Dance drama ‘Savitri’ staged

Cultural Correspondent - May 16, 2009

Shri Aurobindo Anusilan Society of Kolkata, India, staged a dance drama, ‘Savitri’, at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Thursday evening.

The Indian high commission in Dhaka and the Indian Council of Cultural Relations jointly organised the show. Before the staging of the drama, Bangladesh’s industries minister Dilip Borua and the Indian deputy high commissioner Mukta De Tomar spoke briefly. The dance drama was based on Shri Aurobindo’s epic ‘Savitri’, considered as one of the longest poems written in English literature.

The story is based on the mission for immortality by King Asutapathi who was blessed by a daughter Savitri as a prize for his life-long sadhana. Savitri chose Satyaban as a groom even after knowing that he was going to die within a year.

 Savitri took a chance to fight with Yama – the king of death. Sri Aurbindo in his work has described the reason and purpose of creation, the evolution and its progress to a high form, and the ultimate destiny of the universe.

Dr Jaganmoy Banerjee choreographed the dance drama.

Source: http://www.newagebd.com

Jamie Foxx picks Adam to win ‘Idol’

‘That Kris dude, I guarantee you, he’s got something special,’ Foxx also said

Access Hollywood - May 15, 2009

As Kris Allen and Adam Lambert prepare for their head-to-head battle in the “American Idol” finale, Jamie Foxx said he already knows the name of the winner. 

“Kradam! That’s both of them,” Foxx joked with Access Hollywood’s Nancy O’Dell. “Adamis!” 

Joking aside, Foxx — who got a chance to work with each of the finalists as one of this season’s special guest mentors – said he thinks the title of “Idol” will go to the man who has been the frontrunner most of the season.

“Adam is gonna win, I believe,” Foxx admitted. 

However, the Oscar winner and platinum-selling artist said he sees nothing but big things ahead for Allen. 

“For me, this is my opinion, that Kris dude, I guarantee you, he’s got something special,” Foxx said. “And if you notice, most of the people that don’t win usually end up with crazy careers.” 

In fact, if Allen is looking for anyone to duet with, Foxx told the aspiring singer he’s ready. 

“I told him. I said, ‘I’ll do it right here with you,’” the actor recalled of his mentoring session with Allen. “Because the way his nuance is, he’s not trying to win the contest — he was just giving you the real thing.”

“He sang something and he looked in my eyes, I was like, ‘Oh man!’ you know. It was crazy. I said, ‘Dude, you got something.’” 

And while he was clearly impressed with Allen’s singing chops, he did offer some advice to the “Idol” hopeful. 

“I asked Kris what he wanted to do. He said, ‘I want to do pop music.’ And I told him there is no such thing as pop music,” Foxx continued. “You do the music from your soul and then you hope it becomes popular.”

The new “American Idol” will be crowned on May 20.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com

Spanish war film screening begins in Dhaka

Cultural Correspondent - May 16, 2009

A five-day film screening, jointly organised by Goethe-Institute and Zahir Raihan Film Society will begin on May 17 in the Goethe-Institute auditorium in Dhanmondi.

The organisers will screen films on the Spanish Civil War as a part of the celebrations of the 23rd founding anniversary of Zahir Raihan Film Society. The screening will take place at 3:00pm, 5:00pm and 7:00pm everyday till May 21.

The organisers will screen internationally acclaimed films both documentaries and fictions on the war. The movies will include ‘The Spanish Earth’, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’, ‘Behold a Pale Horse’, and ‘The Spirit of the Beehive’.

They will also screen ‘If They Tell You I Fall’, ‘Ay, Carmela!’, ‘Belle Epoque’, ‘Land and Freedom’, ‘Lorca, the Death of a Poet’, ‘Butterfly’s Tongue’, ‘The Girl of Your Dreams’ and ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ during the festival.

Source: http://www.newagebd.com

"Dollhouse," will be renewed for the 2009-10 season

By April MacIntyre - May 16, 2009

Prior to their upfront presentation on Monday, FOX has announced that the oddball sci-fi tinged drama, showrunner Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse," will be renewed for the 2009-10 season. 

FOX revealed that "Dollhouse" scored a 13-episode order and will hold to the Friday night slot. The show stars Whedon muse Eliza Dushku, and has received mixed reviews and modest ratings. Dushku plays Echo, who has a sketchy, obscure past and no present day life, save for her work in the Dollhouse. She is a malleable "Active" controlled puppet-like without a real memory or a stable consciousness.

Echo is a brainwashed moldable tool at the mercy of a snarky computer nerd with "higher ups" who whore out the fetching blank slate to rich clients, who order up what they want her to be.

Additionally FOX announced that the comedy series "Brothers," will star former NFL player and "Fox NFL Sunday" commentator Michael Strahan as a former NFL star who leaves the Big Apple to return to his Houston hometown in an effort to reconnect with his disabled brother and get his own life back on track. 

Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, Colton Dunn and Carl Weathers also star.

Source: http://www.monstersandcritics.com

‘Grey’s’ Wins Ratings

By BENJAMIN TOFF; Compiled by DAVE ITZKOFF - May 15, 2009

The ambiguous season finale of “Grey’s Anatomy,” in which Dr. George O’Malley (played by T. R. Knight) and Dr. Isobel Stevens (Katherine Heigl) were left for dead — he, after being hit by a bus; she, after surgery for a brain tumor — earned Thursday’s largest television audience. According to Nielsen’s estimates, the episode, on ABC, was watched by 16.4 million viewers, the best showing for “Grey’s Anatomy” since its September premiere. ABC also averaged the most viewers for the night, and CBS came in second with “Survivor” (12 million), “CSI” (14.4 million) and “CSI: NY” (12.8 million). Fox was third with “Bones” (8.7 million) and “Hell’s Kitchen” (7.4 million). No one was killed on the finales of NBC’s shows “The Office” (6.8 million) and “30 Rock” (5.7 million), as the network placed fourth.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com

Wishing Shiney Ahuja a very happy Birthday

BollywoodHungamaNewsNetwork - May 15, 2009

As they say the children of army officers can't stay in one place, this may be true but in case of Shiney he has definitely found a home in Bollywood. Son of an army commander Shiney was born on May 15 in New Delhi. After finishing his early schooling from St. Xavier's School, Ranchi, he studied at The Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi. 

Harbouring the ambition to join the armed forces Shiney worked his way, but somehow he got attracted to Theatre and he joined Barry Johns acting School in Delhi, while studying at Hans Raj College, University of Delhi, before moving to Mumbai. Shiney later made his acting debut with the critically acclaimed ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’ which debuted at various film festivals in 2004 and was released in theatres in 2005. for his performance in the film Shiney was also awarded the Best Debut Award in 2006. ever since then there has been no looking back for this shining star as he has forged ahead carving a niche for himself in the industry. 

So folks we wish this rising star all the very best in the year to come and may he shine like the sun on his birthday. Join us in wising him by posting your messages below.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

Di Caprio gets knocked out during basketball game

Agencies - May 15, 2009 

Hollywood star Leonardo Di Caprio came close to being knocked off during a basketball game when one of the players dived into the audience. 

The 'Titanic' star was sitting in the front row with fellow actor Kevin Spacey during a match being played by his favourite team, Los Angeles Lakers, when a player from the opposing team, Houston Rockets jumped into the crowd to grab the ball, reported ‘Mirror’ online. 

The player knocked off a few people in the audience but Caprio saved himself from an embarrassing accident by hunching up. 

The actor is a regular at all Lakers games and is often spotted at the games with girlfriend, model Bar Rafaeli.

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

Jennifer Aniston has a winner with 'Management'

Elizabeth Weitzmen - May 15th, 2009

Romantic comedy about an awkward loner who falls for a successful businesswoman. With Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn. Director: Stephen Belber (1:33). R: Language. At area theaters.

Your first thought upon watching "Management" will undoubtedly be, "Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn? Who thought that would be a good match?" So it's to everyone's credit that by the time the movie is over, you'll wonder why they were never paired together before. In fact, everything about Stephen Belber's deceptively low-key directorial debut feels designed to throw us off. 

The comic touches are revealed gradually, the plot meanders, the leads keep misconnecting. But if there's a point to be made here, it's that persistence pays off, whether you're onscreen or in the audience. Zahn's disheveled Mike falls for Aniston's tightly wound Sue immediately, as she's checking in to the Arizona motel his parents (Margo Martindale and Fred Ward) own. 

Barging into her room under the pretext of offering a complimentary bottle of wine, Mike initially comes off as a weirdo — or worse. While she eventually gives in to his advances, partly out of loneliness and partly out of pity, Sue writes off their encounter immediately. So she is extremely surprised when he shows up at her Maryland office a few days later, ready to spend the rest of his life with her.

Not only is Sue not in the market for a stalker, she's also involved with Jango (Woody Harrelson), a wild-eyed millionaire who could eat a naive motel manager for breakfast. But Mike, whose creepiness turns out to be another quality altogether, simply won't give up. A lot of factors had to come together to turn this modest indie into something memorable. 

Most important, Aniston and Zahn believe in the material, and as it unfolds, we can see why. Empathy does evade Belber in the very end, with an unkind exchange that sells out Aniston's character to a surprising degree.

But for the most part, his script has just enough sweet-natured quirkiness to keep us interested, both in what he has already made, and what he might be working on next.

Source: http://www.dailynews.com

Dancing with the Stars: Down to the Final Three

Buddy TV - May 14, 2009

Cowboy Ty Murray finally rode off into the sunset after 10 weeks and several close calls on Dancing with the Stars, still proving to some extent that skills (and not a solid fan base) will keep you in the game. And then there were three. Gilles Marini, Shawn Johnson and Melissa Rycroft. They all have proven themselves worthy of the judges' praises, and they're all winners in their own right. But in the end, only one can bring home the coveted mirror ball trophy.

Personally, I'm rooting for Gilles though he wasn't my first choice when ABC revealed the show's season 8 cast. I actually liked Lil' Kim and Shawn initially (and I still do) but somehow Gilles emerged as a low profile underdog among a cluster of celebrities with a bunch of accolades attached to their names and he blew everyone by surprise with his captivating stage presence and flawless execution. Heck, he might as well be a professional dancer!

But it's still anybody's game and if there's one thing I learned from Dancing with the Stars, it's don't assume. I was so sure that Ty Murray and Chelsie Hightower would be eliminated in week 9. But Lil' Kim and partner Derek Hough, whom I thought would be in the final three, got the boot instead. Perhaps no one is really safe in the game and even the front runners can go home if fans don't vote because they assume that their favorite players are already secure for the finals. 

This week's performance actually proved to be a close fight. While Gilles got a 60 (a perfect 30 in both the Latin and the Ballroom round), Melissa and Shawn respectively earned a total of 55 and 56. And based our polls, 22 percent of BuddyTV readers claimed they voted for Gilles, while 22 percent voted for Melissa as well. Shawn got 19 percent of the votes while the remaining percentage either voted for Ty or didn't vote at all.

Though Shawn is a great dancer, I'm inclined to believe that it's going to be a battle between Gilles and Melissa. If Melissa wins, it would serve as the sweetest revenge after being dumped by The Bachelor's Jason Mesnick, as well the perfect intro to the new season of The Bachelorette, featuring Jillian Harris, who was also rejected by Mesnick. How do you think will the finale play out?

Source: http://www.buddytv.com

Aishwarya Rai dazzles at Cannes opening

Agencies - May 14, 2009

Bollywood diva Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stood out amongst the bevy of international beauties at the opening of this year's Cannes Film Festival in her off shoulder white Roberto Cavalli gown. 

The 35-year-old actress attended the premiere of the inaugural film 'Up' at Palais De Festival in Cannes on Wednesday with the newly announced L'Oreal world spokesperson, Elizabeth Banks. The actress, who was accompanied by her actor husband Abhishek Bachchan, sashayed down the red carpet in the ruffled gown that accentuated her stunning figure. 

Aishwarya accessorised it with red peep toe heels, swarovski red box clutch, pearl drop earrings and chunky rings. The actress paired her designer gown with minimalistic makeup and her hair with auburn highlights, was elegantly styled in an updo. Her latest Cannes outings are a far cry from her first appearance at the French festival where she was criticised for her bad fashion choices. 

Aishwarya, who became the first Indian actress to become a part of prestigious Cannes jury in 2003, said, "As a jury member at Cannes I had the experience of enjoying cinema as it is irrespective of where it come from, who is the maker from which country which is similar to the diverse Indian cinema."

Source: http://www.screenindia.com