Celebrity Gossip: July 2011

Bubble Gum: An 80s film released in 2011

MUMBAI: Bubble Gum is about a troubled teenager, his perceived insecurities, infatuation, rivalry and, finally, his coming of age. With growing star prices, different genres are being tried along with some which don't easily fit a genre.

Bubble Gum is about a middle class housing society in 1980s Jamshedpur when there was no net or cell phone and life's aspirations were simpler and pace leisurely.

The society has its bunch of young boys and girls, one of whom is Delzad Hiwale, a 14-year-old lad. Delzad has a few issues but he has found a purpose in his lonely life in a 13-year-old girl, Apoorva Arora, who has shifted to the same complex. He has fallen in love. However, as at home, here too he has a hurdle to face.

At home Delzad feels neglected since his older brother, who is deaf and mute, is sent away to a hostel, for such students get more attention while he is just taken for granted for being normal. Similarly, in his pursuit of love too he has a competitor with all the traits of a '80s film villain in Suraj Kumar, a year older than him. The boy is Reggie Mantle to Delzad's Archie, only more sinister and devious.

Delzad's troubles mount when his deaf and mute older brother, Sohail Lakhani, comes home for Holi vacations and not only gets all the attention from the parents but is also responsible for Delzad having to stay at home all the time, forced to keep his brother company.

Delzad's so called social life comes to standstill as does his pursuit of love. His arch rival, meanwhile, uses all the ploys and plots to get ahead in the race. The centre of all the activities is the Holi festival while the favourite pass time of the girls as well as boys is playing kabbadi, something that may seem out of sync to today's generation. After all the enmities and family misgivings, the spirit of Holi prevails and each realises his/her own misplaced priorities.

The best part about this film is its casting, gathering raw, young talent from across India; all the actors give natural performances with the prototype villain, Suraj Kumar coming tops closely followed by Sohail Lakhani and Delzad Hiwale. Apporva Arora and Azeen, along with veterans Sachin Khedekar and Tanvi Azmi, are apt. The director has stuck to exploring the innocence of that era which today's parents may identify more with than the children. Music is situational.

Bubble Gum has its few cute moments but it is not the kind of venture to sustain at the box office.

Issue-based films tend to get themselves into trouble. And we don’t mean just the trouble caused by disgruntled parties, political or otherwise.

The balance that needs to be struck between headlines and their cinematic interpretation often tends to get lost thereby defeating the noblest of purposes and the best intentions of conscientious filmmakers who look at the cinematic medium as more than just entertainment.

Ajai Sinha who has his roots in meaningful television entertainment , boldly takes on the theme of khap (community) justice in rural Haryana whereby any marriage between two individuals of the same gotra (clan) is punished by local village panchayats. It’s a powerful subject that needed a singlemindedly uncompromised treatment.

Sadly Sinha dilutes the theme with dollops of formula-baazi. There’s a teenybopper love-angle featuring two relative newcomers who need a crash-course in basic acting and grooming. The young love-birds chat online with what they feel are sweet cute and funny lines.

If only they knew! The entire treatment and development of their romance is redolent of amateurishness. Precious time is frittered away in gawkily composed and choreographed song and dances where the love birds coo sweet-nothings into one another’s ears.

You feel like pushing these two campus wannabes out of the way to watch the impending drama in a village of Haryana where the panchayat is a law unto itself.

The interweavement of characters into a dramatic circle embodying outdated customs and their clash with contemporary mores, could have acquired a greater validity if the narrative had focused more on hardhitting rural prejudices rather than jejune urban affectations.

Om Puri as the village sarpanch is the pick of the plot. He gets the meatiest part with the best emotional graph. He doesn’t need to make much of an effort to make the part his own, and he doesn’t even try.

Nowadays a kind of laziness has crept into distinguished actor’s repertoire. It’s wonderful to see the talented Manoj Pahwa grab a pivotal role. Pahwa was hilarious as Ayesha Takiya’s delusional suitor in Wanted.

Here he sinks into the role of a village elder who once watched his daughter being slaughtered for the village honour.

Ajai Sinha’s antecedents from television make themselves evident in the way the drama unfolds in episodic overtures covering huge time-frames with soft punctuation marks.

The film would have worked better with a more confident cast of younger plays. The elders can only take the drama so far. Khap is finally betrayed by the wimpish and awkward portrayal of the urban young and by too many attempts to draw out a soap-opera-styled drama from situations that seem to plead for more finesse in presentation.

Nonetheless Khap should be commended for attempting a socially-relevant theme with some amount of detachment and equanimity. Should love between cousins or people from within one family be sternly discouraged just because the village panchayat feels it is damaging to the social framework?

Arnold Schwarzenegger's son Christopher has said that he is feeling much better in the wake of his recent accident.

The 13-year-old was admitted to intensive care after breaking several bones and suffering a collapsed lung while surfing in Malibu earlier this month.

Christopher was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday and has since been seen driving around Los Angeles with his big sister Katherine.

While out on the town, Christopher took the time to tell TMZ that he is feeling "excellent" following his stint in the intensive care unit.

Arnold and his estranged wife Maria Shriver released a statement earlier this week in which they revealed that their son will make a full recovery.

The couple announced their separation in May after 25 years of marriage.

Katie Price has announced that she has moved out of the house she shared with ex-husbands Peter Andre and Alex Reid.

The glamour model turned businesswoman declared on Twitter yesterday that her £3m Surrey home had been tainted with "not good memories" of her failed marriages.

"Finally said goodbye to the house I lived in for 3 years," she wrote. "Onwards and upwards from here. Not good memories there! New house, new start. Wooo hooo!"

Price celebrated the move to her £2m abode in West Sussex by spending a "cosy night in" with friends, family and boyfriend Leandro Penna.

"Cosy night in sitting next 2 new log fire with@leandro__penna, my mum and dad, Harvey, 4 dogs, 7 cats," she tweeted. "Love this house. So happy, I'm a lucky girl."

Price sold her mansion for £250,000 below its asking price after deeming it to be "cursed".

The 33-year-old purchased her West Sussex home last year and has spent the last eight months renovating it.

Penna is said to have given up his own apartment in Argentina in order to spend more time with Price.

Actress Madhuri Dixit won the Bollywood Beauty Legend Award at the Vogue Beauty Awards functionon 2011

Madhuri will also be seen on the cover of the next Vogue magazine called the 'Age Issue' On receiving the award, she told reporters "I have a long way to go before I become a legend, but it is an honour for me to accept this award. Beauty for me is not what is from the outside, but what is in the inside." Actress Anushka Sharma won the award for the Fresh Face of Bollywood. She said, "I hope I receive the Fresh Face award every year, though that does not mean I am scared of ageing. Beauty is a very subjective aspect. What is beautiful for me, might not be beautiful for someone else. For me beauty is how one does things based on their comfort level." Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won the award for the Global Beauty Icon.

Vogue Beauty Awards honour the best beauty products, services and professionals across 54 categories like skin care, make up, hair and many more. It is the second year of the Awards.

The winners were chosen by a jury, comprising of Dia Mirza, Adhuna Akhtar, Simone Singh, Priya Tanna, Mickey Contractor and others who tested the products nominated personally. The jury members were present at the award ceremony.

Priya Tanna, Editor of Vogue India, said the second edition demonstrates the commitment towards beauty. She said, "The overwhelming response we received last year from our readers, industry professionals and experts has encouraged us to further expand these awards, adding a new category to recognise individual talent and celebrate the stunning faces of Bollywood. It's only going to be bigger and better."

Thirteen items belonging to the late kung fu legend Bruce Lee, including a 1966 letter he wrote and a fur-lined coat will go under the hammer in a Hong Kong auction next week, a report said Saturday.

The sale, which could raise up to HK$880,000 ($112,900), is believed to be the largest-scale auction of his memorabilia in the southern Chinese city, where Lee was raised before moving to the United States in his late teens.

Items to be sold from his estate include a letter he wrote 45 years ago to a friend in which the martial arts specialist talked about the television series The Green Hornet, in which he played Kato, a confidant of the superhero.

"The item is meaningful in the sense that it can allow us to understand more about Bruce Lee's views and what he thought about his work at that time," Wong Yiu-keung, the Bruce Lee Fan Club chairman told the South China Morning Post.

Other items to be sold at the August 6 auction include a dark-blue fur-lined coat which was made around 1973 for Lee's film Game of Death, a membership card for his kung fu institute, and a name card of Lee.

The sale is jointly organised by auction houses America's Kelleher Auctions and Phila China of Hong Kong. Bruce Lee Fan Club and Phila China could not be reached for immediate comment on Saturday.

The Hong Kong government said last month that it has shelved a plan to turn Lee's old home in the southern Chinese city -- which later became a rundown love hotel -- into a museum, citing differences with the property owner.

Fans of the icon, who died in 1973 at the age of 32, have long called for museum dedicated to Lee in the city.

Lee -- credited with catapulting the martial arts film genre into the mainstream with films including Fists of Fury and the posthumously released Enter the Dragon -- died after a severe reaction to medication. (AFP)

Actor Salman Khan has now moved ahead in becoming the highest paid star in the industry with an increase in his fees.

With his recent hits at the box office, Salman, just like co-stars Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan has now decided to demand a whopping Rs 50 crore for his next project.

So far, Salman used to charge nothing less than Rs 40 crore but now with his current position at the box office he too has plans of making more big bucks.

Two filmmakers who have recently signed on Salman have confirmed the news of the hike in his fee. Sources say that along with hiking his fee, the star also recommends directors for these films. He also has insisted on casting Sonakshi Sinha for ‘Kick’.

But filmmaker Bhushan Kumar said that the star re-negotiates and restructures his price. "When Salman bhai did Ready, the film industry was facing a huge financial crunch. But he agreed to cut down his price from Rs 40 crore to Rs 17 crore”, he said.

Rihanna has insisted that Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and she are the women who are currently dominating the pop music scene. The singer, who finished up the US leg of her ‘Loud’ tour on Sunday, said that it is “exciting” so many female stars are topping the charts and selling more records than their male contemporaries.

‘’There’s a pack. It’s me, GaGa, Katy Perry, Beyoncé... who else? Ke$ha for sure,” she told Glamour magazine. “Women are definitely dominating music right now, and that’s because we are competitive beings. I feel like music hasn’t been this exciting in a while.” She added: “All my friends are guys, to be completely honest. But when I met [Katy Perry], it was such a breath of fresh air.

I just couldn’t believe this chick had no edit button... Katy and Lady GaGa came out of the gate exactly the way they think, the way they wanna dress, the way they wanna speak.’’ The 23-year-old recently revealed that ‘Cheers’ will be the sixth single to be lifted from her multi-million-selling Loud album.

Daniel Craig has said that he would consider starring in a Bollywood film.

The James Bond actor, who is promoting his forthcoming release Cowboys and Aliens, said that he recognises the potential of cinema in India, Mid Day reports.

Craig said: "I think it's a huge market. My last two Bond movies did good business in India."

The actor confirmed that some scenes from Bond 23 will be shot in India.

"Yes, that's true," he said. "And I am absolutely thrilled about it."

When asked if he had any preference for a Bollywood actress who might be cast as a Bond girl, he replied: "I don't know any Bollywood actress personally, but Indian women are very beautiful and they will surely make wonderful Bond girls."

Craig added that while he has an interest in Bollywood, he has not been approached by a producer.

"Nothing has come my way yet, but if things work out then why not?" he said.

Craig will appear as James Bond for the third time in the 23rd instalment of the series.

The film is due for release on October 26, 2012 in the UK and November 9, 2012 in the US.

'Bond 23' is my best Bond adventure so far, says Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig has said that the script of his upcoming Bond movie is better than his debut flick 'Casino Royale'.

The actor first played the famous super spy in the 2006 hit, and reprised the role for the sequel, 'Quantum of Solace'.

While the latter film under performed with critics, Craig is adamant the upcoming, unnamed 23rd instalment of the franchise will be his best Bond adventure so far.

"I read the script the other day and I'm more excited about this than I was about Casino because we've kind of got a classic Bond movie plus lots of other things," the Daily Express quoted him as saying.

The film is about the life of Britain's King Edward VIII and his American wife Wallis Simpson and a modern-day woman called Wally. It will be screened out-of-competition at the Aug 31-Sep 10 event.

"'W.E.' is about the nature of true love, and the sacrifices and compromises that are often made. I've wanted to tell this story for a very long time, and bringing it to life has been a great adventure for me," Madonna said about her film.

Films included in the competition line-up are "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and Andrea Arnold's new adaptation of classic tale "Wuthering Heights".

"Black Swan" director Darren Aronofsky will chair the competition jury that will pick the winner of the Golden Lion Award.

I am a male. I am a Muslim. I am a Pakistani and I am gay.

I come from a deeply religious family, where everyone prays five times a day and reads the Qur’an every day.

I came to the realization when I was eighteen-years-old, while I was in a relationship with my first girlfriend. Even though I was with her, I did not feel any sort of attraction towards her. The only feeling that I felt for her was of a friendly affection, nothing more and nothing less.

I say realization, but deep down I suppose I always knew that I was different from all the other guys. I never used to sit and ogle at girls and pass comments about them, but at the time I attributed that to my upbringing and to the fact that I had learned to respect women, having lived with three very admirable women at home, my mother and my sisters. And even though that still stands true, now I understand that it was something else – something inside me which made me think and behave differently.

I began to hate myself when I gradually became more and more convinced about my sexuality, trying to cut myself with any sharp thing I could lay my hands on, knives, scissors, blades, anything at all.

Whenever such thoughts came into my head, I went and locked myself in my room and tried to hurt myself.

I started to pray even more. I sat on the prayer mat for minutes and hours on end crying, begging Allah to change me, not to make me the way I was turning out to be.

I thought Allah was testing me, that He was testing my faith, my imaan; that He wanted to see if I could fight temptation. But I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I struggled or how much I prayed and asked for help, I failed every time.

Now I’m reaching that age where my parents are starting to discuss my marriage and whenever I listen into their conversation, a part of me dies inside.

The feelings of helplessness and impotency that I go through cannot be compared to anything else.

My parents have been planning my wedding ever since my older brother got married eight years ago: how can I go and tell them that I cannot get married? How will I be able to live with myself if (or when) I am married, knowing that I’ve ruined an innocent girl’s life because surely I will never be able to give her the love and intimacy that she truly deserves?

Sometimes I contemplate on whether I should tell my family the truth and stop living a lie, thinking that they will love me no matter what. Then my fantasy comes to a grinding halt. My bubble bursts, when I hear my sister or my brother passing comments full of hate and prejudice about gay men and how much they detest them, whenever they see them on television or in person. I sit and think what they would say to me, if anything at all.

But now I feel that I’ve come to terms with whom and what I am.

I have accepted this fact, that no matter how hard I try I will not be able to change myself. Although, that does not mean I’ve moved away from my religion or from Allah. Why can I not be who I am and stay close to my faith at the same time? Why does it always have to be one or the other and never both?

The average person tends to think that people like me are the way we are because we choose to be this way. This may be true for some people, but it definitely was not true for me.

Why would I choose to live a life where I have to constantly lie to all those who I care about? Why would I choose to live a meaningless life where I may never be happy? Why would I choose to be this way when I’m fully aware of what my family would do to me, if they ever were to find out the truth about me?....Source

Superstar Shahrukh Khan has not only donned a specially designed superhero suit for his role in `RA.One` but has also fulfilled his longtime wish to ride a sleek bike.
“Always wanted to ride bikes... mom never allowed me. just so that she knows... this one I was tied to with wires so perfectly safe... for a romantic hero I felt quite the dude... ha ha,” Shahrukh said on micro-blogging site Twitter.

The 45-year-old actor gave a sneak peek of the super-cool bike by posting a photo of it on Twitter.

“About to post the bike we used for the film. Saby Cyril designed it being inspired from some images he got from books,” the King Khan said.

Directed by Anubhav Sinha, `RA.One`, is a science-fiction superhero film starring Shahrukh, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in pivotal roles.

Produced under the banner of Khan`s Red Chillies Entertainment, the film will release on October 26 this year.

Veena Malik did manage to grab Salman Khan's attention as she gyrated on Sheila ki jawaani when in the Bigg Boss' house.

The actress who is currently working on her debut Hindi film 'Daal mein kuch kaala hai' with other controversial actors like Raja Chaudhary and Shakti Kapoor spoke about her dream co-stars.

Veena stated, "I'd like to work with the Bachchans and Khans soon. I think they are extremely talented and enormously good looking actors."

Speaking on Ashmit Patel, the actress said, "Ashmit and I have been offered a couple of films but we are waiting for something really good to come our way. We are waiting for the right script. Our fans are waiting for us to come together on the big screen and it shall happen soon."

Veena-Ashmit fans had even suggested Pooja Bhatt to cast the two in Jism sequel which Pooja is planning to make.

Lets see what lies ahead for the Pakistani seductress.

Bollywood can't get enough of its good old, 40-plus actors - Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Ajay Devgn. They ruled the roost in the 1990s and after two decades, they are still calling the shots as they get the best films, meaty roles, highest remuneration and maximum media coverage.

Of course, there are Abhishek Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan and younger heroes like Shahid Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Imran Khan, Abhay Deol and Emraan Hashmi who are a rage, but old continues to be gold at the box office.

Amitabh Bachchan, who is way beyond the 40-mark, has spent over four decades in the Hindi film industry - but the 68-year-old is nowhere close to fading. He is still playing central characters. After the recent "Bbuddah...Hoga Tera Baap", he is set to treat fans with "Aarakshan", as well as the fifth season of the reality show "Kaun Banega Crorepati". And he isn't hanging up his boots as long as his body works.

Other than Big B, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Salman, Shah Rukh, Aamir, Ajay, Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar top the filmmakers' wishlist, as long as the script and budget are in tune with the stars.

These actors have proved their charm over and over again.

Salman, 45, proved he is still saleable with "Dabangg", the biggest blockbuster of last year. He carried forward his victorious streak in 2011 with the masala film "Ready" and his debut co-production "Chillar Party", which garnered critical acclaim.

The star is facing a receding hair line, but it is not coming in the way of his success. He is now gearing up to entertain fans with "Bodyguard", which is also expected to mint gold at the box office.

B-town 'badshah' Shah Rukh's 2010 film "My Name Is Khan", a love story set against the backdrop of racial discrimination post-9/11, grossed an estimated $18 million at the worldwide box office in its opening weekend.

Now the 45-year-old, who is coping with a back problem and even has a few wrinkles, is coming up with the two most awaited projects of the year - his mega-budget home production "Ra.One" and Farhan Akhtar's "Don 2: The Chase Continues".

At 46, Aamir is one of the most formidable stars. As an actor, director or producer, his films have set new standards in the Hindi film industry. Over the years, he has lost his cute college-boy looks but is still a craze.

Be it "3 Idiots" in 2009, the satirical "Peepli Live" in 2010 or the recently released, cult, madcap comedy "Delhi Belly", Aamir's USP of moulding himself and his work to suit the audience's taste has made him the flavour of all seasons for Indian movie buffs.

From romancing to tickling the funny bone, these actors are doing all kinds of roles.

For instance, 42-year-old Ajay, who stands out for his intense acting, scored well at the box office with the underworld drama "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai" and the comedy "Golmaal 3" last year. This year his latest, "Singham", a hardcore action movie, is already roaring loud at the box office.

Saif, who hit the 40-mark last year, is set to get experimental now. The 'Chhote Nawab' will be seen in the serious role of a Dalit school teacher in "Aarakshan'. Later, he is expected to set the screen on fire with his home production "Agent Vinod", in which he is said to have performed some mindblowing stunts.

For the daredevil Akshay, the year 2010 was a bit of a damp squib with just one hit - Sajid Khan's "Housefull" - despite several other films like "Khatta Meetha", "Action Replayy" and "Tees Maar Khan".

The depression in his career graph continued this year with not-so-successful films like "Patiala House" and "Thank You", but that hasn't affected Akshay's stardom.

Hopefully, he will jump back into action with "Desi Boyz", "Joker" and "Housefull 2" in the near future. The 44-year-old also has the Indo-Canadian film "Breakaway" lined up for release.

There are also 51-year-olds Anil and Sanjay who manage to enthuse audiences, no matter what. Sanjay entertained with "Double Dhamaal" recently, while Anil is making headway to international shores with a prestigious project like "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol".

As far as Bollywood goes, these stars are ageless.

Drunk fans create ruckus outside Amy's home

Amy Winehouse's drunken fans created chaos outside the singer's home, forcing neighbours to call the police.

Police were called in as residents complained about the gathered crowd in front of the singer's North London home, who went berserk boozing around and dancing in the street, reported Daily Mail online.

Bottles of wine, cans of beer and cigarette ends were strewn around Camden Square and dumped on the shrine that has built up to the star. Some fans were slumped on the pavements.

The area outside Winehouse's home has been filled with flowers, candles, pictures and heartfelt messages from devastated fans since her death.

Graffiti has also been daubed over buildings and walls with messages to Winehouse. Neighbours became so frustrated that they rang police, who arrived to move the raucous crowds on. One man was arrested.

"We've had four nights of this disturbance. We all have to work. We all have to sleep, and with the drunken nonsense going on a lot of us are finding it hard to get any sleep. Also since when has it been appropriate to show respect for a recently deceased alcoholic with a drunken party?" a neighbour said.

"We were called to reports of disturbances at 10.30pm.One man was arrested for a breach of the peace and some were moved on," a police spokesperson said.

After the celebration got out of hand, police stood guard outside Amy's house alongside a private security guards.

LOS ANGELES: Can't bear to sit through yet another robot or superhero-filled extravaganza or R-rated raunchy comedy this summer? "Another Earth" offers the discerning moviegoer a welcome alternative.

This indie drama -- a prizewinner at this year's Sundance Film Festival -- is a sci-fi romance. But there's not a single alien in sight. Rather, the movie's all-too-human characters are more than a little alienated from their own feelings at times, trying their best to push down and mask painful emotions.

It's about exactly what the title says: a second Earth, complete with its own moon, has suddenly appeared. It hangs, shimmering on the horizon, visible from our Earth day and night and tantalizing all with its possibilities.

This other Earth first appears on the very night that a smart high-school senior, Rhoda Williams(played by newcomer Brit Marling, who co-wrote the script with first-time feature director Mike Cahill), is out celebrating getting accepted by M.I.T. Driving home after a night of partying, she runs a light and slams into a car carrying respected composer John Borroughs (William Mapother), his pregnant wife and young son.

When Rhoda gets out of prison a few years later, she seeks out John, the only one in his family to have survived the accident. She and John are both mere shells of their former selves, cut off from others emotionally by the after-effects of the tragedy. Without revealing her true identity, she inserts herself into his life. Slowly, these two help each other to begin to return to the land of the living.

Throughout the movie, there's constant talk on the radio and on TV about the other Earth and plans to journey there. Shades of TV's "Fringe": Could it be that everyone on our Earth has a doppelganger on the second Earth, an identical twin to yourself who just might be a happier and more successful version of you? It's a question of special appeal to both Rhoda and John.

Marling is a rangy blond with a long face that is just this side of interesting rather than being blandly beautiful. There is a muted intensity to her performance, which is all the more hauntingly effective for its restraint, especially as Rhoda begins to shed her emotional numbness.

It's a measure of "Another Earth's" ability to move a viewer that when you come out of the movie, you'll find yourself gazing upward, checking almost hopefully to see whether a second Earth hasn't made an appearance. (Reuters)

Singer Rihanna has been named woman of the year by Italian Vogue magazine.

Rihanna was honoured for her charity work, pop success and her ability to tackle adversity in personal life, including troubled relationships with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown and drug addict father Ronald Fenty.

"Independent, energetic, the young Robyn Rihanna Fenty (only 23) is our woman of the year, and not just by virtue of numbers and figures but also, and foremost, for her kind and fighting spirit," contactmusic.com quoted a spokesperson from the magazine as saying.

"The same spirit that brought her from Barbados to the top of the music charts achieving a career which she has forged and mastered completely by herself (whose last move was to become the new ambassador for Armani)," it said.

"Rihanna is the undisputed best contender to the role of queen of pop. Her career has always been based on the cunning use of sexiness and provocation.

"She has managed to cultivate her career despite the many tragedies affecting her private life: from her father's addiction to crack ... to the violence caused to her in 2009 by her then-boyfriend, Chris," the spokesperson added.

Rihanna had first graced the cover of the fashion magazine in September 2009.

Halle Berry's intruder now charged with burglary

A man who has been accused of stalking actress Halle Berry has now been charged with burglary.

Richard Anthony Franco, 27, was charged with felony stalking after he was arrested earlier this month for trespassing on the actress' property three times in three days. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office has now added the additional charge, reports contactmusic.com.

Franco is currently behind bars, while Berry has also obtained a restraining order against him and it states he must stay 500 yards away from her, her family and her home and bars him from attempting to contact her for three years.

A preliminary hearing has been set for Aug 4.

Ali Zafar hunts for new face for music video

Pakistani Singer-actor Ali Zafar, who featured in Bollywood movie "Tere Bin Laden", is looking for a fresh face for his new music video for the album "Jhoom".

"This is one of the biggest albums and Ali wants to cast a new face opposite him in the video. He is on a hunt both in India and Pakistan to zero in on a girl to play the lead," said a source.

Zafar's third album titled "Jhoom", released by Alif Records, singer's own record label, is the highest selling album in Pakistan and it has been ranked second in popularity on Indian music charts.

He will now be seen in Yash Raj Films' new film "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan", starring Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif.

Box office records broken: Bollywood’s July of joy

Four hit films in July create Bollywood box office history... Which one was your favourite? Delhi Belly, Murder 2, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, or Singham?

History is in the making at box office this month. With four blockbusters running successfully at theatres, this July has turned out to be the best ever in the history of Hindi cinema.

Going by the trade figures, the month saw a net collection of around Rs 210 crore at box office, which is a whopping figure. To give you a sense of proportion, it is roughly 26 percent of the total collection of the first half of this year which included the hits like Ready and Double Dhamaal.

In fact, these two films set the momentum in June, carried forward at the start of July with Delhi Belly, which turned out to be a runaway hit despite its A certificate and expletive-strewn dialogues. Bbuddah - Hoga Terra Baap, released on the same day, did not really create a ruck at ticket windows but did decent enough business.

Then came Murder 2, with its macabre tale of a psychotic killer, and minted money at box office despite being panned by the critics.

Box office hat-trick was consummated with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, a life-affirming tale of three friends on a trip through Spain. The film managed to attract footfalls despite releasing just two days after the 13/7 Mumbai terror attacks. In fact, it surpassed the first weekend collection of Murder 2.

The fourth Friday of July brought more cheer with the release of Singham. The movie, starring Ajay Devgan, became the second best opener of the year after Salman Khan’s Ready. The film witnessed an exceptional weekend at box office and is still running strong, racing on its way to be a hit.

Compared to the July of 2010, this July has seen an 80 percent increase in box office business, making it the best ever July in Bollywood history.

The good news is that the coming months would see the release of some most eagerly awaited films of the year, like Bodyguard, Ra.One and Don 2. All of them are expected to be money minters.

JLo to bag 21m pounds for American Idol?

LONDON: Singer Jennifer Lopez will reportedly get 21 million pounds to return as a judge for the US version of “American Idol”.

The “On The Floor” hitmaker, who split from her husband Marc Anthony earlier this month after seven years together, will reportedly get the amount to reappear alongside fellow judges Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson on the singing reality show, reports the Sun newspaper.

“We’re in good shape. No worries. No dark clouds on the horizon,” said Cecile Frot-Coutaz, chief executive officer at FremantleMedia North America, which produces the series.
The 42-year-old singer received 8 million pounds for her role on the programme last year.

Katrina Kaif will do the item song "Aaya re aaya bodyguard" in "Bodyguard" and Salman Khan, who plays the title role in the movie, will match steps with her.

As the song is about Salman's character, so his presence is said to be a must in it. Bodyguard producer Atul Agnihotri confirmed that Salman will be part of the song. Ganesh Acharya will teach him the steps.

"Salman likes to do his own thing in the dance numbers. Everyone knows in 'Munni badnam' he didn't follow Farah Khan's instructions. Katrina will be rigorously rehearsing her steps for 'Aaya re aaya bodyguard'. She wants it to be as perfect as 'Sheila ki jawaani'.

"Salman's improvisations are bound to distract her. But there is not much she can do about it.Because as Salman pointed out the song is about about him, so he has to be part of it," said a source.

Earlier, Salman had made a special appearance in the song "Wallah Re Wallah" in the movie "Tees Maar Khan", which had Katrina and Akshay Kumar as lead pair.

"Bodyguard" is a romantic action film starring Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Directed by Siddique, the film is a remake of the director's 2010 Malayalam film of the same name.

After encouraging response at the Cannes film festival 'Gandhi to Hitler', a film based on clash of ideologies between that of apostle of peace Mahatma Gandhi and German dictator Adolf Hitler, is all set for global release on July 29.

Announcing the date for release of the film at its promo here last night, producer Anil Kumar Sharma told media persons that it would be released world wide on July 29 in both English and Hindi.

The English version is titled ''Dear Friend Hitler'', he said adding Raghubir Yadav, who won many laurels for the country for his acting, would essay the role of Hitler, who was responsible for the bloodshed in World War II.

''I had always intended to make a thought provoking film. When I was approached with the script of 'Gandhi to Hitler' I was spell bound. To encapsulate two enigmatic personalities like Gandhi and Hitler--with completely contrasting ideologies--in a two hour experience is undeniably interesting and impressive. This movie is definitely going to be a memorable experience for the audience as it carries a strong social message of world peace which is relevant in our modern times,'' Mr Sharma added.

The genre mash-up of "Cowboys & Aliens" is more a mush-up, an action yarn aiming to be both science fiction and Old West adventure but doing neither all that well.

The filmmakers - and there are a lot of them, among them director Jon Favreau, 11 producers or executive producers including Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, plus half a dozen credited writers - start with a title that lays out a simple but cool premise: invaders from the skies shooting it out with guys on horseback.

For all the talent involved, they wound up keeping the story too simple, almost simple-minded, leaving a terrific cast led by Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford stuck in a sketchy, sometimes poky tale where you get cowboys occasionally fighting aliens and not much more.

Based on a graphic novel from Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, also a producer on the movie, "Cowboys & Aliens" has Craig doing the stony-faced lone rider thing to such stoic extremes it borders on blandness. Ford is similarly constricted in a stereotyped role as the tyrannical overlord of a Western town, though his unfailing charisma does imbue some spirit into his under-developed character.

Really, the only clever thing about "Cowboys & Aliens" is the basic idea itself. The Western trappings are mostly dull, the aliens and sci-fi elements are unimaginative, and cramming them together is not enough to make them interesting.

As the story opens in 1875, Craig's amnesiac Jake Lonergan wanders into the dusty New Mexico town of Absolution with no clue to his identity and bearing a strange metal bracelet on his wrist. Within minutes, he begins running afoul of the town's leaders, crossing the cowardly son (Paul Dano) of local cattle baron Woodrow Dolarhyde (Ford), then tussling with the sheriff (Keith Carradine) and his deputies.

Just as it looks as though we're in for a showdown among a band of greedy thugs and decent townfolk in need of a hero, space craft swoop in and start snatching people right off the streets. Six-shooters are like firing blanks at the speedy ships, but Jake's wristband comes to life, and he gradually learns how to use it as a weapon to fight back against what the villagers initially assume are demons.

Dolarhyde leads Jake and a posse in pursuit of the creatures, accompanied by the mysterious gun-toting Ella (Olivia Wilde), who knows more about these beings than she lets on.

Director Favreau slipped from fresh and flamboyant on "Iron Man" to lame and listless on its sequel, and there's more of the latter on "Cowboys & Aliens." The posse creeps along through close encounters with outlaws and Apaches and has more abduction run-ins with the aliens.

Yet other than seeing the two blended together, there's nothing here that hasn't been done far better in many Westerns and science-fiction flicks. The aliens are anonymous monsters, and the human folk are mostly cardboard types like those you'll find in any old Western.

The action plays out against grand, gorgeous landscapes captured by cinematographer Matthew Libatique, while the visual effects are standard stuff, save for one very impressive explosion.

As a jittery saloon owner, Sam Rockwell gets to toss out a few funny lines, and Adam Beach manages a few moments of pathos as Dolarhyde's main hand. As the sheriff's young grandson, Noah Ringer is there to broaden the movie's kid appeal but doesn't really add to the story.

Though Ford is pushing 70, it's odd seeing him relegated to second billing in an action movie. His role is big, and it does give him a chance to play a bit nastier than usual.

But Craig's role is the sort Ford might have done if "Cowboys & Aliens" came 20 years earlier. Craig's probably the better actor of the two, but Ford's a true movie star, and it's easy to imagine a livelier film if Jake had more of that Indiana Jones rogue's charm and less of the tightly wound menace Craig has made a part of his take on James Bond.

"Cowboys & Aliens," a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of Western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference. Running time: 118 minutes. Two stars out of four. (AP)

Michael Jackson's mother and four siblings announced Monday plans for a star-studded tribute concert for the late pop icon, but the show was blasted as "ill-timed" by two other Jacksons.

Jermaine and Randy Jackson said the family should be concentrating on the upcoming manslaughter trial of their brother's doctor, which will be going on in Los Angeles when the planned show is staged in Britain in October.

The Michael Forever show is set for October 8 in Cardiff, Wales, and will be broadcast to 30 countries around the world, said his mother Katherine Jackson, sister La Toya and brothers Tito, Marlon and Jackie.

"The world's greatest performing artists" will play at the show, according to its website, although promoter Chris Hunt declined to name names, saying they will announce artists at another press conference in London on August 3.

Jackson's mother said "as many members of my family that are available" will be at the concert, adding: "Michael gave his entire life to the world through his love, his music and his devotion to healing the planet.

"I am positive that this event will be an event great enough in scale, talent and imagination to form a worthy celebration of Michael's life," she said at a press conference in Beverly Hills.

But Randy and Jermaine Jackson -- who tried but failed to organize a tribute show after Jackson's 2009 death -- blasted the timing of the new show, which will coincide with the September manslaughter trial of Jackson's doctor.

"While we wholeheartedly support the spirit of a tribute that honors our brother, we find it impossible to support an event that is due to take place during the criminal trial surrounding Michael's death," they said.

Doctor Conrad Murray, charged with manslaughter for giving the singer an overdose of powerful sedative propofol, is due to go on trial with opening statements on September 20, less than three weeks before the Cardiff concert.

"In light of this, we feel it is inappropriate to be involved with such an ill-timed event and its promoter, Global Live," said Jermaine and Randy Jackson in a statement.

"Furthermore, the decision to proceed with this concert disrespects opinions and wishes expressed in the strongest terms to Global Live during conversations in April when this event was presented to the majority of the family."

Global Live chief Chris Hunt defended the Cardiff plans, saying they would be "worthy of Michael's musical genius ... something fun and authentic that you would envision Michael attending with excitement and joy."

Tickets for the concert in the 75,000-seat Millennium Stadium in Cardiff -- with a fully retracting roof the biggest indoor venue in Europe, according to the organizers -- will go on sale online on August 4, they added.

The concert will raise money for charities including Prince Charles' Prince's Trust in Britain, and the AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA). (AFP)

Pakistan’s top contemporary artist holds solo show in London

ISLAMABAD: The paintings of Pakistan’s top contemporary artist of international fame, Jamil Naqsh attracted thousands of visitors at Albemrale, central London Gallery.

The month long solo show by Jamil Naqsh – recipient of Sitara- i-Imtiaz and Pride of Performance concluded featuring his retrospective collection, said a statement received here Wednesday.

Jamil Naqsh holds a key position in rapidly changing art scenes at home and abroad and is also well established in international auctions.As a student at Mayo College (now National College of Arts), he was like the other young Pakistani artists of his generation, exposed to the main figures in European Modernism and also to works by the major European old masters. For Naqsh another source of inspiration, inevitably, was Picasso and yet another was the work of great French Neo-classicist, Jean Dominique Ingres.

The impact made by the Ingres is particularly interesting, since Ingres, in some paintings was a leader of the ‘orientalist’ tendency in 19th century European art. In the words of art historian Edward Luice Smith, Naqsh re-absorbs Ingres and re-forges links to the sensuous tradition that plays so large a part in Mughal miniature painting.

Naqsh combines the traditional methods of Mughal miniature painting with European techniques as for him the two approaches are not mutually exclusive. As this exhibition demonstrates, Naqsh’s work has long tended to develop in series, though the themes on occasion overlap. In Pakistan, he is probably most loved for his images of pigeons, or of women and pigeons combined.

This was his first show in London which took up some of the major themes of his career. “The exhibition demonstrated how an artist with major gifts, coming from background of sub continent has been able to enter into a fruitful relationship with Western modernism, and thus link himself to what is now a worldwide community of visual artists”, Smith said.

A large number of his exhibitions including 14 solo shows have taken place in different art capitals of the world. Source : Daily Dawn Pakistan

Arnold Schwarzenegger's son has been released from hospital.

Christopher Schwarzenegger - the 13-year-old son of the former Governor of California and his estranged spouse Maria Shriver - had been in intensive care after suffering a collapsed lung, broken bones and broken ribs in a boogie boarding accident in Malibu last Sunday but his mother has now confirmed he was allowed home last night.

Maria tweeted: "Blessed to be able to take Christopher out of the hospital last night. What a feeling of relief knowing that he's going to be fine."

Arnold also took to his twitter page to thank the efforts of medical staff involved in treating his son.

He posted: "I knew Christopher couldn't be stopped! Big thanks to all the doctors, nurses & staff at UCLA that helped him recover."

The 'Terminator' star had earlier thanked fans for their support and well-wishes.

He wrote: "Thanks for all your support for Christopher. It means a lot to me & to him. He's doing much better & we'll have him back at full speed soon."

Maria and Arnold - who split shortly before it was revealed he had fathered a 13-year-old child with their former housekeeper - have three other kids, Katherine, 21, Christina, 19 and Patrick, 17.

Amy Winehouse's father has revealed plans to set up a foundation in his daughter's name to help people struggling with addiction.
"If you cannot afford a private rehabilitation clinic, there is a two-year waiting list for help," Mitch Winehouse said at the singer's funeral.
He said the 27-year-old had "conquered" her drug addiction and had been "trying hard to deal with her drinking".
He added she had been her happiest "for years" in her final days.
MP Keith Vaz has offered to help with the foundation as Mr Winehouse gave evidence to the Commons home affairs select committee during its inquiry into drugs in 2009.
"I am very happy to help Mitch in any way I can with his important campaign to help rehabilitate those most vulnerable in our society," Mr Vaz said.
On Tuesday, a cremation in Golders Green followed a private service for the singer at Edgwarebury Cemetery in Edgware, north London.
Music producer Mark Ronson and TV star Kelly Osbourne were among the mourners.
At the service, Mitch Winehouse read a eulogy that ended with the words: "Goodnight, my angel, sleep tight. Mummy and Daddy love you ever so much."
He said his Grammy Award-winning daughter, who was found dead on Saturday, had been trying to deal with her drinking and had "just completed three weeks of abstinence".
Mr Winehouse added that his daughter had spoken of her plans to get sober saying: "Dad I've had enough, I can't stand the look on your and the family's faces any more."
"Knowing she wasn't depressed, knowing she... passed away happy, it makes us all feel better," he added.
An inquest into Winehouse's death was opened and adjourned until 26 October at London's St Pancras Coroner's Court on Monday.
A post-mortem examination also took place on Monday, although no cause of death was given. Source : BBC News

Amy Winehouse's body has been cremated at Golders Green Crematorium in North-West London.

The ceremony followed the singer's funeral at nearby Edgwarebury Cemetery and a memorial service at a synagogue in Edgware. Friends including Kelly Osbourne and Mark Ronson attended.

The London venue was chosen because the funeral of Winehouse's grandmother Cynthia also took place there.

A mourner said of the memorial service: "It was emotional, it was happy and it was sad. It was everything really."

One spectator told People: "It was very moving yet quite very humourous at times. It was a wonderful tribute to Amy."

Between 300 and 400 people travelled to Edgwarebury Cemetery in Edgware, North London for the 45-minute ceremony.

The inquest into Winehouse's death was opened yesterday and immediately adjourned until October 26. No cause of death was given following a post-mortem examination of her body.

Friends and family of Winehouse are now moving to the nearby Southgate Progressive Synagogue for a private gathering, BBC News reports.

The funeral service included a eulogy from Amy's father Mitch and ended with a rendition of Carole King's 'So Far Away'.

Stars Bryan Adams, Nick Grimshaw and Remi Nicole also attended the ceremonies. Source: Digital Spy

The comeback queen insists on bringing home-cooked food to the sets of her forthcoming film

Pa director Balki has put on five kilos in the last 10 days, all thanks to Sridevi. The veteran actress has apparently been cooking delicious homemade food for the team of her comeback film, English Vinglish, directed by Balki's wife, Gauri Shinde.

"Sridevi insists on bringing the most delicious food to the sets. It started when Gauri fell ill after eating food from the studio, where we are shooting. That's when Sridevi decided that none of us would eat canteen food. We've shot for 10 days and she has brought the most divine food every day. Every day is a revelation, " Balki said.

Sridevi even extended her hospitality to Amitabh Bachchan, when she shot with him last Monday. "Our canteen had served Rava Idli, but Big B chose to tuck into Sridevi's food, " said Balki. Bachchan is teaming up with his Khuda Gawah co-star after 19 years. "It's a cameo role for Mr Bachchan, " said Balki.

In it, Bachchan plays the role of an airplane passenger who meets Sridevi. Reports suggest that English Vinglish is a remake of the old Doordarshan serial Zabaan Sambhalke. Balki scoffed at the comparison, though. "Sure, we bring back Sridevi after so many years and make her do a television serial on screen! Where does all this information come from?"

Source: Mid-Day.com

ISLAMABAD: A group of ageing musicians from Lahore has pulled off the unlikely feat of racing up jazz charts in the US, thanks to an album of standards and bossa nova classics blended with Hindustani music recorded by a Pakistani philanthropist.

"Sachal Jazz: Interpretations of Jazz Standards & Bossa Nova" features musicians trained in classical Hindustani music who once worked for Lahore's bustling film industry , popularly known as Lollywood.

As the number of Pakistani films dwindled, many musicians hung up their instruments and took up other professions like running tea stalls. Businessman Izzat Majeed and Mushtaq Soofi, the director of Majeed's Sachal Studio, took on the task of tracking down these musicians and putting together an orchestra that could work on projects at their state-of-theart studio built with advice from engineers at London's famed Abbey Road Studios, the home of the Beatles.

LOS ANGELES — Arnold Schwarzenegger says his 13-year-old son Christopher will soon be back "at full speed" after a surfing accident last week left him hospitalized in intensive care.

The former California governor and movie star -- who is being divorced by his wife Maria Shriver after he admitted to fathering a child by their housekeeper -- thanked well-wishers who voiced support for the boy's recovery.

"Thanks for all your support for Christopher. It means a lot to me & to him," said Schwarzenegger, who released a joint statement with Shriver on Friday talking about "our son Christopher."

"He's doing much better & we'll have him back at full speed soon," he said on his Twitter feed.
The teenager spent last week in intensive care after suffering broken bones and a collapsed lung in the boogie-boarding accident in Malibu the weekend before last, according to media reports.

Shriver filed for divorce three weeks ago citing "irreconcilable differences" with her husband, whom she married in 1986, following his admission in May that he fathered a child with the couple's housekeeper.
In filings to the Los Angeles Superior Court last week, Schwarzenegger said he would refuse financial support for Shriver, while seeking joint custody of their two minor children, Patrick and Christopher.

Shriver is a member of the storied Kennedy political clan, and jointly she and Schwarzenegger are reported to be worth $400 million.

The Austrian-born former bodybuilder, a liberal Republican, left office in January, and started to return to show business, with plans for a "Governator" comic book and animated TV show.

But he put his comeback on hold in May, telling his agents that "all his motion picture projects currently underway or being negotiated (should) stop planning until further notice." Source: AFP

Pakistani Actress Reema Khan is lucky to have corporate giant LUX stepping forward to sponsor her film ‘Love Mein Ghum’ which is scheduled to release on this Eid, Fashion Central reported.

Love Mein Ghum is expected to bring a breeze of fresh air and quintessential Lollywood romance to the cinemas. The film stars the actress along with Nadeem, Jawed Sheikh, Momi Rana, Gia Ali, Nabeel Khan, Rambo, Ali Saleem and Bollywood actor Johnny Lever. With pop sensation Ali Zafar, singing for the title track of the song, dazzling styles done by stylist Nomi Ansari and an array of glamorous tinsel town inspired dresses, the film seems to be a pure slice of chocolate romance far from reality.

A large number of media personalities, show biz stars, Momi Rana, Resham, Nadeem, Johnny Lever, Jawed Sheikh, Nabeel Khan, Sahiba and Rambo attended the press unveiling in Karachi. Love Mein Gum will be screened at leading cinemas of all cities during Eid. daily times monitor

Kareena Kapoor has broken her silence on speculation that she may be taking on Madhur Bhandarkar's Heroine.

The film was shelved after lead actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan announced her pregnancy.

Kapoor is quoted by the Mumbai Mirorr as saying: "The whole world knows that Heroine is my movie, that it was written for me and Madhur was in talks with me. I couldn't do it because of date problems so he moved on. What happened in between is not my concern.

"I don't have any dates until January next year, so I'm not going to sign on any movie until October. I'm really keen to work with Madhur, but you'll have to wait for an official announcement."

Kapoor was Bhandarkar's original choice for the film but the 30-year-old had reportedly refused the project because she felt the content was too bold for her.

However, Kapoor denied that she had ever insisted on 'toning down' the movie's intimate scenes, saying: "I liked the script that was narrated to me. If the director is open to discussion, we'll talk more ... He brings out a different side to an actor.

"I've always been an experimental actor rather than just a singing-dancing, glamorous star. I made my debut with the off-beat Refugee and did Chameli when I was 22. I'm open to all kinds of cinema."

Although Kapoor was the original choice for the title role, the movie was launched at this year's Cannes Film Festival with Rai Bachchan in the part.

Young stars becoming movie dealmakers

In Hollywood, it used to be you had to produce before you produced. But it's not the case anymore with a crop of teenage and young adult stars who are moving onto the backlots of Tinseltown with production companies. Selena Gomez, 19, has a development deal.

Gomez is just one of several young actors - including 23-year-old Zac Efron and 19-year-old Taylor Lautner - producing their own movies. These actors have their own production companies, but they're not necessarily calling the shots in Hollywood - yet. According to one veteran producer, for many young actors, production deals provide a way to pay a manager or family member who's been an informal adviser without having to take money out of the actor's salary. –New York Post

Winehouse funeral planned for Tuesday

Amy Winehouse's family and friends will lay the tragic singer to rest in a private funeral on Tuesday.The soul star was found dead at her north London home on Saturday, aged just 27, and her closest pals and relatives have been gathering at the Winehouse family home for shiva, the traditional Jewish period of mourning.

A spokesperson for the family announced on Monday that the Grammy Award winner would be buried on Tuesday. The time and location of the ceremony have been kept a secret.

Earlier in the day, U.S. TV personality Sharon Osbourne revealed her daughter Kelly had returned to her native Britain from her home in Los Angeles to mourn the loss of her famous friend.

Osbourne admitted her daughter was struggling to come to terms with the heartbreak and claimed the funeral was being planned for Wednesday.

Discussing Winehouse's passing on The Talk, Osbourne said, "She (Kelly)'s not doing good. She left for England. Right now they think the funeral's on Wednesday... She's with Amy's mum, they're doing shiva at the house. She's there with all the girls that used to hang out (with Winehouse)."

The Osbourne matriarch also recalled the first time Kelly brought Winehouse over to their L.A. home and remembered the troubled singer as a "sweetheart of a girl".

She added, "She was your regular, little girl... When we first met her she drank a lot, but we thought, you know, she's young, she's enjoying her life, she's finding her path, she'll get over that. But then it was the drugs. I never saw that side of her."

And Osbourne claimed she felt most for Winehouse's sick mother, Janis, as she prepares to say goodbye to her beloved daughter for the last time.

She said, "I feel for her mum especially because her mum suffers from MS (multiple sclerosis), so she's not strong... She's not doing good. Her mum knew it was going to happen; her dad knew. It was just time."

Winehouse famously battled drink and drug addictions throughout her career, but a cause of death has yet to be determined after a post-mortem examination conducted on Monday proved inconclusive.
Credit www.torontosun.com

Amy Winehouse's unfinished third album may be given a posthumous release.

Winehouse had been working on the record, the follow-up to 2006's Back to Black, sporadically up until her death on Saturday at the age of 27. The new tracks recorded for the album are said to be mostly in demo format, but there is "a lot of material", The Daily Telegraph reports.

Phil Alexander, editor-in-chief of Mojo magazine, said: "It is inevitable that her death will elevate her reputation and that there will be a third record released.

"It's difficult to place her in the pantheon of greats now because the truth is that her career was still in its early days. That's the tragedy of the situation. She was a wonderful writer. The thing that's very sad about this is that there was so much more to come."

Lara Bingle has blasted Sydney paparazzi for continually harassing her.

The 24-year-old Australian swimwear model, who is currently believed to be dating rugby player Danny Cipriani, has decided to take legal action and get an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) against photographer Jamie Fawcett.

Bingle told The Sunday Telegraph: "Jamie has gone too far in his approach and every time I walk out my door he is yelling rude comments to provoke me and will not leave me alone. It has gotten to the point now where I have to meet with my lawyer in the next couple of weeks to look into what I can do to protect myself in the way of an AVO... to keep him away."

The star also admitted that she had perhaps been sending mixed messages to the press after aligning herself with Fawcett's rival photo agency Big Pictures, run by her business partner Darryn Lyons.

Earlier this week - when Bingle gave Lyons permission to photograph her on holiday in Bora Bora with Cipriani - Fawcett labelled her a hypocrite for demanding privacy at the same time as allowing photos to be published.

When Cipriani and Bingle were first romantically linked last month, she insisted that their relationship was platonic and said that the media could not deal with the fact that she has "a lot of male friends".

Bingle split from cricketer Michael Clarke last year after topless photographs of her were leaked to the press.

He implements the laws applicable to the khaki-vardi with a passion that makes corruption seem like a mosquito that a human repellant can exterminate. His ways are unconventional. And he seethes and fumes when faced with diabolic corruption.

Last we saw, it was Rajeev Khandelwal playing the anti-establishment cop’s role in the brilliant Shaitaan. This time it’s a huge star getting into khakee. Meet Ajay Devgn as Bajirao Singham an honest-to-goodness cop who believes he has been given the law-enforcer’s job and he better take it seriously.

Hurling through a cavalcade of regionally-flush references Singham is the kind of rustic boorish kinetic action thriller where a cleaner social order is seen to be brought about by the power of the fist. Give or take a gun. Or a Devgn.

Devgn playing the one-man army invests the clichéd role with a kind of cultural specificity which allows him the leeway to get verbally regional without losing a pan-India flavour. That’s the magic of mass entertainment cinema that this film celebrates with panoramic verve.

We don’t need to comprehend Marathi to get the powerful subtexts of Devgan’s virulent attack on corruption. Fortunately Devgn isn’t the kind of actor who needs to scream to make himself heard. He effectually offsets Prakash Raj’s theatrical villainy bordering on bigtime hamming.

It is significant that the entire cast comprises Marathi actors, giving to the frenetic rustic proceedings a sense of arrogant chauvinism. Only the villain palayed by Prakash Raj is a South Indian actor of tremendous histrionic range. Give him anything to do. And he does with impassioned concentration.

A lot of the lines that the politician-villain is compelled to utter bordered on self-parody. Chunks of the action and drama are cannibalized from the Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘angry’ series , without the bridled indignance of the central character.

Yes, Singham is frustrated and embittered by the corruption that’s crept into the socio-political system. But he lacks the vitality to transmute the cop’s impotent rage into a potent cinematic language. e don’t feel for his concern for a clean social order. We just wonder whom he will thrash next, and how.

Partly, it is to do with the kind of shallowness that Singham’s love interest portrays. Jaya Bhaduri in Zanjeer and Smita Patil in Ardh Satya made a brief but telling impact on the way the enraged hero looked at the seedy world. Newcomer Kajal Aggarwal is a bundle of shallow take-away expressions, the cinematic equivalent of a home-delivered pizza, without the spicy toppings.

What sustains the narrative’s velocity is Devgn’s uncalculated moves as an action hero. He brings a kind of reckless inevitability into every blow that he delivers on the goons. There are some entertaining supporting performances, Sachin Khedeker as the heroin’e cellphone-fixated father is a hoot.

In all fairness the action sequences (Jai Singh Nijjar) are entertaining and humorous. The fights don’t take themselves seriously.

However the homilies on a need for integrity in the civil services seem like unwanted concessions to self-importance in a film that seems to revel in a kind of free-floating message on how to stay clean in a cesspool of corruption. Yup, Rohit Shetty packs in a punch.

You can’t but smile at the infinite pleasure which the director partakes from the age-old language of commercial Hindi cinema in all its flamboyant glory.Singham is a cops film with balls.

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