Julia Roberts eyes Bollywood, home in India

MUMBAI: According to Indian media, Hollywood actress Julia Robert is set to buy a house in India as well take a shot in the kaleidoscopic tinsel town called Bollywood.

Julia’s fascination for India is not new. The ‘Pretty woman’ fell in love with the sub-continent while she was here to shoot for her movie ‘Eat, Pray, Love’.

The 44-year-old, who converted to Hinduism in 2009 confirmed this report saying, “I can see something like that (buying a house here) happening in the future. I would love to live near Haridwar or Varanasi, since they are such holy spots for Hinduism. I’ve heard land prices are astronomical there, though.”

Interestingly, it’s not just Julia who is in awe with India, the love is shared by her entire family. In her last interview with a daily she said that her daughter Hazel wants to live in India when she grows up.

So is her plan to book a property in India a step towards materializing her daughters dream? She said, “I wish I could give a concrete answer to that, since I really enjoyed my first visit here. But, unfortunately, given my line of work, I can’t promise anything. However, whenever I come to India, I’ll bring my kids along.”

Asked if she is teaching her kids about Indian culture? “Right now, they’re too young to grasp the nuances of culture and religion. However, as they grow up, I’d like them to be knowledgeable and respectful towards all cultures. I’ll make sure they know about India.”

Roberts confessed that she is herself on a learning mode. “My Hindi is terrible! The only things I can manage are basic greetings like ‘Namaste’.” That, though, doesn’t stop her from loving Bollywood. “I’m fascinated by Bollywood ... I don’t know much about it, but I’d love to give it a try,” she said.

Julia’s new film ‘Snow White’ directed by Tarsem Singh, an American of Indian origin is set to release in India on 20th April.

Julia Roberts reflects on evil in 'Mirror Mirror'

LOS ANGELES: Julia Roberts has taken time off from Hollywood of late to focus on her three young children - but admits she enjoys being back on the big screen, as a fairytale villain in her latest movie.

Playing the evil Queen in "Mirror Mirror," a new version of Snow White, marks a departure for the US actress, whose career has included everything from campaigning lawyer to high-class call girl and celebrity love interest.

Directed by Indian filmmaker Tarsem Singh - who made last year's "Immortals" - the movie based on the famous Brothers Grimm children's tale opens in the United States on Friday.

Roberts, who at 44 remains one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, made her name in films including 1990's "Pretty Woman" and "Erin Brockovich" in 2000, and said she never thought she would appear in a fairy tale.

"Just the one sentence pitched over the phone: 'Hey, they're doing this Snow White adaptation,' that didn't grab my attention. I didn't have any interest in this one, really, until Tarsem lured me in his lurid way." she told reporters.

"And I looked at the script and realized that there was really something here."

The film tells the story popularized around the world by Disney, but gives it a different, sometimes comic or even absurd twist, creating a visual universe sometimes closer to "Alice in Wonderland" than the Brothers Grimm.

For Roberts, the film is less about making it different from Disney, but more "changing the tone of it, just giving a different relationship" between the Queen and Snow White, played by young British actress Lily Collins.

"I think people like variations on things," Roberts said.

The "Notting Hill" and, more recently, "Eat Pray Love" star said she liked playing the Queen, Snow White's cruel stepmother. (AFP)

Things You Must Know About Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts has been an A-list movie star for over 20 years since her iconic role in "Pretty Woman" back in 1989. Since then she has won an Oscar, started a family, and kept a movie career going in Hollywood that still makes her the highest paid actress in history.

Since Julia has been in the public eye for so long, you might think you know everything there is to know about her. but here are five fun little facts you might not already know about this actress.

Julia can play an instrumentJulia played the clarinet in her school's middle school and high school band. Bet you had Julia Roberts pegged as a cheerleader in those days, but nope…she was hanging with the band. wonder if she still plays. What if you were hanging out at a coffee shop and there was Julia Roberts playing a little jazz for nickels?

She's a record setting "Beautiful Person"She's been on People Magazine's "50 most beautiful People" list a record eight times. I wonder if that ever comes up in a conversation. Like, "yes she's very pretty, but I've been one of the most beautiful eight times…People Magazine says so."

Julia has an odd makeup ritual when on the set of a movieShe insists on having her makeup applied while laying down because she insists it gives her a more 'relaxed' look. well, obviously it works because she looks fantastic in every movie she's in, but when I read that, all I could imagine was it looking like a mortuary in the makeup truck.

She's left handed…Because Roberts is left handed, she had to learn how to use her right hand for her role in Erin Brockovich since, the real Erin Brockovich is right handed. now THAT'S dedication. sure I could see learning how to play an instrument or shacing your head for a role, but changing you dexterity? Talk about method acting…

Turned Down Surprising Film RolesJulia turned down roles in both Shakespeare in Love and Basic Instinct. Gwyneth Paltrow went on to win an Academy Award for her performance in Shakespeare in Love, and Basic Instinct made Sharon Stone an A-List Movie Star. I'm kind of glad she did turn down those roles, because..well..could we even imagine her in those roles?

So just because you've been a huge star for over two decades, doesn't mean there might be some fun things to still learn about you. did anything on this list surprise you? the Erin Brockovich thing was the most shocking to me.
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Julia Roberts promotes Bardem's 'Biutiful'

Javier Bardem's powerful performance in "Biutiful" has been overlooked during the awards season, so his fellow actor Julia Roberts has decided to promote both the film and the actor.

"I think the movie hasn't gotten the exposure"

 You don't know where it is. It's like this hidden little jewel. Especially in this particular season, people don't hunt for things. They just take what you throw in their face," Roberts told ew.com reporter.

She hosted a screening of "Biutiful" on behalf of Bardem, with whom she worked in "Eat Pray Love", for a select industry people. It was attended by Bardem and his pregnant wife, Penelope Cruz, and actors Kyle MacLachlan and Robert Forster among others, reports the website.

Julia Roberts’ $1.5 Million Commercial

She’s always garnered a handsome salary, and Julia Roberts reportedly nabbed $1.5 million for appearing in an Italian coffeehouse commercial.

 The “Pretty Woman” actress didn’t even have to memorize any lines, as she just stands and looks pretty while posing for a portrait during the 45-second spot.

Also included in the ad are Italian entertainers Paolo Bonolis and Luca Laurenti, who offer Julia some A Modo Mio coffee.

And in the end, it’s the delicious coffee that helps Ms. Roberts smile so brightly which pleases the painter who is capturing her likeness.

Julia Roberts' Eat Pray Love has no takers in India

India’s not loving it. After being panned internationally, Julia Roberts’ ambitious project, Eat Pray Love, has failed to find any takers in India, too, where a part of the film was also shot.

Abroad, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) gave it a rating of 4.8 on 10, and film review site Rotten Tomatoes gave it a score of only 38%. In Delhi, cinema halls admit that the response has been disappointing. Advance booking for the film touched a mere two per cent, so halls have now decided to reduce the number of shows, and in some cases, run none.

“We aren’t showing it in Delhi as the advance bookings in other parts of North India were not great. In Mumbai and Bangalore, we put it up on three to four screens, but ticket sales were very low,” says Deepak Taluja of Fun Cinemas. “We expected at least an average response since it’s a Julia Robert film and has an Indian connect, but, it has not excited Indian audiences,” says Yogesh Raizada of Wave Cinemas.

Competition from other films is another reason for the poor response. “Two English films, as well as Emraan Hashmi’s Crook are also opening on the same day. This has divided the audiences’ attention,” says Munish Sharma of Satyam Cineplex.

Some hall owners, however, are still hopeful. “We are running five shows, but only in South Delhi. We are hoping audiences will warm up to it gradually,” says Hira Choudhary of DT Cinemas.

Julia Roberts gets Spanish film prize

Actress Julia Roberts has been awarded the San Sebastian International Film Festival's Donostia Prize for lifetime achievement.

Roberts, 42, received the award from her Eat, Pray, Love co-star Javier Bardem, who was full of praise for the 'extraordinary' and 'versatile' actress.

"She touches all genres without any effort. She has the capacity to transmit all types of emotions," Bardem said after a video showcasing Roberts' career.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," the Oscar-winning actress later said.

"I watch all that and I just think what a lucky girl, what a very fortunate woman I have been in my life for such a variety of reasons," she said.

"Eat, Pray, Love was truly an experience that changed my life, I worked harder than I worked in a decade, I made friends for a lifetime," the actress said of her latest film.

Hundreds of people gathered at the venue for the award ceremony of the 58th edition of the Spanish-speaking world's most prestigious film festival, and Roberts delighted the crowd by signing autographs and posing with fans for photos.

Previous winners of the award include Meryl Streep, Gregory Peck, Vittorio Gassman, Bette Davis, Robert Mitchum, Lana Turner, Woody Allen, Jeff Bridges and Annette Bening.

My daughter wants to live in India

Julia Roberts has revealed that her 5-year-old daughter Hazel wants to move to India when she grows up.

The 42-year-old actress, who filmed part of her new movie Eat, Pray, Love in India in September 2009, said that Hazel's twin brother Finn and other son Henry, 2, also embraced local culture while they were in the country.

"To be in India is to experience India. It is not that you have to go find it. It is all right there," Roberts said on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

"The children love it. Hazel said when she grows up, that's where she's going to live.

"My kids were really into the culture of every place we went. Hazel also wanted to shave her head, so I let her shave the back half of her head. They would chant, and they were just interested."

Roberts and her family travelled to Italy, India and Bali to film for Eat, Pray, Love.

The movie, which is being produced by Brad Pitt and directed by Ryan Murphy, is based on the book by American author Elizabeth Gilbert. It is due to be released in August 2010.

Julia Roberts urges women to strip on V-Day

Julia Roberts recommends ladies to “take their tops off” as part of their plans for a successful Valentine's Day.

The Pretty Woman actress handed out the advice to a relationship-challenged woman while promoting her latest film Valentine's Day with co-stars including Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, and director Garry Marshall.

The star was asked by a woman for tips on how to 'make him make me happy [on] Valentine''s Day,' to which the Hollywood beauty made a face and said, "Wow. Can we at least dim the lights?", reports People magazine.

Roberts, amid laughter, continued: "Okay, wait a minute. How long have you been with your boyfriend? You have sex with him?"

As the woman hesitated, Roberts said: "You're the one that brought it up. You opened Pandora's box! Where's the problem? We can fix this."

The woman said: "He keeps saying I''m a bad planner."

Roberts'' solution: "Make a nice dinner reservation now, because that's the biggest night out of the year – says the former hostess – have a nice glass of wine, and take your top off."

She then turned to her co-star on her right and said, "I think it's a recipe for success. Wouldn't you say, Bradley Cooper?"

Julia Roberts relocates her mother

Hollywood star Julia Roberts is relocating her mother Betty from Georgia to California so they can spend more time together after she suffered a health scare few months ago.

The 75-year-old underwent emergency heart surgery for an angioplasty procedure in a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, after suffering a reported heart attack while Roberts was filming her new movie 'Eat, Pray, Love' in India in September.

Roberts has since returned to her family home in Malibu and is determined to take better care of her ailing mother by moving her into a property close to her own, National Enquirer reported.

"Julia was so freaked out by her mum's close call in late September that she vowed to move her closer to her own family. Betty plans to move to Pacific Palisades in the next few months," a source said.

The 'Pretty Woman' star is also wants her three children with husband Danny Moder to bond with their grandmother.

"She wants her mother nearby to see her three kids - Hazel, Phinnaeus and Henry - as much as possible," the source added

Julia Roberts scrubs temple floors

Oscar winner Julia Roberts of the Pretty Woman fame is gearing up for her next role as a country hopping hippie in search of ‘everything’ for her upcoming “Eat, Pray, Love” movie. “Eat, Pray, Love”, a book by Pushcart Prize winner Elizabeth Gilbert with the tagline, “One woman’s search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia,” is being made into a feature film. In the book, a spirituality memoir, she (played by Julia Roberts in the movie) scrubs the temple floors as part of her devotional duty; and it talks about her struggles with a 182-verse Sanskrit chant, her attempt to meditate while being feasted on by mosquitoes, etc. A critic has defined it as “the worst in Western fetish of Eastern thought and culture”. Production Company of Oscar nominated Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) will produce the film, which will be directed by Emmy nominated Ryan Murphy (Nip-Tuck). Other stars include Oscar winner Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), Oscar nominated Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), etc

Julia Roberts to shoot in India?

Call it the ‘Slumdog’ effect, for India seems to have become a preferred shooting destination for Hollywood films.

And if reports from Hollywood are to be believed, actress Julia Roberts would be visiting the country to shoot a film titled ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. Also accompanying her would be actor Javier Bardem, who won a ‘Best Supporting Actor’ Oscar for his stunning performance as a cold-blooded killer in ‘No Country For Old Men’. According to Contactmusic, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ is an on-screen adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling novel of the same name.

Bardem is negotiating with executives at Columbia Pictures to play Felipe, the man Roberts' character falls in love with after meeting him at an Indian ashram.The shooting of the film is scheduled to begin in July and will take place in New York, Rome, India and Bali.The film is being produced by actor Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner through their production company Plan B, and actor Richard Jenkins will also be a part of the cast.It may be recalled that in January this year, Julia Roberts had come to India and had visited several places including the Taj Mahal.