Monday, April 29

CELEBRITY NEWS

A female journalist trades sex for scoops in the latest film ‘Richard Jewell’
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CELEBRITY NEWS

A female journalist trades sex for scoops in the latest film ‘Richard Jewell’

Critics have lambasted Clint Eastwood’s new biographical drama, “Richard Jewell,” over its depiction of female reporter Kathy Scruggs, who’s played by actress Olivia Wilde. During the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, security guard Richard Jewell saved countless lives after discovering a backpack filled with pipe bombs and alerting police. The film tells the true story of how Jewell was unjustly vilified by the news media, which falsely reported that he was the terrorist. But at one point in the movie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Kathy Scruggs trades sex with an FBI agent for confidential information. According to the former colleagues of Scruggs, who died in 2001, this never happened. Actress Olivia Wilde plays reporter Kathy Scruggs in ‘Richard Jewell.’ Invision/AP Image...
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6 Shows for Some Women-Led Belly Laughs
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CELEBRITY NEWS, Journalism

6 Shows for Some Women-Led Belly Laughs

Time and time again women have proven that viewers are interested in the stories they tell. Before the advent and popularity of streaming services such as Netflix, I watched shows and movies that were available through my cable package. Growing up in the ’90s and early aughts, I rarely watched comedies that starred women. And if I did come across comedies with women in the lead, the women were vying to be the objects of men’s affection, like in Clueless, or men were trying to get their attention (sometimes with ill will), like in 10 Things I Hate About You. In short: The male gaze was ever-present. Often films were cast aside as “chick flicks” and given less attention and smaller budgets, despite their success at the box office. In the 1970s and ’80s—an era often referred to as the...
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Why Italian cinema is starting to glamorize the mafia
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CELEBRITY NEWS

Why Italian cinema is starting to glamorize the mafia

For almost a century, American filmmakers have glamorized the Mafia, depicting their ranks as so charismatic and quick-witted that you might want to invite them over for dinner. Audiences saw this most recently in “The Irishman,” which reunites a star cast of the usual suspects – Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci – but also in “The Sopranos” and “Boardwalk Empire.” The Mafia’s glamorized sheen in America’s collective conscience might be due to the fact that the Mafia never attained much power in the U.S. Compared with Italy, fewer lives have been lost and fewer businesses destroyed by the organized crime syndicate. Today many see the Mafia as a relic of the past. Not so in Italy, where mafias remain as powerful and dangerous as ever. Their menace has been reflected in Italian film...
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Ozzy Osbourne has a type of Parkinson’s disease called Parkin: A neurologist explains
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CELEBRITY NEWS

Ozzy Osbourne has a type of Parkinson’s disease called Parkin: A neurologist explains

For many, hearing the word “Parkinson’s” conjures an image of tremors. But Parkinson’s disease, brought about by loss of nerve and other brain cells, is actually an incredibly complex movement disorder that can cause symptoms as wide-ranging as smell loss, thinking issues, depression and swallowing problems. More than 1 million people in the U.S. have the illness, and millions more loved ones and caregivers are affected by it, too. Rocker Ozzy Osbourne announced Jan. 21, 2020 that he has a type of Parkinson’s called Parkin, named after the gene associated with this type of Parkinson’s. Parkin is involved in maintaining the energy-producing area of cells, called mitochondria. This type of the disease often responds well to deep brain stimulation. While Osbourne, 71, said it’s been “terrib...
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Women film directors set a record in 2019: New study
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CELEBRITY NEWS

Women film directors set a record in 2019: New study

Of the top 100 movies released in 2019, women took just under 11 percent of the directing roles, despite hitting record. Fast Facts Of the top 100 movies released in 2019, women took just under 11 percent of the directing roles. The number of women directing major movies more than doubled to the highest mark ever last year, though they still only accounted for a sliver of those coveted jobs. Women got almost 11% of the directing roles for the top 100 movies released in 2019, according to a study released Thursday by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California. Improving diversity has became a major rallying cry across Hollywood, where women routinely have fewer opportunities than men. For example, there ar...
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B.B. King: Why Google honors him today
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CELEBRITY NEWS, VIDEO REELS

B.B. King: Why Google honors him today

Google honours musician with doodle on what would have been his 94th birthday. Described as the "King of Blues", Riley B King - popular as BB King - would have been 94 on Monday. In the honour of the iconic American musician, Google is changing its logo in more than 60 countries for an animation of him that includes his thrilling version of The Thrill is Gone. Below, Al Jazeera takes a look at the story of the guitarist and singer, and his achievements: Early life King was born on September 16, 1925, on the Berclair cotton plantation near the town of Itta Bena, in Mississippi. He was the son of sharecroppers, Albert and Nora Ella King. At the age of four, his mother decided to leave his father for another man. King was sent to live with his mate...
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Has Our Pervasive Interest In Celebrity Videos and Gossip Undervalued Celebrity Culture?
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CELEBRITY NEWS, CULTURE

Has Our Pervasive Interest In Celebrity Videos and Gossip Undervalued Celebrity Culture?

I have varying views about the massive use of celebrity videos, gossip and rumours in today's society. I should start off by saying that I have nothing against the celebrity culture in the western world, I do believe the use of the word 'celebrity' and the connections with it have become undervalued over the years. When I was a kid, a celebrity was a title that was related to people who actually had some kind of distinct achievement, such as explorers, scientists and a select few musicians. In the year 2011 the term 'celebrity' almost had no value at all - like a devalued currency. These days it seems like anyone who vaguely comes close to a television camera is a celebrity. My feeling is that with the large volumes of celebrity videos, photographs and rumours about these people,...
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CELEBRITY NEWS

Harry Belafonte and ‘The Long Road to Freedom’

On the anniversary of the March on Washington, we revisit an interview with the musician and civil rights activist about his anthology of Black music. Harry Belafonte, singer, recording artist, actor, and producer, has been called “the consummate entertainer.” His album Calypso was the first LP in the history of the music industry to sell more than 1 million copies, and he’s won an Emmy Award and a Tony Award. But his successes as an artist have never eclipsed his passion for justice and civil rights. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was a close friend of  Martin Luther King Jr. He is a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF and was one of the co-hosts of the 1990 World Summit for Children. He also hosted South African President Nelson Mandela during his U.S. ...
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