East Sider keeps MTV film awards show fresh & funky

By Mark Ellwood

What viewers won't see is the born-and-bred New Yorker behind the extravaganza - MTV executive producer Lee Rolontz, helming the show for the second year. 

She executes fateful decisions such as when "The Hills" finale will air (before the awards) and how the red-carpet arrivals will be shown (interspersed with commercials). 

This year's show, airing at 9 p.m., is set to be a blockbuster. Online balloting hit 3 million a week before the event - six times last year's awards. 

Rolontz credits a smackdown between the two frontrunners. 

"It's the 'Twilight'-'Slumdog' slug-it-out year," she explains. 

While "Slumdog Millionaire" dominated the Oscars and has seven MTV nominations, Rolontz is excited about the focus on "Twilight," the vampire love story with six shots at the MTV statuette known as Popcorn Man. 

"It's courageous of MTV," she says. "'Twilight' is not an Oscar movie. It's a movie that audiences can rally around that hasn't been anywhere else." 

Winners in 11 categories - from Best Movie and Best Comedic Performance to Best Kiss and Best Villain - will be announced live. There are two new categories: Best Song from a Movie and Best WTF Moment. 

"On the production side, we said, 'OMG, there were all these crazy moments,'" Rolontz says. "So we looked at the movies of the year and sifted through for more examples." 

WTF nominees include a naked Jason Segel in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," one of the "Slumdog" kids jumping in an outhouse, Amy Poehler using the sink as a toilet in "Baby Mama," and Ben Stiller licking a decapitated head in "Tropic Thunder." 

Speaking of Stiller, the former host will be a recipient this time around. The 43-year-old comedic actor is taking home the MTV Generation Award. 

The host this year is "Saturday Night Live" fave Andy Samberg. "His ease at creating short-form films was a real plus," Rolontz says, noting that Samberg has already churned out a dozen short-film promos. "It's a lot more fun with him." 

Soft-spoken and genial, Rolontz quarterbacks every aspect of the mega-production. 

At a staff meeting 11 days before the big night, she discussed whether stars would bring reality-show crews on the red carpet and if there was room for MTV staffers at scaled-back post-show parties. 

Unlike the Oscars, the MTV show is more than a celebration of the past - it has a forward-looking component, too. 

A resurgent Eminem and rockers Kings of Leon will perform their new songs. There will be previews of new "Transformers" and "Harry Potter" movies. 

Straddling the two mediums isn't hard for Rolontz, who has roots in the music and film business. 

She grew up on the upper East Side, the daughter of an Atlantic Records executive. She got her big break following Wham! to China for a rockumentary. 

"All George Michael worried about was how to get his hairdryer working, the director broke his leg and the trumpeter in the band had a breakdown," she recalls. 

She spent 15 years producing music videos for the likes of Mariah Carey, then segued into longer form TV events like "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." 

In the days before the 2009 MTV Movie Awards, Rolontz was spending most of her time in L.A., where the show is held - mingling with presenters like Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz and Shia LaBeouf. 

Make no mistake: she's a hardened Manhattanite who will come home to the upper West Side when all the Popcorn Men have been handed out. 

"I've been to Studio 54 when I was 15. I remember the East Village when it was full of smashed-out cars," she says. "I'm a real New Yorker - even if I can drive."

Source: NY Daily News.

Fuzon, Habib rock Dhaka audience

By Cultural Correspondent

Bangladeshi singer Habib and Pakistan’s band ‘Fuzon’ with their popular numbers enthralled the audience at a live concert held at the Dhaka Sheraton’s Winter Garden on Friday evening.

Country’s music heartthrob Habib first came on the stage with his popular numbers including ‘Hridayer Kotha’, ‘Bhule Jeona’, ‘Krisna’, and ‘Dwidha’ delighting his audience, as usual, with the fusion of melody and romantic lyrics.

The Pakistani music band Fuzon, which has by now earned quite a reputation in the subcontinent, also rocked the audience with their popular tracks including ‘Malhar’, ‘Suna Suna’, ‘Madhubati’ and ‘Terebina’.

The event management organisation Maccom informed the media that they had plans to arrange similar concerts in future to build a cultural bridge between the two countries.

Source: NewAgeBD.

Acting is like mathematics -- Bipasha

By Cultural Correspondent

When I was a child I had a cassette player on which I would listen to “Shesher Kobita” by Tagore every single night before going to sleep. I thought I understood the theme. I listened to that cassette after 15 years again and suddenly realised I hadn't understood a word of it. Acting is like that. Even after 20 years, I feel that I have a lot more to learn." Such is the humility of a household name in Bangladesh -- Bipasha Hayat.

Highly influenced by her father, well renowned actor Abul Hayat, Bipasha always wanted to be an artiste. Her father's sincerity, love and respect for his work enthralled and attracted Bipasha to work in the same line. She wanted to give the audience the flavour of the same simplicity her father managed to present. The motivation to be a famous face was never the guiding force in her taking up the profession of acting.

"Acting is like mathematics," explains this self-critic of her evolution as an actress. "You need to know the theory as well as its application. Practice, concentration and dedication are quintessential." Since the initial years, she has done extensive research and studies on acting and attended numerous workshops. Elaborating on the correlation between acting and mathematics, Bipasha says "How much an eyebrow should be raised for a shot in relation to the facial expression, how many degrees should a head be aligned in a particular direction, these all have to be calculated. It's all very arty and complicated."

Not only has Bipasha been the leading tele-serial actress for years, but she has also emerged into playwriting. Her first brush with writing came when she wrote the serial “Shudhui tomake jani” in 1997. Using a pseudonym, she took the script to three leading artistes of the time. After the serial was telecast it was a raging success and Bipasha was confident that it was her talent and not the "Bipasha name tag" that got appreciated. However, it took her seven more years to take the prospect of writing seriously. This born perfectionist never felt she was ready until her husband Tauquir Ahmed insisted that she start writing. "Writing is like a spark of genius. A thought comes suddenly and I get so engrossed with it that I feel the characters haunting me until I have done each one justice."

An innovative writer, sketching the lead character with shades of good and bad is her specialty. "Every human has a good and bad side, why should heroes be different and be larger than life?"

Her husband has been like a rock foundation in all her projects. In her own words, "Tauquir has always been there for me. We respect each other's work tremendously and are always there for each other.”

A complete woman, Bipasha Hayat is a lover of ancient civilisations and connoisseur of art. With a Master's degree in Fine Arts from the Institute of Fine Arts, DU, someday she wants to hold a solo exhibition. "I am my own critic and I know the time is not yet ripe for a solo exhibition," explains Bipasha.

Source: TheDailyStar.

Big B turns down honorary doctorate by Oz university

By Agencies

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has reacted to racial attacks on Indian students in Australia by rejecting an honorary doctorate offered to him by an Australian university. 

The Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane had offered the 66-year-old veteran a doctorate for his contribution to the world of entertainment and Bachchan had earlier accepted the title.  The honour was to be conferred on the star in July as a part of celebrations to commemorate a retrospective of his films to be inaugurated in the city. 

"I have been witnessing with great dismay and shock, the recent violent attacks on Indian students in Australia, on the electronic media the entire day," Bachchan wrote on his blog. 

"I mean no disrespect to the Institution that honours me, but under the present circumstances, where citizens of my own country are subjected to such acts of inhuman horror, my conscience does not permit me to accept this decoration from a country that perpetrates such indignity to my fellow countrymen," he added. 

Australia has recently seen a series of attacks on Indian students, the most serious being the assault of Shravan Kumar, a 25-year-old student from Andhra Pradesh who is battling for life in a hospital here after being stabbed by a screwdriver by a group of teens in a weekend attack that also left three of his friends injured.

Source: ScreenIndia.

New drama serial Dorakata goes on air

By Cultural Correspondent

A new drama serial, titled " Dorakata", is set to go on air from tonight on Rtv. Jointly scripted by Aminur Rahman Mukul and Mahfuza Hilali and directed by Sumon Anwar, the serial will be aired Sundays and Mondays at 9pm. 

The serial revolves around the friendship between five fun loving university students: Shojol, Nirob, Anindyo, Jisa and Hena. The friends plan a trip to Rangamati. En route they encounter a shady character named Abir, also a university student. The friends try to avoid him. On reaching Rangamati, they discover that Abir is staying in the same hotel. The group decide to take no notice--until they discover that he is stalking them.

When the group hire a boat to go to Longduur, Abir persuades them to take him along with them. In the evening, the engine fails, stranding the friends on a desolate hill. Now they come face to face with the stark reality that there are different shades to their characters-- greed, suspicion and the like.

Joyonto Chattopadhyay, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Mir Sabir, Richi Solaiman, Naznin Naz, Raunak Hasan, Shojol, Chandni, Nadia, Nova, Shahriar Shuvo and Sanjida Preeti, among others are the actors in the serial.

Source: TheDailyStar.

Kareena’s footwear fetish

By EXPRESS FEATURES SERVICE

A lot of your personality is revealed through the kind of footwear that you wear. No wonder Kareena Kapoor is very particular about her footwear. We hear that she sticks to YSL and Christian Louboutin. 

The slippers that she wears at home are from Hermes. Kareena bought six pairs of slippers of the same pattern from Hermes recently. “Kareena likes to have the same slippers but in different colours,” says a friend of hers. 

Looks like Kareena’s gearing up to do a bit of foot flirting.

Source: Screen India.

SRK to play baddie in ‘Dhoom 3’

By Agencies

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan who redefined the Bollywood villain by playing the bad guy in films like 'Baazigar', 'Anjaam' and 'Darr' is set to do a negative role once again for 'Dhoom 3', reports said. 

Khan has been approached by Yashraj Films to play the villain in the third edition of Dhoom series and the star has reportedly accepted the offer, Femalefirst reported. 

"Shah Rukh had been approached by the banner to play the main villain in the most successful franchise of Bollywood - the Dhoom series and he has immediately given the nod," a source told the website. 

Last few days there has been a lot of buzz that Saif Ali Khan has signed the dotted line for the same role but it seems they were just plain rumours, the source added. 

'Dhoom 3' is slated to go on floor early next year, but the director is yet to be decided. Reports suggest that either Sanjay Gadhvi or Aditya Chopra might direct the the third edition of the franchise. 

"The shooting of Dhoom 3 may start early next year. However, it is not yet clear who is going to direct the film as the original director of the film, Sanjay Gadhvi, after the first two films hay moved out of the YRF camp," the source added. 

The superstar will follows in the footsteps of John Abraham and Hrithik Roshan who have both played villains in the Dhoom series opposite cop Abhishek Bachchan.

Source: Screen India.

Buddhadev enchants audience with esraj

By Rahad Abir

The eminent Indian instrumentalist, Buddhadev Das, delighted music aficionados in Dhaka by playing the esraj at Bay’s Galleria, Radius Centre, in Gulshan in the city, on Friday. Shadhona, a centre for advancement of South Asian music and dance, organised the function.

At the beginning of his recital, Das talked about the instrument and introduced his esraj. After paying his respects to his guru Ranadhir Roy, Das said that the esraj he played was a little different from the usual ones and that it was especially made for him, by his guruji.

He further described the history of esraj, which is about 200 years old, considered a new instrument in the history of the Indian music. Rabindranath Tagore preferred the use of this instrument in his music.

At the function, Das started his recital by playing the Raag Emon. The audience gradually became captivated and enjoyed the playing in pin drop silence, at the hall. Later, he played Raag Desh. The recital was concluded with Raag Khamba. Das was accompanied by Swarup Hossain on tabla. A large number of music lovers, including locals and foreigners, enjoyed the two-hour recital.

At the end of the programme, Sadaf Saaz, on behalf of Shadhona, thanked Das for his brilliant performance. Salauddin Ahmed, a patron of Shadhona, greeted the instrumentalist with a bouquet of flowers.

Expressing his feelings, Das said, ‘I actually came to Bangladesh to see my friends and to spend a good time. I have many friends here, such as Luva Nahid Choudhury, Mridul Kanti Chakraborti, Lily Islam, Chayan Islam; we all studied together at Santiniketan. My friends arranged the programme and that is why I played. But it was not the main reason for my visit to Bangladesh.’

Das performed his esraj recital twice before in Bangladesh, in 1994 and in 1999. Bengal Foundation will organise a recital of him at 7:00pm on June 4 at Bengal Shilpalaya in Dhanmondi.

Source: http://www.newagebd.com

The new and improved Abhishek Bachchan-17 Kgs lighter!

By EXPRESS FEATURES SERVICE

Abhishek Bachchan is 17 kgs lighter and flaunts a newly acquired Mediterranean tan, thanks to the Cannes sojourn with wife Aishwarya Rai. It’s just the right physique to take on Ram’s army, he jokes, about his title role in Mani Ratnam’s Ravana. 

Bachchan made a quick stopover at Delhi’s Emporio Mall where he attended Louis Vuitton’s one year anniversary in India on Tuesday. “Fans will be pleased that I have lost my baby fat,” he says before talking about the diet and exercise regimen he has been on for the past six months.

Source: http://www.screenindia.com

Jolie suffers head injury on set

By BBC

Actress Angelina Jolie was taken to hospital on Friday after suffering a head injury while on set for her latest film, movie bosses have said.

The 33-year-old was shooting an action sequence for upcoming thriller Salt in New York when she suffered "a minor bump to the head". 

Columbia Pictures spokesman Steve Elzer said Jolie was taken to a local hospital as a "precautionary measure". 

He added she was back on set later that day and production had resumed. 

Salt sees Jolie star as a CIA officer who goes on the run after being accused of being a Russian sleeper spy. 

It had been reported last year that the role had been initially earmarked for Hollywood actor Tom Cruise, and that the script and title were reworked after Jolie became involved in the film. 

The movie, which also features X-Men Origins: Wolverine star Liev Schreiber and British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, is due to be released in cinemas in the summer of next year.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk