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Sweden's Loreen wins Eurovision song contest

Sun, 27 May 2012 08:16:09 +0530

BAKU (Reuters) - Sweden's Loreen won the Eurovision Song Contest in Azerbaijan on Sunday before an international TV audience of 100 million, days after angering Azeri authorities by meeting rights activists critical of the host country's human rights record. Opposition groups have used the Eurovision spotlight, intended by Azerbaijan to promote the country as a destination for tourism and business, to demand democracy and the resignation of the government. Dozens of peaceful protesters have been arrested this month in the Caspian coastal capital, Baku. ...

Factbox: Cannes film festival main competition lineup

Sun, 27 May 2012 08:05:22 +0530

REUTERS - The Cannes film festival closes on Sunday with an awards ceremony. Following is the list of 22 movies in the main competition: DIRECTOR TITLE (English) Wes Anderson - Moonrise Kingdom Jacques Audiard - Rust & Bone Leos Carax - Holy Motors David Cronenberg - Cosmopolis Lee Daniels - The Paperboy Andrew Dominik - Killing Them Softly Matteo Garrone - Reality Michael Haneke - Love John Hillcoat - Lawless Hong Sangsoo - In Another Country Im Sangsoo - The Taste Of Money Abbas Kiarostami - Like Someone In Love Ken Loach - The Angels' Share Sergei Loznitsa - In the Fog Cristian Mungiu - ...

No TV this year: Akshay Kumar

Sat, 26 May 2012 20:45:11 +0530

Jaipur, May 26 (IANS) Actor Akshay Kumar, who will soon be seen in his action avatar in "Rowdy Rathore", says he is totally focused on Bollywood for now and will not be able to devote time to the small screen.

Prasoon Joshi writes anthem for Indian cinema centenary

Sat, 26 May 2012 19:03:10 +0530

Mumbai, May 26 (IANS) With Indian cinema celebrating its glorious 100 years, Bollywood seems to be charged up for the event. Renowned lyricist Prasoon Joshi has written a centenary anthem which will be rendered at the IIFA Awards this year.

Shah Rukh pleads guilty to smoking in Jaipur stadium

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:55:10 +0530

Jaipur, May 26 (IANS) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan Saturday pleaded guilty through his lawyers to the charges of smoking publicly at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here during an Indian Premier League match last month and sought exemption from appearing personally before a court, a lawyer said.

Cannes' Middle East films show Arab Spring unfurl

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:48:19 +0530

CANNES, France (Reuters) - The "Arab Spring" is the focus of two movies at Cannes this year as film makers present tentative steps towards democracy on the big screen, one year after political upheaval in Libya and Egypt. While both films deal with contemporary events in the Middle East, "The Oath of Tobruk" ("Le Serment de Tobrouk") is a French-language documentary about the Libyan war with a highly subjective slant. "After the Battle" ("Baad el Mawkeaa") is a fictional account of the uprising in Cairo from Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah. ...

Cannes gets happy ending with river film "Mud"

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:44:24 +0530

CANNES, France (Reuters) - "Mud", a touching coming-of-age tale set on the Mississippi River and starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, brought the Cannes film festival competition to a close on Saturday, earning warm applause at a press screening. The film, which echoes Mark Twain and his novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", centres on Ellis - played by up-and-coming actor Tye Sheridan, who was 14 at the time. Along with best friend Neckbone, he comes across the mysterious Mud (McConaughey) who is living alone on an island. ...

'Big Boss' gave me recognition as designer: Rohit Verma

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:35:10 +0530

Jaipur, May 26 (IANS) Designer Rohit Verma, who was known for his loud-mouth antics in the third edition of "Big Boss", says the controversial reality show not only changed him personally, it also helped him gain recognition as a designer.

'Madhubala' shot in Ramoji Film City

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:07:10 +0530

New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) Most Hindi TV shows are shot in Mumbai's Film City, but the makers of "Madhubala...Ek Ishq, Ek Junoon" went a step ahead and shot its 10 initial episodes at Hyderabad's world-famous Ramoji Film City.

Cinema needs to wean society from prejudices: Kunal Kohli

Sat, 26 May 2012 17:51:30 +0530

Mumbai, May 26 (IANS) Bollywood filmmaker Kunal Kohli has made Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra's characters in his forthcoming film "Teri Meri Kahaani" switch religious identities during the narration. He believes cinema can spread the message that Hindus and Muslims are equal.

'The Grey' - spellbinding tale of spirit's survival

Sat, 26 May 2012 17:48:00 +0530

Film: 'The Grey'; Actors: Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney; Director: Joe Carnahan; Rating: ***1/2

Emraan very versatile, professional: Huma Qureshi

Sat, 26 May 2012 17:31:30 +0530

Mumbai, May 26 (IANS) Huma Qureshi is glad she has a mix of films like "Gangs Of Wasseypur" and "Ek Thi Daayan" in her kitty, and says working with a versatile actor like Emraan Hashmi in the latter movie has been an experience.

Nothing good about 'Villain'

Sat, 26 May 2012 17:29:39 +0530

Film: 'Villain'; Cast: Audithya, Raagini, Rangayana Raghu, Shobharaj, Dharma, Malathi Sardeshpande; Screenplay and Direction: M.S. Ramesh; Producer: Yogish Hunasuru; Camera: Dasari Seenu; Music: Guru Kiran; Rating *1/2

I want to produce a musical: Vikas Bhalla

Sat, 26 May 2012 16:32:05 +0530

Mumbai, May 26 (IANS) Actor-musician Vikas Bhalla, currently seen as Veer Singh Bundela on popular TV show "Uttaran", says he wants to take a big leap into the world of films as a producer of a grand musical.

Nasdaq chaos engulfed Facebook IPO

Sat, 26 May 2012 13:14:03 +0530

(Reuters) - Dead silence. For nearly 20 minutes on the morning of Facebook Inc's trading debut last Friday, the line Nasdaq had opened up to keep traders informed about the social media company's $16 billion IPO had been mute. Well after the stock was supposed to have opened at 11 a.m. New York time, no one from Nasdaq was talking - and there was still no sign of trading. Finally, at 11:28 a.m., an unidentified person announced that the shares would open in about 2 minutes. Nasdaq also said orders and cancellations were still being processed, according to several sources listening to the call. ...

Sports joins glamour at Rajasthan Fashion Week

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:52:46 +0530

Jaipur, May 26 (IANS) Glamour may be synonymous with Bollywood, but the second day of the ongoing Rajasthan Fashion Week (RJW) here witnessed a unique amalgamation of sports and fashion when three players from the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals walked the runway for designer duo Rohit and Abhishek.

I worked really hard for Lavani number: Vidya

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:40:06 +0530

Mumbai, May 26 (IANS) Vidya Balan has earned brownie points for performing Lavani in forthcoming film "Ferrari Ki Sawaari", but the actress says the act didn't come easy as she isn't really a dancer.

Want to be a step ahead of Vidya Balan: Veena Malik

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:34:16 +0530

Bangalore, May 26 (IANS) Pakistani actress Veena Malik, set to sizzle in the Kannada version of hit Bollywood film "The Dirty Picture", aims to go a step ahead of Vidya Balan's act in the original. She maintains the two films are different.

City celebrates Africa Day with dance, music

Sat, 26 May 2012 12:31:26 +0530

New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) A night filled with mesmerising dance and music marked the Africa Day celebrations in the capital as artists from India and Africa took centrestage to commemorate 49 years of the continent's resurgence.

Naseer looking forward to 'Dedh Ishqiya' with Madhuri

Sat, 26 May 2012 11:11:11 +0530

Mumbai, May 26 (IANS) Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah is delighted to team up with Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit in Vishal Bhardwaj's "Dedh Ishqiya", and says he is looking forward to their working together.

Bollywood last alternative to Hollywood: Director Dibakar Banerjee

Sat, 26 May 2012 09:20:26 +0530

New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) Hollywood may have wiped out the "whole world's indigenous film industry" but Bollywood has held up, giving room to talent from all over the globe, says Dibakar Banerjee, the maker of acclaimed films such as "Khosla Ka Ghosla" and "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!"

Making France's 'Intouchables' bankable in the U.S.

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:45:21 +0530

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Last year around this time of France's Cannes film festival, movie producer Harvey Weinstein pondered how to turn a silent black-and-white film, "The Artist," into Oscar gold. His answer was to charm the socks off audiences with a simple tale of old Hollywood romance. This year, his Weinstein Co. has a different French movie on its hands with buddy comedy "The Intouchables," a box office smash around the world that opens in the United States on Friday with a race relations story that may not translate as easily for U.S. audiences. ...

KJo's 40th birthday bash a black and white affair

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:01:07 +0530

Mumbai, May 26 (IANS) It was supposed to be Bollywood's party of the year, and that it truly seemed like it was! From Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Bipasha Basu to Aamir Khan, Vidya Balan and Jaya Bachchan --Bollywood's who's who, dressed predominantly in black and white, attended filmmaker Karan Johar's grand 40th birthday bash, at the Taj Lands End hotel here Friday night.

Keira Knightley engaged to British rocker boyfriend

Sat, 26 May 2012 02:59:52 +0530

REUTERS - "Pirates of the Caribbean" actress Keira Knightley is engaged to marry her musician boyfriend James Righton, her publicist said on Friday. Knightley, 27, who was Oscar-nominated for her lead role in the 2005 film "Pride & Prejudice," has been dating Righton, who plays in British indie band Klaxons, for about a year. "I can confirm that Keira is engaged to be married to James Righton," British publicist Sara Keene said. No wedding dates or details of the engagement were released, in line with couple's low-key romance and few public appearances together. ...

Facebook options debut a wild card for volatility

Sat, 26 May 2012 02:16:41 +0530

REUTERS - Investors can hope the debut of options on Facebook Inc goes more smoothly than the long-awaited debut of the social networking service's stock on May 18. While the stock's puts and calls are expected to be popular, the big wild card is volatility and ultimately, the options price. Traders will get a fresh start on options on the Internet giant when the contracts are offered on U.S. options exchanges on May 29. ...

Horror film 'Chernobyl Diaries' draws some protests

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:09:21 +0530

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Horror film "Chernobyl Diaries" with its ghostly tale of terror near the infamous, abandoned nuclear plant hits theaters on Friday after drawing protests from some who view it as sensationalizing a disaster that had tragic human consequences. But the film's maker, Oren Peli, best known as the creator of the "Paranormal Activity" horror franchise, defends his movie by calling it a horror film meant to entertain and never offend. And he does have some support from outside groups. ...

Folk artist Doc Watson's condition improves: agent

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:52:23 +0530

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina (Reuters) - Grammy-winning folk musician Doc Watson was in critical but improving condition on Friday after undergoing colon surgery at a North Carolina hospital, according to his management team. An employee at Folklore Productions International said the 89-year-old performer had fallen earlier in the week at his home in Deep Gap, North Carolina, and was unable to get up unassisted. He was taken to a local hospital, where his condition was discovered to be more serious than the fall, according to the Folklore office. ...

Story by Pultizer Prize winner serialized on Twitter

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:39:09 +0530

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan for the New Yorker is being serialized in 10 installments on Twitter, according to the magazine. The New Yorker said the first installment of the story, a spy thriller called "Black Box, went out on Thursday night. "The story is written in terse dispatches of 140 characters or less, which will be tweeted, through The New Yorker Fiction Department's Twitter handle, @NYerFiction, in ten nightly installments between 8 and 9 P.M. E.T," it said in a statement. ...

I want to do Marathi films, says Vidya Balan

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:25:53 +0530

Mumbai, May 25 (IANS) After proving herself in Hindi films, National Award winner Vidya Balan now wants to try her luck in Marathi films.

They're here. They're geeks. Get used to it

Fri, 25 May 2012 21:24:32 +0530

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Turns out, geeks are inheriting the earth. Thanks to ubiquitous consumer electronics and the prominence of technology executives like Facebook Inc's Mark Zuckerberg and the late Steve Jobs of Apple Inc, it's no longer an insult to be called a geek. The geek -- broadly speaking, the tech-obsessed, socially-awkward type who spends more time online than offline -- is more respected than ever, according to a survey by Modis, the technology staffing arm of Adecco SA , the world's biggest staffing company. ...

Best movie mutt is saluted in Cannes

Fri, 25 May 2012 20:43:07 +0530

PARIS (Reuters) - Frivolity and fur erupted on the sidelines of the Cannes film festival on Friday, as a fluffy white dog named Smurf was bestowed the prestigious "Palm Dog" award for a performance deemed "magnifique" by the event's organizer. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dogs and bitches, welcome to the Palm Dog..." began Toby Rose, who since 2001 has bestowed the award on Cannes' most worthy four-legged actor. ...

Travel Picks: Top 10 gay wedding destinations

Fri, 25 May 2012 20:20:57 +0530

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The steadily increasing stream of states and countries legalizing gay marriage has dramatically changed the lives of LGBT people and their loved ones in recent years. In honour of the growing number of places to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender nuptials, online travel adviser Cheapflights (www.cheapflights.com) has come up with its top 10 list of gay wedding destinations. Reuters has not endorsed this list: 1. Washington, D.C. USA Although gay marriage was only first legalized in D.C. ...

Smoking not allowed on my sets: Vivek Oberoi

Fri, 25 May 2012 20:17:53 +0530

Mumbai, May 25 (IANS) Vivek Oberoi not only stays away from tobacco, he also avoids passive smoking and says that when someone smokes on the movie sets, he leaves that place.

Haneke among names in frame for Cannes film awards

Fri, 25 May 2012 20:08:56 +0530

CANNES, France (Reuters) - The Cannes film festival enjoyed cheers and jeers in equal measure this year, leaving its famously passionate and picky audiences with plenty to love, loathe and laugh about. With two days to go before the close of the 12-day movie marathon, it also pulled off a balancing act between championing independent films from around the world and luring enough stars to the red carpet to satisfy a thirst for glamour and celebrity. ...

FACTBOX - UK queen's 60 year reign - by numbers

Fri, 25 May 2012 19:28:36 +0530

REUTERS - Here is a look at the queen's reign by numbers: POLITICS: - The queen is the second longest serving monarch. Only five other kings and queens in British history have reigned for 50 years or more: Victoria (63 years) George III (59 years) Henry III (56 years) Edward III (50 years) James VI of Scotland (James I of England) (58 years) - The queen is the 40th monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England. - Since 1952 The queen has given Royal Assent to more than 3,500 Acts of Parliament. - Over the reign, Her Majesty has given regular audiences to 12 Prime Ministers. ...

Management Tip of the Day: Hire for passion

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:53:33 +0530

BOSTON (Reuters) - If you don't look for passion in the people you hire, you could end up with employees who never engage especially deeply, says Harvard Business Review. The Management Tip of the Day offers quick, practical management tips and ideas from Harvard Business Review and HBR.org (http://www.hbr.org). Any opinions expressed are not endorsed by Reuters. "People are more creative when they feel passionate about their work. ...

Want to combat piracy? Go for John Doe order

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:36:33 +0530

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) Piracy is one of the major roadblocks in the growth of the Indian film industry - Bollywood itself loses Rs.4,000 crore every year because of that. But now it can be prevented by using the John Doe order that safeguards the copyright of a film in advance against unidentified probable people who may infringe it.

Hirani, Rituparno to hold master classes in Melbourne

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:30:33 +0530

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) Rajkumar Hirani and Rituparno Ghosh are among the filmmakers scheduled to hold master classes at the third edition of the Indian Film Festival (IFF) in Melbourne June 11-22. Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee will host a workshop too.

Berlin red light district turns into art hub

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:26:07 +0530

BERLIN (Reuters) - A shabby area of Berlin best known for its curb-crawling prostitutes and drug dealers is recovering some of the Bohemian allure of its glory days in the 1920s as low rents and its central location lure art galleries. Art lovers are surprised to discover such a wealth of galleries on and around Potsdamer Strasse, a long artery stretching southwest from the revamped and now-glitzy Potsdamer Platz to the traditional gay stronghold of Schoeneberg. The galleries, numbering nearly two dozen, are often tucked away in quiet courtyards or hidden in grand 19th century buildings. ...

In tough times, Cannes charity gala gets personal

Fri, 25 May 2012 17:41:37 +0530

ANTIBES, France (Reuters) - At a time of economic uncertainty, the glitziest charity gala at the Cannes film festival got personal. Each year at the luxurious Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, just along the coast from Cannes, amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, invites the famous and fabulously wealthy for a night of fine food, fine wine, dancing and giving. This year Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Kirsten Dunst and Adrien Brody were among the stars to grace the black tie event late on Thursday and into the early hours of Friday. ...