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Beyonce and Alicia Keys are filming a music video in Rio de Janeiro
Grammy Award-winning singers Beyonce and Alicia Keys are filming a music video in Rio de Janeiro.
Sheri Ladner is a publicist with RCA Music Group, which includes Keys` label, J Records. She says the singers are shooting a video for their duet "Put It In a Love Song." The song is from Keys` recently released album "The Element of Freedom."
Brazilian television on Tuesday showed the singers performing together in front of cameras in the Morro da Conceicao shantytown. Ladner says the video will have scenes recorded at several locations across Rio.
Keys already filmed one segment in Rio`s Dona Marta slum. That shantytown became renowned worldwide after Michael Jackson went there to film the 1996 video "They Don`t Care About Us."
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Controversies just don’t seem to leave Shah Rukh Khan
Controversies just don’t seem to leave Shah Rukh Khan. The actor, who has been facing the ire of Shiv Sena over his comments on Pakistani cricketers, has landed in another murky controversy. And this time it’s concerning the new airport security system at UK airports. Shocking all, the actor in a talk show, stated that he autographed printed nude scans of his own body for two female security officers at the Manchester Airport.
And this comes after, the British transport secretary said last week that images taken by new full-body X-ray scanners, which capture in detail the human anatomy, would be destroyed immediately and not pose a risk to travellers` privacy.
Speaking at the show, Shah Rukh said, "I came out [of the scanner] and then I saw these girls and they had these printouts. So I looked at them, I thought maybe it`s a form you`re supposed to [sign] ... and you could see everything inside. And then I`ve autographed them for them”.
As for the statements of British transport secretary go, Lord Adonis said, "A pat-down search is a pretty intrusive procedure but people accept that because it is important that we do detect whether there are weapons or other powerful substances that people may be carrying. A body scanner is in the same category -- it is very important to stress that the images, which are captured by body scanners are immediately deleted. Staff are, of course, properly trained and supervised who manage the body scanners."
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Actor Aamir Khan's cold war on the director of ‘Delhi Belly’
Perfectionist actor Aamir Khan, who is infamous for his tiff with all his directors and accused of ghost directing his films, is once again in the news for a similar reason. The actor recently declared a cold war on the director of ‘Delhi Belly’, Abhinav Deo over difference in opinion. Reportedly, the actor and director are not seeing eye-to-eye and the film is clearly in trouble.
A source told a news daily, “Abhinav is irritated that Delhi Belly has been kept on the backburner. He has moved on and is now directing ‘Crooked’. How long could he wait?”
The source further added, “Aamir is not at fault. He has been very busy and likes to get involved in one project at a time. He will start working on Delhi Belly soon. But yes, Aamir does like to be in total charge of whatever his production house makes.”
Well, it seems that Abhinav Deo is going through what Amol Gupte experienced during the making of ‘Taare Zameen Par’. We feel sorry for the director who is up and against a creative ogre like Aamir Khan.
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Ram Gopal Varma`s Rann inspiring Nepal`s former Maoist guerrillas
Two years afterRam Gopal Varma `s remake of the Bollywood classic `Sholay` suffered censors` scissors in Nepal, the film director`s new release `Rann` has met with an entirely different response here, with top Maoist leaders calling it "inspiring".
Nepal`s former Maoist guerrillas, who had often called for a ban on Hindi films during their 10-year "People`s War", have now trooped to see "Rann", starring Amitabh Bachchan, who plays a media tycoon grappling with wily politicians.
Former Maoist finance minister Baburam Bhattarai and his wife and former tourism minister Hisila Yami were given a red-carpet treatment by the owners of the Gopi Krishna multiplex in Kathmandu, close to deposed king Gyanendra`s former residence, when they turned up to watch "Rann" at a special screening, the Kantipur daily reported.
At a time Nepal`s politicians are busy drafting the new constitution, the Maoist couple expressed a desire to see the medley of news and politics, two essential ingredients of the Maoist movement. The two chose the latest Bollywood release over James Cameron`s blockbuster "Avatar" and were led to a special cabin in the theatre to watch Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal and Gul Panag in action.
As the film started, more Maoist leaders began to enter. They included two of the deputy commanders of the Maoists` underground People`s Liberation Army, Nanda Kishor Pun Pasang and Chandra Prakash Khanal Baldev as well as Maoist MPs Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Netra Bikram Chand.
The otherwise frantically busy leaders watched the film for nearly two hours, mesmerised. At the end, while leaving the theatre, Bhattarai, whose name had been doing the rounds as the next prime minister of Nepal, had a comment.
"Films like these are an inspiration for us politicians," the daily quoted the scholar from New Delhi`s Jawaharlal Nehru University as saying. "It sends out the message that politicians have to reach top posts through ability."
Yami, a former student of Delhi`s School of Planning and Architecture and a peer of Arundhati Roy also had a comment. "The film teaches us that you shouldn`t join politics till you have won people`s faith," the former minister said.
"Even if you try to hide your sins by bribing the media, one day they will be out."
The praise was in sharp contrast to the way the censor authorities in Nepal had cut "Ram Gopal Varma ki Aag", a remake of "Sholay", two years back.
The Maoist couple had also recently watched "3 Idiots", the top-grossing Bollywood film starring Aamir Khan and directed by Raj Kumar Hirani. Last year, the Maoist-led government banned Bollywood action comedy "From Chandni Chowk to China" for wrongly describing India as the birthplace of the Buddha, who was born in southern Nepal.
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Girish Karnad called Slumdog Millionaire the worst film he has ever seen
Padma Bhushan awardee and Jnanpith award winner Girish Karnad Monday called `Slumdog Millionaire` the worst film he has ever seen.
Karnad, a towering, multi-faceted creative personality in the field of theatre, literature, acting and academics, was speaking at a lecture on `Colonialism and Culture` at the DD Kosambi lecture series, organised by the government of Goa in Panaji.
"I have never seen anything worse than `Slumdog Millionaire`," Karnad said during a question-answer session which followed his lecture.
He also said the movie had completely failed in India. India`s hunger for Oscars showed "our own inferiority complex", he added.
"I don`t know why we are obsessed with the Oscars or the Grammy (Grammy awards)," Karnad said, adding that the Indian film industry was perfectly healthy in every sense of the word.
Released in 2008, Danny Boyle`s "Slumdog Millionaire" swept the 81st Academy Awards by winning eight Oscars. Out of the eight awards, three were won by Indian artistes - Resul Pookutty, AR Rahman and Gulzar.
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Shahid Kapoor and Deepika Padukone are Jilted in love
Just when you thought that Shahid Kapoor has been linked to every single dame in B-town, the stunner is said to be dating the sultry Deepika Padukone. Jilted in love, the twosome are said to be the new ‘IT’ couple of Bollywood, trying to get over their heartbreak as they look for comfort in each other. Believe it or not, but sources state that the gorgeous duo is taking forward their affair slow yet steady.
From going pub-hopping to visiting each other’s pad, the two are said to be nearly inseparable. And sources state that when the two are not partying together, they can be found at each other’s home. “Shahid’s car was parked outside Deepika’s Bandra residence a few days ago,” says a source.
Talking about their relationship, a source told a daily, “Shahid and Deepika - both are quite headstrong and have moved on from their failed relationships. They are only concentrating on their career at the moment. They want to have a strong foothold in the industry and think alike, which is the main reason why they have clicked together.”
And it’s not like our filmmakers are ignoring this new affair. Buzz has it that the two are so much in love that they are now approached to star together in a film. Talking about the film, the source stated, “One of Shahid’s close friend is trying to work on the project. Deepika and Shahid are vaguely aware of the project and are definitely keen on working together since both of them are in-demand.”
And in love, is what it seems!
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Films normally are for entertainment-Shah Rukh Khan
It has some religion, a bit of politics and it`s set in the backdrop of a world shaking event, but for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan his latest venture is not so much about Islam post-9/11 as it is entertainment.
"The film is mainly entertainment," Shah Rukh said in a lengthy interview from New York on a trip last week to promote his new film, "My Name Is Khan" (MNIK), releasing in the US February 12.
"If some issue is taken back home, I always tell people if they can take back a little more than an empty pack of popcorn, that`s interesting...that`s an added advantage to an entertaining film."
Shah Rukh, who plays a Muslim Indian with Asperger`s syndrome living in the US, finding his marriage to a Hindu single mother (played by Kajol) crumbling post-9/11, wouldn`t agree that it`s the Islam angle that is grabbing the most attention in the US.
"A film normally deals with lots of issues, comedy, or it`s a tragedy or a serious film or a dramatic love story like `...Khan` is meant to be," he said. "If one starts talking or deciding on issues before a whole film is seen, it`s kinda not right to do, specially as a filmmaker.
"Normally, a film is more than the sum of its parts. It`s not like it`s a love story, it`s got a Karan Johar touch to social cinema, it has an angle of religion, it also has a part of politics, it has a world-shaking incident as a backdrop, it also has a lot of sweet songs. It combines all that.
"To me as a filmmaker, or part of a film, any aspect of the film can only be decided once one has seen the whole film. But there`s no denying that there is an aspect of religion in the film."
Nor would Shah Rukh look at this and other recent Bollywood films about the fate of Indian Muslims in the US post-9/11 as an effort to redress any negative images people may have formed about Islam over the last nine years.
"Films normally are for entertainment. One doesn`t really make a conscious decision to make a statement with it. Within entertainment, if a statement gets made, it`s really nice for a filmmaker.
"You know, maybe `3 Idiots` talks about education, but it`s an entertaining film. Similarly `Chak De! India` talks about patriotism, but it`s a sports film.
"You can have issues related in a film, but when filmmakers of commercial proportions like Karan, myself and Kajol and all get together, it`s not to highlight an issue because it`s too expensive as a commercial venture to make a film about an issue and not entertain."
To Shah Rukh, "the most interesting part of the fact as an actor is that I`m playing a character who`s got Asperger`s. It`s also not in any which way to show it in a light which is not nice...but for an actor that`s a great thing to do, you know, to play a (person with a) disorder like this which very few people know about."
"Hopefully, I`ll be able to convince people about it when they see (the film). I don`t think at least commercial filmmakers from India really make a big-time film which is localised or even localised by an international issue," he said.
"Commercial we will only know once the film releases," said Shah Rukh when asked if MNIK isn`t one of Karan Johar`s least commercial offerings so far.
"...Yes, the only thing it has amiss is big set dance pieces, but we just felt with the disorder we were dealing with, it would look very unrealistic for the character Rizwan Khan to indulge in dancing of the order of we normally see in a Hindi film of Karan`s, or you might have seen earlier.
"Except for that, I think the venture is extremely commercial," he said.
"In the last five years, there`s a whole paradigm shift as to what people accept as a commercial film," Shah Rukh said describing it as "Karan`s evolution from making and keeping up with the trends of new commercial cinema in India and elsewhere".
On professional challenges he faced during its filming, Shah Rukh said it was a "very difficult" character to play. "If I was to just put it simply, it`s very seldom that I`ve really gone ahead and played a character which exists in real life.
"And whenever you`re dealing with a disorder or a near...atypical situation, the first thought is that the sort of parameters you have to set that in no which way you are derogatory or deriding the disorder.
"You have to make the protagonist very proud of what it is. The second part is you have to come as close to reality in depicting that characterisation and so one had to study a lot and one does get worried..."
But a couple of people affected with the same disorder who were shown the film had told them "...it`s a great portrayal, it`s very close to someone with this kind of disorder".
"Of course, having said that, I have taken a few cinematic liberties with it, because I`ve used three or four traits which may not exist simultaneously in one person and tried to create one character who has Asperger`s, called Rizwan Khan."
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Emma Watson is the highest paid female star in Hollywood in 2009
‘Harry Potter’ star Emma Watson was the highest paid female star in Hollywood in 2009.
The ‘Hollywood’s top 40’ earners list compiled by Vanity Fair magazine has the beauty, who earned 20 million pounds, at the top among the women.
According to the magazine, she was paid 10 million pounds each for the final two parts of series, `Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.’
The 19-year-old is also the also the youngest actress on the list, reports a news daily.
Meanwhile, Watson’s Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe was placed sixth in with an income of 25.6 million pounds.
‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ director Michael Bay earned the highest in Hollywood 125 million US dollars.
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Hollywood actress Milla Jovovich together with John Abraham
John Abraham’s sculpted physique and Greek-god like looks has not just swept Indian beauties off their feet, it has also floored international hotties. Believe it or not, but acclaimed Hollywood actress Milla Jovovich , who is one of John’s many fans, requested filmmaker Deepa Mehta to cast the hunk opposite her in her next film ‘Beeba Boyz’.
Buzz has it that Mehta had signed Milla in April 2010 for Beeba Boyz, a film on Punjabi gangsters. When Milla came onboard she expressed her desire to work with John, so Deepa decided to cast him. However with John’s jam packed schedule, Deepa could not get immediate time from the actor. But instead of hunting for another male lead Deepa decided to John’s dates. So now the director will first complete ‘Midnight’s Children’ and then return to ‘Beeba Boyz’.
Speaking about John, Deepa said, “John was always my first choice for the part. Ever since we did Water, we’ve been waiting to work together again. Beeba Boyz is perfect for John. I need someone who will look menacing but attractive, sexy and earthy, speaking those Punjabi lines fluently.”
As for Milla’s admiration of John, Deepa said, “Milla asked about John the minute I offered her my film. I think she had seen John’s film and loved him in it.”
Confirming his involvement in the project, John said, “Yes, Deepa and I have met about the project with Milla. I’m doing it. We’ve sorted out the dates issues. I’m really fond of Deepa. I think we did something special in `Water`. We’ll do it again.”
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Shah Rukh Khan is hoping Shiv Sena ire against him
In the eye of a storm over his criticism of exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from a major tournament, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is hoping Shiv Sena ire against him would not be visited on his new film.
"If there is an issue with me you have to sort it out with me and talk to me about my ideology," he told reporters from New York where he was to promote his new film `My Name Is Khan`.
"As far as the film is concerned, that is an incidental thing. According to me, that`s not something they should take their ire against and hopefully they won`t and nobody will and it will release and, inshallah, people will like it," he said.
"I have nothing to respond," said Shah Rukh when asked about Shiv Sena`s threat to disrupt the screening of the film if he did not apologise for speaking against the exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"I don`t even understand what `My Name Is Khan` has got to do with what I say," he said.
"You know `My Name Is Khan` is not only my film. It has got Kajol and Karan (Johar) and hundred and fifty other people whose livelihood depends on that."
"And if there is an issue with me you have to sort it out with me and talk to me about my ideology," said Shah Rukh, who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders team, while sticking to his guns on the issue.
"I have no take on anybody`s statement" he said referring to Shiv Sena leaders` criticism of his views. "I can only do a take on my statement. And what I say and what everyone believes in... what I say that we are Indians and we should have everyone like to live freely and happily and be good."
"And so there is nothing new, we learnt it in class three civics books till I finished my masters that this is what I was taught by my parents and my mom."
"And I don`t know what the issue is really. I mean what is wrong in saying what I say that everyone is welcome to my country and I welcome them with open arms, whether it`s art, culture, sport, politics... you know, whatever."
"Everyone has got the right to do what they wish to do in our country. That`s why it`s the biggest democracy apparently," Shah Rukh said.
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