Dear Robin,
We never had the chance to meet nor do I suppose our paths would ever cross. However, you were part of my life through your art. You first entered my life in the late 80's when I would watch reruns of Mork and Mindy with my parents. Although, I was far too young to get all the jokes I was able to perfect my own "Na-Nu Na-Nu".
As the years went on I watched many of your films and was always captivated by your performance. The number one thing that always pulled me in was your infectious smile. How could anyone see you smile and not find themselves smiling back?
With the news of your death I guess there was significant pain and sorrow behind that wonderful smile. I am sorry that you were quietly suffering in this world and I am sorry that you felt the only...
Movies
Now that Juan Antonio Boyega is reportedly out of the post-apocalyptic picture for the follow-up to Marc Forster’s “World War Z” adaptation — and I mean “adaptation” in the very loosest sense of the word — the director’s chair is again vacant for movie two.
But someone’s bound to claim it, right? Sure, was a famously plagued production: the entire third act had to be re-written, re-shot and re-edited in post; Matthew Fox’s scenes were all but completely nixed — sorry Charlie; and the budget skyrocketed to unheard of proportions by the end of it.
But the movie ended up making a little money and hoards of people were into its contribution to the zombie section of the zeitgeist. Hell, even some of us who are/were/always will be obsessed with Max Brooks’ original literary vision of the...
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I want to congratulate all of the Academy Award nominees. These people are quite deserving of being recognized as the best in their field this year. I especially want to congratulate screenwriters Jon Herman and Andrea Berloff who had the unenviable task of bringing the complex true story of 'America's Most Dangerous Group' to life in Straight Outta Compton. Your nomination is well deserved.
But who I REALLY want to applaud are some other actors, directors and producers who were at the top of their game this year. A list that includes, but is not limited to, Idris Elba, Michael B. Jordan, Will Smith, John Boyega, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tessa Thompson, Audra McDonald, Adepero Oduye, Samuel L.Jackson, Oshea Jackson Jr, Jason Mitchell, Corey Hawkins, F. Gary Gray and Ryan Coogler. Yes, they...
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Dear McDonald’s Eating, Beer Guzzling, Celebrity Obsessed Americans,
America is in the midst of a national tragedy as we speak: the death of Robin Williams. Judging by the reactions of millions of Americans, you would think that 9/11 the sequel just happened. While the death of Robin Williams is undoubtedly a sad event, the greater tragedy is how much attention his suicide gets in comparison to “real” news.
As we write this, millions of veterans are struggling to live in the country that they fought so dearly to protect. Yesterday, Robin Williams was not the only person who committed suicide. An estimated 22 veterans also killed themselves, but while the country has shut down for a comedian, no one has paid any attention to those brave souls who were willing to fight and die for us....
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Dear Ben,
I am writing to you today as a woman who was born and raised in Islam. I saw your discussion with Bill Maher and Sam Harris, and I must say you did me a great disservice that day. Your heart was in the right place, of course, and it was lovely of you to step up and defend ‘my people’.
What you really did though, perhaps inadvertently, was silence a conversation that never gets started. Two people attempted to begin a dialogue and you wouldn’t even listen. Why should any set of ideas be above criticism, Ben?
Why are Muslims being ‘preserved’ in some time capsule of centuries gone by? Why is it okay that we continue to live in a world where our women are compared to candy waiting to be consumed? Why is it okay for women of the rest of the world to fight for freedom and...
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Dear Denzel Washington,
This weekend, I saw your latest movie Safe House. I was sandwiched in the theater between a crying baby and two chatty Kathys, but I managed to survive and enjoy your action flick set all around South Africa. Your performance as a rogue agent with the Bond villain name of Tobin Frost was effective and your trademark laugh was infectious. The chemistry you had with the normally sarcastic Ryan Reynolds brought out the best of him and was reminiscent of you and Ethan Hawke in Training Day (minus the PCP-smoking, of course). I felt my money was well spent.
Your audience, of which I am a member, is loyal to you, Denzel. Safe House made almost $40 million this weekend, making it one of the biggest openings of your career. It's a bonafide hit at the box office in a...
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Dear Netflix,
In the words of the living ghost of Joan Rivers, "Can we talk?" Listen, I like you. You babysit my kids. You prevented me from pilfering through the 'Not Available' signs at Blockbuster. And you seemed really hip when you become a permanent resident of my Xbox. You were edgy, progressive, and that one cat in junior high school who could get all the chicks. And now look at yourself.
You are lost in the crowd, riddled with angst, in dire need of relevance and are looking to schtupp anything that walks into the bar to feel a sense of accomplishment. You are now that dolt on "Jersey Shore" without the abs. What's wrong with you? You had everyone at "Hello," and to keep up with that positive mojo, you told your entire customer base to Netfluck themselves. Raising rates by...
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No, I haven’t met him. If that’s why you came here, you will be disappointed. I know it sounds new and weird. Usually such articles find Salman Khan under the spot light, not Ranveer Singh. You know when you are hit by cancer, people have a lot of advises to impart and a lot of comments to make about your lifestyle that might have caused this disease. Everybody is a doctor when it comes to cancer. Usually cancer patients are expected to see Hope, see the light in the darkness and instigate Faith in the smallest of living beings and so on. Let me tell you that the reality is very different.
Most of this happens after you have survived this disease, while you are fighting it, you are only focusing on knocking out the other losers and winning this race. When you return home after a...
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"Hellooooo everyone !! Today I am here to talk about my lips !! Yes ! There ! I said it .. My lips ! As a person I find it difficult to talk about my personal life and hence have always maintained a low profile choosing to interact with you all on Twitter with my random -mostly illogical thoughts seeming like the only thing I feel ok about ..that's just who I am .. But in today's time where PR stories and feeding people with information constantly or making appearances is a fad somewhere people like me get lost in translation or in this case translations !
Lately there has been a LOT of talk about me in this particular episode of Koffee with Karan . Mainly regarding my lips . I am here to just convey what I have to say regarding the same . I am talking about it only because this story...
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Dear Tamannaah
Watching you metamorphose into to this young confident character called Avantika on screen has indeed been a satisfying moment for someone who has known you since you were in your pigtails!
From Jiya in CHAND SA ROSHAN CHEHRA in 2005 [when you were still in school] to S S Rajamouli's BAHUBALI, a movie that is creating a storm at the box-office all over India and an impact, worldwide, this is just The Beginning of your journey!
I understand you went to the South to cut your teeth, so to speak, and found success there early on. HIMMATWALA, HUMSHAKALS and ENTERTAINMENT, did not really give you that impact in Bollywood that you were looking for. With Avantika, you seem to have reignited your Box Office interest in Bollywood. I'm sure serious film-makers here, like...
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