From Holly to Bolly: 'The Rock' talks potential White House run, Salman Khan to produce sea drama and more

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‘The Rock’ talks a future in politics, including potential White House run

The Rock may have been voted Sexiest Man Alve by People, but the 44-year-old is interested in topping a more serious poll. After parleying a professional wrestling career as The Rock into leading roles in Hollywood, Dwayne Johnson is entertaining the idea of jumping into the political ring, including perhaps even a run for the White House someday. Johnson, 44, who stars in the upcoming Disney animated film Moana as the voice of demigod Maui said the excitement surrounding last week’s presidential election had renewed public interest in him running for office. Johnson said he saw the need for leadership and felt he would be an effective one. It is not the first time Johnson’s name has been mentioned in political circles. Earlier this year, Johnson took to Instagram to thank a Washington Post journalist who said he had a “weirdly plausible path to a political career” as a mixed-race registered Republican from Florida, a swing state in the presidential election.

Reuters

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Salman Khan to produce sea drama

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s production company, Salman Khan Films, has joined hands with First Take Entertainment Ltd to jointly produce Lions Of The Sea, a true story about the 1914 voyage of 376 Indian passengers to Canada aboard the Komagata Maru ship. Speaking of the collaboration, Khan said the incident is important in light of the current global refugee crisis. “Lions Of The Sea will allow us to embrace multiculturalism, diversity and bring humanity closer together,” he said. Lions Of The Sea is the first film under Indo-Canadian co-production treaty. It will be filmed in India, UK, Hong Kong and Canada and will feature an international ensemble cast, headlined by Irrfan Khan. – Sonali Kokra

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Lady Gaga pens essay on womanhood

In a powerful new essay in Harper’s Bazaar, the pop star weighs in on what it means to be a woman in the modern world, and how her female forebears influenced her. “Being a lady today means being a fighter,” writes Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. “It means being a survivor. It means letting yourself be vulnerable and acknowledging your shame or that you’re sad or you’re angry. It takes great strength to do that.” One woman whose legacy Gaga has long carried is the paternal aunt she is named after, Joanne Stefani Germanotta. A survivor of sexual assault, Germanotta died of lupus in 1974, 12 years before Gaga was born. Gaga’s essay echoes themes explored on her new album, which is titled Joanne in honour of her late aunt.

The National Staff

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Pakistani actor Ali Zafar not replaced in Bollywood film ‘Dear Zindegi’

Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt has confirmed she is not replacing Pakistani actor Ali Zafar in Dear Zindegi. The actress made the comments in light of the Indian government recently banning Pakistani actors from working in Indian films. Bhatt added that the character she plays in the upcoming film is very close to her own personality and will also be relatable to the audience. Dear Zindegi is out on November 24

IANS

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Aerosmith to begin farewell tour next year

US rockers Aerosmith, together for some 45 years, will embark on a “farewell” European tour next year, the group said on Monday.

One of the biggest rock bands in the United States, the award-winning group, often called The Bad Boys from Boston in reference to the city where they formed in 1970, is known for songs like Back in the Saddle and Walk This Way. The group consists of lead singer Steven Tyler, guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford, drummer Joey Kramer and bassist Tom Hamilton. In a spoof news sketch video posted on the band’s Twitter feed, Tyler and Perry announced the European tour, with Tyler asking “Any truth to the rumours that this could be the last hurrah?” to which Perry replies: “Who the hell knows”. The tour will kick off in Tel Aviv in May, with the band then heading to Georgia, Russia, Germany and performing across Europe until early July.

Reuters

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Kanye West and Will Ferrell working on Kanye biopic

Singer Kanye West and comedian Will Ferrell have started working on plans to turn the former’s life story into a film.

The 39-year-old hip-hop artist, who is married to reality TV personality Kim Kardashian West, has been in contact with Ferrell to discuss plot ideas for a biopic about his rise to fame, reports femalefirst.co.uk. They have exchanged multiple emails about the film, which West wants to be a comedy rather than A a rags-to-riches tale. West has also been discussing his ideas with Ferrell’s long-time collaborator Adam McKay. Both Ferrell and McKay worked on the hit comedies Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers.

The National Staff

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Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor’s ‘24’ bags several awards

Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor’s second season of the TV drama series 24 bagged five awards at the 16th Indian Television Academy Awards (ITA) Awards. The show won Best Editing- Jury, Best Videography- Jury, Best Mini Series- Jury, Best Teleplay Jury, and Kapoor clinched the Best Actor-Drama Award. This year, there were 1000 nominations competing across 48 categories. These included eight popular awards and 40 jury awards, and 16 technical categories. Mouni Roy won the Best Actress award for TV show Naagin and Shabbir Ahluwalia won the Best Actor Award for Kumkum Bhagya. Filmmaker Anurag Basu won the best director award for a drama series and also co-won the best mini series for TV series Stories by Rabindranath Tagore. The awards will be telecast on Colors TV on December 4.

IANS