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Friday, 18 January, 2013
Akshay Kumar takes his singing to a new level
I want to die making films:
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KShAY Kumar rapped with Snoop Dogg for his film 'Singh is Kinng' (2008). And now, in Neeraj Pandey's 'Special 26', he's taken his passion for singing to the next level. The Bollywood superstar, who calls himself a 'bathroom singer' with a keen ear for music, has rendered the romantic song 'Mujhme Tu' with an honesty that is rare. The music of the film, which also stars Anupam Kher, Jimmy Shergill and Kajal Aggarwal, was launched yesterday. On his playback debut, Akki says, "In Singh is Kinng, I just did a few lines with Snoop Dogg. But this is technically my singing debut. Frankly, you have to credit my director Neeraj and music composer MM Kreem for this song. Kreem sahab made me sit at the harmonium for six to seven hours and urged me to give it a try. he said, 'Akshay do not bother about the sur and taal. You just sing with sincerity. I will do the rest.' I blindly followed his advice and I would like to dedicate this song as a Valentine Day's gift to all lovers." Says Kreem, "Mujhme Tu is a very energetic song and though Akshay's version is not yet in the album, we plan to include it soon. When we were working on the softer, orchestrated version of the song, I thought it would be good to get him to sing. I spoke to Neeraj, who was excited, but asked me to first check if Akshay's pitch was good. he rehearsed the song for 15 days and we recorded it in less than an hour's time. he has a rich voice and I am happy with the outcome." Adds Neeraj, "Akshay took an instant liking to the song. We decided to shoot a video with him and wanted him to lend his voice to the track. he isn't a trained singer but he was so well-versed that by the time we recorded the song, it was very easy." NeWS deSK
dIBAKAr BAnerjee NEWS DESK Known for his hard-hitting films, Dibakar Banerjee defends his decision to collaborate with a big banner Over the past few years, he has been touted as the face of intelligent cinema. however, maintains that art and commerce do need to get married — sooner or later — for the former’s sake! This philosophy probably explains his decision to sign a three-film deal with a big media house like YRF. he’ll be directing two of those projects. In a freewheeling chat, Dibakar shares his thoughts on filmmaking…
Tell us what motivates you to make films? I know nothing else. I’m overcoming my loneliness as well as the audience’s. For instance, when I made Shanghai, somebody just randomly called me up at 11 in the night and spoke for 45 minutes about the film! The connection your film makes is very surreal. I want to die making films.
KYLIE MINOGUE
Your three-film deal came as a surprise… I’ve always maintained that I want to do commercial films within the realm of popular cinema. A studio’s backing makes business viable and there are several distribution channels to tap on. If you ignore business, art won’t survive. Besides, my last two films were coproductions too.
lands Warhol TV comedy role NEWS DESK Kylie Minogue is set to hit TV screens in March after landing a role in an Andy Warhol-themed programme. Kylie Minogue is starring in a TV comedy drama playing a character based on Andy Warhol's muse edie Sedgwick. Minogue, who is said to be devoting more time to the acting side of her career, is appearing in an edition of Playhouse Presents on the Sky Arts channel. Comic Peter Serafinowicz will play artist Warhol in the programme hey Diddly Dee, which is directed by hustle actor Marc Warren. It revolves around a group of actors putting on a production about the US art guru, with Minogue playing a Sedgwick-style figure called Bibbi. It is due to be screened on March 14. Minogue, 44, said: "When the script was sent to me, I read it and knew instinctively I wanted to be part of this project. "In hey Diddly Dee, Marc has created a beautiful and quirky story." The Australian has appeared in a number of movies including the recent holy Motors, as well as taking TV roles such as a part in the Doctor Who Christmas special. edie Sedgwick was an art student who joined Warhol at The Factory, the pop artist's studio and the hangout of a group of eccentrics, some of them drug addicts. her status as a Warhol superstar and success as a fashion model gained her popularity and international attention. Sienna Miller played Sedgwick in the 2006 film Factory Girl. Meanwhile, Doctor Who star Matt Smith will be making his directorial debut in the Sky Arts Series with a film called Cargese. Idris elba, best known for his performances in Luther and The Wire, has written and will direct another of the Playhouse Presents programmes, which will star Reggie Yates. Turner Prizewinning potter and artist Grayson Perry is credited with cocreating another of the films, about a young transvestite.
And when exactly did you agree to this deal? Adi (Chopra) made it very clear that we’re looking forward to a director-driven co-production. Like me, he too wants to work with different people with same professional standards. To be frank, I wasn’t expecting him to have such a clear vision. As filmmakers, our movies are very different but our ambition for cinema is quite similar.
Victor Garber confirms he is gay NEWS DESK Canadian actor Victor Garber, best known for his work in films 'Alias' and 'Titanic', has publicly confirmed that he is gay. Asked about a Wikipedia entry on Garber's page that said he lives with partner Rainer Andreesen in New York, he confirmed his relationship, reports digitalspy.co.uk. "I don't really talk about it but everybody
knows. Andreesen is going to be out here with me for the Screen Actors Guild Awards," Garber said. The 63-year-old, who stars in the Golden Globe-winning drama Argo, is not the only celebrity to recently come out to the public. Actress Jodie Foster, who received the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille trophy at the 70th Golden Globe award ceremony, used the platform to speak about her sexuality.
Terminator star Furlong charged over assault NEWS DESK The 35-year-old actor, who has had a string of run-ins with the law, has pleaded not guilty to attacking an ex-girlfriend. Terminator 2 star edward Furlong has been charged with assaulting an ex-girlfriend during an altercation. The actor was arrested in West hollywood on suspicion of battery following the alleged attack on Sunday morning. The 35-year-old was also held for an outstanding misdemeanour warrant on another domestic violence battery case involving the same woman. Furlong's lawyer, Brian Michaels, said he was still gathering information about the arrest. Furlong has already pleaded not guilty in relation to Sunday's incident, and is due to appear in court again on January 25. he has also been involved in a custody dispute with his ex-wife and faces a probation violation hearing on February 15 for contempt of court stemming from a case in Los Angeles.
Furlong was charged in the domestic violence case in December, but failed to appear at a court hearing. his best known role was John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, a 10-yearold version of the resistance leader who leads the war between humans and Skynet, a self-aware computer network that sees mankind as a threat. his other major role was Daniel Vinyard in American history X alongside edward Norton, who played his older brother
Derek, a white supremacist. Nick Stahl, who played an older version of John Connor in Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines, has also had problems in his personal life. he was reportedly not asked to reprise his role in the fourth film, Terminator Salvation, due to a substance abuse problem. More recently, Stahl has had episodes of going missing, then turning up safe. he is believed to have taken part in drug rehab.
What are you working on nowadays? I’m currently busy with a short film to commemorate 100 years of Indian cinema. It’s a based on a story by Satyajit Ray.
Who are the actors you’d like to work with? To name a few, Irrfan, Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. I’m fortunate to be working with Nawazuddin (Siddiqui). Naseer saab is my personal favourite and I’d love to cast him in any of my films. Tabu, Rani Mukerji and Anukshka (Sharma) are some of the actresses I’d like to direct.