newslide
Exhausted Kanye West hospitalised
Rapper Kanye West was reportedly hospitalised in Los Angeles on Monday and is said to be suffering from exhaustion. The news broke just hours after he abruptly cancelled the remainder of his tour following a week of no-shows, curtailed concerts and political rants. A source told People magazine West was “exhausted and currently dealing with sleep deprivation” but was “fine”. Concert promoters Live Nation said in a statement that the remaining 21 US dates on West’s Saint Pablo tour had been cancelled, and tickets would be fully refunded. The tour cancellation follows a demanding three months for West, who unveiled the new season of his Yeezy fashion line with an elaborate performance art event in September in New York. — Reuters
newslide
Freida Pinto happy working on Hindi films
United States-based Indian actress Freida Pinto, who rose to fame with the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, says she will always remember her cultural and professional roots. “I have no problem working in Hindi language films,” the 32-year-old says. “In fact, I worked in a half Marwari film Trishna when I couldn’t even speak the language. I had to learn it. The thing is not that who is in the film. It’s the story which is important for me.” Pinto made the remarks at an event hosted by Google called Women in India: Unheard stories. She also confirmed she will be starring in a Hindi language film called Love Sonia which will be released next year, directed by Tabrez Noorani. — IANS
newslide
No relationship for Harshvardhan Rane
Actor Harshvardhan Rane, who made his Bollywood debut in Sanam Teri Kasam, has admitted that he has a soft spot for actress-model Gauahar Khan, but has quashed rumours of a union. “I don’t deny that fact that I like Gauahar.” he says “She is hardworking, self-made and self-respecting. Somewhere, I see my own personality traits in her. But that’s about it. We are not in a relationship.” The 32-year-old Bollywood and Telugu star went on to reveal that, while he had been in love before, settling down with a partner was not on the cards. “It has never quite worked out,” he says “They were one-sided attractions and I’ve only been in one relationship in my entire life so far. When that ended, I decided being with someone was not for me. I like my own company the best.” – IANS
newslide
Pitt and Cotillard hit red carpet together
Hollywood actor Brad Pitt and his French co-star Marion Cotillard have brought their new movie Allied to Europe, hitting the promotional trail for the World War II thriller. Pitt has kept a low profile since his split from Angelina Jolie in September. The news came about following an incident in which the 52-year-old actor was reported to have lost his temper in front of one or more of their children. Earlier this month Pitt attended an Allied fan event in Los Angeles, hours after he was cleared of child abuse allegations. Resuming promotional duties for the film, in which he plays Canadian intelligence officer Max Vatan alongside Cotillard’s French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour, Pitt attended the film’s premiere in Paris, where he was greeted by cheering fans asking for selfies and his autograph. — Reuters
newslide
Tribe called Quest tops Billboard charts
Hip-hop band A Tribe Called Quest has scored its first Billboard 200 No. 1 in 20 years with its new release, We Got It From Here — Thank You 4 Your Service. The album, which sold some 135,000 units according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan, is the first by the New York rappers since 1998 and follows the death in March of founding member Phife Dawg from complications of diabetes. Dawg recorded some of the tracks before he died, and the album features collaborations with contemporary rappers like Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West, as well as Elton John.
The last Tribe Called Quest album to hit No. 1 was Beats, Rhymes and Life in 1996. — Reuters
newslide
Britain, Germany clean up at the Emmys
British and German TV productions each won three International Emmys, including acting honours for Dustin Hoffman and Christiane Paul.
Hoffman received the award for best performance by an actor for the BBC One TV movie Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot. The Oscar-winning actor portrayed a lonely retired bachelor who hatches an audacious plan to woo the widow in the flat below who is overly fond of her pet tortoise.
Germany’s Paul garnered the best actress award for her performance in Untern Radar — meaning Under the Radar — as a judge whose life is upended when her daughter is suspected of being responsible for a bombing in Berlin. A total of 40 nominees from 15 countries competed in 10 categories for the Emmy awards which honour excellence in TV programming outside the United States. The ceremony was hosted by The Good Wife star Alan Cumming. — AP
newslide
Bono recruits Julia Roberts for Aids fight
Those who donate at least $10 to Bono’s charity, called RED, are being given the chance to drink tea with the Irish singer and actress Julia Roberts. Alternatively, lucky winners will can enjoy a private concert by U2 or party in Las Vegas with Magic Mike star Channing Tatum. These are three of the ‘experiences’ donors stand to win when they help raises funds to fight Aids via Red’s campaign dubbed Shopathan. Now in its second year, the project is launching a week ahead of World Aids Day which falls on December 1. “It is a battle now for funding,” Bono said. “It’s just a street battle, pitch battle, and we have to keep this stuff in the news or literally those people don’t get the drugs. It’s that simple.” – AP
newslide
Canadian PM launches Priyanka Chopra
Riding her current wave of international fame, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is doing everything she can to promote her regional productions. After singing a song in Marathi film Ventilator, Chopra landed a celebrity coup of sorts for the launch of her Punjabi production, Sarvann. Chopra roped in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to do the honours at the weekend in Toronto. Chopra said she chose the Canadian capital for the launch because the movie about an NRI boy who returns to India in search of his roots. — Sonali Kokra
newslide
Salman Khan freezes out Arjun Kapoor
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has always been known to be very protective of his family. Which is why, when younger sister Arpita Khan was made the butt of offensive jokes about Arjun Kapoor having dated an ugly girl at an event to roast Kapoor, Khan was not at all amused. So much so that ever since the event, two years ago, Khan has been giving Kapoor the cold shoulder. Kapoor has often called Khan his mentor and credited him for his success, but Khan has shown no signs of thawing. The cold war between the two was observed most recently at tennis star Sania Mirza’s sister’s wedding function. Indian daily Times Of India reported that Khan refused to acknowledge Kapoor’s presence at the event while Kapoor too gave Khan a wide berth. — Sonali Kokra
