عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Entertainment

Noah Baumbach’s ‘White Noise’ to Open Venice Film Festival

Noah Baumbach arrives at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020. (AP)
Noah Baumbach arrives at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020. (AP)
TT
TT

Noah Baumbach’s ‘White Noise’ to Open Venice Film Festival

Noah Baumbach arrives at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020. (AP)
Noah Baumbach arrives at the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020. (AP)

Director Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel “White Noise” has been selected to open the Venice International Film Festival in August, festival director Alberto Barbera said Monday.

Baumbach wrote and directed the film, which looks at the contemporary American family through the lens of a professor, Jack Gladney, and his fourth wife, Babette. Greta Gerwig, who has a child with Baumbach, stars alongside Adam Driver, Don Cheadle, Raffey Cassidy and Jodie Turner-Smith.

“It is a great honor to open the 79th Venice Film Festival with ‘White Noise,’” Barbera said. “Baumbach has made an original, ambitious and compelling piece of art which plays with measure on multiple registers: dramatic, ironic, satirical. The result is a film that examines our obsessions, doubts, and fears as captured in the 1980s, yet with very clear references to contemporary reality.”

The Netflix-produced film will be among those competing for the Golden Lion award, selected by a jury led by Julianne Moore, and a likely player in the awards season to come. It’ll screen for festival goers at the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema on Aug. 31 on the Lido.

Baumbach previously debuted his film “Marriage Story” at the festival in 2019. It would go on to pick up six Oscar nominations, including best picture, and one win for Laura Dern.

“It is a truly wonderful thing to return to the Venice Film Festival, and an incredible honor to have ‘White Noise’ play as the opening night film,” Baumbach said. “This is a place that loves cinema so much, and it’s a thrill and a privilege to join the amazing films and filmmakers that have premiered here.”

The rest of the slate for the 79th Venice International Film Festival will be revealed this week. The festival runs from Aug. 31 through Sept. 10.

Most Viewed

 
 
Entertainment

Taylor Swift Surprises with Performance at ‘Toy Story 5’ Premiere in Hollywood

13 November 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf: American singer Taylor Swift poses on the red carpet of the MTV Europe Music Awards. (dpa)
13 November 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf: American singer Taylor Swift poses on the red carpet of the MTV Europe Music Awards. (dpa)
TT
TT

Taylor Swift Surprises with Performance at ‘Toy Story 5’ Premiere in Hollywood

13 November 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf: American singer Taylor Swift poses on the red carpet of the MTV Europe Music Awards. (dpa)
13 November 2022, North Rhine-Westphalia, Duesseldorf: American singer Taylor Swift poses on the red carpet of the MTV Europe Music Awards. (dpa)

Pop superstar Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance in Hollywood on Tuesday at the premiere of animated movie "Toy Story 5."

Swift sat at a piano in a full-length gown on stage at the Dolby Theatre and sang "I Knew ‌It, I Knew ‌You," the song ‌she wrote ⁠for the new "Toy ⁠Story" installment. The singer said she has been a longtime fan of the movie franchise.

"It means the world to me to be ⁠a small part of ‌these films," ‌she said.

Swift then introduced another unexpected ‌guest - Randy Newman, composer of ‌the musical scores and many of the breakout songs from the "Toy Story" movies. The pair sang ‌a duet of "You've Got a Friend in Me," ⁠one ⁠of Newman's hits from the first "Toy Story" in 1995.

Earlier, Swift posed on the red carpet with Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack and other members of the "Toy Story" voice cast.

"Toy Story 5" will be released by Walt Disney's Pixar Animation Studios on June 19.

Entertainment

Hollywood Directors Reach Tentative 4-Year Deal with Studios and Streamers

Christopher Nolan arrives at the Oscars on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)
Christopher Nolan arrives at the Oscars on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)
TT
TT

Hollywood Directors Reach Tentative 4-Year Deal with Studios and Streamers

Christopher Nolan arrives at the Oscars on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)
Christopher Nolan arrives at the Oscars on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP)

Hollywood directors on Tuesday reached a four-year tentative contract agreement with studios and streaming services.

The deal struck between the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers came four weeks after talks began.

The talks were the first under new DGA President Christopher Nolan, who took the job in September.

Along with similar four-year deals — longer than the industry three — ratified in recent weeks by unions representing writers and actors, the DGA agreement adds to the likelihood of long-term labor peace despite many other industry upheavals.

The collective bargaining agreement must still be approved by the guild’s national board, and no details on the terms will be released until then, the DGA said in a statement. It then must be ratified by the guild membership. But tentative agreements generally win approval at both stages.

The directors' previous contract had been set to expire June 30.

The AMPTP said in a statement that it was pleased to help achieve “a fair deal that helps advance a stable and successful entertainment industry.”

Entertainment

A New Generation of Elvis Tribute Artists Compete in the King’s Hometown

Elvis Presley in 1975. (Getty Images)
Elvis Presley in 1975. (Getty Images)
TT
TT

A New Generation of Elvis Tribute Artists Compete in the King’s Hometown

Elvis Presley in 1975. (Getty Images)
Elvis Presley in 1975. (Getty Images)

Nearly 50 years after Elvis Presley's death, a gaggle of exuberant young boys and men shook up his hometown, intent on keeping the king's legacy alive for a new generation.

Ranging in age from seven to 17, some donning jeweled jumpsuits, they took the stage at the Tupelo Elvis Festival's youth tribute artist competition last week.

In contrast to their peers, some of whom may have never heard of Elvis, the competitors have dedicated an enormous amount of time and energy studying the king's voice, mannerisms and style.

They are careful to specify they are Elvis tribute artists. Unlike impersonators, who pretend to be Elvis and sometimes present a characterized version of the king, tribute artists strive for authenticity. Some wore costumes created by B&K Enterprises Costume Co., a company licensed to recreate Elvis' outfits and provide costumes for Elvis movies, musicals and TV shows.

“We're not trying to be him,” said Tucker Gladden, 17, from Madison, Mississippi. “We want to recreate the experience as much as we can for people that maybe didn't get to see Elvis in their lifetime.”

As for their fascination with a long-dead musician, several of the tribute artists credited the 2022 “Elvis” movie with sparking their interest. A couple said their admiration began after discovering they were distantly related to Elvis. Others said it was Elvis' faith and charity that inspired them. Some said they had been performing Elvis songs since they were 3 years old.

For 16-year-old Ayden Maloy from Logansport, Indiana, it was the way Elvis' music helped him during a difficult time in his life that helped motivate him to begin performing as an Elvis tribute artist three years ago.

In an afternoon of dazzling outfits and daring dance moves, the performers paid their tributes, getting the audience clapping, singing and swaying along to their Elvis covers. Ultimately, RJ Hursey, a 14-year-old from Bloomington, Illinois, won the competition.

“It means the world to me,” Hursey said.

Before the competition, the tribute artists toured the Elvis Presley Birthplace, a sprawling complex that includes the home where Elvis was born and the church where he was first exposed to Southern gospel music.

“It feels so surreal to pay tribute to Elvis in his hometown,” said 15-year-old Charles Session from Morrilton, Arkansas. “I hope that he’s looking down and smiling at all these young performers.”