Elle Fanning Elevates Max Minghella's Solid Directorial Debut

Max Minghella's directorial debut Teen Spirit totally won me over. It's one of those movies I hadn't planned to see in Toronto. One of those movies you see because it fits your schedule, and you just hope for the best. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised by this scrappy tale of a shy teen who sets out to realize her dream of becoming a pop star with help from a very unlikely source. It's a conventional underdog story as far as it goes, but it's handled quite well by Minghella and his leading lady, Elle Fanning.

Decidedly unimpressed with the wild-haired, world-weary old man, she doesn't think much of the interaction until it comes time for her audition for Teen Spirit, a British singing competition that requires the permission of an adult guardian. In a bind, Violet turns to Vlad and he agrees to become her chaperone/manager/unlikely mentor — for a staggering 50 percent! If you know anything about showbiz, you'd know that isn't a great deal for Violet, but at least it changes in time once the girl's mother finds out about their unusual arrangement. Vlad doesn't put up too much of a fight, as you come to discover that it's not really about money for him, but rather, a second chance to do things right. He may have squandered his potential and become content to drink his days away at the pub, but he also sees potential in Violet and finds renewed purpose in taking the reins of her career and coaching her technique. And off she goes on a true underdog story that will offer her temptation at every turn. Minghella effectively uses montage to whisk us through the early stages of the competition, but you've seen this story before, so you know it'll all come down to 'the finals' — though there are some pleasant surprises along the way.

Of course, the following isn't one of them, for assuredly when you enter one of these competitions, the idea is that you're kind of making a deal with the devil. In this case, Violet ends up being offered a recording contract prior to the final competition. If she loses, it doesn't really matter, because she'll still get to make an album. But if she wins, and other record labels come calling with more attractive offers, then she's stuck with the original deal… if she signs it. There's a catch, of course. The proverbial Devil, in this case, the Teen Spirit producers as embodied by a well-cast Rebecca Hall, want Violet to cut Vlad out of the deal. So not only does the competition test her talent, it tests her integrity as well. She wouldn't have made it this far without the crazy old coot, but does she really need him now that she has, to some extent, made it? It's an offer she shouldn't refuse, but whether she does or not is another question entirely.

Troye Sivan Is the Perfect Pop Star for 2018

Troye Sivan, global pop star, shows up to his photo shoot alone. No manager. No assistant. No glam squad. Just a slight 23-year-old with wide blue eyes, artfully floppy bleached-blond hair and a voice that has captured the hearts of a millions-strong fandom, spread out everywhere from his hometown in Australia to his adopted home in Los Angeles. When Sivan stretches out his hand to introduce himself, he says his name earnestly: He's Troye. He'd like you to know about him. He'd like you to like him, and his music; his new album Bloom is out Aug. 31. But more than anything, he'd like to be there for you.

"I just want to provide for a young audience what I felt was lacking when I was a kid," he says, "which was representation of someone living their life." When Sivan talks about representation, he's talking about representation for someone like him: queer, sensitive, thoughtful.


Sivan is different from many of the stars who have come before. But for him, that's an asset, not an impediment. His music–delicate dance-pop that has notched hundreds of millions of streams, a Saturday Night Live appearance and one big Top 40 hit ("Youth")–has already won him fans like Bloom collaborator Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, who brought him onstage during a recent stadium tour date. Maybe it's because Sivan is more than just your average pop star. He built a platform as a digital influencer first, building connections with fans who related to his unapologetically queer identity, then used his Internet following to buoy him to stardom as a bona fide artist. And it's working: Bloom marks a major artistic achievement, evoking influences from the Velvet Underground to Simon & Garfunkel, all wrapped up in a sleek pop package.

Pop superstar launches state-of-the-art radio studios

International pop star Bebe Rexha has played an exclusive gig in Geelong to mark the launch of Geelong Broadcasters' new hi-tech studios.
The American singer-songwriter took to the stations' Live Stage on Wednesday night in front of hundreds of guests including business leaders, politicians and other VIPs.
A handful of listeners, who became possibly Australia's luckiest teenagers after winning an on-air competition to see Rexha perform, seized on the opportunity to grab selfies during a once-in-a-lifetime meet-and-greet with the star.

Rexha's set included some of her biggest hits including Meant To Be and Me Myself and I.

Other performers at the star-studded launch party included Nathaniel Willemse, whose set included his smash Live Louder, along with Geelong father and son duo Cam and Taylor Henderson.

Guitarist Justin Derrico, who has played with the Pussycat Dolls, Tina Turner, Beyonce and Pink also treated the crowd to a display of his virtuoso skills.

Geelong mayor Bruce Harwood officially opened the studios, presenting a plaque to Janet and Alison Cameron, directors of Geelong Broadcasters' family-owned parent company Grant Broadcasters.

With the brief formalities sorted the crowd of up to 300 gave a rousing welcome to Bebe Rexha for her exclusive performance, one of her only public shows during her Australian promotional visit.

The new studios are located on the first floor of Geelong Broadcasters' Moorabool Street building and feature state-of-the-art digital broadcasting equipment and a high tech news facility.

It also brings under the one roof the company's booming digital media arm, payroll operations and region's leading tourist guide, What's On In Geelong.

World Cup: Falcao, Cuadrado fashion Colombia win against Poland, FT 3-0

 When the stakes are as high as an exit from the world cup for both the competing teams, one expects to see a hard-fought game. However, the match between Poland and Colombia was nothing like it. Colombia was a team on a mission to win and Poland came out on the field to make sure Colombia accomplishes the mission.

Such lack-lusture was the performance of Poland that they have become the first European team to be eliminated from the World Cup. Colombia dominated the game right from the kick-off. While Colombia played a well-organised team, Poland hinged and waited for Lewandowski to produce some magical moment. It never happened.

Mina was first one to score for Colombia in the 40th minute of the game, giving his team the lead with a wonderful header. The pressure mounted on Polish side as Falcao scored an amazing goal, doubling the lead for Colombia. Polish players did make some moves but they just could not complete them. They lacked finishing touch.

Scattered all over the field, lack of a playmaker who could make a definitive and productive move, missing golden opportunities were the reasons for Poland's defeat. Adding insult to the injuries, Cuadrado scored the third goal for Colombia in the 74 the minute, sealing a comfortable victory for his team. 

With this win, Colombia stand a good chance of progressing to the round of 16 of the world cup. Poland will play against Japan and leave for their home soon after.

Reality Star Lala Kent Isn’t Holding Back In Jennifer Lawrence Feud

It’s Lala Kent vs. Jennifer Lawrence ― again.
                                             

The “Vanderpump Rules” star then talked about tweets she sent to Lawrence, which she said previously that her manager made her delete.

Kent didn’t stop there.

When McDonald asked Kent if she thought Lawrence had sexual relations with Harvey Weinstein, the reality star answered, “Yeah, I think she’s that type of chick.”

She added, “Well, here’s the thing. Now anytime you bring her up, like, I’m going to have nothing nice to say about her. I’m going to say that her hair sucks, her face is a little too pudgy, like she needs to stop the drinking, you know? I said it, you don’t have to worry.”

Those remarks seemed to be missing from the podcast version online Wednesday. Neither Kent nor McDonald answered HuffPost’s requests for comment.

Kent later said on Twitter that her “Juicy Scoop” comments were taped “a couple of weeks ago when I still felt hurt and emotional,” and that she’s now on better terms with Lawrence.

Lawrence hasn’t commented since she sparked the feud with statements about Kent on Andy Cohen’s Bravo show, “Watch What Happens Live.” When the host asked Lawrence, a noted fan of Bravo reality shows, about “Vanderpump Rules” storylines, the actress let loose.

Robert De Niro says US suffering 'temporary insanity'

Hollywood actor Robert De Niro blasted the Trump administration’s stance on climate change, calling America a ‘backward’ country during a speech Sunday in the Middle East.
                                               

De Niro, a frequent critic of President Trump, said that in the country he’s describing, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency suggested last week that global warming may be a good thing for humanity.

EPA Chief Scott Pruitt, who has said in the past that carbon dioxide is not to blame for global warming, noted last week that a warming climate may not be so bad.

Although the EPA itself is unequivocal that a warming planet, and resulting environmental changes, is a danger to society and will likely lead to more fires, floods and other disasters, Pruitt questioned whether we know enough about how much temperatures will actually rise.

“Do we know what the ideal surface temperature should be in the year 2100 or year 2018?” he told the Nevada TV station. “It’s fairly arrogant for us to think we know exactly what it should be in 2100.”

Trump has questioned the science of climate change a few times, tweeting during a cold snap late last year that America “could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against.”