Music Malt | culture, festivals and more

Jennifer Lopez certainly has had some huge hits. Since releasing her debut album, On the 6, in 1999, J.Lo has commanded pop radio with tracks like "If You Had My Like," "I'm Real," "Like Don't Cost a Thing" and "Jenny From the Block." And she hasn't stopped. This year, she released Like?, featuring club bangers like "On the Floor." Now, J.Lo diplomacy to give her fans a proper greatest-hits album. "I just got the call a week ago that the greatest-hits album for Jennifer Lopez is appearance up," vocal producer Kuk Harrell told MTV News. "Now I'm just waiting for them to place on the schedule [and] let me know what songs we're really cutting and stuff like that." While he didn't have too many details about what fans should expect on the album, Harrell did share who else Jenny is hitting the studio with. "I reckon [when] I find out what the direction is, I will certainly go in the lab. I wil

Daniel Radcliffe, the "Harry Potter" star , on Tuesday topped a Heat Magazine list of the richest, young British entertainers, retaining his No. 1 position in the ranking of people under 30-years-old. Robert Pattinson, lead actor of the rival fantasy film franchise "Twilight," moved up to third from fifth and leapfrogged two of Radcliffe's Potter co-stars, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, according to the celebrity magazine. Actress Keira Knightley, who starred in several of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, remained second on the chart, while singer Adele was the highest new entry at 16. Radcliffe, 22, who played the boy wizard in the movie adaptations of J.K. Rowling's bestselling novels, earned 51.8 million pounds ($80 million) over his career, according to Heat estimates. The actor's earnings for 2011 were 6.1 million pounds higher than in 2010. Knightley's earnings totaled 30.9 million pounds ($47.8 million, ahead of Pattinson on 24.

Toshiro Mifune in 'Stray Dog' Bathed in shadows, a vague figure walks through a seedy lane, followed by a gun wielding detective, both possibly trying to track down another victim in an isolated house, somewhere in the outskirts of a bustling city. Sensing the hint of a crime fiction? Well, close enough. The scene, rightly perceived as a crime scene, draws its elements from arguably one of the most complex and creatively challenging styles of film making – Film Noir . Deeply rooted in German Expressionist Photography, Film Noir, French for ‘Black Film’, essentially incurs low key black and white visual style of the 1940s and 50s. The years immediately following the end of World War II witnessed the emergence of Noir, cinematic and literary. Several concurrent developments like a number of downbeat crime movies in Hollywood, an increase in the publication of crime novels in France, paperback novels in America etc.  led to the widespread fabrication and acceptance of Noir. Film N

Colin Firth , one of the most sought after British Cine stars will auction himself for Oxfam America, a charity dedicated to ending poverty. His fans can now bid on a chance to meet him at the Hollywood premiere of his new movie through an auction to raise money for Oxfam. The winning bidder will receive two passes to the December 6 premiere of the Colin Firth starer ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ based on the best selling novel by John le Carre. Not just that, the winner and a friend will also get a chauffeured ride to a Chateau Marmont after party. Fans can bid through Wednesday on the opportunity to shake hands with Firth. Oxfam America has teamed up with eBay for the fundraiser. Following a successful career as in the UK, Firth has become a known face in Hollywood especially after box office hits like ‘Bridget Jones's Diary’ and ‘Love Actually’. He is also known for his work in TV miniseries ‘Pride & Prejudice’, and the movies ‘Shakespeare in Love’. Colin Firth won the

— by Parmita Borah | Bangalore It’s all over London - from packed clubs to concert halls, the London Jazz Festival , is 'the hub' for Jazz musicians and fans alike. Produced by the creative company ' Serious ' in association with BBC Radio 3 , the ten day long jazz extravaganza is not only one of the city’s key music festivals, but is considered a major international jazz event. A number of London’s venues ranging from concert halls such as the Barbican and the Royal Festival Hall, as well as smaller jazz clubs, such as Ronnie Scott's and Vortex host this event. The Camden Jazz Week of the 1970’s could be considered an ancestor to the London Jazz festival as the later seems to have evolved from it. It all began with the inclusion of a Jazz Week into the long-established Camden Festival by the London Borough of Camden.  The Camden Jazz Week was held at several venues around the borough – the Roundhouse, Shaw Theatre, Logan Hall, Bloomsbury Theatre, the Forum - b

Angelina Jolie will soon be seen stepping into the shoes of iconic woman leader “Gertrude Bell” in her upcoming movie with the same name, to be produced by Ridley Scott’s production company. Scott is also contemplating directing the biopic, after completion of his Alien’s prequel-of-sorts Prometheus, which hits theatres in June. The project’s screenplay is being written by Jeffrey Caine, who wrote the script for 2005’s “The Constant Gardner.” Gertrude Bell, a British woman, pioneered the mapping the Middle East in early 20th century, which became the framework for what would become Jordan and Iraq. Bell won widespread admiration among Arabs for being instrumental in founding of Iraq during World War I and is often described as the female ‘Lawrence of Arabia’. The Tomb Raider was roped in by the makers of this film for her history of playing strong female characters. The Oscar winning actor has previously portrayed periodic characters in movies like Alexander and Changeling. - by P

Legendary composer and singer Dr. Bhupen Hazarika ’s funeral creates world record with the highest gathering of mourners paying tributes, over two days; though, Michael Jackson memorial service holds record as the most watched funeral on television. Photo Courtesy - JCCNEWSTV.COM   As recorded in Wikipedia, the wiki structured online encyclopaedia, Dr. Hazarika’s funeral was attended by 5 (five) lacs people and watched by 30 (thirty) lacs people on Television. Born in Sadiya, Assam, on 8th Sept, 1926, Dr. Bhupen Hazarika was a noted music director, playwright, actor, journalist, author, lyricist, poet, politician and film-maker of the highest repute. He was known for his crisp baritone voice and flawless diction. He started his music career by writing and singing his first song at the age of 10 and working for the second Assamese film, Indramalati (Dir - Jyoti Prasad Agarwala), in 1939, when he was 12 years old. Hazarika died on November five in Mumbai and his body lay in state at the

We dedicate this read to all those who can eat, sleep and drink music. The EFNI team went surfing, well internet surfing, to find you some of the finest selection of online music. Here’s our pick of Top Ten choices for music websites and applications. iTunes Well, iTunes essentially is a media player, that let’s you play, download, and organize digital music and video files on your desktop. No prizes for guessing who introduced it- Apple Inc, ofcourse. There’s little wonder why iTunes provided the same facilities on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The application allows the user to purchase and manage audio and video on a personal computer, acting as a front end for Apple's QuickTime media player. iTunes has got a myriad of features, some of the most sought after ones include-Media Management, File Format Support, File Metadata , playlists, video support and books/pdf support. Now that’s one app to add to your gadget! Google Music   Formerly known as Music Beta by Google, this

Hornbill Festival (Photo Courtesy - Johan Gerrits ) Beat the winter chill with the hottest festival of the year. Not Kingfisher calendar photo shoot, but something way hotter and well, cooler too. Gear up for Hornbill Festival , the annual cultural extravaganza of Nagaland. Named after the Hornbill bird, visible in many traditional symbols and folklore of Nagaland, the weeklong fiesta can be best described as a melange of inter-cultural festivities of the land. Often referred to as the ‘ Switzerland of the East ’, for its scenic ascendancy, Nagaland (North-eastern state in India) is the home to a multitude of indigenous tribes. Each of these tribes has sovereign festivals handed down by their ancestors, which they celebrate with a lot of ardour and devotion.  Phom Naga Girl (Photo Courtesy - Johan Gerrits ) Some of the important festivals celebrated are: Tsukhenyie by the Chakhesangs in January, Mimkut by the Kukis in January, Bushu by the Kacharis in January, Sekrenyi by the Angami

Metal fans, raise those devil horns and hail the original legends of rock. The Gods of Metal are back. Veteran British rock band Black Sabbath announced last Friday about a reunion tour and an upcoming album in their original four man line-up. The hitherto unnamed album, after a 33 year long hiatus is slated for a 2012 release accompanied by a world tour. Singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bass player Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward told at a news conference at legendary Sunset Strip club Whiskey a Go Go they would perform at the Download Festival in England in June 2012, and then embark on a world tour. Formed in Aston, Birmingham, in the late 1960’s, Black Sabbath was one of the pioneers of heavy metal. They explored and defined the genre with releases such as quadruple-platinum ‘Paranoid’. Rolling Stone magazine said of this album that it "changed music forever". MTV has ranked them as the Greatest Metal Band and VH1 placed them at number two on their list of

— by Parmita Borah | Bangalore Justin Bieber & Ludacris The contagious nature of digital media has catapulted many aspiring talents into incredible pinnacles of stardom, Justin Bieber ’s being one of the most well known success stories. As of this moment, 11.11.11, time 12.15 P.M. (IST), Biber’s official music video for Baby featuring Ludacris , has registered 656,398,255 hits, placing it as the Most Watched Music Video on YouTube . ‘Baby’ is the lead single from Bieber’s debut album My World 2.0 . The song’s uptempo R&B blends dance-pop and hip hop elements with visible influences of doo-wop music. 'Baby' topped the popularity charts immediately after its release and received airplay, officially impacting mainstream and rhythmic radio on January 26, 2010. Beiber’s wide spread media attention comes from his compelling influence in the social networking sphere, as suggested by a report in the UK Newspaper ‘The Observer’. According to Jan Hoffman of The New York

Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, the Assamese Maestro who represented Assam in the world music scenario, passed away on Saturday, Nov 5,2011, in Mumbai at 4.37 P.M. He was 85 years old. He is considered the last of the great ballad singers in India and one of the greatest singers of all time . As arrangement for last rites of the mortal remains for Dr. Bhpuen Hazarika inside the premises of Guwahati University progresses, thousands of people amass at the Judges Field in Guwahati, Assam to pay their last respects to the bard of Brahmaputra. The state governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have declared Nov 8, 2011, as state mourning to Dr. Hazarika. Arunachal Pradesh remembers this legendary musician for his association with the state that began four decades ago. His early songs like Hamara Arunachal embody the spirit of the land and its people and compositions like 'Kata jawanar mritu hol ' referred to the 1962 Chinese aggression. Mourners from Bollywood too have extended their cond

  (Click on the play button above to listen to the interview) Singing sensation Joi Baruah may be a new name in Assam, but he certainly has been a sought after vocal talent in the world of ad jingles and has worked with some of the most renowned music directors of Bollywood. Parmita Borah finds out about his debut Assamese album ‘Looking out of the Window’, his inspirations, and his journey as a musician. Parmita Borah : Welcome to EF News International.   Joi Baura : Thank you for having me over, Parmita PB: Let me start with your debut album, “Looking out of the Window”. Weren’t you nervous about introducing Rock Music to Assamese lyrics?  JB: No. I was not nervous at all about introducing rock to Assamese music. PB : Quite confident out there...  JB: Yeah, Assam as a place, and the North East as a whole is a curios mix of folk and rock, for many different reasons. So I knew this would go in very smooth. PB: What inspired your debut album?  JB: There were a couple of