Popular Singer Chitra’s Daughter Nandana Died

Famous Indian playback singer K S Chitra’s 8 year old daughter Nandana drowned to death on Thursday morning in a Dubai villa.Chitra is in the city to attend a tribute concert titled A R Rahman Special Hits on Thursday evening. She along with her daughter Nandana was residing at a private villa in Emirates Hills.

The child was rushed to Cedar hospital in Jebel Ali at around 9am after she was found lying in the pool, an official at the hospital said.The body was moved from the hospital to Shaikh Rashid hospital around 12.30pm.

Chitra along with her husband Vijaya Shankar and daughter Nandana has left to Dubai for participating in a musical extravaganza to celebrate the compositions of music director A.R.Rahman at Sharjah stadium today.

Chitra and her husband Vijaya Shankar were blessed with Nandana after fifteen years of their marriage.

10 Best Australian Actors In Hollywood

The 10 best Australian actors in Hollywood represent the greatest talent that the Land Down Under has to offer. Some are veterans to the trade, while others are less seasoned, though still notable, actors in Hollywood. All of the actors and actresses on this list offer great performances in both Australian and American roles.

1. Russell Crowe This actor is known as a bit of a bad boy, but he still stands as one of the best Australian actors in Hollywood. He won critical praise for his portrayal of the brilliant, but schizophrenic John Nash in “A Beautiful Mind.” His other films include “Robin Hood” and “Body of Lies.”

2. Heath Ledger This best Australian actor tragically passed away just as he was hitting his full artistic potential. He rose to fame with movies like “The Patriot” and “10 Things I Hate About You.” He will forever be remembered, though, for his chilling performance as The Joker in “The Dark Knight.”

3. Nicole Kidman This Australian actress in Hollywood has been famous since the early ‘90s. She broke out alongside her then husband Tom Cruise in “Days of Thunder” and starred with him again in “Eyes Wide Shut.” Her other blockbusters have included “Moulin Rouge,” “Cold Mountain,” and “Nine.”

4. Hugh Jackman This best Australian actor in Hollywood will forever be known as the Wolverine in the “X-Men” series. He’s also starred in a variety of other films like the thriller “The Presige” and the kid’s movie “Happy Feet.”

5. Cate Blanchett A blonde beauty, this Australian actress in Hollywood always delivers powerful performances. Her most famous roles include the majestic elf, Galadriel, in “Lord of the Rings” and Katherine Hepburn in the biopic, “The Aviator.”

6. Mia Wasikowska Newer to Hollywood than some of the previously mentioned actors, this best Australian actress has quickly made a name for herself. She played the lead in Time Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” and has appeared in the TV series, “In Treatment.” She has also starred alongside Annette Bening and Julianne Moore in the film, “The Kids Are All Right.”

7. Geoffrey Rush This veteran Australian actor in Hollywood has been acting since the 1970’s. He’s starred in hits like “Les Miserables” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” His film, “The King’s Speech,” is a critically acclaimed award winner.

8. Eric Bana One of the best Australian actors in Hollywood, Bana is a master of both comedy and drama. He has starred in more serious flicks like “Munich” and “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” as well as comedies like “Funny People” and “Chopper.”

9. Naomi Watts This Australian actress (and friend to Nicole Kidman) broke out in America with the hit horror flick, “The Ring.” She has also starred in popular movies like “21 Grams,” “Mulholland Dr.” and “King Kong.”

10. Guy Pearce Although he was born in England, this best Hollywood actor grew up in Australia. One of his most famous roles is as the amnesiac protagonist in Christopher Nolan’s “Memento.” He has also starred in “L.A. Confidential,” “The Hurt Locker,” and most recently, “The King’s Speech.”

Reference link : http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/actors-directors/10-best-australian-actors-in-hollywood/

Ameesha denies romance rumours with Yuvraj

Yuvraj Singh, who won Man of the Tournament at the 2011 Cricket World Cup, had India and Bollywood cheering him along, all the way at the finals in Mumbai on April 2.

And there was one Tinsel town voice that rang out loud and clear in the ICC reserved box at the Wankhede Stadium — that of Ameesha Patel, who was Yuvraj’s special guest at the final match against Sri Lanka.

Ameesha has admitted that she received a special invitation from Yuvraj, who is a very close friend of hers. She has also said that she was cheering the loudest for him in the special box whose other occupants included Saif Ali Khan and Ranbir Kapoor.

10 Best Anime Voice Actors

The ten best anime voice actors helped give life to your favorite animated characters. Many of these individuals are American actors who provide English dubs, while others are original Japanese voice actors.

1. Steven Blum. Blum is an American anime voice actor known for voicing cool, edgy characters, such as Spike Spiegel from "Cowboy Bebop" and Mugen from "Samurai Champloo." Hey also voiced TOM, the robotic host of Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block.

2. Megumi Hayashibara. This Japanese voice actress took on the role of Rei Ayanami in "Neon Genesis Evangelion," Lina Inverse in "Slayers" and "Faye Valentine in "Cowboy Bebop." She is also a singer and lyricist, often lending her voice to anime theme songs.

3. Vic Mignogna. You can hear Vic Mignogna's vocal work in the English dubs of "Full Metal Panic!" and "D.N. Angel." However, he is most well-known for playing Edward Elric, the protagonist of "Full Metal Alchemist."

4. Justin Cook. This anime voice actor provided vocals for characters such as Yusuke Urameshi, the protagonist of "Yu Yu Hakusho," and Raditz, the first major antagonist of "Dragon Ball Z." He also served as a producer for numerous anime series.

5. Crispin Freeman. Alucard, the vicious protagonist of "Hellsing," got his sinister voice from this anime voice actor. Freeman also provided the voice of Zelgadis in the English version of "Slayers."

6. Tiffany Grant. If you want to hear his anime voice actress's work, check out the psychological thriller "Neon Genesis Evangelion." She lends her voice to Asuka Langley Soryu, a temperamental pilot.

7. Eric Vale. Vale voiced Trunks, the futuristic hero from "Dragon Ball Z," and Sanji, the violent cook in "One Piece." He was also the head writer for numerous anime titles, such as "Strike Witches" and "Initial D: Fourth Stage."

8. Ikue Ohtani. Ohtani is the Japanese voice actress who is famous for voicing Pikachu, the electric hero of the "Pokemon" series. She also voiced other minor characters throughout the show.

9. Yuri Lowenthal. Lowenthal may be best known for his role as Sasuke Uchiha, a major character in the "Naruto" series. In addition to anime voice acting, he also uses his vocal talent in various American animated series, such as "Ben 10."

10. Toshiyuki Morikawa. From Kimimaro in "Naruto" to "Eneru in "One Piece," this Japanese voice actor has undertaken a large number of vocal roles. He also provided the voice of Sephiroth in "Final Fantasy VII Advent Children."

Reference link:http://www.screenjunkies.com/movies/actors-directors/10-best-anime-voice-actors/

Bipasha's Fitness Agenda

• Bipasha's daily workout session lasts for two hours.
  
  
• She goes to the gym for six days a week.
  
  
• She works out in the morning.
  
  
• On Monday, she trains the upper part of her body.
  
  
• She dedicates the entire Tuesday for abdominal exercises.
  
  
• The third day is utilized for training the lower part of the body.
  
  
• The fourth day of the week is the day of the workout of the gluteus maximus to keep the hips in good shape.
  
  
• She again trains the upper body on the fifth day.
  
  
• On the last workout day of the week, the gorgeous babe focuses on abdominal exercises and shaping up of the buttocks.
  
  
• There are daily sessions of 108 Suryanamaskars.
  
  
• The initial warm up session lasts for 10 minutes and it consists of stretching and holding various dance postures with special focus on breathing.
  
  
• The cardio session which lasts for 50 minutes (four times a week) consists of 20 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the elliptical machine and 20 minutes on the rowing machine.
  
  
• Every week, she also goes for a spinning class.
  
  
• She believes that training should focus on the weak points.
  
  
• She gives special importance to the development of her triceps.
  
  
• She has also embraced yoga and performs the Bhujangasana.
  
  
• Her left knee suffered injuries and so she does physiotherapy to keep it in good condition.
  
  
• She has strong belief in circuit training which is used to keep the heart rate up.
  
  
• Yoga seems to her as an option to add strength to her lower back and the core muscles, and to repair the damaged muscles of her left knee.
  
  
• The most interesting feature of her fitness plan is that she keeps on changing it after every four months to avoid monotony.
  
  
• She does not go for workouts if she feels very tired.
  
  
• She takes care to see that there is enough time for rest and her sleep session lasts for 6.5 hours on an average.
  
  

Bipasha is one of the few Indian actresses who have taken the very definition of fitness to a new level. It has been heard that Bipasha would be coming out with her fitness DVD some time in the coming year. It's not enough to grab a copy of the DVD, since the results would come only after the proper implementation of the instructions.

Reference link: http://www.lifemojo.com/lifestyle/bipashas-fitness-agenda-76958436

Australian Bollywood actress Tania Zaetta arrested

Australian Bollywood actress Tania Zaetta was arrested Monday for obstructing police and public nuisance over an alleged disturbance at a Queensland nightclub.

Zaetta, who recently moved back to Australia after several years based overseas, was detained in Surfers Paradise early Monday, the Gold Coast Bulletin said.

"It seems a 41-year-old woman from New South Wales was arrested for obstructing police and also public nuisance," a spokesman for Queensland police told AFP, without naming the woman.

According to a statement released by her management, Zaetta will "protest her innocence to the charges and strenuously defend the matters in Court".

"She looks forward to mounting her defence and to clearing this matter up through the appropriate channels," the statement said.

"Any inference or suggestion through media reports that alcohol has played any role in this matter are ludicrous and baseless."

Zaetta rose to prominence in Australia as a host of the game show Who Dares Wins, a program modelled on its British counterpart which required her to perform daredevil stunts.

More recently, she has worked on a number of Bollywood productions including the Charlie's Angels-style hit "Mr Black, Mr White" and one featuring Indian megastar Amitabh Bachchan "Bunty aur Babli".

She is due to face court on April 4.

Hrithik Roshan's Diet and Fitness Routine

Hrithik's Diet Routine:

* Hrithik does not have special dietary restrictions.
* He does not like having milk or milk products, but he shows special likings for chocolates.
* He enjoys a protein based chocolate shake daily as per the recommendations of his instructor.
* He never skips breakfast.
* He does not drink, but when occasion demands he chooses Bacardi with Coke.
* He has a sweet tooth and so he likes sugary foods. But at the same time he controls overindulgence.
* He restricts his consumption of oil, ghee, butter and fatty stuff.
* He takes care to drink lots of water daily.
* He keeps himself away from alcohol and cigarettes.

What are Hrithik's Advises on Muscle Building?

* He puts a lot of emphasis on cardio exercises. According to him, cardio exercises are good for the heart and these help in building up muscles.
* He tells others to focus on cycling and on workouts on the treadmill to get a great shape for the thighs and the arms.
* He insists people to do abdominal crunches to tighten stomach muscles.
* He recommends swimming or jogging twice a week to meet the body's flexibility requirements.
* He warns others about over-exercising.

What are Hrithik's Advises on Diet Plans?

* He never asks anyone to follow a particular diet routine.
* He tells others to cut down their intake of oily and fried foods and to include a lot of fruits and vegetables in the diet.
* He recommends the intake of six small meals every day.
* He asks others to drink at least one liters of water every day.
* He talks about taking protein shakes every day, but only after getting the idea approved by a dietician or the gym instructor.


Reference link : http://www.lifemojo.com/lifestyle/hrithik-roshans-diet-and-fitness-routine-85286146

'Munni Badnaam Hui' enters Guinness World Record

Latest reports reveal that 'Munni Badnaam Hui', the item track from 2010's blockbuster film 'Dabangg' has entered Guinness Book Of World Records for making over 1,200 people dance on it, without any hiccups, for three minutes at Melbourne Park in Australia, during the weekend.

It all happened at the function organised by Mitu Bhowmick Lange, the director of Indian Film Festival 2011, in order to aggrandize Bollywood Down Under, dedicated to fulfillment of all entertainment needs during an event.

Expressing his excitement, Mitu Bhowmick Lange said, "It's been amazing to see such a large crowd has come together and danced with same steps on this exciting number."

The crazy Munni lovers in Australia surpassed the records set by Singapore, where 1,008 people rocked on the same tune.

Arbaaz Khan tweeted on the micro-blogging site Twitter, “Munni enters Guinness Book of Records. Over 1200 people danced for 3 minutes in melbourne park !!!”

On setting a Guinness record, model-actress Malaika Arora Khan received a certificate on Sunday.

Besides hubby Arbaaz Khan and their son, the event was graced by the presence of 'Dirty Picture' actress Vidya Balan, 'No One Killed Jessica' director Rajkumar Gupta, director Kabir Khan and Pakistan pop singer Ali Zafar.

Congratulations Munni!

Exclusive interview of Priyanka Chopra

Aishwarya Rai: Women's Drive Awards 2011!

Aishwarya Rai makes an appearance on stage at the Lavasa Women’s Drive 2011 Awards at the Hyatt Regency as part of International Women’s Day celebrations on Friday (March 4) in Mumbai, India.

The 37-year-old Bollywood actress walked the red carpet in a Giorgio Armani Prive gown at the 2011 Oscars last weekend.

According to reports, Aishwarya has extended an invitation to Academy Award winner Colin Firth to visit India. The two worked together in the film The Last Legion in 2007.

Bollywood's low on Oscars impact

Academy award winner Colin Firth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan go back. They first met when they acted in the Hollywood big budget movie The Last Legion (add year of release) and they've stayed in touch.

So naturally this year the actress was rooting for Colin at the Oscars. She was seen cheering when he won the Best Actor award for The King's Speech. She was disappointed when he didn't win last year for his performance for A Single Man.

When they met at the after party, she congratulated him warmly and introduced him to her husband, Abhishek. She even raised a toast for him. Later, they talked about a possible meeting during her stay in LA. In case their schedule didn't permit this, they talked about connecting with him next month. Colin was ecstatic with his Oscar win and was overheard saying he couldn't believe he was holding the trophy in his hand. They spoke for about 10 minutes and agreed to catch up again when the madness (the entire Hollywood junta wanted a piece of Colin at the party) surrounding Colin subsided.

Although there is speculation whether she has plans to host him in Mumbai and celebrate his success here, everyone is tight-lipped about the details. However, we hear that Colin's trip to India is anyway overdue as Ash had extended an invitation to him when they last worked together.

Glee star 'terrified' of ex?

Glee star Dianna Agron is allegedly "terrified" of ex-boyfriend Alex Pettyfer after their acrimonious split last week.

The 24-year-old actress, who stars as cheerleader Quinn Fabray in the US hit musical comedy, moved out of her shared home with Pettyfer in Hollywood after ending their relationship of almost a year.

It's now being reported that Agron has resorted to "staying at a hotel under an alias", according to sources speaking to Us Weekly, and that the 20-year-old Stormbreaker star has been acting like "a psycho loose cannon" following their bitter break-up.

The publication is also alleging that Pettyfer recently became embroiled in a heated confrontation at a West Hollywood bar with Black Swan actor Sebastian Stan, and accused him of hooking up with Agron behind his back.

The source added, "Dianna is terrified of [Alex]. He absolutely lost it and threatened her [Agron] during a phone conversation."

Just yesterday it was reported that Agron had done the dumping after her current I Am Four co-star took part in a risque photoshoot with models Lydia Hearst and Leven Rambin. But the pictures were taken before the couple had even begun dating, and actress and model Hearst had told US gossip website TMZ, "I can't help but laugh because it is nothing more than art, and it is beyond ridiculous that anyone would be upset about it.

"It was a kiss from over a year ago… it's time to move on."

Pettyfer's spokesperson has since come forward to deny that he made any threats.

But we reckon there's still more drama and scandal to come with this one…

Joker aims for records with 10 languages used in one song

He may have called his film Joker but director Shirish Kunder is dead serious when it comes to his second film. For this Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha starrer that goes on floor this month, Shirish is now all set to film a song which is made of - hold your breath - 10 languages. A dance number, it is sung by Daler Mehendi and is a fusion track.

"That's right; we have already recorded the song and would be picturising it in the Chandigarh schedule which kick-starts on Valentines Day (14th February). The uniqueness about this song is that it has lyrics belonging to 10 languages - Hindi, English, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam", says Shirish who has earlier directed Akshay in his debut outing Jaan-E-Mann.

Now an effort like this could well take the song in the record books because as far as Bollywood outings are concerned, the record so far is held by Angrezi Mein Kehte Hai from Amitabh Bachchan starrer Khud-Daar (1982) which had lyrics in five languages - English, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali and Punjabi. With the song from Joker bringing in ten languages, it is miles ahead of the competition.

"Well, we are not thinking of any records as of now. What we want is that we should have fun while getting the song on screen and audience should be enjoying it", says Shirish who is co-producing the film along with Akshay Kumar, "Farah would be choreographing the song."

To be shot outdoors, the song which has been composed by newcomer GV Prakash and written by Shirish himself has an Indian melody to it with a hip hop groove. It would be picturised on Akshay and Sonakshi and is already being touted as a major highlight in Joker.

A close associate of Shirish adds, "He has been known for his innovation when it comes to music. Remember 'Humko Maaloom Hai' (Jaan-E-Mann) which was so different musically as well as visually. Even recently his very own composition of Tees Maar Khan title song was getting quite popular before the entire team decided to pitch 'Sheila Ka Jawani' as the next big song. Now with Joker, expect him to go full throttle."

Well, we hope the results are as enticing as they sound Shirish!

Aishwarya wins worst actress award

Bollywood actors are acknowledge with awards for their best work but have you ever heard that actors are dishonored for their flops and worst offerings. A special Ghanta award has been given to Bollywood actors for their flops.

Recently, the committee members of Ghanta Awards announced the winners of this special and funny award. Former beauty queen and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who is known for her quality work has been awarded with the worst actress Ghanta award for her flop films. Last year, Ash had four releases, ‘Endhiran’, Guzaarish’, Action Replay’, Raavan’ but she has been able to impress audience with ‘Endhiran’ only.

Other winners of season Diwali 2009-2010 Ghanta award are Himesh Reshammiya (worst actor), Aditya Narayan (worst breakthrough), Uday Chopra and Priyanka Chopra (worst couple), Sajid Khan (worst director), Pyaar Impossible (worst film), Zayed Khan (worst supporting actor), Lara Dutta (worst supporting actress).

Priyanka Chopra kisses Shahid Kapoor

It seems that Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapoor are taking their relationship to next level.

We mean more than a friendship after the Income Tax raid at Kamine Girl’s residence.

Recently, Piggy Chops kissed Shahid Kapoor infront of her mother. Yes, you read it right. After the Income Tax department raids, Priyanka and Shahid are emotionally bonded.

On last Sunday, Priyanka Chopra hugged Shahid and also kissed him infront of her mother for his emotional support.

Shahid rushed to Priyanka's residence just after IT raids and extended emotional support. The IT department has accused Priyanka of duping Rs 10 crore unclaimed earnings. The Income Tax department had raided Katrina Kaif and Priyanka for hiding income.

Well, the raids have changed the personal life of both the actress as their love affairs are publically exposed. Whereas Priyanka is coming close to Shahid, Katrina has been dating Ranbir Kapoor and duo spent a night together on Tuesday.

Priyanka Chopra rubbishes reports of unaccounted assets

Priyanka Chopra's spokesperson has denied rumours regarding the actress that have emerged since the Income Tax raid at her residence on Monday.

Soon after the Income Tax raid, there were rumours that she has unaccounted assets worth Rs.6 crore. The following day, there was news that the IT officials had found actor Shahid Kapoor at Priyanka's house when they knocked her door at 7.30 a.m. Monday. But her spokesperson has rubbished the news.

"We deny the many malicious rumours being spread in the media on the basis of some unidentified sources," Priyanka's spokesperson said in a press statement Thursday.

"We are extending all co-operation to the Income Tax authorities in their ongoing investigations and are restraining ourselves from commenting any further on the issue pending completion of the investigative process," added the spokesperson.

The IT officials also raided the respective residence of actress Katrina Kaif and photographer Atul Kasbekar.

Rumors of Hook-up Upset Chitrangada Singh

The rumors of a romantic link-up with director Sudhir Mishra upset Chitrangada Singh to a great degree. The sultry actress who’s making a comeback of sorts in the director’s upcoming movie ‘Yeh Saali Zindagi’ admitted this in a candid interview. Chitrangada debuted with Sudhir’s ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’ years back. After that she vanished from the scene, citing reasons that she wanted to spend time with her family. She is married to ace golfer Jyoti Randhawa and also has a son. Because of this hiatus, there were all sorts of talk in the media about the actress falling out with director Sudhir Mishra. The actress has denied anything as such happened.

Chitrangada Singh explained that it was difficult for her to survive the rumors. She said that she did feel awkward in her friend circle, though it was definitely not the reason why she took a sabbatical. In the course of the interview, Chitrangada also explained that Sudhir Mishra always offered her something special in terms of roles. Her performance in her debut film is still talked about and that has raised expectations from her upcoming work with the same director. In fact, during the shooting of ‘Yeh Saali Zindagi’ there were reports that the muse got into a tiff with her mentor over a particular scene.

Meanwhile, Chitrangada’s hairdresser Amrita took off with her cell phone and bag while they were shooting in Indore. Amrita is the same hairdresser who worked on Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in ‘Raavan’ and ‘Robot’. She didn’t inform anyone on the set and took off after shooting wrapped up in a mall. Chitrangada was freaked out more for her disappearance than her bag and phone missing. Unit members kept trying Chitrangada’s mobile but there was no response. The crew was scheduled to leave Indore in minutes. Finally Amrita showed up, claiming that she lost the unit in the mall. Her excuse was not convincing because apparently Amrita has done it several times before!

Jack LaLanne Passes Away at Age 96

Synonymous with physical fitness, Jack LaLanne sadly passed away at the age of 96 at his Morro Bay, California home on Sunday, January 23, 2011.

The longtime "The Jack LaLanne Show" television host was reportedly comforted by loved ones as he succumbed to respiratory failure due to pneumonia.

Talking to Reuters, LaLanne's daughter Yvonne said, "He was surrounded by his family and passed very peacefully and in no distress ... and with the football game on Sunday, so everything was normal."

Mr LaLanne is said to have continued his fitness efforts right to the end, as he lived by the motto, "Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Put them together, and you've got a kingdom."

Along with Yvonne, Jack leaves behind a son, Dan Doyle, along with his wife, Elaine, and their son, Jon.

Deepika kisses Siddharth Mallya

Deepika Padukone has always been unapologetic about kissing her co-stars on screen. "I am comfortable doing kissing scenes," she had said some time ago. "Are you telling me that people in relationships just hold hands?"

Now it looks like she is equally comfortable kissing her beau in real life, too. And no matter that her father was present when she planted her smooch!

Deepika was celebrating the New Year in Copenhagen - the city she was born in - when beau Siddharth Mallya decided to surprise her with a lavish birthday party.

She was so impressed with the surprise that she planted a big, wet one on Siddharth, completely oblivious of the fact that her parents were at the party, too.

Reports also claim that the two lovebirds were caught romancing on the streets on Copenhagen, too.

We like people who throw caution to the winds and don't hide behind the 'we are just friends' line.

Andrea Jeremiah loves Studies than Acting

Right now she stars Dhanush opposite her. With such a promising acting career in hand, Andrea says that she would love to continue her academics rather than acting in Kollywood films if given a chance.

Andrea also repents for not pursuing further studies and joining film industry. It sounds little abrupt but true that the 26-year old actress does not give importance to looks. According to her, the girls who grow up worrying only about their looks all the time, they end up being stupid. That’s why she does not bother about her look 24×7.

The actress adds that she hates putting the ‘busy mask’ on her face always even though she has her own packed schedule. Andrea says that she is mostly waiting at the airport for her shot as an actress and a singer but that does not mean she is always busy.

Andrea also thinks that she is not very good with computer and the internet, so she is absent from the popular networking sites. She says that she just keeps checking her mails even though her friends suggest her to network with friends.

However, she keeps her lips sealed tight when she is enquired about her role in Dhanush starrer Erandaam Ulagam. Andrea says it will be too early to speak about it. She is also silent on her earlier relationship with director Selvaraghavan, who has recently disclosed his marriage plans with assistant Gitanjali.

Well, her lack of interest in movies may be due to this personal reason also!

Amitabh challenges Hollywood

Hollywood has always been way ahead of its time in terms of its content and technology.

No wonder then, Hollywood fascination doesn't limit to Bollywood actors or Indian masses. The American film industry dominates most of the foreign markets too including Australia, Canada and UK.

The Shahenshah of Indian Cinema, Amitabh Bachchan however doubts the global dominance of American films. He admits that Hollywood does churn out some good films although believes their subjects are relevant to their society.

The actor elaborated by stating an example of 'The Social Network'. The actor saw David Fincher's widely acclaimed film and found it amazing. Although added, "'The Social Network' was a good film but unfortunately most of India does not know internet. Let Hollywood make a film like 'Baghban' ... will they?"

The legendary actor has always stood by the 'Hindi film industry' and has always been in favour of its unique identity.

Mr Bachchan is one of the many senior Indian actors who rightly object to the usage of word 'Bollywood' too as it deprives it of its identity.

Mr Bachchan, we agree with you and hope there comes a day when Hollywood will make a film called 'We are family' which will be inspired by Baghban!

Michael Jackson Perfume Coming in March

The King of Pop might be gone but dear ol’ dad is determined to keep his memory, and his royalty payments, alive. Of course, perfume won’t be the only thing keeping the gloved one on our minds as Michael Jackson The Experience gets ready to hit PS3 and XBox 360 in April.

PopCrunch tells us that Michael’s dad, Joe, has partnered with a French perfume company to roll out a collection of fragrances in March. Lined up so far are a his-and-hers set consisting of Jackson’s Tribute and Jackson’s Legend. Both are supposedly inspired by plants grown at Neverland Ranch.

Chief Executive of the Julian Rouas Paris Company, Frank Rouas, says, “With Joe Jackson, we are 50-50 partners in world sales, television rights and advertising receipts. We did it very, very quickly. Usually it takes a year.”

The way the story goes, Rouas had a stall at a Las Vegas trade fair when he learned the Jackson family was looking around when a couple of people stopped by his booth to borrow a pen for autographs. In addition to a pen, Rouas also gave two samples of his company’s perfume, Versailles, with instructions to give the perfume to Janet Jackson. The Jackson’s liked the products; Rouas proposed his idea, and the rest is commercialism history.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the perfumes will benefit some of Michael’s favorite charities.

Korean-French film bags Pune International Film Festival top prize

The government of Maharashtra’s Prabhat ‘Best international film’ award of Rs10 lakh was given to the film Dooman River/ La Riviere Tumen (South Korea/ France) by Zhang Lu at the concluding ceremony of the 9th Pune International Film Festival held at Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch on Thursday.

Likewise, the Prabhat Best international director award of Rs5 lakh was given to director Borys Lankosz for the film The Reverse (Poland) and the special jury award was given to Natalie Smirnoff, director of the film Puzzle (Argentina, France). While the Sant Tukaram Best Marathi Feature Film award of Rs5 lakh was given to the film Baboo Band Baaja by Rajesh Pinjani.

Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) student Tathagata Singha bagged the PIFF special award of Rs25,000 for direction.

Jabbar Patel, director, PIFF said, “Next year, we are going to introduce Indian cinema competition award in which first or second film of the Indian director will be eligible for the competition. Forty films from PIFF will be sent to the first Yashwant International festival which will held in Mumbai later this month.’’

Minister of state for culture Faujia Khan, who was the chief guest of the function, said, “PIFF is the only award function, the state government involves itself with and government takes lots of efforts to encourage Marathi films.’’

The Most Popular Actors and Actresses in the U.S.

There's no such thing as a sure thing in the movie business, and a recent poll on America's favorite actors and actresses proves it. Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie have supplanted Clint Eastwood and Sandra Bullock, respectively, as the most popular actor and actress in the U.S., according to the online survey

Depp beat out Denzel Washington and John Wayne as the post popular actors, while Jolie finished ahead of Julia Roberts and Bullock. Eastwood fell to No. 7 among actors, while Bullock fell to No. 3 among actresses.

Salaries of the Stars

And all the top-listed stars have benefited handsomely from their popularity. Depp also topped Forbes's September 2010 list of highest-paid actors, with a salary that reached an estimated $75 million for the year ending June 2010 -- ahead of Ben Stiller's estimated $53 million -- largely on the popularity of Walt Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" film franchise.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" is the fourth-highest global grossing film of all time, generating $1.07 billion in worldwide box-office sales after its 2006 release, while its 2007 follow up, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," is No. 9

Jolie tied Roberts for sixth place on a Forbes list of highest-paid actresses in August 2010, having earned an estimated $20 million for the year ended June 2010. Bullock topped that list at $56 million, followed by Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Depp and Jolie co-starred in the Sony film "The Tourist," which opened Dec. 10. That film, which had a production budget of about $100 million, has grossed a disappointing $61.5 million in U.S. box-office receipts after being largely panned by critics

Actor Vivek Shauq dies

The film industry lost a very good character artist in the form of Vivek Shauq who breathed his last today. The actor was a prominent face in a lot of Punjabi films but also had done work in a lot of Bollywood films as a support actor.

He has films like 'Gadar Ek Prem Katha', 'Aitraaz' and '36 China Town' where his comic timing earned him a lot of accolades to his credit.

The death was rather untimely as he was just 47 and suffered a heart attack on Jan 3 after which he was taken to Sant Nirankari Mission where he breathed his last today.

He has worked with a lot of top bollywood actors like Sunny Deol, Akshay Kumar, Akshaye Khanna and Shahid Kapoor. His acts with Jaspal Bhatti in Ulta Pulta TV show were very famous in the north region.

He slipped into coma after a minor operation and could never attain conscious again. His sense of humor was amazing and had a lot of fans in the industry; he was also one of the founder members of Nonsense Club.

The Top 10 Actors To Keep An Eye On In 2011

Andrew Garfield

When you're one of the top stars of "The Social Network" and that's not your biggest headline of 2010, you're either doing something very right or very wrong. For Andrew Garfield, we're quite confident it's the former. While his big "Spider-Man" debut is still more than a year away, something tells us we're going to hear a lot more about him in 2011.

Blake Lively

Lively boldly demonstrated that she's a lot more than just a pretty face on "Gossip Girl" with her unsettlingly honest depiction of drugged-out Krista Coughlin in "The Town," and she's likely to make similar waves in this summer's "Green Lantern." We're betting those roles will lead to much more work in the near future.

Chris Hemsworth

We already met the Australian actor (albeit briefly) in "Star Trek," but the biggest role of Hemsworth's career is still on the horizon in the form of "Thor." In addition to playing the Norse God of Thunder in the Marvel Studios epic, Hemsworth also has his long-awaited turns in "Red Dawn" and "The Cabin in the Woods" to look forward to.

Hailee Steinfeld

After seeing "True Grit," there's simply no way that Hailee Steinfeld disappears into the ether of obscure child actors that only starred in a handful of movies. She better not, at least, because the 14-year-old actress delivered one of the single most powerful performances of 2010 as Mattie Ross, and we're banking on many more memorable characters to come.

James Franco
He's already co-hosting this year's Oscars and he's a likely shoe-in for a Best Actor nomination for his work on "127 Hours." What else does Franco have to look forward to? A lot, apparently, as the actor has his eye on directing adaptations of William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying" and Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian" in the next two years. Say what you will about Franco, but you can't say he's lazy.

Jennifer Lawrence

Did you happen to catch Jennifer Lawrence's moving performance as wise-beyond-her-years teenager Ree Dolly in "Winter's Bone" last year? If not, you need to fix that mistake immediately. Lawrence is on the cusp of stardom here, not just because of this celebrated performance, but also her upcoming turn as Mystique in "X-Men: First Class."

Mila Kunis

Although most eyes are on Natalie Portman when it comes to "Black Swan," don't forget her stunning co-star. Kunis turned in a truly haunting performance as the enigmatic Lily, the perfect foil for Portman's deeply troubled Nina. If that performance was any indication, Kunis has big things ahead of her as a dramatic actress. But before she brings the drama again, she'll flaunt her funny side in the raunchy rom-com "Friends With Benefits," out this summer.

Natalie Portman

But, come on, credit where it's due: Portman gave the performance of her career in "Black Swan," and every ounce of praise she's received is fully deserved. A likely Oscar winner by this time next year, it'll be very interesting to see what the phenomenally talented Portman does with this kind of success. In the meantime, there'll be no shortage of the Portman on the big screen this year. She's got no fewer than four wildly different films on the horizon in '11: the Ashton Kutcher-co-starring romantic comedy "No Strings Attached," the wrenching drama "The Other Woman," the medieval stoner comedy "Your Highness" and the superheroic "Thor."

Ryan Reynolds

Ignore the fact that Reynolds is taking the lead on "Green Lantern." That's not what he's doing on this list. No, it's his tentative involvement with "Deadpool" that we're worried about. There's no one else on the planet better suited to play Wade Wilson than Reynolds, so we're hoping that the actor makes a firmer commitment to the comic book movie this year.

Tom Hardy

The "Inception" star has a few movies on the way in 2011, including "Warrior," "This Means War" and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy." He's filming an unknown role for "The Dark Knight Rises" this year as well. Already responsible for the most badass character of 2010, "Inception"'s erstwhile Eames is likely to have an equally successful year in 2011.

Happy Birthday A.R. Rahman!!

Oscar winning music director AR Rahman is celebrating his 44th birthday today, January 6th, 2010. Rahman’s entry into filmdom was with Roja in 1992 and since then he has bagged fourteen Filmfare Awards, eleven Filmfare Awards South, four National Film Awards, two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe. The Maestro of Madras, as he is fondly referred to, has been nominated for the Golden Globe Award for the Hollywood flick 127 Hours.

Rahman is actively involved in various social welfare activities and is promoting the cause of education through his KM Music Conservatory by adopting children from corporation schools and imparting free education in music.

Let’s wish this musician a very happy birthday and many more to come!

Singer Gerry Rafferty dead after illness

Gerry Rafferty, famous for the hit songs Baker Street and Stuck In The Middle With You, has died after a long illness his agent Paul Charles confirmed earlier this morning.

Scottish singer-songwriter Rafferty had a successful solo career as well as being a member of the band Stealers Wheel, with whom he released the hit-track Stuck In The Middle With You in 1972. This song also featured in Quentin Tarantino's film Reservoir Dogs, which was released in 1992.

Rafferty’s biggest hit was Baker Street, the 1978 song famous for its distinct saxophone solo, which got to No. 3 on the UK charts and No. 2 in the US.

Gerrry Rafferty started his career as a busker on the London Underground in the mid-60s.
The funeral is believed to be held in his hometown of Paisley later this month.

More Unreleased Johnny Cash Due in February

You won’t have to wait very long into the new year for more Johnny Cash. In February, Columbia/Legacy Recordings will release a two-CD set “Bootlegs 2: From Memphis to Hollywood.”

The two-CD set will focus on Cash’s early career, with disc 1 including seven outtakes from his Sun Records days, eleven unreleased demos, and a radio broadcast hosted by Cash himself. Disc 2 focuses on his days at Columbia from 1958 to 1969 and features rare B sides and outtakes.

The CD set comes out, almost a year to the date, after the release of “American VI: Ain’t No Grave,” the final installment of "the man in black," critically acclaimed American Recordings series produced by Rick Rubin. Pre-orders are now being taken for the February 22nd release date.

Stacy Fogarty is an on-air radio personality and music director for a popular radio station in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.