Celebrity Gossip: January 2011

Kardashian "shocked" by nude photoshoot

Adnan creates history

For the live recording of a song to be done in participation with online listeners on two popular microblogs, singer Adnan Sami garnered a whopping 475,000 participants.The huge number of participants for Adnan’s tribute to his father that he recorded January 21 at the Yash Raj Studios, has encouraged the composer-singer to attempt a whole album with live participants pitching in with their suggestions. The proposed album will have tracks dedicated to Adnan’s fans who would be contributing actively to every composition.“When I recorded Main tere paas hoon for my father last Friday, I thought I would give my fans and listeners a chance to share a very precious recording moment with me.”“We expected around 65,000 participants. We got 475,000 very active, very vocal and excitable people coming online with their ideas and suggestions,” said Adnan, who is of Pakistani descent but born and brought up in Britain, and has been living in Mumbai for quite some time. Many people who listened in made suggestions and corrections in the music.“I was taken aback by their inner understanding of a song composition. I was on my laptop. I’d do a line and then a number of people with some very interesting usernames would pipe in. There were people who actually made suggestions that improved the quality of my number. I incorporated these suggestions,” said the 37-year-old singer.The entire process of recording live at Yash Raj with massive online participation will be shown on television.“It was history. No song in any part of the world has been recorded in this way,” said Adnan who intends to carry the online recording session even further. The only drawback is that the fans tend to get too close for comfort. “Some of them have embarrassing usernames like ‘hard-on’ and ‘dickhead’. It sounds really weird to call them out online by such names. We’ve to find a way out of this. Also some of them get very upset when their suggestions are not incorporated.“That apart, the whole process of bringing to life a song with the active participation of thousands of people makes my songs creative and the intellectual property of the listeners,” said the singer.

Atif’s Facebook page has highest daily growth

Sean Connery says no to James Bond's 50th anniversary

Steamy scenes in Indian films

'King's Speech' gets new Oscars boost

LOS ANGELES: British historical drama "The King's Speech" got yet another boost to its Oscars hopes Sunday, winning its second top prize in 24 hours at Hollywood's latest awards ceremony.The movie about King George VI's stammer won best ensemble prize and best actor for Colin Firth at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards, while Natalie Portman won best actress for her role in ballet-themed thriller "Black Swan."The awards for Firth and Portman are their latest for those roles, and seem to cement them as frontrunners for best actor and actress Oscars.Others honored at the SAG awards -- chosen by actors for their peers -- included Briton Christian Bale for best supporting actor and Melissa Leo for best supporting actress, both in boxing movie "The Fighter."The latest triumph for "The King's Speech" came a day after its director Tom Hooper won best director at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) awards on Saturday night.The understated royal movie, also starring Helena Bonham Carter and Australian Geoffrey Rush -- is nominated in 12 categories for next month's Oscars show, the climax of Hollywood's annual awards season.Blockbuster Facebook movie "The Social Network" was an early favorite for Oscars glory, and came out on top at the Golden Globes earlier this month, taking four prizes to a disappointing single gong for "The King's Speech."But insiders point out that the Globes are chosen by a few dozen foreign journalists at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), whereas all other awards are voted on by those in the industry.The Oscars, chosen by some 6,000 members of the illustrious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will unveil their laureates this year on February 27.Firth, accepting his SAG award Sunday, underlined the value he attached to being honored by his fellow actors."Until today, I would say probably if ever I felt I had a trophy which told me that something's really happening for me, it was my SAG card, you know, to be a part of this extraordinary collective," said Firth, accepting his award."Growing up in England, it's not something you expect to see in your wallet, really," he said. "And so it has this glow, and I used to flash it around hoping it would get me female attention, entry into nightclubs...""And it didn't, not a bit. I'd like to thank, looking at whose here, I'd like to thank security for letting me into the building," he joked.

Udaan, Dabangg lead Filmfare Awards 2011

MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol won the Best Actor and Actress award respectively for My Name Is Khan at the 56th Filmfare Awards, which was ruled by a small budget movie Udaan that grabbed seven prizes including Best Supporting Actor (Male), Best Film (Critics), Best Story, Cinematography, Screenplay, Best Background Music and Best Sound Design Award.Special Awards:Ninety-year-old legendary singer Manna De received the Lifetime Achievement Award.Amitabh Bachchan received an award for completing 40 years in the film industry. Madhuri Dixit recived the award for completing 25 years in the film industry. List of winners:Best Actor (Male): Shah Rukh Khan - My Name Is KhanBest Actor (Female): Kajol - My Name Is KhanBest Film: DabanggBest Director: Karan Johar - My Name is KhanBest Debut (Female): Sonakshi Sinha - DabanggBest Supporting Actor (Male): Ronit Roy - UdaanBest Debut Director: Manish Sharma - Band Baajaa BaaraatBest Supporting Actor (Female): Kareena Kapoor - We Are FamilyBest Scene of the Year Award: Golmaal 3Critics Award:Best Actress (Critics): Vidya Balan - IshqiyaBest Actor (Critics): Rishi Kapoor - Do Dooni ChaarBest Film (Critics): Vikramaditya Motwane and Sanjay Singh - UdaanLifetime Achievement Award: Manna DeySpecial Award: Madhuri Dixit (For completing 25 years in the Indian film industry) Special Award: Amitabh Bachchan (For completing 40 years in the Indian film industry)Music Awards:Best Song Composer: Lalit Pandit - Munni Badnam Hui from DabanngBest Music Composer: Sajid Wajid - DabanggBest Lyrics: Gulzar - Ibn-e-Batuta from IshqiyaBest Playback Singer (Male): Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji (Ishqiya)Best Playback Singer (Female): Mamta Sharma - Munni Badnaam Hui (Dabangg) / Sunidhi Chauhan - Sheila Ki Jawani Most Promising Talent in Music: Sneha Khanwalkar - Love Sex aur DhokhaTechnical Awards:Best Choreography: Farah Khan - Sheila Ki Jawani from Tees Maar Khan Best Dialogue: Habib Faisal - Do Dooni ChaarBest Screenplay: Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane - UdaanBest Story: Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane Udaan Best Background Music: Amit Trivedi - UdaanBest Action Director: Vijayan Master - DabbangBest Cinematography: Mahendra Shetty - UdaanBest Action Sequence: Vijayan Master - DabbangBest Editing Award: Namrata Rao - Love Sex aur DhokaBest Production Design Award: Mukund Gupta - Do Dooni ChaarBest Sound Design Award: Pritam Das - Love Sex Aur Dhoka / Kunal Sharma UdaanBest Costume Design Award: Varsha and Shilpa - Do Dooni Chaar

Demi Moore enjoyed shooting intimate scenes

Demi Lovato completes rehab stint

China TV news channel airs stolen scene from Top Gun!

Johnny Depp on green tea diet

Winter 2011 fashion week Started in Brazil

SAO PAULO: Despite the arrival of some of the biggest names in the fashion and entertainment world, all eyes at the Winter 2011 fashion week that kicks off here are a new runway star: model Lea T.Representing French brand Givenchy, the Brazilian model has become a rising figure on the global fashion stage thanks to high-profile appearances on the European market in recent months.Lea T. now returns home to grace the fashion week runway for the first time as a leading figure, promising to be one of the most photographed models at the event in the hands of famed designer Alexandre Herchcovitch.Latin America's top fashion event, the 30th, twice annual Sao Paulo Fashion Week promises to showcase 31 home brands, and set the stage for next winter's collection.Among the highlights is the runway appearance walk of top model Gisele Bundchen, the Brazilian beauty who has become the world's top-paid model, who is set to show off the latest creations of the brand Colcci.Also at the event is US film star Ashton Kutcher, who arrived in the country late Thursday alongwith his actress wife Demi Moore."I'm ready for Brazil. Is Brazil is ready for me?" Kutcher wrote on his hugely popular Twitter account ahead of his arrival here.Billionaire heiress Paris Hilton was also expected to take to the runway to model Brazilian fashion brand Triton, and singer Christina Aguilera was set to attend to promote a new clothing bearing her name.Sao Paulo, which has held the fashion week since in 1996, has emerged as a key fixture on the fashion calender, showcasing mold-breaking designs from Brazil's top fashion houses Ellus, Colcci, Maria Bonita, and leading designers such as Herchcovitch, Reinaldo Lourenco and Ronaldo Fraga.The Brazilian city's place alongside New York, Paris and Milan as a fashion capital has also demonstrated Brazil's growing economic power.Latin America's biggest economy, ranked 10th in the world, is currently expanding at nine percent on an annual basis -- almost as much as the global champion China.The event meanwhile seeks to also promote Brazil's lagging textile industry.The spring 2012 collection will arrive at Sao Paulo's second fashion week this year held in June, a perennial favorite for showcasing Brazil's famed bikini beachware.

Oscar Nominations 2011 List

he list of nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards is released and as always, there has been quite a number of surprises this year too. With Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech" receiving 12 nominations, there is definitely a fair chance for the film to win the best picture award. "The Social Network" is another film that has got 8 nominees and is hoping to win the 2011 awards. Andrew Garfield's exclusion for the best supporting actor, has come as a shock to many but the actor reportedly lost the Oscar nomination because of splitting of votes among other strong supporting actors in the film including Justin Timberlake and Armie Hammer. Another shocking exclusion was Christopher Nolan for the best director nomination for "Inception" which was one of the biggest blockbusters last year. This is not the first time that Nolan has been left out from the Oscar nominations, his highly successful "The Dark Knight" and "Memento" also some how didn't impress the jury to award him as the best director. To get more surprises of 2011 Oscar nominations, take a look at the list of nominees2011 Oscar Nominations

Best PictureBlack SwanThe FighterInceptionThe King’s SpeechThe Kids Are All RightTrue GritWinter’s BoneToy Story 3The Social Network127 HoursBest DirectorDarren Aronofsky, Black SwanDavid Fincher, The Social NetworkTom Hooper, The King’s SpeechDavid O. Russell, The FighterEthan Coen & Joel Coen, True GritBest ActorJesse Eisenberg, The Social NetworkColin Firth, The King’s SpeechJames Franco, 127 HoursJeff Bridges, True GritJavier Bardem, BiutifulBest ActressNatalie Portman, Black SwanNicole Kidman, Rabbit HoleJennifer Lawrence, Winter’s BoneMichelle Williams, Blue ValentineAnnette Bening, The Kids Are All RightBest Supporting ActorChristian Bale, The FighterGeoffrey Rush, The King’s SpeechJeremy Renner, The TownJohn Hawkes, Winter’s BoneMark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All RightBest Supporting ActressMelissa Leo, The FighterHelena Bonham Carter, The King’s SpeechAmy Adams, The FighterHailee Steinfeld, True GritJacki Weaver, Animal KingdomWith these Oscar nominations this year, whether the jury would choose bold and ambitious pictures like The Social Network, Inception and Black Swan or if they would vote for more traditional subjects like True Grit and The King's Speech. We will have to simply wait and watch.

Kareena to perform at National Games?

Mallika Sherawat now finally gets relexed

Islamabad Fashion Week, another glistening day

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Fashion Week trails onto the second day of the designer extravaganza, picking up several notches. The day’s line-up, as it progresses:Bisma AhmedThe aspiring, young designer presents an ethnic-meets-funky collection. She experiments with earth tones like champagne in silken and chiffon textures adorned by traditional laces and braids, adding poise to the look by dazzling hairdos.An exquisitely designed dress, cut out of light blue tissue paper and studded with Swarovski crystals steals the show. The sparkling, delicate dress is a part of Bisma’s collection and speaks volumes about the creativity of this fearless designer.“I wanted a higher level of involvement with the brand and as this is a fashion show and we make tissue, we decided to merge the two concepts,” says Asad Mujeeb, who works at a leading soft tissue brand.LawrencepurThink casual cotton shirts and vintage-y travel bags. The male models pull if off well while females lack the oomph on the ramp. The texture is of fine quality.Gujranwala Institute of Fashion Institute (GIFT)Of modest beginnings into the industry, the GIFT team outdo themselves by introducing architecture-infused fabrics. Some outfits flaunt tribal essence with lanterns embedded into the attire. Some dresses have tiny disco balls to accentuate the modern look. The use of accessories stands out as a neat signature.The infused fabric and architectures are Dominatrix style. The use of wrought iron rods to support the skirts are a unique presentation as well as the Ninja turtle inspired hoodies. The makeup is top-of-the-line.Rehana SaigolRehana Saigol’s show draws in the crowds! Islamabad showed its finest at the show. With chatter buzzing through the crowds, the event feels like a fashion soiree. With the Chanel and the Alexander Mcqueen coming out, Islamabad’s fashionistas are dressed to kill.The Jashan collection played with traditional silhouette and embellishments with modern cuts saris and churidars.Men come out in achkans, kurtas, churidars and dhoti shalwar, lending a very interesting end to the evening.CritiqueAlia Zaida, a stunning supermodel from the 80s exclaims, “IFW had a rocky start but I’m really happy to see talent, especially a fresh crop of models. Each look was refreshing and different. Its exposing new trends to the public eye.”Saadia Khan, an MBBS student proclaims, “ The show was excellent and the dresses were really good. I particularly liked Lawrencepur.”Angie Marshall says, “I’m impressed by the organisation and the way things were done.”The Blue Chip Editor Zainab Omar seems optimistic, “I think anything positive coming out of Pakistan is amazing. I am happy to support Tariq Aminn. It’ll take a couple of years to establish ground.”Verve event managers Imtisal Zafar and Arsalan Khan are behind the ensemble of this glamorous event. The creative duo share their enthusiasm for the job, “We gave them three options: projecting live walk, still photos or videos to run in the backdrop. Everything has to be a part of the ensemble,” Arsalan comments.Imtisal echoes similar sentiment, “The execution is the most important part of putting the event together.”“We initially approached Tariq Amin and he loved the idea that someone local was presenting their talent in the city. He is in charge of all the concepts that we exectuted.” The duo has worked on the setup from the lighting to the sound to the ramp.Amina Gohar (Pomme), a New York-based choreographer has worked rigorously to perfect the catwalk.Source: The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2011.

Over-the-top ending bedevils 'The Rite'

LOS ANGELES: Anthony Hopkins classes up "The Rite," as you can imagine he would most every situation. But even his otherworldly powers can only make this overly familiar demonic possession thriller engaging for so long.Despite the ads that would suggest otherwise, Hopkins is actually a supporting player here. The center of the film is Colin O'Donoghue, making his confident, impressive feature debut as Michael Kovak, an aspiring Catholic priest suffering a spiritual crisis.Following his mother's death, Michael joined his father (Rutger Hauer) in the family mortuary business. Swedish director Mikael Hafstrom ("Evil," "1408") details the painstaking process of cleaning and preparing a body for a funeral with precise, clear-eyed detail, which makes it seem even creepier. Still, Michael is obviously a caring and conscientious young man, and it makes sense that he would be interested in tending to others through the church. Trouble is, he's not sure what he believes.Michael Petroni's script, "suggested by" a novel that was "inspired by" actual events, is surprisingly reasonable and even-tempered with its discussions about the nature of faith. For a while, it is neither hyperbolic nor preachy, but open to all possibilities and levels of devotion - or lack thereof. All of this intelligent set-up, as well as the moody, atmospheric way Hafstrom takes advantage of locations in Rome and Budapest, make the over-the-top climax feel like even more of a letdown.But we're getting ahead of ourselves.Michael doubts himself, but his mentor at the seminary (Toby Jones) sees the potential in him, and sends him off to Rome to study exorcisms with Hopkins' character, the infamously unorthodox Father Lucas. After witnessing the master's methods, we - like Michael - are left wondering what's real and what's just mere theatrics. (Last summer's "The Last Exorcism" daringly explored the same notion.)In the middle of purging a demon from a pregnant teen's body, Father Lucas' iPhone rings - and he takes the call. He knowingly jokes about spinning heads and pea soup. He also pulls off a little sleight of hand to assuage a troubled boy who claims he's been seeing visions of a mule with burning red eyes. Hopkins makes the character charming, almost irresistible, even as he begins to show signs that he might not be so trustworthy."The Rite" makes its own turn - from a film that's smart and suspenseful to one that feels hackneyed and overwrought. The pregnant teen contorts her body in impossible ways and curses in languages she doesn't even know. Michael begins to wonder whether he's seeing and hearing things, which he bounces off a journalist (Alice Braga) who has befriended him while working on a piece about exorcisms.And inevitably, even old, reliable Father Lucas starts behaving, um, a little strangely. As we know from his indelible turns as Hannibal Lecter, Hopkins can be frightening enough all on his own, just standing there delivering his lines. He doesn't need any technological trickery and he certainly doesn't need his voice enhanced in any way. Hafstrom apparently didn't think so, though, and overwhelms what might have been a disturbing, final showdown between good and evil.

Ranbir and Katrina caught 'red' handed

LiLo-Paris Hilton to fight in a boxing match

I am ready to shed clothes

Manisha exposes her dying marriage and impending divorce

What Is Nicki Minaj's Take On Sex Appeal?

Chelsea Handler Eying New Man After Dumping 50 Cent

'The Queen' is the best selling record since 1956!

Girls want Scarlett's lips, Natalie's nose and Jennifer's hair!

Arnold Schwarzenegger Infuriated Richard Thompson!

Bebo had a bout of food poisoning

Forbes' top-earning couple with 6.3billion dollars

The New Catwoman In Batman Series

Miley Cyrus voted 'Worst Celeb Influence'

Naomi Watts"playing Marilyn Monroe in biopic"

Bret Michaels "successful heart surgery "

Chelsea Handler is a w****'

Sean Connery statue unveiled in Estonia

MOVIE REVIEW

Alesha Dixon 'recovering from foot op'

Kate Hudson denies Bellamy engagement

Kajol On Winning The Padma Shri

Amitabh Bachchan to dye beard, hair for 'Boodha'

AR Rahman nominated for Oscars

Where the Oscars blew it

The Oscars — both the nominations and the actual awards — are inevitably an occasion for howls of protest that threaten to drown out the triumphs. How could they leave out Christopher Nolan for directing Inception? What about Ryan Gosling, who gave the performance of the year — well, alongside Javier Bardem in Buitiful, maybe — in Blue Valentine? Or Paul Giamatti, the Oscar's perennial also-ran, who won a Golden Globe for Barney's Version but gets nothing but air from the Academy Awards?When people are complaining about who didn't get into the golden circle, rather than who did, you know that Oscar got most of it right. There weren't any embarrassing nominations, keeping in mind that one man's embarrassing nomination — Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side? — is another man's Oscar-winner.And it's hard to think of whom you'd omit from the best actor category, for instance, to make room for Gosling, or Giamatti, for that matter. It would have been good for Mila Kunis to have been nominated for her supporting performance in Black Swan, but it's great that the academy reached out to the little-known Australian actress Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom.Such indie names — including Blue Valentine's Michelle Williams, John Hawkes and Jennifer Lawrence from Winter's Bone, and Winter's Bone itself — are sprinkled throughout the Oscar nomination list. It's no longer a collection of movie stars, but a more interesting roster of familiar names and worthy newcomers.When the academy expanded the best picture category to 10 movies, some critics thought it would dilute the honour of being nominated — there goes the neighbourhood — and suddenly everyone and his uncle was going to be able to put "Academy Award Nominee" in the movie ads. But it has opened up the category to smaller films, such as The Kids Are All Right and Winter's Bone, that deserve the added attention. They're among the Top 10 movies of the year, so why not salute them in some official way?Blue Valentine would have been another worthy choice, and there would have been room for it, too, if Toy Story 3 hadn't been among the nominees. It's a wonderful picture — another of the year's best — and it provided one of the most moving moments in its final valedictory to childhood. But the academy should change its rule so that animated movies, which have their own category, can't be nominated in both. The producers of Toy Story 3 should have to decide whether they want their movie to be a nominee for best picture, where its chances of winning are slim, or the Oscar-winner for best animated movie, where it's the front-runner.If they went for best picture, it would have opened a spot for Despicable Me or Megamind, two fine animated movies that were left off this year's list. If they stayed in the animated category, Blue Valentine might have made it.That's one change I would like to see in the Oscar nomination process. Here's another.In 1996, the jury at the Cannes Film Festival created a special award for "audacity" to honour David Cronenberg's strange and violent sexual fantasy, Crash. It was an award made on the run, because Crash didn't fit into any of the other categories at Cannes. It still doesn't, in fact.At the time, I remember thinking that it's too bad the Academy Award people hadn't thought of that 10 years earlier, for David Lynch's strange and violent sexual fantasy, Blue Velvet. It was a riveting experience, certainly the best movie I saw that year, but it was snubbed by the Oscars (except for Lynch's direction). The Oscar that year went to Platoon.I still think it's an idea worth considering. The Oscars have a far more formal, bureaucratic system than the hit-and-run mischief of a Cannes jury of a dozen people meeting for a couple of weeks. But there's no reason the academy couldn't build in provisions for the occasional special Oscar, something unannounced that could constitute an Oscar-night surprise. This year, for instance, a small jury of filmmakers within the academy could meet and decide that perhaps Gosling's performance — his immersion in the role of a desperate husband who just doesn't know how to make his wife happy — should get something. The ukulele scene alone is worth some kind of parallel Oscar, an acknowledgment that film acting has been advanced a little bit by what he was doing. Or maybe Nolan could get an award for the boldness of his imagination. Or one of a dozen other smaller movies could move from the cozy precincts of independent movie awards to get some of the big-league brass of Oscar.

Bollywood 'has successful start to 2011'

Advertisement