Gaga blamed herself for her rape

LONDON:

Pop sensation Lady Gaga has opened about being raped at 19 and how the traumatic experience changed her life. The singer first revealed she had been raped as a teenager during an interview last year, reported Contactmusic.

“I didn’t tell anyone for I think seven years. I didn’t know how to think about it, I didn’t know how to accept it. I didn’t know how to not blame myself or think it was my fault. “It’s something that really changed my life. It changed who I was completely.

It changed my body, it changed my thoughts,” she said.

When asked how it changed her physically, Gaga explained, “When you go through a trauma like that, it doesn’t just have the immediate physical ramifications.”Gaga, 29, also explained that it took her years to learn not to blame herself for what happened.

“Because of the way that I dress, and the way that I’m provocative as a person, I thought that I had brought it on myself in some way. That it was my fault.”

Eminem and Shady Records have announced a new partnership with lyrics site Genius.

The website formerly known as Rap Genius has since grown into something a lot bigger, but it's still the hip-hop community that's supplying much of its support. Now simply Genius, the lyric-annotation network has already received funding from music legends Nas and Pharrell, and can now count Eminem among its investors.

“Coming up we would always obsess over the lyrics from our favorite MCs.
Picking everything apart, trying to get into their heads,” Eminem said in a statement announcing the partnership. “I still do that today and Genius helps to make it a worldwide conversation. Pretty amazing to me.”

Genius will now power parts of the Shady records site, as well as the lyrics section on Eminem.com. Em will continue to provide verified annotations on his own lyrics, which he's done extensively in the past.

According to Eminem's manager, Paul Rosenberg, the Shady records team is "excited" for what the partnership "brings for both sides".

The Definitive Hip-Hop Guide To Aziz Ansari’s ‘Master Of None’

Rap plays a huge role in the Netflix series.

Aziz Ansari’s “ Master Of None ” has become one of the year’s most talked about shows. Since its release on Nov. 6, fans have binge-watched the Netflix comedy loosely based on the actor’s life.

He’s even earned a Golden Globes nom for it. The series, which is set in New York, is about Dev Shah, the character Ansari plays. It’s full of everything you’d expect: heart, drama, laughs and, well, hip-hop.

Salman dislikes girls in bold roles: Zarine

MUMBAI :

She may have featured with Salman Khan in the song Character Dheela but Bollywood actress Zarine Khan says the superstar does not like when girls do bold roles on screen.

Zarine, who was recently seen in a bold avatar for her latest erotic-thriller Hate Story 3, said she is yet to ask the Dabangg star if he has seen the film as she is intimidated by him.

“I have no idea if he has seen the movie. I have been busy with the promotions and he was busy too. Honestly, I didn’t even ask him if he has seen the film because I am a little intimidated by him.

He does not like girls doing these roles so…,” Zarine told PTI.

The 28-year-old actress is not worried about being stereotyped in bold roles as she said, despite starring in an adult film, she has been offered a “comedy and a women centric” movie.

Musical ‘Elf’ returns to New York led by Eric Petersen !

This image released by Madison Square Garden Company shows a performance of “Elf The Musical,” playing at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York until Dec. 27.

NEW YORK:

The Christmas musical based on Will Ferrell’s movie “Elf” has returned to New York for the holidays, led by a stage and TV veteran whose oldest child’s first Broadway show was — that’s right — “Elf.”

Eric Petersen’s 5-year-old daughter, Sophia, caught the show a few winters ago and adored it. Years later, she sat mesmerized for several hours watching her dad at a rehearsal of the show.

“My daughter loves theater so much and so she’s been going to shows well before most kids go,” Petersen said.
I’m in trouble. She’s totally a show kid. It’s very apparent.

Petersen plays Buddy in the touring musical that plays The Theater at Madison Square Garden until Dec. 27. He’s joined by a cast that includes J.B. Adams as Santa and Veronica J. Kuehn as Buddy’s love interest.

“I really love playing the character,” said Petersen. “I feel like I get to do so much fun stuff — physical comedy, which is my bag, and I get to do a little bit of a love story. It’s the whole package.”

The musical opens in the North Pole, where Buddy learns he’s not an elf but a human. It then charts his journey in search of his father in Manhattan, perking up everyone he meets.

Petersen looks nothing like Ferrell but director Sam Scalamoni said that was never a goal. “It has to be somebody who understands the comedy and the heart of the piece,” he said. “Funny is great, but if there’s not heart, then I don’t care. Eric is such a balance of both.”

Court acquits Salman Khan in hit-and-run case !

Bollywood actor Salman Khan sits in a car as he leaves a court in Mumbai, India, May 6, 2015.

The Bombay High Court on Thursday overturned the conviction of actor Salman Khan in a 13-year-old hit-and-run incident, essentially freeing one of Bollywood’s biggest stars from a case that threatened to end his career.

A criminal court in May sentenced Khan to five years in prison for culpable homicide on charges that he lost control of his SUV when driving under the influence of alcohol in 2002, and rammed into a group of people sleeping on a pavement. One person died and four others were injured.

Khan, who turns 50 later this month, appealed against the verdict in the High Court, which granted him bail and permitted him to continue working pending the appeal.

“The prosecution failed to establish its case on all charges,” Justice A R Joshi said.

Joshi ruled that the testimony of the state’s star witness, police constable Ravindra Patil who was accompanying Khan on the night of the incident, was not “wholly reliable.” The judge also said the prosecution had been unable to prove that Khan was drunk that night, as merely producing restaurant bills was not enough proof of his inebriated condition.

The prosecution is likely to make a final appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court.

Weisz ‘very happy’ with life !

Actress Rachel Weisz is thankful to be married to Spectre star Daniel Craig and has “no complaints” about life.
Weisz said she has a wonderful family and she is at a great place in her life, reported Female First.

When asked what it’s like living with Craig, she said, “Let’s just say I’ve got no complaints. Life is good and I’m very, very happy. I have a wonderful family and my career seems to be going well, touch wood.

“I’m quite superstitious though, so I don’t want to say too many things about it in case I jinx it.”

Weisz also thinks her husband, best known for playing James Bond, is a “brilliant” actor. When quizzed on life with James Bond, she replied, “I don’t live with James Bond, I live with an actor called Daniel Craig, who is such a brilliant actor that he has convinced everyone else that that is who he is.”

Adding, “I don’t know James Bond personally and as far as I understand, he doesn’t really get married, does he?”

Salman hit-and-run case verdict slated this week !

MUMBAI :

The Bombay High Court is slated to deliver its verdict this week on an appeal filed by Indian actor Salman Khan against the five-year sentence awarded to him in the 2002 hit-and-run case.

The arguments in the case concluded on December 6 and Judge AR Joshi said he would begin dictation of judgement on the appeal from December 8.

A sessions court had on May 6 convicted the 49-year-old actor on the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under IPC and other offences. An aggrieved Khan filed an appeal in the High Court which granted him bail before hearing arguments in the case.

It is the case of the prosecution that Khan had consumed liquor at Rain Bar and Restaurant at Vile Parle before ramming his Toyota lexus car into a shop at suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002. One person died in the mishap and four others were injured.

The prosecution has argued that there were three persons in the car — Khan, his singer friend Kamaal Khan and the actor’s police bodyguard Ravindra Patil, who passed away during the trial in 2007.

Relying upon the statement of Patil, the prosecution argued that Salman was driving the car. However, it did not examine Kamaal who has since then gone abroad.

On the other hand, Salman’s lawyer Amit Desai has argued that Salman was not driving the car and that it was his family driver Ashok Singh who was behind the wheel. He said the trial court had erred in not accepting the testimony of Singh, who deposed as defence witness saying that he was driving the car on the ill-fated day and not the actor.

According to prosecution, witnesses at the accident spot had seen Salman coming out of the driver’s seat. They also said that Salman ran away from the spot after the accident. The prosecution also alleged that the actor was missing from his residence for several hours after the mishap.

After the incident, driver Singh went to Bandra police station to tell the truth, but his statement was not recorded and after a few hours Salman himself went to the police station and surrendered.

Adele’s ’25’ adds another million sales in second record-breaking week !

British singer Adele perfoms the song “Skyfall” from film “Skyfall,” nominated as best orginal song, at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 24, 2013.

NEW YORK:

Adele racked up another 1 million US sales of her new album “25,” adding another record to her name and easily topping the Billboard 200 album charts on Monday.

After making history by becoming the fastest-selling album in a single week with 3.48 million copies, “25” sold another 1.16 million units in the United States in its second week on sale, according to figures from Nielsen Music.

That made “25” the only album since Nielsen began tracking sales in 1991 to sell at least 1 million copies in two separate weeks, Nielsen said.

Adele also reigned on the Digital Songs chart, which measures online download sales. Her single “Hello” sold another 232,000 in downloads.

Justin Bieber’s album “Purpose” kept its second place Billboard 200 slot, with 211,000 copies sold in the week, while his singles “Sorry” and “Love Yourself” were the 2nd and 3rd biggest sellers.

A cappella group Pentatonix moved into 3rd place on the Billboard 200 with “That’s Christmas To Me.” British boy band One Direction slipped to No. 4 with “Made in the A.M.” and Taylor Swift’s 2014 best-seller “1989” re-entered the Top 10 at No. 5 with another 60,000 copies sold over the week.

The Billboard 200 chart tallies units from album sales, song sales (10 songs equal one album) and streaming activity (1,500 streams equal one album).

Sly won’t be in Rambo series !

LOS ANGELES:

Despite the production companies endeavours to get the original Rambo star on board the project, Sylvester Stallone will not feature in the series.

The star told Deadline on December 7 that he will not be involved in any capacity in the Rambo: New Blood TV series bought by Fox .

The script for the new series was written by director Jeb Stuart of Die Hard fame and was to focus on Rambo’s relationship with his son.

The report suggests that without Stallone’s participation, the project is unlikely to go on.

Stallone remains connected to Fox as an executive producer on another TV series in Development for the network, based on the action franchise The
Expendables.

Sundance Film Festival announces slate of premieres !

LOS ANGELES:

Kristen Stewart, Michael Shannon, Anna Kendrick and Danny DeVito are among the actors appearing in films premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Festival organisers announced the slate of dramatic and documentary premieres on Monday.

Most of the titles won’t be seen outside the January festival for several months, but premiering at the independent-film showcase carries its own prestige.

Stewart appears in “Certain Women,” alongside Laura Dern and Michelle Williams, who also stars in “Manchester by the Sea” with Casey Affleck. Shannon appears in two films premiering at the festival: “Complete Unknown” and “Frank & Lola,” which is described as a “psychosexual noir love story.”

Kendrick stars with John Krasinski, Margo Martindale and Richard Jenkins in “The Hollars,” which Krasinski also directed. DeVito appears with Greta Gerwig, Julie Delpy and Ellen Burstyn in “Wiener-Dog,” about a dachshund that spreads comfort and joy, directed by Todd Solondz.

Dutt to be free in 3 months !

PUNE:

Incarcerated Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, whose five-year sentence for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts was confirmed by the Indian Supreme Court in March 2013, will be freed from prison by March 7, 2016, official sources said here on December 8.

The sources indicated that barring last-minute glitches, Dutt would be released by March 7 after completing the remaining 42-month period of his sentence.

Dutt was acquitted of terror charges under the TADA, but found guilty of possessing illegal arms, acquired ostensibly to protect his family during the communal conflagration that engulfed Mumbai after the demolition of the Babri Mosque on December 6, 1992.

Following the Indian apex court orders, his bail was cancelled and he was ordered to surrender within four weeks, which he complied with on May 16, 2013 and was lodged in Arthur Road Central Jail.

A week later, he was shifted to the Yeravada Central Jail, Pune, where he has been lodged since then and has earned the reputation of being a well-behaved inmate.

Of the five-year sentence, the actor had already served 18 months as an under trial and was required to undergo another 42 months, which is now on the verge of completing.

In between serving time, Dutt was granted either parole or furlough on various grounds, attracting a lot of criticism from various quarters, while some prominent personalities demanded his release from jail.

Kimye name son Saint !

LOS ANGELES:

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West have named their newly-born son as Saint.

The name was announced in a post on Kardashian’s official website, reports eonline.com.

Over the summer, reports had surfaced that the couple was planning to name their son Easton. A source quickly shot down that rumour, but then there were speculations that South West was a possible name for the baby. However, Kardashian denied that.

On December 5, Kardashian announced on her website that she had welcomed her second child with her husband West.
“Kanye and I welcome our baby boy,” she wrote with an image of the couple holding hands.

Kardashian already has a daughter with West. She’s named North West.

Harrison Ford promises older, wiser Solo in ‘Force Awakens’ !

Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca and Harrison Ford as Han Solo in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” The movie opens in US theaters on December 18, 2015.

LOS ANGELES:

When speaking about “Star Wars,” there are few topics that inspire a twinkle in Harrison Ford’s eyes.

The 73-year-old actor is matter-of-fact about almost everything involving the sci-fi series’ latest episode — from his reunion with Carrie Fisher (“It was no big deal.”) to the franchise’s unwavering popularity (“For me, it’s old news.”).

However, when Ford brings up his new co-stars, he lights up like the Millennium Falcon charging through hyperspace.

“The new, young actors Daisy Ridley and John Boyaga were well cast, well directed and are huge talents,” he said, his gritty voice lifting, during a recent interview. “They come off really well in the movie. They carry the movie.”
After more than 30 years, Ford is reprising his role as smart-aleck smuggler Han Solo in director J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” out December 18.

The iconic character, who hasn’t been seen on screen since celebrating the fall of the Galactic Empire in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” serves as an unlikely mentor to scavenger Rey (Daisy Ridley), defector Finn (John Boyega) and pilot Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) as they team up to take on masked adversary Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and his minions.

While the film has been cloaked in an unparalleled level of secrecy, Ford guaranteed that fans can expect the same Solo they fell in love with from the original “Star Wars” trilogy. (Disney declined to screen “Force Awakens” for this story ahead of the Dec. 14 premiere).

“The shorthand is that he’s older and wiser, but his bones are the same,” Ford said. “He’s not selling real estate now. He’s the same guy — only with the passage of 30 years. While we do not sit down and describe what he’s been doing for those years, we do discover in the context of the story what the complications have been in his life.”

Ford, who infamously wanted George Lucas to kill off Solo in “Return of the Jedi,” had a “why not?” attitude about suiting back up as Solo. He wasn’t surprised by Disney’s Death Star-sized plan to revive the franchise after acquiring Lucasfilm in 2012 for more than $4 billion. The studio is planning to release a stand-alone film about a young Solo in 2018.

“If you make a huge investment in a product and it pays off, there’s wisdom in seeing whether the well has run dry,” Ford said. “If the well has run dry, (expletive) admit it and go on to something else. This well has not dried, especially when you introduce new discoveries, which Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver represent.”

Despite embodying the intergalactic scoundrel in three films, the “Indiana Jones” star didn’t feel the need to provide “Force Awakens” filmmakers with much insight into Solo, who is back alongside shaggy sidekick Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew).

“They wanted to know if I didn’t like something, and we would talk about ways to fix it,” Ford said. “That’s what we do. It’s a collaborative process. There wasn’t much. (Lawrence) Kasdan was back. He was one of the writers from the original films. He has a keen understanding on how the beast works, so I think they produced a script that — in my mind — was very easy to work with.”

Once he was back in a galaxy far, far away, Ford’s reprisal was stopped short on the second day of production last year when a door on the Millennium Falcon set outside London fell on him. He broke his left leg and was grounded for months. The unexpected time off proved more frustrating than fruitful.
“I had been ready,” he said. “I didn’t have much to think about. I think it gave J.J. some more time to think about some of the scenes.”

After his work on the postponed production eventually wrapped up, Ford endured another mishap involving a flying machine. The aeronautical aficionado suffered several injuries when his vintage plane’s engine failed and crashed in Santa Monica, Calif.
The accidents haven’t stopped Ford from returning to the sky.
“Oh, (expletive) no, I fly all the time,” said Ford, with his eyes glowing again. “I want to spend more time flying. That’s what I want to do.”