MJ remembered: Fans celebrate second death anniversary

Today marks the second death anniversary of legendary pop singer Michael Joseph Jackson, widely known as the ‘The King of Pop’.

The stars demise on 25 June, 2009 due to cardiac arrest, shocked fans all over the world. Today the legendary pop star lives on through his music and fans remember him by holding tributes and vigils across the globe.

Hometown Gary Indiana will remember the star by holding a ‘Tribute to Michael’ where performers, vendors and fans will celebrate his career, culminating in a candlelit vigil at his childhood home.

Los Angeles will see a customized motorbike fashioned with photos of the star, drive through Forrest Lawn Memorial Park where the star was cremated and laid to rest.

A select few will be able to celebrate the stars 2nd death anniversary by taking a private helicopter departing from Santa Barbara airport to the stars estate, The Neverland Ranch. 36 flights have been scheduled by Channel Marine Helicopters with tickets costing $175 to $500 for private flights allowing passengers to drop red roses over the stars property from the side window.

Brother Jermaine Jackson also honored his brother by paying a tribute to him at the 12th Indian International Film Awards Festival in Toronto. Paired with Indian Singer Sonu Nigam, Jermaine’s nostalgic performance of Michaels chartbusters entertained fans in Toronto however it failed live up to the stars unique style and charm.

The star suffered through his share of controversies while he lived, but the enigmatic effect he had on his fans allows him to live on in their hearts and minds as an entertainer, philanthropist and humanitarian.

Jackson 'Thriller' jacket sells for $1.8 million

The red and black leather jacket worn by Michael Jackson in his ‘Thriller’ video has been sold for $1.8 million, a day after the second anniversary of the pop icon's death.

The jacket, which fetched several times its estimate of between $200,000 and $400,000, has "Love Michael Jackson" written on the sleeve, and a dedication in the lining to his long-time costume designers, to whom he gave it.

No details were disclosed about the buyer, after the amount of the winning bid was posted on the website of Beverly Hills auction house Julien's.

The auctioneer described the jacket as "among the most recognizable and famous garments of the 20th century," saying it sparked a 1980s fashion craze when it was copied and sold to adoring Jackson fans worldwide.

"The black and red style of the jacket became so identifiable with Jackson's groundbreaking (video) that he continued to use jackets of the same design when performing the song 'Thriller' for the duration of his career," it said.

The jacket is one of two which Jackson used during the ghoulishly iconic video, the other being on display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Part of the proceeds from the sale will go to the Shambala Preserve in California, where Jackson’s two Bengal tigers, Thriller and Sabu, have been living since 2006 when Jackson left the Neverland Ranch, it said.

On Saturday, fans paid their respects on the second anniversary of Jackson's death at the age of 50.

Katrina denies grand birthday bash rumours

Katrina Kaif, who will turn 27 on July 16, has not been celebrating her birthday since the past three years and has denied throwing any birthday party this time as well.

After all, the last birthday bash only resulted in some bitter memories for the actress, when her ex-beau Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan got into a never-ending rift.

When Kat was asked about her plans of throwing a grand bash and inviting all those who has made a difference to her life, she said, "No, I am not planning on throwing any lavish b'day party, unlike what the rumours say."

When asked if she'll spend her birthday with her family in London or Mumbai the actress said, "I have not planned anything yet. My movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is releasing on 15th July so most probably I will be busy with the promotional activities."

However, a source close to the actress revealed that the gorgeous actress is planning to do some charity work on her birthday.

“Kats mother is involved in charity and Kat too is inclined towards it. She wants to give back to the society which has given her so much love and what better day than a birthday to do that,” said the source.

Ramazan still weeks away, sugar price on hike

KARACHI: Sugar price in the city market has started shooting up, as the record shows a surge by Rs5 per kilo in retail price during the past one month.

Market sources told that sugar price hike in the city retail market was spurred by the rise in wholesale price, which by now has pushed it up to Rs70 per kilo.

Sugar price during the last two days only soaring Rs1.50 per kilo being sold at Rs68.50 in the city, while in Sindh ex-mill sugar price has swelled to Rs68 per kilo.

Sources said that the holy month of Ramzan is still several weeks away, but the vested interests maneuvering the supplies and the government’s apathy towards the people’s problems seem quite evident.

Anushka Sharma interrogated by customs officials for over 9 hours.

Anushka Sharma was detained by custom officials at the Mumbai international airport for carrying unaccounted gold, diamond-studded jewellery and other belongings. She was apparently interrogated for over nine hours and was finally let off after that.

The actress, who landed here yesterday at 2:30 pm from the IIFA award ceremony in Toronto was let off, past midnight after questioning for more than nine hours. Her statement has been recorded and she will be called for questioning again if required, customs commissioner, PM Govande told PTI.

Customs officials are also verifying the documents provided by her claiming that the belongings were taken from India, he said.

The 23-year-old Baand Baaja Baraat star claimed that while going abroad, she had taken the valuables from India and had declared the goods at that time and hence need not pay the duty.

She was stopped by the customs while passing through the green channel after she was found in possession of gold and diamond-studded jewellery and two watches collectively worth Rs 35 lakhs approximately, officials said.

The pretty actress seems to be having a rough time of it currently.

Box office reports…

After Ready, it’s Double Dhamaal that’s making a killing at the Indian box office.

Ironically, both the films were thumbed-down by majority of critics. But the movie-going crowd seems to differ. Ready has already emerged as a blockbuster, and now director Indra Kumar’s film Double Dhamaal had a very good first weekend.

The film opened on Friday with a collection of Rs. 7.65 crore. The figure went up on Saturday to Rs. 8.11 crore, and on Sunday touched the Rs 9.91 crore mark. The total first-weekend collection of the film accumulates to Rs. 25.67 crores, which is a very good figure for a film that doesn’t have a crowd-pulling star, with the exception of Sanjay Dutt perhaps.

Furthermore, Double Dhamaal is expected to retain its hold on Monday and during the weekdays. Itscollections might, however, slump from Friday onwards, as two much-anticipated films — Bbuddah – Hoga Terra Baap and Delhi Belly hit the theatres.

UTV movies final word on ‘Heroine’… Ash out PC in???

Madhur Bhandarkar’s ambitious project Heroine looks like a never ending project. Aishwarya Rai’s pregnancy came as a shock to the director. But now the final word is out that since the movie would require Ash to dance, smoke and run, UTV Productions have decided that they cannot complete the project as Aishwarya, being in pregnancy stage, should not risk her health.

UTV movies released a press release stating: “We would like to put an end to the speculative and factually incorrect stories that are doing the rounds on Heroine, and to clarify the position on the film once and for all. At this point nothing is more important than Aishwarya’s well being and good health. In that context, we have all mutually agreed that the best step would be to avoid shooting further, rather than proceeding with an incredibly demanding schedule over the coming months. Even as we will truly miss this opportunity to work with Aishwarya, the entire unit wishes her the very best for the exciting time ahead, as she and Abhishek move into this special new phase in their lives.”

Since, Ash is no more a part of the film, rumours has it that Priyanka Chopra had shown keen interest in replacing Aish and even sms’ed Madhur to cast her!

However, Priyanka Chopra dismissed all rumours and wrote on a social networking website: “read some stupid article about how i wanna do @mbhandarkar268 s (Madhur Bhandarkar) film HEROINE..i think madhur is an amazing director and it’ll be amazing to work together again but GUYS this one aint it!!! I wish him and Aishwarya lots of luck with the film.”

So will the movie move forward??? And the suspense continues

Abhi-Ash wants a daughter and a son…

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan plan to have an ideal Indian family of two kids, a daughter and a son.

Like his father Amitabh Bachchan who had a daughter (Shweta Bachchan) first and a then a son, Abhishek too wants a daughter first and a son later.

He first expressed his desire for a daughter on his twitter page, and now he has reiterated it in aninterview. Abhishek has candidly revealed that he and Ash plan on having two kids. This is not the first time he has done that.

Abhishek also says that it was Aishwarya Rai’s idea to let pa Amitabh Bachchan break the news of her pregnancy to the world.

Lara Dutta goes the family way???

After actress Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan’s recent announcement of her pregnancy, speculations are rife about the other Bunt babe from Bollywood, actor Shilpa Shetty.

However, she’s not alone as grapevine is abuzz with news that the Bollywood actress turned film producer, Lara Dutta who recently wed tennis player, Mahesh Bhupathi early this year, too is in thefamily way.

Says a source close to the couple, “Lara and Mahesh have always taken things as they come. Though they have been busy with their respective work, they feel it’s the right time to have a kid. Besides, Lara has just finished shooting for Don 2, and is working on her next home production now. She may or she may not feature in her next film.”

Since it’s still in the early stages, the couple will apparently make the announcement only when they feel it’s the right time for it. “It is considered inauspicious to speak about the pregnancy until it’s completed three months. Right now they are really hush-hush about the entire thing and do not want too many people’s attention,” says the source.

Bipasha, Ameesha wear the same outfit at IIFA.

You may call it coincidence or whatever, but recently, at the IIFA awards 2011, Bollywood bombshells Bipasha Basu and Amisha Patel were dress in the same outfits walking down the green carpet.

Both the stunners were seen donned in a Ramona Narang dress; thank God, the colors were different! While Bips’ wore a beige coloured dress, Amisha’s was yellow!

Bipasha Basu found it so amusing when she saw Amisha in a similar dress.

The actress posted on a social networking website: “Also last night a fellow actress landed up wearing the same dress in a diff color as me on d green carpet!It ws quite amusing even for me:)”

However, Bips also wrote that she would take care of the fact that such an incident does not happen again in future and wrote: “So next time I’ll plan my green carpet outfit in advance n nt pull out things frm my cupboard last min!:)”

A nice cover up Bipsy..

Always Kabhi Kabhi proves to be a disaster

Kabbi Kabbi is a recently released Bollywood film^. It is a Hindi romantic film which was directed by Rushan Abbas. It was produced by Gauri Khan. The key actors include the first time actor Ali Fazal and other notable names in the Indian movie industry such as Giseli Monteiro, lilette Dubey, Vijay Raaz, among some other names in the industry.

This is another interesting movie produced in India, those who are in love with this movie said that it is as bad as the name is. The first half of the movie was dull while the second part was full of action and very interesting.

The story line was about a popular school that is known as St Marks. The school was set to make names as best among the schools and most of the students there are bright teenagers who want to make the best out of the academic career. However apart from the pursuit for academic excellence other activities take place in the school. The school was not just for love there are other things which the students are also up to and it includes the crazy for romantic love.

The school is a place where everybody is growing up and they are therefore in a hurry to move to the next level. The major characters in the movie acted their roles and their destinies have to take them to different positions in life.

FORMER INDIAN TEST CAPTAIN SOURAV GANGULY TAKES ON BOLLYWOOD SUPERSTAR AMIR KHAN IN A QUIZ SHOW STARTING JUNE 27 – CRICKET NEWS UPDATE

Former Indian Test captain Sourav Ganguly takes on Bollywood superstar Amir Khan in a quiz show starting June 27 – Cricket News Update

Former Indian skipper, Sourav Ganguly, is hosting a quiz show in Bengali language, in which he invited Bollywood superstar, Amir Khan, to be the guest for the Hot-seat. The show is the Bengali version of “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” and will be aired from Monday, on a Bengali channel.

Earlier, when Sourav was chosen as a host for this show, he faced a few problems. Some channels claimed it to be the copy of their format, some criticized Ganguly as the host for this large scale show.

Zee Bangla TV, a reputed Indian channel, filed a case against the former skipper saying that he has committed a violation of the contract, since he had been hosting a similar show for the Zee Bangla TV.

Later on, when the court cleared him, Ganguly started shooting for the new show with the Bengali channel, “Mahua Bangla”.

Reportedly, Ganguly himself had contacted the Bollywood Idol, and a top-notch Indian film maker, Amir Khan, to participate in his show. The request was accepted by the superstar who then recorded an episode with the former Indian skipper.

Amir Khan, who has been on the forefront of the Indian movie industry, has been doing very well recently, especially with his directorial endeavors. His presence on the show will definitely be a crowd puller.

The 45-year-old Amir Khan, stated that he had enjoyed the shooting and also complements the seriousness of the Quiz show. He said that he had not prepared himself for the formal questioning by reading any quiz books, but did fine in the end.

The actor was also praised for trying to speak in Bengali language for the show, as it is meant for the non-Hindi audiences.

Ganguly is overall very excited about the show, and talking about his hosting career, he expressed that this job is not easy and he had to rehearse for longer hours than the time he spent for match practice.

"For the first time in my life I have rehearsed for so long. For matches I would practice at the nets for four hours but for this show I rehearsed for six hours," Ganguly said.

Many top actors have also been hosting Quiz shows on the same format, including Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.

However, Ganguly refuses to compare himself with them, stating that everyone is different and has a unique style, so comparison is pointless.

Samantha debuts in Bollywood

Samantha, who has made a stunning start in Tollywood with Ye Maya Chesave is all set to make her debut in Bollywood, says the news circles. She is roped into play the female lead in Rohith Shetty’s next movie Bol Bachchan.

Abhishek Bachchan and Ajay Devgn will play the lead roles in this movie. Rhith Shetty is the man behind Kajal’s break in Bollywood. She is making her Bollywood debut with Singham.

It seems like Rohith Shetty has found real talent in South Indian top heroines and is giving them an opportunity to shine in Bollywood. Samantha who is riding high in Tollywood would love to have a similar dream start in Bollywood too.

IIFA winner…. Once again, it was Shahrukh vs Salman!!

IIFA 2011 saw Salman Khan’s blockbuster Dabangg taking away six awards, including the best picture award. However, the king of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan won the best actor award for his performance in My Name Is Khan.

Anushka Sharma won the best actress award for Band Baaja Baaraat and co-star Ranveer Singh won the award for Best Debut Male. Together they won the award for the hottest pair.

Sonakshi Sinha won the award for best debut female. Other awards received by the Dabangg cast and crew are — best screenplay went to Abhinav Kahsyap and Dileep Shukla, best music direction went to Sajid-Wajid and Lalit Pandit, best female playback singer went to Mamta Sharma for her song “Munni Badnaam”, best male playback singer went to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for “Tere Mast Mast Do Nain” and rounding up the list is Sonu Sood who received the award for best performance in a negative role.

Sharmila Tagore and Dharmendra (who has not completed 50 years as an actor) were presented with outstanding achievement awards. Other big winners were Karan Johar – best director award forMy Name Is Khan, Arjun Rampal best supporting actor for Rajneeti , Prachi Desai – best supporting actress for Once upon a time in Mumbaai.

The entertaining hosts for the evening were Boman Irani and Riteish Deshmukh, who had plenty of comedy gags. Riteish was also an award winner, winning the award for best comic role for Housefull.

Salman Khan aims at pulling crowd to theaters for ‘Chillar Party

Salman Khan is doing all that he can, to make people watch a small budget film Chillar Party, featuring little kids. This would also be Salman’s first project as a producer. The flick however, doesn’t have much star value save for an item number “Tai Tai Fisss” by Ranbir Kapoor.

Salman Khan is making sure that his first production Chillar Party doesn’t go unnoticed, since the coming weeks would see the release of a slew of films featuring popular names like Amitabh Bachchan, Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif, Hrithik Roshan and many more.

The superstar has already gone to Delhi to show the movie to the Information and BroadcastingMinister, Ambika Soni. Salman isn’t known to hold special screenings of his films for politicians, but for Chillar Party he not just made an exception but also requested Mrs. Soni to make ‘Chillar Party’ tax free.

Chillar Party clashes with the big budget Murder 2, and so, it needs a face like Salman’s to pull the crowds to theaters.

“Salman’s every song is an item”: Aamir Khan.

‘Mr. Perfectionist’ Aamir Khan wants his buddy, actor Salman Khan to judge his performance in the hilarious item number from ‘Delhi Belly’.

Aamir feels that the ‘Dabangg’ actor pioneers in doing item numbers in B- Town. “Salman’s every song is an item, ” says Aamir.

“I want Salman to watch the song and give his comments, as he is a legend in doing such songs,”adds Aamir.

Aamir has planned a special screening of the song for his friends. “Let Salman decide if I suit as an Item boy or not. I am waiting for the first copy to be out, so that I can have a screening for Salman and other close friends,” raps up, Aamir who plans to go full out promoting the item song.

The mom-to-be breaks her silence…

Aishwarya Rai, the lady of the moment, finally breaks her silence.

Since Aishwarya Rai doesn’t have any official Twitter page, she spoke to her fans through hubby Abhishek Bachchan’s Twitter handle.

“Hey, my dearest extended family world over. THANK YOU so sooooo much 4 ALL ur LOVE, PRAYERS,BEST WISHES and BLESSINGS for us and “ours”….” Aishwarya Rai wrote.

She added: “At this most PRECIOUS time in our lives. deeply moved…truly cherish all your wishes. god bless and love. thank you thank you and THANK YOU.”

Aishwarya Rai was shooting for director Madhur Bhandarkar’s project Heroine when the news of herpregnancy came out. Her baby is expected in November this year.

Check out Sanjay Dutt’s look in Agneepat…

Like his Look ? ? ?

Sonam graces the cover of Ahlan Masala, June 2011

Like the Cover ? ? ? ?

Live Chat: Amitabh Bachchan on June 29 at 1700 hrs IST

He is hot and he is wanted!'... if this is what you expect us to say in praise of the one and only Amitabh Bachchan AKA Big B, then you are absolutely right!

Writing any praises about the man will be equivalent to holding a candle against the blazing sun. All that we can say is that, he has defied time and he is here to stay! After having delivered hits after super hits for decades, this man is now all set to hit the jackpot once gain in the form of Bbuddah...Hoga Terra Baap.

We give you a super exclusive opportunity of a lifetime to chat LIVE with none other than Amitabh Bachchan himself on Bollywood Hungama Celebrity Video Chat on Wednesday, June 29, at 1700 hrs IST. Don't miss this!