BREAKINGNEWS

bollywood 2007

Happy New Year! 2007 was a rocking year for Bollywood at the box office and 2008 looks to be even more promising. The first in the queue is ‘My Name is Anthony Gonsalves’ which has Amrita Rao appearing with a totally new glamorous look and new kid on the block, Nikhil Dwivedi.
2008 also awaits the release of the mega project ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ whose promos are already scorching the screen. Next in tow is the thriller, ‘Race’ which boasts of an array of top stars- Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy. With so many promising releases, 2008 will be a very happy year for all Bollywood fans!!

Quiet New Year Whilst the city celebrated the New Year, it was rather quiet in the Bachchan’s household. There was no nach gana, champagne popping and friends dropping in to wish Bollywood's most celebrated family.
"The Bachchan's are still in mourning because of Teji Bachchan's death. And so this year they didn't step out of the house," says a friend of the family.
We wish them every happiness in 2008!

Kareena to Turn Designer! After the success of 'Jab We Met', Kareena Kapoor is now ready to design her own line of clothing for retail chain GLOBUS.
The Bollywood diva appears to be following in the footsteps of Jennifer Lopez and Kate Moss who have been designing their own lines of clothing. This could be the start of Bollywood actors using their influence and high profiles to create their own fashion empires!

Hanks happy with 'nice guy' tag

Indo-Asian News Service

Tuesday, January 1, 2008: (London):



Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks is happy with the "nice guy" tag because he is secure that he lives up to it.

Reports say that he will be stuck with people's perception that he is a nice guy but he seems fine with it because he is as nice off screen as he is on.

He said, "There's no doubt a degree of my image is going to follow me into every gig. Look, I am a nice guy. That's my image. I can't erase it from people's minds."

He believes his nice guy image comes from his disciplined work ethic.

"It comes from respecting people even when I don't like them. I don't give people less than my all and don't expect less of other people," he added.

Hanks won two best actor Oscar awards back to back in 1993 and 1994 for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump.

Audiences go gaga over 'Taare Zameen Par', 'Welcome'

By Prithwish Ganguly

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A child with dyslexia and a trio of matchmaking gangsters wooed the Bollywood box-office over the weekend with audiences giving the thumbs up to both ''Taare Zameen Par'' and ''Welcome''.

Billed as a toast to children and childhood, ''Taare Zameen Par'' is actor Aamir Khan’s first outing as a director and delves into the world of a special child whose talent is only understood by a sensitive teacher.

The film, an example of how Indian filmmakers are moving from escapist sagas to more prosaic issues, saw many in the audience identifying with the problem of stiff parental expectation and academic competition.

"I could see many people in the hall wiping their tears," said 21-year-old student Aarti Joshi.

But there were some complaints about the film's sluggish first half and the director's obsession with depicting the minutiae of the child's world.

"Aamir has gone out of the way to present every single detail of Ishaan's thought pattern which could have been cut down," said businessman Akash Sharma.

Despite its flaws, ''Taare Zameen Par'' seems destined to stay in public memory with critic Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India even recommending a mandatory viewing for all parents and schools.

Actor Darsheel Safary, who plays the 8-year-old protagonist, came in for special praise.  

Mortal remains of Teji Bachchan consigned to flames

Mumbai (PTI): The mortal remains of Teji Bachchan, mother of renowned actor Amitabh Bachchan, were consigned to flames at the Ruia Park cremation ground in Juhu on Saturday. Amitabh, the eldest son, lit the funeral pyre. Standing by his side giving him strength were younger brother Ajitabh and son Abhishek. Amitabh's daughter-in-law Aishwarya and daughter Shweta too joined him at the funeral. Throughout the funeral procession and while performing the final rites, Amitabh held himself together, not shedding a single drop of tear. But his face and eyes were evident of the sea of emotions flowing in his mind. Abhishek was seen holding on to his father's shoulders at regular intervals in an attempt to console him. However, Shweta was seen crying inconsolably. Both Aishwarya and Abhishek took turns to console her. The funeral procession started at 10 am from Bachchan's Juhu bungalow Pratiksha on foot under tight police security who also regulated the traffic flow. Amitabh, Ajitabh, Abhishek, Anil Ambani and Amar Singh carried the body on their shoulders. The procession reached the cremation ground at around 1045 hours. For about 15 minutes, Amitabh performed the final rites and finally lit the pyre at 1100 hrs. Many dignitaries were present for the funeral. These included former Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, actor Vivek Oberoi, director Pahlaj Nihlani and several others. However, the Gandhi family were conspicuous with their absence as Teji Bachchan was very close to Indira Gandhi. Speaking to reporters before start of the funeral procession, Shekhawat paid his tributes to Teji Bachchan and called her as a woman of many virtues. "I know the Bachchan family very closely. Teji Bachchan was a woman of many virtues. Her moral values are firmly instilled in her family and played a major role in shaping it," Shekhawat said. Teji Bachchan died on Friday after a prolonged illness at Lilavati Hospital

Jackson spoted with bandages

Thursday, December 20, 2007: (Las Vegas) :


King of pop Micheal Jackson's appearance has commanded as many column inches as his infamous case itself, fuelling speculation and comment over his facial features.

The singer recently was spotted sporting bandages at a Barnes and Nobel book store in Las Vegas.

Accompanied by his three kids, Prince Michael, Paris and Prince Michael II, the 49-year-old wore sunglasses and wrapped a scarf around his head in a failed attempt to disguise himself.

Jackson has made headlines over the years for undergoing vast surgical procedures.

Sushmita gets court notice for 'obscenity'

Indo-Asian News Service

Thursday, December 20, 2007: (Chennai):



Former Miss Universe and Bollywood actor Sushmita Sen is the latest star in the crosshairs of culture cops in Tamil Nadu.

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has issued a notice to the actor on a petition that termed her comments propagated through newspapers and television 'lewd'.

Lawyer Girish Kumar, in his petition, said the Tamil newspapers had quoted the actress in a television interview saying, "No Indian has chastity or virginity any more. Having pre-marital or post-marital affair(s) is nothing wrong in the society nowadays."

He sought to prosecute the actress under IPC Sections 292, 292B, 293 and 294, (all pertaining to obscenity in print, words and songs), 499 and 500 (which relate to defamation), besides Sections 3, 4 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act and 2, 3 and 6 of the Young Persons Harmful Publication Act.

The notice will have to be returned by Jan 7.

This is the second time that film stars have been attacked in Tamil Nadu for 'direct insults to womanhood'. Last year, actors Khushboo, Shilpa Shetty and Reema Sen had been dragged to court.

Warrants were issued against other actors of Bollywood too, but the Madras High Court stayed them. The court has also exempted them from personal appearance.

All the actors have been featured in Hindi and Tamil films.

Khushboo also hosts a popular show aired by some major Tamil channels.

Sudhir Mishra still enamoured ex-wife

Sunday, December 16, 2007: (Mumbai):



The first thing that Sudhir Mishra realised on meeting ex-wife Sushmita Mukherjee on the sets of Khoya Khoya Chand (KKC) was that she still has a great sense of humour.

"In fact to begin with, one of the things that attracted me to her was her laughter and humour. Those still remain intact. Sushmita still makes me laugh. And one of the pleasures of working with my former wife was the laughter that I experienced all over again," Sudhir told IANS.

Sushmita plays a fading doddering actress of the 1950s in KKC.

"Someone like Nadira, a vamp of yesteryears whose home provides a meeting point for the lovers in my film. You know in those days film people couldn't meet in hotels, etc. Sushmita is superb. It's a pity our cinema hasn't found the right place for her comic aptitude. The last time I worked with her was my first film Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin in 1987. I wish I worked with her more often," the director said.

Sudhir makes a startling confession, "Today, I wish we had never got married. We'd have made wonderful friends, though we were not compatible as man and wife."

What went wrong in their marriage?

"She's a wonderful person. Happily remarried and with two lovely children. I remember when we went for a divorce we laughed so much and I had my hand on her shoulder. The judge refused to grant us a divorce and told us to come back after six months. And believe me, this isn't a made-up story," he laughed.

Lots of pleasant memories spill out of Sudhir as he prepared for KKC.

"I admit I was nervous. At the premiere lot of people whose opinion matters like Javed (Akhtar) and Shabana (Azmi), and Vinod Chopra loved the film. The film does go into the 1950s. But it isn't a case study of those times. It's a vivacious story that happens to be set in those times. The comparisons with Guru Dutt are apt but they don't tell the full truth about my film. If a parallel has to be found to my film it'd have to be something as underrated as Sridhar's Dil Ek Mandir, which came around mid 1960s," he added.

Coming back to Sushmita, Sudhir said, "When I wrote the role I immediately thought of Sushmita. To my surprise even my casting director wanted her. I'm so glad I worked with her. In between I'd bump into her occasionally and exchange warm vibes. I wish we'd have never got married and had just remained friends."

 Spice Girls sing to half empty stadium

Indo-Asian News Service

Wednesday, December 12, 2007: (London) :


The Spice Girls, who are presently on their reunion tour, sang to a half empty stadium in Las Vegas.

According to ananova.com, the Spice Girls were performing at a supposedly sold-out venue but hundreds of empty seats were visible.

Victoria Beckham's husband David Beckham was present along with boxer Ricky Hatton but plenty of other paying fans decided not to show up.

The group will soon head to New York as their world tour continues.

Things have been getting worse for the group after their comeback single Headlines, which was sung for the NGO Children in Need, flopped so badly that it became the charity's worst selling song of all time.

'Singh Is Kinng' goes places

Indiafm.com

Wednesday, December 12, 2007: (Mumbai):



Vipul Shah's Akshay - Katrina starrer Singh Is Kinng, directed by Anees Bazmee, is truly going places.

The cast and crew has just returned from Australia after completing 50 per cent shooting of the film and while you're reading this, the makers have embarked on another major schedule in Mumbai.

Once the Mumbai schedule concludes, the unit will shift to Punjab and for yet another schedule, in Egypt.

"It's my most accomplished film so far. Working on this film has been an incredible experience," Vipul Shah sounded elated.

"Earlier, I was producing and directing my films, but this time, I am merely playing the producer's part. I feel enriched by the experience."

Thursday, December 6, 2007: (Kabul):



Four boy actors in the movie The Kite Runner have left Afghanistan out of concern they could be ostracised or subjected to violence because of a rape scene in the movie, a film executive said.

The Kite Runner, which had its world premiere in Hollywood, is based on the 2003 best-selling novel by Afghan-American writer Khaled Hosseini.

In the story, the main character witnesses the rape of his friend but does nothing to stop it.

Although the film is not scheduled for release in Afghanistan, there are concerns that pirated DVDs could reach Kabul and some residents might react violently to the rape scene.

The four boys, each accompanied by a relative, left Afghanistan and arrived in the United Arab Emirates, said Megan Colligan, executive vice president of marketing for Paramount Vantage, which is releasing the film.

Studio executives felt they should get the boys out of the country before The Kite Runner opens on Dec 14 in the United States, Colligan said.

"We knew they were well, but they were anxious about what would happen when the film came out," Colligan said. "We were told that what really might trigger any sort of reaction would be pirated copies of the film entering the country, which could set off widespread rumours about the content."

In September, the father of one of the boys said he had asked that the rape scene be cut from the film. Ahmad Jaan Mahmidzada said he had been assured it would not be included.

But the film's producers, Bennett Walsh and Rebecca Yeldham, said they were surprised by the Mahmidzada's comments at the time, adding that they had already spoken with the families of the actors and addressed their concerns about the scene.

The Kite Runner, originally scheduled for Nov 2 release, was delayed six weeks so that the boy actors could leave Kabul.
Thursday, December 6, 2007: (Kabul):

Four boy actors in the movie The Kite Runner have left Afghanistan out of concern they could be ostracised or subjected to violence because of a rape scene in the movie, a film executive said.

The Kite Runner, which had its world premiere in Hollywood, is based on the 2003 best-selling novel by Afghan-American writer Khaled Hosseini.

In the story, the main character witnesses the rape of his friend but does nothing to stop it.

Although the film is not scheduled for release in Afghanistan, there are concerns that pirated DVDs could reach Kabul and some residents might react violently to the rape scene.

The four boys, each accompanied by a relative, left Afghanistan and arrived in the United Arab Emirates, said Megan Colligan, executive vice president of marketing for Paramount Vantage, which is releasing the film.

Studio executives felt they should get the boys out of the country before The Kite Runner opens on Dec 14 in the United States, Colligan said.

"We knew they were well, but they were anxious about what would happen when the film came out," Colligan said. "We were told that what really might trigger any sort of reaction would be pirated copies of the film entering the country, which could set off widespread rumours about the content."

In September, the father of one of the boys said he had asked that the rape scene be cut from the film. Ahmad Jaan Mahmidzada said he had been assured it would not be included.

But the film's producers, Bennett Walsh and Rebecca Yeldham, said they were surprised by the Mahmidzada's comments at the time, adding that they had already spoken with the families of the actors and addressed their concerns about the scene.

The Kite Runner, originally scheduled for Nov 2 release, was delayed six weeks so that the boy actors could leave Kabul.

Led Zeppelin hints at more shows

Britney Spears in another trouble

Tuesday, November 13, 2007: (Los Angeles) :
There could be more trouble ahead for Britney Spears in her custody battle.

Kevin Federline's lawyer says he may try to subpoena video footage that apparently shows the pop princess running a red light at a Hollywood Hills intersection while driving with their two young sons in the back seat.

Attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan says he's weighing whether to seek a subpoena from the court on Wednesday for the footage, which was posted on the celebrity news website TMZ.com.

Separately, TMZ reported that it was contacted by Kaplan.

Kaplan declined further comment, but the footage could support his request to a Superior Court commissioner to stop Spears from driving when her sons are in her car.

Federline has temporary custody of Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, because Spears has defied court orders.

A message left for an attorney for Spears, Anne Kiley, wasn't immediately returned on Monday.

Spears' driving has been an ongoing problem for her.

In 2006, she was photographed driving with Sean Preston on her lap, and authorities visited her home to investigate.

Last month, she pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving without a valid driver's license.

A misdemeanor hit-and-run charge from an August parking lot crash was dismissed after she paid an undisclosed amount to the car's owner.

Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, were married in October 2004.

The two have wrangled in court over custody issues since they split. Their divorce was final in July.

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Saawariya Butterflies Ranbeer Kapoor has a lot riding over his shoulder. As the release date of his debut film Saawariya approaches, the newcomer has huge butterflies in his stomach. He however says he won't let down his mentor Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
"I don't know where I go from here. But I'll certainly not let down Mr. Bhansali after the high standards he has set for me. Right now all I'm thinking of is Saawariya Ranbir told IANS.
His film is clashing with friend Deepika Padukone's debut vehicle "Om Shanti Om", but Ranbir is unperturbed and says that he is looking forward to it.

'Om Shanti Om' vs 'Saawariya' A battle has reached the war zone. And one always thought that movies were means of entertainment!
Entertainment it surely is, especially with Diwali weekend promising to bring millions of Bollywood lovers into theaters. Still, even with the cry of battle resonating to deafening degrees, it is difficult to ignore the talks amongst one and all speculating, deciding and even passing judgments around.

Hema Malini on Canvas After making millions of hearts flutter with her evergreen beauty, the dream girl of Bollywood Hema Malini has been put on canvas by Kanhai Brothers. The beauty of traditional Kanhai art is implausible. The life-size portrait of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L.K Advani says it all. Govind and Krishna Kanhai were to gift Hema Malini this beautiful creation on her birthday. However, due to some schedule problems, they could not make it. Nevertheless, Vrindavan brothers did the honour of laying an exhibition in Mumbai Kanhai Brothers seem to be adding on in the list of Dream girl’s admirers. Well, that does not come as a big surprise. What say Hemaji?