Prem Raj announces 3 films; Salman Khan will star in I Am Hariprasad
People in our film industry do take risks. They do an offbeat film, they turn themselves from actor to director, and they do an overnight Hollywood migration. But this man has just about done something which can be rightly described as ‘out of the ordinary’. The term Prem Raj has evolved to describe an unpredictable factor in any number of domains. Now don’t ask me the question: Who is Prem Raj? Because it definitely isn’t Prem and Raj – two of the most clichéd Hindi cinema screen names. Having said that, the word Prem Raj is synonymous with one of India’s biggest super stars: Salman Khan. Didn’t get it? Ok, let’s flash back here. The director of Main Aur Mrs Khanna, Prem Soni is back. He is back from the brink with a new identity, Prem Raj. I call him ‘The Wild Card’. But we all lovingly call him Prem. So for the rest of the interview, let’s stick to the latter. Prem just hasn’t changed his name but fortunes too. He has a big announcement to make which might leave the rest of the Indian film fraternity in a bit of frenzy.
This bit of news is going to take you on a long ride of exciting reading. So fasten your seat belts because Prem is officially announcing here on Bollywood Hungama his exclusive three film deal with himself. Again the question, isn’t it? Ok, I won’t torture you guys. I’ll answer. Prem is all set to make three films under his own production company called ‘Wild Card Entertainment Private Limited’.
Not one, not two but three films will be produced by Prem Raj under his company which will then be backed by another big production house for distribution and association. Prem hasn’t just taken a risk, he has doubled it up. Tripled it up is what most of you would be thinking.
To ask how he felt announcing the big breaking news on Bollywood Hungama, he said, “I’ve always been a big fan of Bollywood Hungama and know its reach. What better way than to announce my three films on the world’s most popular Bollywood gateway.”
So here’s an exclusive update from Prem Raj on his next three films:
Bombay Muumbai
“Bombay Muumbai is a love story with a backdrop of Bombay’s turn around into Mumbai with a gap of almost fifteen years between the first and the second half. The film tells the story of two people who separated in Bombay during the 1990′s and met up in Mumbai during the mid 2000.
This is the first time you’ll be seeing in a film that the main couple in the film are going to be playing 23 year olds in the first half and at the same time they’ll be playing 38 year olds in the second half. More than that, it’s predominantly about the city fifteen years ago and how love stories were in Bombay and how the love gets transformed into Mumbai. What are the differences in the two time gaps and is Bombay better or is Mumbai better.
The film is going to start by the end of this year and it will be having new faces. I believe that the city is the main hero and the protagonist. So I’ve decided that I need new faces because the story is very strong. The male lead is decided but it’s too early to take his name as of now. I am still searching for the girl and will announce both their names once the female lead is locked. I am also in talks with the director which I will announce once we finalize him. I’ve seen Bombay in my early teens and I see it today too with the youths. Finally it’s a story about how love evolves in changing times.”
Merrry Christmas
“Merrry Christmas will tentatively start early next year. It’s a tentative title as of now and is filmed in the romantic city Paris. It’s a story of two soul mates coming together in Paris and living a beautiful life. The story is split into two halves where you get to see a strict life of two people. It’s got its own twist and turns and is a love story.
The film is called Merrry Christmas because it revolves around the Christmas season. I have the script for the last eight months now and I am planning to make this for quite a long time now. I am in talks with one of the top actors of our industry and is almost on the verge of finalizing him. The announcement is going to happen soon and a big studio is going to back it up.
Merrry Christmas is going to be directed by me.”
I Am Hariprasad
“This one is a biggie. I Am Hariprasad stars my best friend Salman Khan. It had to be him in the title role. He plays Hariprasad in the film. The world audience will love him in this kind of a film. Half the battle is already won when you have Salman in the film. He is the best Hariprasad I could ever have.
I Am Hariprasad is a very unusual film for me to direct. I have written the script of the film too and it’s not something you’ll expect out of me because I believe in love stories and this one is not a love story.
There will be two leading ladies opposite him in the film and I Am Hariprasad deals with the biggest business in the world, business which is always on the upswing and is possibly the only thing which flourishes more than the recession – Religion.
I Am Hariprasad focuses on the relationship of man with God and the bridge between the two. Hariprasad is the Godman. It focuses on the Hinduism. Salman had his own inputs in the film and is working hard on this one. It is one of my ambitious films and is hilarious. It’s going to make people laugh and at the same time the film has drama.”
So if anyone thinks that Barack Obama is the busiest man on this planet, just rethink of a man called Prem Raj. Three back to back films produced by him, two of which he’ll direct and one of which will have Salman Khan. Did Deepika Padukone hear this bit? What about Sonam Kapoor? All new leading ladies…beware, Prem is on the prowl…and if this ain’t breaking news…what is?
Salman Khan looks beyond 10 Ka Dum
August 4, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
MUMBAI: Unable to tolerate that the broadcasters of 10 Ka Dum were taking him for a ride, Salman Khan has dumped the game show in a huff and vowed he will only take up the show again on his own terms.
While the exact exchange between the Salman and the channel a few hours before he signed on for Bigg Boss 4 isn’t available, the gist of his message was clear — my way or the highway.
According to reports, Salman had charged Rs 89 crore for the 104 episodes telecast in the first season of 10 Ka Dum. For the second season, he asked for an increment of Rs 44 crore which failed to materialise. In fact, Salman had slashed his fee for the second season after the channel admitted a cash crunch due to the recession. Yet, he wasn’t bothered. “I love this show,” he had said in an interview.
Explaining the chain of events, a source said, “The broadcaster of 10 Ka Dum made Salman wait for a long time. 10 Ka Dum 3 was supposed to start this year but suddenly the entire focus shifted to Kaun Banega Crorepati 4 after Amitabh signed the dotted line. But Salman still waited patiently.”
So when was the flashpoint reached? “It came when the 10 Ka Dum broadcaster and Salman had started talking money for the third season. Salman was told he wouldn’t get a hike.
Salman argued that since the recession was over, why shouldn’t he get a better pay packet? He asked them that since he had stood by them in their time of crisis, so why couldn’t they repay him now? But the broadcaster tried to soft-pedal the issue.”
Salman finally realised it wasn’t worth waiting any longer for a positive answer. “10 Ka Dum was very close to Salman’s heart. But it is okay, life goes on. He is very happy with Bigg Boss 4 ,” said the source.
We wonder if there is a sub-script to the drama. Apparently Salman’s brother Sohail has been pitching a few pilots to various channels but the 10 Ka Dum broadcaster didn’t show any interest in his projects.
“Salman has made it clear that if he is ever approached for 10 Ka Dum , it should be at his terms and price. Otherwise they are free to search for a suitable replacement for the third season,” added the source.
Despite attempts, officials from the broadcaster of 10 Ka Dum did not respond to queries.
US jobless claims surge more than expected
WASHINGTON: The employment report for June released by the US Labor Department confirms that the United States is in the grips of a protracted economic slump with no recovery in sight. If anything, the report suggests that the economic situation would best be described as a depression, rather than the official designation of a slow “recovery.”
The Labor Department reported a net loss of non-farm jobs of 125,000, primarily due to the expiration of 225,000 temporary US Census government positions.
However, the private sector generated a mere 83,000 net jobs, well below economists’ projections and barely half the number of new jobs needed to keep pace with the normal monthly growth of the labor market.
According to Friday’s report, two-and-a-half years after the official start of the recession in December of 2007, there are now 15.2 million workers who are unemployed and 25.8 million who are either unemployed or underemployed. Some 6.8 million have been unemployed for more than 6 months. The official underemployment rate including workers who have given up looking for a job and part-time workers who want a full-time job stands at 16.5 percent.
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of Friday’s report, ironically, is the nominal fall in the official jobless rate to 9.5 percent from 9.7 percent in May. This is because the decline is due entirely to a contraction in the statistical labor force, a result of the staggering growth of long-term unemployment.
The official labor force shrank by 652,000 workers, primarily due to long-term jobless people giving up looking for work and therefore no longer being counted for the purposes of estimating the unemployment rate. Had these so-called “discouraged” workers continued to look for work, the official rate for June would have been 9.9 percent.
Priyadarshan’s Prateik starrer shelved
Enter Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Suniel Shetty and Viday Balan. Exit Prateik and newcomers. Did someone say the recession is over? Far from it. Movies are religiously getting shelved dumped and relegated to the backburner especially if they don’t star A-listers.
The prolific Priyadarshan discovered the hard way that star discoveries went out of fashion with Dev Anand. After a very long time, he was all set to make film with newcomers this July. But he has abandoned the idea.
There were no buyers for a project with newcomers. The film about the longings desires loves and dislikes of the young was supposed to cast completely new faces along with Prateik.
The project couldn’t go beyond Prateik.
Says the disheartened director, “I met only Prateik for the film. The other newcomers I couldn’t even get a chance to cast because the producers backed out. No one wants to back a project without stars.”
To fill the time in July that Priyadarshan had allotted to the film with newcomers he has quickly put together a new multi-starrer film which stars Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Suniel Shetty and Vidya Balan.
The prolific Priyan who starts shooting this quickie in July says, “I’m quite excited about this project. It’s my first thriller. I needed to get away from my comedy image. Doing a thriller would provide me that chance.”
In fact Priyan is none too happy with his latest release Khatta Meetha being pitched in the promotions as a full-on comedy.
Says Priyan angrily, “Khatta Meetha is no a comedy like De Dana Dan. It’s a satire on the road mafia. You’ll have to ask the producers why they’re pitching it as a comedy. Probably because Akshay Kumar and Priydarshan equals comedy?”
Priyan seems resigned to resorting to stars time after time to get audiences in. “It’s frightening how my attempts to make a film with newcomers was thwarted. If I can’t do it who can? So the question is, how can we get new talent into cinema?”
Incidentally, the Priyan film is not the only Prateik Babbar starrer to be shelved. Goldie Behl’s film starring the talented young actor which was to be shot in the monsoon in Mumbai, has also been shelved.
wktv
May 27, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
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WKTV Community Television – Flash Version: WKTV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central New York york
sams club
May 27, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Costco Wholesale Corp. reported a 46% jump in quarterly profit as the club store operator benefited from an improving economy and rising sales of fresh meat, produce and other foods.
Consumers appear to be having “frugality fatigue” and are now spending more on non-discretionary items after the recession prompted belt-tightening last year, Costco executives said today during a conference call with analysts.
“There’s at least not as much concern that the sky is falling,” Costco’s chief financial officer Richard Galanti said during the call, which followed the release of the Issaquah, Wash.-based company’s fiscal 2010 third-quarter results.
Costco’s net sales increased an average of 10% over the past three quarters, reflecting both stepped-up consumer spending and club stores’ growing share of the retail food market. By the end of August, Costco expects to open five new stores, along with the 524 it already operates in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
Sales at U.S. stores open at least a year rose 3%, excluding gasoline, during the quarter, compared with a year earlier, Costco said.
In meat, produce and other fresh foods, Costco’s sales rose by “mid- to high single-digits” on average, in percentage terms, compared with the same period a year earlier, Galanti said.
While there was slight inflation in meat prices during the quarter, Galanti indicated that the combination of food retailer competition and cheaper private label products may keep food costs in check in coming months.
“There’s still very competitive pricing out there,” Galanti said.
Costco expects “very modest” food price inflation, at no higher than 1% to 2%, over the next six months, Galanti said, citing discussions with store operators.
During April, prices for food consumed at home were little-changed compared with the same month in 2009, according to government data.
Club stores, which charge membership fees for access to discounted goods in bulk, have gained ground in food retailing at the expense of traditional supermarkets. That reflects consumers seeking lower prices as well as access to nonfood items, such as fuel and apparel, at the same location they bought groceries, analysts say.
During the third quarter, Costco’s net income rose to $306 million, or 68 cents a share, from $210 million, or 48 cents, a year earlier. Sales rose 12% to $17.4 billion.
Per-share profit beat analysts’ expectation by about two cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Costco shares rose $2.44, or 4.4%, to $58.42 in early afternoon trading today.
The stock may climb further amid an outlook for even stronger profit in 2011, analysts said. Costco shares are still down about 1.2% this year.
Deflation has waned, consumer discretionary spending is re-emerging and store traffic is “nicely positive,” Peter Benedict, an analyst with Robert W. Baird, said in a report on Costco today. “Fundamentals should continue to improve over the balance of the year.”
Benedict has an “outperform” rating on Costco shares and estimated the stock may reach $70 over the next 12 months.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.’s recent discounting campaign to boost store traffic has affected traditional supermarkets more than Costco, Galanti said. Still, Sam’s Club’s, Wal-Mart’s club store unit, remains a top rival.
“We and Sam’s Club are fierce competitors” under pressure to make money, Galanti said. “We’ll hold our own.”
Wal-Mart is the top U.S. club store operator, with 596 Sam’s Club stores at the end of 2009.
Source: Bruce Blythe, Business Editor, Vance Publishing
nh unemployment
May 16, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
There is a dramatic increase in NH Unemployment during the past few years. It has also been aggravated by the recession last year and without the government bailout funds there might be more unemployed.
There is hope though for a brighter future and a downward trend to the NH unemplyment problem.New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch on Tuesday signed the “NH Employment plan”. Under the law it permits companies and their employees to agree to reduced hours in place of layoffs.
Many would think that this means lower pay for employees agreeing to the law. However, the state had also increased unemployment benefits in order to compensate for the lost wages.
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The “New Hampshire Working” law allows companies and their workers to agree to reduced hours in place of layoffs. The state would make up part of the lost wages through unemployment benefits.
Lynch signed the measure Tuesday.
The law is designed to reduce demand for jobless benefits and keep workers eligible for employer health benefits.
The four-quarter average unemployment rate for New Hampshire — from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010 — using the U-6 measure, has just been given as 12.9 percent by NHES. This compares to an average of 6.6 percent using U-3 methodology. By coincidence, 6.6 percent was the official jobless rate in the Granite State in March 2009.
With the latest unemployment rate of 7.3 percent running higher than the 12-month average, it can be assumed that New Hampshire’s U-6 jobless rate — some would argue the true jobless rate — is currently in excess of 13 percent at the moment.
greece bailout
May 3, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
After weeks of foot-dragging, mutual contradiction and confusion, a clear plan emerged on Sunday and members of the European Union agreed to a euro 110-billion package to stave off Greek bankruptcy.
The package has been decided upon jointly by the EU and the International Monetary Fund and the European body will be coughing up 80 billion of the 110 billion-deal, with the rest coming from the IMF.
Bilateral loans
For the first year, the Euro-zone will pay euro 30 billion in the form of bilateral loans, as a complement to financial assistance from the IMF. Under the plan Greece will take further austerity measures such as cutting pensions, bonuses, further extending the retirement age and slapping on additional levies to reduce its budget deficit by some euro 30 billion in order to bring it below 3 per cent in 2014.
“The problem is that this is only the tip of the iceberg and we are going to see much worse. Speculators are waiting in the wings for the Portuguese, the Italians, the Spaniards, and why not the French, to proffer the begging bowl. These states are in extreme fiscal difficulty and we have many hard years of austerity ahead of us. David Cameron may decry the Euro but Britain too is in a very poor way. The problem with Greece is that there is large-scale tax fraud. Their fiscal evasion is equivalent to 12 per cent of GDP whereas in France it is close to 3 per cent. I cannot see any government being able to streamline Greece’s fiscal setup by 2014. Talking of bringing the Greek deficit to under 3 per cent by 2014 is a pipe dream, one that cannot be fulfilled,” Mr Langlet, the Editor of the French economic daily La Tribune told The Hindu.
Brussels meet
Eurozone heads of State and government will meet during an extraordinary summit in Brussels to thrash out the procedural details. “But under no circumstances will the European Council go back on this plan,” explained Eurogroup President Jean-Claude Junker. The monies for Greece will be unblocked before May 19, the date when the country has to meet major debt obligations. The loans are being extended by Greece’s eurozone partners at a 5 per cent interest rate.
Germany, Europe’s biggest and richest nation and the one least affected by the recession and financial crisis, has been the most reluctant to help out Greece. Angela Merkel faces a crucial regional election in North Rhine-Westphalia — one she is expected to lose — and public opinion in Germany is dead set against giving any aid to Greece.
Germany has been prudent. That is also due to historical reasons. Every German remembers the crazy runaway hyperinflation of the Weimar Republic in the 1920s which directly contributed to Hitler coming to power and the establishment of the Nazi Third Reich. And the feeling in Germany is never again.
Post-war Germany has been extremely fiscally prudent and has expected the same of its EU partners. Germans believe they have been the thrifty ant while Greece has been the proverbial free-spending grasshopper.
dollar thrifty
April 26, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Hertz agrees to buy rival Dollar Thrifty for $1.2B CHICAGO — Hertz Global Holdings Inc. said Monday it has agreed to buy rival Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group for about $1.17 billion in cash and stock as it tries to expand its vacationer business.
Shares of both companies soared.
The deal will give Hertz, already the world’s largest car rental company, a third more locations around the globe, boosting its total to 9,800. More importantly, it will also give Hertz’s leisure segment a much-needed boost when it assumes control of the company’s Dollar and Thrifty brands.
“Together we will be able to compete even more effectively and efficiently against other multi-brand car rental companies, offering customers a full range of rental options in the U.S.,” Hertz CEO Mark Frissora said in a statement.
The move would leave three major U.S. car-rental companies, each with two or more large brands. Hertz also owns the Advantage rental car company and competes against the smaller Avis Budget Group, which has 6,900 Avis and Budget locations; and Enterprise Holdings Inc., which has 7,600 Enterprise, Alamo and National sites.
Hertz’s business is roughly evenly split between business and vacation travelers, while Dollar Thifty’s customers are mostly vacationers hunting for cheap rentals.
Hertz said its bid values Dollar Thrifty, based in Tulsa, Okla., at $41 per share, a 5.5 percent premium to Friday’s closing price of $38.85. The offer is made up of 80 percent cash and 20 percent Hertz stock.
Dollar Thrifty shares have recently traded at their highest prices in almost three years as the car rental industry recovers from the recession that caused business and leisure travelers alike to shelve reservations. The stock was trading at $2 a little over year ago. It was valued at less than a dollar in early 2009 as investors worried about lower demand for rentals, falling resale prices for vehicles and problems facing its main supplier, Chrysler.
Its shares hit a three-year high of $42.60 in trading Monday. Meanwhile, Hertz shares rose to a two-year high of $15.60.
air traffic
April 16, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Airlines Face Continued Disruptions From Iceland Volcano
More than half of Europe’s regularly scheduled commercial flights were expected to remain grounded Friday and many of the regions busiest airline routes will be closed until Saturday, as the fallout from a volcanic eruption in Iceland continued, leaving thousands of travelers stranded and impacting global trade.
Airlines across the world were affected, with Eurocontrol, the 38-country agency in Brussels that coordinates European flights, estimating that only 11,000 flights will take place Friday in European airspace, compared with 28,000 flights on an average day. About 100 trans-Atlantic flights arrived of the 300 typically expected.
Air-traffic problems shifted Friday as the clouds of ash were blown across Europe. While limited airspace was reopened in Scotland, Ireland and Sweden, air-traffic controllers began to close down airspace in Germany, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.
The U.K.’s National Air Traffic Control Service said it would restrict flying until 1 a.m. Saturday “at the earliest,” extending a ban that had spread across Europe as the volcano’s ash cloud drifted south.
Many of Europe’s busiest passenger and cargo aircraft faced a second day of closure Friday, though the weekend could give operators an opportunity to reposition aircraft and staff if the flying ban is lifted.
A volcano under Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted Wednesday for the second time in a month, spewing clouds up to 30,000 feet into the air. Aircraft travel at altitudes up to 35,000 feet.
Volcanic ash is a significant safety threat to aircraft, and the cloud has spread across one of the busiest travel and trade routes in the world, forcing the closure of many of the region’s key gateways, from Norway to France.
“In general, the situation cannot be said to be improving with any certainty as the forecast affected area appears to be closing in from east to west,” NATS said Friday on its Web site. “We continue to work closely with airports, airlines and the rest of Europe to understand and mitigate the implications of the volcanic eruption.”
Ashley Steel, who heads transport and infrastructure at KPMG, said the longer the disruptions continue, the harder it will be to clear the backlog of passengers on any spare capacity that may have existed on flights.
“Airlines will incur their biggest losses in the trans-Atlantic business passenger category; the impact on economy class revenues is likely to be diluted because people will change their bookings and eventually still fly,” she said. “However, the bottom line is, for an airline like [British Airways], every day of their fleet being grounded is likely to cost tens of millions of pounds.”
Ms. Steel added that some businesses such as rental-car firms, ferries, trains and hotels would benefit for the disruptions to air travel. Eurostar said seats were still available on Saturday and Sunday, but tickets for Friday sold out Thursday evening.
