Fun Facts

It seems that Bollywood is catching up to Hollywood. Bollywood was born in 1899. Hollywood came along in 1910. It is actually amazing to me that Bollywood produces more films than Hollywood. It is located in the heart of India in Bombay. Bollywood actually produces 5 times the amount of movies then Hollywood does. The actors and actresses work harder then those of Hollywood films and for less money. Usually, they will be working on a few films at a time. Well they must be doing something right. The Bollywood films not without their problems. The plot lines seem to all be about love and there is no variety. How many times can you watch a love film without getting bored? Apart from this bollywood, viewers exceed Hollywood viewers.

Then there are those who rave about the Bollywood film industry. There are films on the list that should be seen in order for an individual to get the full effect of these movies. One such film is Dil Chata Hai. It is more westernized and apparently won an Oscar. The costumes and props in most of these films are amazing. I would probably want to watch more just for the costumes!  The men are usually as pretty as the women are which just seems wrong! They are usually a dance performance and can at times be too cheesy. Well I guess a vast portion of the world loves the cheese because these films are viewed in Pakistan, Israel, Arab regions, Africa and even the USSR. That surprised me. I had no idea Russians were interested in Bollywood?

Therefore, this begs the question. How important is Bollywood to Hollywood? It would seem they are looking at new focuses from the recent release of The Love Guru. Bollywood growing popularity comes from their stars too. Aishwarya Rai a prominent actor has gained popularity in our western world.  The first time I saw a picture of her I thought she was stunning! No wonder she was the former Miss World! She has appeared in such television shows as 60 minutes and Oprah Winfrey. You know if you get to appear on Oprah, you are going places. Bollywood is definitely trying to influence our western way of thinking by incorporating English into their films. In fact there are films that are now entirely in English. Okay, so that is a good start.

Well Hollywood and Bollywood have something in common, “Scandal”. There are rumors of how Bollywood films are funded. Of course, we all know there is daily scandal surrounding Hollywood and its stars. Someone is divorcing, separating, cheating etc. All you have to do is walk into any convenience, drug or supermarket to learn the latest Hollywood gossip. Let us face it we are all entranced with Hollywood stars. If there weren’t so much scandal and intrigue, how would they sell magazines? Will Bollywood ever entrance us the same way? Is Bollywood destined to remain in the shadows of the Hollywood empire?

Hollywood

This has been a very tumultuous year for couples in Hollywood. There have been some major divorces and breakups. Some of the more prominent divorces were Robin Williams and his wife Marcia Garcia Williams.  Then there was Liv Tyler and Royston Langdon. I guess two rockers just can’t co-habitat.  Carrie Underwood the country crooner went through a public separation.

The mega superstar Madonna split from her husband Guy Ritchie. This was a big one. They both have mega money so finances are not an issue. It must be nice to not fight about money like us regular Joes. Madonna is linked to the baseball player Alex Rodriguez. Could this have been the final nail in their coffin when it came to the marriage? Well it certainly does not help when you are trying to save your marriage. On the other hand, was she?

We all know about Hugh Hefner and his Playboy Mansion complete with grotto. However, you may not have known that Hugh actually had three full time girlfriends. Now he has two. He split from Holly Madison. Holly wanted to have kids but Hef was not producing, so to speak. Hugh is not crying into his brandy. In fact, he is already searching for a new bunny to bounce around the mansion!

In a twist of fate, Nicollete Sheridan of Desperate Housewives began dating Michael Bolton for the second time around. They dated from 1992-1997 and then rekindled their love in 2005. This time around, they even went so far as to be engaged. It looked like it was finally time for them to walk down the aisle. Then all of a sudden the engagement was off and they were separated. It was all hush, hush from there and they asked that the public respect their privacy. Okay….I think someone forgot to tell them that they were famous!

Of course, who can forget the breakup between Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer? There are different stories about what led up to the breakup but apparently, Jen ended it because John was not ready to be in a monogamous relationship and wanted to sow his oats. On the other hand, John told reporters that Jen was the smartest and most sophisticated woman he had ever met. Well that is ironic. If she was so great, why did he feel the need to cheat on her?

Another big Hollywood star Bill Murray split from his wife Jennifer Butler Murray. Jennifer apparently sued her husband after 10 years of marriage citing drug abuse, adultery, abandonment and physical abuse. Wow, that is quite a list! Who knew? Jennifer even requested a restraining order against the actor when she filed the lawsuit. I guess she really wants to keep him away. Well it looks like this ghost buster has been busted!

One break-up personally touched me. I am a big Shania Twain fan. When she split from her marriage of 14 years to Mutt Lange, it hurt. They had gone through so much together over the years and Mutt really pulled out the real Shania. He left her for their secretary and manager of their Switzerland Chalet. Personally, I think he is a fool. There will never be another Shania!

Hollywood

One of the most popular shows on television could have a new edition. Desperate Housewives of the network ABC is rumored to be keen to have Governor Sarah Palin 44, to join its cast. She will join actors Eva Longoria and Terri Hatcher as they weave through the complexities of their lives and loves and dramas on this evening soap. Wisteria Lane will never be the same.  Marc Cherry is very excited to have Sarah join them on the season five finale. Marc is apparently a great fan of Sarah and sees her as a perfect fit for the show. He feels she will blend right in and can just be herself. Disney is eating up the idea. They feel it will bring in tremendous ratings just like her appearance on “Saturday Night Live”. I think she could bring in a whole new demographic to the show. What do you think?

Sarah Palin was the running mate of John McCain in the recent U.S. campaign. Unfortunately, she did not run fast enough. Sarah who hails from Alaska has dubbed herself a hokey mom…i.e. mean “hockey mom”. She has five children and loves to hunt. With a funny twist, Sarah had a habit of wearing pantsuits throughout the White House race making her look like the character of the uptight, multi-tasked Bree Van De Kamp from Desperate Housewives. The show is so popular that it is currently into its fifth season. You would think a show like this would pull in a female fan base but men are starting to watch the show too. My father-in-law watches it and we discuss it over the phone. Many people love Sarah but there are those who feel that she is not prepared for interviews. On the other hand, she feels that she comes across more honest that way. So how would she do with lines for such a popular television show?

However, some think that Sarah is uninformed and just not cut out for politics and public speaking. They feel that a role like this would be just what the doctor ordered to get her out of her fog. It is quite a jump from vice-presidential candidate to actor. The fact is that even many people in her home of Alaska are tired of hearing about her escapades and have no love loss for Sarah. They think she is just white trash! Hollywood is Hollywood and stories and gossip abound. I actually feel sorry for Sarah. It must be hard being thrown into such a stressful role. Let us face it without it without gossip we would not watch the shows or buy the magazines and this story is no different. It does not hurt that Sarah is a good-looking woman and a good fit for the sometimes-vain world of television. She would definitely fit in with the world of Bree, Gaby, Lynette, Susan and Edie.

As a fan of the show, I would like to see Sarah added to the cast. It could add a completely new level of intrigue. Of course, the show is full of intrigue already. It is estimated to have anywhere from 115 to 119 million viewers. Could that number be bumped up? Will Sarah be that new character in this ongoing saga? Tune in and find out.

Hollywood