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'Margaritaville' singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, dies at age 76
Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into an empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions, has died. He was 76.
“Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” a statement posted to Buffett’s official website and social media pages said late Friday. “He lived his life like a song till the very last breath and will be missed beyond measure by so many.”
The statement did not say where Buffett died or give a cause of death. Illness had forced him to reschedule concerts in May and Buffett acknowledged in social media posts that he had been hospitalized, but provided no specifics.
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“Margaritaville,” released on Feb. 14, 1977, quickly took on a life of its own, becoming a state of mind for those ”wastin’ away,” an excuse for a life of low-key fun and escapism for those “growing older, but not up.”
The song is the unhurried portrait of a loafer on his front porch, watching tourists sunbathe while a pot of shrimp is beginning to boil. The signer has a new tattoo, a likely hangover and regrets over a lost love. Somewhere there is a misplaced salt shaker.
“What seems like a simple ditty about getting blotto and mending a broken heart turns out to be a profound meditation on the often painful inertia of beach dwelling,” Spin magazine wrote in 2021. “The tourists come and go, one group indistinguishable from the other. Waves crest and break whether somebody is there to witness it or not. Everything that means anything has already happened and you’re not even sure when.”
The song — from the album “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” — spent 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and peaked at No. 8. The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016 for its cultural and historic significance, became a karaoke standard and helped brand Key West, Florida, as a distinct sound of music and a destination known the world over.
“There was no such place as Margaritaville,” Buffett told the Arizona Republic in 2021. “It was a made-up place in my mind, basically made up about my experiences in Key West and having to leave Key West and go on the road to work and then come back and spend time by the beach.”
The song soon inspired restaurants and resorts, turning Buffett’s alleged desire for the simplicity of island life into a multimillion brand. He landed at No. 13 in Forbes’ America’s Richest Celebrities in 2016 with a net worth of $550 million.
Music critics were never very kind to Buffett or his catalogue, including the sandy beach-side snack bar songs like “Fins,” “Come Monday” and “Cheeseburgers in Paradise.” But his legions of fans, called “Parrotheads,” regularly turned up for his concerts wearing toy parrots, cheeseburgers, sharks and flamingos on their heads, leis around their necks and loud Hawaiian shirts.
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“It’s pure escapism is all it is,” he told the Republic. “I’m not the first one to do it, nor shall I probably be the last. But I think it’s really a part of the human condition that you’ve got to have some fun. You’ve got to get away from whatever you do to make a living or other parts of life that stress you out. I try to make it at least 50/50 fun to work and so far it’s worked out.”
His special Gulf Coast mix of country, pop, folk and rock added instruments and tonalities more commonly found in the Caribbean, like steel drums. It was a stew of steelpans, trombones and pedal steel guitar. Buffett’s incredible ear for hooks and light grooves were often overshadowed by his lyrics about fish tacos and sunsets.
Rolling Stone, in a review of Buffett’s 2020 album “Life on the Flip Side,” gave grudging props. “He continues mapping out his surfy, sandy corner of pop music utopia with the chill, friendly warmth of a multi-millionaire you wouldn’t mind sharing a tropically-themed 3 p.m. IPA with, especially if his gold card was on the bar when the last round came.”
Buffett’s evolving brand began in 1985 with the opening of a string of Margaritaville-themed stores and restaurants in Key West, followed in 1987 with the first Margaritaville Café nearby. Over the course of the next two decades, several more of each opened throughout Florida, New Orleans and California.
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The brand has since expanded to dozens of categories, including resorts, apparel and footwear for men and women, a radio station, a beer brand, ice tea, tequila and rum, home décor, food items like salad dressing, Margaritaville Crunchy Pimento Cheese & Shrimp Bites and Margaritaville Cantina Style Medium Chunky Salsa, the Margaritaville at Sea cruise line and restaurants, including Margaritaville Restaurant, JWB Prime Steak and Seafood, 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill and LandShark Bar & Grill.
There also was a Broadway-bound jukebox musical, “Escape to Margaritaville,” a romantic comedy in which a singer-bartender called Sully falls for the far more career-minded Rachel, who is vacationing with friends and hanging out at Margaritaville, the hotel bar where Sully works.
James William Buffett was born on Christmas day 1946 in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and raised in the port town of Mobile, Alabama. He graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and went from busking the streets of New Orleans to playing six nights a week at Bourbon Street clubs.
He released his first record, “Down To Earth,” in 1970 and issued seven more on a regular yearly clip, with his 1974 song “Come Monday” from his fourth studio album “Living and Dying in ¾ Time,” peaking at No. 30. Then came “Margaritaville.”
He performed on more than 50 studio and live albums, often accompanied by his Coral Reefer Band, and was constantly on tour. He earned two Grammy Award nominations, two Academy of Country Music Awards and a Country Music Association Award.
Buffett was actually in Austin, Texas, when the inspiration struck for “Margaritaville.” He and a friend had stopped for lunch at a Mexican restaurant before she dropped him at the airport for a flight home to Key West, so they got to drinking margaritas.
“And I kind of came up with that idea of this is just like Margarita-ville,” Buffett told the Republic. “She kind of laughed at that and put me on the plane. And I started working on it.”
He wrote some on the plane and finished it while driving down the Keys. “There was a wreck on the bridge,” he said. “And we got stopped for about an hour so I finished the song on the Seven Mile Bridge, which I thought was apropos.”
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Buffett also was the author of numerous books including “Where Is Joe Merchant?” and “A Pirate Looks at Fifty” and added movies to his resume as co-producer and co-star of an adaptation of Carl Hiaasen’s novel “Hoot.”
Buffett is survived by his wife, Jane; daughters, Savannah and Sarah; and son, Cameron.
'Call of Duty: Brigadier General Jamil' documentary screened at BSA
Showcasing the patriotic, sacrificial story of Shaheed Brigadier General Jamil Uddin Ahmad, ‘Bir Uttam’, a special documentary film titled ‘Call of Duty Brigadier General Jamil’ was screened on Saturday at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in the capital.
The documentary film, directed by Sentu Roy, demonstrated how the valiant soldier, the then-Director General of DGFI and former Military Secretary of the then-President of independent Bangladesh, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, went on to embrace martyrdom on the horrific night of August 15, 1975, with a quest to save Bangabandhu and his family.
At the National Art Gallery auditorium full of enthusiastic audiences, the documentary screening was joined by Awami League lawmaker from the Gazipur-4 constituency and member of the AL praesidium Simeen Hussain Rimi as the chief guest.
She was also joined by eminent artist Afrozaa Jamil (Konka) and Karishma Jamil, daughters of Brigadier General Jamil Uddin Ahmad, among other esteemed guests, including author Nazneen Haque Mimi, the niece of Shaheed Sergeant Zohorul Haque who along with some other accused in the historic Agartala case, ultimately sacrificing his life in 1969.
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After the opening remarks, the one-hour documentary film was screened to the audience, narrating with a visual demonstration of that particular timeline when the nation lost its most iconic family along with the lone warrior, the valiant patriot and a lifelong companion of the Father of the Nation.
Brigadier General Jamil Uddin Ahmad was married to Anjuman Ara Jamil, who later became a Member of Parliament for Kushtia, Meherpur and Chuadanga. The couple had three daughters: Tehmina Enayet (Tonu), Afrozaa Jamil (Konka), and Sam Jamil (Shweta) and were expecting a fourth child (Karishma) in 1975 when Jamil sacrificed his life to save Bangabandhu and embraced martyrdom.
In the hour-long documentary film, they all reminisced about the beautiful memories of their father and also demonstrated how the family dealt with their tragic loss during that horrific period.
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“In the year 1966, our father Brigadier General Jamil Uddin Ahmad was in the ISI office at Minto Road in Dhaka where he was the Second-in-Command. During that time, Bangabandhu was convicted in the Agartala Conspiracy Case. To save the great leader from that case, our father burnt and buried all the files and evidence against Bangabandhu at Ramna Park. As a result, Bangabandhu could not be charged in that case. He was called and questioned by the ISI chief and was even scheduled to face a ‘Court Martial’, however, that did not happen but this is just one of the many examples of his intelligence and bravery,” Afrozaa Jamil reminisced in the documentary.
Jamil’s elder daughter Tehmina Enayet recalled the earlier days of Jamil’s excellence as an Army officer, stating, “During the 1971 Liberation War, we were confined as hostages in Pakistan with other Bengali military families. When the war was over and we were about to be repatriated, the Pakistan Army offered my father with higher rank and additional facilities as he was a senior officer of the Inter-service Intelligence, but he refused, saying, 'I want to go back to my country and serve'. Upon our arrival in Bangladesh, he was invited by Bangabandhu to join as the Military Secretary to the President in 1973.”
Sharing their fond memories, Sam Jamil stated - “I used to sneak in to Ganabhaban during the afternoon meetings of Bangabandhu. One day my father noticed and told my mother, and I told him that I would not repeat that if I could see Bangabandhu for once, to which he agreed. As promised he took me in front of the door of Bangabandhu’s office, however, Bangabandhu noticed me and talked to me, then called my father who after a while informed me that Bangabandhu permitted me to visit him every day.”
Reminiscing the last moments with their father, the daughters of Shaheed Colonel Jamil shared what exactly happened on the day of August 15, 1975. “In the dawn of that day, Bangabandhu called our father and informed him that he and his family members had been attacked. Our father responded quickly and rang senior officers, including Chief of Army Staff General Shafiullah, and told them to send in the troops. He also rang the Rakkhi Bahini, Presidential Guard Regiment (PGR) head towards Road 32 immediately.
Dameer & Fuad Present Sanjoy: A Celebration of Bangladeshi Music’s Global Impact
Dameer & Fuad, two of Bangladesh’s most popular and acclaimed musicians, will join forces on August 31st for a special show at Dhaka’s Aloki.
Music director Fuad Almuqtadir is returning after a long time to the stage with two young artists - Sanjay and Dameer.
Fuad is a pioneer of the contemporary Bengali sound.
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He has been praised for his innovative production techniques and his ability to blend traditional Bengali music with electronic influences. Dameer is a rising star in the Bangladeshi music scene.
His hit songs “Amar Jaan” and “Bashbo Bhalo” have been featured on radio stations around the world. Sylhet-born Sanjoy is a DJ and producer who has worked with some of the biggest names in music. His hit songs “Shangri-La,” “OBVI,” and “One in a Million” have been streamed millions of times.
The concert is at the Aloki Convention Center in Tejgaon in Dhaka, is a celebration of the global reach of Bangladeshi music. The three artists have all achieved success outside of Bangladesh, and they are an inspiration to young musicians around the world.
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Tickets available online: https://partyinvite.club/e/Dameer---Fuad-present-SANJOY-64df9339a0af6f4590deb83e
Britney Spears' husband seeking financial support and attorneys' fees in divorce
Britney Spears and her husband Sam Asghari separated nearly three weeks ago, and he is seeking spousal support and attorneys' fees in their divorce, according to his divorce filing.
Asghari, 29, filed his petition to dissolve his 14-month-old marriage to the 41-year-old pop superstar in Los Angeles County court late Wednesday.
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Like the vast majority of those who file for divorce in California, he cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.
The document lists the couple's separation date as July 28, though reports of the split did not emerge until Wednesday. It says he will try to get financial support from her, while blocking her from getting any from him. And it seeks to have her pay for his divorce lawyers.
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The filing says the value of Spears' and Asghari's assets, and those they own jointly, has yet to be determined. Spears and Asghari had no children together.
“No negative intention has ever been directed towards her and never will be. Sam has always and will always support her,” Asghari’s representative Brandon Cohen said Thursday afternoon.
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Email sent to a Spears' representatives were not returned.
She has not addressed the split on social media. An Instagram post since the divorce filing is a photo of herself on horseback on a beach, with a caption that begins, “Buying a horse soon!”
Spears married Asghari at her home in Thousand Oaks, California, on June 9, 2022, in front of guests including Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Paris Hilton and Madonna, in a wedding seen as a milestone in her newly reclaimed life after the dissolution just six months earlier of the court conservatorship that controlled her life for more than 13 years.
Spears met and began dating Asghari, a model and actor, when he appeared in her video for the song “Slumber Party” in 2016.
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She cited her desire to marry Asghari as among the reasons she wanted an end to the constraining conservatorship, which she said was preventing it. The two announced their engagement in September of 2021 as it became clear she would be freed from the conservatorship — which was ended that November.
Spears said she and Asghari lost a baby early in her pregnancy in May 2022, about a month before they married.
Reports of the couple's struggles had increased in recent months.
Their marriage is the first for the 29-year-old Asghari and the third for the 41-year-old singer. She was married for less than three days in 2004 to childhood friend Jason Alexander, who attempted to crash her wedding to Asghari and was later convicted of misdemeanor trespassing and battery.
In 2004, she wed dancer Kevin Federline. Their three-year marriage would come at a time of intense media scrutiny and increasing mental health struggles for Spears. Federline is the father of her two teenage sons, and has custody of the boys.
She would be placed in the conservatorship run by her father in 2008. She did well under the arrangement at first, continuing to release records, make videos, and perform live, including a major concert residency in Las Vegas. But as she appeared less in public, fans began to demand that the court #FreeBritney, in what would eventually become a major movement.
Since the conservatorship ended, Spears has put out music, including a collaboration with Elton John in 2022, but has not performed live in years, nor announced plans to do so.
Her memoir, “The Woman in Me," is scheduled to be released in October.
Chorki to stream ‘Hasina: A Daughter's Tale’ on National Mourning Day
Chorki will stream the Piplu R Khan-directed docudrama “Hasina: A Daughter’s Tale” on Tuesday, marking its debut on OTT platform.
The docudrama premiered on November 15, 2018, at Star Cineplex and was the most successful in box office for the next two weeks after its release at Star Cineplex, Blockbuster Cinemas, Madhumita Cinema Hall and Silver Screen.
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The docudrama then aired in 35 more theatres at the district and divisional levels across the county, taking audience demand into consideration. It was later aired on television channels and attained nationwide acclaim.
In the docudrama, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks about her time spent abroad and her return to Bangladesh, with a vivid and subtle description of her homecoming. The focus of this documentary project was Sheikh Hasina, sharing her accounts and personal tragedy as the daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, according to the filmmaker.
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Alongside Chorki, “Hasina: A Daughter's Tale” will be seen on several television channels on Tuesday, as in the previous years, marking the National Mourning Day. The docudrama will be shown at 4:45 pm on Somoy TV, 12:45 pm on News 24 Channel, 7:45 pm on Maasranga Television, 4 pm on Bijoy TV, 1 pm on My TV, and 1:30 pm on Bangla TV.
“Hasina: A Daughter's Tale” was produced by the Center for Research and Information (CRI). Bangabandhu's grandson Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Nasrul Hamid are the executive producers of the docudrama directed by Piplu Khan of Apple Box Films.
The Prime Minister's personal life is a topic of general interest, as she is the daughter of Bangabandhu. However, only a few people are aware of her life's trajectory after 1975. For that reason, the docudrama is still in demand both domestically and overseas, according to its distributor Gousul Alam Shaon.
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"In the docudrama, from the kitchen of Sheikh Hasina to the duties of the head of government, the struggle for survival, various aspects of personal, family, and political life have emerged," stated the director, Piplu R Khan.
It also touched on the lives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana.
He’s ‘just Ken’ but will the ‘Barbie’ movie change his popularity?
On and off the big screen, it’s Barbie’s world and Ken is just living in it.
As reflected in Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster movie that tackles the legacy Mattel’s famous doll, Barbie has always been more popular than Ken. For every Ken doll sold today, there’s generally eight to 10 Barbies sold, according to Jim Silver, a toy industry expert and CEO of review site of TTPM.
It’s unclear if Warner Bros’ “Barbie,” which was also co-produced by Mattel, will increase Ken production and sales. But Silver noted that the movie “gave Ken more attention than Ken has received” in decades.
Ken was first introduced back in 1961, two years after Barbie hit store shelves. But he hasn’t had nearly the same impact on the Barbieverse since.
“Barbie’s world is about Barbie. And (to some), Ken may be an accessory of sorts,” said Ed Timke, an assistant professor of advertising and public relations at Michigan State University, pointing to years of marketing that has, naturally, put Barbie at center stage.
The new attention around Ken following “Barbie’s” release has also received pushback. Many note that the movie is about Barbie — not Ken — and that’s where the spotlight should stay.
Still, the dynamic between the film’s Barbie and Ken may get people to reflect some big questions about gender as well as Ken’s own evolution over the years.
Ken’s relationship to Barbie has been up for debate since the two hit the toy aisle together. While Mattel long-advertised Ken as Barbie’s boyfriend — and even detailed their 2004 split and subsequent reconciliation seven years later — many also saw Ken as Barbie’s best friend, and sometimes queer icon. One 1993 version of Ken in particular, Earring Magic Ken, became notably popular among LGBTQ consumers, the New York Historical Society notes. At the time, Mattel denied the Earring Magic Ken was queer and later pulled him from shelves.
Other popular versions of Ken ranged from the tuxedo-wearing 1984 Dream Date Ken, to 1978 Superstar Ken and 1979 Sun Malibu Ken, which became one of the doll’s most iconic looks (as reflected in Ryan Gosling’s character). While Ken has gone through far fewer career changes than Barbie, his resume boasts job titles like astronaut, barista, country western singer and doctor.
“A wonderful thing is that through play, children are free to have their dolls take on any type of role that they wish,” said Ann Herzog, a clinical instructor of child life and family-centered care at Boston University.
She also underlined the importance of diversity in toy collections and providing “open-ended play opportunities and not to endorse stereotypes that the Barbie collection and dolls in general are only specific to a particular gender.”
While children of all genders, including young boys, have played with Barbie and Ken over the years, Timke notes that “there’s definitely the gendering of marketing toward girls” for both figures, pointing to contrasts in advertising for products historically seen as “boy toys,” such as G.I. Joe. That legacy, as well as other socialization, still impacts who plays with certain toys today.
Still, Ken — like Barbie — has evolved over time and become more diverse, particularly after Mattel rolled out more skin tones, body types, hairstyles and more for Ken dolls in 2017. Some Kens also have prosthetic legs, wheelchairs and hearing aids. Increases in diverse representation — with similar changes seen since 2016 for Barbie — has boosted the dolls’ popularity and comeback sales, Silver said.
Will Barbie (and Ken) sales increase following the movie’s release?
Mattel did not respond to The Associated Press’ requests for data or comment on specific Ken and Barbie sales seen before and after “Barbie’s” July 21 release. But according to market research firm Circana, Barbie sales overall for the U.S. toy industry increased 40% in the last two weeks of July compared with the same period in 2022.
Circana doesn’t break out Ken from Barbie sales. Still, “I suspect that, with the movie, sales of Ken dolls will experience a strong lift in sales,” Juli Lennett, VP, U.S. toys industry advisor at Circana, wrote in an email to The Associated Press. Additional experts also expected a spike in interest, but weren’t sure about the long run.
Lennett did note that the top-selling “Barbie” movie item for those last two weeks of July was the Barbie Gingham Dress followed by the Ken Doll Set. Between those two items, Barbie outsold Ken nearly two to one, she said.
For the second quarter of 2023, which ended weeks before the movie’s release, worldwide sales of Barbie to retailers excluding adjustments actually fell 6%. Mattel executives told analysts that sales had improved in July, and it expects the movie will have a halo effect on the brand for years to come.
There was a carryover of inventory across the toy industry for the first half of the year, Silver explains, noting that record sales in the first years of the pandemic led to over-buying at the end of 2022. He predicts a rebound in Barbie sales heading into the holiday season, when toy spending is high and after “Barbie” eventually makes its way to streaming.
And of course, sales following “Barbie’s” release won’t be limited to the toy aisle. Other branded products are also gaining popularity from the film, including Ken-focused swag like “I am Kenough” sweatshirts and other “Ken-ergy” apparel, are currently for sale by Mattel, as well as from third-party sellers on sites like Amazon and Walmart.
Sharey Showlo is full of suspense: Mamo
“Sharey Showlo” starring Zakia Bari Mamo and Afran Nisho will be released on OTT platform Hoichoi on August 17.
Mamo will play Rini , a well-known television journalist who has ties to prominent individuals in the city.
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"Sharey Showlo is a complex and beautiful story. The series full of suspense," Mamo said while talking to UNB recently.
“I am thankful to the entire team of the series. Because when I read the script. I was even confused many times while shooting. But I had faith in the director and in the end he proved his talent (munsiana).''
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Regarding the challenge of playing the role a sa journalist , Mom also said, “Actually, every role is a challenge for me. Because I don't play my role as Mamo. I always have to act to be someone else. So, I had to take the same challenge here.”
Directed by Yasir Al Haq, the series revolves around the story of a lawyer named Reza, played by Afran Nisho. The cast also includes Intekhab Dinar as corporate Manager Rakib Imtiaz Barshon as ADC Altaf, Shahed Ali as Gaffar, Afia Tabassum Borno as PR executive Natasha and Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed as Reza's wife Ayesha.
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Recently, the trailer of the series has been released on the Hoichoi Bangladesh YouTube channel.
'Ei Mon Tomake Dilam': Award-winning Chinese drama dubbed in Bangla on Bongo BD
Bongo BD, one of the leading OTT platforms in the country, has once again raised the bar in entertainment offerings with the release of the highly-anticipated Bangla-dubbed version of the hit Chinese web series "Put Your Head on My Shoulder". The Bangla title of the hit show is "Ei Mon Tomake Dilam". Adored by viewers globally and recognised as one of the top 10 web series at the esteemed Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival, the romantic drama is set to captivate Bangla-speaking audiences.
Based on the popular Chinese novel of the same name, "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" follows the heartwarming journey of two young university students, Gaurav and Sejuti Mou. Gaurav, an exceptionally brilliant physics student, exudes a serious and contemplative demeanour, while Senjuti Mou, an accounting student with aspirations in advertising, charms with her simplicity, intelligence, and sweetness.
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The series beautifully unfolds their encounter and the blossoming intimacy between the two opposite characters, said a media release.
Chinese actors Xing Fei, Lin Yi, and Tang Xiaotian deliver stellar performances, adding depth to the compelling narrative.
The acclaim received by the show at the Golden Bud Festival extends beyond being listed among the top 10 web series. The series was also honoured with awards for Best Producer, Best Newcomer, and Best Promising Actress, solidifying its position as a global sensation.
Additionally, the series earned nominations in prestigious categories at China's 26th Huading Awards and China Entertainment Industry Summit (Golden Pufferfish Awards), including Best Screenplay, Best Actor & Actress (Modern Drama), and Best Marketing. Garnering an impressive rating of 8/10 stars on IMDB, the series has captivated audiences worldwide.
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Speaking of the momentous release, Naimul Newaz, head of growth at Bongo BD, expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "Bongo BD has always been committed to delivering the finest entertainment to the people of this country. Following our successful introduction of official dubbed versions of popular South Korean and Chinese series, we are thrilled to present the beloved Chinese series 'Put Your Head on My Shoulder'. We firmly believe that its enchanting storyline, exceptional performances, and breathtaking scenes will mesmerise the audience."
While "Put Your Head on My Shoulder" has been previously dubbed in multiple languages, including English, Hindi, and Chinese, this marks the first-ever full Bangla dubbing, promising an enthralling experience for viewers here.
Hoichoi reveals ’Sharey Showlo’s' character looks
Hoichoi Original Series "Sharey Showlo" unveiled its cast: Afran Nisho, Zakia Bari Mamo, Intekhab Dinar, and Afia Tabassum Borno.
Directed by Yasir Al Haq, the series revolves around the story of a lawyer named Reza, played by Afran Nisho. The cast also includes Intekhab Dinar as corporate Manager Rakib, Zakia Bari Mamo as journalist Rini, Imtiaz Barshon as ADC Altaf, Shahed Ali as Gaffar, and Afia Tabassum Borno as PR executive Natasha.
"Reza is a very intelligent and successful lawyer, as well as a very clever but family-oriented man. It's a character that I really like, and I'm excited to see how the audience reacts to me as Reza," said Afran Nisho.
The series will stream on August 17.
Irish music legend Sinéad O’Connor of 'Nothing Compares 2 U' fame dead at 56
Sinéad O'Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s but was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music, has died at 56.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time," the singer's family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE.
Recognizable by her shaved head and elfin features, O'Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame. She was a star from her 1987 debut album "The Lion and the Cobra" and became a sensation in 1990 with her cover of Prince's ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U," a seething, shattering performance that topped charts from Europe to Australia and was heightened by a promotional video featuring the gray-eyed O'Connor in intense close-up.
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"Nothing Compares 2 U" received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991.
"She proved that a recording artist could refuse to compromise and still connect with millions of listeners hungry for music of substance," the magazine declared.
She was a lifelong non-conformist — she would say that she shaved her head in response to record executives pressuring her to be conventionally glamorous — but her political and cultural stances and troubled private life often overshadowed her music. She feuded with Frank Sinatra over her refusal to allow the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at one of her shows and accused Prince of physically threatening her. In 1989 she declared her support for the Irish Republican Army, a statement she retracted a year later. Around the same time, she skipped the Grammy ceremony, saying it was too commercialized.
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A critic of the Catholic Church well before allegations sexual abuse were widely reported, O'Connor made headlines in October 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while appearing live on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and denounced the church as the enemy. The following week, Joe Pesci hosted "Saturday Night Live," held up a repaired photo of the Pope and said that if he had been on the show with O'Connor he "would have gave her such a smack." Days later, she appeared at an all-star tribute for Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden and was immediately booed. She was supposed to sing Dylan's "I Believe in You," but switched to an a cappella version of Bob Marley's "War," which she had sung on "Saturday Night Live."
Although consoled and encouraged on stage by her friend Kris Kristofferson, she left and broke down, and her performance was kept off the concert CD. (Years later, Kristofferson recorded "Sister Sinead," for which he wrote "And maybe she's crazy and maybe she ain't/But so was Picasso and so were the saints.")
In 1999, O'Connor caused uproar in Ireland when she became a priestess of the breakaway Latin Tridentine Church — a position that was not recognized by the mainstream Catholic Church. For many years, she called for a full investigation into the extent of the church's role in concealing child abuse by clergy. In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI apologized to Ireland to atone for decades of abuse, O'Connor condemned the apology for not going far enough and called for Catholics to boycott Mass until there was a full investigation into the Vatican's role, which by 2018 was making international headlines.
"People assumed I didn't believe in God. That's not the case at all. I'm Catholic by birth and culture and would be the first at the church door if the Vatican offered sincere reconciliation," she wrote in the Washington Post in 2010.
O'Connor announced in 2018 that she had converted to Islam and would be adopting the name Shuhada' Davitt — although she continued to use Sinéad O'Connor professionally.
O'Connor was born on Dec. 8, 1966. She had a difficult childhood, with a mother whom she alleged was abusive and encouraged her to shoplift. As a teenager she spent time in a church-sponsored institution for girls, where she said she washed priests' clothes for no wages. But a nun gave O'Connor her first guitar, and soon she sang and performed on the streets of Dublin, her influences ranging from Dylan to Siouxsie and the Banshees.
Her performance with a local band caught the eye of a small record label, and, in 1987, O'Connor released "The Lion and the Cobra," which sold hundreds of thousands of copies and featured the hit "Mandinka," driven by a hard rock guitar riff and O'Connor's piercing vocals. O'Connor, 20 years old and pregnant while making "Lion and the Cobra," co-produced the album.
"I suppose I've got to say that music saved me," she said in an interview with the Independent newspaper in 2013. "I didn't have any other abilities, and there was no learning support for girls like me, not in Ireland at that time. It was either jail or music. I got lucky."
O'Connor's other musical credits included the albums "Universal Mother" and "Faith and Courage," a cover of Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me" from the AIDS fundraising album "Red Hot + Blue" and backing vocals on Peter Gabriel's "Blood of Eden." She received eight Grammy nominations overall and in 1991 won for best alternative musical performance.
O'Connor announced she was retiring from music in 2003, but she continued to record new material. Her most recent album was " I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss," released in 2014.
The singer married four times; her union to drug counsellor Barry Herridge, in 2011, lasted just 16 days. She was open about her private life, from her sexuality to her mental illness. She said she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and on social media wrote openly about taking her own life. When her teenage son Shane died by suicide in 2022, O'Connor tweeted there was "no point living without him" and was soon hospitalized.
In 2014, she said she was joining the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party and called for its leaders to step aside so that a younger generation of activists could take over. She later withdrew her application.
O'Connor had four children: Jake, with her first husband John Reynolds; Roisin, with John Waters; Shane, with Donal Lunny; and Yeshua Bonadio, with Frank Bonadio.