The Shah Rukh Khan film Don 2, the last big release of the year, collected a whopping Rs490 million (Dh34m) at the Indian box office over its first weekend, ending the 2011 Bollywood circuit with a bang.
The Farhan Akhtar-directed movie, which was released on Friday in India, collected Rs153m (Dh10m) on the first day, and Rs159m on Saturday. On Sunday, the film saw a Christmas-day surge, earning Rs180m.
Don 2 fared better than previous movies starring Shah Rukh Khan in the overseas market. In the Middle East, Don 2 grossed Dh3.4m on Thursday and Friday, higher than what Ra. One and My Name Is Khan earned. In Australia, it broke Bodyguard's record of US$74,000 (Dh271,000) for highest single-day gross ever, with a collection of $82,000. The film was released in 41 countries on Friday.
Van Halen to reunite
The legendary rock band Van Halen unveiled plans on Monday for a tour with lead singer David Lee Roth returning to the stage, reported Reuters.
In a video posted on the band's website (www.van-halen.com), Eddie Van Halen, brother Alex and son Wolfgang play the hit Panama while Roth runs around on stage. Underneath reads "Van Halen on tour 2012". Tickets go on sale on January 10.
The video confirms music industry buzz that the band is together again with Roth. An album is said to be in the works, too, after they signed a record deal in November.
A separate posting on the Van Halen News Desk website speculated about a possible February release date for a new song or album, which will be the band's first with Roth since the album 1984, released in 1983.
Van Halen's relationship with Roth has been stormy over the years. Roth left the band in a bitter break-up in 1985, only to rejoin for a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996, then quickly departed in another bitter split.
Bollywood mourns Dubey's death
The Hindi film industry paid tribute to theatre icon Satyadev Dubey, who died on Sunday from a stroke. He was 75.
Bollywood stars considered Dubey's death a huge loss to the country's performing-arts community.
"Sudden news of the passing away of Satyadev Dubey … a huge theatre icon … committed and passionate about his craft … Condolences," megastar Amitabh Bachchan tweeted.
"The giant of Hindi Theatre Satyadev Dubey is no more. He was ruthlessly brilliant in his commitment to theatre," said actor Anupam Kher.
"No one can ever replace him. He was a true legend and one of the biggest reasons behind theatre achieving such great heights in India," posted filmmaker and actor Saurabh Shukla.
Matthew McConaughey proposes to girlfriend
The actor Matthew McConaughey took advantage of the Christmas holidays to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Brazilian model Camila Alves.
"Just asked Camila to marry me. Merry Christmas," McConaughey, 42, posted on Twitter on Sunday. The message was accompanied by a photograph of the couple kissing in front of a Christmas tree. Alves, 28, and McConaughey started dating in 2006 and have two children: Levi, age three, and Vida, who turns two next month.
Janet Jackson named PETA Grinch of the Year
The music artist Janet Jackson topped a poll by the animal rights organisation PETA, winning the title of Grinch of the Year. Jackson apparently won because of the recent launch of her clothing collection with popular fur label Blackglama.
"When Janet Jackson had her infamous wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl XXXVIII, at least what popped into view belonged to her - unlike the stolen animal skins she drapes herself in, which are as dead as her fashion taste and her career," PETA said in a press release.
"Ms Jackson, you're just plain nasty," it added.
Aside from Jackson, PETA also singled out reality star Kim Kardashian for her fur wardrobe, as well as filmmaker Cameron Crowe for using live animals in his latest movie We Bought a Zoo.
