Opening minds

Aahana Kumra, who will soon be seen essaying a negative role in Avrodh Season 2, recently opened up about her role in the show and her experience of working with actor Abir Chatterjee for the first time. The actress India Today, “I don't think I have the liberty to talk about it because I would like everyone to watch the show. It is a negative lead. It is a space where my character feels what she is doing is right. And it is a space I have never touched upon. It is a very different space from what I have ever played in my career so far.” She went on to add, “It was very interesting because I have never done anything like this. I was like 'Chalo, for once I can play something new and different.' I never get to repeat my roles and I am really happy about it.” Aadha Ishq Producer Bhairavi Raichura Praises Aamna Sharif For Her Work Dedication; Read Statement On being quizzed about working with Abir Chatterjee, Aahana said that she got to do a few … [Read more...] about Aahana Kumra Opens Up About Playing Negative Lead In Avrodh 2: Have Never Done Anything Like This

Lola Muñoz has explained the meaning of the “The Ketchup Song” more times than she can count, but she’ll try once more: “The song,” says the singer — one of three sisters, alongside Lucía and Pilar, who make up the Spanish pop trio Las Ketchup — “is about Diego, not us.” Diego is the drunk, hip-hop-loving protagonist of the song, the oddball 2002 Las Ketchup track (originally titled “Aserejé”) that hit Number One in two dozen countries, anchored a four-times platinum album, and eventually spawned the biggest novelty dance craze since the Macarena. At the center of the song’s pre-YouTube-era virality was the trio’s choreographed dance, seen in the video, to its gibberish chorus (roughly: “ aserejé-ja-dejé …”). But what many English-speaking “Ketchup Song” fans may have never realized is that the chorus is itself a nonsensical mangling of the refrain from another classic record: “Rapper’s Delight,” the Sugarhill Gang’s pioneering 1979 hip-hop classic. “Diego likes … [Read more...] about ‘I Think We Opened Doors’: Las Ketchup Look Back on ‘The Ketchup Song’ at 20

Gallery Launch Gallery Backgrid Rafael Nadal took a well-deserved break after winning his 14th French Open ... hitting the Spanish seas with his pregnant wife and friends on an insane mega-yacht! The No. 4 ranked tennis star was spotted on the 78-foot, multimillion-dollar catamaran yacht named "Great White" just days after beating Norwegian Casper Ruud in the major tourney -- setting a new record with 14 French Open title wins. And, the champ was celebrating like someone who just made history ... diving into the water, and hanging out on the deck with his buddies. His wife, Maria Perello , was also livin' the vacay life ... just days after the couple -- who married in 2019 -- announced they're expecting their first child. But, the R&R won't last long, though. Nadal -- who's dealing with pain in his left foot -- has Wimbledon to win ... and his first match is Tuesday against Francisco Cerúndolo . Backgrid … [Read more...] about Rafael Nadal Relaxes W/ Pregnant Wife Aboard Yacht After French Open Win

In modern South Korea, pop stars and politics don’t often mix. While some hip-hop acts (such as Epik High) address controversial topics, many idol groups stick to a slick, apolitical formula with a proven record of success. BTS, who just became the first K-pop act ever to top the Billboard 200 album sales chart, have become a record-setting success story in part because of their willingness to buck this convention. The seven young men who make up the group have been speaking their minds since their debut, openly discussing LGBTQ rights, mental health and the pressure to succeed – all taboo subjects in South Korea. Their stance is particularly bold given the Korean government’s history of keeping an eye on controversial themes in pop music. By straddling the line between maintaining a respectable image and writing critical lyrics, BTS have offered a refreshing change from what some critics and fans dislike about the K-Pop machine. The group’s history of open-mindedness … [Read more...] about How BTS Are Breaking K-Pop’s Biggest Taboos

A night out drinking. Hooking up with the girl decked out in leather at the club. Dancing in the middle of the dance floor at a gay bar. It’s exactly what Muna wants — and they’re not afraid to get it. The Los Angeles trio of vocalist Katie Gavin and multi-instrumentalists and producers Naomi McPherson and Josette Maskin marked the release of their third full-length, self-titled album with the release of single “What I Want” — a maximalist pop gem anchored by a pulsating bass line and accentuated with shimmery arpeggiating synth leads. “I’ve spent way too, too, too many years/Not knowing what/What I wanted, how to get it, how to live it and now I’m gonna make up for it all at once,” Gavin declares in the song’s pre-chorus. “Cause that’s, that’s just what I want.” To a casual listener, a song about reclaiming and owning one’s power isn’t exactly unique in the contemporary pop landscape — but when examining “What I Want” through the lens of Muna’s position as a group of openly … [Read more...] about Muna Serves Us Pure Early 2000s Celebrity Fantasy in ‘What I Want’

The San Sebastian Film Festival will fete Canadian director and screenwriter David Cronenberg with its prestigious Donostia Award at the 70th edition, running 16-24 September. The filmmaker will receive the career achievement prize on September 21 at a ceremony in the festival’s main Victoria Eugenia Theatre, followed by a gala screening of controversial Cannes 2022 Palme d’Or contender Crimes of the Future . The body horror thriller – starring Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux and Kristen Stewart – divided spectators in Cannes, prompting both walk-outs and a six-minute ovation. Cronenberg has only attended San Sebastian once before in his career with Eastern Promises , which was the opening film in 2007. Previous filmmakers to have received the Donostia Award include Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, Agnès Varda, Hirokazu Koreeda and Costa-Gavras. French actress Juliette Binoche will also be honored with a Donostia Award this year. … [Read more...] about San Sebastian To Honor David Cronenberg With Donostia Award

Actor Ranbir Kapoor on Friday said he is not an angry person in real life and that worked against him initially when he took up the role of a fearless warrior in his upcoming movie Shamshera . Kapoor has collaborated with filmmaker Karan Malhotra for the period action movie, which chronicles the story of a dacoit fighting for the cause of his tribe and independence from the British. At the film’s trailer launch event here, Kapoor said he lacks angst as an actor and Malhotra had to work extra hard in tapping that side of his personality. “It was very hard for me (to do this film). Karan held my hand. One thing I lack as an actor is angst. I am not an angry person. I am a fun-loving, happy and detached guy. Karan struggled with angst and we sat together a lot. He was like, 'how do I extract the emotion of anger from you for the character’. He started going deeper in my personal life, into my past, because he wanted to tap into that side of me,” the 39-year-old … [Read more...] about Ranbir Kapoor On Shamshera: I Lack Angst As An Actor; It Was Hard For Me To Do This Film

A few days before the official start of CMA Fest in Nashville, Luke Combs is already running at full speed. He’s set to perform at Nissan Stadium over the weekend, but today he’s making up for the last two years or so of pandemic delays and cancellations with a giant celebration for a run of nine Number One songs that he co-wrote — from 2018’s “Beautiful Crazy” to the most recent, “Doin’ This.” Combs and a small army of collaborators have gathered at the Nashville headquarters of performing-rights organization BMI to mark the occasion with a concert in the parking lot. “Hell, yeah. Hell, yeah,” Combs says twice, raising a glass of some potent brown liquid as BMI exec Clay Bradley rattles off statistic after statistic about these hit songs. Combs is in good spirits and makes the rounds in the room — never holding court, just sticking to smaller group conversations. Outside in the June heat, the BMI building has taken on a fortress-like appearance. Temporary fencing … [Read more...] about Luke Combs Is Country Music’s Biggest Star. He’s Also Its Biggest Champion

Stephanie Hwang was 15 when she left her native California for Seoul, South Korea, where she hoped to become a music star. Within two years, the teenager – now going by the stage name of Tiffany – made her debut with Girls’ Generation, which would become one of the most successful K-Pop groups ever. “It wasn’t easy in the beginning, because I was in Korea without my family and I couldn’t speak the language,” says the 28-year-old singer. “I had to learn Korean really fast so that I knew what was going on.” Last year, she opted not to renew her contract with SM Entertainment and moved back to Los Angeles to study acting and launch her solo career. Her first post-Girls’ Generation single is “Over My Skin,” a sensual, bold, English-language song she co-wrote, and is releasing under the new stage name Tiffany Young. Young spoke with RS about her new solo confidence, why she’d like to duet with Sam Smith, and more. Was your decision to use the name Tiffany Young – which … [Read more...] about Tiffany Young Steps Into the Solo Spotlight

Phoebe Bridgers admitted In a new interview she was surprised by the massive reaction to her revelation that she had an abortion while on tour. The musician, speaking to The Guardian to promote her appearance at Glastonbury this weekend, said she didn’t give it much thought before she posted about her experience at Planned Parenthood on social media, adding that it was not an emotional decision. Bridgers said that she is bothered by “people with good intentions saying: ‘Don’t say it was easy for you to make that decision – it was clearly really emotional.'” She explained, “And I wasn’t fucking emotional at all. Hormonally crazy! But I don’t think you should assign ‘it tore me up’ to me. No! I don’t think about it as a baby, of course not.” The musician was inspired to share her abortion story following Politico ‘s leak of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion to overturn Roe vs. Wade last month. In an Instagram story, she said, “I had an abortion in October of last … [Read more...] about Phoebe Bridgers on Her Abortion: ‘I Wasn’t Fucking Emotional at All’