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Shah Rukh embraces hip-hop for KBC music video
Mumbai, Jan 15  Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who is going to host STAR Plus' popular quiz show "Kaun Banega Crorepati" (KBC), is also featuring in a music video exclusively made for the show - his first such venture.

For the video, he has joined hands with singer-choreographer Ganesh Hegde who is presenting him in a completely new avatar. The two had earlier worked together for "Don".

The three-minute video is titled "Kar le kar le tu aek sawal".

"Shah Rukh has got a completely new, young look in the film. He will be seen donning a hip-hop look and the clothes are also designed to suit the mood of the video. The song is a fusion of hip-hop and Indian music," Hegde told IANS.

"We have put four huge, lavish and expensive sets in Mumbai. Even now I am shooting for it. We started shooting on Jan 10 and will wrap it up by tomorrow. After that we will do the post-production work," he added.

   

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As far as Shah Rukh's clothes are concerned, Hegde said: "I shared my thoughts with (filmmaker) Karan Johar. He has done the styling accordingly."

The music video will be unveiled Jan 22 just before the quiz show goes on the air. STAR Plus is, however, going to 10-15-second-long show teasers of the music video before it actually premieres.

"It was SRK's idea to come up with a music video for KBC. He then shared the idea with his team," said a STAR Plus source.

The music video is conceptualised, choreographed, directed and sung by Hegde. Music is by Vishal-Shekhar while Shabbir, R.D. Telang, Kumar and Asif Baig have penned the lyrics.
 

NYT hails Guru's US debut as a "cultural phenomenon"
 
New York, Jan 15   America's most prominent daily The New York Times has hailed the premier here of the new Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai starrer "Guru" as an event heralding "not only the arrival of a movie, but also a growing cultural phenomenon."

Giving Bollywood probably its most prominent exposure for mainstream audiences, the Sunday edition of the paper covered at length the Friday night premier of the film at New York's Times Square with Bachchan and Rai in attendance.

The "red-carpet event" marked "rare American treatment" for a feature from the Mumbai-based film industry, said the Times noting the presence of "two of Bollywood's biggest stars" in a story titled "Bollywood Glitz in a Times Square Debut."

"At the vast AMC Empire 25 theatre on West 42nd Street, it got a high-profile American debut that many said was unusual for a movie without the apparent crossover credentials of a Bollywood film like "Bride and Prejudice," it said.

Things have changed for Indian cinema since then. Seven Hindi-language films each made more than $2 million last year at the United States box office, said Times writer Kareem Fahim. Only one of them, "Water," had an American distributor, he noted.

Long available on videotape, Indian films can be seen on an increasing number of movie screens across the United States, and, since November, on cable television video-on-demand in almost two dozen states.

A press event before the screening was a relaxed affair, as film executives mingled with Indian journalists and ate finger food. Bobby Bedi, a producer, talked about the prospects for Indian cinema abroad, the daily said.

"There is a huge interest in the world in India, things Indian and in Indian cinema," the Times quoted Bedi as saying. But the formula for a successful crossover film eludes filmmakers, he said.

Films he described as more focused in scope, like "Monsoon Wedding," have done well. "They've not really been about the world; they've been about villages or about small episodes in people's lives," he said.

He suggested a strategy for expatriate Indian moviegoers to help increase Bollywood's exposure: bring two non-Indians along to the movies.

Bedi spoke from the dais with the film's stars; the director, Mani Ratnam; and A. R. Rahman, who wrote the music for the film. There was a pleasant exuberance to some of the questions from the audience.

"I feel this movie is going to be a super hit," a man in a trench coat said to Bachchan, who wore a salmon-pink tie. "What is your gut feeling?"

Another woman, addressing Rahman, the prolific film and theatre composer, could hardly keep it all in. "You revolutionised Bollywood with your music," she said. "I mean it is so exceptional." A moderator warned journalists not to ask personal or follow-up questions.

A very large security guard, Ivan Bozovic, looked after the striking Rai, who is regularly called one of the world's most beautiful women, the Times reported.

She talked about "Guru," mostly ("Every character is finely etched," she said), and about the talents of the director and her co-stars. A journalist went after rumours that Rai and Bachchan were engaged, asking whether there was any news.

"I have an announcement," Bachchan teased. "The film's going to start in 10 minutes!"
 

Shilpa exhibits her culinary skills on 'Big Brother'
 
London, Jan 15   The latest on Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who is participating in Britain's reality show "Celebrity Big Brother", is that she has impressed her housemates with her chicken curry but at the same time rued about make-up.

Shilpa showed her culinary skills this weekend after Jackiey, one of the participants, was voted out of the show. Everybody thought that Shilpa would leave the show halfway given the verbal onslaught Jackiey unleashed on the Indian actor. Shilpa surely must have heaved a sigh of relief when Jackiey was evicted.

In fact, Shilpa was so upset that she cried on Jermaine Jackson's shoulder and even tried to shift her attention to the "sexy" Dirk Benedict - the American actor on the show who has also publicly admitted he has got the hots for her, reported Shilpa's publicist Dale Bhagwagar.

Shilpa had a roller coaster time and even confronted Big Brother himself, added Bhagwagar.

Shilpa told Big Brother: "I'm very upset. It's so mean that you've got me in here without my make-up. What wrong have I done to you?"

Unable to hand her a calming mascara wand, Big Brother turned the conversation over to Jackiey.

"Just before Jackiey left, she called me a 'nightmare'. I've never been spoken to like that. I was trying to analyse what I'd done. I hope that she is happy, but the whole sequence of events shook me up. I feel bad I didn't say goodbye," she added.

When Big brother asked her, how will you spend the rest of Saturday night, Shilpa said: "Sleeping."

"With or without your make-up?" asked Big Brother.

"Can I kill you?" quipped Shilpa and giggled.

"I have no make-up on! It's horrible. This is not good. It's worse than anything Jackiey said to me," she said, chuckling.

"Here I am with dark circles and no rouge or mascara. This is a nightmare. I look like a nightmare. Jackiey was right," said Shilpa.

She hid her eyes reached behind sunglasses. Under protection of her sunglasses now, Shilpa found new strength.

"Will you laugh, Big Brother? Oh come on. I want you to laugh. Are you going to laugh tonight? I'm waiting," she asked again, dramatically drumming her hands on the Diary Room chair.

"I want you to laugh Big Brother!" she stressed.

"Big Brother will not be laughing tonight," he said.

"That's it!" she said, thumping the chair. "I'm leaving. Bye!"

And then she left the room. Shilpa has completed two weeks at "Big Brother".
 

Finally, Abhishek comes into his own
By Arpana, 

New Delhi, Jan 15   After standing on the threshold of stardom for so long, Abhishek Bachchan finally arrives with "Guru" by wowing critics and audiences with his performance. The film is also a testimony to his hard work and strong will.

That he is superstar Amitabh's son had always put him at a serious disadvantage but with "Guru" he comes out of his father's shadow and carves his own niche. Many feel that he has outdone his father with his stupendous performance in "Guru".

The film, apparently inspired by the life and time of industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani, has Abhishek in the title role and he inhabits his character Gurukant Desai's world completely while performing and looks relaxed in each and every frame of the film.

The actor, who previously appeared in hits like "Bunty Aur Babli", "Bluffmaster" and "Sarkar", has surely risen above staunch criticism and unfounded comparisons.

When Mani Ratnam was asked about Abhishek's performance in the film, he said: "Abhishek is okay in 'Guru'." But the fact of the matter is that the actor is far better than just being okay.

May be Ratnam wanted people to come and decide for themselves and the verdict is out - critics, who had earlier described him wooden, are going ga ga over his performance and putting him in the leagues of big stars.

However, Ratnam also added: "You don't make an actor. An actor is there ... you just have to give him the opportunity and chance to show his skill. Abhishek always had the capability."

And Abhishek lives up to the expectations but he is not too carried away by adulations and appreciations.

Because, in spite of being Amitabh's son, Abhishek had to face the grind since he set foot in filmdom with "Refugee" to reach where he is today.

After giving a string of flops and enduring unbridled criticism, Abhishek was disheartened and started doubting himself. He thanks Ratnam for giving a push to his languishing career.

"When you are being criticised, you take it seriously and try to improve your bad points as I did, but when you fail again, it is certainly disheartening," said Abhishek.

But then he pulled up his socks and worked on all aspects of his personality - voice, dialect, dance, appearance and wardrobe - in order to further his skills and his acting ability.

The first sign of improvement was witnessed in Ratnam's "Yuva", where he bowled over everyone as a rustic and intense Lallan Singh.

"I will always respect Mani for having confidence in me - which I didn't have in myself at that time," added Abhishek.

Later on, in films like "Dus" and "Bluffmaster" he showed marked improvement in his mannerisms, body language, facial expressions, looks and, last but not the least, wardrobe and fans were stumped.

They started liking him so much that bestowed him with titles like youth icon and sexiest Asian male.

But Abhishek shrugs it off saying: "I am an actor and I should concentrate on my acting. I should understand that people are bestowing me with these honours because of my work."

Acting is an art and the improvement and honing of this craft is an ongoing process because there is always room for growth and the young actor is fully aware of it.

Right now he is devoted to Shaad Ali's "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom" and Goldie Behl's "Drona".
 

My love for Anupama no publicity stunt: Aryan Vaid (INTERVIEW)
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 15   Actor Aryan Vaid is a bit offended by widespread suggestions that his romance with Anupama Verma on Sony TV's reality show "Bigg Boss" was merely a publicity stunt.

"In all these years in the entertainment business I've been around with a lot of women. I've been with other women and had relationships but nothing like this. In fact, I fell in love with Anupama 10 years ago and wanted to marry her. But our relationship didn't culminate as I wanted it to.

"Now in that house with her I rediscovered what a beautiful person she is. I fell in love with her all over again. Anupama is one of those rare people with a beautiful soul," Aryan told IANS.

He said Anupama's company made his stay a lot easier in the "Bigg Boss" house.

"It's that rare quality of hers which kept me going in that crazy atmosphere where two of the girls, Carol Gracias and Rupali Ganguly, were constantly massaging Ravi Kissan's legs and head.

"Even I massaged Anupama because she had a back problem, but only to the knees because I was well aware that the TV cameras were constantly watching. The guys all pretended to be friends with me. But except Deepak Tijori they all voted me out of the house. Can you imagine?"

Aryan is particularly pissed off by Ravi's betrayal.

"I thought he was a friend. I thought he wished my relationship with Anupama the very best. In fact, Ravi came up to me and said he wished me and Anupama could get engaged inside the house under the supervision of 'Bigg Boss'. He kept saying how grateful he was that I pushed him into workouts and in losing five kg inside the house. And then he voted me out."

Aryan felt this could be Ravi's revenge on him regarding a woman that came between them a few years ago.

"Everyone knows Ravi was dating his co-star from Bhojpuri films. I had no clue about it when she decided to have a relationship with me. In fact, she got so close to me that we had a puja in my house to fob off all the evil influences that came in our way.

"Ravi tried to instigate her against me by saying he had seen me picking up white girls from a club in Dubai. He forgot to mention he also tried to do the same. I succeeded, he failed."

Today Aryan has left behind his footloose and fancy-free days forever.

"I've never been more serious about any woman. I've proposed marriage to Anupama at least 20 times inside that house. Now it's entirely up to her."
 

I did 'Bhagam Bhag' with eyes open, but blinkers on: Govinda (INTERVIEW)
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 15   There's a prevalent sense of shock and dismay about the length and breadth of Govinda's role in "Bhagam Bhag", but the actor's response is significantly cryptic.

"All I'll say is that I went through the film with a horse's rein checking me in every scene... I can't really blame anyone. I went into 'Bhagam Bhag' with eyes open, but blinkers on. I had to make a comeback and I had to do so in a big film. That opening 'Bhagam Bhag' has provided for me.

"Beyond that I wouldn't like to say anything. If my role appears brief, I've no one to blame. But yes, there was a lot more I could've done. Why I didn't do it? I've no answer to that," Govinda told IANS in an interview.

But his close friends differ from him. In fact, the whole industry is abuzz with talk of Govinda's shockingly supportive role in the new Priyadarshan comedy.

"Govinda has ended up looking like Akshay Kumar's sidekick," said a popular director, who has worked a number of times with Govinda and can't get over his shock.

Currently, Govinda is down with an acute attack of exhaustion, all thanks to his new film "Chal Chala Chal", which he has been shooting non-stop for the last two months.

"It's the fastest film in my entire career of 20 years. Unfortunately, the non-stop shooting has taken its toll on my health. I was constantly traveling between Mumbai and Pune.

"I've been down with a series of ailments. I've now requested the director to complete the film in Mumbai. Now, I'm just resting for a bit. I can afford to do so, now that my comeback film 'Bhagam Bhag' is a hit."

Recently Govinda celebrated his 42nd birthday.

"To my delight, I got as many as 70 SMSs within hours. My wife Sunita and children hosted a party for me. We invited all my colleagues and production team with whom I've been working in the past few months, including, of course, the whole 'Bhagam Bhag' team."

However, "Bhagam Bhag" co-star Akshay was conspicuous by his absence.

"I don't know why! I think he wasn't in the country," Govinda said lamely. And added, "I'm just so grateful to Akshay and Salman Khan for doing films with me."

Is Govinda's 17-year-old daughter going to be an actress?

"Both my children Narmada and Yash have full freedom to do what they want to do with their lives. I'm there to support them in every way possible way. Right now my daughter is off to London for a year to do a course in jewellery designing."

The father's lonely heart is already wondering.

"I'll go and see her every month in London, my schedules permitting. Of course, I'm going to miss her. But every individual needs to harden himself against setbacks, needs to gather his own courage to withstand the tests of time. I've been trying to do a good job of it.

"The last six years, after my mother passed away, have been especially hard on me. The period of recovery began in 2006. Hopefully, things will get even better for me in 2007."

Govinda, who now has Nikhil Advani's ode to love "Salaam-e-Ishq" to look forward to, is also trying to change his habits.

"My reputation of an unpunctual actor should now be gone. I was up at 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. for 'Bhagam Bhag' and 'Salaam-e-Ishq'," he said.
 

I'm ready to tell a good story: Smriti Irani (INTERVIEW)
By Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 15   After working in tear-jerkers and making a name for herself, television actress Smriti Irani has ventured into production and says she is ready to tell a good story if viewers are prepared to watch it.

It's been two years since Smriti's production company Ugraya went into theatre.

"We've been producing for theatre, then we moved to television. For me every production on TV has to be different from what I've done so far, and also from what audiences have been used to so far. My 'Thodisi Zameen Thodasa Aasman' might have a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in it but the relationships, language and situations are purposely different," Smriti told IANS.

Smriti's new serial "Virrudh", which goes on air on Sony from January end or beginning of Feb, takes soaps to the next step. She has joined hands with writer Kamlesh Pandey who wrote the story of "Rang De Basanti".

"Normally, after a hit like 'Rang De Basanti', a writer would've done another big film. That Kamleshji is as committed to 'Virrudh' as to his movie projects shows how the home medium has grown. All my actors - Sushant Singh, Vikram Gokhale, Achint Kaur, Ashwini Kalsekar, Govind Namdeo - are very choosy. They all immediately said yes."

Smriti herself plays a pivotal role.

"I play a woman of today in 'Virrudh'. She's able to draw a very fine balance between tradition and family. She isn't an ablaa nari (helpless woman) weeping at the drop of a hat. But she loves her family intensely and can go to any length for them. The cast is an amalgamation of the choicest and the best talents playing characters they're suited to play.

"Sony liked the story and we immediately started work. I've another project in the pipeline with Zee. It's very important for me to do quality work. The idea is to come up to the channel's requirements and yet do work that takes one away from the norm. By the end of 2007, we've five-six projects happening."

Smriti is very excited about the coming year.

"As a producer I've to be all there. From the cast to the crew to the set designs... they're all my responsibility. I feel once you've a good story on hand everything falls into place.

" 'Virrudh' will take me away from my image of the reclusive person. As a producer I was able to show my cast and crew that I'm not the unfriendly soul they've been hearing about. Seriously, I'm not the serious soul I'm perceived to be."

Smriti wouldn't be acting in all the serials she produces.

"But we'll have two new productions on air on Sony and Zee. You know, once upon a time there was only Doordarshan and everyone had to watch it. Today viewers have choices. And I want to provide a variety of soaps to choose from. At least as a creator, I'll sleep peacefully if I do the work I believe in. I'm prepared to tell a good story, as long as you're prepared to watch it."

Interestingly, Smriti had to get the title "Virrudh" from Mahesh Manjrekar who made a film of that name.

"He was generous enough to part with it," she said.
 

They're all acting on 'Bigg Boss', says Baba Sehgal
Subhash K. Jha, 

Mumbai, Jan 16  Rapper Baba Sehgal, who saw Sony TV's reality show "Bigg Boss" as a good opportunity to get publicity for his new album, claims that the participants are pretending all the time and not being themselves.

"I had a good time. But I'm not an actor. I wasn't acting like they all are all the time. I was myself. I didn't bitch about anyone," Baba told IANS.

Baba said he was singing all the time in the show that has a group of celebrities cooped up in a house with no phones, no television, no music, no books and no newspapers either. The show will complete three months on Jan 26.

"Because there was nothing else to do. I tried to cheer the others up. But their emotions were so tightly wound and self-serving, it was impossible to penetrate the wall."

"I entered through the wild card. I guess I'm a very wild kind of guy," laughed Baba.

He was eliminated from "Bigg Boss" a fortnight ago.

"Mine was a very brief stopover. I went in when the show was almost 50 days old. The other participants at 'Bigg Boss' had all become emotionally attached to one another. I expected to be out in two weeks. I lasted three weeks. I knew everyone in there would nominate me for eviction. They were all one big family. They didn't want an outsider around."

But Baba, who was initially close to Ravi Kissan, enjoyed the experience.

"Everyone was guarded about me. They're all so insecure. They're all there to win. And then every Friday they come on air and say they want to leave! What are they talking about? Have they forgotten the contract they've signed? These things used to bother me...

"Suddenly they'd start behaving in a different way on Fridays. I'd wonder what are they saying? I detached myself from the whole environment."

Baba is honest enough to admit he had specific reasons for going on the show.

"Initially, they had approached me to be on the show. But at that time I was busy with my new album. I was also busy with my TV shows and gigs. But the wild card entry was just fine.

"It was only for two-three weeks. My 20 days were like 20 years because I was completely out of the loop in there."

Baba sees "Bigg Boss" as good publicity for his new album "Welcome To Mumbai".

"I've been out of the media loop for five years. I don't want to be boastful like Ravi Kissan. But I did 20 albums, no flops.

"Why did I disappear? For personal reasons I had to be in the US for five years. All the while I continued with my concerts. That kept my creativity alive. Now I'm back. I've just sung the title song for Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Traffic Signal'. There're other songs in movies coming up."

 

Racism or not, Shilpa Shetty is making news in Britain
By Prasun Sonwalkar, 

London, Jan 16   Indian actress Shilpa Shetty may appear lost and out of depth as she prepares half-cooked chicken on the reality show "Big Brother", but desi voyeurs in Britain have flooded broadcasting authorities with complaints of racism by others in the house against her.

Britain's broadcasting watchdog Ofcom is investigating nearly 200 complaints about alleged racism against her even as strong opinions are being expressed on Asian radio stations and websites in her support. Asian radio station Sunrise received several calls on a phone-in on Sunday from viewers, complaining about racism against Shetty.

According to her fans and fawns, the long-legged Bollywood stunner is being targeted by some housemates because she is Indian and is being described in what can be called unparliamentary language.

Big Brother housemates Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara seem to have ganged up against Shetty in the past few days. Shetty has become the subject of snide and biting remarks because of her hauteur and background as the heartthrob of millions of Bollywood fans.

Channel Four, which broadcasts the popular reality show, has said that her treatment in the house is "girly rivalry" and that it would not tolerate bullying or racism.

Shetty's housemates have often referred to her as 'the Indian', and some have found it difficult to pronounce her name, poked fun at her accent and asked her if she lived in a shack.

An Ofcom spokeswoman said: "We have had approximately 200 complaints of racism. Quite a lot of websites have been discussing the issue and urging people to get in contact with us. We will look into each individual complaint."

Speaking to the BBC Asian Network, evicted housemate Carole Malone said she believes the incidents were motivated by jealousy.

"Shilpa is too good looking for her own good. She's an incredibly powerful and beautiful woman. She is a very strong woman and can handle it.

"I spoke to her about it when I was in the house. Shilpa feels that she represents the Indian/Asian community and doesn't want to let them or herself down by retaliating".

The Evening Standard reported that producers of the reality show held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss whether comments made to Shetty could be construed as racism.

An unnamed source told the paper: "Shilpa was not called a 'paki'. If the producers thought that anything that was said was overtly racist, the contestant who made the remark would be out.

"Shilpa is no shrinking violet and is standing up for herself. But producers are very concerned about the situation and monitoring the housemates very closely regarding this issue."

A spokeswoman for Channel 4 said: "We do not tolerate bullying or racism in any form on Big Brother."

Former Big Brother contestant, Herjender 'Gos' Gosal said: "If people are too ignorant to learn a bit about other cultures, and make an effort to pronounce someone's name properly then that is racism. It's sickening to watch.

"Some of these so-called celebrities should know better and if I was treated like that during my time in the house I would not stand for it and demand the producers take action.

"Unfortunately conflict gets producers higher ratings, but it shouldn't be at the cost of offending the very community you are hoping to appeal to by putting a Bollywood star in the house in the first place."

Shetty's manager, Jazz Barton said: "Britain is a multi-racial society and this shouldn't be happening on a reality show like Big Brother. I've raised my concerns to the producers.

"Just because Shilpa is beautiful, articulate and intelligent, people feel threatened. When they took the mickey out of her accent, I thought that was unacceptable. She may have an Indian accent but her vocabulary is better than a lot of the other contestants.

"Shilpa has worked hard to get to where she has - not found fame from simply being on a reality show. I really hope the public show her support and vote to keep her in, because she is a decent person.

"I've spoken to Shilpa's mother who has heard from friends in the UK, that Shilpa is having a tough time of it, and is facing a lot of hostility - she is quite upset about it. I would like to see how Channel 4 are going to handle this.

"I applaud the people who have phoned Ofcom to complain - maybe it will make the producers take a strong stance on this."
 

'Babel', 'DreamGirls' win big at Golden Globes
DPA

Los Angeles, Jan 16 (DPA) The intricate international drama "Babel" was named the best dramatic movie of 2006 at the Golden Globe Awards while "DreamGirls" bagged the best musical prize.

"Babel", a Mexican-made movie, was the hot favourite with seven nominations but lost in every race until California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the biggest prize of Monday night.

"I swear I have my papers, governor, I swear," Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu joked in his acceptance speech. "The power of cinema is universal," he continued. "This is a very meaningful award, not only for us, but for the Mexican film industry."

The win catapults the Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett movie into a frontrunner for the Oscars. But "Babel" faces tough competition from "DreamGirls", which won three Globes, including best musical or comedy, and also from the thriller "The Departed" whose director Martin Scorsese was named best director.

Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" is also in contention after it was named best foreign language movie on a night when Hollywood's royalty turned out in force for the industry's second most important award show.

Other winners at the glittering event included Helen Mirren, who was named best dramatic actress for her role in the British royalty drama "The Queen", and Forest Whitaker, who was named best dramatic actor for playing former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland".

Meryl Steep was named best actress in a comedy or musical for her role in "The Devil Wears Prada" while Sacha Baron Cohen was named best actor in a musical or comedy for his appearance in the hit movie "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan".

"DreamGirls" co-stars Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy won supporting actor prizes for their roles in the film.

"Oh, my God. Thank you so much," Hudson said on the verge of tears. "Wow. I have always dreamed but never, ever this big."

"Cars" was named the best animated movie while "The Song of the Heart", from the animated "Happy Feet", was named best original song in a motion picture. The award for best miniseries or TV movie went to HBO's "Elizabeth I".

Warren Beatty was awarded the Cecil B DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.

The award for best TV series drama went to "Grey's Anatomy", while the best comedy prize went to "Ugly Betty".

The event kicked off to live television coverage from the Beverley Hills Hilton after stars like Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Sheryl Crowe, Sienna Miller, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Reese Witherspoon, Beyonce Knowles, Hilary Swank, and Jamie Foxx strolled down the red carpet.

The Golden Globes, presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are considered the second most important prize in the US film industry and kick the race for the Oscars into high gear.

The Globes have a spotty record of predicting the Oscar winners. It correctly identified "Shakespeare in Love", "American Beauty", "Gladiator" and "Chicago".

But Globe voters were off target the past two years, anointing 2004's "The Aviator" as best drama, a prize that went to "Million Dollar Baby" at the Oscars, and 2005's "Brokeback Mountain", which lost to "Crash" at the Oscar night.

However, all four of 2005's acting recipients at the Oscars - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Reese Witherspoon, George Clooney and Rachel Weisz - also won Golden Globes.

Nominations for the Oscars are due to be announced next Tuesday with the prize ceremony set for Feb 25.
 

Singapore to set up library to collect Asia's film heritage
Xinhua

Singapore, Jan. 16 (Xinhua): Singapore's National Library Board (NLB) and the Asian Film Archive (AFA) signed a pact Tuesday to set up a public reference library to collect Asian films.

The library will consist of culturally important films from the region, the two Singapore's agencies said in a statement.

They will undertake to collect, evaluate, document and catalogue the region's films and facilitate access to the public and film researchers with reference copies of the collection.

"As Singapore aims to be an arts hub, media literacy of local and Asian cinema would no doubt play an important role in equipping our community with critical viewing skills," said Ngian Lek Choh, deputy chief executive of the NLB.

The statement said that the move will bring benefit to the film community and the public, because the work of filmmakers will be properly preserved, catalogued, and maintained while the public will be able to access these films in a reference library.

IANS