Saif and Deepika all set to celebrate with ‘Cocktail’

Seems like Deepika Padukone is taking her relationship with Siddharth Mallya to the next level. Now the title of her films too seems to be finding an inspiration from the business avenues of her steady companion.

Reason being that the title of her next film with Saif Ali Khan is Cocktail. Since Siddharth is the son of liquor baron Vijay Mallya, a title like Cocktail only adds to the high that Deepika is enjoying in her relationship.

Confirms a senior crew member, “Yes, the film has been titled Cocktail. However, one can’t quite say if it has anything to do with Deepika’s personal equation with anyone. Something like this is just incidental. This is a modern day love story bearing urban sensibilities and hence a title like Cocktail pretty much suits the mood of the film. Other than that, anything else is plain speculation.”

Meanwhile, one looks forward to check out what Cocktail would be all about, considering the fact that it not just reunites Saif and Deepika (who are also working in Prakash Jha’s Aarakshan) again after Love Aaj Kal but is also the second directorial outing for Homi Adajania after Being Cyrus (which again starred Saif).

“This is not all, as the film’s script has been written by Imtiaz Ali who is quite close to Saif and Kareena after Love Aaj Kal and Jab We Met respectively”, says an industry insider, “This could well be one lethal cocktail in the offing here.”

On being contacted, Homi Adajania confirmed that Cocktail is the chosen title for the film. However he added a word of caution by stating, “It is a working title as of now.”

Saif is pretty excited about the film already. As per him, the film is romantic and funny with a great balance of drama and entertainment. He has also earlier quoted – “I have wanted to do a love story with a modern sensibility and treatment and I know that Homi will give us exactly that.”

Hopefully that would indeed happen for this film which would be shot in London, Spain and Delhi. One just wonders though how far Siddharth would be travelling to serve Deepika a heady cocktail all across the globe!

"Patiala House is not a comedy & I didn’t want to pitch it as one" – Nikhil Advani

Nikhil Advani had a major dispute with the rest of his team over the content of the first trailer of Patiala House. The dispute caused a critical delay in getting the trailer ready to be attached to Tees Maar Khan (TMK), as per plan. Consequently, the trailer couldn’t make it to all the theatres in Mumbai.
When Nikhil Advani visited a suburban theatre to watch TMK on Friday, it wasn’t only because he wanted to check out his own film’s hero’s latest offering. Nikhil wanted to see the first trailer of his own film Patiala House that was attached to TMK.
To his shock the trailer of Patiala House was missing from the film since it couldn’t be attached in time to all the prints of TMK.
Laughs Nikhil joylessly, “All the prints of the trailers for the Dolby theatres couldn’t be ready in time. So only about 70 percent of the Dolby theatres could show the trailer of Patiala House with Tees Maar Khan. Unfortunately, I landed up in one of the theatres that didn’t have my trailer attached to the film. Can you imagine? The world saw it. I couldn’t.”
Was it a last-minute decision to peg the Patiala House trailer to TMK?
Explains Nikhil, “No no. We had decided long ago to attach our first trailer to Tees Maar Khan. Akshay is a co-producer on both projects. Since Patiala is not a comedy we decided we’d wait for the release of TMK before starting the campaign.”
Then Nikhil blurts out, “All the Dolby prints of the trailer couldn’t be ready because there was some problem over what to put in the trailer.”
Says Nikhil, “All I’ll say is, there was some dispute over the content. Patiala House is not a comedy and I didn’t want to pitch it as a comedy. My biggest compliment was when Rishi Kapoor (who plays Akshay’s father) called up to say, ‘You’ve hit a sixer with your first trailer.’”
Akshay Kumar admits Patiala House takes him into another mood away from the comic. “There is only some black humour in Patiala House. Otherwise it’s a very dramatic story of a Sikh father who thinks it’s unpatriotic of his British-Indian son to play cricket for the British team against India. Yes, there were creative differences over what the first trailer should look like. I am not just the actor on the project. I am the producer as well.”
In brief, Akshay will have his say on what goes into the trailer.

Digicon6 Special: Keynote by South Korean filmmaker Kwak Jae-yong

If you thought that Sanjay Leela Bhansali was the only one who gave a lot of attention to the film’s music, think again. The acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Kwak Jae-yong discusses the use of music in his films at DigiCon6 Asia Contents Forum in Japan. Excerpts from the keynote…

I have never made any films with a particular market in mind. As a child, I loved reading Japanese novels and comics and have been influenced by them. The most important thing about writing a screenplay is that one has to be true to the story.

I love conveying my character’s emotions through the music pieces to my audience. Also while choosing the kind of music; I try to share the common feelings with audience. I think that is why my films are accepted. People start learning how to talk through emotions. Love, hate, pain all is communicated through the use of emotions rather than words. I loved listening to overseas music; I have been influenced a lot by pop music and Western content. When I try to communicate, I use emotions.

I get actors to listen to the music, thus we try to share emotions. In My Sassy Girl (2001), I controlled the speed of music. When actors nurture real feelings because of the mood created, I consider my job done. I use music as a tool to express our feelings. If you see my movies you would understand that I try to use actors who are like general people.

When I was a child, I loved Japanese Manga and animation and consumed a variety of Japanese content. Across South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, there is a lot if diffusion of content. In My Sassy Girl, people’s reaction to the music was similar across countries. In that sense, I think that the people are the same. People are after all, people, when it comes to emotions.

KJo is all set to resume shoot for his talk show and start work on his next

The exclusive idea for Karan Johar’s next directorial venture is finally in place, thanks to his unscheduled time off due to a sudden bout of malaria.

Because of the illness, Karan had the time to ponder deeply over what he wants to direct next. After months of a mental block, Karan has finally zeroed in on the subject that he wants to take on next.

And here’s the arresting news: after My Name Is Khan, Karan will direct a full-on fun film filled with music and songs…lip-sync songs which were missing in Khan.

Weak but back with his sharp tongue, Karan says, “I suppose out of every setback some good is bound to happen. So yes, that elusive idea for my next film for which I had even taken time off to be in New York but came back empty-brained, is finally locked in.”
Karan has decided to make a complete departure from the mood of his last film My Name Is Khan. He will now make a full-on masti musical with at least 10 songs.

Says the excited director, “I don’t think I should be talking about it so soon. But I can’t help it. Yes, after a serious film like Khan, I am moving into the fun zone. I am doing a fun-and-frolic film. I don’t care if ‘frolic’ is too frivolous a word. That’s what I am doing in my next.”

Significantly, Karan’s next is going to be full-on musical. Says the director, “In My Name Is Khan, I couldn’t have my protagonist singing on screen. Though I’m very proud of its songs, I somehow feel deprived when I don’t do full-on lip-sync songs. My next will be a full-fledged musical with the characters singing away on screen. At the moment that’s all I can tell you.”

On Saturday evening, Karan had the Big B over for dinner. Would it be correct to assume that the mega-star would feature in Karan’s next directorial venture?

At the moment, all one can assume is that Shah Rukh Khan will definitely be a part of Karan’s masti-bhari musical.

Says Karan, “Amitji just came home for a conversation, dinner and an evening with me and my mother. Every time I speak to him, I feel blessed. I’m very fortunate to have not just known him but also worked with him. Of course I’d love to work with him again and with Abhishek.”

Karan intends to invite Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan as solo guests on this season of Koffee With Karan.

“With them, there’s no combination that makes any sense any more,” opines Karan.
After 9 days of no-work, Karan will now get back to shooting episodes of his new talk show Koffee With Karan which went on air on Sunday.

Sighs the filmmaker-turned-talkshow-host, “Fortunately, I had shot four episodes before I fell ill. So there’s a bank. I’m proud of what I’ve shot so far. People talk about Imran Khan-Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor-Deepika Padukone being rivals. On my show they got along so well!”

Interestingly, Deepika is said to have confirmed on Karan’s show that it was Ranbir Kapoor whom she had accused of two-timing in print.

Says Karan, “I’m not saying anything. Just watch my show.”

Indian media sing praises of finished Games

NEW DELHI: India’s newspapers lavished praise on the Delhi Commonwealth Games on Friday as they focused on a dazzling closing ceremony and India’s record medals haul.

The Games ended on Thursday after 11 days of fiery competition that helped mend some of the damage done to Indian pride and prestige by the chaotic buildup to the event.

“Mission Accomplished 101%” headlined The Times of India, the largest selling English-language newspaper as it hailed the “Dream end with dancing lights.”

“After the spellbinding opening ceremony and a stirring surge in the medals tally, the mood in the capital was expectedly upbeat,” it said.

The Indian Express headlined with a pun on the Indian capital’s name, “Delhightful”, written in bold over a giant picture of the spectacular light show in the main stadium during the closing ceremony.

“What began a dozen

Ali Zafar wants to relocate to Mumbai…but can he?

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stills

“Keep politics out of art and culture,” says Pakistan pop singer Ali Zafar who arrived in Mumbai this month. He would like nothing better than to move to Mumbai and become a singing actor like Kishore Kumar. But would the current milieu of hostility allow him to make that move?

“Things have to get better between the two countries,” Ali says optimistically. “The sooner the better. Because the present hostility is unbearable. We from the entertainment industry in Pakistan are hard hit by the suspicion between the two countries.”

Ali Zafar is honest enough to admit there’s more scope for him to function in India than in Pakistan. “I’ll be honest. There are more avenues and prospects here. So if the God above and the politicians down below permit, I’d love to move to Mumbai. An artiste knows no bounds and boundaries. My first home is Lahore. But I’d like to make Mumbai my second home.”

Ali has a wife and a 3-month baby boy back home. “When I left home I kept looking back at my home and loved ones. I wish they could come with me.” Ali expects his wife to join him in Mumbai later during his current trip to the city, his first after 26/11.

In the last 6-7 years, he has been to Mumbai at least 20 times.

However, he was unable to return recently because of the current political scenario. “Things have changed. My last visit was before 27/11 and I remember how pleasant the mood was in Mumbai. I was free to move around and roam freely on the streets of Mumbai. I cannot deny there’s tension between the two countries. Earlier aana jaana laga rehta tha. Initially, we artistes from Pakistan used to get multiple visas quite easily. Yes now it’s different, and sadly so. However, I feel singers and other artistes should be exempt from politics.”

Ali thinks it’s easy for him to incorporate singing into his acting because he uses a lot of acting expression on stage. “I wanted to do something different from what my colleagues from Pakistan do in India. I always thought my first acting experience would be something different and special. I’ve no leading lady in my first film Tere Bin Laden. I was determined that when I act for the first time, I’d sing for myself and not sing for others on screen. When I met the director Abhishek Sharma for Tere Bin Laden in Mumbai, I knew this was the project that I wanted to start my big-screen acting career with. I laughed so much when I heard the script. I was sure audiences would love it too.”Being married doesn’t diminish Ali’s popularity. “On the contrary female fans trust married men more than unmarried men.
Married men are considered stable.”

About being inspired by Kishore Kumar, Ali Zafar shoots off, “He’s my definite inspiration, just as Kishore Kumar Saab was inspired by K.L Saigal.”

Ali is on the verge of signing new films in Mumbai…and moving in Mumbai. “I love the city. I want it to love me back as much as I do.”

Euro plumbs 4yr low; tide firmly against risk

SYDNEY: The euro sank to four-year lows on Monday as angst over Europe”s debt crisis led investors to pull more money from stocks in favor of havens such as gold and Asian bonds.

So sour was the mood that markets seemed to take scant notice of solid U.S. retail sales and factory output data that suggested the world”s biggest economy was steadily healing.

“The market has gone into fear mode, and we”re seeing red across the board,” said Justin Smirk, chief economist at St George Bank in New Zealand.

The euro fell 0.9 percent from Friday”s close to $1.2313 as investors doubted fiscally weaker euro zone nations can tighten their belts, or do so without stunting growth. Charts suggest the currency may extend losses to $1.23, then $1.2190.

With bets against the euro at an all-time high, traders said the currency looked weak as ever although a brief bounce on short-covering in the near term could not be ruled out.

Worryingly, there are signs that anxiety over Europe was squeezing credit markets, mirroring the days of the financial crisis when anxious investors and banks hoarded cash.

The tense mood hammered Asian stocks. Japan”s Nikkei .N225 shed 2 percent, and South Korea”s stock index lost 2.7 percent, while the MSCI measure of Asia-Pacific markets outside of Japan dropped 3.1 percent, on track for its worse day in over three months.

Shanghai”s stock index, among the world”s worse-performing stock indices this year due to expectations of monetary policy tightening, fell 2.3 percent.

While there is speculation that China may revalue the yuan in a much-awaited move over the next few days before a China-U.S. summit, choppy markets have led some analysts to argue that China may hold off for now.

The downbeat mood in markets benefitted the U.S. dollar. It”s measure against a basket of currencies was strong near 15-month highs at 86.7 .DXY as investors favored the safety of its liquidity.

A stronger U.S. dollar weighed on commodity prices. Oil fell over a dollar to $70.19, and copper futures eased as well.

Underscoring the extent of anxiety in markets, gold was holding up despite the firm U.S. dollar at $1,236.90 an ounce, within earshot of a record high of $1,248.95.

Safe-haven government bonds were also in demand. U.S. Treasuries were mostly up across the curve, while Japanese five-year yields hit five-month lows.

The unease in credit markets is reflected in three-month Libor and Euribor rates, which crept higher after failing to pull back in the wake of the mammoth $1 trillion euro zone aid deal struck a week ago.

The rates, which measure borrowing costs between banks and reflect credit risks, are at eight- and four-month highs respectively.

boho braids

braids. And according to ehow.com, Boho braids look very pretty and stylish. It goes great with a long, flowing dress, or even just with a tank top and shorts for summer.

Here’s how to create a Boho braid:

Start by blow drying your hair to make your hair nice and straight, which makes it easier to braid. Part your hair in the center when drying it.
Then you want to separate out a 1 inch section on both sides of your hairs part, two inches back from your hairline. Take a 2 inch piece of of hair above each ear, and then clip it out of the way. Pull the rest of your hair back into a low bun. Use bobbi pins to help secure it against the nap of your neck and then tuck in the ends.
Next braid each of the top sections you secured in the beginning, down and then pin the ends of it into your bun. Then braid the side sections you had secured over the top of your head and pin the ends against your head. Last you want to smooth your look with a pomade to avoid frizzies or flyaway hair. Or apply a hairspray to lock in your hairstyle.braids. And according to ehow.com, Boho braids look very pretty and stylish. It goes great with a long, flowing dress, or even just with a tank top and shorts for summer.

Here’s how to create a Boho braid:

Start by blow drying your hair to make your hair nice and straight, which makes it easier to braid. Part your hair in the center when drying it.
Then you want to separate out a 1 inch section on both sides of your hairs part, two inches back from your hairline. Take a 2 inch piece of of hair above each ear, and then clip it out of the way. Pull the rest of your hair back into a low bun. Use bobbi pins to help secure it against the nap of your neck and then tuck in the ends.
Next braid each of the top sections you secured in the beginning, down and then pin the ends of it into your bun. Then braid the side sections you had secured over the top of your head and pin the ends against your head. Last you want to smooth your look with a pomade to avoid frizzies or flyaway hair. Or apply a hairspray to lock in your hairstylev

Maureen McCormick

TrendPK.com Maureen McCormick : Eve Plumb: TV talk shows seem in the mood for the reunion of the popular TV series at this time. We already have reports of eight is the story enough, and now it appears that the Brady Bunch was supposed to be a reunion Wednesday morning to demonstrate [...]

Kimbo Slice vs Houston Alexander

Kimbo Slice vs Houston Alexander, Houston Alexander Kimbo Slice vs Fight Live Streaming Video. The Ultimate Fighter 10 (TUF 10) heavyweight tournament, ultra popular street fighter Kimbo Slice has been given another opportunity to showcase their talent and prove whether he belongs in the UFC. The following will be veteran UFC light heavyweight Houston Alexander in a co-feature on Saturday in the final of the television series, which will be broadcast live on Spike at The Palms Resort in Las Vegas, NV.

The two will meet at a catch weight of 215 pounds, with Alexander moving up and add 10 pounds, while Kimbo Slice will have lost nearly 15 pounds off his normal fighting. Houston Alexander sports a record of 9 wins and 4 losses, but has lost three of his last four starts. His background is in wrestling and Muay Thai kickboxing, and prefers the stand-up game.

The fund, the UFC is really doing everything possible to put Kimbo Slice in a situation where both can look good and win. Why? The more than 4 million viewers who tuned Kimbo losing effort against Roy Nelson TUF 10 finalists are the numbers of the promotional organization can not ignore. The man means a lot of money, and that is what boxing is. When Kimbo fights, everyone makes a lot of mass of their opponents to promoters and television stations that are associated with their parties. He is simply a cash cow that can not be ruled out.

Given Kimbo is still considered a rookie MMA with only four official matches under his belt, the match will be key to any success we may enjoy in the future. The problem is the fighter who needs some opponents relatively easy to build your confidence and skills, but UFC is an organization that is supposed to promote only the combatants considered at the highest level. So how will they?

The best of the UFC can do is to match Kimbo Slice against naturally smaller men and / or fighters appear to be slightly down in his career, and Houston Alexander seems to fit the mood, weight natural light heavy and having lost his last three bouts promoted by the UFC. Alexander should in no way be considered a step, especially Kimbo Slice has been knocked down by a much smaller light-heavyweight (Seth Petruzelli), but this type of pairing, at least, puts man in a position to compete and possibly win.

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Kimbo Slice vs Houston Alexander was first posted on December 6, 2009 at 12:10 pm.

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