Britney Spears' Circus Tour Might End Early

April 15 2009 18:05 PST

Britney Spears is not recession-proof. Britney Spears' traveling 'Circus' tour might just come to an end a little bit early. Spears' father, Jamie Spears has been seeking permission from a judge to expand her current Circus tour, but the rough economy is even reaching them. Spears is halfway into a 49-show tour through the U.S., Canada and the UK, with hopes to add more dates through Europe, Australia and a possible second U.S. tour, so believe that the tour stopping prematurely has nothing to do with a lack of desire to perform.

"It hasn't yet been determined whether it's feasible to expand tours to the Europe or Australia legs. That will be determined in the future after everyone's seen the analysis, in terms of the economy and value of the dollar," LA Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz said at the hearing.

The pop diva wants to reach more of her adoring fans who stuck by her during some tough times in her life, but with the way the world is struggling right now financially, she might not get that chance to get to everyone. Not being able to expand her tour would be like not being able to run the victory lap of what has been so far, a highly successful tour that in many ways has revitalized Britney Spears as a performer.

"Britney's loving being onstage again," says a source close to the singer. "Health-wise, she's progressing every week, it's amazing. Britney was the single force for wanting to go on tour in the first place."

This news says a lot about the economy and how it is really making things tough for even big time artists to go out around the world and get to perform in front of their diehard fans. They want to put on the most elaborate of shows, hire the best choreographers and dancers, and make their show more than just a performance, but an out of this world experience. Unfortunately for them and for us, that all costs money and plenty of it. It hurts the artists because they'd have to scale back from providing a top notch show, and it hurts the fans because the ticket prices have gotten so out of hand that it's nearly impossible to get your money's worth. Let's just hope the economy gets better soon so everyone can go back to watching great shows without having to wonder how hard the economy will hit you.

So what does this mean to you guys? Is it getting tougher to see your favorite artists on tour? Are you hoping this doesn't set off tour cancellations and stoppages from other artists you're interested. Let us know what you're thinking below.

Priyanka Chopra Released from Hospital

April 15 2009 08:55 PST

Priyanka Chopra, just might be the hardest working girl in Bollywood. After we reported on Priyanka Chopra fainting on the set of 'What's Your Raashi?' due to exhaustion, we've now learned more about the incident that occurred on Sunday night and what happened after.

It turns out it wasn't just exhaustion that Priyanka was suffering from. The actress checked into Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital where she stayed for two and a half days due to an acute stomach infection and extreme exhaustion. Just from the sound of it and the length of time she was in the hospital, it sounds like it was much more serious then what was initially reported. Priyanka left the hospital yesterday afternoon alongside her father Doctor Ashok Chopra. The actress looked pale, tired and thin in her sweats
and sandals.

It's being reported that Priyanka had a constant visitor at her side including rumored boyfriend, Shahid Kapoor, who apparently was there on Saturday. Plus we hear that even Shahid's parents, actor Pankaj Kapur and Supriya Pathak visited Priyanka, fueling the fire of rumors of Priyanka and Shahid's relationship status. With their anticipated film, 'Kaminey' releasing soon, looks like we'll get to see if there is any chemistry
between the two on the silver screen as well.

As for Priyanka's health, we wish her a speedy recovery and all the best. Here's a little advice though sweetheart, slow down a little! You're one of the hottest actresses in Bollywood at the moment; take some time off to enjoy the fruits of your labor and success. Take a little vacation to a relaxing tropical island; we hear Mauritius off the coast of Africa is a favorite for Bollywood stars. Hmm... maybe you can even take along
a pal like, oh let's say, Shahid Kapoor? We're just saying...

Feel free to leave comments on your thoughts and well wishes for Priyanka below!

Priyanka Chopra leaving the hospital

Is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan The Most Powerful Bollywood Actress?

April 15 2009 16:50 PST

There are a lot of Bollywood actresses out there that people love. These include Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, and Kareena Kapoor. But did you ever stop to wonder who is considered the most powerful of them all? It seems like someone grows in popularity, but it seems that no one can match the level of success Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has reached.

According to a recent survey, Aishwarya Rai Bachcan is the most powerful actress in all of Bollywood. The company Hansa Research claims that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is in the lead compared to rivals such as Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif and Madhuri Dixit. Hansa Research tests this in categories like popularity, presence in the media, power of persuasion, and overall image through a survey.

Almost ninety-nine percent of respondents recognized Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The other one percent were probably just not interested in her, but probably still knew who she was. The poll helped to confirm the research from a recent study by Celeb Track. This poll rated Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan as the most powerful people in Bollywood.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and her sweetheart Abhishek Bachchan are currently filming Mani Ratnam's new film 'Raavan'. To think about her 'most powerful' status, we have to consider the fact that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has branded herself as an international success story. She is recognized for her roles in American films, her modeling career, in addition to her Bollywood accomplishments. That's why it's not really news that she would be so well recognized in surveys all over the world and especially in India, she's everywhere!

So we want to know what you think about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being considered the most powerful actress in Bollywood. Do you think she's involved in Bollywood enough to be honored with that sentiment? Give us your thoughts.

Filmmaker Mani Ratnam Gets Admitted to the Hospital

April 15 2009 14:10 PST

By: Mufsin Mahbub

The highly respected and renowned multilingual filmmaker Mani Ratnam, was admitted to a private hospital in Chennai on Tuesday night after he complained of breathing problems and discomfort in his chest. The film director is currently on the road to recovery and would be allowed to resume work after resting for a couple of days. Nikhil Murugan, Mani's spokesman, said "Doctors said there was nothing to panic and the director is healthy."

"He had a few minutes of breathing difficulty and dizziness. There is no need for any panic as the director is healthy and likely to be discharged after routine check-up and a day's rest. He may resume work shortly," a family source said.

His devoted fans and film lovers were waiting in front of the hospital to hear the good news about Mani's improving health condition.

With a history of cardiac problems since the making of the multilingual film 'Yuva', Mani Ratnam was resting in Apollo Hospital, the source added.

The 52-year-old is currently working on 'Raavan' starring National Award winner Vikram and Bollywood's well-known couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, publicists said in a press statement.
Mani Ratnam had returned from his frantic Kolkata schedule just a few days ago and has been planning to leave for Kerala to shoot the climax scenes of 'Raavan'. He has got the Government (Kerala) approval to shoot the particular shots in the protected forest area of Chalakudi, after a long wait.

Having introduced Oscar winner A.R. Rahman to the industry through the critically acclaimed commercial success 1992 hit 'Roja', the multilingual filmmaker has so far made 19 films. These include 'Roja', 'Bombay', 'Dil Se', 'Yuva', and the critically acclaimed 'Guru' where we last saw Abhishek and Aishwarya in a film as a pair.

From us at Desi Hits!, we all sincerely pray for a speedy recovery of this brilliant director.

Freida Pinto - the World's Most Beautiful Woman?

April 14 2009 15:40 PST

It seems like overnight, 'Slumdog Millionaire' starlet, Freida Pinto has become the newest "it girl" in Hollywood. After winning rave reviews for the Oscar winning film, she's signed onto star in a Woody Allen film among others. So when we heard the news about Freida Pinto being contender in Vanity Fair magazine's poll for the world's most beautiful women it was surprising and not surprising all at the same time.

There are 19 women the magazine names in the poll and include many Hollywood names you'd expect, and excludes some obvious choices as well. For example classic beauty Charlize Theron of 'Monster' fame is left out, as is Nicole Kidman. So what does Vanity Fair have to say about the poll?

The magazine says, "Of the billions of women on this planet, only 19, we believe, could start wars. These modern-day Helens of Troy come from both hemispheres and include legends and ingenues."

So who else did the magazine feel was a modern-day Helen of Troy? Well it's a mix of stars like Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, and Freida Pinto's supposed new competition, Scarlett Johansson. As well as France's former supermodel first lady, Carla Bruni and Queen Rania of Jordan. Models (and oddly enough current and one-time loves of actor Leonardo DiCaprio) Gisele Bundchen and Bar Rafaeli also made the poll list.

So we know you must have strong opinions about the poll! We want to know what you guys think of Freida being one of the contenders chosen by Vanity Fair. Do you think she stands a chance against such heavy contenders as Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry? Where do you think she'll place, and do you think she's worthy of the honor? Drop us a comment with your thoughts!