The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Jolie tops Hollywood earning list in momentous year Posted: 30 Jul 2013 08:21 AM PDT Last year's top earner Kirsten Stewart slipped to third with US$22 million, behind Jolie and second-placed Jennifer Lawrence, whose Oscar for her performance in "Silver Linings Playbook" helped her pick up US$26 million. Jolie's bumper earnings year reflected her return to blockbusters with the 38-year-old having signed up to star in Disney's "Maleficent", a new version of Sleeping Beauty which began filming last month and is due for release next year. The film is the celebrated beauty's first since she revealed in May that she had undergone a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after being diagnosed as having a gene which gives her a very high chance of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer. The decision to go public over a choice influenced by the loss of her mother to ovarian cancer at the age of 56 was widely praised as empowering for other women facing a similar dilemma, and appears to have had no impact on Jolie's standing in the business. "Hollywood hasn't shied away from Jolie," Forbes reporter Dorothy Pomerantz wrote. "She's still one of the few actresses who can demand a pay cheque north of US$15 million for the right movie." Lawrence meanwhile earned relatively modest fees for her Oscar Best Actress role and for starring in the hugely successful first movie in "The Hunger Games" series. But, according to Forbes, she was able to leverage that success into much bigger cheques for the upcoming "Catching Fire", which hits theatres in November, and for co-starring in the next X-Men film, "Days of Future Past". Stewart's fortunes meanwhile appear to be on the wane now that another mega-hit franchise, the Twilight series, is finished. Former "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston placed four on the list with estimated earnings of US$20 million while newcomer Emma Stone came fifth, with US$16 million. - AFP, July 30, 2013 |
| Pakistan unveils first female cartoon super heroine Posted: 29 Jul 2013 07:07 PM PDT Step aside Wonder Woman as there is a new female cartoon superhero in town next month – Burka Avenger. Set to debut on Pakistan's Geo TV, the caped crusader is a burka-clad mild-mannered teacher who fights local thugs seeking to shut down the girls' school where she works. The Urdu language show is the brainchild of one of Pakistan's biggest pop stars, Aaron Haroon Rashid – popularly called Haroon - who conceived of it as a way to emphasise the importance of girls' education and teach children other lessons, such as protecting the environment and not discriminating against others, reported news agencies. Female literacy in Pakistan is estimated at a grim 12% and the Taliban are continuing a campaign which has seen hundreds of girls' schools blown up in the north-west of the country, stated The BBC. Haroon had actually set out to develop an iPhone game app by the same name last year. A small animated video was developed to promote the app but the main character took on a life of her own, which has led to a 13-episode animated series. "Each one of our episodes is centred around a moral, which sends out strong social messages to kids. But it is cloaked in pure entertainment, laughter, action and adventure," said Haroon, according to The Daily Mail. Taha Iqbal, the head of animations for Burka Avenger, says like any other superhero, Burka Avenger had a back-story too and her reasons for wearing the burka have nothing to do with subservience. "Besides she has to kick ass," he says. "Tight leather pants are hardly practical for that purpose." The entire series has been developed in just over a year by a 22-member production team operating out of a small office in Islamabad. The series is set in Halwapur, a fictional town nestled in the soaring mountains and verdant valleys of northern Pakistan, read The Daily Mail report. The Burka Avenger's true identity is Jiya, whose adopted father, Kabbadi Jan, taught her the karate moves she uses to defeat her enemies. For the upcoming TV debut, music videos are also being released featuring some of Pakistan's top musicians like Haroon himself, Ali Azmat, Josh and Ali Zafar. T-shirts and other merchandise will also be put on sale. – July 30, 2013. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider : Showbiz To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan