Indian-American comedian Aziz Ansari says that films still do not feature enough diversity. "When people ask me, 'Do you think the diversity stuff is getting better?' I'm like, 'No'." he said. "There's a poster right outside our writer's room, it's one of those Nicholas Sparks books where it's just two white people just staring at each other. There have been 20 of those movies – not once is it a black woman staring into a guy's eyes. You know, everyone has romance in their lives. It's strange that every time, it's two white people falling in love." – IANS
Salman Khan’s girlfriend in no hurry to marry
Following rumours of her plans to marry actor Salman Khan, Iulia Vântur – who is said to be dating the actor – says she has no immediate plans to settle down. The Romanian TV presenter took to Instagram and Twitter to address the rumours. She wrote: "Dear friends, I didn't feel the need to react to any rumours. But now I think I should state clearly that I was never married and I am in no hurry to wear my wedding dress. God bless us all." Rumours have swirled that Vantur and Khan have been dating each other for some time, and they appeared together at actress Preity Zinta's wedding reception this month. Khan previously dated Bollywood stars Katrina Kaif, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sangeeta Bijlani and Somy Ali. – IANS
Megadeth’s former drummer Nick Menza dies
Nick Menza, a former drummer with heavy-metal band Megadeth, has died at the age of 51 after collapsing on stage at a Los Angeles club. It happened while he was performing with his band OHM at the Baked Potato club in Studio City, where he lived, said family spokesman J Marshall Craig, who is also Menza's biographer. The band were performing the third song of their first set late on Saturday when Menza collapsed, Craig said. Audience members and friends tried to resuscitate him, but he died in an ambulance on the way to hospital after 25 minutes of resuscitation attempts. "Despite his excellent health and extremely active, sober lifestyle, a heart attack is his suspected, though not confirmed, cause of death," Craig said. A post-mortem will be performed, he added. Menza was the longest-serving drummer for Megadeth, from 1989 to 1998, when the band was considered to be at its height, Craig said. He recorded drums and toured on the albums Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia and Cryptic Writings. During a 1998 tour, he discovered a tumour on his knee and was forced to leave for surgery. Megadeth hired a replacement and Menza was not asked back, the website said. – Reuters
The best is yet to come, says Randeep Hooda
Actor Randeep Hooda, who is receiving rave reviews for his role in the film Sarbjit, feels that the defining role of his career has evaded him so far. Directed by Omung Kumar, his current movie is based on the real-life story of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian villager convicted of spying and terrorism who languished in a Pakistani jail while his sister tried to secure his release. "Of course, [playing Sarabjit on screen] has been my most Herculean task," he said. "I am glad people are appreciating it but as an artiste, I would say that my best role is yet to come." Best-known for his character roles, Randeep said he enjoys the run-up to a movie more than its completion. "I like the process of preparation and rehearsal more than executing and watching it. That is the real life experience, the rest is just execution," he said. .– IANS
Shah Rukh Khan mourns the passage of time
Shah Rukh Khan was in a reminiscent mood as he posted photo collages of his children on social media to mark his daughter Suhana’s 16th birthday and his 18-year-old son Aryan’s school graduation. The 50-year-old star shared the images on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with the caption: “Today the only negative is that my kids have grown up...now to wait till they start believing in fairy tales again.” This year, the actor, who also has a third child, Abram, said that none of his children had shown an interest in entering the world of showbiz. “None of them have jumped on the bandwagon and said that they want to start acting,” he said. “They come to my sets to understand what filmmaking is about because it’s time for them to get interested. If they get interested, then good, but if they don’t, that’s even better.” – IANS
