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Tag: Hollywood

  • Cause of death revealed for investigator who died suddenly during ‘Annabelle’ doll tour

    Cause of death revealed for investigator who died suddenly during ‘Annabelle’ doll tour

    A cause of death has been confirmed for Dan Rivera, a paranormal investigator who was found dead in July following an event in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that featured the infamous Annabelle doll.

    Rivera, a 54-year-old Army veteran and senior lead investigator with the Connecticut-based New England Society for Psychic Research, died on July 13, just a day after the event involving the allegedly haunted doll known from horror folklore.

    On Thursday, September 4, Adams County Coroner Francis Dutrow announced that Rivera’s death was cardiac-related and classified as natural. “Mr Rivera had a known history of cardiac issues, which were consistent with the findings,” Dutrow stated.

    He also clarified that the doll was not present in the room at the time of his passing.

    Earlier, a report from the Pennsylvania State Police had also described the circumstances of Rivera’s death. According to the report, officers responded to a hotel in Straban Township, Adams County, where Rivera was found deceased in his room by hotel staff.

    Authorities noted that there was nothing suspicious or out of the ordinary at the scene.

    Rivera had reportedly been with colleagues earlier that morning but told them he was feeling unwell and returned to his hotel room. It remains unclear what specific symptoms he was experiencing.

    At the time of the incident, Rivera was part of a tour in Gettysburg showcasing Annabelle, which the New England Society for Psychic Research claims is “demonically possessed”.

    Annabelle’s origins trace back to 1968, when she was reportedly gifted to a nursing student, who later brought the doll to the apartment she shared with her roommate.

    The doll has been a part of pop culture in recent years after it was featured in The Conjuring film series, latest instalment of which was released in the United States (US) on Sept 4.

  • Trump imposes tariffs on ‘foreign’ films, putting Hollywood into tailspin

    Trump imposes tariffs on ‘foreign’ films, putting Hollywood into tailspin

    US President Donald Trump has opened a new front in his ongoing tariff disputes — this time targeting the film industry. In a passionate statement posted on Truth Social on Sunday, the former president announced a 100 percent tariff on all movies made outside the United States, contending that foreign governments are undermining the American film sector through aggressive incentives and subsidies.

    Describing it as a “National Security threat,” Trump stated that this is “a concerted effort by other Nations” to take over U.S. productions and use storytelling as “messaging and propaganda.” He asserted that he had instructed the Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative to start implementing the tariffs right away. “We want movies made in America, again!” he wrote in all caps. 

    Nevertheless, no specific details were given on how or when these tariffs would be put into action. It is also uncertain whether the tax would affect streaming content, theatrical releases, or solely films produced by non-American studios. The Motion Picture Association has not yet responded, while Hollywood executives were reportedly grappling to understand the implications. 

    The announcement arrives at a challenging moment for the U.S. film industry, which has already experienced a 40 percent decline in production in Los Angeles over the last ten years, according to FilmLA. An increasing number of Hollywood studios including Disney, Universal, and Netflix — are now shooting films in countries like Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, attracted by generous tax incentives and production advantages. 

    Research indicates that about half of all U.S. film and TV expenditures on major projects in 2023 were spent overseas. Furthermore, California has slipped to sixth among the most favored global filming locations  trailing Toronto, London, Vancouver, Central Europe, and Australia. 

    Governments in Australia and New Zealand reacted quickly to Trump’s announcement. Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke expressed that his government would support the Australian screen industry “unequivocally.” New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon mentioned that his government was awaiting more information but stressed their continued advocacy for their domestic film sector. 

    This is not the first occasion Trump has connected culture with politics. In January, he appointed Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as “special envoys” to help rejuvenate Hollywood, which he referred to as “a great but very troubled place.” Their objective? To restore Hollywood “back—bigger, better, and stronger than ever before!” 

    However, the proposed tariffs have drawn caution from trade specialists. William Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official, warned that retaliation from other nations could severely damage Hollywood exports. “The retaliation will kill our industry. We have a lot more to lose than to gain,” he remarked, doubting that a national security argument would be sustainable.

    The consequences may already be in motion. In April, China the world’s second-largest film market — reduced its quota for U.S. films, citing American tariff misuse. The China Film Administration cautioned that these actions would tarnish the reputation of American films among local viewers and further diminish their import rates.

    As Trump intensifies his protectionist economic strategy with certain tariffs on Chinese goods reaching as high as 245 percent, the global entertainment sector is being drawn into a tense trade conflict. Whether this policy revitalizes domestic filmmaking or further isolates Hollywood remains to be determined

  • Hollywood celebrities lose homes in LA fires

    Hollywood celebrities lose homes in LA fires

    Film and television stars are among hundreds of people who have lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires that have ravaged parts of the world’s showbiz capital.

    These are some of the best-known celebrities who have been impacted by the blazes this week:

    – Paris Hilton –

    Hotel heiress Paris Hilton, 43, said she watched her seafront Malibu home burn to the ground on live television, writing on Instagram that she was “heartbroken.”

    “My heart aches for those still in harm’s way or mourning greater losses. The devastation is unimaginable,” Hilton wrote.

    She later shared a video of her five Pomeranians in the back of a car and said she was traveling to a hotel to take shelter.

    – Anthony Hopkins –

    Two-time Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins, perhaps best known for his role in “The Silence of the Lambs,” reportedly lost his luxurious home.

    Pictures appeared to show the 87-year-old’s property burned to the ground, though Hopkins has yet to issue a public statement.

    – Jeff Bridges –

    Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges, known for cult classic “The Big Lebowski,” lost the Malibu home that he shares with his family, a representative told entertainment news site TMZ.

    – Billy Crystal –

    “When Harry Met Sally” star Billy Crystal said the home he had lived in for 46 years was destroyed, with only a tennis court remaining.

    “Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing,” Crystal, 76, said in a joint statement with his wife Janice.

    – Eugene Levy –

    US media reported that a home belonging to “Schitt’s Creek” and “American Pie” actor Eugene Levy burned to the ground.

    Levy had previously told the Los Angeles Times how he traveled through black smoke to evacuate his celebrity-studded neighborhood.

    – John Goodman –

    “Roseanne” actor John Goodman’s home was burned to the ground, according to photos published by People Magazine that showed a pile of smoldering rubble.

    Goodman, who co-starred in “The Big Lebowski,” had not issued any public statement on his property.

    – Mark Hamill –

    “Star Wars” star Mark Hamill told followers on Instagram that he had fled his Malibu home with his wife and pet dog, escaping down a road flanked by active fires.

    Hamill, 73, did not confirm if his house was destroyed but said his family were “fleeing for our lives.”

    – Jennifer Grey –

    “Dirty Dancing” star Jennifer Grey lost her home to the blaze, her daughter wrote on Instagram.

    “Last night my mama’s house was burnt to the ground,” Stella Gregg wrote on Instagram, adding that Grey was safe.

    – Cary Elwes –

    “The Princess Bride” star Cary Elwes said on Instagram that his home was destroyed after he and his family evacuated.

    Elwes, 62, had earlier shared a video driving along the winding LA hills that showed an orange blaze in the distance, describing the scene as “biblical.”

    – Adam Brody –

    Golden Globes nominee Adam Brody (“Nobody Wants This,” “The OC”) and his actress wife Leighton Meester (“Gossip Girl”), who were on the red carpet on Sunday, reportedly lost their home in the Pacific Palisades.

    People magazine obtained pictures of their home engulfed in flames.

    – Miles Teller –

    “Whiplash” star Miles Teller and his wife Keleigh Teller had their home destroyed by fire, according to photos published by People magazine.

    Teller, who also appeared in “Top Gun: Maverick,” did not publicly comment.

    – James Woods –

    Emmy-winning actor James Woods posted a video on X showing flames engulfing trees and bushes near his Pacific Palisades property.

    “I couldn’t believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one,” said the 77-year-old Woods.

    – Jamie Lee Curtis –

    Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis was forced to evacuate, writing on Instagram: “Our beloved neighborhood is gone. Our home is safe. So many others have lost everything.”

    She announced on Thursday that she was giving $1 million to those impacted by the fires in Los Angeles.

  • Tom Cruise set to pull major stunt at Paris Olympics

    Tom Cruise set to pull major stunt at Paris Olympics

    Olympics 2024 are set to conclude with a bang, courtesy of Hollywood’s own daredevil, Tom Cruise. The Top Gun actor will perform a heart-stopping skydiving stunt to mark the end of the Games in Paris and hand over the torch to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympiad.
    Cruise attended the opening ceremony of the Games.


    During the women’s swimming competition, Cruise said, “It’s awesome. Great stories, great athletes. It’s incredible what they have to do, the sense of accomplishment.”

    Preliminary data from Comcast’s NBCUniversal shows that 28.6 million US viewers watched the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, making it the most watched summer Games opening night since London in 2012.

  • Amazon announces its first official Muhammad Ali series, ‘The Greatest’

    Amazon announces its first official Muhammad Ali series, ‘The Greatest’

    Amazon Prime Video is set to bring the incredible story of boxing legend Muhammad Ali to life in the first-ever authorised series titled ‘The Greatest.’

    This exciting new project promises to explore his legendary fights and the man behind the icon.

    Actor Jaalen Best will play Ali’s character, while Ben Watkins will take on the role of showrunner. Watkins said, “To be trusted with the honour of telling the story of my most cherished hero, Muhammad Ali, is humbling and scary, and a dream come true.”

    ‘The Greatest’ will showcase the victories and challenges that shaped Ali’s life, highlighting moments that often go unnoticed. The series aims to present Ali not only as a boxing champion but also as a husband, father, brother, and son.

    Produced in collaboration with Ali’s estate, with his widow, Lonnie Ali, serving as executive producer, she expressed her excitement for the project, stating, “I’m thrilled to be producing ‘The Greatest’ alongside Ben Watkins, who captured the essence of Muhammad.
    Jaalen Best is a talented young man who embodies Muhammad’s resilience, courage, and charisma.”

    Jaalen Best, known for his roles in ‘All American: Homecoming,’ ‘Magnum P.I.,’ and ‘American Horror Stories,’ is set to star in the series.

    Muhammad Ali has been portrayed on screen before, including himself in 1977’s ‘The Greatest,’ Will Smith in the 2001 film ‘Ali,’ Terrence Howard in ‘King of the World,’ and David Ramsey in ‘Ali: An American Hero.’ With ‘The Greatest,’ fans can look forward to a fresh and deeper look into Ali’s extraordinary life.

  • Did you know, Faran Tahir replaced Bollywood superstar in ‘The Jungle Book’

    Did you know, Faran Tahir replaced Bollywood superstar in ‘The Jungle Book’

    Did you know, Faran Tahir replaced Bollywood superstar in ‘The Jungle Book’

    Hollywood actor Faran Tahir, star of such smash hits as ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Star Trek’ is in Pakistan to promote his latest venture, ‘Umro Ayyar.

    Faran and Usman Mukhtar appeared as guests on the FHM Podcast.

    Among other things, the Hollywood actor discussed the industry’s obsession with Bollywood

    “I was initially selected for a role in the 1994 Hollywood film ‘The Jungle Book’, but the producers later opted for Sanjay Dutt instead. However, when Sanjay got entangled in his personal issues, I was called back to replace him and fill in the role,” he revealed.

    “We can draw inspiration from Bollywood and Hollywood, but we must also bring our own unique ideas to the table. We don’t need to compare our industry to our neighbors’; just as we don’t compare ourselves to China and Japan. We should focus on building our own strengths and identity in the film industry.” Faran added.

    His film is coming to cinemas on this Eid Ul Azha, June 17.

  • Pakistan’s most expensive film is coming to cinemas

    Pakistan’s most expensive film is coming to cinemas

    Pakistan’s most expensive film is set to make its debut in cinemas, marking a new era for the film industry.

    Actors Usman Mukhtar and Faran Tahir, recently appeared on FHM podcast, where they talked about their film ‘Umro Ayyar’, calling it the most expensive production in the country’s history. Hollywood star Faran Tahir, who plays the primary antagonist, expressed immense pride on being part of the project.

     “This film marks the dawn of a new era for our industry, introducing a genre that we’ve traditionally left uncharted. The movie’s title is only one part of this new beginning’s excitement and complexity,: the Iron Man star said.

    Usman Mukhtar, who plays the legendary ‘Umro Ayyar’, highlighted the need for local support for Pakistani science fiction projects. 

    Usman asked the public, “You watch similar films from our neighboring country, so you should definitely watch this one since it’s derived from our own literature. Pakistan’s first superhero movie.”

    Faran took the opportunity to highlight the gap between Pakistani literary heritage and the current generation. “Though we’re not expanding as an industry, we’re taking a bold and dangerous step forward today. We’re making important content for our youth, bridging the gap between them and our traditional stories like Umro Ayyar.”

    The actors found great satisfaction in the film’s basis in classic literature. Faran provided more information on the creative methods used in the production, especially the use of European stunt directors with prior expertise on popular television shows like ‘Game of Thrones.’

    “We identified gaps and brought in international talent where necessary. However, we also established our own VFX studio in Islamabad, which is now fully operational,” he pointed out.

    UmroAyyar – A New Beginning

    The fantasy film is about Umro, a character from the classic beloved Urdu novel.

    The cast includes Ali Kazmi, Farhan Tahir, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Manzar Sehbai, Sana Fakhar, Sanam Saeed, Simi Raheal, Usman Mukhtar. The genre of the film is sci-fi movie. It is directed by Azfar Jafri and produced by VR Chili Production. It’s coming to cinemas on this Eid Ul Azha, June 17.

  • Cillian Murphy returns as Tommy Shelby in ‘Peaky Blinders’ film

    Cillian Murphy returns as Tommy Shelby in ‘Peaky Blinders’ film


    Cillian Murphy, Oscar-winning actor who played Thomas Shelby in the superhit series Peaky Blinders, will star in a new Netflix movie based on the show. The film, also called Peaky Blinders, will be directed by Tom Harper and produced in partnership with BBC Films. Filming is set to start later this year, but the plot and additional cast members have not been announced yet.


    Murphy said, “It seems like Tommy Shelby wasn’t finished with me. … It is very gratifying to be recollaborating with Steven Knight and Tom Harper on the film version of ‘Peaky Blinders.’ This is one for the fans.”


    Tom Harper, who is directing the upcoming ‘Peaky Blinders’ film, said: “When I first directed ‘Peaky Blinders’ over 10 years ago, we didn’t know what the series would become, but we did know that there was something in the alchemy of the cast and the writing that felt explosive. ‘Peaky’ has always been a story about family – and so it’s incredibly exciting to be reuniting with Steve and Cillian to bring the movie to audiences across the world on Netflix.”
    Steven Knight, who produced the ‘Peaky Blinders’ television series, wrote the film’s script and is producing it alongside Guy Heeley, Cillian Murphy, and Caryn Mandabach.

    For the role he played of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the US physicist who designed the atomic bomb, Murphy received his first Oscar for Best Actor, closing a dazzling awards season that also saw him win a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and other honors.

  • Captain America clarifies he was not involved with Israeli forces; receives flak for not mentioning Palestine

    Captain America clarifies he was not involved with Israeli forces; receives flak for not mentioning Palestine

    Chris Evans, famous for playing Captain America, took to his Instagram to issue a clarification for a photo floating on the internet. The picture, which showed him signing ammunition with a soldier, was being shared with misleading information that the soldier was from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF).


    As Israel’s genocide in Gaza continues unabated, people across the world slammed Evans for the photo.

    This clarification came amid heightened speculations of Evans having gone to Israel to meet IDF soldiers and signing a missile for them like other American dignitaries including Nikki Haley.


    While Reuters did a fact-check story on this picture earlier in February, Evans posted a story earlier in the day (May 31). In his Instagram story, he wrote, “This image was taken during a USO tour in 2016. I went with a group of actors, athletes and musicians to show appreciation for our service members.” He went on to add that, “The object he was asked to sign is not a bomb, or a missile, or a weapon of any kind. It is an inert object used for training or display purposes only.”


    It’s been close to nine months since the genocide in Gaza started but the actor neither condemned it nor uttered a word of support for the oppressed Gazans. His clarification is thus receiving flak for still not mentioning Palestine.

    A netizen wrote, “Chris Evans can say all this to defend himself and still not use his platform spread awareness about Palestine is truly so evil.”


    A supporter of Free Palestine lambasted Captain America for signing something that merely represents the bomb but no information or donation link about Palestine.


    Nicole on X (formerly Twitter) called him out for not shedding light on the genocide and said, “Anyway, don’t be like Chris, call for a free Palestine.”


    A proponent of Ceasefire Now posted, “The thing that bothers me about this post, even though it should be reassuring he’s not gross is the fact he said nothing about Palestine whatsoever in conjunction with this picture.”


    While a passionate user called him “cold-hearted” another said that, “this speaks a lot about his character.”

  • Bella Hadid’s red carpet support for Palestine

    Bella Hadid’s red carpet support for Palestine

    American supermodel Bella Hadid used her platform at the Cannes Film Festival to show solidarity with her ancestral land, Palestine. She wore a vintage dress with a red and white chequered pattern, similar to the traditional Palestinian keffiyeh scarf. The outfit was a powerful statement of support for the Palestinian people.

    A bold representation of resilience The keffiyeh, a traditional headscarf from the Middle East, has become a strong symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance. Its unique pattern has been seen on famous people, protesters, and even in political settings around the world, showing support for Palestine.

    In keeping with her heritage, Hadid whose father Mohamed Hadid is Palestinian, stepped out on the French Riviera donning an old Michael and Hushi outfit. Hadid has long been an advocate of the ‘Free Palestine’ cause.Hadid rocked a vintage dress made from traditional Palestinian keffiyeh fabric, complete with tassels, from the 2001 runway. She kept the look simple yet chic with red sandals, a hair scrunchie, tinted sunglasses, and gold hoops (earnings)Reposting a picture of the dress from the designer’s original post on her Instagram story, Hadid reaffirmed her support for Palestine with the caption “Free Palestine forever.”