Entertainment
Bangladesh participates at the prestigious Venice International Art Biennale
In keeping with the previous years, Bangladesh is participating in the prestigious Venice International Art Biennale.
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy under the guidance of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking part in this event. The overarching theme of this year’s biennale is ‘Foreigners Everywhere’, according to press release received here.
The Bangladesh pavilion under the caption ‘Yearning for Harmony: In the Crisis of the Civilization’ has been formally inaugurated in the touristic city of Venice on 18 April 2024 in presence of a huge number of artists, art lovers and critics, journalists, member of expatriate Bangladeshi community, educationist, and high officials.
A 6-member Bangladeshi delegation led by the Director General of Shilpakala Academy Mr. Liaquat Ali Lucky attended the inauguration ceremony. Consul General of Bangladesh in Milan Mr. M J H Jabed, Honorary Consul of Bangladesh in Venice Avv. Fabrizio Ippolito D'Avino, Curator of Bangladesh pavilion Ms. Viviana Vannucci also attended the ceremony. In his address to the foreign audience, the Director General of Shilpakala Academy said that Bangladesh is a proud participant at the Venice Biennale which is the world's premiere art event. The artworks displayed at the Bangladesh pavilion are done by both celebrated and promising artists of the country. He informed that Bangladesh also hosts Asian Art Biennale which has drawn attention of art connoisseurs from across the world. He invited the Italian artists and art critics to attend the future art events to be organized in Bangladesh.
Consul General of Bangladesh in Milan noted that during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s last visit to Italy a cultural Cooperation Agreement was signed between Bangladesh and Italy under which two friendly countries are expected to broaden cooperation in the cultural domain. He also noted that Bangladesh has a rich history in art which needs to be showcased before the global community.
Mr. Jabed also stated that Cultural Diplomacy is one of the priority areas in the Public Diplomacy endeavour of the present government. From the Bangladesh delegation Ms. Nafriza Shayma, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Ekushey Padak awardee artist Professor Shahjahan Ahmed Bikash spoke on the occasion.
This is the 5th consecutive time that Bangladesh has been participating at the Venice Biennale.The 6-month long event will continue till end November-2024.
Film Artistes' Association election 2024: Misha Sawdagar elected president, Dipjol general secretary
Popular actor Misha Sawdagar was elected president from the Misha-Dipjol panel after the nail-biting 18th edition of the Bangladesh Film Artistes' Association elections held on Friday, which also declared veteran actor Monowar Hossain Dipjol as the new general secretary.
They defeated prominent actor Mahmud Koli and actress Nipun Akter from the Koli-Nipun panel for the respective positions.
Participated in this biennale election from two different panels, the newly elected executive body will run the association for the term between 2024 and 2026.
Khorshed Alam Khosru, the chief election commissioner, announced the results on Saturday morning at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) in Dhaka.
Newly elected president Misha got a total of 265 votes. He was the past president of the 2020-2022 panel and the defeated candidate in the much-controversial 2022 election who lost to the immediate past president Ilias Kanchan.
Representing the Misha-Dipjol panel, the new general secretary Dipjol got 225 votes, while his opponent and the immediate past general secretary actress Nipun received 209 votes.
Masum Parvez Rubel with 231 votes and DA Tayeb with 234 votes secured the positions of vice presidents in the election from the Misha-Dipjol panel. Among other candidates, Arman became the joint general secretary with 237 votes.
Joy Chowdhury became the organizing secretary with 255 votes; Alexander Bow, the secretary of international affairs, received 296 votes; Jacky Alamgir, the office and publicity secretary, received 245 votes; Mamnun Hasan Emon, the culture and sports secretary, received 235 votes; and Komol became the treasurer winning 231 votes.
Nine candidates were elected from Misha-Dipjol panel to serve as executive members while two executive members were elected the Koli-Nipun panel.
From the Misha-Dipjol panel, Sucharita (228), Rozina (243), Ali Raj (239), Subrata, Dilara Yasmin (218), Shahnur (245), Nana Shah (210), Ratna Kabir (263), and Chhunu (248) became the new executive members while Riana Parvin Poly (220) and Soni Rahman (230) were elected from the Koli-Nipun panel.
Amid a festive atmosphere, the voting activities for the biennale election were conducted on Friday under strict security at the BFDC premise from 9 am to 6:20 pm.
According to the sources of the Election Commission, 475 votes were cast out of 570 votes. The EC ruled out 41 votes for miscellaneous reasons, therefore 434 votes were finally counted.
The Chief Election Commissioner for this election was Khorshed Alam alongside two EC members BH Nishan and AJ Rana.
‘Stitched Collage’: Suranjana Bhattacharja’s solo art exhibition begins at AFD
The solo art exhibition by Suranjana Bhattacharja titled ‘Stitched Collage’ has begun at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD), inaugurated on Friday evening.
Renowned art critic Moinuddin Khaled, eminent artist Syed Iqbal, DU Faculty of Fine Art Professor Shishir Bhattacharjee, popular author, physicist, academic, activist Prof Dr Muhammed Zafar Iqbal and eminent artist Monirul Islam attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition as the special guests.
Collage as a technique or form of art would be about two thousand years old. After the invention of paper, it started in China and continued through the Middle Ages, in Japan as well as in Europe, before and after the Renaissance, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, along with the Surrealist and Dada movements followed by Modern art.
Great artists like Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse and Wassily Kandinsky among many others did each collage in their own way. Among these maestros, particularly Kandinsky’s work has always been one of the principal sources of surprise, love and inspiration for Suranjana.
Born in Narayanganj but brought up in Chittagong and then in Narsingdi, Bangladesh, Suranjana had always a penchant for sewing and got training in a technical school run by the Bangladesh Government in Narshingdi in the late eighties. About a decade ago, the artist was stricken by Dystrophy, a rare, chronic disease which caused her left hand to be partly disabled.
To fight against the disease, Suranjana started ‘stitched collage,’ a new form of art inspired by Kandinsky among others. There was a copy of a collage hanging in one of the walls of her Montreal apartment, the famous blue nude by Matisse who also did this when he was almost visually impaired, a mere coincidence, as the artist says. She was immensely motivated by that coincidence and this exhibition is a brainchild of that inspiration.
The exhibition will be open to all till Saturday, April 27, Monday to Saturday from 3 pm to 9 pm.
Much-Watch Bollywood Films Releasing in May 2024
Thanks to top-notch storytelling and rapid advancements in film technology, a touch of diversity is often evident in Bollywood releases. And, this influx of Hindi cinema with diverse genres is observed throughout the year. As a result, film enthusiasts throughout the subcontinent eagerly anticipate the latest Bollywood movies. Let’s take a sneak peek into the must-see Bollywood film lineup for May 2024.
Most Hyped Bollywood Movies Coming This May
Pyar Ke Do Naam | Romantic Drama | May 3, 2024
Written, directed, and co-produced by Danish Javed, the film stars Bhavya Sachdeva, Ankita Sahu, Namita Lal, and Kanika Gautam. This captivating love story unfolds at the iconic Aligarh Muslim University, where two scholars, Aryan and Kaira, clash over their beliefs in togetherness versus commitment during a prestigious peace seminar. The expression of the screenplay embodies the ideologies of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi.
Srikanth | Biographical Drama | May 10, 2024
This film chronicles the journey of Srikanth Bolla, an Indian industrialist who founded Bollant Industries despite being visually impaired. Directed by Tushar Hiranandani, it features Rajkummar Rao in the titular role, alongside Alaya F, Jyothika, Jameel Khan, and Sharad Kelkar.
Read more: Must-watch South Indian Films Hitting the Screens in April 2024
‘Srikanth’ follows Blind Srikanth's journey to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his establishment of Bollant Industries. The storyline portrays his pursuit of goals for the visually impaired while facing entrepreneurial challenges and navigating personal sacrifices. Through this life struggle the obstacles overcome by the blind in academics and business are highlighted.
Tipppsy | Adventure-Thriller | May 10, 2024
The film, directed by and starring Deepak Tijori, takes its title from the initials of five girls' names in the movie. ‘T’ stands for Tanya, ‘I’ for Iris, ‘P’ for Pony, ‘S’ for Seline, and ‘Y’ for Yami.
Natasha Suri, former Miss World India, portrays Tanya. Nazia Hussain, Sanjay Dutt's niece, plays Iris, a tomboyish DJ and the bossy among the group. Alankrita Sahai takes on the role of Pony, while Sonia Birje, also a DJ and daughter of Hemant Birje, plays the role of Seline, an independent and adventurous woman. And, Lastly, Kainaat Arora portrays Yami, a Haryanvi character.
Read more: Most-hyped Bollywood Movies Releasing in April 2024
The girls started journey to visit Goa for Pony's bachelorette party, but things take a turn for the worse.
Kartam Bhugtam | Psychological Thriller | May 17, 2024
Directed and written by Soham P. Shah, the film stars Shreyas Talpade and Vijay Raaz in lead roles, with Madhoo and Aksha Pardasany in the supporting roles.
The story revolves around the immutable laws of karma and destiny, deeply rooted in the ancient wisdom of Vedic astrology. It offers a cinematic exploration of the belief that every individual's actions inevitably shape their future.
Read more: May 2024 Netflix English Originals Lineup: Must-see Releases
Sadia Khalid Reeti invited back as Fipresci jury at Cannes
Renowned Bangladeshi film critic, screenwriter and journalist Sadia Khalid Reeti has been invited to the Fipresci (International Federation of Film Critics) jury at the upcoming 77th Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world in which she was a jury member before in 2019 when she became the second Bangladeshi to receive this honour.
A Screenwriting graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Reeti has served as a jury member at different international film festivals in Italy, India, England, Nepal, France, Russia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. She also served as a Fipresci jury at the Bengaluru International Film Festival, International Film Festival of Kerala and Dhaka International Film Festival (DIFF), and is currently serving as the Co-Convenor of the West Meets East Screenplay Lab at DIFF, one of the leading script development labs in the country.
With 'Tati', Coke Studio Bangla launches season 3 paying homage to Jamdani
Reeti became Bangladesh's first international voter for the Golden Globe Awards in 2022. A Berlinale Talents alumna, she attended prestigious mentorship programs with Film Independent and Locarno Open Doors.
Alongside her responsibilities as the Cultural Editor of Dhaka Tribune, one of the leading English dailies in the country, Reeti teaches film studies at different universities and institutions. She is a recipient of the Charles Wallace Fellowship from the British Council, as a part of which she trained in surreal filmmaking at the British Film Institute in 2023.
Regarding her return to Cannes, Reeti said: “Cannes is the biggest and most prestigious film festival in the world. It’s an incredible honour to be invited back. Having our film critics on the jury board more often will enable us to convey our cultural point of view and help world cinema move away from its Eurocentric lens.”
“The invitation always arrives so late that it’s difficult to arrange the visa and other necessities with a green passport,” she said about her travel preparations. “The festival has grown so much over the years that it’s now a logistical nightmare trying to find suitable lodging. Hopefully, when more of us participate in such festivals, the authorities will keep provisions to reduce the stress.”
From Bangladesh, Ahmed Muztaba Zamal was the first Fipresci jury at Cannes in 2002, 2005, and 2009. Reeti came next in 2019, followed by Bidhan Rebeiro in 2022. They joined as members of the IFCAB (International Film Critics Association of Bangladesh).
‘Adyontor’ to release their first song ‘Opekkhar Chithi’ tomorrow
The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival is due to take place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig will serve as jury president for the main competition, and the main competition at Cannes will include veteran filmmakers like Coppola, Audiard, Cronenberg, Arnold, Lanthimos, Sorrentino, Abbasi and so on this year.
With 'Tati', Coke Studio Bangla launches season 3 paying homage to Jamdani
Showcasing a festive tribute to the nation's woven treasure Jamdani, which UNESCO has designated as an intangible cultural heritage, as well as the legacy of handloom (Taat) and the exquisite craftsmanship behind the textile artistry, popular music platform Coke Studio Bangla’s third season returned on April 13 with the song "Tati."
Performed by Bangladeshi singer and weaver Md Gonjer Ali, Nigerian rapper Louis Anthony who is better known by his stage name Oli Boy and featuring renowned Bangladeshi actress Jaya Ahsan, the song has been trending during the festive occasion of Eid and Pahela Baishakh, garnering over a million views on YouTube within two days.
The maiden track of the third season is an amalgamation of three songs - “Gayer Bodhu” written by Md Gonjer Ali, “Hana di Reshomer Bone” written by Shatarupa Thakurta Roy, and “Time to Giger” written by Oli Boy.
Chandra Shekhar Shaha, a researcher and one of the pathfinders in modern crafting and textile design in Bangladesh, collected Jamdani Weaving verses used in the song, while Faizan R Ahmad (Buno) worked on the track as its Chief Sound Engineer, mixed and mastered by Saadul Islam.
The song not only showcased a harmonious tapestry of the country’s traditional handloom through its melodic presentation; but the Steadicam-operated music video itself, produced by Runout Films under the direction of Adnan Al Rajeev, also portrayed a majestic set with a tantalizing display of Jamdani everywhere, and through the classy attires of the performers as well.
Describing the song, Coke Studio Bangla Curator and Producer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob said: “Jamdani is our heritage, identity and pride - however, the rhythmic verses and tunes of our handlooms were unknown to me.”
“After discovering those hidden gems and our weaver brother Gonjer Ali, creator of many of these types of songs, we blended the track with my old song “Tati,” (Hana di Reshomer Bone), written by Shatarupa didi. To set the song on Afrobeat (African tunes), we found Oli Boy, who has been working in our garments industry for the past three years - and speaks and sings in Bengali.”
Popular actress Jaya Ahsan's appearance in this song was a surprising addition, and Arnob commented, "Jaya Ahsan is a friend of mine, and I enjoy her wearing Jamdani saree on all occasions at home and abroad. Not everyone knows that she is also an excellent singer.”
Jaya also shared her association with the track, saying: “All of Bangladesh's traditional sarees, such as the Jamdani and Muslin styles, are my favourites - and because of my passion for sarees and Arnob's earnest request, I became associated with this song and gained valuable experience working with an amazing team. I have represented the Jamdani sarees of Bangladesh on a global scale several times, and I'm confident this song will appeal to music lovers who appreciate sarees and the tradition of our magnificent handlooms.”
Syeda Sadia Afrina, the owner of Thread Bangladesh which provided the Jamdani wardrobe for the performers, stated: “For the first time, someone took a major initiative in the music industry which will help this generation and the next to know more about our weaving heritage and the history behind it - and this is perfectly aligned with our core values in Team Thread. Thanks to the entire Coke management Abeer Rajbeen, Adnan Al Rajeev, Jaya Ahsan and the whole team of “Tati,” and a sincere thanks to Shayan Chowdhury Arnob bhai for making this beautiful composition about our weavers.”
The lineup for the background vocal of the song featured Md Ariful Haque (also with dotara as well), Jannatul Ferdous Akbar, Sheikh Mumtahina Mehzabin, Baby Akter, Karishma Sanu Shovvota, Shanta Islam, Nishat Ara Khaled, and Md Makhon Miah.
DotBirth Limited is associated with season 3 as its creative agency, and the new season will feature 11 new songs with more than 180 musicians and artists from across Bangladesh and the world, including Arnob, Pritom, Emon Chowdhury and Meghdol. In addition to that, new artists will be making their Coke Studio Bangla debut this season, including the iconic Habib Wahid.
May 2024 Netflix English Originals Lineup: Must-see Releases
The international OTT platform Netflix has regularly ensured a rich collection of world-class films, drama series, and shows. English-language content, in particular, caters to the needs of the largest segment of international audiences. Let's get updated on the English-language Netflix Originals releasing in May 2024.
10 Must-see Netflix English Originals Streaming in May 2024
A Man in Full | Political Drama Series | May 2, 2024
This is a limited TV series with a political storyline, created by David E. Kelley and directed by Regina King. Adapted from Tom Wolfe's eponymous novel, the series, comprising six episodes, boasts a stellar cast led by Jeff Daniels and Diane Lane. Notable supporting actors include William Jackson Harper, Lucy Liu, Aml Ameen, Sarah Jones, Chante Adams, and Bill Camp.
The series delves into the intricate interplay between business and political agendas as Atlanta real estate tycoon Charlie Croker maneuvers to protect his empire amidst a sudden financial downturn and loss of prestige.
Read more: Must-watch South Indian Films Hitting the Screens in April 2024
Secrets of the Neanderthals | Documentary | May 2, 2024
Narrated by actor Sir Patrick Stewart, renowned for his iconic roles in productions such as X-Men and Star Trek, this historical documentary is directed by Ashley Gething.
The documentary embarks on an exploration of the enigmatic disappearance of the Neanderthals, an ancient subspecies of humans that vanished approximately 40 thousand years ago. The extinction of the Neanderthals remains a subject of intense scholarly debate, with various theories attributing their demise to factors including climate change, demographic challenges, disease, the ascent of Homo Sapiens, and potential interbreeding with modern humans.
Unfrosted (The Pop-Tart Story) | Historical Biography | May 3, 2024
Directed, co-written, and co-produced by Jerry Seinfeld in his feature directorial debut, this film draws loose inspiration from the true story of the creation of Pop-Tarts toaster pastries.
Read more: April 2024 Amazon Prime Originals: List of Movies, and Shows
The ensemble cast includes Seinfeld himself, alongside Melissa McCarthy, James Marsden, Jim Gaffigan, Maria Bakalova, Amy Schumer, Jack McBrayer, Thomas Lennon, Hugh Grant, Bobby Moynihan, Christian Slater, Max Greenfield, Bill Burr, and Dan Levy.
Set against the backdrop of 1963 Michigan, the storyline follows the rivalry between Kellogg's and Post Cereal as they vie to produce a groundbreaking breakfast pastry.
Mother of the Bride | Romantic Comedy Film | May 9, 2024
This American rom-com film, written by Robin Bernheim, is made under the direction of Mark Waters. The movie stars Brooke Shields, Chad Michael Murray, Miranda Cosgrove, Rachael Harris, and Benjamin Bratt.
Read more: Most-hyped Bollywood Movies Releasing in April 2024
The film's plot centers on Emma, who returns home after a year abroad in London, surprising her mother Lana with the news of her impending marriage at a resort in Phuket, Thailand, just a month away. Tensions escalate when Lana learns that the groom-to-be is the son of the man who had broken her heart years earlier.
Blood of Zeus: Season 2 | Animated Series | May 15, 2024
Formerly known as Gods & Heroes, this American adult animated TV series was written and created by Vlas and Charley Parlapanides.
Set in mythical ancient Greece, the series follows Heron, the demigod son of Zeus, as he endeavors to save Olympus and Earth. Season 1 concluded with a cliffhanger, leaving Heron's journey poised to continue.
Read more: April 2024 Netflix English Originals: Must-watch Films, and Shows
The series boasts a talented voice cast including Jason O’Mara as Zeus, Derek Phillips as Heron, Jessica Henwick as Alexia, Elias Toufexis as Seraphim, Claudia Christian as Hera, Chris Diamantopoulos as Evios and Poseidon, and Fred Tatasciore as Hades.
Gunshots fired outside Salman Khan's Mumbai home
Gunshots were fired outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan's Mumbai home early this morning, according to police.
At 5 am today, two unidentified men on a motorbike shot five bullets into the air outside Khan's Bandra residence before fleeing the area, reports NDTV.
India tightens Salman Khan's security after death threat
A bullet also hit the first floor of Khan's residence, according to police, who added that the shooting was carried out using a foreign weapon. Mumbai Police has initiated an investigation into the incident and is attempting to locate the persons who fired the shots, it said.
Last year, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) stated that Khan was among the top 10 targets that imprisoned gansgter Lawrence Bishnoi intended to assassinate, citing the actor's infamous 1998 black buck hunting incident, which the gangster claimed angered the Bishnoi community.
Did Salman Khan confirm ‘Tiger 4’ at the Cricket World Cup final?
Bishnoi said that his henchman, Sampat Nehra, had surveilled Khan's Bandra apartment, laying the groundwork for a possible hit. However, Haryana Police's Special Task Force arrested Nehra, said the report.
Following another threat call on April 11, last year, Mumbai Police elevated Khan's security status to Y+. An Indian student in the United Kingdom was given a lookout circular (LOC) after allegedly sending a threatening email to Khan, added the report.
Bollywood star Salman Khan foots medical bill of ailing actor
OJ Simpson, fallen US football hero acquitted of murder, dies at 76
O.J. Simpson, the decorated football superstar and Hollywood actor who was acquitted of charges he killed his former wife and her friend but was found liable in a separate civil trial, has died. He was 76.
The family announced on Simpson’s official X account that Simpson died Wednesday after battling prostate cancer. Simpson’s attorney confirmed to TMZ that he died in Las Vegas.
Simpson earned fame, fortune and adulation through football and show business, but his legacy was forever changed by the June 1994 knife slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles.
Live TV coverage of his arrest after a famous slow-speed chase marked a stunning fall from grace.
He had seemed to transcend racial barriers as the star Trojans tailback for college football’s powerful University of Southern California in the late 1960s, as a rental car ad pitchman rushing through airports in the late 1970s, and as the husband of a blond and blue-eyed high school homecoming queen in the 1980s.
“I’m not Black, I’m O.J.,” he liked to tell friends.
The public was mesmerized by his “trial of the century” on live TV. His case sparked debates on race, gender, domestic abuse, celebrity justice and police misconduct.
A criminal court jury found him not guilty of murder in 1995, but a separate civil trial jury found him liable in 1997 for the deaths and ordered him to pay $33.5 million to family members of Brown and Goldman.
A decade later, still shadowed by the California wrongful death judgment, Simpson led five men he barely knew into a confrontation with two sports memorabilia dealers in a cramped Las Vegas hotel room. Two men with Simpson had guns. A jury convicted Simpson of armed robbery and other felonies.
Imprisoned at age 61, he served nine years in a remote northern Nevada prison, including a stint as a gym janitor. He was not contrite when he was released on parole in October 2017. The parole board heard him insist yet again that he was only trying to retrieve sports memorabilia and family heirlooms stolen from him after his criminal trial in Los Angeles.
“I’ve basically spent a conflict-free life, you know,” said Simpson, whose parole ended in late 2021.
Public fascination with Simpson never faded. Many debated whether he had been punished in Las Vegas for his acquittal in Los Angeles. In 2016, he was the subject of both an FX miniseries and five-part ESPN documentary.
“I don’t think most of America believes I did it,” Simpson told The New York Times in 1995, a week after a jury determined he did not kill Brown and Goldman. “I’ve gotten thousands of letters and telegrams from people supporting me.”
Twelve years later, following an outpouring of public outrage, Rupert Murdoch canceled a planned book by the News Corp.-owned HarperCollins in which Simpson offered his hypothetical account of the killings. It was to be titled “If I Did It.”
Goldman’s family, still doggedly pursuing the multimillion-dollar wrongful death judgment, won control of the manuscript. They retitled the book “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer.”
“It’s all blood money, and unfortunately I had to join the jackals,” Simpson told The Associated Press at the time. He collected $880,000 in advance money for the book, paid through a third party.
“It helped me get out of debt and secure my homestead,” he said.
Less than two months after losing the rights to the book, Simpson was arrested in Las Vegas.
David Cook, an attorney who has been seeking since 2008 to collect the civil judgment in the Ron Goldman case, said he spoke with Fred Goldman, father of Ron, on Thursday about Simpson’s death. Cook declined to say what Fred Goldman said or where he was.
“He died without penance,” Gook said of Simpson. “We don’t know what he has, where it is or who is in control. We will pick up where we are and keep going with it.”
Simpson played 11 NFL seasons, nine of them with the Buffalo Bills, where he became known as “The Juice” on an offensive line known as “The Electric Company.” He won four NFL rushing titles, rushed for 11,236 yards in his career, scored 76 touchdowns and played in five Pro Bowls. His best season was 1973, when he ran for 2,003 yards — the first running back to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark.
“I was part of the history of the game,” he said years later. “If I did nothing else in my life, I’d made my mark.”
Of course, Simpson went on to other fame.
One of the artifacts of his murder trial, the carefully tailored tan suit he wore when acquitted, was later donated and placed on display at the Newseum in Washington. Simpson had been told the suit would be in the hotel room in Las Vegas, but it turned out it wasn’t there.
Orenthal James Simpson was born July 9, 1947, in San Francisco, where he grew up in government-subsidized housing projects.
After graduating from high school, he enrolled at City College of San Francisco for a year and a half before transferring to the University of Southern California for the spring 1967 semester.
He married his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, on June 24, 1967, moving her to Los Angeles the next day so he could begin preparing for his first season with USC — which, in large part because of Simpson, won that year’s national championship.
Simpson won the Heisman Trophy in 1968. He accepted the statue the same day that his first child, Arnelle, was born.
He had two sons, Jason and Aaren, with his first wife; one of those boys, Aaren, drowned as a toddler in a swimming pool accident in 1979, the same year he and Whitley divorced.
Simpson and Brown were married in 1985. They had two children, Justin and Sydney, and divorced in 1992. Two years later, Nicole Brown Simpson was found murdered.
“We don’t need to go back and relive the worst day of our lives,” he told the AP 25 years after the double slayings. “The subject of the moment is the subject I will never revisit again. My family and I have moved on to what we call the ‘no negative zone.’ We focus on the positives.”
Coke Studio Bangla all set to return with Season 3, featuring 11 songs
Coca-Cola, the multinational beverage brand that has enamoured music lovers across the globe with its "Coke Studio" platform, announced on Monday that Coke Studio Bangla, the digital-first music platform under the franchise, is all set to return with its third season on April 13.
Building upon the success of previous seasons, season 3 will feature more than 180 musicians and artists from across Bangladesh and the world coming together to create new memorable songs and soulful musical fusions.
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Season 3 will contain a total of 11 new songs that will feature a wide range of artists from diverse backgrounds, presenting multiple genres of Bangla music.
Much like the first two seasons, Shayan Chowdhury Arnob is the music curator for season 3. He will be joined by other music producers such as Pritom Hasan, Emon Chowdhury, Shuvendu Das Shuvo, and others.
Coke Studio Bangla to launch Season 3 next year
Speaking about season 3, Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, Music Curator of Coke Studio Bangla, said, “We are thrilled to embark on yet another journey of musical brilliance and cultural celebration. This season promises to be a testament to our commitment to innovation and creativity, as we push the boundaries of music and storytelling even further. From traditional melodies to contemporary beats, Coke Studio Bangla Season 3 promises to be a celebration of artistic diversity and creative expression.”
The success of the first two seasons with global audiences piqued the interest of numerous foreign artists, who reached out to be a part of season 3. According to the platform, fans can expect some interesting collaborations as the season progresses.
Coke Studio Bangla's second live concert enthrals fans even amidst chaos
The new season will see several familiar faces return with new songs including Arnob, Pritom, Emon Chowdhury, and Meghdol. In addition to that, new artists will be making their Coke Studio Bangla debut, including the iconic Habib Wahid.
Ju-un Nahar, Managing Director of Coca-Cola Bangladesh, said, “The support we have received from our fans over the last two seasons has truly been amazing. It is their passion and enthusiasm that continue to inspire us to push beyond conventions and create something truly extraordinary. We have a number of surprises stored for our audiences, and we believe that everyone will love the work we put in for the new season.”
According to the analytics, Coke Studio Bangla has successfully popularised Bangla music globally, with fans primarily in the age group of 18–34, hailing from various countries. A little over 80% of the fans are from Bangladesh, with India and the USA in second and third spots, respectively.
Krishnendu Chattopadhyay of Dope Productions and Adnan Al Rajeev of Runout Films have both directed the visual output of the newest season. Coke Studio Bangla is available on Spotify, the official music streaming partner, as well as on YouTube.
Coke Studio Bangla was launched as a digital-first platform to engage youth and digitally savvy audiences. In the first two seasons, Coke Studio Bangla had over 446 million views and over 3.3 million subscribers on YouTube.