Proposed George Lucas museum in Chicago falls through
A proposed museum dedicated to the works of legendary filmmaker George Lucas has been thwarted due to public interest in the land that it was supposed to be built on. The site, on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, was earmarked by Lucas himself, who planned to spend close to US$700 million (Dh2.5 billion) of his own money building the museum. However, in 2014, a local preservation group sued to prevent construction and a judge ruled that there was a persuasive argument that the proposed museum would "impair public interest in the land." On June 24, the Star Wars creator pulled plans for The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Chicago and said he would build it in California. The filmmaker had hoped to display his formidable art collection that focuses on narrative forms such as comic art, photography, film, and magazine illustrations, as well as Star Wars memorabilia. "Chicago's loss will be another city's gain," Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "This missed opportunity has not only cost us what will be a world-class cultural institution, but it has also cost thousands of jobs for Chicago workers, millions of dollars in economic investment and countless educational opportunities for Chicago's youth." – Reuters
Choreographer Terence Lewis takes young Indian dancers under his wing
Terence Lewis, a choreographer and judge on the Indian dance show So You Think You Can Dance – Ab India ki Baari, will take two contestants under his wing after spotting them on the show. After Lewis saw the duo, Kalpita and Aaryan, give a duet performance to the song Gustakh Dil for which they received a standing ovation from all the judges, he announced that he would take financial responsibility for their training and their future career. "The two are exceptional dancers, and this performance just took my breath away. I have taken their accountability and want to be responsible for their training, and will prepare them for international platforms," Lewis said. The other judges in the Bollywood show are Madhuri Dixit-Nene and fellow choreographer Bosco Martis. – IANS
Jackie Chan to voice Master Wu in The Lego Ninjago Movie
Jackie Chan will be voicing the lead character in one of three forthcoming Lego movies, reports Variety Magazine. After the success of the 2014 movie, which followed the story of Emmet, an ordinary Lego man becoming an unlikely hero, there are three more films coming up: The Lego Batman Movie, The Lego Ninjago Movie, and The Lego Movie 2 slated for releases in February 2017, September 2017, and February 2019, respectively. For the Ninjago movie, narrating the tale of six teenage ninjas tasked with defending their island home of Ninjago, Chan will be voicing the leader Master Wu, with Dave Franco, Michael Peña, Abbi Jacobson, Kumail Nanjiani, Zach Woods and Fred Armisen also signing on as the six core team members. – The National staff
Amitabh Bachhcan pulls punches with national-level boxers
Amitabh Bachchan put on his boxing gloves and shot with real-life national-level boxers for an upcoming project. The 73-year-old shared pictures on his blog of himself accompanied by the boxers in the ring. "Those artists that were in the shot were all national-level boxers. Such a joy to meet and feel their enthusiasm," Bachchan wrote. The actor plays a lawyer in the forthcoming thriller film, Pink, which is set for release in September, but he did not reveal the details of the future project involving boxing. He did however, reminisce about his school days when he used to box and would often lose fights but win awards for being the "pluckiest loser". – IANS
Kabali director to work with Tamil star Suriya next
Director Pa Ranjith, who currently awaits the release of his latest gangster film Kabali, is already thinking about his next project. The Tamil-language set for release in July and stars Rajinikanth as the title character will be followed by a film with star actor Suriya. "After Kabali, I'll be working with Suriya sir. This project will go on the floors after he wraps up Singam 3," said the director at a screening of Kabali. Suriya, whose real name is Saravanan Sivakumar, is an actor and a TV presenter who recently hosted the Tamil version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – IANS
