Custom Search

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Lindsay Lohan posts topless picture on Twitter

By Cristina Everett

For a minute, Lindsay Lohan was pretending to be serious about acting again.

The starlet landed a role in the independent movie, “The Other Side,” and told producer Kent Harper she would be “serious” and “committed” to the project, which starts filming in October.

So what does an attention-craving actress do until fall?

In Lohan’s case: post a semi-nude photo of yourself on the web.

The actress, 22, sent out a topless picture of herself with long, blonde extensions strategically covering her chest on Twitter.

Lohan, who is Fornarina’s summer 2009 spokeswoman, took the self-portrait on her Blackberry during a shoot for the Italian clothing label in January.

"OLD PHOTOS," she tweeted on Monday. "I'm THAT bored."

Lohan may have been bored, but she wasn’t dumb.

She tagged E! correspondent Ben Lyons and gossip blogger Perez Hilton in the photo’s caption.

Lohan’s latest self-exploitation stunt comes after string of mishaps that have followed the actress.

After two unidentified men attempted to unsuccessfully break into her Hollywood residence in May, Lohan’s relationship with on-off gal pal Samantha Ronson finally hit rock bottom.

The actress is now under investigation for the disappearance of $400,000 worth of Dior jewelry that went missing from a magazine photoshoot in London.

Source: DAILY NEWS.

Calvin Klein Ad Taps Foursome Sex

Sexualized Billboard Shocks Parents, Hits Cultural Nerve in NYC's Soho Neighborhood

By SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES

Edgy is Calvin Klein's middle name.

And now, once again, the fashion company is shocking and titillating passersby with a new ad campaign in New York City's Soho neighborhood, a place where young mothers with strollers mingle with artists and hipsters.

A giant 50-foot-tall billboard advertising Calvin Klein jeans features two young men and a young woman entangled half-clothed (a male and female kissing) as a third man lays at their feet, either undressing or putting his pants back on.

Some say they find the ad so outrageous they won't buy Calvin Klein products again. Others have called it "disgusting."

"Not only the billboard, but a company -- a corporate giant in America -- feels it appropriate to put a semi-nude photograph in a major billboard in a high-traffic area where tens of thousands of children see this kind of activity going on," said Randy Sharp, director of special projects for the American Family Association, a Christian organization that promotes preservation of traditional values.

"If it were going on in the back of a parking lot with steamed windows, they would be arrested, and yet they broadcast it to a whole city," he told ABCNews.com.

The organization has launched an appeal on its Web sites – twomillionmoms.org and twomilliondads.org, whose members have sent off more than 15,000 e-mail complaints to the company.

Tapping Into Cultural Outrage

Calvin Klein's in-house agency, CRK Advertising, has a history of tapping into that cultural outrage.

In 1981, a coquettish Brooke Shields told consumers, "You wanna know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."

And just last year, one of its ads starring Eva Mendes was banned because of the hint of a nipple.

Retail sales of products sold worldwide under the Calvin Klein brand names generated more than $5 billion in revenue in 2007. Its 55 licensing agreements for fragrances, handbags and even furniture bolster $156 million of those sales.

Calvin Klein Ads and Porn

Shields and actor Mark Wahlberg, who modeled male underwear, were the early poster children for the designer's haute couture line. Photography was shot by Bruce Weber, known for his equally sexualized work for Abercrombie & Fitch.

Consumers protested in 1995 when the company planned to air 30-second interviews with young men and women in front of cheap wood paneling as an unseen adult asked provocative questions about their physiques.

The ads were dropped after television stations refused to air them, and retailers threatened to drop the Calvin Klein label. The FBI even investigated the company for potential child pornography charges.

But the campaign didn't hurt the bottom line. In 2003, Calvin Klein was sold to Philip Van Heusen for more than $600 million. And that didn't even include the jeans line, which had been sold earlier to the Warnaco Group.

Calvin Klein Inc. did not return calls from ABCNews.com, but has earlier said its "intention was to create a very sexy campaign that speaks to our targeted demographic."

Some of those younger consumers are less judgmental about gender roles and have a more tolerant view of their sexuality, embracing gay marriage in larger numbers than their parents and, perhaps, seeing a threesome or even foursome as no big deal.

Many couldn't understand what all the "commotion" is about. One commenter on New York magazine's Web site declared, "All I can see are beautiful people having a good time…It's not the advertising that makes little children confused, it's the uptight handling with sex-related issues in general of their parents."

Even those who have never considered a ménage a trois (or more) don't seem shocked by the notion that more is merrier.

"I think that many younger people are OK with threes and fours, theoretically," said Lauren, a 28-year-old New York City teacher who did not want her last name used. "In college, many people engage in threesomes either with three friends, strangers or even their main partner and then a friend."

But some say Calvin Klein, whose earlier ads seem tame by comparison, has hit a cultural nerve.

"It's just porn from a guy who's done kiddie porn," said Bob Garfield, ad critic at Advertising Age and co-host of National Public Radio's, "On the Media." "If you pay attention to it, you're just doing his advertising for him."

Even the New York media -- accustomed to the bare midriffs that adorn Times Square -- has looked down its nose at the sexual implications of the four semi-nude models on the billboard.

"There's no such thing as a foursome," chided the Daily News. "Anything over three and it's called orgy."

Calvin Klein Genius

That remark, said Ashara Love, a 51-year-old who belongs to Loving More, a Colorado-based organization that promotes polyamory, reflects society's disapproval of more sexually free attitudes.

Polyamory is a "gender identity" not a lifestyle choice, according to Love, who said she does not use her birth name to protect her parents, who do not know she is "out."

"With cultural imperatives, the mainstream media frequently reinforces what you should think," said Love, who is happily married but engages in threesomes. "Hey guys, it's over there, pay no attention, it's just an orgy."

What critics are upset about, according to Love, is the unusual combination of one girl and three young men.

"Everything about our arts and culture is homoeroticism and denial," she told ABCNews.com. "What men are really afraid of is having sex with another guy. That's what's scaring people."

But Love and others, say the brilliance of Calvin Klein is his ability to tap into the next wave of shifting attitudes -- especially among those who buy their products.

Reaching Youth Where They Are Culturally

"He reaches young kids at a place where they are and opens them up even more," she said. "Everyone is really comfortable. They are having a good time, no wink, wink, nod, aren't we naughty for doing this. Everyone is completely in the moment and it's extremely confronting for people. It pushes the cultural input button."

But media observers say the issue is less about censorship and more about "media sanity" and what is age-appropriate.

"I can guarantee everyone below Houston Street [in Soho] is having a conversation with their children right now," said Liz Perle, editor-in-chief of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that provides ratings for parents.

"It's just not age appropriate for kids who haven't even kissed a boy to be introduced to sophisticated, mature behavior," Perle told ABCNews.com. "They are not emotionally ready to deal with that yet."

Common Sense Media works with Time Warner, Best Buys and Netflix to help families "make better decisions."

"We are not negative Nellies," she said.

That Calvin Klein billboard -- towering over a community that is now more child-friendly -- is a reminder that the age of the Internet has changed a child's perception of the world and "normalizes" highly sexualized content.

"Childhood used to be about a system of revealed secrets that are learned when they are ready to handle them," said Perle. "Our society is so desensitized that we have in-your-face violence and in-your-face sexuality."

"Here [in the billboard ad] are these beautiful people engaged in activities that are not age-appropriate for kids."

Source: ABC News.

Aliya Sharafi: A woman with a musical mission

By Arts & Entertainment Desk

Aliya Sharafi, daughter of legendary singer Kalim Sharafi, is a talented musician in her own right. Currently working as an interpreter in three languages in the office of the Attorney General in the Ontario Court of Justice, she hopes to perform in Bangladesh end July/August.

Aliya recently responded by e-mail to a variety of questions sent to her by The Daily Star. We reproduce the questions and her answers:

Who are your gurus and are ghazals your forte?

I have been learning kheyals from Ustad Phool Mohammad for the better part of my life. My guru Padmabhushan Girija Devi trained me in thumri, dadra, kajri and chaiti. Now I learn ghazals from the young maestro Jaswinder Singh. Later I hope to learn ghazals from Shanti Hiranandji, the foremost disciple of Begum Akhter. I intend to specialise in ghazals.

Your guruji Jaswinder Singh's latest CD was released by Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar. It must be a major honour for him…

Guruji had three other CDs prior to this. This one has been released by SAREGAMA, a major platform for music in India. It is a major honour for any singer to have a CD released by a poet of the stature of Javed Akhter and an intellectual like Shabana Azmi, daughter of Kaifi Azmi, a renowned ghazal writer.

Apparently you have bagged a Canadian government grant to study music in Mumbai. To what do you attribute this honour?

The Art Council of Canada awards this grant to established and talented artistes in Canada. It is difficult to get this grant but if you have made a sufficient contribution towards the Canadian community through your art then you are eligible for this grant. Ultimately one has to go through a lifetime of contributions to the community to get this honour. For me, therefore, it is a privilege to gain acceptance from The Art Council of Canada.

What would you say are your main achievements ?

Apart from this grant, I did playback for the first time at the age of 12 for the film Sutarang. It was called Emon moja hoi na and turned out to be a super hit. Other playbacks include Dushtu Meye Paliye Berai (a duet with Farida Yasmeen) in Kagojer Nauka, Naach re O Kath Putli Naach (duet with Abdul Alim) in Soye Nadia Jage Pani and Agun Jalaish na Amaar gaye re (with Mahbooba Rahman in Gunai Bibi.

Achievements and awards:

Getting the first position in the ghazal genre in the Education Week of the then East Pakistan in 1967. Singing for Bangladesh TV in Rag-rang as a classical artiste. Representing Bangladesh in the West as an artiste in the semi- classical genre. Being the first Bangladeshi artiste to sing at the Lincoln Centre Broadway New York, as reported by the New York weekly Shaptahik Bangalee. In this concert I sang thumris. Opening my music school Prachee Sangeet Vidyalay, which won me recognition both at home and abroad.

Where does music figure in your life in Toronto?

I have been singing in Toronto since 2000. My most memorable show there was envisaged for the Bengali community at the 50th anniversary of the Bangla Bhasha Andolon(Language Movement). I managed to gather artistes from all across Canada to perform on a common stage in a "gaantha' programme. Previously the Bangladeshi community in Toronto had never seen anything like that.

I have established my music school and been a judge for organisations such as Udichi and Fobana. I have also been a judge on the internet for Paltalk singers. Which is a new technology where we are able to conduct these occasions where singers from all over the world log in to compete and we are appointed as judges to promote these.

You are evidently a multi-tasker. Where does singing fit into your scheme of things?

Music is my passion and I intend to focus on it. My job is for daily survival.

Source: The Daily Star.

Commemorating Tagore artiste Zahidur Rahim on Desh TV

By Cultural Correspondent

Today marks the death anniversary of Zahidur Rahim, a renowned Tagore singer of pre and post-Liberation Bangladesh. Rahim was one of the frontline campaigners against the ban on Rabindra Sangeet in the late 1960s by the then Pakistan regime. During those tumultuous times, Rahim played a stellar role in preserving this genre at that time through his renderings of Rabindra Sangeet at various programmes.

In particular, Rahim is credited with popularising the Tagore song "Amar Shonar Bangla," in the '60s-- which eventually became our National Anthem.

Zahidur Rahim died on June 18, 1978. To commemorate this day, Desh TV will air a special programme "Zahidur Rahim Swaraney" tonight at 9:30pm. Publisher and a trustee of the Liberation War Museum (LWM) Mofidul Haque will host the programme. Dr. Sarwar Ali, another trustee of the LWM, and noted Tagore artiste Iffat Ara Dewan will be discussants at the programme.

The programme is produced by Ushnish Chakrabarty.

Source: The Daily Star.

Kareena Kapoor fumes on 'nude' query

By BollywoodHungamaNewsNetwork

New Delhi media was in for a shock as Kareena Kapoor staged a walk out of a press conference in the city where she was present to promote her upcoming film ‘Kambakht Ishq’. Visibly upset and fuming with anger, she marched towards her suite when a female reporter questioned her if she would be willing to go totally nude for camera if the script demanded so.

Informs an onlooker who was present at the venue, "The question shocked her. Just a few minutes back, she had patiently handled queries regarding her professional life. She had also commented around wearing a bikini in ‘Tashan’ and now ‘Kambakht Ishq’ mainly because the 'script demanded it'. Though averse to doing so in future projects, she admitted that she would keep the subject and story in mind and would do 'anything' that is required by the script."

Though it was a diplomatic stand on affairs, things went a little too far when an over zealous reporter popped the question - 'Would you mind going nude for a role?' "This was it", adds the source, "Kareena lost her cool at that very moment and rather than choosing to blast the reporter and create a scene, she simply aborted her stay at the press conference. The flabbergasted reporter didn't know what hit her. The event coordinator too felt disgusted about the entire incident and found himself in trouble as this situation was totally unforeseen."

The source continues, "There were problems for Kareena from the very beginning of the event. First and foremost the chosen venue itself wasn't conducive enough to handle a large media that had assembled. Around 100 odd reporters and journalists had gathered in a room that wasn't large enough to host a mega celebrity press conference like this. With the claustrophobic venue not helping the cause enough, queries like these were enough for Kareena to blow her fuse."

For media and the film, director Sabbir Khan came to rescue though. He handled the situation well by staying on at the venue and continued to interact with the reporters. "Yes, Kareena was justified in walking out but Sabbir too did all to ensure that promotion of ‘Kambakkht Ishq’ didn't get impacted", says a fellow reporter, "He realises that the film is just a few days away and didn't want any bad blood to spoil the show. He had a thin rope to walk on and did pretty well in rescuing the event from turning into a complete disaster."

Source: Screen India.

Taylor Swift Raps And Wins At CMT Awards

"T-Swizzle" collaborates with T-Pain and Def Leppard, while Brad Paisley takes home most awards.

By Gil Kaufman

Yes, technically a bunch of other artists won hardware at the Country Music Television Awards on Tuesday night, but mostly the show seemed like a dream factory come true for reigning teen country queen Taylor Swift. The 19-year-old megastar made her MC debut as T-Swizzle in a cute rap clip with T-Pain for "Thug Story," performed her single "You Belong With Me" and ended the show by joining one of her favorite bands, '80s pop-metal stars Def Leppard, on their indelible arena rocker "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

The night began with a skit about Swift living her fantasies (keep wishing about the whole "Star Trek" and Tennessee Titans thing), and in between the performances, for the second year in a row, she dominated two categories: Best Video of the Year and Best Female Video, both for her elaborate "Romeo and Juliet"-style "Love Story" clip.

"I wanna thank CMT for letting me live so many of my dreams this year!" Swift said. "I want to thank Shania Twain for always making such theatrical videos, and I want to thank Garth Brooks for always putting his fans first. I take my cues from you. And I want to thank my little brother, Austin, for agreeing to be my date tonight."

Though it was clearly Swift's night, it was Brad Paisley who actually won the show's award tally, taking home Best Male Vocalist ("Waiting on a Woman"), Performance of the Year ("Country Boy" with Alan Jackson, George Strait and Dierks Bentley) and Best Collaboration ("Start a Band" with Keith Urban). Accepting for the latter, whose video features two kids playing "Rock Band," Urban urged, "Learn guitar, kids ... the real thing." Paisley added, " 'Rock Band' never got anyone a date ... never."

Other winners included Rascal Flatts for Group Video of the Year ("Every Day"), Sugarland for Duo Video of the Year ("All I Want to Do") and Kid Rock for Wide Open Country Video ("All Summer Long"). Accepting his award, the always humble Rock joked that his win must really have been based on the creativity of the video for the song — which mashes up Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London."

"What's more creative than a strip pole on a pontoon boat?" Rock quipped.

In addition to the appearances by T-Pain and Def Leppard, the show featured a number of other decidedly non-country visitors, including rocker Ted Nugent as a presenter and Sugarland hooking up with fellow Georgians the B-52s on that band's pop classic, "Love Shack."

Source: MTV.com

Shiney hasn't confessed, he's being framed: wife

By Agencies

Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja, arrested on the charge of raping his domestic help, appeared remorseful, police claimed on Wednesday but his wife rubbished reports that he has "confessed", saying he was being framed.

Ahuja, 35, who will be produced in court on Thursday after being in police custody for three days, was "completely shattered and is repenting for what he had done," Assistant Police Commissioner Dilip Suryavanshi told reporters.

Refuting that Ahuja has made any confession, his wife, Anupam said he is "completely innocent". "This is a frame-up," she said but did not want to speculate on being asked who could be interested in targeting her husband.

Ahuja's lawyer, Srikant Shivade, said if the actor has given any statement to police on his alleged role in the crime, it would not have evidential value in the court. "We will wait until the charge sheet is filed," he said.

Ahuja was arrested on Monday on the charge of raping his 18-year old domestic help when she was alone at their residence in suburban Oshiwara the previous day.

Police claimed that during interrogation Ahuja said it never occurred to him that the crime he was committing was so "serious".

"He thought the victim would keep quiet and not complain to anyone," a police officer said adding "though the actor was uncomfortable during interrogation, yet he answered many of our questions."

Anupam held a press conference accompanied by her neighbours and friends to give her version as television channels started airing reports of what Ahuja purportedly said during interrogation.

"I am proud to be Mrs Shiney Ahuja. He is my man. I know him for 15 years...he doesn't drink," she said. Asked about medical reports which police claimed showed that the maid was sexually assaulted, Anupam said she had heard different versions of these reports and would rather wait for the documents to be produced before court.

"He is a celebrity. May be he is a soft target," she said on being asked why she felt Ahuja was being targeted.

Anupam said she has not spoken to her husband ever since his arrest. "I have only seen him in court. We have looked at each other. He knows and I know that he is innocent".

Ruchika Wadhwa, who is Ahuja's neighbour, said he was a loving father who was often seen in the evenings taking his two-year old daughter on a pram in the housing complex.

Ahuja, who is lodged in the Andheri police station lock-up, was questioned for the third consecutive day. Police is contemplating a DNA test on him to gather corroborative evidence.

A team of Mumbai police has gone to Roha in nearby Raigad district, the native place of the victim, to verify from her school whether she was a minor.

Source: Screen India.

RGV vows to make movie of aspiring filmmaker who shocks him

By Agencies

In a bid to promote his yet-to-be-released thriller "Agyaat", filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has come up with a contest whose winner stands a chance to make a movie with him.

The maverick director has promised to produce a movie of an aspiring filmmaker "who can shock him."

Both he and producers, UTV, have invited entries for "Agyaat Short Film Contest."

Anyone who has a chilling and scary story to tell in visual can participate in the contest by sending an entry.

Participant can shoot a short film and upload the link on Agyaat's website. The winner will get a chance to direct a film that will be produced by UTV and Varma.

Varma, who is back with another chilling experience after "Phoonk", takes the audience into an unknown zone with "Agyaat".

He says that "Agyaat" is about the unknown or forces that cannot be defined. "Neither it is about supernatural powers or creatures or evil forces, it is about something beyond human understanding. And most of all it is very scary," he said.

"There are so many people who have potential to become a good director but they never get access to the industry. This is our endeavor to find potential filmmaker. It’s easy to shoot a film now with just a mobile phone, handy cam and a laptop so we are inviting people to showcase their talent," Varma said.

"The clip should shock, thrill or scare us. Once we are convinced with the capability of the person, we would give him or her a chance to direct the film and take their subject forward," Varma said.

Shikha Kapoor of UTV Marketing further adds, our film is meant for connoisseurs of horror genres who enjoy all kinds of horror and super natural films. This would be an additional bonus for them to be able to direct a film.

"Agyaat" has an ensemble cast of Priyanka Kothari, Nitin, Gautam Rode, Ravi Kale, Howard Rosemeyer, Kali Prasad, Rasika Duggal, and Joy Fernandis. The movie will be released on July 24.

Source: Screenindia.

Miley Cyrus 'Shown' In Scandalous Photo

By Karla Casillas

Miley Cyrus is involved in another photo scandal.

A new photo has surfaced on the Internet allegedly showing Miley Cyrus engaged in sexual activity. Her representative was quick to debunk the authenticity of the photo.

"The alleged photo of Miley Cyrus circulating the internet is completely fabricated," her rep told the New York Daily News.

Gossip websites have also gone an extra step to prove the photo is a fake and easy to Photoshop by posting the original picture and detailing where it could have been cropped. Lalate news pointed out that the photo's color is distorted and that it's a small size—all techniques to prevent people from seeing where the crop was made.

This is not the first time the pop star has been involved in a photo scandal. Parents were outraged when she shot a semi-topless photo for Vanity Fair magazine and when cell phone pictures of her posing in a bikini surfaced, Daily News reported.

Source: TheCelebrityCafe.com