MUMBAI: Here we bring exciting updates from Hollywood industry to keep you amused. Read on.

Things better for superhero films, but so much more to be done: Samuel L. Jackson

Superhero entertainers or the likes of intergalactic narratives have been integral to actor Samuel L. Jackson's filmography. He says the progress has been positive, but the possibilities have only been scratched at the surface yet.

"Everything has got better, it's different," Jackson, who is here for the Asia promotional leg for the forthcoming film Captain Marvel, said in response to a query by leading publication during a select media interaction here.

"I could go all the way back to Star Wars (1999 film Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace) when George (Lucas) was using salt for water and multi-coloured cotton swabs as crowds and you put your hand on that and moved it," he added, then broke into a laugh.

On a serious note, the 70-year-old actor said, "Yes, things have changed drastically for the respect and the belief in those particular characters and what it means to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This wonderful thing that Stan Lee created... that has only been kind of scratched on the surface.

"There's so much more to be done, a lot of stuff is going to happen over the next few years and in the MCU which I may or may not be a part of, but I am glad I was a part of."

He said he was glad that women like Brie Larson, who plays the title role as Captain Marvel, and Gemma Chan who essays Minn-Erva - both of whom were present here - were carrying the superhero stories forward.

"It's going to be awesome," he said, seemingly certain of the future of superhero films.

Year 2019 itself will see around 10 live-action superhero films, including Captain Marvel, which will hit the screens in India on 8 March.

At a press conference here, Jackson also spoke about Marvel Comics legend Lee being "one of the greatest influences" on his life.

Lee, co-creator of iconic superheroes like Spider-Man and The Hulk, died in November last year. He was 95, and has left behind a rich legacy of comic book heroes which Hollywood continues to spin over and over again.

"We generally ran into at work, at premieres, occasionally he might show up on sets. I've been reading comic books all the time and so Stan has been one of the greatest influences on my life in terms of 'who they are', 'how I feel about them', 'what I think that they can do', 'what they are capable of and what it means to be on the inside'.

 "He'll be missed," said Jackson, who plays the inimitable Nick Fury in MCU.

In Captain Marvel, he will appear in a de-aged avatar as the film is set in the 1990s.

Talking about going back in time for the film, he said, "There's a little less knowledge, few dots on my face... Not having to put a scar or the patch on the face... So it was kind of interesting being that guy, along with having two eyes, I have a lot... There's a lot that's on instinct than the older Nick Fury."

Bradley Cooper wins award for directing his dog         

Actor-director Bradley Cooper has won the ‘Oscat award from animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for directing his dog in A Star Is Born.

According to leading publication, PETA's Film and Television Division on Tuesday awarded Cooper the 'Oscat' award "for his enlightened decision to cast his own canine companion in A Star Is Born rather than using one supplied by a notorious animal exhibitor".

Cooper cast Charlie as his dog in the self-directed musical drama, which also stars Lady Gaga, because they already had the bond he wanted to portray on the big screen.

Cooper and Gaga are nominated for Oscars as well for their roles in A Star Is Born, which has been nominated for the Best Picture. Cooper is not nominated in the directing category.

The 91st Academy Awards will be held here on 24 February. It will be telecast in India on Star Movies.

Maggie Smith to return to stage after 12 years

Veteran actress Maggie Smith is all set to return to theatre after a long gap of 12 years.

The 84-year-old will star in a new play A German Life by Christopher Hampton. It will be directed by Jonathan Kent, reports leading publication.

The Harry Potter fame actress will play the role of controversial real-life figure Brunhilde Pomsel in the drama.

Pomsel had worked as a personal secretary to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister. She died aged 106 in 2017.

The play will be staged at the Bridge Theatre here later this year.

Smith's last stage appearance was in a 2007 production of Edward Albee's The Lady From Dubuque. She has won multiple awards for her work, including two Oscars and multiple Golden Globes and BAFTA awards.

Cardi B returns to Instagram

Rapper Cardi B is back on Instagram after deleting her account.

Cardi quit the social media on Monday following the backlash she received after she won a Grammy Award for her album Invasion of Privacy, but on Wednesday she returned to it to announce her upcoming songs, reports leading publication.

"So I am back from retirement to announce (that) I have a brand new song coming out Friday at midnight with Bruno Mars," she captioned a photograph of the single's cover art, along with the hashtag "two Grammy winning artistes".

People claimed that the I like it rapper did not deserve the Grammy Award following which Cardi deactivated her account.

Film Academy clarifies controversial Oscars plans

Officers of the Board of Directors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and the Sciences (AMPAS) has sent a letter to members trying to allay concerns about the decision to hold four Oscar presentations away from the live broadcast on 24 February.

"As the Academy's officers, we'd like to assure you that no award category at the 91st Oscars ceremony will be presented in a manner that depicts the achievements of its nominees and winners as less than any others," the letter read, reports leading publication.

"Unfortunately, as the result of inaccurate reporting and social media posts, there has been a chain of misinformation that has understandably upset many Academy members.

"We'd like to restate and explain the plans for presenting the awards, as endorsed by the Academy's Board of Governors."

The officers then went on to break down how these presentations will work:

* All 24 Award categories are presented on stage in the Dolby Theatre, and included in the broadcast.

* Four categories -- Cinematography, Film Editing, Make-Up and Hairstyling, and Live Action Short -- were volunteered by their branches to have their nominees and winners announced by presenters, and included later in the broadcast. Time spent walking to the stage and off, will be edited out.

* The four winning speeches will be included in the broadcast.

* In future years, four to six different categories may be selected for rotation, in collaboration with the show producers. This year's categories will be exempted in 2020.

* This change in the show was discussed and agreed to by the Board of Governors in August, with the full support of the branch executive committees. Such decisions are fully deliberated.

The letter states that show producers have "given great consideration to both Oscar tradition and our broad global audience. We sincerely believe you will be pleased with the show, and look forward to celebrating a great year in movies with all Academy members and with the rest of the world."

The letter was signed by President John Bailey, Vice Presidents Lois Burwell, Sid Ganis and Larry Karaszewski, Nancy Utley, Treasurer Jim Gianopulos and Secretary David Rubin.

Just before the email went out to members, it was shared that an open letter to AMPAS President John Bailey had been sent, signed by more than 40 high-profile cinematographers and directors, from Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino to Roger Deakins and Emmanuel Lubezki.

Many have called for the Academy to reverse course on the matter, but given that it was a board decision, the only way to reverse it would be to convene the body for another meeting in the next seven days.   

It was earlier reported that the AMPAS was to hand out four awards during commercial breaks in the hope of trimming the show's run time.

Look forward to when it's no more newsworthy: Anna Boden on helming 'Captain Marvel'

It's a double bonanza that Captain Marvel is not just the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie to star a female superhero, but also have a woman director calling the shots. Anna Boden, one half of the film's director duo, says it would be great to see a day when women pitching in will stop being newsworthy.

Captain Marvel, the 21st film of MCU, has Boden and her long-time collaborator Ryan Fleck as directors.

While spreading love for the upcoming actioner Captain Marvel at a press conference here on Valentine's Day on Thursday, Boden was asked about her experience of being the first female director to get attached to MCU.

She said, "This is a movie I really wanted to be a part of, so having that experience has been really amazing -- to work on this canvas and character that so many people care so much about.

"But it is 2019, and I think everybody here looks forward to the day when it's no longer newsworthy that a woman is directing this kind of a movie."

Her comment is only very relevant given how women backslid as feature film directors and face radical under-representation in the film world.

A recent report quoted by Variety said women accounted for eight per cent of directors working on the top 250 films in 2018, which was down by three percent from 11 in 2017.  

In 2017, Patty Jenkins had made a statement by helming Wonder Woman, also premised on a female superhero.

Expectations are naturally high from Marvel's Captain Marvel, releasing in India on 8 March, celebrated as International Women's Day.

Besides boasting of action-packed sequences featuring Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson as a former US Air Force pilot-turned-intergalactic warrior Captain Marvel, the film will also touch upon emotions.

Larson, who underwent intense physical training for the role, said, "The film is so big, and there are so many aspects of it that are larger than life, given that, we are dealing with is a superhero with powers of fighting aliens in space.

"But the thing that grounds it in reality are the smaller moments, the reality, the character moments, the moments in between the big fight sequences... those were the things we spent time on to make sure they had as much care as a giant explosion."

Adding to that, Fleck said, "Like other Marvel movies, this one is going to have a lot of action. We have action in space, in alien planets, in the mountains and deserts, city trains... So, we do have the action, but what people may not be expecting is what Brie said, the emotional journey that they can go on."

The team was joined by actors Samuel L. Jackson and Gemma Chan at the conference.

Richard Gere becomes father at 69

Veteran actor Richard Gere has once again become a father at the age of 69 after his wife Alejandra Silva gave birth to a boy.

Gere and Silva, 35, were blessed with a son on Monday, reports cnn.com.

This is the first child for the couple but they both have children from previous relationships.

Gere has a 19-year-old son from his marriage to actress Carey Lowell and Silva has a son with her former husband Govind Friedland.

Last year, Silva had shared the news of her pregnancy by posting a photograph of herself with Gere seeking blessings from Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

(Source: IANS)