LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles police were on site and ready to arrest actor Will Smith at the Academy Awards on Sunday for slapping presenter Chris Rock, the producer of the Hollywood ceremony said on Thursday.
The authorities did take not any action because Rock declined to press charges, producer Will Packer said, echoing what a police spokesperson said on Sunday.
“They were saying, you know, this is battery, was a word they used in that moment,” Packer said in excerpts from an interview that will air Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
“They said, we will go get him. We are prepared. We’re prepared to get him right now,” Packer added.
During the live Oscars telecast, Smith strode up to the stage after Rock made a joke about the appearance of Smith’s wife, then smacked the comedian’s face.
Less than an hour later, Smith gave a tearful speech on stage as he accepted the best actor trophy for his role in “King Richard.”
Behind the scenes, police were discussing options with Rock, Packer said.
Rock “was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m fine.’ And even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish,’” Packer added.
Representatives for Rock did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Smith apologized to Rock, producers and viewers in a statement on Monday, saying he had “reacted emotionally.”
Rock’s joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, made a reference to the 1997 film “G.I. Jane” in which actress Demi Moore shaved her head. It was unclear whether Rock was aware that Jada Pinkett Smith has a condition that causes hair loss.
A police spokesman said Sunday night that the individual involved in the incident had declined to press charges, but did not provide details about the interactions at the awards show.
Police offered to arrest Will Smith, Oscars producer says
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Police offered to arrest Will Smith, Oscars producer says
- The authorities did take not any action because Rock declined to press charges, producer Will Packer said
US actor Mahershala Ali to star in NYC thriller ‘77 Blackout’
DUBAI: Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is set to star with Tom Hardy in “77 Blackout,” a crime thriller set on the night when New York lost power and was plunged into chaos and lawlessness.
Cary Joji Fukunaga is directing, Deadline reported.
In 1977, five rogue police officers formulate a plan to rob three criminal strongholds – the Hong Kong Triads, the Italian Mafia, and the Harlem Mob – all in one night. When a blackout sweeps the city on the night of the robbery, the crew is forced to navigate a hellish landscape.
Ali is most known for two Best Picture-winning flicks: 2016’s “Moonlight” and 2018’s “Green Book.”
Hardy is known for blockbusters such as Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” and director George Miller’s 2015 action epic “Mad Max: Fury Road.”
Avantika shows off Geyanna Youness gown in Los Angeles
DUBAI: US actress Avantika Vandanapu, known mononymously as Avantika, hit the red carpet at Gold House’s 2024 Gold Gala in Los Angeles in a gown by Lebanese designer Geyanna Youness.
The event honored leaders in the Asian-Pacific community and saw Hollywood star Lucy Liu honored with the Legend award.
Liu — whose credits include “Ally McBeal,” “Elementary,” “Kill Bill Vol. 1,” “Charlie’s Angels” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Presence” — spoke on stage about having to make casting decisions “because of limitations,” according to Variety magazine. She added: “I love that we are all here tonight because there is no ceiling, and I’ve never seen that for myself. I want us to all collectively understand how special this moment is that we are together as a community. I share this award with you because you have lifted me up, you have given me strength, you have made me so proud. I feel like it’s been very lonely.”
For her part, Avantika kicked off her career by being cast in several films in India’s Telugu film industry and went on to score her first Hollywood lead role in the Disney Channel original movie “Spin” before starring in Netflix’s “Senior Year.” Avantika also nabbed a lead role in the 2024 “Mean Girls” reboot.
The actress showed off a peach-and-blue gown by fashion label Geyanna Youness, complete with structured detailing at the waist and a floral ruffle on one shoulder.
The beaded gown was created by Youness, a Beirut-born-and-raised designer who launched her own brand in 2017 with a focus on bridal, couture, and accessories collections.
Avantika has garnered attention for building a career in both Hollywood and India — she continues to promote her Indian show “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and her horror film “Tarot” while also developing an adaptation of “A Crown of Wishes,” author Roshani Chokshi’s Young Adult fantasy, for Disney+.
“The Western fantasy genre is dominated by a Western mythology, or Nordic mythology. It just feels repetitive and redundant. And Indian mythology is so rich and so fascinating. After ‘Black Panther’ came out, I thought we needed to find a way to showcase Indian mythology on a bigger, grander, commercial scale,” she told Cosmopolitan magazine in May of the adaptation project.
She also spoke to the magazine about the challenges of being an actress of South Asian heritage, saying: “The pressure is so high because in a room full of a hundred people, Hollywood is now offering spots to maybe three women of South Asian descent.”
Switzerland’s Nemo wins Eurovision Song Contest amid Israel controversy
MALMO/DUBAI: Switzerland's Nemo won the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday in a competition marked by controversy over Israel's participation during the war in Gaza.
Twenty-four-year-old Nemo's "The Code" won the highest score from nations' juries, and enough of the popular votes to get 591 points, edging out Croatia in the final, held in Sweden's Malmo.
"I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world," a teary-eyed Nemo said while receiving the trophy.
Twenty-five nations competed Saturday but much of the focus has centred on the controversy of Israel being able to take part.
When Golan went on stage to perform her "Hurricane", both cheers and boos could be heard from the audience in the Malmo Arena.
Boos could also be heard while Israel delivered its points to other acts and any time a country gave "Hurricane" high scores.
Golan finished fifth with 375 points.
Organizers had banned all flags other than those of the participating countries.
The young performer also said that the experience had been "really intense and not just pleasant all the way."
"There were a lot of things that didn't seem like it was all about love and unity and that made me really sad," Nemo told reporters.
Outside the arena, police pushed back protesters where more than a hundred demonstrators waved flags and chanted "Free Palestine".
Diverse Malmo is home to the country's largest community of Palestinian origin and according to police at least 5,000 people gathered to protest in the city in the afternoon.
The European Broadcasting Union, which oversees the event, confirmed in March that Golan would take part, despite calls for her exclusion from thousands of musicians around the world.
The same month, contestants from nine countries, including Nemo, called for a lasting ceasefire.
Irish performer ‘cries’ after Israel reaches Eurovision final as UK venues cancel watch parties
Bambie Thug, Ireland’s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, claims to have cried after Israel qualified for the final to be held on Saturday.
“It is a complete overshadow of everything, goes against everything that Eurovision is meant to be,” Bambie Thug told journalists ahead of the event at Malmo Arena in Sweden. “I cried with my team.”
The 31-year-old singer and songwriter wore a keffiyeh and carried Irish flags while urging the European Broadcasting Union to show “conscience” and “humanity.”
The artist will perform “Doomsday Blue” in the final.
Israel’s performer, Eden Golan, will present her song “Hurricane” at the competition. The track underwent revisions after the initial version, “October Rain,” was deemed too political by the EBU.
Although the contest’s motto is “united by music,” this year’s event has attracted protests from Palestinians and their supporters, who say Israel should be excluded because of its conduct of the war in Gaza.
Thousands of people are expected to march for a second time this week through Sweden’s third-largest city, which has a large Muslim population, to demand a boycott of Israel and a ceasefire in the seven-month conflict.
In Finland, a group of about 40 protesters stormed the headquarters of public broadcaster YLE on Saturday, demanding it withdraw from the song contest because of Israel’s participation.
Venues across England are canceling their gigs after Palestine protest groups instructed their followers to pressure pubs showing the contest - leading some venues to close due to staff safety concerns.
The Duke of York cinema in Brighton called off its Eurovision event this week, telling ticket holders it was doing so “due to safety concerns for our staff and customers,” the Guardian reported. The Brighton Palestinian Solidarity Campaign called the decision a “massive win.”
AlUla to have starring role in ‘Motor City’ to be filmed in Saudi Arabia
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s AlUla is expected to have a starring role in director Potsy Ponciroli’s upcoming action thriller “Motor City.”
Production is due to start on July 10 in New Jersey and Saudi Arabia. The film is part of production company Stampede Ventures’ 10-picture slate deal with Film AlUla.
The cast will include Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster and Pablo Schreiber.
“Motor City” is centered around John Miller (Ritchson), a Detroit auto worker who loses everything, including his girlfriend (Woodley), after being framed by a local gangster (Foster) and sent to prison.
After his release, Miller seeks revenge while trying to win his former girlfriend back.
