entertainment
'Same Here': Country song features Ukraine President Zelenskyy
A year ago, country star Brad Paisley watched the news on television as Russian troops invaded Ukraine and, like many people around the world, he felt helpless at the images of people fleeing their homes.
“The world felt like it was in a new place that it hadn’t been in decades,” the three-time Grammy winner recalls.
On Friday, the one-year anniversary of the war’s start, Paisley released a new song called “Same Here,” featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking proudly about his country and people.
Read more: Ukraine: Zelenskyy seeks more sanctions, fighting grinds on
The song is Paisley’s first from his new record, “Son of the Mountains,” to be released later this year on Universal Music Group Nashville.
The West Virginia native wrote the song with Lee Thomas Miller (co-writer on Paisley hits “The World” and “Perfect Storm”) and Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith. It’s a three-part narrative that reflects on universal similarities, despite distance and language.
While it doesn’t mention Ukraine specifically, the song ends with Paisley and Zelenskyy in conversation, recorded during a video call. Zelenskyy talks about Ukrainians’ desire for freedom, adding “There is no distance between our two countries in such values.”
“There’s just no differences,” Paisley told The Associated Press. “You can put us in different places with different flags and different languages, but we have so many similarities.”
Paisley is one of several celebrity ambassadors for Ukraine’s United24 crowdfunding effort, and has donated his time for other fundraising efforts to assist Ukrainians. But even he thought it would be a long shot to have the direct involvement of Zelenskyy, who has traveled the world advocating for Ukraine’s military and recovery efforts.
Read more: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy makes emotional appeal for EU membership
“I think he understands that art is how you reach the most people, especially in the heart,” Paisley said of Zelenskyy, who was an actor and comedian before becoming president.
“He can give as many speeches as he can give, but it’s a lot easier to hear something with a melody maybe.”
Zelenskyy didn’t just sign off on the song; he also suggested some changes to it, Paisley said.
Paisley’s royalties for the song will be donated to United24 to help build housing for thousands of displaced Ukrainians whose homes were destroyed in the war, he said. Using his platform to advocate for causes important to him has always been part of his career, whether it was opening a free grocery store in Nashville with his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, or fighting hunger by donating 1 million meals during the pandemic.
“I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t sort of swing for the fence with things like this,” Paisley said. “For me, I’m happiest dealing with stuff as a songwriter that’s very true and very, very passionate. And sometimes I don’t know if you’d call it risky, but it’s more like it’s bigger than me.”
Read more: People across the world gather to mark war anniversary
Paisley brings his passion on stage during live shows. He’s been changing the lyrics to his hit song “American Saturday Night,” for instance, to replace a reference to the U.S.S.R. to “There’s a Ukrainian flag hanging up behind the bar.”
The new record will be his debut on UMG since moving from Sony’s Arista label, and he said “Same Here” reflects the kinds of big universal themes on it.
“We do deal with stuff going on in the world,” Paisley said. “How do you sing about things that are truly big — a big deal right now — that also don’t feel like maybe they’re the type of thing that you would be singing about typically? And yeah, on this album I have kind of really dug deep and tried to say something.”
Paisley, who has visited U.S. troops in Afghanistan, said he’s been invited to visit Ukraine, which he’d like to do. In the meantime, he hopes the song’s message will bolster the country now facing down year two of the war.
“That’s where it gets really rewarding... feeling like maybe the heart of this helps paint the picture they want to paint,” Paisley said.
Top 10 Upcoming South Indian Movies in March 2023
South Indian movies have garnered pan-Indian attention ever since the mass hysteria grappled by the Bahubali franchise. South India aptly backed up the craze with the release of KGF and Pushpa coming from two different industries with a larger-than-life story and mass commercial appeal.
As a result, the excitement surrounding South Indian releases isn’t limited to the belt audiences anymore, rather it has garnered a pan-Indian and global fan following. With that said, here are 10 of the exciting South Indian movies coming to theaters and the OTT platform in March 2023.
Best Upcoming South Indian Movies in March 2023
The South Indian film industry is predominantly divided into Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam industries. We will cover releases from each of these industries in the upcoming month of March
Pathu Thala – Tamil – 30th March
Pathu Thala follows the story of an undercover cop posing as an assassin working for a crime boss. What follows is a neo-noir action thriller film with twists in every scale imaginable. Pathu Thala is the remake of the 2017 Kannada film Mufti starring Sriimurali.
Pathu Thala stars Silambarasan, Gautham Karthik, and Priya Bhavani Shankar in lead roles. The film is directed by Obeli N. Krishna with music by A.R. Rahman. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release on 30th March 2023.
Read More: 2022 Highest-Grossing South Indian Movies.
Idam Porul Eval – Tamil – 18th March
The last one on our list is from the Tamil industry titled Idam Porul Eval. The movie stars Vijay Sethupathi and Vishnu Vishal in lead roles. Not much is known about the movie other than that it is shot mostly in the hills of Madurai and Thandikodi in a remote tribal landscape. Recently movies like Pushpa have garnered accolades as they told a story from a similar raw and rural perspective.
Idam Porul Eval is directed by Seenu Ramasamy who collaborated with Vijay Sethupathi after 10 years. The music for the movie has been composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. The theatrical release date for Idam Porul Eval is set for 18th March 2023.
Rudhran – Tamil – 27th March
A rowdy hero who takes a stance against the local gang and takes them out one by one. This is the basic premise of the Raghava Lawrence and Priya Bhavani Shankar starrer Rudhran. Tamil movies have always been known for their larger-than-life portrayal of the heroes and Rudhran will be no different. This movie is going to be no less than a fan service for the fans of Raghava.
Read More: 5 Must-Watch Movies of Rajinikanth
Rudhran is directed by kathiresan who is also the executive producer of the film. The music of Rudhran has been composed by GV Prakash Kumar. The film will have a theatrical release on 27th March 2023.
Cats strut their stuff on the ramp for first time
First-ever cat ramp show was held in the capital on Friday.
The show started around 3:30pm in the capital’s Jamuna Future Park and continued till 7:30pm. Before that, more than 3,000 cat lovers – mostly from the capital -- registered to participate in the event, said Md Alamgir, a key organiser of the event.
Apart from this, two more contests namely “Jemon Khushi Temon Sajo,” and “Khadok Biral” were organised on this occasion, he added.
Artcell releases third album after 17 years
Popular Bangladeshi progressive metal band Artcell has finally released their much-anticipated third album after 17 years on Thursday.
Primarily, the band has released the album exclusively on GAAN app, and revealed that the entire album will be available on Artcell and G-Series official YouTube channel, Spotify and other major streaming platforms from March 9.
Artcell fans can purchase the album through the app for Tk 300, and the album features six brand new songs of the band.
"OTRITIO" is a very special album for us, like many of our fans out there. After a long gap of 17 years, our third Studio Album is finally coming out on 23.02.23 (Early Access)," Artcell recently announced on its official Facebook page.
Read: Mexican musician finds refuge in saxophone after acid attack
Marking the long-awaited album release, Artcell also announced an exclusive limited edition box set for their fans, featuring a number of goodies such as t-shirt, wristband, keyring, flag, poster, album booklet and more, alongside the album. "We really wanted to mark this occasion with something very special. That's why we produced the "Otritio Limited Edition Box Set"! If you're a collector you might want to buy one of these as soon as we've really made a very limited quantity of these boxes," Artcell recently announced on its Facebook page.
The current line-up of the band features George Lincoln D'Costa (vocals, guitars), Kazi Faisal Ahmed (lead guitar), Saef Al Nazi Cézanne (bass), Kazi Shazzadul Asheqeen Shaju (drums) and Iqbal Asif Jewel (lead guitar and music producer).
Artcelss's second studio album 'Oniket Prantor' was released in 2006. Since then, fans of the band across the home and beyond have been anticipating the third album.
High Court bans streaming of ‘Faraaz’ in Bangladesh
The High Court has banned the streaming of “Faraaz” – an Indian film based on the 2016 terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s Gulshan – on online platforms in Bangladesh.
The HC bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir today passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed against the screening of the movie directed by Hansal Mehta.
Barrister Rokan Uddin Mahmud and the lawyer Ahsanul Karim stood for the petitioner at the court. Deputy Attorney General Bipul Bagmar represented the state.
Read more: Holey Artisan victim's mother vows to fight release of Bollywood film on tragedy
The petition was filed against the streaming of the film online and screening at movie theatres by Ruba Ahmed, mother of Abinta Kabir who was one of the victims of the attack.
“As the film is yet to be approved by the Censor Board, today’s directive does not mention a ban on screening in cinema halls,” the petitioner’s lawyer Ahsanul Karim told UNB.
Produced by T-Series and Benaras Media Works, “Faraaz” is loosely based on the terrorist attack at Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1, 2016. At least 22 people, including 17 foreign nationals, were killed in the attack. Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain and Abinta Kabir were among the victims alongside Tarishi Jain and Ishrat Akhond.
Read more: Abinta Kabir Foundation sends legal notice to FARAAZ movie producers
Two police officers were also killed in the attack.
Since the trailer of Hansal Mehta’s much-talked-about Bollywood film “Faraaz” was released, Ruba Ahmed took to the media to express her objections to releasing and promoting the film in Bangladesh.
Ahmed, alongside the mother of Tarishi Jain, an Indian national who was killed in the attack, has also fought a legal battle at Delhi High Court to stop the release of “Faraaz”. However, the Indian court refused to block the film which was released in theatres across India on February 3.
Read More: Holey Artisan Victim Faraaz's Heroism is Now on the Silver Screen
Mexican musician finds refuge in saxophone after acid attack
María Elena Ríos has conflicting feelings about her saxophone: She once blamed the instrument for bringing her to the brink of death — but it also has been her salvation.
Ríos, 29, thought her career as a musician and her devotion to her saxophone were what led her former boyfriend — an influential politician — to hire the men who splashed acid onto her face and body, disfiguring her. Later, she learned he simply couldn't accept that she had broken off their relationship.
Some of the attackers and the ex-boyfriend are in jail, but Ríos still had to come to terms with her instrument. Her love of the saxophone, in the end, is helping heal the psychological scars left by the terrifying attack.
“We are reconciling, little by little,” Ríos said of the musical instrument. “I hated it, because I thought it was responsible” for the 2019 attack in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca. She's performed live since then, but still wears a mask covering her lower face.
“It bothered my attacker a lot that I was a musician," Ríos recounts, "because he said we musicians were vagrants, poverty stricken, that we just took drugs and that when I went to concerts I probably participated in orgies.”
The ex-politician who allegedly ordered the attack is being held in jail while awaiting trial, as are two other men, but another remains at large.
Meanwhile, Ríos has joined a movement calling for greater punishments for acid attacks and says the saxophone is her “sword” in that battle on behalf of victims.
Mexico City legislators have proposed a bill bearing her nickname, “Malena,” which would classify acid attacks as a distinct, serious crime equivalent to attempted femicide. Currently they are treated as simple assault or bodily injury.
Acid attacks are most common in South Asia, but also have been documented in many other parts of the world, including Latin America.
The Carmen Sánchez Foundation, started in 2021 to highlight the issue in Mexico, says government health data from 2022 suggests more than 100 women were attacked by chemicals or some kind of corrosive agent, though only 28 were reported to authorities.
Ríos remembers having to choose, at age 9, between playing soccer and joining one of the musical bands that are a popular community activity in the rural villages in Oaxaca.
“I am not her anymore. I am not the beautiful young woman who played the saxophone anymore,” said Ríos. “Today I can say I have been forced to become a defender of my own rights, and a defender of the rights of other fellow women survivors.”
She was hospitalized for five months after the attack, and still recalls the sadness in her parents’ eyes when she awoke in hospital.
She now attends musical classes in Mexico City, where she has taken refuge since the attack. The federal government has provided her with bodyguards because her attacker was wealthy and influential.
Ríos said she and her family were harassed before the attack, when she tried to break off the relationship. She says the harassment continues, and that she lives in constant fear for her life.
The man accused of ordering the attack, Juan Manuel Vera Carrizal, was a local legislator and businessman. He has declared himself innocent and his lawyers deny he had any involvement.
Even though he was jailed and expelled from his political party in 2020, Ríos says he still has influence.
In January he was almost released to house arrest after a judge tried to reclassify the crime, applying rules for a lesser offense. But because her case has gained has gained national attention, the attempt failed.
Music is now a refuge for Ríos. “When I begin to assemble my saxophone, I feel like I am putting myself together,” she says.
Last year she was invited to play on stage for the first time after the attack. It was at the annual Vive Latino music festival in Mexico City with the rock group Maldita Vecindad.
She says it made her feel “eternal."
Richard Belzer, stand-up comic and TV detective, dies at 78
Richard Belzer, the longtime stand-up comedian who became one of TV’s most indelible detectives as John Munch in “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Law & Order: SVU,” has died. He was 78.
Belzer died Sunday at his home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, in southern France, his longtime friend Bill Scheft said. Scheft, a writer who had been working on a documentary about Belzer, said there was no known cause of death, but that Belzer had been dealing with circulatory and respiratory issues. The actor Henry Winkler, Belzer’s cousin, tweeted, “Rest in peace Richard.”
For more than two decades and across 10 series — even including appearances on “30 Rock” and “Arrested Development” — Belzer played the wise-cracking, acerbic homicide detective prone to conspiracy theories. Belzer first played Munch on a 1993 episode of “Homicide” and last played him in 2016 on “Law & Order: SVU.”
Belzer never auditioned for the role. After hearing him on “The Howard Stern Show,” executive producer Barry Levinson brought the comedian in to read for the part.
“I would never be a detective. But if I were, that’s how I’d be,” Belzer once said. “They write to all my paranoia and anti-establishment dissidence and conspiracy theories. So it’s been a lot of fun for me. A dream, really.”
From that unlikely beginning, Belzer’s Munch would become one of television’s longest-running characters and a sunglasses-wearing presence on the small screen for more than two decades. In 2008, Belzer published the novel “I Am Not a Cop!” with Michael Ian Black. He also helped write several books on conspiracy theories, about things like President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.
“He made me laugh a billion times,” his longtime friend and fellow stand-up Richard Lewis said Sunday on Twitter.
Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Belzer was drawn to comedy, he said, during an abusive childhood in which his mother would beat him and his older brother, Len. He would do impressions of his childhood idol, Jerry Lewis. “My kitchen was the toughest room I ever worked,” Belzer told People magazine in 1993.
After being expelled from Dean Junior College in Massachusetts, Belzer embarked on a life of stand-up in New York in 1972. At Catch a Rising Star, Belzer became a regular performer and an emcee. He made his big-screen debut in Ken Shapiro’s 1974 film “The Groove Tube,” a TV satire co-starring Chevy Chase, a film that grew out of the comedy group Channel One that Belzer was a part of.
Before “Saturday Night Live” changed the comedy scene in New York, Belzer performed with John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray and others on the National Lampoon Radio Hour. In 1975, he became the warm-up comic for the newly launched “SNL.” While many cast members quickly became famous, Belzer’s roles were mostly smaller cameos. He later said “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels reneged on a promise to work him into the show.
But Belzer became one of the era’s top stand-ups. He was known especially for his biting, cynical attitude and his witty, sometime combative banter with the audience. As one of the most influential comedians of the ’70s, Belzer was a master of crowd work.
“My style evolved from dealing with drunken people at twelve, one, two in the morning and trying to be like an alchemist and get the lead of their lives and turn it into golden jokes,” Belzer told Terry Gross on “Fresh Air.”
Belzer would later write an irreverent self-help book titled “How to Be a Stand-Up Comic” with advice on things like how to to apologize to Frank Sinatra when you made fun of him onstage or how to deal with hecklers. One of his favorite lines was: “I have a microphone. You have a beer. God has a plan and you’re not in on it.”
Belzer often played a stand-up comic in film, including in 1980s’ “Fame” and 1983′s “Scarface.” He had small roles here and there, including in “Night Shift” in 1982, and “Fletch Lives” in 1989. But Munch would change Belzer’s career.
As ”Homicide” co-creator Tom Fontana said, “Munch was the spice in these dishes,” Belzer told the AV Club. “Munch was based on a real guy in Baltimore who was a star detective, in a way. He would come onto grisly murder scenes, start doing one-liners, because someone had to break the tension. So Munch served a very important function. Not only was he a dissident who said what was on his mind, he kind of had the gallows humor that’s needed in a homicide squad.”
When “Homicide” wrapped in early 1999, Munch called Dick Wolf to see if the character could join another NBC series, “Law & Order,” where Munch had popped up in a few previous episodes. Wolf already had his leads for “Law & Order,” but he wanted Belzer to star in a spinoff. That fall, “Law & Order: SVU” premiered, with Belzer starring alongside Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni in a storyline written as though Munch had transferred from Baltimore to New York.
“Richard Belzer’s Detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic characters,” Wolf said in a statement.
“I first worked with Richard on the ‘Law & Order’/‘Homicide’ crossover and loved the character so much,” Wolf said. “I wanted to make him one of the original characters on ‘SVU.’ The rest is history. Richard brought humor and joy into all our lives, was the consummate professional and we will all miss him very much.”
Belzer is survived by his third wife, the actress Harlee McBride, whom he married in 1985. For the past 20 years, they lived mostly in France, in homes he purchased partially from the proceeds of a lawsuit with Hulk Hogan. In 1985, Belzer had Hogan as a guest on his cable TV talk show “Hot Properties” to perform a chin-lock on him. Belzer passed out, hit his head and sued Hogan for $5 million. They settled out of court. ___
14 cultural platforms receive patronage from Youth Global Foundation
Youth Global Foundation, one of the largest organizations working for the youths of the country, is providing patronage to 14 arts and culture platforms.
Dr. Seema Hamid, chairperson of Youth Global Foundation, made the announcement on February 16 while speaking at an event, titled “Ashun Alaap Koriye Dei”, in Dhaka.
The 14 arts and culture platforms receiving patronage from Youth Global Foundation have developed under Gurukul Online Learning Network. The platforms are: Sitar Gurukul, Violin Gurukul, Bansuri Gurukul, Amar Rabindranath, Amar Nazrul, Acting Gurukul, Film Gurukul, Fine Arts Gurukul, Recitation Gurukul, Dance Gurukul, Tabla Gurukul, Classical Gurukul, Folk Gurukul, and Music Gurukul.
These platforms are working in 14 specialized disciplines of arts and culture.
According to the organizers, Youth Global Foundation will provide scholarship to one student or researcher from each of these platforms. In addition, every year the foundation will facilitate the 14 platforms in honouring individuals and organizations making special contributions to relevant cultural fields.
“Youth Global Foundation will act as an accelerator for these platforms. They have been working on the educational aspect of the fields. Now, they will work to strengthen and expand the base of these fields under the auspices of our foundation,” Dr. Seema Hamid said.
Director seeks PM’s intervention in ‘recovering footage of govt-funded film Mike’
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's intervention has been sought to recover footage of the government-funded full-length children's film 'Mike' based on Bangabandhu's historic March 7 speech.
This request was made at a press conference organized at Sagar-Runi Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity on Wednesday.
In a written statement read out at the press conference, director and producer of the film FM Shaheen said, “Anytime between 10 pm on February 8 and 10 am on February 9, at the office of bbarta24net.com and Jagran TV on the 11th floor of Padma Islami Life Insurance Bhaban, miscreants stole the portable hard disk containing the latest edited footage of the film 'Mike' that was kept in my desk drawer. The estimated value of the footage is Tk 1 crore 25 lakh.”
Shaheen also said, apart from this, Tk 5.35 lakh cash was taken from the drawer of bbarta24net.com editor.
The media outlets have been operating since May 3, 2021, by renting a part of the 11th floor of this building as an office.
They also claimed that police did not cooperate with them to find the culprits from the beginning.
Read more: 'Golpo Bolar Swadhinata Chai': Artists place five-point demands
‘Murir Tin’: Coke Studio Bangla launches season 2 with nod to local dialects
The much-acclaimed Coke Studio Bangla returned to enthral music lovers with its second season on Tuesday with its maiden track ‘Murir Tin’, featuring a unique amalgamation of three local dialects in the month of International Mother Language Day.
Released with festivities all over the country with multiple launching events marking the celebration of both Pahela Falgun 1429 and Valentine’s Day, the song is made in Sylheti, Chattogram and Khulna's dialects with vocals and rap by Riad Hasan, Pollob Vai, and Towfique Ahmed.
The song was launched at around 6 pm with launching ceremonies at six locations across four divisions - Rabindra Sarobar and American International University Bangladesh (AIUB) campus in Dhaka; Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) in Khulna, CRB and Chittagong University in Chattogram, and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus in Sylhet.
At the launching event in Rabindra Sarobar, singer and Coke Studio Bangla Curator-Producer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob and singer-actor-music director Pritom Hasan joined an influx of festive crowd.
The song was streamed live simultaneously at all the launching venues and Coke Studio Bangla’s Facebook page and YouTube channel at the same time.
“#MurirTin is a melting pot where the cultures and the people of Bangladesh come and go. Amid a crowd of common people, there lies #RealMagic,” Coke Studio Bangla describes the rhythmic and funky-upbeat track in the YouTube video of the track.
It added, “The clunky local bus used to roam the streets of Bangladesh back in the ’80s. Even though the lyrics are sung by people from different regions in their native language, they all unanimously call it “Murir Tin” because of the rattling sound it used to make.”
“This is a unifying factor for the people of Bangladesh – where even in different languages, they all share the same experiences - the journeys we take, the people we meet, and the situations we encounter. It is about the people and cultures in transit, it is the mix of all the colours that fill up our beautiful country.”
‘Murir Tin’ is written and composed by Riad Hasan, while the song’s Sylheti Rap part is written and performed by Pollob Vai and the Khulna Rap is written and performed by Towfique Ahmed.
Season one’s much-acclaimed song ‘Bulbuli’-famed composer Shuvendu Das Shuvo composed this song alongside arranging the music, while Adit Rahman assisted with additional music arrangement.
Chief Sound Engineer for the song is Faizan R Ahmad (Buno) who also mastered the song, mixed by Ifte Khairul Alam Shuvo. Jannatul Firdous Akbar, Shanila Islam and Rubayat Rehman collaborated as the backing vocals for the track.
The video production of the song was presented in a new format, inspired by the other international and regional versions of Coke Studio. The music video is made by Dope Productions Private Limited, and the video was directed by Krishnendu Chattopaddhyay.
Coke Studio Bangla is produced by Grey Advertising Bangladesh Limited, with Syed Gousul Alam Shaon being the Creative Producer. Grameenphone is the official telco partner of this season, while international streaming platform Spotify is the season’s official audio streaming partner.