Oscars organisers have shortlisted nine movies for the Best Foreign Language Film award, including the Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad's Omar. The movie won the Best Film and Best Director prizes at the Dubai International Film Festival. The other shortlisted films are: The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium), An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (Bosnia and Herzegovina), The Missing Picture (Cambodia), The Hunt (Denmark), Two Lives (Germany), The Grandmaster (Hong Kong), The Notebook (Hungary) and The Great Beauty (Italy). They will be reduced to five nominees next month, before all the Oscar categories are announced on January 16. The 86th Academy Awards will be held on March 2. – AFP
Deepika Padukone wins big at Entertainment Awards
The Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone was the big winner at Wednesday's Big Star Entertainment Awards, bagging four top prizes for her film Chennai Express, including Most Entertaining Comedy Actress. The Most Entertaining Film award went to Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, while Sonakshi Sinha and Aditya Roy Kapoor went home with the Best Actress and Actor in a Romantic Role. The ceremony featured performances by Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Sunny Leone. Shah Rukh Khan was honoured with the Entertainer of the Year award, while Amitabh Bachchan was awarded with the Star of the Millennium prize. – IANS
J K Rowling to produce Harry Potter stage show in Britain
J K Rowling is to co-produce a British stage show about Harry Potter's early years living with his cruel non-magical aunt and uncle, she announced on Friday. Rowling said she would work with the writer on the new play, but would not script it herself. Rowling has sold more than 450 million copies of the Harry Potter books, which were also made into a blockbuster film series. – AFP
Paul Rudd cast as superhero Ant-Man
Paul Rudd has been cast as Ant-Man in the British director Edgar Wright's superhero film about a scientist who can shrink himself down to the size of an insect. The comic book studio Marvel says the 44-year-old actor was its first choice for Ant-Man and his casting reflects its "desire to cast actors that bring several dimensions to its on screen heroes". Ant-Man is scheduled for a July 2015 release. – AP
Akshay Kumar shuns politics
Asked by reporters whether he would ever be interested in entering politics, the Indian actor Akshay Kumar replied: "Why should I venture into unknown territory?" The 46-year-old star, known for his action films, was interviewed after filming Karan Johar's talk show Koffee with Karan. "I want to live happily. That's all I want to do. In a very separate way, I want to do something only for sports and health," he added. "I've earned enough fame in my life. Besides my 1-year-old daughter keeps me occupied the most." – IANS
Lovato confirms X Factor exit
Demi Lovato says she's leaving The X Factor US to focus on her music career. The 21-year-old singer and actress said she plans to devote 2014 to touring and working on a new album. The show's producer and judge Simon Cowell said working with Lovato has been "fun" but the timing is right for "something new". Cowell would not comment on potential replacements for Lovato. – AP
