In the wake of the tragic movie theater shootings in Aurora, Colo., The Dark Knight Rises
has continued to perform well at the box office, taking in $211.8
million in North America after just six days of release. Mid-week
grosses have been incredibly strong with $19.4M on Monday, $17.76M on
Tuesday and $13.77M on Wednesday. 2008’s The Dark Knight
earned $222.1 million in its first six days, had a 53 percent second
weekend drop (taking in $75.2M) after performing similarly over its
opening weekend, and, though it is slightly trailing its predecessor,
the film is on track for a second weekend gross in the low-to-mid-$70
million range. IMAX has contributed spectacularly to the success of the
film, with $26.7 million in giant screen dollars since its North
American debut.
The resilience of the American people has been clearly
demonstrated as they remain vigilante and also mindful of the tragedy,
yet they have not been scared away from movie theaters by these
unfortunate and tragic events.
Debuting this weekend in 3,168 theaters is The Watch
from Twentieth Century Fox, starring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, and
Jonah Hill. This sci-fi comedy follows a group of dads who form a
neighborhood watch committee to break up their monotonous daily routine,
but unexpectedly find themselves defending the Earth from an alien
invasion. Opening in 3,168 theaters, the R-rated comedy should wind up
with a gross in the mid-teens this weekend.
Lionsgate's release of Summit Entertainment’s Step Up Revolution in 3-D also dances its way onto screens this weekend in 2,657 theaters. This is the fourth installment in the Step Up
film series; the original film, released in 2006, starred Channing
Tatum, had an opening weekend take of $20.6 million, and went on to earn
$65.3 million. The unexpected success of that film spawned three
sequels (including the latest film) with 2008’s Step Up 2 The Streets opening with $18.9 million and 2010’s Step Up 3D
making a $15.8 million splash in its debut. Expectations should be for
a debut in the low to mid teens for this PG-13 rated story of a young
woman who lands in Miami with dreams of becoming a professional dancer.
Twentieth Century Fox’s Ice Age: Continental Drift
will drift into its third weekend after continuing to make a huge
splash overseas and enters its second weekend with nearly $100 million
in North America and a worldwide tally of nearly $540 million! The 3-D
family animated release should continue to provide a nice family
alternative to more adult-oriented films in the marketplace. A gross of
over $10 million this weekend will boost its fortunes well over the
$100 million mark in N. America by Sunday night.
Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man
reboot starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone enters its fourth
weekend with well over $600 million in worldwide web-slinging dollars.
This weekend, an expected gross in the $5 to $10 million range will put
it in a battle with Disney’s 3-D Pixar animated Brave and Universal’s comedy smash Ted, which will also generate in the $5 million plus range this weekend.
In
the aftermath of an incredibly traumatic week, this weekend will find
people back at movie theaters with their friends and families while
keeping in mind the loss of life and human suffering that occurred so
tragically last Friday.
Aditya Chopra and Rani Mukherjee’s love story is at the peak. The couple currently
hit the headlines for an expensive gift, an Audi A8 worth Rs crore from Aditya
to Rani and now they are again in the news for a romantic dinner date.
Yes, it is right Aditya Chopra and Rani Mukherjee was spotted at Chinese
restaurant, Hakkasan in Bandra, Mumbai on Friday night for a romantic dinner
date. Unlike, last time the duo did not make an effort to hide their love or
else struggle to hide themselves from media. They now moved like a bindas couple and
do not bother being clicked by paparazzi. They flaunt their love publicly and
openly spend time together.
Both dressed in black, they look like a perfect couple. They went inside the
restaurant, occupied seat at the corner and enjoyed the dinner along with
each others company. They chatted for an hour and looked like a couple deeply in
love.
Rani Mukherjee and Aditya Chopra’s relationship dates long back but they
never disclosed it. They preferred to keep it a secret. In the past, Rani
Mukherjee was not accepted by the Chopra family as they were much inclined to
Aditya first wife’s Payal but finally they accepted Rani. Rani also occasionally
spotted at Chopra’s home, Adityodaya, in Juhu. Aditya divorced Payal
Khanna in 2009.
It is also got to hear that Rani and Aditya are planning to get hitched but
the rumor died down with time but we can expect the good news very soon as the
couple like to keep things hidden and disclose at the final stage.
In a recent survey
it has been found that Indian actress Anushka Sharma and actor John Abraham
have the sexiest beach body. The survey was conducted by ‘Hotels.com’. It is an
online site for booking hotel rooms over the net or phone. It also brings out
regular polls and surveys globally.
Bollywood’s
slimmest and finest, Anushka received the highest score. She received 11
percent votes while the next best babes Deepika Padukone and Sunny Leone
received 9 percent of the votes. Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra were
third with 6 percent votes. Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor amassed
only 5 percent of the votes to be ranked joint fourth.
It speaks a lot for
this sultry actress who made her debut in 2008, with Aditya Chopra’s ‘Rab ne Bana
Di Jodi’. She also got the most promising newcomer award for that movie by the
Star Screen Awards. Anushka started her modeling career for Wendell
Rodricks’s Les Vamps Show at the Lakhme Fashion Week. The success of “Rab Ne
Bana Di Jodi” brought in many new projects for her and she went on to act in
the movies ‘Badmassh Company’, ‘Band Baaja Baarat’ and ‘Ladies vs. Vicky Bahl’
which went on to be huge hits.
In the men’s
category, the Bollywood actor who stole the limelight was none other than the
sexy John Abraham. John received 20 percent votes while Hrithik Roshan with his
Greek God image got 17 percent votes. Salman came third with 7 percent votes. Ranvir
Singh , Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal rounded off in the best top five from
India.
John had flaunted
his perfectly toned body right from the days he started modeling. He campaigned
for PETA almost wearing nothing but some vegetables. The beach scenes in
the movie “Dotsana” mesmerized his female fans , with Shilpa Shetty
grooving around him too , in the song ‘Shut up and Bounce’.
Internationally
“The fantastic four star” Jessica Alba was adjudged the hottest chick on the
beach with 16 percent votes. Beyonce came in second with 15 percent votes,
while Duchess Kate Middleton came third for her hot photos of honeymoon which
were leaked on the net.
Yes, you have heard it right. Kareena Kapoor has taken a dig
at Katrina Kaif not off-screen but on-screen. The actress had a dialogue in her
film, ‘Heroine’ where she took a dig at the actress of foreign origin similar
to Katrina Kaif.
In Madhur Bhadarkar's ‘Heroine’, Kareena plays a successful actress
and it is during a scene she took a dig at Katrina. A source reveals
from the set of ‘Heroine’ that there is a scene in ‘Heroine’ where
Kareena Kapoor
was questioned by journalist. One of them asked her to comment about a
foreign
actress who has climbed the ladder of success in Bollywood.
Kareena Kapoor who is playing actress Mahi said the leading
actress (Katrina) has climbed up the success ladder only because her
boyfriend is a top star (Salman Khan). She even went to say that her passport
needs to be checked to identify her real name, age and country of origin. We all
know that Madhur Bhandarkar is a realistic filmmaker, his films are always inspired
by real life character and real life incident. This particular scene that he incorporated
in the film is not out of illusion but it happened in actuality.
If we turn down the pages, we will remember that this very
comment about Katrina was made by Deepika Padukone on the TV show
‘Koffee with Karan’ which stir the film industry.
The source also informed that when Madhur narrated the scene to Kareena, she
was reluctant to do but when Madhur Bhandarkar won the confidence of Bebo and
explained logically that there is nothing wrong in the scene as there are many
aspiring actresses coming to India to try their luck in Bollywood.
Well, we will get to see how Kareena took a dig at Katrina on-screen only
when ‘Heroine’ will hit the silver screen in September.
Aamir Khan
is holding a family function for his son Azad on July 30. The function will be
held at his residence in Mumbai and eminent vocalist, Padma Bhushan Pt
Channulal Mishra, has been invited to perform at the function. Members close to
Aamir’s family will be invited.
"I had received a call from the actor's secretary a few
days back extending an invitation to perform at this auspicious occasion.
According to the brief given to me, it is a close family affair, and only 20 to
30 people would be attending the ceremony," says Pt Mishra.
"The function is to welcome the child, so I would be rendering Badhaiya,
Sohar, Thumri, Dadra and, of course, some ghazals as well," informs the
vocalist.
After the function, Aamir Khan will leave for Chicago for ‘Dhoom
3’ shooting and will take his son and wife along with him and will be back
after three months. This will be his bundle of joy Azad’s first foreign trip
and hence Azad visited the US consulate for his first visa interview with
mother Kiran Rao. A source close to the star reveals, “Azad recently had to
appear for his first interview with his mom at the US consulate to get his
visa. This will be his first trip abroad.”
2012 has been a busy year for the perfectionist. His debut
TV project ‘Satyamev Jayate’ aired, he is shooting for two films ‘Talassh’ and ‘Dhoom
3’.
Shahrukh
Khan made an impromptu visit at Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachchan’s abode Jalsa
to meet little Aaradhya. SRK met Aishwarya after delivery but due to his hectic
schedule, he could not see little Aaradhya. At last, on Wednesday night, he
drove to Jalsa and spend sometime with Ash and Abhi’s baby.
A source revealed, "Actually Farah Khan had come to meet Abhishek at
Jalsa. Around the same time, SRK was incidentally at Hrithik Roshan's pad,
which is a stone's throw away. Since SRK had only congratulated the parents and
not seen the baby, he drove down to meet her."
Shahrukh spend time with Aaradhya,
played with her before moving to the conference room with Farah and
Abhishek. Their meeting however went on longer. "They chatted till 1.30
am," said the source.
SRK's unplanned visit to Jalsa proved that all is well
between him and Abhishek and there exist no rivalry between them."SRK and
Abhishek have been very cordial both professionally and personally. They have
worked together in Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.
SRK has also worked with Aishwarya a couple of times. In fact when Abhishek Bachchan announced Aishwarya's pregnancy, SRK had tweeted his support to
Abhishek in case the latter needed tips on parenting," a source told.
Reportedly, Farah Khan is planning her next project with Shahrukh Khan and
John Abraham and she is also considering Abhishek Bachchan with Boman Irani for her new project "Happy New Year". This might be another reason for Farah and Shahrukh Khan dropping at Jalsa.
Well, we have all seen Kareena Kapoor getting cozy with her co-star Arjun
Rampal in the trailer of ‘Heroine’. The trailer was liked by the cine-goers. We
got a glimpse of Kareena’s ‘Halkat Jawani’ in the trailer and also seen how she
got intimate with Arjun Rampal. During the launch of the trailer, Arjun Rampal was
at his naughtiest best and quipped that he cherish the moment when he got
intimate with Bebo.
"I can't get over the Kareena effect. I still cherish the love-making
scenes. I fact, even today, when I close my eyes, I feel the moments when I'm
in a mood," laughed Arjun, when asked whether there were any inhibitions
or awkward moments before and after they steamy scene was shot.
When asked whether he got threatening calls from Bebo's boyfriend Saif Ali Khan,
the actor got serious and added. "Well, Saif and I have mutual respect for
each other. We are aware of each other's gentleman attitude towards women. So,
on that front, I was confident about myself."
Madhur Bhandarkar directed ‘Heroine’ is slated for September release. The
film stars Randeep Hooda, Divya Dutta apart from Arjun and Kareena.
Seven years ago, Shahrukh Khan
got into the bathtub with rose petals spread
over for Lux ad with four all time leading beauties of Bollywood
Sridevi, Hema
Malini, Juhi Chawla and Kareena Kapoor. After so many years, he will
again be seen getting wetty. This time, he has accepted to get foamy in a
bathtub with one and only, the diva of Indian cinema Katrina Kaif.
Impressed with SRK and Kat’s incredible on-screen chemistry, a branded soap company
has approached both Katrina and Shahrukh to shoot for an ad for their brand which
both deliberately accepted. A source quoted as
saying, “This time Shah Rukh has been approached again to feature in the ad
along with Katrina. It is slated to be shot in September and the various
creatives are currently being worked upon.”
Well, the ad will tentatively go air during Diwali coinciding with the
release date of their Yash Raj flick.
Only time will tell whether their on-screen chemistry will also click in the
commercial.
We all know what when it comes to dressing Salman Khan is very particular
not about him but about his ladyloves. It is known to all that Sallu as a boyfriend is over-possessive
and over-protective.Though he is no longer dating Katrina Kaif,
he is very possessive about her. Till date he is concerned about what she wears
whom she meets etc.. During the shooting of ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ he had a severe tiff
with Kat over her revealing blouse. Kabir Khan, the director of ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, has confirmed in an interview
that Salman Khan had indifference with Katrina Kaif during a song
filming where Katrina wore a long yellow skirt and black blouse. He confirmed the spat,
“Katrina and Salman go back a long way. He was very involved in their scenes
together and her costumes. They have a certain equation. Even Salman seeks her
opinion. But yes, there was an incident where they disagreed over Katrina’s
costume in the song. It was over a particular cut in the black blouse she has
worn with a yellow skirt”.
During the interview, Kabir Khan also confirmed the news of starry tantrums thrown by
Sallu on the set of ‘Ek Tha Tiger’. He said, “I will be honest. It took time
for Salman and me to come on the same page. There were teething issues on how
we look at the scenes and his character. Salman reports on the sets on his own
time. He does not start his day early. And he was clear about it before we went
on floors. But once he is on the sets, he is all yours till you wrap up. So
well, you just have to plan your day with him intelligently.”
After all, Salman Khan is Salman Khan. He has his own way of dealing
things,
you like it or don't like it. If he is called a man of golden heart then
he is also famous for his hot temper. Today, he is the most bankable
star and filmmakers wait in queue to get his dates.
The mystery of Saif and Kareena Kapoor's wedding deepens. The big question
is why the couple is still undecided about their wedding plans. Every other day
new and different reports are coming up from various corner about their much
hyped wedding. First, it was heard that Saif and Kareena will tie the knot in
India then again there had been a change of plan and it was told that the couple will
tie the knot in London to avoid media interference. Now the latest news that is
doing the rounds is that they will exchange wedding vows in Maldives.
And this time the news has come directly from the horse-mouth, Saif Ali
Khan. Said who is basking in the joy of ‘Cocktail’ success has confirmed his wedding
venue and time. The actor revealed, “And the wedding is in Maldives… 100
people… December not October!”
Kareena Kapoor who is busy in promoting the most important film of her successful
career ‘Heroine’ said during the launching of the film's first trailer that Saif will decide the wedding date. Saif who
is busy filming ‘Race 2’ in Greece said that he does not want to mix his
personal and professional lives.
Speaking to a tabloid, the actor had earlier said, “I can`t confirm the date
right now. Probably a couple of months down the line, I would speak to you
about it. Right now it`s only ‘Cocktail’, and I want to keep my professional
and personal life separate.”
Hope, Saif’s stamp on his wedding venue and date will put all the speculations
on rest.
So, it’s confirmed, it is Maldives wedding for Saifeena in December.
Well, the Bhatts who are making lots of news these days for
their upcoming film ‘Jism 2’ has again hit the headlines for ‘Raaz 3’ poster. They are
back with the third installment of ‘Raaz’ with Bipasha Basu and Emraan Hashmi. The
first look of the film was released and Biapsha was rocking at the poster.
The poster carries the tag ‘When Desires Turn Evil’ with
Emraan Hashmi’s image at the back. Bips looked dangerously sexy and she was quite impressive.
There has been an interesting fact behind the astounding
photo shoot. Producers Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt did not want Bipasha to do the
shoot as they had the feeling that Bipasha Basu won’t be uncomfortable in doing
the shoot. But they were totally proved wrong by the bong bombshell. With sheer
confidence Bipasha Basu shot the photo shoot.
An insider reveals, “The Bhatts felt the pose and outfit
were too bold and didn’t want Bipasha to do it, thinking she might be uncomfortable.
Also, they felt they might have to tone down the concept eventually. So they
planned to get a body double and morph Bipasha’s face onto the model’s body
later. But when she found out, the actor insisted on doing it herself.”
Bipasha says, “When I learnt about the concept, I decided to do it. I had no
qualms. It’s my movie and I should be shooting for the poster. I understand
that it was required to show the film’s theme in the right light. I have always
been comfortable in my skin and never been conscious of my body. It was the
right decision.”
Directed by Vikram Bhatt, the 3D horror film also stars
Emraan Hashmi and Esha Gupta.
Raaz 3 promos will be aired with Jism 2 on August 3.
She has turned up
the interest quotient of ‘Jism 2’ among the movie buffs ever since she signed
in for this Pooja Bhatt film. Yes she is Sunny Leone (also known as Karen
Malhotra). The last to be afflicted is Arunoday Singh, as she sizzles and
seduces him to the bed. The makers of the movie have released the latest video
on the net. The song is “Darta Hoon (Adhoora)” sung by Rushk.
The song starts
with Arunoday, looking like Mr. Bean, is enjoying his drink in a Night Club.
Sunny enters and grooves with couple of men and women, all the time luring
Arunoday with her moves and stares. Leads him upstairs and has a romantic
moment with him. The genre of the song has a metal feel, starting with an
electric guitar riff, gradually building the anticipation. It then has a
lingering tempo and then soothes down, creating the intimate magic feel along
with the video
With her sexy
sensuous appeal in all the song’s so far released, the adult movie actress
looks all set to trail a blaze with this song too. Pooja Bhatt has roped
in a plethora of music directors for her movie. It includes Arko Pravo
Mukherjee, Pakistani band Rushk, Mothoon (Yeh Kasoor), Abdul Bassith Saeed (for
the song “Hey Walla”). The songs “Hum to Harre” and “Abhi-Abhi” sung by K.K are
already doing the rounds. The music of the movie is sure to be the chart buster
of this season.
Sunny says it
wasn’t difficult for her to play her part, as she plays the role of a porn-star,
which is her profession in real life. She (Izna in the movie) is hired by handsome
intelligence officer Ayaan (played by Arunoday Singh) to honey-trap a dreaded
assassin Kabir (Played by Randeep Hooda). In the process she is forced to look
back into her bitter past. According to the movie director Pooja Bhatt said
that she had selected Sunny for the role with the same instinct which made her
sign John Abraham for Jism.
It’s to be released
on August 3rd and billion fans of Sunny Leone just can’t wait
to see her performing on the screen. The film has got an ‘A’ certificate, which
the producers aren’t a least bit worried about. It seems ‘Jism 2’ is all set to
rock the box office.
London: World No. 5 and India’s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal kicked off her
Olympic campaign in style as she defeated Switzerland’s Sabrina Jaquet
21-9, 21-4 on Sunday.
Sabrina was a no show against Saina who consistently played aggressive strokes to outclass her opponent.
Sabrina,
who had qualified for the Games by reaching the quarter finals of the
2012 European Championship in Karlskrona, Sweden, could not provide any
resistance to Saina, who launched her campaign on a confident note.
The
22-year-old Indian, who came into the tournament after winning the
Thailand Grand Prix Gold and Indonesian Super Series Premium last month,
took 12 minutes to wrap up the first match, before sealing the issue in
her favour by winning the second game in just 10 minutes.
Saina
will now face Tan Lianne on Monday at 2300 IST and which will be a
must-win for her, since the Belgian has already won her game.
Colombo, Jul 28 : Hello and welcome to the live
coverage of the 3rd ODI between India and Sri Lanka. The series is
interestingly poised at 1-1 with both teams blowing hot and cold
alternatively. India defeated Sri Lanka comprehensively in the first ODI
and the hosts returned the favour in the next, destroying India's
batsmen for less than 150. Can the visitors forget the thrashing and
bounce back? Stay tuned for the toss and other updates.. Pitch report: The pitch looks beautifully rolled.
It's hard, flat and has an even spread of grass. The team winning the
toss will want to bat first. The ball comes on a bit more in the
evening, so the batsmen might enjoy batting in the second innings under
lights too.
Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to bat Mahela: We'll bat first. Looks a good wicket and
it's a hard wicket. Since the World Cup, the wicket has been true and it
has behaved well. It's a good ODI wicket. What we can control is how we
play and concentrate on things which we can control. Thirimanne is
dropped, Jeevan Mendis comes in. Both of them are in good form, it
wasn't a major change for us. Dhoni: Umesh and Ojha are out. Dinda and Rahul
Sharma are in. Dinda gives his all. It doesn't matter where he plays and
for what team he plays - he gives his 100% even in the practice
sessions. It's good to have someone like him in the side. We have to bat
better, we rely on good starts and the middle order can capitalise on
that. Dilshan: We bounced back well in the second match to
level the series. Today is an important game as well. We are looking
forward to have a good match. It's a different wicket now after the
World Cup. The team needs a good start and we provided it in the last
match. Thisara is doing well and Angelo has been doing a great job as
well. The
youngsters are doing well and that's a good sign for
Sri Lanka's future. I have a bruised finger, it affected my fielding in
the first two games but hope to be at my best today.
Rohit Sharma keeps his place. Gambhir has spoken about 'the bigger
picture' yesterday and said that Rohit needs to be backed as he is a
part of the World Cup 2015 plans.
Unfair on Manoj Tiwary? Or is it a good decision to back youngsters when they're out of form? India (Playing XI): Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag,
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Irfan Pathan,
Ravichandran Ashwin, Rahul Sharma, Zaheer Khan, Ashok Dinda Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne
Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara(w), Dinesh Chandimal, Mahela Jayawardene(c),
Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Rangana Herath, Isuru
Udana, Lasith Malinga Match Preview :
Things are at an even keel after the first two ODIs. Neither team
will consider themselves the outright favourites. Both teams have
problems that need to be addressed and also some positives to help them
go forward. That is what makes the scoreline (1-1) seem just about
perfect ahead of the third ODI at the Premadasa stadium, Colombo. Sri Lanka:
The hosts showed the right spirit after suffering a heavy defeat in
the first ODI. They needed some sort of inspiration and that was
provided by the canny Thisara Perera. It could be seen as a redemption
of sorts too for the bowling unit too after the caning they suffered in
the first ODI. Mahela Jayawardene will be put at ease if Lasith Malinga
too gets back to his best. The slingy pacer was carted around in the
first ODI and while he managed to salvage some pride in the next one, he
still gives out an impression of lacking in confidence against the
Indians.
As in the bowling, the batting too has its share of positives and
negatives. While the top three have been amongst the runs in the first
two ODIs, the middle order does not inspire much confidence. Mahela
himself will be eager to get back amongst the runs and set an example
for the youngsters around him. India:
As is the case with the hosts, India too have had some time to
introspect on what went so wrong in the second ODI. Another aspect that
is a little parallel to the hosts' story is the case of their batting.
The top three have contributed but it is the others that are required to
pull up their socks. Chief among them will be Rohit Sharma, if the
think tank does decide to give him another game. With Ajinkya Rahane and
Manoj Tiwary biting at his heels the talented Mumbaikar will be under
great pressure to prove himself. Rahane and Tiwary will be prepared and
eager to make use of the opportunity if they do get it.
With Raina and Dhoni having done a good job in the first ODI, the batting worries are lesser in comparison to the hosts.
However
the bowling will be a cause of some headache for the captain. Zaheer
Khan has been scratchy. Pragyan Ojha is a doubtful starter after haing
been hit on the neck in a practice session. Umesh Yadav has been way too
erratic and expensive.
Ravi Ashwin and Irfan Pathan come out
looking better than their team mates but nevertheless it is going to be a
huge challenge for the bowling department to turn things around and
inspire some confidence.
Ground stats: In the previous seven completed ODIs at the Premadasa stadium, the team batting first has won only once.
London: India's campaign in the Olympics failed to sputter to life on
day one as the mixed doubles duo of V Diju and Jwala Gutta lost their
opening group game in badminton and the men's archery team was
eliminated at the pre-quarterfinal stage on Saturday.
The
country's bid to reap rewards on the badminton court suffered a setback
when Diju and Jwala, a settled pair hunting for a medal, were beaten in
straight games by Indonesia's Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir in their
opening Group C match here.
Jwala and Diju lost 16-21 12-21 in just 25 minutes at the Wembley Arena.
The Indians will take on the Danish combination of Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl in their next match on Sunday.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarterfinals.
The
archery venue - the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground - failed to provide
cheer for the second day running when the men's team of Jayanta
Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee and Tarundeep Rai were knocked out after losing
to Japan in a tense pre-quarterfinal shoot-off.
The Indian trio, who had
qualified bottom of the heap at 12th in the rankings round yesterday,
were tied with their Japanese rivals at 214 after the regulation four
rounds.
But the threesome of Yu Ishizu, Hideki Kikuchi and
Takaharu Furukawa edged past the Indians 29-27 in the shoot-off in which
the archers shoot alternatively.
The Indians were leading by two points in regulation play before the Japanese equalised to force a tie-breaker.
The trio will now be seen in action in the individual elimination rounds that will commence on Monday.
All
eyes will next be on the women's team, led by world no. 1 Deepika
Kumari, which will compete in the Eliminator tomorrow against Denmark.
The women's team was ranked ninth after preliminary round on Friday.
New Delhi: A 17 day event does not give much time for
relaxation. The first day of the Olympic action will see as many as 12
Indian players competing for the medal in their respective category. The
inaugural day will see boxing champion Vijender Singh, badminton player
Jwala Gutta and tennis player Sania mirza in action.
Latest- The young Indian boxer Shiva Thapa loses bantamweight bout.
Inexperience cost the Indian. India had seven boxers at the Olympics,
now they have six as Thapa loses bantamweight bout. Valdez won by 14
points to 9. Easy win in the end but Valdez had to win the last round
7-3.
Earlier, India’s bantamweight (56 kg) star had taken the ring with
boxing coach G S Sandhu, who was giving some last minute to the young
Thapa. His opponent was Oscar Valdez. 10m Air Pistol: Vijay Kumar shoots 570
India’s Vijay Kumar didn’t have the best showing. He shot a total of
570 out of 600. He was way off the pace, and shot a 93 in the last
round. South Korea’s Jin Jongoh beat China’s Pang Wei to the top spot
with a score of 588. Wei shot 586.
Badminton Men's Singles
The Indian badminton player PARUPALLI Kashyap playing his inaugural
match in badminton men's singles, defeated Belgian's Tan Y, 21-14,
21-12. Indian badminton star lead in the first set comfortably. The
Belgian looked lost in front of Kashyap's master stroke play.
Table Tennis
Ankita Desai has lost her first match in table tennis. Ramirez
crushed Ankita 4-1 in the first round in TT. She won 11-9, 11-8, 11-7,
8-11, 11-2.
Air Pistol
While Vijay Kumar is competing in the men's 10m air pistol event in the Royal Artillery Barracks.
The event is underway.
Archery
In archery Indian trio of TALUKDAR Jayanta, RAI Tarundeep, BANERJEE
Rahul went down to Japan in the shoot out after the 8 round match ended
in a draw (214-214). The Indian men's team have been knocked out of
competition.
Badminton Women's doubles
Ealier in the day, it was a poor start for the Indian pair of Jwala
Gutta and V Diju went down to Indonesian pair of Natsir and Ahmad,
16-21, 12-21.
The first match of the day proved to be a tough ask for the Indian
pair of Jwala Gutta and V Diju. In the first round of the mixed doubles
the Indian duo lost the first game without a fight. The Indonesian pair
of Ahmad and Natsir took the first set comnfortably.
The second set too lasted only 13 minutes. The indonesian pair was comfortably home with straight sets win.
However, hopes for Indian pair are still alive as this was not a knock out match.
There is laughter galore in 'Kyaa Super Kool Hain
Hum' but here is some caution - it is for those who totally acknowledge,
agree and accept the genre laid out for them and are happy to pick and
choose from some out and out crudity that is spread wide open.
Hence for those who have issues with jokes related to
sex, caste, creed, colour or social standing may well stay away because
frankly, the film is not meant for them in the first place. However
those who mainly want their two and a half hours in theatres to go by in
a jiffy with funny jokes and double entendres that are actually as
straight as it gets, KSKHH is a good bet.
It is actually tough to even arrive at a basic
synopsis of the film. Is it about two struggling youngsters Riteish
Deshmukh and Tusshar Kapoor? Is it about their love life, or the lack of
it, when they come across Sarah-Jane Dias and Neha Sharma? Is it about a
father (Anupam Kher) who goes insane and starts believing in pugs being
his parents? Is it about the pug itself which is forever on Viagra? Or
is it about a series of joke books that came writer-director Sachin
Yardi's way who was as overjoyed as a kid in a candy bar who struggled
to decide what to pick and choose?
Perhaps that was indeed the case because at the end
of it all, 'Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum' turns out to be a film which is
basically a series of gags, double entendres, extended scenes depicting
comedy of errors, really short takes which could well be limited
characters Twitter jokes or standalone pieces that may be a status
update on Facebook. Now this wouldn't have been possible if not for the
comic timing of Riteish Deshmukh and Tusshar Kapoor who have time and
again shown their hold over this genre.
On the other hand it is actually a pleasant surprise
to see Neha as well as Sarah to be actually enjoying a good screen time.
One would have expected the girls to be mainly decorative pieces with
'kool' boys picking up the best lines and scenes. However at the core of
it, the film is basically a love story of these two couples which means
the girls never really go out of the picture.
Moreover they play their part well and convincing
while also indulging in reasonable skin show that keeps all segments of
audience happy. While it would be hard to ignore Sarah's walk in a
bikini, Neha would gain some fans for her cute-n-hot girl act.
What doesn't quite succeed though are two episodes -
the ones featuring Chunky Pandey and Kevin Dave respectively. Former
still has some part to play in the film's plot but has been handled
rather amateurishly. On the other hand one wonders what really made the
makers hold on to Kevin's part at the script level itself. Totally
unnecessary.
Same is the case with the songs as well. Despite
being tuned well with 'Dil Garden Garden' being the pick of the lot,
each of the four songs is totally avoidable. In fact they only slow down
the film's pace at regular intervals. Also, though the film's pace is
more or less even, the interval point isn't really the kind that makes
you roll with laughter. Moreover there is a portion in the middle of the
second half that just doesn't work despite the efforts of injecting one
liners.
Thankfully the pre-climax and climax sequences are
strong again and Sachin deserves good marks for not allowing the film to
get into the Priyadarshan/Anees Bazmee category. Instead, there are
jokes that continue till the very end, hence bringing KSKHH to a very
satisfying end with some roaring laughter all over again.
With no storyline whatsoever, it would be a challenge
for any filmmaker to spin something enjoyable that manages to grab your
attention in bits and parts at least. However this Sachin Yardi film
does take up the challenge and keeps the viewer entertained for most
part of its 140 minutes length.
This is remarkable, considering the fact that the
basic plot is so paper thin. At the end of it all, the film does make
you laugh with quite a few jokes reverberating in your mind even as end
credits roll.
Mumbai: Veteran scriptwriter Salim Khan feels 'Ek Tha Tiger' will be a landmark in his actor son Salman's career.
Director Kabir Khan, showed the film to the the eminent writer, and he is quite happy with it.
"Showed 'Ek Tha Tiger' to a living legend of screenwriting in
Hindi cinema. At the end of the film he hugged me and said - 'Ab sojao
beta..'. With a beaming smile he said - 'it's a landmark film for
Salman'. It was the man whose films we saw and studied in film school.
It was Salim Khan," Kabir tweeted.
Produced by Yash Raj Films, 'Ek Tha Tiger', slated for release Aug
15, will see Salman-Katrina on silver screen after four years. Their
last film together was 2008 release 'Yuvvraaj'.
New Delhi: Pranab Mukherjee is President-elect and will take oath as the 13th President of India at 11.30 am on Wednesday, July 25.
The
returning officer for the presidential elections, VK Agnihotri,
announced a little after 6.30 pm on Sunday, "Pranab Mukherjee has been
duly elected to the office of President of India." Mr Mukherjee has won
the election with 69.31 per cent votes; he polled 713,937 votes of the
total 10,29,924 votes. His opponent Purno Sangma had 315,987 votes or
30.69 per cent of the total votes. (Special Feature: Pranab Mukherjee - From 'village boy' to President-elect)
Mr
Mukherjee waited till votes from only one state were left to be counted
and he had crossed seven lakh votes, to say thank you. "I express my
deep gratitude and thank people of this great country for conferring
this distinction by electing me to this high post. I have received much
more from the people, parties, Parliament than I have given them... I
will try to justify," a beaming Mr Mukherjee said. (Highlights of what Pranab said) | (Read: It felt like a general election, says Pranab Mukherjee)
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Who is Pranab Mukherjee?
The returning officer for the presidential election and Rajya Sabha
Secretary General V K Agnihotri will send a copy of the result and the
victory certificate to the Law Ministry to enable the government
initiate the process of installing the new President. A similar copy
will be sent to the Election Commission.
On Wednesday morning, Mr Mukherjee will be escorted by the
President's Military Secretary to Rashtrapati Bhavan. From there
President Pratibha Patil and Mr Mukherjee will leave in a ceremonial
cavalcade for the swearing-in ceremony. The short route will be lined
with soldiers. He will take oath in the Central Hall of Parliament, a
familiar haunt of over four decades for Mr Mukherjee. The Chief Justice
of India will administer the oath of office.
Soon after the
swearing-in ceremony, Mr Mukherjee will go to Rashtrapati Bhavan where
he will be received at the forecourts by outgoing President. Mr
Mukherjee will then escort Ms Patil to her temporary accommodation in
Tughlak Lane where she will stay till her post-retirement home in Pune
is ready.
The rigours of a long day barely show on the
76-year-old. Dapper in dark bandhgala, his wife of 55 years, Suvra, too
smiling by his side, Mr Mukherjee stayed home on Sunday greeting the
many visitors streaming in to congratulate him. Congress President Sonia
Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi visited. Speaker Meira Kumar did too. Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh came with his wife and brought a bouquet of
lilies and roses.
Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee
reportedly called Mr Mukherjee to congratulate him and confirmed that
she would attend the swearing-in ceremony. Ms Banerjee had said last
week that she would vote for Mr Mukherjee, but very reluctantly.
Counting
for the Presidential elections began at 11 am today and celebrations
began alongside. As expected Mr Mukherjee took an early lead winning 72
per cent of the MP votes, which were counted first. Sources told NDTV
that Mr Mukherjee, the UPA's nominee, bagged 527 votes out of the 748
votes of MPs. His opponent and the NDA's candidate, PA Sangma, got 206
votes, according to sources. That meant 3, 73,116 votes in Mr
Mukherjee's kitty.
State after big state thereafter delivered as
expected in favour of Mr Mukherjee and his lead widened - Kerala, in
fact, saw all its 124 legislators voting for him. BJP-ruled states like
Goa, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat did give Mr Sangma more votes but it was
just not enough. As Maharashtra votes were counted, Mr Mukherjee moved
past the magical hallway mark of 5.25 lakh votes.
BJP-ruled
Karnataka grabbed headlines as usual; Mr Mukherjee got more votes than
he expected because of massive cross-voting, sources said. Mr Mukherjee
got 117 votes, Mr Sangma 103. That was 53 per cent votes for Mr
Mukherjee and the brand new government of Jagadish Shettar will have
some explaining to do. (Read: Cross-voting in favour of Pranab Mukherjee in Karnataka) | (How MPs and MLAs voted)
Defence
Minister AK Antony has said the UPA will miss Mr Mukherjee, Home
Minister P Chidambaram has thanked allies and friends and the BJP's Ravi
Shankar Prasad has congratulated him "warmly." (Read: BJP congratulates Pranab, to probe Karnataka cross-voting)
JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav, who is also the NDA convenor, congratulated Mr
Mukherjee and his family over the victory. "We supported Pranab as he is
a political man. He won't depend on advisors as he knows the
constitution," said Mr Yadav. (Live Blog)
Up
ahead lie tough tasks for Mr Mukherjee. There are more than 10
petitions sent by prisoners on death row to the President's office,
asking for clemency. Among them, that of Afzal Guru, convicted for a
terror attack on Parliament in 2001, a brazen assault in which 12 people
were killed when Parliament was in session. The new President will have
to decide what becomes of these mercy petitions, some of which have
major political ramifications. For example, Balwant Singh Rajoana, who
is in jail in Punjab for the assassination of former chief minister
Beant Singh, is treated as a martyr and paid lavish tribute by the Sikh
clergy.
The President is also likely to have a huge imprint on
the political future of the country in 2014, when the general elections
are expected to yield a hung Parliament. The President could then have a
casting vote to decide who should come to power. He also has the right
to dissolve a deeply-fractured Parliament, if that's what the results
deliver.
Mr Mukherjee's victory today had been a given and long
before the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress became the last ally
to announce support for him. Apart from all the UPA allies, parties such
as the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, as well as two Left
parties - the CPM and the Forward Bloc - have also backed him.
Mr Mukherjee's Sunday morning was routine, his campaign manager said. He read the papers, had tea, bathed and did his pooja. (Read: From Poltu to President: 5 little-known facts about Pranab Mukherjee) Then, he had to begin meeting the deluge of visitors.
PA
Sangma is not giving up even now. At a press conference he wished Mr
Mukherjee much success but also described this year's Presidential
elections as a "partisan and political" one. Team Sangma has said it
will move court insisting that Mr Mukherjee's nomination is invalid.
Team Sangma contends that Mr Mukherjee held an office of profit as the
chairman of the Kolkata-based Indian Statistical Institute on the day he
filed his nomination papers. Mr Mukherjee has said he had resigned from
that position much before the date of filing nomination and has
furnished papers which have since been cleared by the election officer.
Mr Sangma's team still alleges those papers are forged. (Read: Sangma congratulates Pranab)
Christopher Nolan has done
it again. They say the third outing is always tricky as there is awful
lot of pressure to present a convincing plot for the audience in a way
that the trilogy culminates into one phenomenal celluloid experience.
Nolan has undoubtedly, outdone himself with his latest film which also
happens to be the last in the Batman franchise.
`The Dark Knight Rises` director condemns Colorado massacre
It is tough to imagine that a comic
strip could have such a poignant and an incredibly spell binding movie
transformation. You remain fixed to your seats through the entire run of
this 2 hours 45 minutes dark action thriller.
Right from the
first installment of the franchise- ‘Batman Begins’ to ‘The Dark Knight
Rises’, the director has maintained the same tone and feel of the film,
with the antagonist having an overwhelmingly terrifying influence on
viewers with their mean and unfathomable manipulative schemes. While
Joker of ‘The Dark Knight’, played impeccably by late Heath Ledger, won
more accolades from viewers for his eccentric devilish act than Batman
played by Christian Bale, this time round we have even more dangerous
and evil adversary of the caped crusader in the form of Bane (Tom Hardy)
who is not only intelligent but far more strong and agile than our
hero.
The story unfolds eight years after the death of district
attorney Harvey Dent who in pursuit to completely eradicate organized
crime from the Gotham city loses his life under double dealing
circumstances at the hands of Batman. Police Commissioner Gordon (Gary
Oldman) is convinced that crime has severely been curbed following
Dent’s death. But at some other place there has risen Bane who is hell
bent on bringing Gotham city down by presenting the most daunting
picture of organized crime by degrading contemporary societal trends.
Exploiting on the crumpled economic situation of Gotham and the
rich-poor divide, Bane, the ‘terrorist’ plans a very conniving plot to
take Gotham city under siege challenging Batman to come out of his
shell.
Meanwhile, the Dark Knight of the city aka Batman has
become a recluse taking the blame of Harvy Dent’s death upon him. The
film also has the ‘Catwoman’(superbly played by Anne Hathway) who very
tactfully manages to lure Batman to his most powerful opponent till date
who in a fight overpowers Batman- even breaking his back and dumping
him to rot.
Batman has to save his city and its people and he has
to rise to the occasion. And in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, Batman has to
fight not only Bane but also his own self. He has to get rid of the
guilt of killing Dent and his once fiancée Rachel and come to terms with
the fact even if his ways of dealing with the warlords are in
transgression with the city’s administration; he is the ultimate savior
of Gotham.
This film has some fine performances, from Gary Oldman
as the exhausted yet perennially decent Commissioner Gordon to Joseph
Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, a young cop who ends up at the heart of the
action. Marion Cotillard and Anne Hathaway add glamour and intrigue.
Tom
Hardy who plays Bane is someone to look out for in ‘The Dark Knight
Rises’. He’s got a great character and he plays it with aplomb. But the
screenplay and treatment of the story by director Nolan is the real
deal.
Take a bow ladies and gentleman – for the maverick of Nolan
rises again as he delivers a masterpiece called – ‘The Dark Knight
Rises’.
Kolkata, India, June 30, 2012 (Washington Bangla Radio / Penning Creations) After nearly 5 years since the last outing, director Marc Webb comes out with the fourth movie in the Spider-Man series with a renewed Andrew Garfield in the garb of Peter Parker and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. The film in 3D is the biggest Hollywood release yet in India with a whooping 1,000 prints, and also released in India a full week before the US release.
The movie attempts to strike some untouched chords in the life of Peter Parker, bringing to life a ferocious nemesis and above all, strengthen the admiration and respect we have for the Marvel Comics hero.
The inquisitiveness of finding the reason behind his parents’ disappearance gets the better of him when he locates his father’s briefcase which point towards a connection with his long time partner, a research scientist by the name of Dr. Curtis Connors (Rhys Ifan) who works at the research firm Osborne Industries. Unable to contain the curiosity anymore, he snoops around Dr Connors’ office looking for clues, but ends up getting bitten by a spider. As Parker takes cognizance of his superpowers, he realizes with great alarm that a certain danger lurks in the corner. Yes, the very Dr Connors has now transformed into a ferocious lizard and threatens to form an army. The setting is thus clear. Not only does Spider-Man have to find the reasons for his parents’ strange disappearance but he also has to protect the city from the slithering monster.
The Amazing Spider-Man is a package that promises to be a thrilling date at the theaters for the audience simply because of the steadfast plot and the cast of fantastic characters that it carries around with itself. Andrew Garfieldfrom The Social Network fame comes across as the under-confident adolescent, who begins to throw humorous one-liners and play the romantic card as soon as he recognizes his superpowers. Emma Stone adds up the tempo of the movie and romps in the romantic chemistry with Garfield. Indian movie fans will also find great satisfaction in the fact that our very own Irrfan Khan has bagged a prominent role in the movie.
One thing that has to be highlighted above all is the special effects and the action sequences which have been crafted with perfection and edited with absolute finesse. Overall, this superhero action flick from Mark Webb proves to be the perfect midriff entertainer between the multimillion dollar success The Avengers and the highly anticipated Batman's return in The Dark Knight Rises. An absolute action entertainer, it is without doubt a must watch!
WITH ALL due respect to the earlier films, the web-slinging reboot “The Amazing Spider-Man,” opening Tuesday, should have come first.
Director Marc Webb’s action-adventure is grounded in a recognizable reality, but is also full of thrills. It’s dark and mysterious, but doesn’t skimp on fun.
And, in star Andrew Garfield, there’s actual power to Peter Parker, usually seen as comicdom’s superdork. The 28-year-old British actor brings to the role something like a 1970s-style grit. Back then, actors including Al Pacino and Jon Voight were contenders to play Superman; in Garfield, we see a bit of what that may have been like.
The new tone is set early. When his scientist father suspects nefarious forces are nearby, 7-year-old Peter is brought to his Aunt May (Sally Field) and Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) for safety.
EMMA & ANDREW OPEN UP IN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE DAILY NEWS
Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone get cozy atop the Empire State Building. (Bryan Smith for New York Daily News Mom and dad never return.
Now a teen, Peter’s a smart kid more into books than Facebook. He learns Oscorp Labs hired his dad’s former associate, Dr. Curt Connors, whom Peter hopes has knowledge about his parents. But Connors (Rhys Ifans) is doing strange things with science, developing a reptile serum to regrow his missing arm, and one of his steroidal spiders bites Peter.
Columbia Pictures' "The Amazing Spider-Man," starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. (Courtesy of CTMG./ImageMagick)
We know the result, and the transformation from man to Spider-Man is refreshingly free from the giddiness of previous versions. After Uncle Ben is shot during a robbery, Peter turns masked vigilante. (The costume he creates looks handmade, and stays that way, while his webbing comes from wrist devices, not his veins.)
Yet Connors has changed, too — into a giant lizard with a human mind and voice (more about that later). He has used his serum on himself, and as his reptilian side takes over, he hatches a plan to turn all of N.Y.C. into scaly iguana-folk.
Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield attend the 66th Annual Tony Awards at The Beacon Theatre on June 10, 2012 in New York City. (Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
No word on whether Jersey would be safe, but police Capt. Stacy (Denis Leary) is more intent on catching Spider-Man, while Stacy’s daughter Gwen (Emma Stone) attracts her classmate Peter’s attention, and vice-versa. Their love story is sweet and mature, and Stone’s smart, self-possessed Gwen is a far cry from Kirsten Dunst’s pouty Mary Jane in the earlier films.
In fact, so much of “The Amazing Spider-Man” is finely tuned — including the trippy special effects, nighttime atmosphere and full-throated emotions — that the villain’s plot seems secondary.
That has been a problem before, even in the earlier series’ high point “Spider-Man 2,” and this isn’t the first comic-book film to suffer from a villain problem. For as good as Ifans is, his CGI alter-ego feels like a “Jurassic Park” reject filled with “I’ll prove to them I’m a genius!”-style taunts.
It’s in these areas where the movie stumbles, and despite the cool web-swinging and 3D-enhanced powers, it’s almost unfortunate Webb has to build such Spider-Man stuff into his “Spider-Man” movie. So many things click — including a great midfilm save of a car dangling off a bridge — that the creature-feature fights seem like filler.
Happily, the missteps aren’t strong enough to kill this sharp reimagining. Ultimately, the amazingly gripping parts of “The Amazing Spider-Man” are what stick.
