Los Angeles, July 11 (IANS) Singer-songwriter Katy Perry has announced her 6th studio album ‘143’. She went live across her social media profiles to share snippets of songs off the record.

The album, which arrives on September 20, is what the pop singer described as a dance album, something she’s “always wanted to make”, reports Variety.

“I’ve been talking about [doing] two albums the past eight years and that’s a dance album and an acoustic album,” she said on Instagram Live. “I haven’t yet made the acoustic album. Well, we never stop writing. But I finally made the dance album, the album I always wanted to make.

“This record is super high energy, it’s super summer, it’s very high BPM,” she continued. “We just had a family dance party to one of the songs, and it’s just full of so much joy, so much love, so much light.”

As per Variety, while signing vinyl inserts for ‘143’, Perry previewed three songs from the album on both Instagram Live and TikTok Live. The first clip she played was for a song called ‘I’m His He’s Mine’ featuring Doechii, constructed around a sample of Crystal Waters’ 1991 hit ‘Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)’.

She followed with an upbeat number entitled ‘Nirvana’ as well as ‘Gimme Gimme’ featuring 21 Savage. “‘143’ is honestly a dance party,” she added on TikTok. “All fandoms, invited. And it’s high energy, lots of love, mostly lots of love and BPM, summer, sexy. And it’s for y’all.”

Perry initially teased this upcoming era last month with the news that its first single, ‘Woman’s World’, will arrive July 11 along with a music video. Though no tour has been announced, Perry mentioned on TikTok that she cleared her schedule so she’d be able to tour in the near future.

–IANS

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Los Angeles, July 11 (IANS) Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey, who is known for ‘Dallas Buyers Club’, ‘Interstellar’, ‘True Detective’ and other films, had an apparent run-in with a bee.

The actor recently shared a close-up photo of himself on his Instagram showing his right eye completely swollen shut, reports People magazine.

While the actor did not specify exactly what happened to him, he hinted at an unfortunate incident with a bee with a punny caption: “Bee swell.” Despite the alarming eye injury, he appeared otherwise in good spirits in the photo and held a grin for the camera.

Aside from McConaughey’s apparent bee incident, the actor has been busy as of late: he and his wife Camila Alves McConaughey shared birthday wishes to their eldest son Levi on Sunday, July 7, by sharing a montage of photos of the 16-year-old with his parents and a voiceover message.

“Alright Levi, coming on that age, buddy. About to be out on your own”, the star said in part during his voiceover. “Me and your mom hope we’ve done as good of a job as we can. You’re not gonna really have us as a safety net out there in the wonderful, wild world forever.”

As per People, Matthew and Camila also share two younger kids: daughter Vida, 14, and son Livingston, 11. In June, McConaughey admitted during a conversation with fellow Texas native Glen Powell for Interview magazine that he once took a two-year break from working in Hollywood after he felt he was struggling to book movie roles outside of the romantic comedy genre, where he made early 2000s classics like ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ (2003).

“Dude, it was scary. I had long talks with my wife about needing to find a new vocation,” he shared of the hiatus. He recalled that he told his wife at various points during this time that he was considering teaching high school, studying to conduct music or working as a “wildlife guide.”

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) Director Siddharth P. Malhotra says as a filmmaker he tries to tell soul-stirring human stories and that he has always been on the lookout for strong protagonists.

The filmmaker’s latest features Junaid Khan in his debut role alongside Jaideep Ahlawat, Shalini Pandey, and Sharvari (in a special appearance), the film was released on June 21.

“As a filmmaker, I have tried to tell soul-stirring human stories with my last two films ‘Maharaj’ and ‘Hichki’. It feels incredible that both these films about human perseverance have become huge global hits coming from India!” Malhotra said.

He added: “I have always been on the lookout for strong protagonists who leave an unforgettable mark on society and sacrifice a lot to better our community.”

Talking about ‘Maharaj’ and Junaid’s character of Karsandas, he said: “Karsandas (played by Junaid) and Naina Mathur (played by Rani) have that in common and I respect both these characters immensely. People who fight against all odds are those who we need in society.”

Siddharth is deeply thankful to the global audience for showing so much love for ‘Maharaj’.

“A film through which we tried to honour a great social reformer of India, Karsandas Mulji. His story needed to be told and it looks like the world is paying him a salute,” he said.

Siddharth added that it is incredible that both his films with YRF, ‘Hichki’, and ‘Maharaj’ have been global hits.

“At a time when projects from across the world are winning hearts, I’m proud that India is also shining on the global content map with films like Maharaj becoming a huge hit,” he added.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) Actress Janhvi Kapoor on Wednesday dropped two new posters of ‘Ulajh’, offering a glimpse into the mysterious world of the upcoming film.

Janhvi took to Instagram and shared two posters.

The first image features the entire star cast, including Gulshan Devaiah, Rajesh Tailang, Roshan Mathew, and Meiyang Chang, appearing to be in a serious situation.

The second poster focuses solely on Janhvi, who is seen wearing a brown blazer with a Tricolor pin on it. The actress looks up at the camera while holding a file marked “confidential.”

Janhvi captioned the posters: “Every face tells a story, and every story is a trap! Iss #Ulajh ko Suljhao in cinemas near you from 2nd Aug!”

‘Uljah’ is written by the acclaimed duo Parveez Shaikh and Sudhanshu Saria.

The film tells the story of a young diplomat from a prominent family of patriots who finds herself embroiled in a dangerous personal conspiracy.

Janhvi will also be seen in ‘Devara: Part 1’, marking her debut in Telugu films. The movie, starring Jr NTR and Saif Ali Khan, is set against a forest backdrop.

Additionally, she will star in ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’, where she will reunite with her ‘Bawaal’ co-star Varun Dhawan and filmmaker Shashank Khaitan.

The film marks Varun’s third collaboration with Shashank after seven years and the second collaboration between Shashank and Janhvi after her debut film ‘Dhadak’.

The cast also includes Rohit Saraf, Sanya Malhotra, and Akshay Oberoi in key roles.

‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’ is set to release in theatres on April 18, 2025.

–IANS

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Mumbai, July 10 (IANS) In 2002, the show ‘Kumkum – Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan’ first aired, and its lead actress Juhi Parmar is now celebrating 22 years of the show, sharing that even today, many people address her by her character’s name when she walks down the street.

Juhi took to Instagram and shared a reel of herself dressed in a yellow saree, with the show’s title track, which ran from 2002 to 2009, playing in the background.

“22 years, and it still feels like yesterday! Kumkum is a name that has become synonymous to Juhi….Till date, when I walk on the streets, many of you address me as Kumkum. The song still gives me goosebumps as it brings back so many memories, memories of 7 years of shooting, of the wonderful scenes, and of the camaraderie all of us shared,” said the actress in the caption.

An “emotional” Juhi, who shared screen space with Hussain Kuwajerwala, added: “I am getting emotional as I write this because I can’t imagine what life would have been like had Kumkum not happened.”

The actress shared that she is “ever so grateful to this show that has given me so so so much love from all of you, it’s truly priceless!”

“And so here begins a week of the celebration of Kumkum, as we complete 22 years on July 15 and we shall share the love for Kumkum, together because without you this journey wouldn’t have been possible! Shukriya & #AlwaysGrateful #kumkum #kumkumekpyarasabandhan,” she added.

–IANS

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