And the nominations are…
Oscar nominated movies are a hit with people in the city. So, does the liking for these movies begin post nominations?
Correct us if we are wrong... the last time you took interest or let's say discussed Oscars nineteen to dozen…hmmm! Lagan, Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan, all suited-booted, posed at the Oscars sans a balla, Shekhar Kapoor dolled up Elizabeth in best costumes, and more recently an entourage of bacchas and badey from a city called Mumbai rushed to the stage to pose even as the man Danny Boyle (read Slumdog Millionaire) held the Oscars close to his heart.                                                 A scene from The King’s Speech

Digital fasting offers a new nirvana
The first two days I had headaches, I wasn't relaxed at all. I was nervous, and also bored. Because, of course a very big part of my day, which had previously been taken up by email, by Google, and being online, had disappeared suddenly," writes Christoph Koch, a journalist from Berlin who described his experience of staying off the Internet and his mobile phone for an entire month in a book 'So I'm Going Offline'.

Kodak moments
Some click pictures while travelling, others travel to click pictures. Milestone Photo Galleria, a touring exhibition that opens at the Government Museum and Art Gallery on Friday has 60 shots by 21 photographers - all travel pictures.

Two’s Company

Actors Connie Britton (L) and Carla Gugino arrive as guests at the premiere of The Rite in Hollywood, California. — Reuters photo

Litterateurs’ delight
Riding high on the success of earlier events, the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, in collaboration with Punjab University, is organising another three-day literary festival from Friday.

Side Lanes
Joyshri LoboWhen the numbers roll
Every winter takes its toll. This year it has embraced those teachers who became famous in Chandigarh through not only teaching skills, but also exemplary lives guided by compassion, love and the gentle sense of nurturing. Jewell Singh, parent par excellence, beloved teacher and supportive friend, left us all, just short of a glorious century. She passed on as she had lived - quietly, without fuss, with great élan and dignity.

Right move
Her career took a backseat after her wedding, but Bollywood's dancing diva Madhuri Dixit is seriously thinking about fulfilling her dream of opening a dance schools chain across the world."I don't have an immediate, ready plan to open my dance school, but I really want to do something like that and hopefully, god willing, I will do it," Madhuri said.

Travolta turns singer
Hollywood actor John Travolta says he loves making songs for his two-month-old son Benjamin. The 56-year-old actor whose wife Kelly Preston gave birth last year admits he loves to find new ways to entertain the tot.

It’s a boy
It's a baby boy for Hollywood star Penelope Cruz who gave birth to her first child, the same day that husband Javier Bardem received an Oscar nod. The Academy award-winning actor gave birth to the baby on Tuesday, but the notoriously private couple had not disclosed the child's gender.

Koffee break
Madhur’s dig at love
After scoring a hat-trick at the National Awards, well-known filmmaker looks ahead with romantic comedy Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji. His previous films were not just critically acclaimed, but also commercial successes. After Jail Madhur Bhandarkar has come up with a romcom for the first time with Ajay Devgn, the incorrigible Omi Vaidya, Emraan Hashmi, Shruti Haasan, Shradha Das and Shazahn Padamsee. On the eve of the release of Rs 22 crore Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji, Madhur talks about his film.

Urmila replaces Mallika
Bollywood's own dancing diva Urmila Matondkar has replaced actress Mallika Sherawat as the judge of reality show Chak Dhoom Dhoom. The Rangeela star will be seen sharing the judges' panel with Jaaved Jafferi and Terrence Lewis on the second season of the Colors show to find the best dancing group.


Urmila Matondkar

Hoping for a daughter
Hollywood actor Kate Hudson's family is secretly hoping she is expecting a baby girl with Muse frontman Matt Bellamy, according to her stepfather Kurt Russell. The 31-year-old actor who confirmed earlier this month she is pregnant with her first child with current boyfriend Matt Bellamy has delighted her mother Goldie Hawn and stepfather Kurt Russell with the news, but they would be even happier if she gives them a granddaughter.

Kate Hudson

No kidding!
Film: Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji, Producer: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Bhandarkar Entertainment, Director: Madhur Bhandarkar