Ram Gopal Varma and Gul Panag at war?

By BollywoodHungamaNewsNetwork

If trouble makers had their way; the sets of Rann could well have become a 'ranbhoomi' of sorts for Gul Panag and Ram Gopal Varma to indulge into some verbal and possibly electronic battle. Reason? A few days back, Gul received a comment from Ram Gopal Varma on one of the blogs on her website. The comment was quite harsh and below the belt as Ramu apparently blasted Gul for the way she had written the blog, both structurally as well as thematically. 

"I was literally dumb founded as Ramu was otherwise so nice to me on the sets. I never expected him to express his outburst in such a manner and that too in a public forum. I read his comment not just once or twice but multiple times. However, it was difficult for me to get out of it for days at stretch", reveals Gul who still shudders with the very remembrance of the comments that came her way. 

Though she continued to shoot for ‘Rann’, at the back of her mind she always remembered the verbal thrashing that she received from her director. Moreover, to her surprise, Ramu seemed absolutely normal and business like while explaining scenes to her on the sets. 

"I was continuing to be quite upset though since I expected him to be a gentleman in his approach. I was in two minds to get back to my laptop and give him back by replying to him on the blog. I guess I have been quite prominent on the literary circuits and believe that I have a good command over the language. There was no way I was going to take anything like that lying down", Gul goes back down the memory lane.  However, enough was enough for Gul and instead of keying her thoughts on the blog, she decided to have a conversation with Ramu. 

"I thought it would be in the best of everyone's interest if we talk it out rather than getting into an electronic duel", says Gul, "So I walked up to Ramu and asked him what he felt about my blog and what exactly did he mean by those comments that he posted. Imagine my horror though when it was his turn to be shocked now!" 

Why, what happened? "Well, he was completely ignorant about any such incident and stated that it wasn't him who had posted a comment. I too got red faced but then pretty much relieved. As it turned out, it was some impostor who just wanted his silly moment of fun and attempted breaking a professional tie. It's so stupid actually since he/she almost got me on the edge. But yes, now I too would be more careful about assessing a comment coming from a real v/s a fake contributor", smiles Gul.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

Twilight lovers reunited for steamy kiss in New Moon sequel

By Daily Mail Reporter

Despite denying any off-screen romance, it appears Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are doing a good job of convincing the world they are in love.

The reunited Twilight stars shared a steamy kiss when filming scenes for film New Moon today - leaving onlookers wondering if the passionate display was genuine or just for cameras. The young cast have been living 'la dolce vita' in the Tuscan town of Montepulciano since they arrived this week to film for the upcoming sequel.

No doubt Kristen's boyfriend Michael Agnarano, who joined the co-stars at a local pizzeria for lunch yesterday, will find the fiery scenes painful to watch. Pictured leaving his hotel for lunch, English heart-throb Robert waved at the dozens of adoring female fans waiting outside for a glimpse of their idol.

While the crew have been setting the scene in the medieval town, Robert and Kristen have been enjoying the food and sights of Tuscany. With temperatures reaching a balmy 33 degrees yesterday, the cast were hopefully covering in suncream to make sure their skin stays ghostly white to play vampires.

Clearly feeling the heat of the midday sun, their 22-year-old co-star Ashley Greene, who plays vampire Alice Cullen, stripped off to a pink bikini to enjoy a dip in the hotel pool. New Moon reunites Robert, 23, and Kristen, 19, as vampire Edward Cullen and his human girlfriend Bella Swan in the latest saga in the Twilight series.

The town of Montepulciano is standing in for Volterra, the ancient Italian city where the Volturi vampire coven live. The young actors were catapulted to international fame last year when they were plucked from obscurity to star in the big screen adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's book.

Moving on from the Twilight movie, which saw newcomer Bella adjust to life in Forks, Washington and falling in love with vampire Edward, the couple find their relationship threatened by his vampirism in New Moon. The sequel sees the species-challenged couple taking a break and Bella gets an education in the world of wolves from her friend and Edward's love rival Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).

In the film, Bella's life hangs in the balance when she is attacked by a vampire named Victoria, from the rival vampire coven and is seeking revenge for her partner James's death in the Twilight film. Fans of the book will already know if Edward comes back to save Bella and resumes their relationship, but film audiences will have to wait until November when New Moon hits cinemas.

While all the Twilight cast are back for New Moon, there are also some new co-stars, including Michael Sheen as Aro, leader of the ancient Italian vampire coven of Volturi , who employs Dakota Fanning as one of the guards. Meyer's Twilight books have sold over 25million copies worldwide and a further 20million copies in the U.S. and have been translated in 37 languages.

When the Twilight movie was released in the U.S. on November 21st, it took an amazing $69million on its opening weekend. New Moon is expected to be released in the UK on November 27.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk

Zainul Abedin’s death anniv today

By Mohiuddin Alamgir

The 33rd anniversary of the death of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin will be observed today.

Several socio-cultural organisations have chalked up various programmes, including discussions and drawing competitions for children, to mark the occasion. Zainul Shishu Niketan and Desh TV will hold an art camp for children at the fine arts faculty in Dhaka University today.

The programme, Desh Shishu Kishore Art Camp, will begin at 2:00pm and it will continue till 6:00pm. About 500 children have been selected for the competition, said the organisers. Actor Assudzzaman Nur, artist Hashem Khan, Shishir Bhattacharya will attend the camp as guests.

Zainul Abedin was born on December 29, 1914 in Kishoreganj. His father, Tamijuddin Ahmed, was a police subinspector. In 1930, Abedin left home without informing his parents and went to Kolkata with his friends to visit the Government School of Arts.

He got himself admitted at the school in 1936 before completing his matriculation. He stayed there in one of his relation’s housel, but after some days, he left the house and spent two nights in a mosque. Later, he managed a place in a boarding house on Wellesley Lane in Kolkata.

As a student of the Government School of Arts, he studied the western academic style of drawing, watercolour, oil and printmaking. Then he drew the picturesque views of Dumka in Bihar and Mymensingh of the then East Bengal, now Bangladesh.

Zainul was recruited as a teacher when he was a student of the final year of the school in 1938. He received the governor’s gold medal for his landscapes in the All India Art Exhibition held on the school premises in the year. His drawings on the Bengal famine, in 1943, were displayed, first, in an exhibition on famine in Kolkata in 1944. The Communist Part of India organised the exhibition.

He took part in the art exhibition by Muslim students at the Islamia College in Kolkata in 1946. He also attended the exhibition of Indian artists at Burlington in London. After the India’s partition in 1947, he migrated to Dhaka and joined as an art teacher the Normal School at Armanitola in Dhaka. He worked for the establishment of the Government Institute of Arts and became its ‘principal designated’ in 1948.

After the India’s partition in 1947, he migrated to Dhaka and joined as an art teacher the Normal School at Armanitola in Dhaka. He worked for the establishment of the Government Institute of Arts and became its ‘principal designated’ in 1948. Most of the pieces of the famine series are kept in the Bangladesh National Museum at Shahbagh and other works of Zainul are on display at the Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala in Mymensingh.

Zainul was involved in all stages of the movement that led to the creation of Bangladesh. He was in the forefront of the cultural movement to re-establish the Bengali identity, marginalised by the Pakistan government. In 1969, Abedin painted a scroll using Chinese ink, watercolour and wax named Nabanna. In 1975, he founded the Folk Art Museum at Sonargaon, near Dhaka, and Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala, a gallery of his own works, in Mymensingh. ‘Two Faces’ was his last painting, done shortly before his death.

Abedin had suffered from lung cancer and died on May 28, 1976 at the PG Hospital (now BSMMU) in Dhaka.

Source: http://www.newagebd.com

Kylie Minogue taking drama lessons for Bollywood

By Agencies

After shooting for an item number with Akshay Kumar, Australian singer Kylie Minogue now wants to have a full fledged career in the industry famed for it's song and dance extravaganzas. 

And Minogue is now taking acting lessons to prepare herself for an acting career, reported Mirror online. 

"I would quite like to do some comedy or rom-com roles. And I think it will be fun to do a Bollywood movie," said the pint sized pop star who had began her career with an Aussie soap in the 80's. 

The 41-year-old Minogue who is currently dating Spanish model Andres Velencoso is scared at the thought of auditioning for a role and therefore is taking acting lessons to boost her confidence. 

"I'm taking some acting courses to brush up on my skills.They are going well, but the thought of going in front of an audition panel again scares the life out of me," said Minogue.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

'Slumdog' filmmakers meet poor kid stars in Mumbai

By ERIKA KINETZ (AP)

MUMBAI, India — The makers of "Slumdog Millionaire" met the film's two impoverished child stars on Wednesday and reassured them they will soon have new homes. But the father of one of the children stormed out, saying the filmmakers have not done enough to help.

Rubina Ali, 9, and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, both lost their homes this month after city authorities demolished parts of their slum in Mumbai. Rubina has been staying with relatives and Azhar has been living in a makeshift shanty of tarps and blankets with his parents.

"We've been trying for a long time to move them into legal accommodation," director Danny Boyle told reporters at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences on the outskirts of Mumbai, where he and producer Christian Colson met the children and their families. Relations between the filmmakers and the children's families have grown tense since the phenomenal success of the film, which grossed more than $326 million.

The filmmakers set up a trust aimed at ensuring the children get proper homes, a decent education, a monthly stipend and a nest egg when they finish high school. They have pledged to spend up to $100,000 to buy the two families new apartments and have donated $747,500 to a charity to help slum children across Mumbai.

Colson has described the trust as substantial, but will not tell anyone how much it contains — not even the children's parents — for fear of making the youngsters vulnerable to exploitation.

Nirja Mattoo, who helps oversee the children's trust, said a new home has been found for Azhar's family near to his school and neighborhood. "We are finalizing the deal. Next week it should be done," she said.

The hunt for Rubina's house continues, she added.

But Rafiq Qureshi, Rubina's father, said Boyle has not done enough.

"It's no big deal for them, this kind of money. It's been five or six months we've been living in such difficulty. They should help us," he said in an interview after he cut the meeting short in anger.

"After the Oscars they forgot about us," he added. "For two months we didn't get any money."

Mattoo declined to comment on Qureshi's behavior.

"We're trying our best to get it (a house) as soon as possible," she said by phone.

Boyle said he planned to make two more films set in Mumbai.

Additional reporting by Gautam Singh and Rajanish Kakade in Mumbai.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 

Source: http://www.google.com

Documentary on Shah Abdul Karim screened

By Rahad Abir

The launching ceremony of ‘Bhatir Purush’, a documentary by Shakoor Majid featuring the life and music of the legendary folk singer Shah Abdul Karim, was held on Wednesday at Shahid Zia Auditorium of the Bangladesh National Museum. The programme was organised by Laser Vision.

Minister for Education Nurul Islam Nahid was present as the chief guest while noted actor Mamunur Rashid and eminent music personality Professor Mridul Kanti Chakrobarty were present as special guests. The chairman of Laser Vision, A K M Arifur Rahman, presided over the event. The function started with the screening of the documentary ‘Bhatir Purush’. A boy named Abdul Karim was born in a low land area in Sunamganj of the then greater Sylhet district of Bangladesh almost hundred years ago. His parents could not afford to send him in a school. But the boy had started to learn from his surroundings—water, boat, nature and people and in course of time, the boy turned himself into a living legend named Shah Abdul Karim.—this was the beginning of the documentary.

Praising the documentary of Shakoor Majid, the chief guest Nurul Islam Nahid said, ‘I hope Shakoor will continue this type of work.’ Mamunur Rashid said that Sunamganj was once rich for its traditional cultural activities but unfortunately the richness has gradually been declining. He also said that Shah Abdul Karim is an example of the cultural richness of the area. ‘I congratulate Shakoor on his work on Shah Abdul karim because this is the first work on him.’ said Dr. Mridul Kanti Chakrobarty.

Shakoor Majid started making of the documentary in 2002. To express his feelings Shakoor said, ‘I feel proud because I can screen the film which is a result of six years’ hard work.’ He also told the media that he would make an international version of the film under the title of ‘Saint of Water’.

Source: http://www.newagebd.com

Kate Gosselin’s hair looks gr‘8’ on anyone

By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa

We are officially obsessed with the “Jon & Kate Plus 8” drama. Did Jon cheat with the teacher? Did Kate cheat with the bodyguard? Who gets custody of all those adorable quarter-Asian babies???

Every day it’s a new scandal for the Gosselins: Kate gave Jon a $5-a-day allowance and raised hell if he overspent. Jon’s a deadbeat Octodad who stays with Kate for the dough. Kate wouldn’t let Jon talk to his brothers at his father’s funeral. There’s no end to the turmoil! The tabloids and celebrity rags have relentlessly chronicled the family circus and apparently they are running out of revelations. Because yesterday, Us maggie - which has been leading the Gosselin charge - was reduced to putting Kate’s infamous hairdo - aka “The Volcano” - on an assortment of celebrity heads.

Kate’s coif, as you may know, has been getting nearly as much attention as Jon’s nocturnal wanderings. The spiky-in-the-back, sloping-in-the-front punk cut has been slammed by stylists who say it looks like it was done with a salad spinner. “It’s not going to work for everybody,” Kate warned. “I have very, very thick hair . . . I’ve seen people come through the book line with thin hair and it just won’t work.”

No, obviously not. And since we aren’t above sinking as low as Us maggie, take a look at some of our local celebs in full Gosselin . . .

Source: http://www.bostonherald.com

Brangelina ‘at each other's throats’ over Jennifer Aniston

By Agencies

Is Jennifer Aniston, the 'other woman' in the Brangelina story? If latest reports are to be believed Hollywood's 'It' couple are "at each other's throats" over Pitt's renewed closeness to his ex-wife. 

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had quashed rumours that their relationship is in trouble by putting up a united front at the Cannes premiere of 'Inglourious Basterds' with Pitt claiming that he has never been happier in his entire life.  But latest reports claim that the show of togetherness was just a facade and the couple are heading towards splits-villa as Jolie is upset over Pitt's renewed friendship with 'Friends' star Jennifer Aniston whom he had divorced in 2005, reported Daily Mail online. 

"Angie doesn't want to be a laughing stock because the world knows how close he and Jen are right now and how often they talk. But Brad wants to remain friends with Jennifer and told Angie he wouldn't cut off contact," a source told the newspaper.  The couple have been at the centre of split rumours after reports that he secretly met with Aniston last month infuriating Jolie. The actress had reportedly even threatened to cancel her Cannes visit unless Pitt promised to cut all ties with his ex, but Pitt refused to do so. 

Onlookers at the Cannes premiere said that once the cameras stopped clicking, Jolie's smile disappeared and she furiously ran up the stairs of the theatre leaving a flustered Brad to run after her.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

'Drag Me to Hell' will get your pulse racing

By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY

The best horror movies, like the best amusement park rides, should elicit equal parts screams and laughter. Drag Me to Hell fits that squirmy bill and then some.

Sam Raimi (the Spider-Man movies) has fashioned a slick, old-school scarefest that combines the best of schlocky fright flicks with classic supernatural thrillers. Raimi returns triumphant to the genre where he cut his teeth, so to speak, with 1981's The Evil Dead. (Speaking of things dental, there are some outrageous moments involving a toothless old lady and her menacing dentures.)

The movie centers on a contest between this geriatric meanie (Lorna Raver) and Christine (Alison Lohman), a damsel in distress who fights back. A bank officer angling for a promotion, Christine rejects an extension on the old lady's defaulted home loan. How timely that the mayhem is kicked off by someone facing foreclosure.

The elderly woman, whose vaguely Slavic accent conjures up images of gypsies, does more than give Christine the evil eye, though eyeballs do figure prominently.

Evoking the black comedy of his early horror films, Raimi has fashioned a cathartic thrill ride that seems almost innocent by current horror standards. He relies on shadows and ominous sounds to make the audience jump and recoil, rather than grisly violence, blood splattering or bone-crunching special effects.

Drag Me to Hell is horror light. Jokey and playful, it's far from the torture porn of such fright flicks as the Saw and Hostel series. Instead of gruesome weaponry or mass slaughter, there are insects and a ghostly séance.

For witty one-liners, there's Justin Long as Clay, Christine's devoted boyfriend. Most of the roles are caricatures, but intentionally so.

Drag Me to Hell is unlike any scary thriller in a while: frightening, frenzied and fun.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com