Jolie spurs Russian patriotism at Salt Moscow show

Angelina Jolie whipped up Soviet-era nostalgia and patriotism for Mother Russia at the Moscow premiere of her spy thriller Salt. Clad in a floor-length Versace gown she described as Russian Red, Jolie blew kisses to thousands of fans who came to watch her play a suspected Russian double agent in the blockbuster, which opened at No. 2 in the U.S. at $36.5 million.

“I think this film is positive for modern Russia,” a broadly smiling Jolie told Reuters television at her first ever premiere in Moscow.

“As much as there are bad guys that are Russian, there are also heroes that are Russian in this film,” she said as her diamond stud earrings sparkled in the sunshine of Moscow’s record-setting heatwave. The film, which evokes Cold War suspicions, enjoyed a stroke of luck with its timing, coming shortly after 10 arrested Russian spies in the United States were swapped for four imprisoned Russians suspected of working for the West.

Jolie has previously called the connection “bizarre,” but declined to comment on press rumours that she had invited glamorous redhead spy Anna Chapman to the premiere. Reviews for Salt have been mixed in the United States, but commentators have said distributor Columbia Pictures is banking on the film striking a chord with Russian audiences.

“It really makes me happy that we have returned to the theme of Russian spies in Hollywood films,” 23-year-old architect Alexander said after watching the film.

During the premiere, the audience erupted into applause when Jolie’s eponymous character, CIA analyst Evelyn Salt, revealed her Russian identity on the big screen.

The packed cinema also jubilantly howled when Jolie said Good evening in Russian ahead of unveiling the film. But her hours of Russian training, which she described as an “aggressive but soft and seductive” language, will be lost on Russian audiences as it was entirely dubbed for general release.

Speculations are rife about how the next picture will find its financing and if it will slow the franchise’s momentum

The James Bond 007: Blood Stone video game event in London this month had all the class and splash one would expect from the world’s most elegant spy. Guests sipped Champagne in the historic former church venue One Marylebone and inspected pieces of Bond memorabilia including Oddjob’s hat from Goldfinger and Jaws famous teeth. The event even featured a video game Bond girl in a stunning black evening dress, the Brit songstress Joss Stone who belts out the game’s theme song. However impressive the Activision launch, big questions about the historic franchise loomed. Longtime Bond producer Michael G. Wilson touched on these unspoken questions from the podium. “I wish we were launching a movie,” he quipped, bringing laughter from the audience.

It was a rare public comment and an even rarer moment of mirth in the drawn-out James Bond-MGM saga, which has left the faithful feeling shaken. In April, Wilson and his half sister and fellow Bond producer, Barbara Broccoli, announced that development of the next 007 feature, known as Bond 23, was suspended “indefinitely.” The baddie who finally managed to knock Bond out of commission? Financial woes at MGM, which owns rights to Bond but is saddled with a crushing $4 billion in debt. Although no one doubts that Bond will be back, questions remain about where the next picture will find its financing and whether the open-ended delay will slow the momentum the franchise had rediscovered on the rugged shoulders of Daniel Craig.

The topic fascinates the legions of Bond fans as well as industry insiders. “It’s a business problem that will be solved, and then Bond will be back,” said director Phillip Noyce, whose Bond-esque thriller Salt has just begun its worldwide campaign. “There’s still a lot of hunger out there for the Bond story.” But Bond appears to be left out in the cold as MGM debtholders extended a deadline to get the studio’s financial house in order to September 15. Broccoli and Wilson declined comment but are said to be deeply concerned about the effect of an indefinite delay.

“They’re completely panicked that if they go five, six years without a Bond movie, it’ll be over,” a former MGM insider said. “They don’t want to kill the golden goose.”

According to the source, Broccoli is hoping for a sale to Time Warner. But TW’s $1.5 billion bid for the studio in May, though the highest fielded, is well below what MGM expected. And potential companies still in the hunt — Spyglass Entertainment, Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate — apparently are not on the scale that would satisfy the Bond producers.

“Bond’s the entire yearly production budget for Lionsgate, and you’ve got (hostile suitor) Carl Icahn saying they’re spending too much money,” the former MGM insider said. “These (prospective MGM buyers) freak them out. (But) all they can do is work behind the scenes to get what they want.” Broccoli and Wilson also continue to push for Sony Pictures to be involved. The studio was behind the production, marketing and distribution of 2008’s Quantum Of Solace. Although a delay might be worrisome, the nearly 50-year-old movie franchise not only has kept its mojo through a steady stream of reinventions but also has rebounded despite similar previous pauses.

Bruce Feirstein, a frequent 007 screenwriter who recently completed the complex video story behind Blood Stone, recalls that there was a six-year wait before switching Bonds from Timothy Dalton to Pierce Brosnan for 1995’s Golden Eye, a film whose screenplay he worked on. The film went on to gross $352 million worldwide. “The franchise never lost its luster during that period,” Feirstein noted.

Golden Eye casting director Pam Dixon recalled excitedly telling the film’s director, Martin Campbell, that her young son didn’t know who Bond was. To her, that meant a chance to give the franchise a real reboot. “The long break was a plus in that instance,” she says.

Bond 23 was moving forward on the heels of more than $1 billion in worldwide grosses from Craig’s 2006 debut Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace.

Craig was ready to roll into action again with Bond 23, and American Beauty director Sam Mendes was in discussions to take the helm. The project was due out next year. Craig has been the good soldier during the delay, standing behind his April statement in which he said he was looking “forward to production resuming as quickly as possible.” As 007 sits on the sidelines, Bond hardly is the only game in town. The spy marketplace is filled with competing secret agents crowding multiplexes, and those are in competition with the slew of comic book characters seeking a big slice of Bond’s audience.

Tellingly, GoldenEye veterans Dixon and Campbell teamed on the upcoming DC Comics creation Green Lantern .Right now, comic book franchises are so popular,” Dixon says. “Who knows where we are going to be when we see the next Bond? These are very uncertain times.” Said Feirstein: “I’m not worried about 007. There’s a line at the end of every movie which we used in the video game: It’s that James Bond will return. ... It’s been true for 50 years. A hiccup like what’s going on at MGM is not going to change that.”

Gorgeous Aishwarya at Cannes Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival in French Riviera had every essence of Bollywood on Wednesday as pretty Aishwarya rai Bachchan impressed everyone with her style and poise as she attended the screening of Ridley Scott`s ‘Robin Hood’ on the opening day of the 12-day run of the 63rd edition of the festival which will run through May 23.

Aishwarya walked down the red carpet hand-in-hand with Eva Longoria Parker (Desperate Housewives) and blew gentle kisses in all directions and waved royally. She blended well with Parker.

Ash was there as a representative of L`Oreal and looked stunning in her flowing off-shoulder gown and a puff with minimal, delicate jewellery and a silver clutch. The 36-year-old Indian actress wore a violet blue fully embroidered tulle and mousseline gown from Elie Saab. The Bachchan Bahu will also be promoting her film ‘Raavan’ along with her star husband Abhishek.

‘Kites’ premieres in London after New York

After premiering successfully in New York, the Roshans’ much awaited mega budgeted film ‘Kites’ had a glittering premiere in London at Leicester Square. The entire Roshan clan was there to celebrate the moment and they candidly admitted that they were quite anxious to see the fate of the film.

Among those present were Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori, Sussanne Roshan, Rakesh Roshan and wife Pinky Roshan, Anurag Kashyap and wife, Rajesh Roshan and wife, plus senior members of the Reliance Big Pictures team.

After the New York premiere on Monday evening, the team had to fly off for the London premiere but that’s when the ash clouds struck again and almost all the flights to Europe had to be cancelled or diverted. It was a nail biting moment for the team who finally made it successfully to London.

Sanjeev Lamba, the CEO of Reliance Big Picture, said, “Flights carrying all of us landed on Monday evening. We were in American and British Airlines. Both landed safely and on time.”

Check out the stills from the event……

Angelina Jolie to play the lead in Prakash Jha’s ‘Draupadi’?

Having made his mark in Bollywood and proving himself yet again with ‘Rajneeti’, Prakash Jha has rolled up his sleeves once again for his magnum opus ‘Draupadi’, which is touted to be an adaptation of the great Indian epic Mahabharata.

Jha wanted to take Madhuri Dixit for the lead role in his Hindi version but could not do so. Now, for the English version of the movie, Jha has Angelina Jolie in his mind.

Talking to a news daily, Jha said, “‘Draupadi’ is the ultimate tribute to womanhood. I’ve wanted to make it for years. Yes, Madhuri was my choice earlier. But now I’m going to make it as an international film with an international cast on a budget that would make the film a grand epic.”

“The actors have to be exotic in their features since my ‘Draupadi’ would be set in the mountains. If you’ve seen Peter Brooks’s celebrated stage adaptation of the Mahabharata it starred Mallika Sarabhai who does have exquisite features,” Jha said.

Whether or not, Prakash will be able to convince Jolie for the role, only time can tell!!

Aishwarya shoots for Longines with Kate Winslet and Lin Chi-ling

The actresses were spotted running through the streets of Rome together with posh cars around and the lovely weather complementing their lovely looks and attire. Kate Winslet is the latest to join the bandwagon of celebrities endorsing Longines after celebs like Aishwraya herself, US athletes Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, and Taiwanese actress Lin Chi-ling.

Check out the triple treat from Longines with Ash, Kate and Lin Chi-Ling…..