News

The man who tried to stab Salman Rushdie, leaving the author partially blind, was found guilty of attempted murder Friday, Feb. 21, ABC News reports.

The jury deliberated for under two hours before returning the conviction for 27-year-old Hadi Matar. He was found guilty of second-degree attempted murder, as well as assault for injuries inflicted on Ralph Henry Reese. Matar will be sentenced on April 23 and faces up to 32 years in prison.

A lawyer for Matar, as well as a rep for Rushdie, did not immediately return requests for comment.

Rushdie...

In Deepa Mehta’s screen adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s epic novel Midnight’s Children, Darsheel Safary got his second chance in a row to play the lead actor for the second time in a row after Taare Zameen Par at the age of 15. In this exclusive interview, he speaks about the experience.

Darsheel, Midnight’s Children completes twelve years?

Midnight’s Children was an incredibly ambitious and unique project. Playing Saleem Sinai right after Taare Zameen Par was both exhilarating and challenging.

The two characters were completely different from one another?

Ishaan Awasthi was a deeply internalized character, but Saleem had an epic, almost mythical journey, growing up in a newly independent India, dealing with questions of identity, destiny, and personal transformation.

What was it like being directed by Deepa Mehta?

Deepa Ma’am is known for her bold and visionary storytelling. I feel she saw in me a certain rawness and...

After years of holding back Booker-winning author Salman Rushdie finally consented to let his dear friend Deepa Mehta film his most celebrated work Midnight’s Children. As the film turns 16 on February 1, we recall an interview with Mr Rushdie on the film.

How effectively and deeply has the film Midnight’s Children managed to convey the spirit and essence of your novel?

I’m happy that so many people who have seen the film have felt that it did justice to the original. Various Indian writers have seen it already, including Anita Desai, Kiran Desai, Suketu Mehta, and I’ve been much heartened by their approval.

Which of the actors in Midnight’s Children, in your opinion, have nailed their characters most effectively?

We are incredibly lucky in our cast. The performances throughout the film are outstanding, and it would be hard to pick out one or two names. But if you twist my arm,...

Barbra Streisand’s memoir, My Name Is Barbra, was a decades-long undertaking. The actress and musician began working on the project in the late Nineties, years after former First Lady Jackie Kennedy first approached her about writing a book. A series of starts and stops followed, leading to the eventual release of the autobiography in 2023. Now, it’s time to reap the rewards, or rather, awards.

Streisand’s narration of My Name Is Barbra was nominated for Audiobook of the Year at the 2025 Audie Awards. The recording is up against...

Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satantic Verses hadn’t been sold in India, the country of the author’s birth, for 36 years, until this week.

The novel, which forced the India-born author into hiding after its publication in 1988, has gone on sale at Bahrisons Booksellers in New Delhi, and the news has been met warmly by members of India’s publishing community.

According to The BBC and The Guardian, the book’s reappearance in India has come after a Delhi High Court ruled that its ban could be invalid as authorities seeking to keep it could not provide the relevant notification of the government’s original ban. Though importing the book appears to remain illegal, publishing it is not and the ruling has clearly empowered the local publishing business to act. The situation has perplexed Indian legal experts, with no precedent from which to work.

Awarded the Booker Prize, the...

Why was it argued that Gabriel García Márquez’s 1967 literary masterwork “One Hundred Years of Solitude” is un-filmable and anti-cinematic, while the novel is one of the most picturesque pieces of literature ever written? One can hardly finish this 422-page novel without bypassing the images it evokes. I assume, the reason behind this ‘un-filmability’ or ‘un-adaptability’ lies in the kaleidoscope of realism that stems from Gabriel García Márquez’s life and works.

Once, while delivering a lecture on García Márquez at the Harry Ransom Center, Salman Rushdie remarked that, while reading García Márquez’s works, his readers’ often, enchanted by the ‘Magic,’ overlook the ‘Real.’ This magic of Gabo, which at times overshadowed the real, is perhaps one of the key reasons for making it look like cinema or television is inefficient in adapting his texts. But, García Márquez, who throughout his life was inextricably involved with cinema, himself did...

A new documentary on the alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione is in the works from the Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney.

Per Variety, the documentary will be produced by Anonymous Content and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions and serves as the first project about the December 4th murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.

Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, was apprehended for the murder at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania five days after the incident. He was found with a gun and silencer, fake IDs, and a three-page “manifesto” centering on the American healthcare system.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said shell casings recovered from the site of the shooting were matched to the gun and Mangione’s fingerprints were also matched to a water bottle found near the scene.

It’s been reported that Mangione suffered from debilitating back pain and had received treatment through surgery...

Anonymous Content and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions are teaming up to develop and produce a documentary project about the December 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

From the crime’s seemingly meticulous execution to the alleged killer’s manifesto and his Ivy League background to the public’s unapologetic apathy towards the victim, the investigative deep dive will ask how killers are created, what this killing says about our society and the values we place on who lives and who dies.

Thompson, who became UnitedHealthcare’s CEO in April 2021 after more than 20 years at the company, was shot and killed on the morning of December 4th in midtown Manhattan. The shooting has sparked a national conversation around Americans’ frustration with the healthcare industry and health insurance companies’ denial of claims and care, as well as rising costs. According to multiple news sources, UnitedHealthcare has the highest claim denial rate among American insurance companies,...

It was a story that rocked the nation. And now, the first project about the brazen, broad daylight killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is on the way.

Anonymous Content and Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Prods. are teaming up to develop and produce a documentary about the Dec. 4 fatal shooting that took place in midtown Manhattan just before Thompson was set to speak at an investor conference.

Five days after the shooting, Luigi Mangione was apprehended at a McDonald’s in Pennsylvania for the killing, adding a compelling layer to the tale given that the handsome 26-year-old was the valedictorian of his posh Maryland high school and is an Ivy League graduate. Mangione was allegedly carrying a manifesto when he was detained that referenced another documentarian, Michael Moore, whose 2007 film “Sicko” offered a searing indictment of the U.S. healthcare system. The new doc from Anonymous and Jigsaw will explore how killers are created,...

The winners are in for Google Play's annual awards, including the top apps, games and books of 2024. Event planning platform Partiful took home the award for best overall app, with fantasy RPG Afk Journey taking the honors for best overall game. Best multi-device app and game awards went to HBO's Max app and Clash of Clans , respectively, and the rest of the game awards included a few notable standouts, like Solo Leveling: Arise for Best Story and Honkai: Star Rail for Best Ongoing. Google also named Ai Shimizu's Breakfast with My Two-Tailed Cat —which Seven Seas Entertainment publishes in English—as its pick for Favorite Cozy Manga. Here's an overview of this year's honors: Google Play's Best of 2024 Best Overall App: Partiful Best Overall Game: Afk Journey Best Multi-device App: Max Best Multi-device Game: Clash of Clans Best Apps of 2024 Best for Fun: Mila by Camilla Lorentzen Best for Personal...

Hermann Vaske on Isabella Rossellini in Can Creativity Save the World?: “That was a set-up interview when she presented Casablanca at MoMA. It had to do with an Ingrid Bergman anniversary …” and Isabella at La Grenouille for David O. Russell’s Joy luncheon in the same Dries Van Noten outfit Photo: courtesy of Hermann Vaske and Anne-Katrin Titze

In the first instalment with Can Creativity Save The World? director Hermann Vaske, we were joined by music producer and 99 Records founder Ed Bahlman. In the second instalment we touched upon Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker with a new crop of climate activists, including Luisa Neubauer and Lakshmi Thevasagayam, the power of hope, a couple of Albert Einstein quotes, Garry Kasparov, AI challenges, interesting doublings with Günter Grass and Salman Rushdie, John Cleese, Nick Cave, Slavoj Žižek, Quentin Tarantino, Hans Zimmer, meeting the great Oscar Niemeyer at the Copacabana, Le Corbusier,...

South Korean writer Han Kang, whose international breakthrough novel The Vegetarian was made into a film, has won the Nobel Prize in Literature 2024.

The Swedish Academy unveiled the honoree Thursday, lauding “her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.”

Han’s 2007 novel The Vegetarian, her first novel to be translated into English, won the International Booker Prize in 2015. The story of Yeong-hye, a part-time graphic artist and homemaker, whose decision to stop eating meat leads to mental health struggles and problems in her familial life, was adapted as a feature film by Woo-Seong Lim and screened at Sundance in 2010.

The honor is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in 1895. The others are prizes in chemistry, physics and medicine, as well as the Nobel Peace Prize.

Han Kang is the first South Korean to win the literature Nobel.

Longtime broadcast journalist and author Jane Pauley and documentarian/director Alex Gibney have been tapped to receive lifetime achievement awards at the 45th annual News & Documentary Emmys. The honors were revealed Wednesday by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Pauley, currently the host of “CBS News Sunday Morning,” will receive her award during the news ceremony portion of the awards on Wed., September 25, while Gibney will be honored during the Documentary ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 26. Both ceremonies will take place at New York’s Palladium Times Square, and be streamed on NATAS’ viewing app.

Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS, said: “We are honored to pay tribute to these two revered icons of our industry. Jane Pauley and Alex Gibney continue to reach viewers while at the same time opening doors for those coming behind them,” said NATAS president/CEO Adam Sharp in a statement. “This honor...

Anchor Jane Pauley and director-producer Alex Gibney will receive Lifetime Achievement awards at the 45th News & Documentary Emmys.

Pauley will be honored for her career in broadcasting at the news ceremony on Sept. 25. Gibney will be feted for his contributions in documentary filmmaking at the doc ceremony on Sept. 26. Both events will take place live at the Palladium Times Square in New York City.

“We are honored to pay tribute to these two revered icons of our industry. Jane Pauley and Alex Gibney continue to reach viewers while at the same time opening doors for those coming behind them,” said NATAS CEO and President Adam Sharp. “This honor is not only about impressive longevity in a competitive space, but also the broad and sweeping impact each has had on the business, their audiences, and the greater community. NATAS is proud to celebrate their enduring dedication to television excellence.”

Related: 2024-...

On Sunday, July 28, 2024, “60 Minutes” presents a special post-season edition airing from 7:00 to 8:00 Pm Et/Pt on CBS. The episode features updated segments on groundbreaking topics and significant personal stories:

Quantum Computing

Correspondent Scott Pelley explores the cutting-edge field of quantum computing, a revolutionary technology with the potential to solve complex problems in various scientific fields. Pelley visits Google’s quantum lab in California, examines one of the first quantum computers outside a lab at Cleveland Clinic, and gets an exclusive look at Ibm’s latest and most advanced quantum computer. Denise Schrier Cetta and Katie Brennan produce this segment.

Knife

Author Salman Rushdie, who survived a brutal attack at a literary festival in Chautauqua, N.Y., nearly two years ago, speaks with Anderson Cooper in his first television interview since the incident. Rushdie discusses the attack, his recovery, and his new book, Knife, which delves into his experiences.

The Fund was founded in 2004, after a teacher noticed a group of students who had no food sitting where they didn’t have to watch the other students eat.

Since then the organization has helped to provide food to disadvantaged children in order to help them grow and achieve their goals.

Salman Rushdie and June Sarpong sit on the Advisory Board, while Mario Batali and Joaquin Phoenix sit on the Board of Directors.

Celebrity supporters

The Lunchbox Fund has 37 known supporters, including Elton John, Bill Clinton, and Sting

Areas of work PovertyAt-Risk/Disadvantaged YouthsHunger Read more about The Lunchbox Fund's work and celebrity supporters. Related articles Lunchbox Auction Will Help Feed Hungry ChildrenHave Lunch In Style With New Celebrity AuctionSalman Rushdie And Michael Stipe To Host Charity Book FairUnique Books By Sting, Tutu, Chopra And Others Up For Auction

Feature your company alongside thousands of celebrities, charities & causes →

Copyright © 2024 Look To The Stars.

Hadi Matar, the man charged in the stabbing of Salman Rushdie two years ago, rejected a plea deal that would have shortened his sentence in a state prison on Tuesday. Matar’s lawyer, Nathaniel Barone, said he did not like part of the deal that would have opened him up to a federal terrorism charge, according to The Associated Press.

If Matar had agreed to the deal, he would have served up to 20 years in state prison; without the plea deal, he faces up to 25 years. The AP reports that...

Salman Rushdie will be the center of a new documentary from Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning director behind “Taxi to the Dark Side” snd “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.” Tentatively titled “Knife,” the docu is inspired by Rushdie’s memoir “Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder,” which was published in April.

The book is an account of the author’s life and career, and also depicts the 2022 assassination attempt against the Indian-born, British-American novelist and the long recovery that followed. Rushdie was stabbed 15 times in in Chautauqua, N.Y. by a 24-year old New Jersey man with a knife. Rushdie’s neck, eye, and chest were targeted, causing the writer to collapse on stage during a talk he was giving at Chautauqua’s amphitheater stage.

Rushdie, 76, lost vision in one eye and was left incapacitated in one hand after the attempted murder.

Gibney’s “Knife” will explore Rushdie...

It looks like Padma Lakshmi and Terrance Hayes might be giving their romance a second chance!

The 53-year-old former Top Chef host and the 52-year-old poet were all smiles as they held hands during a walk around New York City on Monday afternoon (April 29).

For their outing, Padma looked pretty in a pink and red floral-print dress while Terrance sported an all black outfit.

If you didn’t know, Padma and Terrance dated in 2021 before splitting in November of that year.

Padma was most recently linked to black-ish creator Kenya Barris when they were spotted holding hands in late 2023.

Padma was previously married to author Salman Rushdie from 2004 to 2007 and shares daughter Krishna, 14, with venture capitalist Adam Dell.

In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Padma admitted that the “demands of two shows plus motherhood” made romantic relationships difficult to last for her.

See who recently replaced Padma as the host of Top Chef.

Prominent literary organization Pen America has canceled its annual awards ceremony, which was due to be held next week, after 28 authors chose to withdraw their books from consideration. The group has faced increasing backlash over its response to the Israel-Hamas War. Among those dropping out was debut novel finalist Rachel Eliza Griffiths, wife of former Pen president Salman Rushdie, according to the Associated Press.

Of those withdrawing are also nine out of the 10 authors nominated for the Pen/Jean Stein Book Award. The Literary Estate of Jean Stein has directed Pen America to donate the $75,000 award to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, representatives said on Monday.

The decision to cancel the awards comes in the wake of escalating upset against Pen America. A series of open letters signed by Pen nominees in recent weeks have criticized the group for allegedly choosing sides against Gaza in the war that started...

One of the hallmarks of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” was its slew of A-list celebrity guest stars, who often appeared as themselves and lampooned their public personas through grating social interactions with Larry David. The show’s guest star pedigree remained strong until the very end, with the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Salman Rushdie making self-deprecating appearances in the last few seasons.

Given the busy schedules of celebrities, fans would be forgiven for assuming the show had multiple people in mind for each appearance. But at this week’s PaleyFest LA panel celebrating the show’s final season, David and his collaborators revealed that they often wrote scripts for specific people without backup plans in mind.

While reflecting on the show’s many legendary guest stars, series director and executive producer Jeff Schaffer reminisced about a Season 10 storyline in which the fictionalized Larry David writes a Broadway musical about Salman...

Parodying one’s self on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is a celebrity rite of passage, with everyone from Martin Scorsese and Bruce Springsteen to Salman Rushdie and Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman stopping by Larry David’s HBO sitcom to celebrate their own neuroses over the past quarter century. But now that the show has finally wrapped after a 12-season run, the cast can admit that some cameos tower above the competition in the pantheon of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” history.

During a panel discussion about the show’s 12th season moderated by Judd Apatow at PaleyFest LA 2024, longtime series regular J.B. Smoove reflected on his favorite celebrity appearances on the show. He singled out Michael J. Fox’s two episodes in Seasons 8 and 9 (which aired six years apart due to the show’s hiatus), as a high point in the series.

“Oh man, I think, I think one of the greatest people...

Hermann Vaske with 99 Records founder Ed Bahlman and Anne-Katrin Titze on the journey to interview Cate Blanchett for Can Creativity Save the World?: “It started when Cate was shooting The Monuments Men [in 2013] in Berlin with George Clooney. And the Dp was a friend of mine, Phedon Papamichael who works with James Mangold.”

Hermann Vaske’s evermore timely Can Creativity Save The World? (with a lively score by Mark Reeder and Micha Adam) features on-camera interviews with Cate Blanchett, Golshifteh Farahani, Isabella Rossellini, Angelina Jolie, Willem Dafoe, Umberto Eco, Shirin Neshat, Garry Kasparov, Marina Abramović, John Cleese, Salman Rushdie, Luisa Neubauer (of Pussy Riot), Bono (of U2), Oscar Niemeyer, David Bowie, Marlene Knobloch, Sean Penn, Radu Jude, Amos Oz, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Oliviero Toscani, Björk, Campino (of Die Toten Hosen fame), Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Lakshmi Thevasagayam, and Lia Mizrahi Goldfarb (co-editor and production designer of the documentary).

Hermann...

Note: LateNighter generally posts late night daily ratings on a two (business) day delay, which is how they are released by Nielsen.

NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers are both dark this week, giving their timeslot competition the opportunity to gain viewers; at least temporarily.

CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert kicked off the week of April 15, 2024 by earning first place in the late night ratings race, and delivered week-to-week audience growth in the process.

According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, The Late Show averaged 2,117,000 total viewers and 255,000 P18-49 viewers this past Monday. That’s+9 % and +31%, respectively, from the previous Monday episode. Salman Rushdie, Anna Sawai, and Terence Blanchard were Colbert’s Late Show guests this past Monday.

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! took second place at 11:35 p.m. this past Monday, both in total viewers and in P18-...

This Sunday, April 14, 2024, buckle up for an all-new episode of “60 Minutes” airing on the CBS Television Network from 7:00-8:00 Pm, Et/Pt, following The Masters Golf Tournament.

Scattered Spider

First up on the lineup is “Scattered Spider,” a gripping report by correspondent Bill Whitaker. Dive into the chilling world of cybercrime as Whitaker delves into the shocking attack that paralyzed some of Las Vegas’ biggest hotels and casinos last fall. Learn about the group behind the chaos, known as “Scattered Spider,” and their collaboration with a notorious Russian ransomware gang. Producer Graham Messick brings this eye-opening investigation to life.

Knife

Next, prepare for an exclusive interview with renowned author Salman Rushdie in “Knife.” Correspondent Anderson Cooper sits down with Rushdie as he opens up about the harrowing attack he endured at a literary festival in Chautauqua, New York. Discover Rushdie’s journey from the threat of a...

Feisty, topical and nakedly political speeches dominated the opening ceremony on Thursday at the Berlinale.

They followed a red carpet that mixed demonstrations and high style over a more than two-hour stretch.

Festival co-chief Mariëtte Rissenbeek felt it necessary to address head on the festival’s recent controversy over invitations to five far-right (AfD) members of the German parliament. The invitations were subsequently canceled, but the backlash has scarcely subsided.

“The Berlinale has a lot of space for dialog. Between people and for art, but it has no space for hatred. Hatred is not on our guest list. It won’t be invited,” Rissenbeek said.

“Many people in the Berlinale team, many of our friends or acquaintances are affected by the intentions of the right wing AfD their intention to deport people with a migrant background from the country. They want to throw them out. And that is something that...

Deepa Mehta is set to direct “Troilokya,” a thriller about an Indian woman known to be a serial killer. Production is through pan-Asian film company Through the Lens Entertainment and India’s Open Air Films.

The story, set in 19th century Calcutta during British rule, sees a female prostitute embark on an unheard of killing spree. For more than a decade, she is hunted down by detective Priyonath Mukhopadhyay. The screenplay, written by Juhi Chaturvedi (“Piku”), navigates through eccentric relationships fraught with lust, obsession, revenge and hatred.

Production is set for August and September with locations including India and Thailand. Though the Lens Entertainment is looking to appoint a distributor and aims for a theatrical release in India, with digital distribution in international territories.

“The challenge of depicting a serial murderess as a heroine is what intrigues me most about ‘Troilokya.’ ‘Is it possible to muster empathy for this child bride turned prostitute turned killer?...

Padma Lakshmi has a new man in her life!

The 53-year-old former Top Chef host is dating Kenya Barris, best known for being the creator of the ABC series black-ish.

Padma and Kenya, 49, were seen holding hands while walking through New York City over the weekend and now an insider is speaking out to explain their relationship.

Keep reading to find out more…

“They met through work. They are developing something together and are getting to know each other,” a source told People. “It’s very new.”

Padma was previously married to author Salman Rushdie from 2004 to 2007 and they share 13-year-old daughter Krishna. She was most recently linked to poet Terrance Hayes.

Kenya filed for divorce from his wife of 20 years, Dr. Rania Barris, in 2002. They share six children together.

See who recently replaced Padma as the host of Top Chef.

Cuba is roughly 1,300 miles away, but in a rehearsal space in downtown Manhattan, it doesn’t feel all that far. Cradling their percussion instruments, horns, and guitars, a ten-piece band of musicians, some from Latin America, preparing to play a sinuous piece of son Cubano, as a theater crew — director, writer, actors and choreographers — hover around.

“Nothing like this has been attempted before,” says music supervisor Dean Sharenow. “It’s important that this is the real thing, not a Broadway musical production.”

Welcome to the next iteration of the enduring...

Salman Rushdie hinted in February that he was working on a memoir about the stabbing attack last year that nearly killed him and left him blind in one eye. Now, the Booker Prize winner has announced that book will be called Knife and will be published by Penguin Random House on April 16, 2024.

Rushdie is best-known for novels such as Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses, some of which have been adapted for the screen. The author told the New Yorker earlier this year that the new book, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, was conceived as a sort-of sequel to his 2012 memoir, Joseph Anton.

At first, Rushdie resisted the idea, “because it felt almost like it was being forced on me—the attack demanded that I should write about the attack.” But, he said, he found a “microscopic” look at the event engrossing.

However, unlike the third-person voice he used in Joseph Anton,...

“All his major works feel as fresh and relevant as when they were made.”

Leading festival heads and UK industry figures have been paying fulsome tribute to Terence Davies, one of the titans of UK cinema who died at the weekend aged 77.

British Film Institute (BFI) chief executive Ben Roberts said that Davies was an inspirational figure to him. He discovered Davies’ work when he was 17 years old and saw a clip of The Long Day Closes on the BBC Film show presented by Barry Norman.

“I was just immediately mesmerised by it. There was something about how his films...

BFI’s Ben Roberts and Cannes head Thierry Fremaux among those to praise Davies, who died aged 77 this weekend.

Leading festival heads and UK industry figures have been paying fulsome tribute to Terence Davies, one of the titans of UK cinema who died at the weekend aged 77.

British Film Institute (BFI) chief executive Ben Roberts said that Davies was an inspirational figure to him. He discovered Davies’ work when he was 17 years old and saw a clip of The Long Day Closes on the BBC Film show presented by Barry Norman.

“I was just immediately mesmerised by it. There was...

A few years ago, producer Michael Cash had an idea he thought could be big. Cash is based in New York’s Hudson Valley, a region rich in Bob Dylan history. Early in the pandemic, he got to thinking about a relatively obscure Dylan-related project from the mid-2010s: Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, in which artists like Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, and Rhiannon Giddens recorded songs based on newly uncovered Dylan lyrics.

Cash, whose background is largely in hip-hop, was friendly with the album’s producer,...

The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre has condemned the late author’s antisemitic remarks in a new statement, saying that his “racism is undeniable and indelible.”

In a post on its website, the U.K. museum said it supports “the apology made in 2020 by the Dahl family and Roald Dahl Story Company for Dahl’s antisemitic views about Jewish people.” The statement will also be displayed on a panel outside the museum’s entrance in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.

“We do not repeat Dahl’s antisemitic statements publicly, but we do keep a record of what he wrote and said in the Museum’s collection, so it is not forgotten,” the statement reads.

Since 2021, the museum said it has worked with the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, the Community Security Trust and the Antisemitism Policy Trust to provide information and training for its staff.

“We want...

Lav Diaz is “concerned” about the situation in his native Philippines. But it doesn’t mean he will stop making films.

“If you do any kind of cultural work, you can be branded as a ‘communist’ and it’s a reason for them to kill you,” he says.

“There aren’t many venues to show my films, so we basically give them away for free. Listen, I am aware of the danger. But you have to accept the reality, confront these issues and continue to make things. And be careful, because we know what happened to Salman Rushdie.”

Diaz, speaking to Variety at Armenia’s Golden Apricot festival, where he headed the jury, also opened up about his upcoming Locarno world premiere “Essential Truths of the Lake.”

The film, which contends in main competition for the Golden Leopard, sees him returning to investigator Hermes Papauran from “When the Waves Are Gone,...

Biopics are at times really difficult to make with all the clichés that come with. But there are some who seem to evade all of these pitfalls and create some great moving images. One of those directors is the painter Julian Schnabel. He is a man who seems to create such poetic images on celluloid few can dispute his visions. His most recent work in the French The Diving Bell and The Butterfly was by far one of the greatest Biopics ever made. His idea of mixing poetic prose into the cinematic language has made a darling of the critics.

This film seems to me more like an ode a to the great man Reinaldo Arenas. He believes that beauty in the form of writing always needed to be preserved. But the people were mainly the causes of decay in the Cuban Communist movements. He was hounded all his life for his writings.

This is going to sound like a backhanded compliment, but I mean it: One of Padma Lakshmi’s most valuable skills as the host of “Top Chef” — a major part of what will be missed when Lakshmi departs the show after the June 8 finale — is product placement.

In the crowded, sometimes tawdry world of reality competitions, “Top Chef” is unique in its credibility. The show is effective entertainment, but over 20 seasons in 17 years, the Bravo mainstay has also established itself as an arbiter of taste on par with the Michelin guide. Some of that authority comes from longevity; some from Lakshmi’s fellow judges, chef Tom Colicchio and editor Gail Simmons; some from casting, which has generated a talent pool so formidable that the show frequently circles back to its own alumni, including for this season’s London-set World All Stars. But a great deal of it comes from Lakshmi,...

New Delhi, May 21 (Ians) A day after ‘The Zone of Interest’, the Jonathan Glazer film based on the novel of the same by Martin Amis received a rapturous ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, the celebrated British writer passed on at the age of 73.

Famous for his caricatures of what he perceived as the absurdities of “late capitalist” Western society, Martin Amis succumbed to oesophagal cancer at his Florida home, reports BBC, quoting ‘The New York Times’.

Coming from literary nobility — his father was the famous novelist, Sir Kingsley ‘Lucky Jim’ Amis, and Elizabeth Jane Howard was his stepmother — Amis was hailed by ‘TheTimes’ as one of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945 and he’s best known for his novels Money (1984) and London Fields (1989), and for his memoir, ‘Experience’ (2000).

‘The Guardian’ has called Amis “an influential author of era-defining novels” and noted that he was “among the celebrated group of novelists,...

Martin Amis, the British author of 15 novels including “Money: A Suicide Note” and “The Zone of Interest,” has died on May 19 of esophageal cancer at the age of 73, according to his publishing house Alfred A. Knopf.

His death comes just days after Jonathan Glazer’s film adaptation of his 2014 novel “The Zone of Interest” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Amis’ satirical novel follows a Nazi officer who falls in love with the wife of his camp commandant at Auschwitz, with the love triangle playing out as the trio reacts to the genocide happening around them with varying levels of apathy.

Amis is best known for his “London Trilogy,” three novels released between 1985 and 1995 that sharply satirized late-stage capitalism and its impact on London society.

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Jim Brown, NFL Running Back Royalty, Star of Hollywood Films ‘Any Given Sunday’ and ‘Dirty Dozen,’ Dies at 87

The first of those novels was “Money: A Suicide Note,...

Salman Rushdie stopped by the Pen America Gala in New York City on Thursday for his first in-person appearance after the August stabbing attack in western New York.

The author of The Satanic Verses and former president of the organization took to the stage at the American Museum of Natural History to accept the Pen Centenary Courage Award, just nine months after he was severely wounded in a knife attack at the Chautauqua Institute. His injuries included three stab wounds to the front of his neck, four stab wounds to his stomach, a puncture wound to his chest, a laceration on his right thigh and a puncture wound to his right eye, which eventually led to him losing sight in that eye.

In his speech, Rushdie explained that Pen America and its mission to protect free expression has never been “more important” at a time when book bans and censorship are at a high.

Nine months after his near-death experience, Salman Rushdie, 75, is back in public attending the Pen American gala Thursday night.

He received the Pen Centenary Courage Award at the American Museum of National History and was glad to be back, he remarked.

“Terror must not terrorize us. Violence must not deter us. La lutte continue. La lutta continua. The struggle goes on,” the novelist said in his acceptance speech.

Right before he was about to give a speech at the Chautauqua Institution last summer, Rushdie was attacked by 24-year-old Hadi Matar. He was stabbed and punched 15 times causing neck and abdomen wounds, eventually losing sight in his right eye and suffering from nerve damage in one of his hands.

Rushdie was issued a fatwa by Iran’s previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, after publishing his book The Satanic Verses in 1988. Some Muslims said that it was blasphemous. Rushdie’s book...

Salman Rushdie made a surprise appearance — his first since a man attacked him last August — on Thursday night at the Pen America gala in Manhattan, where he accepted the organization’s Centenary Courage Award.

“I wanted to say hi, everybody,” he said during his nine-minute speech. “It’s nice to be back. It’s nice to be back as opposed to not being back, which was also an option. And I’m pretty glad the dice rolled this way.” The author, who released a new book, Victory City, earlier this year,...

Colin Jost opened the Pen America Gala under the iconic model of a blue whale at the Museum of Natural History calling himself “a writer and a friend of writers” and “extremely fortunate to be here tonight surrounded by two things that might not be around much longer — writers and ocean life. This is the first time that a whale is not the most endangered thing in the room.”

“Television writers, as you may know, are on strike right now,” he added, to applause by the 700 guests at the literary org’s annual dinner honoring, among other, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, and The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.

“I have to say, it’s very disorienting to spend the afternoon on the picket line and then show up for a museum cocktail hour in a tuxedo. I don’t think that happens at a lot of other labor movements,...

Salman Rushdie made his return to the spotlight on Thursday, nine months after being the victim of a brutal stabbing that left him temporarily on a ventilator and unable to speak.

The 75-year-old author attended 2023 Pen America Literary Gala at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City where he was joined on the red carpet by his wife, Rachel Eliza Griffiths.

Rushdie, who was stabbed in multiple places, including his eye at a speaking event back in August 2022, wore glasses with a shade over the affected eye.

Rushdie spoke at the event where he was honored with the Centenary Courage Award.

“Terrorism must not terrorize us. Violence must not deter us. La lutte continue. La lutta continua. The struggle goes on,” Rushdie said in his speech.

Rushdie accepted the award on behalf of the “heroes” who tackled his assailant after he was repeatedly stabbed last year.

“If...

New York, May 19 (Ians) Nine months after a near-lethal attack that left him debilitated and without vision in one eye, Booker Prize-winning author Salman Rushdie made his first appearance at the Pen Americas annual gala in New York City.

His appearance at the 2023 Literary Gala at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan on Thursday night came as a surprise as it had not been earlier announced.

Pen America honored the India-born author with the Pen Centenary Courage Award.

“Rushdie accepted the award in person, in his first public appearance since he was severely wounded in a knife attack nine months ago,” said the nonprofit organization that works to defend and celebrate free expression in the US and worldwide through the advancement of literature and human rights.

As the crowd greeted him with cheers and a standing ovation, the 75-year-old noted author said: “Well, hi everybody… It’s nice...

Writer Salman Rushdie has made a public speech, nine months after being stabbed and seriously injured onstage, warning that freedom of expression in the West is under its most severe threat in his lifetime.

Rushdie delivered a video message to the British Book Awards, where he was awarded the Freedom to Publish award on Monday evening. Organizers said the honour “acknowledges the determination of authors, publishers and booksellers who take a stand against intolerance, despite the ongoing threats they face.”

Rushdie, 75, looked thinner than before the attack and wore glasses with one tinted lens. He was blinded in his right eye and suffered nerve damage to his hand when he was attacked at a literary festival in New York state in August.

Read More: Author Salman Rushdie Attacked Before Lecture On New York Stage

His alleged assailant, Hadi Matar, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assault and attempted murder.

Donald Trump for months has been telling people close to him that he plans to bring back his infamous “Muslim ban” if he’s reelected in 2024, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

“Gotta bring it back,” Trump has said of the policy, according to the two sources, who added he regularly calls the idea “beautiful.”

Banning Muslims from entering the United States is a longstanding obsession of Trump’s. In December 2015, during the GOP presidential primary, he called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

Steven Spielberg is looking back on removing guns from “E.T.”

The Oscar-winning director revealed during a master class at the Time 100 Summit that he regrets editing out guns from the 20th anniversary re-release of the coming-of-age film. The 1982 theatrical cut includes a scene of police officers chasing the lead children with firearms; the re-release replaces the weapons with walkie talkies.

“That was a mistake. I never should have done that,” Spielberg said (via Variety). “‘E.T.’ is a product of its era. No film should be revised based on the lenses we now are, either voluntarily, or being forced to peer through.”

The “Fabelmans” director continued, “‘E.T.’ was a film that I was sensitive to the fact that the federal agents were approaching kids with firearms exposed and I thought I would change the guns into walkie talkies. Years went by and I changed my own views. I should have never...

This past week, veteran filmmakers and industry insiders gathered at the Paris Theatre in New York to bid adieu to Tom Luddy, the Telluride Film Festival co-founder and longtime producer who influenced virtually every facet of the global film community. Luddy’s death earlier this year was a shock not only because he was a beloved figure, but also because of what he represented: the role of the curatorial influencer, who could galvanize filmmakers and impact the state of the art form in ways not so easily quantified.

So who will take the baton now?

Anne Thompson was in town for the Luddy memorial, and on this week’s episode of Screen Talk, she shares some of her takeaways from the memorial with co-host Eric Kohn. In her report from the memorial, Thompson wrote:

Tom Luddy wasn’t famous exactly. But he had a huge impact on film culture via...

Exclusive: There’s some seriously scary stuff going on at London’s National Theatre as the venue prepares for a musical version of Roald Dahl’s The Witches that will feature book and lyrics by playwright Lucy Kirkwood, who’s also an executive consultant on Succession.

Music and lyrics are by Dave Malloy, who won acclaim for the book and score he wrote for Broadway show Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.

The show is a co-production between the National and the Roald Dahl Story Company.

Katherine Kingsley (The Larkins) will play the Grand High Witch, whose only objective is to eliminate all children from the planet and turn them into mice. “She’s a tyrannical narcissist, truly she’s really evil. There’s no escaping the fact that she’s a bad person,” Kingsley told us.

“It’s a great role,” she laughed. “There’s a lot of fun to be had with her,...