All the King’s MEN
IPL Season 4 is here and our very own Kings XI Punjab has a good team to boast of. But is it good enough to be a dream team? Jasmine Singh checks out
Just when we thought this is it. The showbiz, the hype and hoopla of glamorous cricket series IPL has ended in Punjab, a magic wand just turned things around. A profound intensity on the dimples of Preity Zinta and a red tinge on the face of good looking businessman Ness Wadia justified — the auction is over and Kings XI walked out with an entourage of best players.

Ness Wadia and Preity Zinta

Patiala peg

Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Anushka Sharma pose for photographers during the music release of their forthcoming film Patiala House in Mumbai on Sunday. PTI poto

Fans bat for Yuvraj
Whosoever said that change is always for good had no clue how bitterly we'll miss Yuvraj Singh's explosive batting and panache on the field! We'll so much miss his huge sixes, his high fives with teammates and his style. Even his lacklustre performance in last year's IPL and dishevelled looks are a sweet memory, when he is no more a part of Kings XI Punjab. The former 'heavyweight' batsman will now play for the Pune Warriors, but his loyal fans back home wish he was still with the Kings XI.

Krrish-cross
I'm very happy we're making a sequel to Krrish: Hrithik
Bollywood heart-throb Hrithik Roshan for the first time celebrated his birthday Monday with media by cutting a cake, talking about his future projects and revealing his happiness over his filmmaker father's decision to make a sequel to Krrish. "I'm very happy that papa (Rakesh Roshan) has finally taken the mantle and said that he will make Krrish because it was my dream to make another Krrish...I was wishing that one day he gets up and thinks about the film and I'm happy that has happened now," said the actor, who has turned 37 on Monday.

Bedi in Kollywood
After acting in various Bollywood and international films, Kabir Bedi is all set to enter into Kollywood. The actor, who shot to fame in the Hollywood through James Bond film Octopussy and also as a stage-actor in Shakespeare's Othello, would play a prominent role in Tamil film Aravan to be directed by Vasantha Balan. Bedi said he was thrilled after hearing the story from Balan, known for his films Angadi Theru and Veyil.

Director's cut
Deepa Sahi ready with her directorial debut Tere Mere Phere
Female directors are making waves in Bollywood and next to join the bandwagon is actor-turned-director Deepa Sahi. She has finished shooting her directorial debut Tere Mere Phere and says the film is a light hearted look at the intriguing phenomenon of marriage. "Two things, according to me, make the world go round -- love and greed. And both have fascinated me since I remember. This film is about love. Oh! I cud make 100 films on it -- hope that doesn't sound like a threat... I have just completed the first," said the first-time director.

Deepa Sahi

Hip(py) hip(py) hurrah!
Miller wants hippy wedding with Law
Hollywood actor Sienna Miller is reportedly planning a hippy-style wedding when she marries Jude Law later this year.The actor is set to tie the knot with the actor later this year and she is planning to have a ceremony in Dorset, South West England, where she will wear flowers in her hair and pay homage to her laid-back style."Jude's given her a ring for Christmas, as well as a new house, and he intends to make her a bride this summer. She's going for a 'hippy-style flowers-in-your-hair' wedding. She wants it to be in a small church in the English countryside with Jude's children taking part in the ceremony."
Sienna Miller

Warming up to Lohri

(Top) Singer Bant Singh lights up a bonfire to mark Lohri at the Chandigarh Press Club; and celebrations at the Ladies Club-9. Photos: Pradeep Tewari

No Kate walk this!
Hollywood beauty Kate Winslet finds working on small screen hectic and gruelling compared to films.The Oscar-winning star, who began her career in TV with minor roles in little-known shows like Dark Season and Get Back is going back to her roots with new mini-series Mildred Pierce, a role which won actor Joan Crawford an Oscar for her 1945 movie of the same name.

Battle point
Acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron has criticised Hollywood's love affair with franchises, citing the upcoming Battleship movie as an example of the ridiculous lengths producers will go to score a box office hit.Liam Neeson, Alexander Skarsgard and Rihanna are set to star in the big screen re-imagining of the popular board game, but Avatar director Cameron is horrified by the idea of turning a toy into a film.

Class-ic cut
Sabah Khan's designs from her collection 'No Class' have got her a letter of commendation from Prince Charles
She's all of 21 and going places. Fashion designer and stylist Sabah Khan's designs from her collection 'No Class' (that were showcased at the Gennext Show at Lakme Fashion Week 2010) have got her a letter of commendation from Prince Charles. Her collection was inspired from the lifestyle of people residing in the slums of Dharavi.

Spring in step
US-based Kathak dancer Prachi Dixit is in the city for a performance
If you wish to relish the splendour of Indian classical dance and music in a foreign country, you must visit Torrance in the US," says Torrance-based danseuse Prachi Dixit at the very outset of the interaction at the Pracheen Kala Kendra, on whose invitation she is in city for a Kathak dance recital. "The Americans and non-Asians evince more than a passing interest in Indian dance and art forms. In Torrance, many Indians are teaching Bharatnatyam and other dance forms, but only five of us impart training in Kathak, vocal classical music and the tabla," she says.

Going solo
Music knows no boundaries and such is its power that people from diverse spheres are attracted to it. This has been proved by Sarosh Sami, a Mumbai-based businessman, who was in town to launch his album Tishnagi. "It is my first solo album which comprises eight songs. Each song carries a story of love," says Sami. Tishnagi, which literally means 'thirst' presents the listeners with a range of songs with a contemporary feel. Sami is trained in semi-classical music and has been playing tabla since he was seven.


Sarosh Sami

Frozen delight
Committed to introduce the ever healthy and delicious offerings, Cocoberry, India's first premium frozen yogurt chain has come up with its refreshing variant of Blackberry yogurt.

Chic & soft
Valentine has launched a new range of nightwear and sportswear offers an array of lightweight fabrics that look chic but are comfortable and apt for the winter season. Natural fabrics have been used which feel soft on the skin. The collection includes a vibrant range of joggers, pajamas, bermudas, capri's and t-shirts. Price range for men varies from Rs 899 - 13,999, for women, price varies from Rs 899 to 13999 for boys, price ranges from Rs 699 to 899 and for girls, price ranges from Rs 699 to 899. Speaking on the occasion, Harshad Thakkar, Managing Director of Valentine (Ashapura Apparels Pvt.Ltd.) mentioned "With the strong and continuous support of our distributors, in-house team of creative designers and efficient work force and above all our customers, the company has been registering a strong growth year on year.

United they Rap
We are United Cloudz because as the name suggests, we are always together and Cloudz because just like music, we keep moving and can rain anywhere," Shanti Swaroop, aka Narcissus, a second-year student of Travel and Tourism, introduces the three-month-old rap group. Just like their names, it's raining rap crews everywhere. "It's because youngsters these days are a lot more into music, with just every gadget becoming a mini music equipment of sorts. Then there are many more avenues to promote your tracks online, upload them and present them before the public," he says.

Tweet accent
Just as a person's accent is a dead giveaway of his region, the way a user writes on Twitter too can indicate his whereabouts. Jacob Eisenstein and his colleagues at Carnegie Mellon University's (CMU) School of Computer Science developed an automated method that analyses Twitter word-use and shows that regional dialects appear to be evolving within social media.