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New Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Judging The Covers
Cinema on the cover Over the years, he has amassed nearly 10,000 records from across the world, especially from the US and Germany. While his collection includes everything from Western classical and Latin guitar to folk and Indian classical music, the exhibition focuses solely on film soundtrack covers. The covers have been arranged chronologically, starting from the 1950s. One of Ghosh's favourites, the 1959 Charlton Heston-starrer Ben-Hur cover, displays the film's monumental scale through its massive, colossal architectural typography, against an ochre background. 'You can see the lettering; it's designed in such a way that just by looking at it, you feel like you're watching a 70mm movie,' he says. Among the Hollywood highlights is The Godfather (1972), featuring the famous puppet-string logo in black and white. Another standout is Superman: The Movie (1978), with its gleaming 3D logo and an inner sleeve that shows Christopher Reeve in mid-flight, cape billowing behind. On the other hand, Doctor Zhivago (1965) has a softer, wintry appeal; its split portrait of the lead lovers played by Omar Sharif and Julie Christie depicting the tragic romance set against the backdrop of the Russian revolution. The Indian section of the exhibition is equally enchanting. Leading the row is Satyajit Ray, with four soundtrack covers of his films–designed by his son, Sandip Ray–put under spotlight. These include Shatranj Ke Khiladi, with a chessboard-like bordered pattern; and Ghore Baire, with the saffron wash and a flame motif placed atop the title. The exhibition also displays lesser-acknowledged gems like the 1979 Meera album featuring Hema Malini framed within a quatrefoil border, or Oliver! (1968) with its vintage-inspired oval frame.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Stoking the game
England's cricket captain forgot the rules, was churlish, but some Indian fans read too much into it In The Godfather, Don Corleone famously talks about an offer the other side cannot refuse. In the fading lights of Manchester, Ben Stokes made a cricket's version of that offer. The England skipper wanted to 'declare' India's innings. But the cessation of a Test cannot depend on the needs and desires of one captain. It must follow the Laws of Cricket, or, to be specific, ICC's match playing conditions, where Clause 12.7.6 clearly states: 'On the final day, if both captains (the batsmen at the wicket may act for their captain) accept that there is no prospect of either side achieving a victory, they may agree to finish the match after.' Simply put, calling off a game must be mutual. The consequent acts of petulance by Stokes and his teammates were downright unsportsmanlike. The match referee should look into it. Such innocence about the game's laws has happened before. In Bangalore, 1983, Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas and his side left the field, leaving Gavaskar stranded on 86. Umpires had to bring them back. Gavaskar scored his 28th century. In those pre-internet days, the incident didn't degenerate into an online scrap. Sunday night, some Indian fans saw evidence of colonial 'hangovers' in Stokes. Wrong. Stokes is a New Zealander by birth, and England's 'bazball' progenitor coach Brendon McCullum is a bona fide Kiwi. This was just an outburst born out of utter frustration of having drawn a game that was once firmly in England's grasp. The needless spat sadly took the focus away from a steely display by captain Shubman Gill's young India. That needs to be roundly applauded. With the series 2-1 in England's favour, Oval should see a cracker of a fifth Test. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Joe Pantoliano's mental health crisis nearly destroyed his marriage
The Sopranos star Joe Pantoliano has revealed his mental health crisis almost destroyed his marriage. The 73-year-old actor - who played Ralph 'Ralphie' Cifaretto in the hit mobster drama - has confessed he was "a mess for a long time" and he made matters worse by self-medicating with alcohol which left his marriage to Nancy Sheppard on the brink of collapse. He told New York Post column PageSix: "[I used] alcohol, what was available, women, you know, risky behaviour, act first and then ask questions second ... "[I was] a mess for a long time ... My wife and my kids were ready to throw me out. The only people who were happy to see me weren't people. They were my dogs." Joe went on to insist he believes his pets helped save him. He explained: '[The dogs] saved my life because it was the only spark that was left in me. I was like Tinkerbell and the light was dying." The actor was eventually diagnosed with clinical depression in 2007 and managed to get his life back on track. He has since written two books on mental health and founded a charity called No Kidding, Me Too! to help eliminate the stigma surrounding such issues, Joe recently declared he's been feeling "really uncomfortable" at home in the US since President Donald Trump took office for a second term last year. He had previously revealed he's no fan of the reality TV star-turned-politician and accused him of glorifying the mobster characters in The Sopranos to justify bad behaviour, Joe told The Independent newspaper: "What always upset me was that the majority of the audience didn't get the genius of [The Sopranos creator] David Chase, and what David Chase was saying about these monsters. "[Mobster character] Tony Soprano becomes a hero, when he's a broken-down gangster and a murderer. Scumbags like Trump and Roger Stone, all these white-collar criminals, continue to be quoted as using The Godfather and The Sopranos as a blueprint for being douchebags! I mean, how f***** up is that?"
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Ghislaine Maxwell, jailed Epstein accomplice, grilled by US official as Trump scrambles to contain backlash
WASHINGTON, July 25 — A top US Justice Department official spent hours yesterday grilling Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned accomplice of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as President Donald Trump struggles to tamp down a furor over his handling of the explosive case. David Markus, Maxwell's attorney, said the former British socialite answered every question she was asked during a day-long meeting at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida. 'She never invoked a privilege. She never declined to answer,' Markus told reporters. 'She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly, and to the best of her ability.' Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said he would continue interviewing Maxwell today and 'share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time.' Markus said he was not going to comment on the 'substance' of the meeting with Blanche, Trump's former personal lawyer for his hush money trial and two federal criminal cases. Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of recruiting underage girls for Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial in his own sex trafficking case. Earlier this week, Blanche said if Maxwell has 'information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say. 'No one is above the law—and no lead is off-limits,' he said. Trump, 79, was once a close friend of Epstein and The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the president's name was among hundreds found during a DOJ review of the so-called 'Epstein files,' though there has not been evidence of wrongdoing. Trump filed a $10 billion defamation suit against the Journal last week after it reported that he had penned a sexually suggestive letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate convicted in connection with his activities, which right-wing conspiracy theorists allege included trafficking young models for VIPs. The meeting with Maxwell marks another attempt by the Trump administration to defuse anger among the Republican president's supporters over what they have long seen as a cover-up of sex crimes by Epstein, who was a wealthy financier with high-level connections. Corrupt deal Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said the meeting between Maxwell and a Justice Department official who used to be Trump's own lawyer smacks of a 'corrupt deal so that she can exonerate Donald Trump.' Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said it raises a number of troubling questions. 'Is he really going as (deputy attorney general) or is he going de facto as Trump's personal criminal attorney, Tom Hagen style?' the senator said in a reference to the Corleone family lawyer in 'The Godfather.' 'Will he promise her a pardon for silence, or for a Trump-friendly tale?' Whitehouse asked. Many of the president's core supporters want more transparency on the Epstein case, and Trump had promised to deliver that on retaking the White House in January. But he has since dismissed the controversy as a 'hoax' and a 'witch hunt' and the DOJ and FBI released a memo this month claiming the Epstein files did not contain evidence that would justify further investigation. Epstein committed suicide while in jail and was not murdered, did not blackmail any prominent figures, and did not keep a 'client list,' according to the July 7 FBI-DOJ memo. Seeking to redirect public attention, the White House has promoted unfounded claims in recent days that former president Barack Obama led a 'years-long coup' against Trump around his victorious 2016 election. The extraordinary narrative claims that Obama had ordered intelligence assessments to be manipulated to accuse Russia of election interference to help Trump. Yet it runs counter to four separate probes between 2019 and 2023 -- each of them concluding that Russia did interfere and did, in various ways, help Trump. Epstein was found hanging dead in his New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited hundreds of victims at his homes in New York and Florida. — AFP
ABC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell grilled by top US Justice Department official
A top US Justice Department official has spent hours grilling Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned accomplice of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as President Donald Trump struggles to tamp down a furore over his handling of the explosive case. Warning: This story contains references to sexual abuse and suicide. David Markus, Maxwell's attorney, said the former British socialite answered every question she was asked during a day-long meeting with Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche at a courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida. "She never invoked a privilege. She never declined to answer," Mr Markus said. Mr Markus said he was not going to comment on the "substance" of the meeting with Mr Blanche, Mr Trump's former personal lawyer for his hush money trial and two federal criminal cases, or whether there would be further discussions. Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of recruiting underage girls for Epstein, who died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial in his own sex trafficking case. Earlier this week, Mr Blanche said if Maxwell had "information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say". "No one is above the law — and no lead is off-limits," he said. Mr Trump, 79, was once a close friend of Epstein and The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the president's name was among hundreds found during a DOJ review of the so-called "Epstein files", though there has not been evidence of wrongdoing. Mr Trump filed a $US10 billion ($15 billion) defamation suit against the Journal last week after it reported that he had penned a sexually suggestive letter to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate convicted in connection with his activities, which right-wing conspiracy theorists allege had included trafficking young models for VIPs. The meeting with Maxwell marks another attempt by the Trump administration to defuse anger among the Republican president's own supporters over what they have long seen as a cover-up of sex crimes by Epstein, who was a wealthy financier with high-level connections. Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said the meeting between Maxwell and a Justice Department official who used to be Mr Trump's own lawyer smacked of a "corrupt deal so that [Attorney-General Pam Bondi] can exonerate Donald Trump". Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said it raised some troubling questions. "Is he really going as [deputy attorney-general] or is he going de facto as Trump's personal criminal attorney, Tom Hagen style?" the senator said in a reference to the Corleone family lawyer in The Godfather. "Will he promise her a pardon for silence, or for a Trump-friendly tale?" Senator Whitehouse asked. Many of the president's core supporters want more transparency on the Epstein case, and Mr Trump had promised to deliver that on retaking the White House in January. But he has since dismissed the controversy as a "hoax" and a "witch hunt", and the DOJ and FBI released a memo this month claiming the Epstein files did not contain evidence that would justify further investigation. Epstein committed suicide while in jail and was not murdered, did not blackmail any prominent figures, and did not keep a "client list", according to the July 7 FBI-DOJ memo. Epstein was found hanging dead in his New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited hundreds of victims at his homes in New York and Florida. AFP
