White Lotus star Tom Hollander got the surprise of his life when he received a seven-figure bonus for The Avengers, a movie he had not even starred in.
Hollander, known as a character actor, shared a surprising story about a mistaken seven-figure bonus. Not to be confused with “Spider-Man” star Tom Holland, Hollander revealed during an interview on ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ that a small error led him to receive a hefty bonus meant for Holland. Hollander, 56, explained that people often confuse his name with the 27-year-old Holland, causing some amusing moments. However, a particular mix-up with their agency led to an unexpected windfall. The confusion happened while Hollander was watching a friend’s play in the UK.
“I sat smugly in the audience, having just finished a BBC show for $30,000,” Hollander recalled. “Then, during the interval, I checked my email and received a message about my first box office bonus for ‘The Avengers.’”
To his surprise, it wasn’t his bonus but Holland’s – a seven-figure sum given on top of a salary, based on the film’s success. Despite the initial shock, Hollander took it in stride, acknowledging the unpredictable nature of showbiz.
“You’re always one email away from having your whole life turned upside-down,” Meyers jokingly commented.
The announcement of Oscar nominations always generates a bit of buzz, with fans weighing in on which movies and which actors deserved recognition and didn’t get it.
But few snubs have provoked as much online outrage as those delivered to summer blockbuster “Barbie”, a deft satire on the difficulties women face in being recognized for their talents, whose female director and female lead did not make the shortlist.
Especially as the male actor playing Ken did.
“Nominating Ken but not Barbie is literally the plot of the movie,” novelist Brad Meltzer wrote on social media.
Greta Gerwig’s fizzing audience-pleaser, which took over $1 billion at the box office with its effortless melding of social commentary and bubblegum pop culture, had been seen as a lock for many of the biggest categories when the Oscars nominations were announced on Tuesday.
Both Gerwig as director and star Margot Robbie had already garnered a suite of nominations in earlier awards and were expected to feature in the line-up for Hollywood’s top prizes.
But while the film notched an impressive eight nods, including the coveted Best Picture, Gerwig and Robbie were left off the lists for director and leading actress.
Ryan Gosling, who earned a supporting actor nomination for his efforts as Ken, was among the first to speak out.
“No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius,” he said.
“To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.”
Fellow Ken actor Simu Liu lauded the way the two women had fought to make “Barbie” the movie it was.
“Together they started a movement, touched the world and reinvigorated the cinema. They deserve everything. They ARE everything,” he wrote on social media.
Being involved in a small way gave me a window into just how hard Greta and Margot had to fight to get Barbie made, and how flawlessly they executed. Together they started a movement, touched the world and reinvigorated the cinema.
And it wasn’t just those involved in the movie who were annoyed.
“Let me see if I understand this: the Academy nominated ‘Barbie’ for Best Picture (eight nominations total) — a film about women being sidelined and rendered invisible in patriarchal structures — but not the woman who directed the film,” wrote Charlotte Clymer on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
As the outrage spread on Wednesday, one-time US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton weighed in.
Clinton lost the 2016 election to Donald Trump because of the mathematics of the electoral college system, despite having a significant majority of the popular vote.
“Greta & Margot, While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you. You’re both so much more than Kenough. #HillaryBarbie,” she wrote on X.
Greta & Margot,
While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you.
Singer and songwriter Bilal Saeed has stirred up a hornet’s nest on the internet. He was performing live at a college when something went very very wrong.
Bilal suddenly stopped singing, got angry, and then threw his microphone into the crowd. He left the stage right after.
The unexpected moment was recorded on video and shared widely on social media. People had different reactions to it, and funny memes about the incident started spreading online.
Here are some reactions from Twitter:
Bilal Saeed has to be one of the rudest celebs in Pakistan.
A video of actor and host Imran Ashraf attending a show is getting a lot of attention on social media and for all the right reasons.
In the video, Ashraf invites a young child from the audience to come on stage. Before touching the little girl, he asked for permission from the child’s parents.
He said, “Can I touch her? Is it allowed?” The girl’s mother gave him permission, and then he had a conversation with the girl.
The child, Mantsha, recited a poem for Imran Ashraf, and the audience applauded. Many people on social media praised Imran for asking permission before touching the girl.
Actress Nadia Hussain said it was the best act she had seen from any Pakistani celebrity and sent prayers.
Actor Muneeb Butt shared a heart emoji, and others also appreciated Imran’s respectful gesture.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is one of the most successful singers in the industry. But how much has he made from singing? The amount will surprise you. Rahat has made more than Rs 7.5 billion during the last 12 years through concerts. According to Geo News correspondent Murtaza Ali Shah, the singer and his global concert promoter Salman Ahmed have parted ways after disagreements.
However, now Salman Ahmed claims that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has organized shows all over the world since the past 12 years, during which 22 million US dollars from foreign tours and a local business of Rs 1.2 billion were conducted with him. He says that he has worked to improve Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s image, including matters related to weddings, family, and business transactions. In the future, these matters will be overseen by his wife and other family members. He says, “I have a record of every single penny, and I am ready to submit all accounts to Pakistani tax and audit authorities.”
Earlier this week, the Bollywood propaganda action movie ‘Fighter,’ featuring Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan, became a hot topic as it got banned in several Gulf countries. Initially, reports suggested that the ban affected many Gulf nations except the United Arab Emirates (UAE). However, recent reports from trade analysts indicate that the movie is now facing a “suspension” in the UAE, as major theater chains have stopped bookings. The film’s distributor in the UAE had recently confirmed that the film will get released. The exact reason for the ban is not disclosed, but reports suggest it’s due to “some objectionable content in the film.” There were earlier speculations that ‘Fighter’ was supposed to be released in the UAE with a PG 15 rating before the ban.
Trade analyst Girish Johar confirmed the same. He stated on X, “In a setback, Fighter officially banned across Middle East regions for theatrical release. Only UAE will release the film with a PG15 classification!” Recent reports now claim that UAE has also banned the film, with confirmation from the film’s UAE distributor, as per Times of India.
The movie’s story, which revolves around India’s response to the attack in Pulwama, India-occupied Kashmir. Many in Pakistan disapproved of how the Pulwama attack was depicted in the film, claiming it “exploited a sensitive matter” and promoted an “anti-Pakistan” stance. It’s believed that this criticism, combined with the film’s controversial subject, influenced the decisions of the Gulf censor boards. Responding to these concerns, Siddharth Anand, the film’s director, urged the public to watch the entire film for context before forming an opinion based on the trailer. He emphasized that ‘Fighter’ aims to raise questions about terrorism, not to incite hostility against any nation. The main cast echoed the sentiment.
Even though ‘Fighter’ won’t be shown in some places, it will still be screened in theaters in India. The movie stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, along with Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi, and Sanjeeda Shaikh in the cast. Viacom18 Studios and Marflix Pictures worked together to produce the film.
Ali Noor has finally spoken up about the sexual harassment allegations levelled against him. The singer said that the two girls who accused him of sexual harassment were not known to anyone, adding that they had some hidden reasons for making the accusations. He insists that their claims are untrue.
In a recent appearance on Ahmed Ali Butt’s podcast, he revealed that the woman named Ayesha bint Rashid, who accused him, was dealing with severe depression and had even contemplated suicide. He shared that her life was saved. He said that Ayesha was contacted from his wife’s mobile instead of his own while the other woman was Maha Kazmi and she was also unknown.
The lead singer of Noori band described the allegations of sexual harassment by the two women as a drama. “I never harassed any woman while every girl felt safe with me. We have been working in a very pleasant mood and this may sound wrong to some people but I have never harassed any woman.” He went on to say, “Because of their allegations, my career was ruined. No one wanted to work with me, and I stopped getting job opportunities. During concerts, everyone started calling me a sexual predator.” Adding that he was surprised to see people’s behaviour, he said, “These are the same people who, when I was sick, they had prayed for me in this difficult time, I came back only because of their prayers. Then I realized why it is said, ‘Watu’iz mun tashaa’ and ‘waltuzil mun tashaa’, why both honor and humiliation have been kept together.”
The Manwa Re singer said that the incident did not affect his family but he has said “goodbye” to the industry. “Now we have nothing to do with any TV channel or music house.” Ali Noor was accused of sexual harassment by journalist Ayesha bint Rashid in February 2022 and then by singer Maha Kazmi in April 2023.
Ali Noor rejected the allegations of both women. He had also sent a legal notice to singer Maha Kazmi.
Iqra Aziz recently explained why she ended up using a wedding dress similar to her co-star Saboor Ali’s in the drama ‘Manat Murad.’
Iqra Aziz appeared as a guest on a talk show where she spoke about the controversy surrounding the copy of Saboor Ali’s wedding dress. “Actually, we wanted a traditional dress to shoot the wedding scene in the drama as it was the director’s demand but we couldn’t find any traditional dress despite trying hard. So the director showed me the picture of the couple after a little research. On doing this I found out that this is a pair designed by Faiza Saqlain.”
The actress said that they approached Faiza Saqlain. “We couldn’t change the dress completely, so I kept the dupatta and gharara same and requested her to change the shirt of the dress.” “With this dress, we also kept the jewelery simple and traditional,” she added. Iqra Aziz said, “I designed my entire bridal look for the play myself. I won’t say I copied it but my look was really inspired by Saboor Ali’s wedding look because she wore it at her wedding. She looked very beautiful and I wanted to look as beautiful as her in the drama.
“But my dramatic bridal look was inspired by Saboor Ali’s wedding look and the outfit I wore was not technically Saboor Ali’s but I got it from a designer, I didn’t know that. It would have become a big problem otherwise I would have asked Saboor Ali before shooting because I am one of those people who care about others’ happiness.”
Netflix on Tuesday sealed a long-term broadcast deal with the WWEprofessional wrestling juggernaut, as the streaming giant pushes further into sporting events.
Beginning in the United States in 2025, Netflix will become the exclusive new home of “Raw,” the WWE’s flagship program that has been broadcasting on television since 1993.
The agreement will also see WWE shows and live events streamed across the globe as their rights become available.
With an initial 10-year term for $5 billion, the deal has an option for Netflix to extend for an additional 10 years or opt-out after the initial five years.
“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, president of TKO, the parent company of the WWE.
“It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years,” he added.
The three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and John Cena, among other stars.
It is currently the most-watched show on the NBCUniversal-owned USA network in the United States.
The WWE is a ratings blockbuster that owes much of its success to entrepreneur and promoter Vince McMahon.
The deal marks another move by streaming giants to build their portfolio of live sporting events.
Netflix won the rights last month to a tennis duel between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz and previously streamed a golf tournament featuring Formula One drivers and pros.
Amazon announced last week that it would invest $115 million in Diamond Sports Group, the leading network of local sports channels in the United States, gaining regional rights for sports ranging from hockey to basketball.
It had previously acquired certain rights to the English Premier League, the French Ligue 1, the French Open tennis tournament and the NFL American football league.
Apple TV, for its part, owns global rights for US Major League Soccer.
Bilal Saeed is one of the biggest names in the Pakistani music industry. The ‘ singer has released a new song video called ‘Hogai Ghalti’ with new singer Mehr Tahir. Bilal introduced Mehr through this song, and the video is available on his official YouTube channel, One Two Records. He also directed the video himself.
The song starts with female voice, and then Bilal Saeed comes in with a captivating Punjabi rap. ‘Hogai Ghalti’ is about being willing to make mistakes in love. It tells the story of lovers who have their own unique ways of expressing love.
