Showing posts with label Michelle Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michelle Obama. Show all posts
Michelle Obama is a hugger, and gave us such a big, warm hug when she walked in-Prajakta Koli
8:09 AM
As her docu with Michelle Obama is nominated for Daytime Emmy, YouTube star Prajakta Koli discusses how recognition exceeds her modest expectations
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 4, 2021)
For Prajakta Koli, the biggest high of being part of Creators For Change was working with former First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama. Every accolade that followed, including the Daytime Emmy nomination earlier this week, is “a happy bonus”. Remembering shooting the documentary, Koli — who has 6.2 million subscribers on her YouTube channel — says, “We were shooting at a restaurant in Washington that Mr and Mrs Obama frequent. I was dazed when I met her. She is a hugger, and gave us such a big, warm hug when she walked in. All my nervous energy vanished. Talking to her was so easy; it felt like a bunch of girls chatting about things they are passionate about.”
The documentary on girls’ rights, made in collaboration with actor Liza Koshy and YouTuber Thembe Mahlaba, saw Koli interact with the students of Prerna Foundation in Lucknow to get a better perspective on the challenges of girls’ education in smaller towns of India. “It was a hopeful story of women fighting against all odds. We got boys to discuss [the importance of] girls’ education, and that angle gave it a beautiful touch.”
When exchanging notes with Koshy and Mahlaba on the show, Koli realised that challenges for women are uniform the world over. “Liza went to Vietnam, and Thembe, to Namibia, and we heard of similar struggles. On a gender level, we all resonated with these stories being told on screen.”
The Internet sensation, who has a Netflix show behind her, admits that Obama’s presence makes the docu-series a strong contender in the Outstanding Daytime Non-fiction Special category. “Hamara palda thoda bhari hai,” she laughs, before adding, “In my heart, I am okay with just a nomination. I am a middle-class girl. When I set out, I told God, ‘Please give me 30,000 followers.’ This is way beyond my expectations.”
Kangana Ranaut to share stage with Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey
8:00 AM
The actress is looking forward to an event in the US to promote Gandhian thought as she preps for her upcoming film and wraps up her period drama
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 31, 2018)
Since the last few days, Kangana Ranaut has been chilling at her eight-bedroom Manali bungalow with a picturesque view of the Himalayas. “I love being in the hills and there is something about this place that makes you fall in love with it. Maybe it’s the serenity that feels so surreal. I sent my sister Rangoli a video recently with a self-written quote that stated that time doesn’t roll in space here, it gently caresses her, then kisses and makes love to her,” says Kangana who is enjoying this breather from the city and the glam world.
She informs that a few local fans gather outside her home during the day
hoping for a glimpse of their fave actress and maybe even a selfie with
her. “Sometimes, I wave to them. The tourist season starts in a week’s
time when the place will get crowded and this blessed silence will be
gone. Thank God, I’ll be gone by then,” says the actress who returns to
the Bay on April 2 and will immediately dive into prep for Prakash
Kovelamudi’s upcoming film Mental Hai Kya.In August, she flies off to New Jersey to be a part of ‘Gandhi Going Global’, a two-year initiative to spread Gandhian philosophy through interactive activities, educational programmes, motivational talks and cultural events which culminates on August 18 and 19. There, Kangana, who will be representing India, will rub shoulders with many dignitaries, including former First Lady of the US Michelle Obama, American advocate Martin Luther King III and media proprietor — talk show host-actress-philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey.
“For me, it’s always been about the impact you make on society and how you contribute to it. Sharing the stage with Michelle and Oprah will be inspiring. I’ve never been anybody’s fan but I admire and idolise women like Oprah. Once I get back to Mumbai, I will know exactly what I will be talking on and for how long, depending on which I will prepare my speech,” says Kangana who has read a lot of books on Mahatma Gandhi while growing up, lists him as one of the greatest minds ever. “He was a sensible, intelligent man which is not very common,” she says. Talking about her connect with him she points out that her soon-to-release period drama, Manikarnika - The Queen of Jhansi, promotes khadi and shows the Jhansi Ki Rani weaving it on a charkha as was common in those days. The style icon plans to go desi for the event.
Talking of looks, she sports many different looks in Mental Hai Kya and will have to attend some workshops and do a lot of readings for the film. “I will resume shooting for Manikarnika from April 6 for seven-eight days of patchwork,” says a rejuvinated Kangana who is looking forward to getting back to action.
Meanwhile, she’s found a new love in her nephew Prithvi Raj who she describes as “lovely and cute”. “I’ve never seen life in such a pure form. His anger and joy, smiles and cries are all so pure. I can stare at him all day,” she says.
Hemant Oberoi to reveal favourite dish of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Rishi & Neetu Kapoor in debut TV show
7:49 AM
Celebrity chef Hemant Oberoi on his debut TV show will reveal the favourite dish of the Bollywood couple, along with that of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Barack and Michelle Obama, George and Laura Bush and John Major to name a few.
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 6, 2017)
The culinary secrets of former American
President Barack Obama and wife Michelle, George Bush and wife Laura,
former Prime Ministers of UK, John Major, Hollywood stars and exes, Brad
Pitt and Angelina Jolie and Bollywood actor-couple Rishi and Neetu
Kapoor will be revealed on Indian TV in a show curated by celebrity chef
Hemant Oberoi. In the past, the celebrated chef has personally prepared
meals for these personalities and over time interacted with them over
their favourite meals.
The Kapoors have picked ‘Pohai Chilli Chilean Sea Bass’ as their favourite dish, while the Obamas chose ‘Varqi Crab with Prawn’. The rest of the celebrity recipes are being kept under wraps and will be unveiled on the show, titled, Food Memoirs With Chef Hemant Oberoi, which will air on Living Foodz and showcase a total of 13 delicacies from around the world.
Rishi and Neetu’s mouth-watering dish involves marinating the fillet baine of seabass in salt, crushed black pepper and lime juice. The fish is then coated with refined flour, fried and coated with a paste of pickled pohai chillies, basted with butter, sprinkled with lime juice and served hot on a plate of orzo pasta. “The pasta is boiled till al dente and strained. Then, butter is heated in a pan and spinach tossed in it before the pasta is added. It is topped with chives cream which is a mix of sauteed onions stirred with cream and cheese to which chopped chives is added and blended,” explains the chef, admitting that Rishi is an absolute foodie and can cook up a storm in the kitchen when in a great mood.
The 65-year-old-actor is one of his most loyal patrons and when the award-winning chef took a sabbatical last year, Rishi had joked, “You’re retiring, so I will finally be able to lose weight!”
The Kapoors have picked ‘Pohai Chilli Chilean Sea Bass’ as their favourite dish, while the Obamas chose ‘Varqi Crab with Prawn’. The rest of the celebrity recipes are being kept under wraps and will be unveiled on the show, titled, Food Memoirs With Chef Hemant Oberoi, which will air on Living Foodz and showcase a total of 13 delicacies from around the world.
Rishi and Neetu’s mouth-watering dish involves marinating the fillet baine of seabass in salt, crushed black pepper and lime juice. The fish is then coated with refined flour, fried and coated with a paste of pickled pohai chillies, basted with butter, sprinkled with lime juice and served hot on a plate of orzo pasta. “The pasta is boiled till al dente and strained. Then, butter is heated in a pan and spinach tossed in it before the pasta is added. It is topped with chives cream which is a mix of sauteed onions stirred with cream and cheese to which chopped chives is added and blended,” explains the chef, admitting that Rishi is an absolute foodie and can cook up a storm in the kitchen when in a great mood.
The 65-year-old-actor is one of his most loyal patrons and when the award-winning chef took a sabbatical last year, Rishi had joked, “You’re retiring, so I will finally be able to lose weight!”
Priyanka Chopra and Michelle Obama come together for the girl child
2:24 PM
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 14, 2017)
From a top star in India to grabbing a prime-time television show (Quantico) in the US, Priyanka Chopra's journey has been phenomenal. But, the actress hardly expected the Obamas to know about her. PeeCee got a warm reception at the White House Correspondents' Dinner last May where she met outgoing US President Barack Obama and First Lady, Michelle Obama.Reminiscing her first meeting with the power couple, Priyanka in an interview with VH1 chat show, said, "He's an awesome President, such a charming man. He gave an amazing speech (at the Correspondents' Dinner). There were about a hundred other actors in line to meet the President and the First Lady. Everyone was just eating and chilling because he had so many people to meet. But when my turn came, they knew my name! They spoke to me about Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi coming to the White House and about them coming to India for the Republic Day Parade (2015)."
It was there that Michelle proposed that they join hands for the girls' education campaign. "She discussed about the work I do with UNICEF and how we should work together for the education of the girl child. It was like they knew all about me. Can you imagine being the head of State and having to keep in mind everyone, but being able to do that? That, to me, was impressive!"
Images & Report: Priyanka Chopra sizzles at the White House Correspondent's Dinner
8:56 AM
BOMBAY TIMES (May 2, 2016)
In one of Washington's
biggest events of the year, all eyes were on Priyanka Chopra as she
turned up in a sexy black, sheer-stripe gown with a dangerously plunging
neckline. The stunner, who is starring in the Baywatch reboot, in a
negative role, was among several high-profile celebrities including
Oscar winners Helen Mirren and Jared Leto, Will Smith, Emma Watson and
Bryan Cranston. The guests showed up US President Barack Obama's final
correspondent's dinner. The actress later posted a picture of herself
with Obama and his wife Michelle on a photo-blogging website and wrote,
“Lovely to meet the very funny and charming @barackobama and the
beautiful @michelleobama. Thank you for a lovely evening. Cannot wait to
start working on your girls education program
#whitehousecorrespondentdinner“. (sic) The non-profit White House
Correspondents' Association, which has members including reporters,
producers, camera operators and journalists regularly covering the White
House, traditionally hosts this annual dinner to raise money for
journalism scholarships.
-----------------------------------
The actress who made a splash at the White House says she is a proud Indian happy to represent her country anywhere but now waiting for a family vacation
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 2, 2016)
Will Smith, Emma Watson,
Nina Dobrev and Kendall Jenner were all there at the White House
Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday, but Priyanka Chopra still managed to
hold her own on the red carpet at one of Washington DC's biggest and
most glamor ous galas in a sexy black Zuhair Murad gown with ruffles,
sheer panels and a deep décolletage. “When in Rome do as the Romans do. I
am an Indian in America so I decided to go with the attire of the
people here and I'm glad that the gown has been appreciated and has made
it to the best dressed lists,“ the actress exults from across seven
seas.Just a few weeks ago, PeeCee had made another style statement with a sun shine yellow hand-woven sari when accepting the Padma Shri. She admits that she is really fond of the sari and was happy to wear one when receiving the coveted national honour back home. “For me the biggest excitement was being at the Rashtrapati Bhavan with President Pranab Mukherjee and at the White House with President Barack Obama in the same month,“ she points out.
While she is not willing to talk about her interactions with the Hollywood A-listers, she is happy to discuss the charming Obama and his funny and entertaining speech. What did they talk about? “He spoke about his visit to India and our Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to America. He was very warm and gracious and it felt really nice to be recognised as an Indian actress,“ she admits.
Priyanka also had a few words with First Lady Michelle Obama. “She has been doing some work on the girl's education programme and so am I. We had a conversation about it on Saturday. Hopefully something will come out of it,“ she reveals, but firmly dismisses the question of campaigning for the upcoming US elections. “I am apolitical and while I have opinions, I am not an American citizen with voting rights so I don't see a role for myself in the country's politics.“
Do people there know that she is Padma Shri Priyanka Chopra now? Pointing out that different countries have different cultures and Americans have to be appraised of what's important to Indians and vice versa, she laughs, “But I am really proud of the honour and keep talking about it all the time.“ Does this means that she will agree to be India's brand ambassador? The actress argues that while her team has been spoken to there has been no official intimation on this so there is no point speculating about something which is still hypothetical. “I'm a proud Indian and I would be happy to represent my country, anywhere, anytime. I've been doing it since I was 17,“ points out the former Miss World who recently made it to the Time magazine cover as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Her TV series, Quantico, has made her a household name in the West, followed by the Baywatch movie in which she plays the antagonist. Quiz her on the latter and she reminds you that she has played negative characters in a few Hindi films in the past, including Aitraaz. “People were expecting me to play the heroine in my first Hollywood film but I don't like being conventional. It's fun taking on all the six lifeguards, the entire Baywatch team,“ she chuckles. So will we see her in the famous red swimsuit? “Since I am not one of the lifeguards I won't be wearing the red swimsuit. Whether I wear one or not is something you will have to wait and watch,“ she says enigmatically.
With all the offers coming her way in the West, will she get further distanced from India? Priyanka reasons that she has been successfully balancing her career in the US and India for the last few years without having to choose between one and the other and will continue to do so. “Hindi films are in my blood and my soul, I can never be distanced from them,“ she avers.
There's been talk of her playing Amrita Pritam in the Sahir biopic being produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and a directorial with Sanjay himself. She admits that he's her favourite filmmaker. “If he comes to me with something there's no question of saying no. Over the last one year I have been filming Bajirao Mastani, Gangaajal and now Baywatch along with Quantico. It's been difficult. I have been flying down to India for a day and back. After all the hard work and long hours I need a family vacation. I will be flying back next month and will be home for a month-and-a-half before I return in July for the second season of Quantico. That's when I will decide what films to take on. One thing however is clear, after Quantico I won't be doing another TV show,“ she rings off.
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MID-DAY (May 2, 2016)
Priyanka Chopra attended the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner in Washington over the weekend. The actress shared her snapshot with US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on Twitter. PeeCee chose a lacy black shimmery Zuhair Murad gown for the gala. She posted on Twitter, “Lovely to meet the very funny and charming Barack Obama and the beautiful Michelle Obama.
Thank you for a lovely evening. Cannot wait to start working on your girls education programme (sic).”
MID-DAY (May 2, 2016)
Priyanka Chopra attended the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner in Washington over the weekend. The actress shared her snapshot with US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on Twitter. PeeCee chose a lacy black shimmery Zuhair Murad gown for the gala. She posted on Twitter, “Lovely to meet the very funny and charming Barack Obama and the beautiful Michelle Obama.
Thank you for a lovely evening. Cannot wait to start working on your girls education programme (sic).”
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