Asin endorsing with M.S. Dhoni

Asin Thottumkal, the southern sensation is surely making hay while the sun is still shining on her. After having been chosen recently as the brand ambassador for Fairever, the famous fairness cream, Asin has now been roped in by the retail major Future Group to endorse Big Bazaar.

Even though the official announcements are yet to be made about this deal, reliable sources claim have it that Asin will be sharing the spotlight with Indian cricket captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the commercials that are yet to be shot.

Life is looking totally up, up and more up for this Ghajini chic. Keep going Asin!

Tags: asin thottumkal, mahendra singh dhoni.

John Abraham hooked to cricket

Hook Ya Crook is yet another cricket film being made in Bollywood. After Hurman Baweja’s Victory, it's time for John Abraham and Shreyas Talpade to say Hook Ya Crook. It is said to be a thriller involving comedy and cricket.

About the film and its plot our source close to the film said: “John Abraham is learning cricket under Dinesh (Raju) Lad who is also the coach for cricketer Rohit Sharma. John will be playing the game with national level cricketers like Mahendra Singh Dhoni and a number of other star cricketers.”

He added, “Hook Ya Crook tells the story of Viraj Pradhan, a boy with unlimited passion for the game of cricket, who aspires to play for India one day. At last, it seems like his dream will always remain a dream when he is sentenced to a maximum security prison due to his reckless behaviour. In the prison he discovers that the dangerous inmates are as passionate about the game as him and soon he is in huge demand. With his new rag-tag group of friends, an oppressive warden and his never ending lust for the game, Viraj renews his search for a way to achieve his dream of playing cricket for India!”

Hook Yaa Crook is directed by David Dhavan. The film hit the floors in November 2008 and the whole cast and crew had shot in Hyderabad. Besides Shreyas and John, Genelia D’Douza and M.S.Dhoni plays an important role in this film. The film is slated for release in September,2009.

Tags: john abraham, hook ya crook, shreyas talpade, mahendra singh dhoni, genelia dsouza.

Imran pairing with Sonam Kapoor?

Kunal Kohli whose last film was Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, is now producing a film to be directed by his assistant Danish Aslam. There is a strong buzz going on that Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor will make lead pair in this young love story.

Our sources told us, “The film will be made under Kunal Kohli Productions and it’s also a of part three-film tie up with BIG Pictures. The film is still in the initial stages.”

Further our source told us, “The subject of the film is quite young and it requires a young pairing and so we are in talks with many actors and as of now we haven’t finalized anyone but Kohli is eager to take Imran and Sonam. Let’s see how the things will go.”

He added, “The main leads of the film need to have an appeal to the youth since it's a love story. Imran Khan was quite impressive in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and similarly Sonam Kapoor‘s acting was good in Delhi-6 and so the young pairing would be the perfect choice for the film.”

We hope that Kunal and Danish will get fresh faces. It's time for them to create a magic. 

Tags: imran khan, sonam kapoor, kunal kohli.

Genelia outsmarts Rani, Preity

Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta are getting old. Unlike smart cookie Aishwarya who’s still getting the best of films, these two have restricted themselves to different roles (of course because of a lack of offers).

It’s worse for ‘once upon a time queen of hearts’ Rani Mukherjee who made the major mistake of confining herself to the Yash Raj camp and has hardly any good role to talk about. Except of course about her dear Aditya Chopra's films.

She is losing endorsements to younger actresses left, right and centre and so is Preity. Their loss has turned out to be somebody else’s gain. After the success of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Genelia D’ Souza has found her feet back in Bollywood.

Genelia had moved to South when she failed to make a mark in Bollywood with her first film Tujhe Meri Kasam with rumoured boyfriend Riteish Deshmukh. Masti did nothing to her either. But now things have changed. Apart from big offers, movies with John Abraham and good filmmakers, she has become a hot favourite in the ad world as well.

The cute and petite Genelia has ad makers fighting it out for her. She is endorsing products that our ‘A-league’ Bollywood actresses once used to endorse. This includes Rani and Preity. Genelia is now the face of brands like Vatika hair oil and Fair and Lovely. After replacing Rani in the Fanta commercial, Genelia has now replaced Bollywood’s bubbly Zinta in the Cadbury Perk commercial.

Genie baby is clearly a young face and is great in-demand. Rani and Preity and the ilk have a lot to worry about.

Tags: genelia dsouza, rani mukherjee, preity zinta.

Rekha grooms her nephew for Bollywood

Veteran actress Rekha never had a son or daughter to groom. But her nephew is all set to fulfill what would perhaps be her long time dream.

Yes, Rekha's nephew is being launched by film critic-turned-director Khalid Mohamed (who's made movies like Fiza, Tehzeeb, Silsilay) in a film produced by Vikram Bhatt. 26 year old Naveed is a San Francisco-based investment banker. Naturally Rekha is in charge of grooming him for B-Town.

A source said, "As Naveed was born and bred in the US, he has a heavy Yankee accent. Rekha has packed him off to a diction class to help him lose the accent. She also wants Naveed to go through the rigours of acting.”

To make him get a feel of Bollywood, she’s not accommodated him in her Bandra bungalow. He lives in a one-room studio flat at Pali Market. 

The source added, "When Vikram saw Naveed's pictures, he thought he would fit the bill for Khalid's venture which begins soon. Vikram spoke to Rekha and fixed up a meeting." Vikram said, "We are talking to Naveed. At the moment, I can't reveal more about the film. There will be both known and new faces."

We understand the mysterious natures of Bollywood filmmakers. As of now, there’s a lot to expect from Re’s nephew. Let’s wait and watch.

Tags: rekha, naveed, vikram bhatt, khalid mohamed.

Asin with Shahrukh after romancing Aamir

If our sources are to be believed then Aamir Khan's Ghajini girl Asin Thottumkal is all set to become Shahrukh Khan’s girl in the upcoming Yash Raj project. Katrina Kaif was initially being considered for this project but the King Khan made a conscious decision of keeping away professionally from anything that’s related to Salman Khan, so, Katrina’s name was dropped.

"But then there was also a problem having Asin in the film." sources further reveal. “The Yash Raj project was to go on floors during 2009 but Asin was committed to do a Priyadarshan project co-starring Akshay Kumar. In fact Akshay himself had suggested her name and she had landed in a catch 22 situation as rejecting the Yash Raj project would mean taking on the biggest production house’s ire and refusing Akki’s film would mean hurting him. 

Since, Akki herself had suggested her name, Asin was not able to back out of it. But then luck favoured the Southern beauty as recently Akshay announced his inability to shoot the Priyadarshan project in 2009 and allotted dates of March 2010. Now her dates for 2009 end got free and she intimated Yash Raj about it. 

Now the buzz doing the rounds of industry circles is, Asin may be replaced from the Priyadarshan project with Katrina Kaif. Now that would make it a full circle if it happens so!”

Tags: asin thottumkal, shahrukh khan, yash raj.

Bipasha Basu missed the showing of Shiamak Davar's collection launched by a sportswear company on Thursday night. What's particularly interesting abou

Bipasha Basu missed the showing of Shiamak Davar's collection launched by a sportswear company on Thursday night. What's particularly interesting about this bit of news is that Bipasha is the brand ambassador of said company.

A source present at the event says, "Shiamak and Reebok tied up to present his collection of the Bollywood workout program and the fashionable dance collection on Thursday night at a suburban hotel. Bipasha too was invited to the launch as she's the company's brand ambassador. But she didn't turn up even though she was in Mumbai."

The source further says, "Initially, Bipasha had committed to attend but something happened and she didn't turn up at the last moment leaving the organisers flustered. Fortunately, Shiamak saved the show with hiscrew putting a performance put up by specially challenged children.

Apparently, Bipasha was miffed that Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan had also been invited at her event and she wouldn't get solo coverage which she had wanted to promote her film, Aa Dekhen Zara, that released yesterday. Shiamak had sent her T-Shirts with the sportswear logo and design a day before the event but she still didn't go."

Bipasha's spokesperson says, "This is not true at all. It was more a Shiamak event than a Reebok event. Bipasha would have loved to attend it because she's the company's brand ambassador and also because Shiamak is a friend.

She was an invitee and it wasn't imperative that she attend the event. Also the timings clashed with her prior commitment for her movie (Aa Dekhen Zara) promotions and a preview screening on the eve of the film's release. The timings were clashing for both events and hence she couldn't attend the same. The brand had invited her on Tuesday for the event on Thursday and they were informed at the same time about the timing stress."

Tags: bipasha basu, shiamak davar, amitabh bachchan, abhishek bachchan.

Bipasha doesn't like Bachchan presence

Bipasha Basu missed the showing of Shiamak Davar's collection launched by a sportswear company on Thursday night. What's particularly interesting about this bit of news is that Bipasha is the brand ambassador of said company. 

A source present at the event says, "Shiamak and Reebok tied up to present his collection of the Bollywood workout program and the fashionable dance collection on Thursday night at a suburban hotel. Bipasha too was invited to the launch as she's the company's brand ambassador. But she didn't turn up even though she was in Mumbai."

The source further says, "Initially, Bipasha had committed to attend but something happened and she didn't turn up at the last moment leaving the organisers flustered. Fortunately, Shiamak saved the show with hiscrew putting a performance put up by specially challenged children. 

Apparently, Bipasha was miffed that Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan had also been invited at her event and she wouldn't get solo coverage which she had wanted to promote her film, Aa Dekhen Zara, that released yesterday. Shiamak had sent her T-Shirts with the sportswear logo and design a day before the event but she still didn't go."

Bipasha's spokesperson says, "This is not true at all. It was more a Shiamak event than a Reebok event. Bipasha would have loved to attend it because she's the company's brand ambassador and also because Shiamak is a friend.

She was an invitee and it wasn't imperative that she attend the event. Also the timings clashed with her prior commitment for her movie (Aa Dekhen Zara) promotions and a preview screening on the eve of the film's release. The timings were clashing for both events and hence she couldn't attend the same. The brand had invited her on Tuesday for the event on Thursday and they were informed at the same time about the timing stress." 

Tags: bipasha basu, shiamak davar, amitabh bachchan, abhishek bachchan.

Salman-Katrina breaking up?

Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif have been going steady for quite sometime now though they have not made their relationship public. They hang on to each other in spite of the breakup rumours. Once again, the news is doing the rounds that this lovebirds are heading for a breakup.

The grapevine is abuzz with the news that Salman Khan's possessive attitude has destroyed his relationship with Katrina. He is said to have dumped her and hardly spoke to her even when they were together. Their sour relationship was exposed during the shooting of Salman's film Veer at Jodhpur, they were not in touch with each other.

It is said that Salman wants to take complete control of his relationship with Katrina and doesn't want her to question him for anything. Moreover, he wants a housewife and not an independent woman as his wife. So, he is said to have diverted his attention from Katrina.

However, Katrina is said to be having hard time trying to come to terms with the breakup, as she not only loves Salman but also has fallen in love with his parents.

Well, we are yet to hear from the lovebirds. Let's hope the breakup story turns out to be just another rumour! 

Tags: salman khan, katrina kaif, raymond ronamai.

Malaika Arora pregnant?

Malaika Arora Khan is perhaps one of the hottest Indian celebrities with breath-taking figure. Even young models would envy her figure though she is a mother. So, news that she is pregnant spread like wildfire when she was spotted with bump.

The audience at the Lakme Fashion Week were surprised to see the otherwise toned Malaika with a little bump. Some said that she was three months pregnant. She walked the ramp for Vikram Chatwal’s Mai Mumbai show on Day 2 of the Lakme Fashion Week Fall-Winter 09.

Well, we are yet to hear the happy news from Malaika!

Tags: malaika arora khan, lakme fashion week, raymond ronamai.

Shahrukh Khan still takes painkillers

Everybody knows that Shahrukh Khan had surgery on his injured shoulder and was taking rest. And after taking rest for more than a month, he is back to shoot for Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan and attending meetings for IPL.

Source close to the film revealed, “He has resumed the shooting of his best friend Karan Johar’s next venture, My Name Is Khan opposite Kajol. Shahrukh Khan has undergone shoulder surgery and doctors have advised him rest for minimum for four months but against doctor’s advice, he has resumed shooting after a short gap. He has been warned by the doctors but yet he is urging to shoot”.

But about the precautions Shahrukh ensured that he would shoot only light scenes that would not put much stress on his shoulder. Since his shoulder is not completely healed, Shahrukh takes painkillers before shooting and in between, does physical exercises for his shoulder, which were prescribed by his doctors.”

About the healing of his shoulder the source added, “His arm will take another four to five months to be well fully. He will stay away from any stunts for at least six months or may be more. Everything depends on how his shoulder heals.”

In spite of shoulder surgery, Shahrukh did not stay away from the limelight and made appearance in Filmfare events and even actively took part in the IPL meeting which happened last Sunday at office.

Tags: shahrukh khan, my name is khan, kajol, karan johar, ipl.

Mallika Sherawat endorsing Playboy

Murder made Mallika Sherawat and she took full advantage of the international attention she got after the small role in Jackie Chan’s The Myth. She tried to change her image with Pyar Ke Side Effects and succeeded to an extent. But that was it.

Now her last hit was Welcome where she had a small role. Two of her more recent movies Ugly Aur Pagli and Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam failed badly. But she’s not ready to give up yet.

Actresses she considers competition like Aishwarya Bachchan are still going strong. Plus there’s the rise of upstarts like Freida Pinto who came out of no where and getting loads of attention and money, thanks to Slumdog Millionaire. We can sense Madame M fuming with jealousy

She was at the Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles recently and now the news is that the international brand Playboy (not the magazine, but the perfume) has roped her in for its launch in India, which should happen anytime mid-April.

Now it’s not clear as to whether she will be endorsing the brand or be merely inaugurating the launch party. Madame Mallika is known for a lot of stunts and antics. This could very well be one.

Tags: mallika sherawat, playboy, the myth.

Saif Ali Khan, the original Kaminey

It has come out that Saif Ali Khan was supposed to do Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminay. But the director spoke to him about it only to pass it on to Shahid Kapoor. The director-actor duo shared a great rapport thanks to the success of Omkara and Saif’s amazing performance. 

But Vishal is a perfectionist and eventually started feeling that Shahid would be the better choice for the script. He started thinking that the role required a young actor and what turned on Vishal instantly was the thought of taking on the challenge of turning a chocolate boy into what is now seen in the promos.

So Kaminey could very well bring a change in Shahid’s career like what Omkara did for Saif Ali Khan. Now wonder actors vouch for Vishal Bharadwaj’s work! Changes for the better are always welcome.

Tags: saif ali khan, vishal bharadwaj, kaminay, shahid kapoor, omkara.

Babes don bikini in Kambakkht Ishq

Producer Sajid Nadiadwala's Kambakkht Ishq, shot almost entirely at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, it has Kareena Kapoor, Amrita Arora and Denise Richards wearing hot bikinis. Talking about it, Sajid Nadiadwala says, "Kareena, Denise and Amrita play supermodels living in Hollywood and so, have to wear hot, stylish and sexy stuff in the film. 

It was mesmerising to work with Denise as I remember her when I was in college and she had done Wild Things and James Bond's The World Is Not Enough. We have shot the film in LA and other exotic locations in Vicenzia in Italy and Venice."

While Denise Richards has been styled by Shabina Khan, Kareena's styling has been done by Aki Narula and Amrita Arora's by Ashley Rebello. Amrita, who is currently honeymooning in Europe, says, "Ashley Rebello styled me. I worked out like a beast to wear that bikini! 

I wasn't awkward or uncomfortable wearing it as I was informed earlier what I was to wear. I said yes because the scene demanded it." Amrita adds that her husband Shakeel Ladhak has loved the bikini pictures. "Shakeel has seen them all. He was with me in LA when we shot the scene." Kareena Kapoor says, "I play a surgeon who has to fend for herself so has a second career as a supermodel.

Akki shopped for all my clothes in Milan, Rome and Paris. Saabbir wanted me to look voluptuous, chic and sexy. My clothes are not the usual Gucci and Prada but Stella Macartney and other designers. I changed my body from Tashan to Kambakkht Ishq. The bikini I wear in KI has been designed by Diane von Fustenberg. Akki was given a limitless budget to buy whatever he wanted."

Tags: kambakkht ishq, kareena kapoor, denise richards, amrita arora, sajid nadiadwala.

Kangana-Adhayayan still going strong

Recently there was news about Adhayayan Suman being too close to his Jashn co-star Anjana Sukhani; and that something’s cooking between the two.

But the truth is Adhyayan is closer to Kangana Ranaut. This in spite of Kangana’s ex boyfriend Aditya Panscholi having problem with Adhyayan, and Shekhar Suman and wife not being too comfy with Kangana either.

The buzz is that Kangana is on her boyfriend’s minds all the time. He drops in on the sets of Kites pretty often to spend quality time with his girl and also is often spotted mingling with the rest of the cast and crew as well including the Roshans and Barbara Mori.

So the truth is he is very, very happy with his woman and doesn’t want any one else, no matter how cute and cherubic Sukhani is. And that’s that!

Tags: adhyayan suman, kangana ranaut, anjana sukhani.

Hurman Baweja made to shoot again

There is a strong buzz going on in industry circles that Ashutosh Gowariker is re-shooting a majority of his film What’s Your Rashee’s main lead Hurman Baweja's portions.

Sources reveal, “Shoot for the film first began on December 6th. It was meant to be a start to finish shoot but then certain production delays changed the original plan. The shooting then got spread over with gaps in between. In the meanwhile Hurman Baweja’s second film Victory released in January end and flopped badly. A bigger blow came for Hurman when Sanjay Leela Bhansali dropped him from his production Chenab Gandhi immediately after its flopping. Hurman was replaced by John Abraham in this period film. Now all of this it seems made Gowariker and his film’s co-producers UTV insecure of their hero it seems. Hurman was already receiving flak for his too much forced resemblance to Hrithik Roshan.

Gowariker-UTV combine’s last film, Jodhaa Akbar starred Hrithik and both understood well that a damage control exercise needed to be done as soon before it was too late. So it is learnt that they completely revamped Hurman’s look for the film and got re-shot certain key portions where they felt Hurman was appearing like a Hrithik clone.”

What's Your Raashee? is based on a Gujarati novel Kimball Ravenswood by Shri Madhu Rye, and is a story revolving around a young Gujarati man in pursuit of his dream girl with the catch to find her within 10 days in order to save his family from an unforeseen ordeal, which leads to an array of confusion, chaos and a hilarious joy ride. It stars Hurman’s ex-girlfriend Priyanka Chopra as the female lead. 

Tags: hurman baweja, whats your rashee, priyanka chopra, ashutosh gowariker.

Is Ram Gopal Varma being mocked at?

Many things are said behind his back but the flamboyant director Ram Gopal Varma has never cared to look back. But now Ramu might be mocked at in an upcoming movie. Prakash Saini directed Meri Padosan will have a character by the name of Shyam Gopal Varma who plays a crazy director who sells all his belongings to make a movie. 

This is not the first time that Ram Gopal Varma is being mocked at. After the debacle of his Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag director Anil Kumar had registered the title Ramu Ho Gaya Pagal. The movie which many believed was taking on Ram Gopal Varma never saw the light of the day. Anil had however said that the script was original and had nothing to do with Ram Gopal Varma.

Tags: ram gopal varma, meri padosan, prakash saini, anil sharma.

Has Bollywood arrived!

Are we sure Bollywood is recognized on a global platform or is it just a break away from the monotonous routine of western world! Is Slumdog actually a true representative of Indian cinema? I feel we should stop the craving for this recognition we want from the world - we enjoy our movies so be it :) lets have fun dancing around the trees and lip synching to the hindi songs :)

Do you agree*?

FILMS

IT IS HIGH TIME THE FILMS IN FUTURE SHOULD HAVE ACTORS/ACTRESSES FROM DIFFERENT REGIONS WITH SUBTITLES AND DIALOGUES ENABLING IT TO HAVE MORE MASS APPEAL AND OFCOURS MORE COMMERCIAL REVENUES AND REACH.....HARISH

Do you agree*?

Bollywood movies need to get original !!!

I really think that bollywood movies need to get more original with thier stories and stop copying ideas from our western counterparts. There should be a advisory comitte which should look into this and stop our movie producers from such irreverence. It is not only embarassing to watch a brilliant english movie ripped off into hindi but also demoralizing, because I'm left to think that Indians no longer have the creativity required for original thought.

Do you agree*?

Deepika to choose film over Ranbir

Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone are undoubtedly the hottest couple in Bollywood. Whether its their love or public display of emotion, surely this couple has no match in the industry. But both the stars are not letting their career take a backseat for their relationship. Both Ranbir and Deepika are willing to choose their respective careers over relationship.

Ranbir Kapoor had recently said that he would choose a good film over his relationship. Deepika agreed with Ranbir on this and said at this moment career was the most important thing for both of them. The Om Shanti Om girl is working with Saif Ali Khan in Imtiaz Ali's untitled movie while Ranbir is shooting for Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahini with Katrina Kaif.

Tags: deepika padukone, ranbir kapoor, saif ali khan, imtiaz ali, ajab prem ki gazab kahini, katrina kaif, subhadeep bhattacharjee.

Shahrukh turning God of love?

Shahrukh Khan’s got a special role in director Mudassar Aziz’s long stuck film Dulha Mil Gaya. Much has been said about how Shahrukh has not been co-operating and how the movie is stuck for a long, long time. There’s been speculation about his role as well.

The latest rumour is that the superstar plays the God of love in his old pal producer Vivek Vaswani's film. But it’s not a typical winged cupid role. It’s a serene God of love kind of role who even indulges in some stunts. It’s been said that while shooting one of these stunts, SRK injured his shoulder which ultimately led to his surgery at a Mumbai hospital.

The poor content of the long stuck film along with this, could be the reason why he’s not so friendly anymore with Vivek Vaswani. It’s just a guest appearance that’s restricted to a few scenes and a song that’s yet to be shot on SRK, Fardeen and the film’s leading lady, Sushmita Sen. And he’s not even finishing that off.

No wonder Sush is angry with them, especially for the sake of her new man, Mudassar Aziz. The hero and heroine of the film Fardeen and Sush have thanda careers in B-Town. As of now, the film looks doomed. Unless of course, a miracle happens.

Tags: shahrukh khan, dulha mil gaya, mudassar aziz, sushmita sen, vivek vaswani.

Vidya gets intimate with Arshad Warsi

Vidya Balan has given some really intimate scenes in Vishal Bhardwaj's Ishkiyan. All her hot scenes in the film are with Arshad Warsi. Vidya play’s a slightly grey character in the film who fools the uncle-nephew jodi of Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi.

A unit source reveals, "She indeed has quiet a few hot love-making sequences in the film but the scenes have been aesthetically shot. Vishal Bharadwaj is simply too glad with the way the actress has performed her act in the film without any inhibitions. But this is not the first time that the actress has done such scenes. She had been sensuous in her debut venture Parineeta earlier as well and in Heyy Babyy too with Akshay Kumar."

In Ishkiyan Vidya is playing a very complex character and will be seen speaking the U.P dialect which is very akin to Vishal Bharadwaj’s movies. She also has a very different look in the film. She will certainly take away accolades after the release reveal unit sources.

Vidya’s career too seems to be on an all new high now. It has been heard that the actress has also been signed for Nikhil Advani's Chandbhai opposite Akshay Kumar. The film is a tough love story set in a juvenile detention facility. She will also be seen working with two legendary actors - Naseeruddin Shah in Ishqiyan and Amitabh Bachchan in Balki’s Paa and Sanjay Leela’s Chenab Gandhi.

Tags: vidya balan, arshad warsi, ishkiyan, vishal bhardwaj, naseeruddin shah.

Salman makes peace with Yash Raj banner?

Though Mumbai tabloid recently reported about Salman Khan being signed up as Aamir Khan's replacement for a Yash Raj banner film to be directed by Yash Chopra himself. Our sources within Yash Raj however suggest, Aamir's film with the Yash Raj big daddy is still on and is in the pre-production planning stages. Salman however has been finalized for another project under the banner.

Sources further reveal, "Vijay Krishna Acharya writer of the Dhoom series, who made his debut last year with YRF’s Tashan, is making his second film with YRF. Salman Khan, R.Madhavan and Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kishen are the male leads finalized for the same while the female leads are yet to be finalized. The film is supposedly a whacky action comedy that will go on floors in the second half of 2009."

There had been reports earlier suggesting both Salman and Yash Raj head honcho, Aditya Chopra having problems about working with each other and the hot headed Khan after having been denied entry for his vanity van in the YRF studios compound had vowed never to come back there. A close pal of Salman however tells us, "Salman was the first actor to be approached for Chak De India! But while he loved the script he had suggested changes in the film’s climax. He wanted the final match of the hockey tournament be played between India and Pakistan. He felt that then story would come full circle. But Adi didn't budge and both parted ways amicably. Shahrukh Khan was then signed on for the role. But Salman is now looking forward to the YRF project being written and directed by Victor (Acharya)."

Tags: salman khan, yash raj films, vijay krishna acharya, madhavan.

Abhi wanted to sleep with Zeenat Aman

He might have one of world's most beautiful woman Aishwarya Bachchan as his wife but as a kid Abhishek Bachchan fantasised the idea of sleeping with Zeenat Aman. In the upcoming episode of Farhan Akhtar's Oye! It's Friday the Junior Bachchan reveals that he admired Zeenat Aman so much that even at that tender age he wanted to bed her.

Abhishek recalls the incident happened on the sets of Mahaan in 1983 starring his father Amitabh Bachchan and Zeenat Aman. The entire cast and the crew were having dinner and once Zeenat got up to hit her bed Abhishek followed her and asked if he could join her in her room. Well Aishwarya now knows that her hubby was a womaniser even as a toddler!

Tags: abhishek bachchan, zeenat aman, mahaan, amitabh bachchan, oye its friday, aishwarya bachchan, subhadeep bhattacharjee.

Salman Khan in trouble again

Salman Khan begins the year 2009 with two releases in one day. Yes, you read it right! The makers of Wanted Dead And Alive and Main Aur Mrs Khanna, both starring Salman, have both confirmed 3rd July as the release date for the films.

While Boney Kapoor is the name behind Wanted Dead And Alive, Salman's brother Sohail Khan and UTV are the producers of Main Aur Mrs Khanna.

One only hopes that the clash is averted. But the question is, which one will arrive on July 3 eventually and which will shift to a latter date? Let's wait and watch!

Tags: salman khan, wanted dead and alive, main aur mrs khanna, boney kapoor.

Shahrukh getting back to work!

It looks like Bollywood Baadshah Shahrukh Khan has not learned his lessons. He continued working in spite of injuring one of his shoulders while performing an action scene for the film Dulha Mil Gaya. Now, another news is doing the rounds that he is getting back to work even as he is recuperating from the surgery he underwent recently.

A workaholic that he is, Shahrukh went on to shoot My Name Is Khan in spite of the shoulder injury. He then delayed the surgery to promote his recent release Billu. Just a few weeks after the surgery, he was seen attending Filmfare Awards with bandaged arm. He is also said to have attended Amrita Arora's Sangeet ceremony. The latest news we hear is that he is going to resume the shooting of Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan on March 19.

My Name Is Khan is one of the most-awaited films of the year with Kajol in the female lead. Shahrukh must be thirsting for another hit film but he should take good care of his health first!

Tags: shahrukh khan, my name is khan, kajol, karan johar, raymond ronamai.

Marriage can wait – Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor has received as many as four awards in the last one month and she loves it. “Who doesn’t like attention, recognition and awards? I’ve got four awards in a month beginning with the environment award I got from Erin Brockovich, then two youth icon awards from Rotary International and Stardust. And I was honoured by FICCI which Mr Yash Chopra gave to me.”

Kareena is running out space to keep the trophies. “My mother gets exasperated each time I bring home another trophy. Saif wants to know where I’m going to keep all of them. I’ve set aside a whole enclave for trophies and awards. I love looking at them. One day my children are going to look at them and be proud of me.”

For children to happen, Kareena first needs to get married. “It won’t happen for the next two years for sure. Am I crazy to get married now when so many wonderful things are happening to my career? Saif himself is ultra-busy trying to set up his production house. Marriage can wait. I’m just happy to have him by my side. I’ve got the best guy any girl can ever have. Right now I’m so busy I don’t have time to sleep properly. I haven’t even had time to move into my new house.”

After a long time Kareena will be in Mumbai for a some time now. “I’ve a month-long schedule of Rensil’s film coming up in Mumbai.”

It’s hard for Kareena to keep up with the surge crowds and awards in her life. In Delhi last week, Saif and Kareena returned home this week to Mumbai without much shooting done for Rensil D’Silva’s film.

“We never expected such crowds. They were everywhere. And it was impossible to shoot,” she says sounding not the least put off. “Those people who love me out there keep me going. I love my fans and awards.”

And now Delhi will have to be fudged in the Mumbai schedule of D’Silva’s film. The extent of the surging crowds in Delhi in the key shooting spots like Jama Masjid and Janpath for Rensel D’Silva’s untitled film was so huge and unmanageable that the unit has returned without shooting the required sequences.

Back in Mumbai after a week of futile shooting, Kareena says , “ Everywhere we went there were these huge number of people who had come to see Saif and me. They were very sweet very well-behaved. But unfortunately the number of people in key places like Jama Masjid and Janpath was always too high to shoot properly.”

Resultantly, there was almost no shooting. Says Kareena, “We did can some shots. But it was impossible to shoot with wide-angle lenses because the crowds were everywhere. We’ll now have to recreate some of the Delhi sequences in Mumbai.”

Kareena is certainly not unhappy about the attention she got in Delhi. “The people in Delhi were so warm. It just made me realize how much of a responsibility I have towards my audience. At this stage of my career I’d rather take another holiday than do a bad film.”

Tags: kareena kapoor, saif ali khan.

Kylie has no time for Shahrukh

Aussie pop sensation was the talk of the tinsel town when she came to Mumbai to record and shoot for a song the upcoming Bollywood movie Blue. Kylie who does a guest appearance in the movie had a wonderful time shooting with Akshay Kumar. Before leaving India she created more news when she refused to meet none other than Shahrukh Khan who was keen on meeting her.

Kylie had made it clear in her contract that she would not like to meet anybody at the studio while she was at work. So when Shahrukh's manager got in touch with her she turned down the offer to meet him and instead invited him to the party that followed the shoot. The biggest star in Indian cinema naturally never showed up at the party after being denied to meet someone in his own country.

Shahrukh was keen on meeting Kylie after she had mentioned in an interview that Om Shanti Om is one of her favourite Bollywood movies. Considering she spent most of her time with Akshay it may not surprise many that she declined to meet Shahrukh!

Tags: kylie minogue, shahrukh khan, blue, om shanti om, akshay kumar, subhadeep bhattacharjee.

Saif's production house to specially pen roles for Bebo

Kareena Kapoor has always been selective in her choice of roles; now, she's also paying attention to the depth of her roles. It is believed that when Sohail Khan approached her for his home production, starring himself and brother Salman, Bebo asked him to have her role rewritten to make it more substantial Sohail did so. The actress says, "Main Aur Mrs Khanna is a girl's story and Sohail and Salman have great roles."

Would she consider having a role written especially for her? She says, "Saif has a production house and he asks me what roles I want to do and that he will have them written for me. I am very lucky. One film I am dying to do is Mamma Mia! it's brilliant. I love Meryl Streep and only watch her films! I would love to do a Mother India too, but who can write such good scripts today?"

Bebo continues, "I have always been clear about what roles I want to do. If someone says I can't do a role, I instantly take it up as a point to prove be it a 22-year-old sex worker in Chameli or playing Dolly Mishra in a male-dominated Omkara.

I've done it without any sugar daddy to thank. It is sheer hard work and dedication and the faith of my wonderful directors Sudhir Mishra, Imtiaz Ali, Vishal Bhardwaj, Rensil D'Silva, Raju Hirani and Saabir Khan among others."

Kareena whose family started the trend of Holi bashes didn't play this year. "I slept and caught up on all that I missed out while attending Amu's wedding last week. I stopped playing Holi as the colours stay and then it becomes difficult to shoot. I miss my grandfather's parties at RK Studios. He took that with him when he left. Now no Kapoor celebrates the festival in a big way.

I remember as a child full of awe watching the stars who would come to attend grandfather's Holi bash from Dilip uncle to all the actresses of that time."

Tags: saif ali khan, kareena kapoor, main aur mrs khanna, sohail khan.

Ranbir Kapoor starts stammering

Ranbir Kapoor has started stammering, well not in real life but for his upcoming movie Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani. The romantic comedy directed by Raj Kumar Santoshi stars Katrina Kaif and Upen Patel along with Ranbir. Santoshi has incorporated a distinct look and mannerism for all the characters in the movie.

Santoshi believes Ranbir will get sympathy of the audience for his stammering act in the movie. It may be recalled Shahrukh Khan's 'Ki..Ki...Kiran' in the movie Darr has been a tag line for him till date and the movie took him to greater heights in spite of him playing a negative role in the movie. It remains to be seen whether Ranbir strikes gold with his stammering or embarrasses himself on screen.

Tags: ranbir kapoor, ajab prem ki ghazab kahani, katrina kaif, upen patel, raj kumar santoshi, shahrukh khan, darr, subhadeep bhattacharjee.

Journo tries to take Abhi for police interrogation

The buzz is that Abhishek Bachchan was troubled greatly by a journo on the sets of Ravana. The news is that a certain journalist from a prominent news channel trooped along to the sets of the Mani Ratnam film. Now Mani is known for maintaining tight security on the sets and the secrecy of the plots of his films.

Even family members from his cast and crew are not allowed to entertain any guests and therefore no media person is entertained while the filmmaker is at work. He had come with his camera crew demanding an exclusive interview with Abhishek Bachchan and was thrown out. The guy felt insulted and got his sub-inspector friend along to get Abhishek Bachchan out for 'police interrogation'.

Mani Ratnam who likes to concentrate on work and not such things got a little jittery. He then requested the biggies in the news channel to intervene. It was after much effort that the journalist left the sets and the shooting started again.

Well, Abhi must have never expected a tantrum throwing journo. He and Mani would be more careful with journos from now on.

Tags: abhishek bachchan, ravana, mani ratnam

Pregnancy Test

A pregnancy test determined if a living embryo or fetus is present within a woman’s body. It is often used in conjunction with such presumptive signs of pregnancy as cassation of menstrual periods, morning sickness, breast tenderness, and urinary frequency. Pregnancy test generally measure a circulating hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), produced by pregnancy tissue and present in the urine and blood of pregnant women.

Early tests were based on the injection of urine potentially containing HCG into frog or rabbits to determine any effect of HCG. Such biologic assays have been replaced by more accurate methods that measure HCG levels in urine or blood. The urine pregnancy test (immunoassay) determines if the level of HCG is consistent with known pregnancy levels and is usually positive two weeks after conception or several days after a missed menstrual period. Widely available home pregnancy tests use an immunoassay for HCG with generally accurate results. A blood test (radioimmunoassay) is a more sensitive test that can detect minute quantities of HCG. This test can be positive within days of conception and before a missed period.

Pregnancy test, in addition to diagnosing pregnancy, are also used to asses the viability of pregnancy, or the presence of tubal pregnancy. HCG can also be produced by some tumors, in which case pregnancy tests can be used as a marker of tumor activity.

With new radioimmunoassay techniques, false negative test are uncommon. The most common cause of false negative test is advanced pregnancy, because HCG values tend to decrease during the course of gestation. False positive test may occur, possibly due to certain medications, or by such clinical situations as incomplete miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and tumor.

Ways to Lose Fat and Get Thin Quickly

Tip 1: Increase your metabolic rate

Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns fat. If you can increase your metabolism then weight loss will become a lot easier. One way to increase your metabolism is through regular exercise. Doing aerobic and weight training workouts on a regular basis is a great way to increase the number of calories you burn each day which will help in the weight loss process.

Aerobic exercise can be done many different ways and should be conducted at least 3 times a week but no more than 5 times a week. Too much exercise can actually be bad for you as it will result in your body becoming over trained. It is often a good idea to get a good piece of aerobic fitness equipment as this will help in making it easier to get your workouts since you can exercise from the comfort and convenience of your own home.

Weight training is also very important and can make a big difference in your weight loss efforts. The main benefit to training with weights is that it will allow you to add important muscle mass which is important to help increase your overall metabolism and allow you to burn fat even when you are resting since muscle burns calories continuously.

Tip 2: Eat more frequently

Most people eat too much food at once which then results in their bodies not being able to burn all the extra calories thus storing a lot of it as fat. One approach is to eat smaller meals but more often, this way you do not get too hungry at any one point and this will also increase your metabolism since you are eating more often and your body will not resort to reducing its metabolism as it normally does during starvation type diets.

If you notice that you are getting enough exercise but are still gaining weight then the problem most likely lies in your dieting habits. This means that you probably need to reduce the amount of food you are eating. Also keep an eye out for drinking too much fizzy drinks as they contain a lot of calories. In addition watch how much alcoholic drinks you consume as they also contain a lot of calories.

Also do not drink water just because it is part of some program, only drink water when you are genuinely thirsty as too much water can also manifest itself as additional weight. Be aware of the approaches you are taking and make necessary adjustments if you are not seeing the results you want. The only way to truly fail is by quitting so hang in there long enough to find a way to succeed.

Police at Preity’s residence on her birthday

Police played party pooper at Preity Zinta's 34th birthday bash after slum dwellers in the neighbourhood complained of loud music early on Sunday morning. After complaints from other residents in the area, policemen reached Preity's flat at Quantum Park, Bandra at 2 am and ordered her to turn down the blaring music. 

According to a Khar police station official, the actress will be penalized as per the provisions for flouting noise pollution rules. One of the complainers said that very loud music was played during the party, which started late on Saturday and continued till early morning on Sunday.Reportedly, Shah Rukh Khan, Farah Khan, Chunky Pandey and other stars were present at the birthday bash

Amrita's church wedding called off

Amrita Arora is shattered! Yesterday her family got a call from the authorities at the Mt Mary Basilica stating that she couldn't have her grand church wedding there due to security issues.

The bride-to-be had invited 150 guests to her church wedding. Says a family friend, "We were all shocked when we got a call from Amu saying her wedding at Mt Mary was cancelled because of lack of security arrangements. 

Apparently, the church called up yesterday and told Amu's mother Joyce that the church was public property and they couldn't allow a private function on public property. They said any uninvited person could come in and attend the wedding and her family would have to provide security arrangements and the church couldn't take responsibility. After much deliberation, they family decided to cancel the wedding at that venue." 

Fortunately, Amrita and her family were prepared for this. "Apparently, the church had informed them earlier that this could happen and they were trying to work their way around it. Though they wished it wasn't at the last moment, they will now go ahead with the wedding at Olive's in Bandra tomorrow morning at 11 am, followed by lunch at the same venue." 

We tried to contact Father Neris Rodericks, the priest in charge of Mt Mary's Basilica but he wasn't available. When we called the office of the Mt Mary Basilica and spoke about our story a voice said, "No comments at all," and hurriedly disconnected.

Amrita's sangeet will be at a Juhu nightspot and will be hosted by brother-in-law Arbaaz and her sister Malaika Arora Khan. Regular rehearsals have been taking place for the last week. While Farah Khan is helping with choreography, her brother Sajid is playing host and has also written the script with a lot of fun elements. The people participating in the skit are Arbaaz-Malaika, Kareena-Saif, Arpita Khan, Amu's close friends, Alvira Agnihotri and Wardha Nadiadwala. 

Though Salman Khan has been out of town the buzz is that he will also be performing as a slot has been kept open for him. Amrita's parents will also be performing at the sangeet to Disco 82 song. The entire presentation will be a tribute to her. Amrita's fiance Shakeel Ladhak and his family will also attend the event. 

Tags: amrita arora, shakeel ladhak, malaika arora, mt mary basilica, arbaaz khan, kareena kapoor, saif ali khan, salman khan.

Mohanlal's Bhramaram in Telugu?

Blessy-Mohanlal team's much-awaited forthcoming Malayalam film Bhramaram, which was recently launched at Hotel Highway Gardens in Kochi, is to be dubbed in Telugu as Bramaramba. Produced by Raju Mallyath and Zulfikar under the banner of Yuvan Entertainments and presented by Max Lab Entertainments, Bhramaram will be Mohanlal’s summer release.

Bhramaram is about Mohanlal's journey from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu to Marayoor in Idukki District of Kerala; he plays a lorry driver who meets diverse and different sorts of people during this journey. Popular Tamil-Telugu-Hindi actress Bhumika Chawla is the heroine. Lakshmi Gopalaswami has an important role alongside Murali, son of late National award winning actor Bharath Gopi.

After rendering his voice for just a few songs for his films like Onnanam Kunnil (1985), Chitram (1988) and Balettan (2003), Mohanlal has recently sung a song for Bhramaram. The song 'Annarkanna Vaa, Poovala Changatham Koodan Vaa' was recorded at Mohanlal's new recording studio in Kochi. This melodious folk song, penned by Anil Pachooran and tuned by Mohan Sithara, will be picturised on Mohanlal himself.

Also in the cast are Suresh Menon, Madan Babu, Murali Krishnan, Baby Nivedhitha, etc. Bhramaram, which is likely to be completed in one schedule, is now rolling at the locations of Kochi, Munnar, Nelliyambathi, Coimbatore, Marayoor and Pollachi. It is the fifth film by Blessy as an independent director after Kaazhcha (2004), Thanmathra (2005), Palunku (2006) and Calcutta News (2008).

Meanwhile, Bhumika Chawla's upcoming Telugu film Naa Stylay Veru opposite Rajasekhar has almost completed its shooting. Directed by G. Ramprasad and produced by Maganti Gopinath, Naa Stylay Veru will grace the theatres in early March. Bhumika's other Telugu film Yagam opposite Navdeep will also hit theatres in early March. Yagam is directed by P.A. Arun Prasad.

Tags: blessy, mohanlal, bhramaram, bramaramba, bhumika chawla, lakshmi gopalaswami, naa stylay veru, yagam.

Movie Gilli - a tragic love story

Raghava Loki, who has done love story-cum-action movie like Satya In Love, is all set to remake Tamil hit movie 7G Rainbow Colony in Kannada. The remake titled as Gilli will be produced by distributor Jayanna, Anaji Nagaraj and Pratap. 

The movie is purely a love story and it deals with how a girl improve the boy, who is wayward. But the boy fails to get the girl in the end. This is a tragic love story. Jaggesh's son Gururaj is playing the hero and model Rakul Preeti Singh is in the female lead. 

The first stage of shooting has been done in Nandini Layout for twenty days and the second stage of the shooting will start from 4th March after the completion of Diamond Jubilee celebration of Kannada film industry, said Raghava Loki.

Cinematographer Krishna, who has cranked the camera for the original, is taken responsibility of camera for the movie again. Yavan Shankar Raja, who has scored music for original movie is also the music director for the movie. Suda Belavadi, Shrinivas, Veena Venkatesh are in the star cast.

Tags: raghava loki, satya in love, 7g rainbow colony, gilli, jaggesh, gururaj, rakul preeti singh, shekhar h hooli, yavan shankar raja.

Koena Mitra dating Turkish pilot Mett Merral

It is becoming fashionable to introduce your love interest to the media at a public event. Previous instances: Sanjay Dutt brought Maanayata Dutt to the Screen awards two years ago. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor outed themselves at Manish Malhotra's fashion show. And on Saturday night, Koena Mitra came to an Filmfare award function on the arm of the new man in her life.

She is dating Mett Merral, a Turkish pilot. Says a source close to Koena, "They met a couple of months ago through common friends at a Mumbai show and have been inseparable since. Whenever Mett comes to Mumbai, Koena drops everything to be with him."

Says a friend of the actress, "Koena has found someone special after a long time and she's wary about jumping in too deep. She's being cautious and taking it slow. They're both single and currently in the process of getting to know each other." 

Keen guy

Koena brought her new man to the award function as he wanted to see an Indian award function. Though he's been in India many times Mett has never gone to an award ceremony. "He is keen about knowing everything about her world. He's also learning Hindi by watching films. He was here for a day and when Koena heard he was keen, she brought him along."

Koena admits, "Yes, Mett is a very sweet and dear friend. I don't have too many phirang friends. He wanted to come to the awards night with me and after the Oscars, people abroad are more curious to know what happens here. Mett found the show amusing and beautiful with all the naach-gaana though he didn't understand a word of Hindi. We couldn't watch the entire event as I wasn't feeling well, and he had to fly back. Mett dropped me off at home and went to the airport."

When asked if he is the one, she says cautiously, "All I can say right now, is that we are very close friends. Mett and I meet as often as we can whenever he's in Mumbai. He's very charming and good-looking and our friendship is very special to me. It's too early to say anything more."

Tags: koena mitra, mett merral, sanjay dutt, maanayata dutt, saif ali khan, kareena kapoor.

Arasan compares Rajinikanth and Obama?

Rajinikanth's Hindi film Khoon Ka Karz (1991) which was made 17 years back will be dubbed in Tamil as Arasan - The Don. 

The movie will be ready for release in March. The producer of the dubbed version Kulanchiyappan says, "After a gap of nearly a decade, a Rajinikanth movie is once again being dubbed into Tamil from Hindi."

KKK was an action flick starring Rajinikanth, Sanjay Dutt, Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Sarika and Sangeeta Bijalani (now Mrs Azharuddin). The film, which was produced by Bhappi Soni (Raveena Tandon’s father), had music by Laxmikant Pyarelal and was directed by the late Mukul Anand. Despite the fact that the Hindi version flopped, the distributors in Tamil Nadu feel that the film’s Tamil avatar has the potential to be a hit.

The background score and the songs have been recreated and re-mixed in 5.1 DTS surround sound and will be released in the digital format. The two hours-and-15-minutes movie will feature Rajinikanth for nearly 70 minutes. Some scenes and songs featuring other heroes have been deleted and the emphasis is on three songs and fight sequences featuring the superstar.

One of the posters of Arasan compares Rajinikanth to US President Obama, with the tag line going as - ‘Black Men, Big History!’

Tags: khoon ka karz, rajinikanth, arasan – the don, obama, sanjay dutt, vinod khanna, dimple kapadia, sarika, sangeeta bijalani.

Hansika confirmed

Despite acting in three high profile films in Tollywood, Hansika could not sign new movies further. The reason was her high remuneration. Rumors circulated that she is demanding huge money for films and she almost ended up with no movie. Hence she herself recently cleared off the rumors and told some newspapers that she is ready to do good movies for reasonable price. Soon after that she has signed Kalyan Ram’s current film being produced by NTR Arts. The movie is currently being shot in and around Hyderabad. She has signed on the dotted line.

What words do you have trouble spelling?

It seems like there are a few words that I can just never seem to right way to spell. No matter how many times I write them, I just can’t quite get the spelling down. Spelling words rarely comes hard to me, but these words are just a nuisance.

For every post that I write for Xatal, I (usually) always hit “spellcheck” before posting. Often times, the misspelled words are one of the words I have trouble with. I’ve made a nice list of words that irritate me:

Thank god for spellcheck

1. “Exercise”
   
2. “Necessary”
   
3. “Occurring”
   
4. “Severely”
   
5. “Separate”
   
6. “Exaggerate”
   
7. “Embarrass”
   

Many times, I can tell that the word looks wrong, but can’t figure out what I did wrong without referring to spellcheck. Even just making this list I misspelled four of them.

What words do you have a hard time remembering to spell?

The school uniforms debate rages on!

The other day, I was reading a blog post how Texas schools are considering forcing students who violate the dress code to put on a prison jumpsuit. While that doesn’t directly relate to school uniforms, it got me really thinking more and more about the ever-continuing debate about whether or not school uniforms are worth the trouble.

One thing I’ve noticed about the school uniform debate is that parents tend to be more in favor of it, and kids tend to be more opposed. Being young, I’m against it. I went to a private school where uniforms were required from kindergarten right through 6th grade, then I went to public school where free dress was the norm from then on.

I have to admit, when you’re at a school where uniforms are already a policy, being told what to wear doesn’t seem like a big deal at a time. But if a school were to switch from a free dress policy to a uniform policy… that wouldn’t go over so well.

The school uniform debate is undoubtedly a complex issue, but here are some commonly discussed pros and cons and what I make of them:

The Pros

1. The debate over school uniforms always gets people fired up
   
2. School uniforms prevent the hassle of deciding what to wear every morning. To be honest, I think this applies more to girls (or guys who are picky about what they wear) because there’s always more pressure about appearance for girls. That said, waking up and already knowing exactly what you’re going to wear definitely saves the hassle of having to decide. For those who don’t stress in the morning about what to wear, this won’t really make a single difference.
   
3. Uniforms help children focus more on school work and less on what they’re wearing. Another slight truth. With everybody wearing the same thing, less focus is on what another person is wearing… aaaand it cuts back on checking out the other gender (school uniforms are never flattering). Also, when my private school would have its occasional days where we could wear what we wanted, we were noticeably more rowdy. I think this might be because it was a rare treat — in a school that switches from free dress to uniforms, the difference wouldn’t be as noticeable I don’t think.
   
4. School uniforms save money. This one I don’t believe in. When I had to wear uniforms, I would always change into normal day clothes the instant I got home. What this meant was my parents had to pay for two sets of clothes instead of one: they had to update my casual wear every year, as well as my school uniforms. Not only that, but being a little kid who liked to run around and get sweaty, this meant I had two outfits that needed to be washed every day, meaning more laundry for Mom, costing her both time and money.
   
5. School uniforms cut down on gang activity at school. Since gangs like to wear similar clothes (by colors, mainly), wearing uniforms cuts down on gang activity. This one is harder for me to elaborate on: in my private school class, there were too few kids to even have gangs, and even in my high school gang activity wasn’t huge. However, I can see this working a bit — if gangs don’t have any way to mark themselves as a gang, it could discourage them from being in a gang. This also ties into safety a bit: it might be harder to hide a gun or a knife in a school uniform than in another outfit.
   

The Cons

1. Uniforms stifle individuality. There’s definitely some truth to this. A lot of kids go shopping looking for clothes that express themselves in some way. Whether it’s a t-shirt of a band they like, some pants that look great on you, or something else, clothes are a classic way to express individuality. From the school’s point of view, I can see how this is a good thing: curbing individuality can cut back on cliques and gangs, creating a more unified student body, leading to less trouble. But from the kid’s view, it becomes noticeably harder to express yourself and stand out.
   
2. Uniforms are uncomfortable. Obviously, this one depends on the uniform itself. As a general rule, most school uniforms are rather formal. And as everyone knows, formal clothes can be rather uncomfortable. Forcing kids to wear stifling clothes on a hot day not only makes them uncomfortable, it also distracts from school work. Some uniforms also aren’t very synchronized with the weather: if you can’t wear a quality jacket to school and your uniform doesn’t provide one, what do you do if it snows? On a related note, I remember that the boys shorts at my private school were tiny. Being used to wearing longer shorts, most boys felt uncomfortable and exposed wearing shorts and instead opted to wear pants.
   

What do you think?

What’s your take on the school uniforms debate? Do you think kids should be told what to wear or be able to make their own choices? What is (or was) your school’s policy regarding uniforms and/or a dress code?

Is Facebook Destroying Kids' Brains?

Okay, look, we know that unchecked addiction to the Internet and social networking sites is going to have a negative impact on your mental abilities and attention span, but warnings from neuroscientist Susan Greenfield make Facebook out to be an epidemic worse than the Bubonic Plague and Rickrolling combined.

Most of the news isn't new; scientists believe that the Internet is changing how our brains develop as we get older, affecting everything from how we associate information to how we socialize. Greenfield and others, however, are beginning to argue that social networking sites, video games and other electronic media are doing more harm than good. According to an interview with the Daily Mail, Greenfield believes that such input may be "infantilising" the brain, creating a generation of "children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment."

Greenfield takes her sensationalistic and alarmist views a step further, postulating a link between rising occurrences of disorders like autism and the prevalence of social networking sites.Sure, there are trade-offs. But while, over time, our face-to-face social skills may suffer, studies show that our abilities to filter large amounts of information and perform complex reasoning are improved by using the Internet and tools such as Google.

This doesn't mean that there isn't some cause for concern, just that perhaps we shouldn't be overstating the dangers. After all, Facebook is not part of some plot by Dr. Doom to take over the world. [From: Daily Mail]