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Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland

nishtha — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:09:05 +0530

Alice in Wonderland movie poster. Photo courtesy: wikipedia

Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland

Fri-Mar 12, 2010

New Delhi / Nishtha Bhatnagar

Movie Review: Alice in Wonderland
rating: * * * 1/2

Tim Burton's love for larger than life fantasies isn't new. His somewhat gothic characters almost never fail to intrigue. He has given us some blockbusters like Batman, Batman Forever, Planet of the Apes and Sleepy Hollow. And the one thing common in all the above is his signature touch where he lends hyperbolic overtones to his characters. Yet they look endearing and appealing.

In his latest film, Alice in Wonderland he teams up with his old friend Johnny Depp this time round for the seventh time. Now Burton's Alice in Wonderland possesses all the wonders and characters that Lewis Carroll had intended us to enjoy. Wonderland, which is now called Underland, has the same mistique and beauty that we had spun as we read the book. But it bolsters our imaginative flights with some very laudable performances.

The story remains the same as do the characters, only point of detour being Alice's loss of momory of the past when she had first visited Wonderland as a child.

While the film is a wee bit slow and a tad bit long, it still manages to keep us glued to our seats as we laugh at the stiff Red Queen, the raving mad march hare, and the silly dormouse.

For all the blah blah blah about actors stepping into the skin of characters, Depp's committment seems quite unparellelled. The actor not only manages to enact the Hatter with utmost perfection but also spins a magical lisp from time to time in his dialogue delivery reminding us of his ability to add personal touches of accents and speeches to each of his characters. Mia Wasikowska plays Alice to the T. Anne Hathway manages to deliver a praiseworthy performance as the very animated White Queen. The other star, who gives Depp competition in her performance is Helena Bonham Carter who plays the stiff, uptight and cruel Red Queen.

Overall, Alice in Wonderland may not belong to the never-seen-before variety of films, but it is surely another feather in Burton's hat of creative genius.

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Movie Review: Hide N Seek

nishtha — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:02:24 +0530

Hide N Seek movie poster.

Movie Review: Hide N Seek

Thu-Mar 11, 2010

New delhi / Nishtha Bhatnagar

Movie Review: Hide N Seek
Rating: *

Until now I had known that Bollywood likes to plagiarize from Hollywood. With this piece of knowledge came another discovery that it was the hits and blockbusters that they ripped. With Hide N Seek, I may have to retune my faculties to understanding that Bollywood and its filmmakers can sometimes get so desperate that they can rip any film off without giving heed to its performance or success. And worse still, they try and add their own creative genius, which mostly isn’t much to sing home about, to the original and give us a hotch potch of confused ideas, sensibilities, actors and themes that all keep running into each other.

Now our desi Hide N Seek borrows its title and main concept from the 2005 English film of the same name which had failed to fare well at the box office. But it nevertheless had a consistency of plot and an element of surprise that we understood. But Hide N Seek lands up in confusion from the very beginning. Teeming with abruptness and loud acoustics to evoke horror and fear, the film pans into different scenes, jumps from the present to the past without any coherence or order.

Loud thuds and shifting frames end up startling the audience more than inducing fear in them. The end, for which one bears the torture for two hours, turns out to be a whimper. Neither are makers able to narrate a well strewn together tale nor are they able to surprise us with the ending. Even though the end is an unpredictable one, it is distastefully and shoddily executed leaving the viewer feeling betrayed in his/her expectations. And even once the film ends, we fail to fathom whether the film was about a split personality or a gory tale or revenge.

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Witherspoon: First lady is capital's most stylish

nishtha — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:00:40 +0530

Actress Reese Witherspoon says her Legally Blonde character Elle Woods has been ousted as the most stylish woman to come to the US capital by first lady Michelle Obama. Speaking at a ceremony where Mrs Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presented the annual International Women of Courage awards, Witherspoon jokingly complained that Woods, the bubbly blonde from Los Angeles who discovers her inner strength at Harvard Law School and then takes on Washington politics, no longer held that title.

"As an actress, I have always sought out roles that portrayed women as strong and powerful, such as Elle Woods, who was in the 'Legally Blonde' movies,'' she said to laughter from the audience in an ornate State Department reception room. Woods, she said, "happened to be the biggest fashionista who ever came to Washington until Michelle Obama. Thanks a lot." Clinton then introduced Mrs Obama as "stylish," and the first lady returned the compliment to the entire crowd, saying: "You all look fabulous."

Witherspoon was at the ceremony as a global ambassador for the Avon Foundation, which supports breast cancer research, anti-domestic violence programmes and women's empowerment projects. Yesterday the group announced a USD 500,000 contribution to the State Department's Fund for Global Women's Leadership

Uma Thurman's 'Motherhood' flops at box office

nishtha — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:54:21 +0530

Kill Bill star Uma Thurman's new comedy movie Motherhood has become a box office flop after taking in just 88 pounds in its debut weekend. The actress, who stars as a harassed Manhattan mother-of-two in the comedy directed by Katherine Dieckmann, was screened for three days at London's Apollo Piccadilly Circus, the only cinema to show the film and was received so poorly, Contactmusic reported.

The film's total takings for last Sunday were 9 pounds, which meant only one person paid to watch it on that day. The movie, which is due to be released on DVD, was also a box-office flop in the US, with only 33,448 pounds takings at 48 venues when it opened last October. The 39-year-old star, who has two children, Maya, 11, and Levon, seven, from her first marriage to actor Ethan Hawke, who she divorced in 2004, previously spoke about how she found it easy to get into character for the role because she understood how hard it can be to define yourself once you have become a parent.

"Well, her circumstances are different, but her concerns are the same as mine. Trying to be true to yourself as an individual and as a woman and be a loving mother and grow and find yourself - that's the kind of thing we all deal with. I thought that was really universal," Thurman said.

Matt Damon eager to turn director

nishtha — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:52:16 +0530

Hollywood heartthrob Matt Damon is keen to don the director's hat and has even decided the story for his film. Damon said that he is eager to direct film which will as simple as Good Will Hunting for which he won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay with friend actor Ben Affleck in 1997, Bang Showbiz.com reported.

"I want a simple little human story. Something like Good Will Hunting or something that's smaller like that. Nothing too tricky the first time," Damon said. "I don't know if I'll be in it. I'd prefer not to be. I've heard from other people and Ben told me it's tough, it's a lot of hard work," he added.

However, till he embarks on his directorial venture, he doesn't want to take time off as he is still getting good movie roles. The actor, who was nominated for an Oscar for his role as South African rugby player Francois Pienaar in 'Invictus' this year, confirms he has a busy schedule ahead of him. "I want to direct someday and I can't really pass up the chance to work with the people I'm getting to work with," Damon said.

"I've worked with Paul Greengrass three times now, and Clint Eastwood twice, and Steve Soderbergh five or six times, and the Cohen Brothers this month. As long as that keeps happening, I can't see myself taking time off, unless the work dried up," he added.

The 39-year-old star is currently starring in Paul Greengrass-directed action movie 'Green Zone'.

Madonna and Butler's dance off at Oscar after party

nishtha — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:42:39 +0530

Pop superstar Madonna and Hollywood hunk Gerard Butler had a dance-off at a post-Oscars party. The Material Girl singer helped host the bash atmanager Guy Oseary's Los Angeles home following the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night and was clearly in a party mood so couldn't resist when the handsome actor challenged her dancing skills, Contactmusic reported.

"Madonna and Gerard were grinding on the dance floor before getting into a dance-off. It was hilarious," a source said. As well as Butler, Madonna also showcased her dance moves with Gabourey Sidibe, who earlier missed out to Sandra Bullock in the Best Actress category. "Madonna danced non-stop for four hours. She and Gabourey were dancing together at one point. They had a great time. This was the Oscar party to be at this year," the source added.

Demi Moore co-hosted the party with Madonna, which was attended by a host of stars, including Demi's husband Ashton Kutcher, P Diddy, Renee Zellweger, Bradley Cooper and Taylor Lautner. As well as some entertaining dance moves, the 300 guests were treated to a late-night Indian takeaway as well as
enjoying a cocktail created by Demi and Madonna especially for the party.

Petre Andre considered suicide after Price divorce

nishtha — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 10:10:35 +0530

Australian pop star Peter Andre considered suicide after his split from glamour model Katie Price last year because the couple's acrimonious break-up left him suffering panic attacks. The pair married in 2005 and became parents to two children, Junior and Princess Tiaamii, as well as Price's son Harvey from a previous relationship, OK magazine reported.

They divorced in September last year but the split led to a bitter war of words between the former couple in the press. Andre admits he suffered crippling panic attacks after their relationship ended, and even considered taking his own life following one terrifying episode but the thought of his children saved him from the desperate act.

"I woke up at 3am and I felt a hammering in my head. I started panicking and hyperventilating, my hands were sweating and I thought my heart was going to pop out of my body," Andre said. "You think you're having a heart attack. No matter how many times you've had it, every time you think, this is it, I'm going to die," he said.

"Did I think about ending my life? You can have thoughts like that and I'm not going to lie, there were times when it was so bad that I thought, 'Am I better off?' But you have to look at what's around you. My family were my entire life and that's what stopped me," Andre said.

Zac Efron admires Robert Pattinson

nishtha — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:33:42 +0530

It's not just the ladies who go gaga over Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson, as Zac Efron has also professed his admiration for him claiming he is a "superstar". The 'High School Musical' actor is a big admirer of Pattinson and is particularly impressed with the way the 23-year-old British star is handling his fame, Access Hollywood reported.

"He's absolutely amazing. I think he's making great choices. I think he's handling it all really well, but you know, he's a superstar. He really deserves all this," Efron said. The 22-year-old actor, who arrived at the Academy Awards without girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens noted that she wants him to be with her when she picks up the 'ShoWest Star of Tomorrow Award' in Las Vegas later this month, a city famed for casinos and gambling.

"She's trying to get me to go to Vegas. I've not been to Vegas legal yet, since turning 21. I feel like I might get into trouble," Efron said.

Robbie Williams blasted for calling cannabis 'lovely'

nishtha — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:50:04 +0530

British popstar Robbie Williams was yesterday accused of being "grossly irresponsible" for encouraging his young fans to try cannabis after he described the illegal drug as "lovely" during an interview. The controversial singer, who has battled addictions to cocaine and prescription drugs in the past, said he was still smoking the illegal substance last year and claimed it was "a shame" that it "did not mix well" with him, reported Daily Mail online.

But charities and campaign groups have reacted with fury at his comments and claim he is effectively promoting a drug that has been linked to the development of mental illness and psychosis. The majority of the stars fans are in their teens and his new song 'Morning Sun' has just been selected as the official Sport Relief song, which aims to raise money for disadvantaged people, many of them affected by drug abuse.

In an interview in the Radio Times Williams said that his tendency to binge eat after smoking marijuana had caused the pounds to pile on. "Weed, it's such a lovely drug. It is such a lovely drug. But it doesn't mix well with me at all. It doesn't take much to trigger, I mean, I'll get psychosis from having this cup of tea. But its just a shame about weed, because I did love it," the 'Angels' hitmaker had said.

Oscar's big question: How did David slay Goliath?

megha — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:44:24 +0530

For Hollywood pundits, industry folk and Oscar fans still paying attention on Monday, a major question remained: How did David slay Goliath?

For as much as "The Hurt Locker" was the critics' darling, it had three major strikes against it in its battle against the mighty James Cameron's "Avatar."

First, the box office was paltry - it's taken in just $14.7 million domestically, compared to an amazing $720.6 million for "Avatar." That makes "The Hurt Locker" the lowest-grossing best picture winner since accurate records have been kept.

Second, it had no big acting names, usually an important factor in Oscar victory.

And third, it was about the Iraq war, a subject moviegoers traditionally just don't want to deal with. "Iraq is usually the kiss of death at the Oscars," says Tom O'Neil, blogger for the Los Angeles Times' Envelope, an awards site.

But even with 10 nominees in the running for this year's best picture Oscar, the two films - whose directors were once married - were quickly pitted against each other in the race for Hollywood's highest honor.

How did "The Hurt Locker" win out? Theories abound:

Finally a non-political film about Iraq:

Many films about the Iraq war have fallen into a trap of appearing preachy or at least having a strong point of view. Viewers may or may not agree with that view - that still doesn't mean they want to get it at the movies.

But "The Hurt Locker," a story of three technicians on a bomb-defusing team in Baghdad, is at heart an action movie - a documentary-style close-up of the men, their relationships, their missteps and the almost unbearable tension inherent in their exhausting, terrifying, tedious work.

"This isn't that kind of muckraking film aiming to show torture or violation of rules of war," says Robert Sklar, film professor at New York University. "This is a film about men trying to save lives rather than take them. It's also a buddy story. It has classic war-movie themes."

Oscar likes films with an important message:

Often the Academy honors big, sweeping films, which "The Hurt Locker" is certainly not. But it also looks for films with a substantial message.

"Oscar likes films of importance, with a capital I," says film historian Leonard Maltin. "Often they're big films, but this is a small film that dealt with a really important subject."

Oscar voters don't care about box office:

Who says Oscar cares about box office? "The Oscars don't pay attention to that at all, and nor should they," Maltin says. In fact, he adds, they've often been accused of being too elitist, favoring independent movies over big films favored by the broader public.

Yes, they do!:

Nonsense, says O'Neil, of The Envelope: "The Academy wants their movies to do well. Then they anoint them." Even last year's "Slumdog Millionaire," which originally almost went straight to DVD, had made $40 million before the nominations, then rode to $70 million by the time of the awards, he says.

It's about the campaigning:

All of "Hurt Locker's" technical merit aside, "it would be naive to think Oscar campaigning had nothing to do with it," says O'Neil.

He credits Cynthia Swartz, whose public relations firm was given the Oscar campaigning job by Summit, the film's distributor, which was looking for industry respect and had plenty of money to fund the campaign, having already cashed in with the "Twilight" vampire movies.

"It was a very savvy campaign," says O'Neil. "Full force, and highly aggressive."

The woman factor:

As compelling as her movie was, director Kathryn Bigelow had a compelling story of her own. This director who specializes not in female-oriented films but in big action thrillers had a real shot at becoming the first woman in Oscar history to win the best director prize, with her film winning best picture, too.

Yet Bigelow tried to downplay that element of her story, saying in interviews that she just wanted to be seen as a filmmaker, not a female one.

"Bigelow refused to capitalize on the woman factor, and to her credit," says Maltin. Everyone else wanted to make it a story but her. Still, you can't deny it had some impact."

The ex factor:

Nor did Bigelow have any desire to capitalize on the "Ex Factor" - in case you're way behind on your Oscar gossip, she was married to Cameron from 1989-91. Were there some voters who were secretly rooting for her to leave him in the dust?

No way of knowing, and the two seemed amicable through the awards season, with him standing and cheering as she won her Oscar. Still, there's no doubt that the "battle of the exes" (ok, we're done with the puns) added to the hype.

The voting system:

Then there was the new system for choosing best picture, with 10 nominees this year instead of the usual five. In previous years, a voter would simply make one choice for best picture.

But this year's ballots had a preferential system, meaning voters ranked their choices. The lowest choices were then eliminated. That meant it was a system that favored consensus choices, some hypothesized.

"'Avatar' is polarizing," postulated Hendrik Hertzberg in The New Yorker magazine last month. "So is James Cameron ... these factors could push 'Avatar' to the bottom of a choice-ranked ballot.'"

And speaking of "Avatar"...

Was "Avatar" ever really going to win? Blogger O'Neil doesn't think so, even though it won the Golden Globe and seemed to be at the top of many prediction lists.

"I think we pundits convinced ourselves that 'Avatar' might win, but in reality there's a science-fiction bias in the Academy, and it's pretty unbudgeable," he says.

We'll never know how close the vote was - the Academy doesn't release that information and it doesn't do exit polls. But informal exit polls done privately by industry insiders, and his own conversations, lead O'Neil to think that Quentin Tarantino's wild "Inglourious Basterds" was actually the film that almost won, not "Avatar."

How about...it's just a really good movie:

"Look at all the awards this film won - screenplay, sound, editing," notes Sklar, the NYU film professor and author of "Movie-Made America."

"The sheer quality of the work must have influenced a lot of the professionals in the industry who were voting. It's just such a well-made movie from aesthetic and technical point of view, it overcomes all those other concerns."

And so maybe it's this simple: In the end, good writing, superb acting and just plain excellent filmmaking do win out in Hollywood.

Sometimes.

'Hurt Locker' earns best-picture Academy Award

megha — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:47:17 +0530

The Iraq War drama "The Hurt Locker" won best picture and five other prizes on Sunday at the Academy Awards, its haul including best director for Kathryn Bigelow.

Bigelow is the first woman in the 82-year history of the Oscars to earn Hollywood's top prize for filmmakers.

** List Of Winners at 82nd Academy Awards
** Snapshots: And The Oscar Goes To

"There's no other way to describe it. It's the moment of a lifetime," Bigelow said. "It's so extraordinary to be in the company of my fellow nominees, such powerful filmmakers, who have inspired me and I have admired, some of them for decades."

Among those Bigelow and "The Hurt Locker" beat are ex-husband James Cameron and his sci-fi spectacle "Avatar." Bigelow and Cameron were married from 1989-91.

Cameron was seated right behind Bigelow at the Oscars and joined a standing ovation for her, clapping vigorously and saying, "Yes, yes" after she won.

First-time winners took all four acting prizes: Sandra Bullock as best actress for "The Blind Side"; Jeff Bridges as best actor for "Crazy Heart"; Mo'Nique as supporting actress for "Precious"; and Christoph Waltz as supporting actor for "Inglourious Basterds."

The Oscar marks a career peak for Bridges, a beloved Hollywood veteran who had been nominated four times in the previous 38 years without winning. Bridges, who played a boozy country singer trying to clean up his act, held his Oscar aloft and thanked his late parents, actor Lloyd Bridges and poet Dorothy Bridges.

"Thank you, Mom and Dad, for turning me on to such a groovy profession," said Bridges, recalling how his mother would get her children to entertain at parties and his father would sit on the bed teaching him the basics of acting for an early he landed on his dad's TV show "Sea Hunt."

"I feel an extension of them. This is honoring them as much as it is me," Bridges said.

Bullock, an industry darling who had never before been nominated, won for her role as a wealthy woman who takes in homeless future NFL star Michael Oher, who was living on the streets as a teen.

The award wraps up a wild year for Bullock, who had box-office smashes with "Blind Side" and "The Proposal" and a flop with "All About Steve," which earned her the worst-actress trophy at the Razzies the night before the Oscars.

"Did I really earn this or did I just wear you all down?" Bullock asked the Oscar crowd. Bullock gushed with praise for her fellow nominees, including Meryl Streep, who she joked is "such a good kisser."

The supporting-acting winners capped remarkable years, Mo'Nique startling fans with dramatic depths previously unsuspected in the actress known for lowbrow comedy and the Austrian-born Waltz leaping to fame with his first big Hollywood role.

"I would like to thank the academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics," said Mo'Nique, who plays the heartless, abusive welfare mother of an illiterate teen in the Harlem drama "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire."

Mo'Nique added her gratitude to the first black actress to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel, the 1939 supporting-actress winner for "Gone With the Wind."

"I want to thank Miss Hattie McDaniel for enduring all that she had to so that I would not have to," she said, adding thanks to Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, who signed on as executive producers to spread the word on "Precious" after it premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival.

"Precious" also won the adapted-screenplay Oscar for Geoffrey Fletcher. "This is for everybody who works on a dream every day. Precious boys and girls everywhere," Fletcher said.

Waltz's award was presented by last season's supporting-actress winner, Penelope Cruz, who gave Waltz a kiss as he took the stage. "Oscar and Penelope. That's an uber-bingo," Waltz said.

Though a veteran stage and TV actor in Europe, Waltz had been a virtual unknown in Hollywood before Quentin Tarantino cast him as the prattling, ruthless Jew-hunter Hans Landa in his World War II saga.

"Quentin with his unorthodox methods of navigation, this fearless explorer, took this ship across and brought it in with flying colors, and that's why I'm here," Waltz said. "This is your welcoming embrace, and there's no way I can ever thank you enough."

Close Call

"Avatar" won three Oscars, for visual effects, art direction and cinematography, beating "The Hurt Locker" for the latter. "The Hurt Locker" also won out over "Avatar" for film editing, sound editing and sound mixing.

With nine nominations each, "The Hurt Locker" and "Avatar" came in tied for the Oscar lead.

"Hurt Locker" screenwriter Mark Boal, who won the Oscar for original screenplay, thanked Bigelow, calling her an "extraordinary and visionary filmmaker," and dedicated his Oscar win to the troops still in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with those who did not make it home. Boal also affectionately recalled his father, who died a month ago.

Missing from the onstage celebration for the "Hurt Locker" win was producer Nicolas Chartier, who was banned by the academy from attending the Oscars because of e-mails he sent urging members to vote for his movie - an academy violation.

"Up" earned the third-straight feature-animation Oscar for Disney's Pixar Animation, which now has won five of the nine awards since the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences added the category.

The film features Ed Asner providing the voice of a crabby widower who flies off on a grand adventure by lashing thousands of helium balloons to his house.

"Never did I dream that making a flip-book out of my third-grade math book would lead to this," said "Up" director Pete Docter, whose film also won for best musical score.

Pixar has a likely contender in the wings for next Oscar season with this summer's "Toy Story 3," reuniting voice stars Tom Hanks and Tim Allen.

Argentina's "The Secret in Their Eyes" pulled off a surprise win for foreign-language film over higher-profile entries that included Germany's "The White Ribbon" and France's "A Prophet."

"Crazy Heart" also won for original song with its theme tune "The Weary Kind."

The song category typically comes late in the show, after live performances of the nominees that have been spaced throughout the ceremony. Oscar producers tossed out those live performances this time in favor of montages featuring the songs and footage from the films they accompany.

"The Cove," an investigation into grisly dolphin-fishing operations in Japan, was picked as best documentary.

Oscar hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin opened the show with playful ribbing of nominees. They also made note of Oscar organizers' decision to double the best-picture category from five films to 10.

"When that was announced, all of us in Hollywood thought the same thing. What's five times two?" Martin said.

Leaders of the Academy widened the best-picture category from the usual five films to expand the range of contenders for a ceremony whose predictability had turned it into a humdrum affair for TV audiences.

Oscar ratings fell to an all-time low two years ago and rebounded just a bit last year, when the show's overseers freshened things up with lively production numbers and new ways of presenting some awards.

The overhaul continued this season with a show that farmed out time-consuming lifetime-achievement honors to a separate event last fall and hired Martin and Baldwin as the first dual Oscar hosts in 23 years.

List of winners at the 82nd Academy Awards

megha — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:07:23 +0530

List of winners at the 82nd annual Academy Awards:

• Motion Picture: "The Hurt Locker."

• Actor: Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart."

• Actress: Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side."

• Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds."

• Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

• Director: Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker."

• Foreign Film: "El Secreto de Sus Ojos," Argentina.

• Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire."

• Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, "The Hurt Locker."

• Animated Feature Film: "Up."

• Art Direction: "Avatar."

• Cinematography: "Avatar."

• Sound Mixing: "The Hurt Locker."

• Sound Editing: "The Hurt Locker."

• Original Score: "Up," Michael Giacchino.

• Original Song: "The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart," Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.

• Costume: "The Young Victoria."

• Documentary Feature: "The Cove."

• Documentary (short subject): "Music by Prudence."

• Film Editing: "The Hurt Locker."

• Makeup: "Star Trek."

• Animated Short Film: "Logorama."

• Live Action Short Film: "The New Tenants."

• Visual Effects: "Avatar."

Final countdown: One more day until the Oscars

megha — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:32:33 +0530

One. More. Day.

Hollywood's anticipation for Sunday's Academy Awards has been building all week.

The main boulevard is shut down to make room for the stars' grand red-carpet entrance. Tourists are swarming the area to get a peek at Oscar preparations. Show rehearsals keep the Kodak Theatre abuzz with activity. There are gift suites every day and parties every night as Tinseltown gears up for its big celebration. Here's the latest:

___

BEAM ME UP, OSCAR: It takes a starship crew.

The three-person Oscar-nominated makeup team for "Star Trek" were quick to point out that it took dozens of hair and makeup artists to bring the Vulcans, Romulans and other species to life in the reimagined "Trek" during a Saturday afternoon symposium featuring this year's batch of Oscar-nominated hair and makeup artists.

"We're thrilled there were 40-plus makeup artists, 12 of which are out here today, who stood beside us," said "Trek" makeup department head Mindy Hall at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "They weren't behind us. They were beside us, taking the designs and bringing them to life."

Clips highlighting the work from the three nominated films were shown, and present nominees took questions from the audience. The "Trek" makeup team, which also includes alien designers Joel Harlow and Barney Burman, revealed they went through seven different designs for the villainous blunt foreheaded Romulan race.

"From the get go, we all wanted to do work that was worthy of this," said Burman of their nod.

Other panelists included "Il Divo" hairstylist Aldo Signoretti. ("Il Divo" makeup artist Vittorio Sodano won't be attending the Oscars due to a death in his family. The hair and makeup team from "The Young Victoria," Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore, missed Saturday's panel because the Brits were stuck at the airport.)

___

GOING FOR THE GOLD: Argentine director Juan Jose Campanella isn't modest about his passion to win his first Oscar.

Campanella, whose crime drama "The Secret in Their Eyes" is nominated in the foreign language category, made no bones about his intense desire to take home a little gold man during a Saturday morning symposium featuring clips and the directors of the five nominated foreign language films.

"You put me in any game, and I want to win," Campanella declared. "There's nothing more boring than playing cards with four people who want to lose."

"The Secret in Their Eyes" is up against France's "A Prophet," Israel's "Ajami," Peru's "The Milk of Sorrow" and Germany's "The White Ribbon," the black-and-white film which took the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Campanella was nominated in the same Oscar category in 2002 for "Son of the Bride."

The nominations of "The Secret in Their Eyes" and "The Milk of Sorrow," directed by 33-year-old Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa, mark the first time that two films from South American countries have been nominated.

___

STARS ON STAGE: Stars of the year's biggest films stepped out on Oscar's stage late Friday.

Never mind it was just a rehearsal.

First it was Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner of "Twilight." She wore skinny jeans, sneakers and a tan V-neck top. He sported a black shirt, gray pants and a slim tie. A stage manager told them where to go and suggested they walk arm in arm.

They approached the microphone and producer Adam Shankman gently scolded, "No folded arms!" Stewart quickly dropped her arms by her side.

The two teen stars ran through their lines, joking with each other between takes. Stewart chewed gum throughout. "Love the gum," Shankman joked.

Next was Sigourney Weaver, who wore a striped blouse with jeans - and the towering stilettos she plans to wear Sunday night. The 60-year-old actress practiced making her entrance again and again, concerned about how her long dress might hinder her approach.

"Let me try it pretending I have a dress on," she said, facing an audience of stand-ins and show workers inside the Kodak Theatre.

The three-time Oscar nominee marveled at the view from the stage. "This is such a nice, small theater," she said. "I don't think I've ever taken this long at rehearsal before."

She was followed by Bradley Cooper and Gerard Butler, who both wore jackets, slacks and credentials. They stepped out confidently, and Cooper seemed genuinely excited when a trophy model handed him the prop Oscar.

"This is great," he said.

Finally, "Avatar" star Sam Worthington took the stage. Wearing a hooded sweatshirt and horn-rimmed glasses, the Australian actor was unflappable. He rehearsed his lines, and the theater went dark. One more day of rehearsals and then the real deal.

___

GETTING CREATIVE: Dana Delany, Kathy Najimy, Ty Burrell and Rachael Leigh Cook were among the celebrities who recorded public service announcements for the Creative Coalition Friday at Haven 360, an Oscar-week suite comprising gifting, parties and support for the arts.

Creative Coalition co-president Tim Daly is directing the public service announcements, which show stars singing the ABC's, as part of the organization's lobbying efforts to increase funding for arts education in public schools.

The videos will be presented at the Creative Coalition's Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. next month, along with a companion book, "Art & Soul," that features portraits of actors and their handwritten messages about what art means to them, Daly said.

"This is about keeping the arts in education," he said. "Kids learn their letters by singing. The arts make learning interesting and fun."

Haven 360 guests were also treated to hand massages from Olay, gifted with Elle jewelry and invited to peruse Backstage Creation's "celebrity retreat," where they could pick up a free $5,000 trip to Moorea, Botox and Juvederm treatments worth $900 from celebrity surgeon Dr Frank Ryan, and luxury luggage from Dooney & Bourke.

Viewers poised to flock to Oscarcast this year

megha — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 10:26:22 +0530

The Academy Awards have a tiresome habit of calling the annual Oscar telecast "Hollywood's biggest night." This year the Oscarcast could prove to be a pretty big night for television, too.

The economy may be wheezing, but advertising time on ABC's Academy Awards shindig (Sunday at 8:30 pm EST) is sold out, with the price tag reportedly $1.5 million per 30-second spot, up from less than $1 million last year.

And even in an era defined by eroding TV viewership, several promising signs - including the David-and-Goliath battle between "Hurt Locker" and "Avatar" - suggest Oscar could regain a measure of its past ratings glory.

Last year, the Oscarcast attracted 36.3 million viewers, with dark horse hit "Slumdog Millionaire" crowned best picture. In 2008, the audience, by Oscar standards, was even paltrier - just 32 million, as the not-for-everyone drama "No Country for Old Men" claimed the big prize.

But roll back the clock to 1998, when titanic interest surrounding "Titanic" helped bring an all-time-record of more than 55 million viewers to the show.

No big surprise - Oscar audiences are larger when a leading contender also happens to be a worldwide box-office phenomenon, and "Titanic" (with its dreamboat leading man, Leonardo DiCaprio) was a doozie.

"Titanic" brought the broadcast added suspense too: Would Oscar give its blessing to a hugely overbudget adventure-history-romance with more bombast than artistry that rose from near-disaster to be moviedom's biggest and arguably most unlikely smash?

Everybody knows the answer to that - director James Cameron emerged that night as Oscar's King of the World. And now, this year, most everybody knows that Cameron is back and has potentially topped himself with the 3-D sci-fi epic "Avatar."

Even better, his ex-wife - the acclaimed director Kathryn Bigelow - is going toe-to-toe with Cameron in both the Best Director and Best Picture categories for her gritty, nowhere-near-big-budget military masterpiece, "The Hurt Locker."

This sort of faceoff has sporting interest at almost every level: art vs. spectacle, realism vs. fantasy, woman vs man in an industry where no woman has ever won the best director prize, plus dueling ex-spouses. Who could fail to be caught up in that multifaceted bout?

Most of the other major awards seem, well, a little predictable, leaving the suspense to the final minutes of the hours-long Oscar extravaganza. But who can quibble, with such nominees as Sandra Bullock, Meryl Streep, George Clooney and other faves guaranteeing the viewer prime star-gazing along the way, win or lose?

There's even more to put a smile on Oscar's deadpan face.

The Academy Awards hope to capitalize on a heartening upswing in recent months for big-event television.

The Grammys earlier this year drew 26 million viewers on CBS, up from 19 million in 2009. Ratings for the Golden Globes on NBC were up 14 percent, while the People's Choice Awards on CBS got a bump of 15 percent.

The Super Bowl followed as the most-watched US TV event of all time, drawing 106 million people to CBS. Most recently, the Olympics on NBC have consistently triumphed in the ratings; the opening ceremony drew 32.6 million viewers.

It's possible that TV has turned the tide, at least with the right show, after years of dwindling ratings. Maybe in an uncertain world and a nervous economy, viewers are eager to embrace opportunities to commune electronically. (They certainly flock to Fox's "American Idol," which on certain nights beat the gargantuan Olympics, aired head-to-head.)

And there's a new ingredient in the mix. Social media networks, which facilitate swift, real-time response on sites such as Twitter and Facebook, have helped rally large audiences who share in an unfolding TV show through a corresponding, interactive channel.

Go figure: the Internet, which some traditionalists warn will kill old-fashioned TV, can, under the right circumstances, supercharge it.

And speaking of old-fashioned, the Oscars are boasting some venerable box-office appeal with its co-hosts: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin (who hosted solo in 2000 and 2002).

While neither of them is young or pretty, at their best they are two of the funniest men alive, with Baldwin blossoming in recent seasons on the NBC comedy "30 Rock." Furthermore, they are bonded by friendly rivalry as the two champs of "Saturday Night Live" hostmanship: Martin currently has logged 15 host appearances, while Baldwin is runner-up with 14.

The curiosity factor of seeing these veteran funnymen join forces for one of TV's most daunting tasks - keeping an inherently bloated awards show both moving and amusing - could prove to be an audience draw all its own.

That is, if you can see it. An added dose of intrigue for this year's Oscarcast has been inflicted on some 3.1 million New York City area Cablevision subscribers.

Cablevision is currently squabbling with ABC in a dispute over how much the network is paid by the cable operator. If that fight isn't resolved pronto, WABC owner Walt Disney Co has warned it will pull the station off the cable system after midnight on Saturday.

Even if that happens, life will go on. A loss of as much as 3.1 million viewers is unlikely to make a crucial ratings difference in a flush Oscar year like this one promises to be.

And if ABC does go dark on Cablevision, chances are the message will reach deprived New Yorkers. After all, there's always radio, texting and Twitter.

Road, Movie' is experimental and subtle: Abhay Deol

nishtha — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:41:57 +0530

Road, Movie has generated quite a buzz in international film circuits and actor Abhay Deol hopes that the Dev Benegal directed film will fetch a similar response in India. "Road, Movie is very subtle in its humour and drama. However, the fact is that subtlety is not something that people lap up rather quickly," said Deol, adding that the film comes with a niche appeal.

The 33-year-old is quite pleased with the response that 'Road, Movie' is fetching internationally. "We have been to some really major festivals and foreign audience are going gaga over it. There have been awesome reactions all over which has pretty much established Dev's vision of making 'Road, Movie' as a film which has a universal appeal," said the actor.

The film was premiered at Toronto Films Festival to a thunderous response. During its screening at Berlin Film Festival all three shows were sold out but closer home, Deol is awaiting the response to the movie, which he believes is more experimental than his earlier films. "'Road, Movie' is more experimental whereas Dev D was actually quite stylish in treatment rather than being experimental. In fact Dev D relied a lot on visuals while Oye Lucky Lucky Oye had music to elevate its commercial viability. Moreover, since it was a Delhi based film, there was a lot more identification factor involved," he said.

However, while refraining from commenting much on the commercial aspects of Road, Movie, Deol said, "People will appreciate it for the kind of difference it is going to make to cinema. In fact if they don't catch it now then may be 10-15 years down the line, it would be considered as landmark movie. I am quite positive about that", said the actor. Meanwhile, Deol continues to live the philosophy that he has adapted ever since he started working in Bollywood
films. "I have maintained that I like to be different with each film of mine. I want to work in films that are non-Bollywood in appeal. Of course, in my attempt to do so, I don't think I can please everyone. But then I am also sure that I won't disappoint anyone either," he said.

Also starring Satish Kaushik, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Mohammed Faisal Usmani, Virendra Saxena and Yashpal Sharma in principal roles, 'Road, Movie' is produced by Ross Katz & Susan B Landau and is releasing in India on March 5.

Rihanna inspired by tattoos

nishtha — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:56:32 +0530

R&B superstar Rihanna's penchant for tattoos is well known and the singer says that her inkings are not merely decorative but serve as a constant reminder to look on the bright side of life. The star has spent 2010 bouncing back from her turbulent assault at the hands of ex-boyfriend Chris Brown and has added many tattoos to her body over the year.

Her latest inking reads "Never a failure, always a lesson." And Rihanna, who is currently in London launching the 'Rock in Rio Madrid' music festival, says her new body art acts an inspiration. "My new one says lesson' and is kind of my mantra to life, just a reminder. My life is just a crazy rollercoaster every day and whenever I read that it just reassures me," said Rihanna.

After the infamous assault episode, the 22-year-old has sucessfuly launched her third studio album 'R for Rated'.

Daniel Radcliffe sad over Potter end

nishtha — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:40:40 +0530

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has admitted that he will be deeply saddened once filming the last movie in the franchise ends. The 20-year-old actor, who has played the lead role in all eight installments of the series, did his first movie when he was only 11-year-old.

Radcliffe said that some actors have already finished working for the last one Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and knows his time is coming to an end soon, reported MTV online. "It will be very sad when it comes to a finish. But it's something you have to accept. We've had a few people finish off their stories in the film, and they've been going home," said Radcliffe.

The realisation, that soon he will be done being Harry Potter, dawned on the actor while he was getting his make-up done on the set. "I did have a moment the other day, in the make-up room that I have been in for 10 years now. "I did walk in and go, 'Wow, this is hitting me. One day - in about four or five months from now - I'm gonna walk in here for the last time'," said Radcliffe.

Katrina awaiting 'Rajneeti' release

nishtha — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:37:25 +0530

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif, who has donned a de-glam look in her upcoming film Rajneeti, says she goes by her instincts while choosing a movie.

"I go by my instincts and the potential of the script. I am looking forward to the release of Rajneeti this year where I get to share screen space with some of the finest talents of the film industry," the 25-year-old actor told PTI.

Rajneeti, a political saga, directed by Prakash Jha is scheduled for a June 4 release. The success of New York, in which she played a serious role unlike her successful comedies, has not changed the way she handles her career, the actress said.

Katrina is currently shooting for Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan with Akshay Kumar, a co-star with whom she has given most of her hits. Also, she has been recently signed as the brand ambassador of Lux. On her own skin care regime, Katrina said she makes it a point to remove her make up very carefully. "Besides, I am careful with the kind of products I use and endorse," she said.

Shahid Kapoor's 'Paathshaala' to hit screens in April

nishtha — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:20:29 +0530

Shahid Kapoor starrer Paathshaala, a film portraying the effect of the education system on children, will hit theatres on April 16. The film, directed by Milind Ukey and produced by Bollywood choreographer Ahmed Khan and his wife Shaira, also stars actress Ayesha Takia and Nana Patekar.

Shahid, who was last seen in Chance Pe Dance, will play the character of an English and music teacher in the movie. Ahmed insists that the topical plot of the film is going to attract huge attention. "Once the promos are out, the film will be all over the place in the next 15 days. The film will release on April 16," said Ahmed.

"Since the subject matter is how the education system exercises pressure on children, my film is getting a lot of attention and I have been approached by many people who want to tie up with me," he added. The choreographer, who has films like Kaminey and Ghajini to his credit, was in the capital recently to audition kids for a new reality show Chak Dhoom Dhoom on Colors.

Ironically, Paathshaala also shows how a kids reality show exerts pressure on children. "The film shows Patekar's character calling people from a reality show and asking them to audition students from his school so that they get publicity," said Ahmed.

'3 Idiots' bags Best Film honor at 55th Filmfare Awards

megha — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:43:29 +0530

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan and Vidya Balan bagged the Best Actor and Actress award for their performances in 'Paa' while '3 Idiots' scooped six trophies including best film at the 55th Filmfare awards.

The year 2009's biggest blockbuster '3 Idiots' won best director award for Rajkumar Hirani, who also picked up the best story trophy with Abhijat Joshi at the ceremony held in Mumbai on Saturday.

Hirani also won best Screenplay Award with Vidhu Vinod Chopra for the Aamir Khan starrer. The duo also bagged the Best Dialogue Award for the film.

Bachchan and his family skipped awards function to protest against a news report about Aishwarya Rai's health in a tabloid owned by the same publication as Filmfare last week.

The Bachchans have sent a legal notice to the paper asking for retraction and apology. In Big B's absence, Vidya collected Bachchan's best actor award.

Veteran actor Shashi Kapoor and noted music composer Khayyam were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Boman Irani and Kalki Koechlin won the Best Supporting Actor and Actress for '3 Idiots' and 'Dev D' respectively.

Among the popular category, Oscar-winning music composer, A R Rahman, won the best music award for 'Delhi-6', making it the 25th black lady on his award-shelf.

'Aaj Din Chaddya...' from 'Love Aaj Kal' fetched Irshad Kamil the Best Lyrics award.

In the Critics' Awards category, Nandita Das won the best director trophy for 'Firaaq' while Ranbir Kapoor and Mahie Gill bagged the best actor and actress award for their performances in 'Wake Up Sid' and 'Dev D' respectively.

Best playback singer (Female) was shared by Rekha Bharadwaj for 'Genda Phool...' from 'Delhi 6' and Kavita Seth for her soulful rendition of 'Iktara...' from 'Wake Up Sid'.

Mohit Chauhan bagged the best playback singer (Male) award for peppy number 'Masakalli...' from 'Delhi 6'

Among the technical awards, Sreekar Prasad received award for best editing for 'Firaaq' while best cinematography trophy was held by Rajeev Ravi for 'Dev D'.

Best visual effects award was bagged by Govardhan Vigharan and Vinay Singh Chuphal for 'Kaminey' and best production and art direction went to Helen Jones for 'Dev D'.

Best choreography award went to Bosco-Ceasar, for 'Chor Bazaari' from 'Love Aaj Kal', best action to Vijayan Master for 'Wanted' and best sound design to Manas Chaudhury for 'Firaaq'.

While best costume design award went to Vaishali Menon for 'Firaaq', best background score went to Amit Trivedi for 'Dev D'. Trivedi also bagged the R D Burman Music Award for new musical talent.

The best debut award was shared by Zoya Akhtar for 'Luck By Chance' and Ayan Mukherji for 'Wake Up Sid'.

The award function was hosted by Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan.

Jackson's death re-enacted on American TV

megha — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:02:03 +0530

A controversial re-enactment of 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson's death has been shown on US television.

The show 'Famous Crime Scene' used a lookalike of the 'Thriller' hitmaker for their 30-minute programme, which showed the doppelganger being given CPR by an actor playing Jackson's alleged killer Dr Conrad Murray.

The most shocking scenes, however, featured the lookalike lying naked on an post mortem table, covered by nothing but a towel, and being pushed slowly into a mortuary drawer.

The show aired on the entertainment channel VH1, used a mixture of actors, journalists and magazine and website editors to put together its version of the events surrounding Jackson's death.

As the lookalikes re-enacted the moment Jackson slipped into unconsciousness, the real-life 911 call was played over the top of the images.

Jackson died, aged 50, on June 25 last year after suffering a cardiac arrest. The LA County Coroner has since ruled that his death was a homicide.

Movie Review: Teen Patti

nishtha — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 20:18:16 +0530

Teen Patti movie poster. Photo courtesy: wikipedia

Movie Review: Teen Patti

Fri-Feb 26, 2010

New Delhi / Nishtha Bhatnagar

Movie Review: Teen Patti
Rating: * 1/2

The Great Gambler is back but this time as an idiosyncratic, old and non-entertaining one. And for all those who thought, Teen Patti will be Bollywood's answer to Twenty One or Ocean's series, it is time to wake up from your dream. Questions that loom large after the watch- Why would anyone want to pay Ben Kingsley so much money and then waste him. Worse still, why would Amitabh Bachchan do a movie like Teen Patti for any money.

We have seen how much director Leena Yadav can deliver earlier also. Her vague treatment of the Sanjay Dutt - Aishwarya Rai - Zayed Khan starrer Shabd had left us stunned many years ago. And she brings it back with vengeance in her latest film Teen Patti. A movie, supposedly revolving around the mathematical concept of Probability, has in lay person's lingo, no probability of making any money at the Box office.

A slow pace, an absolutely confused script and actors who seem to be scurrying around for direction sum up Teen Patti. With no explanation of the law of probability, the least the director could have done is shown us was some gambling fun. But there too, to our great disappointment, we find actors like Mahesh Manjrekar, Shakti kapoor and Jackie Shroff appearing randomly and disappearing even more randomly. There is no flow of events, and the characters are poorly etched. Ben Kingsley and Amitabh Bachchan's interaction in English has been sloppily dubbed in Hindi.

Amitabh Bachchan doles out a great performance, but that is no way makes up for a weak and boring script. Ben Kingsley and his talent are hardly used and appreciated in the film. All other actors including Madhavan fail to leave a mark.

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Movie Review: Karthik Calling Karthik

nishtha — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:41:44 +0530

Karthik Calling Karthik movie poster. Photo courtesy: wikipedia

Movie Review: Karthik Calling Karthik

Fri-Feb 26, 2010

New Delhi / Nishtha Bhatnagar

Movie Review: Karthik Calling Karthik
Rating: * *

This is the vagary of Bollywood and its stars. They first send your hopes soaring and then send them plummeting down. The thud of boredom, Paisa Fizool and disappointment is a rather loud one. We loved Dil Chahta Hai, could tolerate Lakshya and Don and reached the conclusion that creativity could be genetic. Then Farhan Akhtar made his acting debut in Rock On and we said ok, he can act too and then Luck by Chance got us rid off the last few remnants of doubt. Now take Karthik Calling Karthik, in which Farhan Akhtar's delivers a Schizophrenic performance on the disorder. So, all those who decided to watch the film thinking it has actor Farhan Akhtar's bankability, are in for a huge disappointment.

First impressions suddenly become the last ones in so far as KCK is concerned. What begins as a slow, boring and tiring film, continues to keep its initial reputation intact through the end, barring in a lonely half hour in between. Farhan Akhtar's very conscious effort to play the geeky Karthik becomes apparent from the beginning and the fatigue of shouldering a character, he doesn’t exactly like or understand, becomes more and more vivid.

Handling a film around a disorder is not cake walk. Films have been made on Schizophrenia earlier as well. There has been the Academy Award winning, A Beautiful Mind from Hollywood and a closer home production, 15th Park Avenue among others. While both the films dealt with the same theme, their treatment though very distinct, provided for an understanding and compassion for the disorder. KCK fails to give either. While we jump from one long scene to another, we are surmounted by confusion. And the end does nothing to provide for the solace, which we had expected would come camouflaged in suspense. There are plenty of glitches and unanswered question that continue to loom large as we leave our seats in the theatre.

Debutant director Vijay Lalwani fails to strike the jackpot with KCK. For the audience, there is another lesson, re-learnt. It isn’t always the stars that make a film happen. And Farhan Akhar isn’t star enough yet to shoulder a bad product through his acting deftness and talent. Deepika Padukone, though looks really pretty, stays confined to a good furniture like role.

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It's an honour to be called diva: Sushmita Sen

nishtha — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:54:52 +0530

Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen, who is known for living life on her own terms, says she takes her diva image seriously. Former Miss Universe was overwhelmed to receive the Best Diva honour at the third Pevonia AsiaSpa India Awards 2009. Wearing a black cardigan with a tube top and trousers, the 34-year-old beauty said, "It is an honour to be called a diva."

She also added that she is a regular at spas to destress herself and replenish her outer beauty. "But the real beauty comes from within and that's all about happiness and well being. And I get that by romancing with my two daughters," Sushmita said. The actress, who was last seen playing an onscreen diva in Dulha Mil Gaya, has two adopted daughters, Renee (10) and four-month-old Alisah.

Clooney denies selling Italian villa to Beckhams

nishtha — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:37:08 +0530

Hollywood superstar George Clooney has shot down reports that he's set to sell his Lake Como villa in Laglio, Italy to soccer ace David Beckham and wife Victoria. Beckham, who is currently in the country on loan to top soccer club AC Milan, was rumoured to be in negotiations to buy the luxury USD 41.6 million property from the Hollywood star, Contactmusic reported.

The British sportsman is quoted in the Italian media as saying, "I have fallen in love with the beautiful countryside. It's peaceful, quiet and near Milan. It would be great for the family." The reports were further fuelled by the city's mayor Roberto Pozzi, who was hopeful the Beckhams would move into the area with their three sons.

"I know the Beckhams stayed at the villa last spring but I never saw them - if George does leave then I hope the Beckhams do buy the place as it will keep a touch of glamour in Laglio," Pozzi said. But Clooney has been quick to dismiss the claims, insisting they are "made up".

"To complete the news cycle: I am not buying an island and am not selling my house in Italy. The story was made up, then picked up and now denied," Clooney said in a statement.