Pharrell's shorts, Travolta's gibberish and, of course, that selfie: Oscar burning questions answered

The 2014 Academy Awards had Ellen DeGeneres in charge, Jared Leto's ombre locks on display, and a pizza guy delivering slices to the front row. And as always, a few questions remained after the last envelope was torn open.

Shorts at the Oscars?At the Golden Globes, Pharrell Williams made headlines with his enormousSmokey Bear-style hat, which recently sold for $44,000 in an eBay charity auction. On Sunday, he again stirred up fashion buzz by wearing black shorts with his tuxedo. Oscar night has a strict dress code — women aren't even permitted to wear sneakers under their long dresses. So was Williams allowed to go that casual? An Academy librarian told TODAY, "His pants were short, but it was still a formal look. It was a fashion statement, it seems." Later on, for his performance of best song nominee "Happy," he put on full-length pants and another big ol' hat.

Who was the guy next to Bradley Cooper in Ellen's epic Oscar selfie?
Oscar's most recognizable image this year turned out to be a selfie orchestrated by DeGeneres right around the mid-show mark. The photo's cast was about as A-list as it gets — there's Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Kevin Spacey, Jared Leto, Channing Tatum and Bradley Cooper — until you get to the dapper man on the far right — yeah, that guy blocking Angelina Jolie. That's no party crasher; turns out he's Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o's brother Peter Nyong'o, Jr. , who she called her "best friend" during her best supporting actress speech. 

If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscarspic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014

In case you were wondering, the star-studded selfie is now the most re-tweeted photo of all time, surpassing the "Four more years" photo Barack Obama sent out after winning re-election. 

And while DeGeneres took the image with what appears to be a Samsung phone (Samsung was a sponsor of the show), sharp-eyed cell-phone watchers noted the host switched to an iPhone for backstage tweeting.

Minutes after promoting Samsung on the #Oscars stage, Ellen returns to her iPhone. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/LVsD2YIoXj

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) March 3, 2014

Was that a real pizza guy?Midway through the show, a pizza deliveryman walked out on stage and presented DeGeneres with boxes of pizza from Big Mama & Papa’s Pizzeria, a small chain in the Los Angeles area that’s a favorite of DeGeneres’ talk show. He was no actor, but a real employee of the restaurant. The shop is known for its Giant Sicilian, which is cut into 200 square slices and serves 50-70 people, although the pizzas delivered onstage were of normal size.

Audrey Hepburn returns from the dead to sell chocolate?Oscar fans may have been startled to see beloved icon Audrey Hepburn appear in an ad for Dove chocolate. The ad's production company scanned a photograph of a Hepburn lookalike to create a template, but then built a 3D model of the actress using old footage. The result is stunningly, obviously Hepburn, but it disturbed some fans who felt the star shouldn't be appearing in ads she never posed for. It also generated comments on Twitter, including one particularly funny one from Will Arnett:

I think it's cool that Audrey Hepburn's ghost likes chocolate

— Will Arnett™ (@arnettwill) March 3, 2014

Did John Travolta botch Idina Menzel's name?The Broadway belter behind "Frozen's" Oscar-winnning best original song, "Let it Go" is a powerhouse singer (and occasional "Glee" actress) but her name wasn't very familiar to John Travolta, it appeared. The actor did just fine introducing her, until he stumbled on her actual name. What did he say? It sounded like "Adela Dazeem" to one person's ears, and that wit immediately set up a fake Twitter account for the name. 

THANK YOU, JORN TROMOLTO!

— Adela Dazeem (@AdelaDazeem) March 3, 2014

Naturally, Twitter fans had plenty to say on the subject.

John Travolta just introduced gibberish. #Oscars

— Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs) March 3, 2014

"And now, here to sing 'Let It Go'...Aidianana Mezendeldezel" - John Travolta

— Josh (@RadioTFB) March 3, 2014

Who was Ryder Buck, and why was he called the "guardian angel" of "Frozen"?
"Frozen" co-director Chris Buck acknowledged his son, Ryder Buck, with a mention and look skyward at the end of his acceptance speech for best animated feature. The 23-year-old Buck, a young musician was in the news in October 2013 when, just a few days after completing chemotherapy treatments, he was killed on a Los Angeles freeway as he attempted to cross the road. 

Some quick final hits...Google reported that during the Oscars, fans had some other questions they were asking the search engine: Who presented with Matthew McConaughey? Answer: Actress Kim Novak, best known for her appearance in 1958's "Vertigo." Who is Jennifer Lawrence dating? Answer: Reports indicate she's seeing actor Nicholas Hoult (the "boy" from the 2002 film version of "About a Boy"). And when is Kerry Washington's baby due? Answer: Rumor has it that she'll give birth in the spring, but no exact due date has been shared.

Backstage at the Oscars: Pitt, Leto, Blanchett and others talk partying, pjs and dog poop

The Academy Award winners had more to say than just the thank yous and musings they shared from the stage on Sunday night. Behind the scenes, those with Oscars in hand talked more about what it meant to win — as well as how they prepped for the big day and how they'd be partying into the next one.

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Brad Pitt and Steve McQueen.

Brad Pitt and Steve McQueen, best picture, '12 Years a Slave'

• McQueen, on what inspired his onstage jump (at the end of his acceptance speech): "You saw the jump; I'm so ecstatic for us all. It's not a dream, it's a reality. Van Halen — JUMP!"
• Pitt, on what he did to prepare for Oscar day: "I had to clean up dog poop today. In my bedroom."
• Pitt, on developing and working on the movie: "I love this movie. As a lover of film, this heroic story, it's counterintuitive to the way films are made today. ... It’s important we understand our history not for any kind of guilt but so we can understand who we were and better understand who we are now ... and most importantly understand who we’re gonna be."
• McQueen, on the current relevance of '12 Years': "The background characters are now in the foreground. It’s indicative of what’s going on now. ... I think people are ready for this narrative. Before it was, of course, quite painful. People want to look at it, embrace it. Like Brad said, if we don’t know our past, we’ll never know our future." 

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Matthew McConaughey.

Matthew McConaughey, best actor, 'Dallas Buyers Club'

• How it feels to hold an Oscar: "It feels, I’m not gonna say surreal. I did not expect it. ... I’m standing here now — I got a prize for excellence for work I do. It’s not my job, it’s not my fad, it’s not my hobby, it’s my career. That’s a very special thing."
• What is it like to be behind the scenes of the 'McConnaissance'? "Someone first said that to me at Sundance. I don’t know what that is but it sounds good."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Cate Blanchett.

Cate Blanchett, best actress, 'Blue Jasmine'

• On being the first Australian two-time acting winner: "Don't you (expletive) forget it!"
• You were the front-runner all season, does that add more pressure? "YES! An intense, unbearable pressure which I’m so glad it’s over."
• What's the post-Oscars plan? "Putting on my pajamas, going dancing. Maybe it's easier dancing in your pajamas."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Jared Leto.

Jared Leto, best supporting actor, 'Dallas Buyers Club'

• Why he talked about his mom so much: "She has inspired me in ways that I can talk about for days, so I was really proud to bring my mom tonight, to bring my brother tonight — the two most important people in my life. And to be able to thank them in such a unique and grand way."
• When did he realize he could be an Oscar winner? "Never in a million years did I dream I would be here talking to you. It was not even a fantasy of mine. It was so far-fetched."
• How will he celebrate? "Celebrating to the break of dawn, trust me. Look me in the eyes and see that I will revel tonight. If they only knew what was gonna happen tonight ... the stories we will have to tell."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Lupita Nyong'o.

Lupita Nyong'o, best supporting actress, '12 Years a Slave'

• Did you ever dream this big? "No. No. No. I’m a little dazed, can’t believe this is in my hands. I can’t believe this is real life. I’m just, ugh, I don’t know. I’m really overwhelmed."
• You've been the It Girl on this Oscars journey, what are you going to take with you from this journey and what do you understand now about the human spirit? "I don’t know whether I can answer that question. What I will say is that what I've learned is I don’t have to be anybody else and myself is good enough. And when I am true to myself, I can avail myself to extraordinary things."
• You are always so humble and poised, where do you get that from? "I have phenomenal parents. My father is famous in his own right. He’s done amazing things for our country, Kenya. And my mother is a trailblazer and a pioneer. To watch those two people do so much for everyone, to have the humility to serve. Their example ... at the end of the day, I feel my deeds are more important than my fame."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Alfonso Cuaron.

Alfonso Cuaron, best director, 'Gravity'

• How does it feel having two Oscars in hand right now? "Balanced!"
• On how he doesn’t think enough praise went to Sandra Bullock for her performance: "Under the conditions she was performing, the relationship we had as actor/director was as if we were sitting in a dinner table. There were no obstacles around all the physicality, the strain, the complicated amount of cues and the make believe that was required on her part. She had to serve absolutely everything. Sandra’s amazing."

Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho, best animated feature film, 'Frozen'

• Jennifer Lee, on the biggest reward from 'Frozen's' success and its message about true love: "People are relating to the characters from any part of the world and all types of families, and that’s been huge for us. We love all the interpretations of our characters. That’s the greatest thing you could do as a filmmaker."

Paul Buck / EPA

Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, best original song, 'Let it Go'

• Robert, on the inspiration behind the song: "We thought of our girls. We have two girls just like Elsa and Anna, and we wanted to instill in them that shame and fear should not prevent them from being the magical people they really are."

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

John Ridley.

John Ridley, best adapted screenplay, '12 Years a Slave'

• What do you think of the fact that Solomon Northup's book is now a bestseller and it’s on school curricula? "I want to be very clear about something. Before I started this project I didn’t know Solomon’s name, I don’t know his story or anything about his life. The fact that it’s out there in the public domain and people choose to pay their money, that means the world to me. Our hope and desire was to entertain, but if you can inspire people, I think about the movies and stories that inspired me, that is so special. It makes a difference when people choose with their pocketbooks."

Jordan Strauss / AP

Spike Jonze.

Spike Jonze, best original screenplay, 'Her'

• On normally being known as a director, and now being a writer: "I don’t think I could have written a screenplay when I was younger. I think it took me a long time to learn how to write. Now, I feel like I’m ready to write what’s in my heart and what I have to say. That’s what this chapter of my life is gonna be."
• On what he was trying to do with the movie: "I wanted to use the future as a heightened version of the world we live in now; we don't get lost but there's loneliness."

Morgan Neville, best documentary feature, 'Twenty Feet From Stardom'

• On the fact that backup singer Darlene Love broke into song accepting the award: "They sing all the time. That’s how they express joy. I just had the biggest goosebumps."

Golden night at Oscars for '12 Years a Slave,' McConaughey and Blanchett

Unflinching slavery drama "12 Years a Slave" took home the Oscar for best picture at Sunday's Academy Awards, and its star Lupita Nyong'o added to the film's trophy case by claiming the best supporting actress award.

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Best actor winner Matthew McConaughey, best actress winner Cate Blanchett, best supporting actress winner Lupita Nyong'o and best supporting actor winner Jared Leto pose with their Oscars.

"Everyone deserves not just to survive, but to live," director Steve McQueen said when accepting the award. "I dedicate this award to all the people who have endured slavery and the 21 million that still suffer slavery today." 

London-born McQueen is the first black director to take home a best-picture award.

In a teary, heartfelt speech, Nyong'o saluted her enslaved character, Patsey, and Solomon Northup, the free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841, and wrote the memoir upon which the film is based. The film also won the best adapted screenplay award.

Fans of Matthew McConaughey are feeling "alright, alright" after the actor proved the road to "McConaissance" is indeed paved in Oscar gold when he won the best lead actor award for "Dallas Buyers Club," in which he plays Texan Ron Woodroof, who smuggled unapproved drugs into the United States to fight AIDS.

McConaughey, who was at one time known for his turn in rom-coms, showed off some of his charm when he gave a nod to his late father, telling the audience he envisioned him dancing around in heaven with a pot of gumbo, a lemon-meringue pie, and a cold can of Miller Lite. Naturally, he closed out his speech and a stellar awards season with his iconic line from 1993’s “Dazed and Confused,” shouting “alright alright alright."

LUCY NICHOLSON / Reuters

Matthew McConaughey won the best actor Oscar for "Dallas Buyers Club."

McConaughey's “Dallas Buyers Club” co-star Jared Leto won the best supporting actor award for playing transgender Texan Rayon.

"This is for the 36 million people who have lost the battle to AIDS," Leto said in his acceptance speech. "To those of you who have felt injustice because of who you love and who you are, I stand here with you and for you." 

But it wasn't all serious talk for Leto, who also mentioned the conflict in Ukraine during his speech. Before even winning his award, host Ellen DeGeneres joked that he was the "most beautiful" person at the ceremony (with his enviable ombre highlights and crisp tux, can you deny it?). And after he won, backstage observers reported that he was passing his Oscar around and allowing others to be photographed with it — until Academy officials requested he stop.

As expected, Cate Blanchett took home the best lead actress Oscar for her role in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine." Although Allen made headlines lately regarding molestation allegations involving his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, Blanchett acknowledged him in her acceptance speech, saying, "Thank you so much Woody for casting me, I appreciate it."

It was Blanchett's second Oscar, coming a decade after her 2004 best supporting award for "The Aviator."

On a fairly predictable night, DeGeneres lightened things up with some surprises — taking a celebrity-studded selfie, having pizza delivered to the audience, and suddenly appearing in full pink pouf as "Oz's" Glinda the Good Witch.

Something's afoot! Jennifer Lawrence tumbles again at Oscars

Jordan Strauss / AP

Cake might not have been on Jennifer Lawrence's mind on Sunday night.

Jennifer Lawrence can always be relied upon to do something fun during award shows, intentionally or not — after all, who can forget her memorable tumble on her way to accept her lead actress Oscar at last year's ceremony? And on Sunday night, she made it two-for-two, stumbling right as she stepped onto the red carpet.

The culprit? Not Lawrence herself — she's a stand-up chick. Instead, it appears that the "American Hustle"-nominated actress tripped on a traffic cone. Making a quick grab at the back of the woman ahead of her, she didn't pancake entirely, and was quickly helped back onto her feet.

"I'm not safe," she confessed during ABC's pre-Oscar show.

It was notable enough that host Ellen DeGeneres even worked it into her show-opening monologue, suggesting to Lawrence, "If you win tonight, I think we should bring you the Oscar."

If there's more to the story, undoubtedly Lawrence will share it in the coming weeks. When she did her famous trip last year, she later explained to W magazine that cake was to blame: "I was at the Oscars, waiting to hear if my name was called, and I kept thinking, 'Cakewalk, cakewalk, cakewalk.' I thought, 'Why is cakewalk stuck in my head?' And then, as I started to walk up the stairs and the fabric from my dress tucked under my feet, I realized my stylist had told me, ‘Kick, walk, kick, walk' ... You are supposed to kick the dress out while you walk, and I totally forgot because I was thinking about cake! And that’s why I fell." 

But she apparently held no grudge against the dress's designer — both last year and this year, she wore Dior. This year, it appears she's just a supporting actress who could use a little more ... support. 

Ajaz Khan gets movie offer from Rohit Shetty

After creating quite a furore at the Bigg Boss house, Ajaz Khan is busy whipping up a storm in Cape Town forFear Factor with both his off and on camera hi-jinks.

While his presence on the show riled Kushal Tandon and Gauhar Khan enough to send them scampering back to India, Ajaz's stunts for the show seem to have impressed the yesteryears' super stunt-man Mudhu Balwant Shetty's son Rohit Shetty enough to offer him a major role in his next film Ajay Devgn- Kareena Kapoor starrer Singham 2. 

Says a source from Cape Town, "Rohit Shetty has made the announcement of casting Ajaz on camera. Rohit was impressed not only by Ajaz's stunts on camera he also found him entertaining and funny off camera. On an impulse Shetty offered Khan a role."

I tried to congratulate Ajaz. But he quickly begged off any comment. Apparently the channel Colors has placed a blanket ban on all media interaction with the Fear Factor contestants after the Kushal- Gauhar- Ajaz tamasha in Cape Town.

Sunny Leone builds a 'connect' with auto-rickshaw drivers

For many a 'rickshaw wallahs' in Mumbai and Delhi, it's going to be a call of 'Aaj Din Hai Sunny Sunny Sunny' starting tomorrow morning. Not just would Sunny Leone be meeting a select few in mumbai and chatting with them, she would also be flagging off the rickshaw branding campaign for Ragini MMS 2.

"'Ragini ka naya MMS dekha kya?', 'Ragini yahaan baithi thi', 'Do mein zyaada mazaa hai' are some of the tantalizing captions that would be plastered on close to 7000-odd rickshaws in the two cities. Since these vehicles are on the move through the length and breadth of the city, it makes for a continuously engaging campaign," informs our source. 

Since Ragini MMS 2 is aiming for a wide section of audience, a teasing campaign like this with Sunny herself getting into an interactive mode is being looked at as a masterstroke by many. 

"We had done this earlier during Ragini MMS back in 2011 and the feedback had been overwhelming. Scores of others aped us subsequently. An auto rickshaw campaign tends to gain good visibility. Sunny enjoys unprecedented popularity among the masses and the Ragini franchise reaches out to the lowest common denominator," says Tanuj Garg, CEO - Balaji Motion Pictures. 

However, while that happens, we would first like to see the reactions of Mumbai's auto rickshaw drivers who will find themselves with sunny tomorrow morning in Andheri.

"Nothing is more important than my father's health" - Suniel Shetty

No films, no commitments, not even the captaincy of the CCL. Suniel Shetty has put aside his entire career and priorities for his father's sake. To make sure his ailing father is comfortable, Suniel Shetty has converted an entire flank of his home in South Mumbai into an ICU.

At the moment nothing matters more to the worried son than his father's health. 

Sighs Suniel, "I haven't had a proper night's sleep for three months now. It's a very mixed kind of feeling for me. On one hand, my daughter Aathiya is getting ready for her film career. On the other hand my father is very unwell. So the excitement of Aathiya's debut is sadly diminished. At the moment we're all focusing on looking after my father." 

This is the reason Suniel Shetty has not been playing the CCL matches. "I haven't been able to practice for the matches. So how can I play? In fact I cancelled my flight to Hyderabad on the morning of the game this week. Aftab Shivdasani who is the vice-captain is far more familiar with the one-day format of the game. I do play cricket. But I belong to the old test-match style of cricket." 

Suniel is aghast about the stories that he had an on-field fracas with Aftab. "How can I 'come to blows' with anyone, least of all a guy as sweet and gentle as Aftab? It is very embarrassing to read such stories, especially at a time when I am going through a personal crisis. Right now nothing is more important to me than my father's health." 

Suniel is in fact saying no to movie offers. "There will be many opportunities for work later. The time spent with my father now is much more vital and valuable." 

Suniel is not the least perturbed about his precious darling daughter's shooting schedules outside Mumbai. "I know she's in completely safe hands. Salman Khan's production crew is like family to us. They look after both Aathiya and Sooraj like their own children." 

Suniel gives Salman a pat on the back for standing by Sooraj. "Salman instinctively knew the boy was being victimized. He stood by Sooraj, insisting that he will make Hero only with Sooraj and Aathiya. I think it requires courage to stand by people in this industry."

Welcome Back song postponed

Amajor group song-and-dance sequence for Anees Bazmee's Welcome Back, scheduled to be shot this week,featuring Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, Nana Patekar and Dimple Kapadia had to be scrapped at the last minute, apparently because the track composed for the shooting was not ready.

Says a source, "Since the song is to be film on a bevy of A-listers composer Anu Malik, producer Feroz Nadiadwala and director Anees Bazmee wanted the song to be as perfect as it can get, on a par with the other blockbuster numbers like 'Mera Naseeb Mein' from Manmohan Desai's Naseeb and the title song of Amar Akbar Anthony, or Farah Khan's 'Deewangi Deewangi'inOm Shanti Om."

Like they say, aim big, and you have to slog accordingly. 

Says Anees, "We all felt we were not getting that kind of grandeur in the sound that would justify the presence of Anil, John, Nana, Dimple and Shruti in the same frame. So rather than shoot with an under-whelming song we decided to postpone the shooting of the number until March-end when we are sure to get the track that we want." 

Getting all the busy stars together again in March is easier said than danced. Anil has apparently expressed his inability to spare dates later. Efforts are on to somehow co-ordinate all the stars' dates in March-end or April. 

SighsAnees, "Luckily for us we have time. Feroz wants to release Welcome Back on Christmas day. So even if we shoot the song later during the year there will be no delay." 

In the meanwhile Anees leaves with his entire cast for a month-long schedule in Dubai from March 10. 

"We are all there, plus Naseeruddin Shah Saab who replaces Feroz Khan also joins us in Dubai this time." 

The last time Naseer, Anil and Nana got together in the same film was for Vinod Chopra's Parinda. And that wasn't such a happy occasion. 

Says Anil, "I've always gotten along well with both Nana and Naseer. They are moody. But I am not." 

Ab dekhna hai how well Naseer and Nana get along together this time.

Bipasha Basu in Siddharth P. Malhotra's next

Bollywood's bongshell Bipasha Basu who is currently busy shooting for the comic caper Humshakals, might be seen next in Siddharth P. Malhotra's production.

After directing We Are Family, Siddharth P. Malhotra will be venturing into production and has even roped in Partho Mitra to direct the movie. Though the newly turned producer has maintained silence over the details of the film, he claimed that Bipasha has shown interest in the project. 

On the other hand, Bipasha is busy stretching her wings beyond Bollywood and has released her own accessories line The Trunk Label as well as fitness DVDs.

Hero Sooraj and his heroine Athiya leave for Himachal

The crew of Nikhil Advani's Hero left for Manali, Himachal Pradesh, on Thursday to shoot some heavy-duty action sequences with Sooraj Pancholi and a couple of romantic duets with Sooraj and his co-star Athiya Shetty.

The romantic songs to be filmed on the debutant couple would be completely original tunes composed by Sachin- Jigar. 

Says a source, "Initially Nikhil planned to use a remixed version the original romantic duet from Subhash GhaiHero-'Tu mera janu hai tu mera dilbar hai'. But with music the company Saregama charging through the roof for the original songs, Nikhil Advani has opted to get fresh songs recorded." 

The new romantic duet that would be shot in Himachal took some time to be composed. 

"Nikhil Advani's films have always boasted of outstanding songs and music. He asked Sachin-Jigar to compose a romantic duet to rival Laxmikant- Pyarelal's 'Tu mera janu hai' and 'Pyar karne wale' from the original Hero." 

The director also plans to shoot intense action sequences in Himachal. 

Says the source, "Sooraj will do bare-backed action scenes shot at a very high altitude. The idea is to make the action sequences top-notch since the word is that Jackie Shroff's son Tiger in his debut filmHero-Panti has done some of the finest stunts ever in a Hindi film. Sooraj's forte is drama and emotions. Stunts don't come as naturally to him as they do to Tiger. Sooraj has been practicing hard to master the stunts. The Hero team has devised some intricate action scenes for Sooraj in the rugged rocky Himalayan terrain."

John Abraham to be the face of Fever Voice Of Change

John Abraham, who has always been at the forefront to help anyone in whatever way possible, has indeed made him a darling of millions in real life. In addition to that, he also supports a lot of social causes, without making much noise about it. 

One such cause to which he has now been associated with is called 'Fever Voice Of Change', which is an initiative by Fever 104 FM in order to bring about a transformation in our society, as its the call of the hour. Talking about this, he said that his mother does a lot of charity work; mostly in the direction of helping the cancer patients and that he lends his full support to her. Talking about John, Harshad Jain of Fever said that John is an ultimate youth icon and that they couldn't have found a more responsible partner.

Shankar Mahadevan's anti-corruption anthem nominated for Honesty Oscar

Shankar Mahadevan's track 'Mujhse Hogi Shuruaat', which has been produced by his online music academy, has now been nominated in the 'Best Activist Anthem' category of the 2014 Honesty Oscars.

The campaigning and advocacy organization ONE and Accountability Lab unveiled the nominations for 'Honesty Oscars 2014'. These awards are given to the creative work of activists and organizations that fight global corruption and will be given to those getting maximum number of votes. The names of the winners will be announced on March 2, also known as the night of the Oscars.

Sarah-Jane to turn singer

Sarah-Jane Dias, who will be seen this year in films like O Teri, Happy New Year and Angry Indian Goddesses, is taking western singing lessons these days for a reason. Sources close to the actress suggest that she will be lending her voice for a few tracks in her untitled upcoming film.

When contacted, Sarah did confirm about the vocal training but refused to give any information about the film or its title. Sources also confirm that since a month she has been taking vigorous training in both singing and contemporary dance and was recently spotted at Ashley Lobo's dance school.

Sonakshi, Imran lend voice for Rio 2

In what's a first for Hollywood and Bollywood, Rio 2, the sequel to 2011's hit animation flick, Rio will see two of Bollywood's leading actors feature as the main voices for the dubbed Hindi version.

Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan will feature as the lovable and memorable macaws Jewel and Blu respectively, for Rio 2. The English version of the movie will see the voices of Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg again which will be dubbed in Hindi by Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan. 

Though in the past B-town actors have lent their voices on a small scale, this is the first time such a huge Bollywood association has taken place for a Hollywood franchise. 

Rio 2 which is one of the most anticipated Hollywood movie in India, is an adventure comedy set in the Brazilian city of Rio De Janeiro. The movie will feature the return of Blu, Jewel and their three kids who leave their domesticated life for a journey to Amazon rainforest. 

Talking about dubbing for the film Sonakshi says, "I love watching animation films, so when they approached me to lend my voice to the sequel of one of the most loved animations - Rio... I didn't have to think twice! It's a completely new experience for me and I'm very excited! It's a treat not only for the kids, but families as well!" 

Rio 2 in 3D releases on April 11, 2014 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu

"Alia is my true inheritor" - Shabana Azmi

Immediately after seeing her performance in Imtiaz Ali'sHighway Shabana Azmi rushed to the Bhatts' residence to congratulate the parents and their daughter for the extraordinary performance.

The 5-times National award winning actress, acknowledged by many cineastes as among India's finest talent ever, sees Alia as the true inheritor of her talent. Interestingly Alia's father Mahesh Bhatt has compared Alia's performance in Highway to Shabana's sterling career-defining performance in Arth.

Shabana who won a National award for her performance in Arth, agrees with Mahesh Bhatt's assessment. 

Opines Shabana, "Javed and I went straight to Alia's house after watching Highway. We were both profoundly moved by her performance. I am so very proud of her." 

Shabana takes no offence to Alia's father comparing his 2-film old daughter to the high-priestess of histrionics. "Mahesh doesn't say this lightly and he doesn't say it because Alia is his daughter. He compares Alia's performance to mine because he genuinely believes that the girl has achieved an exceptional level of performing prowess so early in her career. And Mahesh is right." 

Shabana feels Alia has got where Shabana did in Arth in no time at all. "Alia's achievement is all the more laudable because I did Arth after 9 years of facing the camera. Alia has done it in her second film. That's amazing! Alia took me completely by surprise. She possesses both vulnerability and insouciance." 

In fact Alia's protective step-sister Pooja Bhatt is planning a film with her baby-sister. 

Says Pooja, "If Student Of The Year launched Alia as a young star, Highway has launched her as an actor. I am so soooo proud of her and I shall remain ever-grateful to Imtiaz."

Sonam gets into workshop for Dolly Ki Doli after Raanjhanaa

When Sonam Kapoor was roped in for Raanjhanaa, one of the pre-conditions set by director Aanand L. Rai was for her to attend certain acting workshops with theater actors. Now for her next film for which she begins shooting soon, Dolly Ki Doli, it would be back to the grind for the actress who saw some good critical acclaim coming her way for her performance in Raanjhanaa.

"Yes, Sonam would be attending an elaborate acting workshop for Dolly Ki Doli," informs a source, "In fact she would be joined by the principle cast of the film that includes Pulkit Samrat, Rajkumarr Rao and Varun Sharma (of Fukrey fame). First time director Abhishek Dogra has planned this schedule for his lead cast so that all is well in order before they arrive on the sets."

The film, which is set in North, would be shot across multiple locations in and around Delhi. Most importantly for Sonam, who has a central role in the film, it was all the more imperative that she adapts to the various culture, lingo, tone and theme of the cities where she would be stepping her feet in.

Meanwhile her co-star Pulkit, who follows the approach of method acting, is happy that he would be able to get his act right much in advance.

"I basically believe in rehearsing for three takes for a shot before going on the sets. That saves a lot of time for the crew when you have done your research as an actor. Such workshops help then," he says, "Moreover, I and Sonam are working together for the first time. It is going to be very exciting to be sharing the screen space with her."

For Rajkumarr, an accomplished actor himself, this workshop would only bring him closer to the world of hardcore commercial setting.

For producer Arbaaz Khan, who is stepping out of the comfort zone of Dabangg, it is going to be an altogether different and unexplored world in Dolly Ki Doli.

"Yes, we have planned workshops for the film," says Arbaaz, "In fact we begin with joint readings and then move on to the workshop. Once we start shooting during March/April, it is going to be a non-stop schedule across different cities. Whatever adaptation to the script and the plot had to be done, it has to be now."

Rakul Preet detained at Delhi airport

Rakul Preet who made her big screen debut earlier this year with Yaariyan was detained at the Delhi airport. Apparently the actress was travelling to Mumbai and while going through the security check at the Delhi airport, a suspicious metallic object was found in her bag. On scrutiny the said object turned out to be a bullet, owing to which she was asked to step aside. Rakul was later detained for carrying a bullet in her bag by the CISF and was questioned for hours about the bullet.

Later on closer examination, the 8mm bullet that is not available in India turned out to be a dummy that was used on sets of Rakul's south film shoot eight months earlier. Post this discovery Rakul was released by the police.

Sridevi's next to be a trilingual film

Sridevi, who ruled Indian cinema in the 80s and 90s, made a solid comeback two years ago with English Vinglish. However, post the massive response thatEnglish Vinglish garnered, Sridevi has maintained a distance from the silver screen.

Finally, her husband Boney Kapoor announced that he is producing a film which will have Sridevi playing the main lead. While he has been mum about the rest of the cast and crew, it is being said that this one too will be a trilingual film just like English Vinglish. However, Boney Kapoor maintained that this yet to be titled film is slated to go on floor this year in the month of September or October and will be shot in Delhi.