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Saturday, April 11, 2009

Deepika Padukone on the cover of M

By Bollywood Hungama News Network

April 11, 2009

In this dark phase of Bollywood, where there's no new film release due to the ongoing strike, the cover photo of Deepika Padukone in the latest issue of 'M', comes really as a breath of fresh air, since it illuminates the whole atmosphere with her radiance.

The interview with the OSO girl gives the readers an insight of what the real-life Deepika (minus the star) is all about! Little Miss Deeps goes on to talk all about her happiness, her 'normal' childhood, that 'special man' who never failed to impress her even once (and no…it's not Ranbir). Well, read on more to find Deepika's take on sexy woman, arm candy, money, fame and yes…the 'secret of being sexy'.

If you really want to know the difference between the 'reel-life' Deepika and the 'real-life' Deepika, then, this issue of 'M' is a M-ust!

Source: http://www.bollywood.com

Co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons dies at 61

By AP, Minneapolis

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Dave Arneson, one of the co-creators of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy game and a pioneer of role-playing entertainment, died after a two-year battle with cancer, his family said Thursday. He was 61.

Arneson's daughter, Malia Weinhagen of Maplewood, said her father died peacefully Tuesday in hospice care in St. Paul.Arneson and Gary Gygax developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys. It eventually was turned into video games, books and movies. Gygax died in March 2008.

"The biggest thing about my dad's world is he wanted people to have fun in life," Weinhagen said. "I think we get distracted by the everyday things you have to do in life and we forget to enjoy life and have fun."But my dad never did," she said. "He just wanted people to have fun."

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.

"(Arneson) developed many of the fundamental ideas of role-playing: that each player controls just one hero, that heroes gain power through adventures, and that personality is as important as combat prowess," according to a statement from Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. that produces Dungeons & Dragons.Blackmoor, a game Arneson was developing before D&D, was the "first-ever role-playing campaign and the prototype for all (role-playing game) campaigns since," the company said.Arneson and Gygax were dedicated tabletop wargamers who recreated historical battles with painted miniature armies and fleets. They met in 1969 at a convention, and their first collaboration, along with Mike Carr, was a set of rules for sailing-ship battles called "Don't Give Up the Ship!"

In later years, Dave published other role-playing games and started his own game-publishing company and computer game company. He also taught classes in game design. He was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame in 1984.Weinhagen said her father enjoyed teaching game design at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., in recent years, where he taught students to make a solid set of rules for their games.

"He said if you have a good foundation and a good set of rules, people would play the game again," Weinhagen said.Arneson is survived by Weinhagen and two grandchildren. A public memorial service was planned April 20, from 4 to 8 p.m., at Bradshaw Funeral Home in St. Paul.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net

“Star Trek” premieres in Australia

By Ap, Sydney

Saturday, April 11, 2009

The new cast of "Star Trek" has launched the Starship Enterprise on its maiden voyage, with the crew showing a lot of respect for their predecessors. 

The 11th big-screen film in the sci-fi series had its world premiere Tuesday at the Sydney Opera House in Australia in advance of its debut in theatres May 8. Among the stars on hand: Chris Pine, who takes on William Shatner's old role as James Kirk; Zachary Quinto, who inherits Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock; Karl Urban, filling the shoes of DeForest Kelley's Dr. McCoy; and Eric Bana, who plays a villainous Romulan. Out of admiration for the original Kirk, Pine noted that when he was cast, he wrote Shatner a "letter of introduction and said who I was and what I was doing." Quinto had a chance to form a personal relationship with Nimoy, who reprises his role as the older Spock. The new Spock said he aims to carve out his own path as the Vulcan scientist with pointed ears. 

"Leonard and I have become very close in this process and his experience has been unique to him and mine will be unique to me," Quinto said. 

Directed by J.J. Abrams, "Star Trek" is a prequel to the 1960s TV series and the subsequent movies, relating how Enterprise Capt. Kirk, best buddy Spock and their Enterprise crewmates first came together. John Cho, who plays Mr. Sulu, said he avoided imitating the performance of his predecessor, George Takei. 

"I didn't think it would be wise to do a copy of George Takei's performance," Cho said. "It just didn't seem like the right thing to do, and J.J. didn't ask me to do that, so I avoided it.”

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net

Renowned producer-director Shakti Samanta passes away

By Pallab Bhattacharya

New Delhi, Saturday, April 11, 2009

Producer-director Shakti Samanta, who introduced Sharmila Tagore to Hindi cinema and made a star out of Rajesh Khanna, is no more. Samanta died at his residence in Mumbai last Thursday night after a brief illness at the age of 83.

Samanta had suffered a stroke more than two months ago and was recovering from that when the end came at his Santa Cruz house.Samanta, born in West Bengal's Burdwan district and educated in Kolkata and Dehradun, would be best remembered for giving a number of box-office hits like “Kati Patang,” “Aradhana” and “Amar Prem,” the last two films starring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore.In a career spanning over four decades, Samanta made 43 films including six in Bengali -- “Amanush” and “Anand Ashram,” both starring acting legend Uttam Kumar and Sharmila Tagore. The two films were, in fact, bilingual as they have their Hindi versions too with the same cast. It was “Aradhana” (1969) which turned Rajesh Khanna a star of the 1970s. This film, along with “Kati Patang,” also re-launched the singing career of Kishore Kumar who sang hit numbers like “Ye Shaam Mastani” and “Mere Sapno Ki Rani Kab Ayegi Tu.”Samanta began his career with a flop film “Bahu” in 1955 but found success three years later with “Howrah Bridge” and “China Town” (1962).

He introduced Sharmila Tagore to Bollywood by casting her in “Kashmir Ki Kali” opposite Shammi Kapoor in 1964. The two actors also starred in “An Evening in Paris” (1967), another super-hit movie in which Tagore appeared for the first time in a swimsuit. Hit songs, whose music were composed by greats like O.P. Nayyar ("Kashmir Ki Kali" and "Sawan Ki Ghata"), S.D. Burman (in "Aradhana") and R.D. Burman ("Kati Patang," "Amar Prem," "Amanush" and "Anand Ashram") were the hallmarks of Samanta's films. The filmmaker, however, recreated the same magic with Khanna in some of the later movies like "Anurodh," "Ajnabee," "Mehbooba" and "Awaz" between mid-1970s and mid-'80s.

Samanta is also credited with giving Uttam Kumar's biggest Bollywood hit through “Amanush” in 1975. He also worked with Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi film “Barsaat Ki Ek Raat” (1981) and the hit bilingual movie (Hindi and Bengali) “Anusandhan.”He was also the President of Indian Motion Pictures Association for five years and head of the Censor Board.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net

Poet Farid Ahmed nominated for ‘Mahadiganta Award’

By Aminul Islam

Mymensingh, Saturday, April 11, 2009

Poet Farid Ahmed Dulal, editor of Swatantra Shahitya Patra, a literary magazine published from Mymensingh, has been nominated for the 'Mahadiganta Award' for his contribution to publishing. 

The honour is conferred by Mahadiganta Shahitya Patra, edited by poet Uttam Das and published from West Bengal, India. The award has been given since 2000 for contributions in the field of literature including poetry, short stories, little magazine and essays. Previous recipients of the award are Nirmalendu Gun, Mohammad Nurul Huda, Kazi Rozy, Abdul Mannan Syed and Mahmud Kamal for their contribution to poetry and essay writing. 

Swatantra Shahitya Patra has been published since 2005. A total of 12 issues of the literary magazine have been published so far. Faruq Khan Pathan is the publisher of the magazine, while Professor Amir Ahmed Chowdhury Ratan, litterateur Iffat Ara and Dr. K.R. Islam are the advisers.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net

'Acid Factory' with Mumbai Mantra

By Taran Adarsh Bollywood Hungama News Network

April 11, 2009

Mumbai Mantra Media Ltd. and White Feather Films Pvt. Ltd. have announced the completion of their film ACID FACTORY. All the exploitable rights of the film rest with Mumbai Mantra. The release date of the film will be announced at the forthcoming IIFA Awards. Presented by Mumbai Mantra and produced by White Feather Films, ACID FACTORY is slated for a post monsoon release this year.

Source: http://www.bollywood.com

'Sikandar' to be screened at LA's Indian film festival

By IANS

New Delhi, April 10 

Sudhir Mishra's "Sikandar", a suspense thriller about an adolescent whose life changes drastically when he comes across a gun, will be screened at the seventh Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), starting April 22.

Written and directed by Piyush Jha and shot in Kashmir, the 110-minute film is about Sikandar, played by Parzaan Dastur, who lives with his uncle and aunt in a small town. His life revolves round his foster parents, football, the new girl in town Nasreen and dealing with some bullies.
But life takes an unexpected turn when he picks up a gun from the ground. And thus, he gets drawn into the web of militants, power and violence.

"The film deals with violence, but the central theme of the film is that of peace. The film does not have a jingoistic or partisan point of view and does not take sides, except the side of humanity," said Jha in a statement.

Shot in Kashmir, the film brings us face to face with the ravages of war and the destruction of innocence in the valley.

"Sikandar" is a co-production between BIG Pictures and Sudhir Mishra's production house CineRaas Ltd.

"It is satisfying that a mainstream Hindi film has been noticed by Los Angeles's film cognoscenti prior to release," said Mahesh Ramanathan, COO-BIG Pictures.The film stars R. Madhavan, Sanjay Suri, Parzaan and Ayesha Kapur.

Source: http://www.bollywood.com

After 'Raavan', Abhishek-Aishwarya go 'Crooked'

IANS

Mumbai, April 10, 2009

Real-life couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, who are busy wrapping up Mani Ratnam's "Raavan", have now also teamed up for slick espionage film "Crooked".

They are carrying on with the trend set by them and another real-life pair, Saif Ali khan and Kareena Kapoor, who are playing spies in Sriram Raghavan's "Agent Vinod".

"Our slick espionage thriller will be in the same genre as 'The Bourne Identity'. It will be shot in Greece, Istanbul, Thailand and India," said Ritesh Sidhwani, the producer of "Crooked".

Gul Panag and Jimmy Shergil along with Boman Irani, who has just wrapped up Shyam Benegal's latest, will also be playing key roles in the film.

"The English-language title will most probably change," says Sidhwani, who's working with the entire cast, barring Boman, for the first time.

The film will be directed by Abhinay Deo who is currently in the process of wrapping up Aamir Khan Productions' "Delhi Belly" with Imran Khan and Shernaz Treasuryvala in the cast.

Source: http://www.bollywood.com 

Aamir holidaying with kids, while wife is busy with film

IANS

New Delhi, April 10, 2009

Superstar Aamir Khan, who had been working non-stop for the last two years, has taken a sabbatical for two months and is holidaying with his kids. However, wife Kiran could not accompany them since she is busy with her directorial debut "Dhobi Ghaat".

"Finally! I am on holiday with my children. After two years of working pretty much 24/7. Unfortunately Kiran is not with us as she is busy with her film," Aamir posted on his blog aamirkhan.com.

In the last two years, Aamir had two releases - "Taare Zameen Par" and "Ghajini". The actor was also involved with his nephew Imran Khan's debut vehicle "Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na", which hit the bull's eye at the box office.

He says that he "really needed a break" after such a busy schedule.

"I'm going to go off the map for the next two months. I think I needed a break in any case, as I was kind of not really there last couple months. Once I"m back rested from my holiday I'll be much more connected," he wrote.

The actor is expected to be back from his break by May end.

Aamir's next movie project is Rajkumar Hirani's "Three Idiots".

Source: http://www.bollywood.com

'Millionaire matchmaker' wants business honcho for Aniston

Agencies
Posted: Apr 10, 2009

After her break-up from John Mayer, Jennifer Aniston has been offered help by celebrity matchmaker Patti Stanger, who has promised to find 'Mr Right' for the actress. 

Aniston has often been labelled as 'unlucky in love' because of her divorce from Brad Pitt and failed relationships with Vince Vaughn and Mayer. But the host of the reality show 'Millionaire Matchmaker', Stanger says that Aniston can find love in a 50-year-old business tycoon. 

"Jennifer Aniston could really use my services, she's going through a rough time right now," ‘Ok’ magazine quoted Stanger telling to ‘PopTarts’. 

"I read her body language all the time and I hated John Mayer for her. I said he's going to break up with her after the Academy Awards, he's just using her," Stanger added. 

Stanger revealed that she is looking outside the Hollywood fraternity for Aniston's new man. 

"I wouldn't match her up with Hollywood; I would give her one of my clients who is a businessman on the Forbes list. One of the big people like at Time Warner, someone who's high up on the food chain," Stanger said. 

"She needs chemistry, and sometimes that older guy who's in his 50's, he's refined, and maybe been divorced, is going to be the guy," she added.

Source: http://news.google.com/news

Jackson's 1 million pound 'Thriller' mansion

Agencies
Posted: Apr 10, 2009

Pop superstar Michael Jackson has taken his fondness for thrill to the next level by hiring a one million pound 28-bedroom mansion here, which is next to haunted Chislehurst Caves. 

The 'Thriller' hitmaker's new abode is very near to the spooky caves which have a 20 miles of mysterious underground passageways. Numerous ghost sightings have been reported near the area, which has also featured in the BBC TV show Most Haunted, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported. The superstar will stay in the state-of-the-art Foxbury Manor for his comeback concert show 'This Is It' in London's famous 02 arena this summer. The mansion was built in 1875 and designed by David Brandon, Queen Victoria's favourite architect. It has an underground cinema, password-controlled gates, a private lake and a security system with hundreds of CCTV cameras. 

Jackson had earlier sent his aides to find him a proper place to stay during his shows, which begin on July 8, with his final performance scheduled for February 24 next year. 

"The manor is just a private home, it's not normally available for rent. But Michael Jackson's aides spotted it, realised how suitable it was and approached the owner. The family don't need the money, but if they come to sell it in the future they will be able to tell people it's where Jacko stayed during his farewell tour," a source said. Jackson is expected to arrive in Britain in June.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

Fans left fuming after Britney storms off stage

Agencies

Posted: Apr 10, 2009

Comeback queen Britney Spears left her fans in Vancouver fuming after she stormed off the stage for 40 minutes without giving any explanation. 

The singer, who is in Vancouver for her 'Circus' tour, had performed only three songs before vanishing. Later, an announcer explained that the show had to be stopped because of the excessive smoking in the audiences, ‘Daily Mail’ reported. 

"The building is awfully smoky. It is uncomfortable for everyone on stage, including Spears. Please extinguish all cigarettes. This is a non-smoking building, and the show will resume when the smoke on the stage is cleared," a female announcer said. 

Fans, who were in good spirit until the interruption, started hooting after the announcement. They were further angered by the music that played during Britney's absence. The singer finally returned to the stage to perform her debut single 'Baby One More Time' and after dancing to her hits for over an hour she closed the show with a rendition of 'Womanizer'. 

"Thank you Vancouver, you guys have a wonderful night. Drive safe, don't smoke weed," Britney told the fans. 

Her spokesperson later said, "We want to apologise to all the fans who attended our Vancouver show tonight for the brief pause in Britney's set. Crew members above the stage became ill due to a ventilation issue." 

Britney kicked off her 'Circus' tour in New Orleans, Louisiana last month. The Circus tour, which marks her comeback after a very public breakdown, runs for four months and covers the US, Canada and England.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

Billy Bob Thornton's band cancels Canadian tour (AP)

By Associated Press

Toronto, April 11, 2009

Billy Bob Thornton's band has canceled the rest of its Canadian tour after the actor compared the country's fans to mashed potatoes with no gravy in a testy interview that caused a sensation online.

The Boxmasters opened for Willie Nelson on Thursday in Toronto , where they reportedly were booed and met with catcalls of "Here comes the gravy."A note posted on Nelson's Web site Friday said the Boxmasters were canceling the rest of their Canadian dates "due to one band member and several of the crew having the flu."The cancellation came two days after Thornton made world headlines with a belligerent appearance on CBC radio's "Q."The actor apparently didn't like that host Jian Ghomeshi started the interview with references to Thornton's Hollywood career.Thornton refused to answer many of Ghomeshi's questions directly, mumbling: "I don't know what you're talking about." He later said Ghomeshi's producers had been told ahead of time not to talk about his film career.

Thornton also had some unkind words for Canadian crowds.

"Canadian audiences seem to be very reserved," he told Ghomeshi. "We tend to play places where people throw things at each other. Here, they just sort of sit there. And it doesn't matter what you say to 'em. ... It's mashed potatoes but no gravy."

Before his Thursday night gig, Thornton tried to clarify those remarks, saying he loved Canada and his "mashed potatoes" comment had been aimed at Ghomeshi.

Media around the world delighted in the story. Entertainment Weekly's Web site ran the headline, " Billy Bob Thornton : What's his problem?"

Source: http://movies.yahoo.com

Documentary Tells a Tale of the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ Tape

By RICHARD SANDOMIR
Published: April 11, 2009

Joe Frazier’s face, so expressive in showing sadness, astonishment and anger, is the star of John Dower’s new documentary “Thrilla in Manila” (HBO, Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern), a look back at the third fight in the Frazier-Muhammad Ali trilogy.

Watch that face in this 90-minute film, which is Joe’s story.

Watch him watch the 14-round epic for the first time in the modest apartment he lives in above his gym in Philly. He has to look up from a chair to watch the tape.

KEEP READING>>>>>

Source: http://www.nytimes.com

NASA to announce module name on 'Colbert Report'

New York (AP)

April 11, 2009

Stephen Colbert is still clinging to hope that NASA will name a new room at the international space station after him.

The space agency said Friday it would announce the name of the module Tuesday on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." Astronaut Sunita Williams will appear on the program.Colbert has already amassed quite a collection of namesakes, including a species of spider found in Calif., a peregrine falcon in San Jose, a bald eagle hatched in the San Francisco Zoo, a Virgin American airplane and a flavor of Ben & Jerry's ("Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream.")

The agency held an online contest, letting the public vote on a name for a future addition to the station. "Colbert" beat out NASA's four suggested options: Serenity, Legacy, Earthrise and Venture.

The comedian said in a statement: "I certainly hope NASA does the right thing. Just kidding. I hope they name it after me."

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: http://tv.msn.com

Hearst Castle paintings given to owners' heirs

By Peter Fimrite

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Two 16th century paintings that the Nazis confiscated from a Jewish family in 1935 and that later hung in William Randolph Hearst's California castle were returned Friday to the heirs of the rightful owners in a ceremony packed with symbolism and emotion.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman handed over the works on the second day of Passover, the Jewish holiday commemorating the Hebrews' escape from slavery in Egypt.

KEEP READING>>>>>

Source: http://www.sfgate.com