Shaan and cricketer Zaheer Khan will also walk the ramp. The designer will showcase her new Suave line, an exclusive range focusing entirely on Indian contemporary menswear. “The highlight of this collection is the small detailing in the collars and real jewel buttons made with uncut diamonds and precious stones,” Kochhar said, adding that the inspiration is a regal modern man. -IANS
Indian singer Akasa Singh teams up with Ricky Martin
Indian singer Akasa Singh has collaborated with Spanish singer Ricky Martin for an English-Hindi mix song titled Vente Pa Ca. The duet was curated by Sony Music US and India and A & R teams. Singh says: "Ricky Martin is a legend and working with him was a dream. When I heard the song for the first time, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. The hook of the song stays with you long after you are done listening and that's what I love about the song." Martin sings in English in the song, while Singh sings in Hindi. The song is available on music portal Saavn. -IANS