Hollywood remakes are official now

Good news for movie buffs tired of watching "unofficial" Hollywood remakes or "inspired" movies.

Mukesh Talreja and Nikhil Advani of Orion Pictures are in talks with Warner Brothers to remake Hollywood blockbuster Wedding Crashers.

The company is in talks with two big actors to play the lead in this remake. "I have seen Wedding Crashers and think it is a great property that would certainly lend itself to a Bollywood remake and I am very happy that we will be doing this in the right way in association with Warner Brothers," Talreja said.

Warner Brothers will also take legal action against any party who plans to remake this film in concept or as a remake, according to sources.

Warner Brothers is also presenting Orion Pictures' Akshay Kumar-starrer Chandni Chowk to China in association with Ramesh Sippy Entertainment.

This news was brought to me by NDTV 24x7, the best news channels for NRIs seeking the latest news about India. People in the US can access this channel through DirecTV that guarantees excellent picture and voice quality.

Marsh takes Kings XI to thumping win

I missed the IPL Twenty-20 match between Kings XI Punjab & Deccan Chargers. It's not possible for me to watch all the IPL matches. Life is busy in US.

NDTV 24x7 covers all the matches so I watch their crisp coverage when I miss the matches. It's one of the channel available in the US though DirecTV.

Shaun Marsh made a telling IPL-debut, his compact defence and crunchy offence getting him 84 quick runs in a comfortable, seven-wicket win for the Kings XI Punjab.The knock was matched only by Rohit Sharma's 76, a 42-ball effort that revived Deccan Chargers Hyderabad and gave them a competitive score of 164-8 after their top order had fallen to luxurious strokes at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

That innings seemed sharp in contrast with Rohit's 76, which was pure counter attack batting with the tail on a two-paced wicket. Surprisingly, still, no seamer on the day walked away with good figures.

ISRO sets world record with 10 launches

NDTV Reports: India's PSLV-C9 has successfully injected ten satellites into orbit.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), set up 35 years ago, may be a baby among the world's space faring nations. But, it is competing with the other biggies to set world records.

And the mission, which has given ISRO an edge over other competitors, is the launch of India's latest Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

The launch vehicle took off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh and has launched 10 satellites - a feat which has created a world record.

PSLV weighs 230 tons - the weight of almost 50 elephants - and is as high as a 12-storey building.

The launch vehicle has put two Indian and eight foreign satellites into orbit, it has beaten the current world record of hoisting eight satellites at one go accomplished by Russia almost a year ago.

This is definitely a great achievement by ISRO. This really has made us Indians all over the world proud. I wish ISRO all the best for all its future endeavors, especially the Chandrayan mission to the moon.

I saw a report on this issue on NDTV 24x7 which is available here in the US only on DirecTV.

India to have more billionaires by 2017: Forbes

I was not surprised that I saw the news on NDTV 24x7, the channel always covers India-centric news. I was surprised because I saw the news first on NDTV 24x7. Forbes' poll are credible and most of the times the news is broadcasted on all news channels.

Ten years from now, India will have more billionaires than any other country in the world, says a poll by American business publication Forbes.According to the Internet poll being conducted by the magazine, which lists the world's richest billionaires every year, more than half of respondents believe that India will have the maximum number of billionaires in 2017.

According to the online poll on Forbes' website, where over 11,800 votes were cast at the last count, only 17 per cent of respondents believe that the US would have the most billionaires in 2017.

The India-centric news channel is available in the US through DirecTV. DirecTV's exceptional picture and sound quality coupled with NDTV 24x7's up-to-the minute coverage is a must for Indians living in the US.

Reunion of Shahenshah-Badshah

NDTV Reports: The rivalry between Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan has been the subject of speculation in the media for ages.

Recently it was said that Amitabh would feature in the multi-starrer song from Om Shanti Om, but it didn't happen.

Amitabh clarified that there is no competition between them.

"Please let there not be any comparisons between me and Shah Rukh. It's not fair," he said.

Vivek Sharma's Bhootnath will have the Badshah and the Shahenshah together. Amitabh plays the role of a deceased grandfather, who returns to his grandson as a ghost. Shah Rukh plays a cameo as the boy's father.

Speaking about his role Big B said, "Earlier in my career I only got to play certain characters. I am heartened that at my age film-makers are choosing me for roles which are widely different. I am playing a ghost in Bhootnath, something I never would have dreamt of."

NDTV 24x7 is the best news channels for news from India. And what makes it even better is that its also available here in the US for us NRIs, only on DirecTV... So go ahead and get a DirecTV subscription and keep in touch with the latest in India!

IPL: Royals to take on Kings

It will be Hollywood vs Bollywood today. Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royal's take on Preity Zinta's Kings XI later this evening.

Both the teams lost their opening ties, and so both have something to prove. Jaipur in particular have some work to do with many believing that its one of the weakest squads in the league.

Despite the Hussey heroics that wiped out her team, the smile on Preity's face has not faded and she's looking for a turn-around.

I got this latest update on NDTV 24x7. It is an excellent news channel for NRIs since it provides the most comprehensive news related to India. DirecTV makes it possible to access this channel in the US.

Stage set for lights, camera, action

NDTV Reports: On April 18, cricket will change forever for good or for bad, we don't know yet.

There has been much picketing against Twenty20 cricket and its money-rich manifestation, the Indian Premier League. Even before a ball has been bowled, the IPL stands accused of the murder of Test cricket.

The BCCI's penny-pinching officials have also earned the purist's wrath, and it's a surprise they didn't think of a way to extract a fee from the sun, moon and stars for shamelessly shining over the IPL venues without accreditation.

Then, there's the concern over the length of the tournament. Six weeks? What were the organisers thinking?

Here's some numbers to put things into perspective. The Beijing Olympics measure 16 days. The next FIFA World Cup will last a month. Even the T20 World Cup with a bigger field than the IPL lasted just a fortnight.

If the World Cup in the West Indies is anything to go by, some games towards the latter stages of the IPL may become meaningless, which would affect ticket sales and we have not yet begun talking about high ticket prices.

All right, enough ranting already. Here's what is good about the IPL. Never in the history of cricket has a domestic event raised more money or generated more hype. In India, the average domestic match attracts about 20 eyeballs five journalists, four pigeons and the stray dog. The IPL would change that, and how. It would now be the standard for other cricket boards to follow.

Second the IPL would fast track many careers. The unsung heroes from the domestic tier somebody like a Pragyan Ojha will now play alongside top professionals with the world watching. This is as good as international exposure, and the money has never been better.

Somewhere along the line, we would all complain about overkill, about meaningless run orgies and the passing away of cricket in whites. But change is inevitable. So, for the moment, let's focus on the IPL hoping it makes the game attractive to a much larger audience.

Which brings us to a question which team do you think would win the IPL? I'm vouching for my home city Mumbai....who's side are you on?