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Shadow of new Covid variant on Oscar celebrations

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Organisers are taking precautions to prevent the 2022 Academy Awards from being a super-spreader, as other awards shows and film festivals have proven to be in the pandemic era.

Attendees will have to show two negative PCR tests and be fully vaccinated in order to attend the festivities. On Friday, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences updated its COVID protocols and rules, announcing that people “..who tested positive for Covid and are within a zero to five-day window from the date of their first positive test, are not permitted to attend under any circumstances.”

There’s a reason that the rules are so stringent, reports ‘Variety’.

This year’s Academy Awards kicks off as Covid infections are once again on the rise.

On Thursday, public health officials announced that cases of BA.2, the new and highly contagious sub-variant of omicron, climbed 130 per cent in a week, though cases remain low. Adding to the unease is the fact that the BAFTA Awards on March 13 appears to have been a variable Petri dish with studios privately reporting that dozens of executives contracted Covid at the event — stars such as Kenneth Branagh and Ciaran Hinds and ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’ producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who appeared at the show, also came down with the virus, reports ‘Variety’.

Add to that the spread of Covid at recent industry events such as, where ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ star Michelle Yeoh tested positive for coronavirus after the film premiered at the Texas festival. Some nominees are concerned that their recent bouts with Covid will prevent them from making the trip to the Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars are handed out.

Jamie Dornan recently told Variety at the Oscar Wilde Awards on Thursday that he’s hoping his ‘Belfast’ compatriots will be on hand.

“I can’t even imagine going on Sunday night without those guys,” Dornan said.

Don’t be surprised if Oscar co-hosts Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall deliver some Covid quips as a way of acknowledging the pandemic elephant in the room.

But the Oscars are but one stop on a long and boozy jaunt around Los Angeles on Sunday.

Winners, nominees, power brokers and press hop from the Governor’s Ball to the Vanity Fair party to soirees hosted by the likes of Apple, Neon and Warner Bros

That kind of marathon socialising could lead to more exposures. Several party and event planners tell Variety that they’re sticking to their protocols for now — most are requiring guests to show that they are full vaccinated (with booster, that is) and provide proof of negative test within 48 hours of the event.

However, none of the events have a mask mandate and the Oscars are only recommending that guests wear masks.

“People in Hollywood are willing to go to parties and possibly contract Covid because they don’t think it’s a big deal,” one party planner said.

“They see their friends and family getting it now and it’s seen more as an inconvenience than anything else.”

This source also opined, “It really is a brash display of privilege because probably most haven’t lost many people to the disease because they have money and access to health care when it was needed most during the worst part of the pandemic.”

Last night’s W magazine party was held outdoors at hotspot Gigi’s. A consistent question heard throughout the night was, “Are we all getting COVID now?” Guests nervously joked that Oscar weekend could be a “super spreader.” Mask-wearing at W’s party and a Vanity Fair party earlier in the evening at Mother Wolf was a rare sighting.

Denis Villeneuve was one of the few prominent people seen wearing a mask as his team hopped from a reception for Canadian filmmakers and Canada-based productions to the W party. It was also notable because the event was held largely outside, a sign that Villeneuve isn’t taking any chances about contracting Covid before Sunday’s ceremony where his sci-fi epic “Dune” is up for 10 awards.

Most event attendees seem unfazed, with much of Hollywood returning to hugging, handshaking and enthusiastic candle-blowing out in the case of Quentin Tarantino’s surprise birthday cake at W.

Since COVID upended life in 2020, the movie business has been through several peaks and valleys. Outbreaks on sets have become a staple of production, as have COVID bubbles, masks and frequent testing.

The entertainment industry has grown hopeful that the virus is fading at various points, only to have Delta and Omicron emerge as painful reminders that the credits have yet to roll on the highly contagious disease. A month ago, cases seemed to be falling and the business appeared poised to celebrate a return to normalcy. Now, that festive spirit is tinged with those old feelings of anxiety and unease that have been so pervasive over the last two years.

“It’s not over,” one Oscar attendee told Variety.

“We may wish COVID was finished, but it’s not done with us yet.”

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Rhiti Tiwari team reacts to ex-stepfather Ekam Bawa torture claims: Legal action initiated

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Mumbai, Sep 28: The team of ‘Bigg Boss 20 ‘contestant Rhiti Tiwari reacted to the allegations by her ex-stepfather and Punjabi singer Ekam Bawa, claiming that Rhiti and her mother, Rani Tiwari, ‘tortured’ him while they were all living together.

On Monday, Rhiti’s team shared a statement on her official Instagram Stories. Calling the claims made by Ekam ‘false’, they urged the media to verify the facts before reporting anything.

They further shared that they have initiated the necessary legal action against Bawa.

The statement read, “We are disappointed to see false claims made by #EkamBawa against Rhiti Tiwari and her family being carried across various media platforms. Rhiti is currently inside the #BiggBoss20 house and can’t respond to these allegations herself (sic).”

“We request the media to please verify facts before amplifying such defamatory claims and give the family a fair chance to be heard. Necessary legal action has been initiated against #EkamBawa in relation to these allegations,” the statement concluded.

Ekam recently posted a video on his account, claiming that Rhiti and Rani used to ‘torture’ him during the time he was living with them.

Sharing an incident, Ekam said in the clip, “Bhai, Rhiti aayi mere room mein, mere almeera se hanger se jitne kapde the mere, isne pakad ke saare zameen pe phenk diye. (Rhiti came into my room, took all my clothes from the hangers in my cupboard, and threw them on the floor).”

He claimed that, after this, Rhiti told him, “Ekam Bawa, nikal. (Ekam Bawa, get out.)”

Ekam added that he was shocked that Rhiti addressed him by his name and questioned her about their relationship. He told Rhiti, “Kya rishta hai mera tumhara, tumhe pata hai? (Do you even know what relationship we have with each other?)”

Before this, Ekam said that Rhiti’s claims about receiving a monthly allowance of Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 were absalutly false.

“You own handbags worth Rs 4 to 5 lakhs… and then there are the big cars you have. Just maintaining a Range Rover costs Rs 2.5 to 3 lakhs”, he shared.

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Kareena Kapoor’s Sunday workout includes Pull Overs, Gun Slingers, Halos

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Mumbai, Sep 27: Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor enjoyed her Sunday with an intense workout session.

Providing netizens a glimpse into her latest workout routine, Bebo shared a short clip of her ‘KKK Flow’ whiteboard.

Sharing her workout routine for the day, Kareena shared that she will be performing Bell Complex, Pull Overs, Gun Slingers, Halos, and Oblique Rotations as part one of the routine, while Zone 2 will have Db Lift Over Core.

Expressing her excitement, Kareena added the text “lets Go!!!”

However, this is not the first time that Bebo has shared such a motivational post regarding her workout.

On Friday, the ‘K3G’ actress uploaded a whiteboard titled ‘KKK Flow’. An amalgamation of strength training, conditioning and cardio exercises, Kareena divided her workout into two parts. Part A included 10 step-back kettlebell chops, 10 wide-stance kettlebell lift-to-row repetitions, and two laps of sled pushes, whereas Part B comprised 200 metres on the ski erg, 200 metres of rowing and a one-minute bear hold.

Kareena has been a constant motivation for fitness enthusiasts.

Her fitness journey made headlines when she transformed for her 2008 release ‘Tashan’ and made ‘size zero’ a nationwide phenomenon.

However, Bebo has repeatedly said that she did not starve herself to achieve ‘size zero’. Kareena claims that she enjoyed her favourite foods, including parathas while on her journey to achieving that physique.

On the professional front, Kareena recently graced the screen with Meghna Gulzar’s crime thriller ‘Daayra’.

Released in theatres on September 18, the movie marked Bebo’s first on-screen association with Malayalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran.

Their co-actor, Saksham Dayma, also shared his experience of working alongside Kareena and Prithviraj in the film.

He revealed that neither of them made him feel intimidated on set. Saksham recalled the atmosphere on the set as comfortable and collaborative, which allowed him to work with the two accomplished actors without feeling overwhelmed.

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Ajay Devgn makes fun of his & Salman Khan dancing skills: We only do difficult steps

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Mumbai, Sep 27: Actors Ajay Devgn and Jaideep Ahlawat will be joining host Salman Khan for Bigg Boss 20’s ‘Weekend Ka Vaar’ on Sunday.

As the duo promotes their upcoming film, ‘Drishyam 3’, Ajay will be seen mocking his and Salman’s well-known dancing skills during the episode.

The promo shared by the makers on Instagram showed Ajay taking a hilarious jibe at himself and Salman while reacting to contestant Qazi Touqeer’s famous ‘Rockstar’ hook step.

As Ajay and Jaideep interacted with contestants, the ‘Raid’ actor asked Qazi to do his hook step.

When he did it, Ajay reacted by making fun of himself and host Salman. He said in a sarcastic manner, “Salman and I do very difficult steps. This one is very easy. Hence, I would like Jaideep Ahlawat to do it.”

While Jaideep refuses initially, he ends up doing the famous step at the end. Salman can be seen laughing and enjoying their fun interaction.

Reacting to the promo, one of the Insta users wrote, “Qazi bro Aura m Rockstar baby nice bro”, while another one penned, “Rockstar babyyyy auuuuuuuu.”

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Salman schooled contestant Rhiti Tiwari for crossing the line during a ‘diss’ task.

Questioning Rhiti on her language towards Qazi and Uditi Singh during a, Salman said, “Rhiti, it was the worst diss ever. You have to show respect within limits. Your language is going somewhere else.”

Not just that, Salman also reprimanded other housemates who were supporting Rhiti during the task, including Scout OP, Love Gill, Aamrapali Dubey, Aasif Khan and Young DSA.

“And everyone was laughing. Where is your sense? You were making fun of her, and she was making fun of you. Was it not your duty to stop it right there? If this diss would have been on your sister, would you have let this diss happen?”, said an angry Salman.

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