‘Akira’ News: Live Action Adaptation Encounters Another Hitch

Akira 1988 Movie Screenshot YouTube/File

A YouTube screenshot of the Akira 1988 movie trailer.

Christian Post Report – Fans may need to wait longer before they will see the live action adaptation of the anime classic “Akira.”

The film’s director Jaume Collet-Serra told Collider that production has not made any significant progress and that he wanted to go “on vacation” after he finishes the two films he is currently working on. He was supposed to start working on “Akira” in early 2014.

According to another report in Forbes, Collet-Serra was not answering questions about the film and instead were directing them to the film’s rights owners, Warner Brothers. The studio has not given any official word about the film’s progress.

The film’s production is not without its share of controversies and delays. Warner Brothers picked up the rights to make the live action adaptation in 2002. Since then, numerous directors, writers and actors have been tossed around as rumored to be either directing, writing or taking the leading roles. Collet-Serra was the fourth director who was approached by Warner to direct. This was after Albert Hughes who was supposed to direct with Allen Hughes, left because of “creative differences.”

In terms of casting, the film also encountered some problems. Since the film’s main characters are Japanese, and is set in futuristic Tokyo, some critics questioned the casting of Caucasian actors in the film. Several casting calls were made. The most solid casting rumors were Garrett Hedlund as Kaneda, Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Miyako, and Ken Watanabe as the Colonel. Kristen Stewart was supposedly offered to play the role of Kei.

In 2012, Warner Brothers stalled the project because they needed to rethink the budget for the film. According to a Forbes report, it already received “a considerable amount of fan based backlash, so investing in a big budget film would have been risky.”

“Akira” is a 1988 Japanese “epic anime science fiction thriller film” based on a manga by the same title. It is considered by many critics as “a landmark anime film, one that influenced much of the art in the anime world that followed its release with many illustrators in the manga industry citing the film as an important influence,” according to Wikipedia.

Source : Christian Post

Carrie Underwood Celebrates Birthday With ‘Chubby Dude’ Baby Isaiah

Carrie Underwood (Photo: Reuters/Harrison McClary)

Carrie Underwood performs “Something in the Water” during the 48th Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tennessee November 5, 2014.

Christian Post Report – Carrie Underwood is ringing in her 32nd birthday this week alongside her newborn son, Isaiah, whom she referred to as the “best gift ever.”

Isaiah’s Feb. 27 birth was announced by Underwood via Twitter, where the “Something in the Water” singer thanked God for his arrival. Now, Underwood is celebrating her own birthday with help from her first child.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME,” Underwood posted on Twitter on Tuesday before joking: “My 1st present = late night date with a tiny semi-bald chubby dude who likes to grunt & cry & pass gas! #bestgiftever”

Underwood also pointed out that she shares a March 10th birthday with a major movie star … Chuck Norris.

“Yeah, I share a birthday with Chuck Norris,” Underwood informed her over four million followers. “Jealous?”

Later on while celebrating her birthday, the “Little Toy Guns” singer thanked her legions of “awesome” fans for their well wishes on her fan club site and also retweeted a message from her husband, Nashville Predators player Mike Fisher.

“Happy Birthday to the early favorite for mom of the year @carrieunderwood,” the hockey player’s post read.

Meanwhile, Isaiah’s Biblical name reflects Underwood’s Christian faith, and the singer counts the child as God’s blessing to herself and Fisher. Announcing the baby’s arrival along with the first photo of him, Underwood posted: “Tiny hands and tiny feet… God has blessed us with an amazing gift! Isaiah Michael Fisher – born February 27.”

In the past, Underwood has spoken openly about her faith as well as its impact on her career in country music. The 2005 “American Idol” winner initially soared to the top of song charts with her first single “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” and her Christian beliefs continue to influence her music today, such as on the song “Something in the Water.” With themes such as conversion and baptism, lyrics to “Something in the Water” include: “I followed that preacher down to the river and now I am changed, and now I’m stronger, there must have been something in the water.”

Watch the video for “Something in the Water” here.

Source : Christian Post

Casting Crowns Singer Mark Hall Is Out of Surgery to Remove Cancer and ‘Everything Went Really Well’

Casting Crown, Mark Hall, Cancer, Kidney (Photo: Facebook)

Casting Crowns lead singer Mark Hall.

Christian Post Report – Mark Hall, the lead singer for popular contemporary Christian band Casting Crowns underwent surgery to remove a cancerous kidney Wednesday and “everything went really well” according to an update from the band.

“Mark is out of surgery. Everything went really well. Dr. says textbook operation. Just like we prayed for. I told the doctor that he might possibly be the most prayed for Dr. on the planet today. He will be in recovery for a while. Thank you so much for your prayers,” noted an update on the band’s Facebook page posted shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday.

In an earlier post on Tuesday, Mark’s wife, Melanie, said she was “humbled” by the outpouring of support her family has received since they went public with Mark’s health issues last Thursday.

“I’m completely humbled by the number of people that have expressed their love for us and are interceding in prayer. There are no words to express the gratitude in this wife’s heart. Thank you for praying for us. We have had friends and strangers from all over the world tell us they are praying — an orphan school in Kenya, neighbors we just met, long lost high school friends, Christian music artists from their concerts, schools, offices, pastors in South Africa, chaplains in the Army, churches, radio DJs, fans, missionaries in Brazil, and countless others I couldn’t begin to name. Thank you. Your prayers are felt,” said Melanie in the post.

She then highlighted four specific prayer requests noted below.

1. Please pray that God will watch over everything related to the surgery and that it goes well. Pray that we have favor with the hospital staff and doctors.

2. Please pray for complete healing and a quick recovery for Mark.

3. Please pray that God will give us opportunities and discernment to share Christ’s love. And pray that we will have strength and courage to represent Him well on this journey.

4. Please also pray that God will give YOU an opportunity to share His love through this. Many of you have said that friends, family members and co-workers are asking you questions about God because of what is happening to Mark. Please, please use these opportunities to point people to Jesus. It may even be one of the reasons God has allowed this.

So far, so good. Keep praying for Mark Hall.

Contact: [email protected]; follow me on Twitter @leoblair

Source : Christian Post

Lil Wayne Shot or Death Hoax? Shooting Rumors Emerge From Music Star’s Home, May Be ‘Swatting’ Prank

Lil Wayne (Photo: Danny Moloshok / Reuters)

Lil Wayne poses on arrival at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles

Christian Post Report – Rumors that Lil Wayne may have been shot have been circulating online on Wednesday afternoon after reports came in to authorities that at least four people had been shot at Lil Wayne’s Miami Beach mansion.

Local police were rushing to the scene after an unidentified person made an emergency 911 call and claimed that they intended to start a gun fight with cops, according to TMZ.

That same person told the police that already four people had been shot at Lil Wayne’s Miami Beach mansion, although early reports were unable to independently verify the claims.

Miami police quickly formed a perimeter around the location and the story is still developing at the time of this report.

Less than two weeks ago, cops were called to Lil Wayne’s home to check up on the mansion after reports were made of a suspicious person being seen on the premises. Police did apprehend one male, but they let him go after briefly questioning him as at the time they found him he was already on public property.

Some reports have claimed that Lil Wayne has definitely not been shot in today’s incident, as he is believed to be away. Although it has been reported that the music star in in Miami.

Other reports have also claimed that the latest incident could be a case of “swatting”, where by a prank call is made to police reporting an emergency at a celebrity’s location, resulting in a big response from cops to immediately tackle the reported situation.

Source : Christian Post

‘Game of Thrones’ News, Update: New Trailer Reveals Exciting Preview Scenes for Season 5

Game of Thrones FACEBOOK/ Game of Thrones

HBO’s “Game of Thrones”

Christian Post Report – The recently released trailer for the upcoming fifth season of the hit fantasy drama TV series “Game of Thrones” reveals a lot of exciting plot twists and development particularly that of Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and her dragons.

The action-packed teaser, which was revealed during the “Spring Forward” Apple Event, opens up with the Mother of Dragons enumerating the houses of “Lannister, Baratheon, Stark, Tyrell” and thought of them as “just spokes in a wheel.”

“I’m not going to stop the wheel. I’m going to break the wheel,” the Targaryen says her vow in the video.

But the Freer of Slaves will have to deal with her own troubles first. Along the footage, it shows Daenerys getting endangered by the people whom she had freed from Meeren’s Wise Masters.

Elsewhere, the young king Tommen and his Kingsguard got confronted by a group of Sparrows – the devout followers of the Faith who, in the upcoming season, will be seen getting more involved in the conflict happening within the walls of King’s Landing.

The trailer also introduces the group’s leader, the High Sparrow, played by Jonathan Pryce.

“You are the few, and we are the many,” he says. “We serve the gods, and the gods demand justice.”

Further scenes of dragons flying, fires blazing, swords clashing, and throats getting slit were shown apparently suggesting that this season will definitely be an exciting one.

Earlier reports already indicated the absence of beloved characters Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead), Meera (Ellie Kendrick) and Hodor (Kristian Nairn), who in September last year told the press he won’t be appearing this season.

“Game of Thrones” Season 5 opens with its premiere episode this April 12, 2015, on HBO.

Source : Christian Post

‘American Idol’ Season 14 News, Update: Find Out What the Top 12 Will Perform This Week

American Idol FACEBOOK/ American Idol

FOX’s reality singing competition “American Idol” Season 14

Christian Post Report – A new and exciting twist is happening in the 14th season of the hit reality TV competition “American Idol.”

An exclusive report from TVLine indicated that this week’s Top 12 performance telecast will see the surviving hopefuls performing the pieces they sung during their auditions as they battle to take a spot in the upcoming Thursday’s sing-off segment.

The publication went on to reveal that this Wednesday, judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban will be naming the two Wild Cards to complete the list of the finalists.

“That lucky dozen will immediately reprise the songs* that scored them Golden Tickets to Hollywood — only this time in an effort to win over America. (*In rare instances — such as Caleb Johnson’s Season 13 “Back to the Start” performance — contestants may wind up selecting a second audition ditty that they performed in front of the judges — one that did not air during their initial on-camera appearances,” the site indicated.

For those who missed it, the media outlet provided the list of the songs performed the contestants during their respective auditions (via TV Line):

  • Daniel Seavey — “Hallelujah”/”Straight Up”
  • Mark Andrew – “Soulshine”
  • Rayvon Owen – “Wide Awake”
  • Adam Ezegelian – “Born to Be Wild”/”I’m Yours”
  • Clark Beckham – “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World”
  • Nick Fradiani, Jr. – “In Your Eyes”
  • Qaasim Middleton – “Sir Duke”
  • Quentin Alexander — “Royals”
  • Lovey James — “Break Free”
  • Adanna Duru — “You and I”
  • Alexis Gomez — “Little White Church”
  • Joey Cook — “King of Spain”
  • Katherine Winston — “If I Didn’t Know Better”
  • Shannon Berthiaume — “The House of the Rising Sun”
  • Loren Lott — “Treasure”/”Saving All My Love for You”
  • Shi Scott — “Valerie”
  • Maddie Walker — “Suitcase”
  • Sarina Joi-Crowe — “Love Runs Out”
  • Jax — “I Want to Hold Your Hand”
  • Tyanna Jones — “Wings”

Source : Christian Post

ISIS Video Shows Baby-Faced Child Executioner Fatally Shooting Israeli Spy

ISIS child executor (Screengrab: The Mirror)

A young boy executes an alleged Israeli spy in an ISIS propaganda video released by the Islamic State on March 10, 2015.

Christian Post Report – The latest execution video posted by the Islamic State terrorist organization to Twitter on Tuesday evening purports to show a baby-faced boy, who looks no older than 12 years old, executing an Israeli counterterror spy.

The 13-minute video shows the prisoner identify himself as the 19-year-old Muhammad Said Ismail Musallem, who confessed that he was working for the Jewish counterterror agency Mossad.

Musallem, who believes his family members are also spies, called on his family to repent and declares that espionage attempts against ISIS are doomed to fail.

Musallem is led to an open field by the young boy and an older, bearded ISIS fighter. According to Breitbart, the older militant begins by praising the Charlie Hebdo massacre and extremist attack on a kosher deli in Paris. He additionally vows that ISIS will cleanse Jerusalem of Jewish “filth” and called on Muslims in Israel to murder other Jewish spies.

When the older militant finishes with his remarks, the ISIS child soldier, dressed in army fatigues, black hat, backpack, then finishes the proceedings. As Musallam kneeled to the ground, the young boy pointed to the sky and shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) before shooting Musallam fatally in the head.

“The use of a child executioner is significant because ISIS is demonstrating the ‘growing’ Caliphate and that they are raising their next generation of warriors now,” Veryan Khan, editorial director at Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium, told Fox News.

It is believed that Musallam was the jewish spy featured in an article in the February edition of the ISIS English language magazine, Dabiq, where he was interviewed on how he got involved in working for Mossad.

In the interview, Musallam said he was recruited by one of his neighbors who worked as a police officer in Jerusalem. He admitted that Mossad assigned him to infiltrate the group’s caliphate and provide intelligence on locations, weapons and who from Palestine had joined the terror group.

“He came in one day and asked me to work with Israeli intelligence,” Musallam was quoted as saying in the Dabiq article. “I told him I would think about it, and then went and asked my father and brother what they thought. They both encouraged me to do it and told me that it was very good job. They told me there was a lot of money in it, and that you could advance to higher positions. I knew at that point they themselves were working as spies.”

This is not the first time the the Islamic State released a video showing a child carrying out a publicized execution of a foreign spy. In mid January, a video was released showing an ISIS child soldier executing two kneeling Russian spies, who were allegedly sent to assassinate an ISIS leader.

“Allah has gifted the Islamic State’s security agency with the apprehension of these two spies,” an adult militant in the January ISIS execution video said. “By Allah’s grace, they are now in the custody of the lion cubs of the Caliphate.”

Khan added that TRAC has noticed an increase in the number of child soldiers that have completed ISIS training camp.

“Since 2015, Islamic State has been pushing hard its ‘cub’ training program and we’ve seen a significant uptick in ‘graduation’ photo journals, training facilities and one other foreign fighter child executioner,” Khan explained.

Source : Christian Post

‘Teen Wolf’ Season 5 New Monster Details: AT&T Teen Wolf Creature Contest Winner’s Monster to Be Featured

Teen Wolf Wikimedia Commons/Image

One lucky fan of the hit supernatural TV drama series “Teen Wolf” will get the chance to have her fan-made monster get featured in the upcoming fifth season of the show.

Christian Post Report – A Tumblr fan page of the MTV show saying that a new creature is heading towards Beacon Hills to wreak havoc and fear among its inhabitants.

Aptly named the Slaugh, the monster was born from the mind of a fan named Jessica Short. Miss Short recently won the AT&T Teen Wolf Creature Feature contest. A Brooklyn-based artist, Jessica is an animation student at the Pratt Institute.

Slaugh is characterized with its long thin body, a set of sharp teeth, and glowing red eyes.

In related Teen Wolf cast news, Hypable was able to catch on cast member Arden Cho, who offered the publication some insights about the upcoming season. She starts off by sharing the things she did while on break, which, as she said, was done by appearing on conventions and speaking at some colleges.

They then went on to discuss the development of her character and the show as a whole.

“So far I love where this season is going for all the characters, not just mine. I think they’re definitely writing some cool stuff for us and I’m excited. Kira’s growing up, everyone’s growing up, and it’s nice seeing characters going through and experiencing challenges that we do as well,” Cho said.

Cho went on to share that fans should expect the pack getting closer than ever with each other.

“I definitely feel like this season, really coming together as a pack, it fits. I feel like we’re all getting our groove, and I was just telling someone [that] for me this has been the most exciting season because I don’t feel like the new kid anymore, I feel like a part of the pack and the family,” the actress went on to say.

MTV’s “Teen Wolf” returns this June for its fifth season.

Source : Christian Post

Chelsea vs Paris Saint-Germain Live Stream Free, Start Time: Watch Champions League Football Online

Chelsea will have a chance to advance to the next round of the UEFA Champions League as they host Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge. The game kicks off on Wednesday night at 7.45 p.m. GMT (3.45 p.m. ET) and can be watched online via live stream (Details below).

PSG and Chelsea REUTERS/PHILIPPE WOJAZER

Christian Post Report – Paris St Germain’s Marco Verratti (R) challenges Chelsea’s Eden Hazard (L) during their Champions League round of 16 first leg soccer match at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris February 17, 2015.

In their first meeting at Parc des Princes, both squads settled for a 1-1 draw.

The match was a very competitive one, with possession being shared between the two teams as PSG held the ball 55 percent of the time, while Chelsea had it for 45 percent.

Playing at home, PSG were able to force more shots, with a total of 12 with half of them being on target as compared to Chelsea’s only two total attempts on goal.

However, the Blues were able to draw first blood as Branislav Ivanovic scored the match opener in the 36th minute.

John Terry played a perfectly weighted cross towards the middle of the box, with Gary Cahill lifting the ball with a back-heel before Ivanovic headed the ball past goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu for the lead.

Chelsea held the lead until half-time but PSG found a way to level the score in the 54th.

Blaise Matuidi played the ball perfectly from the side, enough to spot the open Edinson Cavani who headed the ball towards the ground before bouncing in to beat Thibaut Courtois.

This result sets up a very intriguing match in London, where both teams have a chance to move on in Europe’s elite competition.

Both squads have been in very impressive streaks, as Chelsea have gone unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions. They currently hold a five-point lead atop the English Premier League and are seeking for their fifth league title and second European triumph.

As for PSG, they have slowly become a force in World football and have also been unbeaten in their last 14 matches in all competitions. In Ligue 1, they are second in the table but only one point behind current leaders Olympique Lyonnais.

For updates for this match, visit GOAL.com. For live streaming, click here.

Source : Christian Post

Bayern Munich vs Shakhtar Donetsk Live Stream Free, Start Time: Watch Champions League Football Online

Bayern Munich host Shakhtar Donetsk at the Allianz Arena in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League. The game will kick off on Wednesday night at 7.45 p.m. GMT (3.45 p.m. ET) with the game available to watch online through live stream (details below).

<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger celebrates a goal against FSV Mainz 05 during the German Bundesliga first division soccer match in Munich September 15, 2012.” title=”<b>Christian Post Report</b> – Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger celebrates a goal against FSV Mainz 05 during the German Bundesliga first division soccer match in Munich September 15, 2012.” name=”jpg” src=”http://images.christianpost.com/full/55542/bayern-munichs-bastian-schweinsteiger-celebrates-a-goal-against-fsv-mainz-05-during-the-german-bundesliga-first-division-soccer-match-in-munich-september-15-2012.jpg” class=”imgPhoto” width=”550″ height=”450″ /> <small class=(Photo: Reuters/Michaela Rehle)

Christian Post Report – Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger celebrates a goal against FSV Mainz 05 during the German Bundesliga first division soccer match in Munich September 15, 2012.

Both teams battled to a 0-0 draw in the first leg at L’viv Arena, setting up a winner-take-all clash in Germany.

The 2013 champions, Bayern were expected to go through the next round without too much trouble but Shakhtar had other plans.

Munich dominated the match, handling possession 59 percent of the time, but were only able to get four shots – with only one on target.

They also had four corners while failing to concede one to the hosts.

It was also a very physical affair, with a total of 34 fouls between two teams – and a total of nine bookings, with Bayern’s Xabi Alonso being sent off in the 65th minute after claiming his second yellow card.

Now in the clash at the Bavaria, look for Shahktar to go even harder on defense as they try to extend the match as far as possible and look to take advantage of the small openings that the German heavyweights may present.

Both teams are doing well in their own domestic campaigns, with Bayern leading in the Bundesliga – with an 11-point lead over Wolfsburg. They have also gone unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions, while winning their last four.

Shakhtar are second in the Ukrainian Premier League table, seven points behind reivals Dynamo Kyiv.

They have also been unbeaten in their last seven matches in total.

Shakhtar’s chances rest heavily on the shoulders of striker Luiz Adriano. The striker currently leads the competition with nine goals, with Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi behind him with eight.

Meanwhile, Bayern’s main assets are in the stars in their lineup. Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Mario Gotze and Thomas Mueller are only a few big names who are readily available for Munich when they play at home.

For live scores and updates, visit GOAL.com. For live streaming of the match, click here.

Source : Christian Post