Updated 4:35 AM ET, Mon August 15, 2022
Heat rising over Kerala rally, PFI in no mood to backtrack on ‘campaign against RSS’
The PFI, facing cases over the rally, has disowned only the wording and style of the slogans raised, not the content – with the belief in PFI circles being that “RSS terrorism” needs to be strongly countered.
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PFI state president C P Muhammed Basheer told the media: “We are not ready for any compromise. The RSS cannot silence the PFI. Let the RSS denounce its ideology of hate.”
He also said that Muslims in the country were “fighting for existence”, and that neither the CPM-led LDF nor the Congress-led UDF could put up a strong fight against the RSS. “Our fight is to protect Constitutional values and rights. Recent developments show that the country is in the final stages of being declared a Hindu Rashtra,” he said.
After police booked two PFI leaders, including its Alappuzha district president Vandanam Navaz, in connection with the Alappuzha rally, the PFI held protests across many locations in Kerala. On Saturday, police took away the father of the boy who raised the contested slogans from their residence in Kochi. The father told the media his son “had taken part in agitations against the CAA and the slogans were against the threat created by the Sangh Parivar, and not against any community”.
Over the past 15 years, the PFI has assumed many roles in the state, such as of a social crusader, moral police, and champion of Muslim and Dalit causes. The emergence of the Sangh Parivar has lately helped it project itself as the only Muslim answer to it. The alternative, the Indian Union Muslim League, still the largest political party of Kerala Muslims, treads a more moderate line being part of mainstream politics and an ally of the Congress.
The PFI’s enmity with the RSS goes way back in Kerala, with the body and its earlier version, the National Development Front (NDF), and the Sangh Parivar involved in a series of killings and counter-killings. The NDF, in fact, was launched two years after the Babri Masjid demolition, and the issue has remained central to the PFI. It marks the December 6, 1992, demolition every year, among the only Muslim organisations in Kerala to still do so.
Now, the PFI has taken the lead on the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque row, which has resurfaced following a series of court petitions. It has been telling the Muslim community that its warnings regarding the intentions of the Sangh have come true, and that the Babri demolition was just the start of what was to follow. PFI leaders admit they see the issue getting much resonance among the Muslims.
No Muslim outfit or leader in Kerala has incidentally publicly reacted on the Alappuzha slogans.
Worryingly for Kerala, the rise of the strident PFI is correspondingly fanning Islamophobia among its Christian community, which in numbers and political clout is as strong in the state as the Muslims. Various Christian churches came out with strong statements criticising the slogans raised at the Alappuzha rally.
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The gulf between the two communities is now the widest ever in Kerala, more so than even 2010, when a Christian college professor’s right palm was chopped off by PFI men on charges of insulting Prophet Mohammad.
While the LDF and UDF weigh their words, mindful of their vote banks, the ground is also getting cleared for the BJP. If the PFI claims to be the only legitimate Muslim voice, the BJP was notably the only vocal “Hindu voice” on the Alappuzha rally.
Watch: A ‘Zelensky’ Prank On Harry Potter Author JK Rowling
The prank did not go down well with JK Rowling
Washington:
‘Harry Potter’ author JK Rowling has become the latest victim of a hoax by Russian comedians Vovan and Lexus who tricked the former into believing she was having a video call with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The prank did not go down well with Rowling. Her spokesperson slammed Vovan and Lexus, describing the hoax as “distasteful”, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
“JK Rowling was approached to talk about her extensive charitable work in Ukraine, supporting children and families who have been affected by the current conflict in the region. The video, which has been edited, is a distorted representation of the conversation,” the spokesperson said.
In a 12-minute video of the prank, Rowling was told by the fake Zelenskyy that Harry Potter’s famous forehead scare resembles the “Z” symbol that the Russian military has used on tanks and other weapons.
« Harry Potter à l’école des SORCIÈRS »…
Littérature enfantine compatible régiment Azov…https://t.co/tSjvZgAtvG……— STRATIGOPOULOS fred (@FredStrat) June 20, 2022
The pranksters asked Rowling if she would switch Harry’s scar to a more pro-Ukraine symbol, to which the author answered, “I will look into that, might be good for me to do something with that myself on social media because I think that will get into the newspapers.”
According to Variety, the pranksters also told Rowling that the Ukraine military would begin writing “Avada Kedavra” on its missiles, a reference to the killing curse in the “Harry Potter” franchise.
Prior to Rowling, the Russian comedians have pulled pranks on Elton John, Prince Harry, Billie Eilish, Kamala Harris, Bernie Sanders and George W. Bush in the past.
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Alabama-built Hyundai to be featured in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home.’
An Alabama-built Hyundai SUV will be featured in one of the most anticipated movies of the year when “Spider-Man: No Way Home” swings into theaters next month.
Hyundai announced Monday its all-new Hyundai Ioniq 5 and all-new Hyundai Tucson will make their Hollywood debut in the Sony Pictures film.
The Tucson is built at the automaker’s plant in Montgomery. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) has said it plans to produce electric vehicles starting next year but has not revealed which model or models might be produced there. The Ioniq 5 is currently made in South Korea.
“Hyundai Motor Group has a number of innovative vehicle designs they can place in movies and TV shows to market the Hyundai brand on a global scale,” said Robert Burns, vice president of Human Resources and Administration for HMMA. “Including the all-new Tucson in the latest Spider-Man movie will add another reason for our team members to be proud of the Alabama-built vehicles they help build for the North American market.”
Hyundai Motor Company has launched an integrated marketing program leading up to the Dec. 17 release of No Way Home. The campaign includes a global TV commercial and a variety of digital promotional activities. The campaign stems from the global multi-picture promotional partnership Hyundai Motor inked with Sony Pictures in May 2020 to showcase the company’s human-centered mobility vision through product and technological innovations.
“The placement of the all-electric Ioniq 5 and all-new Tucson in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ marks the first meaningful milestone in the strategic partnership between Hyundai Motor Company and Sony Pictures Entertainment,” said Thomas Schemera, executive vice president, global chief marketing officer and head of the Customer Experience Division of Hyundai Motor Company. “We expect great marketing impact from this collaboration. This exciting film and the two vehicles’ inclusion in key moments of the storyline played by the main characters will exhilarate the minds of millions of viewers around the world.”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the third Spider-Man film created by Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, starring Tom Holland, who plays the role of high-schooler Peter Parker and his alias, Spider-Man. Its predecessor “Spider-Man: Far from Home” grossed $1.131 billion worldwide as the fourth highest grossing movie of 2019 and the 25th highest grossing movie of all time.
“Hyundai is synonymous with leading technology and visually innovative design. So, it comes as no surprise that they have created a cutting-edge marketing campaign for the Ioniq 5 and the highly anticipated ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ – the foundation of which is customized content made exclusively for this deal. We have no doubt that Spider-Man fans will have a lot of fun with this innovative collaboration,” said Jeffrey Godsick, executive vice president of Global Partnerships and Brand Management and head of Location Based Entertainment at Sony Pictures Entertainment.
In addition to the product-placement, the campaign includes the long-form commercial, “Only Way Home,” which is directed by Jon Watts, the director of all three of the most recent Spider-Man films, and features Tom Holland as Spider-Man and his best friend Ned Leeds played by Jacob Batalon.
In this TV spot, Spider-Man is bent on clearing his name and comes out of hiding, hitching a 300-mile ride to New York with Ned in the all-electric Ioniq 5. The two characters cruise their way through open country inside the sunlight-reflecting, futuristic-looking Ioniq 5, exchanging banter along the way. A 30-second broadcast version will air as part of high-visibility television programs in the U.S., Europe, China, Russia and other global markets through January 2022.
“Advanced technology empowers the extraordinary, and that’s why we think Ioniq 5 is a great fit for the latest Spider-Man movie,” said Angela Zepeda, chief marketing officer of Hyundai Motor America. “Our promotional partnerships with characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been highly effective, and we think Spider-Man fans around the world will enjoy what we’ve created, while learning more about our breakthrough all-electric SUV.”
RELATED: Alabama, Hyundai have huge week in Marvel Cinematic Universe
Hyundai Motor has also created a 30-second commercial featuring the Tucson. The commercial shows key scenes from the film, including those starring the Tucson and Tom Holland.
On social media, Hyundai will offer fans the opportunity to obtain a “Hyundai Ioniq 5 x Spider-Man: No Way Home” special edition poster, as well as customized digital wallpapers. A behind-the-scenes video of the Ioniq 5 commercial and other unique contents will also be available online.
“We look at these partnerships as an opportunity to bring content to life that celebrates both brands. By putting Spider-Man in a one-story world, where he has only one way home, we were able to seamlessly give Hyundai a chance to save the day,” said Barney Goldberg, executive create director, Innocean USA.
Following Spider-Man: No Way Home, Hyundai will have marketing initiatives related to the upcoming films “Uncharted,” due to premiere in February 2022, and the sequel to the critically acclaimed, Academy Award-winning animated film, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” due to premiere in October 2022.
First look photo from ‘Harry Potter’ reunion special
Fans will be spellbound.
After months of anticipation, HBO Max has finally dropped the first official photo from the set of the highly anticipated “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts” special.
“Like they never left,” the streaming platform wrote alongside the nostalgic Twitter pic, which depicts stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson conversing in the iconic Gryffindor common room.
The photo marks the first time three fantasy stars have been photographed together since the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part Two” premiere in 2011.
The nostalgic retrospective commemorates the beloved film franchise’s 20th anniversary anniversary, which began with the immortal “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in 2001.
HBO have yet to announce the special’s official length. However, “Return To Hogwarts” will provide a behind-the-scenes look at making of the eight films through “in-depth interviews” and “cast conversations,” Variety reported. A teaser for the retrospective aired Sunday night on TBS and Cartoon Network, featuring cameos from Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley).
Along with the aforementioned stars, the reunion will feature cast and crew from previous films, including “Sorcerer’s Stone” director Chris Columbus, and actors Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Tom Felton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps and more.
Absent from the “Return To Hogwarts” roster will be the late great Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), who passed away in 2016 at 69 after a short battle with Pancreatic cancer.
Meanwhile, “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling also won’t be giving interviews in the special, but will appear in archival footage. However, it’s unclear if this decision was based on the viral controversy that was spawned last summer, when the fantasy scribe fired off a series of Tweets that were deemed “transphobic” by some Harry Potter fans and actors.
“There’s magic in the air here with this incredible cast, as they all return home to the original sets of Hogwarts, where they began 20 years ago,” Casey Patterson, “RTH’s” executive producer at Warner Bros., said in November.
The nostalgic special premieres on HBO Max on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2022.
Curb inflation, lower prices but don’t hurt farmers: RSS leader
Speaking at an RSS event — “International Conference on Harnessing Indian Agriculture for Domestic and Global Prosperity” — in Delhi, Hosabale said: “The link between inflation and food prices needs to be pondered over. Prices of industrial products rise… but people feel food and clothes must come at lower prices. It is among basic needs and should be affordable.”
He said, “The objective of agriculture is to produce sufficient nutritious food for all. Everyone must get nutritious food, so its prices must not increase. Otherwise some people will not get it. So government cooperatives have to play a role in this. The gaps need to be filled,” RSS said.
Hosabale also said, “The farmer must benefit from doubling the farmer scheme. He does not always get a guaranteed income; we must think about the social respect he gets.”
PremiumPremiumPremiumPremiumFlagging concern about a rapidly urbanising India, he said, “India is urbanising fast — more than 52 per cent population lives in cities today. If India’s villages start disappearing, the civilisation and culture that we speak of with such great pride will be impacted. So we have to ensure people live in villages; we have to strengthen agriculture and allied industries.”
New Blu-ray Releases August 23rd, 2022
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Blu-ray Release Date: 08/09/2022
Overall Rating: 2.8 out of 4 stars
Theatrical Release Date: 04/08/2022
Language: English
Genre: Animation/Adventure
MPAA Rating: PG
Director: Jeff Fowler
Actors: Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Colleen O’Shaughnessey
Plot: Sonic has finally settled into life in Green Hills – enough that Tom and Maddie are ready to leave him alone for a much-needed vacation. But no sooner do the couple leave than the evil Dr. Robotnik returns – along with a new rival for Sonic in Knuckles the Echidna. The Duo are after an Emerald with the power to create – or destroy – worlds, but Sonic finds he is not alone as a new friend, Tails, also shows up to help him get to the Emerald first.
Keene Wizarding Week: COVID distraction taps into Harry Potter passion and is here to stay
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‘Batgirl’ film no longer being released by Warner Bros.
Updated 2:51 PM ET, Wed August 3, 2022
J.K. Rowling: The Creator of the Magical World of Harry Potter
“Abra-Ka-Dabra“, the magic spell that you might have tried as a kid or try even now believing that something magical will happen. Haven’t you?
Upon hearing the words magic, wizards, magic spells, wizardry, etc. almost immediately one name pops up in everybody’s mind, Harry Potter. One of the most critically acclaimed and fan-favorite film series “Harry Potter” is the adaptation of the novel series with the same name.
J.K. Rowling, the British author, and philanthropist is the creator of the world-famous novel series Harry Potter. The idea of the majestic world of wizards came to Rowling’s mind when she was on a delayed train journey from Manchester to King’s Cross in London, in 1990. Initially, she started the story with three characters namely Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger, and later went on to write the story in the form of 7 books around these characters over the next 6 years.
The story is about a little boy, Harry Potter, who lives inside a cupboard under the stairs with his despiteful aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, in Privet Drive, Surrey, England. At the age of 11, the boy discovers that he is not a regular human but a wizard instead. A half-giant named Hagrid invites him to attend the famous school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogwarts. And thereafter, the book series unfolds the life story of Harry Potter on his journey to becoming a great wizard.
In 1993, she went to Edinburgh, Scotland, with the three chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone enclosed in her suitcase. After getting rejected by 12 major publishing houses, finally, a small publishing house “Bloomsbury” agreed to publish a thousand copies of the first book. Just in a few days of publication, the book became a bestseller in 1997 and went on to win many prestigious awards like Nestle Smarties Book Prize and the British Book Award for Children’s Book of the Year. With its multiple translations to other languages, the book became a rage among the fans and quickly spread like fire across the globe.
And since its first publication, the Harry Potter books have shattered many records over the years. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with its release in 2007, became the fastest-selling book ever, selling about 2.65 million copies within 24 hours of its release in the UK. The Harry Potter series has sold over 500 million copies and has been published in as many as 80 languages till now. With the adaptation of the book series into films, it has become a billion-dollar franchise today and also has 4 theme parks at Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Studios Beijing.
As per Forbes, in 2011, J.K. Rowling became a billionaire author but soon after, she donated a large portion of her wealth to charities. Even today, despite her philanthropic activities, she remains on the Forbes list of the most powerful celebrities and top-earning authors, globally.
Amazingly enough, the world of wizardry and witchcraft created by J.K. Rowling transformed her real world magically.