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There are very few books in the literary world that offer you worthwhile reading about the history of Ceylon Railways. Fewer still; books written in English by Sri Lankan authors with hands on experience on this particular subject.

Among them, there are two books that comes to any railway expert’s mind; ‘The Viceroy Special’ and ‘The Uva Railway – Railway to the Moon’. Both provide comprehensive insight into the golden age that marked the genesis of Ceylon Railways, written by renowned Sri Lankan Author Hemasiri Fernando who is also the current Chairman of People's Bank, Sri Lanka.

 This article focuses not on those two paperbacks but ushers into the limelight his third installment (or the second sequel) in the highly successful book series that Hemasiri Fernando authored to pay homage to Ceylon Railways. The new book, freshly printed is aptly titled as:

‘ESSAYS ON CEYLON RAILWAYS (1864 – 1964)’

Enriched with hundreds of rare, high quality photographs taken in Ceylon during 60’s and 70’s by leading railway enthusiasts around the world, followed by ancient maps that are digitally reproduced in an expert manner to preserve their authenticity, ESSAYS ON CEYLON RAILWAYS is an awe-inspiring masterpiece that creates an ideal virtual world for any railway lover can only dream of.

It consists of twelve thrilling chapters that teleports the reader back to the time of post-colonial rule when British were in complete control of the entire island and had established the Ceylon Government Railway (CGR) to develop the transportation system of the new colony. In a comprehensive manner, the book also subtly explains the chain of events that led to the rise of rails in Ceylon with the importation of British Engines.

Among the beautifully written essays in the ESSAYS ON CEYLON RAILWAYS, an entire chapter is dedicated to ‘Railway Signaling and Safety’ in which the author throws light upon a range of little-known railway signaling systems used by the British – including banner repeater signals, shunting signals, ground signals and semaphore signals. The essay is also supplemented with detailed photographs to assist the reader to comprehend how these signals were used in real life.

With his characteristic thoughtfulness evident in all his previous work, Hemasiri Fernando has not failed in including a separate chapter to pay tribute to each and every one of the Director Generals and General Managers who managed the administrative affairs in Ceylon Government Railways during the span of hundred years from 1864 to 1964.

Last Chapter is the most breathtaking one, where the author guides the reader around the unforgettable landmarks in railway history captured by best cameras at the time whilst providing computer generated aerial views that explain the layout of those once thriving railway workshop and stations.

Appropriately aligned to his flow of words, the author adorns his literary content with spectacular snapshots of the relevant sites in a manner that captivates the hearts of any railway nerd.

After Dr. David Hyatt, who is believed to have embarked on the most comprehensive research on CEYLON RAILWAYS, Hemasiri Fernando, as an author, has made – arguably - the best literary contribution to the Sri Lankan railway industry by launching the ESSAYS ON CEYLON RAILWAYS, his third book dedicated to the Ceylon Railway.

Review by : CHINTHAKA NANAYAKKARA

James Franco has been erased from the cover of Vanity Fair's annual issue celebrating Hollywood and the Academy Awards.

"We made a decision not to include James Franco on the Hollywood cover once we learned of the misconduct allegations against him," the publication said in a statement released to CNN Friday.

The magazine debuted its new cover Thursday, with the headline "The 2018 Vanity Fair Hollywood Portfolio: 12 Extraordinary Stars, One Momentous Year."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the change, Franco was digitally removed from the cover after sitting for famed photographer, Annie Leibovitz.

Those featured are usually photographed in small groups and then digitally combined into one image. As a result, dropping Franco did not necessitate a reshoot.

The actor has denied allegations by five women who told the Los Angeles Times earlier this month they experienced inappropriate and sometimes sexually exploitative behavior by Franco.

Source : CNN

Hollywood couple Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux are separating after two years of marriage. The pair, who reportedly met on the set of comedy film Wanderlust, said the mutual decision was "lovingly made" at the end of last year.

They gave no reason for the split and said they intended to continue their "cherished friendship". Aniston, 49, and Theroux, 46, were married in a secret ceremony in Los Angeles in August 2015. They had been together for four years before the wedding, which took place at their Bel Air mansion.

In a joint statement, the couple said they intended to remain friends. "We are two best friends who have decided to part ways as a couple, but look forward to continuing our cherished friendship," they said. "Normally we would do this privately, but given that the gossip industry cannot resist an opportunity to speculate and invent, we wanted to convey the truth directly."

"Above all, we are determined to maintain the deep respect and love that we have for one another," the statement added.

Aniston starred in the hit TV series Friends and has appeared in numerous films such as Marley & Me and Horrible Bosses. This was her second marriage. She was married to fellow actor Brad Pitt for five years, but they divorced in 2005.

Justin Theroux, a cousin of British documentary maker Louis Theroux, is an American actor, writer and director. He has collaborated with Ben Stiller on the script for Zoolander 2, and starred in the television series The Leftovers.

 Source : BBC

‘Ceylon’ Manohar aka AE Manoharan passed away in Chennai late Monday due to age-related ailments. The 73-year-old actor-singer, famous for his Tamil pop ‘Surangani’ made in mid-70s, had been living at Kandanchavadi near the Tidel Park on OMR.

Starting his career in dramas and locally produced films in Jaffna in the 50s and early 60s, Manoharan launched into a singing career in Colombo in 1970 when he sang for the Great Friends Enterprises. He was the hero in the first Tamil movie made in Jaffna called ‘Pasa Nila’. Since then, he had acted in over 250 films in Tamil, Sinhalese and a couple of other languages.

It was during his tenure as a producer for dramas in the commercial section of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation in 1972 that Manoharan began specializing in pop music and released many numbers in Tamil, Sinhalese and English. It was during this time that his ‘Surangani’ hit the charts and won him the title ‘Pop Chakravarthi’ at a music festival in Jaffna.

Manoharan’s film as hero, ‘Vaadai Kaatru’, made in 1977 had won the President’s Award for the best story in Sri Lanka. This was followed by several films in Kollywood with top stars like Sivaji Ganesan, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, besides Dharmendra and Mammootty. He was also part of TV series like Thirumathi Selvam, Athipookkal and Anjali. Manoharan has also performed in numerous music shows all over the world.

Source : Deccan Chronicle

Actress Uma Thurman has detailed long hinted-at allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein. In a New York Times article, she says Weinstein pushed her down and "tried to expose himself" at the producer's hotel room in London during the 1990s, before she managed to "wriggle away".

Harvey Weinstein's spokeswoman said the claims about an assault "are untrue".

The 47-year-old star also said she was raped as a teenager by an unnamed actor who was 20 years her senior. Thurman had expressed anger at Weinstein last November, saying: "I'm glad it's going slowly - you don't deserve a bullet." She did not make specific allegations against Weinstein at the time. But she details her claims in a 3,000-word feature published in the New York Times on Saturday, entitled: "This is why Uma Thurman is angry".

What does Uma Thurman say?

Among the revelations in the article are that Thurman was sexually assaulted at age 16, at the beginning of her career.

She met an actor - who is not named - at a Manhattan nightclub, and was "coerced" when she returned to his home for a late-night drink.

"I was ultimately compliant," she told the newspaper. "I tried to say no, I cried, I did everything I could do. He told me the door was locked but I never ran over and tried the knob." "When I got home, I remember I stood in front of the mirror and I looked at my hands and I was so mad at them for not being bloody or bruised."

Her allegations regarding Weinstein took place in the time period after the success of the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction, which was produced by Weinstein. The alleged incident took place at his suite in London's Savoy Hotel.

"He pushed me down. He tried to shove himself on me... He did all kinds of unpleasant things," Thurman told the Times.

"But he didn't actually put his back into it and force me. You're like an animal wriggling away, like a lizard." She said a bunch of flowers arrived the next day with a note reading: "You have great instincts." And that in the aftermath, Weinstein's assistants kept calling about new film projects.

What was Harvey Weinstein's response?

A spokeswoman for Harvey Weinstein - who is in rehab - issued a statement in the wake of the story's publication.

It said his team had contacted the New York Times and sent photographs "that demonstrate the strong relationship Mr Weinstein and Ms Thurman had".

The newspaper acknowledged receiving "chummy photos" of the pair at premieres and parties.

"Mr Weinstein acknowledges making an awkward pass 25 years ago at Ms Thurman in England after misreading her signals, after a flirtatious exchange in Paris, for which he immediately apologised and deeply regrets," the statement said.

"However, her claims about being physically assaulted are untrue."

"There was no physical contact during Mr Weinstein's awkward pass and [he] is saddened and puzzled as to why Ms Thurman... waited 25 years to make these allegations public".

Source : BBC

 "Padmavati" may not be released in Rajasthan tomorrow despite a Supreme Court order, with distributors saying they will not screen the controversial film based on the story of Rajput Queen Padmini, amid massive protests.

The Chittor Fort, the magnificent setting of the Padmavati legend in Chittorgarh, has been shut down for a day, for the second time in its centuries-old history after members of the Karni Sena, which has led protests against the film, tried to break in.

The Karni Sena has threatened that hundreds of women Rajput protesters will commit "Jauhar" - an ancient tradition of self-immolation - at the fort if the film is screened. According to legend, Queen Padmini committed "Jauhar" and jumped into the fire along with several other women at the Chittor Fort, preferring death to dishonour.

"We will not allow the film in Rajasthan," said Lokendra Singh Kalvi of the Karni Sena today.

Karni Sena activists were arrested this morning over the Jauhar threat. A spokesperson for the group had said that "1,900 women have registered for the act".

Protesters today blocked highways and vandalized property, not just in Rajasthan but in Gujarat, Haryana and Maharashtra, to show their anger against the film, which, they allege, distorts the story of Queen Padmini and shows Rajputs in poor light.

The Supreme Court yesterday rejected the final appeal by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to ban the film over law and order trouble. The two states, along with Haryana and Gujarat, had refused to screen the film even after the censor board's green signal earlier this month.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's extravagant costume drama stars Deepika Padukone as Queen Padmini, Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji, who leads an invasion to try to capture the queen.

A year ago, members of the Karni Sena attacked the film's director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and vandalised the set during filming in Rajasthan. They alleged that the film showed a romance between Queen Padmini and Khilji, which the makers have emphatically denied.

Source : NDTV

Australian celebrity chef George Calombaris has been successful in overturning his conviction for assaulting a football match spectatoar.

George Calombaris, a MasterChef Australia judge, had pleaded guilty to punching the man at the A-League grand final in Sydney last year.

He was fined A$ 1000 and received a conviction in October.

A judge quashed the conviction on appeal, instead imposing a 12-month good behaviour bond on Mr Calombaris. In explaining his decision on Wednesday, Judge Andrew Scotting said Mr Calombaris had an "exceptional character" and his punch had not been forceful.

The chef had already suffered financial and personal losses over the incident, including a A$300,000 sponsorship role, the judge said.

"To my mind, he is largely rehabilitated already in respect of this particular incident," Judge Scotting said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Last year, Calombaris made a public apology over a separate incident involving the underpaying of staff at his restaurant company.

Source : BBC

One of the gala events associated with the Fairway Galle Literary Festival is the presentation ceremony of the prestigious Fairway National Literary Awards, the most valuable literary prizes awarded in Sri Lanka. The Fairway National Literary Awards competition is the only one of its kind that accommodates all three main languages used in Sri Lanka. It was recently announced that the Fairway National Literary Awards 2017 ceremony will be held on the 26th of January 2018 at 5.30 pm at the Fairway Pavilion in Galle.

Gracing the awards ceremony with his presence as chief guest will be the Honourable Minister of Finance and Media, Mr. Mangala Samaraweera. Several other Cabinet Ministers will also be present.

The panels of judges have already selected a total of 13 novels for the shortlists – five from the Sinhala language category and four each from the English and Tamil language categories. Each shortlisted novelist in each language category will receive a cash prize of Rs. 100,000 while the eventual winner in each language category will receive a cash prize of Rs.500,000.

The judges for the English language category comprises of Ranjani Obeyesekere – academic, literary critic and translator in the fields of literature, and theatre and performance, ‘Jolly’ Somasundaram – retired civil servant, writer, playwright, and film and literary critic, and Arun Welandawe–Prematilleke – actor, playwright, director and specialist in immersive theatre.

The shortlisted novels for 2017 in the English language category are,
‘Dutugemunu: Prince of Destiny’ by Rukmani Samaranayake,
‘Song of the Sun God’ by Shankari Chandran,
‘Wrath of Kali: The dark side of God by Mario Perera and
‘The Other One’ by Amanda Jay.

The panel of judges for the Sinhala language category comprises of Gamini Viyangoda – writer, translator, social activist and political columnist, Buddhadasa Galappaththi – poet, writer, award winning columnist and stage drama make-up artist, and Prabha Manuratne – academic and literary critic championing feminist theory, Marxism and psychoanalysis.

The novels that have been shortlisted for 2017 are,

Handha Paluwa Thani Tharuwa’ by Nishshanka Wijemanna,
‘Yakada Silpara’ by Wimal Udaya Hapugodaarachchi,
‘Garunda Muhurthaya ‘by Keerthi Welisarage,
‘PandakaPuthraWasthuwa’ by AnurasiriHettige and
‘NikiniKaluwara’ by Deepthi Mangala Rajapaksha.

The Tamil language category’s judging panel comprises of V. Maheswaran – academic and award-winning writer, Sumathy Sivamohan – academic, award winning film-maker, writer, performer, playwright and poet, and M. S. M. Anes – academic, writer and translator in the areas of philosophy, culture, music and folklore.

The four shortlisted novels for 2017 are,
‘Thazhumbu’ by M. Balasingham,
‘Kulaimurisal’ by J. Wahabdeen,
‘Ethanam’ by Theniyaan and
‘Neenthik Kadantha Nerupparu’ by N. Yohendranathan.

The Fairway National Literary Awards are presented by Fairway Holdings with the objective of recognising, encouraging and rewarding excellent creative writing in Sri Lanka. The competition has become increasingly popular and the announcement of the winners for 2017 is eagerly awaited.

(Daily Mirror)

US actor Mark Salling, known for his role in the TV series Glee, has been found dead near his Los Angeles home. US media reports suggest he may have taken his own life.

The 35-year-old was expected to get between four and seven years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child sex abuse images. His sentencing was due on 7 March.

Salling played footballer Noah "Puck" Puckerman on Glee from 2009 to 2015. He entered into a plea deal last October, avoiding a lengthier prison sentence of up to 20 years.

He was arrested in 2015 after a tip-off that he was in possession of images of children being sexually abused. Investigators ultimately found tens of thousands of abuse images on his laptop and hard drive.

Photographs in US media suggest the former television star's body was found in woodland near to where he lived in Sunland, Los Angeles.

Source : BBC

It may seem odd to hear one of the top Sri Lankan filmmakers of all time claim that cinema, as we know it, is dead.

"If you look at the process of filmmaking, there was a mystery involved. These days, a lot of the process is digital and films are made specifically for television. There used to be a separation between the two mediums. That is why I feel that cinema is kind of dead," explained Sri Lankan director Vimukthi Jayasundara, who is in the city as a jury member for the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF), in a chat with TOI. His work, in fact, was also part of a global anthology of short films by many directors, which demonstrated that cinema is on its death march.

Jayasundara's India connections are far and wide, having been a student at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) — "people there have a good sense of cinema" — and he remains the only Sri Lankan director to have made an Indian film, the Paoli Dam-starrer Bengali film Chhatrak.

The film ran into trouble with the Censor Board over nudity in a scene, which ensured that the subject of the film, that of exploited foreign workers in the Middle East, was largely overlooked.

"The entire controversy was unfortunate. In the film, I wanted to acknowledge the value of humanity, something you find when you read (Rabindranath) Tagore's poetry. I also made the film from a global perspective, without any filters and I wanted to pay tribute to the migrants' contribution to society. But the idea was never to make the film controversial in any way," Jayasundara asserted.

His work first came to global attention in 2002 when he made a short film about the then-raging Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) insurgency, which had ravaged entire parts of the country. To this day, politics in Sri Lanka is largely divided along ethnic lines, with very little reconciliation efforts having taken place, Jayasundara said. (TNN)

Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar stole the show, and most of the awards, at the 2018 Grammys.

Mars provided the night's big upset, taking the album of the year trophy that most critics assumed would go to Lamar's rap tour de force, Damn.

In the end, voters found Mars's crowd-pleasing R&B more palatable, while Lamar dominated the rap categories.

Alessia Cara won best new artist - making her the only female artist to win a major prize.

Stars like Lady Gaga, Kesha, Lorde and SZA were overlooked, with only 17 awards (out of a total of 86) going to women or female-fronted bands.

Mars left with six trophies in all, including the three biggest prizes: Album of the year, song of the year and record of the year.

Speaking onstage, he paid tribute to his fellow nominees, saying: "You guys are the reason why I'm in the studio pulling my hair out".

He also told the story of how, as a 15-year-old in Hawaii, he performed in a show called The Magic of Polynesia, singing songs by R&B writers Babyface, Jam & Lewis and Terry Riley.

"I'll be honest, I was incredible at 15," he laughed, before explaining how he'd wanted to recapture the sounds of those 80s and 90s hits on his latest album.

"Those songs were written with nothing but joy... and that's all I wanted to bring with this album. Hopefully I could feel that again and see everybody dancing and everybody moving."

As well as the star's own prizes, his recording engineers won a further award for their work on the album.

Grammys 2018

Album of the year: Bruno Mars - 24K Magic

Record of the year: Bruno Mars - 24K Magic

Song of the year: Bruno Mars - That's What I Like

Best new artist: Alessia Cara

Best pop album: Ed Sheeran - ÷ (Divide)

Best rock album: The War On Drugs - A Deeper Understanding

Best R&B album: Bruno Mars - 24k Magic

Best rap album: Kendrick Lamar - Damn

Source : BBC

They grind and gyrate around a pole, with moves like a real stripper.

But these dancers are robots, brought in to offer a new entertainment twist to the crowds descending on Las Vegas this week for the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show.

The robo-strippers are the creation of British artist Giles Walker, who said he designed the vaguely humanoid machines as an expression about surveillance, power and voyeurism.

No one would confuse the robots with real strippers, with a head made from a jettisoned surveillance camera and the rest from bits of scrap material from mannequins and car parts.

"I wanted to do something sexy with rubbish," Walker told AFP at the Sapphire Gentleman's Club a few blocks off the Vegas Strip at a media event Monday night which was not part of the official CES program.

Artificial intelligence? Don't even think about it. These strippers are powered with recovered windshield wiper motors and the artist's sense of feminine style.

Peter Feinstein, the club's managing director, said he invited Walker and his robots to add variety at a venue which has long hosted attendees to one of the world's largest tech shows.

"This is our 18th year for the club, and we felt we needed to come up with something new and unique," Feinstein said.

"It used to be just nerds. But we wanted something more creative that would appeal to both men and women."

At the club, where human dancers were also performing, the robots got mixed reviews.

"I think it's a good idea," said one male customer who asked not to be identified, but added that he preferred the real thing.

"This is just the first step. They're not there yet."

One of the club's dancer's who gave her name only as Rouge said she was not worried about the competition.

"I think there are a lot of people with weird fetishes so I am sure somebody will get turned on by that. But nobody can beat the beauty of someone, and our talent with our brains, the way we talk, the way we use our bodies," she said.

"We can make people feel better than them."