Naomi's Oscar dreams

 

Trailers of the Diana biopic is out and the actress, who plays the people's princess in the film, is earning rave reviews
The trailers of Oliver Hirschbiegel's Diana, a biopic on Princess of Wales, Diana Spencer, have already got Oscar bookies betting for Naomi Watts. The 44-year-old-actress, who plays the 'people's princess', has earlier acted in two biographical dramas, Fair Game (2010) and J.Edgar (2011) and received two Academy nominations in the Best Actress catergory for her performance in the 2003 neo-noir 21 Grams and the 2012 disaster drama The Impossible. Given that Colin Firth (The Kings Speech) and Helen Mirren (The Queen) took home the covered trophy earlier for their portrayals of the British monarchy--King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II -- Watts could well get third time lucky. Watts is aware of the buzz and says: "Well, it's too soon to expect anything, but I would be really happy if I win for this role."
The film, based on Kate Snell's book Diana: Her Last Love, chronicles the last two years in Diana's life and talks about her relationship with Pakistan-born surgeon Hasnat Khan which ended shortly before her death alongside her companion Dodi Fayed in a car crash in a Paris tunnel on August 31, 1997.
Watts recalls watching the news and reading about the tragic incident. "Like the rest of the world I too was shocked and couldn't believe that her life would end this way. At that time I never imagined I would be playing her on screen one day and relieving her death," she says. So what was it like filming the accident scene? "It was a challenge. The death scene was definitely nerve-racking," she says.
The initial verdict of the French judicial investigation concluded that the tragedy occurred due to the reckless driving of Henri Paul, while being chased by a pack of paparazzi. The Ritz chauffer, who was drunk on duty, was also killed in the crash.
However, in February 1998, Egyptian business tycoon Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi's father and owner of the Paris Ritz, for whom Paul worked, accused MI6 as well as the Duke of Edinburgh of planning the crash. In 2008 the jury returned a verdict saying Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed were unlawfully killed, but rejected Mohamed Al-Fayed's claims.
However, the conspiracy theories continue to float. A couple of weeks ago, fresh rumours rose when a soldier who claimed that Princess Diana was murdered by Britain's special forces and on Wednesday the SAS launched an internal inquiry into the allegations. "The conspiracies will never die know what really happened," says Watts.
In 2002, an international fashion-and-lifestyle magazine named Watts amongst 50 Most Beautiful People. Diana had often lamented her looks that had made her famous yet unhappy. How does Watt view your looks? She says, "I think I'm a simple looking woman. What matters most is not how the person looks but how the person is."
The film opens in the UK on September 20 and in Australia on October 10 followed by a limited release in the US on November 1.

Campbell played guardian angel to Kate Moss

  
Kate Moss credits Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington behind her flourishing career in the fashion industry. Moss, 39, who was scouted at the age of 14, said the 42-year-old stunner and fellow beauties Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington are the main reason because they helped her find her way in the fashion industry from such a young age, reported a music portal.
 "Yeah, but they were nice. And I was quite streetwise. I still knew things. I even knew about some things that they didn't. But they were amazing. They showed me the ropes, really. If I hadn't been with them, I would have been screwed. They really protected me," Moss said.
The blonde beauty admits she feels reluctant to give guidance to young models because she feels they need to learn from their own mistakes.
"Sometimes they do [come to me for advice], but I think it's really difficult," she added.

‘Gentle’ Imran won’t work with ‘Aggressive’ Ekta

 Industry insiders say that Imran was not comfortable with the aggressive strategy adopted by Balaji and had numerable debates with the production house about the same.

Imran decided on a non-cooperation strategy and it was only when Akshay Kumar stepped in did Imran budge and agree to actively participate in the promotional activities of OUATIMD.

However, the elder Gods at Balaji weren't very happy with Imran's stiff resistance. "They felt that similar problems would emerge when Milan Talkies got ready to roll. And so in order to avoid a deja vu, Imran was dropped from the project. It was decided that Shahid will replace Imran as he is a popular face. Also, he has never worked with Balaji before," said the source.

On the other hand, sources close to Imran claim that it was his decision to part ways with Balaji. "Imran is not comfortable with the ways of Balaji and has decided not to work with them again." However director Tigmanshu Dhulia maintained that he would like to work with Imran in future. He said: "I have no differences with Imran. If not now, I will surely work with him sometime later."

When contacted, Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures, declined to comment on the rift between Imran and the production house, but said: "Tigmanshu is one of the best directors in the industry today and Milan Talkies is keenly awaited. Shahid expressed his interest in working with us and most importantly, we feel that he is the right choice for the film."

To which Imran shot back saying, "Tanuj Garg is a very smart guy. I wish Shahid the very best of luck. He's going to need it." A few days ago, Imran Khan was replaced by Shahid Kapoor in Tigmanshu Dhulia's Milan Talkies, produced by Balaji Motion Pictures. The official version maintained that Imran opted out because of a clash of dates with his schedule for Vikramaditya Motwane's Bhavesh Joshi.

But Mirror dug deeper to discover a less tranquil turn of events.

A source close to both the parties told Mirror that the fracas began soon after Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara finished shooting.

Ekta Kapoor, the film's producer and Balaji head honcho promptly fell out with its star Imran over the promotional strategy of the film.

Mind your own business

  And with Deepika's rising star, professional rivalry too has become an important factor in their already fraught relationship.

With the blockbuster Chennai Express in her kitty, Deepika has become the only actress to cross the Rs. 500 crore mark in a single year (Race 2, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express) surpassing competitors, Katrina and Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Katrina is a distant second with Rs. 319.63 crore in 2012 (Ek Tha Tiger and Jab Tak Hai Jaan) and Kareena Kapoor at third, whose movies amassed Rs. 263.15 crores in 2011 (Bodyguard and Ra.One).

Add to this the fact that Katrina does not have any films lined up this year while Deepika has two biggies on the anvil- Kochadiyan and Ram Leela.

According to a source close to Katrina, it was Deepika's recent 'holier than thou' comment on the bikini episode, which has incensed the actress.

After pictures of Katrina's beach holiday with Ranbir Kapoor were splashed across newspapers, Deepika decided to give her rival some very public advice during a press conference.

"It has never happened to me. I believe if you are a celebrity or public figure... these things are bound to happen. And I don't think you can accuse anybody of anything. If I am a public figure and if someone has captured me then I feel I should have been a little careful," said Deepika.

And now Katrina has been telling her friends and family that Deepika should learn to keep her 'words of wisdom' to herself.

A friend of Deepika spoke to Mirror on the condition of anonymity about the bad blood between the two beauties:

"Katrina has sent out a loud and clear message to her confidantes that Deepika needs to shut up because she is sailing in the same boat. Katrina feels that paparazzi can click Deepika too if and when she lets her guard down."

"Katrina's latest grouse against Deepika stems from the fact that Deepika should understand her plight because she too was clicked by the paparazzi in Dubai with Ranveer kissing her in front of guests at a night club. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones." Still fuming over Deepika's 'gotta be careful' comment, Katrina has a gentle warning for her.

Forget and forgive seems to be a popular mantra in Bollywood (Shah Rukh and Salman's patch-up is a much cited example) this season but tinseltown's leading ladies, Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone remain at loggerheads and the spat seems to be getting uglier.

An obvious reason for their distaste for each other is a certain Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika's ex and Katrina's current flame. Though Katrina and Ranbir have recently been spotted together in Ibiza and Sri Lanka, we wonder if Katrina has been able to forget Deepika's 'lingering kiss' with her boyfriend at the success party of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

That ‘stick’ has been sent for forensic test

After Om Puri's version, his estranged wife Nandita speaks to Mirror about the tumultuous marriage.

Om denies your allegation of assault. Why did you take seven hours to file your complaint against him?

The very fact that Om mentions the bamboo stick clearly suggests that he did use it on me. I didn't take seven hours to reach the cops. After I filed my complaint with the police, I headed to Cooper Hospital where I nearly passed out because he had hit me on my neck. And this is not the first time I was subjected to physical torture. It has happened in the past. By the way, that stick has been submitted to the cops and subsequently sent for a forensic test.

Om alleges that you delayed an emergency spine surgery, which deteriorated his condition. Is that true?

Another lie. His friend Nina Tiwana suggested that instead of surgery, he should undergo acupressure therapy under Dr Atthar Singh in Chandigarh. My son and I stayed with Om in Chandigarh for two weeks before we returned to Mumbai.

So what has gone wrong with your marriage?

Our marriage has been on the rocks for the past three years, ever since his ex-wife Seema Kapoor came back into his life. She has brainwashed him completely. My life took a turn for the worse after he became the NFDC Chairman and Seema went to him, begging him to clear and fund one of her scripts. Believe it or not, she is using my house address 703, Trishul 2 as her official address. I am getting letters addressed to her in my house. And he has bought her a 4-bedroom bungalow worth Rs 50 lakh, plus 3.5 acres of land in Jhalawar. He has even given her about Rs 1 crore, which he claims is a loan. Above all, she has been pressurising him to remarry her. Which wife will tolerate that?

But he says that he pays all your bills...

Bullshit. He has cut down the budget for groceries to Rs 5,000 per month. Sometime back, the petrol pump guys told me that he has told them not to fill petrol in my car. He says that I shouldn't go to a beauty parlour. He says that he won't give me any alimony. Isn't this a slap on my face?
What happened on August 22?

He has blown up the Rakhi episode. He wanted me to give only Rs 500 to every girl who had tied rakhi to my son. It was Seema who called him and instigated him. He finished the call and said that he is a senior citizen who cannot earn anymore, and if I want to run the house, I should go and sell myself.

And Om says that you are a very aggressive woman...

I have tried to stop him and push him away when he attacks me. All I can do is put my hand on his chest to ensure that he does not get close. If this is what he terms aggression, I think he has got the definition wrong. And as far as expletives go, I may have used the F-word but his language needs to be heard to be believed.

Kiss of life

 Dev at that time was going through one of the worst phases of his life. His passionate yet tumultuous relationship with Suraiya had just ended leaving him shattered. The bubbly Kalpana was just what he needed. She slowly became his emotional anchor and helped him come out of his depression.

The two eventually fell in love and got married during a short midnight break while shooting Taxi Driver in 1954. Although, evergreen Dev was romantically linked with several actresses, in an interview after his death in 2011, Kalpana said: "Whenever I heard rumours that he would desert me, I laughed my heart out. I knew that nomadic Dev would always be mine." Dev Anand cuddles his newborn. The actor and his wife Kalpana Kartik, attended the Prague film festival in August 1956 with their four-week-old son Suneil-who was the youngest 'delegate' at the event.

Kalpana, whose real name was Mona Singha, was a small-town girl with big dreams. A student of Shimla's prestigious St Bedes College, this ambitious girl wanted to become a beauty queen. And it lady luck was on her side. She not only won the Miss Shimla crown while in the final year of graduation, but also caught the eye of Dev's director brother Chetan Anand. It was on his insistence Mona came down to Bombay and joined Navketan Films as a leading lady and was re-christened Kalpana Kartik. Her first film was Guru Dutt's directorial debut Baazi in which she co-starred with Dev Anand with Geeta Bali.

Manoj Kumar to withdraw case against SRK

 
Manoj Kumar who had filed a case against Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan for allegedly defaming him through the 2008 movie Om Shanti Om, has decided to withdraw all the cases. 
The decision was taken by the senior actor as he felt SRK and his team had let him down by not issuing a public apology, and by not taking out the objectionable scenes from the film.
On why the move was taken to withdraw the case, Manoj Kumar's lawyer Rizwan Siddiqee said, "Despite all assurances and promises, Shah Rukh Khan failed to remove the objectionable scenes from the said film. In fact, the scenes were reproduced in the new prints released internationally. They didn't even show any remorse. As a result of which, my client who is a world renowned celebrity has decided to withdraw the case because it has failed in achieving the objective of bringing some sense of responsibility to Shah Rukh Khan and Farah Khan."

Euphoria’s B’wood turn

 

For his upcoming film Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi, featuring Siddharth Gupta and Simran Kaur Mundi in the lead roles, director Bejoy Nambiar has roped in Delhi-based rock band Euphoria to compose two tracks. Although the renowned band has previously rendered music for a Malayalam film, this will be the first time when they will compose for Bollywood. From what Mirror has learnt, one of the songs is called Welcome Maiyya. It is an eccentric jagrata number with shades of rock to it. However, the band won't be featured in the song, as the song has been shot with the film's cast, integrated in a way that elevates the film's storyline. When contacted, Nambiar confirmed the story, but refused to share details. The director has previously experimented with music in his debut film Shaitan, where he got composer Mikey McClearly to do quirky remix of songs like Khoya Khoya Chaand and Hawa Hawai.

AFFLECK EFFECT: NOLAN REFUSES TO BAT FOR BATMAN

Speculations are rife that Superman vs. Batman's executive producer, Christopher Nolan, left the upcoming movie the same week Ben Affleck was confirmed as the new Batman. The rumors started circulating after a statement announcing Affleck's casting in the 2015 Man of Steel sequel was released, and it did not mention Nolan or his wife as the producers, an UK-based online magazine reported.
Given that Warner Bros. played up Nolan's name in the trailers and TV ads for Man of Steel after the success of his Dark Knight trilogy, it was surprising that they would leave him off a press release, the report said.
Meanwhile, another publication, who claimed that the famed production company had told them that the "Nolans" were still producing the film, agreed that it was very odd that the couple wasn't listed in the press release.

KAT'S LANKAN DETOUR

While flying off for her sister’s nuptials in London (she's seen dressed as the bridesmaid in the above picture which is doing the rounds online ), Katrina Kaif took a quiet detour and dropped by Sri Lanka to meet boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor where he is shooting for Bombay Velvet.
Despite RK’s hectic schedule, the two lovebirds managed to spend some quality time together. Now from what Mirror has learnt, Kat has planned her return trip in a similar manner. Before she arrives in Mumbai, Katrina will drop by Colombo to catch up with Ranbir. Seems like the two just can’t stay away from each other.

Million dollar baby: Madonna named highest-earning celebrity

 

Madonna, who has raked in £ 80 million thanks to her hit tour, has beaten the likes of Steven Spielberg and Simon Cowell to be crowned the highestgrossing celebrity of 2013.
According to an international business magazine, even though the Vogue hit maker's recent album MDNA sold less than 1 million copies, her tour was absolutely sensational, a news daily reported.
The tour, which has apparently made £ 196 million, also earned the singer the top touring award at the Billboard Music Awards.
Spielberg ranked second on the list, with £ 64 million and the third place was a tie, with £ 61 million each, for Fifty Shades Of Grey author E L James, US radio DJ Howard Stern and Cowell. MEANWHILE...

Rocco and rap: Son plans music career

Singer Madonna's son Rocco is planning to launch his own musical career. He wants to become a rap star.

Rocco, 13, has recorded six demo songs with school friend Dom Sesto, and he plans to soon present them to Madonna soon.

The boys call themselves Modoccor, and hope to use Madonna's connections in the music industry to get a good start, reported an online music magazine.

"Modoccor combines rapping with street dance, gymnastics and break-dancing. Since forming the boys are virtually inseparable," a source said.

Madonna is said to be supporting her son in whatever way she can.

"Rocco and Dom hope they can get a record deal out of it. Madonna is obviously helping them as much as she can," a source said.