Mixx Masti: January 2010

Obama's first 'tweet' for the aid of Haiti quake victims

US President Barack Obama `tweeted` his very first message, joining the millions who have used the Twitter micro-blogging site as a vital information vehicle for the Haiti disaster.

The president and First Lady Michelle Obama visited an unadorned office in the American Red Cross headquarters serving as a disaster operations centre, and lent encouragement to staff and volunteers helping coordinate humanitarian aid activity in earthquake-devastated Haiti.

"We`re just here to say `thank you` for the great work you`re doing," Obama said as he entered the operations centre with American Red Cross board chairwoman Bonnie McElveen-Hunter.

As he moved about the room, where large maps of Port-au-Prince were tacked to the walls, he stopped at a media team desk and hit the "Send" button on a message that had just been typed on Twitter: "President Obama and the First Lady are here visiting our disaster operation centre right now."

This was followed by: "President Obama pushed the button on the last tweet. It was his first ever tweet!"

During his presidential bid in 2007 and 2008, Obama`s team harnessed the power of the Internet to raise record funding for his campaign.

His administration, too, has been praised for its tech-savvy use of the web. Advertisement

I have become more aware about the poverty in India: Genelia

Actress Genelia D`Souza says she has become more aware of the extent of poverty in India after hosting reality TV show 'Big Switch', which featured 10 rich children who gave up their comfortable lifestyles to fulfil the dreams of slum children.

"`Big Switch` was about a rich dreamer giving up his dreams to make another dreamer`s wish come true - helping someone who couldn`t afford to realise his or her dream. I have seen some of the most emotional moments between the rich and poor kids, which has given me a serious reality check in life," Genelia told reporters.

"There`s so much poverty in India, yet the people in slums have the courage to dream. I took up `Big Switch` simply because it was a reality show in good light. The concept exuded positivity, and the soul of the show was very clean," she added.

The show, which aired on UTV Bindass, had its finale Saturday. Genelia played a host, a friend and an advisor to all the children throughout the show. She says she was extremely touched during one episode.

"I have seen the rich kids do some of the sweetest things for their slum friends. I have seen them going to the extent of collecting cow dung with their bare hands - and all this for someone they have no relation with. I had tears in my eyes that day and it really gave me a reality check," the 22-year-old said.

Though Genelia is happy with the way her small screen debut turned out, she isn`t too sure if she will be seen on television shows again soon.

"I haven`t really thought about doing any other shows on TV. Films are my main focus at the moment. I have been working very hard for them," she said.

Genelia has been juggling between the southern film industry and Bollywood for the past five years but it was Imran Khan-starrer `Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na` that brought her to the forefront of Hindi movies.

Her latest movie `Chance Pe Dance`, which paired her with Shahid Kapoor, released to average reviews Friday. Genelia is now working with the likes of Anees Bazmee in `It`s My Life` and David Dhawan-John Abraham in `Hook Ya Crook`.

Asked if there were any specific roles she wanted to do, Genelia said: "I have never planned my career. Whatever comes my way, I try and make the best of it." Advertisement

Impromptu billboard film stops traffic

An enormous television screen showing a pornographic film caused a midnight traffic jam in central Moscow recently as stunned motorists slammed on the brakes to gawk at the writhing naked

The owner of the advertising screen, which sits atop a main road about two km south of the Kremlin, told the state-run RIA news agency that hackers had broken into the screen's computer system and turned on the porn.

"They were either acting out of hooliganism or were from a rival company," Viktor Laptev, commercial director of advertising firm Panno.ru, told RIA.

A short clip showing cars slowing to a halt to look at the screen sprung up on youtube.com and internet sites Friday across Russia, a country which banned nudity on television before the Soviet Union fell in 1991.

Authorities said they are investigating, RIA added. Advertisement

Salman to romance Preeti

Preeti, like every other girl, lives in her own world of dreams in which she eternally dreams of getting married to a perfect man that resembles Bollywood's most handsome men like Salman, Saif, Shahid to name a few!

Her dream finally materializes and she will share special moments with the most adorable actors from Bollywood with an impressive use of computer graphics.

For late-starters, this Preeti is the protagonist of Rajshri Productions and Imagine's new serial 'Do Hanson Ka Jodaa'.

Thanks to this extraordinary technology, Preeti will now star in Rajshri Production's blockbuster MAINE PYAR KIYA opposite Salman Khan! She will also be seen romancing this Bollywood hearthrob and exchange famous dialogues from the movie!

"I have done a lot of graphics in my earlier shows and in my film, but this one is really different. I did this for the first time. It took a lot of effort to do this. Right from scripting, storyboarding, shooting, editing, computer graphics, sound editing - the whole team really worked hard!" said Kaushik Ghatak, director of the show.

"And it was really fun.... I hope our audience will also enjoy. Another most important reason why this sequence is very near to my heart is that all the shots are from Soorajji's films. I grew up watching his films. This small effort is my tribute to the legendary film maker," he added. Advertisement

Megan Fox’s Sexy New Ads for Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans

Savita Bhabhi in trouble again?

Savita Bhabhi, India’s first porn toon star, is courting trouble yet again. Bollywood in Love - les Aventures de Savita Bhabhi, a new comic book, based on her sexcapades, by French publisher Editions Blanche, may have got her fans excited, but not everyone is amused.

Rajesh Chharia, president of Internet Service Provider Association of India, one of the people who pushed for the ban on the original Savita Bhabhi website, says, “This needs to be stopped, in whatever form it is, since the original website is banned in India.”

But her followers stay loyal. After being banned by the government last June for obscenity, last month Savita Bhabhi returned on new URL, www.kirtu.com. And now, with the comic book, SB has found fans in France too. Writes Adam Viviane, “Too good. This comic awakens the senses!!! She’s so hot man!” Vin4u blogs, “This is cooler than a site. We can pass it around... I’m so ordering it.”

The 96-page comic book is authored by Deshmukh, the UK-based brain behind the SB website, and designed by graphic designers Dexstar and Madman. Currently it is available at online retailer www.amazon.com’s France website for €13.25 (Rs 875). The book is yet to come to India. Advertisement

Aamir-krishma

Katrina Kaif Calendar 2010

Spotted: Priyanka Chopra

Ayesha Takia spotted with her sister

China grabs more Indian land: Official report

India has lost 'substantial' amount of land along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the last two decades to Beijing, according to an official report.

At a recent meeting held at Leh, Jammu Kashmir government, Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Army have agreed that there was difference in the maps of various agencies.

The meeting was chaired by Commissioner (Leh) A K Sahu and attended, among others, by the 14 Corps Brigadier General Staff Brig Sarat Chand and Colonel Inderjit Singh.

Officials at the meeting said, "It is clear and accepted that we are withdrawing from LAC and our area has shrunk over a period of time. This process is very slow but we have lost substantial amount of land in 20-25 years."

The meeting also pointed out that "There is a lack of institutional memory in various agencies as well as clear policy on this issue which in the long run has resulted in loss of Indian territory in favour of China."

The report was filed by former sub divisional magistrate (Nyoma) Tsering Norboo.

Norboo said, "They (Chinese) have threatened the nomadic people, who had been using the Dokbug area (in Ladakh sector) area for grazing for decades, in a way to snatch our land in inches."

The SDM also contended that it was another attempt by the Chinese to term, and claim, the territory disputed in the same fashion as they had taken Nag Tsang area in 1984, Nakung in 1991 and Lungma-Serding in 1992. Advertisement

Catfights between Kangana and Neetu Chandra

This time the same thing happened on the sets of No Problem, where almost 3 actresses are working together. Sushmita Sen, Kangna Ranaut and Neetu Chandra. But the fight this time is between Neetu and Kangna.Sources from the sets informed that, “A few days ago, Kangana called Neetu to her vanity van and shouted at her for using her name to gain publicity. Neetu was stunned at her reaction.”But later, Neetu realized that what had actually happened was due to her very close friend, who was present on the sets.

“Some journalist asked her friend about the kind of rapport Neetu shared with everyone on the sets of No Problem, but the scribe went about and made a snippet about Neetu’s dosti with Kangna,” said the source, and Neetu was blamed to leak all inside stories.When we contacted Neetu, she said, “I have no idea about it. We had a great time while shooting, and Kangna is very sweet.” Kangna was unavailable for comment.So we contacted the director of the film, Aneez Bazmee, to confirm the story. He said, “I have no idea if something like this had happened, I think it is all a rumour because we had a great time shooting for No Problem, and every actor, actress and crew member, all of them, became very close friends. It was like some picnic.

And I don’t think any cat fight happened between Neetu and Kangna because both the ladies are very sweet.”Seems that Kangna feels that she is a top actress, though in No Problem, she is the leading lady opposite an average actor Akshaye Khanna. And on the other hand, Neetu Chandra has still not made it big in Bollywood. In the film No Problem, Sushmita Sen is playing Kangna Ranaut’s sister. And both are impressed by each other. So where does this leave Neetu?

Sachin highest tax paying sportsperson in country

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has become the highest taxpayer among sportspersons in the country for the last quarter of 2009 while film stars Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan edged past others in Bollywood on individual tax payers category.

Sachin paid Rs 1.5 crore for the quarter till December and stood at 115th position ahead of Indian cricket team captain M S Dhoni among the 500 top taxpayers of the country.

Dhoni and Sehwag had paid Rs 1 crore each for the same period and stood at 199 and 201 positions respectively in the latest list of top 500 taxpayers with the Finance Ministry.

Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan have occupied 25th and 26th positions respectively edging past all others in Bollywood, including Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan by dishing out Rs 4.5 crore each for the December period in the current financial year.

However, the Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan is missing from the top 500 list though his son and daughter-in-law have figured in it.

Businessman Mahesh Gordhandas Garodia is the top taxpayer in the country dishing out Rs 20 crore.

Lawyer-politician Abhisek Singhvi figures in the list by paying Rs 1.5 crore for this period.

Other cricketers who have figured in the list are Saurav Ganguly (Rs 90 lakh) and Harbhjan Singh (Rs 70 lakh).

IPL mastermind Lalit Modi has occupied the 47th position with a deposit of Rs 3 crore. Advertisement

SRK tweets for 'unpaid' hockey players

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan aka Chak De India's Kabir Khan feels awful for Indian hockey players revolting against the establishment for their unpaid dues and has tweeted his disgust at the latest crisis to rock the national sport.

Khan, widely praised for bringing the pathetic state of Indian hockey into limelight with his portrayal of a disgraced player who goes on to become a celebrated coach in the 2007 blockbuster Chak De India, supported the revolting players in his latest tweet.

"(I) feel awful for the Indian hockey team. To play for the country...national sport and have to ask for salary and we complain we don't win gold (medals)," Khan, who himself was a hockey player before becoming an actor, said on his 'Twitter' page.

Indian hockey has plunged into a crisis with players boycotting the ongoing World Cup preparatory camp in Pune for an indefinite period in protest against non-payment of their dues.

I turned down Sex and the City roles: Matthew Broderick

Matthew Broderick has revealed that he turned down repeat offers to star alongside his wife Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City.

The couple, who have three kids called James, Tabitha and Marion, have never appeared together on TV despite being married for 13 years.

Broderick said he has turned down every opportunity to appear alongside his spouse.

"We did a play together, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, but it's not really something we look for," the Daily Express quoted Broderick as telling Us Weekly magazine.

"I had a couple of chances when the TV show was on. But I was never free for the right character," he added.

Shah Rukh Khan owns up to being a ladies man

Seated at a restaurant in London surrounded by some 10 women, including his wife Gauri, when Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh says that he 'likes being with girls', you simply have to believe him.

'I don't have many boyfriends. I like being with girls - and probably that's why people think I'm a little girlish. But I don't have any such male bonding with anyone...,' Shah Rukh said in the first episode of Discovery Travel & Living's upcoming series 'Living With A Superstar - Shah Rukh Khan'.

Most of Shah Rukh's closest friends are of the opposite sex - Kajol, Farah Khan, Juhi Chawla, Rani Mukerji and so on.

Among his best known male friends is filmmaker Karan Johar, with whom he has done many hit films like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' and 'Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna'. Shah Rukh's most awaited film of the year 'My Name Is Khan' is also Johar's baby.

The new TV series 'Living With A Superstar...' chronicles Shah Rukh in his real, day-to-day life. It aims at taking viewers into the private spaces of the 44-year-old, who is fondly known as King Khan by many of his fans and colleagues.

The 10-part series, which has Shah Rukh's voiceover, will go on air Feb 26 at 9 p.m. with a slice of his life from a family vacation in London.

He is seen taking a rickshaw ride on the street, cheering for a street performer, playing football with his children Aryan and Suhana at Hyde Park, bingeing on food, smoking, visiting Madame Tussaud's wax studio - and most of all just being himself.

In subsequent episodes, viewers can know about Shah Rukh's relationship with his children, wife, sister and friends, unique style of shooting, time management, interactions with fans and staff and about his house Mannat.

The series, jointly produced by Shah Rukh's Red Chillies Entertainment and Blue Mango Films, is the biggest ever by the channel, according to Rahul Johri, senior vice president and general manager, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific.

'This is the biggest thing we have done. We have shot in Dubai, San Jose, San Francisco, London, Mumbai, New Delhi - we had been following Shah Rukh wherever he went since March 2009 and he gave us complete access,' Johri told the media, without divulging the investment made for it.

The series will have eight repeats in a week, justifying the fan following that Shah Rukh commands across the globe. Advertisement

Shahrukh won't lick Aamir's feet any more

Remember the infamous blog that Aamir Khan wrote, about a dog named Shahrukh Khan in his Panchgani bungalow licking his feet. Well, Shahrukh can heave a sigh of relief as that dog won't lick Aamir's feet again. Recently Shahrukh the dog moved out of Aamir's bungalow with its caretaker who is no longer employed by Aamir Khan. Since the dog had been taken care off by the caretaker it also went out along with him.

The dog blog had widened the rift between Shahrukh and Aamir and many of Perfectionist Khan's fans had also felt it was in bad taste. In it Aamir had written “Shahrukh is licking my feet and I am feeding him biscuits every now and then. What more can I ask for?” He had also added “Shahrukh is smelling too much, I think he needs a bath.” Shahrukh's fans had reacted strongly after which the dog was renamed Shahki to avoid any more controversies.

Recently, Aamir had apologised to Shahrukh's kids after hearing that they had felt hurt by what Aamir had written in his blog. Reacting to that Shahrukh had appreciated Aamir's sense of humour saying he himself had a good one. The two had recently bonded during the premiere of 3 Idiots and the movie even carried the trailer
of My Name Is Khan. With the dog gone we hope one chapter of Shahrukh-Aamir rivalry will be closed forever. Advertisement

Shruti Hassan on the cover of Elle january 2010

Shruti Hassan on the cover of Elle india magazine for the month of January 2010. She is reportedly dating actor siddharth who previously dated Soha ali khan

She is seen in Manish arora, Gauri nainika and Rana gill outfits. Read her entire interview here Advertisement

Kareena and Katrina on Stardust January 2010

Kareena kapoor and Katrina kaif on the cover of Stardust magazine for the month of January 2010
Kareena is looking really cute!! Advertisement

Shocking;;Aishwarya's scan from Dabboo ratnani calendar 2010

Its a screen capture. This looks like a great show. We will have to wait and watch for the actual photo Advertisement

Deepika

Mona Lisa may have been suffering from high cholesterol

Mona Lisa’s famous smile may have been the result of fatty acids gathered around her eye socket suggesting her high cholesterol levels, according to an Italian medical expert.

Vito Franco, Professor of Pathological Anatomy at the University of Palermo, who has been studying art masterpieces for evidence of disease and illness, alleged some of the world’s greatest works of art revealed signs of illness.

“I look at art with a different eye from an art expert, much as a mathematician listens to music in a different way from a music critic,” a website quoted him as saying.

Professor Franco, who presented his findings at a European congress on human pathology in Florence, said he had found evidence of a range of afflictions in not only aristocrats but also Madonnas, angels and mythical heroes.

The Madonna del Parto by Piero della Francesca appears to have a goitre, or swelling of the thyroid gland, on her neck “typical of people who drank water from a well in certain areas” in medieval times, it was claimed.

Professor Franco also claims that Michelangelo’s own ailment that he diagnoses as kidney stones; seem to come to surface in Raphael’s School of Athens where he appears with strangely swollen and knobbly knees. Advertisement

Hindu, Muslim kite-makers in Ahmedabad convey communal amity

Located in the western part of the nation, Gujarat state has seen many different civilisations come and go and enrich the region's cultural heritage, which is a harmonious mix of Hindu traditions and Muslim customs. Hindu and Muslim kite-makers in Ahmedabad's famous Jamalpur Kite market are busy carrying forward this tradition of amity and brotherhood in their own special way. All of them are busy in preparations for the Hindu festival of Uttarayan, also known as Makar Sankranti, which falls on 14th January and is marked by a kite festival. Advertisement

KRK takes on SRK on Twitter

Despite managing a measly 63 followers in a day, Bhojpuri actor Kamal Rashid Khan predicts he will gather more followers than Shah Rukh in a month; incidentally SRK already has over 30,000 in 2 days

There may be glory in being the real Shah Rukh Khan, but it does not hurt to be a fake one either.

For even a fake SRK attracts over 1,000 followers on Twitter compared to a real KRK, who is yet to reach even the three-figure mark.

On Saturday, SRK began tweeting for the first time. Within an hour, a prankster claiming to be the real SRK was also on the micro-blogging site, and over time the pretender to the throne managed to fool hundreds of King Khan fans into following him.

Then, yesterday, as netizens tried hard to distinguish between the real star and the fake, Bhojpuri actor and Bigg Boss contestant Kamal R Khan also jumped into the fray.
Numbers game

In only his second tweet, KRK went on to challenge Shah Rukh, saying he would have more followers than him in a month. Kamal's first tweet read, "The real KRK is here.

Please don't follow any other fake KRK. Main hi saccha hun." He challenged SRK a few hours later: "Main @iamsrk (Shah Rukh Khan) KO challenge karta hun.

1 mahine mein mere usse zyada followers honge. i don't have any @Kjohar25 (Karan Johar) behind me."

The number of followers of the real SRK on Twitter (@iamsrk) stood at 30,318, at the time of going to press, while the pretender (@imsrk) had attracted 1,844 of the star's fans.

The followers of KRK (@iamKRK) numbered a measly 63.Battle of the clones

The tweeting maze doesn't end here. There was another KRK out there on Twitter yesterday called @imkrk.

This one had the words 'Of course, a FAKE profile!!!' on his page and he took on the fake SRK in the opening tweet, asking him to "learn from me. have a profile image". He spelt his name 'Kamaal'.

Verified accounts

Meanwhile, a blog hosted by Twitter to track fakes said it planned to introduce 'verified accounts' to protect users from impostors.

Quoting Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, it said, "We do recognise an opportunity to improve Twitter user experience and clear up confusion beyond simply removing impersonation accounts once alerted."

Stone added that verified accounts would feature a special seal that would be introduced with a beta preview in the coming months for a select set of people.

These people will include public officials, public agencies, famous artists, athletes, and other well-known individuals at risk of impersonation.

"This doesn't mean accounts without any verification seal are fake.

The vast majority of Twitter accounts are not impersonators, Another way to determine authenticity is to check the official website of the person for a link back to their Twitter account," said Stone.

The Twitter page of Karan Johar (kjohar25) already displays the 'verified account' seal.

As for the fake SRK, he kept tweeting all through, even lifting the actor's tweets.

To make it all appear genuine, the fake SRK, like the real one, is also following Karan Johar the real one. Just for the record, Johar was the one who prodded SRK to take to Twitter. Advertisement

Michelle Obama's 'racist' chimp picture reappears online

A caricature of US First Lady Michelle Obama as a chimpanzee has reappeared on the Internet, two months after the morphed "racist" picture first provoked a major controversy.

The image has now been reappearing at the top of the results when the words "Michelle Obama" are put into Google's picture search engine.

Despite complaints that it is "racist", the US Internet giant has refused to remove the offensive image from its picture search listings, citing its commitment to "free expression", the media reported.

Instead, Google is running an advertisement next to the picture which explains how its search engine works and concedes that sometimes the results could be "offensive".

However, the image was eventually withdrawn by Hot Girls, a blog hosted by the Google-owned Blogger, on which it was appearing in November last year.

A spokesman for Google then said that the company was looking into why that was happening for some users and that it was not a "deliberate" action to remove the explanation. "We would generally keep it (the explanation) up for as long as the blog (hosting the content) was up."

Google had warned, however, that the image of the US First Lady could easily reappear in its listings if another blog posted it.

Google handles nearly two thirds of all net searches in the US and it uses a complex algorithm to decide which web pages should come up first when a user goes for a search on its engine. Advertisement

Wanted: Underage pregnant girls for Brit TV show

A British show is looking for young mums-to-be (and dads) to take part in the second series of the programme.

BBC3’s Underage And Pregnant follows underage pregnant girls and young dads as they prepare to become parents through to after the birth of the baby, reports The Mirror.

Producers are seeking participants from a variety of backgrounds.

Mixx Masti

Labels