Sorry I didn't get this done last night! Using random.org, here is what came up:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:45
Mom to Deanna said...
Oh! How melonishus! Too cute!!!
April 27, 2009 8:23 PM
Congrats Mom to Deanna, please email me your address so I can get your prize in the mail.
Thanks everyone for playing along with our blog hop and hope you had fun!!
HUGS!
From Aamir Khan to Anil Ambani, India's biggest celebrities on Thursday (April 30) came out in droves from their air-conditioned homes to wait in queue patiently for their turn to vote -- and urge the young to step out and exercise their franchise in the third round of the staggered parliamentary elections.In the great equaliser that are the elections, the stars of the silver screen and the celebrity industrialists were the cynosure of all eyes but got no preferential treatment.
Among the early voters, when polling started at 7 a.m. in the 10 constituencies in Mumbai and Thane in Maharashtra, was industrialist Anil Ambani who voted in south Mumbai with a battery of media cameras clicking away.
Dressed down - except for designer glares to shield them from the harsh sun - and ready to use their star power to urge people to do their duty, the stars hoped their message of patriotism would hit home.
Aamir Khan, who broke his holiday in the US with his children, said after casting his vote: "I have travelled 48 hours to cast my vote, so people can certainly go out from their homes to cast their vote. If you love your country, this is the day to show it. I'm happy to see so many senior citizens casting their vote here. I appeal to the youngsters to come out and vote."
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who was in South Africa for the Indian Premier League cricket matches, also made it a point to be in Mumbai on election day.
Sonali Bendre, who was among the early voters, said: "Voting is our birthright. People sacrificed their lives to give us this right."
Added veteran actor Rishi Kapoor: "It is our basic right to vote, so people should vote. We need to elect the right person."
Echoing the sentiment, well-known lyricist Javed Akhtar asserted: "Your vote is your voice. We want better infrastructure and security system."
"People are becoming more responsible. We have large number of first time voters," is how the versatile Boman Irani put it.
Director Kunal Kohli too urged people to vote saying: "It is an important election with important issues. I think terrorism and economic slowdown are important issues."
Amongst the others who made it a point to vote were Farhan Akhtar, Karan Johar, John Abraham, Celina Jaitley, Sonam Kapoor and Rahul Bose.
More than 13 million voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to choose among 196 candidates, including 17 women, in the fray for the third, final and smallest phase of polling in Maharashtra.
The constituencies where polling took place on Thursday are Mumbai North, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai South; Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi and Palghar.
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Rani Mukerji's father, who had two major cardiac arrests in the past, recently collapsed and the actress says luckily it wasn't his heart and thankfully her father is improving."Luckily, it wasn't his heart. It was his kidney. And that was bad enough. Because of his earlier heart condition the kidney couldn't take the strain. So yes, I've been through a rough time," Rani told.
"But all is well now. Dad is well on the road to recovery. And we can't thank the industry and all my friends and his friends enough," she added.
When detected with a kidney condition, Rani's father, Ram Mukherjee who directed Dilip Kumar starrer "Leader" in 1964, was immediately taken to Jaslok Hospital where to add to the family's distress wrong medication was administered.
"But that was no one's fault. Fortunately, they detected the error before there was any damage. After that he has been getting better by the day," said the actress who just wrapped up the last day of her shooting for Yash Raj Films' project with Shahid Kapur.
But for a while it was touch-and-go for Rani.
"Yeah, you could say that again. I barely had the time to touch dad's forehead in the ICU and I had to go for shooting. But you know me. I don't let my work suffer for anything. That's the way my father has brought me up," said the actress last seen in "Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic".
More than her friends in the film industry, who Rani says stood by her in her hour of distress, it was her father's associates whose support overwhelmed her.
"My father's colleagues and workers from his workplace have stood by us like pillars of strength. At a time like this you realise how important it is to have sown enough love to reap its harvest during crisis. You say I'm popular? You should've seen my dad's popularity. I feel so proud of him," she said.
"Friends like Karan Johar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali have been wonderfully supportive. Sanjay called and asked, 'How's the rock star doing?' I said the rock star is rocking. I wonder if he meant me or my father, ha ha," she added.
Rani's father will be in hospital for a while.
"I don't want to bring him home until we're sure he's fully recovered. At Jaslok, he's being taken care of fully. Though now he's well enough to take care of himself, there're nurses to look after him round the clock. We at home cannot provide the same clinical care."
Now that shooting is over for now, Rani intends to spend all her time with her father.
"When he fell ill, it was like deja vu. When his heart attack had happened I was shooting and attending to him. Being a working girl has its advantages and disadvantages. While I can provide him with the best possible medical facilities, I can't give my father the amount of time I want to."
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan has flown to India from South Africa to cast his vote in the 2009 general elections. Actress Shilpa Shetty regrets that she won't be able to exercise her franchise this time because of the Indian Premier League (IPL)."I just regret the fact that I won't be in India to cast my vote; I really wanted to this time. Elections have to be taken seriously if you are a responsible citizen. Unfortunately with the unexpected turn of events and the IPL being shifted to SA it's become difficult. I would not miss voting for anything otherwise," the actress posted on her blog.
"But to all those Indian citizens who want the best for our country, now is the time to make the decision, don't waste your democratic right to choose. Vote!" she added.
Shilpa is the co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals team of the IPL.
Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh flew down especially from South Africa to cast his vote and said "we should vote and give a chance to better people"."When I endorse everything from candy to soft drinks, this is something I have to support," Shah Rukh on Thursday (April 30) told reporters outside the polling station in Mumbai.
"I had to make it a point to come and vote," said Shah Rukh who was in South Africa for the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches.
He said the voters should choose the best-qualified candidates and be patient for change.
"People expect politicians to solve problems immediately. But it's not that easy. It takes time. That's why we should vote and give a chance to better people," he said on the day Mumbai and the adjacent district of Thane went to the polls, in the third and final round of balloting in Maharashtra.
Shah Rukh, who owns the Kolkata Knight Riders team in the IPL, is reportedly unhappy with the performance of team and is believed to have said that he would not return to South Africa till the team started winning.
Bollywood stars, industrialists and celebrities were the usual draw at several polling stations in Mumbai as 10 parliamentary constituencies in Mumbai and Thane districts of Maharashtra went to the polls for the final phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state on Thursday (April 30).Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. Among the early voters was industrialist Anil Ambani, who cast his vote in a south Mumbai polling centre amidst a battery of media cameras.
In Mumbai North, former union minister Ram Naik also turned up early, smiling and greeting his constituents.
In Bandra, among the noted personalities who came to vote were Sonam Kapoor, Rahul Bose, Sushma Reddy, Amrita Rao, Sonali Bendre, Aamir Khan and several television stars.
South Mumbai Congress candidate Milind Deora, his father and union minister Murli Deora and their family members also cast their votes. Shiv Sena's Mohan Rawle also exercised his franchise early.
In Kalyan seat in Thane district, Nationalist Congress Party's (NCP) candidate Vasant Davkhare voted with his family members.
Mumbai North-Central candidates - Congress' Priya Dutt and her BJP rival and ace criminal lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani - also cast their votes early.
In stark contrast to metropolitan Mumbai's glamour and glitz, barely 100 km north of Mumbai, tribals in Palghar queued up to cast their votes.
Over 22,000 security personnel drawn from both police and paramilitary forces have been deployed to ensure peaceful polling in Mumbai.
Police have detained over 12,000 "anti-social elements" to ward off any trouble in the nation's financial capital, where around 70 polling stations have been identified as "sensitive".
The constituencies going to polls are Mumbai North, Mumbai North-East, Mumbai North-West, Mumbai North-Central, Mumbai South-Central, Mumbai South, Thane, Kalyan, Bhiwandi and Palghar.
Nearly 13.1 million people are eligible to exercise their franchise on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Madhur Bhandarkar, who has been nominated in the best director category for "Fashion" in the International Indian Film Academy awards 2009, is wondering why the film itself is missing from the best picture list."They've done this to me before. My films have been denied popular awards right from 'Chandni Bar'. So I'm neither hurt nor amused. I just wonder what it means," Bhandarkar, who made critically acclaimed films like "Page 3" and "Corporate", told IANS.
All the other directors, who are nominated in the best director category, have their films in the best picture category.
"If I'm one of the best directors of the year, isn't my product automatically among the best films? But I'm sure they've their own rationale and I'm the last person to question it. Right now I'm too drained out shooting 'Jail' in the heat of Karjat," said Bhandarkar.
"Jail", starring Neil Nitin Mukesh in lead role, is being shot in the sun and members of the unit are suffering from dehydration.
"We've a doctor on standby throughout the shooting. Anyone can suffer from sunstroke or dehydration any time. And after all this effort 'Jail' too may be snubbed at the popular awards. But I'm not complaining. I've the audience and critics with me. And my films get the National Award. To me, that's the highest honour. I just hope Neil gets the National Award for 'Jail'. The rest will be a bonus."
Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan has received the best brand ambassador of the year award at NDTV Techlife Awards 2009 for the IDEA and Motorola campaigns."It is a great honour to win the title of best brand ambassador for the IDEA and Motorola campaigns," Abhishek said in a statement.
"The IDEA campaign carries a socially relevant message in today's commercial environment and the brilliant concept of encouraging two way communication between the government and people has connected with millions across India," he added.
Given away on Wednesday (April 29) night in Mumbai, the awards acknowledge lifestyle products, gadgets and best technologies that have made a difference.
Writer-turned-director Rumi Jafry had finalised Akshay Kumar for his second film "Life Partner", but says the star, who is known to charge exorbitant fees, backed out of the project on monetary issues."Akshay had a huge role in 'Life Partner'. He had already said yes to the role and all dates were fixed. He was equally excited but due to price issues between him and the producers Abbas-Mustan he backed out of the project," Jafry told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
"I also discussed the matter with Abbas-bhai but he said 'to let him go' as they could not settle on a price. We then roped in Govinda and luckily the role has come out very well," the director added.
The film marks director duo Abbas-Mustan's entry as producers for filmmakers other than themselves.
"Life Partner" is a comedy and Jafry, who as a writer has been associated with comedies throughout his career, says audiences expect him to deliver funny films as a director too.
"Taking my previous record into account, audiences expect comedies from me and I deliver that. But I always try to and will keep a Hrishi-da (Mukherjee) touch in my movies with a message infused with laughter in all of them," said Jafry, who has scripted hit romantic comedies like "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" (2004), "Hero No.1" (1997) and "Coolie No.1" (1995).
Set in Cape Town, South Africa, the film deals with the theme of "marriage" and stars Tusshar Kapoor, Prachi Desai, Fardeen Khan, Genelia D'Souza and Govinda in pivotal roles.
Tusshar plays a Gujarati guy who believes in arranged marriage and Prachi plays his wife, while Fardeen's character believes in love marriage and is paired with Genelia.
Govinda plays a divorce lawyer, who doesn't believe in the convention of marriage at all. The film also has a surprise element - the actress opposite Govinda.
"The film is about relationships and is an out-and-out comedy. Like all my films, even this one has a message - marriage is an essential part of life. As the world is progressing, relationships are crumbling and are not that deep any more. I'm sure it will leave the audiences thinking without compromising on their laughter," Jafry said.
What is interesting is that he zeroed in on the story after it was given a "sensible" nod by superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
"I came out with the idea for the movie while I was writing 'Chalte Chalte' (2003) in Greece. I was discussing it with Shah Rukh (Khan) and Rani (Mukerji) and Shah Rukh asked me to make a film on it. He gave such a positive reaction to it and considering his sensibility and understanding of scripts, I realised I should go for it," he said.
Told that the storyline sounds similar to the 1982 film "Shriman Shrimati", Jafry said: "I haven't even heard of any such movie. Now that you've said it, I'll have to watch it. There's no other inspiration behind "Life Partner" than the crumbling of relationships."
The movie was completed very quickly. "It took me five years to complete my first project, so I made sure to wrap up the second in only five months," quipped Jafry.
"Life Partner" was slated to release May 1, but has been pushed forward due to the ongoing revenue-sharing tussle between producers and multiplexes.
Sonam Kapoor is all for getting into the commercial groove after doing off-beat films and says she won't mind playing Lara Dutta's role in "No Entry" or Priyanka Chopra's character in "Dostana". But she is clear that she doesn't want to be seen as just "arm candy" in song and dance sequences."I'm all game for doing movies that are set in commercial parlance," said Sonam, who is choosing her projects carefully.
"It's a misconception that after films like 'Saawariya' and 'Delhi-6', I'm only looking at films with serious overtones. All I look for is meat in my role."
"See, I have never looked down upon hardcore commercial cinema. It's just that I never wish to be an arm candy who does four songs, a couple of scenes and then vanishes away from screen. Those are not at all the kind of roles that excite me," added Sonam, who will be seen in her father Anil Kapoor's home production titled "Ayesha".
The 23-year-old may have suffered two box office failures in the "Delhi-6" and "Saawariya", but that hasn't hampered her passion for movies.
"Give me a meaningful role and I will do it even if it is hardcore commercial. Who says Bollywood masala movies do not have good roles for heroines? Look at what Lara Dutta did in 'No Entry'. Now that's a kind of role that I certainly don't mind doing," she said.
Any other reference points?
"Priyanka Chopra's role in 'Dostana'," she said promptly. "She was so good in the movie and the character was extremely well-written as well."
Incidentally, Lara had played Anil's wife in "No Entry" while Sonam's "Delhi-6" co-star Abhishek Bachchan was seen with Priyanka in "Dostana".
Talks of the Lara Dutta-Dino Morea relationship being on the rocks has been doing the rounds for some time now.But these two has been doing the rounds of theatres these days, and that too, together! So all differences seem to have been set aside for some fresh beginnings... Only recently, we spotted the duo at a screening of Vin Diesel’s Fast and Furious 4. As we got comfortable in our seats, we suddenly saw Dino walk up the (theatre) aisle with Lara. And yes, they left together too. So, if you thought that this pair was on their way to splitsville, let’s correct you fast — well, this romance just got more ‘furious’.
Our dimpled darlin’ rarely upsets her fans (though sometimes she does get into a brawl with mediafellas), and owing to her eternal bubbly image on screen, she has a huge kiddie fan following too.So ZOOM was really surprised when recently a fan wrote to us ranting about her ‘once favourite’ star – PZ. Apparently, Preity Zinta was doing a promotional event for the media with her team on the beaches of South Africa; and was so heavily into doing the drill that she was inadvertently brusque with a female fan. The girl fan simply requested her to pose for a picture and, “she bluntly refused,” said the disappointed fan.
She also added in an email to us, “Preity, in her enthusiasm may have forgotten that the time on the beach was for crowd interaction with the players and for giving youngsters an opportunity to mingle with the sporting stars. So I was hurt when I was ignored.” Okay gal, we understand your grouse, but honestly, PZ is hardly like that. And stars do get busy and involved. Also, when it comes to work, everything else is secondary for Ms Zinta. And being a glam-gal in the sporting biz is no mean task.
C’mon gal, be a sport, next time around we promise ya that PZ will pose for pics first, and then go back to the field. We at ZOOM will ensure that and capture it on camera too. And we can see Preity flashing those ‘dees’ already!
He may be the man who created a ‘short-circuit’ in the world of cinema with his Munnabhai– Circuit jodi, but when it comes to any talk about the gorgeous Kareena Kapoor, director RajKumar Hirani finds himself getting a wee bit short-circuited.Hey, hey, and before Saif sets his sight on this director, let us add that this Raju is one gentleman.
In fact, his appreciation was purely based on an amazing shot she delivered for his 3 Idiots. Apparently, Ms K delivered such a power-packed performance in an emotional scene, in just one take; that it left Hirani flabbergasted. He couldn’t believe it! Simply because he was prepared for several takes as it was a difficult scene.
But voila... Kareena gave a perfect shot. Raju and the unit broke into a thunderous applause. And he’s been a ‘fan’ ever since. But we wish he’d stay on the Munnabhai track and not get swayed by heroine-antics. A Munniben series honestly, doesn’t sound that appetising.
Rumours were rife about Aishwarya being cast alongside ex-flames Vivek Oberoi and Salman Khan for Tansen. However, Satish Kaushik puts them all to rest by saying that he hasn’t approached any of the three for the project.
The director has only considered Abhishek Bachchan for the role so far, and the production house is nothing less than irritated with the rumours.
Little B has agreed to sit through the narration, while the scripting is yet to be completed.
The director has only considered Abhishek Bachchan for the role so far, and the production house is nothing less than irritated with the rumours.
Little B has agreed to sit through the narration, while the scripting is yet to be completed.
Recently, in South Africa, while Bollywood’s bubbly actress Preity Zinta was cheering for her IPL team, she was mistaken for Monica Bellucci!Since the actress turns up for the matches with bare minimal to no make-up, the westerners have been thinking they are getting a glimpse of the Italian hottie. We wonder if Preity is aware of this yet.
2009’s International Indian film Academy Awards (IIFA) awards celebrate its tenth year in June, also marking Amitabh Bachchan’s decade-long association with the academy.Bachchan says, “This will be the tenth year that I am part of the awards. I am very excited to be with IIFA for so long.”
The ceremony, which will be held from June 11 to June 13 this year, is scheduled to take place in the ‘Las Vegas of Asia’. Big B explains, “This time, the awards will be held in Macau, China; a place that I have never visited. But from what I have heard and what I have seen on websites, it is a beautiful place.”
As for his son’s and daughter-in-law’s presence at the awards, Bachchan is unsure of whether Abhishek and Aishwarya will make it. He says, “If they have dates, then Abhi and Ash will join us. If they don’t, they will not. But, most probably, they will come, as they have been nominated.”
And though Abhishek and Aishwarya have both been nominated for awards, Amitabh flatly refuses to comment on whether he thinks his relatives deserve to win the prizes. “If they are capable of winning those awards, then they will win. If they are not, then they will not. Their work should speak for them, not their father,” he diplomatically puts it.
Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan have also been nominated, but Bachchan is clueless as to whether they’ll be joining him in China, saying, “How do I know if they will come? Actors have commitments with their work, so I presume that if they have free dates, they will come. They have all been invited.”
On a more certain note, the veteran superstar is thrilled at the fame and respect Bollywood is now getting on the international circuit. He says, “I’m very happy to know that knowledge of Indian cinema has now spread worldwide and everyone knows about our films. I have just got back from Europe, where I was shooting, and there too, foreigners were talking about Indian cinema. This is the aim of the IIFA: to showcase Indian cinema to the international market.”
Keep the FaithYou must have heard a thousand times that the way to victory does not lie in how hard you can hit; but how hard you can take the hit. And I am not telling you anything new. Every teacher says that to his student, every coach says that to his team and I am sure John has said this to you guys enough times already, just as a father says that to his son.
When they all say this, in their hearts they also wish and hope that their team does not get hit; it doesn't have to learn to win that way. A father feels, let my son win without ever getting hit; but you still say this to them because you know this world is a hard place. Games are a hard battlefield…your opponent wants to win as much as you do…so there is always going to be a chance that you will get hit. The best of us get hit…Mohammad Ali got hit…Carl Lewis got hit…John Buchanan must have been hit…Sourav Ganguly here has been hit several times.
So let's start from the fact that yes we have been hit already. So this is a good thing. A very good thing! We have been hit and hit hard, so the difficult part is over now. We all should accept that, we do lie at this point very nearly on the floor. So now comes the part, which is more important. The part that we need to show everyone around us, that we can take a hit; we can fall down; but we also know how to scrape ourselves from the floor and continue to fight. We still can take a few hits more and still fight back. Lots of people are saying lots of things about us, but none of them are right. The only right thing is that the owners have faith in this team, the coach has faith in this team; as a matter of fact the team has faith in this team. So there is no problem here at all. Just go out and play to have a great time…enjoy yourselves because pressure only builds more pressure. There is no need to prove anything amongst us. We all trust we are a great bunch of people and cricketers.
One lakh people out there have only one prayer in their hearts, god give our kids strength and a bit of luck to beat the shit out of their opponents. God will listen and deliver today, but just to make sure run faster, hit harder and go out destroy the opponent.
Lets play this like our first game ever as if we have to prove it to the world that we are good and can hit, then lets play this game like the last game of our lives, because we need to prove it to ourselves…that we can take being hit and get up from the floor.
I say a prayer my father taught me; whatever your faith, lets get together and say it… "Nasrun minal lahe wah fatahun kareeb …"
With IPL being the flavour of the season, it becomes needless to say that each and every 'Bollywoodian-turned-IPL custodian' got transformed into spotlight's darling. If the last season of IPL saw many a hugs, tears, trials and tribulations, this year promises to be a 'Long' extended celebration from of last year as 'Miss Long Legs' Shilpa Shetty puts her business acumen to test, by partnering with 'Rajasthan Royals'. And it is this same actress-cum-model-cum-international star-cum-businesswoman-cum-everything in between Shilpa who has been featured on this month's 'Blender' magazine!
Now this leggy dame comes full circle as she gets candid with the hip music and entertainment magazine 'Blender' in a no holds bar conversation. What's more is that the mag is adorned with the lass in a well 'blended' outfit that goes that extra mile in accentuating her already famous curves.
Also in this month's issue be ready to see the biggest hits and hitters of the IPL, and for some eye candy to heat up the already hot summer is a list of the sexiest rock and roll babes.
Now this leggy dame comes full circle as she gets candid with the hip music and entertainment magazine 'Blender' in a no holds bar conversation. What's more is that the mag is adorned with the lass in a well 'blended' outfit that goes that extra mile in accentuating her already famous curves.
Also in this month's issue be ready to see the biggest hits and hitters of the IPL, and for some eye candy to heat up the already hot summer is a list of the sexiest rock and roll babes.
After dropping “Kolkata” from Indian Premier League team (IPL) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), actor Shah Rukh Khan has started discussions with Nokia, Sahara, the Anil Ambani group, and several other companies to sell the team he bought just over a year ago for Rs 300 crore, and exit the business.According to sources in Red Chillies Entertainment, KKR’s holding company, “Shah Rukh Khan has been trying to sell a stake in KKR for some time now. But since most companies he approached also wanted management control, Khan is now talking to Nokia, Sahara, Anil Ambani and others to sell his entire shareholding.”
Khan’s public relations officer, however, said she would not be able to confirm the development because she had not met the actor.
None of those who have reportedly been approached confirmed the development. Sahara India’s communications director Abhijit Sarkar said: “We have not been approached by Shah Rukh Khan yet. But if he does, we would be happy to buy the team.”
D Shivakumar, vice-president and managing director (markets), Nokia India, sent a text message saying: “Shah Rukh Khan will keep the team.”
A Reliance Communications spokesperson declined to comment. “A lot of people negotiate with Anil Ambani. I cannot comment unless there is something concrete on table.”
According to the Red Chillies official, Khan wants to exit, owing to the team’s poor performance — so far the team has won only one rain-curtailed game under the Duckworth Lewis method — and rising costs.
“If the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) does not increase the number of teams for next year, Khan could get double what he paid,” said the Red Chillies official.
Khan is supposed to pay Rs 30 crore per year for the next 10 years. The total annual cost for the team is about Rs 75 crore.
Khan had earlier said that KKR was easily the most successful IPL franchise, making a Rs 13 crore profit last year. However, his costs trebled last year owing to interventions from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Cricket Association of Bengal.
According to initial calculations, Red Chillies had to pay Rs 90 lakh per match and was supposed to earn Rs 3 crore if all stadium tickets were sold at Eden Gardens. Red Chillies had to pay Rs 20 lakh to the police and municipal tax of Rs 5 lakh. So its expenses per match would have been over Rs 1 crore. But this figure had trebled.
Last year, however, Kolkata Police demanded Rs 2 crore as security fees, against Rs 50 lakh that the organisers of the IPL offered. Then, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) demanded Rs 25 lakh from Red Chillies as amusement tax for holding IPL matches at Eden Gardens.
To settle the dispute between Kolkata Police and the IPL organisers over the cost of security arrangements at Eden Gardens, Red Chillies Entertainment had to agree to pay Rs 75 lakh as security fees.
About 5,500 uniformed personnel and about 1,500 sleuths were deployed to secure the stadium and its surrounding areas, since many celebrities were expected to watch the IPL matches at Eden Gardens.
Ok, do you hate me for this? LOL! I've been busy with some commisioned work, but I remembered I had this Tilda that I did for Easter and never posted. Yes, I know Easter is long over, but I still like how it turned out and wanted to show you.
The precious Tilda in striped stockings and the Easter Egg are both available for purchase at Magnolia-licious. Be sure and pop over there and check out what Diana's store is all about. She offers free shipping to the US and Canada, no matter how big or small the order! How cool is that?!! Free shipping ROCKS!
That cute tag is from a set of downloadable stamps from The Cutting Cafe'. DP is by Melissa Frances. I love that line of paper. Such pretty prints! Stamps were colored with copic markers. The scalloped squares were cut with my Cricut Expression and the Storybook cartridge.
Sorry....I promise that this will be the last Easter card I post until next year! LOL! Thanks for stopping by today, and hope to see you back again soon! HUGS!
From businessmen, doctors to models and NRIs - over 12,500 men from across the world have sent applications to marry controversy queen Rakhi Sawant after she announced a 'swayamvara' as part of a reality show on NDTV Imagine.Within 20 days of the announcement of the unique reality show "Rakhi Ka Swayamwar" (pictured left), expected to go on air next month, a huge number of men have sent their profiles to woo Rakhi.
The item girl-turned-actress, who has mostly hit headlines for her outspoken ways, is overwhelmed with the response.
"I want to thank everybody for their continued support. This huge response has proved to everybody that my 'swayamvara' and 'shaadi' (wedding) is not a joke. My only wish is to find a person who will always be my support system and will respect me for what I am," Rakhi said in a press release.
Rakhi had shocked one and all when when she had announced that she would choose a groom for herself through a reality TV show.
After a series of selection procedures, Rakhi will choose from among 15 grooms on the show and will take the help of viewers to decide on her ideal man.
According to the channel, New Delhi has topped the list of Rakhi's prospective grooms with 2,465 entries. Mumbai follows a close second with 1,980 entries. Most entries are in the broad age group of 18 to 35.
Those who are keen and are yet to register for becoming the love of Rakhi's life still have a chance as the last date for registration is May 5.
Shah Rukh Khan is said to be doing Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidwani’s film after the deal with Aamir Khan fell through.Aamir was the favourite choice for director Reema Kagti’s upcoming film, to be produced by Farhan and Ritesh, with whom Aamir has worked with in “Dil Chahta Hai”. The three are also good friends.
However, Aamir is no longer doing their film as he is said to have demanded a huge sum of money and also a share in the film’s profit. These terms were not acceptable to Ritesh.
It seems Ritesh had gone to the sets of “3 Idiots” to meet Aamir and finalise the deal. But the meeting did not go well as Aamir was not ready to compromise on the terms and conditions that he had laid. Ritesh got upset and left the sets in a huff.
Ritesh confirmed the news saying Aamir is not in his film as they had differences over the terms laid down by Aamir. He also added that though they were in talks with an actor, the lead is still to be finalised.
Aamir meanwhile has said he is not doing the film because he did not like the script.
The extreme temperature seems to have taken a toll on the cast and crew of Madhur Bhandarkar’s upcoming film “Jail”, which is being shot in Karjat, a town in Maharashtra.The film’s leading lady Mugdha Godge (pictured left) fainted on the sets while a couple of crew members suffered extreme dehydration.
Madhur was very concerned about their condition but could not shift the location nor stall the shoot as a huge set has already been constructed. Instead he has decided to have a doctor and an ambulance on location so that any such case can be attended to immediately.
Madhur has also constructed a tent with coolers inside for the crew to stay in during the breaks.
Mugdha confirmed the news about fainting on the sets of “Jail”. She said the conditions on the sets are actually like that of a jail. And with outside temperature boiling too, it is very difficult to shoot. “But it’s a challenge and we will definitely give our best,” she said.
Wondering what’s the connection between Kareena Kapoor and pop star Britney Spears?Apparently certain scenes of Kareena’s upcoming movie “Kambakkht Ishq” (pictured above) have been shot at a hotel that was the secret meeting place of singer-actor Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears when they were dating.
The scenes have been shot at Hotel The Standard, which is owned by Justin in Los Angles. Justin and Britney used to meet up at that hotel frequently to escape the eyes of the media. There are photos of Britney in a bikini, trying to woo Justin near the poolside.
Kareena too will be sporting a swim suit and has a dance number with Akshay Kumar at the same poolside in “Kambakkht Ishq”.
Apparently this will be the last time we will see Kareena in sexy, revealing clothes. She has respected Saif’s advice and will not show any more skin on screen.
Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s wax work figure was recently included at London's Madame Tussauds museum. He joined figures of Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.Guess who is the hottest among the Indian celebrities at the museum?
According to Liz Edwards, spokesperson for Madame Tussauds, London, Salman beats all the Indian personalities in the popularity charts. He is also one of the most kissed stars as well as photographed.
From Hollywood, Justin Timberlake is the most hugged of all celebrities in the museum.
He played a painter in the thriller "Raaz - The Mystery Continues" and he will once again essay the role in "Tum Miley". But Emraan Hashmi (pictured left) will this time get to actually paint to look convincing on screen."This time I actually paint. In 'Raaz', I wasn't really able to do much of that. All the paintings were done beforehand and I didn't get a chance to paint on screen apart from a few strokes," Emraan told IANS.
In "Tum Miley", Emran's newly-discovered painting skills will go a lot further.
"I'm shown to be a far more intricate painter, doing not just brush painting but also charcoal, etc. Here I can't fake it. I'm using all the skills that I learnt as a painter in 'Raaz' for 'Tum Miley'," the actor explained.
Emraan says he now seriously intends to pursue his painting.
"And my character in 'Tum Miley' is helping me do that. It's my first intense love story," he said.
The film is based on the deluge in Mumbai on July 26, 2005. All the scenes depicting the coming together of the leading lady and him during the deluge were shot in one go on a studio set.
Asked if there were any kissing scenes in the film, he said: "It's my first film with Soha Ali Khan. Do I kiss her? Let that be a secret. I consciously moved away from the serial kisser's image in 'Raaz 2'. I don't want to be known for something so frivolous. I want to move on."
The actor seems to have moved on from filmmakers Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt in "Tum Miley", which has been directed Kunal Deshmukh of "Jannat" fame.
"This is a Percept (Picture) film. I won't say I've moved on. But, yes, I want to clear the misconception that I work exclusively for the Bhatts," said Emraan, who made it big with the Bhatts' "Murder".
After crooning songs like "Mere angane mein", "Rang barse" and "Chali chali" for his movies, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan now has lent his voice for a TV commercial.Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, who is also directing the actor in his forthcoming film "Aladin", Amitabh has sung the song for a Himani Navratna Oil commercial, for which he is also the brand ambassador.
"He has an incredible energy level that comes across on the screen as well. We had an amazing time shooting the ad with him," said Ghosh.
The jingle has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar and sources claim "Amitabh too spent long hours in the studio with the musicians and provided his own inputs".
The 66-year-old will also shake a leg in the ad.
Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who co-owns the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals, had a brush with on-field action when she teamed up with cricketers to learn a few tips.She tried to learn some basics about the game from Graeme Smith and Shane Warne, the members of her team, but soon she was left out of breath.
"It was a fun day... Graeme (Smith) taught me how to bat and Shane (Warne) taught me how to spin the ball! We played for a bit and after I ran four times between the wickets I was gasping for breath," Shilpa posted on her blog from Cape Town.
"Now I respect my cricketers more, wonder how they do it, handling all that pressure, gawd! We actors have it easier, at least we get retakes... anyway it's still a thankless job when they lose," she added.
John Abraham, Bipasha Basu and Katrina Kaif were also chosen to participate in filmmaker Karan Johar's vote campaign video. But at the last moment, the trio couldn't be a part of it for various reasons."That's true. Earlier on, John and Bipasha were all set to be a part of this video that has been created to spread awareness around voting this election season. Even Katrina was finalised but in the final scheme of things, we had to shoot the video without them. Such a pity," said director Tarun Mansukhani.
The "Vote Aapke Haath Mein Hai" video finally starred Abhishek Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Shahid Kapur, Imran Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Asin, Ritiesh Deshmukh, Farhan Akhtar, Sonam Kapoor and Karan himself.
So what really went wrong?
"If you are searching for any controversies, then there aren't any. In fact, it wasn't even the matter of anyone opting out. All three were quite sweet and were game to shoot for the video. But then on the day of the shoot, John and Katrina were not in town due to which we had to go ahead without them," said Mansukhani.
How about Bipasha?
"Well, her 'Aa Dekhen Zara' was being released on the same day when we had to shoot for the video," the director said.
After travelling to countries like Britain, South Africa, Singapore, Dubai and Thailand, the 10th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) is heading to Macau, China.The three-day long weekend will be held at the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel at Macau starting June 11-13, 2009.
"2009 celebrates a decade of IIFA magic and promises to be yet another enthralling experience to be held at the Venetian Macao. It is an excellent choice for IIFA's celebrations and we are excited to bring its magic to that fabulous city," said Amitabh Bachchan, the IIFA brand ambassador.
For the 10th year celebrations, Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the organisers of the event, are promising a whole set of surprises at the weekend to be sponsored by Videocon.
"We are proud of IIFA's progression over the last 10 years. It is heartening to see IIFA's achievements over the years and we are glad to see the event celebrating a decade of magic," said Sabbas Joseph, one of the directors of IIFA.
"Our viewership of IIFA has already crossed 600 million. Each of the host destinations have reported growth in tourism, film shootings in their region and growth in Indian investments," he added.
The IIFA Weekend is expected to attract more than 500 luminaries from the Indian film industry.
Recently, Kareena Kapoor had to shoot for 36 hours without a break.The actress has a choc-a-block schedule, thanks to films like Kambakkht Ishq, 3 Idiots, Agent Vinod, Mr and Mrs Khanna and an untitled movie by Rensil D’silva – all of which are bein shot in different locations.
Says a source, “She just went rushing from one set to another, shooting continuously without complaining about tiredness or lack of sleep. The unit members of her films were saying this is what stars are made of.” Well, all we can say is, keep it up, gal!
How difficult was it for daddy’s daughter to work independently after her father was hospitalised?It wasn’t very difficult. My dad
was never a baby-sitter on the sets. Between us, it’s a client-and-manager kind of a relationship. Since I don’t have a manager or a secretary, my father plays a three-in-one role. Recently, I went to Bangalore to launch the Bangalore Food Guide. I called him up at one in the morning to just wish him good night. Even then, his phone was engaged! My work-related issues had been keeping him busy so late in the night. Now, there is somebody to accompany me in his place. The only difference is, since this person is doing a professional job, the personal touch of having my father around, is missing.
Do you have your parents accompany you while shooting?
My mother, who is a doctor, has opted for VRS. My father isn’t there to stare into the monitor as I shoot. He sees to it that everything is organised, and then leaves. It’s disturbing when people confuse my father with the ‘baby-ko-juice-doh’ kind of parents who are always there on the sets. My dad is an independent thinker and never indulges in such behaviour
How difficult is it to shoot romantic scenes in your father’s presence?
I’m quite comfortable when he is around. It’s my profession. If I can agree to a scene that will be viewed by my parents in the audience, why won’t I be able to shoot it in front of them?
A lot is being said about how Salman Khan gifted you a house ...
How silly is that! I’ve been living in the same house ever since I went to Mumbai to shoot for Ghajini. I hadn’t even met Salman then. The media has got him to gift me a new house, someone to do the interiors and even adorned my walls with his paintings and posters!
Isn’t the audience mature enough to understand that these link-up stories are a part of the movie’s marketing strategy?
There are so many untrue stories and misquotes that I think many people would have become conscious of the media games. Of course, a percentage would want to believe it as a topic of discussion, even if they actually have doubts about it.
Can’t the publicists of a film be responsible for this too?
I’m not familiar with such a strategy. During Ghajini, I knew exactly how the movie would be promoted by first releasing Aamir’s look. But the London Dreams team has not discussed anything of that sort with me.
How differently do Salman and Aamir approach a role?
Salman is very relaxed and chilled out. He is spontaneous and even if he has done the homework for his role in his mind, on the sets, he does an impromptu job. In Ghajini, Aamir would come and discuss the role with me, suggest changes and seek suggestions. As for me, I prefer a mixture of both.
You’ve featured in the Lead India campaign to woo voters. Ever considered campaigning for individual stars?
No. I’ve been approached in the south, but I have always declined such offers. Be it difficult or easy, one has to say no when one doesn’t want to do something.
Kangna intends to have a ball on the sets of her first comedy No Problem.“So far I’ve never had fun on the sets. All the character I’ve played have been introverted and troubled. So I’ve been in my shell. During Fashion Madhur Bhandarkar used to scold me for being in a shell all the time. But if I play insecure paranoid characters I can’t be laughing and playing around. But it was the nature of the characters. For Anees Bazmi’s film I’m changing completely. I’m going to organize parties on the sets, constantly crack Santa-Banta jokes and most important of all, I will bond with Sushmita. Hopefully our bonding will last beyond one film.”
After signing a film together, Sushmita Sen has taken the lovely Kangna Ranaut under her wings. Always known to be warm towards her co-stars Sushmita has taken a special fancy to Kangana because of her facial resemblance to Sushmita’s daughter Renee.
Says Kangna, “On the first day that we met we struck a special chord in each other’s hearts. I was standing at a premiere and she came up to me. She held my face in her hands and said I’ve hair exactly like her daughter. And that whenever she saw me she was reminded of her daughter. From that moment onwards we bonded. Luckily I play Sushmita’s sister in the film that we’re doing together. I love calling her Didi.”
Kangna is pleased as hell to be finally doing comedy. “I was really hurt when people said I was destined only to play tragic roles. I wanted to do comedy for the longest time. And that I’ve Sushmita playing my sister in the film is an added bonus. We’ll have a ball playing sisters.”
The film is Anees Bazmi’s comedy No Problem produced by Anil Kapoor.
Says Kangna, “I had decided whenever I do my first comedy it would have to be either with Anees Bazmi or David Dhawan. Everyone thought I was wrong for the part in No Problem. No one was convinced I could do comedy, not after playing all those traumatized roles. But Anilji convinced everyone that I could do it.”
Akshay Kumar has a very spunky defender – his mother-in-law, Dimple KapadiaThe actress doesn’t mince words when she’s asked for her opinion on the controversy over Twinkle unbuttoning Akki’s jeans at a Mumbai fashion show.
“F*** all this news!” she says. “By God’s grace, both my girls are happy and doing really well. If the world wants to presume things – let it. So many times, such things have been shown on television, and nobody says anything. They should either stop doing this moral policing or stop what’s being shown on TV first!”
But hasn’t she gotten used to these things yet? Many would have said many different things about her donning a bikini in Bobby and scorching the silver screen in 1973. “No, not at all. In fact, nobody even raised an eyebrow,” pat comes her reply. If things were so cool then, she must be finding it really hard to digest all this now. “I am not only shocked but also stunned at people’s reaction. What Akshay and Twinkle did was just for fun. It was just humour, not anything lurid, there was no vulgarity or any display of physical assets!” she adds.
What would she tell the moral policing experts, then? “Maybe their wives don’t open the buttons on their pants. I think they should try that. I know I’ve made a tall statement, but I stand by it,” she says.
Karan Johar is teaming up with Kareena and Kajol after a gap of eight years.
After casting the two in K3G, Karan is planning to cast the talented actresses in his upcoming film. The film will be directed by debutant Siddharth Malhotra, Prem Kishen’s son and grandson of the late Prem Nath.
The film is said to be based on the Hollywood hit film Stepmom, starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. The shooting for this new project will begin soon after My Name Is Khan wraps up.
After casting the two in K3G, Karan is planning to cast the talented actresses in his upcoming film. The film will be directed by debutant Siddharth Malhotra, Prem Kishen’s son and grandson of the late Prem Nath.
The film is said to be based on the Hollywood hit film Stepmom, starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. The shooting for this new project will begin soon after My Name Is Khan wraps up.
The mother-daughter duo is all set to play mother-daughter on screen as well. They will be seen together in a Sangeeta Datta film.
The film will be shot in English and to be produced by a British company. It is a family drama that revolves around a father and his three daughters. The film will also star Girish Karnad, Om Puri and a bunch of other British actors.
The film will be shot in English and to be produced by a British company. It is a family drama that revolves around a father and his three daughters. The film will also star Girish Karnad, Om Puri and a bunch of other British actors.
We all know that SRK is ready to host a party on May 1 for his Hollywood friend, Gerard Butler. His party is exclusive and meant for only close friends to attend. But that’s not all.Priyanka Chopra is hosting a similar party only one day before King Khan’s!
Gerard Butler is suddenly really hot property in India , don’t you think?
After stunning performances in The Namesake, A Mighty Heart and most recently in Slumdog Millionaire, the House of Commons planned to honour Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan for his contribution to Indian cinema.Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP from Birmingham Perry Barr in the House of Commons, presented the award.
The actor will now be seen in Kal Kissne Dekha, New York, Hisss, Paan Singh Tomar, Right Ya Wrong and Acid Factory.
Vidya Balan cannot go a day without having her masala chai. She has to have a regular dose of it, especially during her shoots.The beautiful actress is currently shooting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and she laments that she isn’t getting her tea. She even went around the city in the hope of finding a cuppa chai to get her through the day.
Shake off the addiction we say!
Sujoy Ghosh’s Aladdin is set to release this year. The film stars Amitabh and Riteish Deshmukh.Originally, the script included Big B and son Abhishek, but the actor requested Ghosh not to include Abhishek in the script. Although the father-son duo have given some good performances together, Big B didn’t want to work with his son, saying that they had done too many projects together already. This is when Riteish was roped in. He owes Big B big time!
Shah Rukh Khan has decided to try the tough love approach with his team, The Kolkata Knight Riders: he’s not going to cheer for them in South Africa until they buck up. After playing 5 matches and with just 1 win to their name, the Knight Riders are in the worst position in the IPL ranking, coming in seventh on the list.They’ve had some real bad games, and team owner Shah Rukh Khan is not at all happy. So much so that after returning to India to vote for the upcoming elections, he was quoted to have said, “I won't return to South Africa unless the team starts winning. I feel really sad when I see my team losing. They are trying very hard, so it's even tougher to digest the losses... I will only return to South Africa and cheer for my team when they start winning.”
Shah Rukh’s present attitude is a far cry from what we heard him say a few days ago. The actor was full of hope while he wrote his blog in South Africa. It said: “So let’s start from the fact that, yes, we have been hit already. So, this is a good thing. A very good thing! We have been hit and hit hard, so the difficult part is over now. We all should accept that we do lie at this point very nearly on the floor. So, now comes the part which is more important. The part that we need to show everyone around us that we can take a hit; we can fall down, but we also know how to scrape ourselves from the floor and continue to fight.” Now, reality has sure ‘hit’ Shah Rukh as he landed on Indian soil, and he’s too embarrassed to be present while his team struggles to ‘scrape’ themselves up from the bottom.
At the start of the IPL, SRK created quite a stir with his innovative decisions: he dropped Sourav Ganguly as team captain and brought out his ‘multiple captaincy’ strategy as his ticket to win the IPL. However, the plan turned out to be a major disaster, and the score card is witness to that. Surprisingly, the Knight Riders have an impressive list of coaches assisting the players. So, is it just a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth that’s leading to the team’s downfall?
Lovely ladies all over town and a few men
IIFA at Macau: IIFA Brand Ambassador Amitabh Bachhan unveils the Venetian Macao as this year’s IIFA awards destination.
Vidya Bland: Vidya Balan tries to play safe with this off-white suit she wore at the launch of an audio book for which she lends her voice.
BIG Party: Slumdog Millionaire Kids Tanay and Tanvi were seen together at the BIG 92.7 FM office with R.J Rohit.
Enlightening always: Lyricist Javed Akhtar was felicitated for his contribution to the film industry by the Taj Enlighten Society.
Sabka Dost: Seen here are the cast of upcoming film Maruti – Mera Dost at the movie’s music launch.
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