'Desi Girl' bags Ángrezi' music album deal

Bollywood diva Priyanka Chopra who was recently in the UK shooting for Kunal Kohli’s film with Shahid Kapoor, flew off to Los Angeles to record her first pop music album. The 29-year-old, who won the Miss World crown for India in 2000, has signed a recording deal with music company Universal Music Group (UMG) and Desi Hits! -- a fusion entertainment platform. She will be writing and singing the songs in English. Work on her album has already begun, and she is mighty excited about it.

This morning Piggy Chops  tweeted, “OMG OMG…it’s finally happened. Big day for me guys… going nuts!! Just signed a recording deal to release my debut International music album.”

The album will be in English and the agent who handles international pop diva Lady Gaga’s work is also managing Priyanka Chopra’s music career across the globe. For the uninitiated, Piggy Chops is a trained Western Classical singer and, people close to her know that she is a fab crooner. We wonder why no filmmaker in Bollywood ever got her to sing for one of her films. Priyanka is excited about exploring a new facet of her life.

“It has been a long cherished dream which is finally coming true. I am truly excited to have an opportunity to present my musical dimension on a world platform. I am privileged to be a part of the Universal Music and Desi Hits (record labels) family and to be working with some of the most illustrious names in the music industry.”

Tinsel town is proud of actress Priyanka Chopra's foray into the music world on a global platform. Her industry friends like Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Farhan Akhtar, Riteish Deshmukh, and filmmaker Kunal Kohli have wished her good luck.

"Congratulations @priyankachopra for the music thingy u r doing. from being the little girl who became miss world & made us so proud, go & rule the music world (sic)," superstar Shah Rukh posted on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Preity wrote: "@priyankachopra Congrats love! Am sure u will rock it! muaah!", while Kohli posted: "Isn't the news about @priyankachopra's music deal just superb! PC you're already a rock star for us!"

"I've already started working on the album. It's scary but so very exciting & I'm counting on UR support as I begin this exciting new journey," posted Priyanka.

Celebrity photographer Atul Kasbekar has already offered to shoot the cover for her album.

"congrats pc, knock em dead. I wanna shoot the cd cover!!! Good luck n best always," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Priyanka is feeling blessed with all the wishes from her friends and fans, and says she needs them all.

"Music has always been a passion and now I have been given the opportunity to share it with the world. Wish me luck... THANK YOU AND a BIG HUG to all of u for ur good wishes... ill need u all to be the wind beneath my wings... as u have always been with my movies," added Priyanka.

She posted a special thank you note for Shah Rukh, with whom she will be seen in one of the most awaited movie of the year -- "Don 2: The Chase Continues" -- in December.

"Thank you @iamsrk... U have always believed in me and it means so much having your support... love n respect always."

Sonam brings the curtains down on Jewellery Week

Actress Sonam Kapoor Thursday closed the second season of the four day jewellery extravaganza - the India International Fashion Week (IIJW), walking the ramp showcasing an exclusive piece of international brand, Boucheron of Paris.

The IIJW paid tribute to Boucheron by making it the closing show of the event.

Dressed in a red gown with floral imprint of the same colour, Sonam sported Paris-based designer`s "Queen of Night" collection which includes a neckpiece, which looks like a collection of floral branches, meticulously designed with rubies, diamonds and sapphires.

"The whole point of the look is very wild and other worldly. It reminds me of the Shakespeare`s description of Elizabethan age and their jewelleries. This one piece enhances your beauty. There is a special mechanism which makes the flowers open and close," Sonam told reporters after the grand finale of the show here.

The final show started with `Dabangg` actor Sonu Sood taking the ramp showcasing some heavy gold beaded jewellery of PC Jewelleries. He was followed by other models showcasing the glittering range of the brand.

Model-turned actor Lara Dutta was one of the star attractions of the evening, walking the ramp in a white dress and adorned with a big diamond necklace and earrings.

Being three months pregnant, the initial bulge of her stomach was quite visible.

Asked if she was nervous walking the ramp at this condition, she said: "No, not at all. Modelling is my second nature."

Her husband, tennis player Mahesh Bhpati had come to watch the show.

To make the show more engrossing, it was coupled with some dance sequences in-between the ramp walks.

The show also ran a retrospect of the best of collection of all the jewellery houses that participated in the jewellery week. Models exhibited the chosen collections of each of the brands on the ramp.

Sanjay Kothari, the vice-chairman of Indian Gems and Jewellery Export Council and chairman of India International Jewellery Week (IIJW), thanked its sponsors, associates and media for making the show successful

Mahi Finds Hooda Better Kisser Than Dobriyal, Is Hashmi Listening ?

Mahi Gill is grabbing a lot of attention for the two kisses and lovemaking scenes she has shot with different male co-stars.

The kudi from Punjab has locked lips with Randeep Hooda in Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster and with Deepak Dobriyal in Not A Love Story. She says kissing Hooda was better than kissing Dobriyal and her assessment is not based on who looks hotter on screen and real life but simply on her comfort level with the co-star.

Mahi admits she was a bundle of nerves while filming the kissing scene with Dobriyal because it was shot on the very first day of the shoot of Not A Love Story.

On the other hand, her kiss with Randeep Hooda was filmed at the end of the shoot of Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster. Mahi says by then she and Randeep had become very comfortable with each other and therefore locking lips with him wasn’t awkward.

However, Mahi is quick to add that it would be wrong to make these kisses and lovemaking scenes the selling points of the films.

Mayawati says No 'Aarakshan' in UP

Lucknow: The Mayawati government on Wednesday withdrew permission granted for a grand show to promote Amitabh Bachchan starrer 'Aarakshan' for which the Bollywood icon and his co stars Deepika Padukone, Manoj Bajpai and Prateik Babbar were arriving to Lucknow.

'Apprehension of breach of peace' was described as the official reason for the sudden 'u' turn by the state administration, which had earlier formally granted the necessary permission for the event, planned almost a month ago.

"Well, we were constrained to cancel the permission for the programme following intelligence reports about the possibility of street protests that could have threatened peace and tranquility in the state capital," Lucknow additional district magistrate Ram Singhasan Prem told mediapersons on Wednesday evening.

'Apprehension of breach of peace' was the official reason for the sudden decision.

Aaai La! Aamir & Sharman to play Munna-Circuit!!

According to the grapevine, Aamir Khan and Sharman Joshi may replace Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi as Munna Bhai and Circuit respectively, in the next edition of Rajkumar Hirani's Munna Bhai franchise.

An industry source reveals, "The idea of casting Aamir and Sharman came up during the shoot of 3 Idiots.

Hirani felt that a new pair would bring in a fresh breath of air into the film. Aamir and Sharman have amazing comic timing and also great chemistry onscreen. You can see that even in their first film together, Rang De Basanti.

Buzz is the actor has been approached to replace Sanjay Dutt in the cult franchise.

When he shared the idea with Aamir, he loved it. He told Rajkumar that he would be game for it if the script was interesting."

Another source says, "Though Sanjay played Munna Bhai to perfection, having Aamir on board will take the franchise to the next level. He is not only a fine actor, but also a much bigger brand name, and a marketing genius."

A source closely working with the franchise informs, "A few months ago, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani had a closed door meeting with Sanju, where they told him that they would not be going ahead with him in the Munna Bhai sequel.

This definitely upset Sanju." It may be noted that Chopra and Hirani were conspicuous by their absence at Sanjay and Maanyata's party, recently. When contacted, Hirani denied these claims.

(Courtesy: Mid Day.Com)

Alisha tells Vishal-Shekhar to f**k Off

Composers Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani got a mouthful from singer Alisha Chinai when they offered her a sizzling number with the habitual bait, "Only you can do justice to it."

When she heard the price being offered for the song, Alisha apparently told Vishal to f**k off! Of course, the composing whiz kids did exactly that. They recorded the song with Sunidhi Chauhan.

Alisha doesn't deny the incident. "Yes, Vishal-Shekhar did offer me a number very recently. I asked them what they're paying. When I heard the sum, I almost laughed out loud. Really, how long are we playback singers going to be treated so shabbily? I've had just about enough. I've no songs on hand at the moment, but I'd rather be without work than without my self-respect. So yeah, I told Vishal-Shekhar very clearly that I'm not interested in their song or the fame. I told them to tell their producers to pay me what I deserve or f**k off."

In spite of smash-hit numbers like Kajra re, Tinka tinka, It's rocking and Tera hone lagaa hai, the singer has all but said goodbye to playback singing. "I won't sell myself out for a pittance. If you can't pay me what I deserve, then f**k you. I guess I will become a producer and then exploit the hell out of everyone."

When asked about the incident, Vishal said, "I feel really bad saying this, but the poor lady is delusional and needs help. I mean this with all sincerity. God bless her."

( Courtesy: Midday.com)

Kareena to flaunt her assets the `Mandakini` way!

Producer Ekta Kapoor, who is all set to make the sequel of her film `Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai` a bigger block buster is hell bent to recreate reality on the silver screen in the closest possible way!

With Akshay Kumar playing Dawood Ibrahim in the film and Kareena Kapoor essaying the role of his ladylove, Ekta and her director Milan Luthria are geared up to make one of the finest biopic of all times.

It is believed that Dawood fell in love with actress Mandakini of the `Ram Teri Ganga Maili` fame after seeing her in the waterfall-bathing scene in the film repeatedly. This is where the light eyed starlet of the 1980s had flaunted her assets with just a white saree, reasonably covering her modesty.

And ironically Bebo, who will play Mandakini in QUATIM sequel has agreed to do the sizzling scene which was originally directed by her grandfather, the late Raj Kapoor.

The Kapoor girl had little inhibitions on agreeing to do this scene on learning that the script demanded it. Moreover, she has complete faith in filmmaker Luthria for she knows he will shoot it aesthetically.

Talking to a daily, a source said, "Bebo is not averse to the idea of doing the water scene, as long as it is aesthetically shot. She knows Milan`s sensibilities are very good."

Hmm…that’s a very bold move! But Kareena had refrained from doing “liplock” scenes with her other co-stars barring beau Saif Ali Khan. But now that she is all set to do a `Mandakini` act…wonder how Saifu is going to react!