NEWS

Michael Jackson’s story is coming to the big screen next year, according to People.

Lionsgate announced that the upcoming biopic Michael will hit theaters on April 18, 2025. The studio is releasing the movie domestically, and Universal is releasing the film internationally. The film will begin production on Jan. 22.

“Michael will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became the King of Pop,” reads the movie’s official synopsis. “The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified by his most iconic performances. As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known.”

Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua is directing the upcoming production, and Jackson’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will star as the “Thriller” singer. Jaafar is the son of Michael's older brother Jermaine Jackson. The screenplay was written by Gladiator’s John Logan.

"It's uncanny how much [Jaafar is] like Michael," Fuqua told Entertainment Weekly. "Sounds like him, dances like him, sings. It's really uncanny. Graham King, who is a fantastic producer, found him, and introduced him to me, and I was blown away."

Graham King will produce alongside John Branca and John McClain, the co-executors of Jackson‘s estate. The biographical movie is set to cover all aspects of the singer’s life. It is currently unknown whether the film will address Jackson's controversies.

Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50.

In 2003, he was arrested on charges of child molestation, though he was acquitted of those charges in 2005. Jackson was accused of sexual abuse by two individuals after he died in 2013. The 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland revisited the allegations.

More recently, Jackson’s life has been adapted for the stage. On Feb. 1, 2022, MJ: The Musical premiered on Broadway and chronicles the Bad singer’s creative process, focusing on the singer's preparation for his 1992 Dangerous World Tour. The show was written by Lynn Nottage, and directed and choreographed by Tony winner, Christopher Wheeldon.

The show scored four Tony Awards in 2022 — including best leading actor in a musical to Myles Frost, best choreography to Wheeldon, best lighting design and best sound design.

Organized by the Azerbaijan Association of Travel Agencies (ATAA), the Forum entitled “Results of the year of tourism industry entities and challenges on the eve of the COP29” has today kicked off at the Baku Convention Center.

The event, bringing together around 1000 participants, started with the performance of the national anthem, as the participants honored the memory of the Azerbaijani martyrs, who gave their lives for the country’s territorial integrity.

Addressing the event, ATAA Chairman of Board Goydaniz Gahramanov described the year 2023 as successful period in terms of development of Azerbaijan’s tourism industry. He also highlighted National Leader Heydar Aliyev’s special attention and care to the sphere of tourism, underscoring Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s efforts for further enhancement of the relevant field.

Other speakers included Chairman of Board of the Azerbaijan Hotel Association Eldar Alimuradov, Secretary General of the Azerbaijan Tourist Guides Association Tural Musayev, and Chairman of Board of the Azerbaijan Travel Bloggers Association Azer Garibov.

The speakers pointed out the importance of choosing Azerbaijan as the host country for the 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).

The event also featured the adoption of the declaration.

Mel Brooks received his second Oscar Tuesday night at a private dinner in the heart of Hollywood, according to AP.

The event, the 14th Governors Awards, was untelevised but the crowd was as starry as they come with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Penélope Cruz, Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper and Jon Batiste in the audience.

Hollywood’s awards season can start to feel a little gratuitously self-congratulatory, but the Governors Awards is a bit of a respite from the horse race and a chance to celebrate some of the industry’s living legends, including Brooks, Angela Bassett and film editor Carol Littleton, who all collected honorary Oscars at the Ray Dolby Auditorium, just steps from where the Academy Awards will be broadcast in March. Michelle Satter, a founding director of the Sundance Institute, also received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The annual event is put on by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize contributions to the industry and a life’s achievement. It used to be part of the Oscars telecast but shifted to a separate occasion in 2009, where there would be no time constraints on the speeches.

The event, which was delayed from its original November date because of the actors strike, is also a de facto campaign stop for the current season’s awards hopefuls. Voting for the 96th Oscars begins on Thursday and nominations will be announced on Jan. 23 for the March 10 ceremony.

Before the tributes started, actors and filmmakers from the top movies of the year, including “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “Poor Things” and “The Color Purple,” mingled.

Bassett gave an impassioned speech, talking about acting as not just a career but a calling. She said the honorary Oscar is not just another award but “a testament to my legacy.” In the audience, Barrino stood while Bassett spoke, cheering her on at key moments. After the event, “The Color Purple” director Blitz Bazawule said it was “like church.”

The 65-year-old received her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and her second last year for playing the grieving queen in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She noted that she’s only the second Black actress to receive the honorary Oscar, following in the footsteps of the late Cicely Tyson who she considered a mentor.

Martin Scorsese has completed his screenplay for the film about Jesus he first teased in May, the director told Los Angeles Times in a story that published Monday, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Scorsese said his project will film later this year and is expected to be only 80 minutes long.

“I’m trying to find a new way to make it more accessible and take away the negative onus of what has been associated with organized religion,” Scorsese said. The film does not yet appear to have a distributor.

Scorsese co-wrote the new project with critic and filmmaker Kent Jones. It is based on Shūsaku Endō’s book A Life of Jesus — Endo also wrote Silence, which Scorsese adapted for the screen in 2016 with actors Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson.

Should Scorsese’s 80-minute prediction prove true, the new film could be his shortest ever (Killers of a Flower Moon, released last November and now heading into the Oscars race, clocked in at an impressive 206 minutes).

The Jesus film will take place mostly in present day and focus on the principles of Jesus’ core teachings rather than a specific religious doctrine.

“Right now, ‘religion,’ you say that word and everyone is up in arms because it’s failed in so many ways,” Scorsese said. “But that doesn’t mean necessarily that the initial impulse was wrong. Let’s get back. Let’s just think about it. You may reject it. But it might make a difference in how you live your life — even in rejecting it. Don’t dismiss it offhand. That’s all I’m talking about. And I’m saying that as a person who’s going to be 81 in a couple of days.”

For Scorsese, the project is a cumulation of what many of his films have pursued throughout his career.

Eurovision 2009 winner, world-famous singer-composer Alexander Rybak will perform at the Heydar Aliyev Palace in Baku, on February 28-29.

Azerbaijan's Honored Artist Sabina Babayeva will join Alexander Rybak on stage.

Belarusian-born Alexander Rybak became a household name across Europe after winning the Grand Final of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest for Norway with the song Fairytale.

Fairytale went on to top the charts in many European countries, and the follow-up album, Fairytales, was released in 25 countries.

Since his Eurovision victory, Alexander has been touring both at home and abroad and has been involved in a series of different musical projects. He appeared at the Grand Final of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest participating as part of the interval act in Stockholm. He wrote and composed That’s How You Write A Song, his entry for the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest.

The Azerbaijani short feature film “The Key” is slated to be featured in the short films program at the 16th Sofia MENAR Film Festival, scheduled to be held in Bulgaria from January 12-18, 2024.

The program also showcases films from countries including Japan, the USA, Iran, Tunisia, Egypt, and Pakistan.

Having premiered at the 14th Go Short International Short Film Festival in the Kingdom of the Netherlands in April 2023, where it qualified for consideration by prestigious awards such as the Oscars, BAFTA, and European Film Awards, "The Key" has since represented Azerbaijan at international festivals worldwide.

Produced jointly by "OB Film" and "Epic Production", the film tells the story of Umid, a man who has safeguarded the keys - the last relic and symbol of his occupied house in Karabakh - for 26 years.

The scriptwriter and production director is Elshad Aliyev (ELsevər), with Javid Orujlu (Delee) as the cinematographer, Arif Niftiyev as the set designer, Elshad Rahimov as the editing director, Mehman Nadirov as the sound director, Orkhan Behbid, Senur Ahadov and Matin Alakbarli as the producers.

Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic “Oppenheimer” dominated the 81st Golden Globes, winning five awards including best drama, while Yorgos Lanthimos’ Frankenstein riff “Poor Things” pulled off an upset victor over “Barbie” to triumph in the best comedy or musical category, Report informs via the Associated Press.

If awards season has been building toward a second match-up of Barbenheimer, this round went to “Oppenheimer.” The film also won best director for Nolan, best drama actor for Cillian Murphy, best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. and for Ludwig Göransson’s score.

“I don’t think it was a no-brainer by any stretch of the imagination to make a three-hour talky movie — R-rated by the way — about one of the darkest developments in our history,” said producer Emma Thomas accepting the night’s final award and thanking Universal chief Donna Langley.

Along with best comedy or musical, “Poor Things” also won for Emma Stone’s performance as Bella, a Victorian-era woman experiencing a surreal sexual awakening.

“I see this as a rom-com,” said Stone. “But in the sense that Bella falls in love with life itself, rather than a person. She accepts the good and the bad in equal measure, and that really made me look at life differently.”

Lily Gladstone won best actress in a dramatic film for Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Gladstone, who began her speech speaking the language of her native tribe, Blackfeet Nation, is the first Indigenous winner in the category.

“This is a historic win,” said Gladstone. “It doesn’t just belong to me.”

The Globes were in their ninth decade but facing a new and uncertain chapter. After a tumultuous few years of scandal, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was dissolved, leaving a new Globes, on a new network (CBS), to try to regain its perch as the third biggest award show of the year, after the Oscars and Grammys. Even the menu (sushi from Nobu) was remade.

Honored Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan Aygun Humbatova (Beyler) has died at the age of 48, the Ministry of Culture told AZERTAC.

"The Ministry of Culture and the entire cultural community express profound sadness at the passing of Aygun Humbatova (Beyler) in the Turkish capital of Ankara. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and relatives of the late artist. May Allah rest her soul in peace!" the ministry said.

At least 41 historical artifacts of Anatolian origin illegally taken out of Türkiye are being returned to the country from the US, Anadolu Agency reports.

According to the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, new additions have been made to the cultural assets that have been returned to Türkiye since 2021, with the cooperation and joint efforts over the past five years between the ministry and the US Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Türkiye’s Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Gokhan Yazgi and an accompanying delegation received the artifacts at the Turkish House in New York.

At the handover ceremony, Yazgi said that a "hard-working and dedicated team" within the relevant institutions of the two countries has been in constant contact for five years to prevent the smuggling of cultural assets.

"This team both corrects the mistakes made in time by ensuring the return of artifacts that were smuggled out of the country illegally and contributes positively to the international image of the US in this field," he said.

Reyhan Ozgur, the Turkish Consul General in New York, also expressed his gratitude to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, saying: "The return of these smuggled historical artifacts symbolizes the importance of correcting the mistakes made in the past."

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, for his part, said on X: “We have received at the Turkish House in New York another group of our artifacts which were illegally taken from our country.”

“As a result of successful collaboration with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Department of Homeland Security’s investigation unit, a total of 41 cultural assets, including bronze heads, busts and silver figurines, are returning home,” he said.

The total number of artifacts returned to Türkiye has reached 30,059, he added.

The artworks are planned to be brought to Türkiye at the end of the month.

At the headquarters of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Aktoty Raimkulova has met with TURKPA Secretary General Mehmet Sureyya Er.

Expressing gratitude for the invitation, Aktoty Raimkulova first of all congratulated the Republic of Türkiye on the 100th anniversary of its Republic Day. At the meeting, the president of the organization spoke about the activities of the Foundation, which implements projects aimed at protecting, studying and popularizing the rich culture and heritage of the Turkic world, strengthening historical and cultural ties between the Turkic peoples.

By emphasizing the existing cooperation between the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States, Aktoty Raimkulova expressed confidence in the further expansion of partnerships between organizations in the field of protection and promotion of culture and heritage of the Turkic world.

The meeting ended with an exchange of views on issues of mutual interest, as well as the implementation of joint projects discussion.