Ban lifted for 'Aarakshan' in Punjab

Theatres in Punjab will Monday screen Prakash Jha's "Aarakshan", which deals with the issue of caste-based reservations, after the government announced it was lifting the ban on the film.

"We have deleted the scenes and dialogues to which the state government committee had objections. These portions have been submitted to the state government and will not be shown. The rest of the film will be screened in theatres across Punjab," an official of a multiplex at Zirakpur, near Chandigarh, said Monday.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had Sunday cleared the file, revoking the ban on the film across the state, officials said.

The ban was revoked after Prakash Jha Productions agreed to delete the objectionable scenes and dialogues following a letter by Punjab's principal secretary (home).

A high-level committee set up by the Punjab government to preview the movie had Friday recommended revocation of the ban in the state if the film producer agreed to make certain changes.

The committee said the film contained some dialogues and scenes that could provoke the emotions of certain communities, especially those from the weaker sections of society.

"This may prove to be a disturbing factor in society, especially in Punjab where more than 31 percent of the 2.77 crore population belongs to the weaker sections, including the Scheduled Castes," the panel said.

The committee even listed the positive aspects of the film.

"The committee felt that the movie has depicted the educational backwardness of the Dalits, which can be addressed in a positive manner and the same is well brought out," its report said.

"The movie focuses on the bane of commercialisation of education. It has clearly brought out the message that the educational system needs to be improved for the uplift of the Dalits."

A spokesperson of the committee said: "Since the overall message of the movie is positive, the committee feels that the movie may be released in Punjab after making the amendments as suggested."

The government imposed a ban on the film Thursday following intelligence reports that it could lead to social disturbance.

"Aarakshan" stars Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone.

Lohan may become face of anti-cheating website

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan has been asked to become the face of an anti-cheating website cheaterville.com.

Executives of the wesbite have invited the troubled actress to help them promote the project.
"I'm extending this offer not only because we are huge fans, but because we would like to help bring your image into a better light," contactmusic.com quoted James A. MCGibney, head of Cheaterville, as saying.

The site helps suspicious boyfriends and girlfriends investigate their cheating partners.

'Supernatural' Season 7 is 'scariest season yet'

Supernatural is set to return to Channel 6 in Tempe this September, and the fans are being teased about what they can expect from the series in its seventh season. On Friday, Spoiler TV released the latest photos from the set featuring Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki while Entertainment Weekly and Just Jared had new spoilers for the upcoming season.

As for this season, Jared Padalecki has teased this season of the series as being the scariest season yet for Supernatural. According to Just Jared, he said the following:

“I got chills on my arm [while reading the script]. I don't think I've ever gotten that. We've seen these guys bear their burdens and wear their fear with courage and with stoicism, and just flash through it, and that's honorable, that’s how people get through their day, hopefully, but here we see Sam scared. Truly terrified. For somebody who’s seen what he's seen to really be losing it, it kind of gives me chills."

As for what is next this season, Sera Gamble, the executive producer of the series, also had a tease about an upcoming episode. The Winchester brothers are headed to Lily Dale, N.Y. This is the town known for having the most psychics in one town.

No word yet on when this episode will air. Fans are waiting for the return of Supernatural. One fan said the following on Twitter recently:

Dean's excitement over the Old West and Sam on the horse will never not be funny. #Supernatural #Frontierland

Supernatural will return to Channel 6 in Tempe on September 23.

World War Z starts filming in Glasgow

Parts of the city will be changed into war-torn ruins as a cast and crew of 1,200 people shoot scenes in George Square and other locations in the centre.

Fake shop fronts and American cars will be brought in to transform Glasgow into Philadelphia while a number of roads in the city centre will be closed to traffic.

Local people will also get the chance to star in the film as zombie extras after an open casting was held last month.

Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council, told: 'We are ready to welcome the World War Z production to Glasgow.

'There is great anticipation in the city ahead of such a huge film coming here.'
The shoot could boost local economy by more than £2m, according to Glasgow City Council.
In the film, based Max Brooks' 2006 novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, Pitt plays a worker at the United Nations Post-war Commission, collecting the stories and experiences of those who have survived a zombie attack.

Filming has already taken place in Valletta in Malta and in Falmouth in Cornwall.

World War Z is due to be released next year.

Bollywood bids final goodbye to Shammi Kapoor

With moist eyes and prayers, Shammi Kapoor's family members and friends bid goodbye to the veteran actor at his funeral at the Ban Ganga cremation ground here Monday morning.

The 79-year-old actor, who was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital, Aug 7, breathed his last Sunday morning after suffering kidney failure.

Shammi's body was brought to the cremation ground around 10.30 in the morning and the last rites were performed by his son, Aditya Raj Kapoor, who was wearing his father’s beads around his neck. The late actor’s brother, Shashi Kapoor, who is himself unwell, attended the cremation on a wheelchair.

His nephews Randhir and Rishi Kapoor and his grandnephew Ranbir were also present for the last rites.

Apart from the family, many Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Prakash Jha, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ketan Desai, Satish Kaushik, Subhash Ghai, Jug Mundhra, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Yash Chopra, Nikhil Advani and Sudhir Mishra also came to the cremation ground.

Danny Denzongpa, Ranjeet, Fardeen Khan, Vinod Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Kapoor, Tom Alter, Shatrughan Sinha, Tinu Anand and Kabir Bedi were also there.

Among the actress who came for the funeral were Priyanka Chopra and Madhuri Dixit.

Stringent security measures were taken and the entire area was full of police personnel.

Kim Kardashian nervous about marriage?,

Socialite Kim Kardashian, who weds basketball star Kris Humphries Saturday, is not nervous, says her mother.

"Kim is very calm. That's just her personality. She knows what she wants. She is very focussed on the day and is enjoying it all," thesun.co.uk quoted mother Kris Jenner as saying. 

Kim, 30, and Kris will marry in Montecito, California. 

Lindsay Lohan in revealing black bra

Lindsay Lohan has flaunted her violent side in a striking new photograph where she is pictured wearing a revealing black bra with her dark hair pulled back and wielding a knife in front of 'blood' spattered walls.

The 25-year-old American star has collaborated again with her photographer friend Tyler Shields.

The 'Freaky Friday' star has "fake blood" around her mouth and on her body and hands as she looks intently into the camera, the Daily Mail reported.

The wall behind Lohan is covered with streaks of red "fake blood" with the actress brandishing a large knife full of blood.

Only Dev & I understand each other: Freida

Fredia Pinto, who has been dating actor Dev Patel since meeting on the set of 'Slumdog Millionaire', feels that they are the only people who can best understand each other.

"I don't think anybody, nobody on Earth could comprehend what happened during Slumdog Millionaire to me or to him," the Mirror quoted her as saying.

"The only two people who can understand each other are the two of us."

"The small little things just bring so much joy and cheer to us.

"Like the time at the Oscars ceremony - we just looked at each other and said, 'This has been an amazing journey. Thank you for being a great friend through it all'. That's what matters.

"We helped each other, which is very important. I don't think I would be able to do it by myself and I definitely know that he would say the same thing," she added.

Elizabeth Hurley gets a pie in the face!

It seems Elizabeth has had enough of her share media attention. 

The former model and actress is now venting her anger on the media by hitting out at journalists and their work ethics. The actress posted on her Twitter account, "When will talentless journalists stop using unattributed 'quotes'? A lazy & transparently obvious device to avoid actually doing any work." The source for Hurley's angst is unknown but she went on to say, "Why bother actually investigating anything? Just sit at your desk & make up 'friends' to say anything that suits your silly stories"
Hurley, who is dating Shane Warne, is obviously not referring to her pie-almost-in-face fellow British and journo Rupert Murdoch because she talks about quotes in print. Hurley ends her rant with, "Would tabloid journalism grind to a halt if all quotes had to be attributed?" to which a fan has replied saying, "Up and about tonight Liz! You celebs need the media as much as they need you so stop pissing and moaning and get on with it." Looks like Hurley just got her moment of glory- pie-to-the-face!

Brangelina's son not in 'Battling Boy'

Hollywood star couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's adopted son Maddox is not starring in " Battling Boy" produced by his father.


It was reported that the 10-year-old had been cast in the action movie. However, sources told Just Jared.com that the rumours are "not true", reports aceshowbiz.com.


"Battling Boy" follows a son of a god or superhero who comes down from the top of a mountain at his father's behest in order to rid a giant city of monsters. Maddox was rumoured to play the son of god.

There are no camps in Bollywood: Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif's decision to do two Yash Raj Films (YRF) with the warring Khans - Salman and Shah Rukh - has raised eyebrows, but the actress is unperturbed and argues there are no camps in Bollywood.

Katrina is set to start shooting with Salman Khan for Ek Tha Tiger next week and her film with Shah Rukh, which is veteran direcor Yash Chopra's untitled venture, is expected to go on floors in a few months' time.

"There is a problem, there is a misconception that the media has (that there is a camp system). We all have different equations. Friendly, not so friendly, but everyone respects everyone's individuality. There are really no camps or something like that," Katrina told IANS in an interview.

New York was Katrina's first film with YRF and after that she signed their Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and now the two films with the two Khans.

Glimpses of Katrina's rock star look in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, where she will be seen puffing a bidi and strumming a guitar in tattered jeans and a tee, have created ripples of excitement among her followers. And the actress explains her new avatar as her endevaour to offer something fresh in each film to avoid being boringly predictable.

"Small things make the difference. You are doing two films a year. Even if you are showing something, which is a little different from the previous film, then the audience doesn't get bored," said the 27-year-old, who has been part of the industry for eight years now.

"If I can do 15 percent better or add on something with every film, then people would not bear the impression that I am not putting in my hard work."

The directorial debut of Ali Abbas Zafar, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is a romantic comedy where Imran Khan and Pakistani singer-turned-actor Ali Zafar play leads opposite her.

The recent favourite of the YRF banner, Katrina believes that Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is the right film to collaborate with Imran.

"It's a romantic comedy, very exaggerated tongue-n-cheek kind. It's a little bit larger than life, louder like my film Aajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. For Imran and me, it was a very new space. We didn't know each other much and there had to be a fine-tuning, which eventually helped us to get into the characters that we are playing. It was a nice first film for both of us to do together," said the actress, who has so far made a successful on-screen jodi with Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Ranbir Kapoor.

She revealed that the film has a close resemblance to filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 1975 classic comedy Chupke Chupke that boasts of amazing performances by Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore, Asrani and Om Prakash. "It's on the line of Dharamji's Chupke Chupke," said Katrina.

To bring reality to her character, Katrina learned to play guitar and her knowledge about the instrument helped her portray the character of a rock singer more convincingly in the film.

"I am learning the guitar. For an actor it's really easy to be a rock star. Wear some boots, wear some jeans, wear kajal, dishevel your hair, hold a guitar and strum the strings. I can actually hold the guitar right as I know how to play it," said Katrina.

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan is set to hit the theatres on September 9.

Jessica Alba's happy Haven

JESSICA Alba has become a mum for the second time - after giving birth to a baby girl.

The Sin City star, who already has three-year-old daughter Honor with husband Cash Warren, welcomed tot Haven into the world on Saturday. 

She announced the new arrival on her Facebook page and thanked fans for their support. 

She wrote: "Hi Everyone, Hope you're enjoying the weekend. Cash and I are so excited to announce the birth of our daughter, Haven Garner Warren. 

"She was born on Saturday, weighed 7lbs, and was 19 inches long. Healthy and happy! Big Sister Honor couldn't be more excited about the new addition to our family. 

  "Thank you for all of your support during my pregnancy. It means the world to me." 

Despite her huge baby bump, Jessica spent the week up to the birth promoting her new movie, Spy Kids: All The Time In The World. 

And she revealed that her older daughter was hoping the baby would be a boy, and that she wanted to call it Sophie. 

The 30-year-old actress met Cash on the set of The Fantastic Four in 2004. 

They wed in a secret ceremony in May 2008, a month before the birth of Honor.

Robert Pattinson plans clothing line

Los Angeles, Aug 15 (IANS) Actor Robert Pattinson is planning to launch his own clothing line, according to his ‘Twilight’ co-star Kellan Lutz.

‘Rob and I were talking about doing clothing lines, and he found out I was doing one and was like ‘I should do one’. He wants to do one — he’s always so hipster,’ usmagazine.com quoted Lutz as saying.

Lutz added that he and Pattinson named called the line ‘Rags by Rob’, which is fitting since Pattinson’s own style could be described more or less as disheveled, with monotone V-neck T-shirts, worn-in jeans, and flannel button-down shirts being his wardrobe staples, and unwashed hair to boot.

Lutz, 26, has been hard at work this summer fine-tuning the details for his collection, Abbot+Main.

‘I’m very involved in the clothing line — everything gets run through me. It’s men’s right now, but I have a women’s line that starts this spring,’ he said.

WOW! Kristen Stewart Gets Vampy!

Well, we can hardly believe our eyes. Can this be the same surly, lip-biting tomboy that drives Twihards wild? Do those feline-like eyes, chiseled cheekbones and Sixties bouffant really belong to the star better known as K-Stew?

Yep. It really is her. And it’s all thanks to those clever folk at W Magazine. With the help of Mert & Marcus, they’ve succeeded in detaching Ms Stewart from her grungy hoodies + skinny jeans (hurrah!), trussing her up in Hollywood glam garb instead. We're talking chiffon gowns (Gucci), fluffy mohair sweaters (Max Mara) and silk bodysuits (Dolce & Gabbana). Mind = blown. It's like that glorious moment in Grease when twee Sandra Dee erupts into a biker-clad sex bomb, no? Because gone is the vamp-loving-girl-next-door Bella Swan and in her place is a sassy Sofia-Loren-like woman. (We’re err, going to ignore the comparisons to the far oranger and more druggy Lindsay Lohan, thankyouverymuch.)

Anyway. What a timely transformation it is. You see, the penultimate installment of vampire-epic-of-joy The Twilight Saga is set to hit our screens later this year in which – gasp! squeal! – Bella and her sparkly hubby are set to DO. IT. We’re talking broken bedposts and feathers flying (uh-huh, it’s gonna be hot) before Bella becomes a blood-guzzler herself. So how fitting that Kristen has finally got her vamp on.