When Disney announced a reboot of “Home Alone” this past August, fans, and even Macaulay Culkin himself, eviscerated the studio for tinkering with the 1990 John Hughes Christmas classic. And after unveiling the film’s cast list, it ignited the online ire once again, Insider reports.
The holiday drama kicked off Wednesday after the House of Mouse announced it tapped Archie Yates (“Jojo Rabbit”) to play the lead role originally occupied by Culkin, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Yates will star alongside comedians Rob Delaney (“Catastrophe”) and Ellie Kemper (“The Office”) as his parents while Dan Mazer (“Dirty Grandpa”) is slated to fill the director’s chair.
Suffice it to say, nostalgic fans of the holiday comedy took the news like a paint can to the face. “Why?? The original is perfect. Not everything needs a remake,” exclaimed one social-media scrooge. Another called it “the most pointless remake to date.” “At this rate, there will be no unique films to watch anymore,” lamented another cinema snob. One Twitter critic astutely observed how the original plot wouldn’t work in today’s tech-saturated world: “Because they’re rich, Kevin’s parents arrange for a Lyft to pick him up from home and Venmo him airfare to catch up with the rest of the family in Paris. #HomeAlone doesn’t need a remake because it doesn’t work in our time.”
To the film’s credit, the reimagined plot is rumored to differ from the ’90 original, per the Hollywood Reporter. Instead of an accidental latchkey kid defending his home from wacky thieves, the new flick will depict a couple going after a kid who has pilfered a priceless heirloom. Oh, and he’s not named Kevin McCallister. Nonetheless, fans are clearly growing weary of Disney’s deluge of reboots. This past week alone, the entertainment juggernaut dropped trailers for reheats of both “Mulan” and “Ghostbusters” — although none have sparked as much bile as “Home Alone.” Disney hasn’t given a release date for the holiday flick, which is set to air on Disney+
Australia said on Thursday technology giants such as Facebook Inc (FB.O) and Google (GOOGL.O) will have to agree to new rules to ensure they do not abuse their market power and damage competition, or the government will impose new controls on them.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will create a code of conduct to address complaints that the technology companies have a stronghold on advertising, the main income generator of local media operators.
The guidelines will ensure substantial market power is not used to lessen competition in media and advertising services markets.
“I want us to be the model jurisdiction in the world for how we are dealing with digital platforms, social media platforms,” Morrison told reporters in Melbourne. The move tightens the regulatory screws on the online platforms, which have governments from the United States to Europe scrambling to address concerns ranging from anti-trust issues to the spread of “fake news” and hate speech. Australia’s government said technology companies would need to agree to the new rules by November 2020 or it will impose them. “The companies are on notice. The government is not messing around. We will not hesitate to act,” Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told reporters.
Google and Facebook both said they support greater competition and will work closely with the ACCC. “We support a sustainable news ecosystem which is why we work with publishers to help them reach new audiences,” Mia Garlick, director of policy, Australia and New Zealand at Facebook, said in an emailed statement. Google and Facebook have opposed tighter regulation, while traditional media owners, including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp (NWSA.O), have backed reform. “It’s great the government is making a serious attempt to address the deep-rooted dominance of the online tech and streaming giants,” said Paul Anderson, chief executive of Australia’s Network 10. Australia has for months signaled its intentions to get tough on the technology behemoths. In July, Australia became the first in the world to establish a special branch within the ACCC, tasking it with scrutinizing how the companies used algorithms to match advertisements with viewers, giving them a stronghold on the main income generator of media operators. In April, Australia passed new rules that could fine social media and web hosting companies up to 10 percent of their annual global turnover and imprison executives for up to three years if violent content is not removed “expeditiously”.
The Pan African Girl Child Education Foundation has bequeathed the award for Nobel African Women in Leadership (P-NAWL) on Mama Helen Oritsejafor and inducted her into its hall of fame during its maiden edition of their award ceremony which took place in Abuja recently.
Organisers of the award in a statement said Mama Helen Oritsejafor, CEO of Eagle Height Conglomerates in Warri, Delta State, was recognized for her philanthropic activities which she has showcased over the years.
”She exudes this love virtuously and consistently with her annual scholarship scheme where thousands of children are awarded scholarships which covers the full duration of their education, that is, from the primary school level to the tertiary school level of their education period with thousands of children now adults known to be beneficiaries today,” the statement said. In another development, in the spirit of the festive season, Mrs Oritsejafor and her invited guests speakers spoke on: “The purpose of setting new year resolutions” and “How best to celebrate Christmas” in the Christmas edition of her TV show “Mama Helen & You” held in the studio of her international TV station; African Broadcasting Network in Warri, Delta State.
The guest speakers highlighted most of the distractions that could cause limitations in actualizing New Year resolutions as not believing in one’s self or dream, procrastination, the inability to prioritize, unexpected emergencies or situations that could occur, amongst others.
They also spoke about the Christmas season emphasizing on the importance of planning to cover all incurred expenses that could arise during the period, highlighting the importance of preparing a budget accordingly to fit a person’s financial capabilities. “It is not a crime to celebrate that special day eating and drinking, but emphasis should be placed on celebrating Jesus in church bearing gifts, that is, the gift of souls.
It is also a season to share and spread the love of Christ with the less privileged as well”, Mrs. Oritsejafor said. Special Guest speakers on the show were: Bishop Eddy Bebor, Pastor JephthahUsolor, Mrs. Helen Mene and Dcns Tuoyo. Vanguard.
ABUJA—The ECOWAS Court of Justice sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, dismissed a suit the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, filed against the Federal Republic of Nigeria, alleging that he was tortured, assaulted and subjected to inhuman treatment by security operatives when he was arrested in 2015.
The regional court, in its judgement that was read by Justice Dupe Atoki, held that the IPOB leader failed to prove its allegations against FG, saying it had no reason to conclude that his arrest and detention were unlawful and arbitrary as claimed. The three member panel of the Court also dismissed Kanu’s request for monetary compensation. Though the Court acknowledged that the IPOB leader had the legal capacity to approach it to seek redress for any violation of his human rights, it however held that without a mandate, he lacked the legal personality to represent the IPOB before the Court. The court further struck out names of the second and third defendants, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and the Director General of the Department of State Service, DSS, from the suit on the premise that they were not signatories to the ECOWAS Revised Treat, thus leaving only the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the sole defendant in the suit. Kanu had the suit marked ECW/CCJ/APP/06/16, which he filed before the Court on March 3, 2016, through his lawyer, Mr. Ifeanyi Ejiofor, claimed that his rights to life, personal integrity, privacy, fair trial, freedom of movement, freedom of expression, personal liberty, freedom of association, private property, right to existence and right to self-determination were violated following his arrest and detention by Nigerian security agents. The plaintiff also alleged that he was a victim of arbitrary arrest, detention, torture inhuman and degrading treatment while in detention, insisting that FG confiscated his personal belongings through its agent. Kanu, who was hitherto the Director of Radio Biafra, registered under the regulatory laws of the United Kingdom and the United Nations, demanded monetary compensation in the sum of $800 million US dollars. Buhari’s $30bn loan request: MAN, LCCI, others caution FG, NASS(Opens in a new browser tab) However, FG’s lawyer, Mr. Abdullahi Abubakar, prayed the court to dismiss the suit which he contended lacked merit. FG argued that the country was obliged to enforce the rule of law as stipulated in its Constitution, Treaties and Protocol that included defending the sovereignty of an undivided Nigeria. The counsel added that activities of IPOB were secessionist in nature as it instigated a separationist agenda among the people of the country’s South-East and South-South regions, using its Biafra Radio. Mr. Abubakar further averred that acts of the plaintiff were intended to garner support for war against the defendant and carve out a geo-political area to be declared “Republic of Biafra.” Consequently, he said the defendant initiated an investigation into the allegations against the plaintiff that led to his arrest and discovery of illegal firearms and radio transmitters in his possession, items he said posed security risk to the country. The defendant also submitted that the plaintiff was investigated while in detention for offences of criminal conspiracy, managing and belonging to an illegal society, saying though he was granted bail, he was detained again on fresh charges that bordered on treasonable felony. It told the regional court that although the plaintiff and some members of IPOB had severally threatened the peace of the nation with their demands, it gave no orders to its agencies to kill members of IPOB nor did any such killings occur. FG further averred that it remained committed to upholding the rule of law, while recognizing and protecting the fundamental rights of its citizens and all groups, including the IPOB. ECOWAS Court judge appeal Member States on enforcement of its judgments(Opens in a new browser tab) Other members of the ECOWAS Court panel that upheld FG’s position and dismissed Kanu’s suit on Wednesday were Justices Edward Amoako Asante and Keikura Bangura. Vanguard
Manchester City’s Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus (L) vies for the ball with Dinamo Zagreb’s Bosnian midfielder Amer Gojak (R) during the UEFA Champions League Group C football match between GNK Dinamo Zagreb and Manchester City FC at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb on December 11, 2019. (Photo by Denis LOVROVIC / AFP) Gabriel Jesus admits he can put himself under too much pressure to score after coming out of a recent goalscoring drought, revealing he feels like he wants to “shoot himself in the head” when he cannot find the net. The Manchester City striker netted a hat-trick in Wednesday’s 4-1 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League to take his tally to five goals in three games.
But that run has come on the back of eight appearances without a goal, and the 22-year-old says a run without scoring can start to play on his mind. “Honestly, last month I was no good and I wasn’t happy. I played eight or nine games and I didn’t score and I missed chances so I’m not happy with that,” he said. “When this happens, of course, I cannot be happy. Sometimes football is like that. You have to keep working hard and try to score, try to help the team and work and that’s what I have done.
“Always I think: ‘Wow I have to score’ because I’m playing for a big club in big competitions with big players. “I think it happens with other players. I cannot talk about other players I can only talk about me when I’m not happy with me I want to shoot myself in the head because it’s difficult for me. “I take it [personally] of course. I think: ‘Oh my god I have to score, I have to score, I have to score’. When I have the chance sometimes I miss it because I think too much and put too much pressure on myself. I try. I’m getting better. I’m working to score and don’t think about the pressure.” It was a night of personal milestones for Jesus as he became the youngest Brazilian to 10 goals in the Champions League – surpassing Neymar – and the youngest player to score more than one hat-trick in the competition. Jesus also passed a century of goals in his career with his third against Dinamo taking him to a combined total of 101 for City, Palmeiras, and Brazil.
The landmark has come remarkably quick considering he is often second choice to team-mate Sergio Aguero, but he says the pair have a friendly rivalry, which helps to drive each other on. “I’m a blessed guy,” he said of passing 100 goals. “I try all the time to do my best and sometimes I cannot do it and that’s the way. “It’s important for me to score goals and keep scoring goals because I have to. I’m at a big club and play with big players. “I’m in a single competition with Sergio – a friendly competition. I hope that when he plays he scores. I always want him to help the team and his team-mates. When I play he does the same, which is amazing. “I have to learn from him because he’s scored a lot for the club and throughout his career. And I’m happy with 101 goals in my career.” vanguard.
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