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Brand Licensing discuss Character Licensing bizThe Brand licensing and Merchandising Show '09, Mumbai, had Spacetoon's Rajiv Sanghari, Graphiti's Munjal Shroff and Extend Brands Mayuri Pitale discussing animation and character licensing. The session was moderated by LIMA's Martin Borchstein. Character licensing galore: Talking about the licensing industry, Rajiv Sanghari said that entertainment/character licensing is the strongest vertical in the licensing business. "This vertical continues to be the strongest in the licensing business maintaining a 45% share in the market followed by trademarks/brands at 17% and fashion category at 15%. Fido-the licensing biz hero: Munjal Shroff, whose company Graphiti Multimedia has tied-up with Joanna Ferrone (creator of Fido Dido, popular as 7UP's brand mascot) and is creating content around it, said that that the peppy and cool character was still popular with brands and consumers, attracting a lot of licensees. Sharing a brief background about Fido and how it was created he said, "Fido is known as a huge trademark success throughout the US, Europe and Asia and is present in several categories such as apparel, shoes, stationary, accessories, soft drinks, etc." Fido was a case of enormous success for PepsiCo in the 80's and still being used on the 7UP's cans and advertisements in Argentina, Chile, Greece, UK, Ireland and India, amongst many other countries. Key to successful licensing strategy: Extend Brands' Mayuri Pitale, whose company represents Popeye and many other characters, highlighted the key to a successful licensing strategy. She highlighted the need to identify the USP of the property and evolve with the target group, to continue building the property over the years and to strategize according to the product life cycle of a certain brand.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 27 Feb 2009 | 4:59 pm Freida Pinto on Maxim cover
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Feb 2009 | 3:56 pm Sonal Chauhan in a song worth Rs 6 million
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Feb 2009 | 3:49 pm Charles Darby speaks about VFX of Sujoy Ghosh's AladinInternational visual effects wiz Charles Darby has been in the industry for 14 years and has worked on more than 47 films. One of the pioneers of digital matte paintings, Charles is currently the CEO and Creative Director of EyeQube Studios in Mumbai, which is an Eros International company working on a number of projects including the much awaited Aladin and Veer. Darby's work includes Academy and BAFTA award-winning work on films such as Titanic, The Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Fifth Element, Minority Report and Drona. In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Darby speaks about the visual effects in Sujoy Ghosh's Aladin, his views on the Indian film industry, future projects and more⦠Tell us about your visual effects (vfx) work for Aladin? We have over 1,500 vfx shots and that includes, quite easily, the most complex vfx ever produced in India. What kind of shots does the film have? It's a gamut of work actually. It's everything from 3D city shots, 2D shots, character animation and high-end compositing. It's everything you can imagine a large FX driven film to have. I think Eros has already green lit a sequel Is there any other studio working on Aladin? I have designed all the shots in the film and EyeQube has created all the CG elements used throughout the movie. We have commissioned one other company to help composite our elements for one sequence. We supervise the work and make sure our quality standards are met. Is a sequel in the pipeline? I think Eros has already green lit a sequel. I am sure the performance of the first Aladin is going to be the most important thing. But, Eros is so happy with Aladin so far, that they are already having the second one written. How do you see vfx integrating in Bollywood films? We don't deal with many clients but only large shows. If a show comes to us, they kind of adhere to the manner in which we work. So, if we are involved in pre-production, then it's the kind of show we would be involved with. Not every show, here in Bollywood is run like that but those who want really western quality high-end vfx, and the ones that don't mind planning, are the ones that we are going for. With Aladin we have been very fortunate because the director, Sujoy Ghosh has given us a lot of leeway to do our job, and that makes a huge difference. Did you also work on the pre-production and pre-visualization? Yes. Even before EyeQube had an office, I had been on Aladin for almost two years. How much of vfx work has been completed? I can't give you a percentage. Essentially, I don't say something is final until it looks really good. EyeQube was also involved in outsourcing work with other projects. We produced 300 shots for Drona. We have already started with pre production for vfx shots for Anil Sharma's Veer. Aladin is slated to be the biggest vfx film since Drona and Love Story 2050 in 2008. How are you making sure that the quality of visual effects meets international standards? Every day is a fight. Its very difficult to get western style quality here because very few companies care enough or have enough time and desire to make that kind of work. Ultimately, no one really cares how many shots are there in the film. All they care about is how it's done at the end. The other thing they care about is the story. If it doesn't have a good story, it doesn't matter. It's quite like saying that this film has great sound but awful story. Part of what we do is to make a good story look bigger and better. Its very difficult to get western style quality here because very few companies care enough or have enough time and desire to make that kind of work Is the story more important that the visual effects? The story is always more important. But if you take a good story and give it great vfx, it will be a very memorable piece of filmmaking. But you can't put great vfx on a mediocre story and make it work. A mediocre story is always a mediocre story. Tell us about any challenging shot in Aladin. We have a completely 3D computer generated (CG) city and landscape with over 3,000 houses, all modeled and textured. (It's been) very difficult. When you have full CG, there is nothing real, there is nothing to support it on the screen. We have a lot of shots of the city and some of the most complex shots any fx house anywhere in the world would attempt. And no one in India would ever attempt that kind of look. So far, that's the most complicated shot. What is there for the audience in Aladin? It's a good story, its entertaining. So even if you take out the vfx, it's still a fun film. If you put the vfx in, it's a really big film. And that's the key. In some films if you take out all the fancy digital intermediate (DI), all the music and vfx, you are left with very little. And I think a lot of producers are realizing that the story is actually important. There is no point in having visual effects for just visual effects' sake; they need to be there to support the story. With Aladin, we had to support the story and make the film possible because there are certain sequences in the film which would be nearly impossible to do. So vfx allows you to tell a certain story, they're the kind of shots which were very difficult to have shot. If you do mediocre work, you are always bidding against someone else How many people are working on the vfx as of now? I have 200 staff of which 180 people working on just Aladin, which is different because EyeQube is not doing adverts here or TV there. We are doing pre production on Veer and rest of the company is on Aladin, 24 hours a day. So, it's a much more focused and planned process. 99% of people in my company are Indian artists, but what is different is the culture we have created in the company. We make sure that the artists really understand the look and the feel of the shot, and nothing gets finalized without me liking it personally. Has the recession affected EyeQube? No one in the world is recession proof. My number one job is quality and as long as I keep my quality extremely high, then my competition - domestic or international - has a problem. If you do mediocre work, you are always bidding against someone else. There's always someone who will bid lower that you and a producer who will pay less. But, if your quality is high, people will pay for that. And they will pay internationally, if they want to send work to India. India is not known or respected for outsourcing good quality vfx work but if they see Aladin and if they appreciate it, I can get good budgets from these guys and they can save money. So in a recession, that's a pretty good deal. Therefore I only aim at quality. What is your understanding of the Indian industry? As long as Indian producers and directors focus on the story, it will be good. With Aladin, I really want India to be respected for its work. I don't want people in the West to think that India cannot produce good vfx. And I want my artists to like what they did. On future projects We will work on anything which I like the sound of. If the work is interesting, the budget is OK and we have time to do it, we will do it. We have remained fairly quiet in the past few months and want our work to speak for itself.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 27 Feb 2009 | 3:40 pm Katrina, Lara threatened by Kylie Minogue
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Feb 2009 | 3:00 pm John wants to play Barack Obama on screen
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Feb 2009 | 1:33 pm Chacha Chowdhary, Pinki, Sabu to hit the silver screen soonChacha Chowdhary, Pinki and Sabu who have entertained a range of generations through the comic books, are all gearing up to hit the silver screen, TV and video game platform, soon. Diamond Comics, the owner of these characters, has tied up with License India, which is powering the plans of Diamond comics to reach on electronic platform and scouting for partners and people to work on the creative of the project. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Anupama Bindra, Business Head, License India, said, "We are preparing the licensing plans for Diamond Comics and are in talks with several animation studios who can work on the animation feature and TV series. To start with, we are looking at releasing the TV series this summer, when the holiday season starts so that we can reach kids." Also on the cards are clothes, toys, stationary and other merchandising which will be soon unveiled. Adds Gulshan Rai, Chairman and MD, Diamond Comics, "India is a very big country that manufactures a large number of children oriented products. In the present scenario, our characters can be used in stationary products, bubble-gums and candies amongst many other available merchandising options." Said Gaurav Marya, President-License India, "Animation and Character Licensing industry in India has bright prospect due its large population that accounts for a major chunk of the world's population. Also, the vast majority of India's $75-$100 million in retail sales comes from licensed merchandise in children's properties."Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 27 Feb 2009 | 1:30 pm Slumdog in hot-seat again! - Times of India
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 1:25 pm Pinki's father dreams of her becoming a doctor - Hindu
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 1:24 pm I am not 'Sita' in Ravana: Aishwarya - Hindu
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 1:24 pm Ranbir and Imran to host Filmfare Awards
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Feb 2009 | 1:17 pm Imran’s preparing for Filmfare - Times of India
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 1:15 pm Amitabh Bachchan to pen foreword for father's magnum opusReligiously dutiful about maintaining an e-diary with regular posts everyday, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan will now be writing the foreword for his poet father the late Harivansh Rai Bachchan's highly acclaimed work 'Madhushala'.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Feb 2009 | 1:00 pm Model Gisele Bundchen weds NFL star Tom Brady in Los Angeles!Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen married National Football League star Tom Brady in Los Angeles on Thursday, Us Weekly reported.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:39 pm Preview: Mystery over Aishwarya`s `Pink Panther 2` act unveiled !A meaty role or a miniscule performance, the suspense over Aishwarya Rai much talked about `Pink Panther 2` act will be lifted as the film releases across the country today.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:39 pm Sanjay Dutt to join ANC at Durban rally!Film actor turned politician Sanjay Dutt may still be finding his feet in politics back home, but in South Africa the Munnabhai star is being billed a "comrade" and he will be sharing a platform with top ANC officials here Sunday.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:39 pm Rihanna to face ex-beau Chris Brown in court !Barbadian singer Rihanna will have to face her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown in court, when his criminal threats case goes to trial.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:39 pm Gibson regrets not helping Ledger before his death!Australian actor Mel Gibson has said that he did not believe that Heath Ledger` death was "just an accident" regretting that he should have helped the star.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:39 pm Vidya Balan decides to stick to what`s natural for her!The graceful Vidya Balan has turned a new leaf. After her unsuccessful attempts to revamp her wardrobe in "Heyy Babyy" and "Kismat Konnection", the actress has decided to go easy on the glamour quotient.Source: Zee News : Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:39 pm Akshay makes Kylie feel at homeAkshay Kumar has developed a penchant for staying in the news. Just a few days after shooting a song with Kareena Kapoor and RDB for Kambakth Ishq, he's now plastered all over the press for his song with Kylie Minogue inSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:34 pm Jammu and Kashmir assembly hails Oscar winnersThe Jammu and Kashmir assembly Friday congratulated music composer A.R. Rahman and other Indian members of the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' for winning the Oscar awards.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:33 pm Pinki will become a doctor, promises farmer fatherFarmer Rajender Sonkar Friday said he would ensure that his daughter, eight-year-old Pinki, becomes a doctor. For it was surgery that transformed the cleft-lipped girl and made her the protagonist of the Oscar winning film 'Smile Pinki'.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:33 pm I am not Sita in 'Ravana': AishwaryaAishwarya Rai, who is currently shooting for director Mani Ratnam's film 'Ravana' here, said her character is not called Sita in the film that also stars her husband Abhishek Bachchan.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:33 pm Abhi sharing screen space with Ash againAce cinematographer Rajiv Menon captured some really beautiful moments between Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Bachchan in Mani Ratnam's Guru. Now Rajiv is all set to direct Bollywood's most talked about couple in his next film.The South based cinematographer confirmed the news.Source: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:18 pm Why Kardashian refused back pose at pre-Oscar bash?Washington (ANI): The real reason behind American socialite Kim Kardashian’s refusal to do her famous back pose at the Stardust Pictures Pre-Oscar bash has been put down to a wardrobe malfunction. Kardashian, 28, had arrived at the event at Haven HouseSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:59 am Kaminey boosts of two double rolesIt appears to be Angoor moment in the making. Kaminey, the film which features Shahid Kapoor in the double role of Charlie and Guddu, also sees another double role of sorts (at least as a namesake) in the crew details. WhileSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:55 am Katrina, Lara threatened by Kylie Minogue - NDTV.com
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:49 am Peaches Geldof spotted cuddling up to old flameLondon (ANI): Peaches Geldof, who recently revealed that she’s getting divorced from Max Drummey, has sparked rumours of a new romance. The socialite was photographed with the words 'I love Freddie' on the back of her hand during a night out,Source: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:38 am Whitney warns Rihanna to end troubled romanceWashington (ANI): Superstar singer Whitney Houston has warned Rihanna against reconciling with her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown after an alleged bust-up with him. Cops are probing whether Brown made criminal threats after allegedly attacking the ‘Umbrella’ hitmaker, following a pre-Grammys party onSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:29 am Freida Pinto on Maxim cover - NDTV.com
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:28 am AR Rahman almost crashed to death - Oneindia
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:26 am Paula Abdul denies criticising co-judgeWashington (ANI): American pop singer Paula Abdul has denied that she criticised co-judge Kara DioGuardi, who has newly joined American Idol. The 46-year-old was reacting to recent reports suggesting that she did not think that the show worked well with fourSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:24 am Film to unveil Queen Victoria's sexy imageLondon (ANI): For those who always perceived Queen Victoria as that elderly widow dressed in black, a new film The Young Victoria might prove to be an eye opener because it traces the life of the Royal from the beginning tillSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:15 am "Kylie Minogue has a full fledged role in Blue" - Anthony D'SouzaClick above for more stills Move over, Lara and Katrina. Kylie Minogue who just recently arrived tonight is here. Contrary to belief, Kylie isn't here to only shake a leg to her own song for debutant director Anthony D'Souza's Blue. She has a full-fledged starring role in the film. Says the director, "At a particular juncture in the story we needed a woman with a particular personality and appearance who could act sing and dance. Kylie fitted the bill. She isn't here to do an item song and go back. Kylie plays a pivotal part. She contributes considerably to taking the story forward. Over a period of eight days I'm shooting all of Kylie's scenes." Apparently the film's other two svelte leading ladies have been peering anxiously over their dainty shoulders ever since they heard Kylie's isn't just a flash-on-flash-off song-and-dance routine. Laughs Anthony, "Well I'm lucky to have three such lovely ladies in my film. I hope the audiences in the backwaters who may not know Kylie come to see my film for Lara and Katrina while the international audiences go wild over all the three ladies."Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:14 am A.R. Rahman almost crashed to deathThe whole world was in awe of A.R. Rahman when he poured his heart out at the recently concluded Oscar Awards function. He sung the song that fetched him the Oscar awards and he was given standing ovation for that. ButSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:05 am Book Review: Bachchanalia - The Films & Memorabilia of Amitabh BachchanMore than a month after its launch, 'Bachchanalia' has finally arrived on stands. Thankfully, it has been worth a wait, as one finds out after flipping though this 300 page book which could well serve as a Bible for all Amitabh Bachchan starrers. Not that it takes an almost four hour read to figure this out. Spending 15 minutes on this book is good enough to appreciate what could be expected from this brilliant compilation that is easily the best that one has laid hands on when it comes to a book about Hindi cinema. What works most in the favor of this book is its presentation. And for this, one has to credit Osian's Center for Archiving, Research and Development (CARD), which in association with Bhawana Somayaa is responsible for co-authoring the book. While Bhawana Somaaya has ensured that the text in the book makes for an interesting read, CARD is responsible for all the publicity material and memorabilia (e.g. Posters, Showcards, Lobby Cards, Trophy, Photographic Still, Song-Synopsis Booklet) which makes 'Bachchanalia' a complete reading experience. The book follows a truly inventive structure, what with a page (or a half) dedicated to each and every film that Amitabh Bachchan has done in his career. So what one sees is a poster of each of his films, some of them belonging to the rarest of the rare variety like Pyaar Ki Kahani, Raaste Ka Patthar, Bandhe Haath, Gehri Chaal and many more. This is not all as there are also innumerous unseen stills from his movies that make one turn pages with a tearing hurry. Other than the sheer visual appeal which is good enough to make one go for the book, what brings in further entertainment are the film's synopsis, a quote (either from Amitabh Bachchan or a member from the cast and crew of the film) along with trivia which is highlighted as 'Between The Shots'. In fact it's this trivia which is the most addictive of all since most of them indeed belong to 'Did You Know' variety. Icing on the cake is the write-up at the top and bottom of every page which lists down the movies (from both Bollywood and Hollywood) that made an impact in the year when a particular Bachchan film was released. Though these films may not necessarily hold any connection with a Bachchan film, for the readers who wish to keep a date with history, it acts as a good study material to explore. True to it's title, 'Bachchanalia - The Films & Memorabilia of Amitabh Bachchan' sticks to narrating facts about the films that Amitabh Bachchan has done over a period of time and never once deviates into unnecessary tangents. What this means for a reader is that gossips and other irrelevant anecdotes about his personal life are not included in the writing, hence ensuring that the book remains clean, uncontroversial and still engaging for an average reader. While writing a book about an actor who has been THE face of Indian cinema for long now, any writer would be tempted to include spicier details to make the final product more 'reader-friendly' but Bhawana Somaaya makes a smart choice and stays within the domain of the book's concept, hence justifying the USP of 'Bachchanalia', which is 'Amitabh Bachchan and his movies'. Period. A voluminous book which would easily weigh a few kilos and bears an international stamp to it, courtesy its design, layout, presentation and content, 'Bachchanalia' packs in a lot in those few words that add to the brief content on every page. Some of the most interesting ones are presented here: Muqaddar Ka Sikandar - Prakash Mehra had envisaged the film as a modern day take on 'Devdas' Silsila - Smita Patil and Parveen Babi were the leading ladies of the film before being replaced by Jaya Bhaduri and Rekha Major Saab - Ajay Devgan had directed parts of the film when the original director, Tinu Anand, was off sick Bombay To Goa - Shooting 'Dekha Na Haaye Re...' was a nightmare since Amitabh required numerous retakes Ek Nazar - Nadira was one of the first to detect something brewing between Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri at the film's sets Raaste Kaa Patthar - Amitabh was quite proud of his performance in this film which unfortunately didn't work Abhimaan - The film was earlier titled Raag Ragini and Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri had invested their own money in the project Chupke Chupke - Hrishikesh Mukherjee wanted newcomers for the parts played by Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri Don - 'Khaike Paan Banaraswaala' was earlier recorded for a Manoj Kumar film Shakti - Makers of the film were almost convinced to replace Smita Patil with Rekha mid-way during the film's shooting Adalat - Amitabh Bachchan and Neetu Singh did a 'Kung-fu' dance number in the film There are minor factual errors in the book like Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag being shown as a 2008 release (whereas the fact is that it had released in 2007), Yaar Meri Zindagi being said to be stuck (when the fact is that this Amitabh Bachchan - Shatrughan Sinha starrer, after being stuck for decades, was finally released in 2008) or reference to Fashion stating that the film was 'based' on the true story of Delhi based model Geentanjali Nagpal (when the fact is that this incident just formed a small episode in the film). However, in the bigger scheme of things when the book brings in an ocean of information with it (with a film by film account of each and every special appearance done by him along with it's poster), one can easily let such aberrations pass. Otherwise where else would one find movies like Jabaan, Charandas, Walayati Babu, Paan Khaye Saiiyan Hamar and, hold your breath, Film Hi Film (each of them starring Amitabh Bachchan in some role or other) being mentioned about in a single publication? 'Bachchanalia' is indeed special, and exclusive. A lethal combo that makes it a MUST for every cine follower who has claimed to be a follower (even if not a fan) of Amitabh Bachchan cinema. It's this very beauty of the book which makes it an irresistible read because it is not written from the point of view of a fan or a reader who could well be a fan. Instead, the book is a reference guide for each and every film that Amitabh Bachchan has done in a near four decade long career as an actor. The information which is presented is not just enlightening, it is also engaging and entertaining, and something that works in totality to make 'Bachchanalia' a book that should find a place on the shelves of every Bollywood aficionado. Price: Rs. 3500 Rating: ****1/2Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:04 am Jade Jagger extends support to Jade GoodyLondon (ANI): 'The Rolling Stones' frontman Mick Jagger's daughter, Jade, has said that her heart cries to see how her namesake reality TV star Jade Goody is battling cancer. The jewellery designer has even contributed to a cervical cancer fund supportedSource: Oneindia.in - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 11:02 am Sourav Ganguly and Kangna Ranaut rock the show on 'Oye! It's Friday!'It's an unusual outing at this Friday's ' Oye It's Friday!' as Farhan Akhtar brings in a contrasting set of guests - Sourav Ganguly and Kangna Ranaut. What to expect from the show? Well, read on! - Bengal Tiger makes a candid confession as he talks about what's keeping him busy these days post his retirement from cricket. Farhan grills the ex-captain of the Indian team and he is more than glad to spill the beans. - It's revealed on the show that it has been two months since Sourav withdrew from the cricket arena. Since then, he hasn't touched a bat or taken a sneak-peek at the pitch. The shy captain admits though that he misses the game immensely and is excited for the upcoming IPL matches where he will be seen once again along side the Kolkata Knight Riders. - Sourav Ganguly admits that this 2 month gap has brought him closer to his family which he never got to do while playing for the Indian team. Watch the family man confess a lot more for the very 1st time on television as he gets candid about his personal life stories with Farhan. - Dada opens up and talks to Farhan about how he cleaned bowled Dona (his wife) with his magical strikes and how he loves spending quality time with his lovely daughter - Farhan also quizzes Saurav about his new role as the judge for a dance reality show and the qualities he is looking for the cheerleaders in the show 'Knights & Angels' - Dada also reveals some really superstitious secrets of his fellow mates. An interesting watch! - Coming to Kangna, she talks about life post the success of Raaz - The Mystery Continues. Basking in all the attention & appreciation from her loved ones and fans, the glamorous actress talks about her relationship with beau Adhyayan as well. - Apart from Sourav Ganguly and Kangna Ranaut, what promises to enthrall the audience is a performance where the 'classical feet' from the East meet the 'fastest feet' of the West. Some never-seen-before tap dancing presentation by the Emmy award winning Tap dancing star Jason Samuels Smith is brought to screen as he fuses western tap dancing with Indian classical Kathak alongside internationally renowned Kathak maestro Pandit Chitresh Das. - A little known fact is revealed about the duo that has traveled across the globe presenting its unique fusion act to audiences for past 3 years. Not just that, together they have performed at 20 cities across the United States, as also the White House. - Well, in the current season it is impossible to ignore A.R. Rahman in any event. So here we have Sanjeeda Shaikh who promises to mesmerize the audience with her 'tadakedar' performance on tracks like 'Masakalli' and 'Ringa Ringa'. Catch this and a lot more action as Farhan puts Sourav & Kangna in the spotlight this week on 'Oye! It's Friday!' February 27th at 10 pm, only on NDTV Imagine.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 27 Feb 2009 | 10:56 am Kangana Ranaut is a Baba Ramdev fan
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Feb 2009 | 10:42 am Siddharth-The Prisoner - Sify
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 10:41 am Neil Mukesh's jail yatra turned out to be a life changing experience for the actorSpending five hours with hardcore convicts including prisoners serving a life sentence at the Thana jail on Thursday proved to be a life-changing experience for Neil Nitin Mukesh. "It was the most life-changing day of my life. So much of what we take for granted seemed so vital and unreachable in there," says Neil. The original motive for the visit - as a preparation to play the convict in Madhur Bhandarkar's Jail - was completely forgotten as Neil came face to face with people with very little time or hope to live. "These are people who have built a universe within the prison. They cook, they do carpentry, make beautiful meals and artifacts. They pray, study, even watch films. We sat and ate their food. And I must say it was very good." The first thing that Neil noticed about the prison inmates was how dark-skinned they had all become. "That's because they spend most of the time locked away from the sun," says the actor. Neil now intends to get himself 'jail pallor.' "It's not a skin complexion that I can get on the beach. It will be through under-exposure from the sun." Neil's interaction with the prisoners wasn't only skin-deep. "There are faces and voices in there which I'd never forget. Unfortunately, we couldn't meet prisoners on death row. But the rest of the inmates were there for us to interact with." The young actor has formed a lifelong bond with some of the prisoners. "It's hard to believe some of these inmates are considered dangerous, more to themselves than people from the outside. We were not allowed to take belts, coins or any hard objects because any of this could be used by prisoners as harmful weapons." Neil reached Thana jail around noon on Thursday with his director Madhur Bhandarkar and writer Manoj Tyagi. Leading lady Mugdha Godse who was also expected to accompany them chose to stay away at the last minute. "We were told there would be an added security problem if she came along," explains Neil, probably referring to the fact that Ms Godse does have the tendency to play the temptress too intensely. The role could be misleading in a place where only men have been confined sometimes for many years.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 27 Feb 2009 | 9:55 am Megan Fox splits with fiance
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Feb 2009 | 9:48 am Sanjay Dutt invites Ukranian PM's daughter for dinnerBollywood star Sanjay Dutt borrowed a private plane and flew form Patna to Mumbai just to have dinner with Ukranian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's daughter Yevhenia since she is his big fan.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Feb 2009 | 9:34 am Priyanka Chopra inaugurates mother's cosmetic surgery clinicBollywood star Priyanka Chopra inaugurated her parents' cosmetic-surgery clinic Studio Aesthetique here and said that it will provide world-class treatments to its clients.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Feb 2009 | 9:31 am Kylie Minogue has full-fledged role in 'Blue': DirectorDirector Anthony D'Souza says contrary to popular belief that Australian singer Kylie Minogue is only shaking a leg to her own song in his debut film 'Blue', she has a full-fledged role in the underwater thriller.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Feb 2009 | 9:31 am Vidya Balan dying to work with Aamir
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Feb 2009 | 9:30 am Slumdog kids back in shanties
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 27 Feb 2009 | 9:23 am 'I blanked out when my name was announced at the Oscars' - Rediff
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 9:05 am Actor Feroz Khan's condition stable, moved out of ICU - Hindu
Source: Google News India - Entertainment | 27 Feb 2009 | 8:55 am Team of Oscar winning 'Smile Pinki' meets PM's wifeAfter a heart-warming reception here on their return from Los Angeles, the team of Oscar-winning documentary 'Smile Pinki' met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife Gursharan Kaur Friday.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Feb 2009 | 8:30 am Actor Feroz Khan's condition stable, moved out of ICUBollywood actor Feroz Khan, 69, who was hospitalised in a critical condition at the Breach Candy Hospital here, is now stable, his manager said Friday.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Feb 2009 | 8:00 am French musicians take 'Masala Dosa' to the worldThree French musicians taking inspiration from Indian food and mixing notes, beats and sounds like spices to cater to the global appetite for good music - that's what the band Masala Dosa is all about. They are now on tour in India to serve their crisp songs.Source: IndiaeNews.com: Bollywood News | 27 Feb 2009 | 8:00 am Suniel again ready for actionThe chest injury although proved to be quite troublesome came as a blessing in disguise for Suniel Shetty.Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:00 am Amitabh to be the great hunterAmitabh Bachchan is going to give company to ace film maker Priyadarshan in his endeavor to make a thriller.Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:00 am Kylie comes for ‘Blue’What if the regaining queen of pop Madonna said “no” to the offer from our Tinsel Town, Kylie Minogue in spite of being less experienced is no less popular around the globe.Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:00 am Mugdha in Rohit Shetty’s nextMugdha Godse has now got the opportunity to do what she always wished to.Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:00 am ‘Agyaat’- a film to watch outThe production of the horror film titled as ‘Agyaat’ jointly financed by UTV Motion Pictures and Dreamforce Enterprise which is a division of Ram Gopal Varma’s Film Factory Ltd is almost over. The film’s shooting schedule in the dense forests of Sri Lanka has already been wrapped up.Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:00 am Sonam to be seen as ‘Ayesha’Enough of being seen as the traditional beauty with the girl next door looks. It’s high time for a change and I just want to get stylish.That could have been the thoughtSource: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:00 am After Aamir, it’s SRK with MurugadossIt’s no more U-turn for Murugadoss. Sweeping success overnight with his ‘Ghajini’, the auteur happens to be the ducky lad for Superstars of Bollywood. Earlier, Murugadoss had stated about making couple of Tamil flicks and then getting back into the Hindi Film Industry.Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:00 am The ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Kids Are Back [Gallery]The jubilant child actors of the Oscar winner flick ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ reached Mumbai from Los Angeles after having a great time attending the Academy award ceremony as well as the popular post awards parties.Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:00 am Rare Italian honour for PriyankaNow we did not know that Priyanka Chopra has overtaken every other Bollywood babe to be known well in Europe.Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:00 am Abhishek Launches Motorolas Aura Phone [Gallery]Abhishek Bachchan, the brand ambassador of the mobile phone Motorola launched a brand new model named “Motorola Aura”. The launch function was held at Vie Lounge. Source: IndiaGlitz.com - News | 27 Feb 2009 | 12:00 am "Bollywood rules, so let's make business out of it" - Roli MalhotraBollywood, with all its stardom and glamour, presents great licensing opportunities for a variety of companies, from publishers to apparel-makers and jewelers. These and more were discussed at the Brand Licensing & Merchandising Show 2009 being held at Mumbai. Sia Lifestyles Marketing Manager, Roli Malhotra, whose firm designed all the jewellery for Devdas and Om Shanti Om, said, "While Devdas was the perfect project due to large showcasing of jewellery in the movie, Om Shanti Om released around Diwali and the marriage season giving us the opportunity to present a more contemporary range." Speaking at the session, 'Licensing opportunities in movies and publishing', Roli claimed that branding in Bollywood films had been beneficial for Sia. "The Om Shanti Om collection was a 100% sell out, footfalls increased 50% and sales went up by 20% on a year-on-year basis. Bollywood rules, so let's make business out of it," she said. She added that the company is currently working on designing the jewellery for two upcoming films. Another panelist, Eurokids MD Uday Mathur, whose company was the licensee for Lagaan and very recently, Drona cautioned against the odds in the licensing Bollywood properties. "Handling properties with a short opportunity window, like films, present a challenge. You might create lovely books or toys, but if the property (film) doesn't work, the product sinks with it," he said.Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 26 Feb 2009 | 5:27 pm "Slumdog" kids feted as heroes after Oscar sweepMUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - With sweets, flower garlands and hordes of paparazzi, the child stars of "Slumdog Millionaire" were feted like true celebrities in India on Thursday as the nation celebrated the film's Oscar haul earlier this week.Source: Reuters: Bollywood News | 26 Feb 2009 | 5:20 pm Eros plans to launch Aladin gameClick above for more movie stills Eros International is planning to release a game on Sujoy Gosh's Aladin. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Biren Ghose, Executive Director of Eros International confirmed the same saying, "Yes, a game is being planned around the movie Aladin, but it's very premature to talk in detail about it." The much awaited Amitabh Bachchan starrer film is being touted as a visual effects extravaganza. This development is part of an increasing trend wherein producers are releasing online and PC games around the release of their films. The latest examples being a 3D PC game on Ghajini and online games on the forthcoming 13B and Aa Dekhen Zara.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 26 Feb 2009 | 5:14 pm Akshay cooks for Kylie, plays perfect host
Source: NDTV Entertainment News | 26 Feb 2009 | 4:47 pm Rajiv Menon's Abhishek - Ash starrer is titled DhunAce cinematographer Rajiv Menon captured some really beautiful moments between Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Mani Ratnam's Guru. Now Rajiv is all set to direct Bollywood's most talked about couple in his next film. Bollywood Hungama spoke to the South based cinematographer who confirmed the news. "Yes...Abhishek and Aishwarya are starring in my next directorial venture titled Dhun. It's a film where music plays a very important role. The film goes on floors sometime in June this year." Quiz him on rumors that the film is similar to the Amitabh-Jaya Bachchan starrer Abhimaan and he says, "I think Abhishek has already clarified this. There is no similarity except the fact that the characters in my film also play musicians." The film is being produced by Eros International and Rajiv's good friend and Oscar winner A.R. Rahman would be composing the music for this musical drama. One will have to wait and watch if after the melodious music of Guru, Rahman can once again come up with some interesting 'Dhun' for this film.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 26 Feb 2009 | 3:29 pm "Yes, Sikandar deals with violence" - Piyush JhaPiyush Jha (not be mistaken for Piyush Mishra) started his career with a youth flick Chalo America (1999). A small budget film, it was a light hearted take on the fascination that millions of youngsters have for America. The film's cast was led by Ashish Chaudhary who was pretty much a young boy then. Piyush followed it up with the Bollywood satire King of Bollywood (2004) which was about this aging evergreen hero [played by Om Puri] who refused to face reality and call it a day in showbiz. 5 years after the release of King of Bollywood, Piyush changes genre once again and comes up with Sikandar, which as per him is a quintessential Bollywood commercial fare but boasts of a meaningful story that he believes in. Also, his protagonists this time around are teenage children - Parzan Dastur (of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai fame) and Ayesha Kapur (of Black fame). Considering the fact that Sikandar comes with an intense story due to which working with children may have been quite difficult, how did he explain certain complex situations and happenings to the kids? "I would not like to call them kids, they are young adults", he sets records straight right away, "I am lucky to have leads which are intelligent actors. Parzan is sixteen actually but he looks younger. But all the kids now days are very accepting and understanding of situations that are beyond their age. And there are few areas that they are more knowledgeable than I am, especially computers." Though the film has children in the lead, Sikandar isn't essentially a children's film. Since the film has a disturbing backdrop, how appropriate is it for the kids to watch the film? "The subject is very relevant for both kids and adults; especially kids as it directly affect them", says Piyush. "The young minds today are forced to do things which are not of their understanding. It's very important to understand why they are lured off from the path of good. Firstly, it was only in war affected areas like Kashmir but now it is happening in other small towns of India too. So for me it became more important to have kids as protagonists and it's important for the parents to see the film and understand their kids better." He goes on to add, "Yes, Sikandar deals with violence, but the central theme of the film is that of peace. The film does not have a jingoistic or partisan point of view, and does not take sides, except the side of humanity." "Also starring R. Madhavan, Sanjay Suri and Arunoday Singh in principal roles, Sikandar is a co-production of BIG Pictures & Sudhir Mishra and is looking at 27th March release."Source: BollywoodHungama.com Features | 26 Feb 2009 | 1:42 pm Guess who's coming to lunch at Akshay Kumar's place today?Akshay Kumar has developed a penchant for staying in the news. Just a few days after shooting a song with Kareena Kapoor and RDB for Kambakth Ishq, he's now plastered all over the press for his song with Kylie Minogue in Anthony D'Souza's thriller Blue. The Australian siren landed in Mumbai early Thursday morning. One of her first appointments was for lunch at Akshay Kumar's residence. Says a source, "Kylie and some of Akshay-Twinkle Khanna's close friends from the industry plus the Blue crew are invited for lunch by the actor on Thursday afternoon. This is supposed to be his way of making her comfortable in Mumbai. If Hrithik and Sussanne Roshan went all out to make Barbara Mori comfortable in Mumbai why not Akshay and his wife?" The menu was not just selected to complement the sexy Ms Minogue's palate, Akshay, apparently, had also decided to do some of the cooking himself for the khaas mehmaan. As is the norm, the producers at Ashtavinayak invited the entire army of television cameras to cover the 'private' lunch at the Kumar's making you wonder how comfortable our foreigner guest would feel on her first outing in Mumbai with cameras recording every munch and slurp.Source: BollywoodHungama.com News | 26 Feb 2009 | 1:06 pm
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