Sunday, February 22, 2009

India brought 9 Oscar Awards,SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is the best movie of the year.

It was 22nd of Februrary when Indian Film Industry broke all records and grabbed not only 1 or 2 but altogether 8 Oscar awards.

Congratulation India !

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE grabs 9 Oscar awards and Smile Pinki grabs 1

Movie: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Music (Song): Jai Ho A.R Rahman for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Music (Score): A.R. Rahman for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Film Editing: Chris Dickens for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Sound Mixing: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Writing Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Direction: Danny Boyle for SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE


Documentry Short: Megan Mylan for Smile Pinki

Oscar Award 2009: and The Winners are..


Oscar award winner 2009 for best actress in a supporting role - Penelope Cruz as Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best writing (Original Screenplay) - Milk.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best writing (Adapted screenplay) - Slumdog millionaire.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best animated feature film - WALL-E.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best short fim (animated) - “La maison en petits cubes”.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best art direction - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best costume design - The Duchess.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best makeup - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best cinematography - Slumdog Millionaire.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best short film (live action) - Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Oscar award winner 2009 for best actor in a supporting role - Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best documentary short - Smile Pinki.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best visual effects - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Buttons.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best sound editing - The Dark Knight.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best sound mixing - Slumdog Millionaire.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best documentary feature - Man On Wire.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best film editing - Slumdog Millionaire.

Oscar award winner 2009 for best score - Slumdog Millionaire.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

New Reel : Directors give romantic dramas a new twist

Youth, illness and love are the basic ingredients of many a movie, especially in Japan, where romantic dramas about dying teenagers are about as common as convenience stores.

The two films under review this week, Michael Arias' "Heaven's Door" and Daisuke Yamaoka's "Lost Girl," try variations on this formula, with widely varying success.
As for "Heaven's Door," a reworking of the 1997 Thomas Jahn film "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," the most obvious variation on the local norms of the genre is the director, an American who trained under special-effects maestro Douglas Trumbull in Hollywood before coming to Japan nearly two decades ago to work as a CG artist and software designer. Arias made his directorial debut in 2006 with "Tekkonkinkreet," an anime whose heroes are two street kids running wild in a fantasy cityscape straight from the Showa Era (1926-1989).

The new film is live action, but with a similar live-free-or-die theme.
Masato (Tomoya Nagase), a struggling musician turned part-time garage mechanic, is not only fired from his job, but also learns that his pass-out-with-pain headaches are caused by a brain tumor. Given a medical death sentence in his 20s, he is in despair when he meets Harumi (Mayuko Fukuda), a spunky 15-year-old girl with terminal bone cancer, in the hospital where they are both being treated.
After getting wasted on tequila in the hospital kitchen (where they conveniently find ample supplies of salt and lemons), Masato and Harumi decide to escape to the sea, which Harumi has never seen. Fortunately, they find a luxury sports car in front of the hospital, left unattended by a pair of inept security guys for the president of a sinister cultlike company. They hop in and zoom off, but the cops and company goons are soon in hot pursuit.

The original film by Jahn had a certain crafty humor, but Arias's has none. Instead, it is a kool-kid fantasy, filmed in fashionably desaturated colors, about two beautiful people enjoying a first-and-last taste of the highlife, funded by cash Masato first robs from small businesses, and then finds in a big, bill-packed box, in the trunk of the car.
He suffers seizures, in which he glimpses The Other Side, but their aftereffects are no more serious than a few extra shots of Jose Cuervo.
Age-inappropriate romantic vibes are thankfully absent — the Masato-Harumi relationship is inspired by the equally platonic one between the hit man (Jean Reno) and girl (Natalie Portman) in "Leon" — but the story recycles tired tropes of that done-to-death subgenre: Films about doomed young lovers on the run from the law.

In "Lost Girl" the title character is not dying but depressed after a customer at her fancy Western-style restaurant falls ill with food poisoning, and she is held responsible.
Kyoko (Makiko Watanabe) hides herself in a closet, where she lives on snack food, while spitting up the more nutritious fare her nervous husband Daichi (Hiroshi Yamamoto), a co-owner of the restaurant, tries to feed her. She is, however, anxious to win back her lost pride, as well as her job, but her first attempt to reconcile with her former colleagues, including a contemptuous chef, Sakai (Ken Ishikawa), goes badly, and she retreats into her closet again.
Soon after, though, she has a violent argument with Daichi, and seeks comfort with a prickly artist friend, Yuka (Ami Tanabe), who spurns her.

This may sound like a depressing film about depression, but director Daisuke Yamaoka keeps the tone surprisingly light, as if the characters are, underneath the barbs and blows, playing an elaborate charade. The gamelike nature of the story becomes more apparent as certain phrases and actions are repeated again and again, with a straight face at first, then again as parody.
Kyoko, we see, is ill from not only professional shame, but also personal stress and sexual confusion. Who does she really belong with: Daichi or Yuka? A filmmaker whose 2004 gay-themed short "Mika and Jun" screened widely at festivals here and abroad, Yamaoka may be a shade too satisfied with his own cleverness, but his film is packed with sharp observations on the failures of contemporary twentysomethings to truly communicate, sexually as well as verbally.
A souffle, however lovingly made, doesn't quite say it all, does it?

Aishwarya Rai most bankable Indian star in Hollywood

New York, Forbes has listed Aishwarya Rai as India's most bankable star in Hollywood, pushing down the Khans of Bollywood in the ratings of the best bet for a film's financial success.
Aishwarya is among six Bollywood actors in the new Forbes list of Hollywood's Most Valuable Actors. Other Indians on the list compiled by the American business magazine are Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Irrfan Khan and Hrithik Roshan. Although at 387th position in the global list of as many as 1,411 actors from across the world, Aishwarya is ranked highest among all Indian actors and is the only female actor from the country who made it to this elite club. The list also includes Indian American actor Kal Penn, whose films include "The Namesake". At 476th position, he is ranked higher than all the Bollywood actors, except Aishwarya Rai, who stars in the new Hollywood venture "The Pink Panther 2". Among the male Bollywood actors, Aamir is ranked highest at 540th in the global list, followed by Shah Rukh (735), Salman (753), Irrfan (825) and Hrithik (1,059). The global list, topped by Hollywood actor Will Smith, is based on the bankability of actors around the world as voted by members of the global entertainment industry, Forbes said. Smith is the only actor to get a ten-on-ten score and is followed by four Hollywood stars - Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie - sharing the second position. These are followed by Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson in the top 10.

Now Bollywood voices to become 'Kathmandu' voices too

Kathmandu, While Bollywood's kung fu comedy "Chandni Chowk to China" was given the thumbs-down in Nepal, it has now embraced the voices of India's Hindi film industry as the voices of "Kathmandu".
Maverick Nepali actor-film director Akash Adhikari, who won the best actor award last year for his role in "Janayuddha", a film that dealt with the Maoists' 10-year "people's war", has roped in Bollywood singers Sukhwinder Singh, Kailash Kher, Sunidhi Chauhan, Sanjeevani and Aakriti Kakkar to sing in his new film. "Kathmandu: Anything can happen in this city" will also give to the Nepali industry Aditya Narayan Jha, son of Hindi film singer Udit Narayan Jha, who was awarded the Padma Shri this year for his contribution to Indian cinema. "I have planned 'Kathmandu' for the international market," says Adhikari. "It will be released in Nepal, Europe and the US with the premiere in San Francisco in May. I need quality for that and I need to break away from the routine pattern. I wrote the lyrics of 'Kathmandu' with certain voices in mind." Adhikari found a close match in Sukhwinder Singh, the Indian singer who made a niche for himself in competitive Bollywood with the unforgettable "Chhaiyya Chhaiyya" in the 1998 Mani Ratnam film "Dil Se" and went on to consolidate his place with other smash hits like "Chak De India", "Dard-e-disco" and the latest "Jai ho" in the Hollywood top grosser "Slumdog Millionaire". "I have been Singh's fan from 'Chhaiyya Chhaiyya'," says Adhikari. "Also, I found him to be a wonderful human being. In 'Kathmandu' Singh will also play a cameo as himself, giving a performance that warns the younger generation about the perils of experimenting with drugs." Singh also sings the title track "Kathmandu" along with a duet with Aakriti. The title track has more versions that have been sung by Kailash Kher, now famed in Nepal as one of the judges of the widely watched "India Idol" reality show, and Sanjeevani. Aditya Narayan sings a duet with Sunidhi, "Crazy Girl". Though the songs are in Nepali, Adhikari says the singers had no problem and the recording - done at the studios of Singh and Kher in India - went off smoothly. The shooting starts March 10. The film, which will have English sub-titles, is named "Kathmandu" but is about every city or even village, says Adhikari. The focus is on the growing generation gap, drug abuse linked to the spread of HIV/AIDS and increasing promiscuity and violence that have become the features of all metros and towns.

Iya Villania:Beuty Inside Out

Iya Villania is one of the mainstream talents in the Philippine showbiz industry that started as a commercial and print ad model.
Her features that resembled like an anime figure is Iya’s stepping stone in becoming one of the hottest model and product endorser especially for Globe ads. Not only her stardom was due to the “anime look” but also her screen name Iya.
“Iya’s not my real name. It’s actually the name of an Anime character. They presented me as ‘Iya’ when I first appeared on TV because they thought the name suited me. I looked like an Anime character daw kasi!” Iya recalled.
‘Raelene Elaine Villania’ is her name known to some of her friends and classmates, ‘Bubba’ is her nickname with her family, and simply ‘Iya’ for her loving and supportive fans.
Music was close to her heart even in her formative years. She loved participating in school concerts, church choirs, and would sing to her family during one of her “home concert performances.” The bubbly Iya continued her passion for music by performing on stage with one of the Philippine singing talent Geneva Cruz in a concert tour in her hometown, Australia. Since her mother was one of the people who made the show possible, she was xxx to do the front act of Geneva’s concert.
Luckily, she became one of the MYX VJs. “Being a VJ is, for me, the perfect job. I can be myself. I can do what I love doing. just playing around with music. It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, because I used to see Donita Rose and I’m. like, ‘Wow, what she’s doing is so fun! I love music!.’”
Before becoming a VJ, a hosting job opportunity opened its doors along with numerous product endorsements and TV shows that made her shine.
“School ends in December in Australia and starts in June here in the Philippines. So for six months, I did nothing but attend VTR’s. At first, I felt bad because I wasn’t getting any callbacks. I even began to think something was wrong with me,” Iya recalled.
Thanks to Arnold Vegafria, the talent manager who spotted her in Australia and to her perseverance in going to endless VTRs, she landed modeling stints for Globe, Sketchers, Coca Cola, Bench, Palmolive, and Silka Papaya.
Soon, she was launched as one of the GMA7 talents in their youth-oriented show Click. After some time, she landed a hosting gig for Gamechannel and a full-blown acting career in her debut movie A Beautiful Life. She still embraced acting with open arms, even if her first love was music.
“I didn’t quite dream of being in showbiz when I was a kid,” the host of the Sunday primetime show U Can Dance said.
Iya Villania is also a goal-oriented person even outside the Philippine showbiz industry. She knows what she wanted after her career is over.
“It’s fun, but it’s a dangerous business, really. There are new people constantly coming in. A lot of people in show biz my age make the mistake of thinking that it’s gonna be here forever, that they can live off show biz for the rest of their lives. Some of them stop pursuing their education,” Iya said.
Iya Villania made sure that she would be prepared when the time comes she needs to say goodbye to showbizness.
“I keep my priorities straight. I promised my family and myself that I’d study. So I’m keeping my word. I like studying,” Iya said.
The model-celebrity made sure she can juggle up her school commitments alongside her modeling, hosting, and acting stints.
“The reason I took up AB Psych in De La Salle University is because if ever I can become a full-time student again, and I really want to take up Law or Medicine, I can always shift to BS. I’d like to be a doctor, or maybe anything that has to do with helping people,” Iya confessed her plans after showbizness.
“I’m scared to dissapoint my parents and my priority is to finish my studies. That’s the reason why I’m picky with my commitments,” Iya Villania said.
Studying is also a therapeutic activity for the model-host-actress. Keeping in touch with her normal life is one of the best gifts school can give her.
“I think it’s probably one of the biggest reasons why I stay real and also feel so normal. because I’m around so many students and not artistas, So It makes me feel like I’m one of them, because I am. The only difference is that I work on TV. and people see me on TV,” Iya confesed.
Iya Villania is a real and normal person valuing education and every blessing she did receive.
At the end of her typical day, Iya bows down her head and thanks the Lord for all the blessings she received.

The End of Big B-SRK war

Feb 21: For all those who were wondering what was behind the sudden cordiality between Big B and SRK, there’s a piece of information. Amitabh Bachchan is said to be teaming up with Shah Rukh Khan for his next production ‘Happy New Year’ which will be directed by Farah Khan.
According to reports, the Big Bachchan has given his consent for the same and movie will go on floors by end of this year.‘Happy New Year’ has been under pre-production since very long and was supposed to be made before ‘Om Shanti Om’ (OSO). It is believed that the reason for the delay was the fact that SRK wasn’t too pleased with the way the storyline was shaping up. And besides that Mr Bachchan wasn’t keeping too well then hence, SRK and Farah chose to put ‘Happy New Year’ on hold and started with OSO instead.In the meanwhile, Farah has apparently reworked the script, the SRK and Farah are all set to weave their magic again.Hopefully, this news shall put an end to all the speculations of a supposed Big B-SRK war.