Bollywood celebs pray for disaster-hit Japan

A host of Bollywood personalities, including Amitabh Bachchan, Shekhar Kapur and Madhuri Dixit have expressed grief at the devastation in Japan, which was hit Friday by a massive earthquake followed by a tsunami.

The celebrities are shocked at the images of the country after the disaster and, in postings on their blogs and social networking site Twitter, they hope that the pain and suffering will subside soon.

Here's what they had to say:
Amitabh Bachchan: The horrible visuals of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan are just unbearable to watch! The fury of the devastation and the helplessness of those that suffer is petrifying. In this hour of grief our heads bow down in prayer and hope, for those that face this trauma and wish that we can through our thoughts give them solace and comfort.

Shekhar Kapur: Watching videos from Japan was like watching an apocalypse. Heart and prayers go out to people of Japan.

Madhuri Dixit: Can you believe another quake and tsunami? My heart goes out to them.

Gul Panag: My heart goes out to all those affected by nature's fury in Japan. Gut-wrenching images on TV.

Vivek Oberoi: Just got back and saw the heartbreaking images of the tragedy in Japan... brings back memories of the destruction and devastation I saw during the tsunami in India. The images we see on television are nothing compared to the real pain and anguish of the people going through it... my thoughts and prayers are with them.

Shahana Goswami: Feel really helpless and upset with the tsunami and what its done to Japan. All the support and love to the survivors.

Aftab Shivdasani: Shocking visuals of the earthquake in Japan... Dreading the loss of life there. It's nature's way of saying do not spoil the planet... Must respect nature before it gets too late. My condolences and deep compassion to all those who lost their loved ones in this unforeseen fury of nature. May the divine bless the souls.

Arshad Warsi: God be with the ppl of Japan...

Siddharth: The visuals of yesterday (Friday) still haven't sunk in. It's all so very tragic. 2012 does seem like just another doomsday prophecy anymore!

Shahid Kapoor: Spread the love people... Life is just too short... Japan could have been us... Live with no regrets... May god bless us all!

R. Madhavan: My heart goes out to Japan. Having lived through one in Chennai I can't even imagine how this must be.

Lisa Ray: Deeply saddened by news of natural disaster in Japan.

Sanjay Suri: Heart and prayers for all suffering in Japan. Life is so very fragile.

Divya Dutta: EverythIng that we run around for is so frivolous in front of nature's fury. Let's make every day magical as if there's no tomorrow... prayers for Japan.

Sophie Choudry: As I lay me down to sleep, can't help but think of today's (Friday's) tragedy. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to all the people of Japan. Lord have mercy.

Shreya Ghosal: The Japan Earthquake, Tsunami is MASSIVE!! I am just praying... Dear God, have mercy..

Chinese film industry races close to Bollywood

BEIJING: Box office earnings of the Chinese film industry have jumped a massive 64% in 2010, which is being regarded as a bad year for Bollywood. In fact, China's media regulators have predicted the local industry, regarded as a backward territory until recently, will surpass India and Japan by 2015.

The year 2010 saw a massive growth in the film industry with China 's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television reporting that a total of 500 films were made during the period. China ranked third behind Bollywood and Hollywood in terms of annual film output. It put the box office earnings of the local movie industry at $1.5 billion.

The Indian media has quoted film industry sources to say that the earnings in 2010 will be around Rs 10,000 crores ($2.2 billion) after rising 10-12 per cent over the 2009 revenue. The Indian industry has been caught in the 10-12% growth trend since 2008.
At present, the United States is ahead of all other markets as it notched box office revenue of $11 billion in 2010. Japan came second with $2.5 billion in earnings followed by India. China's media regulators expect China to overtake Japan by 2015.

The highest grosser in the Chinese market was a Hollywood film, Avatar, which earned $200 million accounting for over 13% of total sales. Next came a Chinese film, "Aftershock", that earned $100 million by telling the story of a earthquake. Another Chinese movie, "Let bullets fly" has made $75 million since its release in mid-December and its producers believe the total earnings will be much higher.

China's Film Bureau said in a statement that the country added 313 movie theatres. A total of 1,533 new screens were added resulting in a 25% growth in the country, which now has 6,200 screens.

Read more: Chinese film industry races close to Bollywood - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Chinese-film-industry-races-close-to-Bollywood/articleshow/7254578.cms#ixzz1AfYSC7Vl

Bollywood "Most popular songs of 2010"

The year 2010 offered a wide range of Bollywood songs. While raunchy numbers like 'Munni badnaam hui' kept the adrenaline pumping, soft and romantic numbers such as 'Dil toh bachcha hai jee' and 'Pee loon' caressed listeners' hearts and the Sufi number 'Sajda' spelt bliss for music lovers.

The year cannot be dedicated to any one musician - from Pritam Chakraborty to Vishal-Shekhar; all enjoyed a fair share of the spotlight. But amid singers it was Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who made it big with a couple of hits.

 The most popular songs of 2010

"Dil toh bachcha hai jee": It was a melodious beginning to the year with the romantic number from "Ishqiya". Vishal Bharadwaj directed the music and roped in Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to sing the song that instantly struck a chord with listeners. The sound of the accordion was prominent in the composition and was reminiscent of Raj Kapoor songs.

"Sajda": Composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy mesmerised listeners with this song from the film "My Name Is Khan". Once again sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan along with Shankar Mahadevan and Richa Sharma, the Sufi number tugged at one's heartstrings. The sounds of tablas and dholaks were moulded together so beautifully that it helped the song become a chartbuster and stay on top for a long time.

"Aap ka kya hoga (Dhanno)": An interesting remix was packed into the "Housefull" album by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in the guise of "Aapka kya hoga (Dhanno)". Sung by Mika Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan and Sajid Khan, it revisited Amitabh Bachchan's popular song "Apni to jaise taise" from the 1981 superhit "Lawaaris". The hit number appealed even after a makeover because the composers retained a few original lyrics. It was a winner all the way and made everyone dance to its tunes.

"Bin tere": The song from "I Hate Luv Storys" managed to bring out the hidden romantic side in all of us. Composed by director duo Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravijiani, it surely is a soulful and melodious number. The simple lyrics were beautifully rendered by Shafqat Amanat Ali with ample support from Sunidhi.

"Pee loon": The soft love ballad from the crime thriller "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai" still occupies air time on most of the radio channels. Pritam Chakroborty's composition and Mohit Chauhan's voice have spelt magic for the song. It also contains traces of Sufi elements that add edge to the song.

"Gal mithi mithi": This track is an amazing folk outing by Tochi Raina and is not like any run-of-the-mill Punjabi number. Composed by Amit Trivedi of "Dev D" fame for "Aisha", the fast number instantly made its mark because of the unpredictable orchestration and the fun element woven together intelligently.

"Munni badnaam hui": One of the most popular item numbers of the year, the fast-paced, catchy song with a rustic flavour created a nationwide sensation. Composed by Lalit Pandit and sung by Mamta Sharma and Aishwarya, "Munni..." from the superhit film "Dabangg" is still ruling the roost.

"Tere mast mast do nain": "Dabangg" gave another hit in "Tere mast...", but this time the composers were brothers Sajid-Wajid. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan crooned the moderately paced romantic track with such expertise that it made people sit up and take notice.

"Zor ka jhatka": Even though the film failed to take off at the box office, this song from "Action Replayy" flew higher and higher on popularity charts. Sung by Daler Mehndi, Richa Sharma and Master Salim, Pritam's composition was appreciated for its quirky lyrics and unusual orchestration.

"Sheila Ki jawaani": As they say the best is always reserved for the last, this song appeared almost at the end of the year and was an instant hit thanks to its urban appeal and a raunchy feel. It's giving competition to "Munni badnaam hui" for the best item number crown.

Brilliantly sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and composed by Vishal-Shekhar, the "Tees Maar Khan" number has foot tapping beats and an impressive composition has made it a favourite among people of all ages. With an urban appeal and a raunchy feel, the song is currently ruling every music chart.

Bollywood's Obsession With Retro Beats In 2010

Retro beats have certainly had a great comeback this year with many big banner movies having at least one popular track from the retro years albeit with contemporary touch ups to woo the current generation.

So the question is has Bollywood been obsessed with the retro beats in 2010? Well the fact is that many films released during the year have the most popular retro numbers which indeed have added to their popularity quotient amongst the audiences.

Movies like Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, with the Parda number which had a mix of music composer R.D Burman's two of the greatest hits Duniya Mein and Monika sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Rana Mazumder,then the flick Houseful, which had the popular retro number Apni toh jaise taise from the 1981 flick Laawaris,or movie Golmaal 3 which had the Disco Dancer and Yaad Aa Raha Hai numbers from the movie Disco Dancer were all amongst the hit numbers of this year that had the younger generation humming to these retro numbers with equal enthusiasm as the older generation.

Now why is it that film makers are getting attracted to these retro numbers that have already seen an immense popularity during the retro years? Some reports suggests that it is due to the fact that since these numbers are already hits and are already registered in the memories of the people it becomes easier to make the audiences identify with these songs.

Others feel that since music composers are quite burdened with a lot of work there is hardly any time to invent new snazzy tunes everyday so going retro is a fast and easy way out to churn out popular numbers which has the potential of attracting audiences by the dozen.

However reports are that no matter how popular these retro numbers might be, but for commercial value as in terms of ring tones and down loads it is the original new numbers that are audience's picks!

The Most Downloaded Bollywood Celebrities

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif may have parted ways after being together for six years but their fans don't seem to get tired of them.

According to reports in the media, Sallu and Kat have won the top spot in the list of the most downloaded celebrities for the year 2010. This means that the Indians love downloading pictures of Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan on their mobile phones and through internet services.

The survey was conducted in the recent past taking into consideration 25 million wallpapers and images of various Bollywood celebrities that were downloaded throughout the running year. And it was Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif pictures that formed the maximum part of the 25 million downloaded images.

The strange thing is that Salman Khan has surpassed even Shah Rukh Khan in the most downloaded celebrity list. Following Salman Khan and SRK are younger actors like Ranbir Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Shahid Kapoor. On the other hand, Katrina Kaif's pretty face was preferred to other Bollywood actresses like Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and even Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The list makes clear the fact that it is not only their box office ratings that affect the people's choice when it comes to downloading their favorite celebrity's pictures.

Candice Boucher plays a sand artist in upcoming spy flick

Candice Boucher, a South African Playboy hottie who features in Percept's untitled next, essays the role of a sand artist in the espionage drama.

Directed by Prashant Chaddha (Aap Ka Surror), the film stars Sachin Joshi (the Managing Director of an energy drink endorsed by Shah Rukh Khan) and Arya Babbar.

The beauty had to train from a professional artiste for the role. She says, "Learning from a sand artiste from Belarus was an amazing experience.

It's an intricate art more difficult than oils and watercolours on canvas as sand keeps shifting all the time. One's concentration has to be sharper and more focussed."

As reported 'Playmate on board' (Hitlist, June 11), Candice was the nude centrespread attraction of Playboy magazine for April 2010 and is also the brand ambassador for an international jeans brand.

She was signed for the film during the FIFA World Cup in June (it was held in her home country) to up the project's glam quotient.

The movie is about an informant who has to go undercover to save his brother and the nation from the effects of a biological war.

German mag ' the face of global Bollywood'

A German-language magazine has been described as 'the face of global Bollywood'.

Ishq magazine, which is published in Berlin, is said to have a circulation of over 30,000, reports the Economic Times.

Chief Editor Julia Wessel commented: "No doubt Bollywood is a niche market in Germany but it has a loyal fanbase. And interestingly it is not just the non-resident Indians who read it."

Wessel said that Shah Rukh Khan, who has held premieres of some of his most recent releases in Berlin, is the country's most popular Hindi cinema star.

London correspondent Sunny Malik told "I think German fans have been very loyal to Bollywood. The Om Shanti Om premiere tickets in Berlin sold out within the first minute. Some were sold illegally for up to 600 Euros."

Shah Rukh Khan is currently filming Don 2 in the German capital.

Use protection, celebs advise on World AIDS Day

Use protection and spread awareness, suggested a few Bollywood celebrities on World AIDS Day Wednesday.

"On World Aids Day I want to appeal to you all today not to fear HIV. Just be safe, use protection and do not stigmatise people living with HIV," actress Preity Zinta posted on her Twitter page.

"Mother-to-child transmission of HIV really upsets me. We should be able to protect every child frm HIV! Less ignorance and more awareness is needed."

Preity feels people suffering from HIV should be handled with care.

"Amazed how judgemental and insensitive we have become. A little love and compassion is all they need. A friend living with HIV is still a friend! One lady living with HIV told me she was sick so she went to the doc (doctor). On meeting her, he said, 'Why do you wanna life? Don't waste my time!' "

"Don't want 2 depress you guys, but would like 2 urge all of you to be less ignorant and more human. Let people living with HIV live with RESPECT! Nothing else matters except the language of LOVE! Everything else is superficial. This is what seperates Man from Beast! Sad V have 4gotten it," says Preity.

Bollywood has done its bit to create awareness about the disease through films like "Phir Milenge" and "My Brother Nikhil".

Jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali wrote: "It's WORLD HIV Day today. Let's not differentiate between the afflicted and non-afflicted and be kind to the ones who need us. Adopt one HIV-AIDS person's medical needs and make a difference if you can."

Diya Mirza: "It's the day to pledge that those living with HIV are never ostracised again. The stigma kills more than even the disease does."

Actor Sikander Kher, who will be seen in Ashuotosh Gowariker's "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey", wrote: "Keep it covered boys! Happy December 1st!"

Recollecting her days as a veejay, actress Sophie Chaudhary wrote: "World Aids Day today! Reminds me of the awesome MTV Aids summit we used 2 do! Be safe, spread awareness and don't stigmatise those living with HIV!"