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Sunday, August 17, 2008

Angelina Jolie Covers Vanity Fair Magazine

Angelina Jolie Does Entertainment Weekly June 2008

Angelina Jolie Entertainment Weekly


The one and only Angelina Jolie, did an exclusive interview with this week’s edition of Entertainment Weekly, on newsstands on Friday. In the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, Angelina Jolie discusses motherhood, her home life and her controversial public image.

Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie To Adopt a Chinese Baby

Angelina Jolie


Hollywood Celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who welcomed their twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline last month, are considering adopting another child and this time from China. The Celebrity mother Angelina Jolie was really affected by footage of the recent earthquake in China and she is considering the option of giving a home to a child orphaned in the natural disaster.

Angelina is devastated over the earthquake that occurred in China in May. She has been in constant touch with relief workers as part of her UN involvement, and even got her hands on photos of a few orphaned kids.

She’s made overtures offering a home to one earthquake orphan, or even two if they are siblings.

- A source told Britain’s Star magazine -


Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Welcome Baby Twins!

Angelina Jolie’s Doctor Says Brad Pitt Was ‘Very Emotional’ at Birth

Scarlett Johansson Plans Second Album



Just months after launching her fist album, the Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson is planning a second music record. Scarlett Johansson released her debut album, “Anywhere I Lay My Head,” a collection of Tom Waits covers, in May, but for the second one she admits she’s not in a rush. It is true that Johansson’s debut album received disappointing reviews from critics, but that won’t stop the actress to try one more time in music industry.
It was fantastic to do that album. Not only live with that music that I love everyday, but I just worked with such wonderful musicians who are so talented. I would love to do another album. Right now, though, I’d like to focus on developing something to direct.- Scarlett Johansson says about a new album -

Vanessa Hudgens Rocks Her Summer Tour


Vanessa Hudgens


The High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens’ recent stop in her current summer tour was in Lewisburg, West Virginia, performing as part of the 2008 West Virginia State Fair. She opted for plenty of cuts off of her new album Identified, which can be find in stores now. Vanessa’s success to the teen public, means that she is on her way to becoming a serious name in the pop music industry.


The teen Celebrity Vanessa Hudgens will be continually touring and rocking through the middle of September. Her remaining concert dates are as follows:


# 15-Aug: Louisville, KY State Fair

# 16-Aug: Illinois State FairSpringfield, IL

# 18-Aug: Meadville, PA Crawford County Fairgrounds

# 19-Aug: Six Flags Great Adventure and Wild Safari, NJ

# 22-Aug: Sacramento, CA State Fair

# 23-Aug: Salem, OR State Fair

# 24-Aug: Vancouver, BC Pacific National Exhibition

# 26-Aug: Fifth Third Field Dayton, OH

# 27-Aug: Syracuse, NY State Fair

# 28-Aug: Canfield, OH Mahoning County Fairgrounds

# 30-Aug: Rockford, IL Davis Memorial Park

# 5-Sept: Utah State Fair Salt Lake, UT

# 6-Sept: New Mexico State Fair @ Tingley ColiseumAlbuquerque, NM

# 7-Sept: 3rd Street Promenade Santa Monica, CA

# 9-Sept: Arena Monterrey, NL Mexico

Friday, August 8, 2008

Southern invasion in Bollywood






Kollywood’s reigning
divas have taken over screen space in Mumbai and have even bagged some of the
most talked about films this year.



Genelia D’Souza, Shriya
Saran, Priyamani, Sada, Asin, Shruti Hasan to Trisha are no longer just
headturners seen in the odd commercial on television. From selling cola and
toothpaste to being serenaded by the likes of Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay
Kumar is no mean feat.



But then B-town has always had a successful
date with southern beauties — Hema Malini, Vyjayantimala, Rekha and
Sridevi all have not only done Hindi films, but all of them have even ruled the
box-office for years. The new millennium southern stars, Gautami, Rambha, Ramya
and Reema Sen haven’t been quite able to follow up the glorious act of
their predeccesors. But all that’s set to change with the new bubblegum
brigade who speak fluent Hindi and have almost severed their Kollywood roots for
a life and career in Mumbai.



Shriya Saran (her four year old debut,
Shukriya was a failure at BO and led her to Chennai) has done Awarapan, Mission
Istaanbul and claims to have been deluged with scripts in Bollywood. In fact,
Shriya even has a Hollywood film directed by Deepa Mehta in her interesting CV.
She says while both the film industries are the “same” she
doesn’t quite feel different working in mainstream Hindi films. “I
consider the entire film industry as one whole. It’s about working in your
own country,” says Shriya.



But there are slight differences
though. “Down south people are more professional and adjusting. Actors
also tend to learn technicalities of film-making but apart from that it is only
about working in different languages. Flavour, script and concept does change
but it is only because of the languages and local mass,” she says.
Shriya’s playing the lead in

Ek - The
Power of One

with Bobby Deol and Nana Patekar directed by Sangeet Sivam,
Hollywood film

The Other End Of The
Line

by Ashok Amritraj and Deepa Mehta’s What’s
Cooking.



Bubbly Genelia D’souza who’s tasted stardom in
Hyderabad enjoys every bit of her new stardom in Mumbai too. But she gushes
about both, “The working style of both industries is similar. The only
difference is the language.” She is currently shooting for Aneez
Bazmi’s It’s my life and Abbas-Mustan’s


Life Partner

.



Trade analyst
Taran Adarsh feels, “Southern actresses try their luck in Bollywood as it
is a bigger platform. In Bollywood, whoever fits the role, gets the film. But I
must say that Southern actors are more professional and technically
sound.



Filmmaker Vikram Bhatt feels, “Actors keep shifting base
as per convenience. If I want a fresh face for a film, I wouldn’t mind
casting a southern star. I’d have two advantages – the southern
superstar would be a new face in Mumbai, two she’d be experienced and
talented.”



Those could really be reasons enough for Bollywood
filmmakers signing up these southern stars.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na



By Subhash K Jha



Starring: Imran Khan, Genelia


Written & Directed by Abbas Tyrewala


Rating: ***



A blessed week at the movies. If this week we get Harman Baweja as the full filmy package of an all-rounder, we also get Imran Khan…Fesh - faced original and possessing a natural screen presence that immediately connects him with the audience.



Abbas Tyrewala's directorial debut has a certain sparkling spirit, a zest for living life quirk-sized and a certain zing thing about the way the characters look at life and love.



It's not only about the way the characters' exuberant yearnings connect with the audience. It's also about the casual free-flowing downloading of events and dialogues in the narrative that give the characters an edge over other urbane youngsters who have come and gone in the past creating a spirit of lingering joie de vivre.



The bunch of collegians here take their cues from Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai, Rakeysh Mehra's Rang De Basanti and even Karan Johar's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

Echoes from these iconic youth -films fill out the outer edges of the 'cool' canvas creating for the characters at-hand a sense of wondrous and informal perpetuity as they go from humorous heartbreak to sober selfrealization in a plot that accommodates both impulse and pre-meditated thought in a mix that is engaging endearing and fairly original in spite of the derivative echoes.



While the supporting cast of friends are both real and tangible, at the core of this romantic musical are Jai (Irfan Khan) and Aditi (Genelia) who are "best friends" in the coolest sense of the term.

Bantering bum-chums at the surface but sharing a much deeper bond underneath, all their friends can see that the twosome is made for each other.



But they can't.



It's an exceedingly old formula for a romantic comedy given a fresh new spin by a storyteller who picks on moments from ordinary lives and converts them into a celebration of life and love.



Old songs (R.D Burman mainly) and new original music (A.R Rahman) coalesce with the minum fuss while Jai and Aditi's love story goes through several turns and twists until they arrive at that traditional end-game for romantic films: the grand reunion at the airport seconds before the girl is scheduled to take off for good.



The flurry is charming, though a little to selfconsciously designed at times.



Peep underneath. And you see the narration covering a lot of familiar ground.



The freshness lies in the way the characters respond to the familiar material often exceeding the domain created by the script.



Every actor pitches in at just the right volume of vivacity. There are stand-out supporting performances by Naseeruddin Shah (playing the hero Jai's dead father in a portrait), Ratna Pathak (superbly skilled as Jai's mom), Paresh Rawal (flawless as a boorish cop) and Arbaaz and Sohail Khan (as a couple of outlandish cowboys they supplant the believably urbane love story with a touch of the surreal).



Then there's Manjrai Phadnis as the hero's could-be love interest. Living in perpetual denial she thinks her embittered parents (Rajat Kapoor and Kitu Gidwani) actually love each other under the acrimony.



The characters never claim to be extraordinary in their desires. It's their ordinary dreams and down-to-earth desires which give the narration a spirited spin.



And then there are protagonists. Not just young Imran Khan and Genelia. But their friends. Each one played as though the wall dividing the actor from the characters had disappeared.



While Genelia is a natural in most scenes, Imran's unassuming boy-next-door personality lends itself with picture-perfect precision to the mood and tenor of the narration.


Here's a young actor who has a long innings ahead. He doesn't think before he acts.



It's not about how deep he goes into his character. It's more about how much at home he's occupying the space provided by the script.



The same is true of the other actors.



Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na exudes an urbane cool. It's not really trying to be anything. It doesn't have an earthshattering message for the masses.

What it has is an honest story about a bunch of credible characters told in a fashion that's casually trendy and warm.

Manoj Lobo's cinematography and Shan Mohamed's editing assist the director in making this a film that you'd probably like to watch again just to see if you missed out a vital bit of the characters' lives while they were looking for love.




Kismat Konnection


Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Juhi Chawla, Om Puri, Boman Irani, Vishal Malhotra, Himani Shivpuri, Haider Ali, Shehnaz Anand, Karnvir Bohra, Amit Varma, Dimple Sharma

Story: Rahila Mirza

Screenplay: Sanjay Chhel, Vibha Singh, Sai Kabir

Music: Pritam Chakraborty

Director: Aziz Mirza

Ratings - *1/2



Maybe there is on one in this world who doesn’t believe in kismet but for that single reason you can’t blame or over emphasize the issue of kismet. But the story of the film depicts little more.



Just like any other Bollywod flick, in this film also, Raj (Shahi Kapoor) and Priya (Vidya Balan) meet each other. But despite feeling love for each other the only thing they develop for each other is pure hatred.

But see the kismet connection hidden in such a chemistry which turns bad luck of Raj, who has been fighting for getting a better work for last five years in the field of Architecture, into a good one. Raj comes to his fortune teller Hassena Banu Jaan (Juhi Chawla) and describes everything to her.

Banu tells him that Priya is his lucky charm and for a better future he should always take her with him to wherever he goes for his job.

Raj agrees on it and takes Priya to a meeting with Batra & Gill, a company that wants to construct a shopping mall. But soon Raj comes to know that the proposed mall is going to be made by demolishing Priya’s community centre.

Priya helps Raj without having any idea about what’s going on. But as soon as Raj gets the project, the reality comes into open for Priya.

For the sake of love Raj proposes Gill (Om Puri) for building the combination of shopping mall and community center but Gill denies it.

At the end of the story Priya’s kismet helps Raj once again and Mr. Batra (Boman Irani), friend to Priya and partner of Batra & Gill, accepts Raj’s proposal of making the shopping mall beside the community centre.



Shahid must remember that audience’s expectation regarding his characters in films has touched the sky after the success of Jab We Met and he must accept films keeping that in mind only.

At the same time he must avoid playing the stereotype characters. On the other hand Vidya has tried her best to live the life of her character but unfortunately the character, especially her outfits, hasn’t suit her level best.

I guess she must not attempt this kind of characters. Juhi Chawla is excellent in the character of Hassena Bano but the lose bangle in her hand made audience think about possibilities that forced her wearing it.

Few scenes with Vidya made us realize like Juhi’s jewelries are put on Vidya. Om Puri and Boman Irani are good as usual. Himani Shivpuri proved with two scenes that character maybe small but it has to be strong. There is nothing to talk about other characters of the film.

Despite its length of 2 and half an hour, the film seemed longer and unusually slow. Aziz Mirza has chosen beautiful locations but he better has understood that beautiful locations cannot make beautiful films. Music and lyrics are not to the marks.



Expectations of watching a good film may drag a lot of audiences to the theatre but they better know in advance that the film has nothing extraordinary to offer the audience. People will surely fail to connect to the film, if not to the stars. - Rajnee Gupta

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor


Director: Ron Cohen; Cast: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, Michelle Yeoh, Luke Ford
Rating: *


There have already been quite a few summer action blockbuster movies this year, and the 'The Mummy: Tomb of

the Dragon Emperor' tries to sneak in and make an impact. It is not going to succeed.

With 'The Dark

Knight' already getting incredible critical and box office success, any other movie following that one is doomed, at

the best, to be mediocre.



The Mummy franchise returns for a third time and the tragedy of this instalment is just how much of a good thing it

squanders. It had millions of dollars and some semblance of an interesting story. But it is unforgivable for the way it

wastes some very fine Asian actors like Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh.



The film makers chose to ignore any kind of story and the potential good acting at hand, and chose to just go for

as many explosions and as much noise as possible. The plot seems to be at the service of action and some exotic

locales.

It takes us to the deserts of China, the Himalayas and even allows us to encounter some snow

animals called yeti.



Even the dependable actor, Brendan Fraser, gets very little from the script to build on. Another fine actress, Maria

Bello, is not allowed to sink her teeth into the role.

There is no chemistry between these two lead actors

or between Fraser and Luke Ford, who plays his son. Ford could go down as the most bland character in an action

movie this year.



The movie starts with a flashback from history of an ancient emperor along with his army being turned to clay by a

spell cast by a woman.

The woman is in love with another man and the emperor is against this union.

Fast forward a few thousand years and Luke Ford's character has discovered this tomb, and well, all hell breaks

loose after this.

This is also the point where the movies starts losing its wheels and just rambles on,

taking us for an inconsequential ride.



The only good thing about this movie is the action. It delivers in some way.



There is nothing new in terms of technique or filming, but it does strive hard to thrill. Pre-teens may find this

appealing and adults looking for a good break from anything cerebral might also appreciate the

explosions.



The director Rob Cohen might have understood this a little too well and thinks he doesn't have to offer anything

more than that.

The writers, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, are not interested in coming up with anything

fresh or even aware of the sheer acting potential in all their actors. Each of these actors has won rave reviews for at

least one other performance in other movies. They could have been given much more to handle in this

one.



This movie works best when there are no expectations and demands. For the sake of pure thrill and mindless fun

with action in exotic locales, this movie will satisfy.

Singh Is King



Rating: ****



Just a word of caution before you watch this film: Singh Is Kinng is not for the intellectuals or those pretending to be one. It's not for the hard-nosed critics either.



Now read on…



Vipul Shah. Anees Bazmee.Akshay Kumar . Katrina Kaif. Four names for whom success has become a habit. That makes Singh Is Kinng the most awaited movie of the season. Must add, the wait was worth it!



You know the rules when you watch a hardcore entertainer: Just don't look for logic. If you do, too bad for you, for you would never enjoy a film of this genre and more specifically, Singh Is Kinng.



Anees Bazmee's films are very high on entertainment. The plotline may be paper-thin, perhaps ludicrous and farcical, but when did Bazmee ever promise a SCHINDLER'S LIST or a SAVING PRIVATE RYAN? Singh Is Kinng works because it delivers what it promises: Full on entertainment!



Bazmee has the knack of making immensely watchable fares that cater to the aam junta. Singh Is Kinng isn't a laughathon in entirety. Comedy, romance, action and drama, everything is well synchronised in those 2.10 hours here.



But, wait, Singh Is Kinng isn't a foolproof product. It has its share of flaws, the turn of events aren't captivating at times, but Singh Is Kinng moves so fast and packs in so much, there's no time to think or analyze.



The final word? Singh Is Kinng is a delicious and scrumptious pav-bhaji served in the finest cutlery. Your taste buds are sure to relish it... and ask for more!



Lakhan Singh aka Lucky (Sonu Sood) is the King of the Australian underworld, accompanied by his associates (played by Javed Jaffrey, Neha Dhupia, Manoj Pahwa, Yashpal Sharma, Kamal Chopra and Sudhanshu Pande). Far away, in a small village in Punjab, where Lucky was born, there exists someone more notorious than him - Happy Singh (Akshay Kumar).



The village is fed up of Happy's magnanimity, which has resulted in a number of hilariously disastrous situations. Out of desperation, they decide to send him on a long trip (that will keep him out of the village for a while!) to bring Lucky back to Punjab, as his despicable deeds were maligning their image in Australia.



The happy-go-lucky bumpkin, taking his mission a bit too seriously, embarks on his journey, accompanied by his friend, Rangeela (Om Puri), who hates Happy for dragging him into it.



The high point of his journey is his chance meeting with Sonia (Katrina Kaif), with whom he falls in love, but upon reaching his destination, things take a precarious turn as he runs into a series of comic misadventures, leaving him penniless. He is fortunate to find warmth and affection in an elderly lady (Kirron Kher).



>Following the altercation, Lucky lands up in hospital paralyzed and Happy, unexpectedly, finds the tables turned on him when he is expected to assume the role of the new King.



Few minutes into the film and you know that Singh Is Kinng is a lavish spectacle that's high on entertainment. Sonu Sood chasing a gora assassin at the very start or minutes later, Akshay chasing a hen - Singh Is Kinng starts with gusto.



And Bazmee doesn't let you wear your thinking caps all through the first hour. From India to Egypt to Australia, from the comforts of his home in Punjab, to the humble abode of a woman selling flowers in Sydney (Kirron Kher), Singh Is Kinng involves you in the journey.



And then Akshay becomes the King. Oh, how he becomes the King is equally hilarious. The sequence at the hospital (Sonu Sood is diagnosed with a weird disorder) is simply hilarious. There's a twist in the tale at the intermission point and the second hour, therefore, shifts gears - it changes from kabhi funny, kabhi drama to a prem kahani.



It's smooth sailing till there's another twist towards the pre-climax (wouldn't like to reveal it, since it would act as a spoiler). But, frankly, the film could've done without this track. The narrative, thankfully, is back on tracks soon after.



Anees Bazmee has a flair for writing great entertainers that work big time with the masala-loving junta. If you've loved NO ENTRY and WELCOME, you'd love Singh Is Kinng too.

This time, Bazmee shares the writing credits with Suresh Nair and the duo come up with some real wacky episodes. In terms of production design, this is Bazmee's most lavish fare so far. It's a grandiose product.



Pritam's music is already popular and it compliments the goings-on completely. 'Bhootni Ke', 'Jee Karda' and the title track stand out, while 'Teri Ore' is easy on the nerves. Ben Nott and Sanjay Gupta's cinematography is top notch.



Akshay Kumar takes rapid strides with Singh Is Kinng. Sure, you've seen him in comic fares time and again and perhaps, there might be a doubt, Will he carry it off yet again? Oh yes, he does!

There's no saturation point as far as this actor is concerned. He holds your attention in every sequence, irrespective of how strong the scene is, and that's the biggest compliment for any actor. Singh Is Kinng without Akki is like an ocean without marine life. Akshay rules!



The camera loves Katrina Kaif and it shows in Singh Is Kinng too. She looks bewitching and enacts her part with tremendous confidence. Kirron Kher is superb and so is Om Puri. Terrific performances!

They compliment Akki so well. Ranvir Shorey is first-rate. Sonu Sood is another actor who's finally getting his due in Hindi films. Javed Jaffrey's character works big time till he does a somersault in the pre-climax.

Neha Dhupia is engaging. The nok-jhonk between Sudhanshu Pandey and Yashpal Sharma is perfect. Manoj Pahwa is good.



On the whole, Singh Is Kinng lives up to the hype and hoopla. Want a joyride without taxing your brains? Board the Singh Is Kinng wagon.

At the box-office, the film will fetch a hurricane-like start. The paid previews, the opening weekend, the first week business, everything will be record-shattering.

Notwithstanding the new oppositions in the weeks to come, Singh Is Kinng will rule the hearts of the aam junta (whose verdict matters the most) as also the box-office, proving a record holder in the final tally. Blockbuster Hit!

Kareena is definitely the most wanted girl


Sensuous-sexy-sultry Kareena Kapoor and her stardom are beyond limits.

After the super success of Jab We Met and her super-glam look in Tashan, Kareena has become hot property for both Bollywood

and Hollywood.

There was a buzz couple of days back about Kareena signing a Hollywood project but Kareena’s spokesperson denied stories about her doing a Hollywood film.



Apparently, during the shoot of Kambakht Ishq, Kareena was in talks with Hollywood production houses.

“It is true that Kareena was offered a role in Chamera which is to be directed by Daniel Silverman but

she has not signed on the dotted lines, ” said her spokesperson.

So is Kareena doing any Hollywood film at all? “Kareena is busy for the next one and a half year with her commitments in Bollywood.



Until then she isn’t doing any international film. Besides Chamera, Kareena was also offered two other Hollywood films which I cannot divulge much into.”



Kareena is definitely the most wanted actress currently. Surely, her lucky streak is on. Way to go Kareena!


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