Variety honors Anne Curtis, as it puts the spotlight on Asian talent

She may already be considered a superstar in the Philippines. 

But the desire to achieve something even bigger is still burning within Anne Curtis, moreso now after she was recognized as one of the most promising Asian talents of the past year by Variety. 

The US-based magazine teamed up with the International Film Festival and Awards in Macao to present Curtis, along with four other actors from the region, with the Asian Star: Up Next award. 

The ceremony was held at Macao Cultural Center in Macau, China. 

On Instagram Saturday, Curtis recalled the prestigious moment and said that the award will serve as her inspiration to do her best in acting and pursue her biggest dreams. 

"I dedicate this to all the Filipino filmmakers and actors who continue to work hard to make films that are not only appreciated by our fellow Pinoys but also appreciated by the global audience," she wrote. 

In its profile of Curtis, Variety highlighted her role in "BuyBust," the acclaimed action film directed by Erik Matti that became the first-ever Pinoy feature to acquired by Netflix. 

"Sid & Aya (Not A Love Story)" and the horror film "Aurora," an entry to the Metro Manila Film Festival 2018, were also mentioned. 

Last year, Variety named Piolo Pascual as one of the 10 recipients of the Asian Star: Up Next award. 

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Brief, angry confrontation in New York pits Nicki Minaj against Cardi B

Two of America's most prominent rap and hip-hop artists, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, nearly came to blows in a brief but explosive confrontation during New York's Fashion Week.

Videos on Twitter and YouTube showed the two women, who were on a second-floor balcony above a red carpet event late Friday, being separated by their security guards as Cardi B curses her rival before throwing a shoe at her.

Minaj was reportedly not hurt. But a photo taken immediately afterward shows Cardi B with a large bump just above her left eye. The Variety website said one of Minaj's guards elbowed her during the melee.

It was not immediately known what touched off the dispute, but gossip site TMZ said Cardi B, the first female rapper to have had multiple No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, had accused the older Minaj, one of the best-selling musical artists now performing, of spreading "lies" about her. 

In a subsequent Instagram post, the 25-year-old Cardi B complained -- without naming names -- that her rival had gone too far when she criticized Cardi B's qualities as a mother. Cardi B had a child in July with fellow rapper Offset.

Cardi B gained enormous notoriety in the US musical world last year with the release of her song "Bodak Yellow," with its references to her past as a strip-tease dancer trying to make ends meet.

Minaj, 35, has sold more than five million albums worldwide and won 10 Grammy nominations.

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'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest accused of misconduct in Variety report

LOS ANGELES - A former stylist for "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest on Monday accused him of sexual misconduct, although Seacrest denied the accusations last November.

Suzie Hardy told Hollywood publication Variety that Seacrest sexually harassed her for six years, starting in 2007, when she became his personal stylist at E! News.

Seacrest, who is also co-host of ABC television's daytime talk show "Live with Kelly & Ryan" and producer of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," made public the woman's accusations last November, when he also issued a denial.

E!, a unit of Comcast Corp, conducted an internal inquiry into her accusations but said in January that it had found insufficient evidence to support her claims.

Seacrest's lawyer Andrew Baum said on Monday that Variety's decision to run Hardy's story was upsetting.

Baum said in a statement that Hardy had previously asked for money to stay silent. "They (Variety) were told that the accuser threatened to make those false claims against him unless he paid her $15 million," he said.

"At that time, the claimant threatened to issue a demonstrably false press statement unless she was paid. Instead, my client proactively and publicly denied the claims and agreed to fully cooperate with E!’s investigation about the matter."

ABC did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Monday. Hardy's lawyer did not reply to a request for comment on Variety's account.

Hardy's interview with Variety on Monday marked the first time she was identified and details of her claims were revealed. Hardy, whose employment ended in 2013, said she felt the E! investigation was incomplete and one-sided.

E! said in a statement on Monday that its investigation by an outside lawyer was "extremely comprehensive and thorough" and that "any claims that question the legitimacy of this investigation are completely baseless."

Talent show "American Idol," with Seacrest as host, is scheduled to return to television on March 11 on Walt Disney Co's ABC network after a 14-year run on Fox ended in 2016.

Seacrest is the latest celebrity to be accused of sexual misconduct in a scandal that has rocked Hollywood and beyond since October 2017.

"To have my workplace conduct questioned was gut-wrenching. I’ve always aimed to treat all of my colleagues with honesty, respect, kindness and compassion," Seacrest, 43, wrote in a February guest column for The Hollywood Reporter. 

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Patty Jenkins to direct 'Wonder Woman' 2019 sequel: reports

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Patty Jenkins will return to direct the 2019 sequel to this year’s hit superhero movie “Wonder Woman,” film trade publications said on Monday, after she became the highest-grossing female director in Hollywood history.

Jenkins, 46, will once again direct Israeli actress Gal Gadot as the titular superhero in “Wonder Woman 2,” scheduled for release on Dec. 13, 2019, publications including Variety and Hollywood Reporter said.

Movie studio Warner Bros did not comment on the news and has not given any further details on the sequel.

“Wonder Woman,” was the first standalone movie to star a female superhero since 2005’s box office dud “Elektra,” and the first to be directed by a woman.

It rode to the top of the box office in June on a wave of good reviews and female empowerment, and with $816.4 million at the worldwide box office, it is now the second-biggest movie of the year after the live action version of “Beauty and the Beast.”

Jenkins overtook Phyllida Lloyd, who directed 2008’s musical “Mamma Mia!,” for the title of highest-grossing female director.

Gadot’s Wonder Woman will next be seen in November’s superhero ensemble movie “Justice League,” alongside Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman.

“Wonder Woman,” the fourth film in Warner Bros’ current iteration of DC Comics’ cinematic franchise, helped boost profits for Warner Bros’ parent company Time Warner Inc.

Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Sandra Maler

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Emma Watson plans legal action over stolen photos

"Beauty and the Beast" star Emma Watson is planning legal action over photos said to have been leaked online, but her representatives on Wednesday denied reports that the pictures showed the British actress nude.

"Photos from a clothes fitting Emma had with a stylist a couple of years ago have been stolen. They are not nude photographs. Lawyers have been instructed and we are not commenting further," her publicist said in a statement to Variety and the BBC.

Social media and blog posts have claimed that naked images of Watson have been posted this week on an anonymous document-sharing network. It was not clear what action her lawyers are planning, or against whom.

Watson, 26, who made her name as a child star playing Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" movies, found herself at the center of a social media controversy earlier this month over a photo shoot she did for Vanity Fair magazine that included a picture in which parts of her breasts were exposed.

Critics called Watson, who is also a United Nations goodwill ambassador on women's rights and equality, hypocritical and said she was betraying her feminist ideals.

Watson hit back, saying feminism was about choice. "It's about freedom, it's about liberation, it's about equality. I really don't know what my tits have to do with it," she told Reuters.

Watson appears in the live action version of the Disney classic "Beauty and the Beast," which opens in movie theaters around the world this week and is expected to take some $200 million at the box-office, according to box office analysts.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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What's the top illegally downloaded movie of 2014?

Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" and Disney's animated fantasy hit "Frozen" were the two most pirated films of 2014, according to a firm tracking illegal downloads.

Numerous US media, including Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, on Monday published a list of this year's 20 most illegally downloaded movies, compiled by piracy tracker Excipio.

The firm tallied "torrent" downloads, where computer users illegally share movies and other media over the Internet, for the period from January 1 to December 23, according to Variety.

Excipio said "The Wolf of Wall Street" was illegally downloaded more than 30 million times, while "Frozen" was pirated more than 29.9 million times.

In third place was "RoboCop," with a little less than 29.9 million illegal downloads, although this included both 2014's re-booted version and the 1987 original.

Space drama "Gravity," directed by Mexico's Alfonso Cuaron, was downloaded just under 29.4 million times.

Popular among the pirated films were several superhero adventures, including "Thor: The Dark World," "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past." Each of these racked up more than 20 million illegal downloads.

This year's best-film Oscar winner "12 Years a Slave" was illegally downloaded 23.7 million times, while "American Hustle" and "Captain Phillips" were pirated 23.1 million and 19.8 million times respectively.

Excipio's list in full, as published by Variety and the Hollywood reporter:

1. "The Wolf of Wall Street": 30.035 million
2. "Frozen": 29.919 million
3. "RoboCop" (including original 1987 movie): 29.879 million
4. "Gravity": 29.357 million
5. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug": 27.627 million
6. "Thor: The Dark World": 25.749 million
7. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier": 25.628 million
8. "The Legend of Hercules": 25.137 million
9. "X-Men: Days of Future Past": 24.380 million
10. "12 Years a Slave": 23.653 million
11. "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire": 23.543 million
12. "American Hustle": 23.143 million
13. "300: Rise of an Empire": 23.096 million
14. "Transformers: Age of Extinction": 21.65 million
15. "Godzilla": 20.956 million
16. "Noah": 20.334 million
17. "Divergent": 20.312 million
18. "Edge of Tomorrow": 20.299 million
19. "Captain Phillips": 19.817 million
20. "Lone Survivor": 19.130 million

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