New Delhi: The players' auction for the next Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held at Kolkata for the first time, on 19 December .
Auctioneer Hugh Edmeades conducts the IPL 2019 player auction. Sportzpics
The West Bengal capital is home to the Kolkata Knight Riders, co-owned by Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. The auctions have mostly been held in Bengaluru so far.
The trading window that is currently open will close on 14 November, and all the franchises were informed about it on Monday, according to a report in ESPNCricinfo.
While the franchises were allotted Rs 82 crore each for the IPL 2019, Rs 85 crore have been allocated for the 2020 season.
The franchises were originally allotted Rs 85 crore to build their teams for 2020. Every franchise will also have an additional purse of Rs 3 crore in addition to the balance in their kitties from the last auction.
Delhi Capitals have the biggest balance – Rs 8.2 crore, followed by Rajasthan Royals at Rs 7.15 crore and Kolkata Knight Riders at Rs 6.05 crore.
This year's auction is the last one before the franchises disband next year and prepare to assemble fresh squads from 2021 at a mega auction.
The glitzy event usually runs between April and May every year.
Funds left with franchises ahead of IPL 2020 auction:
Netflix released the first trailer of award-winning animation film I Lost My Body, which runs two parallel stories. One is of a severed hand that escapes a Parisian laboratory and roams the city in search of its original body. The other is of a pizza delivery boy Naoufel, a Moroccan orphan who is sent to live with his neglectful uncle, and eventually falls in love with a librarian named Gabrielle.
A still from the trailer | Twitter
The animated film seems to be full of mystery and adventure, topped with a love story. While the hand survives the extremity of pigeons and rats in the city, he is constantly visited by the flashbacks of his owner, Naoufel.
The official synopsis reads, "In a Parisian laboratory, a severed hand escapes its unhappy fate and sets out to reconnect with its body. During a hair-raising escapade across the city, its memories of Naoufel and his love for librarian Gabrielle may provide answers about what caused the hand’s separation, and a poetic backdrop for a possible reunion between the three."
Check out the trailer here
If you loved the strange whimsy of AMELIE, the same writer comes to Netflix with an entirely unique new film: I LOST MY BODY pic.twitter.com/NMtIGWWKR6
Dev Patel, Alia Shawkat, and George Wendt are leading the English cast of the critically-acclaimed animated film, directed by Jeremy Clapin, according to Variety. Patel will voice Naoufel, Shawkat will play Gabrielle, and Wendt will play Gabrielle’s uncle.
The film is based on the novel 'Happy Hand' by Amelie screenwriter Guillaume Laurant, who worked on the adaptation of I Lost My Body with director Clapin.
I Lost My Body was screened at the Cannes Film Festival last year, where it became the first animated film ever to win the Nepresso Grand Prize. The film made the rounds at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Fantastic Fest, where it collected even more accolades.
I Lost My Body will stream on Netflix on 29 November.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2oM3JY0
New York: Jessye Norman, the renowned international opera star whose passionate soprano voice won her four Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts and the Kennedy Center Honor, has died, according to family spokesperson Gwendolyn Quinn. She was 74.
A statement released to The Associated Press on Monday, 1 said Norman died at 7:54 a.m. EDT from septic shock and multi-organ failure secondary to complications of a spinal cord injury she suffered in 2015. She died at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital in New York and was surrounded by loved ones.
Jessye Norman trailblazing performer, and one of the rare black singers to attain worldwide stardom in the opera world. Image from Twitter
“We are so proud of Jessye’s musical achievements and the inspiration that she provided to audiences around the world that will continue to be a source of joy. We are equally proud of her humanitarian endeavors addressing matters such as hunger, homelessness, youth development, and arts and culture education,” the family statement read.
Funeral arrangements will be announced in the coming days.
Norman was a trailblazing performer, and one of the rare black singers to attain worldwide stardom in the opera world, performing at such revered houses like La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera, and singing title roles in works like Carmen, Aida and more. She sang the works of Wagner, but was not limited to opera or classical music, performing songs by Duke Ellington and others as well.
“I have always been drawn to things other people might consider unusual. I’m always taken by the text and beautiful melody. It’s not important to me who has written it. It’s just more reasonable to have an open mind about what beauty is,” Norman said in a 2002 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s important for classical musicians to stretch and think beyond the three B’s (Bach, Beethoven and Brahms). They were wonderful composers, but they went to the great beyond a long time ago. There’s lots of music that will live for a very long time.”
In that same interview, she profoundly said, “Pigeonholing is only interesting to pigeons.”
Norman certainly knew no boundaries or limits. She broke barriers and had hoped her industry would see more faces like hers.
“It is a more diverse place, thank goodness,” Norman said of the opera world in a 2004 interview with NPR, “I wish it were even more diverse than it is.”
Norman was born on 15 September 1945 in Augusta, Georgia, in segregationist times. She grew up singing in church and around a musical family that included pianists and singers. She earned a scholarship to the historically black college Howard University in Washington, D.C., to study music, and later studied at the Peabody Conservatory and the University of Michigan.
Eventually, she made her operatic debut in 1969 in Berlin, wowing audiences around the world on stages in Milan, London, and New York thanks to her shining vocals, no matter the language. The New York Times described her voice as “a grand mansion of sound.”
“It defines an extraordinary space. It has enormous dimensions, reaching backward and upward. It opens onto unexpected vistas. It contains sunlit rooms, narrow passageways, cavernous falls,” the Times’ Edward Rothstein wrote.
The Met Opera called Norman “one of the great sopranos of the past half-century” in a statement.
“Starting with her Met debut as Cassandra in Berlioz’s Les Troyens on Opening Night of the Met’s centennial 1983-84 season, Norman sang more than 80 performances with the company, dazzling audiences with her beautiful tone, extraordinary power, and musical sensitivity,” the statement read.
Former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said, “Farewell to the beloved Jessye Norman, a woman of vision, adventure and joy. A glorious voice and beautiful soul has winged towards Heaven. Her legacy lives on in music and the children who greet art in her name each day.” And Broadway legend Audra McDonald wrote on Twitter, “UGH! Nooooooo! This is awful. I was literally supposed to spend time with her next week. RIP most magnificent amazing brilliant Diva.”
In 1997, at age 52, Norman became the youngest person ever to earn the Kennedy Center Honor in the organization’s 20-year history at the time. She received her National Medal of Arts from former President Barack Obama and has earned honorary doctorates from a number of prestigious schools, including Juilliard, Harvard, and Yale. She is a member of British Royal Academy of Music and Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Norman even has orchid named after her in France, and the country also made her a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters.
She’s earned 15 Grammy nominations throughout her illustrious career, picking up her first at the 1985 show for best classical vocal soloist performance for Ravel: Songs Of Maurice Ravel. She earned Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
Norman also gave back, raising funds to help students attend school, championing the arts in schools and championing diversity.
“I look at symphony orchestras around this country and I want those orchestras to look more like the demographic they’re meant to serve. I would like to see more African-Americans on the stage at the Metropolitan Opera here in New York. There are certainly some, but not nearly enough, and I come across so many singers who are terribly gifted and that would be an asset to these opera companies around our country. But we still have these people who are just a little bit hesitant, and perhaps not as openhearted ... as I’d like them to be,” she said. “I look forward to the day when we do not think about color of skin when we’re looking to have a person do a job, whatever that job is.”
The Jessye Norman School of the Arts opened in 2003 in Augusta to provide a free fine arts education to disadvantaged children. The Augusta Chronicle reported that Norman was set to attend the Oct. 11 street-naming ceremony in her hometown on Eighth Street, where the school is located. It will be named Jessye Norman Boulevard.
In 1990, Augusta opened the Jessye Norman Amphitheater to honor the opera icon.
Norman released her memoir, Stand Up Straight and Sing!, in 2004.
She is survived by two remaining siblings, James Norman and Elaine Sturkey.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2o2BGDm
New Delhi: Music legend and 'India's nightingale' Lata Mangeshkar, who turned 90 on Wednesday, has made her debut on the picture and video sharing application, Instagram.
"Namaskar. Aaj pehli baar aap sabse Instagram pe jud rahi hun," she tweeted along with the link to her profile where she shared her picture holding a book based on her life.
The music sensation's Instagram account got over 46,000 followers within a few minutes.
A few moments later, the singer pinned another picture flaunting the cover of the book written on her life, her sisters seated by her side.
"Namaskar. Kal meri choti behen Meena Khadikar ne mujhe uske dwara mujhpar likhi hui hindi Kitab Didi aur Main ki peheli copy bhent ki," she wrote.
Check out the posts
The nonagenarian has been hogging headlines for the past few days. She became Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "special guest" during the latest edition of his radio address Mann Ki Baat on Sunday.
"Today, I'll talk about a great personality. We Indians have great respect for her. She is elder to all of us and has been witness to various phases our country has passed through. We call her 'Lata Didi'," said PM Modi.
Before leaving for the United States, he spoke to Mangeshkar over a phone call and shared the recording of the same with the listeners.
"Before leaving for abroad, I had a chance to speak with Didi over a call. It was like a younger brother talking lovingly to his elder sister," he had said.
While adding that he "never discloses" any personal conversations but is doing this time, the PM added, "You must listen how even at this age, Lata Didi so keenly follows the matters concerning the country. For her the satisfaction of life is in seeing India progress, witnessing India's transformation and seeing it touch new heights."
Overwhelmed on receiving PM Modi's call, Mangeshkar said, "I just need your blessings. There are many who are older than us but important are the blessings of the ones who have done great service."
PM Modi wished Mangeshkar in advance and said that her humility inspires everyone. "You yourself are not aware of what you are, I know that picture of India is changing ever since." A Bharat Ratna awardee, Lata began her career in 1942, and has been a recipient of three National Film Awards, 12 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards, and four Filmfare Best Female Playback Awards.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2n9NZOj
Last time when South Africa played a Test series in India, they suffered an embarrassing loss. They toured the country in 2015 to play four Tests and eventually lost three. That series loss, where Indian spinners wreaked havoc, might still be playing in heads of South African players and to make things more difficult, some of their Test stalwarts have retired.
File image of Aiden Markram. AFP
Ahead of the first Test between India and South Africa at Visakhapatnam, opening batsman Aiden Markram spoke about losing big names like AB De Villiers, Dale Steyn and Hashim Amla but said other players have to step up and take the responsibility.
Speaking to the Hindustan Times in an interview, Markram said, "Losing Hashim, from the batting perspective, and Dale is massive. They are legends you would never be able to replace. It is a lot like when Jacques Kallis and AB (de Villiers) retired. Ideally, the other batters would like to share the load now and play with a bit more responsibility in getting the team over the line."
De Villiers, who played 114 Tests and scored at an average of 50, retired from international cricket in 2018, while Amla made his retirement call in August this year. Just like De Villiers, Amla has played over 100 Tests and scored 9,282 runs at an average of 46.
In the absence of the two key batsmen, the onus of scoring runs and making an impact in the three-Test series will be on likes of Markram, skipper Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, and newcomer Zubayr Hamza. In the bowling department, Kagiso Rabada will spearhead the pacers while Keshav Maharaj and Dane Piedt will look to cause trouble on spin-friendly wickets.
The conditions will obviously be very tough for South Africa and pulling off a series victory will be a big ask for Proteas. However, Markram said his team have prepared well and are raring to have a go against the No 1 ranked side.
"Our preparations have gone well. We have been here for 3-4 weeks with the ‘A’ side and played two four-day games, which was nice to acclimatise to the conditions in India. The preparations have gone really well for us as a side. The guys seem in good spirits and full of energy, which is exciting," Markram said.
The first Test will begin on 2 October at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium followed by two more matches in Pune and Ranchi.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2o2lLoA
Kalki Koechlin recently announced she is five months pregnant, and is in a relationship with Guy Hershberg, an Iranian classical pianist by profession. In an interview to a daily, Kalki has now opened up about her pregnancy, and marriage with Hershberg.
Speaking about if a marriage is on the cards, Kalki tells Mirror that she does not want to rush into marriage because of "societal pressure." Stating the term "out of wedlock" is a Shakesperean term, that does not belong to the millennial world, Kalki asserts marriage "can be useful for bureaucracy" but is not a "sign of love." She adds she has considered marriage for "parental rights and nationality issue," but insists that they will wait for "when the time feels right. It will be a registration and a quiet family gathering." The actress was earlier married to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.
However, Kalki does not want to take a prolonged hiatus from work after the birth of her child. "Immediately after birth, I will take some months off from work to breastfeed the baby and for recovery. But I also aim to gradually get back to work. I’m lucky to have a partner who is supportive of my career," she is quoted as saying by the daily.
Recently, Kalki took to Instagram to share her first pregnancy picture.
Check out the picture here
Kalki also does not mind sharing pictures of her newborn on social media. During an interaction with MissMalini, the actress says, "After all, my child will be part of the new generation, and I can’t say no to it outright.”
The actress was recently seen in the second season of Netflix's Sacred Games with Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Pankaj Tripathi, and Ranvir Shorey. She was also part of Zoya Akhtar-directed Gully Boy, in which she played the role of Sky. The rap musical is India's official entry for the upcoming Academy Awards.
The actress has recently finished filming a Tamil film for Netflix with Vignesh Shivan, and has also wrapped Season 2 of her BBC podcast My Indian Life. She will be seen in Rehaan Engineer's stage adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, set to debut at Serendipity Arts Festival in Goa.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2oQaU1u
Fernando Meirelles, the director for The Two Popes, will present the film at the festival in addition to conducting a masterclass. Mumbai will be the first stop in Asia Meirelles (director of City of God 2002, which won a TIFF Visions Award, and was nominated for an Oscar, Blindness 2008, and 360 2011) will make for The Two Popes.
MAMI is slated to take place in Mumbai from 17 to 24 October. Speaking of its association with Netflix, Smriti Kiran, Artistic Director, MAMI said in a statement, “Netflix is known for stories that transcend boundaries of geography and language, giving creators unparalleled artistic freedom and talent a global platform to showcase their dexterity with the craft. We, at Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star, are thrilled to showcase some of Netflix’s finest stories at this edition of the festival.”
“Having Fernando Meirelles at Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival with Star to talk about his work is exciting and inspiring for the entire film and entertainment community. Services such as Netflix enable stories from around the globe to reach and be consumed by audiences everywhere. We are excited to explore the wonderful worlds that special Netflix titles will bring us at the festival this year,” said Anupama Chopra, Festival Director, MAMI, in a statement.
Check out the Netflix films to be screened at Jio MAMI 21st Mumbai Film Festival
Atlantics
Along the Atlantic coast, a soon-to-be-inaugurated futuristic tower looms over a suburb of Dakar. Ada, 17, is in love with Souleiman, a young construction worker. But she has been promised to another man. One night, Souleiman and his co-workers leave the country by sea, in hope of a better future. Several days later, a fire ruins Ada’s wedding and a mysterious fever starts to spread. Little does Ada know that Souleiman has returned.
Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator
This documentary examines the dramatic rise and fall of the controversial founder of hot yoga, Bikram Choudhury. Arriving in Beverly Hills from Kolkata, India in the early 1970s, Choudhury quickly cultivated a celebrity following, and built a global fitness empire that furnished him with extreme wealth. But by the 2010s, as numerous sexual abuse allegations emerged and stories of his aggressive, cult-like training environment surfaced, the lawsuits started to mount, and Choudhury’s unorthodox teaching style became front-page news. Directed by Academy Award winner Eva Orner (Taxi to the Dark Side, Chasing Asylum) and produced by Sarah Anthony (The Price of Free, The Defiant Ones), the Netflix original documentary shines a light on the stories of the women who took him down, and explores the contradiction of how this healing discipline could simultaneously help and hurt so many.
In a Parisian laboratory, a severed hand escapes its unhappy fate and sets out to reconnect with its body in this Cannes Critics’ Week selection. During a hair-raising escapade across the city, the extremity fends off pigeons and rats alike to reunite with pizza boy Naoufel. Its memories of Naoufel and his love for librarian Gabrielle may provide answers about what caused the hand's separation, and a poetic backdrop for a possible reunion between the three. Based on the novel Happy Hand by Academy Award nominee Guillaume Laurant (AMELIE).
Marriage Story
Marriage Story is Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Noah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate portrait of a marriage breaking up and a family staying together. The film stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta co-star.
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s mafia film, an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America, told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman, who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organised crime, its inner workings, rivalries, and connections to mainstream politics.
From Fernando Meirelles, the Academy Award-nominated director of City of God, and three-time Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Anthony McCarten, comes an intimate story of one of the most dramatic transitions of power in the last 2,000 years. Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins). Instead, facing scandal and self-doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and the future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church. Behind Vatican walls, a struggle commences between both tradition and progress, guilt and forgiveness, as these two very different men confront elements from their pasts in order to find common ground and forge a future for a billion followers around the world.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2o0ODxF
The first look of John Abraham's vigilante action film Satyameva Jayate sequel, was released on Tuesday. Directed by Milap Milan Zaveri, the film will see Abraham share screen space with director-actress Divya Khosla Kumar.
An intense poster reveals Abraham is set to reprise his role of a police officer in the film. The still features him sporting a ripped physique, wielding Tri-colour on his chest. Another [poster shows Divya's character wearing a white kurta with a tricolour chunni.
Produced by T-Series and Emmay Entertainment & Motion Pictures, the film will go on floors soon, reveals a statement.
“Satyameva Jayate 2 is twice the action, emotion, Power, patriotism and punch. Led by John Abraham back as a crusader for justice and with Divya Khosla Kumar joining the franchise I hope next Gandhi Jayanti we provide the audiences with a powerful entertainer that also gives a strong message against corruption.” says Zaveri in a statement.
“I genuinely enjoyed the story and telling of the original film. I could tell it was a story that the audience will find engaging. With Satyamev Jayate 2, the aim, once again, is to entertain the audience with a story that’s relevant in today’s times,” Abraham says in a statement.
Satyameva Jayate 2 is slated to release on 2 October, 2020, and will face a major box office clash with Shoojit Sircar's period drama Sardar Udham Singh, starring Vicky Kaushal as the titular hero, as well as the Hindi remake of Sylvester Stallone's Rambo, starring Tiger Shroff in the lead. Farhan Akhtar's sports drama Toofan is also set to hit theaters on Gandhi Jayanti next year.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2oIG4rp
Undone, the Amazon Prime Original series has become the first show to use rotoscoping, a technique in which animation is drawn over footage of live actors for the entire series.
The critically acclaimed animated psychological drama created by Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg of BoJack Horseman, follows the story of Alma, who is recruited by her father's ghost to go back in time and solve the mystery around his murder.
While employing the rotoscoping technique for the show might seem a novel idea, it has in fact been around since the dawn of cartoons, elaborates Brian Larson, a professor of animation at the Rochester Institute of Technology, in an explainer by the The Conversation.
Invented around 1915 by Max Fleisher, rotoscoping was initially conceived as a way to speed up the animation process. Even as that outcome was not to be achieved, Fleisher had discovered a technique to create more life-like movements in his classic cartoons like Betty Boop and Popeye. It was also utilised by Walt Disney for a few characters in his films as well, including Snow White. According to Larson, if perceived closely, one can see that her movements are more life-like than those of other characters because she was drawn over a live actor.
So also, in the 1970s, the same technique was popular among filmmakers such as Ralph Bakshi whose animated films like Lord of the Rings and Fritz the Cat attracted more mature audiences. They were trying to distance themselves from the reputation that animation had as being cartoons or films meant for kids because rotoscoping has a slightly more realistic feel to it, the explainer notes.
Animators have used the technique in the original Star Wars films to draw glowing blades over sticks held by actors to create the lightsaber effect, while in the 2000s, Richard Linkletter also used the new rotoscoping technology for his films like Walking Dead and A Scanner Darkly.
In Undone, Alma loses her grip on reality as she travels in time which is also an aspect of rotoscoping, elaborates the video, as the characters appear to move and gesticulate as we do in real life.
"But yet, there is something that's not real about it and that's that animation visual look."
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2o9DtGD
Barcelona: Antoine Griezmann said he knew it would be tough settling in at Barcelona but it may have proven harder than he thought.
File image of Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann. AP
Barca play at home to Inter Milan on late Wednesday looking for lift-off in the Champions League after a goalless draw against Borussia Dortmund made for an underwhelming start to their latest bid for success in Europe.
Griezmann also has something to prove after two steady but unspectacular months, elevated by moments rather than the consistency Ernesto Valverde would have hoped for when the Frenchman's 120-million euro release clause was activated last summer.
"Against Athletic Bilbao, he was not as involved as we would like," Valverde said at the start of the season. "But it is also up to the team to allow our strikers to participate more," he added. When Griezmann scored twice in the next game, against Real Betis, before tossing glitter above his head at Camp Nou, it felt like he had made his big introduction and not just because of the theatrics.
But five LaLiga games have since brought only one more goal and assist while a handful of rather muted displays have left a sense of a player finding his feet, despite excelling in LaLiga for the past nine seasons.
After last week's win over Villarreal, Griezmann was asked about his start at Barcelona. "It's different," he said. "It's a different type of football, a different position and I knew it was going to be difficult to adjust. But I feel like I'm improving every game and that's it. Three goals, it's not bad right? I can do better but I just arrived. I work for the team and if I can score or assist, even better," he added.
Griezmann has reason to defend himself. He joined a team that, after five games, had posted its lowest points total in 25 years, with last season's collapse against Liverpool still lingering, not least for Valverde, whose future is never secure.
He also arrived as one of the world's premium strikers but found his new club pursuing Neymar for the duration of the summer as if the Brazilian might add something he could not. There were relationships to repair too, with Barcelona's fans and players, after Griezmann not only turned them down 12 months before but embarrassed them, by announcing his decision in a documentary.
Inconsistency
"I've spent very little time with him to be honest," Lionel Messi told Diario Sport last month. "Since I returned, I’ve been injured and training on my own. They went on tour and when they came back we saw each other a little in the dressing room but I’ve not been there in the training sessions. We’ll have the opportunity to share a lot of things," he said.
Once in position, Griezmann has been played in "different positions", three times down the middle as a lone striker and five times on the left of the front three. In his eight games, there have been six different attacking combinations, the revolving pair around him involving all of Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele, Rafinha, Carles Perez, Ansu Fati and Messi.
"He is a player who can play in several positions," Valverde said. "We have to see who plays but it's clear the system has to accommodate the players," he added.
When he announced he would be leaving Atletico Madrid in May, Griezmann said he wanted a fresh challenge and he would have been under no illusions about the inevitable dimming of status alongside the likes of Messi, Suarez and Dembele.
The emergence of the 16-year-old sensation Fati and 21-year-old Perez has added two more into an already-crowded attacking roster. But consistency has been hard to come by in a team ridden with inconsistencies and in that context, Griezmann's start has been encouraging. Against Inter, he will hope for something more.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2oIoFiy
Los Angeles: Athletics coach Alberto Salazar, who has guided star Olympic athletes such as Mo Farah and Galen Rupp, has been slapped with a four-year ban after being found guilty of doping violations.
The decision to ban the 61-year-old from the sport comes after a four-year investigation by the United States Anti-Doping Agency and prolonged battle behind closed doors.
File image of track coach Alberto Salazar. AP
USADA also said Jeffrey Brown, a Texas endocrinologist who treated many of Salazar's athletes, has also been given a four-year suspension.
In announcing the bans, USADA praised the athletes for speaking out.
"The athletes in these cases found the courage to speak out and ultimately exposed the truth," said USADA chief executive Travis Tygart.
"While acting in connection with the Nike Oregon Project, Mr. Salazar and Dr. Brown demonstrated that winning was more important than the health and wellbeing of the athletes they were sworn to protect."
USADA said in the statement that two, three-member arbitration panels had determined Salazar and Brown should be banned for "orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct."
The Cuban-born Salazar operates the Nike Oregon Project – which four-time Olympic champion Farah belonged to from 2011 until 2017.
Salazar was discovered to have trafficked in or attempted to traffic in the banned substance testosterone, given athletes a substance in excess of its permitted limit and tampered with the doping control process of athletes at the Oregon Project.
Farah left Salazar's camp in 2017 but denied the decision was related to Oregon Project doping accusations.
Salazar has repeatedly denied the charges.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2mutSdf
Friendlier foes have labelled them rank turners, clueless opponents have called them dust bowls, ragged rivals have described them as minefields, but for India, the hallowed 22-yard cricket pitch has served as the foundation of their fortress that has been breached only four times since 2010, and only once since December 2012.
Team India have recorded 32 wins of the 45 Tests (four losses and nine draws) in this decade so far, constituting an unrivalled 71.11 percent success rate. Australia, with 64.71 percent success rate in home Tests, are significantly behind at second spot. When it comes to a complete series, of the 17 hosted by India, including the one-off Test against Afghanistan, they have won a staggering 15, having lost one and drawn one, with the winning percentage for series rising to an astounding 88.
Including two standalone Tests against Bangladesh and Afghanistan, India have won 10 Test series in a row at home. Australia have had two such streaks. No Test side has gone on to register 11 straight series win. AFP
The last home season of the 10-year period begins with the Freedom Series against South Africa with Virat Kohli’s men looking to stretch their dominion as they target a historic 11th consecutive series win on home soil.
Despite the absence of strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah and with another new opening pair given a go, India begin the series as overwhelming favourites, with 'spin to win' likely to be their mantra. For the first 40 of the 120 World Test Championship points up for grabs, India start the three-match series at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on 2 October.
Having travelled across the globe playing most of their red-ball cricket overseas in the last two years, the Indian side would be eager to revel in home comforts. In addition to their domination in India, Kohli’s men enjoy a psychological edge over South Africa from the 3-0 drubbing they dished out on their previous tour of 2015.
In complete contrast to India’s impregnable home record, the Proteas lost their latest Test series to Sri Lanka, who became the first Asian side to complete the feat in South Africa. After a 0-2 loss to Lanka, a dismal World Cup campaign followed, where Faf du Plessis’ side finished seventh in the 10-team competition. Throw in the AB de Villiers’ controversy, retirements of stalwarts Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn, and the rift between the players union and the administrators, a sterner – perhaps the sternest – test in the form of a tour to India, couldn’t have come at a more challenging time.
Indian captain Virat Kohli celebrates as his opposite number Faf du Plessis is adjudged leg before wicket, during South Africa's last tour of India in 2015. AFP
However, even with their backs against the wall, a little peek into South Africa's preparations will reveal that the visitors have gone the extra mile to usher in a new dawn.
An 'unofficial' five-match ODI series before the T20I series was arranged against India A. In addition to the limited-overs games, two first-class matches and one practice fixture against Board President's XI were part of the tour. Several members of South Africa's T20I and Test squads featured in those games. The CSA even organised a week-long spin camp comprising 15 members in Bengaluru in August.
Off-spinner Dane Piedt, who was part of the India tour back in 2015 and is likely to play a key role along with Keshav Maharaj, led the group of young bowlers like Bjorn Fortuin, Tsepo Ndwandwa and Senuran Muthusamy.
Along with Russell Domingo, the ‘A’ team coach, CSA also sent former left-arm wrist spinner, Paul Adams, as the spin bowling consultant while former batsman Ashwell Prince was named as the batting consultant for the camp.
“We have identified Aiden Markram, Zubayr Hamza and Temba Bavuma as key Proteas batsmen to benefit from this project and we have also included some of our potential stars of the future such as Janneman Malan and Sinethemba Qeshile, who have already both played for the Proteas, as well as Matthew Breetzke,” CSA Chief Executive Thabang Moroe had said in a media release.
Leaving no stone unturned, the tourists even roped in India’s domestic giant and former Mumbai captain Amol Muzumdar in their coaching setup for the series to guide the younger batsman against spin bowling.
Some of the results have already bore fruit. Fortuin had an impressive start to his international career in the T20I series. Bavuma, whose stay in India has already extended over a month now, made a couple of significant contributions in his debut T20I series before carrying his confidence to score an unbeaten 87 against the BPXI last week. Highly-promising talent, Aiden Markram, warmed-up with two centuries from three games on this tour.
Skipper Faf du Plessis (L) with his deputy Temba Bavuma during pre-series practice. AP
South Africa spinners, Maharaj and Piedt, might not match India's Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja pound-for-pound, but Maharaj said that he aims to replicate the consistency of his more established contemporaries, Ashwin and Jadeja, reflects his desire to leave a mark in upcoming series.
With 94 wickets in 25 Tests at an average of 28.44, including a nine-wicket haul in an innings in Sri Lanka last year, Maharaj possesses a serious threat. While Piedt, too, has come into the side on the back of some excellent performances. The Cape Cobras captain with 54 wickets from 10 First-Class games was the leading wicket-taker in 4-day franchise series in South Africa. The right-arm off-spinner also took five wickets in the practice match in Mysore.
Despite South Africa’s best efforts, their slightly inexperienced batting might come short against the deadly spin combo of Ashwin and Jadeja and will be heavily relied on experienced players in Dean Elgar, Du Plessis and Quinton de Kock to do the bulk of the scoring. However, having done their homework right, South Africa can justifiably dream of toppling India off their perch.
South Africa’s Test squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma (vc), Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock (wk), Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Heinrich Klassen.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2n8zk60
After rumours floating around in 2017 of an Intervals India debut, the Canadian prog metal band is finally coming to the country later this year. Between 30 October and 3 November, the band will perform at Bacardi NH7 Weekender’s Meghalaya edition, with additional dates in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. “We’ve been talking about this for a few years now, so I’m very excited to finally be making it happen,” says Aaron Marshall, guitarist and founder of the band, in an email interview with Firstpost.
Intervals India tour. Photo credit: Facebook @intervalsmusic
Intervals’ India tour is arranged by Bohemian Live in the three cities, and Gravity Talent at Weekender. This seems to have become possible primarily because of the genre’s growing popularity. As Amarjeet Singha of Bohemian Live explains, “We knew that Intervals had a lot of fans in India, and also owing to the recent success of tours involving artists in the same genre.” Marshall pins down the upsurge in popularity of instrumental music to specific factors. “The genre is still quite niche, of course, but I do believe that it is the biggest and best it’s ever been,” he says.
This, according to him, is a result of guitarists’ approach to music and composition, with room for more unique sounds to carve their own niche. “I would attribute that to the focus being routed more in quality composition overall, and less about guitar as a “sport”, if you will,” he says about the flashy, stereotypical showmanship many guitarists emulate, adding, “There’s so much more room now for all the wonderfully nuanced aspects that the instrument and its players have to offer.”
Marshall himself explores the instrument with great virtuosity, has a consistently experimental approach to composition, and is widely regarded for a sound that is as melodic as it is upbeat and heavy, and above all, entirely consuming. The start of his guitar instrumental composition journey is the relatively straightforward story of a passionate individual having, early on, discovered a sound he could relate to, and continuing on in the same language. “I think it honestly just sort of came from necessity. I’ve always been into instrumental, and guitar-driven music, and when I started composing music on my own, it just began to head in that direction,” he explains.
His process of composing seems as intuitive as his choice of genre. “I don’t really have one tried and true method that I implement when composing," he reveals. Simply, ideas come to him and he explores them, letting the music guide his direction.
“I find an idea in the form of a riff, chord progression, or melody, and explore its identity to find where it came from, or where it wants to go and let that unfold naturally.
My objective is to listen and not force anything. Sometimes entire compositions take shape in a single session, other times I’ll work on a tune for weeks. It’s a case per case process for me,” he explains.
While Intervals’ music is known for its uplifting, positive quality, Marshall doesn’t orient his process with specific themes in mind. “My music is the result of discovering ideas on my instrument, intuitively, and then listening closer as I explore, in order to grow them naturally. No preconceived themes, or anything like that.” The happy music then, seems essentially to be an imprint of the inner workings of his mind. This has been his approach from the start, where in the past Marshall has described Intervals as his “outlet for all things guitar and music related” and now has similar advice for young indie artists:
“Make art for yourself and don't fixate on, or pander to current trends in the space that your music exists in. Just do what comes honestly and naturally.”
After two EPs, The Space Between in 2011 and In Time in 2012, Intervals’ debut full-length album, 2014’s A Voice Within, was the first to feature vocals by Mike Semesky, with Marshall returning to instrumental compositions with later releases. “Of course, it was something we tried with AVW in 2014, and I’m glad I did, for numerous reasons. I’m still so proud of that record, but it did ultimately show me where my honest passion for this music lies and everything from there forward has felt natural and organic,” says Marshall.
A Voice Within was followed by The Shape of Colour in 2015, and since the release of their third album The Way Forward in 2017, Intervals has consistently been touring. After their four-show India tour, they head off on a two-month North America tour supporting Chon and Between the Buried and Me. About the gear he'll be using on tour, Marshall says that things are changing for him at the moment. “I’m not really at liberty to speak on that just yet, so let’s just say it’s going to be a surprise,” he says.
Amidst all the touring, he also finds it hard to schedule in time for composing. “I’ve got new material shaping up, but there is time scheduled specifically for writing when all of my touring for this year is finished and we can finally wrap this cycle up,” says Marshall about new music. And about the direction the new music is taking, he explains: “As for now, I'm focused on continuing to hone and refine my sound and style... I'm always open to collaborations, but in the same sense as how I compose music, I do what comes naturally,” adding: “I’m bringing a wide variety of tunes for these shows though, and since this is the first time in India, it will all be new for you guys!”
In preparing for tours, Marshall’s challenges range from trying to cover a lot of ground in terms of how much music he can incorporate into a set, to logistical details like crew and merchandise and figuring out gear-related things – issues faced by most indie artists.
Having achieved spectacular success as an independent musician himself, Marshall has spoken at length – in previous interviews – about treating his band as a business and often refers to himself as an entrepreneur. Now, he also emphasises that every other aspect of a band besides the music is as important: “You need to eat, sleep and breathe it, in all aspects, especially the details that exist beyond the music itself.
I think independent artistry in the modern music industry truly is entrepreneurship
as it encompasses digital marketing, creative brand direction, and an overall business oriented mind-set,” he says, “My advice is observe those who are doing what you are striving to do yourself and pay attention to their moves. It is important to assimilate those traits in your own way and within the parameters of your band/identity.”
As for the music he's currently listening to — “I’m all over the place, haha. Here’s what’s at the top of my Apple Music, currently: Travis Scott, Joshua De La Victoria, Evan Marien, Pendulum, Nothing, Nowhere, Slipknot, Kehlani, Dwilly, Chon.”
Intervals' debut India tour runs from 30 October to 3 November. More details here.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2oNszXv
The official trailer of Babak Anvari's psychological thriller Wounds has been released. Starring Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson, and Zazie Beetz in the lead, the film is based on the novella The Visible Filth by Nathan Ballingrud.
Armie Hammer plays a New Orleans bartender Will, who lives with his girlfriend Carrie (Dakota). One day, after a violent brawl between two of his customers at the bar, Will discovers a cellphone at the site. When he retrieves the bloodied phone to return it to its owner, he starts receiving ominous messages. As the messages become more horrific by the day, Will is subjected to disturbing visions.
A still from Wounds trailer. YouTube screengrab
Wounds had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 26 January, and will begin to stream on Netflix on 18 October. It will also be screened as part of the BFI London Film Festival 2019, according to Mirror.
The other projects Hammer is involved in are Dreamland, Death on the Nile, and Rebecca. Dreamland, a Belgian-Canadian thriller, has been written and directed by Nicholas Jarecki, and stars Gary Oldman, Evangeline Lilly, Greg Kinnear, Michelle Rodriguez, Luke Evans, Lily-Rose Depp, Kid Cudi, and Veronica Ferres, apart from Hammer. Directed by Kenneth Branagh and written by Michael Green, Death on the Nile is a sequel to the 2017 thriller Murder on the Orient Express. The film features an ensemble cast, comprising Jodie Comer, Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Ali Fazal, and Russell Brand, and will see Branagh reprise his role as Hercule Poirot.
On the other hand, Dakota Johnson will be seen in Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz' directorial The Peanut Butter Falcon. The film its world premiere at South by Southwest, and also features Shia LaBeouf, Zack Gottsagen, John Hawkes, Bruce Dern, Jon Bernthal, and Thomas Haden Church.
The thirteenth season of Bigg Boss has begun, and the second day inside the house has been quite eventful. As per reports in Hindustan Times, following are the highlights of day 2.
Asim Riaz, one of the contestants this year, began the spate of controversies with his insistence on not wearing his shirt. After their big introduction, when the contestants were signing off for the night, Asim entered the bedroom, stripped down to only his shorts. Even after his female co-contestants requested him to wear one, Asim was ready with multiple excuses each time. When he was asked to pick up any one of the many shirts he had displayed earlier, he replied saying each of them was assigned for a particular day.
Another contestant, Sidharth Dey, was too noisy while sleeping. His loud snoring disturbed contestants and even managed to wake up Rashami Desai. Despite drawing loud laughs for his sleep patterns, Sidharth was blissfully unaware, and slept through it all.
Paras Chhabra and Sidharth picked numerous fights with Asim in the house. On one occasion, while Asim was recounting his time spent with black people, he termed them as 'kaale', and immediately, Dey called him out for being racist. The other contestants also chipped in, and said he should not use such terms in regard to any particular community, but Asim refused to have any of it and got defensive.
Paras also voiced his irritation with Asim to Aarti Singh, stating that his fake accent during the launch annoyed him and also made Aarti laugh. Calling him a jhandu model, Paras said ‘kutta irritating hai’ (this dog is irritating).
Later in the night, Asim sang songs with Shehnaaz. He sang a rap song, which was self-composed, and spoke about it, saying most of the people around him asked him to stay away from the black community, but he continued his association. “Na chodeya main kaaleaan da saath,” (I will not leave the blacks) sang Asim. This irritated Paras further, and he again called Asim out. Paras also reprimanded him for mentioning his state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Maalkin Ameesha Patel entered the house with the grocery challenge for the week. The contestants had to pick up groceries from the collection Patel brought in, and had to form a human chain, transferring the items only with the help of their mouths. After numerous laughs, awkward moments, and rounds of tolerating bad breath, the contestants managed to get in a decent haul for the week.
Check out how the contestants did the grocery task
Ameesha made a second entry into the Bigg Boss house, and asked the female contestants to choose two male nominees, who they felt had performed the least so far. The most number of votes went to Asim and Paras. Then there were rounds of various minor tasks and a fun ramp walk, after which Ameesha handed them two black hearts. Audiences are yet to know the function of the black hearts.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2niqpyO
Most people often spend hours and days with their buddies discussing the great business ideas they are convinced will make them rich and famous. With the growth of entrepreneurial setups booming in India, we are just one great idea away from changing our destiny — and that is the story of Netflix’s upcoming film Upstarts.
Netflix has today announced that Upstarts will release exclusively on the service on 18 October.
Produced by Bandra West Pictures, the film features Priyanshu Painyuli, Shadab Kamal, Chandrachoor Rai, Sheetal Thakur, Rajeev Siddhartha, and Swati Semwal, along with actor Eijaaz Khan, in lead roles. The film has been directed by Udai Singh Pawar, with Raja Krishna Menon as the Creative Producer.
Check out the trailer of Upstarts
The story follows the journey of three young college graduates Kapil (Priyanshu Painyuli), Yash (Chandrachoor Rai), and Vinay (Shadab Kamal), from small towns in India, who are captivated by the startup mania sweeping the country. The three friends now want to set up their own company that will change the world, while making them lots of money. As they enter this roller coaster ecosystem of big dreams, big money, and bigger sharks, they face the biggest question: What has greater value, their dreams or their friendship?
The clip depicts how the three continue to brainstorm one idea after another and finally seem to settle with a phone application which serves as a delivery service for emergency medicines in what looks like a small town (Sitapur) in India.
Upstarts is the story of numerous millennials in India, who dream to make it big on their own, only to discover that the journey to success is a lot harder than they expected.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2oP9Las
Rohit Sharma is into the position before the bowler digs it short and then comes that 'Natraja' pull shot. With a very little swivel and a lot of elegance. No brute force, just touch, and placement. A sight to behold as if an artist just whisked his paint brush on the canvas. It's as if Rohit had an extra second to judge the length of the ball. Or he certainly reads the delivery from the hand of the bowler before other batsmen. That has been the secret of Rohit's unprecedented success in white-ball cricketer — extra time. But there's one area where he's running out of time, in saving his Test career.
At the age of 32, Rohit doesn't have much time time left to prove himself in Test cricket after repeated failures but he has another opportunity knocking on his door. And this time he will be donning the role of an opener. A role that has made him the 'Hitman'.
“Rohit Sharma has been selected in the side as an opener. He will open in the three matches," said selector MSK Prasad after Test team announcement for series against South Africa.
Rohit Sharma's last Test came in Australia in December last year. AFP
Gifted with strokeplay and timing, Rohit, for long, teased the fans with brilliance and dismay. But it all changed in 2013. Asked to open the innings in ODIs, the right-hander went from an inconsistent talent to unstoppable force. Three ODI triple tons, four T20I centuries, numerous match-winning innings, there's no end to his long list of accomplishments. And yet during all this time, he, for some reason, has failed to find his bearings in Test cricket.
It was also in 2013 that he made his Test debut. A 177 on debut, a 111* in next innings but then the scores started dwindling. Rohit kept reaching new heights in shorter formats and kept reaching new lows in Tests. He was rested, dropped, axed, everything. Eventually, after all these years, he only has 27 Tests to his name and 218 ODIs.
But the suffering of Indian openers have forced the selectors to now look back at Rohit as the top-order guy. In last two years, India have tried out seven openers — KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Parthiv Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, and Hanuma Vihari, but only one has stuck so far — Agarwal. While Shaw has great numbers to show, his injury and doping ban have kept him out for now.
Rahul's disastrous run of form tied the hands of selectors into trying Rohit as the opener — in a position that has brought him all the success in other formats. In Tests, it will be the first time he will be opening. A few times he has batted at No 3 and 4 but has largely been a 5 and 6 in his Test career. Those spots are not vacant anymore; Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari have sealed it for themselves.
Why Rohit fails in Tests?
Test cricket is a different beast, and Rohit's certain technical limitations have made it tougher form him to tame the beast. Rohit never had a long stride like other successful batsmen. He has an instinctive forward press and plays a majority of his shots from the same position. He plays on front foot and back foot from the same position with just a subtle transfer of weight depending upon which feet he will be using. In shorter formats, tight lines make it easy for him to get behind the ball and play his shots. In Tests, there's more freedom to the bowlers and balls are outside the off-stump. Rohit is inevitably forced to play away from the body, hence the edges. If one moves back in, lbw or getting bowled is a sure shot opportunity. Exactly 55 percent of his dismissals in Test cricket has been either bowled, lbw or caught behind.
Rohit Sharma has never opened is Tests for India. PTI
Can Rohit succeed as an opener and what would it mean for India?
Rohit's Test average is a shade over 39. His away average is 26.32, however, his home average is 85.44. Rohit loves scoring at home and there's a good chance he would do well, especially as an opener. He's familiar with the role, the pitches will be in its best shape at the start of innings. There's rarely steep bounce or swing in Indian conditions. It's tailor-made for Rohit to succeed. But then, the World Test Championships is on.
India will be playing New Zealand and Australia away from home before the final and also England and South Africa by the end of 2021. So, this is a long-term investment for India. They want a long-term opener and want to maximise the full potential of Rohit. Now the question is, can Rohit be India's openers in away Tests even if he succeeds at home? He can or cannot be. The answer to that question, for now, lies in Rohit's hands.
Despite all the fallacies, Virender Sehwag conquered the summit of Tests as an opener, so should Rohit. But for every Sehwag, we also have an Aaron Finch. Rohit would do well to pick the best from Sehwag. While the Mumbai batsman has more shots than the former opener, Sehwag had a better defence. He was smart to judge which ball to leave and which to one to go for. Defend the incoming one, put away the bad one and leave the good one was Sehwag's mantra.
Besides taking a leaf out of Sehwag's book, there's also a lot of himself that he needs to put into the process. Mainly, not compromising on his natural game. It's the flow of his batting that makes Rohit the dangerous prospect. He must keep his mind clear, continue playing his shots, albeit on the merit of the ball.
But most importantly, if he fails to click, it could be the endgame for Rohit in Tests. And at such an important crossroad, what matters the most is how badly he needs it because belief can move mountains. If it's about giving it another try, it may not work. But if it's about, taking something by the scruff on the neck, it may click for forever.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2mt3ZdH
Manchester: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer jealously lauded the killer touch of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after the Arsenal striker secured a 1-1 draw for the Gunners at Old Trafford on Monday.
File image of Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Reuters
A return of just nine points from their opening seven games is United's worst league start for 30 years and leaves them already 12 points behind leaders Liverpool in 10th.
Solskjaer's side have not scored more than one goal since the opening weekend of the season, while Aubameyang took his tally for the season to eight in eight games, seven of which have come in the Premier League.
"It's another game that we are 1-0 up," said Solskjaer. "1-0 at Southampton, 1-0 up at Wolves, we need to learn to win these games.
"We go 1-0 up and then we don't get the second goal that we want to get. That's the learning now for this time. Be more cynical, clinical."
Aubameyang's equaliser just before the hour mark was only awarded after a VAR review with the Gabon international initially wrongly flagged offside.
Bukayo Saka pounced on a misplaced pass deep inside the United half and his through ball freed Aubameyang, who was clearly played onside by Harry Maguire.
"Seven now in seven games, so that's clinical," added Solskjaer admiringly of Aubameyang.
"VAR is a work in progress, but I'm for right decisions and they definitely deserved their goal today."
For many years the clashes between these sides were the Premier League's marquee fixtures.
United and Arsenal were the champions of England for nine consecutive seasons between 1996 and 2004.
However, the fact they were facing off on a Monday night because neither are in Champions League action later this week was reflected in a first 45 minutes devoid of inspiration.
"I think both Man Utd and us have quality players and we need to improve, to work, to improve physically and tactically to achieve the best performance," said Arsenal boss Unai Emery.
The one moment of quality separated the sides just before the break as Scott McTominay's stunning strike put United in front.
Daniel James led a counter-attack from an Arsenal corner and after his cross just evaded Marcus Rashford, the England international cut the ball back to the edge of the box where McTominay smashed into the top corner.
That was the first goal United had scored a goal from open play at home in the first-half this season.
And they failed to find another goal despite dominating after Arsenal's equaliser.
Paul Pogba fired inches wide from the edge of the area before McTominay somehow didn't score his second of the night with a free header six yards out from a corner.
Bernd Leno produced a fine save to turn a piledriver from Maguire over as the world's most expensive defender tried to atone for his earlier error.
But the German goalkeeper's best save of the evening came at the death as he flew to his left to turn Rashford's powerful free-kick to safety.
Arsenal remain without a league victory at Old Trafford since 2006, but a point is enough to edge them back into the top four on goal difference.
"We wanted to win because we were thinking it was a very good opportunity here to achieve the three points," added Emery.
"After 90 minutes I think it was a fair result for both sides."
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2oPvEGF
“I am fighting for attention, and these two (Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff) are hogging all the limelight,” laughs Vaani Kapoor, the female lead of upcoming action drama War, produced by Yash Raj Films (YRF).
Vaani, who returns to celluloid post a three-year hiatus with Bang Bang-fame Siddharth Anand-helmed action thriller, stars in the first-ever film to unite the two actors. However, Vaani does not seem to mind the heroes taking the centre-stage. “There is a graph to the character that I am portraying. It’s quite pivotal, and nicely linked to the storyline of the film. Even though it is driven by these two mega stars, and it is an action film, there is a lot of story that everybody will discover. Every project has a different storyline, and I don’t want to prove a point by saying that I will only support films in which I have the meatiest part ,” she says.
Vaani Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan in a still from War. YouTube
“Secondly," she continues, "I liked the idea that it is an action film. I love watching action films like Charlie’s Angel,NakedWeapon, and I also love superhero films which have lot of action. I may not have a big screen time but it is amazing to have Hrithik and Tiger as co-actors. They are phenomenal in every form, when it comes to acting, action, dancing, looks."
While Vaani is tight-lipped about doing action sequences in War, the actress had to undergo grueling sessions of pilates, yoga, and weight training to match energy with her two co-stars, for both action and dance. “I was very nervous to dance with Hrithik. I would be delusional to think that I can dance as good as him. But I just got to do one groovy step with him. He was like, ‘Listen, just have fun. Don’t over think, calm down.' I was having fun, and cut two, when I see it on the screen, I am like, ‘Hey, he is not having fun, he is doing it right,” she giggles.
After making a promising big-screen debut with YRF’s rom-com Shuddh Desi Romance (2013), a critical and commercial success that saw her sweep the best debut awards, Vaani had to wait for three long years for her second release, Aditya Chopra’s Befikre (2016). The romantic comedy, co-starring Ranveer Singh, was an average grosser at the box office. It has been three years since then and now, after another long wait, the actress is gearing up for her third release. “I am very choosy, and that is why I took three years to come back. I got scripts but there was always something missing, and I didn’t feel deeply passionate about those scripts. It is in my nature, be it films, work or my personal life. I have a handful of friends, who I completely welcome in my life, and who know me inside out. It has to be a few but the most important is being quality-oriented rather than quantity. And it is not that I am some megastar who will have insane amount of scripts to choose from. I wanted to wait for something better to come along,” she explains.
From her debut role in Shuddh Desi Romance, the film that dealt with live-in relationships, to 'Shyra'- an uninhibited and carefree girl in Befikre, Vaani's characters break the glass ceilings of a traditional girl-next-door portrayal. There is a side relatable in War, she says. “I don’t know if any of these characters in these three films that I have played have any resemblance to me in particular but there is a side that is a lot more soft and relatable in War. Sid (director) has presented me in a different way from whatever I have done in the past,” she says. “But not just Shuddh Desi Romance, my performance in Befikre also garnered good reviews. Even if a scene is not so dramatic, and it is lighthearted, sometimes even that gets very tricky to pull off, and especially since I was nothing like that character. For me, the first half of the film was very alien. I don’t have it in me to go to a club and pick up a boy with ease, and make it look convincing and not look tacky. For that, your body language and thought process, everything requires a lot of work,” she says.
As compared to her previous two directors — Maneesh Sharma (Shuddh Desi Romance) and Aditya Chopra (Befikre), Vaani finds her War director the coolest of all. But she admits that she was terrified of Sharma. “Aditya is also very chilled out but there are times where he loses patience. Sid is very flamboyant and cool. I feel as if he is my age. I had so much fun shooting with him. He is such a relaxed and easy-going person yet he can make a film which can look so larger- than- life and that is some talent talking. But I was scared of Maneesh Sharma, even more than Aditya. Maneesh had this judging look whether I can play Tara. And I could never understand Tara as a character. I felt what kind of girl she is because she was fine with the guy cheating on her the second time. Whenever I would say that aloud I could see Maneesh giving me that look that I should shut up,” she laughs.
Vaani Kapoor. Image from Twitter/@Qanivurjanim
“But now I feel proud of that film, and all thanks to the director, he made me play that character somehow though I was struggling to understand ‘her’ and ‘her’ motive behind why she’s doing whatever she is doing, and why she is reacting the way she is. It is all the director who made it happen to me,” says Vaani, as she recalls her struggle period. “For Shuddh Desi..., I gave countless auditions because Maneesh wanted to be 100 percent sure before he took a newcomer on. Even before Befikre, I gave several auditions for months without knowing the outcome. Each day would feel heavy, and I went through a lot of stress cracking every audition and making sure that it is your best while you are being judged and tested constantly,” she says.
During the period Vaani remained absent from the silver screen, a flurry of new actresses made their way into the Hindi film industry, making competition tougher than ever before. Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, and Ananya Panday, to name a few, emerged as new choices of filmmakers. “I try to nurture what I have, and not try constantly thinking and wallow about, ‘Oh which project I have, and what I don’t have and what are the others doing' because that is a bad way of looking at things. It is nice to see so many creative people coming in. We all have creative sides and it is nice that lot of people are getting chance to showcase their talent. It is also nice that so many filmmakers are taking chance on newcomers,” she says, commenting on the growing competition.
Vaani’s next release is dacoit drama Shamshera, directed by Karan Malhotra, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt. Shamshera will be Vaani’s fourth film with YRF. The actress is now looking forward to working outside the banner. “Of course, I want to work outside Yash Raj. I am thinking. Actually, I don’t know the industry that well. I have been in my cocoon where I have not socialised so much, and I have not even worked with many people. I know Ayushmann (Khurrana). I have hung out with Anushka (Sharma). Ranveer (Singh) is nice. Some of these guys I know because I have worked with them.”
It looks like Vaani is in no hurry to go on a signing spree. “You can come under pressure when people give you lot of suggestions. They may say ride the wave when it is high and not let go of opportunities, and you should be more visible, more social. All those voices are always there. You see the chatter happening. But when these things don’t come organically to me, I can just not follow these, and Adi’s (her mentor Aditya Chopra) advice is to be who you are and you will attract like-minded people. People, who appreciate you for the kind of work you do, will come to you. You don’t have to impress people,” she says.
For the 30-year-old actress, cinema remains her first love. “I can express myself in ways that even I might not have thought of. I am not good at expressing myself as me so I feel more comfortable expressing myself as other characters. I love cinema. It is just magical. You have so many amazing stories, and to be part of great stories, I find it cool. I can’t see myself doing anything else,” she concludes.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2nkxBdA
Sydney: South African great AB de Villiers will make his debut in Australia's Twenty20 Big Bash League during the 2019-20 season after signing with Brisbane Heat, the team announced on Tuesday.
File image of AB de Villiers. Reuters
The 35-year-old prolific batsman will join the Heat for the second half of the eight-team competition that runs from December to February.
Coach Darren Lehmann said he was "over the moon" to have the opportunity to work with de Villiers for the first time.
"World class players don't just come along every day and to have a player of AB's stature and skill in the BBL is a fantastic outcome for everyone, not just the Heat," he said.
"He's a 360-degree player, great skills, outstanding temperament and an insightful leader."
De Villiers played 114 Tests, 228 one-dayers and 78 Twenty20s in a 14-year career for the Proteas before retiring from international cricket in 2018.
He starred for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in this year's Indian Premier League, scoring 442 runs at an average of 44.20 with a rapid strike rate of 154.
He said the decision to join the Heat for the BBL from January, including the finals should they qualify, was an easy one to make.
"They play the kind of brand that I want to be associated with. It's quite aggressive, they go after the attack, and I'm looking forward to going to the Gabba," de Villiers said.
"It's a beautiful cricket field. It's a great wicket and games are always of a high quality."
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2o5MDUA
Netflix announced Monday a fourth season of retro sci-fi show Stranger Things, the site's most successful original production, as it bids to fend off intense competition from other streaming platforms.
A still from Stranger Things season 3
The video subscription service added that it had entered into a multi-year deal with the hit series' creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, to work on unspecified film and series projects.
Stranger Things, a nostalgic 1980s drama about a gang of suburban adolescents battling supernatural monsters, became an instant hit for Netflix when it was launched in 2016.
The third season smashed the platform's global viewing records in July when 40.7 million accounts viewed it in its first four days of airing.
The finale to the third season left the door firmly open for a sequel.
Netflix announced the fourth series by tweeting a video along with the tag line "We're not in Hawkins anymore," a reference to the fictional Indiana town where the story began.
The tweet appears to suggest that the monsters in the show now live somewhere else, as hinted at the end of season three.
The Duffer brothers were virtually unknown when Netflix commissioned their idea about teenagers confronting supernatural creatures and a parallel universe in a smalltown American.
"We can't wait to see what The Duffer Brothers have in store when they step outside the world of The Upside Down," said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos, referring to the alternative universe in "Stranger Things.
He did not give any further details about their future productions in the press release.
Netflix is the market leader in global television and film streaming, with over 140 million paying accounts worldwide.
It is accelerating its content production as Apple, Disney, WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal launch their own streaming platforms.
from Firstpost Bollywood Latest News https://ift.tt/2n7sU7a
New Delhi: The Haryana government has requested the Committee of Administrators to appoint a "supervisory committee" to run cricket in the region, reacting to reports that the state's cricket association is yet to comply with Lodha reforms.
Representational image. AFP
A top official of Haryana Cricket Association promptly rejected the claims, saying they have already amended its constitution in line with the Supreme Court's judgement dated 9 August, 2018 and that the unit is "fully compliant".
A letter from the Principal Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Haryana government, stated that it is "seized of the situation" though it wouldn't like to "interfere in the internal affairs of Haryana and BCCI in general".
"The government requests the BCCI to appoint a Supervisory Committee for ensuring steps that would enable participation by Haryana players in the Ranji Trophy and other domestic tournaments," the principal secretary wrote.
The letter, addressed to the CoA, is in possession of PTI.
A few people in the state cricket fraternity saw the move as a deliberate attempt to stall reforms in Haryana cricket, claiming that the constitution is fully Lodha compliant.
"This is a deliberate attempt to stall the reforms in Haryana cricket and if anyone is unfair with them, they will still play fair but we will play hard. The constitution is fully compliant.
"If there is any attempt to appoint supervisory committee, it will be appropriately dealt in the court of law as it is a contempt of court," a miffed senior BCCI functionary said.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/2ngMnlL
