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Category: Movies

  • Jackson story ranks tops in AP’s entertainment highlights

    MUMBAI: The Associated Press (AP) voted Michael Jackson‘s death as the number one entertainment story of the year, with Susan Boyle finishing second while Kanye West and Taylor Swift fiasco and the Jon and Kate Gosselin split followed.


    Jackson‘s shocking death on 25 June at the age of 50 was one of the most notable deaths in pop culture history. 


    Boyle became an internet sensation after a YouTube video of her audition for Britan‘s Got Talent was viewed by millions in April last. She stunned the music world after her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream, broke global sales records when it was released in November and became the fastest-selling debut by a female artiste in US history.


    Other entertainment highlights of the year include West‘s infamous interruption of Swift‘s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Awards.


    Also featuring is the David Letterman affair and scandal that rocked the late-night world in October.


    Jon and Kate Gosselin announced their separation earlier this year and became an instant tabloid sensation. The year saw the end of the hugely successful reality show, Jon & Kate Plus 8 that followed the couple‘s life raising twins and sextuplets.


    The Gosselin‘s divorce was final in December and Kate is filming a new show for TLC, which will debut next year.


    AP‘s top entertainment stories of the year are: Michael Jackson dies, Susan Boyle becomes overnight sensation, Late-Night Swap between Jay Leno and Conan O‘Brien, Walter Cronkite dies, David Letterman affair, Chris Brown assaults Rihanna, Kanye West robs Taylor Swift, Live video explodes on the web, particularly President Obama‘s inauguration and Michael Jackson‘s funeral, Kate and Jon Gosselin broadcast split, Heath Ledger wins posthumous Oscar.


     

  • Crooner-songwriter Chesnutt dies at 45

    MUMBAI: Singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt died Friday afternoon in Athens, Ga., his record label has confirmed. He‘d been in a coma; the cause of that coma has not been confirmed, but frequent collaborator Kristin Hersh said that it had been a suicide attempt.


    The news about the singer‘s condition first spread through the Internet on Wednesday through Twitter posts by former ‘Throwing Muses‘ singer Kristin Hersh, who has collaborated with Chesnutt.


    Chesnutt, 45, has been in a wheelchair since a car accident when he was 18, and was discovered in the late ‘80s by R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, who produced his first two albums. Since then, Chesnutt has released 13 more albums, including two this year, ‘At the Cut‘ and ‘Skitter on Take-Off‘.
     

  • Aamir’s 3 Idiots on course to be year’s biggest hit

    MUMBAI: The last month of the year has had three good releases, one better than the other as far as box-office collections go.


    First, it was AB Corp’s Paa that brought to the fore the acting capabilities of the 65-plus Amitabh Bachchan when he played a 13-year-old child. Then we had James Cameron’s Avatar that has supposedly broken box-office records of its Hollywood contemporaries 2012 and The Spiderman in India.


    But the Christmas opening of 3 Idiots has brought in a big cheer in industry circles, mopping up over Rs 140 million at the box-office on its opening day of its theatrical release.


    Says trade analyst Taran Adarsh, “3 Idiots has seen the biggest starts ever, collecting Rs. 25 milion in paid previews on Thursday. Comparatively, the paid preview collections of Ghajini were Rs 16 million net. And the film has had a solid first day opening, with estimates pegged at box-office collections of Rs 140 million.” 


    Multiplex players, who have had a tough year with content, expect the movie to emerge as the biggest hit this fiscal. Says Cinemax vice president Devang Sampat, “The film is doing exceptional business. As per our properties, all I can say is that each one has broken its own previous records as far as the box-office returns of the opening day are concerned. To me, 3 Idiots will stand as the biggest hit of 2009.”


    Adds Delhi-based PVR Cinemas CEO Amitabh Vardhan, “This is one of the best openings this year in terms of theatrical revenues. Going by the advance booking numbers, we believe the film will continue with its success story in the days to come.”


    Made on a budget of Rs 350 million and distributed by Reliance Big Pictures, 3 Idiots has been released with 1894 prints, of which 1550 is for the Indian market.


    Interestingly, Khan‘s superhit Ghajini was released during the same time of last year.


    Says Reliance Big Pictures domestic distribution head Kamal Gianchandani, “The opening of the film is phenomenal and is currently on its way to become the highest-ever opening weekend grosser.”

  • Avatar records Rs 400 million in opening week

    MUMBAI: Avatar has garnered Rs 400 million at the box-office during its first seven-day run in India, according to an official statement.


    The movie, released in four languages, collected one-fourth of its revenues from 3D theatres.


    Said Fox Star Studios CEO Vijay Singh, “The Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions are doing well.”

  • Freida Pinto in Vogue‘s top ten list of most stylish women

    MUMBAI: Freida Pinto beat competitors like supermodel Kate Moss and Lady Gaga to feature prominently in the top ten list of fashion bible Vogue‘s annual list of the most stylish women.


    The actress, who shot to international fame with Danny Boyle‘s Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, stands ninth on the list topped by British TV presenter Alexa Chung.


    The 24-year-old Pinto was ahead of A-listers like Kate Moss and first ladies Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy in the list of 20 celebrities. 


    Da Vinci Code actress Audrey Tautou clinched the second place while Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker took the third spot.


    X Factor judges Cheryl Cole and Danniie Minogue claimed the fourth and the fifth spot respectively while the sixth place went to Harry Potter star Emma Watson, Sienna Miller was seventh while actress Diane Kruger and former supermodel Kate Moss were on the eighth and tenth spot respectively.


    US first lady Michelle Obama made it to the 14th spot followed by Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie while French first lady Carla Bruni Sarkozy stood 19th on the list.
     

  • Emma Watson to shoot in Christmas holidays

    MUMBAI: Harry Potter star Emma Watson will spend her Christmas holidays shooting the last film in the series Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.


    The 19-year-old actress, who is currently studying at Brown University in Rhode Island, announced on her newly-launched Christmas site that she has returned to the sets of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. 


    “I‘ve just returned from Brown where I‘ve had the most amazing first term and now I‘m back filming,” Watson wrote on her site. The shooting for the last instalment of the film franchise kicked off in February last.


    The year-long production that was planned to be finished in April 2010, has been extended for about two months and is now scheduled to be wrapped in June 2010.

  • Iran’s first 3-D film to open at Fajr Festival

    MUMBAI: Iran‘s first 3-D film The Secret of Taran Desert will have its premiere at the 28th edition of the Fajr International Film Festival. Helmed by Hatef Alimardani and Mohammad Lotfali, the film is the first 3-D production with real characters.


    According to, The film has been produced using the same techniques employed in the production of Harry Potter and the Spider Man series, says a statement of Iran‘s Shokufa Films company.


    The Film Festival will be held from 25 January to 4 February in the capital city of Tehran.

  • Jennifer Aniston among three to present Golden Globe awards

    MUMBAI: Jennifer Aniston, Mickey Rourke and Julia Roberts will be presenting the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards that takes place on 17 January.


    They join Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, who will present the Cecil B. DeMille Award to Martin Scorsese. 


    Roberts is also a nominee in the category of best performance by an actress in a musical or comedy for her role in Duplicity.


    The show, hosted by Ricky Gervais, will be broadcast live on NBC from the Beverly Hilton.
     

  • Road To Sangam to release on 29 January

    MUMBAI: Gipsy Films‘ Road To Sangam is being readied for release on 29 January.


    Produced by Amit Chheda and directed by Amit Rai, the film is a story of a
    God-fearing, devout Muslim mechanic named Hashmat Ullah (Paresh Rawal) who has been entrusted the job of repairing an old V8 ford engine, not knowing the historic significance that it once carried the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi which were immersed in the holy river ‘Sangam‘.


    He is caught in a complex situation after a powerful bomb explosion rocks his town leading to the arrest of innocent Muslim youths of his locality. A strike to work is called by the prominent Muslim leaders played by Om Puri and Pavan Mallhotra to protest against the unjust treatment meted out to those arrested youths by the police.


    Will he support the protest and abandon the repair of the engine or go against the wishes of his community?


    Presented by Shashikant Chheda, Road to Sangam shot completely on actual locations in Allahabad, stars Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Pavan Malhotra, Javed Shaikh and Swati Chitnis among others.


    The film has been screened prominently in the festival circuit, the prominent ones being the Cannes Film Festival, The Ahmedabad Film Festival, The Thirussur Film Festival, Levante Film Frestival Italy, Kolkata Film Festival, Third Eye Film Festival and the 14th Kerala Film Festival.
     

  • Road, Movie to have European premiere at Berlin fest

    MUMBAI: The Indian Film Company‘s (TIFC) Road, Movie is set to have its European premiere at the 60th Berlin Film Festival that will be held between 1 to 21 February, next year.


    Directed by Dev Benegal, the film is an endearing tale of a young man who takes a travelling cinema truck on a life-changing journey across the sublime Indian landscape.


    The film follows Vishnu as a restless young man who rejects his father‘s faltering hair oil business and hits the road with a travelling cinema in search of freedom. Along the journey, Vishnu ponders his life‘s priorities as he learns to appreciate his culture and the power of friendship and love.


    “This is a moment of glory for us at the TIFC. This is the fourth festival that the film will make its presence in. The film‘s presence at Berlin demonstrates its audience-appeal after its world premiere in Toronto in September last followed by representation in similar international festivals in Tokyo and Doha,” said Indian Film Company CEO Sandeep Bhargava.


    Road, Movie, co-produced by TIFC along with Susan B. Landau and Academy Award nominee Ross Katz, stars Abhay Deol, Tannishta Chatterjee and Satish Kahshik among others.


    Dev Benegal‘s debut English feature film, August, made in 1994, ignited a wave of independent Indian filmmaking. The film was hailed as a landmark in contemporary Indian cinema.