Ranbir gets Rs 7 crores for a film
Raj Santoshi is a very happy man.
Belying all rumours of a fall-out with Ajay Devgan Raj Santoshi is all set to make another film with his favourite actor.
“We’re just about to zero- in on the subject. It’s a contemporary film, not the two period films on Emperor Ashok and the Ramayan that we were planning to do together. Those are on hold right now.
For now Ajay and I getting ready for another film, though I’ll definitely make Ramayan and Ashok with him. But we haven’t fallen out just because a couple of our films together haven’t clicked. That’s not how we work.”
For now Raj is on another trip. “I’m finally starting Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani with Ranbir and Katrina from tomorrow (Wednesday).
It’s my first love story, though people seem to think it’s an intense love story. Which it is not. It has lots of very light very humorous moments. I haven’t worked with Ranbir and Katrina before. So I’m really looking forward to that.”
Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is to be shot in Mumbai (from tom) then Goa and finally Italy.
“A lot of elements in Ranbir’s character will remind people of his grandfather Raj Kapoor. I’ve worked with Ranbir’s father in Damini.
When I saw the boy in Saawariya I wanted to work with him immediately. Katrina and I were supposed to do a film that had Shahid in it. That didn’t work out. This is a totally different subject.”
Ask the director about Ranbir’s reported remuneration of Rs 7 crores, and Raj shrugs. “That’s between Ranbir and the producers Tips.”
Oh one more thing. Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani also stars Upen Patel.
“It’s a pivotal role. Upen expressed a desire to work with me. We met up. When I narrated the subject he fell in love with it. I’m working with an entirely new team including music composer Pritam.”
Shahrukh got Kareena confused to take revenge from Saif
This time the hottest of the Bollywood couples faced the wit and humor of Sharukh and his gang. Yes, this time it was the turn of Kareena and Saif Ali Khan who was quizzed by SRK and brigade at gradually heating up reality show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hai as to prove one more intelligent than a fifth class student.
This time at the show, it was the King Khan who was challenged by Saif as a host but very soon Shahrukh got things under control as he confused Kareena a bit with his a number of questions.
The reality show that is picking up has a lot to offer people of all age groups. And above all the questions raised by fifth standards students have made many professionals and experts to sweat.
Harry Potter smokes 20 cigarettes everyday
“Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe’s co-stars have warned him of serious health problems if he doesn’t quit smoking 20 cigarettes a day.
Radcliffe has been nicknamed Harry Puffer on the set of the new Potter movie as he rushes off to smoke between takes. He is reportedly smoking a pack a day and this is worrying his friends, thesun.co.uk reports.
A source said: “Daniel has recently been smoking up to 20 cigarettes a day. Every time they call ‘Cut’, he lights up. It’s disgusting. Friends and co-stars including Rupert Grint have been warning him about the dangers of smoking. But he doesn’t take any notice.”
Producers are also afraid that Radcliffe’s image could be damaged if he is seen smoking in public.
“He’s been having late nights out with stars like Kevin Spacey and Stephen Fry and seems to have picked up bad habits …,” the source added.
Aishwarya Rai’s weight loss and gain saga continues
Be it the role in ‘Mistress of the Spices’ or be it ‘Guru’ or any other flick no one has an iota of doubt that Aishwarya Rai plays the roles given to her most convincingly.Aishwarya Rai makes sure to fit into the roles offered to her, so much so, that she started gaining and losing weight according to the needs of the character.
“How To Gain Weight”
The 32-year actress, however, didn’t have to maintain that image for long since there was a sudden change in all her diet regimen as Dhoom II producer Aditya Chopra wanted her to exude sensuality in the screen and asked the paragon of beauty to shed off some weight fast.
Trainer Deepika Mehta was rushed to Namibia where the shooting of the Dhoom 2 was taking place. Deepika was asked to design a training programme and she started two-hour workout sessions for Aishwarya, which starts at 4 am each morning. Her new film “Dhoom II,” which is due for release in India this fall.
When asked about Aishwarya’s schedule, Simone told desifans.com “Aishwarya does have a full schedule but she is quite use to this. Working full days is nothing new to her and nothing she can’t handle. The fact that she enjoys her work so much makes the time go by quickly. She always seems to have an inner peace with a soft smile and a kind word for all. ”
In ‘Guru’ along with Aishwarya Rai Abhishek Bachchan,Arya Babbar and Madhavan will play the lead roles whereas in Dhoom II, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai will team up for the first time. Hope Aishwarya’s perseverance and dedication don’t go unnoticed.
Who Says Women Aren’t Funny?
Over a year ago, Christopher Hitchens, the misogynistic blowhard had an essay in Vanity Fair entitled Why Women Aren’t Funny. The article pissed off a lot of people including me and now a little over a year later, Vanity Fair takes a look at the other side with its April cover story Who Says Women Aren’t Funny.
Firstly, it pisses me off that just because Hitchens says women aren’t funny that we now have to defend ourselves. It just plays into the bullshit that feminists are humorless. Alessandra Stanley (who writes about TV for the NY Times) goes behind the scenes with some of today’s funniest women to look at how comedy has evolved since the days of the big screen screwball comedies which featured some of the highest profile women of the time. As Stanley says, today’s comedians are found on TV, not film (because we all know that there are hardly any funny (or even non-funny) women starring on the big screen today.
The leader of today’s funny women is feminist Tina Fey who parlayed her role as head writer on Saturday Night Live into the comedy 30 Rock, which she created, writes and stars in. (Shame on you if you don’t watch this show, it is fantastic and funny.) She’s about launch a new female buddy comedy Baby Mama co-starring Amy Poehler which will open the Tribeca Film Festival in NY on April 23rd.
Here are some quotes from the piece:
It used to be that women were not funny. Then they couldn’t be funny if they were pretty. Now a female comedian has to be pretty- even sexy- to get a laugh. At least, that’s one way to view the trajectory from Phyllis Diller and Carol Burnett to Tina Fey. Some say it’s the natural evolution of the women’s movement; others argue it’s a devolution. But the funniest women on television are youthful, good-looking, and even, in a few cases, close to beautiful—the kind of women who in past decades might have been the butt of a stand-up comic’s jokes.
Comedy used to be about women making fun of themselves as well as everyone else, and you couldn’t really make fun of yourself if you were too pretty (think of Gilda Radner). The pretty girls get everything. Now, the one place where looks didn’t matter as long as you made them laugh, is being taken over by the pretty girls. Come on. What’s left for the rest of us?
How this evolution happened is not entirely clear. The backlash school of feminism would argue that it’s the tyranny of a looks-obsessed culture that promotes sex appeal over talent, be it in comedy, pop music, or even sports.
Is there a backlash school of feminism? Are there classes available? Give me a break. It’s not the backlash school of feminism that thinks our culture is looks obsessed — it’s the WHOLE CULTURE that KNOWS that we are obsessed with looks.
There has been an epochal change even from 20 years ago, when female stand-up comics mostly complained about the female condition—cellulite and cellophane—and Joan Rivers and Roseanne Barr perfectly represented the two poles of acceptable female humor: feline self-derision or macho-feminist ferocity.
The younger women on TV today owe their careers to Joan Rivers and Roseanne and don’t forget Joy Behar and Rosie O’Donnell and the many other women who worked the clubs when it was all guys. They pushed the envelope and made it acceptable for women to be funny. They were funny and feminist. Stanley mentions Wanda Sykes and Maya Rudolph in her piece but hardly any other women of color. And also, where is Julia Louis-Dreyfus? I love The New Adventures of Old Christine that stars Dreyfus and Sykes.
It’s not that these girls are better than the girls who preceded them,” says Fran Lebowitz. “They’re luckier. They came along at a time when the boys allowed them to do this. In comedy, timing is everything.”
So glad to see we still need permission to be allowed to be funny.
At the moment, though, big-budget comedies are still a reach for most women. Comedians such as Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, and Sacha Baron Cohen are major movie stars in a way that their female counterparts are not. Looks, for them, aren’t important: pudgy Jack Black and Seth Rogen are tapped as romantic leads opposite Kate Winslet and Katherine Heigl.
Nobody knew who the hell Sacha Baron Cohen was before Borat. It seems that the films are trying to apply to the lowest common denominator (namely the young boys who are maybe too immature to understand nuanced comedy.) But the real question is, why are women allowed to be funny on TV and have to be the killjoys in films?
Poehler argues that, despite the changes in television and comedy clubs, Hollywood has made it harder than ever for comediennes to play leads in romantic film comedies. “I guess I’m not able to play the girlfriend of guys my own age anymore,” she says. “I play the bitchy older sister. And who doesn’t love the bitchy older sister who gets it in the end?” Poehler speaks wistfully of the days—20 years ago—when “Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler could open a movie, Teri Garr and Diane Keaton were movie stars and they looked like they lived in your building; you felt you could kind of know them.”
Amen, Amy.
It’s oddly cultural but not really much of a mystery: ticket sales are driven by young men (18–24), whereas television, especially network television, is more of a woman’s world. (Female viewers outnumber men by approximately 30 percent during prime time.) So it is something of a milestone that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler have teamed up to make Baby Mama, a comedy about a single career woman (Fey) who wants a child and hires a working-class surrogate (Poehler), who moves in; they then clash like The Odd Couple. In a market that favors boy-girl romantic comedies such as 27 Dresses, a female buddy picture is bold. There have not been many successful ones since Bette Midler and Shelley Long starred in Outrageous Fortune in 1987. (Thelma & Louise had its funny moments, but that final pratfall was deadly.)Fey says she is aware of the risks. “Women drive what’s on television, and husbands and boyfriends decide on movies,” she said. “I’m doing it backwards: I have a TV show for men and a movie coming out for women.”
I am so incredibly sad that the last female buddy comedy that they could think of to mention is 20 years old. somebody please help me understand why we can be funny or star in TV shows but cannot be funny or star in films. Let’s all decide to go and see Tina Fey’s movie on opening weekend to support her and her work! Anyone want to come with me?
Women at the Box Office This Weekend
There are no new women-centric releases this weekend.
Women & Hollywood recommends that you check out Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day which is playing in most communities. Girls Rock! is also rolling out on a limited basis and is fantastic. Here are reviews: Miss Pettigrew Review; Girls Rock Review
Holdovers Remaining in Theatres
The Other Boleyn Girl
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
The Orphanage
Juno
Penelope
Mad Money
Atonement
La Vie en Rose
Opening Next Week
Under the Same Moon – interview with director Patricia Riggen to come next week
TV This Weekend
If you don’t want to go to the theatre there are a couple of things on TV worth watching.
The Return of Jezebel James
Feminist Amy Sherman-Palladino’s return to scripted TV. Show stars Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose
Friday night, Fox, 8pm.
This commentary from the Huffington Post lays out why we should take a chance on the show and not listen to the reviewers. (I might add that in general I have stopped reading reviews before I watch something, especially on shows related to women. They just don’t help and are usually get off on trashing a show) Will Jezebel James Follow in the Footsteps of the Gilmore Girls?
On Deadly Ground: The Women of Iraq
A behind the scenes look at how deadly it has become for women. Another unacceptable tragedy of the US occupation. Weren’t we supposed to help women get rights?
CNN, Saturday and Sunday night at 8pm.
John Adams
While this is not about a woman, Laura Linney co-stars as Abigail Adams and gives another one of her fantastic performances. I’ve seen the first two parts and this is one of the most well done TV films I’ve seen in a long time. HBO does these types of TV events better than anyone else. It’s riveting and Paul Giamatti is beyond good. Don’t miss it.
Premieres Sunday night at 9pm on HBO.
Bollywood Love Predictions of 2008
Harman still remains a good friend.
They will make a good partners but still a long way to go!
Akshay (b.9 Sept) and Twinkle (b. 29 Dec) are number 2 and 9. These two numbers have a strong attraction. But attraction fades and they remain as friends. They also make as very good partners in business. Don’t we all know that Akshay’s luck changed after he got married? It continues this year as well.
Kajol (b. 5 August) and Ajay (b. 2 April) are simply awesome with each other.
No matter what be the situation, they will always be united and strong.
Bipasha (b. 7 Jan) and John (b. 17 Dec) are numbers 7 and 8. The relationship of these numbers fades off with time. Need not say more!
Katrina (b. 16 July) and Salman (b. 27 Dec) are numbers 7 and 9. These numbers get along very well. They end up as excellent friends and life partners too.
Deepika (b. 5 Jan) and Yuvyaj (b. 12 Dec) are numbers 5 and 3. These numbers have strong attraction. No emotions whatsoever and are purely practical numbers.
If they want, this would be an extremely rational relationship based on assumptions and understandings.
Preity (b. 31 Jan) and Ness (b. 30 May) are numbers 3 and 4 which are good as friends.
But Ness Wadia’s name comes to number 29.He better be careful as 29 means that you can be ditched anytime and by anyone.
Abhishek Bachchan (b. 5 Feb) and Aishwarya (b. 1 Nov) are numbers 5 and 1 which are like a house on fire. These two are made for each other. Aishwarya will be extremely lucky for Abhishek. Check out Abhishek’s growth this year.
Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor
Saif being born on 16th August is a number 7 while Kareena born on 21 September is a number 3.These two numbers get along like a house on fire.
But a small spark can spoil the relationship. So it’s a very delicate one.
“Me angry? No way!” – Bipasha Basu
Is Bipasha Basu miffed with the producers of RACE? According to a news-report, the sultry actress is upset because the makers are giving more prominence to Katrina Kaif in the promotion of the film. Besides, the makers have filmed a song on Saif and Katrina much after the film was complete, which caught the actress off guard.
“Why should I be upset with Tauranis [the producers of RACE]? They’ve been wonderful all through. The promotion is great, I’ve no complaints whatsoever,” she clarifies. But the new song must’ve caught her by complete surprise. “Not at all! This song was always there. Initially, it was to be filmed in Durban, then Dubai, but they couldn’t film the song for some reason or the other. This song is not an after-thought,” Bipasha sets the record straight.
Priyanka Chopra pledges to donate her organs
Priyanka Chorpa was present at the inaugural function of the 16th Annual Conference of the Indian National Association for Study of Liver (INASL). The event organized by the Army Medical Corp saw Priyanka turn up as she herself is the daughter of army personnel.
However, Priyanka not only graced the event but even pledged to donate her organs for the service of humanity. Apparently, the actress realized the importance of organ donation when her father was ill recently. Former cricketer and MP Navjot Singh Sidhu also pledged to donate his organs.
Must say here is one beauty who not only has a beautiful image on screen but has even touched many hearts off screen by this noble gesture
No game show for Bachchan
Contrary to a report in a tabloid saying the Big B plans to do a game show on Zee TV, the mega-star, currently busy with his various film assignments, has no intention of going into television in the near future.
Says a source close to the Bachchans, “Mr Bachchan has no plans for television right now. After the spectacular success of Kaun Banega Crorepati, there was no dearth of assignments on television. At one point, three or four channels were vying for Mr B’s exclusive presence. He was even toying with idea of doing a soap on a channel.”
Television for now is a thing of the past for the Big B. “His heavy work- load and the stress put on his energy level by various professional and social commitments do not permit him the luxury of dabbling in a new medium at the moment. Maybe later. But for now, no television.”
That puts an end to speculations in the media about the Big B’s return to television.
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