It was meant to be Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor ice-skating together at the Central Park in New York for Anjaana Anjaani …the first film couple since John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale in 2001’s Serendipity to get the privilege of being captured on camera gliding on ice at that location. Alas, filmmaker proposes. Actress disposes. Priyanka had to return to India for four days to promote her new film  Pyaar Impossible.The field, rather the icing rink, was left clear for Ranbir Kapoor who for three consecutive nights skated non-stop all night in Central Park. Not just that Ranbir spent all of the New Year weekend in New York learning how to skate. Says producer Sajid Nadiadwala, “Ranbir’s dedication to get it absolutely right just took our breath away. He is relentless in focusing on getting it right. He had to skate alone because Priyanka had to return to Mumbai. He skated for three nights from 11 pm to 4 am in minus-6 degree temperature in Central Park.”

It was important to can all the footage in those three nights. Says Sajid, “We were the first film unit since ‘Serendipity’ to get permission to shoot in Central Park’s icing rink and we had limited time. But the weather was freezing. We were worried how we’d manage it. We underestimated Ranbir’s passion for excellence. He skated non-stop all night for three nights.”It was only after those three nights of super-frozen weather conditions that Ranbir finally fell on his bed with utter exhaustion. He’s gradually recovering from the marathon ice-sport. Says Sajid, “The footage we’ve captured of Ranbir ice-skating shows his ballet-like elegance and precision. I don’t think we’ve ever got anything like this before.

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Bipasha Basu, the husky, dusky bong beauty of bollywood who had gone to Delhi to launch her fitness DVD at hotel Ramda Plaza, has been accused of throwing tantrums and demanding Rs 30 lakhs to attend a party and cut the cake.

In fact, Bipasha Basu was scheduled to attend the launch of her fitness DVD at the hotel which was being organized by Shemaroo, her partners in the DVD. However, soon the hotel owners Ashok and Neeru Mittal demanded that the sultry beauty would have to attend the cake cutting ceremony at the ongoing birthday party of the owner. But Bipasha and other artistes from bollywood charge a fee for attending such functions and so she refused and locked herself in her room. On Bipasha Basu’s refusal to attend the party, the Mittals became furious and asked their hotel security to surround the Bipasha’s room. However, Bipasha Basu refused to relent and came out of room only in the morning to catch her flight to Mumbai.

Though Mittals have accused the gutsy beauty of demanding exorbitant sum of Rs 30 lakh to attend the birthday party, but no other independent source confirmed this. However, she might have demanded the money (though not that much) to attend the function as it has been norm in bollywood, and she was not doing anything special. However, Mittals view the whole thing differently. They accused the dusky beauty of breaching the contract by not attending the party. They insist that it was part of the contract that she would attend the party hosted by Ashok Mittal on his birthday.

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Vidya Balan has reasons to celebrate. After PAA, she has enjoyed a double whammy in the form of ISHQIYA finding good acceptance from the audience as well. With the NO ONE KILLED JESSICA already in her kitty and things looking promising with Gulzar's next seemingly quite close, Vidya surely is getting all her calculations right.

"But then who is really looking at formula films today", questions Vidya, "Even younger actors who are just starting off are not shying away from doing something zara hatke. Ranbir Kapoor did WAKE UP SID which was a clear example of a really different film. By no means was it a formula film because the boy and the girl (Konkona Sen) were not lovers in the conventional terms. The situation out there was something that people could identify and this is what helped in moving them. Mission accomplished because as long as you tell an engaging story, you can lay your bet on the film doing well."

However, can she deny the fact that when a film like WAKE UP SID works, it was also because of a huge banner backing it (Karan Johar's Dharma Productions) and a star actor (Ranbir Kapoor) at the helm of affairs. "Today just star power doesn't work. Aapki film ki opening toh lag jayegi par usske baad to toh story hi bolegi naa? That's the only factor which would help you sustain at the box office. At the end of the day only good films work because once word of mouth is bad, people will stop coming regardless of who stars in the film."Well, Vidya would certainly know. It is this word of mouth factor that helped her last release PAA and now ISHQIYA, which has seen an increase in print count this week, to stay at theaters and continue to rake in moolah for weeks in succession.

Recently, former beauty queen Aishwarya Rai Bachchan disappointed her fans badly. Huge crowd was waiting outside a mall just to get one glimpse of the actress. But when Ash came out draped in green and pink sari, she simply walked out straight guarded by guards and director Vipul Shah without acknowledging her fans.

The actress not even bothered to stop and give a smile to the crowd or acknowledge them. The crowd kept waving their hands but the actress who appeared disgusted walked off. This attitude would have surely disappointed her fans. Isn’t it folks?

NEW DELHI - Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat is continuing her Hollywood stint with “Love, Barack” - she has been cast opposite Avatar star Laz Alonso in the political comedy.Laz Alonso is a talented and exciting actor. I’m very lucky to be working with him, said Mallika in a statement. American filmmaker Doug McHenry is directing the film where Mallika will play Aretha Gupta, a devoted, local Obama volunteer coordinator.

The story, a snapshot of a moment in time that was filled with hope, change, and passionate debate, follows the romantic and political roller-coaster. It shows that the month before election day, Democrat Aretha unexpectedly falls for her Republican counterpart (Alonso), a handsome, dynamic African-American working for the local McCain office.

“Love, Barack” also stars veteran actress Ruby Dee, comic actor Gerry Bednob and film and television actress Loretta Devine. In the past, Mallika made news when she won a small role in a Jackie Chan movie,”The Myth”. She is also doing a Hollywood film named “Hisss” starring Irrfan Khan and directed by Jennifer Lynch.

In all her films so far, Katrina Kaif has kissed only once, in Kabir Khan’s New York. She decided she wasn’t too comfortable doing it, and told.

Katrina has now decided to make it official. She won’t do a kissing sequence.

Even if the producer-director uses the oldest trick to persuade her: the script demanded it.

Says a friend of the actress, “Katrina has said no to kissing scenes in all her films barring New York. And believe me.

The directors are very keen to see her kiss her co-stars. Katrina cleverly keeps dodging all the so-called must-kiss scenes.

She is a very conservative girl at heart. In fact, when reports claimed that she was going to wear a bikini in Dostana 2.

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Another Bollywood actor has fallen prey to cyber crime. After Hrs has learnt that young actor Hansika Motwani is the latest victim of hacking. Hansika claims that her Facebook profile has been hacked by a cyber attack. Unfortunately, she hasn’t been able to figure out the hands behind it.

Sources say that she has informed the Mumbai police department about it, however, the actor is yet to file a formal complaint.A close friend of the actor on conditions of anonymity says: “Hansika looks very worried these days.

The actress suddenly found out that her Facebook ID has been hacked! The hacker had not only sneaked into her account but had also changed her password. She can no longer access her account. She learnt about the hack, when she couldn’t log on to her Facebook account and a an ‘error’ message kept flashing on the screen.

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Are Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapur coming together again to shoot a song for the much-delayed Milenge Milenge?

Maybe Rumours are rife that producers Boney Kapoor and Satish Kaushik have decided to finish.

The project and are shooting a new beginning for the film.Well, it will be interesting if the makers can bring together.

The now estranged couple Shahid and Kareena. Boney has reportedly already contacted the two.

He believes they will say yes. Because Himesh Reshammiya has come up with a wonderful tune for the song.

Before you get the wrong idea let us clear upfront that we are talking of Vidya Balan’s role in the film Ishqiya!.

The sizzling star, who plays a village belle in Abhishek Chaubey’s debut directorial venture Ishqiya, plays.

The role of a femme fatal that has been carved out painstakingly by the director only for her!Discussing Vidya’s role.

At length, the director narrates, “Ishqiya started as a story of a woman, who has the power with her husband at night though all through the day she may slog.

It took me a year to write the subject. I followed just what the script dictated as a writer and did not have any actor in mind when I was writing it.

Ishqiya is the story of two criminals and a wily widow.

Who lives on fragments in the periphery of the society and the plot functions like a thriller.

We explore marital as well as extra-marital betrayal in love. Lust is just one element of the film.”Umm… so what is basically Vidya’s role all about?

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She's visiting the city after four years, and Amrita Rao is happy about the changes in Bangalore, starting with the airport.

In the city to walk the ramp for designer friend Archana Kochar, Amrita says, “Of late, I’ve been doing these show-stopper acts.

These experiences are the fringe benefits of being an actress. I’m not professionally qualified to walk the ramp, forget being a show-stopper. But it’s an honour.”

Off the ramp, does the glam look work for her? “Inherently, an artiste is supposed to be versatile.

My look in Main Hoon Na was distinctly contemporary. How often do Indian actresses wear nose rings and sport dreadlocks?

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