Sachin tendulkar's interview before going his first test to west indies...
Dec 23, 2011
Dec 22, 2011
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Dhoni Wedding Photos |
Mahendra Singh Dhoni with wife Sakshi Marriage Photos
M S Dhoni Wedding pics
Dec 3, 2011
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Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement With Upasana Kamineni -Video |
Magha Dheerudu Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement With Upasana Kamineni
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 1
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 2
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 3
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 4
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 5
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 6
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 7
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 8
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 9
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 10
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 11
Ram Charan Teja Grand Engagement Function - Part 12
Dec 2, 2011
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Lady Gaga ‘Marry the Night’ video debuts: Singer breaks down in autobiographical rise-to-fame film |
Lady Gaga relives one of her darkest days in the 14-minute long 'Marry the Night' video. Lady Gaga ‘Marry the Night’ video debuts: Singer breaks down in autobiographical rise-to-fame film Mother Monster is at it again. The latest music video to drop from Haus of Gaga is here -- and it's more of an autobiographical mini-documentary than anything else. A whopping 14-minutes long, Lady Gaga's "Marry the Night" video relives what the pop star says was one of her darkest days during her rise to fame. "It was one of the worst days of my life and it happened quite quickly, but in my mind, when I think back on that period of my life, it all happened very slow,
" she told E! prior to the world premier of the much-anticipated video Thursday, referring to when she was dropped by her first record label, Island Def Jam. Directed by the Lady herself, the video starts off with the singer being wheeled along on a gurney by two Calvin Klein-clad nurses, her hair coiffed in a tousled brunette bob. "When I look back on my life it's not that I don't want to see things exactly as they happened," a robotic sounding Gaga says in a voice over.
"It's just that I prefer to remember them in an artistic way." It's unclear in video what's brought the pop star to her bed-ridden state at what appears to be some sort of clinic or insane asylum, but an older nurse who delivered her from birth tells the "morphine princess" to stay away from intimacy for two weeks. "I'm gonna be a star," a teary-eyed Gaga tells her. "You know why? Because I have nothing left to lose." Flash forward, and the pop-star is a ballerina appearing alone on stage. The next minute, she is topless and laying in bed, when she gets a phone call. "But I'm an artist," she says into the receiver, before going absolutely ballistic. She does what any rejected aspiring pop star would do: smashes mirrors, destroys her apartment and dumps a box of Honey Nut Cheerios over her head before collapsing in a tub. She begins dying her brown locks blond. A Madonna-esque
Gaga steps out in the next scene donning a bedazzled denim ensemble. "I did what any girl would do," she says in a voice over. "I did it all over again." Cue music. As the song finally begins (eight minutes in to the actual video), Gaga tries to sneak into a car through the sunroof while around her, abandoned vehicles burn in the night. Seconds later, she's in a dance studio, practicing her best pop-star moves along with a host of other aspiring dancers. The rest of the video is pretty tame by Gaga standards, save for a few flashbacks to her freaking out in a bathtub. She dances on the streets while wearing blue lipstick. She tumbles down some stairs. She lights a few cars on fire. And then it's over.
What did the wacky singer think about the final production? "It was intensely important to me that it was not too beautiful," she told E! "It was an incredible experience. It was amazing. It was absolutely amazing." Gaga added that the video's real message is about her marrying her own personal difficulties. "I am destined to struggle, I am destined to write music about the struggle, and I accept it willingly," she said.
Nov 30, 2011
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Indira Goswami, in a big, red bindi and bright colours |
A beloved daughter of Assam, writer, peacemaker
Her novels, short stories had appeal wider than boundaries of her State
Indira Goswami, who died on Tuesday aged 69, was among India's most celebrated contemporary writers whose work spoke boldly and evocatively for the empowerment of women and other marginalised sections of society across the country. For this, she won the nation's highest literary honours, and respect and adulation in her home State Assam, where she was known as “baideiu” or elder sister. In recent years, she used her public standing and influence to mediate between the separatist group ULFA and the government, paving the way for talks between the two sides.
Writing under the name of Mamoni Raisom, she won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1983, the Jnanpith in 2001, and literary prizes from almost every Indian State. In 2008, she received the Prince Claus Award in the Netherlands. With their pan-Indian themes, her novels and short stories, most of which have been translated from the Assamese into English and several Indian languages, had appeal wider than the boundaries of her State. Indira Goswami was not just an Assamese litterateur; she was a national writer from Assam.
Far ahead of its times, her Neelkantha Braja was one of the earliest works of Indian literature to highlight the exploitation of destitute widows in Brindavan. The book was born out of Goswami's own early widowhood, and a short experimental stay in a widows' home in the U.P town.
The plight of widows in Hindu society, and the oppression of girls and women were themes that ran through most of her other work, notably in Dontal Hatir Une Khowda Howda (The Moth Eaten Howdah of a Tusker), which is set in a sattra — a Vaishnavite monastery in Assam — and is a modern Indian classic.
Her novel about the bloody anti-Sikh riots in Delhi, Pages Stained with Blood, haunts the reader long after it is read. She told me once about a visit to the riot-hit Jahangir Puri. “You know, I had never seen so many fresh widows together wailing in a chorus,” she said.
Indira Goswami was born in November 1942 in a well-to-do Vaishnavite Brahmin family in Assam. She was educated in Shillong and Guwahati. In 1962, a meeting with Madhevan Raisom Ayengar, a young engineer from Mysore who was working on the construction of the Saraighat Bridge in Guwahati, led to love and to marriage. But the marriage was short-lived. Less than two years later, Madhevan was killed in a road accident in Kashmir, where the couple was then living. They had no children.
In Assam, Indira Goswami's life is an open book. Her frank Adhalekha Dastavej (An Unfinished Autobiography), written in 1988, details her battle with intense depression after her husband's death, her nights with sleeping tablets, handfuls of which she swallowed in two attempts to end her life, and the story of how she won the struggle by immersing herself completely in her writing. It has been read widely in Assam. Even people who have not read it would know about her life, in the way everyone knows a folktale. Most of her early novels run so close to her real life that it is difficult to separate fiction from reality, especially for those who have read her autobiography.
She later joined the Modern Indian Language (MIL) department of Delhi University, and went on to head its Assamese language department. To honour her, the University made her the Professor Emeritus in 2009 after her retirement. It was during her stint in the national capital that she attained national prominence.
She drew on other diverse settings for her novels. The Rusted Sword is set against a worker's agitation in Madhya Pradesh. The Chenab's Current is the story of exploitation of labourers working for companies building an aqueduct over the Chenab River in Kashmir, and drew from her own experience in the Valley.
It was the quest for justice, a running thread of her oeuvre, that may have propelled her into getting involved in mediating between the separatist group ULFA and the government; perhaps, she was the only person who both sides could trust.
Her own efforts came at a time when the Assamese people had begun looking at the ULFA with mixed feelings. Like other Assamese, she was deeply disturbed by the Dhemaji blasts of 2004, in which the ULFA targeted a school on Independence Day, killing many children. She had been working on a novel set against the Assamese separatist movement. The bloodshed and human rights violations shook her to the core. She wanted the insurgency to end. But her desire to bring back the lost “boys” of the generation invited people to look at the militants with a new perspective, as products of the unjust eighties of Assam.
Critics dismissed it as a political move but she was detached about her involvement from the beginning. She stressed she was just an “observer” in spite of playing an influential role in the process. By the time she had a cerebral stroke in 2007 and was able to recover from it, she believed she had done her bit for it. Moi duwar muoli kori disu (I have opened doors to discussion), she said, and was eager to get back to what she loved most: writing. Thus emerged The Bronze Sword of Thengphakhri Tehsildar, her last novel about a Bodo woman who fought against the British.
But that first stroke was the beginning of the deterioration in her health. Even though she remained active in public life, it exhausted her. Right until the end, when she spoke, Assam listened.
After she was hospitalised early this year, the endless stream of visitors to her intensive care ward overwhelmed not just her family and friends, but the hospital authorities too. Suddenly, that corridor that led to her room in Guwahati Medical College Hospital had transformed into an equalising space where politicians in power, and out of power, came to visit her, jostling for space with innumerable unknown and known admirers.
Turning the pages of the visitors' notebook that had filled up with thousands of greetings within days, it struck me then that this is what she had hoped Assam would be one day: where everyone would be equal and united, something she always tried to suggest with her fiction. Across Assam and in several parts of India prayer-meets were organised by her admirers. Mass texts were circulated: forward this to people if you want her to recover; and people did. One evening when I had gone to the hospital to meet her family I was struck by a sight of hundreds of mustard oil lamps lit by people at the entrance. It looked like Diwali.
Truly, when she spoke, 31 million people listened. May be more. I don't know of any other contemporary author in the world who occupied such a central place and unparalleled popularity in the public imagination.
Oct 7, 2011
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Eva Longoria's 'steamy lesbian scene' with female co-star in new flick |
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Actress Eva Longoria has shot a series of same-sex love scenes with fellow co-star Kate Del Castillo for her new flick.
The 'Desperate Housewives' beauty is seen locking lips with Castillo in the comedy flick 'Without Men'.
The brunette duo then step it up a gear as Castillo passionately pecks at her onscreen love interest's bare chest.
Longoria is then seen arching her head back in appreciation before the pair take matters into the bedroom, sending pulses racing as they writhe around under the sheets.
In the film, which is an adaptation of the novel 'Tales of the Town of Widows' by James Canon, Longoria stars as a strong-willed woman who is forced to take charge of her remote Latin American village when all the men are forced to join communist guerrillas.
Oct 1, 2011
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'50/50' Review |
'50/50': The Reviews Are In
Most critics think the comedy about cancer proves anything can be funny.
When Will Reiser first found out he had cancer, he and his comedy-writer buddies (including Seth Rogen and "Pineapple Express" scribe Evan Goldberg) would jokingly wonder if Reiser's disease would bring them all a Make-a-Wish opportunity to hang with Led Zeppelin.
That rock-and-roll dream never came true, but Reiser's battle with, and eventual remission from, cancer did gift them all with one thing: "50/50," a comedy (out now) that is drawing rave reviews from critics and is being discussed as a possible contender come awards season. Though not all reviewers have found it easy to find yuks in a deadly serious topic, far more point to the film as an example that nothing is out of bounds when it comes to art and comedy; handled deftly, anything can lead to laughter and learning.
The Story
"Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a nice guy with a great job at a Seattle NPR station, a promising relationship with up-and-coming artist Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard), a best-friend-since-high-school named Kyle (Seth Rogen) to hang with -- and, as he learns to his horror in a doctor's office, cancer. ... Also woven deftly into the mixture is Anna Kendrick as a young (very young) therapist assigned to work with Adam; [Anjelica] Huston as the kind of mother who explains 'I want you to know that I smothered him because I love him' to anyone who will listen. ... It's not a perfect movie, but it doesn't matter. '50/50' takes on a bold subject and makes us laugh and cry. I thought I didn't want to see a cancer comedy; I was wrong." -- Moira McDonald, The Seattle Times
The Laughs
"Scenes where the pals trash a piece of once-important memorabilia in a backyard rampage and the after-effects of pot-laden cookies scored at the chemotherapy clinic show loopily grinning Gordon-Levitt at his best. Kudos to [director Jonathan] Levine for not letting Rogen's very funny comedic bits overshadow the proceedings. The actor dials it down ever so slightly and isn't afraid to be the butt of jokes -- watch for Gordon-Levitt's spot-on Rogen impersonation. The suggestion a bald head and a cancer diagnosis could be the ultimate pickup leverage leads Adam and Kyle into funny territory. But the hilarity turns with the exploration of deeper relationships as Adam finds new friends among the genial stoners of all ages at the chemo clinic." -- Linda Barnard, Toronto Star
The Writing
"[Reiser] draws on his personal battle with a rare form of that disease. His success rate in the delicate balance between comedy and the profound devastation of such an illness is much greater than 50/50, but the film is not without its tonal lapses. ... Reiser has written his characters with an indelible sweetness and vulnerability, which allows the cast to deliver performances with some depth. So a situation such as Kyle insisting that Adam and he should cruise girls at a bar looking for sympathy lays -- Cruisin' with the Big C as it were -- comes off as quite funny as does Adam's first chemo session where he ingests weed-laced sweets created by a fellow patient's wife and floats out of the hospital afterwards." -- Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
The Dissenters
"In the pantheon of tastelessness designed to make you laugh at diarrhea, menstruation, masturbation, yeast infections, fellatio and worse, you can now add a stupid horror called '50/50.' Artificial, irresponsible, filthy and forgettable, it knocks itself cross-eyed trying to make you roar with laughter at chemotherapy, with the nauseating Seth Rogen milking most of the yuks. But a stoner comedy about cancer? I don't think so." -- Rex Reed, The New York Observer
The Final Word
"The reason '50/50' works is it's not trying to force us into any particular emotion. It fits in the emerging category of sad-man comedies such as 'Up in the Air' and 'Crazy, Stupid Love,' telling its downbeat tale with tenderness, sincerity and warmth. '50/50' isn't a cancer buddy comedy or a male weepie but a message movie. The message is that you can tackle pretty much any subject matter and tell a story any way you want to onscreen as long as it's absorbing." --
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Demi Moore And Ashton Kutcher Still Follow Each Other On Twitter |
Despite reports, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore are still together...on Twitter, at least.
RadarOnline reported today that the "Two and A Half Men" star, who's also a prolific tweeter, had stopped following his wife of six years amidst rumors of their marital troubles.
Reports surfaced this week that Kutcher cheated on Moore with Sara Leal, a 23-year who allegedly met with a lawyer on Tuesday.
Page Six and Gawker picked up the Twitter story, too, but the evidence points to the contrary.
A quick scroll through the "following" list of @aplusk, Kutcher's Twitter account, reveals that Moore, who's known on Twitter as @mrskutcher, is still there, right between Diddy and fitness guru Tony Horton. She's very far down the page, which means that he's been following her for quite some time:
The ongoing saga of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore's terrible split-up continues. Today the news is that Ashton no longer follows Demi on Twitter. On Twitter! On Twitter?? Yes, on Twitter. Ashton follows some 600 people (perfectly proportionate to his million-jillion followers) and Demi, duhhhh, used to be one of them, with her @mrskutcher name and everything, but now SHE IS NOT. According to this newspaper for old people anyway. Whodathunk it? Hm? They seemed like the eternal couple, like salt and pepper, like always together. Instead now it's all just this dump. On Twitter?? On Twitter. No longer following. Do not follow me, I don't know where I'm going. What a thing
Sep 27, 2011
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Demi Moore shares topless photo on Twitter |
Demi Moore just can't resist taking photos of herself (especially in the bathroom mirror) and sharing them with us. Here she is topless, in a Twitter photo posted Thursday that's still causing buzz.
Her thought accompanying the photo was: "Remember ... you've got your own back."
Later, when someone asked what she meant exactly, Moore replied:
"To remember to be your own best friend to find light & protection from within yourself!"
So far, she's shows us photos of herself in a bikini - that was in 2010 - and in panties in a photo taken by hubby Ashton Kutcher in 2009. What's next?
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Katrina Kaif Hot Belly dance |
Bollywood beauty Katrina Kaif shaking her booty at the music launch of 'Zindagi Na Milege Dobara' along with other co-stars Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar
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Mukesh and Nita Ambani with their kids Real-life Photos |
The Ambanis
Description: Mukesh and Nita Ambani with their kids
Mukesh Ambani's Children Akash, Isha and Anant Ambani
Mukesh Ambani is married to Nita Ambani, who looks after the social and charitable arm of Reliance Industries. They have three children: Akash, Isha and Anant.
Mukesh Ambani's daughter Isha Ambani has grabbed the second position on a Forbes list of billionaire heiresses. (Sep 2008)
About 16-year-old Isha, it said that Mukesh Ambani's only daughter is ‘just a teenager but already has her own stake in the family's Reliance Industries, worth about USD 80 million’.
Sep 26, 2011
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Lady GaGa Biography and Profile |
Born - March 28, 1986 (age 25)
New York City, United States
Birth Name :
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
Height
5' 1"
Nationality
American
Genres - Pop, dance
Occupations - Singer-songwriter, performance artist, record producer, dancer, businesswoman, activist
Instruments - Vocals, piano, synthesizer, keytar
Years active - 2005–present
Claim to fame :
Single "Just Dance" (2008)
Education
Attended Convent of the Sacred Heart School, Manhattan, New York
Attended Tisch School of the Arts, NY
Lady GaGa Family
Father
Joseph Germanotta
Mother
Cynthia
Sister
Natali Germanotta (younger)
Relation
Speedy (entrepreneur, 2009), Luc Carl (drummer)
School of the Arts in 2003 and later performing in the rock music scene of New York City's Lower East Side, she signed with Streamline Records, an imprint of Interscope Records. During her early time at Interscope, she worked as a songwriter for fellow label artists and captured the attention of recording artist Akon who, recognizing her vocal abilities, signed her to his own label, Kon Live Distribution.
Gaga came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album The Fame (2008), which was a critical and commercial success and achieved international popularity with the singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". The album reached number one on the record charts of six countries, topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart while simultaneously peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and accomplished positions within the top ten worldwide. Achieving similar worldwide success, The Fame Monster (2009), its follow-up, produced a further three global chart-topping singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro" and allowed her to embark on her second global concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour, just months after having finished her first, The Fame Ball Tour. Her second studio album Born This Way (2011) topped the charts in all major musical markets after the arrival of its singles "Born This Way", "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory" – the first-mentioned achieved the number-one spot in countries worldwide and was the fastest-selling single in the history of iTunes, selling one million copies in five days.
Gaga has been included in the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world as well as being listed in a number of Forbes' annual lists.
Billboard named her the Artist of the Year in 2010, ranking her as the 73rd Artist of the 2000s decade.
Gaga came to prominence following the release of her debut studio album The Fame (2008), which was a critical and commercial success and achieved international popularity with the singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face". The album reached number one on the record charts of six countries, topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart while simultaneously peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and accomplished positions within the top ten worldwide. Achieving similar worldwide success, The Fame Monster (2009), its follow-up, produced a further three global chart-topping singles "Bad Romance", "Telephone" and "Alejandro" and allowed her to embark on her second global concert tour, The Monster Ball Tour, just months after having finished her first, The Fame Ball Tour. Her second studio album Born This Way (2011) topped the charts in all major musical markets after the arrival of its singles "Born This Way", "Judas" and "The Edge of Glory" – the first-mentioned achieved the number-one spot in countries worldwide and was the fastest-selling single in the history of iTunes, selling one million copies in five days.
Gaga has been included in the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world as well as being listed in a number of Forbes' annual lists.
Billboard named her the Artist of the Year in 2010, ranking her as the 73rd Artist of the 2000s decade.
Sep 23, 2011
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Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi Biography |
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi Biography
Mansur Ali Khan, Nawab of Pataudi & Bhopal
Born: January 5, 1941
Bhopal, India
Died : September 22, 2011 (aged 70)
New Delhi, India
Spouse: Sharmila Tagore
Children: Saif Ali Khan
Saba Ali Khan
Soha Ali Khan
Tribute to Tiger: Top 5 Pataudi Moments
He undoubtedly was one of the most charismatic cricketers India has ever produced. It was much before Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni donned the blue jersey that India learnt how to fight in tough conditions and emerge victorious. And it was all taught by Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the blue-blooded India captain. Here we pay our tribute to the legend and present Top Tiger moments.
An accident that could not deter the champion
In 1961, at an age of 20, a car accident at Hove permanently damaged vision in his right eye. "It took me a long time to realize I had virtually lost the use of one eye, but even then, never for an instant did I consider I might not be able to play cricket again," Pataudi had said. However, it was said to an end of his career. But three of four weeks after his operation, Pataudi was soon at the nets learning to play cricket with one eye.
"My batting needed sorting out. For long hours George Cod, the Sussex coach, bowled to me in the net while I worked out what I could still do and what I could not. At first I couldn't pick the length of the bowling at all. Then I reached a sort of compromise, but I suppose it took five years before I could claim to be completely on terms with my handicap," Pataudi had said in his autobiography Tiger's tale.
Youngest India captain at 21
Less than a year after his accident, Tiger was named India's captain after Nari Contractor was out of a game due to a head injury he sustained in the West Indies. He held the record of being the youngest captain till Zimbabwe's Tatenda Taibu took it from him in 2004. But he remained India's youngest captain.
First captain to win overseas Test series
It was under his captaincy that India won their first ever overseas Test series. During India's tour to New Zealand in 1968, Pataudi led the team to a 3-1 win. India won the first Test at Dunedin and the hosts leveled it at Christchurch. India bounced back in to the series and clinched the next two Tests at Wellington and Auckland. Pataudi made 221 runs in the series. "Tiger gambled like a crazy punter. His daredevil tactics paid off. The crowd worshipped him. Tiger got the best out of everybody, and we won," wrote legendary off-spinner Erapalli Prasanna in his biography.
First ever Cricket-Bollywood love story
It was the first love story that brought cricket and films closer to each other. This romance between a batsman and a beauty was nothing lesser than a fairytale. They broke the barriers of religion, class and other social norms to script the "happily-ever-after" story. Nawab Pataudi later said he had to bat on for four long years to finally marry Sharmila. It is also said that he gifted a refrigerator to woo her. Sharmila, on her part, revealed she "was attracted to Tiger for his sense of humour" and said "for us, the world ended and began with each other".
His father played for both England and India
Coming from a royal family, Mansur became the ninth Nawab of Pataudi at an early age as his father Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi died on his 11th birthday in 1952. Pataudi Sr. was one the very few cricketers who played for India and England. Mansur's elevation as captain of the Indian cricket team meant it was a father-son feat without a parallel.
Pataudi Cricket History Information
Full name Mansur Ali Khan or Mansoor Ali Khan
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Role Captain
International information
National side Indian
Career statistics
Competition Tests First-class
Matches 46 310
Runs scored 2793 15425
Batting average 34.91 33.67
100s/50s 6/16 33/75
Top score 203* 203*
Balls bowled 132 1192
Wickets 1 10
Bowling average 88.00 77.59
5 wickets in innings – –
10 wickets in match – –
Best bowling 20 1/0
Catches/stumpings 27/- 208/-
Sep 22, 2011
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Madhuri Dixit headed for divorce? |
Madhuri Dixit IS Not Happy With Hubby Shri Ram Nene?
Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit shifted to the US after getting married to Shriram Nene in 1999. Since then, she has been settled in the US and giving priority to her family that includes two sons, Arin and Ryan.
Now, we hear that Madhuri is making India her home again. Madhuri herself broke the news on Twitter: “For all my fans, we r relocating to India! It will b good to b back home.”
The latest news coming our way is that all is not well between Madhuri Dixit and Shri Ram Nene. A source reveals, “There were major fights between Shri Ram and Madhuri before Madhuri shifter to India.”
She has reportedly started looking out for schools in India for her sons.
Madhuri has kept away from Bollywood over the last few years and her comeback in 2007 in Aaja Nachle bombed at box office.
Now it seems Madhuri wants to focus back on her career. She has even started receiving offers from lot of producers. It seems it’s a fresh start for this dancing diva Madhuri Dixit.
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Indian cricket mourns passing of Pataudi |
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, a former India cricket captain who led the country to its first series victory abroad, died Thursday at a local hospital where he was being treated for a lung disease.
He was 70.
The Ganga Ram Hospital said Pataudi died Thursday evening.
Pataudi was India captain in 40 of his 46 tests from 1961-75, scoring 2,793 runs with six centuries.
He adjusted his batting style well despite the loss of sight in his right eye due to a car accident early in his career.
Pataudi became captain at 21 and won nine tests while leading India over New Zealand 3-1 in 1968 for its first series victory away from home.
Pataudi was of royal lineage and his father, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, was the only cricketer to have played tests for both England and India.
A charismatic leader and dashing batsman, Pataudi is credited with changing the mindset of Indian cricketers.
The more positive approach in subsequent years saw India win a pair of epic series in England and the West Indies in 1971 under his successor, Ajit Wadekar.
He also captained English county Sussex and Oxford University and was named Wisden cricketer of the year in 1968.
After retiring from the game, Pataudi was a match referee for the International Cricket Council, a consultant with the Board of Control for Cricket in India and a governing council member of the Indian Premier League.
Pataudi also edited a sports magazine during the 1990s.
Pataudi is survived by his actress wife Sharmila Tagore, son Saif and daughters Soha and Saba. Saif and Soha are also actors.
Sep 20, 2011
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Contagion Movie Review |
Contagion Movie Review
Cast: Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Jennifer Ehle, Marion Cotillard
Direction: Steven Soderbergh
Story:
Gwyneth Paltrow returns home to Minneapolis from a business meeting in Hong Kong with something as innocuous as a cough and a headache. Within two days she is dead and the doctors tell her grieving husband, Matt Damon, they don't know why she died. Before Damon can come to terms with his loss, the epidemic spreads the world over and nearly millions succumb to it within a short span of time. Panic spreads, governments are thrown into a tizzy, riots break out and the profiteers begin to reap gold. Can a civilised world cope with a deadly virus or are we still as ill-equipped as we were during the plague outbreak?
Movie Review:
Contagion is topical, slick, fast-paced and embellished with a stellar ensemble cast that keeps you engrossed in the drama, despite the fact that most of them don't take much of screen time. The three doctors, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle and Marion Cotillard make brief appearances in the film, but their contribution to the development of the plot is by no means minimal. Laurence Fishburne, as the reputed official representative, torn between principles and a personal transgression for a loved one, is as human as you can get. How many people wouldn't use their clout and break the queue to get a vaccine for somebody they love? Hardly any. Matt Damon as the common man left at the mercy of fumbling officialdom and social anarchy etches a picture perfect role of a man desperate to save his daughter, even if it means locking her up at home and depriving her of all social contact. Then, there is Gwyneth Paltrow, quite unforgettable as the deliciously naughty business woman who doesn't mind hooking up with her ex, while her husband and son wait for her at home: another brief role that last longer than its screen time. And finally, Jude Law as the rogue blogger is mesmerising with his rebellious streak that chooses to question all the players in this high drama and throw light on the nefarious deals between governments and pharmaceutical companies which make the most when death strikes.
The high point of Soderbergh's film is its tone: never sensationalist, always restrained and therefore credible. With the world grappling with sundry new epidemics -- SARS, Mad Cow Disease, Swine Flu -- Contagion has an expediency to it which makes it eminently watchable. Doesn't seem too far-fetched, this threat of a new and deadly disease that originates from a bat and a pig and spreads through something as unavoidable as human touch. Time to be scared. Really scared.
Gwyneth Paltrow returns home to Minneapolis from a business meeting in Hong Kong with something as innocuous as a cough and a headache. Within two days she is dead and the doctors tell her grieving husband, Matt Damon, they don't know why she died. Before Damon can come to terms with his loss, the epidemic spreads the world over and nearly millions succumb to it within a short span of time. Panic spreads, governments are thrown into a tizzy, riots break out and the profiteers begin to reap gold. Can a civilised world cope with a deadly virus or are we still as ill-equipped as we were during the plague outbreak?
Movie Review:
Contagion is topical, slick, fast-paced and embellished with a stellar ensemble cast that keeps you engrossed in the drama, despite the fact that most of them don't take much of screen time. The three doctors, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle and Marion Cotillard make brief appearances in the film, but their contribution to the development of the plot is by no means minimal. Laurence Fishburne, as the reputed official representative, torn between principles and a personal transgression for a loved one, is as human as you can get. How many people wouldn't use their clout and break the queue to get a vaccine for somebody they love? Hardly any. Matt Damon as the common man left at the mercy of fumbling officialdom and social anarchy etches a picture perfect role of a man desperate to save his daughter, even if it means locking her up at home and depriving her of all social contact. Then, there is Gwyneth Paltrow, quite unforgettable as the deliciously naughty business woman who doesn't mind hooking up with her ex, while her husband and son wait for her at home: another brief role that last longer than its screen time. And finally, Jude Law as the rogue blogger is mesmerising with his rebellious streak that chooses to question all the players in this high drama and throw light on the nefarious deals between governments and pharmaceutical companies which make the most when death strikes.
The high point of Soderbergh's film is its tone: never sensationalist, always restrained and therefore credible. With the world grappling with sundry new epidemics -- SARS, Mad Cow Disease, Swine Flu -- Contagion has an expediency to it which makes it eminently watchable. Doesn't seem too far-fetched, this threat of a new and deadly disease that originates from a bat and a pig and spreads through something as unavoidable as human touch. Time to be scared. Really scared.
| [+/-] |
Kareena turns down Tusshar starrer |
The actress will not be a part of Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai Part 2, the lead actor from the original film will now play a double role in the sequel
In 2001, Tusshar Kapoor made his big Bollywood debut with Satish Kaushik's Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai. The sequel to the decade old film is all set to go on floors on October 18. This time without the original leading lady Kareena Kapoor.
Though the producer Vashu Bhagnani, director Satish Kaushik and lead actor Tusshar Kapoor remain a part of the sequel, the leading lady it seems has chosen to turn down the offer. Despite being good friends with lead actor Tusshar and his sister Ekta Kapoor, Kareena cited date problems and opted out of the project.
A source informed Mumbai Mirror, "Actually there was no question of Kareena being part of this project. She has moved way ahead of the MKKH league."
When contacted, director Satish Kaushik confirms the sequel, saying, "yes, we start shooting MKKH 2 from October 18. There's no Kareena this time. Tusshar features in a double role. He will have three leading ladies."
However, the director denied approaching Kareena for the said project. "It is not a single heroine film. I have great memories of working with Kareena in Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai. But I do have another script especially for her. She's super talented and I am proud of her," said Kaushik.
Tusshar Kapoor on the other hand, is not only a part of the sequel to his debut project but also plays his career's first double role in the same. "Tusshar plays a double role. He plays a Sardarji in one of his avatars. It is a very funny script and my first full fledged comedy."
In 2001, Tusshar Kapoor made his big Bollywood debut with Satish Kaushik's Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai. The sequel to the decade old film is all set to go on floors on October 18. This time without the original leading lady Kareena Kapoor.
Though the producer Vashu Bhagnani, director Satish Kaushik and lead actor Tusshar Kapoor remain a part of the sequel, the leading lady it seems has chosen to turn down the offer. Despite being good friends with lead actor Tusshar and his sister Ekta Kapoor, Kareena cited date problems and opted out of the project.
A source informed Mumbai Mirror, "Actually there was no question of Kareena being part of this project. She has moved way ahead of the MKKH league."
When contacted, director Satish Kaushik confirms the sequel, saying, "yes, we start shooting MKKH 2 from October 18. There's no Kareena this time. Tusshar features in a double role. He will have three leading ladies."
However, the director denied approaching Kareena for the said project. "It is not a single heroine film. I have great memories of working with Kareena in Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai. But I do have another script especially for her. She's super talented and I am proud of her," said Kaushik.
Tusshar Kapoor on the other hand, is not only a part of the sequel to his debut project but also plays his career's first double role in the same. "Tusshar plays a double role. He plays a Sardarji in one of his avatars. It is a very funny script and my first full fledged comedy."
| [+/-] |
Saif's wedding outfit revealed |
Saif is, of course, reportedly planning to settle down with Kareena next year. On being asked about his marriage plans, he preferred to remain silent, but revealed about his wedding outfit. "Since I belong to Bhopal, I will definitely wear an achkan," Saif said. He added that men likehim, who are considered sexy and strong, never take styling tips from their girlfriends.
"I never take dressing or styling tips from Kareena as being a strong and sexy man, I know how to dress perfectly and look good," Saif said.
The 41-year-old actor, who was a show-stopper for designer Mandira Wirk at the ongoing Blender's Pride fashion tour in New Delhi, wore a black, sophisticated bandgala suit with matching shoes.
His suit was a tribute to the design inspiration of Wirk who took references from the 16th and 18th century Rococo and Baroque style.
"I never take dressing or styling tips from Kareena as being a strong and sexy man, I know how to dress perfectly and look good," Saif said.
The 41-year-old actor, who was a show-stopper for designer Mandira Wirk at the ongoing Blender's Pride fashion tour in New Delhi, wore a black, sophisticated bandgala suit with matching shoes.
His suit was a tribute to the design inspiration of Wirk who took references from the 16th and 18th century Rococo and Baroque style.
| [+/-] |
Kara Kennedy dead at 51 |
Kara Kennedy became teary-eyed when she accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of her ailing father at a 2009 White House ceremony, but she also managed to smile as Sen. Ted Kennedy's life was honored. After the senator died two weeks later following a battle with brain cancer, his only daughter read a psalm at his funeral Mass in Boston. It was about peace and justice and caring for poor children.
The eldest of the senator's three children, Kara Kennedy died Friday at age 51 after collapsing following her daily workout at a Washington health club. The cause of death wasn't immediately released.
Although she never sought elected office like many in her family, she helped with her father's presidential and Senate campaigns and heeded his call to give back. She worked as a filmmaker and in television and was active in an array of causes from the arts to battling fetal alcohol syndrome.
She herself had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002, but underwent surgery the following year that doctors had said was successful.
But her brother, Patrick Kennedy, said her cancer treatment — surgery and grueling chemotherapy and radiation — left her physically weakened.
"Her heart gave out," said Patrick Kennedy, a former Democratic congressman from Rhode Island.
"She's with dad."
In a telephone interview from her Boston home on Saturday, Joan Bennett Kennedy said she and her daughter were "best friends" who liked to take long swims together and walks on the beach. She said her daughter had fully recovered from cancer and didn't have any lingering health issues.
"She was very healthy. That's why this is such a shock," Joan Kennedy said.
Kara Kennedy was a member of the Sport & Health fitness center, though spokeswoman Nancy Terry declined to release further details about the incident, citing member privacy. A spokeswoman for the District of Columbia medical examiner said in an email that the cause of death was pending.
Kennedy's ex-husband, Michael Allen, said she frequently visited the club and went swimming every day if she could. He said details about her death would be released by The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. He said funeral arrangements are being made.
"Insofar as I'm concerned her legacy is one of courage and grit and determination in the face of her own illness and in the face of many family tragedies and limitless, absolutely limitless, devotion to our children," he said.
Kara Kennedy was born in 1960 to Edward and Joan Kennedy, just as her father was on the campaign trail for his brother John F. Kennedy during the presidential primaries.
The late senator wrote of his oldest child in his 2009 memoir, "True Compass," that "I had never seen a more beautiful baby, nor been happier in my life."
Later, she appeared with her father during his unsuccessful 1980 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, and she and her brother Edward Kennedy Jr. helped run the senator's 1988 re-election campaign.
Her lung cancer diagnosis came in 2002, and the prognosis was grim. But the family refused to accept that, the senator wrote. She had an operation in 2003, and Edward Kennedy accompanied his daughter to chemotherapy treatments.
"Kara responded to my exhortations to have faith in herself," he wrote. "Today, nearly seven years later as I write this, Kara is a healthy, vibrant, active mother of two who is flourishing."
Her children, Grace and Max, are now teenagers.
Kara Kennedy's two brothers have dealt with health issues of their own: Edward Kennedy Jr. lost a leg to bone cancer as a child, and Patrick Kennedy had surgery in 1988 to remove a non-cancerous tumor that was pressing against his spine.
"Her magnificent strength in her successful battle with lung cancer was a quiet inspiration to all of us and provided her family and fellow patients with hope," the Edward M. Kennedy Institute said in a news release.
Five months before her death, Kara Kennedy wrote of her father and the institute named in his honor in an article published in The Boston Globe Magazine. She described Christmas 1984, when her father insisted on spending the night helping relief workers feed hungry people in the Ethiopian desert. And how each summer, Ted Kennedy loaded the family into a Winnebago for road trips to hike through historic battlefields and buildings.
"What mattered to my father was not the scale of an accomplishment, but that we did our share to make the world better," she wrote. "That we learned we were part of something larger than ourselves."
In August 2009 Kara Kennedy accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, on behalf of her father. She teared up as the senator's accomplishments were read aloud. She smiled when President Barack Obama, whom Ted Kennedy had endorsed in 2008, put his arm around her shoulder in a comforting way.
Kara Kennedy, a graduate of Tufts University, also helped produce several videos for Very Special Arts, an organization founded by her aunt Jean Kennedy Smith. She also served as a board member for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute; director emerita and national trustee of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation; and as a national advisory board member for the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Terry Lierman, the co-founder of NOFAS who knew Kara Kennedy for more than two decades, said she was always positive, even when she was ill, and always available when the organization needed her.
"She was always there, but she was there for the cause and not for her own visibility," Lierman said Saturday. "I always found it so refreshing."
The eldest of the senator's three children, Kara Kennedy died Friday at age 51 after collapsing following her daily workout at a Washington health club. The cause of death wasn't immediately released.
Although she never sought elected office like many in her family, she helped with her father's presidential and Senate campaigns and heeded his call to give back. She worked as a filmmaker and in television and was active in an array of causes from the arts to battling fetal alcohol syndrome.
She herself had been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2002, but underwent surgery the following year that doctors had said was successful.
But her brother, Patrick Kennedy, said her cancer treatment — surgery and grueling chemotherapy and radiation — left her physically weakened.
"Her heart gave out," said Patrick Kennedy, a former Democratic congressman from Rhode Island.
"She's with dad."
In a telephone interview from her Boston home on Saturday, Joan Bennett Kennedy said she and her daughter were "best friends" who liked to take long swims together and walks on the beach. She said her daughter had fully recovered from cancer and didn't have any lingering health issues.
"She was very healthy. That's why this is such a shock," Joan Kennedy said.
Kara Kennedy was a member of the Sport & Health fitness center, though spokeswoman Nancy Terry declined to release further details about the incident, citing member privacy. A spokeswoman for the District of Columbia medical examiner said in an email that the cause of death was pending.
Kennedy's ex-husband, Michael Allen, said she frequently visited the club and went swimming every day if she could. He said details about her death would be released by The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. He said funeral arrangements are being made.
"Insofar as I'm concerned her legacy is one of courage and grit and determination in the face of her own illness and in the face of many family tragedies and limitless, absolutely limitless, devotion to our children," he said.
Kara Kennedy was born in 1960 to Edward and Joan Kennedy, just as her father was on the campaign trail for his brother John F. Kennedy during the presidential primaries.
The late senator wrote of his oldest child in his 2009 memoir, "True Compass," that "I had never seen a more beautiful baby, nor been happier in my life."
Later, she appeared with her father during his unsuccessful 1980 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, and she and her brother Edward Kennedy Jr. helped run the senator's 1988 re-election campaign.
Her lung cancer diagnosis came in 2002, and the prognosis was grim. But the family refused to accept that, the senator wrote. She had an operation in 2003, and Edward Kennedy accompanied his daughter to chemotherapy treatments.
"Kara responded to my exhortations to have faith in herself," he wrote. "Today, nearly seven years later as I write this, Kara is a healthy, vibrant, active mother of two who is flourishing."
Her children, Grace and Max, are now teenagers.
Kara Kennedy's two brothers have dealt with health issues of their own: Edward Kennedy Jr. lost a leg to bone cancer as a child, and Patrick Kennedy had surgery in 1988 to remove a non-cancerous tumor that was pressing against his spine.
"Her magnificent strength in her successful battle with lung cancer was a quiet inspiration to all of us and provided her family and fellow patients with hope," the Edward M. Kennedy Institute said in a news release.
Five months before her death, Kara Kennedy wrote of her father and the institute named in his honor in an article published in The Boston Globe Magazine. She described Christmas 1984, when her father insisted on spending the night helping relief workers feed hungry people in the Ethiopian desert. And how each summer, Ted Kennedy loaded the family into a Winnebago for road trips to hike through historic battlefields and buildings.
"What mattered to my father was not the scale of an accomplishment, but that we did our share to make the world better," she wrote. "That we learned we were part of something larger than ourselves."
In August 2009 Kara Kennedy accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, on behalf of her father. She teared up as the senator's accomplishments were read aloud. She smiled when President Barack Obama, whom Ted Kennedy had endorsed in 2008, put his arm around her shoulder in a comforting way.
Kara Kennedy, a graduate of Tufts University, also helped produce several videos for Very Special Arts, an organization founded by her aunt Jean Kennedy Smith. She also served as a board member for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute; director emerita and national trustee of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation; and as a national advisory board member for the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Terry Lierman, the co-founder of NOFAS who knew Kara Kennedy for more than two decades, said she was always positive, even when she was ill, and always available when the organization needed her.
"She was always there, but she was there for the cause and not for her own visibility," Lierman said Saturday. "I always found it so refreshing."
| [+/-] |
Mr. Olympia 2011 Finals in HD |
2011 Mr. Olympia Top Ten
Hidetada Yamagishi- 10th
Ronny Rockel -----9th
Brandon Curry ------8th
Tony Freeman ----------7th
Dexter Jackson ---------6th
Dennis Wolf ------------ 5th
Victor Martinez ----------- 4th
Kai Greene ---------------3rd
Jay Cutler -----------------2nd
Phil Heath ----------------1st
| [+/-] |
Irom Chanu Sharmila Biography |
Irom Chanu Sharmila Biography (Profile)
Irom Sharmila Chanu (born March 14, 1972), also known as the "Iron Lady of Manipur" or "Menghoubi" ("the fair one") is a civil rights activist, political activist, and poet from the Indian state of Manipur. Since 2 November 2000, she has been on hunger strike to demand that the Indian government repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 (AFSPA), which she blames for violence in Manipur and other parts of India's northeast. Having refused food and water for more than 500 weeks, she has been called "the world's longest hunger striker".
Decision to fast
On November 2, 2000, in Malom, a town in the Imphal Valley of Manipur, ten civilians were allegedly shot and killed by the Assam Rifles, one of the Indian Paramilitary forces operating in the state, while waiting at a bus stop. The incident later came to be known to activists as the "Malom Massacre". The next day's local newspapers published graphic pictures of the dead bodies, including one of a 62-year old woman, Leisangbam Ibetomi, and 18-year old Sinam Chandramani, a 1988 National Child Bravery Award winner.
Sharmila, the 28-year-old daughter of a Grade IV veterinary worker, began to fast in protest of the killings, taking neither food nor water. As her brother Irom Singhajit Singh recalled, "The killings took place on 2 November 2000. It was a Thursday. Sharmila used to fast on Thursdays since she was a child. That day she was fasting too. She has just continued with her fast". 4 November is also given as the start day of her fast. On the Friday third of November she has a last supper of pastries and sweet things then she touches her mother's feet and asks permission to fulfill her bounden duty. Her primary demand to the Indian government was the repeal of the AFSPA, which allowed soldiers to indefinitely detain any citizen on suspicion of being a rebel. The act has been blamed by opposition and human rights groups for permitting torture, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions.
Three days after she began her strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with an "attempt to commit suicide", which is unlawful under section 309 of the Indian Penal Code, and was later transferred to judicial custody. Her health deteriorated rapidly, and the police then forcibly had to use nasogastric intubation in order to keep her alive while under arrest. Since then, Irom Sharmila has been regularly released and re-arrested every year since under IPC section 309, a person who "attempts to commit suicide" is punishable "with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year [or with fine, or with both]".
Continued activism
By 2004, Sharmila had become an "icon of public resistance". Following her procedural release On October 2, 2006, for around four months, Irom Sharmila Chanu went to Raj Ghat, New Delhi, which she said was "to pay floral tribute to my idol, Mahatma Gandhi." Later that evening, Sharmila headed for Jantar Mantar for a protest demonstration where she was joined by students, human rights activists and other concerned citizens. On 6 October, she was re-arrested by the Delhi police for attempting suicide and was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where she wrote letters to the Prime Minister, President, and Home Minister. At this time, she met and won the support of Nobel-laureate Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Laureate and human rights activist, who promised to take up Sharmila's cause at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
On August 23, 2011, Sharmila was involved in the wave of Anti-corruption movement on invitation by Anna Hazare via letter.
International attention
Sharmila was nominated to the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize by a Guwahati-based woman's organization, the North East Network.
She was awarded the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, which is given for "an outstanding person or group, active in the promotion and advocacy of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights". She shared the award with Lenin Raghuvanshi of People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, a northeastern Indian human rights organization. In Addition the largest monetary prize the first Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize was given to her in 2010 by the New Delhi IIPM. She was awarded the Sarva Gunah Sampannah ‘“ Award for Peace and Harmony" aka the 12th Signature Women of Substance award (Assam) also in 2010. 2009 she was awarded the first Mayillama Award (Kerala). And in 2010 in the presence of the Law Minister Sri V Moilly in Bangalore she was awarded in absentia a lifetime achievement award. She was most recently awarded an Adivasi Ratna award accepted by her brother.
On 28 November 2010, UK Green Party leader and European Parliament member Keith Taylor wrote to the Indian government seeking the release of Sharmila and the repeal of the AFSPA. Her main supporter in the European Union is Sir Graham Watson KB MEP chair of the India/EU delegation of MEPs. He has consistently made interventions on her behalf most recently to Dr J Bhagwati Indian Ambassador to the EU who responded on 1 July 2011 to his request to respond to the death threats made against Irom Sharmila. Indian Ambassadors reference BRU/AMB/48/2011 Embassy of India, 1050 Brussels. He responds only that he understands that Irom Sharmila is a hunger striker and that the modification of AF(SP)A is under consideration. Previously in April 2011 Sri Graham Watson and the EU delegation had tried to visit Manipur but were not allowed to do so by the Indian Authorities. They visit each year this year they were allowed to visit, Delhi, Patna and Mumbai. Although Keith Taylor did write three letters on one occasion he has never responded to further input. Sri Graham Watson and other members of the EU delegation do always respond to further requests for help. For example a Dutch member of the India EU delegation Peter Van Dalen whose special interest group is Dalit and subaltern groups released this press statement for publication at the gathering at her tenth anniversary of fasting in November 2010 Smt Sharon Bowles MEP sent Sharmila a personal letter of support which is now with Sharmila. She had added her personal regret that Sharmila was not nominated for the Sakharov last year due to insufficient support from other MEPs a nomination requires at least 40 MEP signatories. This year's nominations close on 13 September 2010. Another MEP member of the EU/India Delegation has stated that he does not believe Sharmila will be nominated this year either as very few MEPs know of her or Manipur.
The European MEPs were initially brought in by one of her Western campaigners Nicholas Crawford a philosophy student at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. He also chairs a small student think tank. The Wilberforce Society. At the annual garden party Mr Crawford gave a speech about Irom Sharmila and the AFSPA in attendance was their patron Lord Wilson, a former head of the civil service, and Sir Christopher Hum, former UK ambassador to China. Before Xmas they hope to have a seminar on India and Human Rights. And plan to visit Manipur and Sharmila next summer. Sharmila has many letters from offices of Western Dignatories including those of HM Queen Elizabeth II, The Duchess of Cornwall, The President of Eire, Tony Blair and most recently the Scottish First Minister and the Mayor of London all stating that they are sorry about her circumstances but are unable to offer her any assistance. But she has always cared more about genuine letters seeking to make connections. The only campaign that has the endorsement of her office is http://kanglaonline.com/2011/06/facebook-event-write-to-irom-sharmila-chanu/ the one asking inviduals to write emails, letters, postcards etc and provide her with some support in her lonely campaign.
In Turkey 8–11 December 2010 The Which Human Rights Festival organized by the Turkish Human Rights Group the Documentarist was dedicated to Irom Sharmila
She has written a lot of poetry most recently a 12 poem bilingual anthology (Meiteilol and English), "Fragrance of Peace" (Nungsigi Leinam), was released by Zubaan books to coincide with the tenth year of her detention, with profits used to support her cause. This appears to have been a project first suggested by Norwegian designer Mr Lars Muller, who was appointed in December 2007 by the World Organization against Torture OMCT as her 'Defending the Defenders' sponsor.
Works on her life
Deepti Priya Mehrotra's Burning Bright: Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur details Sharmila's life and the political background of her fast.
Kavita Joshi's short documentary My Body My Weapon (released by Why Democracy? in 2007) alleges violations by security forces that fuel Sharmila's resolve to keep fasting until AFSPA is repealed. Tales from the Margins, a twin project of the above film, also focuses on Sharmila, locating her resistance in the larger context of women's protests against the AFSPA in Manipur.
Ojas S V, a theatre artist from Pune has been performing a mono-play titled Le Mashale (Take the torch), based on Irom Sharmila's life and struggle at several places in India. It is an adaptation of Meira Paibi (Women bearing torches), a drama written by Malayalam playwright Civic Chandran.
Recently Save Sharmila Campaign has been launched by a joint network of civil societies (NAPM, Gandhi Global Family, Asha Parivar, Jagriti Mahila Samiti, Yuva Koshish, Asian Centre of Social Studies and Mission Bhartiyam. They all are raising voice for Irom Sharmila. Save Sharmila Campaign has organised a candle light solidarity prayer on 25th JUNE 2011 at Rajghat New Delhi. Approximately 200 people participated in it from all walks of life. Later on Volunteer of Save Sharmila Campaign met with Irom Sharmila on 5th JULY 2011. Volunteer Md Tanveer Iqbal Editor Situationsasia fortnightly e-mag shared the campaign strategy with Irom and received her message for the campaign. Well he met her briefly during one of her habeas corpus hearings at Lamphel. A Srinagar to Imphal jouney and National Signature Campaign also planned by Save Sharmila Campaign volunteers in the month of October. Save Sharmila Campaign Volunteers demand with government To take positive steps of talks To send all party delegation to meet Irom To send special team of doctors for health check up of Irom. Other activites also planned and campaign is still running.
Politically the Janata Dal minority opposition party has publicly agreed to campaign for AF(SP)A repeal during the monsoon session of the Indian Parliament. Within Cabinet Dr Singh the PM has publicly asked for a reform of AF(SP)A to make it more humane. Sr V Moilly who also chaired the second adminstrative reforms committee one of whose recommendations was the repeal of AF(SP)A also supports change. As do the Home Secretary Sri Pillai and the Home Union Minister Sri Chidambaram. Though Sri Pillai has asked for local CMs not to apply for disturbed area status and therefore AF(SP)A whether on the books or not would cease to apply. Mr A K Antony the defence minister and General Singh commander in chief of the Indian Armed Forces lead the opposition to change or repeal of AF(SP)A
On August 21, 2011, Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy, in her The Hindu editorial on Anna Hazare, contrasted Anna's media-publicized fast with the decade-long fast of Irom, including the motivations for both.
Decision to fast
On November 2, 2000, in Malom, a town in the Imphal Valley of Manipur, ten civilians were allegedly shot and killed by the Assam Rifles, one of the Indian Paramilitary forces operating in the state, while waiting at a bus stop. The incident later came to be known to activists as the "Malom Massacre". The next day's local newspapers published graphic pictures of the dead bodies, including one of a 62-year old woman, Leisangbam Ibetomi, and 18-year old Sinam Chandramani, a 1988 National Child Bravery Award winner.
Sharmila, the 28-year-old daughter of a Grade IV veterinary worker, began to fast in protest of the killings, taking neither food nor water. As her brother Irom Singhajit Singh recalled, "The killings took place on 2 November 2000. It was a Thursday. Sharmila used to fast on Thursdays since she was a child. That day she was fasting too. She has just continued with her fast". 4 November is also given as the start day of her fast. On the Friday third of November she has a last supper of pastries and sweet things then she touches her mother's feet and asks permission to fulfill her bounden duty. Her primary demand to the Indian government was the repeal of the AFSPA, which allowed soldiers to indefinitely detain any citizen on suspicion of being a rebel. The act has been blamed by opposition and human rights groups for permitting torture, forced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions.
Three days after she began her strike, she was arrested by the police and charged with an "attempt to commit suicide", which is unlawful under section 309 of the Indian Penal Code, and was later transferred to judicial custody. Her health deteriorated rapidly, and the police then forcibly had to use nasogastric intubation in order to keep her alive while under arrest. Since then, Irom Sharmila has been regularly released and re-arrested every year since under IPC section 309, a person who "attempts to commit suicide" is punishable "with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year [or with fine, or with both]".
Continued activism
By 2004, Sharmila had become an "icon of public resistance". Following her procedural release On October 2, 2006, for around four months, Irom Sharmila Chanu went to Raj Ghat, New Delhi, which she said was "to pay floral tribute to my idol, Mahatma Gandhi." Later that evening, Sharmila headed for Jantar Mantar for a protest demonstration where she was joined by students, human rights activists and other concerned citizens. On 6 October, she was re-arrested by the Delhi police for attempting suicide and was taken to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where she wrote letters to the Prime Minister, President, and Home Minister. At this time, she met and won the support of Nobel-laureate Shirin Ebadi, the Nobel Laureate and human rights activist, who promised to take up Sharmila's cause at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
On August 23, 2011, Sharmila was involved in the wave of Anti-corruption movement on invitation by Anna Hazare via letter.
International attention
Sharmila was nominated to the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize by a Guwahati-based woman's organization, the North East Network.
She was awarded the 2007 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, which is given for "an outstanding person or group, active in the promotion and advocacy of Peace, Democracy and Human Rights". She shared the award with Lenin Raghuvanshi of People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, a northeastern Indian human rights organization. In Addition the largest monetary prize the first Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize was given to her in 2010 by the New Delhi IIPM. She was awarded the Sarva Gunah Sampannah ‘“ Award for Peace and Harmony" aka the 12th Signature Women of Substance award (Assam) also in 2010. 2009 she was awarded the first Mayillama Award (Kerala). And in 2010 in the presence of the Law Minister Sri V Moilly in Bangalore she was awarded in absentia a lifetime achievement award. She was most recently awarded an Adivasi Ratna award accepted by her brother.
On 28 November 2010, UK Green Party leader and European Parliament member Keith Taylor wrote to the Indian government seeking the release of Sharmila and the repeal of the AFSPA. Her main supporter in the European Union is Sir Graham Watson KB MEP chair of the India/EU delegation of MEPs. He has consistently made interventions on her behalf most recently to Dr J Bhagwati Indian Ambassador to the EU who responded on 1 July 2011 to his request to respond to the death threats made against Irom Sharmila. Indian Ambassadors reference BRU/AMB/48/2011 Embassy of India, 1050 Brussels. He responds only that he understands that Irom Sharmila is a hunger striker and that the modification of AF(SP)A is under consideration. Previously in April 2011 Sri Graham Watson and the EU delegation had tried to visit Manipur but were not allowed to do so by the Indian Authorities. They visit each year this year they were allowed to visit, Delhi, Patna and Mumbai. Although Keith Taylor did write three letters on one occasion he has never responded to further input. Sri Graham Watson and other members of the EU delegation do always respond to further requests for help. For example a Dutch member of the India EU delegation Peter Van Dalen whose special interest group is Dalit and subaltern groups released this press statement for publication at the gathering at her tenth anniversary of fasting in November 2010 Smt Sharon Bowles MEP sent Sharmila a personal letter of support which is now with Sharmila. She had added her personal regret that Sharmila was not nominated for the Sakharov last year due to insufficient support from other MEPs a nomination requires at least 40 MEP signatories. This year's nominations close on 13 September 2010. Another MEP member of the EU/India Delegation has stated that he does not believe Sharmila will be nominated this year either as very few MEPs know of her or Manipur.
The European MEPs were initially brought in by one of her Western campaigners Nicholas Crawford a philosophy student at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. He also chairs a small student think tank. The Wilberforce Society. At the annual garden party Mr Crawford gave a speech about Irom Sharmila and the AFSPA in attendance was their patron Lord Wilson, a former head of the civil service, and Sir Christopher Hum, former UK ambassador to China. Before Xmas they hope to have a seminar on India and Human Rights. And plan to visit Manipur and Sharmila next summer. Sharmila has many letters from offices of Western Dignatories including those of HM Queen Elizabeth II, The Duchess of Cornwall, The President of Eire, Tony Blair and most recently the Scottish First Minister and the Mayor of London all stating that they are sorry about her circumstances but are unable to offer her any assistance. But she has always cared more about genuine letters seeking to make connections. The only campaign that has the endorsement of her office is http://kanglaonline.com/2011/06/facebook-event-write-to-irom-sharmila-chanu/ the one asking inviduals to write emails, letters, postcards etc and provide her with some support in her lonely campaign.
In Turkey 8–11 December 2010 The Which Human Rights Festival organized by the Turkish Human Rights Group the Documentarist was dedicated to Irom Sharmila
She has written a lot of poetry most recently a 12 poem bilingual anthology (Meiteilol and English), "Fragrance of Peace" (Nungsigi Leinam), was released by Zubaan books to coincide with the tenth year of her detention, with profits used to support her cause. This appears to have been a project first suggested by Norwegian designer Mr Lars Muller, who was appointed in December 2007 by the World Organization against Torture OMCT as her 'Defending the Defenders' sponsor.
Works on her life
Deepti Priya Mehrotra's Burning Bright: Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur details Sharmila's life and the political background of her fast.
Kavita Joshi's short documentary My Body My Weapon (released by Why Democracy? in 2007) alleges violations by security forces that fuel Sharmila's resolve to keep fasting until AFSPA is repealed. Tales from the Margins, a twin project of the above film, also focuses on Sharmila, locating her resistance in the larger context of women's protests against the AFSPA in Manipur.
Ojas S V, a theatre artist from Pune has been performing a mono-play titled Le Mashale (Take the torch), based on Irom Sharmila's life and struggle at several places in India. It is an adaptation of Meira Paibi (Women bearing torches), a drama written by Malayalam playwright Civic Chandran.
Recently Save Sharmila Campaign has been launched by a joint network of civil societies (NAPM, Gandhi Global Family, Asha Parivar, Jagriti Mahila Samiti, Yuva Koshish, Asian Centre of Social Studies and Mission Bhartiyam. They all are raising voice for Irom Sharmila. Save Sharmila Campaign has organised a candle light solidarity prayer on 25th JUNE 2011 at Rajghat New Delhi. Approximately 200 people participated in it from all walks of life. Later on Volunteer of Save Sharmila Campaign met with Irom Sharmila on 5th JULY 2011. Volunteer Md Tanveer Iqbal Editor Situationsasia fortnightly e-mag shared the campaign strategy with Irom and received her message for the campaign. Well he met her briefly during one of her habeas corpus hearings at Lamphel. A Srinagar to Imphal jouney and National Signature Campaign also planned by Save Sharmila Campaign volunteers in the month of October. Save Sharmila Campaign Volunteers demand with government To take positive steps of talks To send all party delegation to meet Irom To send special team of doctors for health check up of Irom. Other activites also planned and campaign is still running.
Politically the Janata Dal minority opposition party has publicly agreed to campaign for AF(SP)A repeal during the monsoon session of the Indian Parliament. Within Cabinet Dr Singh the PM has publicly asked for a reform of AF(SP)A to make it more humane. Sr V Moilly who also chaired the second adminstrative reforms committee one of whose recommendations was the repeal of AF(SP)A also supports change. As do the Home Secretary Sri Pillai and the Home Union Minister Sri Chidambaram. Though Sri Pillai has asked for local CMs not to apply for disturbed area status and therefore AF(SP)A whether on the books or not would cease to apply. Mr A K Antony the defence minister and General Singh commander in chief of the Indian Armed Forces lead the opposition to change or repeal of AF(SP)A
On August 21, 2011, Indian author and activist Arundhati Roy, in her The Hindu editorial on Anna Hazare, contrasted Anna's media-publicized fast with the decade-long fast of Irom, including the motivations for both.
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Bollywood Movie 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' Review |
Cast: Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Despite its over-familiar premise, 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' packs a light tone and some easy laughs, before the weight from all its clichés causes it to topple over like a house of cards.
Kush (played by Imran Khan) is an assistant director in Bollywood films, whose London-based brother Luv (played by Tere Bin Laden's Ali Zafar) assigns him the job of finding him a suitable bride when he breaks up with his long-term girlfriend. With his mother by his side, Kush visits the homes of a half-dozen prospective brides – each a worse stereotype than the last – before they zero in on Katrina Kaif's character Dimple, the seemingly perfect daughter of a Delhi diplomat.
Kush, who had met Dimple five years ago while in college, remembers her as the rebellious rocker who was taken away by the cops when she staged an impromptu concert for thousands. Still a free-spirited livewire, Dimple is looking to settle down now, and Kush and his family thinks she'll be perfect for Luv.
Directed by first-timer Ali Abbas Zafar, 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' starts off breezily, with enough comic moments to keep you engaged. There's an amusing scene in which Dimple subjects Luv to a Koffee With Karan-style rapidfire interview on Skype, and another sequence in which she distracts Kush while riding pillion on his scooter. But it's when the film introduces its conflict at intermission point that everything begins to go downhill.
The tiring and predictable second half is basically a string of elaborate set-ups to call off the marriage. Given that it's a Yash Raj Films' production, you shouldn't be surprised by all the self-referencing to previous in-house hits. Say hello also to every wedding-movie cliché like best friends and mentally challenged siblings who help the hero win his girl, extended families who bond over jalebis and bhaang, and the jealous ex who shows up just in time to stake her claim.
'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan' is redeemed to a large extent by the charismatic presence of Katrina Kaif, who is easily the star of this show. Offering an uninhibited and winning performance as the mad but endearing Dimple, she makes you forget many of the film's flaws. Imran Khan brings that boyish charm to his part, playing your next-door nice-guy with unmistakable sincerity; he makes Kush a hero to root for. Now if only they could muster up some sizzling chemistry! Ali Zafar, on the other hand, hams it up like there's no tomorrow, and fails on account of trying too hard.
The film doesn't always work because it relies too heavily on silly stereotypes and clichés, and because you can see exactly where it's going from the moment you settle into your seat. I'm going with two out of five for director Ali Abbas Zafar's 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan'. Aside from a few enjoyable moments, this film recycles so much that you've already seen before.
Rating: 2 / 5
Sep 15, 2011
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Bollywood pays a tribute to Gautam Rajadhyaksha |
Leading fashion photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha passed away this morning and Bollywood stars mourned the loss of the great photographer.
Amitabh Bachchan tweeted: 'Gautam Rajadhyaksha the most gentlest of humans, and one of the finest photographers in the Industry, a friend,family favorite ..RIP. Too shocked to learn of Gautam ! Were talking about him just the other day. Many of his pictures adorn our house and our books.'
Rajadhyaksha was a close friend of Lata Mangeshkar. 'hum sabke priya mitra ,bahot bade photographer ,acche gayak, acche lekhak, aur bahot hi acche insan gautam rajadhyaksha ji ka aaj subha dehaant hua,humare liye ye bahot dukh ki baat hai,mujhe kadam kadam pe ek acche insan ki yaad aati rahegi,main ishwar se prartana karti hun ki ishwar unki aatma ko shanti de,' she tweeted.
Juhi Chawla regretted she couldn't meet him. 'Got the shocking news that gautam passed away !!! But was even more surprised he was in mumbai .. I thought he d shifted to kunnoor ...wish I d known he stays in town ... Would ve met up with him ..his home is close by ..one more cruel reminder .. Don't wait ..do it now .. Some day it will be too late !!!still can't believe it ... Good ol gautam ! Shot with him many many times ..some of my earliest and best,' she tweeted.
Javed Akhtar tweeted: 'Gautam was my friend from 70s.all childhood pictures of Zoya and Farhan in our albums are by him.he was like family to us .He is gone.'
Celina Jaitly tweeted: 'Saddened by the news of the demise of legendary ace photographer Gautam rajadhyakshya .. He made us timeless with his talent..we will miss u.'
Madhur Bhandarkar was shocked: 'Shocked 2 hear abt d demise of best portraitist photogpher Gautam Rajadhyaksha. He was a great human being & will b missed always. RIP!
Farhan Akhtar wrote: 'Rest in Peace, Gautam. Will miss you and remember you with fondest memories.'
Karan Johar tweeted his condolences: 'A deep sense of loss...we lost the one man who captured every movie star with his lens and his heart...RIP Gautam...you will remain forever!'
Rajadhyaksha's cousin Shobhaa De wrote: 'My darling Gautam Rajadhyaksha no more.Saddened beynd belief.Farewell confidante-cousin.Thank u 4 your generous love nd soft focus memories.'
Boman Irani tweeted: 'Rest in peace Gautam. You made everything look so beautiful. "All this and heaven too!"'
Sep 10, 2011
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Elisabetta Canalis' new campaign nude for PETA |
Elisabetta Canalis' new campaign for PETA has been unveiled today.
The new Dancing With the Stars hopeful, who previously dated George Clooney, strikes a seductive pose in the ad, which features the organisation's famous slogan, I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur.
The 32-year-old said decision to shoot the ad stemmed from watching a shocking documentary as a child of animals being killed for their fur.
The Italian TV hostess, who posed for the shoot earlier this year, said: 'I was a little girl, but by that moment I thought that I would never, never, never wear fur in my life.'
Elisabetta is currently in the throes of training for her ballroom debut later this month.
She told Italian magazine Chi this week: 'I have a very strict teacher, we practice dancing for six hours a day and in the beginning I started badly as I confused the salsa with the cha cha cha.'
She also admitted she is using the competition as a way to take her focus of her high profile split from Clooney.
'Throwing myself into my work is the only way I can cope, it distracts me from all emotions.'
It was the first time she had spoken about the break-up - and Clooney may not have been too pleased by some of her comments.
In the interview, she described herself as a 'doormat' when she's in love, adding: 'I have always seen cold and controlled men as the right ones for me.'
The pair broke up earlier this summer after almost two years together amid reports that she wanted more commitment from the actor and stormed out when he refused to do so.
Aug 29, 2011
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Will Smith Biography ..Profile ..Awards ..Personal life ..Career |
Born Willard Christopher Smith, Jr.
September 25, 1968 (age 42)Wynnefield, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names The Fresh Prince
Occupation Actor, rapper, film producer, record producer, television producer
Years active 1985–present
Spouse Sheree Zampino (m. 1992–1995)
Jada Pinkett Smith (m. 1997–present)
Children Trey Smith
Jaden Smith
Willow Smith
Website
http://www.willsmith.com/
Famous for: His role in 'Bad Boys' (1995)
Fresh Prince
Background:
"My skin is hard when it comes to my music. But with my movies, I'm still a virgin in a lot of ways. I'm not used to being shot down for no reason." Will Smith
Grammy winning rapper and accomplished actor Will Smith first came to recognition as the Fresh Prince while forming a popular rapper duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff. The duo earned praise with the single Summertime (1991) and the album He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper (1988), which spawned the hit singles Parents Just Don't Understand (1989) and Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble. The Fresh Prince also gained rave reviews from MTV with his singles Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It (1998), Just the Two of Us (1998), and Miami (1999).
As an actor, Smith rose to popularity while portraying himself in the mega hit television series The Fresh Prince of Bel Air in 1990. He later received more attention acting in such films as Six Degrees of Separation (1993), Independence Day (1996, with Jeff Goldblum), Men in Black (1997, sequel in 2002), and Wild Wild West (1999). Smith continued to earn publicity when he starred in the biopic Ali (2001), Bad Boys I & II (1995 and 2003), as well as I, Robot (2004) and Hitch (2005)
The African-American actor, standing 6' 2" inches tall, was listed as one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in The World in 1998. He married actress Jada Pinkett Smith (Niobe in the Matrix movies) on December 31, 1997.
Charming Will
Childhood and Family
William Christopher Smith Jr. was born on September 25, 1968 toxparents William C. Smith Sr. (refrigeration engineer) and CarolinexSmith (school-board employee). The second of four children, Will hasxtwo sisters, Ellen Smith (twin of Harry; born in 1971) and Pam Smithx(born in 1964), and one brother, Harry Smith (twin of Ellen, born in 1971).
Personal life
Nobel Peace Prize Concert December 11, 2009, in Oslo, Norway: Smith with wife Jada and children Jaden and Willow
Smith was raised by his parents in West Philadelphia. Smith credits his father's dedication when discussing his own involvement in the lives of his three children: "I look at my father and how he was able to keep four kids fed and clothed and still managed to find time to spend with us." Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had a son, Willard Christopher Smith III, also known as "Trey", but divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just the Two of Us". Smith married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. Together they have had two children: Jaden Christopher Syre (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness, and Willow Camille Reign (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend. Along with his brother, Harry Smith, he owns Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after his first son. Smith and his family reside on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida and in Los Angeles, Stockholm, Sweden and Philadelphia.
Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40. He donated $4,600 to the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama. December 11, 2009, Smith and his wife hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, when Obama had won the prize
Smith has said he has studied multiple religions, including Scientology, and he has said many complimentary things about Scientology and other faiths. Despite his praise of Scientology, Smith said "I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious" and "Ninety-eight percent of the principles in Scientology are identical to the principles of the Bible.... I don't think that because the word someone uses for spirit is 'thetan' that the definition becomes any different." He has denied having joined the Church of Scientology, saying "I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions, and I respect all people and all paths." Smith gave $1.3 million to charities in 2007, of which $450,000 went to two Christian ministries, and $122,500 went to three Scientology organizations; the remaining beneficiaries included "a Los Angeles mosque, other Christian-based schools and churches, and the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Center in Israel" Smith and his wife have also founded a private elementary school in Calabasas, California, the New Village Leadership Academy, which has attracted controversy and speculation over its use of Study Technology, a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.
Smith was raised by his parents in West Philadelphia. Smith credits his father's dedication when discussing his own involvement in the lives of his three children: "I look at my father and how he was able to keep four kids fed and clothed and still managed to find time to spend with us." Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had a son, Willard Christopher Smith III, also known as "Trey", but divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just the Two of Us". Smith married actress Jada Pinkett in 1997. Together they have had two children: Jaden Christopher Syre (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness, and Willow Camille Reign (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend. Along with his brother, Harry Smith, he owns Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after his first son. Smith and his family reside on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida and in Los Angeles, Stockholm, Sweden and Philadelphia.
Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40. He donated $4,600 to the presidential campaign of Democrat Barack Obama. December 11, 2009, Smith and his wife hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, when Obama had won the prize
Smith has said he has studied multiple religions, including Scientology, and he has said many complimentary things about Scientology and other faiths. Despite his praise of Scientology, Smith said "I just think a lot of the ideas in Scientology are brilliant and revolutionary and non-religious" and "Ninety-eight percent of the principles in Scientology are identical to the principles of the Bible.... I don't think that because the word someone uses for spirit is 'thetan' that the definition becomes any different." He has denied having joined the Church of Scientology, saying "I am a Christian. I am a student of all religions, and I respect all people and all paths." Smith gave $1.3 million to charities in 2007, of which $450,000 went to two Christian ministries, and $122,500 went to three Scientology organizations; the remaining beneficiaries included "a Los Angeles mosque, other Christian-based schools and churches, and the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Center in Israel" Smith and his wife have also founded a private elementary school in Calabasas, California, the New Village Leadership Academy, which has attracted controversy and speculation over its use of Study Technology, a teaching methodology developed by L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.
During the filming of A Different World (1987) in 1991, Will met actress Sheree Zampino (born on November 16, 1967) and married her on May 9, 1992. The couple has one son, Willard C. Smith III (a.k.a. Trey Smith, born in December 1992) but later divorced in 1995. "You're so much stronger when your partner is strong. I honestly believe there is no woman for me but Jada. Of all the women I've met, and there've been a few, no one can handle me the way Jada does. Once you feel someone locked in on you, it's no contest. As fine as other women can be, as tempting sexually, I'm not going anywhere. This is it. I can't imagine what anyone else could offer." Will Smith
On an audition for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), Will met and fell in love with actress Jada Pinkett Smith (born on September 18, 1971). The pair exchanged wedding vows in Baltimore on New Years Eve in 1997. They have two children, daughter Willow Camille Reign Smith (born on October 31, 2000) and son Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born July 8, 1998).
Men in Black
Career:
"I love being black in America, and especially being black in Hollywood." Will Smith
Having been rapping since age 12, Will Smith, under the name of The Fresh Prince, started his demo recordings with aspiring rapper Jeff Townes (a.k.a. DJ Jazzy). The duo introduced their first record, Rock the House, in 1987 with the hit single Girls Ain't Nothing but Trouble. They finally gained wide recognition in 1988 with their Grammy winning album, He's the DJ I'm the Rapper (was certified double platinum), which spawned the hit single Parents Just Don't Understand.
In 1990 Will entered the Hollywood scene. After appearing in his first TV movie, the romance-comedy The Perfect Date (1990), writer Benny Medina pointed him to the lead role of himself in the NBC's long-living series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996). The show was an instant hit and helped Will catapult his name toward the spotlight. On portraying himself in The Prince of Bel-Air, Will admitted, "I was trying so hard. I would memorize the entire script, then I'd be lipping everybody's lines while they were talking. When I watch those episodes, it's disgusting. My performances were horrible."
Will subsequently graced the big screen, debuting with Marc Rocco's feature drama, Where the Day Takes You, in 1992. He followed it up with the acclaimed 1993's film, Six Degrees of Separation, in which he received praise for portraying the character of Paul. Will also appeared in the film Made in America (1993) and lent his voice in the animated series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1995).
Meanwhile, Will continued to rap and released the disc, Home Base, in 1991, which spawned the chart's hit single Summertime. The single earned Will and DJ Jazzy their first Grammy award. Two years later, in 1993, the duo launched the poor-received album Code Red. "Women have never liked me. Until I ran with my shirt open in Bad Boys, I was not anybody's first choice." Will Smith
A better role came in 1995 when Michael Bay cast Smith as Martin Lawrence's partner, Det. Mike Lowrey, in his blockbuster action-comedy Bad Boys, which he later starred again in its second installment in 2002. Soon afterward, Will was offered a string of distinguished roles in many major films, including Captain Steven 'Steve' Hiller in Roland Emmerich's sci-fi action film Independence Day (1996, starring Bill Pullman) and as Tommy Lee Jones' partner, Agent Jay, in Barry Sonnenfeld's adaptation of Lowell Cunningham's popular comic Men in Black (1997, he also sang), which he later reprised the role in its sequel in 2002. Smith also starred as Robert Clayton Dean in Tony Scott's thriller, Enemy of the State (1998), and as Captain James 'Jim' West in Barry Sonnenfeld's western-comedy Wild Wild West (1999, teamed with Kevin Kline and Salma Hayek).
Always a rap artist, The Fresh Prince released his solo debut album, Big Willie Style, in 1997, which contained the hit singles Miami, Just the Two of Us (with son Trey), and Getting Jiggy Wit It. In 1999, he launched the CD Willennium as well as Men In Black and the Wild Wild West soundtracks.
In the new millennium Will was given several title roles, including one in Robert Redford's adaptation of Steven Pressfield's novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000, costarring Matt Damon and Charlize Theron). He also portrayed legendary boxer Muhammad Ali in Michael Mann's biography movie Ali (2001, also starring Jamie Foxx and Jon Voight).
During 2004, Will could be seen in Alex Proyas' adaptation of Isaac Asimov's book, I Robot, and his voice can be heard in the animated movie Shark Tale. As for 2005, Will's fans can watch him portraying the title role in Andy Tennant's romantic comedy Hitch (costarring Eva Mendes). Smith will star in the upcoming films, Tonight He Comes, and Affirmative Action (costarring Ben Affleck).
Successful Will Smith once commented, "People laugh, but if I set my mind to it, within the next 15 years, I would be president."
Awards:
- Kids' Choice: Wannabe Award, 2003
- ShoWest Convention: ShoWest Award, Male Star of the Year, 2002
- MTV Movie: Best Male Performance, Ali, 2002
- BET Awards: Best Actor, 2002
- ASCAP Film and Television Music: Most Performed Songs from Motion
- Pictures, Wild Wild West, 2000
- ShoWest Convention: ShoWest Award, Actor of the Year, 1999
- MTV Video Music: Best Male Video, Miami, 1999
- Grammy: Best Rap Solo Performance, Men in Black, 1998
- MTV Movie: Best Song from a Movie, Men in Black, 1998
- MTV Movie: Best Fight, Men in Black, 1998
- MTV Video Music: Best Male Video, Just the Two of Us, 1998
- MTV Video Music: Best Rap Video, Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It, 1998
- Blockbuster Entertainment: Favorite Actor, Sci-Fi, Men In Black, 1998
- MTV Movie: Best Kiss, Independence Day, 1997, tied with Vivica A. Fox
- National Association of Theater Owners: NATO/ShoWest International Box
- Office Achievement Award, 1997
- MTV Video Music: Best Video from a Film, Men in Black, 1997
- NAACP Image: Outstanding Rap Artist, Men in Black, 1997
- Grammy: Best Rap Performance, Summertime, 1991
- American Music: Best Rap Single, Summertime; award shared with DJ
- Jazzy Jeff, 1991
- NAACP Image: Outstanding Rap Artist, Summertime; award shared with DJ
- Jazzy Jeff, 1991
- Grammy: Best Rap Performance, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper; award
- shared with DJ Jazzy Jeff, 1988
- American Music: Best Rap Single, He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, 1988
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