Akshay Kumar not happy with Indian music composers

Akshay Kumar not happy with Indian music composers
Akshay Kumar has been telling producers of most of his films to include international bands apart from the Indian music directors to compose music for his films.

He had convinced producer Mukesh Talreja to get rap artiste Bohemia to compose music for Chandni Chowk to China. He also insisted on including Britain’s popular bhangra band RDB to compose music in two of his forthcoming films - De Dana Dan and Kambakkht Ishq. As a result, Indian music composers like Anu Malik (Kambakkht Ishq) and Pritam (De Dana Dan) are upset with Akshay.

A source said, “There is no denying that RDB and Bohemia give good music but it is unfair to the music directors of the films if any other group is asked to compose music at the eleventh hour. Anu and Pritam’s annoyance is justified. Even Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy were miffed when Bohemia composed music for Chandni Chowk to China, but they let it pass.”

Ratan Jain, producer of De Dana Dan, said, “Akshay can give several ideas but the director has to ultimately decide whether they have to be implemented or not. It’s a good thing that Akshay takes a keen interest in all his projects. He made us listen to the song by RDB but we still haven’t decided whether we will be including it in our film.”

Sajid Nadiadwala, producer of Kambakkht Ishq, admitted that Akshay got RDB to compose music for the film. “Akshay recommended RDB. They are his friends. They had also done the music in Singh is Kinng. We wanted a song with the word ‘Mangalam’ in Kambakkht Ishq. Anu helped us with the way the song starts after which RDB completed it.”

Mukesh Talreja, co-producer of Chandni Chowk to China, too confirmed that Bohemia composed a song in his film because of Akshay. “We were introduced to Bohemia by Akshay,” said Mukesh.

Surprisingly, Anu Malik, known to dislike sharing credits in any film, said, “I have no problem with RDB having done the music Kambakkht Ishq. It’s all about team work and I am happy with the end result.”

Cuban musical star to heat up city in fall

AS the weather cools down in November, a Cuban musical star and his band will heat things up in Winnipeg.

Juan de Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All Stars will bring their sizzling show to the Pantages Playhouse Theatre on Nov. 1. Tickets go on sale Saturday for $39.50 at Ticketmaster and the Winnipeg Folk Festival Music Store.

Juan de Marcos Gonzalez is best known for his critical role in the Buena Vista Social Club. The All Stars is a multi-generational big band made up several musicians who appeared in the hit movie and subsequent concert tour. Band members range in age from 13 to 81 and specialize in Latin dance music, including mambo, cha cha, salsa and bolero.

Irfan Khan:Music, dances can be an assent for Indian cinema

Irfan Khan:Music, dances can be an assent for Indian cinema
Actor Irfan Khan said that elements of song and dance, if used properly are an asset of Indian cinema, which Hollywood can emulate.

"Unlike Hollywood, our films are warmer in emotions with lot of music. They can be an asset if used properly," the actor, who has starred in several Hollywood films, told PTI.

Irfan said characters in Indian mainstream films are larger than life while in Hollywood movies, the makers try to make their characters more credible.

He agreed that Hollywood films have technical finesse which Bollywood will take a while to equal.

He said his upcoming film 'New York' was an issue based film which was a dramatised thriller made in a style which a layman can understand. "It is very close to how Hollywood movies are made," he said.

Speaking about his character Roshan, Irfan said one can draw parallel to the role he essayed in 'A Mighty Heart' starring Angelina Jolie.

"I play an American of Pakistani origin who has moderate views on religion," he said.

Irfan said he does not consider the film as being based on 9/11 but about the American foreign policy and what it did to the world.

"My character Roshan is part of the American establishment. He can see the extremists and the system and is trying to do his duty by dealing with the terror differently," he said.

James Murphy talk about new record

James Murphy has posted a blog on LCD Soundsystem's MySpace talking a bit about the new album he's currently working on, which he likes more than his last (presumably 2007's 'Sound Of Silver').

In it he says: "Making a record is strange. Last time I made a record I had a pretty brutal and miserable experience. Then I made something that wasn't the record, went back to said record, and had a great experience. It all worked out. This time I'm having a pretty great experience. I like the record more, but have no idea if that means it's better or anything. It's just more fun. The shitty full-days of lying on the floor stuck in my own head about things has been pushed back into hours, or only one hour, here and there. I also get to swim in the morning, and do things like that. Which is good. Which makes the record better, I think. Because now when I'm not actually working on the record, I'm doing something I like and that occupies my mind, rather than sitting in a room with my head in my hands wondering if I still know how to make music."

He goes on to say a bit about the MTV Awards he attended, which makes for quite an interesting read. Click here for the full blog post.

Dizzee plans 'naughty but nice' LP

Dizzee poses with Glamour's presenter of the year, Alexa Chung

Dizzee Rascal has revealed that his forthcoming album has a "naughty but nice" theme.

Tongue N Cheek, the rapper's fourth studio album, will be released this September.

Following that, the rapper will play a number of UK festivals and a headline tour in October.

Speaking to Newsbeat, he said: "Tongue N Cheek is me being a bit cheeky, the theme of it is naughty but nice. Just celebrating the good things in life."

Dizzee Rascal, wearing a Gucci suit at the Glamour magazine Women Of The Year Awards, also confirmed the next single will be a new track called Holiday.

As with previous number one Dance Wiv Me, the track will be produced by Calvin Harris.

The rapper, who will play the main stage at this year's Glastonbury festival in June, said: "It means a lot, I've been on the main stage before with Arctic Monkeys.

"I'm doing the main stage on my own now. Seeing 80,000 laid out in front of you, that's amazing."

Estelle lines up star producers

Estelle won Glamour Magazine's special editor's award 2009

Estelle has revealed she's working with a number of producers on her new album.

Wyclef Jean, Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am and TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek have all begun work on the follow-up to 2008's Shine.

The singer wouldn't confirm whether rapper Kanye West would appear on the LP, as he did on number one single American Boy.

Estelle said: "I'm just recording this new album, I'm sick of singing American Boy, so I should do something new."

Estelle confirmed a number of big name producers have begun helping her work on new material.

"Swizz Beatz, Wyclef, I think we're going in with will.i.am next week again.

"A new guy called Dave Sitek from TV On The Radio - an amazing producer and brand new guy called Alex The Kid, he's from London as well. I'm putting the features together now so it's coming together.

"It's going great, big songs, big hooks. More of the same, but some freshness. Big producers, same thing."

A title and release date have yet to be confirmed for the album

The mad world of Marilyn Manson

"Do you want a fight? Do you want a fight with me?"

I met Marilyn Manson less than two minutes ago.

I am supposed to be interviewing the dark prince of rock, the grotesque goth who, as legend has it, is vampire, zombie and demon rolled into one.

And it's already the strangest interview ever. I expected him to be a bit weird - but not like this.

I also expected the shock rocker to be highly articulate. From other interviews I've watched, I know he can be the intelligent voice of a troubled generation.

But today, it's clear that Marilyn Manson is just troubled.

He is in a dingy radio studio at the BBC's Maida Vale complex, where he has just finished a shambolic radio session. Our interview is four hours late.

Next door, a BBC Radio 3 choir is singing Karol Szymanowski's Stabat Mater. I just hope he doesn't stumble into their studio by mistake.

Inside, wearing a plain black hoodie and his usual morbid pallor, he's in high spirits, joking with his band and the studio crew.

As we start, it becomes clear that he can't or doesn't want to give coherent answers, except for those that end with comments about sex, violence or preferably both.

His preoccupation is such that I have heavily edited his comments to cut out large chunks that are lurid, graphic and frankly disturbing.

I'm doing the interview with a colleague, Adrian from BBC 6 Music. Manson starts by ripping the foam cover off the end of Adrian's microphone, before being asked about his fans.

That's what I do best, worst - me being Marilyn Manson, rock star, et cetera, that's what I do

"My fans? There's no fans because I was very hot in my room." Adrian tries again, to which Manson responds: "Ceiling fans or standalone?"

There is a glint in his eye. He's toying with us, but his comments are also unnervingly lewd and random.

He carries straight on. "Is that a cellphone?" he says looking at my recording device. It's clearly not a cellphone. "Can I call you?" He then makes the first offer of a fight, not delivered aggressively, but more as a polite, jovial invitation.

Adrian asks him about the Download festival, where Manson is playing this summer. "You said load. And down," Manson interrupts, as if they're the dirtiest words in the world.

I ask my first question, and try to change tack. Can he remember the first time that he performed musically? His weird different-sized eyeballs peer out from under his hood.

"The first time I performed musically I threw up."

When was that?

"Last night. But no, the first time, I had stage fright. I was afraid of the stages and frightening and The Frighteners, which was a bad movie with, what's his name, Michael J Fox.

"So I would say the last time I had… what was the question?"

Next, I try asking where he currently lives. The answer is rambling, peppered with rude words and references to sexual violence. He also starts making weird fluttery whistling noises half-way through.

Marilyn Manson is currently on a European tour

The answer finishes with: "Et cetera and so forth and so on and wow and [more fluttering] I like to speak in those kind of terms."

It's getting curiouser and curiouser. So I ask about the film he's supposedly working on, in which he is playing Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll.

"I'm playing him always in life," he replies. "I wrote a script about him because I read his diaries and it was about aphasia to the sky, the sky, left, right, and that's me.

"So I almost quit music because I didn't want to do any more so I want to put it all into film. Right now I'm in love with film. But filming myself. And I'm playing Marilyn Manson."

What stage is the film at? Have you shot any of it?

"No, I shot at someone. But that was a firearm and it was not exactly legal. But I was exonerated from the crime."

I hope and pray that he's joking and plough on. After Adrian asks him about one of his heroes, Iggy Pop, I ask why he didn't quit music but decided to release a new album.

"It was me realising that that's what I do best," he says. "That's not always good, but that's what I do best, worst. Me being Marilyn Manson, rock star, et cetera, that's what I do."

So is the film ever going to… I don't have time to finish my question.

"You want a fight? A film?" he interjects.

The film, I affirm.

"The film," he repeats, before things degenerate again.

Manson manages to answer a question about Motley Crue a bit more coherently, then, thankfully, the interview is brought to a close in less than 10 minutes.

At the time, it was in parts surreal, awkward and amusing. In hindsight, it seems a bit more disturbing. Not scary though. Just sad.

Marilyn Manson's new album The High End of Low is out now.

MTV Eminem stunt 'was rehearsed'

Sacha Baron Cohen's stunt at the MTV Movie Awards, which saw him land on Eminem while baring his naked backside, was pre-arranged, a writer has said.

The rap star was seen storming out of the ceremony after Cohen's alter-ego Bruno landed on him in a skimpy outfit.

But Scott Aukerman, head writer for the awards, wrote on his blog the incident was staged and rehearsed in advance.

"They rehearsed it at dress and yes, it went as far as it did on the live show," he said.

Baron Cohen flew in to the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles on a wire before apparently colliding with an obstacle and spinning down to the audience.

Speculation had been rampant over whether the stunt was staged, there was no comment from Baron Cohen, Eminem or MTV.

"Yes, the Bruno/Eminem incident was staged. That's all anyone wants to talk about, so let's get it out of the way," Aukerman wrote.

The article was later removed from his blog.

Twilight win

In the posting, he also revealed the pitfalls of writing for an internationally-televised award show - and admitted that several sketches got cut.

"We tried several things, from topical jokes to sketches," he wrote.

"Anything that didn't involve pointing out a celebrity or saying a curse word fell completely flat during rehearsals. Subtlety just does not work during that show."

Aukerman also revealed that he and the other writers only received "a few hundred dollars" for their efforts.

At the ceremony, held at the Gibson Amphitheatre near Los Angeles, Vampire drama Twilight won five trophies, including best film, best actress from Kristen Stewart and best male breakthrough performance for Robert Pattinson.

Furtado to release Spanish album

Singer songwriter Nelly Furtado is set to release her first album recorded entirely in Spanish, according to US music magazine Billboard.

The star has already been heard singing in Spanish on duets with Colombian rock star Juanes, and on her 2006 Latin American single, No Hay Igual.

The 30-year-old is best known in the UK for Timbaland-produced hits such as Promiscuous and Maneater.

She has also announced a Portuguese language album via her Myspace blog.

Furtado shot to fame in 2000 with her her hit single I'm Like a Bird.

The song won her a Grammy for best female pop vocal performance, while her multi-platinum debut album, Whoa Nelly!, was also Grammy-nominated.

However, the world music-influenced 2003 follow-up Folklore was less successful.

Last year, she secretly married her boyfriend, sound engineer Demacio Castellon.