Nominees: Best Actress

Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"

Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"

Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"

Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"

Nominees: Best Actor

Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"

James Franco, "127 Hours"

Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"

Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"

Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"

Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi passes away

As the sun of Monday morning dawned, it took away the 'don' of Hindustani classical music, the 89-year old Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, the legendary man who spent his last days fighting the prolonged illness. He breathed his last at Sahyadri Hospital in Pune around 8.05 am. The news of his death has come in as a rude shock to one and all throughout the world.

Readers may recollect that this iconic vocalist was the member of Kirana Gharana and was known for the 'Khayal' form of singing. Born to a father who was a schoolmaster, Panditji, as a child, was deeply moved by a recording of Abdul Karim Khan, who was also the founder father of the ' Kirana Gharana'. Millions of his fans all over the globe, till today, remember his rendition of 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' as well as 'Piya Milan Ki Aas', 'Jo Bhaje Hari Ko Sada'. Besides this, Joshiji had also sung for several films including Basant Bahar (1956), Birbal My Brother (1973), Tansen (1958) and Ankahee (1985).

In 2008, he was also the proud recipient of Bharat Ratna, considered to be India's highest Civilian honour. Not just that, he was also conferred the 'Natak Akademi Award' (1976) 'Padma Bhushan' (1985), and 'Padma Vibhushan' (1999).

Bollywood Hungama prays this noble soul's rest in eternal peace.

Aamir Khan starrer Bombay Velvet will be set in 1960s

Even though the nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards will be announced tomorrow, we won't be surprised if Danny Boyle is anxiously chewing his finger nails. 127 Hours is one of his finest works on celluloid.

Back on the home turf, here in Bollywood, there is more of Danny Boyle being talked about and the below breaking story is the reason why...

Recall the Anurag Kashyap and Danny Boyle film Bombay Velvet? Recall Aamir Khan being cast in the film? Well, now the news from one of the 'khufia' sources is that the East - West collaboration is going to be one of the biggest films Bollywood will ever witness on the big screen.

The source says, "Bombay Velvet is a grand project. The cost of the sets alone of Bombay Velvet is going to cost Rs. 15 to 17 crores because it's a period film"

Now that's some news!

On further probing and he tells me, "Bombay Velvet is set in the era of 1960's and Danny Boyle wants to make sure that the era re-created should be for real, just like all Hollywood films showcase it and it will take almost a year's worth of preparations. At the moment, Danny is busy with his success of 127 Hours and will look into the film once he is over with the Oscars."

We also hear that the Twilight Players are also a part of Bombay Velvet. Yes, the trio who gave us an unforgettable performance with their popping and locking dance steps in Anurag Kashyap's Dev D will be seen together once again.

"Yes, the Twilight Players who danced to 'Pardesi' in Dev D are confirmed as a part of Bombay Velvet as of now. Whether they will be acting this time, only Anurag Kashyap will be able to tell," says the source.

Bombay Velvet will surely be the biggest collaboration of Hollywood and Bollywood. But whether Aamir Khan's banner will back the project is a question that remains unanswered.

Will SRK and Aamir battle it out at the Box Office this Christmas?

Earlier, till a few monsoons back, film-makers felt Diwali, Eid and summer vacations were the best period to release their films. Suddenly, crucial dates that coincide with festivals, important events and holidays have become all-important for actors and film-makers. With Aamir Khan hitting gold during the Christmas week [TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, GHAJINI, 3 IDIOTS], Salman Khan back on tracks during the Eid week [WANTED, DABANGG] and Ajay Devgn eyeing the Diwali week [GOLMAAL RETURNS, ALL THE BEST, GOLMAAL 3], the Fridays that coincide with Republic Day, Valentine's Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti and Lohri are also being eyed by one and all.

While producers Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar have confirmed DON 2 for Christmas [23 December], there's talk that Aamir Khan's Reema Kagti-directed starrer might also make it in the same week, which, in simpler words, means that the two mighty Khans will battle it out at the box-office. However, the news is untrue.

First of all, how can two big-budget films, produced by the same production house [both Aamir and SRK starrers are produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar], release on the same day? "The Aamir starrer is definitely not releasing n Christmas this year. Even though we would complete the shooting at a stretch, we want to devote ample time to post-production and marketing of this film. In fact, the Aamir starrer will only arrive in 2012. Yes, DON 2 is slated for Christmas release this year and it's 200% confirmed," Ritesh informs me.

So all you guys [on Facebook and Twitter especially], hoping to see the mighty clash between the two Khans, should stop speculating henceforth.

Kajol, Tabu, Irrfan Khan honoured with Padma Shri

The super talented actors Kajol, Tabu and Irrfan Khan and singer Usha Uthup have been named for the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour on the eve of Republic Day, today.

Kajol started her career with Bekhudi and then went on to become one of the most loved actresses in Bollywood with films like Baazigar, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and so on. Tabu, on the other hand, has been known for creating a niche for herself with films like Chandni Bar, Astitva, Maqbool, The Namesake and Cheeni Kum. Irrfan Khan can undoubtedly be called as the international Indian face with films like The Namesake, A Mighty Heart, Slumdog Millionaire to his credit. Usha Uthup started as a famous pop singer in Bollywood in the 70s and became a rage for her unique heavy voice and singing style. Her songs like 'Ek Do Cha Cha Cha', 'Shaan Se', 'Hari Om Hari','Rambha Ho' and 'Dum Maaro Dum' are evergreen classics.

Veteran actors Shashi Kapoor and Waheeda Rehman have been honoured with Padma Bhushan. Shashi Kapoor's films like Jab Jab Phool Khile, Waqt, Silsila, Deewar, Kabhi Kabhie, Satyam Shivam Sundaram and many more have appealed to the audiences of all generations. He also featured in international projects titled The Householder, Shakespearewallah and Heat and Dust. Unfortunately, this senior actor has not been keeping well for a while now.

Waheeda Rehman is known as one of the most beautiful women seen on the silver screen. She started her career with Man Ki Jeet in 1944 and then went on to feature in cult classics like Pyasa, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Saheb Bibi Aur Gulam, Guide, Reshma Aur Shera and many more.

Legendary music composer Khayyam will also be honoured with Padma Bhushan.

Spain???s Anti-Download Bill Prompts Resignation of Spanish Film Academy president

MADRID – Spanish director Alex de la Iglesia announced Wednesday he will resign as president of the Spanish Film Academy following the Goya awards ceremony Feb. 13 in protest to a watered-down version of the anti-download bill expected to pass in the coming weeks.

“After the ceremony, I resign as president,” De la Iglesia wrote in an open letter to the Spanish daily El Pais. “I will continue as a member of the academy, arguing and making mistakes, but as a film director, which is what I am.”

The move comes on the heels of the government’s announcement it had reached a deal with the main opposition group to pass the so-called Sinde Law, which allows a judge to close a website offering illegal content.

In order the reach the deal, the government agreed to modify a pre-existing digital canon charged on electronics purchases benefiting certain authors’ rights entities in compensation for private copy. Additionally, the new version takes up to two weeks to shut down a website rather than the 48 hours in the original version.

De la Iglesia’s protest -- largely seen as a reproach to the Culture Minister Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde-- is a significant act in Spain, where he has worked to change the image of the academy from a club of cinephile insiders only interested in perpetuating their livelihood to that of a representation of Spanish culture interested in giving audiences what they want.

“I trust that he will reconsider and continue working for the academy,” Gonzalez-Sinde said upon hearing of De la Iglesia’s decision.

Meanwhile, the double whammy of the approved version -- largely seen as disappointing and ineffectual by the film and music industries -- and De la Iglesia’s resignation had the Spanish film industry in a tizzy Wednesday.

“Its bad news for the industry, especially just a few weeks from the Goya ceremony,” Spanish producer Gerardo Herrero said. “He was doing great work. As a friend and a filmmaker I respect him. But, it’s preferable the Sinde law rather than no law. We can’t be without any legislation. There are more people who should resign and who don’t resign.”

The Coalition of Content Creators and Industries applauded the government’s agreement, but insisted the new version lacked key aspects and needed to be improved.

“The fast-track process and definitive and non-appealable character of the judicial decisions, the definition and the measures taken against the illegal conduct and the linking web pages, as well as a shortened time frame for approving the legislation are some of the questions that should be resolved in what’s left of the parliamentary procedure in the senate,” the Coalition said in a statement.

Piracy in Spain cost legal content rights owners €5.2 billion ($7.12 billion) in the first half of 2010, more than triple the €1.56 billion ($2.14 billion) in revenue earned by the digital content industry in the same period, according to the Observation of Piracy and Consumption of Digital Content Habits study, conducted by IDC Research for the Madrid-based coalition.

The music sector was the hardest hit, with 97.8 percent of consumption derived from illegal downloads -- estimated at some €2.7 billion ($3.7 billion).

According to the same report, some 77 percent of movie downloads in Spain, worth an estimated €1.87 billion ($2.56 billion), were done illegally. The study also concluded that piracy cost the gaming sector some €262 million ($359 million) in the first half of 2010.

Questions of truth circle Oscar favorites (AP)

The Oscar race for best picture is widely expected to come down to two films, both of which are dogged by questions of veracity.

 

Neither "The King's Speech," which led with 12 nominations, nor "The Social Network," which reaped eight nominations, have been held back by any discussion over their truthfulness. They are two of the most acclaimed movies of the year and each has performed solidly at the box office.

But the days leading up to the Feb. 27 Academy Awards will likely include much parsing over the films' debatable accuracy.

Myth-making, of course, has long been Hollywood's trade. But "The King's Speech" — for sanitizing a sensitive history — and "The Social Network" — for dramatizing a freshly contemporary tale — offer interesting cases.

Questions over "The King's Speech" have been more muted, but sounded loudest in England, where the country's royal history is better known. The film stars Colin Firth as the stammering King George VI, who reluctantly took the throne after his brother, Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) abdicated.

To be sure, "The King's Speech" is primarily a story of personal triumph and friendship (Geoffrey Rush plays George's speech therapist). But its backdrop is World War II and the pacifist times leading up to it.

Some have criticized the film for not representing Edward as the Nazi sympathizer he was. Winston Churchill (a briefly seen Timothy Spall) was also sometimes blinded by his friendship to Edward. George, too, at one time supported Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement toward Hitler.

In a column Monday for Slate.com, Christopher Hitchens wrote that the movie "perpetrates a gross falsification of history," applying "Vaseline" to the lens to hide the more sordid truths of the royals and appeasement.

"This is not a detail but a major desecration of the historical record — now apparently gliding unopposed toward a baptism by Oscar," wrote Hitchens.

The New Republic judged the film "inaccurate, entirely misleading, and, in its own small way, morally dubious."

This debate has yet to dominate the conversation on "The King's Speech," which has typically focused on Firth's fine performance. Even if the film's politics are lacking, Firth's George VI seems to be true to his personality.

"The Social Network," on the other hand, has already gone through much hand-wringing over its accuracy since being released in October. At its debut, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin declared, "The movie's true," while Facebook labeled it "fiction."

Sorkin did not have the cooperation of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) in penning his script, and his depiction is critical. Zuckerberg is shown as a brilliant visionary, but also a power-hungry, back-stabbing hacker motivated by social acceptance and girls.

Director David Fincher has said accuracy is important, but that the stakes are less for "The Social Network" than they were for his 2007 film, "Zodiac," about the San Francisco serial killer.

"When you're talking about a movie like 'Zodiac,' you're talking about people who are shot and stabbed to death," Fincher said. "And when you're talking about this movie, you're talking about people who had their feelings hurt. It's a sliding scale."

Zuckerberg has pointed holes in the film, claiming that it got his personality and motivation completely wrong. He has been with the same girlfriend since before starting Facebook.

"It's pretty interesting to see what parts they got right and what parts they got wrong," Zuckerberg said on "60 Minutes."

"They got every single T-shirt that they had the Mark Zuckerberg character wearing right. I think I actually own those T-shirts." 

Even Sorkin seemed to come around to Zuckerberg. Accepting his Golden Globe for best screenplay, he delivered a message to the Facebook CEO, who has since donated $100 million to the Newark, N.J., school system. 

"I wanted to say to Mark Zuckerberg tonight, 'If you're watching, Rooney Mara's character makes a prediction at the beginning of the movie,'" said Sorkin. "'She was wrong. You turned out to be a great entrepreneur, a visionary and an incredible altruist.'" 

For "The Social Network," the debate seems to be over, with both sides waving white flags. For "The King's Speech," now thrust emphatically into the role of Oscar front-runner, it may be just getting started. 

The best picture category includes two other real life tales: Danny Boyle's trapped mountain climber drama "127 Hours" and David O. Russell's boxing saga "The Fighter." Both have a more direct relationship with the source material, and conclude by showing the real McCoy: Micky and Dicky Ward in "The Fighter"; Aron Ralston in "127 Hours." 

Academy Awards history abounds with based-on-a-true-story winners, made with various degrees of authenticity: "A Beautiful Mind," "Shakespeare in Love," "Titanic," "Schindler's List," "Amadeus," "Gandhi," "Patton," "Lawrence of Arabia," "The Life of Emile Zola," among others.

For "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech," it may well come down to not what movie is more accurate, but which is the better film.

A.R.Rahman nominated for Oscars yet again!

The Maestro of Madras has done us proud once again. He has got not one, but two Oscar nominations this year. Rahman has been nominated under the category of Best Original Score for the movie 127 hours and Best Song for ‘If I Rise’ from the same film. Rahman, who won the Critics Choice award, lost the Golden Globe to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross who scored music for The Social Network. Rahman also has a BAFTA nomination in his kitty. To add to the excitement the film 127 hours has also been nominated for the Best Picture. Rahman won two Oscars for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire and the film itself swept 8 Oscars. We are keeping our fingers crossed for a BAFTA win and also a double whammy in the Oscars once again!