Tag: Hollywood

  • Hilary Duff to star in ‘How I Met Your Mother’ sequel

    Hilary Duff to star in ‘How I Met Your Mother’ sequel

    Cult classic How I Met Your Mother is finally getting a sequel and Hilary Duff has been roped in as the lead.

    Titled How I Met Your Father, the gender-swapped upcoming show, which will stream on Hulu, will feature the Lizzie McGuire star play the female version of the original’s lead character, Ted Mosby.

    According to a press release, the story will “catapult us back to the year 2021 where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options.”

    The sequel’s format will be the same as the original CBS comedy which ran from 2005 to 2014.

    Duff, in a statement, expressed her excitement over the development, saying: “I’ve been incredibly lucky in my career to play some wonderful characters and I’m looking forward to taking on the role of Sophie. As a huge fan of How I Met Your Mother, I’m honoured and even a little nervous that Carter and Craig would trust me with the sequel of their baby.” Carter Bays and Craig Thomas are the co-creators of the new show.

    “Just fangirling over here getting to join the Hulu Originals and 20th families. I realize these are big shoes to fill and I’m excited to slip my 6 ½’s in there,” added Duff.

    The actor later also shared the news on social media “The news came out that I am going to be shooting How I Met Your Father. Today is a good day,” she captioned the post.

    No timeline for the show’s filming or release date has been announced as yet.

    Read more – Hilary Duff confirms ‘Lizzie McGuire’ reboot cancelled

    This is not the first time a sequel to the superhit series has been planned. Back in 2014, soon after How I Met Your Mother wrapped up CBS had ordered a pilot episode of a similar-sounding spinoff show called How I Met Your Dad starring Greta Gerwig (who has since written and directed the movies “Little Women” and “Lady Bird”), but it was ultimately scrapped.

  • ‘Friends’ reunion episode wraps up shooting

    ‘Friends’ reunion episode wraps up shooting

    The unscripted reunion episode of the 90’s popular sitcom Friends has wrapped up shooting which means that it will be coming to our screens very soon. The reunion episode was originally announced in February 2020 and will see Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer together on the screen for the first time since the show wrapped in 2004.

    As per details, the special episode was recorded at Warner Bros Studios in just three days. While a release date has not been announced, the episode will be available to stream on HBO Max.

    Earlier, Perry accidentally shared a behind-the-scenes picture of himself prepping for the episode, only to delete the post moments later.

    “Seconds before eating a makeup brush, not to mention reuniting with my friends,” he had captioned the photo.

    Though creators of the show are trying to keep details tightly under wraps, pictures from the sets emerged on social media and it has been reported that the special was shot on the show’s original soundstage on the Warner Bros lot in Burbank, California.

    It has further been reported that while a live audience participated in the reunion, they were “mostly union extras, Covid screened and hired for the gig”, after the pandemic prevented fans from attending.

    The revived set – partially based outdoors for COVID safety protocols – includes the iconic water fountain that the cast splashed around in during the show’s intro, sound-tracked by The Rembrandts’ theme tune, I’ll Be There For You.

    Friends aired for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004. It was also nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards and won the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002.

  • Samina Ahmed reportedly shooting for a Hollywood project in Thailand

    Samina Ahmed is reportedly shooting for a ‘Hollywood serial’ in Thailand, her husband Manzar Sehbai has revealed.

    Replying to an Instagram user asking where Samina is, Sehbai said: “She is in Thailand, shooting for a Hollywood serial. Will be back on 6th of May.”

    While Sehbai did not reveal what project Samina is shooting for, it is believed that the veteran actor is part of Disney+’s Ms Marvel. As per details, the series is currently being shot in Bangkok and Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar is also in the city for it.

    According to a report in the Indian media, “Farhan is currently stationed in Bangkok, along with an international cast and crew, for the shoot of a project with Marvel Studios, who are known to be one of the biggest film studios worldwide.”

    Marvel Studio’s upcoming original series Ms Marvel, will see Iman Vellani play Kamala Khan aka Ms Marvel. Churails actor Nimra Bucha is also part of the cast and is expected to have a titular role in the series.

    According to a press release, “The Marvel Studios original series centres on fan-favourite Kamala Khan — a 16-year-old Pakistani-American growing up in Jersey City. A great student, avid gamer, and voracious fan-fic scribe, Kamala has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel.”

    The episodes of the series will be directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life), Meera Menon (The Walking Dead, Dirty John, Outlander) and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

    The series is set to premiere on Disney+ later this year.

  • Chrissy Teigen deletes Twitter account after 10 years

    Chrissy Teigen has deleted her popular Twitter account, saying the site no longer plays a positive role in her life.

    “For over 10 years you guys have been my world,” Teigen wrote to her 13.7 million followers Wednesday night. “But it’s time to say goodbye. This no longer serves me as positively as it serves me negatively, and I think that’s the right time to call something.”

    Teigen’s account was popular for its mix of jokes about her husband John Legend and their children, their playful banter on the site, funny observations about assorted topics and fierce retorts for those she disagreed with or who criticised her.

    That reputation is at odds with who she really is, the model and cookbook author wrote.

    “My life goal is to make people happy,” she wrote. “The pain I feel when I don’t is too much for me. I’ve always been portrayed as the strong clap back girl but I’m just not.”

    Last year, Teigen shared the heartbreak of a miscarriage on the site, posting an anguished picture of her in the hospital. Another image showed her and Legend grieving over a bundle cradled in her arms.

    While her candour about the loss of their son won praise, some criticised her for putting such painful moments on social media.

    She wrote Wednesday that she’s experienced so many attacks from low-follower accounts that she’s “deeply bruised.”

    In one of her final posts, she told her followers to “never forget that your words matter.”

    Teigen’s Instagram account, with more than 34 million followers, remains active as does Legend’s Twitter account, with 14 million followers.

  • ‘Timeless India in the heart of NYC’: Priyanka Chopra to open her own restaurant

    Priyanka Chopra is opening her own Indian restaurant in New York, with the name of ‘Sona’.

    Priyanka Chopra took to her Instagram account and shared the pictures from an intimate prayer ceremony that took place in 2019, to make the announcement.

    “Im thrilled to present to you SONA, a new restaurant in NYC that I poured my love for Indian food into. SONA is the very embodiment of timeless India and the flavours I grew up wit,” wrote Priyanka while making the announcement.

    “The kitchen is helmed by the incredible Chef Hari Nayak , a masterful talent, who has created the most delicious and innovative menu, taking you on a food journey through my amazing country.”

    Priyanka also added: “SONA is opening later this month, and I can’t wait to see you there.”

    She thanked her team members saying, “This endeavour would not have been possible without the leadership of my friends Maneesh Goyal and David Rabin. Thank you to our designer Melissa Bowers and the rest of the team for realizing this vision so clearly.”

    She concluded: “The second and third photos were taken in September 2019 when we performed a small intimate Puja (prayer ceremony) to bless the space that would soon become Sona Godspeed.”

    “Timeless India in the heart of NYC” the description of the restaurant say. As per the information available the restaurant will open its doors in late march.

  • ‘I failed’: Justin Timberlake apologises to Britney Spears, Janet Jackson after online criticism

    ‘I failed’: Justin Timberlake apologises to Britney Spears, Janet Jackson after online criticism

    Justin Timberlake on Friday apologised for moments he “fell short” and condoned misogyny, one week after the release of a blockbuster documentary on Britney Spears saw the behaviour of the former boy band star come under sharp criticism.

    The film, produced by FX and The New York Times, explores the vitriol both the media and entertainment industry aimed at Spears, who soared to global fame before publicly suffering a mental health crisis and becoming a paparazzi punching bag in the mid-to-late 2000s.

    Spears and Timberlake famously dated several years around the turn of the millennium, having met as children while cast members of Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club variety show.

    The popular narrative of their breakup cast Spears as a cheating heartbreaker, offering sympathy to Timberlake especially after he released a revenge fantasy music video for the break-up hit Cry Me A River.

    The documentary Framing Britney Spears includes audio from a 2002 radio interview in which Timberlake jokes about the couple’s sex life; Spears for years was needled over the state of her virginity prior to the break-up.

    “So when are you apologising to Britney?” asked Spears fans on social media, flooding Timberlake’s accounts with tags.

    “I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respond,” Timberlake said Friday on Instagram.

    “I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” he wrote. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism.”

    Timberlake, 40, said he “specifically wanted to apologise to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”

    In Jackson’s case, the former NSYNC star was referring to the infamous “wardrobe malfunction” Jackson suffered during a much-watched Super Bowl halftime show when Timberlake appeared to pull off part of her outfit and expose her breast.

    The 2004 scandal triggered widespread outcry, with much of the criticism aimed at Jackson.

    In both cases Jackson’s and Spears’ careers took serious hits, while Timberlake’s popularity remained largely unscathed.

    “As a man in a privileged position I have to be vocal about this,” Timberlake wrote, nearly two decades after the incidents in question.

    “Because of my ignorance, I didn’t recognise it for all that it was while it was happening in my own life but I do not want to ever benefit from others being pulled down again.”

    “I have not been perfect in navigating all of this throughout my career,” Timberlake added. “I know this apology is the first step and doesn’t absolve the past. I want to take accountability for my missteps in all of this as well as be part of a world that uplifts and supports.”

    Timberlake is now married to actress Jessica Biel.

    The documentary’s release this month has triggered renewed scrutiny of the conservatorship Spears, 39, has lived under since 2008, a legal guardianship dictating the course of her life and finances that’s largely been steered by her father Jamie.

    Spears filed last year to remove her father from the conservatorship and give sole power over her estate to a financial institution. Her court-appointed lawyer says she’s “afraid” of her father.

    On Thursday a judge ruled that both Spears’ father and Bessemer Trust would oversee the pop star’s finances, denying Jamie Spears’ bid to keep sole power to delegate investments.

    Spears’ lawyer did not seek Thursday to remove Jamie Spears’ from the legal arrangement normally intended for the elderly or infirm, but has not ruled out doing so in the future.

    The next hearing is set for March 17.

  • ‘Emily in Paris’ writer surprised with Golden Globe nomination

    The nominations for the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards were unveiled on Wednesday, and Netflix’s Emily in Paris ended up receiving two nominations – Best TV Series (Musical or Comedy) and Best Performance by an Actress in a TV series (Musical or Comedy).

    The unusual nominations did not sit very well with audiences who were upset with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – a 90-member group known, and often criticised for, unpredictable choices – for snubbing out favourites such as I May Destroy You and Bridgerton.

    Read more – Every Pakistani girl wants to be ‘Emily in Paris’

    Interestingly, even the writers on the show are surprised with the nominations.

    “I’m a writer on the show. I tried to avoid reading its criticism, but I don’t live under a rock. It never occurred to me that our show would be nominated,” said Deborah Copakenn, a writer on the show.

    In a piece for The Guardian, Copaken said: “Emily in Paris aired a few months after I’d spent June and July marching for racial justice through the streets of New York with my kids. I could definitely see how a show about a white American selling luxury whiteness, in a pre-pandemic Paris scrubbed free of its vibrant African and Muslim communities, might rankle. Our show also aired soon after I read Caste by Isabel Wilkerson and gobbled down Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You, a work of sheer genius about the aftermath of a rape. ‘That show,’ I told everyone who would listen, ‘deserves to win all the awards’.”

    She continued: “When it didn’t, I was stunned. I May Destroy You was not only my favourite show of 2020. It’s my favourite show ever. It takes the complicated issue of rape – I’m a sexual assault survivor myself – and infuses it with heart, humour, pathos and a story constructed so well, I had to watch it twice, just to understand how Coel did it.”

    Copaken added that though she is excited about the nomination, “but that excitement is now unfortunately tempered by my rage over Coel’s snub. I May Destroy You did not get one Golden Globe nod is not only wrong, it’s what is wrong with everything.”

    Created by Darren Star of the Sex and the City fame, Emily in Paris follows Emily as she navigates her life in Paris and tries to add an “American touch” to the firm she works at. The series has been produced by the show’s star Lily Collins.

    In November 2020, Netflix announced that it was renewing Emily in Paris for a second season.

    Note – An earlier version of the story wrongly credited Abby Govindan as a writer on the show after she tweeted: “As the creator of Emily in Paris, can I just say…why the f*** were we nominated for a Golden Globe. I made that show as a prank.”

  • Keira Knightley says she will no longer shoot sex scenes directed by men

    Keira Knightley says she will no longer shoot sex scenes directed by men

    Keira Knightley has said that she is no longer interested in doing sex scenes just to appeal to men, adding that if there was a female director was behind the camera, she might consider it. The Pirates Of The Caribbean star also revealed that the ‘no-nudity’ clause in her contracts is partly because she now has two children.

    In conversation with director Lulu Wang and writer-producer Diane Solway on the Chanel Connects podcast, Knightley said that the “male gaze” and her own personal vanity was the reason behind her decision.

    “I feel very uncomfortable now trying to portray the male gaze,” said Knightley. “Saying that, there’s times where I go, ‘Yeah, I completely see where this sex would be really good in this film and you basically just need somebody to look hot.’”

    “So, therefore, you can use somebody else because I’m too vain and the body has had two children now and I’d just rather not stand in front of a group of men naked,” she continued.

    The actor further said: “We all empathise with men hugely because, culturally, their experience is so explored. We know so many aspects of even male sexuality. But we don’t feel like men can say, ‘Yes, I understand what you’re talking about because I’ve got this wealth of art and film and theatre and TV from your point of view.’”

    The British actress, 35, added a no-nudity clause to her contract after having children, saying she was more vocal now than she had been as a breakout star in her early 20s in movies like Pride And Prejudice and Atonement.

    “If I was making a story that was about that journey of motherhood and body acceptance, I feel like, I’m sorry, but that would have to be with a female filmmaker,” Knightley said. “I don’t have an absolute ban, but I kind of do with men.”

    “I don’t want it to be those horrible sex scenes where you’re all greased up and everybody is grunting. I’m not interested in doing that,” she added.

    Read more – Sana Fakhar responds to backlash on PDA picture

    In the past, Knightley has spoken in the past of clashes with male directors, launching a broadside against male colleagues in a 2018 essay:

    “They tell me what it is to be a woman. Be nice, be supportive, be pretty but not too pretty, be thin but not too thin, be sexy but not too sexy, be successful but not too successful. … But I don’t want to flirt and mother them, flirt and mother, flirt and mother. I don’t want to flirt with you because I don’t want to fuck you, and I don’t want to mother you because I am not your mother. … I just want to work, mate. Is that OK? Talk and be heard, be talked to, and listen.”

    “Male ego. Stop getting in the way.”

  • What to watch this long weekend

    What to watch this long weekend

    Ah, the long weekend is here and with COVID-19 still posing a threat, time to kick back and binge-watch movies and shows while staying cosy at home. Here’s a list of new releases hitting streaming platforms this weekend.

    AK vs AK

    Termed a mockumentary (a film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary), AK vs AK features Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap with Sonam Kapoor also putting in an appearance. The film’s official synopsis reads: “A brash film director (Kashyap, as himself) kidnaps the daughter of a movie star (Kapoor, as himself) and films the star’s desperate search for his daughter in real-time as his next blockbuster.”

    The film has received raving reviews and looks very different from what Bollywood usually has to offer.

    Read more – Anil Kapoor’s upcoming film ‘AK vs AK’ gets into trouble with the Indian Air Force

    The Midnight Sky

    George Clooney heads to the post-apocalyptic world in this new space drama for Netflix which he has directed himself. While the film has opened to mixed reviews, Clooney’s performance and getup in the film have been highly appreciated. The film is already trending at number one on Netflix Pakistan.

    Coolie No 1

    Featuring Sara Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan in the lead, Coolie No 1 is a remake of the 1995 film of the same name starring Govinda and Karisma Kapoor. The film is a through and through Bollywood masala film with colourful dances, sets and crass comedy. While it probably does not have anything new to offer, we’ll just sit through it to make comparisons and trash Bollywood for repeating the same problematic tropes and not coming up with anything new.

    Bridgerton

    Netflix’s big Christmas drop, Bridgerton has been described by several reviews as a period drama which sees Downton Abbey meets Gossip Girl.  Based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling romance novels, the show follows the powerful Bridgerton family as they navigate London high society in the 18th-century. According to reviews and critics, the series is fuzzy, romantic and highly bingeable but hollow at the same time. But if you’re a sucker for period romance, you’re bound to enjoy it – I know I will.

    The Undoing

    Though this murder mystery featuring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant is a couple of weeks old, it is totally worth the watch. The six-episodes series is gripping, intense and will have you on the edge of your seat as you guess who the killer is. And while it does drag at a few points, the stellar performances more than make up for it.

    What are you looking forward to the most?

  • Hilary Duff confirms ‘Lizzie McGuire’ reboot cancelled

    Hilary Duff confirms ‘Lizzie McGuire’ reboot cancelled

    Hilary Duff has confirmed that the Lizzie McGuire reboot planned at Disney+ has been cancelled, saying that “the stars just didn’t align” for the project.

    “I know the efforts and conversations have been everywhere trying to make a reboot work but, sadly and despite everyone’s best efforts, it isn’t going to happen,” Duff wrote in her post.

    “I want any reboot of Lizzie to be honest and authentic to who Lizzie would be today,” she continued. “It’s what the character deserves.”

    “I’m very sad, but I promise everyone tried their best,” she added.

    Meanwhile, Disney in a statement, said: “Lizzie McGuire fans have high expectations for any new stories. Unless and until we are confident we can meet those expectations, we’ve decided to hold off and today, we informed the cast’s representatives that we are not moving forward with the planned series.”

    The revival was first announced in August 2019, a few months ahead of Disney+’s launch. Duff was to play a grown-up version of the character living in New York City working as a decorator’s assistant and finding luck in love. Adam Lamberg, Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine and Jake Thomas were set to reprise their roles as well.

    Series creator Terri Minsky was also attached to the revival, but she exited the series in January after two episodes had been filmed. “We concluded that we need to move in a different creative direction and are putting a new lens on the show,” a Disney had spokesperson said at the time.

    VIDEO: Tom and Jerry are back in action in new trailer

    Following Minsky’s departure, Disney+ said it would search for a new showrunner, but none was ever announced. Duff and Minsky both lobbied for the show to reflect the adult Lizzie’s life in full and supported moving the series to Hulu.

    “I’d be doing a disservice to everyone by limiting the realities of a 30-year-old’s journey to live under the ceiling of a PG rating,” Duff had written in a February Instagram post. “It would be a dream if Disney would let us move the show to Hulu if they were interested, and I could bring this beloved character to life again.”