Veteran Sri Lankan actor Wilson Karunaratne has passed away at the age of 79, family sources told Ada Derana.
Fondly known as ‘Wilson Karu’, Karunaratne was also a stunt director.
He was considered one of the best villains in Sinhala cinema.
making his movie debut through ‘Hadawath Naththo’ (1974) as a stuntman, Karunaratne has acted in more than 200 movies.
Israeli film production house United Channel Movies (UCM) is currently in Sri Lanka to shoot its latest feature film ‘Arugam Bay’ in the eastern region of the island nation.
The filming will start on May 3 and is expected to wrap up by May 22, the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB) said in a statement to the media.
The main filming will be taking place in Arugam Bay, Colombo as well as in Tel Aviv - Israel. This film is expected to be screened in Israel and over 50 countries across Europe.
The statement highlighted that the project is a great opportunity for Sri Lankan international film industry as well as for the inbound film tourism industry.
Sri Lanka-based international film production company Frames TV & Film Productions will be joining hands with UCM Productions, Israel Film Commission and Sri Lanka Tourism to produce the film.
Source: www.dailymirror.lk
The 64th annual Grammy Awards are being held for the first time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena with Trevor Noah as host. The 64th GRAMMY Awards recognizes recordings (including musical artists, compositions and albums) released between September 01, 2020, to September 30, 2021. Jon Batiste received the most nominations with eleven and Batiste also received the most awards with five.
The Grammy Award is an award presented by the Recording Academy to recognize achievements in the music industry. The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, to honour and respect the musical accomplishments of performers for the year 1958. The trophy represents a gilded gramophone.Here is the list of winners of the 64th annual Grammy Awards:
| S.No | Category | Winners |
| 1. | Album Of The Year | ‘We Are’ by Jon Batiste |
| 2. | Record Of The Year | ‘Leave the door open’ by Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak |
| 3. | Best New Artist | Olivia Rodrigo |
| 4. | Best Rap Album | “Call Me If You Get Lost,” Tyler, the Creator |
| 5. | Best R&B Album Winner | “Heaux Tales,” Jazmine Sullivan. |
| 6. | Best Rap Song | “Jail,” Kanye West featuring Jay-Z |
| 7. | Best Country Album | “Starting Over,” Chris Stapleton |
| 8. | Song Of The Year | “Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic (Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II and Bruno Mars) |
| 9. | Best Rock Album | “Medicine at Midnight,” Foo Fighters |
| 10. | Best Rock Song | “Waiting On a War,” Foo Fighters |
| 11. | Best Dance/Electronic Album | “Subconsciously,” Black Coffee |
| 12. | Producer of the Year, non-classical: | Jack Antonoff |
| 13. | Best Music Video | “Freedom,” Jon Batiste |
| 14. | Best Country Song | “Cold,” Chris Stapleton |
| 15. | Best Folk Album | “They’re Calling Me Home,” Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi |
| 16. | Best Comedy Album | “Sincerely Louis CK,” Louis C.K. |
| 17. | Best rap performance: | “Family Ties,” Baby Keem featuring Kendrick Lamar |
| 18. | Best rock performance: | “Making a Fire,” Foo Fighters |
| 19. | Best music film: | “Summer of Soul” |
| 20. | Best musical theater album: | “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical” |
| 21. | Best global music: | “Mohabbat,” Arooj Aftab |
| 22. | Best global music album: | “Mother Nature,” Angélique Kidjo |
| 23. | Best historical album: “Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: | The Early Years (1963-1967) |
| 24. | Best Pop Duo / Group Performance: | Doja Cat and SZA for “Kiss Me More” |
| 25. | Best American roots performance: | “Cry,” Jon Batiste |
Sri Lankan actor Hiran Abeysekera has won the award for Best Actor at the Olivier Awards which was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London.
Abeysekera picked up the award for his performances as the leading man on the Wes-End play ‘Life of Pi’, which also scooped a host of top prizes.
The story follows a teenager stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean with a tiger on board.
In a touching speech, the show’s star Abeysekera said he was “overwhelmed” to win best actor.
Life of Pi, a philosophical novel by Yann Martel, was also adapted into an film in 2012 which starred Suraj Sharma and won four Oscars.
Source: https://island.lk
Author Geetanjali Shree’s novel ‘Tomb of Sand’ on Thursday 07 April 2022 became the first Hindi language work of fiction to be shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.
Shree’s book, translated into English by Daisy Rockwell and described by the judges as “loud and irresistible novel”, will compete with five other titles from around the world for the prestigious 50,000 pounds literary prize, which is split evenly between the author and translator.
Source: https://indianexpress.com
Jon Batiste has already taken home three Grammy Awards, including his first ever, in what could be a big night for this year’s leading nominee.
During the show’s pre-telecast ceremony, Batiste won for best American roots performance, American roots song and tied with Carlos Rafael Rivera for best song written for visual media. Batiste won for “Soul” alongside Rivera for his composing efforts on “The Queen’s Gambit.”
It's the first tie since 2019 when Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake tied with Anderson Paak to win best rap performance.
Source: www.wwltv.com
Will Smith has been banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years, the academy that hands out the awards announced, less than two weeks after the American actor slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage.
After a meeting of its board of governors, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said on Friday that Smith also would not be allowed to attend any other events hosted by the academy during that period.
Smith walked on stage during the 94th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on March 27 and slapped Rock after the comedian likened the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has a shaved head, to the movie character GI Jane.
Source: www.aljazeera.com
Veteran filmmaker John Zaritsky, well known for winning an Oscar in 1983 for best documentary feature for 'Just Another Missing Kid', has passed away.
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Zaritsky passed away on March 30 due to heart failure at the Vancouver General hospital, Canada. He was 79.
During a career that spanned 40 years, Zaritsky also directed a trilogy of documentaries on thalidomide, the notorious drug introduced in Europe in the late 1950s.
He also made more light-hearted documentaries, which included Ski Bums, shot in one of his favourite locales.
Zaritsky`s work has been broadcast in 35 countries and screened at more than 40 film festivals around the world, including Sundance, and Toronto.
Source: www.wionews.com
Country music singer and songwriter Jeff Carson, who scored hits with “Not On Your Love” and “The Car” , has died at age 58.
He has died of a heart attack at a hospital in Franklin.
Carson was born Jeffrey Lee Herndon in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1963, Westby said in a news release. Carson sang in church and formed a band in Rogers, Arkansas, before moving to Branson, Missouri, where he wrote songs and played locally.
Carson moved to Nashville and recorded demos for Tracy Lawrence, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and other country stars.
Carson received a recording contract at Curb Records in 1995 and released a single, “Yeah Buddy.” He then recorded the singles “Not On Your Love” and “The Car,” which won Carson his first Academy of Country Music award for video of the year.
Carson’s career had 14 singles on the Billboard chart in his career, Westby said.
Carson retired from music to become a police officer in Franklin, where he remained on the police force.
Carson returned to music in 2019 and released a previously recorded song, “God Save The World.”
Source: www.nbcnews.com
Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, has been ranked as the most noise polluted city globally, according to the recent ‘Annual Frontier Report, 2022’ published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). As per the report, the city recorded noise pollution of 119 decibels at its highest (dB) in 2021.
The WHO guidelines state that sounds with a frequency of over 70 dB are considered harmful to health. For residential areas, the sound limit of 55-dB are standard, while for traffic and business sectors, this limit is 70 dB.
Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad came second in the list with noise pollution of 114 decibels. Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan is third, with maximum noise pollution of 105 dB.
The quietest cities in the world as per the report are Irbrid at 60 dB, Lyon at 69 dB, Madrid at 69 dB, Stockholm at 70 dB, and Belgrade at 70 dB.
A total of 61 cities from around the world have been ranked in the report, out of which 13 cities are from South Asia, while 5 among them are from India.
Source: https://bdnews24.com
The 94th Academy Awards returned to the Dolby Theater in Hollywood as the top films from the last year were honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The show was hosted by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes, the first time the award ceremony has had multiple hosts since Anne Hathaway and James Franco co-hosted the 83rd installment in 2011.
Key points:
The 94th Academy Awards are honoring the films released between January 1 and December 31, 2021. The nominations were announced on February 8, by actors Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan.
Netflix’s The Power of the Dog leads the race with 12 nominations followed by sci-fi epic Dune, with 10 nods. Indian documentary Writing With Fire is also nominated for Best Documentary (Feature).
Awards will be presented across 23 categories, which are determined based on voting by members of the Academy.
This time, there are two new categories- Oscars Fan Favorite Award and Oscars Cheer Moment, which will be decided by fan voting, which was done online between February 14 and March 3, 2022.
Full list of winners;
The contest, conducted in two parts, one in December and again in March, was hosted at the Coca-Cola Music Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Karolina succeeded and was crowned by the outgoing queen, Miss World 2019 Toni-Ann Singh, who had the longest reign in the pageant's history.
This year marked the 70th edition of the prestigious pageant, and gorgeous delegates from over 90 countries competed for the coveted crown.
On Tuesday, March 15, Oscar-winning filmmaker and artist Sir Steve McQueen has been recognised with a royal honour at Windsor Castle.
The filmmaker is known for some of his best works including Hunger,12 Years A Slave, Deadpan, Lovers Rock and many others. He won several accolades including Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe for his film 12 Years a Slave, which is an adaptation of Solomon Northup's 1853 slave narrative memoir. Recently, the award-winning filmmaker was honoured with a Royal knighthood for his contribution to art and films.
Source: www.republicworld.com
British Academy Television Awards are presented annually to recognize the outstanding work in British Television. It is being given annually since 1955. It is mainly given to British programs.
The 75th edition of the British Academy Film Awards, also known as the BAFTA Award, was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The awards, presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), honours the best national and foreign films of 2021.
The ceremony was hosted by actress and comedian Rebel Wilson. The film that received maximum nominations was Dune, with 11 nominations. The film that received the maximum number of awards was Dune as well with 5 awards.
Here is the list of winners at the 2022 BAFTA awards:
| Category | Winners |
| Best Film | The Power of the Dog |
| Best Director | Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog |
| Best Actress in Leading Role | Joanna Scanlan, After Love |
| Best Actor in Leading Role | Will Smith, King Richard |
| Best Supporting Actress | Ariana DeBose, West Side Story |
| Best Supporting Actor | Troy Kotsur, CODA |
| EE Rising Star Award | Lashana Lynch |
| Outstanding British Film | Belfast |
| Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director, Or Producer | The Harder They Fall |
| Best Film Not In The English Language | Drive My Car |
| Best Documentary | Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) |
| Best Animated Film | Encanto |
| Best Short Animation | Do Not Feed the Pigeons, Vladimir Krasilnikov, Jordi Morera and Antonin Niclass |
| Best Short Film | The Black Cop, Cherish Oleka |
| Original Screenplay | Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson |
| Adapted Screenplay | CODA, Sian Heder |
| Original Score | Dune, Hans Zimmer |
| Casting | West Side Story, Cindy Tolan |
Sinhala drama thriller “The Newspaper” has bagged the award for the best movie in the Asian Cinema Competition at the 2022 Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes).
The film festival is organized by the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy for the Government of Karnataka. The 13th edition of BIFFes was held from the 03rd to 10th of March.
Like its previous editions, competitive sections for the Asian, Indian and Kannada Cinema were held with rewarding the winners with cash prize. Meanwhile, the films which were selected under the various competition sections in 2021, were also adjudicated in this edition of the festival separately, for the respective awards.
The movie was co-directed and screen-played by Sarath Kothalawala and Kumara Thirimadura and produced by Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardena. It starred Kumara Thirimadura, Sarath Kothalawala, Dharmapriya Dias, Pubudu Chathuranga and Gihan Fernando.
The movie is woven around a small poor family in a remote village at dry zone who faced a series of miseries due to a wrong news report published in the national media stating that their son is involved in a suicide bomb blast carried by the LTTE terrorists.
Source: www.adaderana.lk
William Hurt, who became a top leading man in the 1980s, winning an Oscar for 1985’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and starring in “The Big Chill” and “Body Heat,” died Sunday 13 March 2022 of natural causes. He was 71.
His son Will said in a statement, “It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday. He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes.”
Hurt was nominated for four Oscars over the course of his long career, scoring two best actor nominations for “Broadcast News” and “Children of a Lesser God” and a supporting actor nod for less than 10 minutes of screen time in “A History of Violence.” He was one of the most heralded performers of the 1980s, becoming something of a cerebral sex symbol and a reluctant, albeit bankable, movie star. Hurt later transitioned into character roles in the 1990s and successfully alternated between big screen projects and television, scoring Emmy nominations for his work as a whistleblower in “Damages” and his portrayal of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in “Too Big to Fail.”
Source: https://variety.com
The Oscar-winning producer, Former Executive at Twentieth Century Fox, who greenlit ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Braveheart’, Alan Ladd Junior has passed away at the age of 84 years.
He was affectionately known as “Laddie”. He won the Academy Award (Oscar award) for Best Picture ‘Braveheart’ directed by Mel Gibson in 1995.
He was one of the founders of the Ladd Company, established in 1979.
Source: www.newswest9.com
The United Nations Environment Assembly was hosted by the UN Environment Programme. It brings together representatives from the UN’s 193 member countries, corporations, civil society, and other stakeholders to agree on policies to address the world’s most serious environmental concerns.
AIM:
The aim of UNEA-5 was “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” emphasising the importance of nature in our lives as well as in social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
Its goal was to give nations the impetus they needed to build on and catalyse global environmental initiatives to safeguard and restore the natural world on which our economy and societies rely.
KEY POINTS:
Nations resolve to build a legally enforceable accord in the fight against plastic pollution, marking a watershed moment in the effort.
The UN Environment Assembly comes to a close with 14 decisions aimed at reducing pollution, protecting the environment, and restoring it around the world.
The United Nations Environment Assembly’s fifth session was held online, which was hosted from Nairobi from February 28 to March 2, 2022.
UNEA-5 provided an opportunity for Member States to present their finest sustainability initiatives.
Following UNEA-5.2, the Assembly convened a Special Session on the 3rd and 4th of March 2022 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the UN Environment Programme’s inception in 1972.
Veteran actor and comedian of Sri Lankan cinema and television, Berty Gunathilake passed away on March 06.
Gunathilake, who was receiving treatment at the Kahawatte Base Hospital, was aged 98 years at the time of his demise.
Born on August 02, 1924 at Ampitiya in Kandy, Mr Gunathilake was a student of the Ampitiya Primary School, Sri Sangaraja Maha Pirivena in Kandy and the Institute of Indigenous Medicine.
He later served as an Assistant Teacher at the Galpola Vidyalaya in Kuliyapitiya.
In 1947, he was involved with Radio Ceylon through the ‘Lama Pitiya’ programme while his comedy programme called ‘Vihilu Thahalu’ on Radio Ceylon became a popular hit in 1954.
In 1951, the movie ‘Banda Nagarayata Pemineema’ starring Berty Gunathilake was screened while he later also acted in several more movies in a comedic role including ‘Pem Mal Maala’, “Palama Yata”, ‘Mana Mohini’ and ‘Somi Boys’.
He gained wide-spread fame through his many comedic roles on the ‘Vinoda Samaya’ sketch comedy programme which aired on Rupavahini for several years.
NASA launches latest generation satellite to track hazardous weather. In a big development, NASA has successfully launched the third in a series of next-generation weather satellites for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The newest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-T, was launched on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
It has been confirmed that the spacecraft's solar arrays were successfully deployed and the spacecraft was operating on its own power.
Source: www.business-standard.com
