American actress/singer Jennifer Hudson has offered a 100,000-dollar reward for the safe return of her seven-year old nephew, who went missing after the brutal murder of her mother and brother on October 24.

Officials have issued an AMBER alert, and Hudson has also issued a plea for help in finding her nephew Julian King.

'Thank you for all your prayers and your calls. Please keep praying for our family and that we get Julian King back home safely,' the New York Postquoted Hudson, 27, as having written on her MySpace Web page.

'If anyone has any information about his whereabouts, please contact the authorities immediately. Here is a picture of Julian and what he was last seen wearing. Once again, thank you all for being there for us through this tough time. Sincerely, The Hudson Family,' the former Amercian Idol finalist wrote.

Hudson's representative Lisa Kasteler issued a statement announcing the reward on her behalf.

'Jennifer and her family appreciate the enormous amount of love, support and prayers they have received while she and her family try to cope with this tragedy and continue the search for Julian,' the statement said.

'We ask that all inquiries be directed to the Chicago Police Department, Area 1 Detective Division at 312/747-8380,' it added.

Zeenat Aman in the 1970s successfully paved the way from the ramp to the silver screen, setting a trend for years to come. Since then, there has been a steady rise of models trying their luck in Bollywood and, with every passing decade, their numbers have increased manifold.The successful careers of model-turned-actresses like Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra Juhi Chawla, Bipasha Basu and Sushmita Sen have proved that the ramp can be a stepping stone to the glamorous world of Bollywood.

In recent times, there have been additions to their numbers with actresses like Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, Sayali Bhagat, Geeta Basra, Mugdha Godse and Jia Khan, among others, who have forayed into Bollywood with their modeling backgrounds.

Most models who walk the ramp have an aspiring actor inside them and feel the runway can give them the much-needed attention of producers and directors of the film industry.

Former Miss India World Natasha Suri, who won the title in 2006 and has been modelling since then, feels that the fashion fraternity and Bollywood are siblings.

“The fashion industry and the Bollywood have so many things in common that I feel they are very much inter-related. They are two siblings,” Suri, who will soon be foraying into Bollywood, told IANS.

Kingfisher calendar model Shruti Agarwal, who has been part of the fashion industry for the last three years, said that films will always be her first priority as this means going one step ahead of modelling.

“Films will be my first priority now. Everybody wants to go higher and do better things and film is definitely one step ahead. Bollywood is a bigger platform as far as the glamour industry is concerned,” she added.

Bollywood attracts not only Indian models, but a number of international ones have also set their eye on it.

Carolina Brytha, a 19-year-old model from Iceland who has been visiting India for various fashion shows, said though she had essentially come here for walking the ramp, she has also been part of various shoots.

“I have hired a local PR agency to get me more work on albums, ads and films. I already have done a few assignments,” she added.

Brytha said she has also done small roles in films and is looking forward to getting better offers.

“As Indian films fascinate me, I am looking forward to acting in films. Though I have done a few small roles, I think the Indian market is really big and I will be able to get better roles in future,” she added.

Fashion designer Lina Tipnis, who has worked with the likes of Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen and Bipasha Basu, told IANS: “Fashion shows see a huge attendance of people from Bollywood and many of them come here to spot new faces. Therefore, I think there is a huge inter-change of talent from both the industries.”

“Besides, the gap between the two worlds is narrowing, with people from one getting involved in the other,” Tipnis added.

While working in aforementioned films, didn't she feel like being a part of a hardcore Bollywood commercial film to at least stay in the reckoning during her relatively leaner period?

"Everybody asks me this. But I never felt like being a part of a hardcore Bollywood commercial film because I have no respect for such cinema", Kangna makes a shocking confession.

She continues, "It is like an immortal work of art. For me my movies are my heart-beat. I cannot do a stupid film in which people laugh while they are watching it. So I have to be very careful".

Seems like she detests such cinema? "Yes, because it hurts me emotionally and mentally when people make fun about the characters in the film. I don't like people making fun of movies and characters. You should be given respect in society and for the work you do."

In that case, is ‘Fashion’ the kind of film which should get the actors in it the kind of respect she aims for? "I really hope so. Fashion will change the thinking of the society and what they think about the fashion world. I don't have a crystal ball to see what the future holds, but yes I do know that the film will do very well", says Kangna in a positive tone.

There has been long gap between her last film ‘Life In A Metro’ and ‘Fashion’. Was a break like this planned? Replies Kangna, "It was not planned. Some times it just takes too long for a project to complete. Even Fashion for that matter took about 6- 7 months to complete. In fact I did a film in the middle called Roshan but it didn't come. It will now come out after Fashion".

With the animated dog’s-life feature “Roadside Romeo,” Bollywood continues its technological juggernaut. A co-production of Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney Pictures, “Romeo” is something new under the Indian sun: sophisticated computer-generated animation that uses stars to voice the characters. But craftsmanship and Disney aside, “Romeo” is very much a conventional Hindi movie with a small-guys-versus-gangsters plot, song-and-dance sequences and film references galore.

Romeo, a honey-colored pup living on the Mumbai streets, has the voice of Saif Ali Khan, and he’s a typical Khan character, a Westernized sweet-talker with a propensity to start every sentence with “Dude” and “O.K. guys.” His idea for financial uplift? Open a hair salon, which he does with his crew of Bollywood-savvy mutts. (The uninitiated needn’t worry; the subtitles let no reference go unparsed, as in “Imitating Shah Rukh Khan” after a line of dialogue.) Trouble occurs when the gang runs afoul of Charlie Anna (Jaaved Jaaferi), the big don dog, who loves Laila (Kareena Kapoor), the same fluffy white creature with dreadful pink eye shadow that Romeo adores.

Written and directed by Jugal Hansraj, “Roadside Romeo” may have its stars’ voices, but what it needs is their bodies. Perhaps Bollywood’s most ingratiating quality is how hard the actors work to entertain you: they dance, they cry, they risk appearing silly. The animated dogs in “Romeo” aren’t particularly appealing. They mostly walk on two legs and, unlike Disney characters, don’t wear anything beyond neck gear. They look oddly naked and move awkwardly, which flattens the dance sequences and keeps the film earthbound.

And for all the movie-making know-how on display, “Romeo” isn’t visually attractive, though there are some nice touches: a dingy, spit-splattered “No spitting sign”; a beautifully detailed train; and peeling movie posters with images of larger-than-life stars, reminding us of Bollywood’s true glory.

Subhash Ghai is one guy who knows how important music is for a Bollywood movie. He makes a good effort to ensure quality to the last bit. His soundtracks sell better than his films sometimes. Remember Taal? A.R Rahman’s music topped the charts for a really long time and the film blew up at the box office. Subhash Ghai is back with another flick titled Yuvvraaj. The film stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor and Zayed Khan in lead roles. The music has been composed by A.R Rahman and the lyrics have been penned down by Gulzar. A typical Subhash Ghai menu. Yuvvraaj is slated for a November release. The music is finally out so let’s check it out!

Track Listing

01. Yuvvraaj - Main Hoon Yuvvraaj
02. Yuvvraaj - Tu Meri Dost Hain
03. Yuvvraaj - Shano Shano
04. Yuvvraaj - Tu Muskura
05. Yuvvraaj - Mastam Mastam
06. Yuvvraaj - Zindagi
07. Yuvvraaj - Dil Ka Rishta
08. Yuvvraaj - Manmohini Morey
09. Yuvvraaj - Shano Remix

The soundtrack starts with Salman Khan with the fifth of Beethoven trying to introduce his character in the film. As usual he’s more confusing than ever. Skip it and move to the next track Tu Meri Dost Hain (it is actually Hain and not Hai) which starts off really well. Sung by Banny Dayal and Shreya Goshal, the song is a soothing melody. The next track Shano Shano is a surprise from A.R Rahman. It sucks right from the moment it begins. Tu Muskura by Alka Yagnik and Javed Ali is another soft number. Gulzar’s lyrics are not as extraordinary as they usually are. Mastam Mastam is a typical A.R Rahman melody. It will remind you of Saathiya. Zindagi, the next track, reminds me of Hariharan. Rang De Basanti has a track which could easily be blamed for this song. Skip the next track. Manmohini Mere is my favourite track in the entire soundtrack. It has been sung by Vijay Prakash, a dude I have never heard of before, but he managed to make up for the bad music in the album. A slow yet excellent track. The soundtrack ends with a remix of Shano Shano. The remix is actually better than the original version.

On the whole, I really hope the double ‘V’ and ‘A’ work for Yuvvraaj. The soundtrack isn’t worth the money at all. Except for two tracks, the soundtrack is dull. Subhash Ghai and A.R Rahman have managed to disappoint. Finally!

	Main Hoon Yuvvraaj	Media Player-128 Kbps
	Tu Meri Dost Hai	Media Player-128 Kbps
	Shano Shano	Media Player-128 Kbps
	Tu Muskura	Media Player-128 Kbps
	Mastam Mastam	Media Player-128 Kbps
	Zindagi	Media Player-128 Kbps
	Dil Ka Rishta	Media Player-128 Kbps
	Manmohini Morey	Media Player-128 Kbps
	Shano - Remix	Media Player-128 Kbps

Pain in the airplane: Equipped with a parachute, a cool leather topi and a Lalita Pawar-kind of sour lime expression, a woman sky-jumps, leaving her blockhead husband to go up in flames, boom, crash, splatzzz.

Over to Karzzz, remade by director Satish Kaushik from Subhash Ghai’s Karz (1980) which was remade from The Reincarnation of Peter Proud. Down with originality, yup with re-rebirth. So is the new Zzz-grader full-on ‘time-pass’ or would it be more entertaining to water the dry October grass?

Answer: If you’re the sort to be satisfied with a tandoori music score, some guffaw-out loud moments (intentional and unintentional) and a vitamin-oozing healthy Rohini Hattangadi (mashallah) being passed off as an insomniac, starving mom, then this could be your ticket.. for want of any alternative.

Next: NRI pop singers are rocking the world. Huh? Somewhere out there in Cape Clown, blondes faint on seeing Monty (Reshammiya) on stage. More with pleasure than shock, presumably. Monty serenades Tina (not Munim, Shweta Kumar alas) at one of those hotel functions, then suffers from headaches (What! Shweta did this to him?) and sees his past life flash before his eyes in very badly edited chip-chop scenes.

Next halt: Kenya. Danny Denzongpa shows up as Pran, eager to do his daughter Shweta’s Kenyadaan. Hurry, hurry, please. Prannyy even quotes movie dialogue (later he forgets to do this, but well). Gulshan Grover is around to punch at a kinky computer screen which hasn’t been updated for 25 years. Hmm. And Asrani yaks on about his three spinster daughters who are never seen. Did even newcomers reject the roles? Hilariously, there’s a Maid Martha who vanishes into the forests. Did the lions get her?

Be that as it may, Lady Kamini (Urmila Matondkar) breathes fire and brimstone, all in violent red shades, when she understands that Mr Monty is one of those re-born heroes. Reels and reels later, Lady K and Monty fight it out in a North by Northwest airplane finale. Truly, your heart goes out to Reshammiya for his sheer bravado. He’s improved since Aap ka Surroor but of course, he has many many more miles to go. Urmila Matondkar dignifies the enterprise but far too often, Kaushik seems to make her go over the top.

As for debutante Shweta Kumar, could she please learn to stand straight and quit smiling just to advertise her dentist? And heavens, Dino Morea is restricted mostly to playing a garlanded portrait. Quite histrionic that.

On the tech front, the camerawork and set designs are like festive mithai boxes. The choreography goes gaga over blonde chorus line girls and that’s it.

So, it’s not exactly your Farzzz to see Karzzz. The outcome’s neither good, nor bad, it’s a pitch at wooing the box-office, from A to Zzzz. And from advance reports, is already on its way to do the click trick.

Rating: **1/2