Pasadena, Feb 10 (AP/UNB) — A.J. Calloway, a host on the syndicated entertainment news show "Extra," was suspended Saturday as his parent company investigates sexual misconduct allegations.

The company said it had investigated prior accusations against Calloway and found no suggestion of workplace misconduct. But he was suspended after Warner Brothers became aware of additional allegations that will be published in an upcoming article in The Hollywood Reporter.

Calloway's lawyer, Lisa E. Davis, said her client vehemently denies ever assaulting anyone and looks forward to clearing his name.

Calloway has been with "Extra" since 2005.

He was arrested following a 2006 incident where a woman, Sil Lai Abrams, accused Calloway of assault. The charges were dismissed.

Another publication, the Daily Beast, reported last month about two misconduct allegations made by women who wanted to remain anonymous.

Neither of the January allegations concerned misconduct that took place on the job. Warner Bros. said in a statement Saturday that "to date, we have found nothing to suggest that Mr. Calloway has ever engaged in workplace misconduct."

But with additional allegations made, "we are expanding our ongoing inquiries," the company said. "We take such allegations very seriously and are committed to doing everything we can to ensure a safe and inclusive workplace for all of our employees."

Davis said that Calloway maintains that the allegations are unsubstantiated and false. "He vehemently denies that he ever assaulted anyone and looks forward to clearing his name," she said.

Dhaka, Feb 8 (UNB) - A five-day Iranian film exhibition began in the city on Friday.

Iranian Cultural Centre, Dhaka and Bangladesh National Museum jointly organised the film screening at the Begum Sufia Kamal Auditorium of the museum. 

The show was organised on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the glorious victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran (National Day).     

The inaugural session was held at the main auditorium of the National Museum at 3:30pm.

Mohammad Reza Nafar, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Bangladesh, and Touqir Ahmed, eminent actor and film director, were present at the programme as special guests.

A discussion programme titled '40 years of Islamic Revolution in Iran: Achievement and Potentials' was held as part of film exhibition.

State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Md Murad Hasan was present as the chief guest at the discussion where executive editor of amadersomoy.com Rashidul Islam presented the keynote speech.

Acting cultural counsellor of Iran Cultural Centre Dr Seyed Mahdi Hosseini delivered the welcome speech with National Museum secretary Abdul Mazid in the chair.

The inaugural programme was followed by the screening of the first film, ‘M for Mother’, directed by Rasoul Mollagholipour.
 

Los Angeles, Feb 7 (AP/UNB) — The British Academy of Film and Television Arts says it is suspending its nomination of director Bryan Singer amid accusations that he sexually assaulted minors.

Singer had been among those nominated for his work on the Queen biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody," which he was fired from in late 2017. BAFTA says Wednesday that the organization considers the alleged behavior unacceptable and incompatible with its values and that Singer has been informed of the suspension.

The Atlantic magazine last month published an expose detailing the stories of four alleged victims who said they were seduced and molested by the Singer while underage. Singer has denied the allegations.

The film and others nominated for it will remain eligible for BAFTAs, which will be presented Sunday.

Pasadena, Feb 6 (AP/UNB) — Oscars disarray over the exit of Kevin Hart as the host of the show had an upside — people paid attention, ABC's entertainment president said Tuesday.

"Ironically, I have found that the lack of clarity ... has kept the Oscars really in the conversation, and the mystery has been really compelling," said Karey Burke, whose network is the ceremony's longtime home.

She called the interest proof that the Oscars are still relevant.

Burke's worries about the host-less Feb. 24 ceremony have vanished as it comes together with a "phenomenal" line-up of presenters, she told a TV critics meeting.

Tina Fey, Whoopi Goldberg, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Evans and Constance Wu are among them.

The ceremony also has box-office hits — best-picture contenders "Black Panther," ''Bohemian Rhapsody" and "A Star Is Born" — with fans that could boost TV viewership.

The 2018 show drew a record-low 26.5 million people, a 20 percent drop from the 2017 show and the first time Oscar viewership dipped below 30 million, according to Nielsen records that go back to 1974. The best-picture winner, "The Shape of Water," only grossed $57.4 million in the U.S.

Burke also lauded the movie academy's pledge to keep the ceremony to three hours, avoiding the overtime that can drain off viewers.

The host-less Oscars was a decision that everyone involved got on board with fairly quickly after Hart withdrew in December, said Burke, who's been in the top ABC entertainment job just two months.

Hart dropped out amid criticism over years-old homophobic tweets, for which he eventually apologized.

Atlanta, Feb 2 (AP/UNB) — Cardi B said she received an offer to perform at the Super Bowl, but struggled with the decision to turn down the lucrative opportunity in support of ex-NFL player Colin Kaepernick.

The Grammy-nominated rapper told The Associated Press on Friday evening that she had "mixed feelings" after she declined to take the stage at Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta. She said it was a hard decision since her husband, rapper Offset, loves to watch football, but she felt obligated to "stand behind" Kaepernick because he "stood up" for minorities.

"My husband, he loves football. His kids play football. It's really hard for him. ... He really wants to go to the Super Bowl, but he can't go to the Super Bowl, because he's got to stand for something," said Cardi B, who is nominated for five Grammys. She is competing for both album and record of the year.

"You have to sacrifice that," she added. "I got to sacrifice a lot of money to perform. But there's a man who sacrificed his job for us, so we got to stand behind him."

Kaepernick helped start a wave of protests by kneeling during the national anthem to raise awareness to police brutality, racial inequality and other social issues. His efforts ignited a political firestorm over whether social justice needs to be addressed at the NFL's marquee event.

Maroon 5 will be joined by Big Boi of Outkast and rapper Travis Scott at halftime of the game between the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots on Sunday. Gladys Knight will sing the national anthem.

Some, including Rihanna and Pink, have reportedly turned down offers to perform during this year's halftime. In a recent song, Jay-Z alluded to declining to perform at the Super Bowl, and Amy Schumer refused to appear in a TV ad during the game.

Last year, Cardi B said she wouldn't take the Super Bowl stage until Kaepernick gets a job. With Kaepernick still without a team, she is standing by her words, but will perform at a downtown concert Saturday. She is hosting a party this week and will also appear in a Super Bowl commercial.

Cardi B heard the criticism toward her and other music artists for taking part in Super Bowl-related events. But she believes she can perform at those events outside the championship game without directly supporting the NFL.

"I hear people saying like 'Oh, y'all are saying all this stuff about the Super Bowl, but you're doing all these parties,'" she said. "And it's like, well, if the NFL could benefit off from us, then I'm going to benefit off y'all. Y'all make the most money off our people. Why am I not going to take advantage of y'all and take money from y'all too? Because of y'all, we are getting these parties. OK, thank you."

Cardi B hopes the protests supporting Kaepernick can create positive change in the world, but she's not sure if that will happen anytime soon.

"We got an arrogant president, and the racism right now has been reborn," she said. "They feel mighty brave nowadays. When Obama was around, I just feel like they were praying on the day when his eight years was over. A lot of jealousy."

Cardi B added: "When they see (how) the choices they made due to racism has affected the country, that's when things are going to start changing. Right now, they don't want to accept that their decision has affected the country."