Hollybollywood

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert will embark on his first solo tour in June, playing 19 U.S. dates and bringing fellow "Idol" rocker Allison Iraheta along for part of the ride.

Lambert, 28, considered one of the most exciting contestants not to win the top-rated TV singing contest, will kick off his "Glam Nation" tour on June 4 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, his record company said on Tuesday.

The gay, glam rocker with a penchant for eyeliner and black nail polish has sold 600,000 copies of his debut album "For Your Entertainment". His single "Whataya Want From Me" has been a Top 10 hit in the U.S., Australia, Japan, Sweden, Singaporeand Finland.

Lambert finished second on "American Idol" to Kris Allen in 2009 but grabbed media attention with a sexually-charged live performance at the American Music Awards in November that was later edited, raising questions about differing media attitudes to gay and heterosexual performers.

"Adam is one of the most exciting artists I have ever seen live on stage," said Simon Fuller, Lambert's manager and the creator of "American Idol".

"As great as he has been on the 'American Idols Live' summer shows, this tour is going to surpass anything he's done before," Fuller said in a statement.

Iraheta, 18, the flame-haired rock singer who finished third on "American Idol" last year, will open for Lambert on some dates, with 25 year-old guitarist Orianthi warming up the crowds on most of the tour.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Hairdressing pioneer Vidal Sassoon rose to fame nearly 50 years ago with his geometric cuts and business savvy that created a global brand, but he says hairdressers still don't get the respect they deserve.

Sassoon is dubbed a pioneer by many for not only coming up with so-called wash and wear looks -- liberating many women from weekly salon trips to have their hair done -- but also creating a multimillion dollar line of hair care products.

The 82-year-old's life and career are depicted in "Vidal Sassoon The Movie," produced by Michael Gordon, founder of the Bumble and Bumble hair salons, which had its world premiere and is showing at this week'sTribeca Film Festival.

But while the U.S. hair care market is worth more than $8 billion and the country's 80,000 salons generate $16 billion annually, according to industry data, Sassoon said some people still viewed hairdressing as "a craft for creeps and freaks."

"Hairdressing in general hasn't been given the kudos it deserves," Sassoon, who was unable to appear at the festival after spending several weeks in hospital with pneumonia, told Reuters in a phone interview. "It's not recognized by enough people as a worthy craft."

"If you get hold of a head of hair on somebody you've never seen before, cut beautiful shapes, cut beautiful architectural angles and she walks out looking so different -- I think that's masterful," he said.

The film tells of Sassoon's rise from an impoverished childhood as a Jewish boy in London, to fighting for Israel against the Arabs, to forging his career as a hairdresser, building his company and becoming a television star.

He was born in Britain and spent several years in an orphanage as a young boy after his father left his family. He left school at age 14 and began to train as a hairdresser after his mother "had a vision" that her son should be cutting hair.

He opened his first salon at 26 and decided that if he could not change hairdressing within a decade he would quit and become an architect. Sassoon said he drew inspiration for hair cuts from great buildings around the world.

A big Chelsea football fan, Sassoon said that after working in the salon all week, watching his team play every weekend was "better than a psychiatrist's couch."

Sassoon, who now lives in the United States with his second wife and had four children in his first marriage, came up with the idea of selling hair care products to "make money while people sleep."

He sold the rights to his name and hair care products to U.S. health and beauty supply company Richardson-Vicks in 1983. The company is now owned by Procter & Gamble.

"I just consider being one of the luckiest people in the sense that creativity came to me and it flowed," said Sassoon.

DUBAI (Reuters) – The 28 Summer Olympic sports federations, feeling the squeeze from the global economic downturn, decided on Tuesday to review the way broadcast revenue from the Games are distributed.

Federations taking part in London 2012 will share around $375 million from the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) TV deals.

Athletics will get the biggest share with $35 million. Soccer, swimming, basketball, cycling, gymnastics, tennis and volleyball, ranked in group two, can expect about $18 million each.

Sports chiefs voted on Tuesday to alter the system after the London Olympics to make it more representative but some federations had argued that a revision was needed immediately.

The IOC distributes the broadcast revenue from Olympic TV deals to the 28 sports, placed in four groups. Federations in the two lower groups are allocated $13 million and $11 million respectively.

"The share of TV revenues ... needs to be reviewed now, not in two years," international swimming federation(FINA) chief Julio Maglione told a meeting of the 28 sports.

MARKET APPEAL

"The current distribution does not reflect ... the changes in market appeal and changes in sport."

Swimming is among the most watched sports at the Games.

Boxing chief Ching Kuo Wu had also asked for an immediate revision, as did handball and table tennisbosses.

The IOC has secured a record total of $3.8 billion from broadcast rights for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver that took place in February and for London 2012.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and world soccer's governing body (FIFA) agreed to give $20 million from the combined TV funds they will receive for the London Games to the other federations.

"I said last year that if our finances are comfortable we would give that (windfall) to the other federations," FIFA chief Sepp Blatter told Reuters. "That is exactly what we will do now."

Federations will receive more money for London 2012 compared to Beijing 2008 as there are only 26 sports on the program instead of 28.

Softball and baseball were voted off for London, with golf and rugby replacing them at the 2016 Olympics.

Well, that’s what the rumour mills are curious about these days…

The buzz is out that our bubbly Bebo is not only trying to impress her beau Saif, but also his sibling Soha… Wondering how?

Heard that Kareena Kapoor is trying to help Soha’s ‘khaas dost’ Kunal Khemu professionally. Recently all the four - Saif, Kareena, Soha and Kunal had gone for dinner together. There Kareena got to know more about Kunal and felt impressed with his talented side. And our thoughtful actress went on to suggest him to join her in ‘Golmaal 3’. She even said to have recommended Kunal to Golmaal director Rohit Shetty, who in turn seems to have given a serious thought to the idea.

Hmmm, we don’t know what’s true; but one thing is sure Kareena surely knows how to win hearts and… family.

The title track of Balaji Motion Pictures and Dibakar Banerjee’s ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’ has been creating waves across the city.

The video which is eccentrically choreographed is grabbing eye balls for its unconventional tune and off course shocking lyrics.

National award winner Dibakar Banerjee takes us into the controversial topic of voyeurism with his next directorial venture Love Sex Aur Dhokha. The film will tell people that ‘the only privacy left is inside their heads’

The song is catching on fast with the youth with its shocking lyrics, we don’t reveal what it is but its something we have not heard before.

Indian Beauty in her Hollywood duty Freida Pinto is flying high.. After bagging a role in Woody Allen's film, the actress is set to portray a Greek priestess in ‘War of the Gods’.

Pinto, 25, will portray Phaedra, an oracle priestess who must join Theseus, played by Henry Cavill of The Tudors fame.

Phaedra joins Theseus to prevent the cataclysmic war from erupting.

The film will be produced by Gianni Nunnari of Hollywood Gang Prods, Mark Canton of Atmosphere Entertainment and Relativity topper Ryan Kavanaugh. Nunnari and Canton partnered on 2007's '300', which starred Gerard Butler in the lead.

The original screenplay of the movie was written by Harley and Vlas Parlapanides while Jason Keller has penned the most recent draft of the script.

Pinto shot to international fame after her role as Latika, the childhood sweetheart of Jamaal, the urchin boy, who goes on to win USD 10 million in a TV game show in Danny Boyle's multi-Oscar-winning film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

Pinto has completed shooting Woody Allen's 'You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger' opposite Josh Brolin and Naomi Watts, and Israeli film 'Miral', which has been directed by Julian Schnabel. Pinto plays the title part in the movie.

The film, about the Greek mythology, will be directed by Tarsem Singh and begins production in April.

The story revolves around a young warrior Theseus who leads his men into battle with the immortal Greek gods to defeat evil and the powerful elder gods of the Titans in order to save mankind.

The queens are getting together after 25 years. The golden voice of Bollywood nightingale Lata Mangeshkar will again feel the ears with her melody as she croons for the yesteryears glam queen Zeenat Aman.

Lata Mangeshkar had lent her melodious voice for Zeenat in her most memorable songs in ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram’, ‘The Great Gambler’, ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ etc.

The last time she sang for Zeenat was way back in back in 1985 in the film, ‘Yaadon ki Kasam’.

After 25 years, Lata will croon the actress very popular “Aap Jaisa Koi’ from ‘Qurbani’ in Sanjay Sharma’s ‘Dunno Y... Na Jaane Kyun’. The movie also unites Zeenat with her co-star Kabir Bedi after 38 years.

He did it before, he has done it again! B-town’s hot filmmaker Karan Johar earlier had faced the camera in several popular films and now it is heard that he has tried the ‘special appearance’ formula yet again.

KJo said to have been requested by director Milap Zaveri to do a cameo role for his film ‘Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Hai’. The film stars Ritesh Deshmukh, Jacqueline Fernandez, Ruslaan Mumtaz, Vishal Malhotra, Sonal Sehgal and others. Here Ruslan plays a superstar and the production team wanted a noted director to say some words of praise for him in the film. And there’s where Karan fits in…

Karan said to have finished the shot at Mehboob Studios, on the sets of Nikhil Advani’s ‘Patiala House’, when he was doing some interviews for ‘My Name Is Khan’.

Interestingly another biggie filmmaker, Farah Khan, have also done a small role in a sequence. Besides, our Stunt King Akshay Kumar features as himself in the course of the movie as well.

Wait there’s more… Beauties like Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone and more stars are expected to join the cameo bandwagon for this film! Producer Nikhil Advani said that he wants all these actors’ scenes as the film’s highlight.

Another ‘Om Shanti Om’ in the offing???

He's in. He's out. He's finally....in! After the producers Ashthavinayak, apparently, agreed to pay him a whopping Rs. 3 crores to be part of the third segment of the ongoing Golmaal franchise, Arshad Warsi finally agreed to do the film.

After frantic negotiations the deal was finally cut on Monday. And yes, Arshad has condescended to be part of Golmaal 3.

His 3-crore rupee fee should be higher than every member of the cast barring Ajay Devgn. Even higher than Kareena Kapoor who has a 3-film deal with the producers.

Neetu Chandra is jumping from one film release to another. From RANN to her Tamil film THEERADHA VILAIYATTU PILLAI and now APARTMENT, the young lady is certainly keeping herself ultra busy. In the midst of all this running around, she is amused though when she comes across front page news of actresses putting on or loosing weight.

'I completely agree that as an actress, your hair, face and body should be in perfect shape all the time, especially when you are in public. However, we too are normal human beings yaar and can pick and loose weight', she laughs, 'However, the moment we put on little weight, it comes on the front page and becomes a 'national headline'. And then when we loose weight, it is attributed to liposuction. Can you believe that? Thankfully my body structure is just the same as it was two years back. Now tomorrow, if I turn skinny and start looking like Kareena, it could be because I have actually lost all the fat rather than going under the knife.'

Practical to the core, Neetu says that for an actress like her, it is the demand of the industry to be visible through appearances; photo shoots etc. than attributing it to professional compromise.

'Girls like me from no Bollywood background have to keep proving themselves'' Talent is a definite must; without that you can't go anywhere. But then you have to be visible as well and for that you have to showcase your versatility as a performer as well as your personality be known to the industry as well as audience', she smiles.

Shahid Kapoor is all set to pay tribute to the pop idol Michael Jackson in an upcoming awards ceremony in which he will perform on stage to some popular MJ numbers.



Shahid admits that he has been a huge fan of MJ right from his kid days. Now, the actor is both excited and nervous paying tribute to this legend who passed away suddenly leaving behind his charm which will be brought alive by Kapoor on stage.

It seems Shahid Kapoor is becoming the face of the awards circuit. After hosting an awards ceremony with SRK lately, Shahid seems to have become the darling of all the award organizers. Great going buddy.

HOUSEFULL is inching closer to the release and just like it happens with every big film, this Sajid Nadiadwala produced multi starrer too can well be expected to be scrutinized closely for its budget. With the 'aam junta' also waking up to the box office figures and the hit/ flop/coverage/ blockbuster status of a film turning out to be everyday talk, there are always some interesting theories that start building up once the weekend numbers are out.

Ever since she made her debut with the film Slumdog Millionaire, Freida has been creating waves from the film's victory at the Oscars, to her being signed on for Woody Allen's next. She is certainly going places. However, the latest news is that Freida has been signed on for yet another Hollywood film War of The Gods.

While Freida has completed her shooting Woody Allen's You Will Meet A Tall Dark Strangeropposite Josh Brolin and Naomi Watts, and Israeli film Miral, which has been directed by Julian Schnabel, she will be working in War of The Gods which is based on Greek mythology and will be directed by Tarsem Singh. It begins production in April.

The story revolves around the warrior Theseus, who leads his men into battle with the Greek gods to defeat evil and the other elder gods in order to save mankind.

Freida who plays a Greek priestess in the film, portrays Phaedra, an oracle priestess who joins Theseus, to prevent the cataclysmic war from erupting.

The film which is scheduled to go on floors this April is being produced by Gianni Nunnari of Hollywood Gang Prods, Mark Canton of Atmosphere Entertainment and Relativity topper Ryan Kavanaugh.

The idea of a mystical assistance to succeed through life's inevitable disappointments is quite a fascinating one. Genie in the lamp, Fairy Godmothers or any wish-granting medium is an upshot of this peculiar human fantasy.

Karthik Calling Karthik [ Images ], too, stems from this deep-rooted desire.

Only our eponymous hero (Farhan Akhtar [ Images ]) isn't Aladdin, Cinderella or Bruce Nolan (of Almighty fame). A stereotypical weak geek at the receiving end of his scowling landlord (Vipin Sharma doing what he does best -- snap) and growling boss (Ram Kapoor with his snarling skills should sign up for Wolf Man), he's pretty much invisible for everyone else in the world, including, the leggy colleague in a pencil skirt (Deepika Padukone [ Images ]) to whom he's written a thousand plus unsent drafts of affection. Basically, he is Amol Palekar of Chhoti Si Baat, sans the goofy smile and mysterious past.

Dude seems to be in desperate need of Cinkara (Hamdard ka tonic, anyone?). But this is Farhan's production. And he's all about indelible charisma, hip aesthetics and urban wit. While the easygoing charm and wall decor is spot on, absence of crisp humour is conspicuously felt all through its loitering 16 reels.

Having said that, it's imperative to remember this is a Vijay Lalwani film. The first-time director is the strength or weakness behind its story, screenplay, dialogue and direction. If you view this with the expectations of a Farhan caper, you're doing both of them great disservice.

In other words, herbal tonic is out of question. Instead Karthik starts receiving strange calls from another Karthik who promises to help him attain everything that is rightly his -- power, money and love.

Desperate for comfort, Karthik doesn't need too much convincing before he takes up the seemingly unconditional offer. In no time, he's promoted from cabin to cubicle and single to boyfriend status.

No personality makeover in Hindi films is complete without a change of wardrobe. Even Sai Paranjape couldn't resist doing this to Farooq Shaikh in Chashme Buddoor. And so it's bye-bye Surinder Sahni and say-hello-to-Dil-Chahta-Hai.

Quickly enough, Lalwani runs out of ideas and till intermission KCK seems to be heading nowhere. Pace (editing by Aarti Bajaj [ Images ]) is one of the film's recurring problems. It's unnecessarily pensive and long-winded for its genre.

Even the romantic interactions are sluggish and uninspired. Although Farhan and Deepika are a cool couple to look at, you don't feel the vibe, mainly, because the conversations are just so 'meh'.

Their chemistry fares better against the breezy Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy [ Images ] composition, Hey Ya, choreographed effectively around their courtship and dating in office, malls, coffee shops and Khandala.

Things get dark and creepy in the second half when the Karthik-Karthik pact takes a beating. This is when Lalwani comes in his element and shows a flair for gritty thrillers without resorting to cheesy exaggeration or relying on excessive technique (camerawork: Sanu John Varughese, background score: Midival Punditz and Karsh Kale).

At this point, the on-going events on screen lead me to construct a sort of Dr Faustus meets The Dark Half brand of murkiness. If only Lalwani was as ambitious as the sinister alternatives in my head.

He, to my disappointment, opts for a rather squishy third act as opposed to the threatening climax I had anticipated. While Lalwani deserves a pat for working around an unusual, intriguing plot, he fails to sustain the same with substantial meat or layers.

Also, why does he hint out the suspense so early in the film? It's a crazy move and ruins any hope of the obligatory 'Whoa, I didn't see that coming.'

What is remarkable, however, is to witness is Farhan's evolution as an actor. Despite being a fairly visible face in the media, there's something unpredictable about his aura. And so far he's worked it to his advantage -- never letting the audience know what else he is capable of till he actually does.

Unlike Luck By Chance [ Images ] or Rock On!!, which saw him play self-assured characters, he is surprisingly believable as a fraught loser as well. He conveys the anxiety, simplicity and frailty of Karthik even when the script isn't doing it for him. Perhaps it's his innate filmmaker instinct.

Clearly, Deepika Padukone doesn't have it. And while she looks every bit of the unattainable dream Karthik envisions her to be, she doesn't hold a single scene on her own. Whether she's cautiously lighting a cigarette, robotically slapping the office jerk in Del Italia or scoffing at Karthik's confessions, all you really see is, well, nothing.

Films like Karthik Calling Karthik are all about winding up right. This one fails to make a connect. Pity, it could have been that all important call you've always been waiting for.