Anil Kapoor is irritated and thinks it's time to stop talking and put words into action about the remake of his 1987 sci-fi hit Mr. India.

IANSPublished: 00:00 January 25, 2011
Anil KapoorImage Credit: Rex Features

Anil Kapoor is irritated and thinks it's time to stop talking and put words into action about the remake of his 1987 sci-fi hit Mr. India.

"We have all been talking about it and I think more than talking, we should start working on it. There is nothing we can talk about it as of now you know. It is completely blank. We should get going," Kapoor said.

To be produced by Boney Kapoor, the sequel is going to be shot in 3D. While Kapoor and Sridevi are to reprise their roles as Arun Verma and Seema Sohni, rumour has it that Salman Khan is going to play a negative role in the film.

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'True Grit,' a Western remake about a young girl's brave quest to track down her father's killer, follows with 10 nominations

APPublished: 18:01 January 25, 2011
Film still: The King's SpeechImage Credit: Rex FeaturesImage 1 of 41234

Beverly Hills: The British monarchy saga 'The King's Speech' leads the Academy Awards with 12 nominations, including best picture and acting honors for Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush.

"This story has struck such a rich resonant chord with audiences of all ages, which is very exciting _ to have your work honored by your industry peers is even better," Rush said in a statement.

Also nominated for best picture Tuesday were the psychosexual thriller 'Black Swan', the boxing drama 'The Fighter', the sci-fi blockbuster 'Inception', the lesbian-family tale 'The Kids Are All Right', the survival story '127 Hours', the Facebook chronicle 'The Social Network', the animated smash 'Toy Story 3', the Western 'True Grit' and the Ozarks crime thriller 'Winter's Bone'.

'True Grit' ran second with 10 nominations, including acting honours for Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld.

The February 27 Oscars set up a best-picture showdown between two favorites, 'The King's Speech' and 'The Social Network'.

'The Social Network' won best drama at the Golden Globes and was picked as the year's best by key critics groups, while 'The King's Speech' pulled an upset last weekend by winning the Producers Guild of America Awards top prize, whose recipient often goes to claim best picture at the Oscars.

The favourites in the male-acting categories both were nominated, Globe winners Firth as best actor for 'The King's Speech' and Christian Bale as supporting actor for 'The Fighter'.

The best-actress field shapes up as a two-woman race between Annette Bening for 'The Kids Are All Right,' who won the Globe for actress in a musical or comedy, and Natalie Portman for 'Black Swan,' who received the Globe for dramatic actress.

The supporting-actress Oscar could prove the most competitive among acting prizes. Melissa Leo won the Globe for 'The Fighter,' but she faces strong challenges from that film's co-star Amy Adams and 14-year-old newcomer Steinfeld, who missed out on a Globe nomination for 'True Grit' but made the cut for supporting actress at the Oscars.

'The Social Network' casts Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who's depicted as an interpersonal lout in one-on-one relations but a genius for the masses, creating an online hangout where half a billion people now keep connected with friends.

'The King's Speech' stars Firth as Queen Elizabeth II's father, the stammering George VI, who reluctantly came to the throne after his brother abdicated in 1936, a terrible time for a stuttering monarch as British subjects looked to their ruler for inspiration via radio as World War II approached.

The two films represent a showdown between classy, traditional Oscar bait and edgy, youthful, up-to-the-minute drama.

With its aristocrats, statesmen and perilous times, "The King's Speech" is a throwback to the majestic, eye-filling costume pageants that dominated film awards in Hollywood's earlier decades. Its nominations also include best director for Tom Hooper and supporting-acting slots for Bonham Carter as the king's devoted wife and Rush as his wily speech therapist.

"The Social Network" is an immediate story, set not in palaces but college dorm rooms, cluttered start-up space and anonymous legal offices where Zuckerberg battles former associates over the proceeds of his invention.
David Fincher is the best-directing favorite for "The Social Network" after winning that prize at the Globes.

Along with Firth and Eisenberg, best-actor contenders are Javier Bardem as a dying father in the Spanish-language drama "Biutiful," which also is up for best foreign-language film" Bridges as boozy lawman Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit," a role that earned John Wayne an Oscar for the 1969 adaptation of the Western novel" and James Franco in the real-life tale of a climber trapped in a crevasse after a boulder crushes his arm in "127 Hours."

Bening was nominated for best actress as a lesbian mom whose family is thrown into turmoil after her teenage children seek out their sperm-donor father in "The Kids Are All Right." Portman was nominated as a ballerina losing her grip on reality in "Black Swan."

Other best-actress nominees are Nicole Kidman as a grieving mother in "Rabbit Hole"" Jennifer Lawrence as a teen trying to find her missing father amid the Ozark Mountains' criminal underbelly in "Winter's Bone"" and Michelle Williams as a wife in a failing marriage in "Blue Valentine."

Joining Fincher among best-director picks are Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan"" Joel and Ethan Coen for "True Grit"" Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech"" Christopher Nolan for "Inception"" and David O. Russell for "The Fighter."

The directing category is back to an all-male lineup after Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win that prize last year for "The Hurt Locker," which also claimed best picture.

The Oscar ceremony will be televised live on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

Complete list of 83rd Annual Academy Award nominations announced Tuesday:

1. Best Picture: "Black Swan," "The Fighter," "Inception," "The Kids Are All Right," "The King's Speech," "127 Hours," "The Social Network," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit," "Winter's Bone."2. Actor: Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"" Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"" Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"" Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"" James Franco, "127 Hours."3. Actress: Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"" Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"" Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"" Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"" Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine."4. Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"" John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"" Jeremy Renner, "The Town"" Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"" Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech."5. Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "The Fighter"" Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"" Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"" Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"" Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom."6. Directing: Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"" David O. Russell, "The Fighter"" Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"" David Fincher, "The Social Network"" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "True Grit."7. Foreign Language Film: "Biutiful," Mexico" "Dogtooth," Greece" "In a Better World," Denmark" "Incendies," Canada" "Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)," Algeria.8. Adapted Screenplay: Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy, "127 Hours"" Aaron Sorkin, "The Social Network"" Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich, "Toy Story 3"" Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "True Grit"" Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini, "Winter's Bone."9. Original Screenplay: Mike Leigh, "Another Year"" Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson and Keith Dorrington, "The Fighter"" Christopher Nolan, "Inception"" Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, "The Kids Are All Right"" David Seidler, "The King's Speech."10. Animated Feature Film: "How to Train Your Dragon," "The Illusionist," "Toy Story 3."11. Art Direction: "Alice in Wonderland," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," "Inception," "The King's Speech," "True Grit."12. Cinematography: "Black Swan," "Inception," "The King's Speech," "The Social Network," "True Grit."13. Sound Mixing: "Inception," "The King's Speech," "Salt," "The Social Network," "True Grit."14. Sound Editing: "Inception," "Toy Story 3," "Tron: Legacy," "True Grit," "Unstoppable."15. Original Score: "How to Train Your Dragon," John Powell" "Inception," Hans Zimmer" "The King's Speech," Alexandre Desplat" "127 Hours," A.R. Rahman" "The Social Network," Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.16. Original Song: "Coming Home" from "Country Strong," Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey" "I See the Light" from "Tangled," Alan Menken and Glenn Slater" "If I Rise" from "127 Hours," A.R. Rahman, Dido and Rollo Armstrong" "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3," Randy Newman.17. Costume: "Alice in Wonderland," "I Am Love," "The King's Speech," "The Tempest," "True Grit."18. Documentary Feature: "Exit through the Gift Shop," "Gasland," "Inside Job," "Restrepo," "Waste Land."19. Documentary (short subject): "Killing in the Name," "Poster Girl," "Strangers No More," "Sun Come Up," "The Warriors of Qiugang."20. Film Editing: "Black Swan," "The Fighter," "The King's Speech," "127 Hours," "The Social Network."21. Makeup: "Barney's Version," "The Way Back," "The Wolfman."22. Animated Short Film: "Day and Night," "The Gruffalo," "Let's Pollute," "The Lost Thing," "Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)."23. Live Action Short Film: "The Confession," "The Crush," "God of Love," "Na Wewe," "Wish 143."24. Visual Effects: "Alice in Wonderland," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," "Hereafter," "Inception," "Iron Man 2."Rate this article Average reader rating (1 votes) 4 Stars

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Spice Girl Emma Bunton is engaged to her longtime boyfriend Jade Jones, she announced live on the British TV show Dancing On Ice on Sunday night.

Bunton has been with the former Damage boyband-star-turned-chef, 31, for 11 years. They have a son, Beau, and she is expecting their second child.

The former Baby Spice, 35, told her co-stars during a commercial break, reports the Daily Mail, and when the live show resumed, she showed off her diamond ring to the cameras and viewers.

During the break, she Tweeted: "Yahooooo I'm Engaged! Love you Jade! I'm a very happy lady!!"

Jones proposed to the star on Friday night as they celebrated her 35th birthday.

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After pirouetting for hours on the set of Black Swan, Natalie Portman would sometimes remove her pointe shoes, towel the sweat off of her brow and be met by a disapproving critique from director Darren Aronofsky. "He'd say, ‘Oh, Mila is doing really well on her stuff. She's so much better than you,'" the 29-year-old actress said, referring to her co-star, Mila Kunis.

"Darren would tell us things about each other to try to make us jealous. I think he was trying to create a rivalry in real life between us."

That Aronofsky may have tried to stoke competition between his lead actresses is understandable, envy is at the core of Black Swan, a mystical ballet thriller about an uptight dancer named Nina (Portman) who becomes obsessed by the threat posed by blithe new company member Lily (Kunis).

The young women are vying for the lead role in Swan Lake, and while Nina can perfectly encapsulate the virtue of the white swan, she struggles to convey the sinister, sexual nature intrinsic to the black swan that seems to come naturally to Lily.

Although Portman and Kunis were longtime friends — they often hung out together in Los Angeles, watching Top Chef or sifting through vintage wares at the Rose Bowl Flea Market — the director kept the two apart for nearly the entire 42-day filming process.

"We were really great friends before production. We are really great friends now. And during production, we were working together," Kunis, 27, explained.

Aronofsky denied fuelling a rivalry but said he distanced the actresses so that they couldn't discuss their respective acting approaches.

Own foes to overcome

"I knew it might be really hard to keep them apart because they're friends, but I just didn't want them to know each other's motives," he said. "I didn't want them to compare notes. I wanted them to come from different places."

Aronofsky, the filmmaker behind Requiem for a Dream and the 2008 Mickey Rourke comeback picture The Wrestler, had his own foes to overcome to get Black Swan made. He decided nearly a decade ago that he wanted to do a film about the ballet world, but several ideas and scripts bogged down in development and the project lost and regained financing numerous times.

The director first met with Portman when she was 20. She had taken ballet classes as a girl and had always imagined she'd be a dancer if she weren't an actress, so she was struck by Aronofky's idea.

As Black Swan remained in limbo, she acted in other movies, such as Zach Braff's Garden State and two Star Wars films. While Portman was long slated for the movie, Kunis (best known for her role on the long-running sitcom That '70s Show) was brought in only months before production began.

Portman, who knew that Kunis had dance experience, recommended her friend to Aronofsky. He had seen Kunis in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and the two met via iChat. A few online video conversations later, he had hired her.

But from that point forward, the actresses had little interaction. Their lack of conversation is particularly interesting, considering they largely play the same character for much of the film. As Nina becomes paranoid about Lily stealing her role, she begins to have delusions — sometimes she believes she's looking at Lily, only to realise she's visualising a darker and more liberated version of herself.

The fluidity of that relationship culminates in a heated scene between the young women, which is teased in the movie's trailer and has for months been the subject of media fascination.

It was one of the few scenes the actresses shot together, and Portman described it as "super awkward."

"I remember the first time we did it, we were both sort of embarrassed and not going for it," she said, sipping vegetable broth at the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills. "And Darren was like, ‘Listen. If you go for it, you're not going to have to do it again. If you get all embarrassed and hesitate, you're gonna have to do it 400 times.'"

Both women would prefer the interest be focused elsewhere, like on the rigorous physical preparation they put into transforming into near-professional ballerinas. Even as the film struggled to get off the ground because of financial issues, Portman began training five to eight hours a day with a ballet instructor. She spent time in barre class, swam a mile each day, did toning and muscle strengthening exercises and sharply reduced her calorie intake.

Shrinking frame

"Darren claims he never said this, but he definitely was like, ‘How thin do you think you can get without being sick?'" Portman said. She apparently took that order so seriously that the director later began to fret over her shrinking frame.

"At a certain point in the middle of the ballet stuff, I thought she was getting way too skinny and I started to make her eat. It started to get scary, and she was starting to look too thin," Aronofsky admitted.

"But when you work in the world of ballet, these women are so tiny. I just didn't want her to get hurt, so we surrounded her with the right health people." Both she and Kunis, already short and slight, lost 9 kilograms before production even began.

"I looked like Gollum," Kunis joked, referring to the emaciated, bug-eyed creature from Lord of the Rings. She said she got down to 45 kilograms. "I did not veer off the diet. I got one day off on my birthday, and I did have a root beer float. My ballet instructor was like, ‘Here's your present!'"

The women each suffered injuries during production, Portman dislocated her rib and Kunis dislocated her shoulder and tore two ligaments, but continued dancing despite them.

"She was really living the life of a ballerina in many ways because of the way she was training and that sacrifice," said Portman's dance teacher, Mary Helen Bowers.

Portman had imagined that there would be strong parallels between the worlds of acting and dance but found herself startled by the particularly cutthroat environment of ballet. Especially because in the last few years, she said, she's begun to abandon her own jealous instincts, particularly when she's up against another young actress for a part.

"It's age, dude," she said of her growing self-acceptance.

"I've definitely had competitive moments, but I think the difference is now that I really feel like I know who I am. I think a lot of girls have this thing where if you're in a bar, you sort of size up the other girls in the place to be like, ‘Who is my competition?' And that's not even in my mind anymore. If someone is, like, ‘I don't know whether I should hire Natalie or blah blah,' I'm like, ‘You don't know what you want.' I am who I am, and I like who I am."

Her confidence impressed Barbara Hershey, who plays Nina's overbearing mother in the film.

"At 29, I was not together like Natalie is together," Hershey said.

"The fact that she was kind always and never complained and was always even with everybody, that was impressive. "

Portman's performance has already prompted many pundits to declare her a frontrunner in this year's best actress Oscar race. She was nominated for an Academy Award once before, for her supporting role as a stripper in Mike Nichols' 2004 Closer.

"I've been doing this for like, almost 20 years now. And I don't get awards. And I feel really lucky, because it's not part of my calculus."

The actress, whose first notable role came at age 13 in Luc Besson's The Professional, grew up largely on film sets. It wasn't until she attended Harvard University that she says she was able to find her own voice, abandoning the "yes, ma'am" attitude she'd adopted during adolescence.

Having to tap into that side of herself while playing the deferential Nina, she said, was more challenging than nearly all of the physical work.

"I was a good kid, and I probably stayed in that phase longer than most kids. I think even into my early adulthood, I was like, ‘Yes, thank you, sorry,'" she said. "Having that apologetic, pleasing side to me, I've worked really hard to get out of that. Now, if I want something different, I'll say it. Darren learned one day that after trying everything he wanted to do, if on the last take he said, ‘Do this one for yourself,' that's the one that would be my best."

Did you know?
Due to its "excessive sexual content", Black Swan has been banned by the censors in the UAE.

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LOS ANGELES - Natalie Portman, already riding high during awards season with ?Black Swan,? took the No. 1 spot at the North American box office on Sunday for the first time in five years with her romantic comedy debut. “No Strings Attached,” in which she co-stars with Ashton Kutcher, sold about $20.3 million worth of tickets across the United States and Canada during the three days beginning Jan. 21, distributor Paramount Pictures said.

The opening exceeded the modest expectations of the Viacom Inc unit, which said the film cost just $25 million to make. Portman and Kutcher play friends who enter into a sexual relationship with the titular proviso. Complications ensue.

Paramount said women accounted for 70 percent of the audience, and patrons aged under 25 gave it the best reviews in exit polls. Paramount said it was impossible to tell how the “Black Swan” buzz helped, but “everything helps,” noted the studio’s distribution president Don Harris.

The film was directed by “Ghostbusters” veteran Ivan Reitman who has not had a big hit since “Six Days, Seven Nights” in 1998. Kutcher’s last big movie was “What Happens in Vegas,” a 2008 romantic comedy with Cameron Diaz. Portman, 29, last led the box office in March 2006 when the thriller “V For Vendetta” grossed $26 million during its first weekend.

Last weekend’s champion, Columbia Pictures’ 3D comic-book adaptation “The Green Hornet,” slipped to No. 2 with $18.1 million. “The Dilemma,” a Universal Pictures romantic comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James, was also down one, to No. 3, with $9.7 million in its second weekend. Their respective 10-day totals stand at $63.4 million and $33.4 million.

“No Strings Attached” was the weekend’s only new wide release, in keeping with January’s reputation as a graveyard for new films. Much of the focus is on the awards-season contenders, four of which were in the top 10.

That includes “Black Swan,” in which Portman plays an unhinged ballerina. The Fox Searchlight melodrama slipped one to No. 6 with $6.2 million. It has earned $83.6 million to date, and is poised for further gains as the awards season enters the home stretch. Portman has won most of the bellwether awards leading up to Tuesday’s announcement of the Academy Award nominations.

Elsewhere, Weinstein Co’s royals drama “The King’s Speech” was steady at No. 4 with $9.2 million. The film’s Oscar chances received a surprise boost on Saturday when it was named best picture by the Producers Guild of America, a group whose picks usually go on to win the top Oscar. Its victory weakened the awards-season dominance of “The Social Network,” which has just come out on DVD.

Paramount’s hit Western remake “True Grit,” largely overlooked during awards season, fell two to No. 5 with $8 million; its total stands at $138.6 million, easily a personal best for filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen.

“The Fighter,” also released by Paramount, rose two to No. 7 with $4.5 million; the boxing drama, buoyed by acclaim for Christian Bale’s supporting turn as a boxer-turned-crackhead, has earned $73 million to date.

Columbia Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp. Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co’s NBC Universal. Weinstein Co is privately held. Fox Searchlight is a unit of News Corp.

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Actress Reese Witherspoon admits she isn't perfect and says there are parts of herself she doesn't like.

"It's a long list. Shall I go alphabetically? A, annoying. B, belligerent... Yeah, I have a lot of flaws. There are parts of myself I could do without," she said.

One of the things the 34-year-old star admits is a flaw is her inability to stop overthinking things, reports contactmusic.com.

"I ruminate a lot. I'm always in my head, thinking and thinking. Sometimes that can be counterproductive, so when I do put on my running shoes and go run it helps," she said.

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Dubai has been lucky for debutant Indian actor Imran Zahid. And he wants to thank the city by bringing his play, The Last Salute, to Dubai after its premiere in India in March. As we revealed in an exclusive story earlier this week, the play is based on the book The Last Salute To President Bush, written by Muntadhar Al Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw a shoe at former US President George W. Bush.

It is produced by Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and Zahid is playing the role of Al Zaidi. "I come from a small town in Bihar, and the first time I travelled abroad was to Dubai," Zahid told tabloid!. "And the city changed my life, because that is where I met Mahesh Bhatt."

It was Zahid who told Bhatt about Al Zaidi's book. "The Iraqi journalist is the same age as me. But while I was going to rock shows, he was watching his country being bombed," he said.

"He could have taken up arms, but he chose to study journalism and use the power of the media to raise a voice on behalf of his people."

He is excited about Al Zaidi attending the premiere in Delhi. "I spoke to him on the phone last week and he was keen to see the play. He told me that he is an admirer of Gandhi and India's non-violent struggle for independence, and wants to visit the Gandhi memorial in Delhi to pay homage," said Zahid.

As for his future plans, Zahid has left it to Bhatt who has cast him as another dissenter, Chandrashekhar Prasad, in his upcoming film, Chandu. "As an actor, I would like to do all kinds of roles. But Bhatt is my mentor and I will follow his advice in everything I do."

Producer's notes:
Tabloid! spoke to Mahesh Bhatt about the play The Last Salute and, as usual, the controversial filmmaker expressed his strong opinions.

Why did Muntadhar Al Zaidi's story appeal to you?

I feel that this was a historic event that evoked a thunderous response from all those who opposed butcher [former US President George W.] Bush's so-called war against terror.

Al Zaidi believed in free speech and was opposed to Saddam and could not bear to see the rights of his people being trampled upon again. His spontaneous action was dictated by powerful emotions. But he has suffered a lot for this. He was put in jail, beaten up and tortured.

Bush's weapons of mass "distraction" have divided the world into us and them and stoked the fire of Islamophobia, forcing every Muslim to prove that he is not a terrorist.

Al Zaidi is a young man who had the audacity not to conform and the guts to stand up to a bully and tell him the truth. I believe that this man hurling his shoe at Bush was one of the defining images of our time and his story must be heard by everybody.

Why did you choose to produce a play rather than a film on this subject?

A film is too expensive and this kind of subject [would have] no takers in Bollywood, which is in the business of manufacturing illusions. But whether you do a play, film, newspaper column or speech, the idea is to communicate, share our concerns and keep human beings on the path of sanity.

Your latest film, Chandu, is also about a dissenter. Tell us more about this project.

We are still working on the script and the project is under production. It is about Indian student leader and activist Chandrashekhar Prasad, who was shot dead in 2007. This young Indian chose not to be a part of the self-absorbed, consumerist culture pervading our country and chose to help the underprivileged and paid with his life for that.

The idea behind this film is to present in this age of tabloidisation and celebrity worship the real heroes, who are unsung and unremembered.

What did you see in Imran Zahid to cast him as Chandu and play the role of Al Zaidi?

Imran has passion in the right direction. He is committed to ideas with social content and has the drive to achieve what he wants to do. Unlike many westernised Indian youngsters, he remains connected with his Indian roots. Both the roles are challenging, but directors Arvind Gaur and Ajay Kanchan have faith in him. But if he does not deliver, we will kick him out.

How do you feel about your other protégé, Emraan Hashmi, finally finding success outside the Bhatt camp with Once Upon A Time In Mumbai?

I am very happy. He was never supposed to be caged and doing films only for us. I feel that he gets us more power by becoming a bigger, more experienced actor. Once Upon A Time In Mumbai has given his career a major boost and done for him [what] our films could not. And I am looking forward to working with him again in Murder 2.

Why have you given up direction?

I am happy producing, writing and encouraging young talent by honing their skills and giving them a platform to showcase their abilities.

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