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New Exercise Trend: Masala Bhangra

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:00:20 -0700

Last week we talked about the new workouts you wanted to try and today we're adding another to the list: Masala Bhangra. For those of you not familiar with Masala Bhangra, it's similar to the energetic dance numbers seen in Bollywood cinema and the worldwide hit Slumdog Millionaire.

Created by expat Sarina Jain, the hour-long cardio workout incorporates sliding steps, squats, jumps, turns, and lots of hand and wrist movement set against upbeat modern Bhangra music - a percussion-based genre that sounds like a mash-up of hip-hop and classical Indian music. The instructors are extremely motivating and the class environment feels more like a fun party than a workout regimen.

Jain first introduced the workout through a series of tapes in the 1990s but as she sensed the growing interest in Indian culture, she decided to teach classes as well. If you are a fan of dance workouts, give Masala Bhangra a try. It's a great way to burn 500 calories.

If you have done this workout, I'd love to hear what you think of it . . .

PopSugar UK's June Must Haves

PopSugarUK — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:27:05 -0700

It's time for me to let you know all my Must Haves for the upcoming month, and I have a fab list for you for June! It includes some Oscar winning movies on DVD, a Cannes favourite at the cinema, and some fabulous female vocalists for you to listen to, so check them out and let me know what you think!

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Dev Discusses His Developing Career

PopSugarUK — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:15:13 -0700

Dev Patel had a fun chat with Nylon magazine during a recent photoshoot for their Young Hollywood issue in Philadephia. He's out in the States shooting his new movie The Last Airbender, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Dev showed off a few of his moves, talked about his Mum and breaking the Hollywood norm, and generally came across as the genuine, down to earth teenager we've come to expect. Enjoy!

Twilight, Slumdog Millionaire Lead MTV Movie Awards Noms

BuzzSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:30:30 -0700

The teen sensation and the Oscar winner will go head-to-head this year at the MTV Movie Awards. Twilight and Slumdog Millionaire topped the nominations list today, with Twilight nabbing seven nominations and Slumdog landing six. Each is nominated for Best Movie, along with The Dark Knight, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, and Iron Man.

Voting is now open for all of the categories, which include some new awards this year (Best WTF Moment among them). The voting for Best Movie will stay open throughout the show itself, which airs May 31 and will be hosted by Andy Samberg. To check out all of the nominations, just read more.

BEST MOVIE
The Dark Knight
High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
Twilight

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Angelina Jolie - Wanted
Anne Hathaway - Bride Wars
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Kristen Stewart - Twilight
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
Christian Bale - The Dark Knight
Robert Downey Jr. - Iron Man
Shia LaBeouf - Eagle Eye
Vin Diesel - Fast & Furious
Zac Efron - High School Musical 3: Senior Year

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE FEMALE
Amanda Seyfried - Mamma Mia!
Ashley Tisdale - High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Freida Pinto - Slumdog Millionaire
Miley Cyrus - Hannah Montana: The Movie
Vanessa Hudgens - High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Kat Dennings - Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE MALE
Robert Pattinson - Twilight
Taylor Lautner - Twilight
Ben Barnes - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
Bobb'e J. Thompson - Role Models

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Amy Poehler - Baby Mama
Anna Faris - The House Bunny
James Franco - Pineapple Express
Jim Carrey - Yes Man
Steve Carell - Get Smart

BEST VILLAIN
Derek Mears - Friday the 13th
Dwayne Johnson - Get Smart
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Johnathon Schaech - Prom Night
Luke Goss - Hellboy II: The Golden Army

BEST FIGHT
Anne Hathaway vs. Kate Hudson - Bride Wars
Christian Bale vs. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Ron Perlman vs. Luke Goss - Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet - Twilight
Seth Rogen and James Franco vs. Danny McBride - Pineapple Express

BEST KISS
Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy - Wanted
Freida Pinto and Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
James Franco and Sean Penn - Milk
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson - Twilight
Paul Rudd and Thomas Lennon - I Love You, Man
Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron - High School Musical 3: Senior Year

BEST WTF MOMENT
Amy Poehler - Baby Mama, Peeing in the Sink
Angelina Jolie - Wanted, Curved Bullet Kill
Ayush Mahesh Khedekar - Slumdog Millionaire, Jumping in the Poop Shed
Ben Stiller - Tropic Thunder, Tasting the Decapitated Head
Jason Segel and Kristen Bell - Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Naked Breakup

BEST SONG FROM A MOVIE
"Jai Ho" - AR Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
"The Wrestler" - Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler
"The Climb" - Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana: The Movie
"Decode" - Paramore, Twilight

Dev Patel: From Harrow to Hollywood!

PopSugarUK — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:26:37 -0700

Dev Patel turns nineteen years old today, and in celebration of his birthday I thought it would be fun to look back at his short career and all the massive success he's managed to fit into it! So from Skins to Slumdog Millionaire here's Dev Patel's life in showbiz!

View Slideshow ›

Father of Slumdog Star Denies Putting Daughter Up For Sale

TresSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0700

The father of Slumdog Millionaire star Rubina Ali has denied putting his daughter up for adoption (or, as the rest of the world says, "sale") to the BBC.

Over the weekend, UK paper News of the World reported he was asking £200,000 (nearly $300,000) for his 9-year-old daughter. I'd like to say it wasn't as sinister as it sounds, but, basically, it was.

Allegedly, it started innocently enough. A Middle Eastern family moved by Rubina's story offered to adopt her, you know, like Madonna does (their words). While this was pretty presumptuous, at least it was well-intentioned: they wanted her to escape the Mumbai ghetto. But the offer sowed an idea into her father's head, and now he's looking to reap bigger rewards.

News of the World reporters contacted Rubina's uncle, telling him they worked for a wealthy sheik in Dubai. (He speaks English on her father's behalf and agreed to meet them.) While her uncle said they were concerned - or "interested" - in the girl's future, he did not ask for the sheik's name, intentions, or background.

"We can discuss everything about this deal when we meet," he said. "There's a lot of interest in Rubina, she's become very famous."

Source

Slumdog Makers Start Fund For Child Poverty in Mumbai

TresSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:00:00 -0700

The makers of Slumdog Millionaire have set up a fund of almost $1 million to support child poverty programs in Mumbai, India. Those behind the Oscar-winning film, which made more than $400 million worldwide, have been accused of exploiting the people who live in Mumbai's slums for their own gain.

While the child actors from the movie got to travel to Hollywood for the Oscars, neighbors cheered them on in their hometown slums. Those images revealed overwhelming joy, but also the poverty that would await the adorable stars when the magic was over.

Aware of this heartbreaking reality, the filmmakers set up private trust funds and bought new homes for Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, the two child actors who lived in the slums.

But two happy endings weren't enough for those who considered the film poverty porn, or a film that exploits the misery of millions for the enjoyment of a privileged audience. To see what some Mumbai residents thought about all this, read more.

Residents of the slums were among those who considered the film exploitative. Many poor Indians protested outside actors' homes, calling the movie and the term "slumdog" offensive.

The new fund may silence critics, but it could also be considered unsubstantial compared to the overall profits reaped by the film. Then again, do these filmmakers have any obligation to address the problem of poverty in India?

Source

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:30:03 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to my selections below you can take home Will Smith's drama Seven Pounds.

Slumdog Millionaire
Now that I've seen the movie and read the book I'm excited to go back and watch the movie again! Can you tell I'm into this flick? When this year's Oscar winner for Best Picture hit theaters, it began an epic journey into the hearts and minds of moviegoers around the globe, and I have a feeling many people will end up owning it on DVD.

The story follows an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, Jamal (Dev Patel), who is accused of cheating as a contestant on India's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. To prove his innocence he reflects back on his amazing life in director Danny Boyle's intense and inspiring movie.

Special features include "Slumdog Dreams: Danny Boyle and the Making of Slumdog Millionaire," deleted scenes, and commentary by Danny Boyle and Dev Patel.

Two more up next so read more.

Marley & Me
Aw . . . puppy! Looks like the marketers of this movie know a good thing when they see it. I doubt many of you missed this movie while it was in theaters over the holidays, seeing as it did such good business at the box office. I found this movie, starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, to be good-natured, earnest and cute.

It turns out to be pretty much exactly what you expect if you've seen the trailers and/or read the book on which the movie is based: A story about a crazy, uncontrollable dog who impacts a young couple's marriage in unexpected ways. It gets pretty emotional toward the end there, but otherwise it's too sweet to resist.

The special features look like a lot of fun and include 19 deleted scenes, commentary from director David Frankel, a "Finding Marley" featurette, an "On Set With Marley: Dog of All Trades" featurette, and an "Animal Adoption" featurette.

Ricky Gervais: Out of England: The Stand-Up Special
It doesn't get much better than Ricky Gervais doing stand-up. I could watch this courageous and hilarious man chat onstage for hours. Since I didn't catch it when it aired a couple of months ago, I'll leave it to Netflix for the show's description:

"Funnyman Ricky Gervais unleashes his formidable talent on Madison Square Garden - with political correctness taking a backseat - in his first special for HBO, home of his Emmy-winning series Extras. Gervais shares his thoughts on a variety of topics, including obesity, Nazis and nursery rhymes - even sacred cows such as physicist Stephen Hawking and Nelson Mandela are targets of the comic actor's stinging wit in this hilarious performance."

That sounds amazingly inappropriate, so count me in. Special features include a conversation with Ricky Gervais.

What Movie Will You See in Theaters This Weekend?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:30:45 -0700

It's kind of a random time of year for movies, and I'm curious to see what audiences are in the mood for. This weekend has lots to offer, including a new animated feature, a horror flick, and some holdovers from previous weekends - including an Oscar winner.

So tell me: What, if any, movie will you see this weekend?

Source

Buzz Book Club: The End of Slumdog Millionaire

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:30:04 -0700

Welcome back, Buzz Book Club readers! I don't know about you, but I'm glad I read the book that inspired Slumdog Millionaire, as I found the book to be thought-provoking as well as entertaining. Let's chat about our final thoughts on it in just a sec.

Here's a recap of how the Book Club goes: Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, went up every Friday in March). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Don't forget to check back next week for my April Buzz Book Club selection!

To discuss last week's section of Slumdog Millionaire, in which we read from "10,000,000 Rupees - Tragedy Queen" to the end of the book, read more.

In the end, do you think Prem Kumar is made out to be a bit too sympathetic, considering what he's guilty of with the girls? Does he get off too easy?
Do you feel like you learned more about India through this book? How does the setting of India play a part in the story? How do you think the story would differ if it took place somewhere else?
If you've seen the movie, are there parts of the book you wish had been included in the film? Or if you have yet to see the film, are there parts of the book you hope will be in the movie?
On a similar note, one small moment that's stuck with me is Ram realizing because of Neelima that celebrities are just like normal people, except they care about fame where normal people care about money. Ram's a pretty profound kid, after all he's gone through; have any of his observations stuck with you?
After winning at the Oscars, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy said that when he was adapting the novel for film, he wanted to make it more of a love story and focus less on the game show than the book does because love stories are so universal. Do you agree with this decision?
If you've both seen the movie and read the book, do you prefer one over the other? Do you think one is "better?"