मनोरंजन

By Hanna Rantala LONDON (Reuters) -Actor Brendan Fraser immersed himself in Japanese culture and language for his role in the comedy drama "Rental Family". Directed and co-written by filmmaker Hikari, the movie sees Fraser play Phillip, an American actor who travelled to Tokyo to star in a toothpaste commercial and ended up staying. Seven years on, work opportunities are scarce and Phillip's life lacks purpose. But things take a turn when he gets booked by a professional stand-in service using actors to portray family members, friends and companions. Initially hesitant, Phillip soon finds himself connecting with his clients and getting deeply involved in their lives. Attending the movie's London Film Festival premiere on Thursday, Fraser said he was carefully considering his options after finishing the awards season run that culminated in his best actor Oscar win for "The Whale" in 2023. Nothing piqued his interest until he came across what he described as an obscure, unusual title. "This film was going to be shot in Japan. This is a Japanese movie made with Japanese actors, Japanese crew, Japanese artisans, a first for me. I've always tried to find something that's diverse or different or interesting from whatever I've done before. It just ticked all the boxes," he said. Fraser, 56, found a tutor to help him with the language and travelled to Tokyo weeks before the shoot to acclimatise. "We all have to communicate somehow, right? What it all really comes down to is we all want the same things," he said. "And on top of that, Japanese people are unfailingly polite. If ever I was lost on the street, someone would take you by the hand and walk you to your destination. That sort of noblesse and gentility is everything that I crave and found while I was there," he said. Hikari said she wanted to flip her own experiences of living in the United States as a foreigner and tell the story of an American adapting to life in Japan, encountering isolation but also creating meaningful connections. "The world is a bit in a funky place that feels like technology's advanced and it's incredible, but at the same time, there's isolation between people. I feel like making a movie about people's connection was much needed," she said. "Rental Family" is released in the U.S. on November 21 and begins its global cinematic rollout in early January 2026. (Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Stephen Coates)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

LONDON (Reuters) -Rocker Sam Fender won the Mercury Prize for his third album "People Watching" on Thursday, beating the likes of band Pulp and singer FKA Twigs for the British music award. Loud cheers erupted when the 31-year-old's name was called out at the ceremony in the northern English city of Newcastle, just a few miles from Fender's hometown of North Shields. "We did not expect this at all, I want to say thank you to… I cannot think," the singer said, before praising his fellow nominees and paying tribute to his late friend, actor Annie Orwin, who inspired the title track. "This region is the best region in the country." Judges praised the chart-topping record's "cohesion, character and ambition", adding "it felt like a classic album". Fender was previously nominated in 2022 for his second album "Seventeen Going Under". First handed out to rockers Primal Scream in 1992, the annual 25,000-pound ($33,600) Mercury Prize shortlists 12 albums released by British and Irish acts in the United Kingdom in the past year. It is considered less mainstream than Britain's pop music honours the BRIT Awards and is open to all music genres. This year's contenders included Pulp who were nominated for their comeback album "More", their first record in 24 years. The shortlist also included rock band Wolf Alice for "The Clearing", Irish post-punk group Fontaines D.C. for "Romance", and singer FKA Twigs for "Eusexua". This year's ceremony was held for the first time outside of London, taking place at Newcastle's Utilita Arena. Rock band English Teacher won the prize last year for debut album "This Could Be Texas". ($1 = 0.7447 pounds) (Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Apple and Comcast's NBCUniversal will launch a bundle of Apple TV and Peacock Premium streaming services next week, the companies said on Thursday, combining award-winning originals such as "Ted Lasso" and "The Traitors" for $14.99 a month. The bundle, which launches on Monday, offers U.S. customers more than 30% savings and the option to combine Apple TV with Peacock Premium Plus for $19.99 per month. Media companies are unlocking more value from their streaming content by teaming up with rival platforms, providing customers with discounted pricing and a larger library of shows and movies. "With this first-of-its-kind initiative with Apple, we're redefining what the customer journey should be for a streaming bundle with rich sampling and a smooth sign-up process, and we're broadening the reach of Peacock to even more audiences," said Matt Strauss, chairman, NBCUniversal Media Group. As part of the deal, Apple TV app users and Peacock subscribers will be able to sample a curated selection of the partner service's shows, including marquee live events and sports, popular franchises, and blockbuster movies, in their respective apps. At launch, Peacock subscribers will have access to three episodes of "Stick", "Slow Horses", "Silo", "The Buccaneers", "Foundation", "Palm Royale" and "Prehistoric Planet" from Apple TV for free. Apple TV app users will be able to watch up to three episodes of "Law & Order", "Bel-Air", "Twisted Metal", "Love Island Games", Happy's Place, "The Hunting Party" and "Real Housewives of Miami" from Peacock. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Ben Stiller didn’t think about how his family would react to his deeply personal documentary about his parents, “Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost,” until after it was finished. “It was really kind of after the fact, once we got to the place where the movie was what it was, that I started to think about how it might feel to have it out in the world, and I had to kind of figure that out for myself,” Stiller told Reuters. “Also, really thinking about my parents, too, and how they would feel about having something like this out there,” the “Meet the Parents” actor added. Stiller created “Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost” to explore the story of his family, specifically his parents, the comedy duo Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Jerry Stiller and Meara rose in popularity after they made their debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1963. The couple also had prolific careers in scripted television shows and starred together in “Rhoda,” and “The King of Queens.” Meara died at 85 in 2015 following the couple’s 61 years of marriage. The film arrives in theaters on Friday and then begins streaming on Apple TV+ on Oct. 24. For Ben Stiller, having well-known Hollywood parents failed to completely prepare him for becoming a famous actor parent himself. “At the beginning, I wanted to try to be like the parent that doesn’t make mistakes that their parents made. Of course, you end up making all these other mistakes. So, that’s the reality of life,” the 59-year-old said. He recalled being out and about with his parents as a kid when they were stopped on the street by doting fans. “That was a constant thing, always sort of being at the mercy of who your parents would run into as a kid. It can be a little disorienting,” he said. “And of course, my kids dealt with that with me,” he added. (Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross, Editing by Nick Zieminski)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

(Reuters) -Apple and Comcast's NBCUniversal will launch a bundle of Apple TV and Peacock Premium streaming services next week, the companies said on Thursday, combining award-winning originals such as "Ted Lasso" and "The Traitors" for $14.99 a month. The bundle, which launches on Monday, offers U.S. customers more than 30% savings and the option to combine Apple TV with Peacock Premium Plus for $19.99 per month. Media companies are unlocking more value from their streaming content by teaming up with rival platforms, providing customers with discounted pricing and a larger library of shows and movies. "With this first-of-its-kind initiative with Apple, we're redefining what the customer journey should be for a streaming bundle with rich sampling and a smooth sign-up process, and we're broadening the reach of Peacock to even more audiences," said Matt Strauss, chairman, NBCUniversal Media Group. As part of the deal, Apple TV app users and Peacock subscribers will be able to sample a curated selection of the partner service's shows, including marquee live events and sports, popular franchises, and blockbuster movies, in their respective apps. At launch, Peacock subscribers will have access to three episodes of "Stick", "Slow Horses", "Silo", "The Buccaneers", "Foundation", "Palm Royale" and "Prehistoric Planet" from Apple TV for free. Apple TV app users will be able to watch up to three episodes of "Law & Order", "Bel-Air", "Twisted Metal", "Love Island Games", Happy's Place, "The Hunting Party" and "Real Housewives of Miami" from Peacock. (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Dave Graham ZURICH (Reuters) -Tom Fischer was a struggling young Swiss musician in 1984 when Oscar-winning artist H.R. Giger threw him a lifeline: a striking cover for an album that became a heavy metal landmark by his next group, Celtic Frost. Once dubbed the "Black Sabbath" of the 1980s, Celtic Frost pioneered a maverick blend of extreme metal that influenced decades of thrash, death and symphonic metal – and even grunge legends Nirvana. October marks the 40th anniversary of Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion, an album that still graces greatest record lists of the era with its menacing cover by Giger, designer of the monster in Ridley Scott's horror sci-fi film "Alien". "We were nobodies at the time. We had nothing to lose, so we contacted Giger, not expecting anything," Fischer, 62, told Reuters. Named Satan I, Giger's painting of a horned creature taking aim with a weapon made from a figure resembling Christ outraged some. But the album helped put Celtic Frost on the map. Celtic Frost formed in 1984 as a reboot of Hellhammer, a proto-black metal group that met with such press hostility that Fischer and bandmate bassist Martin Ain decided to start again. LETTER TO GIGER Before disbanding Hellhammer, Fischer wrote to his compatriot Giger to ask if they could use Satan I for a record cover, enclosing a demo tape, and imagining that would be the end of it. Then Giger called. "My jaw dropped," said Fischer. "(Giger) said: 'It's not really my music; I listen to jazz. But I think I understand the underground aspect of it. Until "Alien" … everybody said, I'm too extreme, I'm too dark, just like what you described in your letter'," he recalled. Giger agreed on condition they also use another of his paintings for the LP. The band then decided they were not worthy of the picture – until they could play better. "We said: 'We can't do this to Giger. We need to do this cover justice'," Fischer said. Two Celtic Frost records came and went before Satan I became the face of To Mega Therion, which yoked classical bombast, hints of opera and even rap to Fischer's seething guitar and vocals, and Reed St. Mark's explosive drumming. The album was dedicated to the early NASA space programmes, an echo of Fischer's fascination with flight since watching the Apollo 11 Moon Landing in 1969, aged six. Its follow-up, Into the Pandemonium, delved into the historic event with offbeat track "One In Their Pride" built around sampled voices from the space race including U.S. President Richard Nixon and moonwalker Neil Armstrong. The tune also fuelled growing tension with their record label, and Celtic Frost imploded in 1987. Reunions followed before the band played its last gig in 2007 and Fischer began working for Giger, whose art adorned the records of his next band, Triptykon. The artist died in 2014 and a final album cover collaboration between the two is due out next year. (Reporting by Dave Graham, editing by Ed Osmond)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Dave Graham ZURICH (Reuters) -Tom Fischer was a struggling young Swiss musician in 1984 when Oscar-winning artist H.R. Giger threw him a lifeline: a striking cover for an album that became a heavy metal landmark by his next group, Celtic Frost. Once dubbed the "Black Sabbath" of the 1980s, Celtic Frost pioneered a maverick blend of extreme metal that influenced decades of thrash, death and symphonic metal – and even grunge legends Nirvana. October marks the 40th anniversary of Celtic Frost's To Mega Therion, an album that still graces greatest record lists of the era with its menacing cover by Giger, designer of the monster in Ridley Scott's horror sci-fi film "Alien". "We were nobodies at the time. We had nothing to lose, so we contacted Giger, not expecting anything," Fischer, 62, told Reuters. Named Satan I, Giger's painting of a horned creature taking aim with a weapon made from a figure resembling Christ outraged some. But the album helped put Celtic Frost on the map. Celtic Frost formed in 1984 as a reboot of Hellhammer, a proto-black metal group that met with such press hostility that Fischer and bandmate bassist Martin Ain decided to start again. LETTER TO GIGER Before disbanding Hellhammer, Fischer wrote to his compatriot Giger to ask if they could use Satan I for a record cover, enclosing a demo tape, and imagining that would be the end of it. Then Giger called. "My jaw dropped," said Fischer. "(Giger) said: 'It's not really my music; I listen to jazz. But I think I understand the underground aspect of it. Until "Alien" … everybody said, I'm too extreme, I'm too dark, just like what you described in your letter'," he recalled. Giger agreed on condition they also use another of his paintings for the LP. The band then decided they were not worthy of the picture – until they could play better. "We said: 'We can't do this to Giger. We need to do this cover justice'," Fischer said. Two Celtic Frost records came and went before Satan I became the face of To Mega Therion, which yoked classical bombast, hints of opera and even rap to Fischer's seething guitar and vocals, and Reed St. Mark's explosive drumming. The album was dedicated to the early NASA space programmes, an echo of Fischer's fascination with flight since watching the Apollo 11 Moon Landing in 1969, aged six. Its follow-up, Into the Pandemonium, delved into the historic event with offbeat track "One In Their Pride" built around sampled voices from the space race including U.S. President Richard Nixon and moonwalker Neil Armstrong. The tune also fuelled growing tension with their record label, and Celtic Frost imploded in 1987. Reunions followed before the band played its last gig in 2007 and Fischer began working for Giger, whose art adorned the records of his next band, Triptykon. The artist died in 2014 and a final album cover collaboration between the two is due out next year. (Reporting by Dave Graham, editing by Ed Osmond)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Ben Stiller didn’t think about how his family would react to his deeply personal documentary about his parents, “Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost,” until after it was finished. “It was really kind of after the fact, once we got to the place where the movie was what it was, that I started to think about how it might feel to have it out in the world, and I had to kind of figure that out for myself,” Stiller told Reuters. “Also, really thinking about my parents, too, and how they would feel about having something like this out there,” the “Meet the Parents” actor added. Stiller created “Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost” to explore the story of his family, specifically his parents, the comedy duo Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Jerry Stiller and Meara rose in popularity after they made their debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1963. The couple also had prolific careers in scripted television shows and starred together in “Rhoda,” and “The King of Queens.” Meara died at 85 in 2015 following the couple’s 61 years of marriage. The film arrives in theaters on Friday and then begins streaming on Apple TV+ on Oct. 24. For Ben Stiller, having well-known Hollywood parents failed to completely prepare him for becoming a famous actor parent himself. “At the beginning, I wanted to try to be like the parent that doesn’t make mistakes that their parents made. Of course, you end up making all these other mistakes. So, that’s the reality of life,” the 59-year-old said. He recalled being out and about with his parents as a kid when they were stopped on the street by doting fans. “That was a constant thing, always sort of being at the mercy of who your parents would run into as a kid. It can be a little disorienting,” he said. “And of course, my kids dealt with that with me,” he added. (Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross, Editing by Nick Zieminski)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Ben Stiller didn’t think about how his family would react to his deeply personal documentary about his parents, “Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost,” until after it was finished. “It was really kind of after the fact, once we got to the place where the movie was what it was, that I started to think about how it might feel to have it out in the world, and I had to kind of figure that out for myself,” Stiller told Reuters. “Also, really thinking about my parents, too, and how they would feel about having something like this out there,” the “Meet the Parents” actor added. Stiller created “Stiller and Meara: Nothing is Lost” to explore the story of his family, specifically his parents, the comedy duo Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Jerry Stiller and Meara rose in popularity after they made their debut on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1963. The couple also had prolific careers in scripted television shows and starred together in “Rhoda,” and “The King of Queens.” Meara died at 85 in 2015 following the couple’s 61 years of marriage. The film arrives in theaters on Friday and then begins streaming on Apple TV+ on Oct. 24. For Ben Stiller, having well-known Hollywood parents failed to completely prepare him for becoming a famous actor parent himself. “At the beginning, I wanted to try to be like the parent that doesn’t make mistakes that their parents made. Of course, you end up making all these other mistakes. So, that’s the reality of life,” the 59-year-old said. He recalled being out and about with his parents as a kid when they were stopped on the street by doting fans. “That was a constant thing, always sort of being at the mercy of who your parents would run into as a kid. It can be a little disorienting,” he said. “And of course, my kids dealt with that with me,” he added. (Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross, Editing by Nick Zieminski)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)

By Hanna Rantala LONDON (Reuters) -U.S. rock star Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance on the London Film Festival red carpet on Wednesday, lending his support to the cast and makers of a new biographical movie about his life. "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere" stars "The Bear" actor Jeremy Allen White as the multiple Grammy winner. But instead of focusing on his high-flying career, it offers a raw portrayal of the person behind the music. Directed and co-written by Scott Cooper, the film is based on the book of the same name by Warren Zanes. It follows a young Springsteen, on the cusp of hitting the big time, struggling with his inner demons and childhood trauma while writing the stark 1982 album "Nebraska". White said the drama, which also delves into Springsteen's fraught relationship with his father, played by Stephen Graham, shows a difficult but decisive period in the rocker's life. "I think at the core of it so much is about that longing for familial connection and the relationship between him and his father," said White. "I think he made decisions during this period in his life that allowed him to live the life that he wanted to live." The film also features "Succession" star Jeremy Strong as Springsteen's supportive, longtime manager Jon Landau. "It's a film obviously about Bruce and about the making of 'Nebraska', but it's about repairing trauma through art and confronting depression and mental health issues," said Strong. "I think it's an incredibly courageous story to tell about someone as mythologised as Bruce, to tell the story of Bruce, the man," Strong said. The movie marks the first time the musician's life has been depicted on the big screen. Springsteen, 76, was closely involved in the production. "Very early on, he listened to me singing his songs. He said, 'you sing very well. You sound like me, not just like me. You're making the songs your own and I want the whole process to feel that way,'" White recalled. "Without that sort of blessing, I don't think I would have been able to do what I did. "He's been very generous in every way. He gave me the guitar I learned to play on. I still have it," White said. The film begins its global cinematic rollout on October 22. (Reporting by Hanna RantalaEditing by Bill Berkrot)

(The article has been published through a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has been published verbatim. Liability lies with original publisher.)