"Kamal" and "Rahman" honoured by Prime Minister

CNN-IBN Indian of the Year is the prime and the most plausible awards of the Country. The association is ready to respect and recognize the Indians whose endeavor stood tall in the year 2009.
The CNN IBN Indian of the Year 2009 award was given to A R Rahman and Kamal Haasan by Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh yesterday. According to the PTI report, Academy Award winner A R Rahman won over the Indian of the Year in the Entertainment category from Amitabh Bachchan. Big B was voted for doing the role of a 13-year-old in ‘Paa’, and entertaining the nation for forty years now. Kamal Haasan received the Special Achievement Award form the CNN-IBN team for completing 50 years in cinema.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described A R Rahman's music as inspirational. “Rahman’s music is inspirational... When I heard Rahman in the White House, you cannot imagine the sense of joy and achievement...,” Singh said, after conferring the award in New Delhi.
"It is a triumph for music. I hope it inspires more people and lessens the divide," said the Oscar winning music maestro, who was also given an award for entertainment. He said “lessening the divide” through music was his intention.
When asked what was it about his music that wowed the world Rahman said, "I don't know. I think the philosophy of music playing larger role, being selective and blessings of God."
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. Praising the maestro, the Prime Minister called him an "inspirational genius", saying "There is only one Panditji and he has been a role model and will be a role model".

"Lakshmi Mittal" richest biz tycoon in South Africa

India-born steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal remains the richest business tycoon in South Africa despite his fortune having halved in the past year due to the global recession. Mittal heads the Rich List, a ranking of the 150 wealthiest businessmen in South Africa released here by the weekly Sunday Times, for the fifth consecutive year, even though he is not living in South Africa.

He has been included in the list because of his shareholding in Arcelor Mittal SA, the steel company born out of Mittal''s takeover of former state-owned monopoly Iscor. According to the Rich List, Mittal remains at the top of the list despite the value of his stake in Arcelor Mittal SA having come down to more than half in the past year, from 45.7 billion rand to 16.95 billion rand owing to weak global markets.

The Rich List is based on an analysis of holdings of all companies listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange. Mittal narrowly beat South African businessman Patrice Motsepe of African Rainbow Minerals, whose stake value stood at 14.246 billion rand.

Their nearest rival Nicky Oppenheimer was way below them with just 5.3 billion rand. Only four South African Indian businessmen -- Ragi Moonsamy (61), Akhter Deshmukh (143), Mustaq Brey (145) and Yogesh Narsing (147) -- made it to the list of 150.

Mrs. Chennai 2009 – Pageant Contest

The 10th edition of Mrs. Chennai is back again!. This year Mrs. Chennai will scour Chennai for the most dynamic, confident, intelligent, multi- talented, Woman of Substance.

Mrs. Chennai is regarded as the title for Women with all-round beauty. The various subtitles include Culinary Queen, Tech Savy Queen, Fitness Queen, IQ Queen, Adventure Queen and Design Queen.

This year the contest is open to all participants across Tamil Nadu and the selections will be in the respective towns.

The last date for Registration is 30th October, 2009. For details contact 044-28171385 / 24892798. The application form will be available at all Natural Beauty Salons all over Tamil Nadu. Application forms can also be downloaded from www.virgoevents.com and www.chennaionline.com .
The Finale to be held on December 11th at Kamaraj Arangam is ticketed at Rs. 250 and Rs.500.

"Barack Obama" celebrates Diwali 2009 at White House - Photo Gallery

United States President Barack Obama celebrated Diwali in the East Room of the White House on October 14 by lighting a diya (lamp) accompanied by Vedic chants by a Hindu priest.

Obama doubled up this ceremony with an event where he signed an executive order to restore the White House Commission and Interagency Working Group to address issues concerning the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

Over two dozen Indian Americans, including several who serve in the Obama Administration were guests at the event, which was attended by approximately 150 Asian Americans on hand to witness the signing of the executive order but also joined in the observance of Diwali.

"Venkatraman Ramakrishnan" made us proud by winning the 'Nobel Prize'

Indian-American Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has made us proud by winning the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his pioneering work on ribosome, a cellular machine that makes proteins.

57-year-old Ramakrishnan is the ninth Indian or of Indian origin to win the prestigious award.

Born in 1952 in the temple town of Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, Ramakrishnan shares the Nobel prize with Thomas E Steitz (US) and Ada E Yonath (Israel).

Audi introduces New Audi Q7 luxury SUV in India - Photos

The German luxury car manufacturer, announced the launch of the new Audi Q7, in India.

The new Audi Q7 is the latest version of largest selling performance luxury SUV in India.

The new Audi Q7 will be available in three-engine option across the country.

The Audi Q7, which is priced at Rs 53 lakh onwards, is designed for leisure and business both.

Audi Q7, touted as one of the most successful luxury SUV’s.

Power train:
Six speed tiptronic and Quattro permament all wheel drive with 40:60 torque split

Chassis:
Wheel Suspensions in lightweight design with speed dependant steering control alongwith adaptive air suspension with electronic damping control.

Body:
Sporty design with revised contours
Xenon headlights, light emitting diodes arranged to form U-shaped bands to provide the daytime running lights
Turn signals are c0omposed to LEDs
Elegant interior with exclusive material and further refinements in styling
Extremely spacious and highly variable interior, with upto seven seats as a customer option and luggage space of upto 2,035 litres.

Equipment:
MMI operating system with audio system
LED taillights
Optionally available, very high end entertainment system
Electrically operated tailgate
Optional available panorama sunroof.

India's first sea bridge - Photo Gallery

MUMBAI - INDIA'S first 'sea bridge' was officially opened in Mumbai on Tuesday, raising hopes that the state-of-the-art structure will ease chronic congestion on the city's notoriously choked roads.

The sweeping, 5.6-kilometre Bandra-Worli Sea Link was inaugurated by the ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi on a visit to India's financial capital.

It is hoped that the 16.5-billion-rupee (S$492 million) eight-lane freeway will help cut the 40-minute journey between the suburbs of Bandra and Worli to just eight minutes.

But although hailed as a triumph of engineering, the landmark bridge - seen as a beacon of hope for other, much-needed infrastructure projects elsewhere in India - is not fully operational.

Only four lanes will be open to traffic from 12.01am on Wednesday. Work is scheduled to be completed on the remaining section in the coming months.

Rahman’s homage to "Michael Jackson"

A.R. Rahman pays tribute to Michael Jackson on his loss. Here is what he had to say about the phenomenal Pop King who has a special space in everyone's heart.













I am shocked at the untimely passing away of Michael Jackson, one of the greatest musicians of our time.

MJ, for most of our generation was an icon who made uncompromising music. He pushed the milestone of Pop music to unbelievable levels through the 80s and 90s. I am yet to find an artist with that energy, perfection and vision.

I met him personally after the Oscars in Los Angeles and we bonded very well. He said that he loved India and the Indian people. He said he heard good things about me and he was praising the chord progression of Jai Ho's chorus.

He was bursting with energy and told me that every dance move he did came from his soul and did a five second stunning example. It was like a lightning strike!

He was concerned about developmental issues such as Global Warming and about wars and its damages to the human community.

He asked me to compose a unity anthem on the likes of "We are the World” for him. I nodded in awe...!

He introduced me to his three lovely bright Kids. The kids told him "I love you dad" and he replied “I love you more” as a proud father. I wished him well for his concerts and he said “God Bless you”.

After hearing the shocking news I wished it was another rumor which would fade away soon. It took me time to believe that he is no more.

I remember my late sound engineer Sridhar had brought me a video of the premiere of "Remember The Time" when I was recording "Kadhal Rojave" for my first movie ‘Roja’. Seeing it inspired all of us that afternoon.

Now, there is no Sridhar and no Jackson anymore.

I hope all of us value people's existence more and respect them when they are alive.

LIFE IS SHORT...! Artists and their art live for ever. Jai Ho, MJ! We love you for your music, regardless of all the controversies!

"Sania Mirza" gets engaged to Hyderabad-based businessman

Tennis star Sania Mirza is all set to tie the knot with Hyderabad-based Mohammed Sohrab Mirza Shakeebai (son of Kamran Mirza who owns Universal Bakers)

"Nokia" launches 6208 Classic in India

Nokia India has announced the launch of its first series 40 touch-input device Nokia 6208 Classic.
The Nokia 6208 Classic, priced at Rs. 13,259, features a pen input along with an alphanumeric keypad and handwriting recognition features. It also features a 2.4-inch QVGA display, 3.2 mega-pixel camera with dual LED flash, Stereo MP3 player and FM radio, 64 MB internal user memory (13 MB free) and a 5-way navi-key.

Vineet Taneja, Marketing Director, Nokia India said, "We are extremely excited to launch the Nokia 6208 Classic truly designed for convenience. This is our first series 40 touch input aimed to give our consumers an enhanced messaging experience. With a 3.2 megapixel camera, dual LED flash and 8x digital zoom, the Nokia 6208 Classic makes capturing memories and sharing moments simple, fun and easy."

The Nokia 6208 Classic is made from materials such as stainless steel and features larger fonts for messaging and browsing as well as viewing pictures and web pages. The Nokia 6208 Classic also supports optional microSD cards up to 8GB.

"Ajith" Muscular Build for 'Asal'

It known to all that from May month onwards ultimate star Ajith “Asal” movie will start rolling on floors. The latest updates and facts from the Asal movie is that the movie featuring two Ajith in which the baddie will be appearing in a muscular build. Director Saran had planned to take this stunning appearance in the later part of the schedule. Thala Ajith is working over his new look and body building process to give his Villain look in prefect style. Hope Asal movie will be Ajith’s biggest ever hit of all times

'Simbhu' to sing a song for "Ajith" in 'Asal'

There are some more interesting facts being revealed in ASAL. The introduction song is being planned to do in a grand manner and Bhardwaj is working extra hard to ensure that his tune matches the expectations. The most interesting part is that Silambarasan will be Singing the song for Ajith.

Now, that will be interesting! One hero singing for another, the rarest of rare cases.

But, one is sure that Silambarasan, a self confessed admirer and close friend of Ajith will only be glad to do it. Silmabarasan has already given quite a few hits in his own voice, including a few songs sung for others too. The one in Asal, if it happens, will be a special one for all involved.

Anushka’s excitements with "Vijay"

"Anushka" made her entry in Tamil film by pairing with Madhavan in the film Rendu. After this she became busy in Telugu films and rose to great heights. Her latest film Arundhathi fetched crores of rupees pushing back the films which had super stars in Andhra. This film was dubbed in Tamil and is running successfully till date. Because of this Anushka is coming once again to act in Tamil films. She has been signed to pair with "Vijay" in the film Vetaikaran. Many more films are being offered to her.
While speaking about pairing with Vijay, she said, “Vijay is a great actor. He can dance superbly. It is a great pleasure for me to act with him. I was made known to Tamil audience through the film Rendu. My dubbed film Arundhathi made me more popular here. This film has earned me a lot of female and children fans. Now I will attract the youth through the film "Vetaikaran".

"Beyonce" says "Michelle Obama" is one of her heroes

American R&B singer 'Beyonce' has revealed that "Michelle Obama" is one of her heroes, and that she is very enamoured by the way the US First Lady balances her life.


















Beyonce, 27, had serenaded President Barack Obama and his wife with Etta James's 'At Last' as they enjoyed their first dance as the First Couple, and she is still reeling from the compliments she got for it.

"She's one of my heroes now," the Daily Telegraph quoted her as saying.

"Balance is so difficult in a woman's life and for her to raise those children the way she has, to be a professional woman, a very intelligent woman, a wife, all of those things and do them all so well, I admire her. We all can learn so much from her.

"And for her to pay me a compliment is the ultimate compliment," she added.

"Britney's" hairy accident

Pop princess "Britney Spears" is said to have suffered a small accident with her hair being pulled out during an aerial stunt in her latest show.


















The incident took place when one of Spears' aerialists accidentally pulled out a clump of her hair as he was grasping on to the pop star to hoist her up into the air.

Spears, 27, who is currently on the North American leg of her 'The Circus: Starring Britney Spears' tour, is reportedly struggling with her energetic live dance routines, and was forced to leave the stage and vomit after becoming dizzy and nauseous.

"The choreography is insane - it's so fast it is really taking its toll on her," the Daily Telegraph quoted a source as telling the Mirror.

"There is one move during 'Touch Of My Hand', where two guys dangle from the ceiling and pick her up upside down, which is really getting to her.

"She spins around for nearly five minutes some nights. The blood rushes to her head and when she gets down she complains of nausea and dizziness.

"There have been a couple of times when she ran off stage and vomited. She's asked if it can be changed," the source added.

"Madonna" back in the studio after fall

Pop diva "Madonna", who has recovered from her horse-riding fall, is back in the recording studio working on a new track


















The singer has teamed up with British dance DJ Paul Oakenfold and the pair spent Thursday working on a new song together, reported contactmusic.com.

Madonna was hospitalised April 18 after falling from a horse on the Long Island, New York, estate of her friend Steven Klein.

"Pamela Anderson" seeks Putin's help in seal slaughter ban

Former 'Baywatch' star "Pamela Anderson" has made a personal plea to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin asking him to help her ban the slaughter of baby seals in her native Canada.


















The Russian leader was recently applauded by animal lovers all over the world for overseeing a ban on the hunting of young harp seals, and now Anderson has asked him to urge Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to follow his lead, reported female first.co.uk

"The Canadian government has refused to budge on this issue despite widespread protests and international bans on the trade in baby seal skins. I collected thousands of signatures myself and personally delivered the petition to parliament, to no avail," said Anderson in her letter to Putin.

Stylish Stunt in "Vettaikaran" - Vijay

Ilayathalapathy Vijay has been so keen on somehow turning his forthcoming film ‘Vettaikaaran’ so successful.

As a matter of fact, it’s so evident with his options of new technicians in his crew. So far, he had worked with FEFSI Vijayan for stunts and now Kanal Kannan has been replaced.

Of course, the latest sensation of ‘Ayan’ stunt at Namibia has transfixed every actor. Although Surya’s stunt was choreographed by a Hollywood stuntman, it was Kannan who supervised it.

A similar fight would be witnessed with Vijay and Telugu Actor Sri Hari (Husband of Actress Disco Shanthi) at the backdrops of a busy market.

Treat for "Rajini" fans in July

Thalaivar's fans can look forward to some excitement this summer. Yes, it is here at last! Sultan - The Warrior, a 3D animation film with Rajinikanth as the main character, will hit screens in July. It is expected to be released worldwide with approximateley 3500 prints in 18 languages.

Sultan - The Warrior with an animated version of Rajinikanth, is produced and is directed by his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth. Sultan - The Warrior is jointly produced by Ocher Studios and Warner Bros. Entertainments and the soundtrack is composed by Oscar winner A.R. Rahman.

According to very reliable industry sources, there are a few important scenes that still need to be shot for this animation film. The team behind this is extremly happy so far, as all the hard work and late night efforts with graphics seem to be coming alive at last!

"Jackie Chan" defends his 'China comments'

After a controversy started following his comments about democracy in China, actor "Jackie Chan" has insisted that his remarks were taken out of context.


















Chan, 55, a Hong Kong native and one of the Communist nation's leading stars, had reportedly made the comment at a business forum in the country's Hainan province on April 18.

"I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not. I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want," Contactmusic quoted him as reportedly saying.

After the comments were revealed, he was heavily criticised by pro-democracy groups both in China and worldwide, but his representative has insisted that he was referring to freedom in the entertainment industry and not Chinese society at large.