Asghar Farhadi Talks Uprising in Iran: ‘The Result Will Be Rewarding’

As video game projects are gathering some steam in Hollywood, New Line Cinema has been pushing forward with a follow-up to 2021’s “Mortal Kombat” reboot with a new sequel. And much of the surviving characters return in the next film alongside the new incarnation of fan-favorite Johnny Cage, as teased at the end of the first installment.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Damien Chazelle will preside over the competition jury of the upcoming Venice Film Festival. The U.S. director is a Venice regular, having opened the Lido event on two occasions, in 2016 with “La La Land” and in 2018 with “First Man.” Damien Chazelle, welcoming Venice’s proposal stated: “For ten days each year this city of the arts, of Tintoretto and Titian and Veronese, becomes a city of cinema, and I am humbled and delighted to be invited to lead this year’s jury. I can’t wait to discover a new crop of great films at the 80th Venice Film Festival.”

Culinary super tastemaker Padma Lakshmi is once again in the running for Emmys, both for Bravo’s Top Chef and her Hulu series Taste the Nation. Over her years of hosting and executive producing Top Chef, she has earned 14 Emmy nominations herself, but victory has remained, tantalizingly, just beyond her reach.

Karl Lagerfeld during this year's Met Gala, sadly one of his closest companions won't be there.On Monday, Lagerfeld's beloved cat, Choupette, announced that she will be sitting the evening out and watching the world honor her late father from afar.«A million thanks to all of you my fans, animal lovers & Daddy's admirers. You have all shown the kindest enthusiasm and unconditional support, I say MERCI! Many people invited me to walk the red carpet of the #METGALA2023 in tribute to Daddy, but we preferred to stay peacefully & cozy at home.

Thania Garcia Pink lit up the stage for No Kid Hungry’s first in-person dinner event since before the pandemic on Thursday evening. As part of the festivities, Pink delivered an intimate performance to the “most empathetic crowd of people,” along with giving an acceptance speech as the organization’s national champion. The honor was bestowed upon the pop singer and philanthropist by actor Jeff Bridges, a No Kid Hungry spokesperson, for her commitment and contributions to help advance No Kid Hungry’s national campaign to end childhood hunger in America. “I like helping people. Growing up, I wanted to be a social worker and I feel like I’m a blend — a singer, social worker,” Pink told Variety ahead of her appearance. “I grew up with no money. My mom was an ER nurse, and my dad was an insurance salesman. It was hard at times and I don’t know anybody on this earth that hasn’t needed help at one time or another. And if you can help, you should.”

King Charles’ Coronation will bring us together at what has indisputably been a tough time for the country, with royal experts predicting it will provide just the tonic we need.The 6 May ceremony at Westminster Abbey kicks off a special three-day Bank Holiday extravaganza that will see Britons and members of the Commonwealth salute the crowning of our new King. And while the coronation itself will undoubtedly be a time to toast the monarch, the following day, 7 May, is when the nation will really let its collective hair down.The Coronation Big Lunch – organised by the Eden Project – will see neighbours and communities across the country throw street parties and share food together in what’s being described as “a nationwide act of celebration and friendship”.

As households continue to struggle with rising bills amid the cost of living crisis, it's not surprising that shoppers are making big changes.

Elon Musk appeared for a conversation on “Real Time With Bill Maher” on Friday. Musk, who purchased Twitter last year, discussed with the host his acquisition of the company, free speech, censorship and what he calls the “woke mind virus.” “I think we need to be very cautious about anything that is anti-meritocratic and anything that results in the suppression of free speech,” Musk said to Maher. “So those are two of the aspects of the ‘woke mind virus’ that I think are very dangerous…. you can’t question things, even the questioning is bad. Almost synonymous would be cancel culture. And obviously people have tried to cancel you many times.”

Monica Barbaro has flown in the skies with Tom Cruise‘s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Now she’ll sing alongside Timothée Chalamet‘s Bob Dylan.

Elizabeth Olsen opened up about her future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during a recent interview.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Shooting has kicked off in Rome on limited series “The Leopard” based on the classic Sicily-set novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa that marks Netflix’s most ambitious Italian original to date. Production on the lavish period piece will take place in the Sicilian cities of Palermo, Syracuse, Catania as well as the Italian capital over the next four months. The historical tapestry with elements comparable to “Downton Abbey” or “The Crown,” and potential to make a global mark, is a modern take on the sensual Sicilian saga famously adapted into a film by Luchino Visconti starring Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon and Burt Lancaster. The film, now an Italian cinema classic, won the 1963 Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Negotiations on a new Writers Guild of America contract could go through the weekend, as the sides continue to trade proposals ahead of the Monday deadline. The WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and may hold a session on Saturday, according to a source close to the situation. Given the looming deadline and prospect of a strike grinding Hollywood production activity to a halt, it’s no surprise that the guild and AMPTP representatives would look to work through the weekend in the hopes of avoiding industry-wide disruption. Another source close to the situation emphasized that nothing has been formally scheduled, and may not be until Friday.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Wattpad Webtoon Studios, the entertainment arm of the user-generated fiction and comics entertainment outfit, and Italy’s Leone Film Group have announced two new adaptations based on hit young-adult Wattpad novels. Taiwan-based author Ann Rae’s romantic mystery “The Locker Exchange,” which is set in a U.S. high school and has over 26 million reads globally on the Wattpad platform, is set to become an English and Italian-language feature film. And “Love Me, Love Me” by Italian writer Stefania S, which has scored 12 million reads in Italy, is to be adapted into an Italian-language series by Leone’s Lotus Production unit. 

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Dissident Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s travel ban has suddenly been lifted after 14 years, allowing the acclaimed auteur and his wife Tahereh Saeedi to reportedly leave Iran for an undisclosed location. Saeedi on Tuesday night posted a picture on Instagram showing her arriving with her husband at an undisclosed airport. It is captioned: “After 14 years, Jafar’s ban was cancelled and finally we are going to travel together for a few days…” Panahi, 62, was temporarily released from prison last month after going on a hunger strike to protest “the illegal and inhumane behavior” of Iran’s judiciary. He was out on bail.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon blew all the money they made from their Oscar winning film Good Will Hunting in just six months.Affleck this week revealed that he and friend Damon managed to spend all the $600,000 (£480,000) that they made from their breakthrough film in just six months.The pair, who wrote the screenplay for the film while still struggling actors, shared a bank account together and managed to clean out their entire savings – most of which went on a party house.“When we sold Good Will Hunting I was like, ‘We are now rich for life. My needs are over.

Nicole Kidman has long been open about her struggles to conceive children when she was younger. The actress, now 55, suffered from an ectopic pregnancy and a miscarriage when she was married to ex Tom Cruise from 1990-2001, resulting in them adopting daughter Bella and son Connor. However, once she met musician Keith Urban in 2005 and wed the following year, the feelings of angst returned and she admitted to giving up on having biological children.

EXCLUSIVE: Big Talk Productions is renaming itself Big Talk Studios and is reshuffling its top team as Matthew Justice departs after 16 years.

Matthew Perry is taking a step in the right direction by removing a few choice words he used against Keanu Reeves in his November memoir about addiction and recovery, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing." During a sit-down chat at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on Saturday, the 53-year-old actor admitted he may have made a mistake referring to the "John Wick" star in a negative light, and he's righting his wrongs. In his book, the "Friends" star questioned how Reeves "still walks among us," while "the really talented guys" died, such as River Phoenix and Chris Farley. "I said a stupid thing.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Luca Guadagnino will next direct the William S. Burroughs adaptation “Queer” with Daniel Craig playing the renowned counterculture author’s alter ego, an outcast American expat who lives in Mexico, and “Outer Banks” star Drew Starkey starring as a younger man with whom he becomes madly infatuated. “Queer” will also topline Lesley Manville (“The Crown”), frequent Wes Anderson collaborator Jason Schwartzman; and Henry Zaga (“The New Mutants”), according to inside sources. The boldly ambitious indie film is set to start shooting this month at Rome’s refurbished Cinecittà Studios where the Mexico City-set movie will be filmed in its entirety.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Oscar-winning French director Luc Jacquet (“March of the Penguins”) will be honored by the Locarno Film Festival with its Locarno Kids Award celebrating a film personality who has brought the magic of movies to younger audiences. “Luc Jacquet’s gaze has followed the perspective of the plant and animal kingdoms through his many voyages to the Antarctic or into forests both remote and close to home,” the Swiss festival dedicated to indie cinema said in a statement. It pointed out that this year’s prize “goes to a filmmaker who has consistently conveyed a powerful ecological message to younger generations of cinema lovers.” The French biologist and filmmaker has made hugely popular nature documentaries such as “Penguins,” watched by more than 25 million people worldwide since its 2006 release, and “Once Upon a Forest” in 2013 and “Ice and the Sky” (2015). He also helmed a fiction feature “The Fox & the Child” (2007).