Magic

Actress-turned-politician Divya Spandana, popularly known as Ramya, has shared a picture in her Instagram stories, leaving the Internet in shock. The picture is from a time when the Sandalwood queen was just 18. It appears that it’s her passport picture. Her fans snapped the screenshot of her story and now it is viral. In the image, Divya looks gorgeous. Without any makeup, this natural beauty has blown the hearts of her fans. Her open hair and innocent eyes have done their magic. A Divya fan wrote, “You have yet again set the heart on fire with this picture. Your look is just so innocent.’’ Another said, “You are looking so beautiful and gorgeous. You are such an inspiration. I have seen your movies and I get inspired by you. You are the best, All the best for your career. I hope to meet you soon.’’ Divya had taken a long break from the Kannada film industry to focus on her political career. Recently, she surprised everyone by visiting the sets of Hoysala in Mysore. The … [Read more...] about Divya Spandana Shares Picture From When She Was 18 and Fans Are Going Crazy

The Giants made a flurry of moves before Tuesday's MLB trade deadline, but the biggest moves remained on ice. All-Stars Carlos Rodon, who has a player option for 2023, and Joc Pederson, who will be a free agent, are staying in the Bay Area, according to multiple reports . Teams were reportedly concerned about Rodon's ability to opt into his contract next year. Pending free agents Brandon Belt, Evan Longoria (team option) and Wilmer Flores were not dealt before the 3 p.m. Pacific deadline, although news of trades occasionally breaks in the hours after the deadline. Instead, the Giants made several minor moves, including dealing two pitchers who never appeared in a game for the team. Their biggest deal was made with the Mets. Darin Ruf is headed to New York for infielder and designated hitter J.D. Davis. The Mets sweetened the pot for Ruf, adding in Thomas Szapucki and two minor league pitchers. The deal is official. Darin Ruf goes to Mets for J.D. Davis, LHP Thomas … [Read more...] about SF Giants trade deadline tracker: Ruf, Casali dealt; Rodon, Pederson staying

So far, 2022 has been a bounce-back year for Hollywood. Box-office receipts are trending toward pre-pandemic totals, and movies such as Top Gun: Maverick and Elvis have actually succeeded in luring older viewers—the last COVID-era holdouts—back to theaters. Coverage of this resurgence has mostly focused on the biggest-budget features—superhero movies and sequels. But small-budget indies, niche art-house fare, and exceptional international offerings have all been thriving lately. (A strong Sundance Film Festival this past January positioned several under-the-radar movies to get proper funding.) They can be harder to find because of how diffuse release strategies have become; some films play in art cinemas around the country before becoming available to rent on demand, others debut simultaneously in theaters and online, and still others are available exclusively to bespoke streaming platforms such as Shudder, AMC+, and MUBI. These 10 indies from 2022 could well feature on my … [Read more...] about The 10 Must-Watch Indie Films of the Summer

2022 has been a down year for the world's two largest economies. The U.S. has experienced its share of troubles, including skyrocketing inflation, supply chain disruptions and an affordable housing crisis. But at the same time, the People's Republic of China has been crippled by declining social mobility for graduates, a rising debt crisis, and the consequences of their now-infamous "zero-COVID" strategy. To some extent, these issues have overlapped both trading partners. But despite the common threats they face, the responses from each government body have been notably different, while the tenor of their diplomatic relations grows more hostile. That hostility ratcheted up noticeably with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 's visit to Taiwan on Tuesday. This complicated landscape has made it harder for businesses to navigate successfully within both countries, according to the US-China Business Council. "For the fourth consecutive year, U.S.-China relations rank as the top … [Read more...] about U.S., China economies stall as tensions rise over Pelosi Taiwan visit

Whether it’s playing a feisty madam of a brothel in Gangubai Kathiwadi, a vulnerable yet strong and independent spy in Raazi or a Bihari hockey player turned farm labourer struggling with an addiction in Udta Punjab, it’s all in a day’s work for Alia Bhatt. She does it all with supreme ease. And it often raises a question. Is there anything she can’t do? We don’t think so. She’s fast becoming a one woman show. In an industry, which puts its money where its hero is, Bhatt has shown that she is Alpha Female, the forerunner who doesn’t need a male star for a blockbuster film. Last year, the Raazi actor announced her production house Eternal Sunshine Productions with Netflix originals Darlings. Co-produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, Darlings will start streaming from August 5. Bhatt explains that getting into production was rather an instinctive and not a calculative decision, “Contrary to the popular belief, I never considered any script to produce before … [Read more...] about Alia Bhatt Reacts to ‘Weird Commentary’ on Her Pregnancy: ‘To Hell With That Kind of Thinking’ | Exclusive

An emotional Dia Mirza is still coming to terms with the sudden demise of her niece Tanya Kakde. Tanya, who was the Congress leader Feroz Khan’s daughter and Dia’s niece, passed in a car accident in Hyderabad on Monday. While Dia expressed her grief in an Instagram post hours after Tanya’s passing, she penned another moving tribute in her memory on Wednesday. The actress shared a picture with her niece from a fairly recent vacation and called Tanya her firstborn. “I remember squeals of ‘Dia Maashi’ filling the corridors of my home in Mumbai each time Tanya would come to visit… View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dia Mirza Rekhi (@diamirzaofficial) She added that Tanya did not have life easy. However, despite the hurdles, Dia and Tanya’s family was always around the support Tanya. “Listening to her, guiding her, spoiling her, reprimanding and scolding her were all joys that she allowed me with an … [Read more...] about Emotional Dia Mirza Pens Another Moving Tribute for Late Niece Tanya: ‘Life Can Be So So Cruel’

When a beloved pet goes missing without trace, it is heartbreaking for those left behind. So you can imagine one family's joy when their cat returned home nine months after she was last seen. Willow, who was presumed dead, shocked her owners when she reappeared during the Euro final on Sunday. But there were more surprises in store for the family, who later realised Willow had been living nearby with an elderly neighbour - while they had been none the wiser. Whether or not Willow was inspired by the Lionesses remains to be seen, but her owners were ecstatic she took the message "it's coming home" to heart. Willow's owners had not seen her for nine months ( Image: Iris Kaye-Smith) But she came home on Sunday ( Image: Iris Kaye-Smith) Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here Iris Kaye-Smith, 24, told the Mirror the family pet went missing from her home in Bristol last year. She explained … [Read more...] about Missing cat returns during Euro 2022 final after living with neighbour for nine months

The best political week of the year for Democrats concluded on Tuesday night with a forceful punctuation mark in an unexpected place: deep-red Kansas. Voters went to the polls there for their primary election and overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure designed to restrict abortion access in the state. That result seemed to offer a decisive answer to one of Democrats’ most burning questions ahead of the 2022 midterms: How big will the backlash be from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in June to strike down the national right to an abortion? A massive defeat for the anti-abortion movement—in every congressional district of a state Donald Trump carried by 15 points in 2020—prompted Democrats to talk up a massive backlash brewing against GOP candidates who push anti-abortion positions this fall. “This spells bad news for House Republican candidates as the GOP plots to institute a nationwide abortion ban,” trumpeted a release from the Democratic Congressional Campaign … [Read more...] about Dems Say Kansas Abortion Vote Is Proof They’re Not Totally Screwed

L et me welcome you into our fold, my friend, and let me introduce you to its joys and sorrows; its travails and hardships; its triumphs and indulgences — and doing that let me rid myself of the debt that countless teachers, fellow artists, and friends have heaped on me by way of advice and assistance; rebukes and rebuttals; praise and commendations over my amateurish attempts and follies as an actor. I am aware that I do not know enough to start handing out unsolicited advice. However, I also realise that there are so many things that an actor has to learn — or unlearn — on his own. In order that the learning time is reduced and in order that the aspiring actor does not keep making a fool of himself, as I have, I am venturing to share with him the basic dos and don’ts that I have gleaned from experience. I have always been fascinated by actors who could make their performances appear so simple and project an impression that acting is something that requires very little effort. … [Read more...] about Advice to aspiring actors

It is a truism to say that the pandemic and lockdowns changed how we ply our trade, define our workspace, express our creativity and engage with people. But what is absolutely fascinating is that some of these changes are here to stay, for the good of all. Sorely shaken humankind, while rebuilding broken supply chains (commercial, physical and emotional), is certainly spoilt for choice when it comes to soul food. While the privations and deprivations of the last three years are real, there is also the fact that a veritable feast, a treasure trove, has been opened up for us all. Museums, archives, galleries, music organisers, writers, artistes, fitness and yoga gurus, musicians, comedians, wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, actors, mental health practitioners, and more… all opened up their vaults and allowed us virtual access to their many riches. As several people have observed dryly: the next time universities and governments cut funding for the arts, they should remember, how … [Read more...] about The flood gates remain open