Entertainment
South Korean army appears to want to conscript BTS members
South Korea’s military appears to want to conscript members of the K-pop supergroup BTS for mandatory military duties, as the public remains sharply divided over whether they should be given exemptions.
Lee Ki Sik, commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration, told lawmakers on Friday that it’s “desirable” for BTS members to fulfill their military duties to ensure fairness in the country’s military service.
Earlier this week, Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup made almost identical comments about BTS at a parliamentary committee meeting, and Culture Minister Park Bo Gyoon said his ministry would soon finalize its position on the issue.
Whether the band’s seven members must serve in the army is one of the hottest issues in South Korea because its oldest member, Jin, faces possible enlistment early next year after turning 30 in December.
Under South Korean law, all able-bodied men are required to perform 18-21 months of military service. But the law provides special exemptions for athletes, classical and traditional musicians, and ballet and other dancers who have won top prizes in certain competitions that enhance national prestige.
Without a revision of the law, the government can take steps to grant special exemptions. But past exemptions for people who performed well in non-designated competitions triggered serious debate about the fairness of the system.
Read: 3 members of K-pop sensation BTS diagnosed with COVID-19
Since the draft forces young men to suspend their professional careers or studies, the dodging of military duties or creation of exemptions is a highly sensitive issue.
In one recent survey, about 61% of respondents supported exemptions for entertainers such as BTS, while in another, about 54% said BTS members should serve in the military.
Several amendments of the conscription law that would pave the way for BTS members to be exempted have been introduced in the National Assembly, but haven’t been voted on with lawmakers sharply divided on the matter.
Lee, the defense minister, earlier said he had ordered officials to consider conducting a public survey to help determine whether to grant exemptions to BTS. But the Defense Ministry later said it would not carry out such a survey.
In August, Lee said if BTS members join the military, they would likely be allowed to continue practicing and to join other non-serving BTS members in overseas group tours.
People who are exempted from the draft are released from the military after three weeks of basic training. They are also required to perform 544 hours of volunteer work and continue serving in their professional fields for 34 months.
Oscar winners cut off their hair to support Iran protests
Oscar-winning actors Marion Cotillard and Juliette Binoche, as well as other French stars of screen and music, filmed themselves chopping off locks of their hair in a video posted Wednesday in support of protesters in Iran.
“For freedom,” Binoche said as she hacked a large handful of hair off the top of her head with a pair of scissors, before brandishing it in front of the camera.
The video, hashtagged HairForFreedom, comes with Iran engulfed by anti-government protests. They were sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code.
The video of Cotillard, Binoche and dozens of other women cutting off locks of their hair was released on an Instagram account, “soutienfemmesiran” — which translates as “support women in Iran.”
“These women, these men are asking for our support. Their courage and their dignity obliges us,” said a post with the video.
“We have decided to respond to the appeal made to us by cutting — us too — some of these locks.”
Some of the other women who took part included actors Charlotte Rampling and Charlotte Gainsbourg, who was also filmed cutting off a lock of hair from the head of her mother, singer Jane Birkin.
Kim Kardashian fined $1 million over crypto currency promotion
The long list of celebrities promoting cryptocurrencies just got shorter. Kim Kardashian is being barred from doing so for three years — and will pay a $1 million fine -- to settle federal charges that she recommended a crypto security to her 330 million Instagram followers without making clear that she was paid to do so.
The reality TV star also must give up the $250,000 she was paid for the Instagram post about Ethereum Max tokens, plus interest, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission settlement announced Monday.
Kardashian is the latest celebrity to get ensnared in regulations that require full disclosure by people getting paid to promote financial products.
In 2020, actor Steven Seagal agreed to pay more than $300,000 as part of a similar settlement with the SEC, which also banned him from promoting investments for three years.
In 2018, the SEC settled charges against professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and music producer DJ Khaled for failing to disclose payments they received for promoting investments in a digital currency.
Many celebrities and athletes regularly promote crypto through advertisements on TV and online in ways that do not violate any law. Matt Damon, Tom Brady, Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow are among those who have used their fame to spread enthusiasm for cryptocurrencies.
SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a statement that the Kardashian settlement “serves as a reminder to celebrities and others that the law requires them to disclose to the public when and how much they are paid to promote investing in securities.”
Gensler also used Monday's attention-grabbing settlement with a celebrity as an opportunity to educate the public, releasing a humorous YouTube video that warns about the potential pitfalls of investment advice doled out by the rich and famous.
“Bravo to SEC Chairman Gensler, whose action shows that no celebrity, regardless of how big or famous, that profited from pushing these risky cryptocurrency investments should be able to simply walk away," said Adam Moskowitz, a class-action attorney currently suing Mark Cuban for promoting the company Voyager Digital before it failed.
The SEC said Kardashian agreed to cooperate with an ongoing investigation, though it didn't provide any details on that investigation.
A lawyer for Kardashian, Patrick Gibbs, said she “fully cooperated with the SEC from the very beginning and she remains willing to do whatever she can to assist the SEC in this matter."
While Kardashian is well known for her role on the TV series “The Kardashians,” she is also a successful businesswoman with clothing and skincare brands.
The value of many cryptocurrencies soared during the pandemic amid a surge in highly speculative investing. More recently, amid a decline in overall markets, the value of many cryptocurrencies has plunged.
Bitcoin has lost more than half its value in 2022, tumbling to around $19,000 Monday. The Ethereum Max token that Kardashian promoted has declined in value by more than 90% since its peak last May.
After wild swings in crypto valuations and dozens of scams being exposed, the crypto industry is under growing scrutiny from the SEC and Congress. A bipartisan proposal last month would hand regulatory authority over bitcoin and ether, two popular cryptocurrencies, to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Apple to release Will Smith's 'Emancipation' post-slap
After holding “Emancipation” in limbo following Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards in March, Apple will release the actor's next big project this December.
In the fallout of Smith's smack of the comedian, the fate of “Emancipation” — a $120 million runaway slave thriller directed by Antoine Fuqua — had been uncertain. One of Apple's most high-profile productions yet, the film had once been expected to be an Oscar contender this year. But an awards-season rollout of a film headlined by Smith, whom the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years, has obvious complications.
Nevertheless, Apple TV+ said Monday that it will debut “Emancipation” on Dec. 2 in theaters and begin streaming it Dec. 9.
Over the weekend, Apple and the NAACP held the first screening of the film in Washington as part of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Legislative Conference. Smith attended the screening and spoke on stage.
The release of “Emancipation” will pose the biggest test yet of how eager moviegoers are for a movie headlined by Smith, an actor who has generated more than $6.5 billion in worldwide box office. Still, the brief exclusive run in theaters will also mean “Emancipation," like Apple's best picture-winning “CODA,” will be seen primarily in homes.
Regardless, the streamer isn't shying away from its star. A black-and-white profile of Smith's face, with a chain around his neck, adorns the movie poster.
In the film, Smith plays a man named Peter who escapes from slavery in Louisiana. It was inspired by the 1863 photos of a man known as “Whipped Peter" that first appeared in Harper's Weekly showing a Union Army medical exam of a mutilated man. The film had originally been planned to shoot in Georgia before Fuqua and Smith moved the production to New Orleans in response to Georgia's then-newly enacted laws restricting voting access.
“Emancipation” was shot in the summer of 2021. Until the slap, its release had been expected in 2022. Smith resigned before he could be banned by the academy, but remains eligible for an Oscar nomination.
"My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable,” he said.
Since his, Smith has largely stayed out the public eye. In late July, he gave his most extensive comments about the incident in a video posted to social media in which he apologized to Rock, who had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith's wife.
Travel documentary “Tombs: Tea-Planters' Cemeteries in Sylhet” premiered
Unfolding the stories behind the cemeteries of tea planters in Bangladesh, a travel documentary titled “Tombs: Tea-Planters Cemeteries in Sylhet” was premiered on Monday at Bangladesh Tourism Board Conference Hall, Agargaon in the capital.
Conceptualized and produced by heritage traveller Eliza Binte Elahi and directed by ARM Nasir, the 30-minute documentary premiere, hosted by the Bangladesh Bureau Chief of the Associated Press and United News of Bangladesh-UNB’s Chief of Correspondents Julhas Alam, was joined by Rahnuma Salam Khan, Deputy Director of Bangladesh Tourism Corporation as the chief guest.
The premiere was also joined by several other prominent personalities including former additional secretary and Bangladesh Birds Club President Jalal Ahmed, Joint Secretary at Ministry of Finance Sheikh Momena Moni, Bangladesh Police DIG Ruhul Amin, Deepto TV CEO Fuad Chowdhury, botanist and tea planter Ashraf Ahmed, former additional secretary Akhtaruzzaman Khan Kabir, and travel magazine Bhromongoddya editor Mahmud Hafiz, among others.
Read UNESCO Mondiacult 2022: Bangladesh lauded for creating Bangabandhu International Award
Foreigners and many ethnic groups have settled for long periods of rule in Bangladesh and established trade connections, and needless to say that many of them are buried in the country. Different burial grounds are built in almost all the 64 districts of Bangladesh, and there are also tombs of tea planters in different tea gardens of the entire Sylhet division.
Bubly reveals dates of marriage with Shakib, son’s birth
After creating a huge controversy by announcing she has a two-year old son with actor Shakib Khan, actress Bubly on Monday revealed her wedding date with the actor.
She posted three photos with Shakib Khan at New York’s Times Square on her verified Facebook page Monday and said “So far in my life 20/07/2018 and 21/03/2020 are two of the most memorable dates.”
"These are the dates of our marriage and our son’s birthday. The photos were taken in front of Times Square in the USA. Please keep us in your prayers,” she said
Earlier on September 27, Bubly revealed a photo of her on social media with a baby bump.
Three days later she and Shakib Khan finally made a public announcement about their two-year-old son, Shehzad Khan Bir, ending all speculations. They also published photos of their son.
Korean concert enthrals Dhaka audience at Hatirjheel
The musicophiles in Dhaka were grooved on Saturday night with a special musical presentation by the Korean fusion music band “E-Sang” at the Hatirjheel Amphitheatre in the capital.
The Embassy of the Republic of Korea hosted this live Korean music concert, in collaboration with RTV.
This was the first outdoor cultural event organized by the Korean Embassy since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Md Atiqul Islam, Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation, joined the event as the chief guest, alongside Lee Jang-keun, Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh.
“Bangladesh and Korea have a very strong relationship. In Korea, we have a significant force of skilled manpower. Additionally, they always support our economic projects and we have a great fanbase of Korean music and culture in our country,” Mayor Atiqul said in his remarks.
He also joined the collaborative performances with the Korean artists at the event.
Welcoming the audience to this special exhibition of Korean music, Korean Ambassador Lee Jang-keun said, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we couldn't arrange any event outside for two years. We are returning to organise our outdoor events in Dhaka with this one. The E-Sang Band will perform today, I hope you like it.”
Read: Shironamhin to feature in ‘Concert against violence’ at DU
New Releases: Top 10 South Indian Movies to Watch in October 2022
In recent years, a bunch of South Indian films have outshined Bollywood's big-budget mainstream Hindi movies in both ratings and earnings. The Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam film industries are enthralling the cinema world with great films in terms of unique story-telling, eye-catching visuals, and superb acting performance. Holding this legacy, South Indian film industries are releasing quality films every month. Let's take a look at the upcoming South Indian movies in October 2022.
10 Most anticipated South Indian Movies releasing in October 2022
Swathi Muthyam | Telugu Romantic Comedy
Varsha Bollamma and Ganesh Bellamkonda are the main stars of this Lakshman K Krishna-directed film. The movie tells a young man's story about celebrating life, falling in love, and his growing views on marriage. He is naive and pure at heart.
Surya Teja Musunuru did the cinematography, while Mahathi Swara Sagar created the music. The film editing was done by Navin Nooli. Suryadevara Naga Vamsi produces the film under the banner of Sithara Entertainments.
The movie will premiere on October 5, 2022.
Read Star Cineplex's Awesome Autumn gives moviegoers chance to win trip to Maldives
GOD Father | Telugu Political Action
It is a remake of the 2019 Malayalam film Lucifer, which is being helmed by Mohan Raja. Salman Khan, Nayantara, Puri Jagannadh, Satyadev Kancharana, and Chiranjeevi will star different roles in the movie.
S. Thaman composed the music, and Nirav Shah was in charge of the filming. Ram Charan, R. B. Choudary, and N. V. Prasad produced the movie under Konidela Production Company and Super Good Films.
The movie Godfather is slated for release on October 5, 2022, which also happens to be Vijayadashami.
Read Misha Sawdagor makes his OTT debut with ‘Jodi Ami Beche Firi’
Borrder | Tamil Spy Thriller
This movie was directed by Arivazhagan Venkatachalam and produced by Vijaya Raghavendra under the name All in Pictures. Arun Vijay, Regina Cassandra, and Stefy Patel are all featured in the movie.
The theme of the movie is patriotism, and it has a military setting. Rajasekar handled the cinematography, and Sam CS composed the soundtrack. The movie was supposed to open in theaters on November 19, 2021. However, the release date has been postponed because of the flooding in Chennai. The current release date is October 5, 2022.
Read This is what Nuhash’s Hulu project is about
The Ghost – Killing Machine | Telugu
For his forthcoming film The Ghost, King Nagarjuna is back again in the fierce action. The movie portrays an extremely skilled and lethal agent who can turn into an unstoppable "Killing Machine" when he becomes enraged.
Sonal Chauhan, who plays an Interpol agent, will appear in the movie alongside Nagarjuna. Furthermore, Gul Panag and Anikha Surendran have glorified the major casts of the movie.
The Ghost's screenplay and direction are both by Praveen Sattaru. The movie was made by Suniel Narang, Puskur Ram Mohan Rao, and Sharrath Marar under the auspices of Northstar Entertainment and Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP.
For the movie, Saurabh and Bharatt composed the soundtrack. The film's release date, which is set for October 5, 2020, has already been announced by the producers.
Read “RAB freed Sundarbans from robbers and inspired a quality film”
Kasethan Kadavulada | Tamil Heist Comedy
The movie title means ‘Only money is god’. R. Kannan is the film's producer and director. It is a remake of the 1972 Tamil film which was in the same name. The movie stars Priya Anand and Shiva. Other actors include Yogi Babu, Manobala, Urvashi, Karunakaran, Thalaivasal Vijay, Sivaangi Krishnakumar, and Pugazh.
The storyline of the film centers a man who is planning to steal money from his stepmother with the help of two other individuals. Raj Pratap composed the music, and Prasanna Kumar handled the photography. The movie is slated to hit theaters on October 7, 2022.
Read 'Beauty Circus’ & ‘Operation Sundarban’ set the ball rolling for Bangladesh film industry
Sardar | Tamil Spy Action
This movie is being written, produced, and directed by P. S. Mithran. S. Lakshman Kumar has produced the film under Prince Pictures banner. The movie stars Karthi in a dual role as the title character. Other significant roles have been played by Raashii Khanna, Munishkanth, Rajisha Vijayan, Laila, Chunky Panday, and Murali Sharma.
Yuvan Shankar Raja, who had previously been Mithran's go-to composer, is replaced as the music composer for the movie by G. V. Prakash Kumar. George C. Williams serves as the film's cinematographer. Ruben made the edits, and Dhilip Subbarayan choreographed the stunts. The film will premiere in theaters on October 24, 2020.
Read ‘Illegal immigrants’ stealing jobs in India's Bollywood?
Champion | Kannada Thriller
The movie’s premiere is set for October 14, 2022. Shahuraja Sindhe is directing the film. Its storyline tells the story of a small-town child who overcame all of life's challenges to become successful.
Shivam Productions, Shivanand S. Neelannavar, and Lahari Music are the producers of this suspenseful movie. Sachin Dhanpal, Aditi Prabhudeva, Sunny Leone, and Suman will star in this film. Pradeep Rawat is another well-known actor who was brought on board for Champion.
Read “Many thought my decision to quit job for acting was a mistake”
Shabari Searching For Ravana | Kannada
The movie's screenplay was written by Chetan Keshav. Naveen Shetty and Viday Sagar Chinta directed the film.
In spite of a few small romance and emotional storylines, this movie is mostly a suspense thriller with a heroine-centric theme.
The lead actresses in the film are Rachita Ram and Archana Kottige. Anoop Seelin was the music composer, Vishal Kumar Gowda shot the film, and Naveen Shetty made the edits. The movie was produced by Kiran Kumar under the production companies KK Production, and ATM Studios. The film's premiere is scheduled on October 2, 2022.
Read UNESCO Mondiacult 2022: Bangladesh lauded for creating Bangabandhu International Award
Rorschach | Malayalam Psychological Thriller
This film was written by Sameer Abdul and directed by Nisam Basheer. The main character in the movie is Mammootty. Sharafudeen, Grace Antony, Kottayam Nazeer, Jagadish, Sanju Sivram, and Bindu Panicker round out the film's ensemble cast. The film was made by Mammootty himself under the name of Mammootty Kampany.
Midhun Mukundan took care of the music composition of the film music, while Nimish Ravi was the head of cinematography. The release date for Rorschach is October 13, 2022.
Read Shehzad Khan Bir is their son, confirm Shakib Khan & Bubly
Marthanda Varma | Malayalam Historical
‘Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma-The King of Travancore’ is the full title of the film. The famous Bahubali antagonist star Rana Daggubati is coming back with this historical drama in the titular role. This project is his debutant work in the Bollywood industry.
The movie will prominently feature the grandeur of Marthanda Varma, a well-known king of Travancore who lived in the 18th century A.D. Peter Hein coordinated the stunts for the movie, which was directed by K. Madhu. The movie's sound will be handled by Oscar winner Resul Pookutty. M M Keeravani, best known for his work on the Bahubali series, will write the soundtrack. The movie is going to hit the theater on 25 October 2022.
Read Nuhash Humayun: I want to experiment, make mistakes
Bottom Line
So far, we have discussed 10 South Indian movies expected to release in October 2022. It can be expected that some of these latest South Indian Films can join the ranks of the past blockbusters from the same industry. As the South Indian cinemas are entertaining the film enthusiasts worldwide quite successfully, it's only a matter of time to dominate the entire Asian glamor world.
UNESCO Mondiacult 2022: Bangladesh lauded for creating Bangabandhu International Award
Bangladesh's initiative to encourage a culture of innovation by instituting the UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Award earned plaudits recently, at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development, or Mondiacult 2022, held in Mexico,
The final declaration got adopted by the world leaders who agreed to establish an innovation economy, among other things.
Organized with the global goal of establishing the role of culture in sustainable development, this international conference was attended by 136 cultural affairs ministers and state minister level leaders, diplomats, cultural activists, organizers and civil society individuals from 150 countries of the world.
A delegation of 3 members led by Bangladesh's State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid, Ambassador of Bangladesh to France and UNESCO Khandaker M Talha and First Secretary Md. Walid bin Kashem participated in the conference.
At the conference, Khalid was invited to share his speech at the 'Future of Innovation Economy' Minister-level round table meeting, he thanked UNESCO for formulating the 'UNESCO-Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman International Award' in the innovation economy sector in 2020.
“The innovation economy will play a role as a renewable regulator in the implementation of sustainable development goals and will play an effective role in protecting neglected cultural heritage in different parts of the world,” KM Khalid said at the meeting.
Read: Bangladesh elected to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage committee for 4 years
He also called for cooperation among international leaders to develop a culture that is safe, accountable, and controlled.
A proposal has been made for the teaching of culture in educational institutions as a response to the conference's identification of education and culture as complementary to one another. Additionally, in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, all nations are urged to develop cultural policies and update them as needed.
In Bangladesh, the National Culture Policy was formulated in 2006 and is currently undergoing modernization.
Mondiacult 2022 was organized by UNESCO as a continuation of the detailed action plan conducted globally to implement the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. The last international cultural conference of this scale was held in Mexico in 1982.
Shehzad Khan Bir is their son, confirm Shakib Khan & Bubly
Dhallywood superstar Shakib Khan and actress Bubly have finally made public announcement about their two-year-old son ending speculations.
Shakib and Bubli revealed this in separate posts on their respective verified Facebook page on Friday.
Read: Shakib Khan back home after nine months
Although planned to announce the news at an auspicious date, they have shared this news with their fans earlier considering it a 'blessing from the Almighty', Shakib wrote on his post.
"Shehzad Khan Bir, Bubly and my son, our little prince. My child is my pride, my strength,” he wrote.
"I am seeking prayers from everyone, for our child."
Bubly also announced the same in her post.
Read: Film Rajkumar: Everything about Shakib Khan’s Upcoming Movie with US Actress
There had been a lot of talk about them ever since Bubly uploaded a photo of her with a baby bump on Facebook recently.
Later, Shakib admitted it indirectly to the media and informed that he would announce the details soon.