Priyanka's debut act feat Lady GaGa

When Priyanka Chopra was spotted in the US with Troy Carter, Lady Gaga's manager, a few months ago, obvious questions were raised about the actress's possible interest in an international collaboration.

But now we have confirmed news – Priyanka is ready to make her foray into the international music scene with the Universal Music Group and is already working on her debut album that is due to release either later this year or early next year.

According to a source, "The opportunity has presented itself and it's rather big, given the people backing it include the likes of Jimmy Iovine, who was a mentor with "American Idol", and will be working with her on this. Her international foray is being managed by Troy Carter, Lady Gaga's manager. So, it's doubly exciting for her" Priyanka said, "This is something I have always wanted to do. Everyone who knows me knows that I love singing and that's one of the things closest to my heart. When UMG met me, it seemed like the right opportunity and I agreed. It's not something that I had planned, it's something that happened out of the blue, but I am very excited about it."

When asked about how she will take out time for music considering she has five movies lined up, she said, "My movies are my priority and will always be. But my music is very important to me and this is something very few people get to do. And I want to do it well."

About the genre of music in the album, she said, "It'll be pop music for sure. It will be representative of me, my music, and the kind of person I am and the music that I like to listen to. I am writing the music myself. It will be very much from my heart."

We asked her if there'll be a romantic number in that case, and she laughed and said, "I am sure there will be balance in the songs. The music is still being worked upon and unless we finalize that, I can't comment on exactly what it will be, or what sort of a look I'll have. There's still time for that."

About Bollywood elements in the music, she said, "I don't know it exactly yet since this is an initial stage. But, I am Indian and that's where my roots are and that's certainly what I am going to represent in my music too."

Priyanka, a tranvestite in Ra.One?

There have been rumours and there will be rumours. But the strangest of them all is the one which is currently surrounding Shah Rukh Khan's Ra one that is otherwise making news for all the right reasons.

It has been allegedly reported on a leading international website that Priyanka Chopra, who would be seen in a cameo in the sci-fi thriller, is playing a transvestite.

“It was shocking to see something like this being reported and that too on an international website of high repute. How silly can it be? Seems like someone out there is trying to harm the film in whatever ways possible and spreading such rumours”, wondered the source who was first to notice

Though Priyanka Chopra has played variety of roles in her career so far, including a serial husband killer in 7 Khoon Maaf, enacting the role of a transvestite was taking things a little too far and also being highly imaginative, though in a negative way.

Naturally, Anubhav Sinha, the film's director, isn't wee bit pleased and feels that someone out there is trying to create a negative word around the film.

“On these specific websites anyone can go and post anything as per their will. When they don't find the right information, they turn malicious and start spreading rumours. The same holds true when it comes to Priyanka's role in the film as well. Since her cameo is a closely guarded secret, some desperate soul may have just turned mischievous and updated this on the site. That's sad because by no stretch of imagination can you actually have Priyanka get into a role like this”, says Anubhav.

Now that should hopefully settle the rumour before it takes gigantic proportions.

Teri Meri Kahaani

Here's looking at the on-off lovebirds of Bollywood.

Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra looked on while on the sets of their film 'Teri Meri Kahaani' in Stratford-Upon-Avon. They've been there a for over a week now.

Whether it's to do with being in William Shakespeare's birthplace or the generally pleasant weather in the UK, their chemistry on the outdoor shoot is far different from what we get to see back home.

An eyewitness confirms that the good looking couple weren't just coolly comfortable but were constantly spotted together and couldn't seem to stop talking in-between takes.

The next schedule of the film starts today in Nottingham, where Dhoni's boys will be taking on England in the second Test.

Sanjay's revealed Agneepath look..

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt's look in the much-awaited remake of 'Agneepath' was revealed on his 52nd birthday today.

"First Look of Sanjay Dutt in Agneepath! Await your comments," filmmaker Karan Johar said on micro-blogging site twitter.

Johar posted a link of Agneepath's facebook page on twitter, which shows the 'Khalnayak's' shaved head, besides his bulked up physique and tattoos over his arms.

Directed by Johar's former assistant, Karan Malhotra, 'Agneepath', a remake of the 1990 Hindi film is reportedly radically different from the original film.

The original 'Agneepath', directed by Mukul Anand, starred Amitabh, Mithun Chakraborty, Madhavi, Rohini Hattangadi and Danny Denzongpa and was produced by Yash Johar, Karan's late father.

Though Agneepath failed commercially at the box-office, Bachchan's performance was praised. Bachchan and Chakraborty received National award for Best Actor and Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award respectively.

The remake version will see Hrithik reprising Bachchan's iconic role of Vijay Deenanath Chauhan with Priyanka Chopra as the female lead opposite him. The character essayed by Mithun Chakraborty has been totally done away in the remake and the role of the villain played by Danny Denzongpa is being essayed by Dutt.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor is touted to play another negative character in this remake of Agneepath that is expected to hit cinema halls on January 13, 2012.

When ex-lovers make love onscreen

Ex-lovers Priyanka Chopra and Shahid Kapur will be resuming the shoot for Kunal Kohli's next in London.

Things might get a bit awkward for them given a situation they are in. Sasha has moved on to Bipasha, while Priyanka has been bonding with Shah Rukh Khan. To add to this, the actors have to perform some heavy duty lovemaking scenes for the film.

A source reveals, "It's going to be uncomfortable. But given the level of professionalism these two display, it shouldn't be that much trouble. Both of them are excited about this project and want to make sure their personal equation doesn't affect it."

No Bollywood babes for Kamal Hassan

When it comes to working with two of south India's biggest superstars, Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth, you'd assume there's no thinking twice.

But looks like Kamal's hunt for a heroine for his latest film Vishwaroopam may have hit a major roadblock. Despite approaching some of Bollywood's A-list actresses, he hasn't been able to rope in a Bollywood leading lady for his dream project.

First he signed on the Dabangg beauty Sonakshi Sinha, who later opted out citing date issues. Her fluctuating weight added insult to injury considering this is an out and out spy-thriller that requires the heroine to be fighting fit.

And though sources say that Sonakshi may still be in two-minds about accommodating the film in her schedule, Kamal is not taking any chances.

The filmmaker has apparently approached both Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra for the role considering action has been a genre both the actors have experimented with in the past with Chandni Chowk to China and Don respectively.

"Kamal is very keen on shooting the first schedule of the film in August itself and that is precisely what's creating all the problems. Priyanka and Deepika both have their diaries packed for now, and to take out time for Vishwaroopam would be quite difficult. But yet we are hoping something should work out," says a source from Kamal's office.

He adds, "Kamal's very first choice after Sonakshi Sinha was Vidya Balan. But with The Dirty Picture and Kahani, the actress could not commit to the project despite wanting to be a part of it."

First, popular south director Selvaraghavan walked out of the project because of creative differences with Kamal. And now, the never-ending search for a leading lady.

So talk is that if none of them get on board soon, the south star will have to resort to casting a fresh face.

It may be a sheer coincidence, but both the superstars seem to be facing problems with their upcoming projects. Rajnikanth faced a similar issue with his film Rana where everyone from Vidya Balan to Madhuri Dixit to Rekha opted out of the film.

Interestingly, the reason Kamal is so keen on wrapping up the shoot for Vishwaroopam is also because he is aiming to release it alongside Rana. For some reason, the film has been facing trouble ever since its inception.

Post Dasavatharam, which tanked at the box-office, Vishwaroopam is Kamal's biggest and most ambitious project, but as of now it's turning into a one-man army. Kamal is acting, writing and directing the film, and is now just back from a location recce. The film that is expected to showcase special effects similar to that of Mission Impossible 2 will be shot in Uzbekistan, UK and other parts of Europe.

Click here for more pics of Vidya Balan !!

No similarity between Heroine and Kohli's film: PC

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has outrightly denied any similarities between Kunal Kohli's next film, in which she features opposite Shahid Kapoor, and Madhur Bhandarkar's much-in-the-news Heroine.

Following a news report that drew a comparison between the two movies, a furious Priyanka took to Twitter, and posted: "Woke up this morning to an amazing piece of fiction... a news story that says my role in Kunal's film is similar to that of Heroine. What a fertile imagination!!! There was no verification made with anyone before they made this resounding conclusion."

While Heroine, Bhandarkar's most ambitious project, takes a behind-the-scenes look at the life and times of a successful Bollywood actress, Kohli's untitled film will reportedly have Priyanka and Shahid play four sets of characters each.

One of those characters will be set in the 1960s, as suggested by an image where Priyanka was seen in a pink fish cut lehenga, a short blouse and Mumtaz-style draped dupatta, with a classic bouffant hairdo.

"Ours is a love story... where is the connect? What say @kunalkohli?" she added.

Kohli too gave his inputs to refute the news.

"Well said @priyankachopra, no one asked us anything,they just printed a baseless story. There's no similarity between the films," posted the filmmaker.

Priyanka, who was recently rumoured to be replacing Aishwarya Rai in Heroine, says she doesn't like being drawn into controversies.

"I don't appreciate being used to create unwarranted controversy with baseless information... unacceptable!" added the 29-year-old.

Piggy Chops consults Asha Parekh?

Priyanka Chopra may be Bollywood's ultimate fashionista, but she has, of late, been hobnobbing with Asha Parekh, to gather dope on her dressing style in the 1960s.

Not just that, she also sent fashion designer Manish Malhotra to visit Parekh to understand her glam look of old better.

All this is being done for her untitled film with Shahid Kapoor that will be directed by Kunal Kohli.

The film is set in the 1960s and Chopra's character of an actress is based on Parekh, a veteran actress of that period.

Chopra has already met Parekh once, for what is being called 'preliminary talks' and plans to visit her for a lengthy discussion later. In the meantime, she sent Malhotra, her designer for the film, to Parekh's residence.

The fashion icon of yesteryears, who set major trends with her look in films like Teesri Manzil, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, Caravan, Pyar Ka Mausam and Aan Milo Sajna, said, "Yes, I met Priyanka at a function. She wanted to know about my clothes and makeup from the 1960s. She said she would meet me later to discuss her look in a film."

Priyanka's 29th birthday

After a break in Los Angeles, Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra is heading back home to celebrate her 29th birthday with her family.

"Heading home..LA's been amazing...but looking forward to seeing my family... my dad n my brother esp with everything that's happening wanna b home," Priyanka posted on her Twitter page.

She flew to Los Angeles straight from the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) weekend and awards ceremony in Toronto last month.

The National Award winning actress has a lot to look forward to this year. She has a line-up of films, including Don 2: The Chase Continues, the Agneepath remake, Barfee, Krrish 2 and Kunal Kohli's next with Shahid Kapoor.

Priyanka has also signed up for a cameo in Shah Rukh Khan's mega- budget RA.One. She seems to be on a roll!

DON 2 - First Look

I plead guilty of saying that I would not make a Don sequel, but somehow the character just wouldn’t leave me. Now, in retrospect, I’m glad I’ve made Don 2,” admits producer-director Farhan Akhtar, who is gearing up for the response to the first trailer of one of this year’s most eagerly awaited films that unveils in theatres this Friday, along with the Farhan-starrer, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Farhan’s partner and co-producer Ritesh Sidhwani endorses the fact that despite an open ending, the duo had not thought of taking the story forward when Don—The Chase Begins (2006) ended. He says, “But then Ameet (Mehta) and Amrish (Shah) came to us with an interesting story idea. It took us a while to develop it, but finally, last October, we flagged off Don 2, and on December 23, as Shah Rukh (Khan) says in the promos, the don will return to the screen after five years.”

Ritesh agrees that expectations are sky high, but is confident that the high-speed action sequences, the special effects and the familiar characters in a new European setting, will spark off an ‘Oh my God, this is huge!’ reaction from the audience,from children in particular, who, he admits, is Don’s biggest fan base. “It surprised me that my own kids had taken such a fancy to a bad guy till I realised that the eternal favourite, Tom & Jerry, is a violent cartoon too.”

The filmmakers adds that apart from two new characters, enacted by Lara Dutta and Kunal Kapoor, the others played by SRK, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani and Om Puri, are the same from Part 1 and continue from where they had left. Ritesh says, “So Roma knows that the good Vijay is dead, Don has survived and sets out to even the score,” he says. “That twist at the end of Part 1 was what made it different from Mr Bachchan’s (Amitabh) Don. This one is completely new and original with no reference points but you would have to see Don —The Chase Begins to understand what’s happening. Don is on its way to becoming a franchise now. This time if you were to ask me about a Part 3, I wouldn’t say no.”

Bipasha and Shahid dating ????

Bipasha Basu is glowing these days. Her good friends have been talking about the new mystery man in her life for weeks now, but the dusky actress has so far only admitted to dating "someone new", refusing to reveal his identity. The secret is out now. We have learnt that the screen siren has been dating Shahid Kapoor!

Says a source, "For over a month now, Bipasha has been talking about a very sweet guy in her life. She's been telling friends that he's an eligible young man and has been showering her with gifts and some much-needed attention. She's been gushing to her friends about how "sweet and affectionate" he is. Bips maintains that while they are not serious yet, he's been wooing her persistently and she's basking in the warmth of his adoration."

Considering they've never worked together, everyone's wondering how the two met. Apparently they were introduced by Shahid's trainer, Abbas. Shahid is as much of a fitness junkie as Bipasha — that was a common bonding subject the first time they met. "Obviously they are only just getting to know each other, so Bips doesn't want to jinx it by talking openly about Shahid," says the source.

Both Bipasha and Shahid have recently split from their long-time partners ( John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra, respectively) and don't want their budding romance to come under the spotlight. A couple of weeks ago, however, Shahid was spotted with hickeys on his neck during a shoot and people on the unit pulled his leg about it. He refused to comment on the mystery lady who 'marked' him, but was later spotted out and about with Bips. Adds the source, "On Saturday night, Shahid hosted a small party at his newly-renovated Andheri home. There were about 20 guests, and Bipasha was also present. Shahid had invited only a handful of his close friends, including Siddharth Anand, Karan Johar, Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Ayesha Takia and husband Farhan Azmi, Ahmed Khan, so her presence there raised quite a few eyebrows."

When asked, Bipasha claims she hardly knows Shahid. His spokesperson on the other hand says, "They are friends, just as he is friends with other people in the industry. The news of them dating is untrue." Ho hum!

First look of Agneepath unveiled..!

Director Karan Johar unveiled the first look of his much-awaited Hrithik Roshan starrer Agneepath, which is a remake of Amitabh Bachchan's hit film of the same name. KJo has said the remake will be different from the original but it's yet to be seen if Hrithik can match Big B's charisma.

Sanjay Dutt has a shaved head and a beefed up torso for his character of Kancha Cheena in the Agneepath remake. The actor has been working out twice a day -- one hour of cardio and an hour and half of weights. He recently said: "I had to do it for me and all my fans. I had to be in shape again." Worth the wait, we say.

The director also announced the release date of Agneepath on Twitter: “AGNEEPATH releases on January 13th,2012...” he tweeted.

Looks like 2012 is off to a good start already!

Ileana Vs Priyanka

Ileana is yet to get a foothold in Bollywood with her debut film Barfee opposite Ranbir Kapoor and is already in the news for all the wrong reasons. Barfee directed by Anurag Basu has Ranbir Kapoor playing a deaf - mute person and Ileana being his love interest. Interestingly Priyanka Chopra is the third lead and will be playing a mentally impaired character.

There have been rumors doing rounds about Ileana and Priyanka not getting along. Apparently, Ileana wants to make sure she gets noticed and has been asking the director to make her role meatier. Priyanka is supposedly not happy with all the interfering.

Ileana is going blue in the face, denying these rumors saying that she is yet to meet Priyanka on the sets and there is no reason for them to fight. The actress claimed that the whole affair is the work of irresponsible press hounds.

Ileana's ticket to Bollywood..

Ileana who is the highest paid actress in the South, has just booked herself a first-class ticket to Bollywood!

Ileana will be starring opposite Ranbir Kapoor in Anurag Basu's Barfi playing a very interesting character as the story arc for this role starts with her being a teenager and finishes at 60!

Ranbir will be a deaf-mute in this film. There is another meaty heroine role and word is that it will either go to Asin or Priyanka Chopra.

The Nanban heroine would have preferred a solo launch but she accepted as the role allows her to perform while showing off her glam side as well.

This is certainly an unconventional launch but Ileana is quite sure of making it work for her.

Suriya is hot says Priyanka Chopra

Suriya and the 7am Arivu team were shooting in Mumbai, recently. Priyanka Chopra was present in the vicinity and she came over to say hello to cinematographer, Ravi K Chandran, since the two of them have worked together.

Priyanka enquired about Suriya, and said that she has seen him on the cover of a lot of magazines.

Apparently, Priyanka thinks Suriya is really hot and one of the best looking men in the country! Looks like Suriya has even more fans than he knows!

All is unwell..

It really doesn’t matter whether Priyanka's ongoing problems with actor Shahid Kapoor have been sorted out or not.

The actress Priyanka Chopra has once again gone back to her usual ‘no talk about my personal life’ space. Her relationship with Shahid Kapoor thus enters into a thanda zone, where both will deliberately continue to remain aloof from each other.

“Priyanka and Shahid had fought bitterly on the sets of a film, when he felt being targeted, says the source.

"He wondered how stories about him crop up continuously, when only ‘professional stuff’ about Chopra was doing the rounds. They had an argument following which Priyanka clarified to others that both were still friends in spite of all the speculations,” added the source.

However, now that Shahid has moved to his films - the two are reportedly not interacting for over a month now. Priyanka has apparently instructed her staff to ensure that she is not troubled with the any question that has anything to do with her personal life again.

“Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra might now act in a few more movies and even agree to give interviews together because both have agreed that they have reached a zone of no return. Shahid is a little jittery about working with Priyanka although she seems fine with the idea,” the source adds.

Meera Chopra harassed

When South actress Meera Chopra lodged a complaint with the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi police some days ago claiming that somebody was sending her lewd mails, it once more brought into focus the fact that she was Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra’s cousin. The police immediately swung into action and registered an FIR. It is now come learned that the person harassing Priyanka’s estranged cousin is apparently a distant relative based abroad, reveal police sources say.

“The connection was registered in the name of some SH Ahuja, we couldn’t ascertain who she is related to. But the family has confirmed that Ahuja is a part of the extended family and is close to the family,” a police source adds.

The moment the FIR was registered there were rumours of a renewal of the apparent animosity between Priyanka and her cousin, who have never acknowledged each other’s presence in public.

“Priyanka is cut up with Meera. They don’t see eye-to-eye and the two families don’t talk at all. Their relationship hit an all time low when Priyanka discovered that Meera had hired the services of her ex-secretary Prakash Jaju,” informs a source.

For those in the dark, Jaju, a filmmaker now, used to handle Priyanka’s work, and is reportedly responsible for getting her plum projects.But both reportedly had a massive fall-out after Priyanka’s mobile phone bill was leaked to the media. On August 26, 2008,Jaju was arrested by Mumbai police on a complaint (of threat and harassment) lodged by the actor’s father Dr. Ashok Chopra at the Oshiwara police station. Jaju, in a counter complaint from Indore, alleged that the actor is taking the help of Chhota Shakeel to threaten him.

“Following the incident, Priyanka hit the roof when she got to know that her cousin had gone to the same person with whom things had gotten ugly,” says the source.

Meera, a starlet in South films, is apparently planning a press conference to disclose the name of the culprit.

"Shahid is a great friend" says Sonam

The kind of free-bird public image Sonam Kapoor has, one would have expected her to throw a glamorous party on her birthday. But it seems like Sonam, who turned 26 on Thursday, has become wiser. She had a quiet birthday and was shooting for her upcoming movie Mausam.

Now the rumor mongers have something to talk about! They can claim that Sonam spent her birthday with Shahid Kapoor (since he is the lead actor of Mausam). But before anyone could suspect anything, Sonam said that she finds a great friend in Shahid and is happy that she has not been linked with him. She added that the girl who would land up with him in the end would be really lucky. Are you reading Priyanka Chopra?

Anyway, Sonam’s daddy Anil Kapoor has already bagged some great roles in Hollywood. So will she follow his footsteps? Maybe, exclaims Sonam. She believes what matters is the kind of role being offered, not the language. However, if a great director offers her a good project, she would definitely consider it.

Effectively, Sonam is considered to be the style diva of Bollywood. So, who does she think is the most stylish actress in the industry? Unlike her other contemporaries, who would name a yesteryear actress to avoid the question, she said she finds Kangana Ranaut incredibly stylish.

Well, Sonam, you and your straight-forward talks always please your fans. Keep them coming!

Shahid turns stalker..

It's been a while since Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra split. Their relationship became infamous as their constant now-on, now-off status. However, their last split seemed final. But now, Shahid is having second thoughts and wants to give it another try.

Says a source close to the couple, "Shahid is not willing to accept that this is The End. He is having a tough time letting go. He has been sending her feelers for weeks, which she has been ignoring. Now his text messages are somewhere in the stalker zone. Recently, when he heard that she was going to be present at Shah Rukh's party for his team and mingle with the boys, he began to frantically call her. He was anxious like a possessive lover as he wasn't attending the party due to an injury."

A source from the party reveals, "PC was more than excited to meet the likes of Brett Lee. She even broke into an impromptu song. Every one kept cheering her." While she was showing off her vocal range her phone was incessantly flashing 'Shahid calling'. Adds an insider, "He was desperate to talk to her. And she was ignoring his calls and texts. When he couldn't reach her, Shahid began calling their common friends to find out the details of the party. But none of them got back to him."

PC is trying to put her past behind her, while Shahid can't cope with losing her. The source adds, "He has been sending her emotional texts and telling their friends that he misses being with her. But PC is happy to stay good friends." Time for Shaks to see the writing on the wall.

Priyanka bonds with Saif ??

Priyanka Chopra is a friendly girl so recently when she was shooting at a studio no too far from where the Agent Vinod sets are, the actress decided to pay a visit to Saif Ali Khan and the rest of the gang. Luckily for her, Kareena Kapoor was not on set otherwise her brief tour and catch up with everyone may not have gone so smoothly.

Kareena is adamant that she has no problem with Priyanka being around Saif as she feels very secure in their relationship; Kareena does seem to be the only girl for Saif if their behavior is anything to go by but this doesn’t stop the animosity between the two girls.

Kareena and Priyanka Chopra have never been friends, in fact it seems as though they can barely tolerate each other with the final nail in the coffin being the alleged relationship that once was between Priyanka and Kareena’s ex Shahid Kapoor.

Time to move on girls!