Kim Kardashian takes Instagram crown

Kim Kardashian takes Instagram; new correspondents for The Daily Show; a hero lands on Dancing With the Stars, Stephen Colbert spars with Jeb Bush ahead of The Tonight Show;

Kim Kardashian now has more Instagram followers than anyone else. Jordan Strauss / Invision / AP

Reality television star Kim Kardashian is now more than ever the queen of social media, announcing Wednesday that her Instagram account has a record 45 million followers.

“45 million Instagram followers!!!!! I love you guys!!!!!” Kardashian informed those same followers, captioning a selfie of a sidelong smile.

With that tally, the star of Keeping up with the Kardashians and wife of rapper Kanye West, now has more followers than any other Instagram user.

Pop stars Taylor Swift and Beyonce are close behind at 44.7 million and 44.6 million, respectively, and two other pop stars, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande, round out the top five. – AP

Big B says Hindi film industry deserves more

Athough India churns out the largest number of films, the industry still does not mint “revenues that they deserve” - but that could be changing, argues the megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

In a post on his blog, he wrote: “The film world of our nation produces the largest number of films in the world and of this we are proud... but we do not produce the revenues that they deserve...efforts and fresh thoughts are being developed each moment on this and many a generous soul show concern and anguish over this.

Bachchan argued that the industry needs to learn Western ways of better marketing its products.

The 72-year-old, who stepped into the world of Hollywood with his cameo appearance in The Great Gatsby, and was last seen on the big screen in Piku, went on to share that "within the last few days of meetings and consultations, there seems to be evolving various ideas on this could be reversed".

Amitabh, who has been a part of Hindi filmdom for over four decades, feels the new way of storytelling in Bollywood is one thing everyone should watch out for.

“Some marvellous ideas, exciting stories, out of the box contemplations, are all what the young makers are thinking...and they come with such beautiful ideas, it is difficult to resist them...one wishes one had time on our side so we could be involved in all of them,” he posted. – Ians

3 new comics added to ‘Daily Show’

Anticipating its relaunch with Trevor Noah as host later this month, Comedy Central's The Daily Show has added three new comics to its rotating cast of correspondents.

Ronny Chieng, who has spent the bulk of his comic career in Australia; Desi Lydic, who appeared in MTV's Awkward; and Roy Wood Jr, a stand-up comic who participated in NBC's Last Comic Standing and Comedy Central's Laugh Riots competition, are the new staff members.

Holdovers from the Jon Stewart era include Jordan Klepper, Hasan Minhaj, Jessica Williams, Lewis Black, John Hodgman, Al Madrigal, Aasif Mandvi and Kristen Schaal.

Noah begins as host of the weeknight show on September 28. He will close out the new 10-day Dubai Comedy Festival on October 24. – AP

Katrina Kaif calls for more female-driven film in Bollywood

Katrina Kaif is arguing that if there were more Bollywood films featuring women in the lead, women could then demand pay equal to their male counterparts.

The actress, who has worked with A-list actors such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar and is currently starring in Phantom, shared that she has indeed faced the experience of being paid less. The 32-year-old said that it makes sense to pay certain actors that much because they have proven their mettle by recovering the money. Without women in lead roles: "We have yet to see enough films that have guaranteed the producer that 'x' amount of money can be paid upfront to the actress." Kaif suggested that more actresses seek contracts where their pay depends on box office takings. – Ians

France hero in ABC’s new ‘Dancing’ cast

American network ABC moved quickly to land one of the three men who foiled a terror attack on a Paris-bound train last month for the 21st season cast of Dancing With the Stars.

The network announced Wednesday that Alek Skarlatos, who overpowered a gun-toting man last month with his friends Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler, will be in the dancing competition that starts again on September 14.

Chef Paula Deen, actor Gary Busey and Bindi Irwin, actress-daughter of the late wildlife TV star Steve Irwin, are among the other cast members. – AP

Stephen Colbert one-ups Jeb Bush raffle with 1 of his own

Jeb Bush, a scheduled guest on Colbert's first night hosting CBS' The Late Show on Tuesday, recently sent a letter to potential supporters raffling off a "VIP ticket" to the taping in exchange for a US$3 (Dh11) donation to his presidential campaign.

So Colbert took things into his own hands: In a video posted Wednesday, he praised the contest as “a great idea” and unveiled his own raffle. For a $3 or more, fans can enter to be a VIP guest to the premiere taping. The winner gets to bring a friend, and the package also includes flights and accommodations at a four-star hotel, as well as the chance to submit one “non-obscene” question to Colbert, for Bush’s appearance on the show September 8. – AP