Horror Films are unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience. Horror films effectively center on the dark side of life, the forbidden, and strange and alarming events. They deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsions, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment, loss of identity, or fear of sexuality.
Whatever dark, primitive, and revolting traits that simultaneously attract and repel us are featured in the horror genre. Horror films are often combined with science fiction when the menace or monster is related to a corruption of technology, or when Earth is threatened by aliens. The fantasy and supernatural film genres are not synonymous with the horror genre, although thriller films may have some relation when they focus on the revolting and horrible acts of the killer/madman. Horror films are also known as chillers, scary movies, spookfests, and the macabre.
Introduction to Horror Films
Horror films go back as far as the onset of films themselves, over a 100 years ago. From our earliest days, we use our vivid imaginations to see ghosts in shadowy shapes, to be emotionally connected to the unknown and to fear things that are improbable. Watching a horror film gives an opening into that scary world, into an outlet for the essence of fear itself, without actually being in danger. Weird as it sounds, there's a very real thrill and fun factor in being scared or watching disturbing, horrific images.
Horror films, when done well and with less reliance on horrifying special effects, can be extremely potent film forms, tapping into our dream states and the horror of the irrational and unknown, and the horror within man himself. (The best horror films only imply or suggest the horror in subtle ways, rather than blatantly displaying it, i.e., Val Lewton's horror films.) In horror films, the irrational forces of chaos or horror invariably need to be defeated, and often these films end with a return to normalcy and victory over the monstrous.
Of necessity, the earliest horror films were Gothic in style - meaning that they were usually set in spooky old mansions, castles, or fog-shrouded, dark and shadowy locales. Their main characters have included "unknown," human, supernatural or grotesque creatures, ranging from vampires, demented madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, "Frankensteins," "Jekyll/Hyde" dualities, demons, zombies, evil spirits, arch fiends, Satanic villains, the "possessed," werewolves and freaks to even the unseen, diabolical presence of evil.
Horror films developed out of a number of sources: folktales with devil characters, witchcraft, fables, myths, ghost stories, Grand Guignol melodramas, and Gothic or Victorian novels from Europe by way of Mary Shelley or Irish writer Bram Stoker. In many ways, the expressionistic German silent cinema led the world in films of horror and the supernatural, and established its cinematic vocabulary and style.
I know that the subject of remakes has been beat more than one of Michael Vick’s pooches (too soon?), but is also a subject that is not going to go away in the near future. A quick glance of the slated horror releases for the next few years has no fewer than 12 remakes including The Birds, Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser…I could go on.
As fans of the genre, of course we hate the idea of remakes. What ever happened to the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? So many of our favorites are getting makeovers, and then the makeovers are getting their own sequels? What the hell is up with that? Kinda bullshit. There are also those remakes, however, that I think are allowed. A film that was released over 50 years ago, in my opinion, is eligible for a remake, or “reimagining.” Take Wolfman for example. Judging from the posts on the discussion board on this site, I’m not the only one absolutely stoked for the release of the remake. I saw the trailer, and there are clearly scenes that are an homage to the original, but I’d bet my entire savings account ($223.24 – ugh, no wonder I’m single) that less than 5% of people who go see the film in December have seen the original Lon Cheney version. This is the situation where a studio exec can say that they’re bringing an old story to a new generation, and I’ll actually buy it. When they try to use that line when referring to a remake of a movie made in the 80’s, however, it makes me want to punch them in the side of the neck.
So why all the remakes? None of us are idiots, we know it’s all about the $. Studio heads, or at least their Development heads, have been groomed in the Hollywood system, and taught that they have one job, and that one job is to bring in revenue to the studio. I’ve heard many a complaint about the fact that nobody in Hollywood has creativity anymore, or that everyone only cares about the money. I don’t necessarily think that is the case. It’s just that the people with the creativity aren’t the ones making the decisions.
Hollywood is not run by fans of horror; it’s not even run by fans of movies in general. The 1990’s ultimately destroyed the original horror film. It was in the 90’s that big companies got bigger, ate other companies, then merged with other big companies to become uber-companies. Studio execs were hired to improve the bottom line, not create good product. This is when focus groups, trends, and statistics started deciding what movies got made. An exec knows in order to keep his job, he’s got to greenlight movies than bring back big returns. Knowing his job is on the line, of course he’s going to pick a sure thing over a creative, potentially great idea.
Had I walked into Lionsgate with a pitch for The Blair Witch Project, they would have smiled and escorted me out of the building. (Actually, they’d say “We really like it, let us talk internally to our finance people, and get back to you with the company go-ahead right away.” Then I’d wait 3 weeks, try to call, and they’d refuse to return any of my messages, and I’d never hear from them again. Seriously.) But when Blair Witch hit big on the festival circuit, all of a sudden it got scooped up by Artisan, an affiliate of Lionsgate, and went on to be the biggest grossing independent film of all time to that point. It wasn’t until the execs physically saw the impact the film had that they got on board.
This signified the beginning of the age of horror we are now in. Every decent horror film comes either from another country, or an independent producer. When GE and Time Warner and their kind took over Hollywood, they eliminated creativity and passion from the upper echelons of studio management and replaced it with words like profit margin, corporate sponsorship, and investment returns. A whole lot of rich people looking to get richer.
We are a massive fan base with more passion and creativity than any of the suits in Hollywood could ever imagine having. We long for them to create weird, different, off the wall, original films, the likes of which we’ve never seen – but words like “weird” and “different” don’t work next to words like “investment returns,” so instead, they give us a sequel to the “reimagining” of Friday the 13th because their “stats” say that’s what will make us stuff our hard-earned money into their pockets.
Top 5 Video
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Life Of Snakes
An ongoing package of practical LIFE Nature support is helping Hungarian authorities protect and improve the conservation status of one of Europe’s endangered snakes.
The Hungarian meadow viper (Vipera ursinii rakosiensis) is classified as threatened and vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. As such the conservation status of this endangered European species remains a high priority. The small venomous snake was once more prolific, inhabiting parts of Austria, Romania and Bulgaria, but the only remaining populations are now found in isolated pockets throughout Hungary. Intensification of agricultural practices is linked to the decline of this species and LIFE Nature projects have been used effectively to help boost the viper’s conservation status.
Swarms of snakes are attacking people and cattle in southern Iraq as the Euphrates and Tigris rivers dry up and the reptiles lose their natural habitat among the reed beds.
"People are terrified and are leaving their homes," says Jabar Mustafa, a medical administrator, who works in a hospital in the southern province of Dhi Qar. "We knew these snakes before, but now they are coming in huge numbers. They are attacking buffalo and cattle as well as people." Doctors in the area say six people have been killed and 13 poisoned.
In Chabaysh, a town on the Euphrates close to the southern marshland of Hawr al-Hammar, farmers have set up an overnight operations room to prevent the snakes attacking their cattle.
Snakes are cold-blooded reptiles
. Their sight is impaired and they are legless. Consequently, they crawl over the ground. Snakes are of different types and can have different habitats depending upon their body structure. Thus, snakes having flattened body have to live in an aquatic environment
. The snakes that have long and slender bodies and prehensile tail have in live in trees or arboreal habitat. Snakes with compact bodies have to live in terrestrial habitat. Generally, forests are a natural environment of these snakes. They are even found in deserts and prairies.
Snakes feel vulnerable in the open. They also possess venomous glands due to which they are feared by the people. Thus, these animals live in hiding and even are equipped with camouflage apparatus for their safety. They have colours similar to those found in their environments that protect them from their predators.
LIFE actions
LIFE actions are targeting around 95% of the remaining Vipera ursinii population. Initially, nearly € 325 000 was awarded to a four year LIFE Nature project which was launched in January 2004. This has subsequently been followed up by a larger LIFE + project contributing around € 1 700 000 for viper conservation works that will continue in Hungary until the end of 2013.
The 2004 LIFE project focused its attention on reducing the decline in species numbers by helping Hungarian conservation bodies acquire the land where vipers were known to live. This approach was considered necessary to provide maximum protection for the endangered species and also facilitate rapid restoration of relevant habitat features to help boost the sustainability of snake populations. Core conservation works involved recreating grasslands, removing forest stands close to viper habitats and developing ecological corridors that helped to both reconnect isolated populations as well as provide the endangered species with a safe winter hibernation environment on elevated ground where risks from high seasonal groundwater levels were minimised.
Coordinated by BirdLife Hungary, in partnership with National Park authorities and the Ministry of Environment, LIFE support during the first four years led to some useful successes and paved the way for the present ongoing project. Much of the work has been undertaken in the Peszéradacs region of Kiskunság, although monitoring activities were carried out in all areas where the species is found, including Bugac, Dabas-Gyón and Hanság.
"We have been surprised in recent days by the unprecedented number of snakes that have fled their habitat because of the dryness and heat," Wissam al-Assadi, one of the town's vets said. "We saw some on roads, near houses and cowsheds. Farmers have come to us for vaccines, but we don't have any."
The plague of snakes is the latest result of an unprecedented fall in the level of the water in the Euphrates and the Tigris, the two great rivers which for thousands of years have made life possible in the sun-baked plains of Mesopotamia, the very name of which means "between the rivers" in Greek. The rivers that made Iraq's dry soil so fertile are drying up because the supply of water, which once flowed south into Iraq from Turkey, Syria and Iran, is now held back by dams and used for irrigation. On the Euphrates alone, Turkey has five large dams upriver from Iraq, and Syria has two.
The diversion of water from the rivers has already destroyed a large swathe of Iraqi agriculture and the result of Iraq being starved of water may be one of the world's greatest natural disasters, akin to the destruction of the Amazonian rainforest. Already the advance of the desert has led to frequent dust storms in Baghdad which close the airport. Yet this dramatic climatic change has attracted little attention outside Iraq, overshadowed by the violence following the US-led invasion in 2003 and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
The collapse in the water levels of the rivers has been swift, the amount of water in the Euphrates falling by three-quarters in less than a decade. In 2000, the flow speed of the water in the river was 950 cubic metres per second, but by this year it had dropped to 230 cubic metres per second.
In the past, Iraq has stored water in lakes behind its own dams, but these reservoirs are now much depleted and can no longer make up the shortfall. The total water reserves behind all Iraqi dams at the beginning of May was only 11 billion cubic metres, compared to over 40 billion three years ago. One of the biggest dams in the country, on the Euphrates at Haditha in western Iraq, close to the Syrian border, held eight billion cubic metres two years ago but now has only two billion.
Iraq has appealed to Turkey to open the sluice gates on its dams. "We need at least 500 cubic metres of water per second from Turkey, or double what we are getting," says Abdul Latif Rashid, the Iraqi Minister of Water Resources. "They promised an extra 130 cubic metres, but this was only for a couple of days and we need it for months." His ministry is doing everything it can, he says, but the most important decisions about the supply of water to Iraq are taken outside the country – in Turkey, Syria and Iran. "In addition there has been a drought for the last four years with less than half the normal rainfall falling," says Mr Rashid.
Large parts of Iraq that were once productive farmland have already turned into arid desert. The Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture says that between 40 and 50 per cent of what was agricultural land in the 1970s is now being hit by desertification.
Drought, war, UN sanctions, lack of investment and the cutting down of trees for firewood have all exacerbated the crisis, but at its heart is the lack of water for irrigation in the Tigris and Euphrates. Farmers across Iraq are being driven from the land. Earlier this month, farmers and fishermen demonstrated in Najaf, a city close to the Euphrates, holding up placards demanding that the Iraqi government insist that foreign countries release more water.
"The farmers have stopped planting and now head to the city for work to earn their daily living until the water comes back," said Ali al-Ghazali, a farmer from the area.
"We pay for our seeds at the time of the harvest, and if we fail to harvest, or the harvest has been ruined, the person who sold us the seeds still wants his money." Najaf province has banned its farmers from growing rice because the crop needs too much water.
The drop in the quantity of water in the rivers has also reduced its quality. The plains of ancient Mesopotamia once produced abundant crops for the ancient Sumerians. From Nineveh in the north to Ur of the Chaldees in the south, the flat landscape of Iraq is dotted with the mounds marking the remains of their cities. There is little rainfall away from the mountains of Kurdistan and the land immediately below them, so agriculture has always depended on irrigation.
But centuries of irrigating the land without draining it properly has led to a build-up of salt in the soil, making much of it infertile. Lack of water in the rivers has speeded up the salinisation, so land in central and southern Iraq, highly productive 30 years ago, has become barren. Even such rainfall as does fall in northern Iraq has been scant in recent years. In February, the Greater Zaab river, one of the main tributaries of the Tigris, which should have been a torrent, was a placid stream occupying less than a quarter of its river bed. The hills overlooking it, which should be green, were a dusty brown.
Experts summoned by the Water Resources Ministry to a three-day conference on the water crisis held in Sulaimaniyah in April described the situation as "a tragedy".
Mohammed Ali Sarham, a water specialist from Diwaniyah in southern Iraq, said: "Things are slipping from our hands: swathes of land are being turned into desert. Farmers are leaving the countryside and heading to the city or nearby areas. We are importing almost all our food, though in the 1950s we were one of the few regional cereal-exporting countries."
The experts recommended that, in addition to Turkey releasing more water, there should be heavy investment to make better use of the waterways such as the Tigris and Euphrates. But this year Mr Rashid says that his budget for this year has been cut in half to $500m (£300m) because of the fall in the price of oil.
The outcome of the agricultural disaster in Iraq is evident in the fruit and vegetable shops in Baghdad. Jassim Mohammed Bahadeel, a grocer in the Karada district, says that once much of what he sold came from farms around the Iraqi capital. "But today, the apples I sell come from America, France and Chile; tomatoes and potatoes from Syria and Jordan; oranges from Egypt and Turkey. Only the dates come from Iraq because they do not need a lot of water."
Life cycle
Water snakes mature when they are 2 to 3 years old. Mating takes place in the spring and snakes are born between August and October. Water snakes give birth to live snakes. The eggs hatch within the female body before the birth. Litters of about 20 snakes are common and the newborn snakes have a length of 8-12 inches on average.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Life Of Jungle
Representative democracy cannot live without characters. The theatre of big egos and sprawling talents keeps the audience's interest alive. People say it's only the issues that matter, but as soon as the theatre folds, the audience melts away. For that reason, Michael Heseltine has been one of the great servants of British democratic life since the Seventies, a vivid, preening carnivore who helped put the life into arguments that convulsed the country. From council house sales to CND, Toxteth to Margaret Thatcher, at some time or other Heseltine has provoked gurgles of private agreement and teeth-grindings of angry dissent in half the kitchens of the nation.
We know, or think we do, the main outlines of his story - the dyslexic schoolboy who made a fortune in low-rent hotels and magazines, became a Heathite Tory MP, a technocratic Minister, Margaret Thatcher's great enemy, the 'nearly man' who might have been Prime Minister or party leader on at least three occasions but who didn't, and has now retired to contemplate, rather than swing among, his fine collection of trees.
British political memoirs tend to follow a predictable pattern. The early life, with its interesting revelations of family eccentricity and tough, ambition-forging times, is followed by the Oxbridge years, when lifelong political friendships and contacts are formed. Then comes the breathless account of the first constituency campaign, the charmingly self-mocking account of that terrifying maiden speech, the gruff advice from Sir Old Salt MP - what a character! - then the tramp, tramp, tramp of departmental achievements. As he tramps, Our Hero absolves himself from any errors other memoirs attack him for, and energetically reheats ancient grudges.
Wives appear in a blur. Children provide a few paragraphs of amusing background colour. A couple of imperfectly remembered jokes are hastily inserted after the first read-through. And - hey presto! - it's time to call the chap at the Daily Mail who apparently pays such a lot to extract the microwaved grudges. Strangely, Our Hero has no examples of his own of petty spite, failure of vision or genuine remorse to record.
This autobiography follows the pattern but it is vastly better than most. Heseltine says he does not find writing (or reading) easy and he is not an exciting prose writer. But, presumably thanks to veteran journalist Anthony Howard, who has been a close friend since student days and helped with it, this is one of the most elegant, politically informative and, in the widest sense, literate reviews of a political life in many years. It is not up there with the great autobiographies of Healey or Jenkins, but it stands easy comparison with Thatcher, Major or Lawson.
Like many people, I always found Heseltine rather aloof, wary, even cold. He is certainly a private man. His frank account of the catastrophic effect of his father's early death is not followed by much later soul-baring. The general tone is of wry lack of self-pity, amusement at the pitfalls and treacheries of political life and disdain, rather than anger, for old enemies such as Airey Neave, Normans Tebbit, Lamont and Thatcher herself.
It is impressive rather than endearing. And indeed it is a curious tribute to the British class system that a Swansea boy who made his fortune in London bedsits and commercial magazines and who was much lampooned as a wideboy 'who has to buy his own furniture' should, in his sixties, have the aura of a very grand grandee indeed, the nearest Blair's Britain has to a Whig aristo.
So why is the book so good, lacking as it does the easy bile, the maudlin revelations or the gossip that mostly keeps us reading? Close students of the great dramas of Heseltine's career - his near-bankruptcy, the mace-waving, his Cabinet resignation, his leadership challenge, his involvement in the Ponting or Matrix Churchill cases, won't even find much new information on those, though the Westland story is one that still makes me seethe when I read it.
No, the cheering, old-fashioned answer is that Life in the Jungle is crammed with detail and serious explanation about many of the issues that have mattered most to Heseltine and Britain over the years. His struggle to respond practically to inner-city despair, above all in Liverpool; the complex, fascinating tale of how Margaret Thatcher abused her power to please her friends during Westland; the grappling with industrial change, council house sales, privatisations, transport schemes, wildlife protection and rough sleepers - those sorts of things are the meat of the book.
It's a book about doing, not being. From his early days as a businessman to his political apotheosis as President of the Board of Trade and Deputy Prime Minister, Heseltine has been a formidable doer, a hands-on administrator fascinated by the processes of power. He has put that gift to the service of a political identity which was once common among the Heathite Tories but is less so now - hawkish on defence, pro-European, tough-minded to the point of hardness when it comes to profits and the virtue of capitalism generally, yet genuinely gripped by the plight of the poor and courageously liberal on race at a time when it wasn't half so easy.
He also has a strong sense of history. He would never have tried to persuade Margaret Thatcher to make him 'Minister for Merseyside', it seems, had he not been gripped by awe and desolation at how the once great city port had collapsed from within. Perhaps less happily, he would not have embraced the Millennium Dome had he not dreamed of emulating the Great Exhibition and the Festival of Britain.
The most important missing ingredient, however, is a fully honest discussion of his own driving ambition. After Westland, he writes as if all the momentum that led him to challenge Thatcher came from outside, as if an eccentric army of newspaper editors, disaffected backbench MPs and humble commoners was urging the rebel general on, entirely to his own surprise. Yet he kept a detailed record of backbench Tory support hidden in his office and was prowling round Thatcher like the predator he also is. He describes it as 'my own battle for political survival', which is perhaps more eloquent than he intended.
Thatcher was one top beast and he was another, and they both knew it, and knew only one could survive. They stoked up their mutual loathing because at some level they had no choice. It's simple, David Attenborough stuff and it happens often in politics. This is the deeper, serious, policy Heseltine but the man we watched in the theatre, the human tiger, was real enough too. Admitting it would have made this book fully honest and raised it from being very good, which it certainly is, to a real classic.
Amazon Water Story
Rain is the lifeblood of all rainforests. It's the reason this lush, vibrant jungle can exist. Without it none of this exuberant plant life could grow and nothing else could live here either. But why does it rain in the rainforest? You might think it's just part of the weather system here... but it isn't. The forest itself makes rain as part of an ongoing water cycle.
Each tree can suck up hundreds of gallons of water every day, but will only use a small amount. The rest goes back into the atmosphere as water vapour released through tiny pores on the leaves.
Winds blow the vapour out across the canopy, collecting more and more moisture as they go. This saturated air is carried deep into the forest, where it falls again as rain. New trees suck up the rainwater and so the cycle continues... The forest acts as a kind of giant conveyor belt, a sort of huge Mexican wave of moisture travelling right across a continent.
Half of all rainwater that falls here in the Amazon is produced by the trees themselves. The scale of the system is simply staggering, this forest is so big it creates its own climate. Winds from the Atlantic ocean blow the water vapour westward, right across the Amazon basin, finally pushing it up against the mountainside.
A single droplet of water can take an incredible trip. It might be recycled through dozens of different trees and downpours, and travel more than 3,000 km before it reaches the mountains of the Andes. Eventually, rain falls and the whole water story begins again.
Forest versus River
Rainforest rivers are dangerously unpredictable, especially in flood. The cutting edge can swallow 25m of riverbank each year. The rivers form huge cliffs as whole slices of forest disappear. But the same force that cuts the cliffs on one side of the river has an opposite effect on the other. Here, instead of destroying the land, the river helps create it.
Jungle beaches are war zones - scene of a raging battle between the river and the forest. Tessauria plants are in the front line in the fight to claim back new territory. They're like paratroopers, invading as airborne seeds during the dry season when the river enemy is weakest. This is their chance to entrench their position.
Next, reinforcements arrive - massed ranks of cane like infantry which help to consolidate the position. Behind them are the heavy guns, cecropia trees. Each wave of plants creates the right conditions for the next to germinate and grow until, finally, the jungle wins the battle.
But nothing stays the same... the waterways constantly redesign the jungle tapestry, meandering in giant loops across the floodplain. Rather than leaving behind a trail of destruction, they create tranquil lakes. 'Oxbow' lakes are really stranded river bends, left behind when the main river cuts through the neck of an old loop.
And even these lakes won't last forever. Swamp palms often mark the old location of a dried up oxbow lake. Like all rainforest plants, the palms fight hard for a space to grow in and the shallow lake edges are a soft target for invasion. Slowly but surely new plants move in, turning the jungle into a swamp dominated by dense bands of palms. Once more, the forest is taking over.
* Shake any rainforest tree and up to 1500 different types of insect may fall out.
* More than 2000mm of rain falls in the rainforests every year.
* The bird-eating spiders of the Amazon rainforest can grow as big as a dinner plate.
* As little as 1% of sunlight reaches the forest floor.
* In a patch the size of a tennis court there may be as many as 60,000 seedlings waiting for their chance to stand in the sunshine.
* Jungle vines can grow to 200m long and can be as thick as your leg.
* 1.5 million people live in rainforests around the world.
* About a quarter of all medicines we take are made with plants that grow in the rainforest.
* Some trees stick out above the canopy, and each can stretch as wide as a football pitch.
* Scientists from the Museum explore the rainforest for undiscovered psecies. They think there are millions out there but 100 species of rainforest animals and plants are being wiped out every single week.
* Scientists studying the rainforest sometimes use hot air balloons to reach the very top of the canopy.
Tree Fall Story
Jungle trees run the most efficient recycling service on earth. With all these nutrients, tropical sunlight and water they've become the ultimate growing machines. And when a jungle giant dies it's big news. Suddenly, a massive hole is punctured in the canopy and all the plants on the forest floor get the chance they've been waiting for. In an area the size of a tennis court there may be as many as 60,000 seedlings waiting for their chance to stand in the light.
As soon as the first rays of light stream through, there is an explosion of plant life. Specialised sprinters begin to fill the gap. But this is no scramble it's an organised take-over. Although they are first on the scene, the sprinters time in the sun is short-lived. In just a few months bushes and shrubs take their place to dominate the clearing. Then pioneer trees get a growth spurt and within a few years overshadow them to bathe in the sunlight.
But the ultimate winner is a tiny mahogany sapling. It may be slower than the others, but these trees are in for the long haul. It can take a century of growth, but in time, the mahogany will overshadow all the other trees and the gap will finally be filled.
But light alone can't build a forest. 90% of the nutrients in a rainforest are trapped in the enormous canopy trees. It takes the death of a tree to bring these nutrients crashing into the underworld. When they arrive, a dedicated army of recyclers is poised ready to get at every morsel of goodness.
Secret hordes of micro-bugs, none larger than a grain of sand, staff the underworld. Helped by the tropical heat and humidity, they recycle the jungle's cast-offs into ever smaller pieces. At the end of the production line are the biggest rotters of all - the jungle's amazing array of fungi. Crucial members of the team, the fungi can break down materials that nothing else can cope with. But fungi are not just rotters, the entire jungle depends on them in another way.
Underground a tangle of tree roots spans out to gather nutrients for the enormous structures above. But they can't manage alone, so they link up with a network of special fungi called mycorrhizae. These soak up all the goodness in the soil and deliver it back through the roots to the trees.
Friday, January 15, 2010
World Of Warcraft Movie
In May 2006, Legendary Pictures announced that they had acquired the rights from Blizzard Entertainment to make a World of Warcraft movie. There was the sound of enormous rejoicing from gamers around the world and then … a great silence. As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in joy and were suddenly silenced. Since then, the silence from Legendary and Blizzard has been fairly deafening. Two years later and still no news on the project. Apparently it’s still in development but they haven’t hired the “someone along the lines of a Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan type” they wanted to direct the project.
First and foremost, it’s only been eight years since Dungeons & Dragons came out, and gamers are still feeling the sting. This was a big budget (relatively — $45 million dollars wasn’t that small in 2000) movie based on another extremely popular role playing game. However, it tanked at the box office and is generally loathed by both fans of the game and moviegoers alike. Over the top acting from Jeremy Irons, deadpan lines from Thora Birch, and a ridiculous storyline that didn’t pay attention to the years of manuals and expansions didn’t help.
They followed that up with a direct to TV sequel in 2005 that tried to right all the wrongs: it included specific items from the games, made reference to many of the expansion sets, and had characters who followed the “rules” of the game. Plans were that it would lead into a series on the Sci Fi Channel, but that possibility faded into forgotten realms. The blurb for the series, which was to appear in 2009, has since been removed from the Sci Fi Channel website.
The movie has been long in the making; Blizzard made a deal with Legendary Pictures for a film adaptation of Warcraft back in 2006. With Charles Roven, the producer of The Dark Knight also on board, it’s a team that’s almost bound to succeed in transforming the battle between the horde and the alliance to the big screen. And if the first movie, which Raimi will start working on after he finishes Spiderman 4, turns out to be a success, we can probably expect sequels, as there’s plenty of Warcraft lore to fill up several full features.
As far as the Warcraft franchise itself is considered, some will say that having a movie adaptation is jumping the shark; others will flock to the stores to buy the latest WoW expansion (which will inevitably coincide with the movie), and others (me included) will simply lay back with a huge bag of peanuts and enjoy the movie. Notice that I’m talking about a “Warcraft” movie; although the movie will most probably be based on World of Warcraft, the Warcraft universe has existed long before that (Warcraft: Orcs & Humans was launched in 1994.).
At its core, 'Warcraft' is a fantastic, action-packed story," Raimi said in a statement.
The director, who has headed up all the Spider-Man flicks including the upcoming "Spider-Man 4," is known for bringing three-dimensional life to the comic books characters. Now he's taking on material with an even less flesh and blood story: a videogame.
Raimi's most recent effort, "Drag Me to Hell," garnered critical praise as a fun, tightly-paced take on the horror genre, with Daily News critic Joe Neumaier writing, "This is how it's done."
The first three "Spider-Man" movies are all in the top-20 top grossing films of all time, with the original "Spider-Man" leading the franchise in the number 8 spot after raking in $407,681,000 in the U.S.
Known as a multiplayer online role-playing game, players create a character avatar and interact with other players on the Web, forming guilds, fighting monsters, and amassing skills that help them complete quests.
First released in 1994, it's by far the dominant video game of its kind, with 11.5 million monthly subscribers.
"Wrath of the Lich King," the most recent expansion version, sold 2.8 million copies the day it was released in November 2008, and went on to sell 4 million copies in its first month.
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Legendary Pictures announced today that Sam Raimi has signed on to direct the eagerly-anticipated major motion picture based on Blizzard Entertainment®’s award-winning Warcraft® universe. Raimi has, in the course of his career, clearly demonstrated a genius for developing and adapting existing fictional universes for mainstream audiences while staying true to the spirit of the original content.
Raimi directed the Spider-Man trilogy, which has broken box-office records around the world and garnered five Academy Award® nominations. Known for his imaginative filmmaking style, richly drawn characters and offbeat humor, Raimi wrote and directed the cult classic, The Evil Dead and produced 30 Days Of Night. He most recently wrote and directed the supernatural thriller, Drag Me To Hell.
"At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story," said Raimi. "I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen."
Charles Roven’s producing talents were recently seen with last summer’s blockbuster The Dark Knight, which grossed in excess of $1 billion, was nominated for eight Academy Awards® and won two. His body of work also includes the widely acclaimed Batman Begins and the sci-fi classic 12 Monkeys. Roven, with Atlas producing partner Alex Gartner, will be producing with Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull, Legendary’s Chief Creative Officer Jon Jashni, Raimi and Raimi’s producing partner Joshua Donen. Raimi’s partner, Robert Tapert, will be an Executive Producer and Blizzard Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Creative Development, Chris Metzen, a Co-Producer.
"Partnering with Sam Raimi exemplifies Legendary's mandate of marrying the highest quality intellectual property to world-class filmmakers" said Legendary’s Tull. "Sam's passion for 'Warcraft' is undeniable and we know that he will create an incredible film worthy of Blizzard's phenomenal franchise. We look forward to collaborating with our partners at Warner Bros. and continuing our successful relationship with Chuck in bringing this rich new world to the screen."
"Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have a shared vision for this film and we searched at length to find the very best director to bring that vision to life," said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. "From our first conversation with Sam, we could tell he was the perfect choice. Sam knows how to simultaneously satisfy the enthusiasts and the mainstream audience that might be experiencing that content for the first time. We're looking forward to working with him to achieve that here."
Top 5 Movies Video
First and foremost, it’s only been eight years since Dungeons & Dragons came out, and gamers are still feeling the sting. This was a big budget (relatively — $45 million dollars wasn’t that small in 2000) movie based on another extremely popular role playing game. However, it tanked at the box office and is generally loathed by both fans of the game and moviegoers alike. Over the top acting from Jeremy Irons, deadpan lines from Thora Birch, and a ridiculous storyline that didn’t pay attention to the years of manuals and expansions didn’t help.
They followed that up with a direct to TV sequel in 2005 that tried to right all the wrongs: it included specific items from the games, made reference to many of the expansion sets, and had characters who followed the “rules” of the game. Plans were that it would lead into a series on the Sci Fi Channel, but that possibility faded into forgotten realms. The blurb for the series, which was to appear in 2009, has since been removed from the Sci Fi Channel website.
The movie has been long in the making; Blizzard made a deal with Legendary Pictures for a film adaptation of Warcraft back in 2006. With Charles Roven, the producer of The Dark Knight also on board, it’s a team that’s almost bound to succeed in transforming the battle between the horde and the alliance to the big screen. And if the first movie, which Raimi will start working on after he finishes Spiderman 4, turns out to be a success, we can probably expect sequels, as there’s plenty of Warcraft lore to fill up several full features.
As far as the Warcraft franchise itself is considered, some will say that having a movie adaptation is jumping the shark; others will flock to the stores to buy the latest WoW expansion (which will inevitably coincide with the movie), and others (me included) will simply lay back with a huge bag of peanuts and enjoy the movie. Notice that I’m talking about a “Warcraft” movie; although the movie will most probably be based on World of Warcraft, the Warcraft universe has existed long before that (Warcraft: Orcs & Humans was launched in 1994.).
At its core, 'Warcraft' is a fantastic, action-packed story," Raimi said in a statement.
The director, who has headed up all the Spider-Man flicks including the upcoming "Spider-Man 4," is known for bringing three-dimensional life to the comic books characters. Now he's taking on material with an even less flesh and blood story: a videogame.
Raimi's most recent effort, "Drag Me to Hell," garnered critical praise as a fun, tightly-paced take on the horror genre, with Daily News critic Joe Neumaier writing, "This is how it's done."
The first three "Spider-Man" movies are all in the top-20 top grossing films of all time, with the original "Spider-Man" leading the franchise in the number 8 spot after raking in $407,681,000 in the U.S.
Known as a multiplayer online role-playing game, players create a character avatar and interact with other players on the Web, forming guilds, fighting monsters, and amassing skills that help them complete quests.
First released in 1994, it's by far the dominant video game of its kind, with 11.5 million monthly subscribers.
"Wrath of the Lich King," the most recent expansion version, sold 2.8 million copies the day it was released in November 2008, and went on to sell 4 million copies in its first month.
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. and Legendary Pictures announced today that Sam Raimi has signed on to direct the eagerly-anticipated major motion picture based on Blizzard Entertainment®’s award-winning Warcraft® universe. Raimi has, in the course of his career, clearly demonstrated a genius for developing and adapting existing fictional universes for mainstream audiences while staying true to the spirit of the original content.
Raimi directed the Spider-Man trilogy, which has broken box-office records around the world and garnered five Academy Award® nominations. Known for his imaginative filmmaking style, richly drawn characters and offbeat humor, Raimi wrote and directed the cult classic, The Evil Dead and produced 30 Days Of Night. He most recently wrote and directed the supernatural thriller, Drag Me To Hell.
"At its core, Warcraft is a fantastic, action-packed story," said Raimi. "I am thrilled to work with such a dynamite production team to bring this project to the big screen."
Charles Roven’s producing talents were recently seen with last summer’s blockbuster The Dark Knight, which grossed in excess of $1 billion, was nominated for eight Academy Awards® and won two. His body of work also includes the widely acclaimed Batman Begins and the sci-fi classic 12 Monkeys. Roven, with Atlas producing partner Alex Gartner, will be producing with Legendary Pictures CEO Thomas Tull, Legendary’s Chief Creative Officer Jon Jashni, Raimi and Raimi’s producing partner Joshua Donen. Raimi’s partner, Robert Tapert, will be an Executive Producer and Blizzard Entertainment’s Senior Vice President of Creative Development, Chris Metzen, a Co-Producer.
"Partnering with Sam Raimi exemplifies Legendary's mandate of marrying the highest quality intellectual property to world-class filmmakers" said Legendary’s Tull. "Sam's passion for 'Warcraft' is undeniable and we know that he will create an incredible film worthy of Blizzard's phenomenal franchise. We look forward to collaborating with our partners at Warner Bros. and continuing our successful relationship with Chuck in bringing this rich new world to the screen."
"Blizzard Entertainment and Legendary Pictures have a shared vision for this film and we searched at length to find the very best director to bring that vision to life," said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. "From our first conversation with Sam, we could tell he was the perfect choice. Sam knows how to simultaneously satisfy the enthusiasts and the mainstream audience that might be experiencing that content for the first time. We're looking forward to working with him to achieve that here."
Top 5 Movies Video
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Environmental Of Birds Life
Building or buying an aviary for your birds can be one of the best things you can do; not just for your bird, but for yourself, too. When your bird has more room and a more natural environment, his physical and emotional health will improve, which can decrease any behavioral problems he may have been having before.
Benefits of Aviaries
There are so many benefits to using aviaries with birds. By creating a more natural environment, we increase the quality of life that we provide to our birds.
Flight
The biggest advantage to using an aviary is that it allows your bird safe space to fly. Birds’ bodies are designed for flight, and their physical and emotional health depends upon that ability. When birds are allowed to fly, their respiratory systems work properly. When birds know they can fly, they feel more confident that they can get where they need to go and avoid predators.
Social Interaction
When birds are allowed to live together in an aviary, they get the benefit of interacting with other birds on their own terms. Your Cockatiel may greatly enjoy the company of your Budgie, but really want to avoid the other Cockatiel who bugs her so much. You might not have enough room to house your Amazon and Conure (who are very bonded) together in a cage, but you can with an aviary. If they get tired of each other, there is plenty of room to have quiet time.
Intellectual Stimulation
In an aviary, you can use a variety of safe, non-toxic branches as perches, as well as many different kinds of toys, branches, and food sources. In the wild, parrots work for their food, and it’s so easy to create foraging situations for birds in an aviary by hiding food at different stations. Offering many different kinds of toys and woods to chew provides your bird with hours of stimulation.
Birds have adapted so well to the demands of and trials set by our planet that Sir David Attenborough believes they may be the most successful creatures on earth, more successful even than insects.
At the southern extremity of the world lives the Emperor Penguin, better adapted to the cold than any other animal on earth. Short feathers made up of tiny filaments that trap the air in a continuous layer all around the body enable the adults and chicks to survive some of the coldest conditions on Earth, the Antarctic ice-cap in winter.
The champion of the Arctic, in the cold north, is the ivory gull. This beautiful snow-white gull breeds further north than any other bird, and it perfectly adapted to the conditions which defeat most other life forms. It lives here all year-round, even in the dreary winter dark.
The bar-headed goose breeds in one of the most desolate places on earth - high up on the Tibetan plateau, deep within the heart of the vast Asian continent.
Equally desolate, but much hotter is the vast barren landscape of the Atacama Desert in South America, with not a green leaf in sight. The savage, searing sun heats the grey sand up to temperatures as high as 50C. In this dreadful desert grey gulls live untroubled by predators. But they have to fly hundreds of miles to find food.
There are many other examples of birds living on the edge. The oilbird lives in the total blackness of Venezuelan caves. The rufous hummingbird survives and breed at altitudes of 9000ft and at temperatures well below freezing by making a nest of the highest insulate qualities, a network of lichen and spiders web, as good as the finest down.
Sometimes birds destroy their own habitat. La Perouse Bay on the Hudson Bay in the Canadian Arctic is a traditional breeding ground for the lesser snow goose.
After reserves were created to protect the birds, the population grew to such an extent that the birds actually ate themselves out of their own food. La Perouse Bay today is a saline desert - the geese have eaten and destroyed all the natural grasses that used to grow here. But such self destruction is the exception.
The birds that survive best tend be those most tolerant of man, or most able to take advantage of him. Birds like the waxwing, which have become a major problem for blueberry and strawberry growers in Florida and other states. Flocks of 500-1000 tiny birds can wipe out a whole blueberry crop within a few days.
Some birds, perversely, actually benefit from the pollution from intensive farming. The concentrated fertilisers farmers apply to fields may be good for the crops, but when they are washed out by the rain they contaminate streams and rivers. Rich nutrients cause some aquatic plants and invertebrates to flourish at the expense of the delicate balance of life in the waters.
This is bad for many birds, but not the ruddy duck, a small diving duck of North America. It feeds on the small aquatic Chironomid larvae in lake and river sediment. The larvae thrive in agricultural run-off. Ruddy duck feed on the burgeoning larvae and are also doing well.
The densely crowded and noisy cityscape would seem to be a highly inhospitable place for birds, unlike anything nature has produced. And yet there are birds which survive and prosper in the city. These are the generalists - able to eat anything and nest anywhere.
Black vultures in Sao Paulo city are never more than a flap and a glide from all the fetid rubbish they can eat. These urban scavengers nest on window ledges and roofs of tall skyscrapers. Some spend hours each day basking in front of warm exhausts from air-conditioner units.
In Kampala, Uganda, marabou storks are seen on the Sheraton Hotel. In parts of Africa the white stork now only nests on buildings.
In downtown Manhattan, peregrine falcons can be seen hawking down the "canyons" between buildings for small birds. In the black townships of South Africa, red-footed falcons roost in large numbers. They often select a large tree close to a source of light and pick off the many insects attracted to it.
In Trafalgar Square, London, in the middle of one of the world's largest cities, pigeons outnumber people. These unfussy feeders survive easily on the many scraps of food. The many city window ledges and concrete structures provide ample nesting sites, perfect substitutes for the cliff ledges that are their natural nesting places.
The programme to save the black robin on the Chatham Islands off the coast of New Zealand in 1976 is one of most famous conservation success stories of all.
There were just seven birds left on all the islands, and only one was a female. Scientists removed the female's eggs as soon as they were laid, so inducing her to lay more than one clutch per season.
The eggs were placed into the tiny nests of surrogate parents (warblers and tomtits). The robins were then raised as the tomtits' own chicks and fed up to, and past, fledging. Today there are more than 200 pairs of robins on the Chatham Islands. The idea of using surrogate parents to incubate eggs has been widely copied.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Environmental Of Jungle Life
Life of the Jungle
environmentalism is a war. A war for survival. Unknown to the Rio delegates, 12 small hamlets in eastern Rajasthan's Sawai Madhopur district have organised themselves and proclaimed a charter of rules to save their environment. Without fanfare. Or, expectation of any.No more denudation, they swear, of the dusty, grey-brown scrubland that has sustained their families and livestock for centuries. "Jungal Mata," reason her emotionally-charged Rajasthani sons, cannot give when she's being stripped naked of all her wealth so mindlessly.
This sentiment has united the 7,000-odd residents of Lakrukhi, Pitpura, Dhorera, Bandapura, Keshopura, Bargama, Kailagaon, Loharra, Dhorei, Daulatia, Dudipura and Kailadevi. Tormented by the increasing barrenness of their desert Dhok-tree forest, they have formed a 41-member Jungal Raksha Samiti to turn back the hands of time. And the arms of human predators.
The charter imposes penalties like a fine of Rs 551 for anyone who dares to chop a tree—this in hamlets where annual incomes range between a measly Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500. And, social boycott for those who refuse to pay up. Axes have been banned in all the hamlets. Only deadwood is allowed to be collected as firewood—provided it's lying on the ground. No camel carts or hired vehicles can be used to load wood so that the forests are protected from being pillaged for commercial reasons. Also, all villagers are sworn to a moral obligation to keep a strict vigil and report incidents of forest crimes to the Samiti.
Birds are one of the Yucatán’s crowning glories, it boasts more species than the United States and Canada combined and many birds from colder northern climates winter here after making the long and dangerous journey across the Gulf of Mexico. In fact, the Yucatan Peninsula is considered one of the most important stops on bird migratory routes in the Americas. Some of the winged treasures you may be lucky enough to spot in the Yucatán are parrots, toucans and ocellated turkeys in the forests and 16 species of herons and egrets, kingfishers, pelicans, frigate birds and flamingos in the coastal wetlands.
It was a profound and intimate knowledge of this delicate environment's natural cycles, and a keen understanding of its plants and animals, that allowed the Maya civilization to flourish for over 1,000 years. Then, as now, our very survival depends upon an understanding of nature's rhythms, and upon our ability to adapt to them.
Take eight celebrities and drop them into the Australian rainforest, and what have you got? At first sight they look like a family of chimps and at any moment you expect to see chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall in the undergrowth, notebook in hand, binoculars at the ready. A second glance, however, reveals that these are not wild creatures but tame ones which have been returned to the wild, into the kind of habitat that is natural for their species, but which they have long-since forgotten.
There is (for real) an island in Africa where chimps that have been rescued from circuses, pet-shops, zoos and other unsuitable homes have been returned to the wild. They have all endured a stressful past and animal experts have decided to give them back their jungle freedom. In theory, their rainforest homecoming should be greeted with great pleasure, but it is not that simple. They carry with them all the mental baggage of their past lives, and having been thrown together as strangers, their relationships have not developed slowly, over the years. The result is a great deal of chaos and confusion.
One of only two places in the world where orangutans still roam free in the jungle. Come see these beautiful animals up close and personal in their natural environment, and while here enjoy a trek in the jungle, raft or tube in the clear river water, explore the village, sing and play guitar with the guides, or just relax in a hammock overlooking the river.
Bukit Lawang is located 96 kms northwest of Medan, Sumatra. It is on the eastern edge of Gunung Leuser National Park. The national park is thought to hold about 5000 wild orangutans. Bukit Lawang is a very special place to visit orangutans because for about 30 years there was an Orangutan Conservation and Rehabilitation program operating in the area, and there is still a daily feeding program to assist over 200 released orangutans as they continue to readapt to their wild environment. The orangutans are fed twice daily by park rangers at a special feeding platrom - an amazing opportunity to see the animals up close. The platform is typically used by pregnant or nursing females with their young.
Orangutans are extremely intelligent animals - many researchers now claim that they are the world's most intelligent animal. Sadly, they are also highly endangered as a result of habitat loss and poaching. They used to live across Asia, but now can only be found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.
Orangutans are mostly vegetarian, and they cover a large terrain to find the food they need. They are the largest arboreal animal - males can weight up to 90 kgs. They are solitary creatures, and they have a long life span - living up to 30 or 40 years.
Researchers fear that the few remaining orangutans will not survive due to continued habitat loss from logging and agriculture. Dollars generated by responsible tourism is one way to help people understand the value of protecting these important animals. Responsible tourists trek with local licensed guides, they do not touch or feed the orangutans, and they carry out their waste.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Bollywood Fitness
If you haven't heard of 'Bollywood' before it's a coined term that refers to the Indian film industry. The industry is booming and produces more than 900 films per year. Bollywood dance comes from the song and dance sequences in many of the Bollywood films. Think back to the great musical features of the 40s and 50s, now flash forward to the 21st century in Bombay, India and you have a dance style that evolves that mixes the elements of traditional dance with film magic.
Bollywood dance mingles jazz, modern, oriental, hip and even Russian step dancing with classical Indian style to really light up the performances. While on the surface, these dances look utterly simple, they require stern muscle control and flair to make them look so effortless. As demonstrated by dance pair Katie and Joshua last night, the wonderfully athletic dance is a real crowd pleaser.
Mia Michaels, a contemporary choreographer and sometime judge for the show, remarked that she was delighted to see world dances lighting up the stage. Their movements were so precise and effortless, yet performed with control. The success of marrying so many dance forms into one style will hopefully continue the trend not only on the show, but also for dance options here in the United States.
If you're interested in dressing up your own home workout routines, I found a couple of great Bollywood dance style workout DVDs that I'm going to be ordering from Netflix to check out. Let me know what you think.
It's not easy to get into the same gym as that of Salman! Indiatimes Movies tells you why...
Salman Khan is fitness freak who ardently gyms with deep focus concentration as and when he gets time. The result is there for all to see, as he proudly struts bare-bodied even at 40. Anyway, we got some interesting dope from a unit member of the film Yuvraaj, a Subhash Ghai flick that Sallu is a part of.
Apparently, a schedule of the film was being shot in Mumbai's Film City which also happens to be the location of Ghai's film school, Whistling Woods International. So Salman used to often go to the school's gym and workout there. However, while he worked out, not a soul was allowed to enter the gym, not even the school students. And Salman's body guards ensured just that as it would break bhai's concentration.
But the students, who were Salman admirers, wouldn't budge and in spite of repeated warnings, smartly sweet talked his body guards into letting them in to quietly observe their favourite star pump iron. They were taken aback when a very 'sweet' Salman was open to helping them out with health related queries.
"Salman is normally tagged as the 'misunderstood man' by his family and friends, but this time round even the students who received expert fitness tips were bowled over by his generosity," said the unit member.
We spoke to one of the students of the school and on condition of anonymity, he replied, "Salman is such a frank guy. He helps you but hates to be diplomatic because of which many perceive him to be rash and blunt, which he is not! Not just fitness, he talked to us about filmmaking, acting and almost anything and everything. He openly criticizes things if he doesn't like something but that doesn't make him a bad guy! He speaks from his heart."
Shilpa Shetty, the actress who has always been termed 'the best bod in Bollywood', has now released a special edition of a DVD called 'Shilpa's Yoga' targeted at the European market. Here, she reveals her fitness secrets to create a lean and toned body while retaining all the feminine curves.
"Shilpa is the sexiest yogi the world has ever seen," quips her publicist. "In 'Shilpa's Yoga' she demonstrates simple techniques against the stunning coastal backdrop of Kerala. She explains how to transform mind, body and soul, with unique ways to build stamina and get revitalized, while discovering inner peace," he adds.
With careful and precise instructions, the DVD demonstrates specific sequences that enhance concentration, agility and flexibility. The workout aims not only to strengthen and tone, but also to heal. 'Shilpa's Yoga' is designed to help improve posture through a series of calming poses which focus on slow movement and breathing control.
It outlines various benefits of yoga, including stress and tension release, increased energy and vitality, weight loss, improved circulation and digestion, and comes with a free audio-CD of chill out ambient music to help unwind and relax after practicing the yoga techniques.
"Go for it. It might even improve your sex life," says Bhagwagar.
The DVD is released at an exciting time for Shilpa. Her perfume S2 continues to top the sales charts in Britain, while the tour of her musical 'Miss Bollywood' has met with stupendous success in 16 cities across Europe.
It took Aamir 13 months of workout, with a daily regime of about four hours, to achieve the next to impossible look for 'Ghajini'," Satyajit 'Satya' Chaurasia, who trained the actor for the film
Aamir Khan used to get tired exercising and sometimes even used to shriek in pain and cry doing the stomach crunches, but he did not skip a single day. Every week his body used to show results and that kept him going
Aamir is known for his intense performances. Personal trainer Satyajit Chaurasia is not one to let go easily and was responsible for making Aamir go the extra mile.
Asin will also be seen opposite Salman Khan in London Dreams, for which she has reportedly been paid close to Rs 1.5 crore.
Regarding her tiff with Jiah Khan on the sets of Ghajini, she says, “Competition and one-upmanship have never been on my mind. This is one thing different in Bollywood, even if you don’t do anything, something is written about you. I think the Bollywood media can make a successful masala pot boiler with the imaginative stories that they churn out.” About her expensive shopping spree with the producer of London Dreams and her buying shoes that cost Rs two lakhs, a peeved Asin says, “I wish I had a pair of shoes that cost that much. In Bollywood, the designer gets all the clothes and accessories ready for the shoot, and we go to the sets and wear them. They are all set properties. It is ridiculous to say that I went shopping with the producer to buy the shoes.”
Bollywood dance mingles jazz, modern, oriental, hip and even Russian step dancing with classical Indian style to really light up the performances. While on the surface, these dances look utterly simple, they require stern muscle control and flair to make them look so effortless. As demonstrated by dance pair Katie and Joshua last night, the wonderfully athletic dance is a real crowd pleaser.
Mia Michaels, a contemporary choreographer and sometime judge for the show, remarked that she was delighted to see world dances lighting up the stage. Their movements were so precise and effortless, yet performed with control. The success of marrying so many dance forms into one style will hopefully continue the trend not only on the show, but also for dance options here in the United States.
If you're interested in dressing up your own home workout routines, I found a couple of great Bollywood dance style workout DVDs that I'm going to be ordering from Netflix to check out. Let me know what you think.
It's not easy to get into the same gym as that of Salman! Indiatimes Movies tells you why...
Salman Khan is fitness freak who ardently gyms with deep focus concentration as and when he gets time. The result is there for all to see, as he proudly struts bare-bodied even at 40. Anyway, we got some interesting dope from a unit member of the film Yuvraaj, a Subhash Ghai flick that Sallu is a part of.
Apparently, a schedule of the film was being shot in Mumbai's Film City which also happens to be the location of Ghai's film school, Whistling Woods International. So Salman used to often go to the school's gym and workout there. However, while he worked out, not a soul was allowed to enter the gym, not even the school students. And Salman's body guards ensured just that as it would break bhai's concentration.
But the students, who were Salman admirers, wouldn't budge and in spite of repeated warnings, smartly sweet talked his body guards into letting them in to quietly observe their favourite star pump iron. They were taken aback when a very 'sweet' Salman was open to helping them out with health related queries.
"Salman is normally tagged as the 'misunderstood man' by his family and friends, but this time round even the students who received expert fitness tips were bowled over by his generosity," said the unit member.
We spoke to one of the students of the school and on condition of anonymity, he replied, "Salman is such a frank guy. He helps you but hates to be diplomatic because of which many perceive him to be rash and blunt, which he is not! Not just fitness, he talked to us about filmmaking, acting and almost anything and everything. He openly criticizes things if he doesn't like something but that doesn't make him a bad guy! He speaks from his heart."
Shilpa Shetty reveals... her fitness secrets
Shilpa Shetty, the actress who has always been termed 'the best bod in Bollywood', has now released a special edition of a DVD called 'Shilpa's Yoga' targeted at the European market. Here, she reveals her fitness secrets to create a lean and toned body while retaining all the feminine curves.
"Shilpa is the sexiest yogi the world has ever seen," quips her publicist. "In 'Shilpa's Yoga' she demonstrates simple techniques against the stunning coastal backdrop of Kerala. She explains how to transform mind, body and soul, with unique ways to build stamina and get revitalized, while discovering inner peace," he adds.
With careful and precise instructions, the DVD demonstrates specific sequences that enhance concentration, agility and flexibility. The workout aims not only to strengthen and tone, but also to heal. 'Shilpa's Yoga' is designed to help improve posture through a series of calming poses which focus on slow movement and breathing control.
It outlines various benefits of yoga, including stress and tension release, increased energy and vitality, weight loss, improved circulation and digestion, and comes with a free audio-CD of chill out ambient music to help unwind and relax after practicing the yoga techniques.
"Go for it. It might even improve your sex life," says Bhagwagar.
The DVD is released at an exciting time for Shilpa. Her perfume S2 continues to top the sales charts in Britain, while the tour of her musical 'Miss Bollywood' has met with stupendous success in 16 cities across Europe.
Ghajini Asin, Aamir Khan Work Out for Eight Pack Body
It took Aamir 13 months of workout, with a daily regime of about four hours, to achieve the next to impossible look for 'Ghajini'," Satyajit 'Satya' Chaurasia, who trained the actor for the film
Aamir Khan used to get tired exercising and sometimes even used to shriek in pain and cry doing the stomach crunches, but he did not skip a single day. Every week his body used to show results and that kept him going
Aamir is known for his intense performances. Personal trainer Satyajit Chaurasia is not one to let go easily and was responsible for making Aamir go the extra mile.
Asin will also be seen opposite Salman Khan in London Dreams, for which she has reportedly been paid close to Rs 1.5 crore.
Regarding her tiff with Jiah Khan on the sets of Ghajini, she says, “Competition and one-upmanship have never been on my mind. This is one thing different in Bollywood, even if you don’t do anything, something is written about you. I think the Bollywood media can make a successful masala pot boiler with the imaginative stories that they churn out.” About her expensive shopping spree with the producer of London Dreams and her buying shoes that cost Rs two lakhs, a peeved Asin says, “I wish I had a pair of shoes that cost that much. In Bollywood, the designer gets all the clothes and accessories ready for the shoot, and we go to the sets and wear them. They are all set properties. It is ridiculous to say that I went shopping with the producer to buy the shoes.”
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