Las Vegas, April 5 (AP/UNB) — Lionsgate's motion picture group chairman Joe Drake says the sky is not falling in Hollywood and the feature film business is not dead. It's certainly a message that the audience of movie theater owners and exhibitors wanted to hear at the final Hollywood studio presentation at CinemaCon.

The studio on Thursday announced a multi-platform deal with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's Point Grey Pictures and a new banner for faith-based films called Kingdom. It also offered a first look at Rian Johnson's crackling Agatha Christie-style whodunit "Knives Out," with Daniel Craig, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas.

The studio brought out stars like Halle Berry, of "John Wick 3," Jamie Lee Curtis of "Knives Out" and Charlize Theron of "Long Shot" to promote its slate.

Los Angeles, Apr 4 (AP/UNB) — Celine Dion is ending her Las Vegas residency soon, but the superstar singer will keep herself busy by releasing new music and embarking on a new world tour later this year.

Dion told a packed venue Wednesday that she will kick off her Courage World Tour in Quebec City, Canada, on Sept. 18, and will make stops in more than 50 cities, including Miami, Los Angeles, Montreal, Chicago and Brooklyn. The 51-year-old Canadian singer said she is expecting to release "Courage," her 12th studio album, in November.

"It's going to be the Celine that you know," she said of the upcoming album. "Celine at 51. The Celine that you know. The Celine with producers and writers she's worked with. It's the Celine with new producers and new songwriters. ... The sound will change a little bit, and music changes. But I will always remain who I am."

Dion performed a few songs including "I'm Alive" and the "Titanic" anthem song "My Heart Will Go On" after making the announcement during a special fan event at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. She started the event with a video of her hitching a ride from Vegas to Los Angeles after her truck broke down.

The Grammy-winning singer said she felt motivated recently to get back on the road and create music for the first time since the death of her husband-manager René Angélil in 2016.

Dion said she feels more "centered, balanced and spiritually connected" these days.

After more than 15 years, Dion will finish her critically acclaimed Vegas residency at Caesars Palace in June. The singer has toured since starting her Vegas show, but the Courage tour will be her first North American tour since her Taking Chances World Tour in 2009.

Dion called Vegas her second home, but she is ready to take on her new venture. She said don't expect to see her typical Vegas show on the upcoming tour.

"I was supposed to be at Caesars for a few months and sixteen years later, I'm on the road and album coming out," she said. "I cannot feel stronger than I feel here. I'm finding passion, finding my team, in control, in charge, feeling strong and healthy. I take care of myself. I'm happy."

Dhaka, Apr 3 (UNB) – A seminar titled ‘The present scenario of Bangladeshi cinema and solutions to the problems’ was held at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (FDC) on Wednesday.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun was the chief guest at the event organised as part of a two-day programme on the occasion of the National Film Day.

State Minister of Cultural Affairs KM Khalid and cultural activist Suborna Mustafa, MP, attended the programme as special guests while Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) Director General Benazir Ahmed, acting Managing Director of FDC Laxman Chandra Debnath and Bangladesh Film Directors’ Association president Mushfiqur Rahman Gulzar were also present.

Speakers discussed the present problems of the film industry and their possible solutions to revive its past glory.

Both the ministers and the Rab chief assured all concerned of providing all necessary support to the film industry.

They also called for focusing on the demand of the audience.
 

Los Angeles, Apr 3 (AP/UNB) — Angelina Jolie is not ruling out running for public office.

The 43-year-old actress and U.N. special envoy tells People magazine "never say never!" However, Jolie says she's "looking to others for leadership."

In her role with the U.N.'s High Commission for Refugees, Jolie recently urged nations to deploy more women peacekeepers in order to prevent sexual violence against refugees. Jolie says "we have to change laws that treat women as second-class citizens."

Since breaking up with Brad Pitt more than two years ago, Jolie is focused on their six children and her work. Her oldest, Maddox, enters college in the fall.

She wrapped up her first starring movie role in four years in "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil." It's due out in October.

The interview appears in People's April 15 issue.

Las Vegas, Apr 2 (AP/UNB) — Winter came to Las Vegas. Fire-breathing dragons held court over the world-famous fountains at the Bellagio casino-resort Sunday, as familiar elements from the TV phenomenon "Game of Thrones" were projected on the rising water. The jets danced to a score incorporating the recognizable theme song before one of the colossal beasts lit up the lake along the Las Vegas Strip in a blaze of pyrotechnics.

The 3½-minute spectacle that left a crowd of onlookers cheering debuted two weeks ahead of the scheduled premiere of the HBO fantasy series' final season.

The streaming water formed the show's iconic throne and crown. A towering 800-foot-long (244-meter) wall of water emerged from the lake.

The display, however, intentionally did not reveal any elements of the new season.

"We didn't just want to portray literally scenes from 'Game of Thrones' here, not like a teaser or a preview of season eight," said Mark Fuller, CEO of WET Design, the company that created the fountains and show. "We want to bring you the emotion."

At the heart of the fountain show is the giant wall of water. It represents the ice wall that defines the TV show, but also serves as a surface onto which the creators project falling snow, the series' logo and the silhouettes of the dragons breathing orange and blue flames.

The company worked with the series' composer Ramin Djawadi to create a special score that along with the dancing water aimed to capture the excitement of the TV hit.

The fountain show begins by dropping musical hints of the TV series, using Djawadi's "Winter is Here" from the seventh season. It comes to full force as the show's recognizable "Main Titles" theme song comes on.

"We have to make sure that the fountain gives the same kind of energy, the same kind of drama, that people are associating this music with," said Peter Kopik, director of design and choreography for WET Design. "(That) was the hard part of the choreography because it's continuously energetic and continuously up and loud and strong, and choreography had to reflect the same thing and not being tiring at the same time."

The spectacle ends as the shadow of the Night King appears one last time, and flames cover part of the roughly 9-acre (3.6-hectare) lake.

Oklahoma resident Josh Elliott stopped by the lake with his wife Sunday as part of their anniversary trip. They were amazed by what they saw.

"We have probably seen a hundred fountain shows, and this is by far the best," he said while waiting for the show to start for a second time. "Oh yeah, we are not moving."

Las Vegas resident Gaile Tiquia is re-watching all seasons ahead of the upcoming premiere. She said she came to the casino-resort after seeing a mention on social media about the special show and wondering if it would include any spoilers.

"I had chills for the entire show," she said. "It's amazing! It's too much."

The "Game of Thrones" fountain show marks the first time the lake has been set ablaze, but artists and others have previously used the fountains for a variety of stunts. Billionaire Richard Branson rode a jet ski on the lake in 2010, and Drake performed one of his hits there during the 2017 Billboard Music Awards.

The landmark at the luxury property owned by MGM Resorts International attracts millions of visitors every year. It has nightly shows with recorded music ranging from Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman's duet "Time to Say Goodbye" to Sin City's unofficial hymn "Viva Las Vegas" sung by Elvis Presley.

"The Bellagio fountain is iconic. It's known around the world, and so is 'Game of Thrones,'" Djawadi said. "So, I think putting them together and seeing the music choreographed to a fountain like that is quite the spectacle. I think it will get everybody really pumped for this final season coming up."

The special fountain show will run nightly until April 13, the day before the eighth season's premiere.