2011: A year of sequels and remakes

2011: A year of sequels and remakes

Bollywood is making the most of sequels. Though this trend has been quite rampant in Hollywood, of late even the Hindi film industry seems to be capitalising on it.
Ram Gopal Varma’s Phoonk 2 and Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal 3 hit the screens in 2010. While Phoonk 2 sank without a trace, as expected, Golmaal 3 was a box-office hit with the makers laughing all the way to the bank.
Little wonder then that makers have found a new formula. The moment a film is a hit it becomes a franchise with sequels being announced. Scripts are written and actors are being finalised for the sequels of Dabangg, Race, Dostana, Dhoom, Partner and Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai.
2011 will see three sequels — Don 2: The Chase Continues, Double Dhamaal and Murder 2. After Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya, the versatile Farhan Akhtar is directing Don 2: The Chase Continues, a sequel to his 2006 film Don: The Chase Begins. While Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani and Om Puri reprise their roles in this sequel, Lara Dutta and Kunal Kapoor are the new additions. Hrithik Roshan in a cameo will be the surprise factor of the film. The actor will be seen as a stylish character with interesting shades. While a major portion of the 2006 film (that was a remake of the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan starrer Don) was shot in Malaysia, the sequel has been filmed in Germany. Don: The Chase Begins had grossed Rs 30 crore, it remains to be seen if Don 2: The Chase Continues will be a bigger hit.
Double Dhamaal, sequel of Dhamaal, the 2007 hit, will see many actors sharing screen space for the first time. While Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Javed Jafferi and Aashish Chowdhry will reprise their roles, Mallika Sherawat and Kangna Ranaut will also join the cast. The prequel did not have actresses and revolved around the adventures of the lead actors. But in the sequel, Mallika will be Dutt’s wife whereas Kangna will play his sexy secretary, who tries to woo him. Actor-turned-director Satish Kaushik will also be seen on the big screen after a long time. Dhamaal had grossed Rs 30 crore. Will director Indra Kumar create magic again next year with Double Dhamaal? Only time will tell.
Former Miss Sri Lanka Jacqueline Fernandez, who played the girl-next-door both in Aladin and Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Hai, will be seen in a sexy avatar in Mukesh Bhatt’s Murder 2. The prequel that was released in 2004 was inspired by the Hollywood film Unfaithful and starred Emraan Hashmi, Mallika Sherawat and Ashmit Patel. While it was helmed by Anurag Basu, the sequel will be directed by Mohit Suri and is inspired by the Nithari killings. Jacqueline will be seen doing some bold lovemaking scenes with Emraan. Murder catapulted Mallika in the limelight, will its sequel change Jacqueline’s fortune too? Let’s wait and watch!

Madhuri is the biggest draw of 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4'

Madhuri is the biggest draw of 'Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4'

She came, she smiled and she conquered. Madhuri dhak dhak Dixit, has the viewers and participants of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa eating out of her hands and hanging on to her Americanised angrezi comments. Dressed in ethnic wear, be it a flowing kurta, churidar or sarees, the actress looks elegant on screen and makes up for the slightly jarring accent with her divine smile. No doubt, Madhuri has every reason to smile. The show opened to a rating of 5.6, the highest among its four seasons and has catapulted Sony to the No.3 position. “My relationship with Sony goes back to a match-making show Shubh Vivah,which I hosted over a decade ago. When they offered Jhalak.. I wasn’t very sure but they came to US and showed me the DVDs of the original show and I really liked it,” smiles Madhuri who was approached last year too for Dance Premier League. It didn’t work out as she couldn’t find a nanny to look after her kids. “I want my children to be very comfortable as they are my priority,” maintains the diva.
As for her two adorable boys, seven-year-old Arin and five-year-old Ryan, they flew down from Denver last week for the Christmas break and watched the dance reality show for the first time. Arin was so impressed that he turned around and told his mom, ‘I never knew you were such a big celebrity!’ Next he asked her to stand beside the TV and clicked a picture! How sweet! However, the kids will be here only for two weeks while Madhuri is going to stay back till March. So, won’t they miss her? “I think boys are different from girls. When Arin met me, he exclaimed ‘Mom, I never realised that I missed you in Denver, now I do!’,” chuckles the indulgent mom narrating the incident.
While it’s Jhalak..that has brought Madhuri back from a three-year hiatus, the actress now plans to be in India for four months and is looking at film scripts. So far, she hasn’t found anything “exciting”. “A role that I would like to put my heart and soul into hasn’t come to me,” says Madhuri who wants to do something like what Meryl Streep did in The Devil Wears Prada. “It doesn’t matter whether you have two kids or where you are, all that matters is the standard (of acting),” she quips. Madhuri, whose last film was the not-so-successful Aaja Nachle, is hopeful of getting a meaty role as she believes the industry has opened up and there are different types of audiences. “With multiplexes, there’s a niche audience and even filmmakers are experimenting with various kind of films,” she reasons.
Amongst the different films, Madhuri found Ishqiya interesting, funny as well as serious. “It was an entertaining film with actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Vidya Balan,” says the diva who is completely bowled over by the younger actress. “Vidya is beautiful and a natural actress, her face speaks,” says Madhuri appreciatively. Another film that she found unconventional was Rocket Singh: Salesman Of The Year, “which had a different theme altogether”. But it was Kajol’s role in Fanaa that floored her, so much so that she would have liked to step into her shoes. “The role had different shades to it. She falls in love with a guy only to discover that he is a terrorist. It was interesting and Kajol was brilliant in the film,” says the numero uno heroine of her time.
As for the song-and-dance fare, Madhuri, who can still burn the floor with her sensuous moves, as she did in a Jhalak..episode, points out that things have changed. “Item numbers have always been there but some things have changed. For me dancing is not just about the body movements, it’s spiritual,” she explains. Nevertheless, the dancing queen found herself shaking a leg to Munni badnaam hui from Dabangg. “It’s a folksy song with different beats that you feel like dancing to,” smiles Madhuri who loves all the songs from the film, Mast mast tere nain being her favourite. And though she hasn’t caught up with the Dabangg hero and her one time co-star Salman Khan, recently another Khan, Shah Rukh dropped on the sets of Jhalak..to meet her. “It was wonderful to catch up with Shah Rukh. He is such a nice person and has a good sense of humour. We were talking about our kids, how they are growing up etc,” she says flashing her million-dollar smile.
Talking about children, Madhuri has found new skills in cooking, much to their delight. She cooks Indian, Mexican and Chinese food, which she learnt after marriage. What’s more, she credits her husband as being the better cook and digs into his chicken tikka masala. Back home, even as she gorges on bhel puri and soaks in the energy of Mumbai, Madhuri misses her husband and her home in the mountains of Denver.

Penelope, Natalie are sexiest stars

Penelope Cruz and Natalie Portman topped an online poll of sexiest actresses.

It may be the last thing on their minds but pregnant stars Penelope Cruz and Natalie Portman have beaten off competition from Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston to be named the Sexiest Stars of 2010 in an online poll. While Cruz, 37, is eight months pregnant with her first child, Portman had announced earlier this week that she too is set to become a mother.
In an online poll at Fandango.com, Portman, 29 was voted the Sexiest Woman in 2010 movies by men, while Spaniard Cruz was the women's poll leader. The website's male respondents voted Johnny Depp and Ryan Reynolds the joint Sexiest Man in 2010 movies, while the women picked Depp ahead of Robert Downey, Jr.
The voters in the Christmas weekend online poll also chose Blake Lively as the Next Big American Movie Star.
Men picked Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz, stars of 'The Green Hornet' as the Most Mismatched Movie Couple and women opted for Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston who star in 'Just Go With It'.
Both sexes agreed 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2' is 2011's Most Anticipated Blockbuster

Katy Perry creates special tour scent

Katy Perry promises several of her signature outrageous outfits on the tour.

Popstar Katy Perry is creating a special scent for her 2011 European tour. The 'Fireworks' hit-maker is planning a extravagant stage show and wants to engage all the senses of her audience, reported People magazine. "It's going to engage all the senses, so we're looking into alternative stuff like smell. We're talking to a couple of companies at the moment about creating an aroma for the performance," said the 26-year-old.
She promised that the tour will see her appear in several of her signature outrageous outfits on stage, though they are not easy to get into.
"There will be a medley of looks, and they'll be very strong. When I get changed during a show it's like I'm at a Formula One pit stop. There's Velcro being ripped off and stuff getting strapped onto me. On my 'Hurricane' tour I wore a different outfit every single night. It was crazy, and not cheap," said the hit-maker.

Madonna most popular star in UK

dailies in the last decade.

'Queen of Pop' Madonna has been the most talked about celebrity in UK in the past decade. The 52-year-old star, who moved to US following her divorce from British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, was the top celebrity to be written about in UK since the year 2000, the Daily Star reported.
The 'Material Girl' notched up 46,000 mentions, at least 15,000 more than second-placed Simon Cowell, 51, who was followed by Robbie Williams, 36, Kate Moss, 36, and Britney Spears, 29.
'King of Pop' Michael Jackson was eighth on the list after his suspicious death in 2009 dominated headlines.
Power couple David and Victoria Beckham was undoubtedly the celebrity pairing of the decade with more than 50,000 mentions between them. Victoria, 36, pipped her husband David, 34, into seventh place by just 880 names. Former Beatles star Paul McCartney and Australian singer Kylie Minogue rounded off the top-ten list, according to a research on clickliverpool.com by Kantar Media.
"This shows just why Madonna is hailed as a legend," Kantar director Brian Merron said.

Binge drinking ''ups future depression risk in teens''

Washington: Researchers have warned that binge-drinking teenagers are more likely to have mood disorders such as anxiety and depression in adulthood.

Researchers at the Loyola University Health System have found that exposing adolescent rats to binge amounts of alcohol permanently altered the system that produces hormones in response to stress.

This disruption in stress hormones "might lead to behavioural and/or mood disorders in adulthood," researchers reported.

Senior author Toni Pak said while results from animal studies don’t directly translate to people, the findings do suggest a mechanism by which teenage binge drinking could cause mental health problems in adulthood.

"Exposing young people to alcohol could permanently disrupt normal connections in the brain that need to be made to ensure healthy adult brain function," said Pak.

The Loyola study examined the long-term effects of alcohol on the production of the stress hormone corticosterone in rats.

In the study, researchers exposed adolescent rats to an 8-day binge drinking pattern: three days of alcohol binging, two days off, then three more days of binging.

On binge days, rats were injected with enough alcohol to raise their blood alcohol concentration to between 0.15 percent and 0.2 percent. A control group of rats received injections of saline.

One month later, when the rats were young adults, they were exposed to one of three regimens: saline injections, a one-time alcohol injection or a binge-pattern of alcohol exposure.

These findings have suggested that alcohol exposure during puberty permanently alters the system by which the brain triggers the body to produce stress hormones.

The findings were revealed at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego.

Microsoft plans new Windows OS for mobile devices

San Francisco: Microsoft is working on a new Windows system for mobile devices like tablet computers, according to reports.

The system would focus on devices using energy-saving chips designed by the British company ARM. Many of ARM's chips are currently used in both the iPad and iPhone from Apple.

Now Windows will reportedly offer versions of its Windows CE and Windows Phone 7 systems that run on ARM chips. Its standard Desktop Windows system will be designed for x-86 architecture chips from Intel and AMD.

Microsoft head Steve Ballmer is expected to present the new systems in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The new systems should support chips from both ARM, Intel and AMD. Quallcomm, Texas Instruments and Samsung all produce chips with ARM designs.

Microsoft competitor Apple currently dominates the tablet computer market, selling 7.5 million of its iPads between its debut in April and the end of September. Market researcher Strategy Analytics estimates that Apple currently holds 95 per cent of the tablet computer market.

However, tablet computers running Google's Android operating system are expected to eat into that lead in the near future.

An alliance with ARM could help Microsoft catch up in the mobile devices market. Microsoft official Achim Berg has noted that, since the introduction of its smartphone software, Windows Phone 7, 1.5 million Windows mobiles have been sold, meeting expectations.

U.S. News Best Colleges 2011

This year, Harvard University regained sole possession of the top spot in U.S.News & World Report's Best Colleges 2011 rankings of national universities. Last year, Harvard and Princeton University tied for first, but Princeton fell to second in the 2011 rankings of these large, research-oriented institutions. Williams College can once again boast that it's the nation's top-ranked national liberal arts college -- a category of schools that place a higher emphasis on undergraduate education -- as it ranked a spot ahead of fellow Massachusetts liberal arts school Amherst College for the second consecutive year.



[Scroll down to see the top 10 national universities for 2011.]

This marks the 27th year that U.S. News has published college rankings. Though the top-ranked schools garner much acclaim, the rankings aren't produced simply to benefit students who are considering attending institutions like Harvard and Williams. U.S. News uses its array of college data to provide insight to students of various academic and socioeconomic backgrounds. There is a list of the best schools for B students, rankings of historically black colleges and universities, as well as rankings of the most diverse national universities. And though the worst of the financial crisis seems to have passed, finding value in the increasingly expensive world of higher education is still one of the most important -- if not the most important -- factors in choosing a school. To meet that need, U.S. News has compiled best value lists for national universities and national liberal arts colleges, which rank schools based on the average cost of attending -- after need-based grants are taken into account -- relative to their academic ranking.

The National Universities and National Liberal Arts Colleges lists are just two of several sets of rankings that are a part of U.S. News's evaluation of Best Colleges. Regional colleges and universities, which tend to draw heavily from their local area, and tend to have sparse doctoral program offerings, are ranked separately. Villanova University, Rollins College, Creighton University, and Trinity University are the top-ranked Regional Universities -- schools that offer degrees up to the master's level and were ranked as "Master's Universities" in the past -- in the North, South, Midwest and West, respectively. The top-ranked Regional Colleges -- schools that offer bachelor's degrees and were classified as "Baccalaureate Colleges" in previous rankings -- are the United States Coast Guard Academy in the North, Ouachita Baptist University in the South, Taylor University in the Midwest, and the United States Air Force Academy in the West.

Though California's public educational system is plagued by financial unrest and budget cutbacks, two of the state's schools are ranked as the top public national universities. The University of California -- Berkeley, which is the 22nd ranked national university, is the top-ranked public school, followed by the University of California -- Los Angeles. Rounding out the top five publics: University of Virginia, University of Michigan -- Ann Arbor, and the University of North Carolina -- Chapel Hill.

Though schools at the top of the rankings deserve praise for their sterling academic standards, they shouldn't receive all of the credit. U.S. News asked college administrators to name schools they believe to have made sharp improvements to their academics and campus facilities. Based on the results, U.S. News ranked the top "Up and Comers" across several categories. The University of Maryland -- Baltimore County was determined to be the fastest-improving national university and Hendrix College earned top billing for National Liberal Arts Colleges. The best up-and-coming Regional Universities are Wagner College in the North, Elon University in the South, Butler University in the Midwest and Abilene Christian University in the West.

Australia's Queensland faces 'biblical' flood

The clean-up has begun in areas where waters have receded

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A senior official has warned of the economic impact of flooding in Queensland, Australia, describing the disaster as one of "biblical proportions".

State Treasurer Andrew Fraser said that on top of recovery costs, the state would receive less income because of damage to the mining sector.
Flood waters are continuing to encroach on Rockhampton, a city of 77,000.
The floods have affected about 200,000, thousands of whom have been evacuated.
An estimated 22 towns have been left isolated or inundated by the rising waters over an area larger than France and Germany.
'Huge cost' There are concerns that damage could cost billions of Australian dollars to repair.

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QUEENSLAND

• North-eastern Australian state
• Largely tropical climate
• Area: 1.73 million sq km (668,000 sq mile)
• Coastal regions, including Great Barrier Reef, designated World Heritage Site
• Mining and cattle ranching important inland

Mr Fraser has had to delay a fiscal and economic review in order to account for the costs of the floods.

"In many ways, it is a disaster of biblical proportions," he told journalists in the flood-hit town of Bundaberg.
"The cost to the state will be huge - both in direct costs such as rebuilding roads, and other damaged infrastructure and providing relief payments to families - but also in lost income, while the mining, agriculture and tourism sectors recover," he said.
"Royalty forecasts are likely to be hit with freight lines cut and reports that many mines may not reach full production again for two to three months."
In some areas the waters have been receding, but around Rockhampton they are still rising.
Rockhampton Mayor Brad Carter said about 40% of the city could be affected when the Fitzroy River reaches its expected peak next week.
"We know we have prepared as best we can - most people who are expecting water to inundate their houses have evacuated," he said.
He said others who needed to evacuate would be advised to leave their homes, and those who refused could be forced to leave.
Among the areas already hit by the flooding are Emerald - a town of some 11,000 people - and two smaller towns, Theodore and Condamine, which have been completely evacuated.

Parties and fireworks as the world ushers in new year

US revellers cheered the traditional ball drop in New York's Times Square to mark the start of 2011.
Earlier festivities ranged from the release of thousands of silver balloons in Tokyo, to the first countdown of a western new year in Hanoi, Vietnam.
In Sydney, crowds watched what is hailed as the world's biggest New Year's Eve fireworks display.
Dubai saw a spectacular laser and fireworks show at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building.
Crushing grapes Party-goers in Europe attended new year's events across the continent.

Revellers crowded Hong Kong's Times Square

In London, crowds gathered on the banks of the Thames to watch fireworks. Some were launched from the London Eye big wheel - which is marking its 10th anniversary.
In Spain, crowds also gathered in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square to take part in "Las Uvas" (The Grapes), a tradition in which people eat a grape for each of the 12 chimes of midnight.
As the new year arrived, Estonia became the 17th country to join the euro currency, with Prime Minister Andrus Ansip marking the event by withdrawing euros from a cash point.
Meanwhile in Greece, troubled by an economic crisis, many people spent Thursday queuing to pay road tax on time or qualify for a tax amnesty.
In the Americas, some two million people gathered on Rio de Janeiro Copacabana beach beach for a fireworks and music show, and the country's logo for the 2016 Olympics was unveiled.
In the US, meanwhile, New York's municipal authorities and warmer weather combined to clear the streets following the snowstorm which blanketed the city this week, allowing hundreds of thousands to gather for the famous Times Square ball drop at midnight.
Dragon display It was the tiny Pacific island nation of Kiribati that was the first to welcome in the new year at 1000 GMT.
Celebrations across Asia and Australasia followed, New Zealand - the first major country to see in 2011.
In Hong Kong, hundreds of thousands of people gathered along Victoria Harbour to watch fireworks explode from the roofs of the city's most prominent buildings.
At the Zojoji temple in central Tokyo, Japan, monks chanted as visitors packed in to count down until midnight. Thousands released a mass of silver balloons carrying notes with their hopes for the future.
And in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, fireworks formed the shape of a dragon spiralling up the tallest skyscraper during the country's biggest-ever display - which cost $2m (£1.3m), and marked the beginning of year 100 on the Taiwan calendar.

Sydney was packed as spectators gathered for a massive display of fireworks

In Sydney, about 1.5 million people came out with blankets and camping equipment ahead of the seven-tonne fireworks display above the Harbour Bridge.
Crowds began arriving more than 12 hours before the main display, with new visitors turned away as early as 1500 (0400 GMT).
This year marked the first time Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, officially celebrated a Western-style countdown. In previous years, the city authorities have focused on Tet, the holiday marking the lunar new year, which begins on 3 February.
In the Philippines, safety officials urged caution after firecrackers injured at least 245 people in recent days. According to tradition, many believe noisy celebrations drive away evil and misfortune.
In Burma, however, the military government has banned all fireworks and said severe action would be taken against anyone using them.
Political activist Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from house arrest in November, called for the Burmese people "to struggle together with new strengths, new force and new words in the auspicious new year"