Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar power at the Box Office

Aamir Khan started the trend of pre-booking tickets months in advance, for his film Talaash. Now following his footsteps, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar have put up their films Dabangg 2 and Khiladi 786, for grabs.

Says an insider, “More and more filmmakers have now started doing that when it comes to biggies starring the Top-5 superstars we have in the country today.”“Aamir started it and Shah Rukh Khan as well as Ajay Devgn followed for Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Son Of Sardaar respectively. Their fans rejoiced as they could confirm their tickets weeks in advance for that much awaited First Day First Show. With multiplex count as well as number of available shows increasing in a massive way over last one year, a concept like this has started benefiting everyone,” added the insider.

Presently, only PVR are offering pre-bookings. However, other multiplex chains are soon expected to follow.

Says an expert, “They would have to. Even though both Salman and Akshay are starring in quintessential ‘masala’ affairs which would have a massive presence amongst the single screen audience, they are not alienating multiplexes. On the contrary they are arriving in a huge way. This is the reason why tickets of their films are already been made available even though they are two to four weeks away from release.”

Well, now this is called star power, where even multiplexes are willing to keep a number of screens aside well in advance.

Bollywood Top 5 most trending tracks

Snoop Dogg explains his vote for Obama on Instagram

Snoop Dogg has given a list explaining why he’s voting Barack Obama over Mitt Romney.

A pro-con list originally by DragonFlyJonez, which has been posted to the 40-year-old rapper’s Instagram account, is full of reasons unlikely to be heard of anywhere anywhere else on the campaign trail.

Among the justifications for not voting for Romney “This motherf---a’s name is Mitt,” “B---h got a dancing horse” and “He reminds me of every boss I’ve ever hated.”

Dogg, who recently changed his name to Snoop Lion, is a big Obama fan.

“He wears a durag like me,” the Huffington Post quoted the list as saying.

The rapper-cum-reggae-artist has endorsed the President before, saying that four years are not enough time to turn things around for the country.

Brangelina bid goodbye to Brit neighbours with fish ‘n’ chip supper

Brad Pitt treated all of his UK neighbours to fish and chips as a farewell gift, before he returned to the US.

The actor has been living in Surrey, South England with his fiancee Angelina Jolie and their six children for the past few months while she shot the movie ''Maleficent'' and he worked on ''The Counselor'', and ''World War Z''.

Brad popped down to Pitch ‘n’ Chip in Virginia Water, Surrey, with two bodyguards, who placed the order for him.

“Brad and Angelina wanted to say thank you to their neighbours,” the Sun quoted a source as saying.

“They normally go for posh dinners, but as Americans they love the traditional British stuff too.

“It’s not like their normal diet but they fancied a bit of a change,” the source added.

Mel Brooks set to receive life achievement award

The American Film Institute is presenting screen legend Mel Brooks with its highest honour - the Life Achievement Award.

The 86-year-old writer and director, whose comedy classics include ‘The Producers,’ ‘Blazing Saddles,’ ‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘History of the World: Part I’ will be receiving the award at a gala tribute next June, AFI announced on Friday, CBS News reported.

Brooks is the 41st recipient of the award, which has previously been given to Hollywood legends like Orson Welles, Bette Davis, Elizabeth Taylor, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and Morgan Freeman.

He is also one of only 14 people to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.

Lady Gaga to be awarded John Lennon peace prize

 

Lady Gaga will share a biennial peace prize in memory of John Lennon to honour her work campaigning for equality for gay, lesbian and transgender people.

 

The American singer has been chosen along with four others - including Russian punk band Pussy Riot and the late writer Christopher Hitchens - to receive the biennial LennonOno Grant For Peace.

 

Gaga is expected to accept the award and a donation from Lennon''s widow, Yoko Ono, in Reykjavik, Iceland, on October 9 - the birthday of John Lennon and his son, Sean, Stuff.co.nz reported.

 

Ono said in a statement Friday that while Gaga is "one of the biggest living artists of our time" she is also an activist whose album Born This Way altered "the mental map of the world."

Gabriel Aubry Arrested After Brawl with Olivier Martine

Due to his fowl behavior, this is anything but a pleasant Thanksgiving for Gabriel Aubry, as Halle Berry's ex got into it this morning with Halle Berry's fiance, actor Olivier Martinez.

According to TMZ sources, Aubry arrived at Berry's residence to drop off the couple's daughter, Nahla, and simply "went nuts."

It's unclear what preceded the fisticuffs, but Aubry got into a brawl with Martinez and ended up in the hospital. He was later arrested for battery.

Berry and others were allegedly present for the fight, which Martinez appeared to win. How do we know?

He didn't go to the hospital.

Aubry and Berry battled in court for many months because the latter wanted to move to France with Martinez and Nahla. The judge's response? NON!

So at least Aubry came out on top of one battle between these turkeys.

UPDATE: Insiders now tell TMZ that Martinez KNOCKED AUBRY UNCONSCIOUS and that Berry will likely seek a protective order against her ex, in relation to herself, Olivier and Nahla.

UPDATE: A judge has issued the protection order. Aubry must stay 100 yards away from Berry, Olivier and Nahla. It also looks like Martinez did go to the ER an hour after Aubry and was treated for at least a broken hand.

The X Factor Results: Fowl Play?

We are down to eight contestants on The X Factor.

The Fox competition scoffed in the face of family and football tonight, airing a results show that ended with two more acts being cut and the team of Britney Spears suffering mightily as a result.

First up immediately? Arin Ray got the axe as the contestant with the lowest number of overall votes.

"I think you should just take this as a learning experience," Britney coldly told her charge after the announcement.

• 
  CeCe Frey - "Because of You"
• 
  Beatrice Miller - "White Flag"

From there, following a performance by Cher Lloyd, the identity of the bottom two was revealed. Beatice Miller and CeCe Frey.

The former went with Dido and the latter Kelly Clarkson (above) for their respective survival songs, as only Spears sided with Miller, making Beatrice Miller the second singer eliminated on the evening.

So we're down to eight, with Carly Rose Sonenclar the new overall votes leader. Do you agree with that result?

And are the proper eight moving on?

Ranbir Kapoor-Imran Khan in Mere Apne remake?

Producer Sunil Bohra wishes to cast Ranbir and Imran in his official remake of the original 1971 hit film directed by Gulzar and starring Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha with Meena Kumari

Thanks to the new trend of remakes that reincarnates classic movies, oldies like Agneepath andZanjeer get a fresh coat of gloss. But every remake can’t be as entertaining and successful as the original and sometimes old is indeed gold. For the past few years, Bollywood has been serving up old wine in new bottles, with several filmmakers trying to cash in on the successful ‘shortcut’ formula instead of coming up with new and original stories. The latest to join the remake bandwagon is producer Sunil Bohra, who has bought the remake rights of what’s considered to be one of Gulzar’s finest films so far: Mere Apne.

The ecstatic producer who bought the rights of the story for a whopping Rs 1 crore said that appropriate changes would be made in the script apropos changing times. Though the cast is not finalised yet, there are talks that Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan will reprise the popular characters – Shyam and Chainu, essayed all those years ago by powerhouse actors Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha. The original movie also starred Meena Kumari, if you recall. Interestingly, megastar Amitabh Bachchanhas been roped in to play a pivotal role in the remake – could he be doing the role the tragedy queen played, with an appropriate sex change, of course?

The yesteryear classic was instrumental in shooting Shatrughan Sinha’s career up to a new high; remember his popular line – ‘Shyam se keh dena ke Chainu aaya tha.’ We wonder which one, Ranbir or Imran, will eventually get to say that iconic line. Can you predict the voice, people?

Sajid Khan, happy 41st birthday!

As the director turns a year older today, we wish him many many happy returns of the day

Born on November 23, 1975, Sajid Khan started his career as a director in 2006, by working on a short film in Darna Zaroori Hai. Before Khan donned the hat of a filmmaker, he was a popular television host.

Currently, Sajid is busy with his next film Himmatwala (2013) starring Ajay Devgn and Tamannaah. With this movie, the director will be seen stepping out of his comfort zone by trying his hand at action. Although we hear that the film will have traces of Sajid’s signature slapstick humour too, he is making sure that this flick is drastically different from his previous projects. We also hear that he is dating Race 2 bombshell Jacqueline Fernandez. Quite a lucky guy, eh!

Be it award functions or interview sessions, Sajid is known for doling out spicy quotes and controversial tidbits, which has often landed him into trouble. But we hope he continues to be as entertaining and enterprising as he usually is, and has a complete blast on his birthday!

Is Kareena Kapoor okay with adding Khan to her surname?

The actor reveals her thoughts on her famous new last name

“How can I not be Khan? Agreed everyone knows me as Kareena Kapoor. But my passport will have my name as Kareena Kapoor Khan. I never shied away from the fact that I’m in love and married. In fact, it’s a time to celebrate the fact that after five years of courtship, the relationship with Saif (Ali Khan) has culminated into something beautiful.”

Will Aditya Chopra be successful as the new head of Yash Raj Films?

What is the future of Yash Raj Films? Will Aditya Chopra take over and be successful? How well will his directorial ventures do? How will other directors fare under the YRF banner? How will Aditya and Shahrukh Khan’s relationship develop now that Yash Chopra is no more? The cards explain it all…

With the unfortunate passing of Yash Chopra, the card’s depict Aditya Chopra as the Knight of Swords and the Ten of Wands – explaining the burden of loss he feels, and the weight of responsibility of now having to spearhead certain areas of life where he was earlier dependent on his father. Over the course of the next 10 months, he will definitely manage to pull himself together, and ease into the new roles. The Knight of Cups shows that he will be well supported by Uday Chopra – in fact the energy and emotional support from his brother will be immense.

But will all this amount to further success for the Yash Raj banner?

There is tremendous growth for YRF in the years ahead. The Two of Cups, The Hierophant and the Four of Wands are cards that represent new alliances, further streamlining of ideas, and stronger foundation building exercises for the company. All this will go off very well, and with the Ten of Pentaclesappearing, money will flow better into the company. Certain obvious precautions need to be taken, such as proper legal paper work and agreements will have to be drawn up with new alliances.

New films with new directors will eventually do well, but with the revelation of the Seven of Cups and theDevil card, it is important for these new makers to be better focused and realistic with their film making approach. A majority of the films will do well, but there will be those that won’t – this can be avoided if YRF provides them with better guidance. Another tip: With the Empress appearing, it would be profitable to take on female directors.

It will be highly beneficial for YRF and Aditya Chopra if he directs or releases his next film in 2014, but until then the Hanged Man represents delay and a genuine desire to not direct immediately. After the next 12 months, Aditya will feel stable enough to direct a successful venture. Until then, the Shahrukh Khan-Aditya Chopra equation will go through changes and will require better communication, especially as the Magician and the Six of Wands show triumph and a growing respect for one another over the course of the coming year.

Overall, the YRF banner, Aditya Chopra and all those looking to associate themselves with the company, will end up being a part of its upcoming glory and momentum.

Sherlyn Chopra’s Kamasutra 3D unveiled!

A sneak peek of the Playboy gal’s erotic venture was showcased at the NFDC Film Bazaar 2012

Sherlyn Chopra, the controversial babe, who recently posed nude for the men’s magazine Playboy in Los Angeles, will now have a dhamekedaar release to look forward to next year. Director Rupesh Paul is making a film, Kamasutra 3D, based on Vatsayayana’s world renowned ancient sex-guide. And Chopra of course has bagged a meaty role in this project.

The first look of the movie was unveiled at NFDC’s Film Bazaar which is being held on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) this year, in Goa. The controversial film based on the most debated ancient text, is sure to generate more frenzy in the days to come. Hence, to keep it away from all unwarranted attention, Paul has decided to shoot some of the bold scenes in Hollywood. The rest of the project and its songs have been shot in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai.

And now with the first trailer of the film released, we are sure everyone is eagerly awaiting to see the spicy end product of Sherlyn’s ‘hard’ work.

Bigg Boss 6: Rakhi Sawant to enter the house…again!

The item girl seems to have become an in-house guest contestant for almost all seasons of this celebrity reality show. And we mull over the reason that keeps this lady so attached to the glass-walled residence

Salman Khan started promoting Bigg Boss 6 by saying ‘alag che’ (it’s different). And admittedly, this season did appear a tad hatke with the bland but new mud house finding its way into the show that is peopled by folks who are as bland and new. But guess what, entering this new settlement tonight will be one of the stalest ex-contestants of Bigg Boss – Rakhi Sawant. Yawn!

Seriously, haven’t we seen all her gimmicks yet? Well, maybe not. We haven’t witnessed Rakhi in the avatar of a gaon ki chhori in the mud house, have we? But apart from her clothes – traditional Indian (hopefully modest) attire to go with the theme – and the lack of swanky facilities, will anything else be different? We don’t think so, frankly.

So why did the makers of Bigg Boss think that inviting Rakhi into the house – for the umpteenth time, – was a brilliant idea? Oh wait, did we say ‘Rakhi Sawant’? And isn’t that name synonymous with TRPs? Hmmm….so there, now you know why!

But while you get ready to make way for the TRP queen, do you think Bigg Boss 6 will be successful in grabbing eyeballs with this attempt, or will the audience doze off to sleep after seeing Rakhi make yet another desperate-for-attention statement?

You tell us!

Can Aamir Khan and ACP Pradyuman solve the Red Suitcase Murders case?

The perfectionist actor introduces Inspector Shekhawat to his audience in today’s special episode of Sony’s most popular crime thriller

The actor-turned-producer, who has been missing from action since the last two years, returns with a suspense thriller Talaash next week. And ever since the news about Aamir Khan choosing the longest running show – CID (on Sony entertainment channel) to promote Talaash spread like wildfire, his fans have been waiting with bated breath to watch their favourite actor on television. Reportedly, Aamir will also promote his film on Star Plus’ reigning soaps.

In today’s special Talaash episode of CID, you will get to see ACP Pradyuman and Inspector Shekhawat join hands to solve the mysterious Red Suitcase Murders case. The CID team is shocked with the news of big red suitcases containing bodies of police officers found in public places across the city. So the CID team takes help of a fearless and honest cop, Inspector Shekhawat, who has had an interesting tryst with a serial killer in the past. So will ACP Pradyuman throw his darwaza tod do (break the door) orders at Aamir this time around, instead of his loyal officer Daya?

And the ultimate questions remains – Will Aamir’s Shekhawat act help the puzzled CID team nab the killer? Tune in to watch the special one-hour thrilling episode tonight!