Milana Vayntrub, known for playing giddy and goofy roles – Junk, L! fe Happens, Silicon Valley – found herself fidgety and troubled on a recent holiday in Greece. The actress, best known for her role as the chirpy, blue-shirted "Lily" in a popular series of AT&T commercials, was a toddler when her parents fled Uzbekistan as refugees in 1989. How could she relax on the beach when migrants fleeing Syria were coming ashore a few miles away? "It felt a little ridiculous that I could do something but would choose not to," she said. Vayntrub, 29, decided to miss her flight home so she could wrap refugee babies in blankets and make sandwiches for the new arrivals. Later, back in Los Angeles, she founded CantDoNothing.org, a non-profit with a simple mission: Encourage people around the planet to do something – anything – to help. "I'm asking everyone to find simple ways to share your time, your money, your voice to make a difference. Helping can be a lot of things," said Vayntrub. Her initiative, shared under the hashtag #CantDoNothing, has created a buzz on social media, with people from around the world sharing photos and videos of their acts of kindness and solidarity. – AP
Rishtey Asia launches new Pakistani dramas
Television entertainment channel Rishtey Asia plans to launch a series of Pakistani dramas. The channel will initially launch four new dramas, Meray Dil Meray Musafir in May, followed by Jaltay Gulab, Yeh Pyar Hai and Mera Khoon Howa Tha. A longer line-up is expected to follow. "Our earlier experience with Pakistani drama content on Rishtey Asia has shown us that such series provide a rich cultural diversity to the channel and resonate strongly with all South Asian audiences in the Middle East & Asia Pacific regardless of their nationality," said Sachin Gokhale, vice president of the channel. – The National
YouTube to launch TV service
YouTube is reportedly in talks to launch its own online television subscription service, according to Bloomberg. Unplugged will allow customers to stream cable TV channel bundles online. Bloomberg has reported that the new service, which will launch in 2017, is one of YouTube's "biggest priorities". YouTube executives have discussed the plans with major media companies, including NBCUniversal, Viacom, 21st Century Fox and CBS, but has yet to secure any rights, according to the report. Unplugged follows YouTube's ad-supported Red subscription service. When launched, Unplugged will run alongside Red. – The National
Filmmaker welcomes extradition news
Kate Del Castillo, who holds the rights to make a movie about the life of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, has welcomed the news that he may soon be extradited to the United States. Following the Mexican authorities' ruling that Guzman could legally be extradited, the actress said in a statement: "Today's news that El Chapo may be extradited to the United States is good news in that it will allow my team greater access to him to tell a full and accurate picture of his unbelievable life and work." Castillo is well-known in Mexico for a host of domestic movies and telenovelas, as well as her work in the US on shows such as Dallas and CSI Miami.– AP
A R Rahman denies role as Olympic ambassador
Indian composer and singer A R Rahman says he has not received any offer from the Indian Olympic Association to be a Goodwill Ambassador for the Rio Olympics, but backed Salman Khan's appointment to the post. Asked at the trailer launch of the film Pele: Birth of a Legend about being approached to become a Goodwill Ambassador, he said: "I heard it from the press. It was all over the place, it was on Google. I haven't had an email yet. Maybe my management knows, I don't know." There have been reports that Rahman, along with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and ace shooter Abhinav Bindra, were approached by the IOA to be ambassadors for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro later this year. – IANS
Benedict Cumberbatch finds fame “embarrassing”
British actor Benedict Cumberbatch is among the most in-demand stars on the Hollywood scene, but has revealed that he can't understand why people are so interested in him. Cumberbatch cited American US President Barack Obama's recent visit to Britain as an instance when he surprisingly became the focus of attention, according to femalefirst.co.uk. Recalling a particular talk by the president during his visit, Cumberbatch said: "We were right beside the press pack, and there were people there with telephoto lenses. When they realised that Barack was going to be there in another five minutes, the whole lot just went wumph, onto me, onto the side of my face. I was just like, 'How many times can you take a photo of a not-particularly-attractive profile – again and again'. I mean, thank god [Benedict's wife] Sophie was there, so that kind of drew the eye of the photographs, as it always should. But it was just embarrassing," said the Sherlock star. – IANS
