IBLOG SPACE

We were glad to see Bluetooth low energy actually added to the Bluetooth 4.0 spec, but of course the question remained: when are we going to get our hands on it? By Q4 this year, apparently -- at least according to the Bluetooth SIG. But don't expect any dramatic changes in battery life for most of your gadgets: while the low energy spec introduces connectivity to a host of lower-power devices that have in the past relied on proprietary technology (such as watches, pedometers, and cats), your traditional Bluetooth devices, such as phones and laptops, will consume roughly the same amount of power. Indeed, the low energy spec is merely throwing smaller devices (with smaller amounts of data to transfer) in to the mix: if you want Trans-Siberian Orchestra to sound as glorious as ever on your wireless headphones, you'll need to push as much data (and hence draw as much power) with version 4 as you would with version 3. If you've ever heard "A Mad Russian's Christmas,&qu

Slowly but surely, HTC's latest trifecta of handsets is making its way westwards. After appearing on Amazon's Deutsche hub with a pre-order value of €519 ($707), the Desire has now reached the UK with an even steeper £528 ($795) price and an estimated arrival time of April 1. Let's just hope this pattern doesn't continue or we'll be looking at a four-figure sticker when this thing comes all the way Stateside. The HTC Legend is also slated for an April 1 delivery and carries a price of £400 ($602), while the HD Mini will straggle a tiny bit with an April 14 launch and a palatable £369 ($556) price. All are without contractual obligations, so it'll be interesting to see what incentives carriers can come up with to get us to jump on board.

Nothing says, "I don't play sports but I want you to think that I do" quite like wearing a pair of Oakley shades. And no smartphone has had a tougher time earning respect than the mini version of Nokia's N97 debacle. To its credit, the N97 mini has become a very successful device for Nokia despite its namesake with not one, but two special edition runs already under its belt. Now we've got three with this limited edition model handed out to Oakley-sponsored Winter Olympians. Other than a laser-etched back, the Noakleyia mashup also comes packed with exclusive Oakley team content. Just 200 were produced so if you see it on eBay, you'd better be fast with the snipe. Gratuitous N97 mini video of Shaun White after the break because over-saturated is not in your vocabulary.

Valtteri Halla -- Nokia employee and one-half of MeeGo's Technical Steering Group -- has blogged up a storm this week about the first baby steps that'll get the platform off the ground from its Moblin and Maemo roots, and from the sounds of things, we'll be able to get our first glimpse at it on production hardware before the month's out. Currently, the plan is to open up MeeGo's code repository to all comers "by the end of this month," targeting both Atom boards and the N900. Now, we certainly wouldn't say that MeeGo's decision to use the N900 as an early target device is indicative of an official upgrade down the line -- but this is particularly interesting in light of the fact that we've never gotten a commitment out of Nokia to bump its latest MID to Maemo 6. And besides, considering that the average N900 customer is a bit of a hacker in his or her own right, let's be honest: a code repository that supports the phone is just about as go

Location-based services have finally melted our brains to the point where we're completely useless without immediate and constant access to Google Maps or a reasonable facsimile -- we couldn't fold a paper map if we tried, and even if we could, we'd spend an hour looking for the pulsing blue dot. That's why we're so delighted to hear that AT&T has finally outed its very first GPS-enabled USB modem, the USBConnect Velocity from Option, that includes a so-called Option GPS Control Panel for injecting your whereabouts into popular services like Yahoo and Bing (Google, curiously, isn't mentioned). The other newbie to the lineup is the USBConnect Turbo -- AT&T's very first modem from LG -- with an "ergonomic design" and versatile connector for even the most awkward ports (MacBook, we're looking straight at you). Both devices will be available on the 7th of the month; the Turbo will be free on contract after rebate while the Velocity comes in

Dear Microsoft, We've had it up to here with these shenanigans. You're jerking us around, and we're sick of it. We get it, you have a very particular concept of what sort of phones you want running your new Windows Phone 7 Series OS. Not only do we get it, but we're kind of proud of you for sticking up for yourself for once and ensuring some sort of sameness across your platform. Unfortunately, it's not the holiday season yet, so we can't buy one of these fancy WP7S phones yet. Meanwhile, on the other end of town, HTC is bringing the HD2 to T-Mobile in the US this month. Sure, it runs your soon-to-be-outdated Windows Mobile 6.5 OS which nobody wants, but it's also pretty much the best hardware we've ever seen. Bar none. This brings us to our plea: Microsoft, please put a line in the sand and tell us if the phone will be upgradeable to Windows Phone 7 Series. Of course we know why you won't, you don't want to "Osborne effect" the sales o

It's hard to say why we've seen a glut of these adapters hit all within the same week, but hey, the more the merrier! North Carolina's own New Potato Technologies (yes, we're serious) has followed up on ThinkFlood and Power A's efforts by introducing an Infrared iPhone / iPod touch dongle of its own. The difference? This one connects to the dock connector, and when used with the accompanying app, it can control lights, stereo systems, home cinemas and pretty much anything that allows dictation via IR. The best part just might be said app, as it allows users to search a database of over 14,000 device codes and just add the products they already own, which means that you'll probably only be stuck programming that LaserDisc player you refuse to give up.

Those lovely people over at Nokia have furnished us with a few images of what their dashboard integration will look like, as well as the names of a few more partners for the Terminal Mode initiative. Intended to smarten up your car's hardware with the phone's capabilities -- whether that be to play back music, use Ovi Maps, browse the web, or whatever else -- this was announced in partnership with Alpine yesterday, but today we're hearing that Fiat, Harman Becker and Valmet Automotive are also getting in on the fun. The gallery below shows off a mockup from Valmet, which plops your Nokia into a cradle just under the Eva concept's "on" button, and then transfers all the important stuff onto an LCD integrated into the dashboard above. Nokia tells us that each OEM will have their own particular design, so this might not be how they'll all look, but as far as ease of use goes, we don't know how you can improve much on what's being shown already. Let

You know, for all the praise the iPhone has received in its time, we never thought it looked quite Matrix-y enough. Thankfully, that all-important deficiency has been remedied by a man named Ryan Glasgow up in Portland, who has just started selling the above case to all who care to have one. It's built out of stainless steel on the outside and silicone padding on the inside, with strategically located cutouts for wireless signals and heat emissions to get through. You can flip the front plate open, turning it into a rather outsized clamshell, or you can just talk with the lid closed, it's all up to you. Aluminum and engraving options (how about "my other phone is a Vertu"?) are also available with each case costing a slightly spendy $95

Hey BlackBerry friends -- we've got some news for you. The Engadget application (which is also available for the iPhone / iPod touch and webOS devices) has gone and gotten itself a little update on RIM's platform. It's nothing crazy, but we've made some bug fixes, and more importantly, added support for 5.0 devices (Bold, Curve, and Tour)! The devs also thoughtfully included keyboard shortcuts (T, B, N, P, and the spacebar) in this version for your convenience. All you have to do to get your hands on this baby is point your phone's browser to our download page, or if you've already got the app installed, it should prompt you for an update automatically next time you open it. Storm users -- we are working on a version for you as well, and everyone who is curious about the Android app: you should see it released this month!

Vodafone 360 has yet to come to Android -- but really, what's stopping it? Though it initially launched on some custom Samsung dumbphones, the megacarrier's cloud-ish social platform ended up spreading to the desktop and a couple of S60 devices, so there's no good reason we couldn't see it on smartphones across the whole range. Indeed, the company has now announced that the Legend will be loaded up with 360 services of some sort, but what's really interesting is that the Desire won't be, even though Vodafone will be carrying both models. It's possible that HTC wants to leave its top-of-the-range model as virgin as it possibly can be, but at any rate, just remember this simple guide, folks: if you hate 360 but you've got to get in on HTC's latest round of hotties, get the Desire; if you like it, get the Legend or prepare to live without it.

What's the one biggest hurdle to throwing out your dedicated GPS nav unit and going ahead with the free turn-by-turn navigation offered by your smartphone? If your answer was that most phones don't have the great big screens or easy installation systems of some satnav devices, look out, because Nokia's about to shake up your world all over again. Alpine has just announced its partnership with the Finnish giant aimed at integrating Nokia handsets -- complete with free Ovi Maps navigation -- into car dashboard systems. Yes, that means you can use your superb six-amp speaker system to boom out music or voice nav instructions from the phone, as well as your in-dash 7-inch LCD for showing you the right way home. There's further interaction with widgets keeping an eye on your fuel levels and engine condition, leading to location-based services such as the phone notifying you of the nearest and cheapest petrol station. Connectivity is done over either USB or Bluetooth, and Nok

Skype for Symbian. A freely downloadable application that allows you to converse with your Skype-equipped friends over a WiFi or 3G connection. Seriously, why would you ever make another cellular call again? Nokia's just announced the addition of the online communications client to its Ovi Store, meaning that now more than 200 million users worldwide have access to essentially free calls over their beloved Symbian S60 5th handsets. You knew there was a reason to stay loyal to that stale user experience and here it is. There's not much else to say here, we're off to sell whatever stock we have in mobile network operators while you should click the source links for the full list of compatible handsets. High fives all around.

South Australia are battling to keep their season alive but Queensland still have the upper hand at the Gabba as they chase a home final. The Bulls gave the visitors a target of 326 to win and the Redbacks improved significantly on their first-innings 72 as they reached 1 for 89 before rain and bad light cut the final session. More wet weather is predicted for Saturday and if a result is not possible it will leave the Redbacks out of the race for the final and Queensland in second place with a game to go. Wade Townsend's third first-class century was the innings of the game as he negotiated the difficult conditions to take Queensland to 6 for 237 before the declaration came shortly before lunch. The opener Townsend, who resumed on 74, moved to an unbeaten 114, which included 16 fours and a six, while most of his team-mates struggled. Chris Simpson managed 33 and Ben Cutting collected 15 not out, but it was Townsend who was responsible for the strong position. Ga

New Zealand's selectors have named five uncapped players in a 30-man probables squad for the upcoming World Twenty20 in the West Indies starting next month. The squad, which will be reduced to 15 players by the end of March, features the Northern Districts pair of Brent Arnel and Bradley Scott, Canterbury's Rob Nicol and Shanan Stewart, and Central Districts' Kieran Noema-Barnett after solid performances in the domestic competition this summer. "It's a big squad and we are covering all our bases," said New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch in a statement. "Realistically there are 22-23 players there who have a good chance of making the final 15." New Zealand currently have their share of injury worries for the ongoing ODI series against Australia as well as for the future. Jacob Oram was yesterday diagnosed with a patella tendon tear that could rule him out for up to a month, Jesse Ryder continues to battle a prolonged injury, and the

Usman Khawaja and Phillip Hughes narrowly missed centuries as they strengthened New South Wales' position in Hobart. The Blues finished on 4 for 245 to gain a 410-run lead after Khawaja breezed to 89 off 99 balls and Hughes posted 84, becoming the season's leading scorer with 936, during a stand of 163. Tasmania were dismissed for 303 in the second session to fall 165 behind on first innings during a match they must win to stay in contention for the final. The Blues are out already and are trying to end the hopes of the third-placed Tigers . Trent Copeland's 5 for 56, his third five-wicket haul in his opening four games, helped finish off Tasmania, who resisted through Xavier Doherty (48) and James Faulkner (40). Steven Smith (3 for 99) and Mitchell Starc combined for the rest of the wickets before the Blues chose not to enforce the follow-on. Hughes was bowled by Doherty while Khawaja went the same way to leave their side at 3 for 185. Smith chipp

Craig Kieswetter struck his maiden one-day hundred in just his third game to lift England to an imposing 284 for 5 in the third game of the series at Chittagong. With England's top order struggling to adapt to the conditions on a sluggish pitch, Kieswetter started cautiously but opened up after reaching his fifty, striking three sixes before he was bowled for 107 by Abdur Razzaq in the 47th over. His innings laid the foundation for Eoin Morgan and Luke Wright's aggressive cameos, which boosted England's total in the latter overs. In contrast to their reputations, Alastair Cook far outscored Kieswetter before he was dismissed. After Mushfiqur Rahim held onto a thin edge to cut short Cook's positive start, Kieswetter buckled down, determined to occupy the crease after his failures in the first two games. He had a nervous start once again, playing inside a length ball from Shafiul Islam before edging a yorker from the same bowler off the toe of the bat to t

Film: 'Hello Zindagi'; Cast: Mrunmayee Lagoo, Milind Gunajee, Kitu Gidwani , Neena Gupta , Kanwaljeet Singh; Director: Raja Unnithan; Rating: ** 1/2 A rebellious teenage daughter Kavita (Mrunmayee Lagoo) of a traumatised couple doesn't know what to do with her life. So she takes off on a journey away from home with a lonely, neglected but brave middle-aged woman to Goa where she saves turtles... and herself. Kavita goes home redeemed. We are not so sure about ourselves. We remain partly involved but largely distanced from this ambitious but flawed look at life through the eyes of teen rebellion. Director Raja Unninathan has his heart in the right place. He creates a world of gossipy, sweaty parties, tacky repartees and one-night stands for Kavita. But the words sound more like replications of the emotional outbursts associated with the generation gap rather than actual situations created in a specific crisis. A more authentic parent-child cris

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is set to become a dad for the fourth time. Oliver's wife, model and writer Jools, is due to give birth in September and the pair are said to be 'delighted'. The couple welcomed daughter Petal Blossom Rainbow on April 2009. They also have two other daughters - Poppy Honey and Daisy Boo - reports mirror.co.uk. 'Jamie and Jools Oliver are delighted to announce that they are expecting their fourth child,' a statement on behalf of the couple said.

The controversial beer advertisement featuring socialite Paris Hilton is back on Brazilian TV after the producers edited her steamy scenes. The promo showing Hilton in suggestive poses created uproar when it was aired in the country last month, with critics claiming that shots of her dressed in a black robe and rubbing a can of Devassa beer on herself showed a 'lack of respect' for women. However, now the producers have removed the controversial scenes and edited the ad to only show Hilton's face for several seconds, reports contactmusic.com. 'There is a good dose of humour (in the new advert). But I'm also sure there was nothing wrong with the previous one,' said the head of the advertising agency responsible for the campaign Augusto Cruz.

Actor Sean Penn has blasted those who criticised his recent mercy mission to Haiti. He says he hopes they all die of rectal cancer. 'Do I hope that those people die screaming of rectal cancer? Yeah. You know, but I'm not going to spend a lot of energy on it,' hollywood.com quoted Penn as saying. The actor isn't letting the criticism affect his plans to return to Haiti and he's taking his teenage kids with him. 'They're gonna help... The first person served by service is the server. You know, there's nobody in the world that isn't looking for a kind of purpose in life, and tangible purpose is the most immediately recognisable.' Penn claims he has been so caught up in the relief effort for earthquake-ravaged Haiti that he didn't pay attention to what politicians and newsmakers have been saying about him. Penn insists his celebrity input is helping the people of Haiti. 'We were able to get X-ray machines, an

A new cricketing and educational facility will be opened in Mirpur on March 6, developed and funded by the non-profit Sport for Life! foundation, the UK government and international cricketing authorities. The Pakistan government is supporting the venture. The new co-educational facility will provide youngsters between the ages of 10-16 in the rural area with the latest desktop computers, interactive whiteboards and classrooms with the aim of increasing levels of numeracy, literacy and IT skills. Coaches will be recruited from local communities and trained to maintain the centre. The project in Pakistan is supported by some of Pakistan's greatest cricketing role models, Wasim Akram and Imran Khan. Sport for Life! was founded after the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. Following the implementation of Sport for Life! centres in the Caribbean and UK, the programme continues to use cricket as a recruiting mechanism to motivate and inspire young people to participate

Just a thought before I review this film... When you saunter in for the screening of a movie directed by a celebrated film-maker, a movie which has had a good run at film festivals, a movie which tilts towards art house cinema, it is expected that the critic shower the film with lavish praises and speak of it in glowing terms. If you don't, get ready to be ostracized by pseudos masquerading as messiahs of parallel cinema, get ready to be labelled a nincompoop by netizens, get ready to face the constant bitching and loose talk by the 'Balcony Class' presswalas. Believe me, a few people are in awe of such cinema and feel they need to prove how cerebral they are by praising such films. Now to the review! Either the film works or it doesn't. It's all about the story and how convincingly the storyteller narrates it. If the story is absorbing, you can't take your eyes off screen. If it isn't, you break into a yawn, you fidget with your cell

You may recall that Bollywood Hungama was the first to report that Lara Dutta was roped in to endorse Colgate. Now, the much awaited ad is finally out. The commercial has the gorgeous Lara playing the role of a TV reporter. Insiders say that Lara was quite unwell on the day before the shoot with high fever and food poisoning. However, being the professional that she is, she stuck to her commitment for the shoot, despite the fact that it was a night shoot. The most challenging part of the shoot was to get the transformation sequence right, where Lara quickly takes out her spectacles, wig and jacket to transform into the reporter. So much for professionalism! If you are still drooling over her clothes, let us tell you that it's designed by Akki Narula. Lara had once quoted that she would have been a journalist, had she not been a model. Well, with her donning the attire of a journalist (quite a sexy one at that!), life seems to have come a full circle for this be

He's 12, and homeless. And he refuses to adopt the swaggering amorality of his friends on the street. They call him Municipal Ghatkopar because that's the address where he was dumped as a child. But he prefers to be known as Salman Khan. Salman, you fear may appear in this uplifting tale of street children with a mission. Happily, no Salman. Not in Thanks Maa . Strongly reminiscent of Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay and far more resonantly representative of Mumbai's slum kids than Slumdog Millionaire, Thanks Maa is a journey into lives that were born into despair. Without the crutches of self-pity debutant director Irfan Kamal enters the world of the orphaned protagonist Municipality who on of those routine days of scavenging stealing and hanging around with his friends waiting for the next meal, comes across an abandoned little infant, Before we can say 'Hey Baby' the narrations quickly swerves away from the cute and schmaltzy aspect of find-baby-

A rebellious teenage daughter Kavita of a traumatized couple doesn't know what to do with her life. So she takes off on a journey away from home with a lonely neglected but brave middle-aged woman to Goa where Kavita saves turtles...and herself. Kavita goes home redeemed. We are not so sure about ourselves. We remain partly involved with largely distanced from this ambitious but flawed look at life through the eyes of teen rebellion. Director Raja Unninathan has his heart at the right place. He creates a world of gossipy aimlessness sweaty parties' tacky repartees and, ahem, one-night stands for Kavita. But the words sound more like replications of the emotional outbursts associated with the generation gap rather than actual situations created in a specific crisis. A more authentic parent-child crisis would be the one in Ayan Mukerjee's Wake Up Sid or better still the television soap Ladies Special where two very talented actors Shilpa Tulaskar and Sandee

After getting Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Sajid Khan, Amrita Rao and Boman Irani to make guest appearances in his film-about-films Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai writer-director Milap Zaveri feels the star line-up is just not strong enough. With the help of producer Nikhil Advani, Milap has roped in some more A-listers at the last minute. Glam queens Deeepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Vidya Balan will make cameo appearances in Milap's film and thereby add to the film's commercial value. The cameos with these five ladies are expected to be shot next week, just 3 weeks ahead of the film's release creating a major last-minute pre-release situation. Says Milap, "That's true. I'm roping in the names you've mentioned. Shooting at the last minute would be no problem because all of the star appearances are in the first reel, so I just have to re-edit the initial reel. Also, I've kept slates in the pre-fina

Disgraced golfer Tiger Woods' wife has reportedly moved back into their family home in Florida. Woods and Elin Nordegren have been living apart since November after the news of Woods' infidelity broke. He entered a rehabilitation facility for sexual addiction therapy earlier this year and later made a public appearance to apologise for his misdeeds. It seems now the couple is working to mend their broken marriage, reports contactmusic.com. Nordegren was spotted arriving at the Isleworth mansion with the couple's two kids on Wednesday afternoon. It is also being said that a moving truck showed up at the house soon afterwards and workers were seen taking things into the house.

English band Gorillaz has refused to collaborate with singer Katy Perry because she is marrying Russell Brand. The group, created by 'Blur' star Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, was apparently approached by Perry. She expressed her desire to collaborate with them on a song for their new album 'Plastic Beach'. 'Katy Perry has been after a guest spot for ages and I tried to turn her down,'contactmusic.com quoted bassist Murdoc Niccals as saying. 'No, I couldn't work with the woman while she's got Russell Brand all over her.' While other guest collaborators included Lou Reed, Snoop Dogg and Barry Gibb, and Murdoc who claim it was a delight to work with them. Gorillaz new album 'Plastic Beach' will be releasing March 8.

Johnny Depp's long-time girlfriend Vanessa Paradis has banned him from shooting a passionate love scene with The Tourist co-star Angelina Jolie, it has emerged. French supermodel Paradis, who has two kids with the actor, is not comfortable with Depp's impending love scene, according to the New York Post. Infact, Paradis has told Depp to "find another gig," reports the Daily Telegraph. Paradis "found out that there was a real long and intense love scene between (Depp) and Jolie," a source close to the project said. In the film, Jolie plays an Interpol agent who seduces a tourist, played by Depp, in order to flush out a criminal she slept with in the past.

This Christmas audiences are in for a treat with Farah Khan 's TEES MAAR KHAN which is set to release Christmas Eve, December 24th 2010. Says director Farah Khan "I'm really happy that we will be releasing TEES MAAR KHAN on the 24th December, Christmas Eve 2010. It is a very kid friendly, holiday season kind of film, full of fun, big dance numbers and action comedy. It's just the kind of film you'd want to watch in the holidays" The film produced by Shirish and Farah's home production Three's Company Pvt Ltd and co-produced by Akshay Kumar 's Hari Om Productions has finalized on the 24th December as the date for release. Still in its filming stages TEES MAAR KHAN is already in the news for its leading Jodi Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif and director Farah Khan's track record for delivering to her audience one hit after another. Reveals a source "Most of the films released around this season -be it WELCOME, GHAJINI and

Akshay Kumar may be an expert in martial arts but he loves a good game of cricket. Whenever he got free time during his shoots from PATIALA HOUSE he would play cricket and often Aarav would accompany him and participate in the game. Aarav would always beat Akshay at cricket. In fact he's getting better by the day even in martial arts. Akshay Kumar has already started training Aarav in various sports, martial arts - Aarav can even climb walls like a pro and can do the summersault even though he's just 9 years old.

In the last shot of Sajid Nadiadwala and Sajid Khan 's HOUSEFULL you will see Ritesh Deshmukh deliver a complicated line in a single shot with much ease and even greater comic timing. The line that reads "Teri Biwi Teri Biwi Meri Behen...Teri Hone Walle Biwi Meri Behen...Har Aurat Teri Biwi Meri Behen...How can your luck be bad" had Ritesh practicing so hard that when the time came to deliver it he did flawlessly. We come to hear that the first time Ritesh Deshmukh read the dialogue he was thoroughly confused so in order to memorize it he recorded it on his Dictaphone and kept listening to it over and over again. Reveals a source, "When Ritesh finally came to deliver his line he did the Biwi line in a single take. It was unblemished." Ironically enough, Ritesh has done the very same thing during HEYY BABYY when he had to deliver the names of 27 medicines in a single shot. Looks like Ritesh Deshmukh has now become a master at tongue twisting dial

Her antics in films like D, SARKAR and GOD TUSSI GREAT HO got her due share of fame in B-Town. Plus the rumours about her being RGV's favourite girl all the more added spice to her publicity. Rukhsar, who was last seen in the film ALLAH KE BANDAY, will be seen playing a cameo in the film THANKS MAA that is already winning awards all over. It also bagged the prestigious national award recently. Though, Rukhsar was not keen to play the cameo initially, but the director of the film finally convinced her to do so. Apart from this film that is getting her noticed yet again, Rukhsar is also waiting for her two big projects KACCHA LIMBU which is directed by Sagar Ballary (BHEJA FRY fame) and KNOCKOUT opposite Sanjay Dutt . Though, Rukhsar has been lying low for a while, but in real the actress is working hard to set a new dawn in motion as far as her bollywood career is concerned.

Director Sajid Khan is going all out to make sure that he leaves no stones unturned to make his forthcoming film HOUSEFULL, a Sajid Nadiadwala and Eros International production, the biggest hit of the year. We come to hear that Sajid has decided to release the making months in advance prior to the release of the film -reason being - he believes that the making is equally important and equally entertaining. Reveals Sajid Khan, "The making will be released way before the release of the film in high definition as to me the movie and the making of the movie are equally important. Audiences will really look forward to the movie once they see the making" Well witnessing all the hard work that's gone into the film will only make audiences want to see it more, we agree.

Paresh Rawal , who is very much in demand in Bollywood, has been working on several projects these days, thus juggling with quite a few schedules at the same time. But Paresh still makes sure that he fulfils all his commitments and this was evident during shooting for his film ATITHI TUM KAB JAOGE? when he had to make it to the sets of the movie at 9:00 am, which was at the same time as a promotional event of another movie that he was working on. In order to make it in time for his shoot on the sets of the movie ATITHI...Paresh attended the promotional event of his other film early in the morning at 6:30 am. Well, even with his busy schedule Paresh Rawal still manages to give a 100 percent in each of his performances. This is one actor who doesn't take his work lightly.....

This Christmas, audiences are in for a big treat with Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan which is set to release on the Christmas Eve, December 24. Says Farah, "I'm really happy that we will be releasing Tees Maar Khan on the 24th December, 2010. TMK is a very kid friendly, holiday season kind of film, full of fun, big dance numbers and action comedy. It's just the kind of film you'd want to watch in the holidays." Still in its filming stages, Tees Maar Khan is already in the news for its leading jodi Akshay Kumar & Katrina Kaif and director Farah Khan's track record for delivering two super-hit films. Says Akshay Kumar, " Tees Maar Khan will be our gift to audiences this holiday season. It's a great film with a great script and with Farah you know you're in for a treat with larger than life scenes, great music and hilarious dialogues. The movie will have you laughing uncontrollably." Tees Maar Khan is produced by Sh

Horror films made in India follow standard rules and guidelines. Every possible ingredient that viewers have witnessed since the Ramsay era automatically finds its way into horror films even today. ROKKK too borrows everything available on the shelf. ROKKK hinges on a half-baked script, but what saves the film from complete breakdown is the execution of the material by debutante director Rajesh Ranshinge. The proceedings may be far from innovative, but keep you hooked nonetheless. Anushka [Tanushree Dutta] weds an elderly man Ravi [Sachin Khedekar], who has remarried after the death of his first wife. Anushka's mother [Nishigandha Wad] refuses to accept their relationship. But things do stabilise in the post-interval portions. The spirit now set her sights on Udita and the sequence in the elevator sets the ball rolling. Ditto for two more sequences - [i] Arif Zakaria wanting to free the mansion from the spirit and [ii] Ashwini Kalsekar's story of how the blood-t

David Warner and Steven Smith are two of Australia's brightest international hopes but they are being sent back to school this winter by the national selectors. Warner and Smith, who are both in the Twenty20 side, have been named as part-time scholars for the 2010 Centre of Excellence intake in Brisbane. Warner, who was sent home from the Academy in 2007, has played seven ODIs and 13 Twenty20s while Smith made his debuts in both formats this summer. Jason Krejza, the two-Test offspinner, Moises Henriques and Jon Holland are other players who have been chosen in Australian squads to be included in the 11-man part-time unit. They will spend four weeks in Brisbane and be available for the Academy's matches. The 14 full scholars include a group of fast bowlers who have already made marks with their states and John Hastings, the impressive Victoria allrounder. Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Luke Feldman and Ben Cutting have caused trouble on the domestic scene this summer while th

Disenchanted with the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) after being overlooked for the captaincy in the domestic RBS Twenty20 Cup that is underway in Karachi, Shahid Afridi has threatened to quit his domestic side. Mohammad Sami, the Pakistan fast bowler, was preferred to Afridi and the allrounder was miffed at not being given a reason for the preference in leadership of the Karachi Dolphins. "I think the KCCA senior officials need to rethink their attitude towards senior players and how they treat them," Afridi told reporters at the National Stadium. "I think the KCCA officials should have had the courtesy to at least tell me why they didn't want me as captain. I am always prepared to play even as a ordinary player but there is a way you treat senior players and the KCCA is not doing that. "I have always taken a lot of pride in representing Karachi in domestic cricket but if the KCCA continue to treat senior players badly then I might be forced to play fo

NBC will telecast the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards live coast-to-coast on Aug. 29 (5-8 p.m. PT, 8-11 p.m. ET), the network announced March 4. via Melissa Grego at Broadcasting & Cable. Note that NBC moved the Emmy’s into the summer to not conflict with Sunday Night Football. They know where their bread is buttered. I will anticipate record low Emmy Awards ratings with that scheduled date, regardless of the Mountain/Pacific time zone telecast times. Robert earlier wondered whether it mattered to ratings if awards shows aired live or not.

Startling public honesty from the CW’s Dawn Ostroff in an interview with The Live Feed : THR: OK, but is there anything that can be done to give [Gossip Girl & 90210] even better ratings next year? Ostroff: We haven’t gotten into the conversations with the producers about what next year’s shows are going to be. But I do think as more and more people are migrating to their DVR and streaming shows, I think it’s going to be harder and harder to envision our Nielsen numbers going up. I think that’s the most surprising thing I’ve read from a network head in a public forum in the 2+ years we’ve been doing this site. It’s one think to think that, it’s another thing to say it. Contrast that with ABC’s Steve McPherson who says precisely nothing in his interview , as is typical of these kinds of interviews.

West Indies' two-run defeat to Zimbabwe in the one-day series opener, after the tourists won the one-off Twenty20, has left the captain Chris Gayle shaking his head at the dismissals of three key batsmen. West Indies, chasing 255, came up short by two runs after they lost Kieron Pollard and Dinesh Ramdin to loose shots and then Dwayne Smith in a double-wicket final over, and that left Gayle a frustrated leader. "In the Australia series, I saw improvements in the likes of [Kieron] Pollard and Smith. To come here ... and the way they went about it, I must say I am very disappointed in those two guys and Ramdin,' Gayle said after the match. "Those guys were key for us and the way they went about it was a terrible display. It is very disappointing and sad to see how they went about it." Smith was bowled by the debutant Shingirai Masakadza with four runs needed off the last three balls, while Pollard and Denesh Ramdin had succumbed to loose shots as

Michael Vaughan , the former England captain, believes South Africa-born players should not be allowed to play for England. Vaughan was critical of the number of players being imported "for many, many years" and said he had "a bit of a problem" with South Africans changing nationalities to further their sporting careers. "It's a very tricky one. Someone like Kevin Pietersen made the decision very early to come over to England and he learnt a lot of his cricket here," said Vaughan at a function in London. "[But] I do have a problem when the likes of Jonathan Trott [play for England], and [Craig] Kieswetter, who's played for the South African Under-19s. I think in Trott's case even played for the South African A team. Now that is where I have a problem, that we have almost got a 'ship-in' system of looking at talent, and a lot of them come over for the money. "It's very, very difficult to stop them. I would

While most travellers can only dream of getting an Oscar or being on the silver screen, anyone can pretend to be star at U.S. hotels where countless movie scenes have been shot. Travel firm TripAdvisor (http://www.tripadvisor.com) has come up with a list of the top 10 famous movie hotels, according to its editors. This list is not endorsed by Reuters. "While many travellers enjoy in-room movies as part of a relaxing hotel stay, these star-studded properties offer guests an actual connection with some classic movie scenes and famous characters," Christine Peterson, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor, said in a statement. 1. The Fairmont San Francisco, San Francisco, California This grand hotel, set atop the steep incline of Nob Hill, has reached equally great heights on the silver screen. Ever since Alfred Hitchcock shot "Vertigo" at the Fairmont in 1958, the hotel has become an iconic part of San Francisco and many movies, including &q

Characters: Farouque Shaikh: S.K. Rao - A devout coach of the Indian kickboxing team for who true talent is above all inducements. He is earnest but conniving for those who come in his way for the right. An ardent worshipper of true sportsman spirit, he holds an angst against the establishment and the system that's meddling in sport in order to commercialize it. Nafisa Ali: Amma - A doting mother for whom her two sons mean the world. She shares a great camaraderie with her sons and would be daughter in law but at the same time is the grounding force to keep them rooted. She is tender yet at the trying times comes out as a strong and tough woman who puts up with the crisis that comes in her life. Aanaahad: Veerender Singh - An unswerving batsman with the fire in his belly to make it big in the cricketing world. However, equally fiery about his relations, especially with his brother, for whom he can give it all up. One incident that changes his life and his outlo