Entertainment

Pregnant Rihanna soars in Super Bowl performance

Rihanna was above it all. And pregnant to boot. She began and ended the Super Bowl 57 halftime show hovering high above the field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The performance lacked the surprise guests stars included in many previous Super Bowl halftimes, save one – her representative revealed afterward that the singer is pregnant with her second child.Rihanna wore a puffy, bright red jumpsuit with tight, rubbery garb underneath that showed a baby bump that fueled a wave of social media speculation until the big revelation. She stood on a transparent rectangular platform that raised and lowered as she belted out the lyrics to “Bitch Better Have My Money” over the turf where the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs were battling moments earlier.Dancers wearing white ski-style suits and shaded goggles had their own suspended platforms that moved in concert with hers.

She and the dancers were lowered to a long stage that matched her outfit as she sped through hits including “Work,” “Where Have You Been,” and “Only Girl,” belting out “Want you to make me feel like I’m the only girl in the world.”

There were also none of the constant costume changes and scene shifts from previous years. The theme – and the color scheme – stayed the same throughout the 13-minute show, with red lights bathing the stage at times and golden fireworks exploding in the air above her.

The long stage allowed for extended pull-away shots as she stared down the camera and overhead tracking shots of Rihanna and her dancers.

At one point she powdered her face and checked it in a mirror before getting back on the mic.

Lights sparkled from the stands as she was hoisted alone back into the air and sang “Diamonds” – with its refrain of “shine bright like a diamond” – as the set closed.

Rihanna’s performance was her first solo performance event in seven years, and her first since becoming a mother for the first time nine months ago.

Country star Chris Stapleton made the national anthem a simple affair at Super Bowl 57, standing alone on the field accompanied by only his electric guitar as he sang “The Star Spangled Banner” moments before the Kansas City Chiefs kickoff to the Philadelphia Eagles to start the game.

Dressed simply in smooth black denim and sunglasses, with neatly combed hair instead of his signature feathered cowboy hat, he sang the anthem as a plaintive ballad, picking it up to rock only briefly as he delivered the final lines “banner yet wave” and “land of the free!”

His anthem felt slow, but it clocked in at 2 minutes, 2 seconds, under the 2 minutes, 5 seconds predicted by oddsmakers. But it was more than 10 seconds longer than last year’s sung by another country star, Mickey Guyton.

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and starting center Jason Kelce both had tears in their eyes during Stapleton’s emotional performance.

As the eight-time Grammy winner sang, “CODA” star Troy Kotsur, the first deaf man to win an acting Oscar, signed the anthem lyrics.

Before Stapleton’s anthem, “Abbot Elementary” star Sheryl Lee Ralph performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Wearing a flowing red velvet gown, Ralph began the song dubbed the Black national anthem as a reflective ballad, and it became a soaring hymn as it went on, with military-style drums joining her and a choir dressed all in white chiming in behind her on the field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

And R&B legend Babyface delivered “America the Beautiful” as a soulful folk song, playing an acoustic guitar painted with an American flag and blue flowers as he stood alone on the field. A backing track with drum machines and singers kicked in before he was done.

Die-hard Chiefs fan Paul Rudd was on the field before the game, sporting a big smile and a team jersey.

Philadelphia native Bradley Cooper, wearing an Eagles T-shirt, celebrated from the stands as his team put the first points of a thriller of a game on the board. Another famous Philly fan, Kevin Hart, wearing a jersey, stood and flapped his arms.

Jay-Z, Tiffany Haddish, rapper GloRilla and chef Gordon Ramsay were also spotted in the stadium.

Pregame performances came from DJ Snake and Jason Derulo, whose backup dancers included synchronized robot dogs.

Many stars have made the scene at Super Bowl week parties.

Many others, including Serena Williams, Adam Driver and John Travolta, are showing up in the big game’s big commercials.

And U2 revealed in a commercial late in the game that they were returning to the concert stage for the first time since 2019.

Rihanna was surpassing it all. In addition, she was expecting a baby. She commenced and concluded the Super Bowl 57 halftime performance while suspended high above the field at State Farm Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

Entertainment

‘Jawan’ to mint Rs 70 crore on opening day

With a 5 am show in Kolkata, a 6 am one in Jaipur and tickets flying off the proverbial shelf, Bollywood theatrical releases — most recent being “Gadar 2” and “OMG 2″ — are raking it in.Mumbai-based trade expert Komal Nahta agreed with Biji’s estimate.”The situation is crazy across single-screen theatres and multiplexes both. It is difficult to predict the business. It will at least do Rs 70 crore on day one (in India),” Nahta told PTI.In Delhi, the film releases ahead of the G20 Summit on September 9-10 with several heads of state, including US President Joe Biden, set to attend the event. While the city will remain open during the weekend, restrictions will be imposed on a small part of the NDMC area.Bijli said he is not worried about the theatrical business taking a hit in central Delhi because of G20 restrictions. It would mean four PVR theatres — PVR Plaza, Rivoli, Odeon and ECX Chanakyapuri — shut during the summit.”They are single screen theatres with a total capacity of about 2,000 seats so that really wouldn’t have much of an impact because the loss for that will be compensated by the fact that Delhi has a four-day weekend,” he said.About 30-35 per cent of the film’s business will come from the South, which again is bigger than the numbers made by “Pathaan”, added Bijli.The buzz around “Jawan” is also high in south India as a majority of the cast and crew hail from the region, said Chennai-based trade analyst Ramesh Bala.”The advance booking is looking good all over India, certainly so in the South as well. There are early morning shows in the south. It is a big release here for all the states combined because the cast and crew are from the South.”So the buzz is more. Looking at the advance booking response for the film, I think on day one, the film should do Rs 20 to 25 crore from the South market, and overall, it should do Rs 70 to 75 crore across India. If the movie is reasonably good, then the lifetime business of the movie will be Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 crore,” Bala told PTI.It’s not just in the South.Theatre chain Miraj Cinema, which has 182 plus screens across India, said it has already sold 28,000 tickets.”Due to overwhelming public demand, we’ve broken new ground by adding a 5 am show for a Hindi film in Kolkata, a first in our cinema’s history. Jaipur will experience the earliest screening at 6.05 am in Hindi, setting a record for the city,” Amit Sharma, MD of Miraj Entertainment Ltd, said in a statement.Senior distributor and exhibitor Raj Bansal, said many theatres in Rajasthan will also hold early morning shows of “Jawan” due to the unprecedented response.”After almost 30 years in Rajasthan, we are having 6 am shows for ‘Jawan’. In the past, this happened with Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Hum’,” Bansal, director of Jaipur’s three-screen multiplex Entertainment Paradise, told PTI.In Mumbai, Gaiety-Galaxy, a prominent single-screen theatre, about 90 per cent of its seats are sold out.”Almost 80 to 90 per cent booking is done so far; by Thursday it will be houseful. We are happy with the golden run of movies in theatres, especially in single-screen theatres. I think because of ‘Pathaan’ and ‘Gadar 2’, the business in single screen has revived. The industry has bounced back in a big way. With ‘Jawan’ things are looking positive,” Manoj Desai, executive director of Gaiety, Galaxy and Maratha Mandir Cinema, told PTI.As screens open up for advance bookings in various cities, the Tamil and Telugu versions of the film are also seeing enthusiastic support although the Hindi version is naturally taking the lead, Ashish Saksena, COO – Cinemas, BookMyShow, said in a statement.”What is interesting to note is that the Hindi language version of the film has seen maximum interest from markets in South and East India such as Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai amongst others,” he added.According to Bijli, 2023, particularly the months of July-August, have been great for the exhibition sector with the back-to-back successes of both Hollywood and Hindi movies such as “Mission Impossible 7”, “Oppenheimer”, “Gadar 2”, “OMG 2” and “Dream Girl 2″.”Movie going (experience) has come back. ‘Jawan’ has a lot going for itself. The film has Shah Rukh Khan, who has delivered ‘Pathaan’, a Rs 525 crore movie,” he said.That film releases on Janmashtami, when many people celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna, and a weekend follows one day later is expected to boost sales.Rajkot-based distributor Ajay Bagdai said the advance booking for “Jawan” looks promising as Gujarat will have a holiday weekend due to Janmashtami.”At my theatre in Rajkot, we have 1,100 seats and so far we have sold about 750 tickets, only for September 7. On the first day, the pan-India business should be at least around Rs 50 to 60 crore,” Bagdai added.

Shah Rukh Khan’s next movie “Jawan” is expected to outperform the opening day grossing of “Pathaan” from earlier in the year. It is projected that Jawan should reach nearly 70 crore in earnings on its premiere day at the theaters.

Entertainment

Salman Khan warns against fake casting agents

Shah Rukh Khanfor an action packed spy drama, titled ‘Tiger vsPathaan’.

In a recent post on social media, Salman Khan cautioned his followers to beware of phony individuals, vowing to give innocent persons roles in his movies. The actor released a declaration on behalf of his studio as well. Soon, audiences will be able to witness Salman Khan’s performance in ‘Tiger 3’, the movie also featuring Katrina Kaif and Emraan Hashmi.

Entertainment

Aamir enjoys Wimbledon 2023 finals with kids

Aamir Khan was spotted at the Wimbledon 2023 finals in London with his children, Junaid, Azad and Ira, where they enjoyed the match together. Popular Bollywood celebrities such as Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Nick Jonas also attended the event.

Aamir Khan and his kids, Junaid, Azad, and Ira, could be seen at the 2023 Wimbledon finals in London together, savoring the match. Celebrities like Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Nick Jonas who are superstars in Bollywood were at the occasion.

Entertainment

With Katrina, it is always a ‘Merry Christmas’

CELEB LOOKS

Nature’s girl

Katrina is known to be a huge nature lover and here she is seen sitting pretty amidst flora and fauna

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Mornings like these

We think the diva looks flawless even when she wakes up in the morning. Don’t you agree?

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Festive fervour

The actor, who looks as gorgeous in Indian wear as Western, strikes a pose in this pastel salwar kameez

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Girl next door

Sultry diva or girl next door? Katrina, who recently turned 40, aces many avatars with elan

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Click happy

The actor posted this pic thanking her insta family that now boasts of 74 million people!

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Glam girl

Katrina, who carries off the glamorous look with panache, looks stunning in this shimmering golden dress

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Floral fantasy

Katrina shows you why a good floral pant suit is a must in your wardrobe

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Rock and roll

This zig zag chic dress with thigh high slits on either side is perfect for the summers

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Cozy corner

Katrina looks so radiant and fresh in this pic as her eyes do all the talking. Don’t miss her luscious locks!

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Green brigade

The actor poses in a green swimsuit atop a yacht and does she not look mesmerising?

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Entertainment

Prasoon Joshi to watch ‘OMG 2’ today

AfterCBFCwas slammed recently for passing Om Raut’s ‘Adipurush’ with zero cuts, Amit Rai’s ‘OMG 2’ was referred to the Revisting Committee by the Examining Committee, ahead of its release.Prasoon Joshi, Chairperson of CBFC will reportedly be watching the film today. According to reports, usually the Chief Executive Officer of the CBFC, Ravinder Bhakar, awards the certificate.His signature is seen on almost all the censor certificates. However, in the case of ‘OMG 2’,Prasoon Joshihimself will go through the film and make a decision accordingly, the report inBollywoodHungama stated.

The report added that he has decided to spearhead the Revisting Committee as the CBFC wants to be fully sure that ‘OMG 2’ doesn’t have any scene or dialogue that can cause a problem.

Prabhas, Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan starrer received a huge backlash from the audience for its dialogues and scenes. The film received mixed reviews from the audience and the critics alike.

Meanwhile, ‘OMG 2’ stars <a href=”https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/akshay-kumar” class=”” data-ga=”Click-Hyperlink