Quirky Sonam's Chaplin act

Actress who is known for her quirky style sense and her straight talk does an exclusive photoshoot as a mime artiste

Sonam Kapoor is known for her quirky style sense and her straight talk in the industry. Recently, the actress decided to combine the two for an exclusive photoshoot done by fashion photographer Rohan Shreshtha, where she posed as a mime artiste. 

Rohan says, ` I knew Sonam only socially and I had this concept in mind for the last two years. Though we have worked on other projects earlier, I never got the chance to explain my concept to Sonam. Finally, when I told it to her, she loved it!` 

In fact, it was during the shoot that the photographer came to know that Sonam had in fact trained in mime acting while she was abroad. Rohan adds, `She nailed every shot like a pro.` 

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com 

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eroine' Kareena fetches Rs.20 crore from big brands

Women-centric films have caught the right attention in recent times, thanks to unique content and strong roles. But for "Heroine", Kareena Kapoor has gone a step ahead and managed to bring as many as eight brands on board - said to be the most for any female-oriented Hindi movie so far.

According to industry sources, an estimate of at least Rs.20 crore of brand-spends will be blocked for promotions of Madhur Bhandarkar's "Heroine", releasing Sep 21.

Lakme, Head and Shoulders and Monarch Universal are the brands Kareena endorses and have associated with the film, apart from others like Cera, Rupa, Jealous21, Sugar Free and Cocoberry which have come on board for in-film integration and various media associations.

"'Heroine' is a women-oriented film and I am happy that brands today are open to associate with such films which was never the case before. The trend is changing and I'm glad to have instigated it", said Kareena, adding that Bhandarkar "has pushed the envelope to bring out a strong performance from me".

Lakme is launching "Heroine" branded make-up under the Absolute range, endorsed by Kareena, and apparel brand Jealous21 will introduce a special clothing line inspired by the clothes worn by Kareena in the movie, which narrates the behind-the-scenes life of an actress. 


"'Heroine' has an author-backed role for Kareena and Madhur's zeal to make it the way he had envisioned has prompted many brands to see an opportunity worth associating," said Shikha Kapur, executive director Marketing, Studios, Disney UTV. 

"Even though it's a heroine-led film, because of its sheer content and Kareena's strong brand recall, we have successfully managed to have key brands on board. The product placement is integrated with the film's story line in a manner that is inherent to the narrative and accelerates the story further," added Kapur. 

Earlier, women-oriented film like "Fashion" and "Aisha" tied up with popular brands. 

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'I am not a dumb bimbette!'

Model- anchor and now a reality show participant, Archana Vijaya exemplifies the mantra of taking life as it comes. "I am a sucker for different things and this was very different, " says Archana describing her latest stint on TV.

With the India- New Zealand series getting underway, CS talks to Archana about being a woman cricket presenter and her love for the sport:

Camera comfy
I did my English Honors from Kolkata and I never thought that my degree would help me, but it has. I talk for a living now! I never thought I would be a presenter because I was a camera shy person then. 


But until you do something, you never know whether you can do it or not. I have been presenting for five years now, so it took a while for people to realise that 'Hey she's not just hot, but she also knows what she's talking about'. I don't want to be a bimbette! If you are pretty, people automatically assume that you are dumb. 

Then it becomes a double task - not only do you have to surpass the male dominance, but also prove yourself. So I do a lot of research before every game so that I don't look like a fool.

Not an expert, just curious
When you are talking to experts and legends, you don't want to come across as someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. 


I cannot be an expert because I have never played the game. So I have always maintained the persona of a fan and a presenter. I never give an opinion. I always ask questions and don't make statements. I bring in the cricket aspect to my interviews, but I keep it very real. I try to actually find out what a fan would like to know.

Also, it's funny but a lot of women like what I do. They like to see a woman finding out more about the game from her perspective.

Moments to cherish
I remember this ODI game in Guwahati. It was Australia v/s India and Australia had already won the series. But I still remember the crowds. 

Since the sun sets early there, we were headed to the stadium at 7am and as far as my sight could go, I could just see a sea of people waiting to enter the stadium. All for a dead rubber game! 


That's the passion for the game in India. I was also there when Sachin scored his 17, 000 runs, his 12, 000 ODI runs. I was also present when he scored his 200 in Gwalior. 

After India won the Asia Cup, Mahi (M S Dhoni) gave me his winning cap. Even while presenting the recent cricket league, I had a jig with Shahrukh Khan and Akshay Kumar, getting the two in the same frame was great. 

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com 

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Sher vs Tiger: Himesh dumps Salman Khan's arch enemy Vivek Oberoi

Buzz is that the reason could lie with Salman Khan's arch enemy Vivek Oberoi joining the cast of Soham Shah's film 

Looks like nothing is more important to Himesh Reshammiya than honouring his friendship with Salman Khan. And that's apparently the reason why he has walked out of Soham Shah's upcoming film Sher, after Vivek Oberoi recently joined the cast. 


A source informs, `Himesh has decided not to do the music for the film as Vivek has joined the cast. When Himesh was signed, he was told that it would star Sonu Sood along with Sanjay Dutt.` 

Himesh is known to hold Sanjay Dutt in high regard and he was apparently doing this film because Dutt had recommended his name. However, when Himesh came to know during the shooting schedule of Sher in Rajasthan that Vivek had joined the cast he wanted to opt out. However, he kept quiet because of Dutt.`


Final straw
The source also states that the matter apparently became worse when Vivek was quoted saying that Sher is bigger than Tiger (Salman's latest release is Ek Tha Tiger). 

The source adds, `He wanted to opt out then and there. The makers wanted Himesh to deliver the final song for them but he is not going to do that. He has finally decided to walk out of the film as he did not want to work with Vivek at all.` In spite of repeated calls, Himesh did not revert to our SMSes. 


In the past...
The rivalry between Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi started when Vivek called a press conference at his residence in 2003, accusing Sallu of threatening him. Ever since that, Salman and Vivek cannot see eye to eye. Later, Vivek even made a few attempts to extend an olive branch but Sallu remained unaffected. 

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Photo: Salman Khan's 'Sher Khan' first look revealed

Salman Khan's 'Sher Khan' first look photos

Credits: 

 

www.filmyfair.com

The first look poster of Saman Khan's upcoming Hindi movie "Sher Khan" was released on August 31, 2012.

The first look shows Salman dressed in a super hero like costume. Looks like Salman Khan is determined to outdo Shahrukh Khan's "Ra.One".

The film is produced and directed by Salman Khan's brother Sohail.

Salman's latest release "Ek Tha Tiger" went on to become the second biggest blockbuster in Indian cinema by grossing close to Rs 300 crores at the box office.

Kingfisher model Angela Johnson will play one of Salman Khan's love interest in "Sher Khan", while Sohail Khan is still searching for a second heroine.Pardapash.com reported, "The poster portrays Khan wearing a warrior outfit with a hood covering his face.

"He is armed with weapons attached to his belt and a sharp, pointed, shiny spear projects out of his left hand.

"Khan is also shown holding a man's hand in an attempt to put his spear through the man's body.

"The thick, dark clouds in the background add to the mood of the poster. By the look of the picture, it can be said that the film will be a heavy dose of action and special effects."

"If we go with the buzzes, the films VFX alone value about INR 100 crore, half of the Ek Tha Tiger's collection so far. This makes it the most expensive Bollywood film till date."

Joker is One and A Half Hour of Paid Torture

Star Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha, Shreyas Talpade, Minsha Lamba, Asrani, Vindu Dara Singh, Gurpreet Ghuggi

Director: Shirish Kunder

Producer: Farah Khan and Ronnie Screwala

Music: G.V.Prakash Kumar, Gaurav Dogaonkar

Rating : *

Be it Bollywood or Hollywood, curiosity associated with the incognito world of aliens and UFO has always been a source of fascination for the merchants of showbiz, who always try to offer something innovative and thrilling to cine buffs, in order to keep the cash register ringing.

The newest entrant who is there to prove its mettle in this fantasy adventure genre is Shirish Kunder's self proclaimed sci-fi saga Joker. Starring Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha, Joker opened at multiplexes with an occupancy of 25 %. 

Synopsis 
Joker, is a tale about a space scientist who returns to his native village, Paglapur, an isolated village undergoing a plight of neglect, for not having any of its mention on the map of India and protagonist's quaint idea to get the recognition for his village.


Story
Agastya (Akshay Kumar) is a space scientist, working on the the development of a communication system, to communicate with aliens. But Agastya, losses the faith of of his seniors and is allotted with a deadline of one month to conclude his project with some substantial results.

In the mean time, Agastya is informed by his friend Diva (Sonakshi Sinha), regarding his father's illness, on hearing this Agastya reaches his native village Paglaapur, whose colorful inhabitants include a man who speaks in gibberish, another who thinks he is a lamp post and everyone else who think that the World War II is still going on?

Soon after reaching there, Agastya finds that he was called on a false pretext of illness by his father. 

On getting apprised about truth, Agastya decides to move back to US, but after hearing the plight of the inhabitants of Paglapur, due to the brushing aside of the village by the the government because of its being absent from the demarcated map of India, he makes his mind to come out with some solution for the problem.

As the story proceeds, Agastya comes up with a quaint idea pertaining to the crop circle and arrival of aliens in his village, in order to fetch a recognition for his otherwise isolated village undergoing a plight of neglect ever since the independence. 

With frames moving ahead, Agastya along with other villagers creates crop circle in Paglapur and spreads rumor about arrival of aliens in the village. And from their, amid tremendous media hype, takes over some hilarious sequences knitted around UFO and fictitious man made aliens. 


Script
Joker very well proves the fact, that it's not necessary for an innovative idea to turn into an interesting cine flick. The story of Joker falls flat on ground, as soon as its takes off.

For some, this may be an innovative idea to blend a fantasy adventure with rustic background, but actually it turned out to be a disaster for Shirish. In fact it won't be wrong to say that the script of "Joker" seemed to be knitted just for heck of doing it. 

As far as humour quotient and the sci-fi flavour are concerned, then even these two USPs of the movie seemed to be buried beneath the terrains of Paglapur. In fact Joker seems to be a satire on all UFO and alien movies which have been made so far


Screenplay and Direction
In the absence of a rational and tenable script, the screenplay also seems to be too burdening for the heads of the movie buffs. With a run time, less than of 2 hours "Joker", no where thrills you or leaves you mesmerised with its onscreen offerings. 

With narration starting at snail's pace, the movie completely fails in keeping the gazes of the masses glued to the celluloid. As soon as the story starts, comes in a flurry of protagonists with their weird belief patterns, but as the story proceeds, even the short lived humor which tickles you in the prior sequences, starts loosing its appeal. 

With narration getting out of proportion and extremely slow in the second half, it becomes cumbersome to sit through the film after a point. In nut shell the pace of the narration of Joker, is even slower than that of a ninety year old granny on an athletic track. 


Dialogue
Even in dialogues department, Joker has nothing to offer. Besides some bland humor punches, Joker also tries to induce some humor with some funny pick up lines of, Asrani but even that does not merry the masses. 

Acting / Performance
Contrary to his usual style of quick witted and spontaneous humor, in Joker Akshay looks monotonous and repetitive and thoroughly fails in delivering the performance, which is usually expected out of him by the fans. 

Sonakshi seems to be assisting Akshay through out the course of the movie, with no scope to exhibit her acting adroitness. 

As far as the performance of the Shreyas is concerned, then he looked more of a Tusshar Kapoor scion from "Golmaal" trilogy. In first few sequences his acts of speaking gibberish somewhat induces laughter, but later on they turn in to a torment for the audience. 

On the other hand the performance of the supporting cast comprising of Minissha Lamba, Asrani, Vindu Dara Singh, Sanjay Mishra, Vrajesh Hirjee, Pitobash, Darshan Jariwala, Anjan Srivastava, and Avtar Gill further adds on to the plight of the audience.

Music / Lyrics 
Just like many other components, songs of Joker also seemed to be something unnecessarily obtruded, just for heck of it. Music of Joker is neither soothing nor peppy. The only song that may charm you is 'Kafirana', picturised on Chitrangda Singh, where as the remaining songs are incorporated to act as fillers.


BO Potential 
About BO potential of Joker, the only thing which can be expected is that, it has got all the spices in perfect proportion to emerge as one of the biggest BO disaster of 2012. 

Verdict
To sum up, Joker is 105 minutes paid torture, which is meant to end your inclination towards fantasy adventure cine flicks.

Aila, I look like Sachin: Priyanka Chopra

After undergoing a makeover for her next film 'Barfi', Priyanka Chopra thinks her hairstyle is similar to Tendulkar 

In Anurag Basu's next film, Priyanka Chopra plays an autistic young woman. To look her part, PC had to be given quite a different look from her usual self. However after her hair was re-done, the actress thought she looked exactly like Sachin Tendulkar. 


Anurag explains, `To prep up for the role, Priyanka was made to meet several autistic kids. We took a few things from here and there to give her a suitable look. After seeing for the first time how she looked like Jhilmil, her character, PC said, 'Aila, I look like Sachin!'` 

We wonder what Sachin will say to this... 

Bee stung? 


After they appeared on a dance reality show together, there was tongue in cheek buzz about PC's lips looking uncannily similar to Darsheel Safary's


Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Ranveer Singh trashes Salman's 'Ek Tha Tiger' in public

'Band Baaja Baraat' actor pans Salman's latest release saying the film's boring and people who watched it needed a balm for their headaches.

Ranveer Singh may be just two-movies old in the film industry and still not deciphered the code to be successful. But he surely has learnt how to stay in news all the time: By being controversial.

And the youngster whose next film 'Lootera' is set to launch in 2013 seems eager to stir up a hornet's nest. 

On August 21st, Ranveer panned Salman Khan's latest blockbuster 'Ek Tha Tiger', saying he liked only the last 15 minutes of the film. He wrote on the micro-blogging site, `EK THA TIGER felt absolute bore bt (sic) last 15min was magical. nice stunt nd action @beingsalmankhan pra.`


While neither the industry nor Salman's family has responded to the tweets, a Hindi news channel ran a package on the tweet. This seemed to get the 'Band Baaja Baraat' hero excited and he told his over 13 thousand followers on twitter on Tuesday, `Guys switch to aajtak channel fast. U will get to know how fake i am.`

He seemed to be reveling in the role as he added on twitter, `I have criticized 'Ek Tha Tiger' on twitter and a special episode is coming on aaj tak now threatening me. Mai darta nai.`

One would be wrong to think that that was the end of the episode, but Ranveer had other ideas. Upping his criticism of 'Ek Tha Tiger', he tweeted, `While I was passing through a multiplex people aftr seeing EK THA TIGER was asking for TIGER BAAM.` 


The fact that many of his fans were enjoying these tweets was evident in their responses. But while clearly entertaining for his fans, its not clear how these tweets would be received by the film industry and more specifically Salman Khan? After all, Salman is known to hold grudges for a long time.

So, for now, one can only wait and watch since the ball is in 'Salman's court.

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Nathalia dumps Ramu for 'someone else'! Dropped

Ram Gopal Varma has apparently dropped Nathalia Kaur from his next film after buzz that she could soon be getting married to someone else

Word is that Ram Gopal Varma's relationship with his muse Nathalia Kaur has ended. And now we hear that the filmmaker has gone ahead and dropped her from his upcoming film after coming to know that she could soon be tying the knot with someone else. 

Ramu was apparently so mesmerised with the model-turned-actress after he cast her in Department, that he even stated that Nathalia was the `prettiest girl` he had every laid his eyes on. However, now after their romance has ended, Ramu has apparently taken her off his next film starring Rana Daggubati.


Our source says, `It was an open secret that Ramu and Nathalia were dating and to push her career ahead, he was making this film. But now they have parted ways and she will be getting married soon.` 

The source adds that it could also be a possibility that after hearing Nathalia would feature in Jism 3, Ramu decided to do away with her from his film. 

Probably to get over the grief of his relationship getting over, we hear that Ramu is keeping busy with his other films including Bhoot 2, Satya 2 and his upcoming film based on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. While Nathalia remained unavailable for comment, Ramu refused to reply to our SMS.


Ramu banaye jodi

What Ramu tweeted in the past about Nathalia: `The good thing about being shorter than Nathalia Kaur is that u can enjoy her beauty from bottom.` 

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Suniel Shetty's daughter Athiya is Tiger's girl?

Buzz is that Tiger Shroff has got a leading lady in Athiya Shetty for his debut film 'Heropanti'

Suniel and Mana Shetty's daughter Athiya is all set to make her Bollywood debut. The 18-year-old is said to have been cast opposite Jackie Shroff's son Tiger in Heropanti. 

A while ago, when Suniel Shetty walked into an event accompanied by Athiya, apparently there was an immediate beeline of filmmakers wanting to sign the young lady for their films. Looks like Sajid Nadiadwala has beaten everyone else in the race and signed Miss Shetty. 


Our source says, `Athiya apparently always wanted to make a career in Bollywood and even went to the New York Film Academy for a course in filmmaking. Both Suniel and Mana are said to be extremely supportive of their little daughter in her decision to pursue her career as an actress.`


On his part, Suniel Shetty refused to comment on our story and instead asked us to get in touch with his manager, who remained unavailable.

However, the director of Heropanti, Sabbir Khan says, `I'm yet to see the audition tapes, as I was out of town.` Incidentally, Suniel Shetty had worked with Sajid in Waqt Hamara Hai (1993), when the filmmaker was starting his career as a producer. 

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Diana Penty wants Rs 2 crore! Dropped

Buzz is that the 'Cocktail' actress was dropped by hair care brand for demanding the whopping sum 

She may be just one-film old, but looks like Diana Penty has already decided to act pricey in the industry. No wonder that she demanded a bomb to endorse a hair care product. Not happy with her act, the company promptly dropped her like a piece of hot coal. 

Our source says, `Diana is said to be receiving several ad offers after her debut film. A month ago, one such endorsement deal came her way from a big hair care brand. 

The company was keen to have Diana on board, but it was strange that even after having a chat with her representatives, they could not get a proper confirmation from her end.` 


Apparently, Diana reverted to them after a month and quoted a whopping fee of R two crore. 

The source adds, `Finally, the brand had to drop the idea of signing her as the amount she demanded was too high.` Currently, the brand is said to be looking for other options. Diana remained unavailable for comment. 

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Vivek Oberoi leaves Neha Sharma almost in tears

Actors pulling a prank on their co-stars have become almost a norm in Bollywood. And Vivek Oberoi is known for his sense of humour 

On the sets of first-time director Vennil Markan's new film, the actor decided to pull a fast one on Neha Sharma. 

Our source says, `For a particular sequence, Vivek was to carry Neha on his shoulders. Vivek kept complaining about a pain in the back. Neha was very careful not to exert pressure on his back. But Vivek started moaning in pain after a while. ` 

The actor even accused Neha of hurting his back. 

According to the source, Neha was about to burst into tears when Vivek and the crew told her the truth. Director Vennil says, `Neha has no hang-ups. She took everything in a sporting manner. ` 

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

First Look: Soha gets 'Molested'

Soha Ali Khan recently had to shoot for an uncomfortable scene that left her physically hurt and emotionally drained 

Recently Soha Ali Khan had to film a very uncomfortable scene. In fact, the actress requested the director to shoot the molestation sequence within closed doors, without allowing any still photographer to be present in the room.


In her upcoming film based on child trafficking, she plays an NRI, who gets molested by a group of goons. Our source says, `Soha was emotionally drained while shooting the sequence. In this particular scene, the goons drag her down to the floor and rip off her shirt and manhandle her.`

Producer Vibha Dutta Khosla adds that being a thorough professional, Soha understood that the scene was essential to the storyline and immediately agreed to shoot for it.


Assistant director Ramzan who was present during the shoot says, `While doing the scene, Soha was badly bruised and even had to take medical aid.` 

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Olympic village host to 'huge sex party'

Athletes have turned the Olympic village into a sex party hub for week two of the Games.

Sportspersons are letting off steam with saucy sessions in their private rooms and wild parties.

After years of training for sporting perfection, the elite athletes have been partying like revellers on a beach holiday.

But they ensure that "what goes on in the village stays in the village."

"At night the bar is pretty buzzing already. I'm not sure how it's going to cope when we all finish," the Daily Star quoted Harry Martin, Team GB hockey player as saying.

And South African 100m freestyle swimmer Leith Shankland, 21, said that everyone is having a great time.

"Everyone is going out with everyone and having a good time. We haven't been allowed to go out for two months, so it's a great release. For me it's one of the best experiences I've had in my life," Shankland said.

Before the games American swimming ace Ryan Lochte, 28, had revealed that three-quarters of Olympians get steamy between the sheets after their competition finishes.

Michael Phelps admits to peeing in the pool

Michael Phelps has admitted to being guilty of peeing in the pool and thinks that everybody does the same.

According to Wall Street Journal, the 27-year-old swimming superstar, who has retired from competitive swimming after his success in the London Olympics, said that professional swimmers didn't bother clambering out to search for a toilet.

"I think everybody pees in the pool," Sports 24.com quoted him as saying.

"It's kind of a normal thing to do with swimmers. You know, when we're in the water for two hours we don't really get out, you know, to pee.

"We just go whenever we're on the wall. Chlorine kills it so it's not bad," he added.

Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals, which include a haul of 18 gold medals.

I've sworn off men until November: Pamela

Pamela Anderson has revealed that she has imposed a season-long celibacy on herself to perform well in the upcoming series of Dancing with the Stars.

The 45-year-old actress has said that she only has room for one man in her life during the stint - her dance partner.

"I've sworn off men until November," News.com.au quoted her as telling People magazine.

The former Baywatch star will be competing in the All-Stars edition of the show, a follow-up performance from her 2010 DWTS appearance, in which she finished in seventh.

She has also vowed to "rehearse a lot more and try to stay out of trouble because I'm a self-sabotager.

Olympians who cry most after winning revealed

The London Olympics have been an emotional ride for both the athletes and their families - whether you are Michael Phelps or his mother.

The Wall Street Journal reviewed the tape of 129 gold-medal winners from the London Games to find out what happens most often.

About 16 percent of them cried at some point during the ceremony.

Another 16 percent either bit or kissed their medal on the podium, while 44 percent sang along with their anthem-sometimes through a stream of tears.

Women cry more than men-25 percent compared to 8 percent-but many of the men who did cry seriously lost it.

South Africa's Chad le Clos needed tissues after he beat Phelps in the 200-meter butterfly, while the Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez was a complete wreck after winning the 400-meter hurdles.

North Korea's Un Guk Kim jumped in celebration of his new world record in the men's 62-kg weightlifting competition.

Among the three countries with the most gold medals thus far, China cries the least, with only 7 percent of its athletes succumbing to tears.

More than 17 percent of American winners cried, while a whopping 37.5 percent of athletes from host country Great Britain cried.

Since they weren't crying, the Chinese also sang the most: 92 percent of their athletes belted out the anthem, compared to 61 percent from Great Britain and 44 percent from the US.

Comedy legend Bolt: Will you run 200m for me?

Olympic legend Usain Bolt had joked around with trackside volunteers before his historic 200m gold medal triumph, asking one of them whether she would race instead of him.

Bolt larked about with trackside volunteers Chantel Grey and Glen Toonga, moments before the starter's orders as they took care of the athletes' belongings.

Chantel has revealed that when Bolt asked her to take his place, she got nervous at the first place, but the Jamaican sprinter then joked around to make her feel better.

"Usain asked me, 'How are you doing today?' I couldn't believe he was talking to me. I said I was feeling nervous for him because he had a big race," The Sun quoted Chantel, as saying.

"He then said to me jokingly, 'Do you want to run the race for me?' I couldn't stop smiling as the world's fastest man was talking to me," she added.

"To have a joke and a laugh with Usain Bolt takes my Olympic experience to a whole new level," she said.

Bolt also touched fists with Toonga before he became the first man in history to successfully defend both the 100m and 200m titles.

Toonga said: "I'm not going to wash for days."

Egg yolks almost as bad as smoking for heart

Eating egg yolks accelerates atherosclerosis, also called coronary artery disease, in a manner similar to smoking cigarettes, say researchers.

Dr. David Spence of Western University, Canada, and his team surveyed more than 1200 patients and found that regular consumption of egg yolks is about two-thirds as bad as smoking when it comes to increased build-up of carotid plaque, a risk factor for stroke and heart attack.

Atherosclerosis is a disorder of the arteries where plaques, aggravated by cholesterol, form on the inner arterial wall. Plaque rupture is the usual cause of most heart attacks and many strokes.

The study looked at data from 1231 men and women, with a mean age of 61.5, who were patients attending vascular prevention clinics at London Health Sciences Centre's University Hospital.

The researchers found carotid plaque area increased linearly with age after age 40, but increased exponentially with pack-years of smoking and egg yolk-years. In other words, compared to age, both tobacco smoking and egg yolk consumption accelerate atherosclerosis. The study also found those eating three or more yolks a week had significantly more plaque area than those who ate two or fewer yolks per week.

"The mantra 'eggs can be part of a healthy diet for healthy people' has confused the issue. It has been known for a long time that a high cholesterol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular events, and egg yolks have a very high cholesterol content. In diabetics, an egg a day increases coronary risk by two to five-fold," said Dr. Spence, a Professor of Neurology at Western's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry and the Director of its Stroke Prevention and Atherosclerosis Research Centre (SPARC) at the Robarts Research Institute.

"What we have shown is that with aging, plaque builds up gradually in the arteries of Canadians, and egg yolks make it build up faster - about two-thirds as much as smoking. In the long haul, egg yolks are not okay for most Canadians," he stated.

Dr. Spence added the effect of egg yolk consumption over time on increasing the amount of plaque in the arteries was independent of sex, cholesterol, blood pressure, smoking, body mass index and diabetes.

And while he said more research should be done to take in possible confounders such as exercise and waist circumference, he stresses that regular consumption of egg yolk should be avoided by persons at risk of cardiovascular disease.

The research has been published online in the journal Atherosclerosis.

Vivek Oberoi leaves Neha Sharma almost in tears

Actors pulling a prank on their co-stars have become almost a norm in Bollywood. And Vivek Oberoi is known for his sense of humour 

On the sets of first-time director Vennil Markan's new film, the actor decided to pull a fast one on Neha Sharma. 

Our source says, `For a particular sequence, Vivek was to carry Neha on his shoulders. Vivek kept complaining about a pain in the back. Neha was very careful not to exert pressure on his back. But Vivek started moaning in pain after a while. ` 

The actor even accused Neha of hurting his back. 

According to the source, Neha was about to burst into tears when Vivek and the crew told her the truth. Director Vennil says, `Neha has no hang-ups. She took everything in a sporting manner. ` 

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

First Look: When Poonam takes a bath, India sweats it out!

The starlet recently posted online pictures of her splashing around in a bubble bath

Taking a bath is one of the most essential functions of our mundane lives. But what heats up the mercury is when a hot actor like Poonam Pandey splashes around in a bubble bath warming the hearts of millions across the world. 

White porcelain turns to sheer gold, when the dusky star sprawls her limbs in a sensuous bath that may seem relaxing to Poonam, but to the desi male it just increases their heartbeats. 

The sensuous pictures hit Twitter this morning and turned a lazy Sunday into a scorcher of a day. It was hot in the morning and its burning by the afternoon. 


A little birdies tells us that Poonam is gearing up for her big Bollywood debut, and her bathing postures are just a hint of what to expect in the sensuous film. Poonam, who is never inhibited from speaking her mind, will be seen in a super bold avatar that will rewrite Bollywood history. 

Better keep the bath water ready, you will need some if you can't handle the super hot Poonam.

Item Girl Richa!

The actress recently shot for an item song composed by the RDB in Akshay Chaubey's untitled directorial venture 

After portraying de-glam roles in all the three feature films she has appeared in so far, Richa Chadha did what she has never attempted before. She recently shot for an item song composed by the British Punjabi band RDB in Akshay Chaubey's untitled directorial venture. 

With an acting career that has her playing characters way too older than her actual age, she found the whole experience a welcome change from her usual drama-driven act. And she enjoyed it thoroughly as well!

Speaking about her experience, Richa explains why she opted for an item number, `I agreed to the song only because Akshay asked me to.

Also, he's one of the very few in the industry who knows that I can dance. The pub-type number was catchy and I learned my moves within a couple of hours when the cahoreographer had scheduled an eight-hour shift to teach me the whole thing!`

Incidentally, Akshay and Richa go back a long way. The debutant director who assisted Dibakar Banerjee during the making of Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! is also a friend of the actress' brother and has known her for quite a long time now. Both hail from New Delhi and even the song is set in the neighbourhood that the two grew up in. 

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com