Sunday, January 13, 2008

Eisha Wont kiss and tell right or wrong

Audiences can expect things to get steamy in Eisha Koppikar’s new film, Right or Wrong. The sensuous actress had no qualms about shooting intimate scenes with her co-star, debutant Arav Chowdhary. There were bedroom scenes, apparently, and even a hot bathtub one. However, when it came to kissing her co-star, Eisha refused! We wonder why.

Eisha got her big Bollywood break in 2002 with Company, in which she became an overnight star with the sizzling item number, Khallas. After that, she had no dearth of offers. Although she has yet to deliver a huge hit, her performances in Don and Kyaa Kool Hai Hum were widely appreciated. We can undoubtedly expect to see her in more movies that reflect her bold image and exceptional dancing.

Interestingly, in Suraj Barjatya’s latest production, Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi, Ishaa plays a simple girl — a radically different role from her previous ones. We assume no kissing scenes will pose a problem there!

Dev Anand to get lifetime achievement award

Bangalore (PTI): Bollywood's evergreen hero Dev Anand, whose popular number 'Gaata Rahe Mera Dil' continue to woo film lovers even four decades after the release of box office hit 'Guide', would be conferred with a 'lifetime achievement award' for his contributions to the Indian cinema.

The 83-year-old veteran would be felicitated here on January 19 in a function organised by the Ramya Cultural Academy in association with the Vinmusic Club.

The award function will showcase his contributions to the Indian cinema in a career spanning six decades with select songs and clippings from some his best films including 'Guide', produced in 1960s, organisers said.

Several film stars, including from Bollywood and Kannada film industry are expected to witness the felicitation being organised for the actor for the first time in Karnataka.

Born on September 26, 1923, Dharam Pishorimal Anand, as he was known earlier, graduated in English literature from Government college Lahore, now in Pakistan.

His love for films brought him to Mumbai, where he began his career in military censor office on a Rs 160 monthly salary. He made debut as an actor in "Hum Ek Hain' in 1946, followed by "Ziddi" in 1948, which became a big hit.

The actor's rapid fire style of dialogue delivery, use of hats and penchant for nodding his head while speaking became his signature style in films like 'Munimji', 'CID' and 'Paying Guest' and imitated widely by his fans.

Next year, he graduated from the role of an actor to that of a producer launching his own production company "Navketan".

Dev Anand has been conferred with Padma Bhushan in 2001 for his contribution to Indian cinema.

'Taare Zameen Par' makes Advani cry

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani showed his emotional side when he could not control his tears after watching Bollywood star Aamir Khan's directorial debut 'Taare Zameen Par', a movie about a dyslexic child.

Aamir had arranged a special screening of the film for Advani, a Hindi film buff, and a few MPs at Prasar Bharati's Film Division auditorium here Friday.

Advani was all praise for the movie and its director. According to informed sources, he said he had not seen such a good movie for a long time.

Praising Aamir, Advani said the dyslexic child's struggle to overcome his shortcomings was a difficult subject that had been handled well.

'Both the director and the scriptwriter must be complimented. After years, I have seen such a film. Congratulations to the filmmakers,' Advani told reporters later.

In 2001, Advani had seen 'Lagaan', again an Aamir starrer, and liked it immensely. The movie was nominated for the Oscar but lost to 'No Man's Land'.

The sources said Aamir flew down from Mumbai for the screening when one of his relatives, close to Advani, informed him that the leader of the opposition was keen to watch his movie.

Advani has been a film critic and used to write about movies during his days as a journalist. He continues to be a movie buff.

Advani's compliments should come as a boon for Aamir for another reason. He had invited the wrath of the BJP government in Gujarat when he supported the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) in 2006, leading to an informal ban on his films in that state for a while.

US porn industry celebrates with their own 'Oscars'

Las Vegas: Stars and producers of the US adult film industry gathered in Las Vegas this weekend for annual awards dubbed the Oscars of porn, lamenting the fact it was hard to win recognition with so much sex in movies these days.

Even insiders admit the thought of viewing even a fraction of the 12,000 porn films made in the US last year to choose award winners in specific sexual categories was a less-than-enviable task.

"That is hell," said Jay Grdina, president of ClubJenna Inc, a division of Playboy. "I'd shoot myself in my head before I'd go through this."

Grdina is hardly shy about hard-core content. He has worked on hundreds of movies behind the camera, and starred in others with his ex-wife Jenna Jameson, perhaps the best-known name in the history of adult film.

Videotape, fewer prosecutions, DVDs and Internet advertising created an unprecedented boom in the US sex film business since the 1980s.

Paul Fishbein, publisher of Adult Video News, said his staff views 8,000 movies a year to find the best of the crop.

"It's a very long, horrible process," Fishbein said in an interview, saying he has 10 people devoted to the task full time.

"It is a lot of watching." The repetitive viewing is the underpinning of the event held at a ritzy Las Vegas hotel on Saturday night complete with an enthusiastic audience of more than 5,000 after a red carpet arrival of scantily dressed performers.

In their 25th year, the awards have become the industry's top celebration, dubbed the Oscars of porn, and were broadcast for the first time on cable television via Showtime, a division of CBS Corp.

"It's a thankless business," said Evan Stone, 43, who won best actor. "You don't get a lot of feedback."

Added Tera Patrick, the award's co-host: "We should be celebrated for all the hard work that we do."

Film studios and actors say the awards are important to gain attention when there is so much sex on film these days.

"You get a lot more work," said Jenny Hendrix, who was hoping to win in the "best tease" and other categories.

"It goes on your business cards, people notice you more." For many it is not easy to garner attention when widespread body enhancement procedures gives many performers a uniform blonde, busty look.

Breast enhancement is commonplace as are collagen lip injections. "The movies that win certainly get a bump in sales, but it's more important for just the image of the company and the brand to be known as the company that makes the best movies," said Steven Hirsch, co-founder of Vivid, a leading studio.

Nina Hartley, who won the AVN best actress award in 1987 for "Debbie Duz Dishes" was more sceptical about the impact of the awards. "Nothing has consistently shown that it helps anybody," she said.

Many say the awards add legitimacy to an industry that is still often shunned by the mainstream. "We've come out of the woodwork," said Randy Spears, 46, a 22-year veteran of the business. "Our audience is not the raincoat crowd anymore."

Shahid on breakup: It's not classy to talk about it

For the first time after his much-publicised breakup, actor Shahid Kapoor explains how difficult it was promoting his film at the time that his relationship was crumbling. CNN-IBN's Entertainment Editor Rajeev Masand spoke to the actor about the upside of success and the flip side of heartbreak in this exclusive interview.

Rajeev Masand: You have just come off this monster hit Jab We Met. Tell me what has changed for you?

Shahid Kapoor: Not too much, I was out of work after Vivah and right now I am out of work after Jab We Met. I haven’t started on anything new and just completed one with Aziz Mirza called Kismat Connection. That should be out somewhere in the middle of 2008. Apart from that hearing new stuff.

Rajeev Masand: Your personal life and your break-up with your girlfriend was much in the spot- light around the time when Jab We Met was being released. So was it difficult for you to be fielding questions constantly about your personal life and the break-up at a

time when you were already anxious about a new release?

Shahid Kapoor: Yes, it was a very trying period for me for almost a month, and it was very clearly a question for me of choosing between my personal feelings and my profession. I had two choices, one was to come back and not talk at all, not go out in the press and not interact with the media— which would save me the pain of answering questions which I am uncomfortable about, or go out there and promote my film which was releasing in three weeks. I chose to do the latter, because I think it was important for me as a hero to be there for my film and I had great faith in the film. So yes it was difficult and uncomfortable but I accepted that as a part of the way things work out here.

Rajeev Masand: Was it also difficult because the breakup was so recent and everyone wanted a piece of it, everyone wanted to know more?

Shahid Kapoor: I think the most difficult was to not talk about because it was so public and it was really important for me as a person to draw a line as they are areas that are very personal and it’s not classy to talk about them in print. It’s only between two people and not to be discussed publicly and yet not talk about it at all because there are many questions that people have. So the most difficult thing was finding that middle path which comfortable with and also that gave people enough to be comfortable with. At least you have spoken about it and that was important.

Rajeev Masand: Tell me how much of Jab We Met success do you attribute to the fact that there was so much hype around the breakup?

Shahid Kapoor: None at all. I remember when I did Fida with Kareena, we had just started seeing each other and there was a huge hype. It bombed. I don’t that has anything to do with the film doing well. A lot of people were very worried that now that we weren’t seeing each other and we are coming out with a love story, it may effect the film negatively. But eventually people go in to watch a good film and they like it.

Rajeev Masand: I find it sort of ironic because I know the rest of the world too does that your first hit together comes at a time when you two decided to go separate ways.

Shahid Kapoor: Of course it’s ironic and it’s strange. But that’s how it is.

Rajeev Masand: What was the last Hindi film you saw that made you go ‘I wish I was in that’?

Shahid Kapoor: Taare Zameen Par. I saw it and was blown away. If there’s one man I want to take an autograph from is Aamir Khan. Seriously. It’s because of him that a lot of us new people feel inspired to do something which is off the beaten track and risky. Because he does them and then pull them off. So you are sitting in your own little house, trying to make your little career happen and then you say if he can make it happen there’s hope for such films, they can work and audience accepts them. Audience’s perception towards him is very strong. He gives you hope that once you reach that stage in your career you can afford to do such films.

Rajeev Masand: Finally, we are tired of speculation, you are tired of speculation. So Vidya Balan, Amrita Rao – who is it that you are dating?

Shahid Kapoor: Yaar Rajeev there has been so much written about it that I have let people make up their minds about it themselves. I really don’t want to talk about it and say ‘no comment’. Something as boring and as irritating as that.

Rakhi Sawant And Her Publicity Stunts

Rakhi Sawant is one actress who always has one way or the other to stay in news. Getting emotional, or exposing too much or blabbering some rubbish………these are some tactics she uses to stay in news.

Everything she does seems so artificial and superficial that you do not know whether to laugh or to cry when she opens her mouth.

Sources reveal that the lady has decided to go unemotional in the New Year. She has decided to sober down in 2008

Well this statement has certainly brought the lady in limelight.

Also, she is in news for lodging a complaint against Star News, accusing them to be cheating the audiences, due to their alleged fake voting pattern.

The channel however, has not taken this allegation seriously.

“From now, Rakhi won’t cry, but will have people cry,” she roars.

Watch out guys!!!!!!

Bollywood Gossip - Rani to play angel

After playing the prostitute with a heart of gold, Rani Mukerji is set for a U-turn. In Kunal Kohli's new film, she plays an angel who descends down to look after business-executive Saif Ali Khan's children.
Quite a leap of fate for an actress who has always taken grave risks with her career!

How does it feel to be playing an angel?

"Right now I'm not allowed to talk about Kunal's film. But, yes, any opportunity to surprise yourself and the audience is welcome," Rani told.

Some of the critics have sniggered at Rani's back-to-back roles as a prostitute in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Saawariya. Rani is unfazed.

"What's the big deal? An actor's job is to play a variety of challenging roles. And I don't think anyone has the right to question any actor for his choice of parts. I can't be happy doing just good-woman or bad-woman roles. Luckily for me I got to play three different kinds of prostitutes in The Rising, Laaga Chunari... and Saawariya. You can call it my prostitute trilogy. I hope people will remember my three different portrayals of the fallen woman with affection.", Rani said.

For now Rani is happy playing the angel in Kohli's film, which is being produced by Yash Raj Films. She's currently shooting for the film with Saif in Bangkok.

The lessons that Vidya Balan learnt in 2007

Last year may have given Vidya Balan hits including Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa , but it also left behind many lessons.

“It taught me how to deal with people. I am learning to be more assertive. I was shying away from this earlier. I have also learnt to have more fun and be less hard on myself. Now, I can laugh at controversies surrounding me.”
Vidya continues, “You can’t make the world happy. So I will do things to make myself happy.”

And what makes Vidya happy? “Small things like giving a good shot, a good paycheck, spending time with loved ones, praying or listening to music make me happy. Watching a child sleep also gives me much joy.”

Quiz Vidya about her latest film Halla Bol and she says, “It’s an issue-based film. If it brings about awakening in five people and makes them stand up for what they are not okay with, I’d be happy.”

Of Aziz Mirza ’s film ‘Kismet Konnection’ with Shahid Kapur , Vidya says, “There’s so much positive feeling in the unit that our shooting went off like a breeze.”

Vidya has also shot for the Bengali film ‘Mukti’ for Gautam Haldar in 2008.