Parrikar skips morning session of Goa Assembly

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January 31, 2019

A day after presenting the budget, ailing Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday skipped the morning proceedings of the ongoing budget session of the state Assembly.

Though the reason behind his absence from the House was not mentioned, Speaker Pramod Sawant during the session announced that questions listed under Parrikar’s name be postponed to the next session.

Meanwhile, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office said that Parrikar was expected to attend the afternoon session of the House.

Parrikar, 63, is suffering from a pancreatic ailment.

Despite his ill-health, he had presented the state budget on Wednesday in the House, saying, “I am presenting the budget in josh. The josh that is too high, very high, and fully in hosh”.

The three-day-long budget session of the state Assembly will end on Thursday.

Validation from audience makes me confident: Yami Gautam

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January 31, 2019

Yami Gautam says appreciation from the audience makes her feel validated, not the numbers at the box office.

The 30-year-old actor,whose latest release “Uri: The Surgical Strike” has minted over Rs 100 crores at the ticket window, said since her Bollywood debut with “Vicky Donor” her aim has been to play memorable roles.

“Validation from the audience makes me really confident. It is more important to me than any crore club. If my audience is happy with my performance, I feel really content.

“But the validation I received post “Uri…” was something different. It has certainly made things better for me,” Yami told agencies.

The actor was talking on the sidelines of the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week Summer/ Resort 2019 where she walked the ramp for Delhi-based based designer duo Gauri and Nainika.

Titled “The Art of Latte”, the collection touched upon the themes of romance, freedom and fun. It was presented by Lakme Salon.

Yami, who tripped a few times during her walk on the runway courtesy her flowy nude tulle dress, said for her, the idea of power dressing is about feeling comfortable.

“Power dressing is something I don’t consciously think about. I believe any garment which makes you comfortable and confident, makes you feel powerful. And the rest comes from within. It also depends a lot on the mood,” she said.

Freer in shape, the garments created by the designer duo were created with fabrics such as chiffon, crepe de chine, organza and micro crepe, lending a luxurious feel to the line.

Silhouettes included high-low dresses with floor sweeping trains, billowing organza sashes and breezy wraparounds.

The show also saw the models sporting specifically created hair looks, inspired by Lakme Salon’s new cut and colour collection ‘Art of Latte’.

The fashion gala will take place till February 3 at JioGarden, Bandra-Kurla Complex

Courteney Cox joins Instagram in a ‘Friends’ reunion

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January 31, 2019

“Friends” star Courteney Cox has joined Instagram.

The actor made her foray into the photo and video-sharing social media platform on January 29.

As her first post, Cox shared her picture with Ellen DeGeneres and “Friends” co-star Lisa Kudrow when the duo appeared on the host’s show recently.

“Hello Instagram! I’m here with a little help from my friends. Picture credit: Michael Rozman/Warner Bros,” she captioned the photo.

On the show, Cox had told DeGeneres she felt it was time she join the social media platform. To her surprise, the host had the set of Central Perk, the fictitious coffeehouse made famous on the long-running sitcom, recreated.

The host-comic also arranged to get the very orange couch on which the beloved characters – Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Ross and Chandler – used to laze upon.

DeGeneres also got Kudrow on the show, with The Rembrandts crooning the show’s hit theme song in the background, which was a “shock” for Cox.

Cox has made three posts till now on Instagram.

She is following 61 people and has amassed over 533k followers.

Britney Spears to make cameo in horror comedy ‘Corporate Animals’

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January 31, 2019

Pop star Britney Spears is returning to the big screen one more time with a cameo in horror comedy “Corporate Animals”.

According to a leading daily, the singer will feature as herself in the film, featuring Demi Moore and Ed Helms.

The film’s director Patrick Brice made the revelation at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on Monday.

“One of our characters — Calum Worthy’s character, Aidan — is obsessed with Britney Spears, and there’s a runner of him as he’s going crazy thinking that he is hearing Britney speaking to him from the walls.

“Through a series of connections we were able to get 10 minutes of her time to record this, which was so awesome,” Brice said.

The film premiered at the festival on Tuesday.

Previously, Spears has made a series of cameos in films such as “Fahrenheit 9/11” and “Austin Powers in Goldmember”.

She also starred in Shonda Rhimes-written comedy drama “Crossroads” (2002).

FB Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp integration confirmed, will be made available in 2020 or beyond

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Web Team

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January 31, 2019

During the company’s quarterly earnings call, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed that the company is indeed planning to blur out the lines between its three messaging services including Instagram and WhatsApp.

It was recently reported that the company is planning to integrate Facebook Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp. While many find it overwhelming to have all three services integrated, Zuckerberg’s idea behind the move is to make it easier to send messages across its apps, Mashable reports.

According to the co-founder of Facebook, there are millions of users who have Facebook Messenger as their default SMS app and it would be practical to allow people to send messages between apps with strong encryption that runs across all services.

Before you jump the gun, the intended integration is unlikely to come true anytime soon. Zuckerberg cautioned that the said measure will be made available in 2020 or beyond as there is a lot of planning which will go into it.

James Gunn in talks to direct ‘Suicide Squad’ sequel

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January 31, 2019

James Gunn, who was fired from helming the third instalment of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, is now in negotiations to direct the second ‘Suicide Squad’ film. It is a follow-up to the Warner Bros. 2016 hit film that featured DC Comics anti-heroes in the lead.

The film is not entirely unexpected, as Gunn was already writing the script for the sequel, which Warner Bros. slotted for an August 2021 release, wrote an online portal.

The news, however, confirms the fact that the ‘Suicide Squad’ film will be his next directorial effort.

Disney had fired Gunn from his Marvel franchise in July following the resurfacing of old tweets from 2008 and 2009 in which he made insensitive and controversial jokes.

The film however is not being labeled as a sequel, but rather, a relaunch. Sources say that Gunn’s focus is to take the franchise in a new direction with a mostly all-new cast of characters and actors. Sources also say that the project is also very much rooted in Gunn’s vibe, as seen in the ‘Guardians’ films.

Charles Roven and Peter Safran will produce the film with Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder acting as executive producers.

Don’t let Ram temple issue go the Kashmir way: Shiv Sena

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January 31, 2019

Pitching for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, the Shiv Sena on Thursday said that the issue should not become as complicated as the Kashmir matter, which is still awaiting resolution.

It also wondered why Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders were not holding the prime minister and other BJP leaders accountable for the delay in temple construction, instead of targeting judges hearing the case.

“The construction of Ram temple should not become as complicated as that of Jammu and Kashmir, where no solution is in sight in near future,” the Sena said in an editorial in its party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

The BJP should stop pointing fingers at the Congress for halting the temple construction, it said.

Facing growing pressure to move swiftly on the Ram temple issue, the Modi government had on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to return the “non-disputed” surplus land acquired around the disputed structure in Ayodhya to a Hindu trust and other original owners.

Commenting on the Centre’s move, the Uddhav Thackeray- led party said that if this was the solution, why the BJP-led government could not think of it in last four years.

“It seems the BJP has come up with this proposal keeping (Lok Sabha) elections in mind, which should not have happened. But any decision in this country from solving issues of hunger to Ram temple – is always taken with an eye on polls,” the Marathi publication said.

The Sena, which is a constituent of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, said once the non-disputed land is returned to the original owners, they can go ahead with temple construction.

“No successor of (Mughal king) Babar will come to claim ownership on the disputed land, which is merely 0.313 acre. Let others file petitions in the court over the disputed land but the temple construction can be initiated on the non-disputed land,” it said.

The Sena also said it was still firm on its demand for bringing an ordinance for the temple construction.

French studio Gaumont working on Celine Dion film ‘The Power of Love’

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January 31, 2019

French studio Gaumont is working on a USD 23 million film about Canadian singer Celine Dion, named ‘The Power of Love.’

‘The Power of Love’ is the latest project to tell the story of a celebrity singer, following ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ about the late Freddie Mercury, and upcoming ‘Rocket Man,’ about Elton John.

The film is slated to include some of Dion’s biggest hits ‘All by Myself’, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and ‘I’m Alive.’

The singer and her record company have authorised the project and given rights to her songs.

To be directed by Valerie Lemercier, the film will see Lemercier star as the singer as well. Edouard Weil at Rectangle Productions, the Paris-based banner behind ‘Climax,’ is producing the film in association with Laurent Zeitoun and Caramel Films.

According to reports, the film chronicles Dion’s life from her birth and upbringing in Quebec in the 1960s to her extraordinary rise to fame as a teenager, and also her relationship with her manager and husband Rene Angelil.

Priyanka Chopra developing film based on ‘Wild Wild Country’

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January 31, 2019

Priyanka Chopra is developing a feature film based on the Netflix documentary ‘Wild Wild Country’, based on the Rajneesh cult.

The actor, who recently got married to Nick Jonas, will star as Ma Anand Sheela, the highly influential assistant to the Indian religious guru Bhagwan Rajneesh, reported an online portal.

The ‘Quantico’ actress announced the plans during her appearance on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ on Wednesday, revealing that she’s partnering with director Barry Levinson to make the film.

Speaking about it on the show, the actor told DeGeneres, “We’re developing it as the character of Sheela, who was this guru who originated from India, [Osho’s] right-hand woman. And she was just devious and created a whole cult in America, brought people here.”

“[The doc] was amazing, and I’m developing that next for me to star in and produce, which I think would be really cool,” she added.

Proud of Kangana, says Waheeda Rehman on ‘Manikarnika’

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January 31, 2019

Veteran actor Waheeda Rehman has praised Kangana Ranaut for her performance and direction in her latest “Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi”.

The epic drama features Ranaut in the titular role of the iconic freedom fighter.

“I am highly impressed by Kangana’s performance and direction in ‘Manikarnika’. She looks absolutely fabulous and beautiful.

“I am really happy and proud of her. God bless her and wishing her all the best,” Rehman, 80, said in a statement.

She was shown the film Wednesday evening at a special screening, along with other yesteryear stars.

Veteran actor-director Asha Parekh, who was also present at the screening, lauded Ranaut for her work in the film.

“I really liked it, she has done a great job and worked really hard. I hope the film runs for a very long time… She indeed looks like the Rani of Jhansi in the film,” Parekh, 76, said.

The film, however, has mired into a controversy over the direction credit between Krish and Ranaut.