Angelina Jolie puts movies aside for cooking

Angelina Jolie pictured with her kids Zahara and Shiloh in 2015

LOS ANGELES: Angelina Jolie has put movie-making on hold to become a better mom, take cooking classes and do ordinary tasks like picking up dog poop.

In an interview with Vanity Fair released on Wednesday, the actress said life after splitting in September from husband Brad Pitt was focused on looking after her health and her children.

"I actually feel more of a woman because I feel like I'm being smart about my choices, and I'm putting my family first, and I'm in charge of my life and my health. I think that's what makes a woman complete," Jolie said.

Her latest film as a director, "First They Killed My Father," about the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s, under which more than 1 million people died, had its premiere in Cambodia in February. It is due to be released globally and on Netflix in September.

Apart from promoting the film, Jolie said she had no interest in working on another movie right now. She has primary custody of her six children with Pitt pending a final settlement of their divorce.

"I'm just wanting to make the proper breakfast and keep the house," she told Vanity Fair.

Jolie said the children had been "very brave" since the split from Brad Pitt

"That's my passion. At the request of my kids, I'm taking cooking classes. As I go to sleep at night, I think, 'Did I do a great job as a mom or was that an average day?'"

"I've been trying for nine months to be really good at just being a homemaker and picking up dog poop and cleaning dishes and reading bedtime stories," she said. "And I'm getting better at all three."

Jolie, 42, a special envoy for the United Nations refugee agency, said the children had been "very brave" since the split from Pitt.

"They're six very strong-minded, thoughtful, worldly individuals. I'm very proud of them. They've been very brave. They were very brave," she said.

Jolie revealed that she had developed hypertension, and Bell's Palsy - a weakness in facial muscles that can cause one side of the face to droop slightly - since the separation from Pitt, but had recovered thanks to acupuncture.

Jolie's interview appears in the September issue of Vanity Fair, out on newsstands on Aug. 8.

Rihanna meets French president Macron to address education goals

Brigitte Macron – the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron – escorts singer Rihanna, founder of the Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF), after a meeting with the President at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 26, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

PARIS: Rihanna met French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday to discuss the pop star's charity activities in healthcare and education.

The Barbadian singer of hit "Diamonds" founded the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012, a nonprofit organisation that promotes scholarship projects across the globe.

"We focused on the topic of education from global aspects, and we will make a very big announcement this coming September," Rihanna told journalists outside the Elysee Palace in Paris after the meeting, without elaborating.

Rihanna's Twitter account has more than 75 million followers, and she has recently used it to approach other global leaders such as Canada's Justin Trudeau and Argentina's Mauricio Macri on education issues.

Heart rate study tests emotional impact of Shakespeare

In a world where on-screen violence has become commonplace, Britain's Royal Shakespeare Company is turning to science to discover whether the playwright can still make our hearts race more than 400 years on.

The renowned theatre company has started measuring the pulse of audience members as they are confronted by some of the most harrowing scenes ever written by Shakespeare in the Roman tragedy "Titus Andronicus".

The play, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, is a tale of murderous revenge and savagery.

In one scene, a bloodied Lavinia writhes on stage after rapists cut off her hands and tongue.

Audience members have been known to pass out or vomit at the play's shocking cruelty during performances.

Becky Loftus, head of audience insight at the RSC, is spearheading the innovative study to measure reactions to the English Renaissance writer's work.

"It's notoriously Shakespeare's bloodiest play... It can be quite polarising because of the amount of violence in it," Loftus told AFP.

"Are we inured to violence now because of things like (TV show) 'Game of Thrones'?" she said.

The comparative study is being carried out in the theatre and at a live-streaming of the play in a cinema in Stratford -- the town in central England where Shakespeare was born in 1564.

"Some people feel that it's never as good to be in the cinema, because you don't get the effect of being in the room and having people act in front of you.

"But then some people say that being in the cinema is like having the best seat in the house and you get the closer view," Loftus said.

Many participants in the study, including 60-year-old scientist Sharon Faulkner, said they were more engaged in the theatre.

"It appeals to all of your senses. Rather than just visual and hearing, there are the smells. So I think it's much more real," she said.

'Basic human instinct'

At a light-hearted briefing before the performance, one group of participants talked about how they were feeling and were asked to take some deep breaths in their theatre seats before the opening scene.

Faulkner and fellow volunteer Jamie Megson said theatregoers can be passionate about a performance but are usually unaware of their pulses, as black heart rate monitors were strapped to their wrists.

"You get lost in the action of the play, so it's hard to say whether it's been more intense in certain moments than others," said 27-year-old Megson, an English teacher.

Although the full results from the study are not expected until later this year, an initial analysis showed heart rates rising as audience members become aware a moment of violence may be imminent.

"The biggest reaction is the fight or flight -- basic human instinct," said Pippa Bailey from Ipsos Mori, a research firm that is helping to conduct the study.

"When something happens you either stay and you fight or you run when the adrenaline comes," she said.

Participants are monitored during the performance and afterwards take part in an exit interview.

"We're doing voice recordings where we will analyse that to see people's emotional engagement in what they're saying" by looking at both the choice of words and the sentiment in their voice, Bailey said.

The RSC has previously relied on questionnaires to try and understand the impact of their productions.

Megson said he was more affected by the interaction between characters, such as when Lavinia's uncle takes her to her father Titus after the brutal attack, than moments of extreme violence such as severed heads being brought on stage.

"It's the acting that's the more shocking element, the emotions that they're showing that's the more intense element, more than the gore and shock factor," he said.

Actor Jason Bateman gets Hollywood star

Emmy-nominated actor Jason Bateman was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Wednesday, 30 years after breaking into the movies in "Teen Wolf Too."

"Friends" star Jennifer Aniston, who appeared in five films with Bateman, and Will Arnett, his cast mate on television's "Arrested Development," gave speeches paying tribute to his staying power.

"I just simply feel very, very grateful and fortunate to have had a chance to hold my job in a business that's not known for its longevity," said the 48-year-old actor.

He added that he felt lucky "being able to work with enough good people to not only learn an enormous amount, but to find in them some friends that have changed the way I see the world."

Bateman received Emmy nominations for his portrayal of Michael Bluth in "Arrested Development" in 2005, when it aired on Fox, and 2013, when it was streamed on Netflix.

The actor can currently be seen in Netflix's "Ozark" as a financial planner who relocates from Chicago to a summer resort community in the Missouri Ozarks and has to pay off a Mexican drug lord.

The father-of-two made his television debut at the age of 12 with a recurring role on the NBC period family drama "Little House on the Prairie."

He appeared in the NBC comedies "Silver Spoons" and "It's Your Move" in the early to mid-1980s before transforming into a teen idol through his role on another of the network's sit-coms, "The Hogan Family."

Bateman starred with Aniston in "Horrible Bosses (2011) and its 2014 sequel as well as 2010 romantic comedy "The Switch."

They also appeared together in "The Break-Up" (2006) and, ten years later, "Office Christmas Party."

"Having longevity in this business is not easy, especially starting out as a child actor," said Aniston, 48, who brought out pictures of Bateman as a young star.

"Usually that's a story that doesn't always end well. When I actually met Jason it was kind of looking like it could go either way."

But Aniston went on to describe him as a "fantastic partner in crime," "the most generous straight man" and a "dear friend."

"He is the loveliest man to be around. He always gives you deep connection, full attention, authenticity and some of the deepest belly laughs I can remember," she said.

Lahore to Host Pakistan’s First Maker Fair

Lahore is in for a unique treat this month. A hundred makers from across the country are bringing their wares, ideas and solutions to Faletti's Hotel on July 27 and 28 for the inaugural Maker Fest Pakistan.

The two-day event will feature exhibitions, panel discussions, film screenings and workshops.

Maker Fest Pakistan is the local edition of the Maker Faire, launched in the United States in 2006, which brings together tech enthusiasts, artists, crafters, authors and commercial exhibitors. It has since generated keen interest in Europe as well.

Pakistan's version of this festival is themed after the Indus Valley Civilization. The event will be showcasing work by Kalsoom Hameed from Balochistan, who has re-invented a unique music instrument named Surna, Sheraz Javaid's EMG controlled bionic arm that harnesses muscle signals to replicate the movements that can be used as a prosthetic limb, humanoid robot and a robotic suit.

The guest speakers include Dr. Mubarak Ali, Dr. Umar Saif, Nighat Chaudhry and Kamil Khan Mumtaz. Maestro Ustad Raees Ali Khan and sitar virtuoso Rakae Jamil will also be performing at the festival.

Sharmeen Obaid’s documentary ‘A Girl in the River’ nominated for three Emmy’s

Producer Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy arrives at the ninth annual Women In Film Pre-Oscar Cocktail Party in Los Angeles, California February 26, 2016 - Reuters File 

Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obiad Chinoy's documentary A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness has been nominated for three Emmy Awards.

Directed by Sharmeen, the documentary which deals with honour killings received nominations in three categories: Best Documentary, Outstanding Short Documentary and Outstanding Music and Sound.

Speaking to Geo.tv Sharmeen said, "At SOC Films we hope that our work will spark difficult conversations that eventually lead to a change in mindsets. We have a long way to go with honour killings, which continue to impact the lives of thousands of women across the world. Through our work, we will continue to push the envelope aspiring to leave a more humane world for the next generation. My team and I are honoured to have received three Emmy nominations and aim to bring the statues home."

Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy has previously won Oscars for Saving Face and A Girl in the River and an Emmy for Children of Taliban. 

See what your favourite Bollywood stars are up to today

If you haven't been active on social media then you are missing out on a lot. Our favourite Bollywood stars have been winning our hearts (and winning at life) with their funny, charming and cute social media posts. 

Here is a list of some of our favourite celebrity posts of this week so far: 

Kajol's infectious laugh

Kajol, who is busy promoting her new film VIP 2, shared a cute video of hers on Instagram and we can't stop watching it. She captioned the video as, "Laughter is the best medicine."

Akshay teaches us about 'bad parenting'

Akshay Kumar shared a video, captioned 'Daddy's day out gone wrong #ParentLife', in which he humorously shows how parenting can go wrong.

In the short video, Akshay can be seen adoring his cute daughter while she is busy playing on her swing. The funny twist in the tale comes when Nitara kicks his dad right in the chest whilst sitting on the swing as Akshay loses his balance and takes a few steps back.

Ranveer's new avatar

Be prepared to be shocked by Ranveer Singh's new avatars. The actor put up his video on his Instagram account with the title "Adonis DNA".

PC wakes up to smell of roses

Priyanka Chopra treated her fans to a picture where she can be seen smelling roses kept on a counter. The actor, who is currently living in New York City, captioned the post as 'Wake up and smell the roses @whilewewereyoungnyc'

Katrina Kaif's defies gravity 

Katrina, who probably has one of the most fun Instagram accounts, shared a video of her 'warm up' session.

SRK gets poetic 

Bollywood's King Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, channelled his inner poet after posting a picture of his youngest son AbRam running. 

King Khan captioned the picture as, "'Cause when the feelin's right I'm gonna run all night...I'm gonna run to you…"

Sidharth and Jacqueline roll out on streets

Sidharth Malhotra shared a picture of him riding a bicycle looking all dapper whilst Jacqueline accompanies him on roller blades. Sid captioned the picture as, "1 Month to A Gentleman, happy to see u guys excited n trending thank u for the love #AGentleman releasing 25th Aug."