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Sabila Nur's debut web series on Chorki
Chorki, a Bangladeshi subscription-based over-the-top media service, is back with another web series titled ‘Mercules’.
This drama-thriller revolves around the true story of a girl.
Directed by Abu Shahed Iman, this series stars Zakia Bari Momo, Sabila Noor, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Rawnak Hasan, Giyas Uddin Selim, Iresh Zaker, and many more.
Related: Shuvoo and Bindu Starrer “Unish 20” to Hit Chorki on 13th February
Sabila Nur talked about her first-time experience acting in a web series, “My character's name in this series is Jayita. Stories of this drama are revealed through her journey. The main plot of this series is about how a girl gains control of her life after a new incident occurs.”
“We don't get to work with such a large team on a TV show. This work experience will stay with me for the rest of my life. Working with the co-stars of this series has been a fantastic experience. Shahid Bhai is a fantastic director,” she added.
It’s almost Oscars time. Here’s everything you need to know
Hollywood is gearing up for the 95th Academy Awards, where “Everything Everywhere All at Once” comes in the lead nominee and the film industry will hope to move past “the slap” of last year’s ceremony. Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 Oscars, including when they are, where to watch the live show and this year’s controversies.
WHEN ARE THE OSCARS?
The Oscars will be held Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony is set to begin at 8 p.m. EST and be broadcast live on ABC.
CAN YOU STREAM THE OSCARS?
The broadcast can be streamed with a subscription to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and Fubo TV. Some of these services offer brief free trials. You can also stream the show on ABC.com and on the ABC app by authenticating your provider.
WHO’S HOSTING?
Jimmy Kimmel will host for the third time and his first time since 2018. That was also the last Oscars to feature a solo host. The show went hostless for several years after Kimmel’s last outing. Last year, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes hosted as a trio. In an ad for this year’s show styled after “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kimmel made his humble case for being the right person for the job while noting that he can’t get slapped because “I cry a lot.”
WHAT’S NOMINATED FOR BEST PICTURE AT THE 2023 OSCARS?
The 10 movies competing for best picture are: “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Elvis,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Fabelmans,” “Tár,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Women Talking.” Here’s a guide to how you can watch them.
WHAT’S NOMINATED FOR BEST PICTURE AT THE 2023 OSCARS?
The 10 movies competing for best picture are: “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Elvis,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Fabelmans,” “Tár,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Women Talking.” Here’s a guide to how you can watch them.
Read more: Oscar 2022 Best Picture Winner Prediction
WHO’S PRESENTING?
Presenters include: Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh and Sigourney Weaver. They join a previously announced group including: Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña and Donnie Yen. A third wave was announced Thursday: Halle Berry, Paul Dano, Cara Delevingne, Harrison Ford, Kate Hudson, Mindy Kaling, Eva Longoria, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andie MacDowell, Elizabeth Olsen, Pedro Pascal and John Travolta.
WHAT ELSE IS IN STORE FOR THE SHOW?
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has said that winners to all categories will be announced live on the show. (Last year, some categories were taped in a pre-show, something that caused an uproar among academy members.) All signs point to a full slate of musical performances, with Rihanna performing “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava singing Chandrabose and M.M. Keeravaani’s “Naatu Naatu” from “RRR.” Nominee Lady Gaga, on the other hand, will not sing “Hold My Hand,” from “Top Gun: Maverick,” during the show. On Monday, show producers announced that Lenny Kravitz will deliver the “In Memoriam” performance.
WHO ARE THE FAVORITES?
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s indie sci-fi hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once” comes in with a leading 11 nominations. Close on its heels, though, is the Irish friends-falling-out dark comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin,” with nine nods, a total matched by Netflix’s WWI film “All Quiet on the Western Front.” Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) may have a slight edge on Cate Blanchett (“Tár”) for best actress. Best actor is harder to call, with Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) and Austin Butler (“Elvis”) in the mix. In the supporting categories, Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”) and Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) are the frontrunners, though Jamie Lee Curtis’ Screen Actors Guild Awards win may have thrown a wrench into the supporting actress category. Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) may win his third best director Oscar, though the Daniels may have emerged as the frontrunners. AP Film Writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle are predicting a big haul for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
WHAT’S BEEN CONTROVERSIAL THIS YEAR?
Aside from the usual snubs and surprises, this year’s biggest to-do has been the debate surrounding Andrea Riseborough’s unexpected nomination for best actress. Riseborough was nominated for the little-seen, Texas-set drama “To Leslie” after many A-list stars rallied around her performance. When two other best-actress contenders — Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) and Viola Davis (“Woman King”) — were snubbed, some saw that as a reflection of racial bias in the film industry. The academy launched an inquiry into the star-studded, grassroots campaign for Riseborough but found no reason to rescind her nomination.
WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR?
Just the reading of the title to one of this year’s short film nominees should prompt a wave of giggles. John Williams (“The Fabelmans”), up for best score, is the oldest nominee ever, at 90 years old. After historic back-to-back best-director wins by Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) and Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”), no women were nominated this year for best director. Also don’t expect to see Will Smith at the Oscars anytime soon. After striking Chris Rock at last year’s ceremony, Smith was banned by the film academy from attending for 10 years. In a live Netflix special on Saturday, Rock finally punched back at Smith with a blistering stand-up set about the incident.
Joy Bangla Concert 2023 starts with observing minute’s silence in memory of Gulistan blast victims
A minute's silence was observed at the Joy Bangla Concert 2023 in Dhaka’s Army Stadium today to pay homage to the victims of yesterday’s blast in a Gulistan building.
Young Bangla, a youth platform of the Center for Research and Information (CRI), is organizing the Joy Bangla Concert for the seventh time.
At least 17 people were killed after an explosion ripped through a commercial building in the capital's Gulistan area yesterday. More than 100 people were injured in the blast.
The concert began with condolences for the people killed and injured in the blast.
Read more: Joy Bangla Concert 2023: Young music lovers counting hours
The Centre for Research & Information (CRI) and its youth secretariat, Young Bangla, have been organizing the concert since 2015 to commemorate the historic March 7 speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The concert was not held in the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the concert is generally held on March 7, this year's event was moved to March 8 due to the holy Shab-e-Barat.
After two years of hiatus, the concert returned, aiming to instill the spirit of the Liberation War in young minds.
According to the organizers, Artcell, Avoid Rafa, Lalon, Chirkutt, Cryptic Fate, Karnival, Meghdol, Nemesis, and Arekta Rock Band are performing today at the Joy Bangla Concert 2023.
Netflix making live-action 'One Piece' from popular manga
Hit Japanese manga “One Piece” is coming to Netflix as a live-action series — a development that's both exciting and worrisome for fans who have seen mixed success in a growing list of Hollywood adaptations.
Chronicling the coming-of-age adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate with a heart of gold, the world's bestselling manga series has already been adapted into an anime TV series with over 900 episodes. There are also 13 animated movies, “One Piece” video games and merchandise galore.
Ready to give her verdict is Nina Oiki, a gender and politics researcher at Tokyo’s Waseda University who has been a “One Piece” fan since she was in elementary school. She read the manga created by Eiichiro Oda when it first came out in Shonen Jump magazine in 1997, and watched the animated show that followed shortly after.
“I know some people are worried about what might happen with the Hollywood remake,” she said, noting how past American attempts at depicting Japanese comics and animated works have at times proved disappointing.
Also Read: Top 10 Netflix Originals Shows, Movies Coming in March 2023
The 2017 Netflix movie adaptation of “Death Note,” a manga and anime about a book that can kill people, was widely critiqued as a flop. In December 2021, Netflix canceled “Cowboy Bebop,” its live-action adaptation of the space Western manga and anime of the same name, after just one season.
The cross-pollination of Hollywood and Japan goes back for decades. References to Japan, such as the image of a geisha on a screen, are plentiful in the 1982 sci-fi movie “Blade Runner,” directed by Ridley Scott.
The film, in turn, influenced anime, including the “Blade Runner: Black Lotus” anime that first aired in 2021.
Japanese pop culture expert Roland Kelts says it’s a “stunning moment for anime,” in part due to streaming on platforms like Netflix, which has helped make entertainment borderless.
Live-action “One Piece,” expected later this year, comes on the heels of the global success of “Demon Slayer,” another manga that got its start in Shonen Jump and was adapted into a movie and an anime series that was picked up by Netflix.
In February, The Pokémon Company announced “Pokémon Concierge,” a stop-motion anime collaboration with Netflix. Pokémon is the world’s most valuable media franchise with estimated all-time sales of $100 billion, according to a 2021 Statista report. Followed by Hello Kitty, the two Japanese products outrank Western offerings like Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and Star Wars. Hollywood live-action adaptations of other popular Japanese products — from Makoto Shinkai's 2016 body-swap anime “Your Name” to the “Gundam” franchise of giant robots that started in 1979 — are also in progress.
Anime has a low production cost compared to live-action films, and computer-generated heroes don’t get sick or injured or make offensive remarks offscreen like real-life actors sometimes do, making it a marketable medium, said Kelts, author of “Japanamerica,” which documents Japanese pop culture's influence in the United States.
“They are stylized and stateless characters. What I mean by that is that anime characters travel globally very, very well,” Kelts said. “The human celebrities don’t always travel so well."
Established bestsellers offer the advantage of a built-in fanbase, but they also come with strict scrutiny. Some, like “Ghost in the Shell,” have been criticized for “whitewashing” the Asian original. The 1995 animated movie was made into a Hollywood live-action in 2017 amid complaints about casting white American actor Scarlett Johansson as the main character — though Asia largely stayed out of the debate.
Live-action “One Piece” will star Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy ("The Imperfects") as Luffy — whose nationality is canonically a mystery — alongside American actor Emily Rudd (“The Romanoffs”) as Nami and Japanese-American actor Mackenyu (“Fullmetal Alchemist: Revenge of Scar,” “Fullmetal Alchemist: Final Transmutation”) as Roronoa Zoro.
The main character’s inclusive persona, drawing more and more companions to join his quest throughout the story, highlights the kind of school, office or workplace environment people crave in modern-day society, fan Oiki said.
“Luffy is that leader we all want,” she said. “Luffy is a hero but not an extraordinary hero. He is one of us. He wants to be king of the pirates, but not so he can rule, but so everyone can be free."
Miles, Warfaze set the stage alight at DPS STS Rock Fest 3.0
After a hiatus of two years, the DPS STS Rock Fest 3.0 was held in the capital's Uttara Sector 15 Saturday.
The fest showcased performances by various bands formed by school students while three famous bands closed the show. Karnival, Warfaze, and Miles performed at this year's concert.
The fest began with performances by new and upcoming bands. Among them, some were formed by school students from institutions such as Scholastica Mirpur, Rajuk School and Sir John Wilson School.
Before Oscars, ‘Everything Everywhere’ sweeps Spirit Awards
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” continued its awards sweep at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on its path to the Oscars next weekend. The multiverse-hopping adventure collected awards for best picture, directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, actors Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, screenplay and editing.“Thank you to everyone who makes crazy, weird independent movies,” Scheinert said.
Awards were handed out Saturday afternoon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, Calif., and the show was streamed live on YouTube and Twitter.
First-time Spirit Awards host Hasan Minhaj opened the show saying, “Of all the awards shows, this is by far, one of them.”
Minhaj went hard on everything, from the entertainment trade website Deadline (“At this point, Deadline is half gossip, half Ezra Miller crime tracker,” he said) to the show’s lack of a broadcast partner.
“The Independent Film Channel did not want the Independent Film Awards,” he said, noting that the channel chose to show the poorly reviewed Will Ferrell movie “Semi-Pro” instead.“Awards shows are dead,” he added. “My 2-year-old watches slime videos with more viewers than the Oscars.”
The first prize of the afternoon went to Quan for best supporting actor for “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” which his co-star Jamie Lee Curtis was also nominated for. This is the first year the Spirit Awards embraced gender neutral acting awards – both lead and supporting performance categories had 10 nominees. Quan, who is expected to win the supporting actor Oscar next week, chose to devote his speech to many of the crew who worked on the film, from the stunt coordinators to the production assistants.Hsu later collected the prize for best breakthrough performance for the film.
“This is my first ever individual award and it feels incredibly appropriate that it’s in this room. I feel so honored” she said. “I really want to thank the Daniels so much. Thank you so much for finding me and believing in my art and seeing me and championing me.”
Hsu said she hoped the award would act as a talisman to “protect that freak flag” and desire to tell stories.
“I kinda like the gender neutral thing, it’s kind of tight,” said “Abbott Elementary’s” Quinta Brunson who won for leading performance in a new scripted series.Brunson said she felt like the least independent person there, as her show is supported by Warner Bros. and Disney, but that the spirit of it felt right.
Laura Poitras’s “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” won best documentary. The film looks at the life of photographer and activist Nan Goldin.
“It would take me the entire day to fully express my gratitude to Nan for her collaboration and for her trust,” Poitras said. “She’s taught me so many things in making this film, most importantly the role of art and artists to change not only society but how we understand the world we live in.”
“Women Talking” was previously announced as winner of the Robert Altman Award, celebrating director Sarah Polley, casting directors John Buchan and Jason Knight, and the ensemble cast including Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand.“It’s so fitting the way that you’re being recognized for the beautiful, supportive, loving ensemble that you are,” Polley said.
She also called her film “Women Are Talking” in a nod to Mark Wahlberg’s slip-up at the Screen Actors Guild Award s last week.
“Sorry, Marky Mark just gets in my head,” she said.
Apple TV+’s “Pachinko” got the corresponding award on the television side.
Nathan Fielder had the crowd laughing accepting his award for non-scripted series for his HBO show “The Rehearsal” and detailing the contents of the lunch boxes at everyone’s seats.
“The bean salad was great,” he said. “There were a few grapes also. Delicious. They weren’t rotten. None were rotten.”
Looking down at his award, he said, “I guess they’ll add the name to it later?”
“Nanny” director Nikyatu Jusu won the Someone to Watch award.
“Thank god Charlotte Wells was not in this category because all year ‘Aftersun’ has been whooping my ass,” Jusu said.“Aftersun” did win best first feature later in the afternoon.
“Here’s to the second feature,” Wells said.
Other winners included “Joyland” (best international film), “The Bear” (new scripted series and supporting actor Ayo Edebiri), “The Cathedral” (The John Cassavetes Award), John Patton Ford (first screenplay for “Emily the Criminal”) and “Tár” cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister.
Winners are voted on by members of the non-profit organization Film Independent. The budget cap for eligible films was recently raised from $22.5 million to $30 million.
Kwan closed the show with some words of inspiration to dream big.
“We are in the middle of an identity crisis, the industry at large is confused as to what’s happening next and it’s really scary especially for the independent world, but I want to offer up a reframe: This is an opportunity,” Kwan said.
“When things are shaking and it gets turbulent and cracks form in the foundation, that’s the best time to plant seeds. It is our job not just to adapt to the future but also to actively dream up what kind of future we want to rewrite and what kind of future we want to be working and living in,” Kwan continued. I urge us all to dream really big. What we do here is going to flow upstream to the rest of the industry.”
Taylor Jenkins Reid writes her own Hollywood success story
“I'm jealous you get to meet her,” an employee working behind the scenes at a recent press opportunity for “Daisy Jones & the Six” told some journalists.
The “her” in question was not Riley Keough, the star of the Amazon limited series, or any of the show's other female stars. It was Taylor Jenkins Reid, the bestselling author behind a celebrity-infused, decades-spanning literary universe suffused with glitz and grit: “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,” “Daisy Jones,” “Malibu Rising” and “Carrie Soto is Back.”
“Daisy Jones,” debuting Friday on Prime Video, is the first Reid adaptation to hit the screen and others are in the works.
Reid and her husband, Alex, adapted an early book, “One True Loves,” which stars Phillipa Soo and Simu Liu and opens April 7. She's also written a screenplay with her best friend, which Kay Cannon ("Pitch Perfect") is slated to direct.
Reid says she always knew she wanted to work in Hollywood and calls writing books “a happy accident.” She originally moved out to Los Angeles to work in casting but when she wrote her first novel, “Forever Interrupted," she knew that was what she was meant to do.
“I found this piece of myself I never anticipated,” she says. Now, to have Hollywood come calling for her work, Reid says, is “really fun.”
Reid spoke with The Associated Press about the future of her book series, the intertwining threads and the status of that “Evelyn Hugo” adaptation. The transcript has been condensed for brevity.
AP: You've said that your most recent novel, “Carrie Soto is Back,” is the last in your series of books about celebrities. Is that true?
It’s not something that I come to easily. I ache to return to this world. I ache to return to each one of these books. I miss them when I’m done with them. And they never feel like they never feel over for me. It always feels like an opportunity to go back to them is so welcome.
But I have likened it a little bit to, you know, it’s senior year of high school and .. it’s important that we go expand and do other things and find new challenges. That is what I am planning to do. It is not because I’m ready to go as much as I just know it’s time.
AP: The character of Mick Riva, a playboy, smooth-talking crooner shows up in each of those books. Why?
First and foremost, I write about women and I’m interested in women, but women are very affected by the decisions of men and a lot of time women are left holding the bag. When men make the decisions that they do, that they sort of escape unscathed. There are a lot of men in our culture who keep making pretty big mistakes, and it doesn’t stick to them, but there are women behind those men dealing with the consequences of those men’s actions.
While I do write about women, I wanted to put forth a man who gets away with it. I know people hate him. And I know when they see his name in books, they get mad. But I want you to be mad because there are many, many, many Mick Rivas in the world. I think we would all do well to look out and see if we can spot any of them, because they’re getting away with a lot and they’re allowing the women around them to be the one to pick up the pieces, whether it’s whether it’s Nina Riva or it’s Evelyn Hugo or it’s Daisy Jones at a party or it’s Javier Soto finally being the person who calls them out.
Not every man is Mick Riva, but there are a lot of Mick Rivas in the world.
AP: Do you agree that there was a change in tone to your writing from “Evelyn Hugo” on? If so, was it intentional?
Absolutely. I’m not sure it was intentional as much as it was honestly not too similar to how I feel now with the end of “Carrie Soto.” It was just time. I want to tackle new and different things, and it’s really wonderful when you find this pocket of creativity where you feel like, “Oh, I can live in this space for a little while and I can tell a lot of stories here,” but I never want to stay at the party too long.
AP: “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” blew up, in large part due to readers on TikTok posting about it. What was that experience like for you?
You probably heard about it before me, because what happened to me was I’m sitting at my computer. I get an email from my agent with the New York Times list, and she’s like, "'Evelyn Hugo' just made The New York Times.” I yelled in my office and my husband comes rushing in ... and I’m like, “I must be misunderstanding this, right? Can you read this?”
The book had come out many, many years before and had not hit the list when it first came out. My husband read it and he’s like, “Nope, I think this is real. I think you’re understanding this.” It took us probably two weeks to figure out how it had happened. Everyone kept going, “What led to this bump?” And I’m like, “I don’t know.” Then my manager, Brad, he goes, “I think it was something called BookTok.” I was like, "What’s that?" And he started showing me that there were all these young women talking about “Evelyn Hugo” on TikTok. I felt very seen because I’m very, very proud of that book and to have it take off with readers, especially young women, just felt really good.
AP: Netflix is adapting “Evelyn Hugo” into a film. Did you ever wonder how they're going to fit a story of a woman who had seven husbands into a movie?
I did. Then I read the script and I’m not concerned, but I get it. I understand. It’s not dissimilar to the experience on “Daisy Jones.” You have to pick the right people and trust them. Liz Tigelaar, who wrote the script, is a phenomenal talent, and I said, “I don’t know how you’re going to do this. I think you need to condense the story.” And she said, “No, I don’t.” ... And then she turns in the script and I was like, “I was wrong. You were right. You got it.”
AP: Can you share where the casting process is at for “Evelyn Hugo”?
There is no news but I will say that who is going to play Evelyn Hugo and who might play Celia St. James are always on the forefront of my mind. There is no definitive answer (but) there’s just a short list of women that I am incredibly, incredibly excited about.
AP: During the height of the pandemic you also wrote a screenplay with your best friend Ashley — who was not a writer prior to this — sold it, and Kay Cannon will direct. Not everyone would take a chance like that.
I grew up with very little, and I have so much more than I ever dreamed. I never thought people would read my books at this rate. I never thought that Hollywood would come calling. I have been so blessed that if all I’m doing is taking that in and I’m not using that light to bounce it on others, I’m not sure why I’m doing this.
Registration now open for Joy Bangla Concert 2023
Registration for Joy Bangla Concert has kicked off, with an overwhelming rush among young music lovers to avail the opportunity to enjoy one of the biggest live music events in the country.
This year, Joy Bangla Concert will be held on March 8 at Dhaka’s Army Stadium, under the supervision of Centre for Research and Information (CRI). Young Bangla, one of the leading youth networks of Bangladesh, has been holding the rock concert since 2015 to instill the spirit of the Liberation War among youths.
Concert-goers are requested to log into ticket.youngbangla.org to avail their e-tickets. For registration, the participants will require their passport-sized photos and images of their ID cards. NIDs, ID cards of their educational institutions, passports, and driving licenses will be accepted.
Continuing the previous years' trend, the concert this year is set to feature iconic and emerging bands of the country such as Artcell, Avoid Rafa, Lalon, Chirkutt, Cryptic Fate, Karnival, Meghdol, Nemesis and Arekta Rock Band.
The youths who jumped, screamed, and danced to rock music and the wartime patriotic melodies are eagerly waiting for the concert that is returning after a gap of two years due to the pandemic.
“The last edition in 2020 is a memorable experience for me — that concert so vividly created a unique blend of history and music. The idea of rendering songs that were aired on the wartime radio station called Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra 50 years ago — inspiring the freedom fighters to free the country — is really awe-inspiring,” said Rajin, a university student.
Read more: Young music lovers rejoice as Joy Bangla Concert is back after a two-year gap
“What better way to pay tribute to the historic March 7 speech by the Father of the Nation!… Expecting a bigger and better return this time”, added another university student Sujon.
With a call to roar like the nation did on March 7, favorite bands presented several Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra songs before an audience of this generation at previous editions.
Starting in 2015, in successive years, the country’s biggest concert for youths added some special features such as presentation of the coloured version of the speech in 2016.
The speech, transformed from black and white into colour, appeared onscreen before an audience of 30,000 youths at the concert.
Registration for free ticket can be done at: ticket.youngbangla.org
Young music lovers rejoice as Joy Bangla Concert is back after a two-year gap
One of the most awaited youth events, Joy Bangla Concert, is back this year – following a two-year gap due to the coronavirus pandemic – and this year, music loving youngsters are in for a bigger and better return.
The announcement of the return of the musical extravaganza, on the Facebook page of Young Bangla, has already created a hype on social media with netizens sharing their memorable moments from previous instalments of the concert. Many also welcomed the organizers’ move to bring back this fusion of music and history.
Already deemed as the biggest concert for youths and attended by the Prime Minister in the last instalment in 2020, the event was held every year between 2015 and 2020 – to highlight the historic March 7 speech of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that set the tone for the country’s independence through the Liberation War.
However, considering the Holy Shab-e-Barat, this year the concert will be held on March 8 at its regular venue – Army Stadium – with registration for free tickets to be opened soon, according to organizers.
Read more:Top 10 Upcoming South Indian Movies in March 2023
Keeping up with the previous years’ unique trend, the concert this year is set to feature iconic and emerging bands of the country such as Artcell, Avoid Rafa, Lalon, Chirkutt, Cryptic Fate, Karnival, Meghdol, Nemesis and Arekta Rock Band.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana appeared at the concert in 2020 while Center for Research and Information (CRI) trustee Radwan Mujib Siddiq attended the entire concert.
The concert, making its debut in 2015, has become a part of the country’s pop culture and a household name in the live music industry – stitching the wartime patriotic melodies of Bangladesh with the rock genre.
In 2020, hundreds of thousands of youths at the concert were astounded when a holographic image of Bangabandhu appeared on stage with the same towering figure, baritone voice, and that famous index finger that shook the repressive Pakistan regime half a century ago.
'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.