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    What awaits us in 2016: From the US Presidential poll to assemblies back home and in sports, technology & entertainment

    Synopsis

    ET Magazine delves into what lies ahead in the New Year.Brace yourselves!

    ET Bureau
    Technology

    New 4-inch iPhone

    After upping the size of the latest iPhones to 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches, Apple could answer the prayers of those who loved its older small phones. According to an analyst, the company is likely to unveil an upgraded version of the 4-inch iPhone 5s in the first half of next year

    Oculus Rift

    Oculus VR will finally launch its longanticipated virtual reality handset Oculus Rift in the first quarter of 2016. The product began as a Kickstarter project and Oculus VR was acquired by Facebook for $2 billion in 2014. Rift is reportedly priced at $300

    Microsoft HoloLens

    If Oculus is taking the lead in virtual reality, Microsoft wants to do the same in augmented reality, which overlays a virtual world on our physical environment. Microsoft is launching the developer version its holographic headset Microsoft HoloLens in early 2016 for $3,000

    Politics

    Indian Assembly Elections

    After the Bihar polls, the next set of assembly elections is likely be held in April and May and includes some large states

    Tamil Nadu

    The last assembly election in Tamil Nadu won by an incumbent was in 1984, and since then power has alternated between AIADMK and DMK. AIADMK could break the pattern thanks to the chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s populist schemes and the DMK’s internal squabbles

    Kerala

    Politics in Kerala has been dominated by two coalitions: the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and Communist Party of India (M)-led Left Democratic Front. The UDF will be battling strong anti-incumbency fuelled by, among other things, allegations of corruption against the Oommen Chandy government

    West Bengal

    The election in West Bengal will be a litmus test for BJP chief Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi, given that the party saw a considerable jump in its vote share in last year’s general election though it managed to win only two seats. The BJP will have to do a lot to trouble the Trinamool Congress

    It’s the state that is likely to be the most polarised among those going to the polls. While the BJP will look to consolidate the Hindu voters, the All India Democratic United Front, presently the largest opposition party, will battle the Congress — which has been in power for the past 15 years — for the votes of Bengali-speaking Muslims

    US Presidential Election

    Barack Obama’s second term will end in January 2017, and and the election to decide his successor will be on November 8. The primaries and caucuses will be held between February and June. While Hillary Clinton is expected to beat Bernie Sanders to become the Democratic Party candidate, Donald Trump, who has even Republicans divided over his xenophobic, racist and misogynistic views, is currently ahead of Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and others in the race to get the Grand Old Party ticket

    TV Shows

    Billions (Showtime)

    CREATED BY BRIAN KOPPELMAN, DAVID LEVIEN AND ANDREW ROSS SORKIN

    MONTH OF PREMIERE: January Billions is about the battle between a crusading US attorney, played by Paul Giamatti, and a flashy hedge fund billionaire, portrayed by Damian Lewis

    Vinyl (HBO)

    CREATED BY TERNCE WINTER

    MONTH OF PREMIERE: February

    Martin Scorsese is executive producing, along with Mick Jagger, and directing the pilot of Vinyl, a show about a hustling music executive in 1970s New York, starring Bobby Cannavale and Olivia Wilde. The kinetic trailer promises enough conflict, sex and drugs, too, completing the picture of the rock and roll era

    11.22.63 (Hulu)

    BASED ON A STEPHEN KING NOVEL

    MONTH OF PREMIERE: February

    Executive produced by JJ Abrams and Stephen King himself, the show is about a high school teacher who goes back in time to stop the assassination of John F Kennedy, but faces obstacles to his mission

    Allen Project (Amazon)
    Created by Woody Allen

    MONTH OF PREMIERE: Not Available

    Two days after winning the Golden Globe for best comedy for its groundbreaking show Transparent, in January, Amazon announced that Woody Allen would be writing and directing his first ever TV series for the streaming service

    Westworld (HBO)

    CREATED BY JONATHAN NOLAN AND LISA JOY

    MONTH OF PREMIERE: Not Available

    Based on a 1973 film of the same name by Michael Crichton, the show is themed around a futuristic theme park where a robot malfunction pits machines against the vacationers
     


    Sports

    ICC World T20 (March 8th — April 3rd)

    India will host the sixth edition of the ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament next year. The event will feature 16 teams, including Scotland, Ireland, Oman, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and the Netherlands, who qualified



    UEFA Euro (June 10th — July 10th)

    The 15th edition of the UEFA European Championship for football, to be held in France, will have 24 teams, compared to the 16 the tournament has had since 1996. Slovakia, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Albania and Wales have qualified for the Euro finals for the first time

    Summer Olympics (August 5th -21st)

    The Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 is the first to be held in South America. Around 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will compete in 306 events, including 161 men’s events, 136 women’s and nine mixed. Rio will also host the Paralympic Games in September
    Films

    Hail, Caesar!

    Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen

    MONTH OF RELEASE: February

    About a fixer in 1950s Hollywood who sets out to find out what happened to an actor who goes missing during the making of a film, the film has an enviable cast including George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin and Channing Tatum



    Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

    Directed by Zack Snyder

    MONTH OF RELEASE: March

    The most anticipated superhero film of 2016, the film has Ben Affleck’s Batman taking on Henry Cavill’s Superman, with Jesse Eisenberg’s evil nemesis to Superman, Lex Luthor thrown into the mix, promising a treat for comic book fans

    Everybody Wants Some

    Directed by Richard Linklater

    MONTH OF RELEASE: April

    Being marketed as a ‘spiritual sequel’ to Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, the film follows a bunch of teens as they navigate their last weekend of freedom before college begins

    Fan

    Directed by Maneesh Sharma

    MONTH OF RELEASE: April

    What makes Fan, in which Khan plays an ardent fan of a movie star, worth awaiting is it is written and directed by Maneesh Sharma, who gave us Band Baaja Baaraat

    Kabali

    Directed by Pa Ranjith

    MONTH OF RELEASE: April

    The story of a gangster, Kabali could be a return to form for both Rajinikanth the star and Rajinikanth the actor, given that the film is directed by Pa Ranjith, who made the memorable Madras in 2014

    Snowden

    Directed by Oliver Stone

    MONTH OF RELEASE: May

    Though he may be past his prime, Stone’s upcoming film on National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, is worth anticipating

    Dangal

    Directed by Nitesh Tiwari

    MONTH OF RELEASE: December

    Aamir Khan has been in the news for beefing up to a hulk for this film inspired by a true story; he portrays Mahavir Singh Phogat, who trained his daughters Geeta and Babita Kumari to become top wrestlers

    Thithi

    Directed by Ram Reddy

    MONTH OF RELEASE: Not available

    This debut feature in Kannada by Raam Reddy is a bittersweet tale of a family in rural Karnataka which has to get through the ceremony marking the end of the mouring period for the patriarch; Thithi won two awards at the Locarno Film Festival

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