Robert Pattinson: Fans pay $20,000 for kiss -- on the cheek

By Mandi Bierly

At amfAR's annual Cinema Against AIDS charity event in Cannes Thursday night, Robert Pattinson auctioned off two kisses* -- at $20,000 a pucker. Commendable definitely. But the kisses were only on the cheek. UNACCEPTABLE! Unless he lingered and whispered something sweet in my their ears like "You're lovely." 

Honestly, how much money would you be willing to drop for a kiss from Pattinson? Which celeb's kiss would get you to open your wallet the quickest? (It's Friday. Play along.)

* Neither went to Sharon Stone, who hosted the auction.

Source: http://popwatch.ew.com

Clinton's sax sold at auction for AIDS research

By JILL LAWLESS (AP)

CAP D'ANTIBES, France — Bill Clinton's saxophone and Robert Pattinson's lips have helped a star-studded charity event raise money to fight AIDS.

An alto sax signed and donated by the former U.S. president was one of the star lots at the Cinema Against AIDS benefit on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, selling for euro130,000 ($180,000). There was also keen bidding on two kisses from "Twilight" star Pattinson, which raised euro20,000 ($28,000) each.

Sharon Stone hosted the 16th annual event late Thursday at the exclusive Hotel du Cap on the French Riviera. Annie Lennox entertained about 800 guests who included Paris Hilton, model Claudia Schiffer, director Terry Gilliam, rapper 50 Cent and scientist James Watson, one of the discoverers of DNA.

Stone urged people to give generously despite the global economic slump. "Looking down at the price of my own shoes, we in this room cannot pretend that we have nothing to give," she said.

Like the Cannes Film Festival itself, the event was more muted than in recent years, with just a smattering of A-list stars and some lots selling for below their estimates. Organizers said the event raised a total of $4.5 million, compared with $10 million last year. Proceeds from the event go to the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), a nonprofit organization that supports HIV/AIDS research.

Guests had to pass through police checkpoints to get to the event, where they drank champagne in the hotel grounds overlooking the Mediterranean before dining on smoked salmon and roasted sea bass. "Everybody knows there is a global economic slowdown of epic proportions," said Clinton, who supports AIDS research and treatment through his William J. Clinton Foundation.

He noted that $30 trillion in wealth had disappeared around the world between September and March, "and a lot of it came out of some of your bank accounts."

"I'm here with people who tell stories for a living," Clinton said.

"You don't need to read many novels or make many movies to realize that everybody has a story. ... Every time a child dies of AIDS somewhere in the world, the light goes out of a story."

Items on the auction blocks included a Fiat 500 car customized by Diesel, which sold for euro80,000 ($110,000); tennis lessons from pros Monica Seles and Jelena Jankovic, which raised euro35,000 ($50,000); and a handmade Karl Lagerfeld guitar case filled with Dom Perignon champagne, sold for euro50,000 ($70,000).

The offer of a special screening of Quentin Tarantino's World War II revenge caper "Inglourious Basterds" raised euro60,000 ($84,000).

Amid the auctioneering, Lennox entertained guests with songs including "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves." The singer dedicated "There Must be an Angel" to amfAR supporter Natasha Richardson, who died after a skiing accident in March. Stone said amfAR was setting up a fund in Richardson's memory for research on a cure for AIDS and donated $50,000 to help it along.

"Natasha said that she would go on until a cure was found for AIDS," Stone said. "I believe that she will."

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 

Source: http://www.google.com

Nothing left for me to do but...DANCE!

By Lindsay Soll

The Wayans Brothers and MTV Films' comedy Dance Flick opens tonight, and we've gotten all nostalgic just thinking about all the toe-tapper movies Flick could possibly parody. Know what might be just as good as the movie? Today's EW.com photo gallery of 30 Classic Dance Scenes! My personal favorite by far: Center Stage's Cooper's Dance. I know, I know, the film is kind of considered a guilty pleasure, but in all seriousness, I think it's a great movie. And by great, I mean that I can pretty much watch it over and over again and never get sick of it. (Admit it: every time you catch it on ABC Family and such, you get sucked in too!) I love getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of super-competitive dance, but the best part of Stage is the finale performance in which Jody (Amanda Schull...um, wonder where she is these days?) sheds her good-girl image -- literally -- and busts a move in a fiery red costume to Jamiroquai's "Canned Heat." 

What about you, PopWatchers? Which dance scene puts canned heat in your heels?

Source: http://popwatch.ew.com

Spiderman star commits suicide

By Agencies

British actress 'Lucy Gordon' who was being touted as the 'next big thing' in international cinema after getting her break in 'Spiderman 3’ was found dead at her apartment in Paris. 

Gordon, 28, committed suicide at her central Paris apartment yesterday and her body was found by her boyfriend who then alerted the police, reported Sun online.  The suicide was confirmed by a spokesperson for the police who said, "We confirm the death of Lucy Gordon in an apparent suicide."  Her agent Jean-Louis Diamonika also confirmed that Gordon had taken her own life. The actress who was just days away from her 29th birthday had recently finished shooting for a yet-untitled-film where she portrayed Jane Birkin, the actress wife of French cultural icon Serge Gainsbourg.  

A spokesman for the ongoing Cannes film festival called Gordon "a hugely promising young actress" while saying, "We are devastated by this news. All those attending the festival had been hugely impressed by Lucy's work. She was a star in the making."  The Oxford-born actress, who had recently moved to France, had a leading part in the romantic comedy 'The Russian Dolls' in which she co-starred with Amelie star Audrey Tautou. 

She had also starred in the recent film Perfume, and had a role in a new French comedy Cineman, due out later this year.

Source: http://www.google.com

Anupam Kher to host premiere of 'Saaransh'

By Agencies

To celebrate completion of his 25 years in the film industry, noted actor Anupam Kher will host the premiere of his debut film 'Saaransh' on Sunday. 

The premiere could not take place 25 years ago because of the Bhiwandi riots. Now, 25 years and 380 films later, Anupam wants to celebrate the beginning of his journey in films and relive the moments of a first time actor. 

He has invited the film's director Mahesh Bhatt and co-stars Rohini Hattangadi and Soni Razdan for the premiere. According to the actor, 'Saaransh' gave him, a 28-year-old struggling actor then, a fresh lease of life. "I feel humbled and thankful to God that hard work and honesty had paid off," he said. 

'Saaransh' is not just a film but a philosophy of life. Some films are timeless and 'Saaransh' is one of them, Anupam who played a 70-year-old character in the film, recalled fondly. "For 16 more years, I will be younger than my debut screen character," he said. 

On the high and low points of his film career spanning a quarter of a century, Kher said both meant a lot to him.  "As you grow older, you mature as a person and that is most important," he said. 

Anupam said out of the 380 films he had done, he was proud to be a part of at least 50 movies, "Saaransh", "Lamhe", "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge", "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Mara" and "a Wednesday" to name a few. 

The actor said he was also proud of his acting school – Actor Prepares – and the new breed of actors coming out of the Institute.  "Being a teacher has given me tremendous satisfaction. I still have the same enthusiasm for life and cinema," he said. 

On criticism he received for being seen in mediocre films in the recent times, he said, "If one does good work, there is also mediocre work."  Anupam will be next seen in Yash Raj Films' "Haddippa" and Karan Johar's "Wake up Sid" apart from films like "Hawai Dada" and "Sankat Stiti". 

Kher, who turned director with the film "Om Jai Jagadish", said he was writing the script of his next film which will go on floors next year.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

How will 'Jon & Kate' deal with their marital fate? Gosselin family addresses cracks in marriage

By Richard Huff

TLC launches its new season of "Jon & Kate Plus 8" Monday at 9, and how it handles the couple's marital problems on-air could make or break the show. Promos pitch Monday's show as the first time Jon and Kate Gosselin come together face-to-face since they've gone public with their troubled marriage.

"They're now in a really interesting position," said Syracuse University Professor Robert Thompson, who heads the school's Center for Popular Culture. "They're in the news, people are talking about them, and there's a story surrounding them that's got some real buzz other than having a litter of children."

But there's risks with that, too. Since it launched, "Jon & Kate Plus 8" has been a show that draws families because it focused on the daily lives of the couple and their eight kids - and everything from poop to parties. Now, however, with Kate admitting to People magazine that she was unsure of their marriage, and Jon being photographed out late with someone other than his wife, the story may change. A promo for Monday's show includes the couple's sextuplets' fifth birthday party, and clips of Jon and Kate, looking a bit beleaugered, doing rare interviews alone.

"The world isn't about ratings, and TV," Jon says. "It's about happiness and love, family and God. I think we all get caught up in everything. Too much of anything is bad. Because I love my kids, and I love my family, and that's what it is. Kate and I, obviously, have been going through a lot of stuff. And discussing what's best for our kids ... what do we say in the beginning \[of the show\], it's a crazy life, but it's our life."

Therein lies the challenge, though. Because of the troubles in their marriage, and the tabloid tales following them, the audience potential for Monday's show is enormous. Perhaps the biggest ever for a show that generated its largest audience with the fourth-season finale, when the scandal was just surfacing.

In the finale, which was watched by 4.6 million people, the couple discussed the challenges that being on TV presented and how Jon was having trouble with a loss of privacy. TLC won't discuss the show beyond a prepared statement saying production on season five was moving foward, and the network was supporting the family through this challenging time.

"This show has always been about a real family dealing with real-life situations, and that will continue to be the case for the new season," the network said.

The risk, Thompson said, is if the show gets too much into the personal problems, it could turn off families watching together. "It goes from being a [show] about cute kids," he said, "and makes it into 'Knots Landing.'"

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com

SRK starrer Dulha Mil Gaya to release on 18 Sep

 By BollywoodHungamaNewsNetwork

It's confirmed. Dulha Mil Gaya would be releasing all over on 18th September. This would give the film a four day extended weekend since the festival of Eid falls on Monday, 21st September. Producer Viveck Vaswani is certainly heaving a sigh of relief as for the first time ever; he goes on record with the exact date of release. 

"I had always maintained that it is producer's prerogative to announce the date of his film's release. Over last so many months, there were so many out there announcing the film's arrival on my behalf. It was annoying initially but later it just started amusing me. There were so many different dates floating around even when I had never gone on record to talk about the exact date", says Viveck who is still not resting after the completion of a hectic final schedule of Dulha Mil Gaya. 

He goes on to add, "So now let me state on record that 18th September is the day when my film arrives. I can assure that it's going to be one BIG festival movie. Dulha Mil Gaya is about celebration and the release timelines for the movie should further aid that." 

Directed by first timer Muddassar Aziz, the film was 95% complete till a few months back and was held up for completion since Shah Rukh Khan couldn't shoot for a 'qawalli' sequence. Battling a shoulder injury, Shah Rukh finally managed to complete the film's shoot by working non-stop for three days earlier this week. 

"Correction – it wasn't three days but three days and three nights. Even though he was in acute pain throughout and I suggested that we reschedule the shoot, he said that 'let's finish the shoot; it's already too late'. What more can one say about the commitment of a man like this", says Viveck with admiration in his tone.  With the shooting of the 'qawalli' track, Dulha Mil Gaya is now 100% ready w.r.t principal shooting. 

Smiles Viveck, "In any case we had already begun work on post production in parallel so there hasn't been waste of time, resource or energy. The film's dubbing too is 50% complete. Sushmita should be having her dub soon though for Fardeen, I will hold on for a while till he starts feeling a little more composed after his father's demise. As for Shah Rukh, he is dubbing for the movie next week. So yes, I can claim that the team of Dulha Mil Gaya is up there with the progress of the film."

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

McCartney's house removed from Google street view

Agencies - May 22, 2009

Beatles legend Paul McCartney's home has been removed from Google Street View after he made a complaint. 

The singer was reportedly furious when he discovered that fans could google his multi-million-pound home online, the Sun reported.  McCartney's house in St John's Wood, North London, was photographed along with others on the posh street as part of Google's ground-level views of the city. 

The 66-year-old star's security team, which monitors access to the house 24 hours a day, complained to the web giant as McCartney has been careful about security since bandmate John Lennon was murdered in 1980.  "He was unsettled when he heard Google users could get a 360-degree view of the property," a source said. 

A Google spokesman said anyone could now remove their house from the site by clicking a button.  The star penned classic tracks 'Penny Lane', 'Getting Better' and 'Hey Jude' in the town house which he bought in 1965 for 40,000 pounds.

Source: http://www.mtv.com

Rise of the Turbanator on the big screen

Priyanka Pereira - May 22, 2009

The turban is on a high these days. This unique piece of headgear has broken the mould of the typical heroes of Hindi cinema and, in turn, increased the number of turbanators on the silver screen. It was the commercial success of Singh is Kinng that brought the good old turban into the foray and, ever since, directors and producers have been following suit. “It is a case of following a trend that’s popular. When a movie or serial witnesses success, the others try to imitate the key elements,” says Anees Bazmee, the director of Singh is Kinng, who revolutionised Bollywood by portraying Akshay Kumar as a Sikh protagonist. 

Although Sunny Deol, sported the Sikh headgear in a couple of movies, it was Akshay Kumar’s colourful turbans that paved the way for more lookalikes. Bazmee, who is riding high on success, feels that an old Bollywood fear has finally been overcome — that of risking a Sikh as the protagonist of a film that is meant for mass audiences. “The entire crew thought it was a bad idea to have a Sikh hero, especially romancing a pretty girl like Katrina Kaif. But my script demanded that. And today, it seems like the turban has repositioned itself in the larger scheme of things. Jaspal Bhatti, the much-loved turbaned artiste, feels that it’s the maturity of both directors and audiences that has led to this revolution. “Earlier, when Sikhs wanted to work in Bollywood, they first got rid of their hair because turbaned actors weren’t deemed fit to play the lead. But now, with increasing Punjabi population across the world, the trend seems to have picked up. And with Manmohan Singh as our Prime Minister, Sikhs have gained visibility and achieved a distinct identity,” says Bhatti. 

For a long time, however, the turban was used for some slapstick comedy routine. And at other times, to portray the Good Samaritan. The turban may have stepped into the arclights now but a few popular stereotypes are yet to fade off completely. “The stereotypes can be blamed on the popular portrayal of Sikhs who were shown as innocent people with some amount of flashy loudness,” says Bazmee. “With Singh is Kinng,I portrayed Happy Singh as a loveable, helpful and sacrificing character, which hadn’t been shown on the big screen earlier.” Bhatti seconds his thoughts. “With Border and Gadar – Ek Prem Katha, the trend had slowly come in, but the clear portrayal of the Sardar in Singh is Kinng, brought about a revolution.” 

Such has been the impact that Saif Ali Khan has decided to play a Sikh in his first home production Love Aaj Kal and Sohail Khan will be seen sporting a turban in his own, Kissan. So isn’t there going to be some amount of overlapping? Dinesh 

Vijan, Khan’s partner and co-founder of Illuminati Films, responds, “Saif didn’t play a sardar in Love Aaj Kal, he became one, and that’s the difference. There’s no Saif in Veer Singh. He changed everything — his posture, mannerisms, language. Even the staunchest of Sardars in Patiala gave their approval when they saw him walking on the set.” 

The current fad seems to have impressed the newbies as well. With Ranbir Kapoor portraying the role of a Punjabi salesman in Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, it seems like this trend is here to stay. “Creating a Sikh character is easy. To state the purpose of it will be the difficult part,” says Bazmee.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

In Pictures: 'Red Carpet at Cannes Film Festival 2009 21st May'

By James Wray - May 22, 2009

French actress Anne Parillot arrives for the gala screening of the film 'A l'Origine' by French director Xavier Giannoli in the 62nd edition of the Cannes film festival in Cannes, France, 21 May 2009.

Source: http://www.monstersandcritics.com