English Entertainment
Star World examines the circumstances around Princess Dianas death
MUMBAI: Millionaire business man Mohammed Al Fayed has accused the British royalty for the tragic deaths of Princess Diana and her then-lover Dodi Al Fayed almost nine years ago. He blames the French and British authorities, including the MI6, of conspiring to cover up the couple’s planned assassinations.
As a French report is due to be submitted to the High Court in London on 6 April, Mohammed Al Fayed, father of Dodi Al Fayed, gives a compelling interview offering rare insight into his life, and detailing his views on the couple’s deaths and the British royal family. Death Of A Princess: Accident Or Assassination airs on 2 March at 9:30 pm on Star World.
According to Mohammed Al Fayed, Princess Diana was pregnant at the time of her death and the threat of a racially-mixed and religiously-ambiguous ‘heir’ to the English throne led Prince Philip to plot the assassination of the Princess. In a staged accident, MI6 agent James Andanson, posing as paparazzi at the time, crashed his car into the couple’s, thus forcing them to their deaths. Security services and the royal family then swapped chauffeur Henri Paul’s blood to show that he was drunk at the time of the accident.
In an intimate one-on-one with international interviewer Daphne Barak, Al Fayed explains why he never accepted the official version of Princess Diana’s and Dodi’s deaths. He takes viewers on a tour of Harrods – the foundation of his fortunes, and proudly shows off the shrine he has built for the couple right in the heart of the massive department store. Viewers will see why he cuts such an arresting, yet controversial figure, in the heart of British politics and society as he effortlessly greets and charms his staff and regular patrons.
Plausible? Or ridiculous, as many have said? In light of respected former chief of Metropolitan Police, Lord Steven’s recent comments that Al Fayed’s allegations should be investigated further, and the fact that Al Fayed has dedicated time and resources in independent enquiries all these years, it may seem that his claims could hold some truth.
English Entertainment
Ellison takes his Paramount-Warner Bros case straight to theater owners
The Skydance chief goes to CinemaCon with promises and a skeptical crowd waiting
CALIFORNIA: David Ellison strode into a room packed with thousands of cinema owners and executives at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Thursday and did something rather bold: he looked them in the eye and asked them to trust him.
The chief executive of Paramount Skydance vowed that his company would release a minimum of 30 films a year if regulators greenlight its proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, a deal that has made theater owners deeply, and loudly, nervous.
“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word,” Ellison told the crowd. “Once we combine with Warner Bros, we are going to make a minimum of 30 films annually across both studios.”
It was a confident pitch. Whether it landed is another matter. Cinema operators have already called on regulators to block the deal, and scepticism in the room was hardly concealed.
Ellison pushed back by pointing to recent form. Paramount, born from the merger of Paramount Global and Skydance Media last August, plans to release 15 films this year, nearly double the eight it put out in 2025. Progress, he argued, was already underway.
He also threw theater owners a bone they have long been chasing: all films, he pledged, would run exclusively in cinemas for a minimum of 45 days, drawing applause from a crowd that has spent years fighting for exactly that commitment across the industry.
“People can speculate all they want,” Ellison said, “but I am standing here today telling you personally that you can count on our complete commitment. And we’ll show you we mean it.”
Fine words. The regulators, however, will have the last one.
