Entertainment

Beyoncé finally wins best album at Grammy Awards

Published

5 months ago

February 3, 2025

editor

Correcting what was widely seen as an historic wrong, Beyoncé won best album at the 67th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

The star was recognised for her eighth album, Cowboy Carter, which celebrates and contextualises the black roots of country music. She had previously been passed over for the ceremony’s main prize on four separate occasions.

As her name was read out, Beyoncé hugged her daughter Blue Ivy, then her husband Jay-Z, before walking to the stage in a gold paisley dress to accept the trophy.

“I just feel very full and very honoured,” she said. “It’s been many, many years.”

The singer dedicated her award to Linda Martell, one of the pioneers for black musicians in country music and the first black woman to perform solo at the Grand Ole Opry (Ms Martell features on several of Cowboy Carter’s songs).

“I hope we just keep pushing forward [and] opening doors,” Beyoncé continued. “God bless y’all. Thank you so much.”

The star’s victory comes 25 years after her first Grammy nomination, as part of the R&B group Destiny’s Child.

She went on to become the most-awarded artist in Grammys history, with a haul of 35 trophies – but the main prize eluded her until Sunday night.

In the end, it took a switch of genre to earn the Texas-born musician a win.

Focusing on country and Americana, Cowboy Carter is the second part of a trilogy of albums that interrogates American musical traditions and uncovers the often unheralded contributions made by black artists.

Notably, it makes Beyoncé the first black woman to win album of the year since 1999, when Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill took the title.

Earlier in the evening, Cowboy Carter also won the Grammy for best country album – to Beyoncé’s evident surprise.

(BBC News)

Entertainment

‘Riverstone’ wins 02 major awards at Shanghai Film Festival

Published

2 days ago

June 23, 2025

editor

Sri Lankan film ‘Riverstone’, directed by Lalith Rathnayake, won 02 awards at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Goblet Awards held on June 21.

Lalith Rathnayake and Nilantha Perera were awarded ‘Asian New Talent Best Script Writer’ while Prabath Roshan received the award for ‘Asian New Talent Best Cinematography’.

The film, which stars popular actors including Mahendra Perera, Shyam Fernando, and Nimanthi Porage, is expected to be released in local theaters soon.

Entertainment

South Indian actress Varalaxmi arrives in SL

Published

7 days ago

June 18, 2025

editor

Renowned South Indian actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar arrived at Katunayake Airport yesterday (June 17) to play the lead role in the upcoming film “Cage Bird”.

The film is a Sri Lankan production directed by Chandran Ratnam, which is set for international release.

She arrived at the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport at 11:04 a.m. via SriLankan Airlines flight UL-122 from Chennai, India.

She was welcomed by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) officials, including Deputy Director Harendra Wijewardene and Assistant Director Chaminda Munasinghe.

Entertainment

Indian actor Mohanlal arrives in SL

Published

1 week ago

June 16, 2025

editor

Renowned Indian actor Mohanlal arrived in Sri Lanka on Saturday (June 14) for the second phase of shooting director Mahesh Narayanan’s big-budget film.

He landed at Bandaranaike International Airport at 11.20 a.m. via SriLankan Airlines flight UL-166 from Kochi and is expected to stay for 10 days.

Speaking to the media, Mohanlal praised Sri Lanka as a “beautiful destination with fresh cinematic backdrops” and expressed interest in filming more projects on the island in the future.

The film, produced by Antony Perumbavoor’s Aashirvaad Cinemas in collaboration with Anto Joseph Films, also features legendary actor Mammootty.

Key action scenes are set to be filmed during this schedule.

@Mohanlal is about to went to Sri Lanka to join the sets of #MMMN for a few days of shoot✌#Mohanlal pic.twitter.com/iUwjxOzD0p
— AKMFCWA Official (@AkmfcwaState) June 15, 2025