‘Skyfall’ presents two new tough and seductive Bond girls

When Daniel Craig took on the role of Bond, James Bond, in "Casino Royale," he radically redefined the character of 007. Craig's Bond was tough and smooth in equal measure, looking just as comfortable in a gunfight as in formal wear.  So isn't it time for Bond girls to also be both strong and stylish?
In this exclusive look at the making of "Skyfall," the upcoming 23rd Bond film, you see that new Bond girls Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe look to be up to that challenge.  Harris -- who can be seen driving, shooting, and sultrily shaving Bond's face in the video -- says, "I don't think it's enough to just look pretty anymore. That may well have been true in the past, but certainly not now."
Watch the video to see the ladies in action and hear what Daniel Craig has to say about working with them. Then keep reading to learn more about the actresses and the femme fatales they play.

Bond girls traditionally have come in two varieties: the ally to Bond, who are often too business-minded at first to fall for his caddish ways, and the bad girl, who usually are won over by 007's charm.  "Skyfall" looks like it has both, but with notable differences.
36-year-old Naomie Harris plays Eve, a fully-trained British field agent who drives fast and draws her gun even faster. The London-born Harris says Eve "kind of sees herself as Bond's equal. She's not, but that's how she sees herself."  Eve is on a mission with 007 that goes bad, and when M (Judi Dench) gives her the order to fire on a target, Bond gets hit in the crossfire.

[Video: Watch the 'Skyfall' theatrical trailer]

Harris trained for two months before filming with handguns and automatic weapons, but it's not all action with Eve. In the new video, we see Eve in a slinky one-shoulder gown when she goes undercover with a tuxedo-clad Bond.  Of course, that's not the only close shave Eve and Bond get into, as the trailer shows her scraping a straight razor across his face in a very intimate moment.
Harris is joined by 33-year-old Paris native Berenice Marlohe, who plays the alluring Severine.  The exotic beauty -- her mother is French and her father is Cambodian -- is making her English-language debut in the film.  Severine is employed by the villain, Raoul Silva, played by Oscar-winner Javier Bardem.
Marlohe says about Severine: "The first time you see her, she has a dark side."  She warns 007 about the danger Silva poses, but naturally that doesn't faze him much.  And while it's difficult to make out through the steam-obscured glass, it does look like that's her and Bond in the trailer embracing in a shower. It's good to know Bond can always find help with his personal hygiene and grooming.

Obama Blames GOP for Inability to Pass Immigration Reform

MIAMI, Fla. - President Obama today said his failure to push comprehensive immigration reform as promised was the biggest failure of his first term but blamed Republicans in Congress for the lack of progress.

Seeeking to appeal to Latino voters at a Univision News forum, the president explained "when we talked about immigration reform in the first year, that's before the economy was on the verge of collapse, Lehman Brothers had collapsed, the stock market was collapsing, and so my first priority was making sure that we prevented us from going into a Great Depression."

In 2008, then-candidate Obama told Univision's Jorge Ramos, who anchored today's event with Maria Elena Salinas, "what I can guarantee is that we will have in the first year an immigration bill that I strongly support and that I'm promoting. And I want to move that forward as quickly as possible."

Today, Ramos repeatedly pressed Obama to acknowledge he had not kept that promise. "I don't want to get lost in translation," Ramos said in Spanish. Today's forum was conducted in Spanish and the questions translated for the president. "You promised… And a promise is a promise. And with all due respect, you didn't keep that promise."

"I am happy to take responsibility for the fact that we didn't get it done," Obama said. "But I did not make a promise that I would get everything done a hundred percent when I was elected as president. What I promised was that I would work every single day as hard as I can to make sure that everybody in the country, regardless of who they are, what they look like, where they come from, that they would have a fair shot at the American dream. And that promise I kept."

The president placed blame squarely on Republicans. "I confess I did not expect - and so I'm happy to take responsibility for being naive here - that Republicans who had previously supported comprehensive immigration reform - my opponent in 2008, who had been a champion of it and who attended these meetings - suddenly would walk away. That's what I did not anticipate," he said, singling out Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"We initiated the meetings, had a series of meetings. And what we could not get was a single Republican, including the 20 who has previously voted for comprehensive immigration reform, to step up and say, we will work with you to make this happen," Obama continued. Asked about the biggest mistake of his first term, the president relented. "As you remind me, my biggest failure so far is we haven't gotten comprehensive immigration reform done, so we're going to be continuing to work on that," he admitted.

Invasion of the South Indian Hotties

South India, which gave us faces like Aishwarya Rai, Asin, Tabu, Vidya Balan has opened it's bountiful coffers of beauty once again.


Taapsee Pannu

Taapsee Pannu recently scored a two-film deal with Viacom Entertainment. Her first, 'Chashme Baddoor', a David Dhawan film will hit theaters in November.

In the let one-one-and-a-half years, Taapsee has starred in 8 films. “All the films that I’ve worked on gave me a lot of scope to perform. There were days when I felt exhausted and worn out, but I guess it’s the love of movies that made me push all my boundaries. I hope to be part of more such films in the future,”

Taapsee once even refused a film with Amitabh Bachchan due to date issues.

Nidhi Subbaiah

Nidhi is rumored to have been approached for the female lead role in Jazz, making her Bollywood debut, along with another Sandalwood (Karnataka film industry) actor, Diganth Manchale.

She got this role after Prachi Desai, originally finalized for the role walked out of the project.

She stated: "It's true that I've been approached for the project. The makers have asked me to block my dates till November and are to send me the script soon. I haven't signed a contract yet, but I can confirm that serious discussions have taken place and it does look like I might do the film," says Nidhi.

She has received other offers as well, many of which she has refused."...I wanted the perfect Bollywood launchpad. This film with Diganth seems just right. The producers had seen Pancharangi, in which Diganth and I co-starred, and noticed that we share a great onscreen chemistry. We'd recently done a look test and the producers found our pairing interesting," says Nidhi.

Piaa Bajpai

Piaa Bajpai isn't speaking about her Bollywood debut. "Yes, it's true that I am doing a Bollywood movie. But I am not allowed to talk about it until the announcement is made by the producers…all I can say is it involves one of the big production houses in Bollywood."

Priya Anand

Priya Anand will debut with director Balki of 'Cheeni Kum' and 'Paa' fame.

The untitled project will be shot in the US - perfect for a a US raised Priya.

According to a source: "Priya has been approached to star in director Balki's next. She will be leaving to New York with the unit by the end of this month. There's enough meat to her character, which made Priya jump at the offer…. Balki had taken some time to decide on his next film after Paa and it was reported that he would work with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan again.

However, he had confirmed that he's going ahead with a film that will star Junior Bachchan in the lead before doing a flick with Big B. It's for this film that Priya might have been signed on." In both Cheeni Kum and Paa, the women characters were very strong and were pivotal to the film. This film could also be woman-centric where the leading lady is crucial to the story.

Madhu Shalini

The model-turned-actress has worked in Telugu and Tamil language films. Her Bollywood debut is Ram Gopal Varma's upcoming Department, in which she playsa female gangster. The movie also stars with Amitabh Bachchan,Sanjay Dutt and Rana Daggubati. (Entertainment, MensXP.com)

Related Link:
Bikini Parade

Denim derriere ad has feminists flying into rage

In a country where foreign brands are entering by the dozen, you can understand the need of a homegrown brand to make themselves more relevant to the youth. That's what seems to be happening in desi denim brand Flying Machine's latest ad campaign. The brand, struggling to keep pace with the Diesels, Calvin Kleins, Armani Exchanges and J Brands of the world fast flying off mall shelves in Indian cities, came up with an ad campaign to reach out to the youth. The print ad, however, has run into controversy for being in bad taste. The ad shows a female model wearing flattering jeans, with the catchline saying, in bold font: " What an Ass!" The ad was probably meant to resonate with the young and happening. It, however, has offended women activists and once again ripped open the debate on creative liberty vs sensationalism. The fact that it doesn't even look like a typical Indian woman's famed behind, is also something catching people's attention. The body type looks particularly foreign with a narrow waist and sculpted ass, with nothing remotely like the desi derriere. The CEO of the youth division of Arvind Mills, the company that produces Flying Machine, has reportedly stood by the ad, saying there's nothing sensational or vulgar about it. He thinks the ad should be treated in good humour. Advertisement is arguably the one medium of creativity that reflects the flavour of the times even more than cinema, music or art. It's about direct interaction with the consumer and is meant to translate almost instantly into tangible returns. No wonder then that ads capture the popular imagination much more than hit movies or songs sometimes. But lately, one has noticed many ads taking the thin line between sensational and stimulating lightly. Recently, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting cracked the whip on some men's deodorant commercials for being overtly sexual and showing women as depraved and wanting. Even underwear commercials of Amul Macho and Lux Cozy came under the censorship's radar for being more raunchy than naughty. Source By: India Today

The World's Most Powerful Women

1. Angela Merkel

Age: 57
Post: Chancellor
Residence: Berlin, Germany
Country of citizenship: Germany
Marital Status: Married

2. Hillary Clinton

Age: 63
Title: Secretary of State
Country of citizenship: United States
Marital Status: Married

3. Dilma Rousseff

Age: 63
Title: President
Residence: Brasilia, Brazil
Country of citizenship: Brazil
Marital Status: Divorced

4. Indra Nooyi

Age: 55
Title: Chief Executive, PepsiCo
Residence: Greenwich, CT
Country of citizenship: United States
Marital Status: Married

5. Sheryl Sandberg

Age: 41
Title: COO, Facebook
Residence: Atherton, CA
Country of citizenship: United States
Marital Status: Married

6. Melinda Gates

Age: 47
Title: Cofounder, Cochair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Residence: Medina, WA
Country of citizenship: United States
Marital Status: Married

7. Sonia Gandhi

Age: 64
Title: President, Indian National Congress Party
Residence: New Delhi, India
Country of citizenship: India
Marital Status: Widow

8. Michelle Obama

Age: 47
Title: First Lady
Residence: Washington, DC
Country of citizenship: United States
Marital Status: Married

9. Christine Lagarde

Age: 55
Title: Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Residence: Washington, DC, France
Country of citizenship: France
Marital Status: Married

10. Irene Rosenfeld

Age: 58
Title: CEO, Kraft Foods
Residence: Chicago, IL
Country of citizenship: United States
Marital Status: Married

Anna Hazare- 10 Days Fast For Nation

Anna Hazare, "the man who can change the system". Who says that Mahatma Gandhi is left us and he is not with us right now? if you want to see Mahatma Gandhi, you need to go Ramlila Maidan Delhi. There is a 74 year old man doing fast for his nation, now one question is raising in your mind that where is Mahtma Gandhi? my friend the man who is fasting there he is the Mahtma Gandhi of this time. Some changes are come like face, time and conditions but thought, soul are same.

Anna doing fast for India from 10 days but Indian government is doing nothing, Indian politicians are taking it easy and enjoying there life because they believe its not affect to them.Anna said that he would not end his fast unless his demands are met.Anna set following conditions before the government:

Discuss Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament, bring lower bureaucracy under Lokpal, appoint Lokayuktas in states, prepare a citizens' charter.

Anna Hazare also questioned the silence of opposition parties over the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Now the other side Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has offered a new formula to end the Lokpal deadlock with Team Anna.
Prime Minister said the government is ready to debate all versions of the Lokpal Bill in circulation at present. The PM said the aim was to give strong lokpal to country.now what you think our MP's are support to Anna's Lokpal when they debate on it?

Friends these are really big questions for our country. I think we all Indians should support to Anna Hazare because he is fasting for us, so come ahead and join Anna at Ramlila Maidan Delhi.

Newspaper Cuttings: Thursday, August 25, 2011

Apple's Steve Jobs abruptly resigns as CEO

Jobs, the iconic tech visionary who co-founded Apple and recently made it the most valued U.S. corporation, abruptly resigned as chief executive Wednesday night.
Jobs, 56, who has battled pancreatic cancer the past few years and looked noticeably weaker recently, told Apple's board of directors in a brief note that he "could no longer meet my duties and expectations" as CEO.
USA Today

After Arab Revolts, Reigns of Uncertainty

DJERBA, Tunisia — The idealism of the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia, where the power of the street revealed the frailty of authority, revived an Arab world anticipating change. But Libya’s unfinished revolution, as inspiring as it is unsettling, illustrates how perilous that change has become as it unfolds in this phase of the Arab Spring.
Though the rebels’ flag has gone up in Tripoli, their leadership is fractured and opaque; the intentions and influence of Islamists in their ranks are uncertain; Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi remains at large in a flight reminiscent of Saddam Hussein’s; and foreigners have been involved in the fight in the kind of intervention that has long been toxic to the Arab world.
The New York Times

Jobs's Legacy: Changing How We Live

Steve Jobs's resignation as Chief Executive Officer of Apple is the end of an extraordinary era, not just for Apple, but for the global technology industry in general. Mr. Jobs is a historic business figure whose impact was felt far beyond the company's Cupertino, California headquarters, and who was widely emulated at other companies. And now, for the first time since 1997, he won't be CEO.
To be very clear, Mr. Jobs, while seriously ill, is very much alive. People with direct knowledge of the matter say he intends to remain involved in developing major future products and strategy and intends to be an active chairman of the board, even while new CEO Tim Cook runs the company day-to-day. This is not an obituary. But his health is reported to be up and down, and even an active chairman isn't the same as a CEO.
The Wall Street Journal

Anna: I will not die till we get Jan Lokpal Bill

New Delhi: On the 10th day of his fast Thursday, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare said he is doing fine and declared that he will not die till the Jan Lokpal Bill.
"I am sure, I will not die till we get Lokpal bill. There is nothing to worry about my health," said Anna Hazare who has been fasting for the last 9 days demanding a strong anti-graft bill.
He looked weak but there was no flagging of his spirit as he shouted "Vande Mataram" and "Bharat Mata Ki Jai".
"I am doing fine and there is nothing to worry about. I have lost 6.5 kg in the last 10 days but there is no difficulty," Hazare told the crowd at the Ramlila Maidan.
Denik Bhaskar

PM's new offer to Anna Hazare: Let's debate all versions of Lokpal bill

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has offered a new formula to end the Lokpal deadlock with Team Anna.
Replying to the debate on corruption in Lok Sabha, Prime Minister said the government is ready to debate all versions of the Lokpal Bill in circulation at present.
The PM said the aim was to give the country a strong Lokpal and for that the government was ready to involve all sections in discussions.
The PM said alongwith the Jan Lokpal Bill the bills prepared by Aruna Roy's NCPRI and Jaiprakash Narain (of Hyderabad) will also be debated by the Parliament.
The Times Of India