Leonardo DiCaprio has been accused by Brazil’s
President Jair Bolsonaro of “giving money to set the Amazon on fire”.
President Bolsonaro gave no evidence but in the past has accused NGOs
critical of his policies of starting fires that ravaged the rainforest this
year.
Several arrests have been made in Brazil amid controversial and unproven
allegations fires were started to obtain funding.
Leonardo DiCaprio, who has pledged $5 million for the Amazon, denied
President Bolsonaro’s claim.
The latest comments appear to arise from the arrest of 4 volunteer
firefighters from northern Pará state on allegations they started fires to
generate NGO donations.
NGOs, rights groups and critics
claimed the police operation against them was politically motivated and an
attempt to harass environmental groups.
Fires that burned in August this
year caused global concern for the “lungs of the planet”.
Jair Bolsonaro’s latest accusation
came during brief remarks at the presidential residence on November 29.
He said: “This Leonardo DiCaprio is a cool guy, right? Giving money to
torch the Amazon.”
The president gave no evidence and
did not elaborate, although the statement appeared to echo a live webcast he
gave on November 28.
The live webcast revolved around the
environmental organization, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and allegations,
denied by the WWF, that it had paid for images taken by the arrested
firefighters, who have since been released.
President Bolsonaro said: “So what did the NGO do? What is the
easiest thing? Set fire to the forest. Take pictures, make a video. [WWF] makes
a campaign against Brazil, it contacts Leonardo DiCaprio, he donates $500,000.
“A part of that went to the people that were setting
fires. Leonardo DiCaprio, you are contributing to the fire in the Amazon, that
won’t do.”
Leonardo DiCaprio and environmental
activist released a statement saying:
“Although they are certainly worth supporting, we have not funded the
organizations that are currently under attack.
“The future of these irreplaceable ecosystems is at
stake and I am proud to be part of the groups that protect them.”
The actor praised “the people of Brazil working to save their natural
and cultural heritage”.
WWF also said it had received no donations from the actor, whose Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation focuses on environmental projects.
Leonardo DiCaprio could be banned from entering Indonesia in the future over his comments on rainforests being cleared for palm oil plantations.
The 41-year-old actor entered Indonesia on a tourist visa and on March 27 visited Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh.
Leonardo DiCaprio posted following his visit to the park: “A world-class biodiversity hotspot… but palm oil expansion is destroying this unique place.”
Now Heru Santoso, a spokesperson for the director general of the immigration department, has revealed Leonardo DiCaprio could be banned for such comments – if they’re “categorized as incitement or provocation”.
”In terms of [his] visa and immigration permit, Leonardo DiCaprio did not do anything wrong: He entered and left Indonesia legally. But, we still investigate,” Heru Santoso told BBC News.
“If DiCaprio’s posting in his social media can be categorized as incitement or provocation, we can blacklist him from coming back to Indonesia.”
It is not the first time a Hollywood star has run into trouble in Indonesia over their environmental activism.
Photo Instagram
Harrison Ford was threatened with deportation in 2013 for “harassing state institutions” after interviewing the then forestry minister about illegal logging.
In posts on his Instagram account, Leonardo DiCaprio said he was working to save the Leuser ecosystem, “the last place on Earth where Sumatran orangutans, tigers, rhinos and elephants coexist in the wild”.
On Twitter, Leonardo DiCaprio posted a link to a petition addressed to the Indonesian President Joko Widodo, calling for the area to be protected.
Some members of the government have accused Leonardo DiCaprio of running a “black campaign” to discredit the government and Indonesia’s palm oil industry.
Earlier this year environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio used his Oscars speech to warn the world about climate change.
Accepting the Best Actor award, Leonardo DiCaprio explained: “Making The Revenant was about man’s relationship to the natural world.
“A world that we collectively felt in 2015 as the hottest year in recorded history. Our production needed to move to the southern tip of this planet just to be able to find snow.
“Climate change is real, it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species.
“We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people out there who would be most affected by this.”
Leonardo DiCaprio took home his first Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony for survival epic The Revenant, after six nominations.
The 41-year-old was named best actor at the 88th Academy Awards, with Brie Larson named best actress Oscar for Room.
Spotlight took home the best picture Oscar with Mad Max: Fury Road picking up the most awards of the night, with six accolades.
Mark Rylance won the best supporting actor Oscar, and Sam Smith won best original song.
The ceremony had been boycotted by some Hollywood figures protesting about the lack of ethnic diversity among this year’s nominees, as all 20 nominees in the best acting or supporting acting categories are white.
Host Chris Rock addressed the controversy head on as he launched the ceremony, and it was a theme that was returned to several times during the night.
Chris Rock commented he had “counted at least 15 black people” in the montage that opened the ceremony, before welcoming people to the “white People’s Choice awards”.
The Revenant won three of the 12 awards for which it was nominated. Alejandro Inarritu also won best director and Emmanuel Lubezki won his third Oscar for cinematography in a row, having won in 2015 for Birdman and 2014 for Gravity.
Leonardo DiCaprio received a standing ovation as he picked up his award, after five acting nominations and one nomination as producer of best picture nominee Wolf of Wall Street.
He thanked his director and co-star Tom Hardy for his “fierce talent on screen” and “friendship off screen” before campaigning for action to combat climate change, saying making The Revenant was “about man’s relationship to the natural world”.
He asked the audience to “support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters or the big corporations but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people who’ll be affected by this”.
It is 22 years since Leonardo DiCaprio was first nominated for an Academy Award, having been nominated for best supporting actor for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
Speaking to reporters after his win, Leonardo DiCaprio said: “I feel very honored, to share this has been an amazing experience, to sit there and talk about the film.
“I also got to talk about something I have been obsessed with – the environment and climate change – on a platform with hundreds of millions of people watching worldwide.”
As he accepted his award, Alejandro Inarritu said it was a “great opportunity to our generation to liberate ourselves from all prejudice”, saying the color of someone’s skin should be “as irrelevant as the length of their hair”.
It is the fourth Oscar for Alejandro Inarritu, having won best director, best original screenplay (as co-writer) and best picture (as producer) for Birdman in 2015.
Brie Larson had won praise for her role as abducted woman Ma in Room, based on the book by Emma Donoghue.
The actress thanked everyone involved in the film, including young co-star Jacob Tremblay, who plays her son.
Spotlight tells the true story of how investigative reporters at the Boston Globe uncovered child abuse by Catholic priests in Massachusetts.
Mark Rylance won his Oscar for Steven Spielberg’s Cold War film Bridge of Spies, in which he plays Rudolf Abel, the real-life Soviet intelligence officer who was arrested in 1950s New York and prosecuted as a spy.
Sam Smith, whose song was featured in Bond film SPECTRE, told the audience at LA’s Dolby Theater he could not breathe as he picked up his award and described his fellow nominees as “incredible”.
Alicia Vikander won the best supporting actress Oscar for The Danish Girl.
The Swedish-born actress thanked her co-star Eddie Redmayne and her parents, after winning her first Oscar, saying: “Eddie, thank you for being the best acting partner. I could never have done it without you. You raised my game.
“My mum and dad, thank you for giving me the belief that anything can happen – even though I would never have believed this.”
Amy Winehouse documentary Amy won the best documentary feature Oscar for British filmmakers Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees.
Composer Ennio Morricone won the Oscar for best original film score for The Hateful Eight – the first Academy Award the 87-year-old has won in his career.
Irish director Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage won the best live action short Oscar for Stutterer, about a man with a severe stammer.
The best foreign language film Oscar went to Hungarian film Son of Saul, telling the story of a Jewish man forced to work at a Nazi death camp who seeks a proper religious burial for a boy who he believes is his son.
The Revenant and Leonardo DiCaprio are widely expected to win at this year’s Oscar ceremony.
If he wins, Leonardo DiCaprio will take home his first best actor Oscar statue.
The Revenant is seen as a strong contender for best picture and best director.
The 88th Annual Academy Awards ceremony gets under way at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles at 20:30 PST.
This year’s ceremony is being boycotted by some Hollywood figures who are protesting about the lack of ethnic diversity among the nominees.
All 20 nominees in the best acting or supporting acting categories are white.
Last week, Harvey Weinstein discouraged a boycott, reassuring those concerned that host Chris Rock would “annihilate” Hollywood in his opening monologue at the ceremony.
The black comedian is known for dealing with racial issues in his routines and it is expected he will make reference to the recent controversy.
Earlier this month, director Spike Lee – who was one of the first figures to speak publicly about the lack of diversity – said the boycott had been vindicated by the response from organizers.
The Academy, which hands out the Oscar honors, announced it would double the number of women and ethnic minority members by 2020 after the protests.
The Oscars take place two weeks after Leonardo DiCaprio won a BAFTA for best actor – often a good indicator of Academy Awards success.
Leonardo DiCaprio, 41, has never won a best actor Oscar before, despite three previous nominations and relentless campaigning from fans.
He is up against Eddie Redmayne, Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon and Michael Fassbender for the statue.
The Revenant faces tough competition in the best picture category from The Big Short and Spotlight.
The Big Short was not initially seen as the favorite to triumph, but its chances were boosted after it won the top prize at the Producers Guild Awards (PGA).
The best picture winner at the PGAs has gone on win the same award at the Oscars every year for the past eight years.
Brie Larson is up for best actress alongside Saoirse Ronan, Charlotte Rampling, previous winners Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Lawrence – the latter has already picked up a Golden Globe for her performance in Joy.
Kate Winslet stands a strong chance of taking home best supporting actress after winning in the category both at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs.
She is up against Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rooney Mara, Alicia Vikander and Rachel McAdams.
The nominees for best supporting actor are Christian Bale, Mark Ruffalo, Sylvester Stallone, Tom Hardy and Mark Rylance.
The Revenant has topped the US box office in a weekend affected by the East Coast snowstorm.
The Oscar nominated movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is about a frontiersman fighting for survival after being attacked by a Grizzly bear.
The Revenant took $16 million with Star Wars: The Force Awakens in second place with $14.3 million.
Storm Jonas forced theater closures in Washington DC and New York, while hundreds of others suspended showings.
The Revenant, directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu, has taken $119.2 million in North America so far.
The movie had a limited release on Christmas Day, followed by a wide release on January 8.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has made $1.94 billion globally to date and is likely to cross the $2 billion mark over the next week.
Last week’s No 1, Kevin Hart and Ice Cube comedy Ride Along 2, dropped to third with $13 million.
Rounding out the top five were two new entries, comedy Dirty Grandpa and The Boy, about an American nanny who finds her English family’s boy is a life-sized doll.
Next week’s new releases include thriller The Finest Hours starring Chris Pine, Holliday Grainger and Casey Affleck, and Kung Fu Panda 3.
Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio will team up for a big screen adaptation of Erik Larson’s 2003 book The Devil in the White City.
Leonardo DiCaprio is expected to play serial killer Dr. H.H. Holmes, who used the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago to lure his victims to their deaths.
H.H. Holmes claimed to have killed 27 people – although some later estimates put his death toll at nearer 200.
It will be the sixth time Leonardo DiCaprio has worked with director Martin Scorsese.
Their previous films include The Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed and Gangs of New York.
Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly bought the film rights to The Devil in the White City in 2010.
It tells the story of Dr. H.H. Holmes, who converted a large building in Chicago and turned it into what became known as a “murder castle”.
The castle had a padded room with a gas pipe to asphyxiate victims, a chute for dispatching bodies to the cellar and, in the cellar, a hidden butcher’s table and oven that had the remains of women’s clothing.
The screenplay will be written by Billy Ray, who scripted Captain Phillips and The Hunger Games.
Rihanna and Leonardo DiCaprio have been linked since January, but it seems that they are no closer to being exclusive than when they first got together.
According to celebrity website TMZ, Rihanna is way more committed than Leonardo DiCaprio is. The actor likes her, but he is not willing to settle down with her into a full-blown relationship.
Recently though, Rihanna and Leonardo DiCaprio got cozy as they celebrated RiRi’s 27th birthday, an event Leo helped organize.
Rihanna and Leonardo DiCaprio, 40, reportedly engaged in some heavy PDA at the party, but they are just in the “more than friends” category right now.
World leaders are holding a summit on climate change at the United Nations.
The aim at the New York meeting is to galvanize member states to sign up to a comprehensive new global climate agreement at talks in Paris next year.
“Today, we must set the world on a new course,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told leaders from 120 countries.
“I am asking you to lead.”
It is the first high-level gathering since the Copenhagen summit in 2009.
With so many nations attending the summit at the UN headquarters and so little time at the one-day meeting, three separate sessions will run simultaneously in three different rooms.
Ban Ki-moon has organized the summit and on September 21 took part in a climate change march in New York with thousands of protesters – including Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who has recently been appointed a UN representative on climate change.
On September 22, more than 100 people were arrested after they refused to leave a protest near Wall Street. At one stage, demonstrators tried to push past police barricades, sparking a brief clash with officers.
The Rockefeller family, which made its vast fortune from oil, was reported to have announced their intention to sell investments in fossil fuels and reinvest in clean energy.
Leonardo DiCaprio has recently been appointed as UN representative on climate change
The Rockefeller Brothers Fund is joining Global Divest-Invest, a coalition of philanthropists pledging to rid themselves of more than $50 billion in fossil fuel assets.
Meanwhile, Google has announced it is to sever ties with a rightwing US lobbying network, the American Legislative Council, over its skeptical positions on climate.
The real bargaining on climate change is expected to take place at a private dinner on September 23 hosted by Ban Ki-moon and attended by a select list of 20 or so countries.
However, the absence of the leaders of China, Russia and India – whose PM Narendra Modi arrives later in the week – does not augur well.
President Barack Obama will strive on September 23 to generate international support for the battle against climate change when he addresses the UN, with time running out on his desire to leave an environmental legacy.
The president has warned that a failure to act on climate change is a “betrayal” of future generations. But correspondents say he faces numerous obstacles – including a Congress unwilling to curtail greenhouse gas emissions – let alone ratify an international agreement.
Barack Obama’s last meeting with heads of state in order to reach a climate deal in Copenhagen five years ago ended in disappointment, with member countries failing to agree on a timetable to reduce long-term emissions.
Ban Ki-moon has asked that the political leaders come to UN headquarters bearing pledges of action. He wants to hear commitments to cut carbon and offers of finance for those most affected.
Observers believe the meeting can still achieve political momentum despite the absence of Chinese, Indian, Australian, Russian and Canadian leaders.
American Hustle has won three Golden Globe awards at last night ceremony in Beverly Hills, including best film comedy or musical.
Its stars Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence also picked up best actress and supporting actress prizes for their roles in the 1970s-set crime movie.
Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave picked up the top honour of the night, winning best film drama.
However, it was the only award 12 Years a Slave picked up, after going into the evening with seven nominations.
Both Steve McQueen and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o had received nods but came away empty-handed.
Collecting the award, Steve McQueen said he was “a little bit in shock” and thanked his wife for finding the book by Solomon Northup, on which the film was based.
The other film awards were spread around a number of movies.
Matthew McConaughey was named best actor in a drama for his role as AIDS patient Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club.
The actor said the award was “unexpected, but graciously accepted”.
His co-star Jared Leto also won the best supporting actor prize for his depiction of a transgender woman.
Cate Blanchett collected the best actress in a drama award for her part as a disgraced socialite in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, while Leonardo DiCaprio won best actor in a comedy or musical for The Wolf of Wall Street.
American Hustle has won three Golden Globe awards at last night ceremony in Beverly Hills
Leonardo DiCaprio, who won his second Golden Globe after nine nominations, thanked director Martin Scorsese for his mentorship and for “allowing me to stalk you to make this movie”.
Alfonso Cuaron was named best director for Gravity – the only award the space movie picked up on the night – beating Steve McQueen, Paul Greengrass for Captain Phillips, Alexander Payne for Nebraska and David O. Russell for American Hustle.
The screenplay award went to Spike Jonze for his comedy romance Her. Italian film The Great Beauty won the title of best foreign language film and Disney’s Frozen took home the best animated feature award.
Robert Redford’s film All is Lost won the best original score prize, while Irish band U2 won best original song for Ordinary Love, as featured in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
Coldplay and Taylor Swift had also been in the running for their songs from Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Paul Potts film One Chance respectively.
As the first major ceremony of the awards season, the winners are a likely indication of Oscar recognition when the nominations are announced later this week.
The TV categories featured a number of double award winners.
Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra was named best TV movie/mini-series, with Michael Douglas picking up the best actor in a TV movie, series or mini-series, beating his co-star, Matt Damon.
Although the film was released in cinemas around the world, it was only shown on cable channel HBO in the US.
Breaking Bad also came away with two awards including best drama series and best actor in a drama for its star Bryan Cranston.
It was the first Golden Globe for Bryan Cranston, having been nominated for the same award every year since 2011. He was also nominated in 2003 for his role in comedy Malcolm in the Middle.
He called the award “a lovely way to say goodbye” after the series ended after five years in September.
Police caper Brooklyn Nine-Nine also collected two prizes including best comedy or musical TV series and best actor in a comedy for Andy Samberg.
Amy Poehler won best actress in a TV comedy or musical for her role in Parks and Recreation, while Robin Wright was named best actress in a drama series.
Elisabeth Moss won best actress in a TV movie or mini-series for Top of the Lake and veteran actor Jon Voight collected best supporting actor in a TV movie, series or mini-series for Ray Donovan.
Jacqueline Bisset won best supporting actress in a TV series, mini-series or TV movie – for her part in drama Dancing on the Edge.
Leonardo DiCaprio has donated $3 million to help save tigers in Nepal.
Leonardo DiCaprio, 39, made the donation to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) via his charitable foundation.
The funds will be used to significantly increase the number of tigers in Nepal by 2022 – the next year of the tiger.
In a statement, Leonardo DiCaprio said he’s “hopeful” the money will help “exceed the goal” of doubling Nepal’s tiger population.
Nepal’s tigers are classified as endangered and – as with the general tiger population – are under threat from “habitat destruction and escalating illegal poaching”.
The star’s donation will help enforce anti-poaching patrols and protect and restore areas for the tigers to breed in Nepal.
Leonardo DiCaprio has donated $3 million to help save tigers in Nepal
So far, the foundation has helped increase the tiger population in Nepal’s Terai Bardia National Park from 18 to 50.
“His foundation is all about delivering real results for conservation on the ground and empowering local communities; nowhere is that more evident than in Nepal,” said Carter Roberts, president of the WWF.
The DiCaprio Foundation aims to protect “Earth’s last wild places and foster a harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world”.
Earlier this year, Leonardo DiCaprio’s foundation raised $38.8 million through donations and an art auction at Christie’s in New York.
The tiger grant is the first from the proceeds of the auction, according to the WWF.
Leonardo DiCaprio will next be seen on the big screen playing the lead in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, due to be released on January 17.
One of Leonardo DiCaprio s most showy characters came in his performance of real life fraudster Frank Abagnale Jr. in the 2002 film Catch Me If You Can.
Frank Abagnale Jr. conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, as well as other misleading professions.
Now 19-year-old Reece Scobie from Perthshire, UK, has followed in suit and globe trotted all over the world. Instead of earning an Oscar nomination, this teen has wound up in jail for sixteen months.
Reece Scobie is being described as a “boderline genius” with Asperger’s Syndrome.
It was reported that Reece Scobie, much like Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in Catch Me If You Can, flew all over the world to the tune of $110,000. In order to get around Reece Scobie used aliases to jet set all over and to stay at hotels without paying a cent.
Reece Scobie is being described as a “boderline genius” with Asperger’s Syndrome
The teen lived with his mother at the time, and decided to target travel firms like Cambridge Business Travel during his fraud. The flights he booked included trips to Atlanta, New York, Auckland, and Abu Dhabi. Reece Scobie also stayed in posh hotels, living the high life in the rooms where most celebrities stayed in.
During his hearing Reece Scobie conned the court staff to return his passport, which at the time was confiscated under bail. Reece Scobie isn’t comparing himself to Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, but everyone else is. His solicitor Jim Laverty has called him Frank Abagnale Jr. for living up an incredible life while involving himself in fraud.
Jim Laverty explained the easy comparison to Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, as he told the Perth Sheriff Court of Reece Scobie’s transgressions: “While the life of Mr. Abagnale was shown by Leo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can, I don’t think the gauntlet thrown down by him was the same gauntlet thrown down by Mr. Scobie, who was fairly easily traceable.”
How did Reece Scobie commit fraud?
Reece Scobie acquired a job with a travel agency Thomson Travel in Perth. The teen worked at the agency for two months, but then continued to use the passwords given to him in order to book flights and hotels for himself.
Reece Scobie admitted to three charges of fraud, two at his old job, and the third between July 2011 and January 2012.
George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio have sparked record sales for diet supplement Meratol, with men making up nearly 75% of buyers for the first time.
Meratol has sold a staggering 25,000 bottles of its diet pill in the UK in the last two months since it was revealed that George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio were among celebrity fans.
For the first time in Meratol 6-year history, there are more male purchasers than women, who account for 74% of total sales.
Meratol, made from a cocktail of herbal ingredients including cactus leaves, prickly pear and seaweed, claim to speed up metabolism to burn fat while suppressing appetite.
Female celebrity fans include actress Eva Longoria and the diet supplement has been promoted by Lauren Goodger.
It is the Clooney Effect which is believed to have sparked the sudden sales surge to men recently as they look to shed those post-Christmas pounds.
A Meratol spokesman said: “We usually see a ration of around 55:45 women to men purchasing our slimming aids.
“For the first time in six years we can report a significant change in buying patterns with male customers being our primary customer.
“It has been reported recently that two thirds of British men are overweight so there is an increased awareness among them in actively taking action to lose weight.
“Women are already aware of such products but when you get fans like George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio, it helps raise their profile to a whole new audience of men.”
Meratol, made from a cocktail of herbal ingredients including cactus leaves, prickly pear and seaweed, claim to speed up metabolism to burn fat while suppressing appetite
Meratol claims to help shift between 3 and 5 pounds a week and was used by Lauren Goodger to shed her excess weight.
Lauren Goodger said: “I’ve taken a lot of herbal diet tablets and some can make you feel a bit shaky but on Meratol I don’t feel any different. It helps you burn fat and suppresses your appetite.”
Dubbed a “turbo weight loss” supplement, each Meratol tub contains 60 pills, enough for a month’s use, and is available from the website, meratol.com.
The 66th Cannes Film Festival will be opened by Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 classic novel, Toby Maguire and Carey Mulligan also star.
Baz Luhrmann – whose debut film Strictly Ballroom was screened at Cannes 21 years ago – said the festival had “always been so close to our hearts”.
His new film will be shown on May 15 at the Grand Theatre Lumiere of the Palais des Festivals.
“F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of the most poignant and beautiful passages of his extraordinary novel just a short distance away at a villa outside Saint-Raphael,” Baz Luhrmann said in a statement.
The Great Gatsby was scripted by Baz Luhrmann and co-writer Craig Pearce, who worked together eight-time Oscar nominated film, Moulin Rouge. That film also opened the Cannes Film Festival in 2001.
The 66th Cannes Film Festival will be opened by Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, starring Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio, who stars as the tragic romantic Jay Gatsby, last worked with the director on his 1996 film Romeo + Juliet, for which Baz Luhrmann won a BAFTA for best screenplay and best direction.
The actor is returning to Cannes for the first time since he presented the 2007 ecological documentary, The 11th Hour, which he produced.
The Great Gatsby features songs by Jack White and rapper Jay-Z – who is also due to attend the opening at Cannes.
It will also be screened in 3D – only the second time in the history of the festival a film has been shown in the format after Pixar’s Up opened in 2009.
The film had been due for release last Christmas but was pushed back by Warner Bros to ensure it “reaches the largest audience possible”.
Robert De Niro started an argument with Jay-Z at Leonardo DiCaprio’s birthday party in New York after the rapper failed to return not just one, but six of his phone calls.
Robert De Niro, 69, was sitting at a table at the upscale bash when Jay-Z came over to say hello, but the Raging Bull star was in no mood to be friendly.
A New York Post insider then overheard Robert De Niro complaining the rapper, who lives near the Oscar winner in the posh TriBeCa area, agreed to record a song for the Tribeca Film Festival, but failed to follow through.
Robert De Niro rang Jay-Z on several occasions to plan the project, but his calls were never so much as returned.
The insider said: “Bob wasn’t in any mood to make polite conversation.
“He told Jay that if somebody calls you six times, you call them back.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, that is just rude.”
Robert De Niro started an argument with Jay-Z at Leonardo DiCaprio’s birthday party after the rapper failed to return his calls
Jay-Z tried make light of the situation by claiming he is terrible on the phone, but that failed to douse Robert De Niro’s anger, and he continued to humiliate his foe in front of the likes of Martin Scorsese, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz.
Even the feminine charms of his curvy wife Beyonce were not enough to get him off his high horse.
The source said: “De Niro kept telling him that he thinks he’s the man, but that he was disrespectful.
“Beyoncé came over, but that didn’t calm Bob down.
“It was the talk of the party. Everyone was saying there’s only one star in New York bigger and badder than Jay-Z, and that’s Robert De Niro.
“He can be quite scary when he’s angry.”
The latter is certainly an understatement, given his fame for playing characters with explosive tempers in the likes of Goodfellas and Raging Bull.
However, a source close to Robert De Niro tried to play down the seriousness of the incident.
The insider said: “It was a low-key private conversation between two people that was apparently overheard. It was not a heated discussion.”
Leonardo DiCaprio is apparently single again as he has split from Victoria Secret’s model Erin Heatherton, Us Weekly reports.
Leonardo DiCaprio, 37, and Erin Heatherton, 23, started dating in December – just months after he split from his brief romance with Blake Lively.
But the pair didn’t manage to make it to their first anniversary, recently deciding to go their separate ways.
A source told Us Weekly: “They split a few weeks ago. There’s no bad blood -– they still care about each other a lot.”
The insider explained the pair’s hectic work schedules is the reason behind the break-up.
Leonardo DiCaprio has split from Victoria Secret’s model Erin Heatherton
“They’re both just really busy, they had crazy schedules,” the source added.
“They still love and respect each other very much. It was just time to move on.”
It has been a hugely busy year for Leonardo DiCaprio who has been shooting Great Gatsby in Australia, then Django Unchained in New Orleans followed by the Wolf of Wall Street in New York.
Erin Heatherton is just one of many supermodels Leonardo DiCaprio has dated.
From 2001 to 2005 he went out with Gisele Bundchen and he dated Israeli-born model Bar Refaeli from 2006 until splitting in early 2011.
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