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Kareena Kapoor is busy with films and endorsements that are pouring her way while sister Karisma is on the family way. Karisma Kapoor, 36, gave birth to a baby boy today morning at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai. He is Karisma's second child after her daughter Samaira. Gathered at the hospital along side Karisma is the entire Kapoor family to give the latest arrival a grand welcome. Bollywood Hungama congratulates Karisma and the Kapoor family, on this very special day and wishes them the very best.

With immense stardom comes immense credibility. How and why is completely debatable. But it's a fact that Kareena Kapoor can easily vouch for. The Bollywood Diva is a wanted entity by one and all brands. If Anne French, Sony Vaio, Head and Shoulder and Airtel weren't enough, joining their league now is Sony Ericsson. Yes! Kareena will now be the brand ambassador for Sony Ericsson Mobiles. No wonder then that she is termed as the endorsement queen in Bollywood. The ad film of her newly adopted brand has been directed by Director Anuj Alia, and is shot in Mehboob Studio. With a line up of big films and a number of endorsements deals, this woman is completely on a roll.

A year back, Tansen was a hot project in the making. While Barjatyas from Rajshri Productions were backing this mega budget project, Satish Kaushik was already on board as the director of the film. Though there was no official confirmation on the main lead, it was being whispered in the industry circles that Abhishek Bachchan had already been sounded for the much coveted role. However, post Karzzzz , Delhi 6 and Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi , all seemed to be forgotten about Tansen . Abhishek Bachchan had double trouble with Drona followed by Delhi 6 . Karzzzz was a shocker for Satish Kaushik because in spite of so much hype, it was the remake factor that went against it. As for Barjatyas, their small budgeted Ek Vivah Aisa Bhi (Sonu Sood, Esha Kopikar) didn't quite turn out to be another Vivah and folded up rather soon. Tansen seemed to be a talk of the past and it was more or less apparent that it was shelved for good. This is where a pleasant surprise comes in with

The big news Now this development really gets the antennas stand right up with all attention reserved for what next is really in the offing. Believe it or not but a major Hollywood-Bollywood collaboration is right up in the anvil and two of the bigger superstars from different ends of the world are all set to share screen space. The film in question is Xtrme City and the men in question - hold your breath - Shah Rukh Khan and Leonardo Di Caprio. Yes, even though all of this seemed like a dream till a few years back, it is indeed turning out to be a reality since work is progressing on brisk speed to get the scripting in place for the film. There is quite some action on pre-production front as well and Xtrme City is looking positive at going on floors by end of 2010. If that indeed happens, Shah Rukh can well be expected to be really busy all through 2010 and 2011 with Ra 1 and the sequel of Don required to be wrapped up before Xtrme City starts taking a shape. Ho

The Best Picture Oscar winner The Hurt Locker 's victory came as no surprise to some big Bollywood names, specifically, Abbas Tyrewala, John Abraham and Madhu Mantena. David Bryan, Supervising Art Director on The Hurt Locker who was widely praised for his life like replication of the battle scarred streets of Iraq in Jordan, is the Production Designer for Abbas Tyrewala's next venture, starring John Abraham. The really interesting story however, is that David's only managed to convince Abbas to join his project as a Production Designer after showing Abbas footage from The Hurt Locker and how he'd recreated the streets of Iraq in the award winning film. David has on several occasions impressed Abbas with his detail and precision in Production Design. Looks like the Abbas is going to every extent recruiting genuinely talented people to mount this film (earlier titled 1-800 Love) on a large beautiful canvas. It may be recalled that during the shooting of

Rana Daggubati who makes his Hindi debut in Rohan Sippy's Dum Maro Dum wants to bring his Telugu political blockbuster Leader to Mumbai with subtitles. Says Rana, "The political message of the film is definitely not restricted to Andhra Pradesh. I'd like to remake the film into Tamil and then maybe Hindi. After I do Rohan Sippy's film in Hindi, I'd like to do Leader in Hindi." Explains Rana, "We've tried to show the difference between a politician and a leader. We need responsible leaders. I play an honest leader, a Chief Minister. We've heard so many CMs being sworn in. We didn't know what their oath means. From the time we were children we read about Sardar Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mahatma Gandhi. Today my 5-year old nephew is studying about the same national leaders. Where are the political heroes of and for the new generation?" Says Rana Daggubati, "My role is actually an amalgamation of a whole lot of young

Given a choice Rajeev Khandelwal was happy being attached to his girlfriend Manjiri Kamtikar because he knew marriage or not, he was in love with her for keeps and he didn't need any formal announcement to prove it. But the engagement to be held in May is being done to comply with the lady's parent's wishes... Says Rajeev, "Manjiri and her parents come from a world far removed from cinema and the entertainment industry. They don't understand the workings of Bollywood and their knowledge of what goes on here is based on what they read and see on television. You can't blame them for thinking actors are not to be trusted." Manjiri's parents were anxious that he make the association formal. Gallantly, Rajeev volunteered an engagement ceremony. Says Rajeev, "But I don't know how it got out. I haven't discussed it with anyone. Manjiri's parents or my parents in all their innocence must have shared the information with some

EXPECTATIONS Zilch are the hopes from the music of Prem Kaa Game which is the revised title of the film Shaadi Ke After Effects which was completed 3 years back. An Arbaaz Khan starrer that has an obvious dated look to it, Prem Kaa Game hardy promises anything musically. Raju Khan composes; Kiran Kotrial writes the songs while Javed Akhtar is the guest lyricist. MUSIC The way title song ' Prem Kaa Game ' begins; one is transported back into the era of the 90s when films of the likes of ' Dulhan Hum Le Jaayenge ' and ' Kunwara ' were in vogue. Along with Nishant Pandey, there is a computer generated voice (that of a child) that is heard right throughout ' Prem Kaa Game '. There is an attempt at bringing on a fun flavour to Prem Kaa Game (which is about extra marital relationships) but that doesn't quite work, courtesy the treatment of the song which is stuck in the 90s. One can be rest assured that if ' I Wanna Fall... &

EXPECTATIONS There are certain set expectations that one has from the music of a sport based films. A couple of inspirational tracks, a situational song or two and then a theme track/ background piece. This is the reason why doesn't expect a chartbuster outing from Lahore which has music by M M Kreem, lyrics by Junaid Wasi with Panchhi Jalonvi and Piyush Mishra as the guest writers. MUSIC An anthem track which can be expected to play at numerous junctures in the film, ' Ab Ye Kaafila ' is about the bunch of sportspersons marching ahead in their pursuit of success. A situational track rendered by KK, Karthik and M M Kreem, it has a smooth flow to it and refrains from turning loud. Saving itself from the trap of turning overtly patriotic and predictable, ' Ab Ye Kaafila ' is easy on ears even though it comes across as an ad jingle. There is a new Daler Mehndi that one gets to hear in ' Musafir ' which is a soft track. One wonders how composer

EXPECTATIONS When an established actor goes on to launch his first film as a producer, there are good all around expectations. Whether it is the film as a whole or its music, one expects something striking in all departments. This is the reason why when Arshad Warsi arrives with Hum Tum Aur Ghost and ropes in none less than Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Javed Akhtar to handle the music department, one looks forward to something striking at the least. MUSIC Even without going through the credits, it wouldn't have been difficult to figure out that ' Dekho Raste Mein ' is the work of Sankar-Ehsaan-Loy. A beautiful tune with a classy feel to it, ' Dekho Raste Mein ' is one of the better tracks to have arrived this year so far. The 'mukhda' is highly addictive with both KK and Shreya Ghoshal thoroughly enjoying their outing. Javed Akhtar's lyrics too are sweet and simple while well conveying the emotions of a couple who have just discovered love. F

EXPECTATIONS Honestly, one doesn't quite look forward to an 'entertaining' soundtrack from Mittal V/s Mittal . For a serious film on domestic abuse, there isn't much expected from music to begin with. A couple of situational tracks are the best that a film like this could offer but with negligible buzz preceding the release of Mittal V/s Mittal , one plays on the album half heartedly. Composer Shamir Tandon and lyricist Shabbir Ahmed come together for this film that stars Rituparna Sengupta and Rohit Roy as the central protagonists. MUSIC It's a sad start for Mittal v/s Mittal (in all senses) as Kailash Kher goes on to sing - hold your breath - a 9 minute piece. Agreed that the film deals with a serious issue but a beginning like only ensures that it would be a depressing outing in the offing. Though the lyrics suggest that the protagonist is happy about his/her life, the way Kailash Kher sings and the manner in which Shamir Tandon composes the son

EXPECTATIONS Composer Hanif Shaikh and choreographer turned filmmaker Ahmed Khan go back a long way. Hanif had sung ' Yeh Dooriyan ' for Ahmed's directorial debut effort Fool N Final . Years after the release of the film, their association has gone to the next level with Hanif writing as well as composing all the five songs in Ahmed Khan's production Paathshaala . With Shahid Kapoor playing a major role in the film, one looks forward to what Hanif has in store for listeners in his first major project. MUSIC First things first - Paathshaala must have created a record of sorts because each of the five songs in the album are sung by, believe it or not, a composer who also sings occasionally. Salim Merchant (of Salim-Sulaiman), Vishal Dadlani (of Vishal-Shekhar), Lucky Ali, Kailash Kher and Hanif Shaikh himself come behind the mike for a song apiece. Now is 'Limca Book of Records' hearing this? Coming to the first track in the album, ' Aye Khuda '

Be forewarned... LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA is not the archetypal/mundane/formulaic stuff that one has grown watching. LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA is not for the faint-hearted. LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA is not for the orthodox/conformists/moral watchdogs of society. First things first! It's not another version of Steven Soderbergh's SEX, LIES, & VIDEOTAPE [1989], as widely rumoured. Now let me hit the nail on the head. Don't expect the expected from Dibakar Banerjee. LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA, helmed by the director of KHOSLA KA GHOSLA and OYE LUCKY! LUCKY OYE!, is a complete departure from what we have witnessed so far. It talks of voyeurism [it has been divided into three stories, each focussing on different plots pertaining to voyeurism]. It is brave. It is scandalous. Most importantly, it is path-breaking. You will either love it or loathe it. LOVE SEX AUR DHOKHA is not an easy film to comprehend either. The constant shaking of camera [it's a digital film with a hidden ca

By now its common knowledge that the Riteish Deshmukh- Jacqueline Fernandez starrer Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai ( JKSAH ) helmed by debutant director Milap Zaveri features some of the top names of the industry in interesting cameos. However, the one person who has probably the most interesting cameo in the film is none other than director Farah Khan. Farah plays herself (director Farah Khan) in the film and her scenes with Riteish are sure to bring the house down. Says Milap, "Farah Khan plays herself in the film. She is this top director who is directing a film with one of the biggest superstars 'Desh' played by Ruslaan Mumtaz. She is shown to be quite forgetful, short-tempered and keeps losing her cool on poor Riteish who plays her Assistant Director in the film. There is a scene in which Riteish gives her a cup of coffee and when she doesn't like it, she spits it all on his face. Basically she treats him like dirt and hardly ever bothers to acknowledge h

It seems like ages since one saw Minissha Lamba on the silver screen. It was way back in October'09 when she was seen in a sizzling new avtar in Kidnap . The film didn't do much at the box office and though Minissha had seen critical and commercial success coming her way through Shaurya and Bachna Ae Haseeno respectively, she chose to lie low. Now that she is back in Well Done Abba , wheels seem to be moving yet again for the petite Minissha. From Yahaan to now Well Done Abba , she has been choosing a variety of films. Is she feeling lucky? Smiles Minissha, ''I think all the films that I have done are the ones that have truly excited me. Otherwise I wouldn't sign a project which fails to arouse curiosity in me. I love to do the kind of movies that I would want to see in theatres myself. Also, what I like to do is get involved in the process of filmmaking rather than just reporting on sets when my shot is ready. That's not my style of working

Don't breathe. Don't dare even blink. And please forget that visit to the loo. Damn, even the bag of popcorn will be forgotten on your clenched lap. Right Yaaa Wrong is the surprise shocker of the year. If you've forgotten that jump-out-of-the-seat feeling then it's time to nudge it awake again. Debutant director Neerraj Pathak deserves a welcoming salute. He puts together a thriller that's as much homage to Alfred Hitchcock and Brian da Palma as our own Abbas-Mustan and Right Yaaa Wrong still emerges original and strong. An intricate jigsaw that always stays a step ahead of the audience, Right Yaaa Wrong makes a penetrating comment on how the country's legal system can be subverted in a clever hand. More importantly the taut and briskly-paced script suggests that the yin and yang concepts of right and wrong are not only ambivalent but also interchangeable when the context is right. Sunny Deol, back in shape in every which way, plays a cop w

We can still remember the days when you needed a whole bunch of wires, strung up along the wall or hidden beneath the carpet, and speakers placed methodically throughout a living room or bedroom, to recreate that beautiful surround sound experience we all love so much in theaters. Over years that’s changed in one way or another, and even more recently these sound bars, a single bar with set speakers within them, seem to be taking up all the attention. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they usually look like something from the future. In this case, we’ve got the Asus Cine5, which is a smaller take on the more familiar sound bars out there. This model, which isn’t designed for the big TVs on the market, should fit pretty nicely right on your desk, if you like enjoying your music in a more robust kind of way. The Cine5 measures in at about 15-inches, but it’s got the typical five speaker set up under the hood. It’s also managed to squeeze a 28W max amp. There’s even a 3.5mm audio jack, if

There’s a pretty distinct set of reasons why, for the most part, it’s a good thing or a bad thing to be an early adopter of any piece of tech that comes out. On the one hand, you’ve got the latest and greatest gadget on the planet, and you can happily show it off to all your friends. On the other side of the coin, you’re usually faced with software/hardware glitches of some kind, and then there’s that impending feeling that sooner than later, your device will be obsolete . We’re not saying that’s happening here with the Zune HD, but if these rumors are true, we may have to strike our words . According to the rumors floating around, the Zune HD2 would be more like an iPod Touch, whatever that means. Size, perhaps. Considering the HD2 has arguably (or not) better hardware than the iPod Touch, that’s really the only thing we can say that insinuates. If the sources speaking with ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley are to be believed, than the Zune HD2 is certainly on the way, and has a real shot at be

And with it, will come 3D. That’s right, we bet you didn’t see that coming, right? LG is expanding their current 3D TV portfolio, and hoping that the competition doesn’t bog down the selection too much. There are plenty to choose from, but we do have to say that this model from LG looks sleek as all get out, and we wish we could muster the courage (for our wallets) to pick one of these bad boys up. LG has been pushing out some models of their 3D TV line-up over the last few months to some locations in the UK, mostly pubs, but all of that is about to change. The company is pushing for home use now, so that its customers can enjoy 3D TV in May on the comfort of their couch. The TV (LX9900), coupled with LG’s Blu-Ray Disc player (BX580) would make your home movie night just about the best one on the block. Unless, you know, someone down the street has the better surround sound. The TV will come into variants: 47-inch and 55-inch, and utilize active shutter glasses for the 3D technology. T

Streaming videos isn’t the new thing. Although, we would say that it’s becoming ever more popular as the weeks progress into the 2010 year, and we’re wondering if all those cable and satellite providers out there are shaking in their boots yet. Watching TV on your computer, or even from your computer to your TV is becoming something of a regular in most houses, and MSN is looking to jump on the bandwagon with a free alternative. And, despite the fact it’s free, there’s some juicy goodness in here. When you get a free thing, sometimes your first thought is that it won’t be everything you want it to be. Or, more likely, that it doesn’t have all the features you might want it to have. That’s why they make premium content, right? Apparently MSN didn’t get that memo (thankfully), because they’re all set to launch the first serious BBC iPlayer rival tomorrow: MSN Video Player. MSN is going to have it launch with somewhere in the ballpark of 1,000 hours of video, which is fantastic. The pla

I have been running across a bunch of strange and cool watches recently. The coolest, and most expensive, has to be the 4N watch that I ran across this week with mechanical operation and limited to only 16 pieces. A new watch today isn’t expensive and isn’t handmade. The thing is called the Happy Hour Watch. If you like to drink adult beverages that need a bottle opener this is the watch for you. The face of the watch has a digital display for time, the day, and an analog display that has normal hands and operation with red markings for 5p.m., also known as happy hour. The buckle on the band of the watch is the unique bit here. It is designed to allow you to open a bottle without hunting for a bottle opener or using your teeth. The watch is available now for $49.95 on sale with the normal price being $69.95.

Active Media Products has all sorts of SSDs and storage devices, but most of them are aimed at use in laptops and desktops using SATA connectivity. The company has announced a new SSD product called the SaberTooth ZT Turbo ZIF SSD. The SSD fits into devices that use a 1.8-inch IDE/PATA drive. The little SSD is 5mm thick and uses the 40-pin ZIF interface. It can be had in 32GB or 64GB capacities and promises 100MB/sec read speed and up to 85MB/sec write speeds. The SSD uses MLC NAND and supports SMART and ECC. The drive uses bad block management to map bad bits to prevent data errors. The drive ships with a small screwdriver and install instructions and supports Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems.

Powerline networking is the only way for some users to get connectivity to their devices inside the home. WiFi doesn’t always reach each room of your house and running Ethernet cable is expensive and time consuming. Brite-view has announced its new powerline networking solution called the LinkE. The kit a 200Mbps single port bridge and a four port switch. The system is specifically designed to allow you to stream AV content around your home and supports single and cross-zone home wiring. Security is provided with 128-bit AES encryption. The LinkE system can transmit data up to 65 feet in LOS wired homes and up to 32 feet in NLOS wired homes. The LinkE kit can be ordered now for $89.99 direct from the brite-View website.

There are so many options for technology products on the market today that you can find gear just about anywhere. More options is not a bad thing though and Office Max has announced that it will be offering its own line of tech gear under the Engage brand. Here’s hoping Captain Piccard is featured on the packaging. The first products in the Engage line will be a wired optical mouse and a wireless optical mouse. The wired version of the mouse will sell for $16.99 and will be offered in black or blue colors. The mouse has five buttons and a scroll wheel. The wireless mouse is offered in purple, red, black, and bronze colors for $19.99. The mouse also has five buttons and a scroll wheel. Both Engage mice support Mac and PCs and are available right now.

Tablet computers are big on the market right now for consumers, and the machines have been on the market for commercial users in specific industries for a while. A company called Xplore has unveiled a new tablet PC that is rugged and aimed at use in clean rooms and other environment that have demanding no contamination needs. The tablet computer is called the Clean room and features an optional AllVue Xtreme display that is 10.4-inches and has a 1024 x 768 resolution. The screen can also be fitted with an optional resistive touch digitizer. Graphics for the machine are Intel integrated. The CPU is a dual core Intel U2500 at 1.2GHz. Other features include Bluetooth, WiFi, optional HSPA mobile broadband and more. The battery in the tablet is an 8-cell li-ion unit with up to 4.5 hours of run time. The rig can be ordered with up to 2GB of RAM and stores data to a 32GB SSD.

I mentioned the Samsung R1 PMP last summer when it landed in Europe. We expected the player to come to the US soon, but that never happened. Samsung has finally announced availability and pricing information for the R1 and its sibling the R0 PMPs. The R1 will come in 16GB and 8GB versions that will both ship in April for $149.99 and $179.99 respectively. The R0 PMP will also be offered in 8GB and 16GB versions shipping in April for $99.99 and $129.99 respectively. The R1 features a 2.4-inch TFT LCD touchscreen with drag and drop media loading. The R1’s battery is good for up to 50 hours of audio playback and four hours of video per charge. It also features a FM tuner and recorder along with support for Bluetooth headsets. The R0 has a 2.6-inch LCD and has enough juice for six hours of video and 30 hours of audio along with a microSD card slot for storage expansion.

Samsung is into home theater in a big way with all sorts of products including some of the most popular HDTVs around. Samsung is set to start selling its 3D TVs and will offer product demos in Sears stores this summer. Samsung has unveiled the pricing and availability on some of its new home theater systems that were on display at CES to go along with its new TVs. Among the new home theater systems is the HT-C6930W shipping in April for $899 supporting 3D surround sound. The system also has wireless rear speakers. The HT-C7530W is a 5.1 surround sound system with wireless rear speakers, WiFi, 1GB of embedded storage and more for $999 with shipping starting in May. The HT-C5500 and HT-C6500 home theater systems are for small spaces with 5.1 surround sound, advanced calibration options, and iPod docks. The C5500 will ship in March for $499 and the C6500 will ship in March for $649. The difference is that the C6500 will have 1GB of storage and dual HDMI inputs along with upgraded speakers

I once won some tickets to an event from a radio station and when I went to to pick them up the number of knobs and buttons in the studio was impressive. I could never be a DJ, I have a tendency to push buttons to figure out what they do rather than read instructions. Pioneer has a new pro DJ controller it is unveiling today for those that know what all the buttons and knobs are for called the DJM-2000. The device has the industry’s first 5.8-inch multitouch screen effects, Evolved Beat Effects, Pro DJ Link, and MIDI controls. The color LCD also lets the DJ set up seven different dynamic audio effects with touches and movements on the screen. Other features include Pro DJ Link to link the Pioneer CDJ-2000 or CDJ-900 turntables to the mixer and a Live Sampler for taking sounds from as mic or master output to use in the mix. A 3-band EQ is built-in and the Cross fader function can be assigned and adjusted. The DJM-2000 will ship in June for $2,999.