Surabhi Verma

Meet The New Jim Carrey Who Paints Often And Reads The Bhagavad Gita

Apr 062018

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer,” says Jim Carrey, a regular comedian who mesmerized his audience and transformed himself from TV’s funny man to a Golden Globe-winning Hollywood actor.

Meet The New Jim Carrey Who Paints Often And Reads The Bhagavad Gita © pinterest

He has taken a long haul from his movie career for the past decade or so and turned his attention to painting among other things. He created a monstrous portrait of Sarah Huckabee Sanders and more recently of Trump, which was quite revealing. This Jim Carrey is different from the one who became every girl’s first love through his performance in ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’.

Carrey’s personal life was never stable and consistent. He has been married twice to Melissa Womer and Lauren Holly and was in a live-in relationship with Jenny Mc Carthy for around 5 years (2005-2010). He has a daughter – Jane Erin Carrey, with his first wife Melissa Womer.

A Born Performer And Entertainer

Meet The New Jim Carrey Who Paints Often And Reads The Bhagavad Gita © Youtube

James Eugene Carrey was born on 17th January 1962 in Ontario, Canada to Kathleen – a homemaker and Percy Carrey – an accountant and a part-time musician. James was quite a performer from his very childhood days. He was an entertainer, the life of every house party. Just at the age of 10, he made a resume/biodata of himself and sent it across to The Carol Burnett Show. By the time he reached junior high school, he was already performing stand-ups for his class fellows and teachers!

Family Crisis During Adolescence Was A Bump In The Road

Sadly, Jim’s family saw some tough times, when he was growing up. There was a phase during which they even had to live in a camper van. Jim with his three siblings and parents had to work extra shifts to make enough money. Jim was working for eight to ten hours a day at such young age. His morale was low but he did not give up completely. He waited for the right time. Finally, after a few years of struggle, Jim’s family moved to Toronto.

Stand-Up And Impersonations – A Learning Phase

Meet The New Jim Carrey Who Paints Often And Reads The Bhagavad Gita © pinterest

Soon after the family moved to Toronto and things got better, Jim made his debut in a local pub as a standup comedian. Though the initial feedback on his sketches was not that great but Jim was not ready to quit. He decided to drop out of school and work full time on his comedy.

He realized that he got better responses on celebrity impersonations and started working on them. In the year 1979, he decided to move to Los Angeles. He finessed his craft and finally bagged a regular gig at The Comedy Store. Rodney Dangerfield was so impressed by Jim’s craft that he signed him as an opener for an entire season.

The Acting Bug

After perfecting the art of lounge comedy, Jim started to look for different mediums where he could use his comic skills. He managed to get a part as a cartoonist in a sitcom called ‘The Duck Factory’ (1984). The show was short-lived but it gave Jim the confidence and motivation to pursue acting as a career.

Though Carrey landed up some roles in movies like ‘Once Bitten’ (1985), ‘Peggy Sue Got Married’ (1986), and ‘Earth Girls Are Easy’ (1988), he did not receive much praise for his work in these films. Things took a happy turn when Jim landed a role in the comedy series called ‘In Living Color’ (1990). He managed to quickly make a name for himself as an established comedian with hilarious sketches and outrageous acts.

Hollywood Major

Meet The New Jim Carrey Who Paints Often And Reads The Bhagavad Gita © Youtube

Following his time on ‘In Living Color’ (1990), Jim Carrey was ready to make a dent in the industry. His transformation into a marquee headliner happened within just one single year. The year 1994 saw Jim starring in ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective’. This film cashed in on his uniquely physical brand of humor, establishing Carrey as an accepted entertainer and a box office hit. This blockbuster was followed by the release of ‘The Mask’ – a superhero film for which he is still remembered.

After this, Carrey’s career graph shot like a canon in the air. Films like ‘Dumb and Dumber’, ‘Batman Forever’, ‘Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls’ and ‘Liar Liar’ etched Carrey’s name in Hollywood with golden letters. He shot to fame and earned millions.

A Break from Comedy, Eccentric Acting, And The Golden Globes

Jim wanted to explore the other sides of his personality as an actor. In 1998, he starred in Peter Weir’s ‘The Truman Show’ where he played a salesman who finds out that his whole life has been the subject of a TV show! Jim demonstrated a unique and uncharacteristic sincerity in this role and took moviegoers by surprise. He won a Golden Globe for his performance in this film.

Next, Carrey played the eccentric funnyman Andy Kaufman in ‘Man on the Moon’. He took method acting to new heights and disappeared into his character. He started living as Kaufman – as well as the blustery alter-ego called Tony Clifton. His uncanny impersonation and impeccable performance were rewarded with yet another Golden Globe.

Academy Awards And Jim Carrey – The Controversy

Meet The New Jim Carrey Who Paints Often And Reads The Bhagavad Gita © youtube

When Jim played some memorable roles in films like ‘The Truman Show’ and ‘Man on the Moon’ during 1998-99, he was hopeful of getting an Oscar. When he did not win, he even lashed out at the Academy. He gave controversial statements like the Academy was “narrow-minded” and “biased” in its selection process. His fans, who also anticipated his win, supported him. However, his remarks were not taken in good taste by most of Hollywood.

Continued Success And Versatile Performances

Jim Carrey may not have won an Oscar but he enjoyed continued success. With movies like ‘Me, Myself & Irene’, ‘Bruce Almighty’, ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’, ‘The Number 23’, ‘A Christmas Carol’ (an animated movie where he voiced multiple characters) and ‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’ Carrey has nothing left to prove. He is a pool of talent that many young actors and fans look up to.

The New Carrey

Meet The New Jim Carrey Who Paints Often And Reads The Bhagavad Gita © YouTube

It has been years since we last spotted him in a film, he recently opened up about his life and more in the Netflix original ‘Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond’. Now, he is busy painting the absurd and the abstract. We still wish to see him working in more films, who knows what else he could bring on screen!

These days Carrey has been studying mindfulness, as well as Christ consciousness and non-dualism and the Bhagavad Gita. “I was a seeker for a long time, but I’m not seeking anything anymore,” Carrey said about his journey in a recent interview.

This Is How Mark Ruffalo Struggled His Way To Hollywood & Became The Gladiator 'Hulk'

Celebrities

Apr 052018

When it comes to the most famous and talented actors in Hollywood, there are many names which may strike your mind including the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and now Daniel Kaluuya. However, other than the highly commercial stars, there is one actor who has proved his mettle quite a number of times. He is now popular amongst the audience as the ‘Hulk’ and loved by fans worldwide.

Mark Ruffalo is simply unavoidable. The 50-year-old star has three Academy nominations to his name and is the winner of two SAG awards. Not only an actor, he is a social activist too. In a career spanning over 25 years, Ruffalo has worked in more than 55 films. Some of his incredible performances include – Michael Rezendes in ‘Spotlight’, Bruce Banner / Hulk in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’, Dave Schultz in ‘Foxcatcher’ and Agent Dylan Rhodes in ‘Now You See Me’.

How Mark Ruffalo Struggled To Become Hollywood's 'Hulk' © pinterest

Ruffalo is a kind of actor who remains sorted on his work front, never tries to get involved in any controversy like many others do, and loves to post images on Instagram where he can be seen doing everything else other than movies. Remember how he went live accidentally on Facebook and posted the audio of ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ from the premiere? He knows how to be a charmer after all.

Let us understand how Ruffalo became the audience’s favorite and struggled his way to make it big in Hollywood.

Early Life With Undiagnosed Dyslexia

How Mark Ruffalo Struggled To Become Hollywood's 'Hulk' © pinterest

Mark Ruffalo was born in the year 1967 in the United States. Though his family struggled to make their ends meet, he described himself as a ‘happy child’ while he was growing up. As a young adult, he spent much time struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia and ADD. Having spent his teen years in Virginia, where wrestling kept him much interested, he later found his own theatre company, the Orpheus Theatre Company. At his theatre, Ruffalo worked as a writer, director, and actor apart from being a bartender for almost a decade. Nothing happened initially on the acting forefront before Ruffalo appeared in low key films like ‘The Dentist’ and ‘Safe Men’.

Small Beginnings In Hollywood

How Mark Ruffalo Struggled To Become Hollywood's 'Hulk' © thisisouryouth

It almost happened by chance that Ruffalo got to meet writer Kenneth Lonergan and then started appearing in his plays. One of the popular plays he starred in was ‘This is Our Youth’ (1996) which later landed him in the film by the same name. Ruffalo’s role as Laura Linney’s character’s brother grabbed some attention and he got to win two prestigious awards at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and Montreal World Film Festival. While people started comparing this particular performance to that of Marlon Brando, the movie also got nominated for Academy Awards in 2000. Mark Ruffalo was then a star in demand!

Significant Roles

How Mark Ruffalo Struggled To Become Hollywood's 'Hulk' © collateral

Early 2000s marked an important era for Ruffalo as he bagged a few important projects including films like ‘XX/XY’ (2002), Isabel Coixet’s ‘My Life Without Me’ (2003), Jane Campion’s ‘In the Cut’ (2003), Michel Gondry’s ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004), and ‘We Don’t Live Here Anymore’ (2004). He made his first big-league appearance opposite Tom Cruise (who was then a big star), in the film ‘Collateral’ (2004). On the other hand, he also starred as a romantic lead in films like ‘View From the Top’ (2002), ’13 Going on 30′ (2004), ‘Just Like Heaven’ (2005) and ‘Rumor Has It’ (2005). His role in the 2006 play ‘Awake and Sing!’ landed him his first Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play.

For years, Ruffalo tried his hands on experimenting various genres and characters. Starring opposite high profile actors was never a part of his plan. Instead, he worked as per the director and the script. He bagged roles in films by well-known directors including Martin Scorsese’s ‘Shutter Island’, Brian Goodman’s ‘What Doesn’t Kill You’, Lisa Cholodenko’s ‘The Kids Are All Right’, but there have been times when he gave utter importance to thought-provoking roles as well. One of the roles which bagged him his first Academy Award nomination (Best Supporting Actor) was for the film ‘The Kids Are All Right’. This was one particular film in which the director, Lisa, approached Ruffalo as she only wanted him and no other actor to play the role.

Ruffalo As Hulk!

How Mark Ruffalo Struggled To Become Hollywood's 'Hulk' © pointofgeeks

Who would not want to be a part of a highly commercial franchise by Marvel Cinematic Universe and play the Hulk? In the ‘Avengers’ (2012) which is the sixth installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ruffalo replaced Edward Norton as Dr. Bruce Banner popularly known as the Hulk. His performance as Hulk has received positive reviews so far and he is already in demand for an independent ‘Hulk’ film. Last year in an interview given to Variety, Ruffalo quoted, “I want to just make one thing perfectly clear today: A standalone ‘Hulk’ movie will never happen. Universal has the rights, and for some reason, they don’t know how to play well with Marvel. And they don’t want to make money.”

Hulk, the celebrated gladiator, has now got a huge fan base and Ruffalo has done some incredible amount of improvisation and handwork to live up to the audience’s expectations. The actor is now under contract to play the role in any upcoming film appearance of the character, under the production of Marvel Studios.

Apart from this, we also saw Mark as Banner in ‘Iron Man 3’, in which he had a cameo. This also made him the first actor to reprise the character when it comes to a live-action film. He played the role again in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015) and ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017). He is also gearing up to appear in the upcoming films ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and its untitled sequel set for release in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Ruffalo’s dexterity with which he is able to do a variety of characters is exhilarating. In 2014, he starred as Ned Weeks in a television adaptation of Larry Kramer’s AIDS-era play – ‘The Normal Heart’. This performance earned him an Emmy nomination.

Towards More Academy Nominations

How Mark Ruffalo Struggled To Become Hollywood's 'Hulk' © pinterest

‘Foxcatcher’ was one film for which Ruffalo received another Oscar nomination. Being a wrestler himself in his early days, Ruffalo found that the film’s subject was presented in a way he never saw before. However, the nomination didn’t happen that easy to him. The actor unlearned everything he already knew and went through a major physical transformation to look like Dave Schultz. While critics called this a performance of his life, Ruffalo started working on his next project, which till date is believed to be his best act so far.

Tom McCarthy’s investigative journalism drama ‘Spotlight’ (2015) bagged him another Oscar nomination. This time, Mark was more confident, mature and had put the required amount of inquisitiveness in his character. This was a serious role, relatively low-key but had all the momentum Ruffalo needed to stay in the game.

Two years had passed since then, however, for Mark Ruffalo, there seems to be no looking back. Two important superhero films are on his way and he is already working hard for them. It will be really interesting to see how future unfolds for this talented actor, he still has a long way to go and his journey serves as an inspiration to many young actors who believe that an already popular actor can never be replaced (in reference to the previous Hulk actors).

How Arnold Schwarzenegger Battled A Defective Heart And Paved His Way To Superstardom

Celebrities

Feb 282018

How many times do we hear about an immigrant who makes it big in a foreign country, without any major financial support? There are people who believe in something called living the American dream and take appropriate actions to make it come true. Out of many such stories, there is one story of a man who came to the American mainland with almost nothing with him, but with his hard work and determination, turned his misery into opportunities. Take your eyes off the Hadids because today we are going to tell you about the bitter-sweet odyssey of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold is not only a successful actor and a professional bodybuilder but the former governor of California as well. From serving in the Austrian Army (1965) to winning the Mr. Universe title seven times in his life, Arnold, at a very young age declared that someday he is going to be a great actor. Let us take a look inside the life of the man who changed his own destiny!

Body Building and Winning Titles All the Way

The Life Of Arnold Schwarzenegger © broscience

In his early days, Arnold was influenced by the lives of actors, bodybuilders and models. And no one even had the slightest hint that he would go on to become the youngest winner of the Mr. Europe title. Not only this, Arnold also bagged Mr. Olympia six times and won Mr. Universe seven times. But for that, he went through intensive training, shaped his body like no one else, even in today’s time. His intensive coaching and vigorous practices opened gateways to victory.

The Austrian bodybuilder-turned-actor defied all odds by becoming one of the most quotable and mimicked action stars in the world, earning a cool 15 million dollars a flick! Known as ‘The Austrian Oak’ during his bodybuilding days in the US, Arnold became a millionaire before the age of 22!

Hollywood: A mouthful of the last name and slow speaking abilities

The Life Of Arnold Schwarzenegger © pinterest

Schwarzenegger eventually became the poster boy for the American Dream by dominating bodybuilding competitions and raking in an estimated 300 million dollars in the box office. However, his journey was not all that smooth. A rough Austrian accent and slow speech patterns led some producers to believe that it would not be very easy for Schwarzenegger to make it big in Hollywood. They were all impressed with his physique but most of them did not approve of his last name – they said it was a ‘mouthful’.

‘The Austrian Oak’ made his film debut as Arnold Strong in the low-budget spoof of Hercules in 1970. Since they did not approve of his voice/speech; they also had him dubbed in this movie. In ‘Stay Hungry’, the 1976 comedy drama, Arnold went back to his original name. He attained stardom with ‘Pumping Iron’ – a documentary based on his life, released in 1977. He exhibited another level of understanding of comedy in the 1979 movie ‘In the Villain’. Whereas, ‘Conan The Barbarian’ (1982) and ‘Conan The Destroyer’ (1984) established him as an action star. The year 1984 witnessed the birth of a cult Hollywood star that would rule the industry for decades to come with the release of ‘The Terminator’. That movie made Schwarzenegger a bona fide Hollywood box office draw!

Schwarzenegger – The Austrian-Born Governor of California

The Life Of Arnold Schwarzenegger © Reuters

By the 2000s, Arnold Schwarzenegger was a household name in almost all parts of the world. This international star announced his candidacy for the Governor of California in the California recall election in the year 2003. He made this announcement during the episode of ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno on August 6, 2003. Needless to say, Schwarzenegger’s name was the most popular one among all candidates that year. It took no time for his candidacy to become the talk of international news. He became popular as ‘The Governator’ and ‘The Running Man’ in the media. People even started calling the recall elections as the ‘Total Recall’ polls!

On October 7, 2003, ‘The Austrian Oak’ was elected the Governor of California with 48.6% of the votes. Schwarzenegger won the election by more than 1.3 million votes to become the second foreign-born Governor of California. The only foreign-born Governor in California before Schwarzenegger was Irish-born Governor John G. Downey in the year 1862.

Marriage into the Kennedy Family, Separation and Controversies

The Life Of Arnold Schwarzenegger © Telegraph

Obviously, this Hollywood star with an awesome physique was quite popular with the ladies. Well, one of the most popular romantic and stable relationships of Schwarzenegger’s life was with Maria Owings Shriver – the niece of President John F. Kennedy. Today, she is a well-known correspondent and anchor at NBC News.

When Schwarzenegger met Shriver, he was still seeing his former lover Sue Moray – assistant to his Beverly Hills hairdresser. They met at the Robert F. Kennedy Tennis Tournament in the year 1977. Schwarzenegger went on to have a relationship with both Moray and Shriver for almost a year. Eventually, Schwarzenegger and Shriver entered a committed relationship that led to their marriage in the year 1986. They have four kids together.

Schwarzenegger’s relationship with Shriver took an ugly turn after almost 35 years of being together. In 2011, in the month of May, they ended their marriage when Shriver moved out of the Brentwood mansion.

The reason for this marital separation was quite controversial. Apparently, Schwarzenegger had allegedly fathered a son some 14 years earlier with a domestic staff in their household. Schwarzenegger said in a statement issued to The Times that “After leaving the governor’s office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago.” However, sources suggested that he had confessed only after Shriver had confronted him.

The Real Man of Steel

The Life Of Arnold Schwarzenegger © denofgeek

Despite professional and personal obstacles in life, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a true inspiration. Not only, is he a self-made man but he has done that without Godfathers and other leverages. In addition, he has also faced his share of medical problems and health challenges.

Born with a defective heart, Schwarzenegger had a valve replacement surgery in 1997. He opted against a mechanical valve and went for one made using his own transplanted tissue to avoid any physical limitations. In the year 2001, he broke six of his ribs in a motorbike accident.

Living for a Cause

The Life Of Arnold Schwarzenegger © Reuters

When Schwarzenegger is not killing villains on-screen, he is busy getting involved in noble causes. He has been involved with the Special Olympics – the world’s largest sports activity for those born with intellectual disabilities. In the year 2007, Schwarzenegger was the official spokesperson for the Special Olympics held in Shanghai (China).

He firmly believes that everyone has equal rights to quality school opportunities and those who can, should do everything in their might to provide access to all children alike. In the year 1995, he established the Inner City Games Foundation (ICG) to provide cultural, educational and community enrichment programs for youth. Active in 15 different cities, ICG serves more than 250,000 children in around 400 schools countrywide.

Schwarzenegger has also been involved with After-School All-Stars – An after school program provider, educating youth about health, fitness and, nutrition. He founded the ASAS Los Angeles branch in the year 2002.

Schwarzenegger’s life is indeed a wholesome combination of physical, emotional and moral strength – A life story that teaches us that it is okay to commit mistakes and learn from them. His life is a narrative that teaches us the power of determination and the quest for more.

Here Is How Sylvester Stallone Paved His Way To Hollywood & Became The Legendary 'Rocky Balboa'

Celebrities

Feb 192018

Imagine how life would have been for a dead broke actor who positively rejected the idea of selling his power script, and wrote his own destiny to become a well known figure of all time. Steadily, ‘Rocky Balboa’ fixated us to his version of the American dream and filled our hearts with hope, belief and ambition. He broke the existing boilerplate about the modish version of Hollywood, instead, gave it an unfashioned, raw slant which many would have turned down then.

On the likes of Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, ‘Balboa’ existed to be the greatest bull artist of all time! In the lines below, read about how Sylvester Stallone ignited the ‘Rocky’ in him to become a great actor and what followed years later as his charm faded away.

Early Life Without Any Money

This Is Why Sylvester Stallone Is Known To Be One Of The Greatest Stars Of All Time © gigareel

Born in a lower middle class family, Stallone spent his early years in Manhattan and had a difficult childhood due to being partially paralyzed from the time of his birth. At times he couldn’t explain at first the reason behind his slurred speech and often faced rejection as a child. It was when he moved to Philadelphia and gained some university education, he started accepting the challenges both (physical and financial) all by his own.

At one point in his early days as an adult, when he was left with no money and a shelter, he starred in a soft core pornography feature film titled ‘The Party at Kitty and Stud’s’ and earned his first 200 dollars. But, that is not all about him. He knew he had to do more with his life and tried ways to explore it through whatever available sources he had. Then ‘Hollywood’ happened to him!

Small Beginnings In Hollywood

Right from his acceptance to go for uncredited roles in films like Pigeons (1970) as a party guest, Woody Allen’s ‘Bananas’ (1971) as a subway thug, in psychological thriller ‘Klute’ (1971) as an extra dancing in a club, and in the Jack Lemmon film ‘The Prisoner of Second Avenue’ (1975) as a youth, and later doing supporting roles in ‘Farewell’, ‘My Lovely’, ‘Capone’ and ‘Death Race 2000’, Stallone tried his hands onto every small film which could keep up his survival. By then he hardly knew that something big was waiting for him in the days that followed. A self written script about a boxer changed Stallone’s fate forever.

The Script And Its Fate

On March 24, 1975, Stallone witnessed the Muhammad Ali–Chuck Wepner fight. He later sat down for 20 long hours to write a script. After finishing the script, the challenge was to find someone who could make it into a film and take Stallone in the lead. After getting rejected by many studios, it was Irwin Winkler and Robert Chartoff who became interested in the script and offered Stallone US$350,000 for the rights. The actor rejected the offer and instead showed interest to be casted as the lead in the film. Post much negotiation; the producers agreed to his terms, ‘Rocky’ was born!

The Academy Awards 1977

The film instantly became a huge hit and connected to masses. “If ever a recent offbeat film project had some high-horsepower sponsorship, it’s ‘Rocky’” wrote Variety about the film. The movie received both critical acclaim and a good viewership which further paved way for ten Academy nominations. The 49th Academy Awards (1977) was a memorable year for Stallone and his film, ‘Rocky’ defeated the highly lauded ‘All The President’s Men’ and took away the Oscar for Best Film, Best Director and Best Editing.

Glorious Years In Hollywood

The success of ‘Rocky’ was mammoth and made Stallone a star to be chased. Renowned producers wanted to work with him for his avant-garde performance. However, Sylvester thought unorthodoxly and gave his first directorial debut the very next year after ‘Rocky’ was released. He went on to direct the 1978 film ‘Paradise Alley’ and later starred in ‘F.I.S.T’. In 1979 he wrote, directed and starred in ‘Rocky II’ which grossed over 200 million dollars worldwide.

When people just couldn’t get enough of his mysterious and stony image, he launched a major franchise and termed it as ‘Rambo’. After ‘First Blood’ (1982), three ‘Rambo’ sequels, ‘Rambo: First Blood Part II’ (1985), ‘Rambo III’ (1988) and ‘Rambo’ (2008), followed. Stallone’s box office success was keeping his fans happy and contented with his skills and filmography and sooner he wrote, directed, and starred in two more sequels to the series: ‘Rocky III’ (1982) and ‘Rocky IV’ (1985). These two characters of ‘Rocky’ and ‘Rambo’ have been portrayed by Stallone in a total of 11 films.

Heavy Duty Workout And Preparation For Films

This Is Why Sylvester Stallone Is Known To Be One Of The Greatest Stars Of All Time © konbini

With each film, Stallone kept a robust yet different physical appearance. His exuberant training regimen often comprised of heavy duty exercises and that too for six days a week. For ‘Rocky III’, Stallone claims to have reduced his body fat percentage to as low as 2.8%. Before the shoot of ‘Rocky IV’ and ‘Rambo II’, Stallone received tough training from former Mr. Olympia, Franco Columbu.

Unsuccessful Roles

Though most of the ‘Rambo’, ‘Rocky’ films received overall positive reviews and made Stallone a star forever, he also chose to do some offbeat roles, not suiting his personality and therefore couldn’t make him appear other than the man with a basso profundo voice. People still wanted to see more of the fighter in him and just couldn’t accept the fact that he could be someone else than the one fighting inside the ring.

Films like ‘Rhinestone’, ‘Over The Top’, ‘Angels With Dirty Faces’ and ‘Cobra’ failed at the box office and ultimately Stallone decided to rejuvenate the ‘Rocky’ franchise. ‘Rocky V’ got released, however, Stallone’s career in Hollywood started sinking, due to many flop films over a short period of time.

2006–2008: Revisiting Rocky And Rambo

This Is Why Sylvester Stallone Is Known To Be One Of The Greatest Stars Of All Time © projectcasting

Who could believe that Stallone still had something to do with the ‘Rocky’ series? In 2006, he made a comeback with ‘Rocky Balboa’ which was both a commercial and critical hit. Till date, people admire him for his power packed performance in the film and for the memorable monologue during a scene where Balboa indulges into a prompt conversation with his son, leaving the viewers teary eyed and motivated at the same time.

In 2015, Stallone reprised his role as ‘Rocky Balboa’ in a spin-off-sequel film, ‘Creed’ which earned him his first Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and also his third Academy Award nomination. Other than his Hollywood roles, he also appeared in a cameo in Bollywood movie ‘Kambakkht Ishq’.

Not many of his fans know that Stallone has also been an integral part of boxing promotion and his company ‘Tiger Eye Productions’, signed world champion boxers Sean O’Grady and Aaron Pryor. Due to extremely physically demanding roles Stallone also suffered some major injuries including a broken finger, injured neck which had to be supported through a metal plate and an injured eye.

Stallone once said, “If you lead with your heart, lead with your heart, and it will carry you much further than your brains will.” Maybe, that has made him what he is today. An actor who believes his films are his life and so he does every single thing to make his films a great piece of art. From rags to riches, Stallone wrote his own life story and is an inspiration to millions of people throughout the world. There is never going to be another one like him!

10 Hollywood Celebrities Who Just Cannot Work With Each Other

Celebrities

Feb 082018

Celebrity rivalries and tiffs are something we often get to witness in the tinsel town. The clash sometimes gets so real amongst celebrities that even their fans turn rivals over the social media. One can compare the conflict of the egos to combining vinegar and baking soda, resulting in disastrous results.

At various events, red carpets, celebrities who do not gel with one another are often spotted avoiding the awkward run outs. Remember the Angelina Jolie-Jennifer Aniston situation during the Golden Globes? Dakota Fanning was all of us trying to see just what would happen next.

In fact, sometimes these rivalries get stretched for a long time unless one makes an effort and offers to be ‘best friends’ again. Such is the situation inside the entertainment industry. There have been many examples in the past when an entire film production had to go through a major loss just because two lead stars couldn’t put aside their self-pride, thus leaving the shooting in between. Directors and producers have now started taking a special note before casting their leads in movies, just to avoid any future chaos, as they know that certain feuds are more important than anything else in the world. In this post, we are going to tell you about those celebrities, who are ‘anti’ to each other and must never work together.

Nicki Minaj & Mariah Carey

Nicki Minaj & Mariah Carey © entertainmentweekly

What were the producers thinking to put these two ultra-divas together on the sets of “American Idol” together? Well, in 2002, when the auditions for the show began, fans immediately realized that there was something off on the sets. During the auditions in North Carolina, things got really ugly when apparently Minaj started cursing Carey. According to sources, Minaj even threatened to shoot Carey.

Paris Hilton & Tina Fey

Paris Hilton & Tina Fey © hollywoodlife

Paris Hilton and Tina Fey are yet another set of drama queens who do not get along and are quite public about it. During Howard Stern’s ‘Sirius Radio Show’, Fey talked about the time when Paris was a host on the ‘Saturday Night Live’. She commented that usually they have great hosts at ‘SNL’ but sometimes they get bad ones like Hilton. She went on to call Hilton too self-involved and even claimed that she left her “gross Barbie hair” wherever she went.

James Franco & Tyrese Gibson

James Franco & Tyrese Gibson © newsau

In this case, the villain was method acting. While, shooting for the movie ‘Annapolis’, James Franco and Tyrese Gibson had a lot of fight scenes and eventually, they ended up hating each other. Allegedly, Franco had entered so much in the character that he would not break it even when they were rehearsing. Gibson said he felt it was more than just method acting; he said that he felt that Franco went way too personal. In 2007, during an interview with Elle magazine, Gibson said that he wished he could blow Franco’s house. Well, this feud seems to be too personal and eccentric!

George Clooney & David O. Russell

George Clooney & David O. Russell © laineygossip

While filming ‘Three Kings’, in the year 1999, Clooney found it difficult to work with director David O. Russell. In an interview with Playboy in 2002, Clooney said that it annoyed him how the director constantly picked on the crew members. Eventually, the actor later decided to confront Russell. However, the confrontation turned into an embarrassing scream match. Sources have been quoted reporting that they both had to be actually manhandled and separated from each other. Whoa! That was something!

LL Cool J & Jamie Foxx

LL Cool J & Jamie Foxx © ambrosia

Another pair of actors who became foes because of method acting is LL Cool J and Jamie Foxx. While shooting a sequence for ‘Any Given Sunday’ in 1999 at a stadium in Miami, things got out of hand between these two. Foxx started pushing and punching Cool J. Though, he later gave a statement that he got violent for the scene to look convincing but Cool J was not “cool “about this unprofessional behavior.

Will Smith & Janet Hubert

Will Smith & Janet Hubert © cinemablend

‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ was a successful show with beloved characters. Janet Hubert who played Aunt Viv in the show left suddenly after two seasons. Apparently, she was upset about the fact that Smith, who was comparatively very new in the industry had a show of his own. Will said in an interview that Janet wanted the show to be all about her and the makers just didn’t agree to that. Rest assured the feud is still on because Janet speaks about it even today during interviews and press meets. Well, isn’t this too old to be carried along till now? What can we say, some people just love the baggage!

Selma Blair & Charlie Sheen

Selma Blair & Charlie Sheen © grantland

This feud ended in more than a fight. It went on to the extremes of lawsuits! In 2013, Selma Blair threatened to sue Lionsgate and Sheen after she was fired from the comedy show ‘Anger Management’. She accused that her termination was done on unprofessional grounds. She went on to badmouth Sheen (as if he needed more reasons to be infamous after what happened at the sets of ‘Two and a Half Men’) by saying that he is a slacker who did not even learn all his lines properly. However, her allegations were found to be false. Though, Sheen did fire her via a text message in an abusive language!

Alyssa Milano & Shannen Doherty

Alyssa Milano & Shannen Doherty © zimbia

These two actors played sisters on the show ‘Charmed’. Generally, we would assume them to be real close to life as well but this was not the case here. Doherty left the show only after 3 seasons in 2001. In an interview with Entertainment Today, she said that there was too much drama on set and no passion for work. In 2015, things took a serious turn when Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer. Milano reached out to her at met her at least once every week. Doherty appreciated Milano’s gesture and they both ended the decade-long feud.

Robert Downey Jr. & Terrence Howard

Robert Downey Jr. & Terrence Howard © grantland

Terrence Howard played James Rhodes in ‘Iron Man’ but he was replaced by the other ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Avengers’ movies by Don Cheadle. Reportedly, he was the most highly paid actor in the film and he even went on claiming that it was only because of him that Downey had got the role of the ‘Iron Man’. He blamed Downey for his replacement from the franchise. However, they patched up later and ended the feud.

Tom Hardy & Charlize Theron

Tom Hardy & Charlize Theron © independent

Shooting for ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ was not easy for the entire cast and crew. Filming in the barren desert for over six months took a toll on the actors and others in the team. To add to the discomfort, actors Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron did not get along at all. Director George Miller also said that there was a lot of tension between these two actors while filming.

However, many people associated with the film suggest that it was because of the difficult shooting scenario that everybody was confused and frustrated most of the time. Even Theron and Hardy also said in interviews later that the adverse shooting circumstances can be a major factor in them not getting along.

Why Christopher Nolan's 2018 Oscar Nomination For 'Dunkirk' Is Well Deserved & Much Needed

Celebrities

Jan 292018

2018 marks an important year for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, as the award distributing body, is turning 90. The 90th Academy Awards will be held in Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 4. The awaited nominations are already out which has made the 90th year much more special due to three different reasons.

First and foremost, it’s ‘her’ again and by ‘her’ I mean Hollywood’s own Meryl Streep, who has broken her own record by getting nominated for the 21st time, the highest in the history of the Academy Awards. Second, after a haul of eight long years, a female gets nominated under the best director category, ‘Lady Bird’ filmmaker Greta Gerwig has become the first woman to get an Oscar nomination for best director since 2010. Last and the most important reason to be frenzied about is Christopher Nolan’s first ever Oscar nomination. The extremely well-deserved nomination is bagged by Nolan, whose ‘Dunkirk’ has remained one of the highest grosser of 2018.

This Is Why Christopher Nolan Deserves An Oscar For 'Dunkirk' © Warner Bros. Pictures

Our entire focus has shifted to this ace director, whose works hold much significance when it comes to modern day film-making. Step by step let us get back to what must have stopped his awaited directorial nomination and why ‘Dunkirk’ can revamp the game for him.

Nolan started his journey, though a film titled ‘Following’ which was made with a budget as less as 6000 USD. Nolan gained critical acclaim through ‘Memento’ which released in the year 2000. Though the film earned the Academy nomination for Best Original Screenplay, for many years Nolan was considered a novice and his films faced a tough competition, especially when fantasy film franchises including ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ were at the verge of their popularity.

This Is Why Christopher Nolan Deserves An Oscar For 'Dunkirk' © Facebook

To make his presence felt amidst the then extremely prominent directors including Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, and Clint Eastwood, Nolan took a path less followed. He adopted a sui generis approach to film-making. Nolan touched the non-linear style of storytelling and worked on labyrinthine plots for his big budgeted films.

For the first time in years, a franchise took away some major Hollywood attention and gave us a genre people didn’t see in many years. People truly felt the evil of the Gotham City, they accepted Heath Ledger’s devilish appeal and Nolan’s finesse became a trailblazer. ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy’ became a highly regarded franchise of all time.

With ‘Batman’ and ‘The Prestige’, big actors including Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale joined forces with Nolan. These films laid the foundations of the most unprecedented set of films which the world was yet to witness in the next few years.

2008 also marked a crucial year for Christopher Nolan. The next installment of the ‘Batman’ series – ‘The Dark Knight’ was released. The film was seen as a major contender for Oscars, however, was snubbed in all major categories except one. It was Heath Ledger, whose contribution to the film was recognized by the Academy, and he was nominated in the best supporting actor category, posthumously. Not many people till date are aware of the fact that Ledger’s death only made Christopher Nolan stronger. He didn’t stop the film’s editing process and the final version turned out to be a masterpiece.

This Is Why Christopher Nolan Deserves An Oscar For 'Dunkirk' © Warner Bros. Pictures

Still, the Academy didn’t recognize his sheer talent for years. Nolan was completely snubbed from 2008 Oscar nominations despite the fact that the film received universal acclaim and became a cultural phenomenon.

In 2010, ‘Inception’ turned out to be a tour de force with eight Academy nominations including the best picture. However, the film-maker’s abilities were not worth an accolade as per the Academy. At that time the Academy was not used to rewarding films with heavy editing and special effects. Nolan’s omission from the Oscars race was being compared to Steven Spielberg’s. “The puzzling omission is a slap in the face for a film-making wunderkind whose meteoric rise from art house auteur to Intelligent Action Ace has made him, arguably, the hottest director in town,” rhetorically appeared in the inside column of a major publication.

This Is Why Christopher Nolan Deserves An Oscar For 'Dunkirk' © YouTube

People criticized the Academy once again in 2014 when Nolan’s most ambitious project, ‘Interstellar’ was snubbed at the Academy Awards especially when the film’s entire team comprising the actors, editors, and musicians who created an extraordinary original score, were rooting for Nolan with all their faith. What the critics and Christopher Nolan fans failed to understand over the years was this – For a film to win in the most categories, mixed reviews anyhow do not work, neither the heavyweight perplexing scripts. What most of the viewers could easily understand, read, see and grasp receives a green signal from the jury.

This Is Why Christopher Nolan Deserves An Oscar For 'Dunkirk' © Warner Bros. Pictures

For years, people have compared Christopher Nolan to a genius, his artistry now needs a well-deserved recognition. This time Nolan fans are rooting for ‘Dunkirk’, and finally, he has been nominated by the Academy. Throughout the film, he has made sure to keep us gripped with the horrors of the war. This time he knew that the possibilities in space, water, and land are going to collate at one point, and that has to be a point other than what we have watched in the earlier versions of his films. Rather than a keeping it like a puzzle where different time zones collate, he took our imagination straight to the war zone where one could feel himself to be nothing less than a civilian trapped at the beach of ‘Dunkirk’.

The ace film-maker has also made sure, to take us home, through a journey which was gruesome, terrifying and breathtaking at the same time. ‘Dunkirk’ is so far Christopher Nolan’s best work we believe, (if for a moment we look forward the heavy-duty special effects used in ‘Interstellar’ and ‘Inception’), it is raw, and fresh and grips your nerves by the time it sends chills down your spine and leaves you teary eye at the end.

This Is Why Christopher Nolan Deserves An Oscar For 'Dunkirk' © Warner Bros. Pictures

The cinematic appeal of the film is beyond any measure, at one moment, one could see thousands of soldiers on the beach of Dunkirk, a bird’s eye view that holds the very essence of this film. Shot with IMAX technology gives it an edge over others and also to the film’s director who could easily surpass other strong contenders this year. This time Nolan maintains his stronghold on the Oscar for a big reason. ‘Dunkirk’ deals with a historic event, depicting which on the big screen was in itself a big challenge, especially when no major distortions have been carried out with the original set of events.

The film opened to $50.5 million domestic in July and went on to gross $525.5 million worldwide. When Variety asked about the popularity of his blockbuster films, he mentioned, “As a director, I try to show people things they’ve never seen before. At a time when there’s all kinds of storytelling around, movies that gravitate toward things that only movies can do carve out a place for themselves.”

We know that Christopher is one blockbuster director of his generation. Not only his intelligence, out of the box subjects, his perception and skills to bring out the best in everyone and his command over a genre is worth acclaim, in business terms he is so far one of the highest grossing directors of all time.

This year the competition is tough as the Academy has opened gates to genre films. Other than Nolan, Jordan Peele (Get Out), Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread) and Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water) have also been nominated.

7 Of The Most Iconic Hero-Villain Rivalries Of All Time

Celebrities

Jan 152018

Films are incomplete without their heroes. It is the legacy of our favorite heroes that we keep coming back to it every other time a new installment of a film gets released. However, it is not just a hero who completes the film; villains play a key feature in building the most important stories of all times and make us hate them forever. Phil Keoghan once said, “For any good story you need the adversary, the heroes, and villains”. You need a good mixture to make it work. The rivalry between heroes and villains is what drives the film business as much as good scripts and good direction. Remember the most epic hero-villain rivalries of all times? Which all names strike your mind when you think about the most memorable combats in movies and TV series? Here, we have curated a list of the greatest hero-villain conflicts which will instantly make you feel nostalgic. Some of these battles have resulted in blockbuster hits and have given us reasons to watch them again and again. In the list, we have tried to cover the most iconic hero-villain duos keeping in mind their popularity amongst the viewers. Read below to know how these duos made us their die-hard fans!

Batman and Joker

The Most Iconic Hero-Villain Rivalries Of All Time © Warner Bros

Well, not enough can be said or written about the almost poetic hatred between the hero and villain of the second movie of the latest Batman series. What Batman and Joker gave us was incomparable and unforgettable. ‘The Dark Knight’ was a movie that broke all records and majorly because of the unique rivalry between the hero and the villain.

Both masked men–one a symbol of peace and stability while the other the face of chaos, their story is breathtaking! The fact that the fight is beyond materialistic or tangible goals makes the story unique.

Professor X and Magneto

The Most Iconic Hero-Villain Rivalries Of All Time © 20th century fox

Marvel’s X-Men is a successful franchise with 10 blockbuster hits under its name. The franchise plans to release 4 new movies this year. One of the most famous rivalries of all time is seen between Professor X and Magneto in the X-Men series.

What makes this hero-villain duo more special is that they have a common lineage and strong history. Both the characters happen to be the forefathers of an uncanny mutant revolution. The difference in opinion here is that one of them wants to co-exist with the humans while the other conspires to conquer the throne for his kind and is ready to end life on planet earth.

Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort

The Most Iconic Hero-Villain Rivalries Of All Time © Warner Bros

As a 90s kid, I have grown up hating the one who cannot be named and loving the chosen one. J. K. Rowling gave a generation its favorite hero and the most popular villain. One had the strength of love while the other lacked it, the two hated each other with equal passion.

We can never forget all the Avada Kedavara moments from the Harry Potter series. Rowling made us hate Voldemort from the core of our hearts as we rooted for Harry throughout a decade. The last part of the book and movie were much anticipated and tasted limitless success because the finale saw the end of Voldemort.

Superman and Lex Luthor

The Most Iconic Hero-Villain Rivalries Of All Time © DC

One of the most popular antagonist-protagonist duos of the DC franchise is Superman and Lex Luthor. The former is a God descended from heaven to protect the earth against all evil while the latter is a complete anti-hero.

The intense fight of principles and beliefs between these two characters has given us some roller coaster jitters in the Superman movies.

Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty

The Most Iconic Hero-Villain Rivalries Of All Time © BBC Wales

Sherlock Holmes, the on-screen adaptation of the books written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, has been topping the TRP charts for seasons now. The hero-villain duo (Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty) is a rage among viewers and rightly so.

These two men are equally smart and intelligent. The kind of chemistry that their hatred creates on the screen is almost tangible. Moriarty is the ultimate archenemy of Detective Holmes and the sophistication with which both of them portray borderline sociopath traits is simply mind-blowing! Holmes describes Moriarty as the Napoleon of crime.

Wolverine and Sabertooth

The Most Iconic Hero-Villain Rivalries Of All Time © screen rant

The brawl between Marvel’s Wolverine and Sabertooth is one that the world would pay to watch. Another popular X-Men duo, these two characters are brothers who cannot be killed. They are almost equally strong and have similar powers. This makes their fight sequences even more interesting. Watching these two brothers fight to death gives viewers enough opportunities to gasp and hoot at the same time!

Neo and Agent Smith

The Most Iconic Hero-Villain Rivalries Of All Time © warner bros

Some villains are so evil that they make us believe that no matter how many times the devil fails, it always finds its way back. Agent Smith of The Matrix franchise is one such villain. Deceptive, cruel and heartless, Agent Smith conspires and creeps back his way each time.

To fight this kind of a villain, you need a hero like Neo. Determined to free the humanity of The Matrix, Neo consistently fights this antagonist and declares that good always wins.

There are no bad villains, for we have all heard of Sir George Martins famous quote which goes something like this: Nobody is a villain in their own story. We’re all the heroes of our own stories.

Well, it cannot be denied that a story is as good as well-portrayed are its protagonists and antagonists. The stronger the hatred between a hero and a villain, the more gripping their tale is. We hope you enjoyed this list of some of our favorite such amazing duos.

7 Major Movies Deepika Padukone Rejected & Still Became A Global Superstar

Celebrities

Jan 032018

She is now the highest paid actress in Bollywood according to the latest list released by Forbes. Yes, that’s Deepika Padukone for you! This is perhaps thanks to her Hollywood debut opposite Vin Diesel (who is now the top-grossing star in Hollywood). Her lead roles in ‘Bajirao Mastani’ and ‘Padmavati’ and brand endorsements are an add-on to her big bank balance. At the peak of her career, Deepika is known for making some smart choices and even rejecting films which she regretted later. Here is a list of films rejected by Deepika Padukone, right from the very beginning.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Ace filmmaker Yash Chopra’s last film ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ could have been that one chance for Deepika to work with him. However, when Deepika was approached to work in the film, she rejected and the golden opportunity was given to Katrina Kaif. She must have surely regretted later for not being able to be a part of the film that grossed Rs 2.11 billion all over the world.

Furious 7 (Fast and Furious 7)

We know that Deepika made her Hollywood debut opposite Vin Diesel in ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’. Though the film couldn’t do that well in India, it made a huge sum of money in other countries. However, not many people know that Deepika was offered a role in ‘Furious 7’ (the seventh installment in the Fast and Furious franchise), but she declined the role for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela’. That was one smart choice Deepika made. Do you think the same?

Sultan

Almost every actress dreams of starring again the three Khans of Bollywood. The role of Anushka Sharma in ‘Sultan’ was offered to Deepika first. But, at that time Deepika must be thinking something else and she turned down the offer which means pissing off Salman Khan. Not only once, she also rejected another film starring Salman, which was offered by Rajshri Films. Till date, Deepika has not signed any film with Salman. Quite a daring choice!

Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo

That’s the Rajshri Films movie we are talking about, which was first offered to Deepika instead of Sonam Kapoor. However, it is believed that due to her busy schedule and unavailable dates for the shooting of the film, Deepika said a complete no to ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo’.

Dhoom 3

This film was a good blockbuster and the one big reason to watch the movie was Aamir Khan. It would not be wrong to say that Aamir is one perfectionist with whom most of the actors love to work. However, it was Deepika’s well-calculated decision to not go for the movie, may be due to the loose storyline of the film. Her role was later given to Katrina Kaif.

Roy

A super flop film which almost left Ranbir Kapoor shattered. The movie might have been somewhat better if Deepika would have portrayed the role of Jacqueline Fernandez. After her terrific performance in ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’, Deepika embarked on a journey to stardom and her decision to not go for ‘Roy’ proved to be fruitful.

Kick

This was another Salman Khan film which the glamorous diva of the tinsel town refused to sign. The filmmakers offered Deepika to do an item song. However, knowing the fact that her song Lovely was about to release then, she refused to do another item number.

10 Hottest Celebrity Couples Who Made Headlines In 2017

Celebrities

Dec 262017

As we are heading towards the award seasons, apart from some movies which created benchmarks in 2017, the year was also special due to epic celebrity unions, and love affairs which transformed into lifetime companionships. Celebrities made headlines every now and then for taking vows and getting married. Some even got together after years of staying apart. Let us throw light on the hottest celebrity couples of 2017.

Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge

Who could have ever thought that ace cricketer Zahir Khan, who has a large female fan following, would get married to the ‘Chak De! India’ actress Sagarika Ghatge? The two went ahead and had a court marriage after which they planned a grand reception party in Mumbai on November 27, which was a star-studded affair. The list of guests included Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali, who was spotted at the event. Many close friends from Bollywood and cricket fraternity also joined the celebrations. Where on one hand Sagarika wore a Sabyasachi lehenga, Khan looked dapper in a blue sherwani. Anushka and Virat made their presence felt at the reception and danced together with the newly married couple. We were already getting the feels that Virat-Anushka could be the next ones to get hitched.

Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma

The highly popular Indian cricketer and Bollywood actress tied the knot in December in a private ceremony, away from the hustle bustle in Tuscany, Italy. For a long time, speculations about the two getting married were rife and people wanted to see them getting together. The two had been dating for years and even called it quits once. However, destiny put them together and they decided to get married. The two have been vacationing after the marriage and now gearing up for their reception party in Mumbai separately for family and friends from the industry. Certainly, Virat and Anushka were amongst the hottest couples of the year.

Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander

Love just happened to the two when they worked for the first time together in ‘The Light Between Oceans’, in which Alicia played Michael’s wife. Since then there were rumors about their affair and the two finally tied the knot in an Ultra-Private Ibiza Ceremony in October this year. Surrounded by friends and family, the two exchanged vows at the luxurious La Granja farmstead resort. For a long time both the actors remained silent about their relationship. They once mentioned to the Entertainment Weekly, “I think we’ve made a clear statement that we keep certain things just between us”.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott

It is now confirmed that the youngest of all the five Kardashian-Jenner sisters, Kylie Jenner, is pregnant with boyfriend Travis Scott’s child. Earlier this year they started appearing together in various events. They were also spotted at a Miami gate-away together in May this year. Soon they started matching their outfits and accessories and flaunted their PDA on Instagram and Snapchat. Throughout the year the two remained in headlines and became one of the hottest couples.

Dev Patel and Tilda Cobham-Hervey

They first met on the set of Hotel Mumbai. In March, their first pictures together appeared on the internet when the two were spotted kissing and cuddling each other during a pedalo boat ride in LA. Since then, they have kept their romance alive. People can’t get enough of the two after Oscars 2017 when Patel took his girlfriend and his mother side by side for a street walk. Though there have been no announcements about the two getting married anytime soon, both actors are occupied these days and shooting for their upcoming film together.

Lady Gaga and Christian Carino

In mid-October this year, it was confirmed that singing sensation Lady Gaga has been dating Christian Carino. Since then many times Gaga has let her fans know about their love through her Instagram, where she keeps sharing the pictures of her and Carino. Announcing the relationship on Snapchat, Gaga – real name Stefani Germanotta – wrote: “You are the love of my life.” Gaga was previously in a relationship with Taylor Kinney. Christian represents Gaga in a professional capacity and is associated with the prestigious CAA.

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner

The year has been really special for the ‘Game of Thrones’ starlet, Sophie Turner. Joe Jonas and she got engaged in the month of November. The engagement took place at a posh restaurant in the New York City. Sophie (21) shared a picture on Instagram showing off her pear-shaped diamond engagement ring. Turner captioned the pic, “I said yes,” while Jonas (28) shared the same image, writing, “She said yes”. In 2016, the couple was spotted leaving a hotel in NYC. After that, there have been rumors about the two dating. The two gave a confirmation about their relationship status on Instagram and were spotted romancing at an HBO after party for the Golden Globes in January 2017.

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber

They are made for each other. Looks like both Selena and Justin are never going to leave each other’s side. Both stars know each other since they were kids and after dating for so many years on and off, the two are finally together again after Gomez went through her life-saving kidney transplant surgery. The relationship between the two is much mature and evolved this time, just like never before. After splitting from Justin, Selena dated The Weeknd for a few months. It was when Selena was fighting with Lupus; Justin left everything else and remained with her. With each day, their romance seems to be budding. The two are also attending the couple therapy sessions to make it last this time.

Aashka Goradia and Brent Goble

TV actress Aashka tied the knot with Brent in December this year. The wedding was almost like a fairytale and took place in post-Christian and Indian style. Both looked extremely happy and excited by each other’s side. Brent, who is a businessman by profession, has dated Aashka since 2015. Aashka has been sharing the pictures from her wedding on her Instagram. “When dreams soak into reality and I thank the stars for choosing mine to fulfill! And as Mr and Mrs.Goble we have so many to count in our blessings and thank for being a part of our journey”, writes the actress in one of her Instagram posts.

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian

Tennis superstar Serena Williams and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian found out they were expecting a child and decided to get married. In April, the couple went for a vacation to Mexico and was spotted relaxing and having a good time. On November 16, the two took vows in Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. The wedding was attended by stars including Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé. The bride looked stunning in a Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen wedding dress while the groom graced wedding in his dark regal blazer. Not to be forgotten that this glam studded affair was one of the most anticipated weddings of the year. The couple had already talked about getting married during the fall after Serena gave birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. The inside pictures of Serena’s wedding are no less than a dream, her Instagram says it all.

From 'Baby Driver' To 'John Wick: Chapter 2' Here Are The Best Crime Thriller Movies Of 2017

Celebrities

Dec 202017

2017 started on a high note with an action-packed performance by Vin Diesel in ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’. Though the action thriller did well in the international market, we saw the genre slipping at the box office. What we witnessed in the next few months was exciting and record-breaking at the same time. Movies after movies broke records in earnings and popularity.

Where on one hand the horror genre ruled the box office, many crime thrillers did well in the overseas market. It was the zest of the talented filmmakers who took a brave attempt in bringing out crime stories when the market for horror flicks was soaring.

Here we have compiled the list of the most amazing crime-thriller movies you must watch before the year ends.

1. Wind River

This murder mystery, starring Jeremy Renner, Graham Greene, and Elizabeth Olsen, has won accolades at many film festivals and award shows in different categories, including the Best Director award at Cannes Film Festival and Best Actor (Graham Greene) and Best Film at American Indian Film Festival. Directed by Taylor Sheridan, this movie is about two officers – a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer and an FBI agent – solving a murder that takes place on the Wind River Indian reservation in mysterious circumstances. Director Sheridan said that he was motivated to make this movie after finding out about the numerous true stories of assault and murder of women in reservations.

2. Baby Driver

With a 7.8 rating on IMDb, ‘Baby Driver’, starring Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily Kames and Jamie Foxx, is a must watch for those who fancy action-thriller movies. More than 15 nominations in various award categories, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Ansel Elgort), this movie has been able to appeal to the audiences and critics alike. Writer and director Edgar Wright says that he found inspiration to develop a story around a post-heist car chase from the 1994 song ‘Bellbottoms’. Eventually, this song was used in the opening credits of this movie.

3. American Made

This Tom Cruise starrer biographical crime movie is a gripping tale of a former pilot becoming a deadly drug dealer. With an 88 percent approval aggregate on Rotten Tomatoes, the critical consensus for this movie here is this: “American Made’s fast-and-loose attitude with its real-life story mirrors the cavalier – and delightfully watchable – energy Tom Cruise gives off in the leading role.” Now, don’t we love Tom Cruise donning aviators, crash landing planes and going badass? Of course, we do! A cherry on the cake is that he does most of it in a pilot’s uniform.

4. The Snowman

This English crime thriller is based on a novel of the same name, written by Jo Nesbo. The story keeps viewers glued to their seats as they discover the protagonist – Detective Harry Hole investigating the case of the disappearance of a woman. Intriguingly, her scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman. Though there have been mixed responses to the film but it has gained popularity for its impactful storytelling. Michael Fassbender gives a striking performance and has tried to explore a different genre through this film. The film is directed by Tomas Alfredson and keeps you gripped till the end. Scenic backdrop and snow-laden mountains are an attraction and make you feel the thrill.

5. Shot Caller

This crime thriller stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lake Bell, Omari Hardwick, Emory Cohen, Jon Bernthal, Evan Jones, Jeffrey Donovan, with Holt McCallany and Benjamin Bratt. Written and directed by Ric Roman Waugh, the movie entails the transformation of a charming family guy into a hardcore gangster. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s performance in the lead role received raving reviews. He has given a breathtaking performance and ensures that the movie never gets static at all. As per the New York Times, the film would be ‘Breaking Bad’ of the prison genre.

6. John Wick: Chapter 2

This film sets your heart racing. With a 7.5 IMDb rating, this Keanu Reeves thriller grossed a whopping 171 million dollars worldwide. Mike Rougeau of IGN stated that the movie “takes joy in expanding on the original’s lore”, giving it an 8.5 out of 10. He praised the movie as a big improvement with regard to action set pieces, cinematography, fight choreography and writing. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called this movie “pure cinema” and “the real deal”. Now, who would want to miss a movie that made both the audience and the critics happy?

7. The Foreigner

Written by David Marconi and directed by Martin Campbell, this Anglo China action thriller is must watch for suspense lovers. Based on Stephen Leather’s novel ‘The Chinaman’; the movie stars Jackie Chan, Katie Leung, Pierce Brosnan, and Rufus Jones among others. Oscar winner Jackie Chan received good reviews for his dramatic performance as Ngoc Minh Quan – a former war Special Forces operator turned restaurateur in London. It is needless to say that those who have a thing for action definitely have a thing for Jackie Chan. It would not be wrong to say that the story is a fierce vendetta dipped in emotions. In addition, we get to see different shades of Chan – desperate, helpless, crying and angry. So, go, watch it and thank us later!

8. Brawl in Cell Block 99

This is a story of a former boxer turned drug dealer who lands in prison after a drug deal goes wrong. With an IMDb rating of 7.2, this Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Carpenter criminal drama is a good watch. From nail-biting action scenes to a raunchy background score, this Craig Zahler directorial keeps you engaged and thrilled throughout. On Rotten Tomatoes, this movie has a brilliant aggregate of 93 percent and an approval of “certified fresh”. Need I say more?

9. Good Time

‘Good Time’ is undoubtedly Robert Pattinson’s best performance so far. With a raw touch to his personality, Robert is almost unrecognizable in the trailers of this movie. He definitely walks out of his Cedric Diggory and Edward days in this one. Not just a pretty face anymore! With an IMDb rating of 7.4 and a whopping 91 percent approval on Rotten Tomatoes, this movie was appreciated by almost all critics alike. The consensus rating on Rotten Tomatoes reads – “A visual treat filled out by consistently stellar work from Robert Pattinson, Good Time is a singularly distinctive crime drama offering far more than the usual genre thrills.”

This crime drama was written by Josh Safdie and Ronald Bronstien, and directed by Ben and Josh Safdie. Oneohtrix Point Never developed the film’s background score, which won the Soundtrack Award at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

10. Detroit

From Kathryn Ann Bigelow, an Academy Award-winning writer-director of blockbusters like Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker, ‘Detroit’ is the story of one of the darkest times during the civil unrest in the summer of 1967 that rocked the city of Detroit. A 7.5 on IMDb, this gripping historical crime drama, is a must watch. The film stars Will Poulter, John Boyega, Jason Mitchell, Algee Smith, Anthony Mackie and John Krasinski.

Will Leitch and Tim Grierson from The New Republic referred to the film as a potential Oscar candidate in the main category of Best Picture. They also mentioned John Boyega as a potentially deserving Oscar nominee for Best Actor.

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