EntCon

Struggle and the Actor

2009-09-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

There are two kind of Actors working in Entertainment Industry, one with a inheritance of entertainment in their blood, (we get this if your relative or parents are working in the entertainment industry) and other without it (They have to pass litmus test at every stage of their career, atleast for the first couple of years to prove their talent).

In today's column, I will not discuss about the first class of actors but the second one (Don't have any inheritance of Entertainment Industry). Entertainment world is very proud that it has given equal opportunity to every lover of the entertainment to prove his/her talent in the world of Showbiz.

I don't have information regarding the Actors who have struggled before achieving the stardom in Entertainment world. But, I would love to know this from readers, if they know anyone of this breed.

Let's have a healthy discussion on this topic. Everyone is free to give his/her feedback on this topic.

"It is good to be Entertained"

The best detective movies of all time

2009-09-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

Movies and the mood are the two sides of same coin. If you are having a bad mood, you can go for action, emotional or comedy movie. (Everything depends upon the mental setup of movie lover). You can't watch same type of movies all the time, if you are true entertainment lover. But one thing is sure mood plays very important role, when it comes to movies.

If it is raining outside and you are in mood of watching something thriller, suspense, action or drama, I would recommend you to go for "Detective movie". 'Detective Movies' are full of action, suspense and drama......God, I love them. 'Detective movies' are all about time and patience.....If you are in hurry, then you will never enjoy detective movie.

In this column, I would try to throw some light on "Best detective movies of all time". Some movies are very old for this generation but they are still considered 'masterpiece', when it comes to action, suspense and drama.

The best detective movies of all time are:

1. The Maltese Falcon (1941).....King of all 'Detective Movies'
2. Se7en (1995).... My Favorite one
3. Chinatown (1974).....One of the best role played by 'Jack Nicholson'
4. L.A. Confidential (1997)....'Guy Pierce' at his best.
5. The Silence of The Lambs (1991).....Female detective at her best
6. Someone to Watch Over Me (1987)
7. The Big Sleep (1946)

All of the above movies are must for every movie lover. If you have not seen any of these movie, then start with "Se7en", it is light and full of 'suspense & action'.

Keep reading and giving your feedback.

"It is good to be entertained"

Entertainment News: First three days of the week

2009-09-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

1. Oscar changes voting method for best picture: The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced a new voting procedure on Tuesday for the best picture Oscar nominees. The preferential voting system, in which Academy voters will rank their favorites in order of preference, is designed to accommodate the increase in best film nominees from five to 10 that was announced earlier this year. "Instead of just marking an X to indicate which one picture they believe to be the best, members will indicate their second, third and further preferences as well," Academy president Tom Sherak said......Good news for entertainment lovers, specially movie lovers.

2. Hoax video of Michael Jackson creates online stir: A hoax video purportedly showing Michael Jackson emerging from a coroner's van was an experiment aimed at showing how quickly misinformation and conspiracy theories can race across the Internet, German broadcaster RTL said Tuesday. The video was posted by RTL on YouTube for a single day a week ago and received 880,000 hits. The broadcaster has since removed the video from YouTube, but it has been picked up by other Web sites around the world. "We wanted to show how easily users can be manipulated on the Internet with hoax videos," spokeswoman Heike Schultz of Cologne-based RTL told The Associated Press. "Therefore, we created this video of Michael Jackson being alive, even though everybody knows by now that he is dead - and the response was breathtaking"........This shows the increasing power of web 2.0 application.

3. ‘Mad Men’ Is Renewed: “Mad Men,” the hit AMC period drama about a New York advertising agency, has been picked up for a fourth season, the cable channel said on Tuesday. “Mad Men” has been the cornerstone of AMC’s gradually expanding lineup of original programming. The show, starring, 'John Slattery' and 'Jon Hamm', won the Emmy Award for dramatic series the year after its premiere in 2007, and it is nominated for 16 more Emmys this month, including outstanding drama. In August the debut episode of its third season was the highest-rated “Mad Men” broadcast to date, drawing 2.8 million viewers. A premiere date for the fourth season has not been announced.

4. Madonna turns director-producer: Pop star 'Madonna', who acted in 1996 movie 'Evita', is now ready to go behind the camera with 'Wallis' - a film she will direct and produce. The film is about the twice-divorced American socialite 'Wallis Simpson' for whom Edward VIII gave up the throne, reported thesun.co.uk. The 51-year-old is trying to get 'David Tennant' and 'Cate Blanchett' to do the project.The final script is now written and the locations have been scouted. Madonna is now trying to assemble the cast and put the finances in place.

5. HBO Show for Scorsese: Martin Scorsese has been tapped by HBO to do more real-life work. He’ll be an executive producer of that cable channel’s new series “Boardwalk Empire,” HBO said on Tuesday in a news release. The series has been ordered for a 2010 debut. Steve Buscemi stars in the drama as Nucky Thompson, a man described as “equal parts politician and gangster,” who runs Atlantic City during the Prohibition era. 'Michael Pitt', 'Kelly Macdonald' and 'Michael Shannon' will also be featured in the series, for which Mr. Scorsese directed the pilot episode........Good news for Martin Scorsese fans. I love his work.....

6. Andy Lau apologizes for lying about marriage: Veteran Hong Kong actor-singer Andy Lau has apologized for lying about his marriage, saying he behaved inappropriately for a public figure. Lau denied that he was married in an interview with Hong Kong's Cable TV in February, but Hong Kong journalists last week discovered marriage records from the Clark County Recorder's Office in the U.S. state of Nevada that showed the 47-year-old star had wed Malaysian girlfriend Carol Chu in June 2008. Lau confirmed the nuptials in a brief message on his Web site late Saturday, saying he did not announce the marriage because he wanted to shield Chu from the press.....Paparazzi and stars are both friend and foe of each other :-)

7. Madonna wrapping up world tour in Israel: Madonna brought her mix of provocative music and spirituality to the Holy Land with a concert Tuesday in front of 50,000 fans who had endured a 16-year wait since the pop icon's last gig in Israel. Madonna is wrapping up her worldwide "Sticky & Sweet" tour with two concerts this week in a country whose place at the heart of the Mideast conflict has made it more of a magnet for diplomats than big-name performers.

8. Matt Damon to receive Lifetime Achievement Award: Oscar winning actor Matt Damon is all set to receive an honour for his contribution to the world of cinema. According to Variety, the actor will be presented the American Cinematheque Award at a ceremony next March, reports the Daily Express. The 38-year-old actor started his career with 1997 hit Good Will Hunting, which he co-scripted with pal Ben Affleck.
Previous recipients of the award include actor 'Samuel L. Jackson' and 'Julia Roberts' have been the previous recipients of the prestigious award......Isn't he too young for this award.

9. Dev D's call girl to walk the red carpet: Remember the call girl from the film 'Dev D', who could seduce in four languages, is all set to sizzle at Venice. The Bollywood actress, 'Kalki Koechlin' of French origin, played the role of 'Chandramukhi' in director 'Anurag Kashyap's' movie 'Dev D'. The movie was a modern take on 'Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's' Bengali novel 'Devdas'. Now, the movie will be screened at the upcoming Venice film festival and the actress known for her full pout will walk the red carpet with director 'Anurag Kashyap'. They have already declared there love in public. Unlike other Bollywood celebs, 'Kalki' has chosen Indian designer to dress her up. Designer 'Preeti S Kapoor' has designed a gown in green tone for the petite actress.

"Its good to be entertained"

Sources:
1. Hindustan Times
2. New-York Times
3. Washington Post

Rise & Fall: The Beatles, Part-2

2009-09-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Controversies & The Fall:

In Year 1966 'Beatles' entered into controversy, when they unintentionally snubbed first lady 'Imelda Marcos' of Philippines during a tour. "The Beatles" were somehow able to save their lives during the tour. Same year "The Beatles" entered into another controversy because of the comments made by "John Lennon" towards Christianity.

In year 1968 "The Beatles" visited their Guru "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi" at his Ashram in Rishikesh, India. This visit was also full of controversies.....At the end of their three months stay, "The Beatles" were unsatisfied because of the mismatch between their expectations and the reality at the Ashram........Divisions and dissent had started to drive the group apart. 'Ringo Starr' quit the band for a period, leaving 'Paul McCartney' to perform drums on several tracks.

During the period of 1969-70, "The Beatles" starting falling apart on various issues related to finance. "The Beatles" recorded their final album, 'Abbey Road' in the summer of 1969. The completion of the song "I Want You" for the album on 20 August 1969, was the last time all four Beatles were together in the same studio.

"John Lennon" announced his departure to the rest of the group on 20 September 1969. This was followed by "Paul McCartney's" publicly announced his departure on 10 April 1970. After this all members of the band pursued their individual music careers. "John Lennon" was was shot and killed on "8 December 1980" in New-York City......Others members are still active.

"It is good to be entertained"

Rise & Fall: The Beatles, Part-1

2009-08-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

Letus be frank, I don't know ABC of 'Rock & Pop' music, but I was introduced to it with a song "Don't let me down" by "The Beatles" few years back. My knowledge about 'Rock & Pop' music started with this lovely song. Since then, I think my knowledge of 'Rock & Pop' music has increased many fold.

Today's column is dedicated to the greatest 'Rock & Pop' band in the history of entertainment, "The Beatles". Music Bands may come and go, but no one can replace "The Beatles", they are beyond comparison. Arguably the most successful entertainers of the 20th century, "The Beatles" contributed to music, film, literature, art, and fashion, made a continuous impact on popular culture and the lifestyle of several generations..... Remember the hippie generation of 1960's and 1970's.

The Rise:

On March 1957, 'John Lennon' formed a group 'The Quarrymen'. In July of the same year, 'Lennon' met 'Paul McCartney', who agreed to join as a guitarist. 'George Harrison' was the next who joined the group as a lead guitarist. First couple of years were on and off for "The Beatles" till 1963 when Band toured UK four times. Public response was great, performances were attended with enthusiasm by the fans.

In year 1964 "The Beatles" made a tour to United States, which was like a dream. They gave their first live television performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show", which was watched by approximately seventy-four million viewers.......Representing the half population of United States at the time.
Popularity of "The Beatles" generated unprecedented interest in the British music, which helped the other Bands of UK in establishing their identity. Following years "The Beatles" toured various countries across globe.

"The Beatles" performed in movies like "A Hard Day's Night", "Help !" and "Magical Mystery Tour" during 1960's. All of the movies received positive response except "Magical Mystery Tour". Success of the Band continued for the entire decade of 1960's.

Fall and the gossips around "The Beatles" will be published tomorrow.....

Keep reading....

"Its good to be entertained"

Entertainment News of the week

2009-08-28T08:57:00.000-07:00

Entertainment Industry is always full of Gossips, you just name it......Sex, Affairs, Cat-fights, Paparazzi, Porn, Drugs, Rehab, everything is common in 'Entertainment World'. Sometimes stories are cooked to get publicity, sometimes they are real...Having a very thin line of difference ! Column on 'Entertainment news of the week' will be published once a week under this blog. News from both 'East and West' will be published under this column.

Entertainment News of week:

1. Puri(India) seer demands ban on 'Kaminey': The seer strongly objected to a scene in the movie, where the phrase 'Apna Hath Jagannath', is written above a poster showing a scantily clad woman on the wall of a public toilet....Very common in India.

2. Actress Shilpa Shetty will marry Raj in autumn: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who became a household name after her win on the reality show "Big Brother" in 2007, is set to marry businessman Raj Kundra this autumn, her father has revealed in an application to an Indian court.....Common Shilpa, let-us do this time (I mean Marriage).

3. Madonna receives death threat in Serbia: Pop diva Madonna has received death threats during her ongoing 'Sticky & Sweet' world tour in Serbia as reported by 'contactmusic.com'. The star took extra precautions after receiving threatening messages from Balkan fanatics, hiring a posse of bodyguards to protect her as she took the stage in the Serbian capital for the first time.

4. MJ referred to lethal propofol as 'milk': Investigators looking into Michael Jackson’s death have revealed that the King of Pop referred to drug propofol, which allegedly was the cause of his demise, as 'milk'......What is cooking there, I don't know.

5. Pitt punished by Angelina for smoking pot: An angry Angelina Jolie has ‘sentenced’ Brad Pitt to sleep on the couch after learning that he still smokes pot (marijuana)......Is Angelina not able to forget "Jennifer Aniston".

6. "Lagaan" is listed among top 100 Albums: The soundtrack of 'Lagaan', composed by double Oscar winner 'A.R Rahman', has been listed among the 100 Greatest World Music Albums of All Time by a popular website. (Time Magazine)

7. Miss Universe 2009: Venezuela makes history at the Miss Universe pageant by winning the crown for the second year running. As Miss Venezuela "Stefania Fernandez" takes home the Miss Universe 2009 crown, the first runner-up title is shared by Miss Australia 'Rachael Finch' and Miss Puerto Rico 'Mayra Matos Perez', with the title of second runner-up going to Miss Kosovo 'Gona Dragusha'.

8. "Sergei V. Mikhalkov", Lyricist of Soviet and Russian Anthems dies at 96: Sergei V. Mikhalkov, a Russian poet and writer who rose at the height of the Stalinist era to the apex of the Soviet literary hierarchy, eventually writing the lyrics to the Soviet and Russian national anthems, died in Moscow on Thursday at the age of 96.

9. Sharon Stone defends right to strip: Hollywood superstar Sharon Stone has blasted off critics of her topless pictures, saying that the right to strip does not lie with young actresses only. The 'Basic Instinct' star has bared all for the cover of French fashion magazine 'Paris Match' sporting nothing but bondage heels and underwear for the provocative shoot. The 51-year-old actress is adamant that she has every right to show off her body without facing harsh criticism about her age.....She still looks great at 51.

10. Jamie Foxx brings music, laughs to New Orleans: Just two days shy of the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, entertainer Jamie Foxx brought some music and laughter to New Orleans with his "Blame It" tour. Foxx joked with the enthusiastic crowd of thousands at the New Orleans Arena on Thursday night. At one point he pulled women from the mostly female audience on stage to dance with him.

11. Bullock wants to star in The Hangover 2: Hollywood actress Sandra Bullock has expressed her desire to join actor Bradely Cooper in The Hangover 2. The actress asked Cooper if she could have a part in the sequel of his hit raunchy comedy The Hangover and wondered which role she could portray, reports "aceshowbiz.com"......I loved "The Hangover".

12. "Saving Private Ryan" voted no. 1 war film: Steven Spielberg's multiple Oscar winning film 'Saving Private Ryan' has been named the best war film of all time in a poll of movie fans. 'Saving Private Ryan' , a 1998 film starring Hollywood stars Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, garnered 21 per cent of the vote, Telegraph online reported. The survey was conducted by online DVD and games rental service 'Lovefilm' on more than 3,000 of its members, to mark the cinema release of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

Keep reading and giving your feedback.............

Sources:
1. Times of India
2. Hindustan Times
3. New-York Times
4. Washington Post

"It is good to be entertained"

Torrents: Good or Bad for Entertainment ?

2009-08-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

It is quite normal to find many movies, Albums and Documentaries uploaded on various websites before their actual release. Earlier, I used to be surprised by the power of Internet and the creativity of our Tech Geeks. Now, I have realized that everything is possible and ethical in this democratic world as long as you are not caught by the law. Same thing applies, when it comes to 'Torrent' and the websites which are supporting Torrents. You can find dozen of Torrent supporting websites with a huge collection of Entertainment stuff.....You name it, Whether its movie, music album, documentary, video...Everything is available.

But.....What about our Entertainment financiers and distributors ? Are they not suffering because of Torrent supporting websites. How does it feel, when you are investing millions of dollars on any movie and you find your movie on website before its official release ?.... Yeah, I know it hurt (Both Financially and Professionally). But, still Torrent supporting websites are mushrooming with every passing day and making millions of dollars (Not always).

Although, Torrent was developed with a good intention of sharing large files/documents over Internet, but it has been used in a negative way. No doubt its fulfilling its original goal but unexpected negative outcomes also. We are the people who are using Torrent for downloading latest movies, softwares, videos, books and Albums without paying a single penny. Hence, we are also part of this crime....Even me.

Its up-to us to correct this whole game of illegal downloading because in the end every entertainment lover is going to suffer. I don't know how ? But as we know, "To every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction". Future is uncertain....its our present which we can change. So let-us change it.... "Stop Illegal Downloading".

Hope readers like the post. Keep giving your feedback.

"It is good to be entertained"

Bollywood: Lost in darkness

2009-08-27T05:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Bollywood,

Hope things are going great for you.

I have not received any great news from your side apart from 'ADAG & DreamWorks' deal. It has been eight months of this year and still no blockbuster from you, except tasteless masala movies like 'Love aaj kal' and 'Kaminey'. How long creative film directors like Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Baradwaj will keep taking help from their dad 'Hollywood', they are grownup now. What has happened to Ramu, is he under mental treatment right now ?

Are studios like 'Yash Raj' and 'Rajshri' happy with their glorious past ? Are they not interested in making their mark in Entertainment world. I think they are becoming more lazy and arrogant. Please, convey my regards to them. What about 'Subhash Ghai' ? I think he is making more money from his 'Whistling Woods' than movies. Have not heard anything great from his side.

What about our beloved 'Big B' and his family ? Is he still promoting his small baby 'AB', even after more than two dozen movies. I am worried about 'AB'. Don't know how long he will keep taking help from Dady. What will happen to him 10 year down the line ? Congrats 'AB' for his Advertisement 'Walk, when you Talk' on my behalf. He is looking good in advertisement than his movies.

I think 'Bhat camp' is still doing great job, thanks to their inspiration from dad, 'Hollywood'. At least they are making money in these bad times (I mean recession). It is good for them to remain inspired because they are very good in this. I hope one-day they will start mentioning the name of movies from which they take inspiration in casting of their films.

What about our dear Khan's ? Are they still fighting for "King of Bollywood" title in this flat world. How is my dear 'SRK' ? I read about him in newspapers few days back. His US tour was great success, personally and professionally. What about my favorite khan, "Aamir" ? Can I meet him in 'IIM-A' lecture halls or in film studios ?

Take care of your health dear friend 'Bollywood'.

Will keep meeting you on every Friday of the week.

Love & Regards,
EntCon

"It is good to be entertained"

Movie of the Week: Chinatown

2009-08-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

Movies could fall in various categories like drama, action, thriller, romance, violence etc. Above all there is one feature which must be present in each and every movie. This feature is critical in forming your perception towards movie..... I am talking about "Comfortability", means How much comfortable we feel when we watch any movie ? If I am not comfortable with movie (Reasons could be many; I hate sex, I don't like action, I don't like slow movies etc.), I will never enjoy it.

Today, I will discuss about a movie which makes each and every entertainment lover comfortable while watching it. "Chinatown" comes under the class of movies which make you comfortable right from the start... Masterpiece in itself. Chinatown is American film released in year 1974 and directed by "Roman Polanski". It stars Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston in leading roles.

The story of movie is set in Los Angeles of 1930s, and is greatly inspired by the historical disputes over land and water rights of Southern California during 1910s and 20s. Chinatown was nominated for eleven Academy Awards but won only one for "Best Original Screenplay". In Chinatown actor Jack Nicholson has played the role of private investigator.... Great performance by Jack.

The film is a skillful blend of mystery, romance, suspense, and noir genre elements.

Positives of the movie:
1. Screenplay of the movie.
2. Acting of Jack Nicholson.... I loved his acting.
3. Background music of the movie.
4. Locations of the movie... They are very beautiful.
5. Suspense elements of the movie.

Negatives of the movie:
1. Movie becomes slow in the middle....My personal thought !

If you are the entertainment lover who likes drama, then go for "Chinatown". A great treat to watch. Movie ends with a very famous dialogue......."Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown".

"It is good to be entertained"

Director of the week: Martin Scorsese

2009-08-26T04:14:00.000-07:00

Its fun to watch drama movies with lots of action and suspense. It would be unjustified, if we are not writing about one of the greatest director of this breed "Martin Scorsese". Martin is known for the movies with their dark shades and excellent use of camera.....Not to forget the editing of the movies (You never feel tired while watching the movies of Martin). He is a genius in his own. Martin is a good screenwriter, producer, actor and a film historian apart from being director of world class movies.

Martin Scorsese was born in New York City on November 17, 1942. Scorsese has been married to Helen Morris since 1999; she is his fifth wife. In his childhood Martin was influenced greatly by movies like "The Bicycle Thief", "Paisà","Rome",and "Open City".

Martin has directed movies like:

1. Taxi Driver
2. Raging Bull
3. Goodfellas
4. Cape Fear
5. Gangs of New York
6. The Aviator
7. The Departed

All of these movies have helped Martin to establish himself as one of the great movie director of his era. Martin Frequently uses "New-York City" as the main setting/plot in his films. "Guilt" is a one of the prominent theme in many of his Movies. In year 2007 Martin won the Academy Award for the Best Director for his movie "The Departed".

Hope you enjoyed this post.... Keep reading and giving your feedback.

"It is Good to be entertained"

Great Directors of last century..

2009-08-25T04:37:00.000-07:00

Its director who brings best out of the actors but rarely gets credit for his/her work except on award functions. Its start-cast of the movie which gets maximum attention of the fans and the media.... Dear Director is always left alone in some dark corner of the studio. But when it come to award function like Oscars or Cannes, we the entertainment lovers start searching for the director of our favorite movie..... Hey ! who was the Director of movie "No country for old man"....Dude, I loved that movie.

Today's column is devoted to the great directors of the entertainment world.... Directors who have given us our favorite movies. Movie may not have achieved commercial success as per the expectations, but it may have touched our hearts in many ways and brought a lovely smile on our face.... I will throw some light on the works of great directors under this post.

Great Directors of the last century are:

1. John Ford for his movies like "The Grapes of wrath" and "How green was my valley".
2. William Wyler for his movies like "Ben-Hur" and "The best years of our lives".
3. Frank Capra for his movies like " It's a Wonderful Life" and "It Happened One Night".
4. Alfred Hitchcock for giving us movie like "Psycho".
5. Martin Scorsese for movies like "Taxi Driver", "Goodfellas", "Raging Bull" & "Departed". I love his movies...
6. Quentin Tarantino for giving movie like "Pulp Fiction".
7. Francis Ford Coppola for his movie "The Godfather".
8. Satyajit Ray for his movie "Pather Panchali".
9. Steven Spielberg for his lovely movie "ET".
10.Roman Polanski for his movies like "Chinatown" and "The Pianist".

I know, I have missed many directors from this list... This list will be updated regularly after receiving feedback from the readers. So, if you think I have missed someone special please let me know.

"It is Good to be entertained"

Public v/s Private life of celebrities

2009-08-21T04:41:00.000-07:00

I always keep thinking.... Do celebrities have to pay the price of their stardom in form of 'intrusion of Privacy'. If yes, then is it justified when they shed crocodile tears while caught red-handedly doing something wrong. Or is it appropriate to differentiate between the private and the public lives of the celebrities ? when firstly they love their public lives and the media attention, but when they reach the stage of stardom they don't want to be part of this old game of showbiz.

When paparazzi run behind the celebrities they hate them and when the actor is new in the industry he/she wants more and more photographers behind to get the public attention. This is a vicious circle without any start and end. Every celebrity has to go through this circle of hate and love, which remains same for every generation of celebrities.

When Actor is new, he/she gets rewarded in form of new roles when their privacy is breached and when actor becomes star, paparazzi gets rewarded for intrusion of privacy (When he/she takes exclusive pictures of the celebrity). Its simple give and take for both celebrity and the paparazzi. No one should fight in this game of Showbiz.

Whatever may be the outcome of tussle between the celebrity and paparazzi, its the end-user like you and me who gets benefited the most......

"It's good to be entertained"

Television Series of the week: Friends

2009-08-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

Today, I will write about one of the famous television series of our time in this special weekly column "Television Series of the week". Friends is the one of most recognized television series of our generation. This column will try to throw some light on the details and the history behind this famous series. "Friends" was selected for this week's special column because of it's simplicity and the theme, the theme of Friendship.

Friends is an American comedy series created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. It premiered on NBC on September 22, 1994 for the first time and was aired last time on May 6, 2004 with a record viewership of 52.5 million (Fourth most-watched series finale in television history). "Friends" revolved around the lives of six friends in the US city of New-York. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television.

"Friends" was 10 season series with 236 episodes with a duration of around 20-22 minutes. During it's telecast actors of the series became household names in USA. The main cast members of the series are:

1. "Jennifer Aniston" as a Rachel Green.
2. "Courteney Cox" as a Monica Geller.
3. "Lisa Kudrow" as a Phoebe Buffay.
4. "Matt LeBlanc" as a Joey Tribbiani.
5. "Matthew Perry" as a Chandler Bing.
6. "David Schwimmer" as a Ross Geller.

The main feature of the series is that each cast member is equally prominent, no one dominates the series. Early reviews of the series were mixed, with progress of the series it started getting positive reviews from the critics as well as from the audience, making it one of the most famous series of its time. "Friends" was a huge commercial success in both US as well as other countries.

Series won awards like Primetime Emmy Award, American Comedy Award, GLAAD Media Award, Golden Globe Award, Logie Award, People's Choice Award, Satellite Award and Screen Actors Guild Award in various categories.

Interesting facts about the series:

1. "Friends" is having rating of 8.9 on IMDB.
2. Courteney Cox originally auditioned for the part of Rachel Green (played by Jennifer Aniston).
3. The role of Monica was originally offered to Janeane Garofalo, but she turned it down.
4. The first line of dialogue in first pilot episode of Friends was "There's nothing to tell".
5. Sean Penn is the only guest star to win 2 Oscars after appearing in series.
6. A 30-second commercial during the break in the show in USA cost advertisers £500,000.
7. The famous "Rachel" hairdo was created by accident (No planning at all...Great).
8. The first thing Cox bought with her "Friends" salary was a brand new Porsche.
9. 30,000 feet of film reel is used to tape one episode of Friends.... Amazing !
10. The monkey was the first cast member to get a Hollywood movie role, appearing in the movie Outbreak.

Hope readers enjoyed this week's special column on "Television Series: Friends". Keep reading....

"It is good to be entertained"

Easy way of booking movie tickets in India: Alabot Bookmyshow

2009-08-19T23:35:00.000-07:00

Few days back I came across a beautiful application named as 'Alabot Bookmyshow' for booking movie tickets in India. Users can use this application on their mobile, on IM (Instant Messenger) like gmail and on the website. For using this application on IM, user have to add "alabot.bookmyshow@gmail.com" as her/his buddy in their gmail or the gtalk account. After that user is ready to chat with this application as her/his buddy.

Sample conversations with "alabot.bookmyshow@gmail.com" :

Conversation 1:

Conversation 2:

User can you this application in many languages apart from English. I love this application and will use in future for booking movie tickets in India.

Hope readers will also like this application. Great work team Alabot. Cheers !!!

For further information go to the following links:
1. http://alabot.com/bms/
2. www.alabot.com
3. blog.alabot.com

"It is good to be entertained"

What is in name ?

2009-08-18T23:20:00.000-07:00

I always keep thinking why many entertainment actors change their name before entering the world of entertainment ? Reasons could be many, like 'To make their name more appealing' or 'to make it pronounce easier' or 'to stay away from the prejudice related to a particular group'. Todays column will try of publish the real name of Entertainment personalities and the reason for changing their names.

1. Actor Nicolas Cage's real name was 'Nicholas Coppola'. He changed his name to disassociate himself with famous film director Uncle Francis Ford Coppola.

2. Famous director Woody Allen's real name was 'Allen Stewart Konigsberg'

3. Famous singer and Musician Bono's real name is 'Paul David Hewson'. Bono is his stage name.

4. Actor Tom Cruise's real name is 'Thomas Cruise Mapother'. Tom Cruise is his screen name.

5. Actress Jodie Foster's real name is 'Alicia Christian Foster'.

6. Actor Ben Kingsley's real name is 'Krishna Pandit Bhanji' which was later changed to Ben Kingsley.

7. Singer George Michael's real name is 'Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou'.

8. Actor Dilip Kumar's real name is 'Muhammad Yusuf Khan'. Dilip Kumar is his screen name.

9. Actor Rajesh Khanna's real name is 'Jatin Khanna'. Rajesh Khanna is his screen name.

10. Actor Sanjeev Kumar's real name was 'Harihar Jariwala'. Sanjeev Kumar was his stage name.

11. Actor Johnny Walker's real name was 'Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi'. Johnny walker was his screen name.

12. Comedian Johny Lever's real name is 'John Prakasa Rao Janumala'. Johny Lever is his stage name.

13. Actor cum comedian Govinda's real name is 'Govind Arun Ahuja'. Govinda is his screen name.

14. Actor Jeetendra's real name is 'Ravi Kapoor'.

Does name change makes any difference in the career of the Entertainment personality ? For some it makes and for some it doesn't makes. Its combination of various key factors to achieve success in the world of entertainment, name is just one of them.

"It is good to be entertained"

20 Indian movies to watch before you die

2009-08-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

Many readers find my previous column "20 movies to watch before your die" quite interesting and suggested me to write "20 Indian movies to watch before you die". I find this topic quite interesting and challenging one because of my closeness to Indian cinema and its influence on me. Movies in the list are of different languages and genre. I have tried my best to present unbiased list of "20 Indian movies to watch before you die".

"20 Indian movies to watch before you die" are:
1. Pather Panchali (Bengali)
2. Apur Sansar (Bengali)
3. Pyaasa (Hindi)
4. Sholay (Hindi)
5. Gandhi (English)
6. Pushpak (Hindi)
7. Guide (Hindi)
8. Anand (Hindi)
9. Do Bigha Zameen (Hindi)
10. Waqt, 1965 (Hindi)
11. Devdas, 1955 (Hindi)
12. Mother India (Hindi)
13. Do Aankhen Barah Haath (Hindi)
14. Jagte Raho (Hindi)
15. Mughal-e-Azam (Hindi)
16. Nayagan (Tamil)
17. Salaam Bombay (Hindi)
18. Bandit Queen (Hindi)
19. Saransh (Hindi)
20. Kaagaz Ke Phool (Hindi)

It was quite difficult to crop down the list to only 20 movies. Hope readers like the post. Keep reading..........

"It is good to be entertained"

KIng of Pop: Michael Jackson

2009-08-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

This blog is incomplete without mentioning one of the great figures in history of entertainment, Michael Jackson (MJ) aka "King of the pop". Michael was American musician and with a huge commercial success under his belt. He is regarded as one of the most commercially successful entertainer in history of the entertainment. It is difficult for entertainment lovers to forget his famous dance moves 'the robot' and 'the moonwalk'. Its not difficult to find music lover who try to copy Michael in one way or the other in every city of the globe. He is regarded as one of the tall figures in "World Entertainment" fraternity.

Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary (Indiana). Michael's childhood was not like other children's of his time. He had a troubled relationship with his father, about which he has revealed on talk shows in later part of his life. In year 1964, Michael and his brother, Marlon joined a band named as "Jackson Brothers" — a band formed by his brothers Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine. Later Band was renamed as "The Jackson 5".

"Jackson 5" recorded several songs, including "Big Boy" for the record label Steeltown in 1967. Michale quickly became the lead singer of the band. Band achieved success with songs like, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save," and "I'll Be There". During 1972 Jackson released four solo studio albums with Motown. In 1975 "Jackson 5" left Motown because of some creative control issues. Later "Jackson 5" signed a new contract with CBS Records in same year. They also renamed their band to "The Jacksons".

In 1979 MJ released his solo album Off the Wall. "Off the wall" was a huge commercial success with a sale of more than 20 million copies worldwide. It remain on the top on various charts like Billboard 200. Still Michael was not satisfied with the end outcome of the Album (Happens with most of the creative people. Never satisfied with their work). In year 1982 Micheal released his all time best album "Thriller". It achieved a huge commercial success.

Thriller remained in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It," and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". It is the best-selling album of all time, with 110 million copies worldwide. Michael Jackson was having highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point (approx to $2 for every album sold). It was an era in which dolls modeled after MJ were selling in stores with a price tag of $12.

In year 1984 Michael Jackson had a accident, while shooting for the Pepsi Cola commercial in Los-Angels. He suffered with a second degree burns to his scalp after pyrotechnics accidentally set his hair on fire. On May 14, 1984 MJ was invited to the White House to receive an award from President Ronald Reagan for his support of charities. In same year MJ won eight Grammy awards.

For further readings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001391/

Legends never die so will MJ, the "King of Pop". He will remain in our hearts always and will keep entertaining the present and the coming generations of the World. He may have some negatives but this blog is not for discussing the negatives of any person. Columns are dedicated to the entertainment contributors and the lovers. So was our dear Michael Jackson, he work for this field of creativity throughout his life, even in his last moments.

Songs and The Bollywood

2009-08-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

People in west may find it quite difficult to digest Movies with 4-6 minute songs present in them. They may find it of no use because for them movie is all about drama, emotion, action, passion (Includes both sex and violence) comedy etc. Some people try to counter argue this by saying that people in countries like India have lots of time to watch movies with songs, whereas in western countries people do not have time to sit and watch songs in cinema theaters. For them songs are meant for I-Pods and MP3 players not movies.

Lets be true, in real people of each and every country of the world have their own set of doing and perceiving things. For people in western countries, its very difficult for them to perceive movies with songs (I appreciate this fact). But its very important for entertainment lovers to appreciate the fact that there is the world of Bollywood with movies which are having 3-4 songs of 4-6 minute duration present in them.

Bollywood has a very rich history of movies with a songs of near to nine decades. During 1935-36 first bollywood songs to hit the nation were from the movie "ACHHUT KANYAA". The most prominent singers of 1930's and 1940's were K.L Saigal,K.C Dey, Pankaj Mullick, Shanta Apte, Govindrao Tembe, Ashok Kumar, Devika Rani, Surendra, and Wahidan Bai (Very few readers may be aware of these singers)."Indrasabha", released in 1932 holds the record of maximum songs in the history of Bollywood with a tally of 71 songs.

How can we forget the movies of 1960's-70's with actors running, jumping and moving around the tree while singing the song. How can we forget the melodious music of Roshan, S.D Burman and R.D Burman. These great figures have helped the bollywood in building this vast empire of music. Most of the latest bollywood songs are inspired in one or the other way by the work of these music giants of the Bollywood.

Bollywood songs are the team work of singer, lyricist and the musician, all of them complement each other.

The most famous singers of the Bollywood Were/are:

1. Kishore Kumar
2. Mohd. Rafi
3. Manna Dey
4. Lata Mangeshkar
5. Asha Bhosle
6. Mukesh
7. Udit Narayan
8. K.L Saigal

The most famous Music composers of the Bollywood are:

1. S.D Burman
2. R.D Burman
3. Roshan
4. Khayyam
5. Laxmi Kant, Pyare Lal
6. Kalyanji, Anandji

The most Famous Lyricist of Bollywood are:

1. Anand Bakshi
2. Javed Akthar
3. majrooh sultanpuri
4. Sameer
5. Gulzar

Reference: http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~malaiya/music_hist.html

"Its Good to be entertained"

Music Beyond Boundaries

2009-08-11T03:32:00.000-07:00

This blog has not published anything related to music as yet. So, it was obvious to dedicate a day of week for the most important ingredient of the entertainment, "Music". This blog will publish topics related to music on every Tuesday of the week. Musical traditions of various countries will be published under this column.

Today, I will cover the two most famous bands of South-East Asia; Junoon and Strings. Both of the bands are from Pakistan, but have more fan following in UK and India (Indians love these bands).

Junoon (English translation: "obsession/passion") was South-East Asia's biggest and Pakistan's most popular rock band. It was formed in 1990 by guitarist, songwriter and medical doctor Salman Ahmad. Junoon is regarded as the pioneer of Sufi rock. Junoon sing mostly in the Urdu language, with a blend of Western hard rock with Sindhi and Punjabi folk and Qawwali.

Junoon was no overnight success. The band struggled financially for the first few years. After release of their third album "Inquilaab" (Revolution) in 1996, Junoon developed a nationwide fan following. The song "Jazba-e-Junoon" of "Inquilaab" was their first solo hit.

In 2004 Ali Azmat, the lead vocalist, left the band to start his solo career. Salman Ahmad also released his solo album. On December 11, 2007, Junoon performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway together with other artists, which was broadcast live in over 100 countries. In 2008 Junoon performed in Srinagar (India) for the first time and turned thousands of music lovers hysterical.

Major albums of Junoon are:
1. 1991: Junoon
2. 1993: Talaash
3. 1996: Inquilaab
4. 1997: Azadi
5. 1999: Parvaaz
6. 2001: Ishq
7. 2004: Dewaar
8. 2006: Infiniti
9. 2002: Daur-e-Junoon (Live Albums)
10. 2002: Junoon for Peace (Live Albums)

Strings is an internationally acclaimed Pakistani pop band of two members; Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia. Strings is known worldwide for their stringed rhythms. Lyrics of the songs are penned by Anwar Maqsood, Bilal's father. Kapadia is the lead vocalist for the band, Maqsood acts as the composer, guitarist and at times does vocals for few songs. For live concerts, band hire Adeel (Lead guitarist), Shakir (On the bass guitar), Haider (on keyboards) and Qaiser (on drums).

After Initial years of start and stop with albums like Strings and String 2, band decided to re-union again in the year 2000. (There were four members earlier in the Band but now only Bilal and Faisal). Band came with songs and albums like Durr, Dhaani and Koi Aanay wala hain. This is just the start of the Band from the Pakistan. Group members are in their 30's, so chances of going long are very high for the group. Apart from this group is working on various projects from movies to music albums.

Major Albums of Strings are:
1. Strings 1 (1990)
2. Strings 2 (1992)
3. Duur (2000)
4. Dhaani (2003)
5. Koi Aanay Wala Hai (2008)

Keep reading and giving feedback & suggestions for the blog.

"Its good to be entertained"

Source:
1. Wikipedia
2. http://stringsonline.net/

Actor's special: Hero or Zero

2009-08-10T05:29:00.000-07:00

How can anyone of us forget the contribution of the Actor in any movie, series, serial or documentary. "Actor's special column will be published every Monday of the week. Actors from the diverse fields of entertainment will be covered under this column.

An actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in movie, television, theater, or radio in that capacity. Readers can find various lists on the Internet with headings like "100 Best actors of the all time". This column is not going to rank any actor on the basis of his/her revenue generating record on the screen. Instead focus would be on performance, roles and the personal life of the Actor.

Readers are welcome to criticize any view presented under this column.

Actor of the Week: Tom Hanks

Actor of the week is Tom Hanks. I have chosen Tom as a actor of week because of his multi-talented skills in field of Entertainment. Tom Hanks is a actor of world repute, apart from this Tom is a Producer, Writer and a Director. Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks was born on July 9, 1956 in California. Tom Hanks studied theater at Chabot College in Hayward, California.

Tom made his film debut in the low-budget slasher film "He Knows You're Alone" and got a part in the television movie "Mazes and Monsters". Early career of Tom went through hits and flops. In 1986 Tom was finally able to achieve success both financially and professionally with movie "Nothing in Common". "Big" was another major movie which established Hanks as a Hollywood talent. Big is an 1988 fantasy-comedy film about a boy who makes a wish "to be big" to a magical fortune-telling machine, and is then aged to adulthood overnight. Tom received Golden Globe for this movie.

Tom received his first best actor academy award for the movie "Philadelphia" in the year 1993. Philadelphia is a movie revolving around HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia. Tom lost around 30 lbs for this movie. Philadelphia (1993) was ranked 49 on the American Film Institutes heroes list of the 100 years of the Greatest Screen Heroes and Villains. Second best actor award followed first one for the movie "Forrest Gump" in the year 1994. Tom also received Golden Globe this movie.

Spouse(s): Samantha Lewes (1978-1987) and Rita Wilson (1988-present)

Facts and Figures about Tom:
1. Lost 50 lbs for his role in Cast Away (2000) and 30 lbs for Philadelphia (1993).
2. Voted 26th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
3. Sold popcorn and peanuts as a teenager at the Oakland Coliseum.
4. Publicly endorsed Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

Major movies of the Tom are:

1. The Money pit.
2. Big.
3. A league of their own.
4. Sleepless in Seattle.
5. Philadelphia.
6. Forrest Gump.
7. Apollo 13.
8. Toy Story 1 & 2 (Voice Only).
9. Saving Private Ryan.
10. You have got mail.
11. Cast Away.
12. The Terminal.

The list goes on....

Tom Hanks will also be covered under "Director's special" this week. Keep reading.....

"Its good to be entertained"

Director's special

2009-08-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

"Director's special" column is going to be the regular feature of this blog. Director may be the person who remains behind screen most of the time and rarely gets his/her share of credit but we cannot forget his/her contribution in converting a dream into the reality in form of movie. Director's special column will be published every Saturday on this blog.

This blog is grateful to the director's community without whom we may have missed something important in our lives in form of entertainment. Director is the person who is creative, who is genius, who doesn't compromises on his/her standards to bring a world class product in front of us. Director may not be able to get his/her due share of respect because of many reasons. Its our responsibility to give him/her due respect in form of praises and positive reviews.

Director's special will try to cover each and every moment of the Director's life. Whether its professional moment or the private, this column will cover everything.

Keep reading about the lives of great directors under this column.

"Its good to be entertained"

Movie Sequels: The Good and The Bad

2009-08-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

Everyone says that movie sequels are failure most of the time. Is this myth or the reality ? May be 'once in a blue moon', we watch a good sequel movie. But we cannot forget the creative movie makers who have ventured into this and made billions of the dollars and gave us creative assets in form of the movies.

Are movie sequels victim of our prejudice or they really deserve their share of the criticism or the both holds true. "No one ever sets out to make a bad movie,but it happens a lot. Especially when there's a 2, a III, or an Electric Boogaloo in the title."- Chris Nashawaty. Should the term "sequel" be confined only to immediate successors, or should it include subsequent films in a continuing franchise ? Quite debatable question in the entertainment circles.

I performed research on movie sequels from various sources and came across a list of "The good and The bad" sequels.

Best movie sequels of all time are (Not is ranked manner):

1. Bourne Supremacy
2. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (as a sequel to Fellowship of the Ring)
3. The Godfather Part II (Both part-1 and part-2 were same in the class, but still research shows part-2 is liked by more people)
4. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
5. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Worst sequels of all time are (Not in ranked manner):

1. The matrix reloaded
2. Porky'S II: The next day
3. The Godfather- III (Disappointment for me)
4. Star trek-5
5. Speed-2

I know list is quite debatable, but somewhere I have to choose few among all. Both creativity and plot were taken into consideration while listing the sequels.

Hope you like this post. Keep reading....

"It is good to be entertained"

Television Series "Band Of Brothers"

2009-08-06T03:15:00.000-07:00

At last, I have decided to shift my focus from movies to Television series. Series which has influenced me highly is "Band of Brothers". I got chance to watch this series few months back. "Band of Brothers" is a 2001 ten-part television series based on World War II. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks were the executive producers of the series.

The series was aired in 2001 on HBO. The series centers on the experiences of E Company ("Easy Company") in Europe during war from their inception till the end of war. All of the characters of series are portrayed based on actual members of Easy Company.

Band of Brothers was received positively by the critics and the public. The premiere of Band of Brothers on 9 September 2001, drew 10 million viewers in US. The won awards like Emmy Awards, Writers Guild Award and Golden Globe.

Facts and Figures:

Budget: US $125,000,000
Run Time: 705 Minutes
Episodes: 10
IMDB Rating: 9.6
Rotten Tomatoes: 90 %

Positives of the series:

1. Direction of the series.
2. Acting by all characters of the series.
3. Sound mixing used for the series.
4. Editing of the series.

Keep reading about different television series under this column.

"Its good to be entertained"

Walk when you talk.... What an Idea sirji

2009-08-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

First time, when I saw this advertisement (Walk when you talk) I was surprised. I mean how can organization like Adiya Birla group (Idea) can give green signal to such an advertisement.

I am having my reservations because of the following reasons:

1. Can we consider conversation a healthy one when we are walking (opposed by medical professionals). So, is "Idea" promoting a conversation which is not healthy one.

2. Can we compare walking habits (Good for health) with talking habits. Both are completely different from each other.

3. Is it good for "Idea" to promote an advertisement which may give rise to accidents. "Talk plus walk" will reduce the attention span of person towards his/her surroundings, hence chances of coming under vehicle while "walking and talking".

No doubt the advertisement is directed very excellently and is able to grab the attention of the public but has "Idea" forgotten its responsibility towards society ?

Movie of the week "The life of David Gale"

2009-08-04T23:27:00.000-07:00

"The life of David Gale" is a film directed by Alan Parker. Movie was released in the year 2003 in USA. The movie was commercial failure at box-office. I decided it to cover under this column because of its theme and the performances by its leading pair of actors.

Movie revolves around the theme of "Death Penalty (Capital Punishment)". Kevin Spacey plays the role of college professor and active opponent of capital punishment, whose life is turned upside down when he's falsely accused of raping a student. He is fired from his job and eventually put on death row for the brutal murder of a colleague. Kate Winslet plays Bitsy Bloom, an ambitious journalist who interviews Gale in his final days before execution.

Movie was not able to get positive reviews from the critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie had a 20% rating based on 152 reviews. Director Alan Parker manages to deliver a strong anti-capital punishment message alongside enough twists, turns and shocking moments to keep me on the edges of my sofa.

Positives of the movie:
1. Performance of Kevin Spacey and Kate winslet.
2. Theme of the movie.
3. Direction and editing of the movie.

Negatives of the movie:
1. Box-office failure.
2. Anti-capital punishment.(Is also high point of the movie)

20 movies to see before you die

2009-08-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Its very important for movie lover to watch each and every worth watching movie before he/she passes the age of peak. I always try to watch every movie because I love movies, but for each and every person its not possible. So, it becomes important that he/she must atleast watch the movies which are special in their own.

"20 movies to see before you die" have been chosen after taking feedback from the movie lovers of a particular group. Apart from this research has been performed to make a list.

The movies are:

1. Shawshank Redemption
2. Casablanca
3. 12 angry men
4. The bicycle thief
5. The Godfather
6. ET
7. The good, The bad and The ugly
8. Life is beautiful
9. The lord of rings
10. The Matrix
11. Rocky
12. Schindler's List
13. Titanic
14. Taxi Driver
15. Rambo
16. To kill a mocking bird
17. The bridge on the river kwai
18. Saving private ryan
19. The pianist
20. To sir with love

Movie of the week

2009-07-29T06:16:00.001-07:00

At last, I am starting this column. "Movie of the week" column is going to be the most happening column of this blog. This column will be posted every week on Wednesday.

Movie of this week is "American History X". "American History X" is a 1998 American film directed by Tony Kaye. Movie stars 'Edward Norton' and 'Edward Furlong' in lead roles. The movie is portrayed in a beautiful manner in black (Used for flashback) and color (Used for Present). The film tells the story of two brothers, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) and Daniel "Danny" Vinyard (Edward Furlong) of Venice Beach, Los Angeles, California. Both are extremely bright and charismatic students, and Derek is drawn into the neo-Nazi movement after their father, a firefighter, is murdered by a black drug dealer while trying to put out a fire in a South Central neighborhood. Derek kills two black gang members trying to steal his truck, and is sentenced to three years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. The story shows how Danny is influenced by his older brother's actions and ideology and how Derek, now radically changed by his experience in confinement, tries to prevent his brother from going down the same path as he did.

Special features of movie:
(1) Powerful acting by lead pair of Edward Norton and Edward Furlong.
(2) Pace of the movie.
(3) Background music.
(4) Direction of movie.

Lows of the movie:
(1) Theme of the movie. (Tussle between blacks and white Americans. Repetitive one)

Facts and figures:
Budget: $20,000,000
Revenue: $23,875,127
Oscar: 1 (Nominated for best Actor award)
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10*
IMDB Ranking: 39*

* As on July 29, 2009

Top 10 movie of all time

2009-07-29T05:40:00.002-07:00

What could be the top 10 movies of all time in the world. I always like to ask this question to friends who are having a good taste of movies. What are the qualities which make them great, unforgettable and entertaining.

Why these great movies are loved by people of every country ? Is there any relationship between the great movie and the revenue generated by that movie for their producer ? Why commerce comes in front of creativity ? Is there any possibility of making fine balance between creativity and the commerce ?

As far as my knowledge goes there is a great possibility of making a fine balance between creativity and the the commerce. Godfather and Shawshak Redemption are the example of movies with a high level of creativity with commercial success. But there are example of movies which have scored very badly at box-office but have established the new benchmarks of creativity. Citizen Kane is the example of movie falling under this category.

Here is the list of movies which every movie lover must watch before he/she die:

(1) Life is Beautiful
(2) The Godfather
(3) The Shawshank Redemption
(4) Casablanca
(5) The Lord of rings-1
(6) The Matrix
(7) The Silence of Lambs
(8) Taxi Driver
(9) One flew over the cuckoo's nest
(10) Forrest Gump

There are many more movies which I want to share with readers. Those movies will be discussed in subsequent posts in this forum.

Movie of the week

2009-07-29T05:40:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I have decided to write a column about the movies which are worth watching. Movie could be old or the new release but that movie will have something special of its own. Post will try to focus on each and every aspect of the movie. Unbiased view towards the movie will be discussed under this posting. I want readers to suggest movies on which we can have a healthy and unbised discussion.

Welcome to all...

Why people watch movies ? Part- 1

2009-07-29T05:38:00.000-07:00

This questions is going through my mind from atleast a month now. There could be many reasons apart from; to be entertained, to have a good time with my dear ones and time pass. Sometimes people go for watching movies without any reason. yeah... It's true, there are people who fall in this category.

There are certain dimensions which must be fulfilled before you are qualified to be part of movie watchers group. These dimensions are:

(1) Time
(2) Situation
(3) Circumstances

If you are having money and desire to watch movie but you are short of time, you fall in the category of movie viewers. Movie viewers are the group of people who just view movie because they want it. They don't evaluate movie on its every aspect because they are short of time. Movie watching is all about giving time to the creativity of the movie and evaluating its every element right from script to the direction.

Situation is another factor which is very crucial when it comes to watching movie. If you are having money and time but you are not in mood of watching movie and your kids are forcing you for movie. You don't have any option other than going to view the movie in cinema hall. (Oh Dear )

Apart from Time and Situtation there is third and the most important factor which plays very crucial role, when it comes to movie watching. Circumstances play very important role in making movie watching possible. If you are financially going through tight situation, then watching movie on even DVD becomes difficult.

These are just few of the factors which I think are crucial in making movie watching possible.

Next post will discuss in brief about the reasons which are behind the persons movie watching habits.

Keep reading....

Why EntCon ?

2009-07-29T05:11:00.000-07:00

The main objective behind creating EntCon is to discuss our views on the way we would like to enjoy movies, serials, Music and the documentaries.

We will discuss the good, the bad and the ugly moments of the past. We will discuss the present of Entertainment. We will discuss the future of Entertainment and what we want to be the future of the Entertainment.

Apart from this we will discuss about the day to day ways of entertaining ourselves.

Its good to entertain ourselves