Spice Girls reunite to launch musical

The Spice Girls are looking to spice up your life once again - this time, with a musical based on their songs.

Victoria Beckham, Emma Bunton, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm and Gerri Halliwell (also known as Posh Spice, Baby Spice, Scary Spice, Sporty Spice and Ginger Spice, respectively) reunited Tuesday to announce details of "Viva Forever" - a tale of fame and female friendship that will open in London in the fall.

The music of the 1990s "Girl Power" group is being revived for the show, which tells the story of four friends whose bond is tested when their band enters a TV talent show.

The Spice Girls said they were delighted with the show, which is produced by Judy Craymer, the woman behind the hit ABBA musical "Mamma Mia," and written by comedian Jennifer Saunders, who co-created TV sitcom "Absolutely Fabulous."

The group stepped out for the media launch at London's St. Pancras Hotel - the same location where the music video for their 1996 No. 1 hit "Wannabe" was filmed.

Each of the Spice Girls took to Twitter to talk about the reunion and launch on Tuesday.

The band's outsized personalities and Halliwell's Union Jack dress made them icons of 1990s "Cool Britannia," and they sold 75 million records around the world.

Halliwell left the group acrimoniously in 1998 and the Spice Girls effectively split a decade ago. The five members have not appeared together since a 2007-2008 reunion tour.

"Viva Forever" previews from Nov 27 and opens Dec. 11 at London's Piccadilly Theatre.

Journey to stardom

Mehazabien Chowdhury from Chittagong is the new Lux Channel i Superstar. The graceful young woman was declared winner on January 22 at the grand finale of 'Lux Channel i Superstar 2009', held at Bangabandhu International Convention Centre.

The journey to stardom has been arduous for Mehazabien. "Constant challenges and difficulties, where each and every contestant was tested to the ultimate," is how she describes it.

"When my name was announced as the winner, I went completely blank for two/three seconds as I simply couldn't believe what I was hearing; it took me a few seconds to get over it," said Mehazabien, recalling her crowing moment.

Though born in Bangladesh, Mehazabien was raised in Muscat, Oman. "Because of my father's work my parents had to move to Muscat when I was about one year old," said Mehazabien.

"As I grew up, I discovered a fascination towards acting. I used to take part in the cultural programmes at school. Teachers inspired and encouraged me to attend the school programmes regularly.

"The biggest support came from my family, which was very important in those formative years. As I grew up, my parents' support helped me to become more confident in my approach.

"From the age of 13, I started working as a model for the Times of Oman and continued till I moved to Bangladesh in 2007.

"When I first heard of the Lux Channel i Superstar contest I was fascinated to learn that a pageant of such calibre is held in our country. I wanted to take part at the contest immediately but as one has to be at least 18 years old to enter the contest, I did not qualify.

"As I turned 18 in 2009, I was able to take part in the contest. On October 13, 2009, while I was going to my tutor, I changed my mind and went straight to the auditions," said Mehazabien, who is currently doing her A- Levels. ( see more hot pictures click me)

Dilip Kumar autobiography in the pipeline

A book chronicling the life of Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar and his rise to stardom is to be launched soon coinciding with the 100-year celebrations of Indian cinema.

The 89-year-old actor has narrated his life story to veteran film journalist Uday Tarra Nayar, who has penned it in the form of a coffee table book being prepared under the care and supervision of the thespian's wife Saira Banu.

In the book, Kumar traces his journey more than eight decades ago as Yusuf Khan from Peshawar, Pakistan, his acting career in Mumbai and his stature in Hindi cinema.

The book recreates the Pathan neighbourhood of the actor's childhood with illustrations and offers rare photographs of his family, the celebrated couple Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu, their friends and his many memorable films.

“So many writers have approached Dilip Sahab and me for writing this book. We chose Uday Tarra because she is a family member and Dilip Sahab has known her for a very long time as a film journalist... Tarra writes well and with a feeling of deep respect which can only come from someone who loves us not for who we are but for what we are,” Saira said in a statement.

The book will be published jointly by Saira's entertainment enterprise Sharp Focus and New Media, India's largest bilateral trade magazine publishing house.

Preity Zinta gets pricey for Yamla Pagla Deewana 2

Actors Dharmedra, Sunny and Bobby Deol and are set to enthrall the audience again with the second installment of their 2011 hit Yamla Pagla Deewana (YPD). A source close to the project reveals that instead of retaining actor Kulraj Randhawa, who played the lead role in the first film, actor Preity Zinta has been approached as the lead for the sequel.

Preity, who is already working with Sunny Deol in his next film Bhaiyyaji Superhit, is negotiating the remuneration offered by the Deols. “Since YPD was a superhit, Preity asked for a very high price when she was offered the role,” says a source.

This is the second hitch in the project as the Deols have also replaced Samir Karnik, the director of the first film, with Sangeeth Sivan for the sequel. When Sivan was asked if Preity is doing the movie, he refused to divulge details saying, “They have kept it absolutely open; nothing is clear right now. I don’t want to comment on it.”

Yamla Pagla Deewana was a comedy about an older son, who lives with his mother in Canada, visiting India in search of his father and younger brother. The family is finally united after several hilarious incidents.

Our source reveals that the script is locked and the sequel is not a continuation of the first film. “It’s a comedy again but a completely new story with a different characterisation of the main characters,” say the makers. The Deols are planning to take the movie on the floors by September.

Aamir keeps his date with cab driver Shanno

Aamir Khan is a man of his word. The current king of small screen chat shows may be a superstar but one that keeps a promise. (Read:Aamir Khan, not your average superstar)

On a recent episode of his popular TV show Satyamev Jayate, Aamir had promised Shanno - a female cab driver and victim of domestic violence - that whenever he visited Delhi next, he would hire her vehicle. And that is exactly what he did.

Aamir Khan, who was in New Delhi to present his research on medical malpractices to a Parliamentary panel, travelled around the city in Shanno's cab for the entire length of his visit.

Aamir has previously proved himself to be a star with the common touch. In April this year, he visited Varanasi to attend the wedding of a friend's son. The friend was Ram Lakhan, an auto driver who Aamir befriended while travelling incognito in Uttar Pradesh, and who went all the way to Mumbai to personally deliver the wedding invitation to his illustrious friend.

Kristen Stewart bumps Jolie as highest-paid actress

Kristen Stewart, who shot to fame as Bella Swan in "The Twilight Saga" films and has a starring role in "Snow White and the Huntsman", jumped to the top of Forbes.com's annual list of highest-paid actresses on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old earned an estimated $34.5 million from May 2011 to May 2012 and pushed Angelina Jolie into fourth place.

Cameron Diaz, who had a surprise hit with "Bad Teacher", came in second with $34 million.

"She (Stewart) is an up-and-coming star. She is earning a lot of money from one of the most successful franchises of all time. This is who you would expect to see right now," said Dorothy Pomerantz, Forbes Los Angeles bureau chief.

Forbes.com compiled the list and estimated salaries by talking to agents, managers and lawyers and based earnings on pay, profits, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock, who largely took a break from filming after 2009's "The Blind Side", came third with $25 million. (See more hot pictures Click me)

Shahid-Porshi playbacks in first time

Popular singer Shahid, for the first time, has played-backed in a movie titled “Na Bola Bhalobasa”. In this movie, he has performed a duet song along with promising singer Porshi. However, this is Shahid's first performance with Porshi.
The song titled “Swopner much dub diye tomar Kori khan protidin” was       written by Sohag Oziullah, while Ananda Arif composed it under the music direction of FA Sumon . Directed by Nazirul Islam Akash, the cast of the movie included Rohan and Nir as its central role.
While talking about his debut in film-song, Shahid told this correspondent, “It’s really quite interesting to playback in movie. I did enjoy it specially my first performance with Porshi. Hope the listeners will surely like it.”
Meanwhile, Shahid is the mainstream vocalist of promising band troupe ‘Durbin’. He caught the attention of the music lovers through his second solo album titled ‘Nilambori,’ while his debut solo album was ‘Brishtir Gaan’.

Ajay and Kajol are coming together

It's been quite a while since we've seen Mr and Mrs Devgn together on screen. We've learned that Ajay and Kajol are coming together for a short film on the topic that's currently captured the nation's attention — female foeticide.

The actors are making this in their capacity as brand ambassadors for the state government's Save the Girl Child campaign, a responsibility the actors accepted last year. Ever since, doing this film was always part of the plan. However, things didn't work out. Now, in a month, everything is expected to be in place. The film will be roughly three minutes long.

When contacted, Ajay confirmed, "We are working on the script at the moment and should be ready to roll it within a month or so. Both Kajol and I will be part of this, and we will speak about female foeticide." When asked if he'd get Aamir Khan (who brought the topic of female foeticide back into the limelight) or other actors to also talk about the issue, Ajay said that it's too soon to confirm that, but it would be a "good idea" to do so.

Kajol added, "We believe in the cause and hence we have taken it up. Most importantly, we really feel that we can make a difference."

Hindi Film "Shanghai"

You have so far seen him in his casanova image in raunchy films but Bollywood actor Emraan Hashmi believes his latest film “Shanghai” has given him a makeover.

“In 'Shanghai', directed by Dibakar Banerjee and released recently, one finds a new Emraan -- dark, with a paunch and buck tooth, far removed from the actor you have seen in box office hits like 'Murder', 'Gangster', 'Jannat' and 'Dirty Picture'. 

“For me, this film has reconstructed the perception that people had about me. After this, whatever role I play, it should be as unpredictable as this. I want to surprise the audience,” Emraan told reporters here last week while doing the promo of his latest movie. 

First day of the rainy season

Yesterday was the first day of the rainy season in the Bengali calendar. Though city dwellers have been experiencing occasional heavy showers over the last couple of weeks, with the official arrival of monsoon, summer is now over. Through separate cultural programmes -- featuring recitation, dances and songs -- Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Goshthi (Dhaka Metropolitan branch) and Satyen Sen Shilpi Goshthi welcomed monsoon yesterday. Udichi welcomed the season with a colourful programme held at the Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA), Dhaka University. Artistes of the organisations performed several choruses. The event mainly featured songs on rain written and composed by Tagore, Nazrul and DL Roy, as well as Adhunik and folk numbers. The Satyen Sen Shilpi Goshthi programme, titled 'Borsha Utshab 1418', was held at Hakim Chattar, adjacent to Central Library of Dhaka University. The event featured solo and choral musical performances (Rabindra and Nazrul Sangeet). The event was sponsored by Banglalink.

Slash to receive Hollywood Walk of Fame star

Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash is to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next month.

The musician, who is the first member of the rock band to receive the pavement plaque, will be honoured at a ceremony in front of the Hard Rock Cafe on Hollywood Boulevard on 10 July.

He will be saluted by movie mogul Robert Evans and actor Charlie Sheen.

Organisers praised Slash, who grew up in Stoke-on-Trent, as "one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time".

"We are proud to place his name among the stars on our fabled Hollywood Walk of Fame," Ana Martinez, producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies, said

(see more actress hot pictures click me)

Bollywood bound Bengali stars

There is sudden surge of Bengali actors in Bollywood cinema after the box-office success of Vidya-Balan-starrer, “Kahaani” and Paoli Dam's “Hate Story”.

While in the past, stray forays in Hindi films have been made by Uttam Kumar, Suchitra Sen, Biswajeet and Moushumi Chatterjee, at least four to five actors from Bengali cinema seems to have found a good audience response to their roles in Hindi films.

Sing with Michael Learns to Rock

Popular Danish pop-soft rock band Michael Learns will perform for the first time in Bangladesh. This will also provide a great opportunity for a Bangladeshi musician to perform with one of the world's leading bands. The music talent from Bangladesh will be chosen through a contest that will be telecast on Channel 9, according to a press release.

James sings for a Bollywood film again

The popularity of Nagarbaul's frontman James has spread far and wide across the subcontinent. James won the hearts of music buffs through the song “Bheegi Bheegi”, featured in the Bollywood film “Gangster”, directed by Mahesh Bhatt.

The Queen of Dhaliwood returns

Since her arrival in films in 1993, Shabnur has taken giant strides to cement a niche in the hearts of Bangladeshi movie-goers. The length of her stay at the popularity zenith, in fact, stays uncontested till date. The talented actress received the prestigious National Film Award for her performance, along with 10 Meril Prothom Alo Puroshkar as the best actress. After a year-long break, two new Shabnur movies were released this month, and the actress talked to The Daily Star about her latest and past endeavours.

You have been holding the spot of the top movie actress in the country for years. How did you accomplish this?

Shabnur: I am an actress who is completely dedicated to her work. When I stand in front of a camera, there's nothing else in my mind. I must have done some good work that has brought me closer to the audience. And it is up to everyone else to decide whether I'm the most popular.

Have you ever been nervous in front of the camera?

Shabnur: No. I've always been spontaneous in front of the camera. So when shooting begins, I don't feel jittery.

What is your response to the announcement that cinema should be considered an 'industry'?

Shabnur: The Prime Minister made the announcement at the latest National Film Award ceremony. It is a positive news for our cinema. But we would also expect to see the announcement being realised.

As an artiste, do you think that FDC should be modernised?

Shabnur: If FDC is really modernised, then our film industry will turn around. The audience gets blurred pictures and distorted sounds when they go to watch films at cinema halls now. Nobody should pay to watch out-of-focus images. That is why I believe that FDC should be modernised.

Why did it take a year to get two of your latest movies get released?

Shabnur: Truth be told, the long hiatus was my own choice. I was not in the country for eight/nine months. On my return, I began working on new projects, while I don't have many old projects on hand at the moment. That is why it took me a year to come up with new releases.

How do you view the double release in the same month?

Shabnur: I still don't know if the movies are being released on the same date. But I'm against such a thing, as it hurts business. If a movie suffers losses, the blame also partly falls on the performers.

Tell us about the two new movies.

Shabnur: I star opposite Rashed in “Bhalobasha Saint Martin-e”, a movie directed by Shahidul Islam Khokon. It has a unique plot. The other movie is MM Sarker's “Attogopon”, an action movie where Zayed Khan plays opposite me.

What is your experience with the rookie actors?

Shabnur: We must welcome the newcomers, or else new blood will never be able to rise on the scene. We were also rookies in the past. If new actors are not created, then the entire film industry will remain stalled. Other newcomers who I have worked with include Nirob, Emon and Zaman. All of them are doing great.

Why are new movies not becoming commercially successful as before? What is your opinion on the frequent closure of cinema halls?

Shabnur: The film industry is passing through a very dark time. But I'm hopeful that the shadow will pass soon. However, new artistes, directors and producers will have to step up their efforts to bring forward the change. Only then will our films make a turnabout.

You are also set to emerge as a film director?

Shabnur: Yes. I'm gearing up to become a director. I had also fixed a name for my debut effort, but will now change the title. But I hope that audience will soon find me as a director.

Outside your work in the movies, you recently opened a school. Tell us more about it.

Shabnur: I set up Sydney International School in Baridhara, Dhaka last year. It's a joint venture by Bangladesh and Australia. I act as an advisor for the school. It began admitting students this January. Apart from local teachers, the school also has several Australian teachers.

You had been living for a while in Australia. Do you plan on becoming a permanent resident there?

Shabnur: My sister lives in Australia, so whenever I get the chance, I visit her and stay for while. This time around, I stayed longer than usual. But I'm not becoming a permanent resident in Australia. If there were any plans, you would know. Australia is a beautiful country, but my country is also beautiful to me.

There are rumours that you got married in Australia. Is there any truth to it?

Shabnur: Not at all. When I get married, I'll have a grand ceremony. After working for so long in the media, how can it be that I will not let anyone know about my wedding?

Singer Imran has what it takes

Imran came into the spotlight by claiming the first runner-up podium in the first ever 'Channel i Shera Konthho' in 2008. In the ranks of 80,000 contestants, Imran climbed the ladder with his singing talents and won Taka 7 lakh and the love of thousands as the first runner-up. His success in the competition ensured smooth passage into a well-established career in singing. Imran is now living out his childhood dream of becoming a singer and is turning a new page everyday.

Imran got the opportunity to perform abroad, thanks to Channel i. As part of several tours, Imran performed in Australia, Dubai, Oman, Qatar, the US, Singapore, Bahrain and India.

Laser Vision released Imran's debut album “Shopnoloke” in 2011, with the singer himself composing several songs in the album.

Imran has also gathered experience as a playback singer, lending his voice for seven films so far, four of which have already been released. Imran says it was a great achievement for him to work alongside a singer like Sabina Yasmin for a playback performance. There is a plan to keep working on playbacks in the future, the singer adds.

Asked on his next target, Imran informed that his goal is to become a successful music composer and work to establish a strong niche for himself in the music arena. Several compositions have already been completed for popular singers of the time, while further work with other artistes is on, Imran added.

What brought him to the world of music? Imran answers that he has had a close link with music since his early years. When he was in class 4, Imran began taking his first music lessons from Ustad Shyamol Biswas. The ustad taught him classical music. Then came Ranjit Kumar Mondol, who tutored Imran in the skills of Nazrul Sangeet and also classical music. Finally it was the turn of Shahjahan Kabir to add the final touches, as he taught Imran the voice modulation for Adhunik songs.

Imran's mother provided the main inspiration, as she could not pursue her interest in music due to various reasons. Family support was also there throughout everything, Imran says.

Imran adds that he enjoys the newfound fame, and asked for blessings from his well-wishers so that he does not have a swollen head.

Imran says music is his love and he doesn't wish to spend a single second without it.

Perfect send-off for Guardiola

Barcelona gave coach Pep Guardiola the perfect send off Friday, beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 in Madrid to win the Spanish Cup in the coach's last match in charge after a memorable four seasons in the Catalan hot seat.

In Iran, Bollywood is still a huge draw

Raj Kapoor used to be their favourite hero in the pre-Revolution days, but it's Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai who are the current heartthrobs as Bollywood continues to hold sway in Iran, say visiting students and teachers.

Shabnoor paired with newcomer Arzu

Leading film actress Shabnoor has been paired with newcomers in Dhallywood -- such as Nadim and Emon -- time and again. This time the actress has been cast with young actor Arzu who created ripples with his debut film "Tumi Achho Hridoye".