The white lotuses we killed in those bygone years

The Two And A Half Men actor Charlie Sheen recently met up with Dr Oz for an interview. Charlie Sheen talks HIV diagnosis and his lifestyle in a section of his interview aired on The Dr Oz Show on Monday, January 11, 2015. The actor opened up about various issues, including his struggle with quitting alcohol and cocaine. The famous actor, who is known for his playboy character not only on-screen, but in real life, too, was diagnosed with HIV four years ago. Charlie told Dr Oz about the time when he stopped taking his medications and let nature take its course. When asked about his reaction towards the diagnosis by the host of the show while walking in the actor's neighborhood, Charlie said, he didn't want to live anymore after knowing that he was suffering from one of the most deadliest diseases. Jennifer Lawrence Gets Slammed For Insulting A Journalist! He also admitted that he was sober for 11 years until his diagnosis. But, later he turned back to … [Read more...] about Charlie Sheen Talks HIV Diagnosis & Struggle: Had Dreamt Of AIDS Years Ago

China’s Bona Film Group , producer of such hits as The Battle At Lake Changjin , made its debut on the Shenzhen stock exchange on Thursday, with shares closing the day at RMB 7.24 ($1.07). This was a 44% increase from the initial public offering price of RMB 5.03 ($0.74) per share and put the market capitalization at just under RMB 10B ($1.47B), according to the South China Morning Post . The company raised RMB 1.38B ($203M) from the deal. Bona returned to the China exchange after exiting the Nasdaq and going private in 2016. It had previously become the first Chinese film studio to trade on the Nasdaq beginning in 2010. During the pandemic, Bona was behind China’s top-grossing movie ever, The Battle At Lake Changjin and its sequel, The Battle At Lake Changjin II (aka Water Gate Bridge ). Collectively, the patriotic films grossed RMB 9.83B ($1.45B at current rates) in China. In an interview posted to Bona’s website earlier this week, Chairman and … [Read more...] about China’s Bona Film Group Valued At $1.5B In Shenzhen Trading Debut

Israeli network Yes TV has greenlit a second season of Series Mania Award-winning comedy Bloody Murray, we can reveal. Production will begin next year on Stav Idisis’ romcom, which is headlined by Naomi Levov ( On the Spectrum ) and Rotem Sela ( Beauty and the Baker ), who play two 35-year-old roommates looking for love. The Gynaecologist and University Lecturer’s lives change when Murray (Levov) ditches the scene of a hit-and-run and the man she crashed into, Lior, shows up at her apartment – where he meets Dana (Sela) – and the two fall madly in love. Murray realizes her own feelings for Lior and chaos ensues as she convinces herself Lior is the one for her. The show, which won the Best Comedy Award at Series Mania 2022, will launch in 2024. Director is Yogev Yefet, Kastina Communications and Yes TV are producers and Yes Studios handles distribution. Last week , Deadline revealed Amazon Prime Video had struck a deal with Tel Aviv-based Yes Studios for … [Read more...] about ‘Bloody Murray’ Renewed For Season Two By Israel’s Yes TV

EXCLUSIVE : Sweden’s Arvet Agency is producing horror film The Deacon from Venice Award-winning filmmaker Tequoia Urbina . The Stockholm-based company has acquired script and media rights to the project following a deal with Magnolia Tree Productions. Pic is described as a horror story set in the present day about a family who are given shelter by a church community, but all is not what it seems. Atlanta-based filmmaker Urbina directed, wrote and produced Venice Short Film Award winning pic Gehenna and has packaged The Deacon as a “high concept indie horror,” according to Arvet CEO Grace Maharaj. She added: “We are looking for IP to enter the North American market with and when we read Tequoia’s script, we loved the themes she has touched on with family secrets and the vulnerable in society who have nowhere to turn for help when there is an economic downturn.” Maharaj said the project speaks to Arvet’s dual strategy of seeking IP with a “unique Nordic … [Read more...] about ‘The Deacon’: Sweden’s Arvet Agency Behind Horror From Venice Award-Winning Filmmaker Tequoia Urbina

BBC Media Editor and Today host Amol Rajan has been named the next University Challenge presenter, replacing Jeremy Paxman . Paxman revealed he is leaving after three decades earlier this week and Rajan, who also presents on BBC Radio 2, The One Show and has an Amol Interviews series, will take over next year in the hotseat of the ITV Studios show. He will step down as BBC Media Editor but continue his other hosting duties. Based on U.S. format College Bowl, University Challenge involves the brightest students in the country battling it out to answer incredibly difficult questions. Rajan is just the third presenter on the BBC’s longest running show, following in the footsteps of Paxman and Bamber Gascoigne. “Jeremy leaves a very big chair to fill but Amol’s experience, expertise and sense of humour makes him the perfect fit for one of Britain’s longest running and toughest quiz shows,” said BBC Director of Unscripted Kate Phillips. Rajan added: “I … [Read more...] about BBC Unveils Jeremy Paxman’s ‘University Challenge’ Replacement

Married couple Devorah Baum and Josh Appignanesi co-direct and produce the confessional documentary Husband , world premiering at the Edinburgh International Film Festival . Baum is a successful author, academic and speaker; Appignanesi won rave reviews for his last film, Female Human Animal , after his debut, Song of Songs , won awards at London and Edinburgh. And yet, both these Brits are beset by neuroses, as this frank film shows — or possibly exaggerates: the press notes describe it as being “on the cusp between auto-fiction and documentary.” Framed as a follow-up to their 2016 documentary The New Man , Husband is an uneasy and uncertain watch that provokes thought about relationships and feelings while occasionally amusing, in an uncomfortable sort of way. The key story takes place in the U.S., where Baum is promoting a book she has written about dealing with feelings such as guilt, paranoia, envy and self-hatred. With two small children in tow, … [Read more...] about Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Devorah Baum & Josh Appignanesi’s ‘Husband’

An Oscar statue goes missing in Hassan Nazer ’s amiable feature Winners , which had its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival . After the Oscar is inadvertently left in a taxi in Iran, the prize is sent to the post office, where it’s once again lost by a well-meaning postal worker. While he insists that it must have fallen out of his car in a rural location, the authorities insist that the man is detained, assuming theft, until the statue is located. And so there’s a ripple of urgency running through this otherwise gently paced comedy-drama. It’s no spoiler to reveal that the Oscar ends up in the hands of two children: nine-year-old Yahya and his friend Leyla. We’re let in on their secret as they hide the “doll” from their friends and, amusingly, put it in a dress to preserve its modesty (“It’s so Leyla won’t see him naked,” explains the boy). Their efforts to sell the find are thwarted: such items are of no use to the locals. As the … [Read more...] about Edinburgh Film Festival Review: Hassan Nazer’s ‘Winners’

Swedish video game company Embracer Group has acquired Middle-earth Enterprises, a division of The Saul Zaentz Company, which owns the intellectual property catalogue and worldwide rights to The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. But the deal means Embracer Group will pick up the motion picture, video game, board game, merchandising, theme parks and stage production rights relating to The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit franchises as well as matching rights in other Middle-earth-related literary works authorized by the Tolkien Estate and HarperCollins, which have yet to be explored. “I am truly excited to have The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit , one of the world’s most epic fantasy franchises join the Embracer family, opening up more transmedia opportunities including synergies across our global group,” said Lars Wingefors, Founder and Group CEO Embracer Group. “I am … [Read more...] about Embracer Group Acquires IP Rights To ‘Lord Of The Rings’ And ‘The Hobbit’

Viewership of streaming programming surpassed that of cable TV for the first time in July, Nielsen reported. The measurement firm, in its monthly snapshot of overall viewership called The Gauge, said streaming accounted for 34.8% of all viewing. That share of the total rose almost 23% compared with July 2021. Cable, meanwhile, took 34.4% of the total, sliding 9% from the year before. Broadcast slumped almost 10% year-over-year to account for 21.6% of tune-in. One factor in July was the end of the NBA playoffs, which pulled significant numbers on TNT and ESPN in June. The Tokyo Olympics also boosted cable in July 2021. Streaming in July 2022 also benefited from the blockbuster premiere of the final two episodes of Stranger Things Season 4, among other big draws. Football season, which kicks off for college and NFL teams in the next couple of weeks, should revive the fortunes of traditional TV. Total time spent watching TV in July closely resembled that of … [Read more...] about Streaming Viewership Has Surpassed Cable TV Tune-In For The First Time, Per Nielsen

Rating: 3.0 /5 Star Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Pavail Gulati, Rahul Bhatt, Hardy Nation, Pankaj Rajput Director: Anurag Kashyap "Tumhara mind idhar phile dots jod raha hain," a character in Anurag Kashyap's latest thriller Dobaaraa tells Antara (Taapsee Pannu) when the latter ends up at a hospital after a chain of events sets her life upside down. This scene totally summed up the state of my mind when the word 'intermission' flashed on screen. Until this block, there wasn't a single minute where my eyes left the screen. What if I miss out a crucial detail? Yes, Anurag & co. keep the pace that taut in Dobaaraa ! So, does the film in totality strike the right chord? Let's find out. What's Yay: Performances, Anurag Kashyap's effective storytelling What's Nay: The timeline of events ain't well defined Story Set in Pune, Dobaaraa begins with Antara Bhatt (Taapsee Pannu), a local nurse moving into a new house with her husband … [Read more...] about Dobaaraa Movie Review: Taapsee Pannu And Anurag Kashyap Brew A Storm That Blows Your Minds