United News of Bangladesh

Gird your loins! Disney is officially working on a sequel to the iconic 2006 film “The Devil Wears Prada,” according to multiple media reports. Fans will be thrilled to hear that Meryl Streep is set to return as the formidable Runway editor, Miranda Priestly. Joining her will be Emily Blunt, reprising her role as Miranda’s sharp-tongued assistant, Emily Charlton, as confirmed by E! News. Read more: Sy Huq becomes first Bangladeshi-American creative executive in Japan’s anime industry While Anne Hathaway has not been confirmed to reprise her role as Andy Sachs, there is plenty of star power returning. Original producer Wendy Finerman and screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna are both on board for this exciting sequel, per Variety. The plot details are already stirring excitement. The sequel will delve into the challenges Miranda faces as the magazine publishing industry declines. In a twist, the only person who can save her is her former assistant, Emily, who has now risen to become a high-powered executive at a luxury fashion group, according to Puck. Anne Hathaway has previously shared her thoughts on a potential sequel. “I don’t think a continuation of that story is probably ever gonna happen,” she told E! News in March. However, she expressed gratitude for the film’s enduring popularity, adding, “The reason that movie felt so special was that we were a team and we did that work, but really it’s the love that everybody pours into it.” Read more: August 2024 Netflix English Originals Lineup: Top 10 Most-hyped Releases

Netflix continues to redefine entertainment with its diverse and innovative content, offering something for everyone. From pulse-pounding thrillers to gut-busting comedies and soul-stirring dramas, every film and series offers a unique journey. August's lineup promises to whisk viewers away on unforgettable adventures with storytelling magic that knows no bounds. Let’s dive into an exclusive sneak peek of the 10 English-language Netflix originals debuting this August. August’s Top 10 English Originals to Stream on Netflix Unstable (Season 2) / Comedy Series / August 01, 2024 Crafted by the dynamic trio of Victor Fresco, Rob Lowe, and his son John Owen Lowe, this workplace comedy series boasts Andrew Gurland as its showrunner and Claire Scanlon as the director. ‘Unstable’ follows the quirky entrepreneur Ellis as he reconnects with his estranged son Jackson, who returns home to help his father navigate an emotional crisis. In the second season, Ellis devises a series of challenges and mind games to test if Jackson has the potential to inherit the Dragon Empire. However, a new arrival might have different plans. Read more: Sy Huq becomes first Bangladeshi-American creative executive in Japan’s anime industry Alongside the Lowes, returning cast members include Rachel Marsh, Sian Clifford, Aaron Branch, and Emma Ferreira, with new recurring guest stars Iris Apatow and Lamorne Morris. Rebel Moon: Chapter One and Two / Space Opera / August 02, 2024 This double-packed science fiction represents the renowned filmmaker Zack Snyder's director's cuts of his inaugural Rebel Moon franchise films. The first installment is now titled ‘Rebel Moon - Chapter One: Chalice of Blood’, and the sequel is defined as ‘Rebel Moon - Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness’. In Snyder’s cuts, a tranquil settlement on a distant moon faces the imminent threat of Regent Balisarius's tyrannical forces. Kora, a mysterious stranger, is tasked with assembling a team of skilled warriors to mount an improbable defense against the Motherworld. Her motley crew - comprising outsiders, insurgents, peasants, and war orphans - all seek redemption and revenge. The cast features Sofia Boutella, Ed Skrein, Djimon Hounsou, Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Ray Fisher, Doona Bae, and Anthony Hopkins as the voice of 'Jimmy'. Read more: Hollywood's Top 10 Most Thrilling Snake Films Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli / Documentary / August 2, 2024 This docu-film delves into the world of S.S. Rajamouli, the creator of ‘Baahubali’ (2015-2017), one of India’s most ambitious cinematic ventures, and the trailblazer who clinched an Oscar with RRR (2022). Directed by Raghav Khanna and Tanvi Ajinkya, ‘Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli’ takes viewers on an immersive journey featuring interviews with Rajamouli, compelling narratives, and behind-the-scenes footage. Narrated by Anupama Chopra, the documentary also delves into perspectives from influential figures like Karan Johar, Joe Russo, and James Cameron. Delving into Rajamouli's world, the film illuminates perspectives from his close friends like Jr NTR, Prabhas, Ram Charan, and Rana Daggubati. Read more: Top 12 South Indian Films Releasing in July 2024 The Umbrella Academy (Season 4) / Superhero Action / August 08, 2024 Season 4 marks the definitive conclusion of this series, created by Steve Blackman and adapted from Gerard Way's eponymous comic series. The plot revolves around a band of estranged siblings, each wielding extraordinary powers, brought together by the death of their father. The previous season unveiled a new timeline orchestrated by patriarch Reginald, where the siblings were stripped of their powers and faced new adversaries intent on erasing them from existence. The upcoming season promises answers to whether the siblings reclaim their powers to confront these foes. The action series boasts an ensemble cast that includes Elliot Page, David Castaneda, Tom Hopper, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Aidan Gallagher, Robert Sheehan, Colm Feore, Justin H. Min, and Ritu Arya. Read more: Top 10 Bollywood Movies to Watch in July 2024: Thrillers, Dramas, and Comedies Unveiled Daughters / Documentary / August 14, 2024 This touching docu-drama shadows four young girls as they prepare for a special Daddy-Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers. This initiative forms a distinctive facet of a fatherhood program operating within a Washington D.C. jail. Spearheaded by Angela Patton, a champion for the empowerment of Black girls, the program reflects her dedication to addressing the community's specific needs. Following the viral success of Angela Patton's 2012 TEDWomen talk on Date with Dad, filmmaker Natalie Rae approached her to document the program. Under the joint direction of Natalie Rae and Angela Patton, the filming took eight years to complete.

In March, Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani threw a three-day prenuptial bash for his son that included a 1,200-person guest list, including former world leaders, tech tycoons and Bollywood's megastars, and a performance by renowned singer Rihanna. It was only the start of their months-long lavish pre-wedding celebrations which have grabbed headlines and set off a social media frenzy. In May, the family took guests on a 3-day pre-wedding cruise from Italy to France, which included a DJ set from David Guetta, Katy Perry belting out her hit song “Firework” and a performance by Pitbull to cap it off, according to media reports. Finally, the wedding is set for next week, with Anant Ambani, 29, marrying his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant, in what many have dubbed the wedding of the year. Here’s what we know: Who are the Ambanis? The father of the groom is Mukesh Ambani, 66, currently the world’s 9th richest man with a net worth of $116 billion, according to Forbes. He is also the richest person in Asia. His Reliance Industries is a massive conglomerate, reporting over $100 billion in annual revenue, with interests ranging from petrochemicals, and oil and gas to telecoms and retail. The Ambani family owns, among other assets, a 27-story private apartment building, named Antila, worth $1 billion in Mumbai. It has three helipads, a 160-car garage, a private movie theater, a swimming pool, and a fitness center. Ambani’s critics say his company has flourished mainly because of political connections during the Congress governments in the 1970s and 80s and subsequently under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule after 2014. They say “crony capitalism” in India has helped certain corporations, such as Ambani’s, thrive. Hollywood's Top 10 Most Thrilling Snake Films The family patriarch has started passing the torch to his two sons and daughter. The oldest son, Akash Ambani, is now chairperson of Reliance Jio, their telecoms business; his daughter, Isha, oversees retail, while the groom Anant, the youngest, has been inducted into the new energy business. Who are the bride and groom? Anant has a bachelor’s degree from Brown University, according to Reliance Industries’ website, and oversees the conglomerate’s renewable and green energy expansion. He also runs a 3,000-acre (nearly 1,200-hectare) animal rescue center called Vantara in Gujarat state’s Jamnagar, the family’s hometown where guests in March spent days celebrating in the extravagant pre-wedding party. The bride, Radhika Merchant, 29, is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoon Viren Merchant and is the marketing director for his company, Encore Healthcare, according to Vogue. She told the magazine that the two were introduced through mutual friends in 2017. “That first meeting just sparked something special between us, and it wasn’t long before we started dating,” she said. When’s the wedding and what’s expected? The main wedding ceremony is set for July 12, followed by a grand reception on July 14, according to local media. Celebrations are expected to be split between the Ambani’s Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai city and their family home. The dates were reportedly chosen based on the couple's birth charts, as is typical in Hindu custom, and deemed auspicious. Also keeping with tradition, the wedding will be preceded by days of traditional wedding events and rituals. On Friday, Indian social media was abuzz with videos from the couple’s sangeet, a ceremony where the bride and groom’s families perform dances for the guests. It also included performances by Bollywood stars like Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and Salman Khan as well as Justin Bieber, who flew to Mumbai for the event, according to local media. The family also organized a mass wedding for more than 50 underprivileged couples last week, as part of the pre-wedding celebrations. Taylor Swift kicks off UK Eras shows as some fans wonder if singer is ready to say 'So long, London' Extravagant parties are the Ambanis’ specialty and next week’s events are expected to draw more celebrities, billionaires and world leaders. In March for the pre-wedding bash, the guest list included Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, former leaders of Canada and Qatar as well as Bollywood’s A-list stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. In addition to Rihanna, Akon and Diljit Dosanjh, a Punjabi singer who shot to international fame when he performed at Coachella, also took the stage. In 2018, when his daughter married, Ambani made the headlines because of the grand celebrations, with pop sensation Beyoncé performing at the pre-wedding festivities. At the time, former U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and John Kerry were among those who rubbed shoulders with Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars in the western Indian city of Udaipur.

Taylor Swift fans enjoy parsing the singer-songwriter’s lyrics for references to her romantic life and insights into her state of mind. But the pop superstar’s fans in the U.K. didn’t have to listen closely to her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” to get the sense that Swift had soured on the country’s capital city after long making it a regular hangout and then her second home. The record’s fifth track is titled “So Long, London.” As Swift brings her blockbuster Eras Tour to London’s Wembley Stadium this weekend, some Swifties therefore are wondering if they are witnessing the beginning of an extended goodbye. London isn't ready to see her go. The area around Wembley was transformed for the shows, with fans posing in front of a giant mural of the singer and traveling stairs christened “Swiftie Steps” and other tributes. Swift announced that 88,446 people were in attendance at Friday's show in what she called "the most exhilarating city in the world.” Among the famous attendees: Prince William celebrating his 42nd birthday at the show and posing for a photo with Swift along with two of his children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. July 2024 Amazon Prime Originals: Must-Watch Shows, Series, and Movies Swift gave fans a wink and a nod toward her London life during one of her two solo acoustic surprise songs: a piano medley that opened with the London-set “The Black Dog" and segued into “Come Back, Be Here” and then “Maroon.” In addition to this weekend's shows, Swift will return to Wembley for five more in August to close the tour’s European leg. London is the only city on the tour where Swift is stopping twice. Some worry the arrangement may represent a swan song of sorts, while others think it just reflects a new era in Swift's bond with the Big Smoke. Whether “So Long, London” turns out to be a final chapter or a bookend to her valentine to the city, the song “London Boy,” Eras is arriving as an emotional milestone. “Her relationship now kind of assumes London won't be somewhere she will be. It's not like there is an American football player living here,” said Maggie Fekete, 22, a Canadian graduate student who credits the London references in Swift's music with orienting her when she moved to the city three years ago. “I think there will be a lot less London in her music, which is sad.” Stella Elgood, 25, of London, said Friday she assumed Swift would sing “So Long, London” at some point during her eight nights in the city but that Swift “will always be welcome.” Hollywood's A-listers are lining up behind Joe Biden. Will their support matter in November? “Especially since she dated Harry Styles, she’s been here in the Zeitgeist,” Elgood said. For those who haven’t been paying attention, Swift had a series of romances with famous British citizens (including Styles in 2012) that ended last year, when she started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The speculation surrounding “So Long, London” and a mournful companion song that mentions a London pub, “The Black Dog,” stems from the 2023 breakup of Swift and English actor Joe Alwyn, who were together for over six years. Alwyn is assumed to have inspired “London Boy,” a song from her 2019 album “Lover.” A special-edition “Lover” CD included what appeared to be a January 2017 diary entry in which Swift talked about being “essentially based in London” but trying to lay low. British tabloids later reported that Swift spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic sheltering with Alwyn in north London. The Sun newspaper reported in December that the multiple Grammy-winner had bought a large property in the area and was remodeling it to be her base in Europe. After Swift released “The Tortured Poets Department” last month, however, a writer for the British edition of ELLE magazine observed that Londoners had an opening “for an all-American A-lister who can slot into her place in our collective consciousness." “We had Swift before we lost her to her record-breaking, box office-breaking Eras Tour and now, it would appear that her vacant position has been filled by Zendaya,” writer Naomi May playfully posited before listing the various locations the American actor had been spotted with her longtime boyfriend, British actor Tom Holland. Either way, the capital is putting on quite a show of its own to make sure Swift and her fans feel appreciated. Guides are offering walking, bus and taxi tours that retrace her footsteps, including a kebab shop whose owner says his establishment is supplying sandwiches for the singer and her crew on Friday. Jennifer Lopez cancels summer tour: ‘I am completely heartsick and devastated’

Sean Baker's "Anora," a comic but devastating Brooklyn odyssey about a sex worker who marries the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch, won the Cannes Film Festival's top award, the Palme d'Or. The win Saturday for "Anora" marked a coronation for Baker, the 53-year-old indie filmmaker of "The Florida Project " who used iPhones to make his 2015 film "Tangerine." It's also, remarkably, the fifth straight Palme d'Or won by specialty distributor Neon, following "Parasite," "Titane," "Triangle of Sadness" and last year's winner, "Anatomy of a Fall." Baker accepted the prize with his movie's star, Mikey Madison, watching in the audience at the Cannes closing ceremony. "This, literally, has been my singular goal as a filmmaker for the past 30 years, so I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with the rest of my life," said Baker, laughing. But Baker, the first American filmmaker to win the Palme since Terrence Mallick in 2011 with "The Tree of Life," quickly answered that his ambition would remain to "fight to keep cinema alive." The director said the world needed reminding that "watching a film at home while scrolling through your phone, answering emails and half paying attention is just not the way — although some tech companies would like us to think so." "So I say the future of cinema is where it started: in a movie theater," said Baker, who dedicated his award to all sex workers "past, present and future." The awards were chosen by the nine-member jury led by Greta Gerwig, who told reporters she was "forever changed as a filmmaker because of this experience." Gerwig praised "Anora" as having the feeling of classical cinema, saying it felt like an Ernst Lubitsch or Howard Hawks film that lead in unexpected directions. While "Anora" was arguably the most acclaimed film of the festival, its win was a slight surprise. Many expected either the gentle Indian drama "All We Imagine As Light" or the Iranian film "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" to win. Both of those films also took home prizes. It wasn't the only jolt of the closing ceremony, though. Before George Lucas was given an honorary Palme d'Or, his old friend and sometimes collaborator Francis Ford Coppol a appeared to present it to him, reuniting two of the most pivotal figures of the last half-century of American moviemaking. Coppola, who earlier in the festival premiered his self-financed sci-fi epic "Megalopolis," called him his "kid brother." Lucas called Coppola "a big friend and a brother and a mentor." "I'm just a kid who grew up in a vineyard in Modesto, California, who makes movies in San Francisco, with my friend Francis," said Lucas. "It's definitely a different world. I've actually never made a film in Hollywood as a director." "All We Imagine As Light," about sisterhood in modern Mumbai, won the Grand Prix, Cannes' second-highest honor. Payal Kapadia's second feature was the first Indian in competition in Cannes in 30 years. Afterward, Kapadia urged a wide understanding of Indian cinema, saying "there's amazing work going on in our country." "Not just Bollywood," said Kapadia. The jury awarded a special prize to Mohammad Rasoulof's "The Seed of the Sacred Fig," a drama made secretly in Iran. Days ahead of the film's premiere, Rasoulof, facing an eight-year prison sentence, fled Iran on foot. His film, which includes real footage from the 2022-2023 demonstrations in Iran, channels Iranian oppression into a family drama. The Cannes crowd met an emotional Rasoulof with a lengthy standing ovation. Coralie Fargeat's body horror film "The Substance," starring Demi Moore as a Hollywood actress who goes to gory extremes to remain youthful, won for best screenplay. "I really believe that movies can change the world, so I hope this movie will be a little stone to build new foundations," said Fargeat. "I really think we need a revolution and I don't think it has really started yet." Some thought Moore, who attended the awards ceremony, might take best actress. But that honor instead went to an ensemble of actors: Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz for Jacques Audiard's "Emilia Perez," a Spanish-language musical about a Mexican drug lord who transitions to a woman. Gascón, who accepted the award, is the first trans actor to win a major prize at Cannes. "This award is not just for me. It's for all people who are fighting for themselves and their rights," Gascón told reporters. "We've been insulted, denigrated, subjected to a lot of violence without even knowing why. I think this is award is so much more than anyone could imagine." Explaining the jury's unusual choice of giving best actress to an ensemble, Gerwig said each performer was a standout, "but together they're transcendent." "Emilia Perez" also won Cannes' jury prize, giving it a rare two awards at a festival where prizes are usually spread around. Best actor went to Jesse Plemons for Yorgos Lanthimos' "Kinds of Kindness." In the film, three stories are told with largely the same company of actors. Plemons, a standout in several chapters, didn't attend the closing ceremony. Portuguese director Miguel Gomes won best director for his "Grand Tour," an Asian odyssey in which a man flees his fiancée from Rangoon in 1917. "Sometimes I get lucky," shrugged Gomes. The Camera d'Or, the prize for best first feature across all of Cannes official selections, went to Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel for "Armand," starring "The Worst Person in the World" star Renate Reinsve. Tøndel is the grandson of Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman and Norwegian actor Liv Ullman. Last year's top winners in Cannes went on to considerable arthouse success and awards-season runs through the Oscars. That included the Palme winner "Anatomy of a Fall" and the Grand Prix winner "The Zone of Interest." Whether this year's Cannes lived up to that lineup was a regular conversation topic during the festival. But it was a notably eventful Cannes not just for the some of the films — including "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" and Kevin Costner's "Horizon: An America Saga" — that screened but for other surrounding dramas. After stalling for years in France, the #MeToo movement gained momentum ahead of the festival following allegations by Judith Godrèche against two prominent French filmmakers. She brought her short "Moi Aussi" to the festival. The wars in Gaza and Ukraine were sometimes referenced in press conferences and in subtly symbolic ways on the red carpet. Festival workers, seeking better protections, protested during the opening night ceremony. The Olympic flame, ahead of its arrival in Paris for the summer games, stopped by. Honorary Palmes were also given to Meryl Streep and the Japanese anime factory Studio Ghibli.  

Celebrating 40 years of the country’s pioneering band Warfaze, Coke Studio Bangla season 3 has released a mesmerizing collaboration with the band on Saturday, as the platform brings a revived rendition of the iconic Warfaze song ‘Obak Bhalobasha’. Admired by listeners for decades, the song was originally written, composed and performed by the former lead vocal of Warfaze Babna Karim and was featured in the band's sophomore album titled ‘Obak Bhalobasha’, released in 1994 from Sargam. Uploaded on Coke Studio Bangla’s digital platforms on Saturday evening, the song was also premiered at the Liberation War Museum at the same time in the presence of Warfaze members and Coke Studio Bangla producer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, among others. The Coke Studio Bangla rendition of the song is composed, arranged and performed by Warfaze alongside the Coke Studio team. This revived edition is produced by the Coke Studio Bangla producer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, alongside Warfaze co-founder and band leader Sheikh Monirul Alam Tipu and its guitarist Samir Hafiz. Babna Karim, the former lead vocalist of Warfaze penned the original lyrics amidst the serene yet powerful backdrop of crashing waves on a seashore of Cox’s Bazar - the longest uninterrupted natural beach in the world, capturing the untamed beauty of nature. This new version, a tribute to the timeless original, is a symphony of nostalgia and innovation, featuring a choir, a string orchestra, and the distinctive heavily distorted guitar riffs that define Warfaze's sound. However, this new rendition signifies a beautiful amalgamation of two popular vocalists of the band representing two different eras of Warfaze - as Babna Karim is accompanied by the soulfully melodic Palash Noor, the band's current vocalist. Two other founding fathers of the band, Ibrahim Ahmed Kamal and Sheikh Monirul Alam Tipu took their helm as the guitarist and drummer of the song, alongside Samir Hafiz on guitar, Shams on keys, and Roger on bass, accompanied by Md Jalal and Sayonton Mangsang on flutes among others.

Sadia Khalid Reeti, a distinguished Bangladeshi film critic, screenwriter, and journalist, made a notable appearance at the 77th Cannes Film Festival as a member of the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) jury. Reeti walked the red carpet on May 22. Reeti's participation in the official red carpet lineup underscores the high honor of being recognized at Cannes, a privilege reserved for globally renowned figures. This year's lineup included celebrities like Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Emma Stone, and Demi Moore, alongside celebrated filmmakers and actors. As the sole representative from Bangladesh this year, Reeti served on the FIPRESCI jury for the Un Certain Regard section. This marks her second tenure on the jury at Cannes, following her 2019 participation in Critics’ Week and Directors’ Fortnight. "I want to clarify something so we are not encouraging people to pack suitcases full of costumes and head to Cannes claiming they achieved some applaudable feat. The red carpet is there on the way to screenings at the main venues; however, the red carpet where photographers line up in tuxes and gowns to feature someone officially for the festival is different," Reeti explained to UNB. "There are certain protocols, and we should be diligent enough not to make a fool of ourselves anymore as artists and journalists." Walking Cannes red carpet in a self-made gown: Who is Nancy Tyagi? Reeti emphasized her commitment to representing Bangladesh with sophistication and versatility. "I wanted to represent Bangladesh in a way that doesn’t put us in a box that stops us from evolving. I’m wearing Jamdani saris at the award ceremonies, but for the red carpet, I wanted to also highlight that the traditional fabrics used in saris can be fashioned into many things that we can own on the global stage. Everything from my gown and jacket to my jewelry, purse, and shoes were all made in Bangladesh," she said.

Authorities have opened an investigation into how Matthew Perry received the supply of ketamine that killed him, police said Tuesday. Los Angeles police are working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with a probe into why the 54-year-old “Friends” star had so much of the drug in his system, LAPD Capt. Scot Williams said in an email. An assistant found the 54-year-old Perry face down in his hot tub on Oct. 28, and paramedics who were called immediately declared him dead. His autopsy, released in December, found that the amount of ketamine in his blood was in the range used for general anesthesia during surgery. It was listed as the primary cause of death, which was ruled an accident with no foul play suspected, the report said. Drowning and other medical issues were contributing factors, the coroner said. The investigation was first reported by TMZ. Chandler Bing, the AI chatbot: A tribute to Matthew Perry’s ‘Friends’ character People close to the actor told coroner’s investigators that he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy. The decades-old surgical drug has seen a huge surge in use in recent years as a treatment for depression, anxiety and pain. But the medical examiner said Perry’s last treatment 1 1/2 weeks earlier wouldn’t explain the levels of ketamine in his blood. The drug is typically metabolized in a matter of hours. At least two doctors were treating Perry, a psychiatrist and an anesthesiologist who served as his primary care physician, the medical examiner’s report said. No illicit drugs or paraphernalia were found at his house. Perry had years of struggles with addiction dating back to his time on “Friends,” when he became one of the biggest television stars of his generation as Chandler Bing alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC’s megahit sitcom. Drug-related celebrity deaths have in other cases led authorities to prosecute the people who supplied them. After rapper Mac Millerdied from an overdose of cocaine, alcohol and counterfeit oxycodone that contained fentanyl, two of the men who provided him the fentanyl were convicted of distributing the drug. One was sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison, the other to 10 years. Two doctors and a manager of model and reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith were charged after with conspiring to get her prescription drugs before her 2007 death, but they were not charged with causing her fatal overdose. All the counts except one misdemeanor fraud charge against one doctor were eventually dismissed. ‘In time we will say more’: Friends stars say after Matthew Perry’s death And after Michael Jackson died in 2009 from a lethal dose of propofol, a drug intended for use only during surgery and other medical procedures, not for the insomnia the singer sought it for, his doctor, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011. Murray has maintained his innocence.

The High Court (HC) on Monday (May 20, 2024) barred Monowar Hossain Dipjol from serving as general secretary of the executive committee of Bangladesh Film Artists’ Association for the 2024-26 term. An HC bench comprising Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zinat Hoque also directed relevant authorities to investigate allegations of irregularities in the election. Additionally, the court issued a rule demanding an explanation as to why the election results should not be annulled in light of these allegations. Film Artistes' Association election 2024: Misha Sawdagar elected president, Dipjol general secretary The HC's orders followed a petition filed by actress Nipun Akter, who contested the election for general secretary and is currently in the USA, according to her lawyer, Palash Chandra Roy. Senior lawyer Shah Manjurul Haq, Barrister Harunur Rashid, and Palash Chandra Roy represented Nipun in court, while Deputy Attorney General Amit Das Gupta represented the state. Lawyer Manjurul Haq stated that the court's stay on Dipjol's position means he cannot perform his duties as general secretary. The court also mandated the Social Welfare Ministry to investigate the alleged election irregularities. On May 15, actress Nipun submitted a petition to the HC seeking the cancellation of the election results and a restriction on the duties of the Misha-Dipjol panel, which had won the election. Allegations of embezzlement against actor Apurba Nipun also requested the court to set a schedule for a new election. In the election held on April 20, Dipjol defeated Nipun by 16 votes, as announced by Chief Election Commissioner Khorshed Alam Khosru. Dipjol received 225 votes, while Nipun, the immediate past general secretary, garnered 209 votes.

The EMK (Edward M. Kennedy) Center, a non-partisan platform dedicated to open conversation, informed action, and personal growth, celebrated a remarkable evening of musical fusion with "Musical Odyssey 2.0" on Saturday. Currently managed by the JAAGO Foundation and the American Center of the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh, the center commemorates the cultural and diplomatic interactions between the United States and Bangladesh. This event, attended by over 100 music enthusiasts, showcased an impressive lineup of young, talented musicians who brought the essence of both Bangladeshi and American music traditions to life. “Fatima” set to hit theatres on May 24 The evening featured a stellar array of performances, beginning with a mesmerizing instrumental piece, "duet," that blended the intricate sounds of tabla, flute, and violin. This set the stage for a diverse musical journey that included timeless classics by Rabindranath Tagore, such as " Purono Sei Diner Kotha" and "Bhalobese Sokhi," performed with a mix of cajon, bass guitar, electric guitar, tabla, and keyboard. The soulful renditions of Lalon Sai's " Ami Opar Hoye Bose Achhi " and "Jekhane Saiyer Baram Khana” enriched with traditional instruments like khamak and dotora, highlighted the deep-rooted cultural heritage of Bangladesh. In addition to traditional Bangladeshi music, the event featured contemporary global hits, creating a beautiful tapestry of sound. Richard Marx’s "Right Here Waiting" and Arctic Monkeys' "Do I Wanna Know" brought a touch of modernity, seamlessly woven into the evening’s program. The performances by prominent artists such as Dr. Sajid Rahman (Tabla), Arham Jahin (Violin), and Shaibal Saha (Flute) were particularly noteworthy, showcasing their exceptional talent and versatility. Anjan Dutt set to enthrall fans in Dhaka with Metropolis Volume-2.0 "Musical Odyssey 2.0" served as a vibrant platform for cultural exchange, aiming to transcend boundaries and connect people through the power of harmonious melodies. The event celebrated not only the musical talents of the youth but also the enduring friendship and cultural ties between Bangladesh and the USA. This initiative aligns with the symbolic gesture made by Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who planted a banyan tree at the University of Dhaka in 1972, representing friendship, resilience, and hope. The EMK Center continues to be a beacon of cultural diplomacy, fostering mutual appreciation and understanding through various programs and events. "Musical Odyssey 2.0" was a testament to the unifying power of music, bringing together diverse audiences for a night of magical tunes and unforgettable experiences.