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ENTERTAINMENT THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2011
I’m not scared of item numbers: Sonakshi
Havel’s film debut
premieres in Prague
FORMER Czech president and anti-communist icon Vaclav
Havel made his debut as a film-maker as his movie
"Leaving", based on his own play, premiered in Prague.
The 74-year-old Havel, who only left hospital on Sunday
after being treated with bronchitis for almost two weeks, was
expected to arrive at a ceremony following the screening at the
Lucerna cinema in Prague's historic centre. The choice of the
venue was largely symbolic as the art nouveau Lucerna — the
country's oldest cinema in operation, opened in 1909 — was
built by Havel's grandfather, an architect and entrepreneur.
Havel, better known as a playwright and anti-communist
dissident who was a key figure in the peaceful 1989 Velvet
Revolution that removed the yoke of communism, hails from a
family which once owned Prague's main film studios.
Former Czech Republic president and director Vaclav
Havel (centre) smiles next to his wife and actress Dagmar
during the premiere of his new movie Leaving in Prague.
"I always dreamt of being a film director," he said ahead of
the release. The film, due to hit cinemas across the Czech Republic
today, is based on a play written by Havel after he ended
his career as president, first of Czechoslovakia in 1989-1992
and then of the Czech Republic in 1993-2003 after the former
federation split into two states.
It tells the story of a leading politician who, as he prepares
to leave power, sees his world collapse amid treachery and a
merciless confrontation with an unscrupulous successor.
Havel admits to having been inspired by Shakespeare's
"King Lear" and Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" for
the original play, which was first staged in 2008.
The film premiere coincides with the 58th birthday of
Havel's wife, actress Dagmar Havlova-Veskrnova, who has a
starring role in the film as the retiring politician's companion.
Havel earned a reputation as a playwright in the 1960s for
his contribution to the Theatre of the Absurd.
He then threw himself into dissident activity against the
communists for which he spent five years in prison, before becoming
president in 1989 as the Soviet bloc began to crumble.
— AFP
By Soeren Giess
JENS is feeling frustrated. "Now
that we have driven up here just
for this, we still simply can't get a
really good shot with the Hollywood
sign in the background," the vacationer
from Hanover, Germany complains,
as he tries to set up a camera
shot featuring his fiancee, Ines.
"The letters are simply too far
away and you are too close," he tells
her.
Ines and Jens are having the same
problem that millions of other tourists
from around the world often
have. They have come here searching
for a certain Hollywood feeling
and want to take some dream-factory
experiences from Los Angeles back
home with them, 100 years after the
first film studio, the Nestor Motion
Picture Company, opened. And it just
isn't that easy.
"Last evening we wanted to take
a picture from Beachwood Drive,"
Ines said. "Our friends had already
been here and had given us the tip.
But how could we have known that
the thing isn't illuminated at night?"
she asked, referring to the famous
Hollywood sign.
"At least the view from up here is
good and the building looks great,"
says Jen with a shrug.
By "up here" he means the Griffith
Observatory which reigns in a
By Andy Goldberg
WHAT do Christian Bale,
Michael Fassbender, Andrew
Garfield and Henry Cavill have
in common, besides all being devilishly
handsome? As America frets about its
declining influence in the world, these
actors represent the cinematic angle of
America's slide.
These actors have been hired by the
country's most powerful film moguls to
represent all-American heroes in quintessential
Hollywood blockbusters, despite
the glaringly obvious fact that they hail
from countries like Wales, England and
Germany.
America has long been outsourcing its
manufacturing to China and other lowcost
countries. Now it's outsourcing its
superheroes, too — including the holy
trinity of American wondermen — Batman,
Superman and Spiderman.
Bale, a dashing 37-year-old Welshman,
fresh from his Oscar win for The
Fighter, will play a moody Bruce Wayne
for a third time in the forthcoming Batman
action sequel, The Dark Knight
Rises, in which he no doubt will use his
amazing powers to save the good citizens
of Gotham from unspeakable evil.
Joining him in the exclusive club of
foreign superheroes is Andrew Garfield,
who will star in the title role of 2012's
The Amazing Spider-Man. Garfield, 27,
was actually born in the US but grew up
in Britain from age 3.
His role as the web-slinging crimefighter
marks only his third major Hollywood
part, following his acclaimed
performance in the Facebook movie The
Social Network, and a supporting role in
the fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor
Parnassus.
Henry Cavill is best known to viewers
for his role as a headstrong Henry VIII in
the mini-series The Tudors, but his dark
intensity made him the top choice for director
Zack Snyder and producer Christopher
Nolan when they were casting the
ultimate American icon Superman in the
Warner Bros revival movie.
Michael Fassbender 33, will have
a pivotal role in X-Men First Class, in
which he will play the role of arch villain
Magneto, opposite another foreign born
ACTRESS Sonakshi Sinha
wants to prove that she is truly
Dabangg when it comes to her
professional career. Brushing aside the
rumours that she wants to refrain from
doing item numbers, the actress came
out saying that she is not scared of doing
them.
The 23-year-old, who has shown her
dancing expertise on stage at various
award shows earlier this year, revealed
that she has no problems in joining the
lines of Katrina Kaif, Malaika Arora
Khan and Mallika Sherawat by doing
an item number, but she has to be
comfortable in doing so.
"I'm not scared of doing item
numbers. For me, when I did stage
shows, I was wearing what I was
comfortable in and the moves that I was
doing were also what I was comfortable
doing. So all depends on comfort. If
what is offered to me, I'm comfortable
doing that, then I might just take it up.
I'm not averse to it," Sonakshi told
reporters.
Sonakshi, the daughter of veteran
superstar superhero, the Australian Hugh
Jackman.
He first came to mainstream attention
in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious
Basterds, in which the German-born actor
displayed his internationalist chops by
playing a British officer, no less. He has
appeared in Jonah Hex and Knockout and
can currently be seen in theatres in the
film Jane Eyre.
"Michael oozes charisma, and he is a
brilliant actor," director Mattew Vaughn
said recently. "Paul Newman, Robert
Redford, Steve McQueen — there aren't
that many like them anymore who carry
their persona on and off screen. Michael
actor Shatrughan Sinha, has laid down
various rules for herself.
She has been maintaining that she
won't be doing any kissing scenes in
films and also won't sport a bikini on
screen ever.
Yet the budding actress has been
getting plump Bollywood offers. After
her debut film Dabangg with Salman
Khan, the actress will be seen in Joker
with Akshay Kumar and is also a part of
Race 2.
At an event on Tuesday, she was
also named as the brand ambassador of
fashion brand Provogue, that has had
actors like Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali
Khan, John Abraham, Fardeen Khan and
Katrina Kaif endorsing it in the past.
"I'm very happy to be associated with
Provogue. I think they've seen how my
career is shaping up and they think that
I'm able to contribute to their brand in
some way as a brand ambassador. So
very happy about this association and
hopefully it will be a long and fruitful
one for both of us," said Sonakshi.
— IANS
Superheroes getting outsourced
park of the same name in Hollywood
Hills, 300 metres above downtown
Los Angeles. From the terraces here
people have what is in all likelihood
the best view of the famous Hollywood
sign. On clear days you can
The 23-year-old, who has shown her dancing expertise on
stage at various award shows earlier this year, revealed
that she has no problems in joining the lines of Katrina Kaif,
Malaika Arora Khan and Mallika Sherawat by doing an item
number, but she has to be comfortable in doing so
Christian Bale
Andrew Garfield
is the real deal."
What's behind this trend, and is it really
a symbol of the decline of America?
Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst
for Hollywood.com, says that it's not just
a case of Hollywood producers wanting
to get better quality actors for less money
— just like car buyers did with Japanese
cars and Chinese-made electronics.
"With the international box office now
earning more than the US domestic box
office, producers are looking for actors
with international appeal," he said.
Casting agents often prefer lesserknown
actors for these iconic roles so
they don't come with "baggage." — dpa
Searching for that special Hollywood moment
Tourists take photos and videos while on a sightseeing tour during the premiere of Paul at
the Grauman’s Chinese theatre in Hollywood. — Reuters
look beyond LA to the blue Pacific
Ocean.
The impressive Art Deco-style
domed observatory was completed in
1935, back in what were Hollywood's
"Golden Years" and was — and con-
Michael Fassbender
America has long
been outsourcing
its manufacturing to
China and other lowcost
countries. Now
it’s outsourcing its
superheroes, too —
including the holy trinity
of American wondermen
— Batman, Superman
and Spiderman
tinues to be — a location for many
films. James Dean was filmed here in
the youth revolt film Rebel Without
A Cause, his next-to-last movie.
The observatory can also be seen in
James Cameron's 1984 film The Terminator
with Arnold Schwarzenegger,
as well as in Charlie's Angels
Full Throttle, and Transformers.
Ines and Jens in the meantime
have asked another visitor to take
their picture with the observatory in
the background. "This is a nice souvenir
picture," they say. "Hollywood
Boulevard wasn't so great — totally
built up and not at all glamorous.
Everything filled with shops."
Salman, a film student from Pakistan,
is sympathetic. "I can understand that
many people are disappointed when
they see the boulevard. It was the
same with me."
Salman, who earns his keep standing
outside the Kodak Theatre, where
the Oscar award ceremonies have
been held since 2001, trying to lure
tourists onto one of the many sightseeing
bus tours. Or sell them a map
where allegedly — no guarantees —
the film stars live. "The only thing really
worth seeing here is Grauman's,"
he says. — dpa
WINDOW
By Ahmed al Falahi
musrag@yahoo.com
Elusive goals
IN our daily life, we learn lots of lessons that we surely
benefit from. These lessons can be points of change for
us to a life that is much brighter and comfortable than we
have now.
We see that some people turn to east and west to achieve
something that he or she doesn’t recognise at the first place
but his desires and abilities move him forward to achieve
that goal.
Students study hard but what do they wish for? Do they
want a material gain or a luxurious life or a specific grade?
Does any student want to invent something that makes him
popular and famous or invent something that benefit the
whole mankind?
All of these aims are achievable. What applies to students
is applicable in many other areas in our life. The goal
that we are aiming at might be the only stimulus for us to
move forward despite various constraints.
Some people believe that "happiness is a trip, not a station".
It means that even if a student has achieved his goal,
he will not be happy and so he will still pursue other objectives.
The question is: At what level in life any one would be
satisfied with what he has got? The answer is difficult but it
seems that a human being will not be satisfied ever and he
will be looking for a better life as long as he is alive. This
persistence is what has led us to inventions and this huge
scientific advancement.
In spite of this fact, human beings are still not happy,
and his misery is reflected on a set of behaviours. He kills
without mercy, treats people unfairly, steals and lies, commits
suicide, and destroys the nature. He doesn’t mind destroying
anything in his way in order to achieve his goals.
By treading this path, he will not be able to reach his goal
because whenever one thinks of his materialistic life and
works hard to get things done for his own purposes, the
aim will remain elusive.
Some people say that life is inside us. It is more than
winning for ourselves. It means helping others to achieve
the best for the group. However, these people will not give
us the credit for helping them if they are on the other hand
looking for things that are much larger than we achieved
for them. This is a fact.
Others would help us in the first fall but they will not
stand by us to support us every time we fall. A person who
can’t bear the shocks that a friend may cause him could
stand away and only observe the situation. He must keep
his convictions because if he falls he will be mentally and
psychologically hurt and this is very painful.
No Agneepath shoot, so
Priyanka prepares for Barfee
By Subhash K Jha
PRIYANKA Chopra was supposed to start shooting with
Hrithik Roshan for Agneepath, but at the last moment
her shooting was cancelled. Rather than let her unused time
go waste, she immediately got hold of her Barfee director
Anurag Basu and began preparation for her part of the
mentally challenged girl in the film.
"Yes, Priyanka's shooting for Agneepath got cancelled.
But it was only because the shooting with the other actors
that was going on from earlier went on longer than expected.
Priyanka immediately got in touch with Anurag Basu
and took the time to prepare for her part," said Priyanka's
business manager.
Being produced by Karan Johar, Agneepath is the remake
of director Mukul Anand's 1990 film, which had
Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role. Hrithik and Priyanka
starrer is being directed by Karan Malhotra.
A source close to the actress said: "The last thing Priyanka's
choc-a-block schedules can withstand are last-minute
cancellations. Priyanka is very particular about her commitments
and expects the same level of commitment from
others. Any cancellation puts her off. And this was her first
stint of Agneepath. She was really looking forward to starting
the shoot. But what to do? She took the cancellation in
her stride."
But here's where Priyanka's enterprising spirit took
over. "Anurag was busy with other pre-production work.
And tried to beg off. But Priyanka would hear none of it.
She told Anurag this sudden space in her schedule was godsend.
She had not been able to prepare for 'Barfee' as much
as she wanted to because of her tight schedules."
"Priyanka would hear none of Anurag's protestations.
She just took over his time and insisted that they visit a
couple of institutions for the mentally and physically challenged.
She also got immersed in lengthy workshops and
even convinced Ranbir Kapoor to join her. This week she
and Anurag have been inseparable in giving authenticity to
her character," said a source.
Like they say, one producer's loss is another film-maker's
gain. — IANS