As the bandmembers put it, “Mirrorball: Live and More” came together without much advance planning, and owes its existence, at least partly, to them leaving their old record label which, the group thinks, may unleash a new burst of creativity.

The three disc collection features live recordings of some of Def Leppard’s greatest hits such as “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Rock of Ages,” and “Photograph.” It has three new tracks, including anthem “Kings of the World”, and a behind-the-scenes DVD. But a live album was never atop of the bands to do list.

“The band’s focus has always been on writing and recording new songs,” guitarist Vivian Campbell told Reuters. “It just never seemed appropriate for us to do a live record. It wasn’t something that we sat down and thought, ‘We are going to put out a live album in 2011.’ It just sort of happened.”

Instead of playing one concert and recording it, or taping a series of shows and picking the best one for the album, Campbell and his bandmates — singer Joe Elliott, lead guitarist Phil Collen, bassist Rick Savage, and drummer Rick Allen — picked the songs singularly from separate performances so the fans got the best of the best.

“In a way it was sort of like cheating…but it made it more relaxed for us because we never once thought that we were recording,” said Campbell.

NEW CREATIVE ENERGY

“Mirrorball” is Def Leppard’s initial release as an independent act after finding themselves without a major label for the first time after 30 years with Universal Records.

Campbell sees that factor as a positive, creatively, because it should force the band to put out singles more frequently in keeping with trends in the recording industry that has performers releasing individual songs via download.

“I really don’t see the point in putting out a 10 or 12 song album anymore. It’s kind of like sticking our toes in the water, being independent, but that’s the way that the industry is now. I do believe that the album is dead,” he said.

And like so many bands in these days of declining CD sales and the fewer dollars that comes with it, Def Leppard is now touring through North America to connect with their fans.

In addition to the album, rock photographer Ross Halfin has published “Def Leppard: the Definitive Visual History,” a photo anthology chronicling the band’s three decades of rock.

The band also is part of the “Rock the Cradle” series which features lullaby renditions of rock classics. “Dreamin with Def Leppard” is a 12-song compilation that features lullaby versions of their greatest hits such as “Love Bites” and “Animal”. Recreating songs in different ways shows listeners just exactly what a good tune truly is, Campbell said.

“It’s interesting to hear how songs can morph and how they can be given different clothes. I think that’s the indication of a good song, if you can restyle it and do it in a different genre. I’m glad to say that many Def Leppard songs stand up to it.”

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

The actors dominate the world’s biggest film industry in India, and are just a handful of the more than 200 performers who have been on hand in this Canadian city since Thursday for the 12th annual International Indian Film Awards, or IIFAs.

The show, which airs on Saturday night, provides the climax for three days of movie going, dancing, fashion, music and a business forum aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries — something event organizers hope to do around the world, too.

“Toronto is definitely the gateway to North America and we hope to maintain a great relationship with this amazing country for many years to come,” Sabbas Joseph, Director of Wizcraft International, a Mumbai based entertainment group who produced the IIFAs, said at a press conference this week.

With an expected worldwide TV audience of 700 million viewers tuning in to watch the show, tickets were scooped up in less than 10 minutes. Some 22,200 faithful, Bollywood fans hope to get a closer look at many of their favorite stars.

Debuting in 2000 in London, the IIFA’s have been held on four continents in cities including Dubai, Bangkok, Colombo, Singapore, Macau and Johannesburg…but never in India.

The idea, organizers said, is to present Bollywood not in its home country, but on a global stage.

“We are building bridges through cinema across communities throughout the world,” said Joseph.

Singer Jermaine Jackson is on hand to perform with Indian pop star, Sonu Nigam, and he feels that being a part of the IIFA celebrations is a fitting tribute to his brother pop superstar Michael Jackson, who died on June 25 two years ago.

“We are an entertainment family and we have been entertained by Bollywood movies from the early ’70s when we first arrived in California and started the Jackson 5,” said Jackson. “That was the connection we had with Bollywood, years and years ago.”

FILM NOMINEES

Awards in 15 categories are up for grabs at Saturday’s green carpet event.

The larger-than-life gangster film “Once Upon a Time in Mumbai” leads the pack of movie contenders with an impressive 12 nominations, including best film and best leading male role for Ajay Devgan, solidifying him as one of Bollywood’s premier actors.

“Dabangg” (or “Fearless”) is a close second with 11 nominations. The corrupt cop thriller broke box office records in its debut week in theaters and is the highest grossing Bollywood film of all time, It earned a best male role nomination for on screen tough guy Salman Khan.

“My name is Khan” goes into the IIFAs with four nominations. The film looks into the struggles of a Muslim family in the U.S. following the September 11 attacks. The film earned Bollywood heavyweight, Shah Rukh Khan, a best actor nod in his role as a man with Asperger’s Syndrome who travels across the country telling people he is not a terrorist.

Rounding out the category for best picture honors is “Ishqiya” (Love) nominated for nine IIFA awards while the romantic comedy “Band Baaja Baaraat” (The Wedding Planners) and the political thriller “Rajneeti” each have eight.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Worried?

Many Americans are finding themselves cash strapped and paying down debt well into their 40s and 50s, putting aside any thought of a retirement savings plan.

But it’s not too late to start right now.

According to JB Orecchia, president and CEO of Oweing.com, a website that provides consumers with a plan that helps track and map out debt repayment, you can still move forward on your retirement goals even if you’re a late starter.

“Anecdotally, consumers from ages 55 and up find that they are going to have to work longer to pay off debt and didn’t plan very much for retirement. But there’s always an opportunity to improve your current situation,” says Orecchia.

In an interview with Reuters, Orecchia talks debt trends and retirement strategies for late starters.

Consumer confidence in retirement is low. Why do you think that is?

People have been hit hard by the recession. Many people’s retirement strategy relied on appreciation of their portfolios and homes. While we’re seeing some recovery in investments, home values aren’t showing signs of recovery yet. In those circumstances it’s hard to feel confident you can retire in comfort.

Many Americans in their late 40s and 50s do not have a retirement plan. Is it too late to start a retirement plan?

It’s never too late to plan and save for the future. The first part of this process is gaining an understanding of where you are financially and where you need to be to retire. A good plan should include a solid budget and cutting back on expenses, reducing debt and saving for the future.

Older children are more dependent on their parents than previous generations. How does having dependent children change your retirement plans?

One of the biggest factors that derails a parent’s retirement planning is the cost of college. We all want to give our children the best start in life but this is one time you need to prioritize yourself. If your child has to taken out a student loan to share in the burden, they have the rest of their life to pay that back.

You helped co-found a free service called DebtScore.com and a subscription service called DebtGoal.com. Can you tell me a little about that?

DebtScore.com is the first step consumers take to understand their debt situation. It is a completely free calculator that generates your debt score – which is the proportion of your income consumed by debt. It also generates your report card, which categorizes your debt and shows you what “good” levels of debt should be. This shows you where to focus in paying down your debt. For people who want consistent help staying on track in paying down debt, DebtGoal.com is a membership program that creates a tailored payoff plan just for you. The plan is fully integrated with your cards so you always have a comprehensive view of your debts and can track progress towards your debt goals.

Let’s talk a little about debt trends. What is the difference between those who have debt who are middle aged as opposed to those who are younger?

The first distinction is in the amount of debt. We see people in the 55-plus age group carrying an average 20 percent more debt than those in the 45- to 50-year age group.

Secondly, we see that for the over-55 group, they owe less on their homes but more on their credit cards than younger groups. This likely reflects homeowners who have had time to pay off their homes, but conversely, they have had time to run up troubling levels of consumer debt.

Thirdly, there’s good news too…we see the 55-plus age group being the most successful in a program like DebtGoal.com, because they pay off an average $8,300 per year which is over $1,000 more than younger groups.

What should be the starting point for somebody planning their retirement who started late?

First step – take stock of your current situation. You cannot plan your way forward if you don’t know where you are today. Understand your debt and your income and how to keep them in balance.

Can carrying a high debt load after a certain age impact retirement decisions?

If you are in your mid-50s, with high debt and low income, you may find your plans to retire at 65 delayed because you need to keep working to pay off your debt.  We hear success stories from our members who identified their debt issue late but got serious about paying down their debt and they were able to only miss their retirement age by a couple of years. All of them say they wish they’d started years sooner.

What do you find is the hardest habit for people in their 40s or 50s to change?

Acknowledging that retirement is not that far off. We spend so much of our lives thinking that retirement is a long way off, that it’s very hard to acknowledge we’d better get started.

The American Bankers Association (ABA) Education Foundation set out to do just that. The ABA launched a new initiative called Lights, Camera, Save! — a national video contest aimed at getting kids to think about creative ways to save money.

“Traditionally, savings education can be pretty dry,” said Laura Fisher, executive director of the ABA Education Foundation. “So we wanted to bring a challenge in a form that kids were already interested in.”

Lights, Camera, Save! is an extension of the ABA Education Foundation’s Teach Children to Save program, a national initiative that allows banker’s to volunteer their time to connect with schools and teach kids about saving money in a classroom setting. The contest gives kids from ages 14 to 16 years the opportunity to use video as a means of teaching their peers the lifelong benefits of saving.

“We’re taking the lessons out of the classroom and asking kids to tell us in a creative way what they think the value of saving is,” said Fisher. “We wanted them to tell it in a way that can be shared with other kids and maybe inspire them to be lifelong savers.”

Saving equals freedom

Across 45 states, 170 banks held local competitions and, in turn, sent their local winner’s submission to the ABA. A national panel of judges awarded Mason Beiter the grand prize for video “Lego you spending and start saving.”

The 14-year-old from Suffield, Connecticut was presented with a $3,000 U.S. Savings Bond at an awards ceremony in his hometown on March 10th. “This is the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me,” said Beiter.

Fisher said Beiter’s submission was chosen not only for his creativity of using stop motion animation using legos but also for the message.

“Mason presents the idea that ‘saving equals freedom.’ And I thought that was just spot on in terms of what saving can do for you,” said Fisher. “And for a lot of kids, saving and having money really gives them the freedom to dream.”

To view Mason Beiter’s award submission video and the full list of winners, click here.

But a recent study released by CardHub.com found that the current economic environment — not the new credit card regulations — is the primary cause for the increase in credit card interest rates.

The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act, or CARD Act for short, took effect February 22, 2010. The reforms aimed to regulate how the credit card industry sold its product to new customers and how it generated revenue from existing ones.

“Any argument that interest rates are higher because of the CARD Act is nonsense,” said Odysseas Papadimitriou, chief executive officer and founder of Evolution Finance, parent company of CardHub. “In the early 1990s where the recession was much less severe than it is now, interest rates were much higher.”

The legislation sought to stop credit card issuers from charging customers hidden fees in the classic “bait and switch” tactic. Under the Act, card issuers must allow the customer the option to opt out of purchases that exceed their credit limit.

The Act also prohibits interest rate hikes on existing balances, saving the customer from being saddled with higher interest debt. Additionally, card issuers must give 45 days advance notice on any interest rate hike.

Papadimitriou suggests this has banks and credit card issuers looking for alternative ways to make up for a potential loss of revenue.

“The biggest expense a card company has, more than anything on their bottom line, is ‘charge-offs’ — people that don’t pay their bills,” said Papadimitriou. “Card companies, like a lot of banks, were giving away money in a stupid way. Did they make money in the short term? Yes. Did they make money in the long term? No. They lost money.”

In fact, Papadimitriou says that this legislation does not take away the credit issuers’ right to charge whatever interest rate they want, noting that they just have to be transparent about it.

But will greater transparency make credit card holders more responsible and less likely to default?

Papadimitriou believes it is a bit too early to say. However, he is confident the number of complaints against card companies will significantly decrease.

Industry makes up for lost revenue

“You have an industry that is now faced with an $11-billion revenue hit,” said Robert Hammer, chairman and CEO of R.K. Hammer Investment Bankers. “The banking industry has gone towards fee income as a partial mitigation of the CARD Act. Annual and ATM fees are going up. Free checking accounts are a thing of the past. The response by the banking and credit card industry is that they are going to charge more fees where it is permissible.”

This, says Hammer, has devastated the business model. Banks and credit card companies have had to adhere to the Act’s guidelines as to whom they lend credit and how much.

Consumers who have poor, average or damaged credit records could find it more difficult to receive a credit card or a higher credit limit, making it more difficult to come back into the system and improve their credit.

“Those who are on the margin, and those who have a less-than-stellar credit history, will have a tough time and it’s going to be more difficult in the future to obtain credit,” said Hammer. “It affects interest income dramatically because of the way it requires banks to jump through hoops before they can change interest rates, especially in the first year.”

According to Papadimitriou, the pros of this long-overdue legislation far outweigh the cons. Consumer clarity of credit card rules and the ability to pay down debt has resulted in a tangible change in consumer spending behavior.

“It will help credit card companies in the long run. The ones that are the most efficient and have the best products will be able to shine,” said Papadimitriou.

But what about the binding of their financial futures?

Suzanna de Baca, vice president of wealth strategies at Ameriprise Financial, warns that before you blend your finances, you should first ensure you’re financially compatible with your partner.

In an interview with Reuters, de Baca answered a variety of questions about this issue:

What sorts of questions should couples ask each other before blending their finances?

First off, couples really need to understand what their lifestyle really means in terms of how they want to spend money. What are your long-term and short-term goals? Then compare them to find out if you’re on the same page. If you’re not, it’s not a problem. You just have to figure out how you’re going to work together so everybody can get their needs met.

Second point is really agreeing on who is going to do what. When you come together as a couple and you plan on co-mingling your finances, you have to agree on who is actually going to pay the bills, deposit the money, or do the investing. Are you going to be doing it together? That’s where a lot of friction and arguments can come further down the road … when couples start saying, “Well, I thought you were going to do that.”  So, really, agreeing on those things upfront, probably in more detail than you would think, is critical.

Should a couple rethink blending their finances if their values are too far apart?

People can have very different goals and very different styles. But if what they really think is important in life is dramatically different, they may have a hard time. Even if they decide, “Yes, we have enough in common that we move forward,” it might make some sense for them to keep some of their money separate to avoid conflict. So instead of co-mingling everything, you need some “mine, yours and ours” for people that have different financial styles.

What kinds of challenges come from blending finances when one person’s income is much higher than their partner’s?

The biggest challenge is really more psychological for people in a relationship — especially when viewing their contributions to the household pool as a partnership. And couples can ebb and flow; even if you have inequitable incomes, people can feel great about it one day and then not feel as great about it the next day. But to agree early on that “your high-school teacher income is absolutely as important as my job as an executive, and we’re both doing our own part to contribute to this household. It is our money not your money or my money.” Otherwise people really need to keep their money separate.

Saving and spending plans seem fairly straightforward, but what types of debt plans are appropriate for couples?

There are certain types of debt that are prudent and certain types that can sabotage a goal. So if you are a couple looking at buying a house, taking on debt is absolutely fine as long as you do it within your means. Couples need to understand when appropriate debt is okay and what the right level is.

If couples are unfamiliar with what is appropriate, then they need a professional to figure out their income, spending and credit ratings. If it’s credit card debt or other commercial debt, most of the time we discourage people from having a lot of consumer debt that they can’t pay off every month. Couples find using credit cards as a way to get some of the things they really want and that can derail some of their long-range plans.

Should both partners consolidate their debt and pay them off as one? Or should debt remain separate?

There is no rule of thumb. Couples need to do what they’re comfortable with and I think that’s where you have to decide the balance of “yours, mine and ours.” If you say, “Look, we are a partnership and everything’s together,” then that outstanding debt needs to be part of the total comprehensive household budget. If some couples just want to blend some of their finances to keep debt separate then whoever has the student loan or credit card debt, that needs to come out of their monthly expense allowance.

The important thing is to talk about debt and agree on it clearly and that whatever you decide on you’re going to stick with versus flip-flopping around. It’s often the uncertainty that creates a lot of tension and problems.

How do you go about protecting your future?

When couples come together, they might have some really rosy, fabulous views of commitment. But things happen. And it’s just good common sense to have a Plan B and to make sure you are taking care of yourself along with your loved one. The reason that I stress this is that I see a lot of people get into relationships and stop thinking of protecting what they’ve built and therefore making themselves very vulnerable. So I would encourage couples, even if they co-mingle everything, you need to have a little bit of your own.

How often should couples review their finances?

Think about having regular financial check-ups. A lot of the time, couples are so busy that life changes around them and it’s assumed that the other person is on the same page. But as each year goes by, something may change your attitude that could slightly alter or dramatically alter your financial goals. It’s not a once and done, it’s a continuous process. Just like a relationship takes work, the financial part of the relationship also needs to be continuously worked on.

After enduring month-after month of spending restrictions, it seems inevitable that some consumers are experiencing “frugal fatigue.” Sixty-six percent of consumers say they are tired of curbing spending and anxious to spend more, according to a January poll by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC).

But some people expect to be Scrooges forever. In its study, the NFCC found that more than 20 percent of those polled said “they had implemented financial lifestyle changes” that they intended to keep long-term. That means that one in five people decided to permanently change their spending habits.

“Even though the recession is technically over, that textbook definition isn’t being felt in American households,” said Gail Cunningham, NFCC spokesperson. “People who have never had to really worry about their financial situation are suddenly in very desperate trouble.”

And one of the first steps consumers take in curbing financial distress is to tighten that money belt.

“Coming off the ‘Wild Wild West’ scenario that Americans have been living in for so long where we could spend freely because access to credit was so easily obtained – well now, because of the financial crisis it’s more difficult, even impossible. for some to get credit at all. So the first thing to do is to rein in the spending,” said Cunningham.

So how is that good for economic recovery? In a consumer-driven economy, these new perma-frugalistas could have a profound impact.

Cunningham certainly believes that spending is legitimate – even the die-hard cheapskate can’t avoid it. But she also believes that people owe it to themselves to spend responsibly.

“Penny pinchers are still going to have to spend money – they have to buy groceries, put fuel in the car, buy medicine, pay for daycare,” Cunningham said. “They’re still spending money. The (NFCC’s) concern is when people spend beyond what their income can support. So we try to help create a new awareness to spending.”

Cunningham encourages responsible financial behavior and applauds those who have stuck with the lifestyle changes that have allowed them to dig themselves out of a financial hole.

Here are the results of the NFCC poll:

Do you have “frugal fatigue?”

A.        Yes, I am tired of pinching pennies, but will have to continue that lifestyle = 66 percent

B.         Yes, I am tired of pinching pennies, and have decided to begin spending more = 5 percent

C.        No, I’ve not made any spending changes in recent years = 8 percent

D.        No, I have made lifestyle changes, but they are positive and I intend to keep them = 21 percent

Instead, the directorial debut of Kiran Rao paints a picture of a city with many layers and people in a 95-minute drama that feels more like a western-style movie than a typical Bollywood formula of song, dance and romance.

“Slumdog Millionaire” was the Oscar-winning film about a poor Indian boy who finds love and money on a TV game show, and for it, director Danny Boyle created a fast-paced thriller.

Rao, the wife of Aamir Khan, explores the burgeoning city of Mumbai through complex relationships of its disparate residents in “Dhobi Ghat,” (“Mumbai Diaries”) which opened in India and parts of the United States on Friday and is expected to play around the world in coming weeks and months. It had its world premiere at September’s Toronto International Film Festival and also played at the London Film Festival.

“I wanted to make a film about the different cities that exist within one city. And that especially happens in Mumbai where the city has so many layers,” Rao told Reuters by phone from Mumbai.

The movie intertwines the lives of four, very different people. Arun (Aamir Khan) is a successful artist whose fame has led to a life as an emotional recluse, and Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra) is a shy newlywed about whom Arun becomes obsessed when he sees her in videos he finds in his new apartment.

Munna (Prateik Babbar) is a poor, working dhobi (laundry) boy and nighttime rat killer, as well as an aspiring actor, and Shai (Monica Dogra) is a U.S. banker on sabbatical in Mumbai.

COMPLEX CITY

Rao said she wanted the four main characters to be from different classes and backgrounds and different languages because Mumbai is a complex city with so many people and sections that its residents must co-exist, unlike smaller Indian cities where caste systems are firmly entrenched.

She was inspired by the outdoor laundry, Dhobi Ghat, in her adopted hometown of Mumbai, where dhobi’s wash the clothes of the rich, middle class and poor in rows of concrete pens.

Rao sees a metaphor for the city in that the clothes of all classes are washed in the same water, connecting them to one another, and she believes Munna, truly defines Mumbai.

“There are millions of people like him who come from the poorest of backgrounds, from castes that have no opportunity. They come to Mumbai to find a new life and a new identity,” Rao said. “What’s amazing about Munna is that he is what the poorer parts of India are like, where the people are far, far more genuine and far, far more sensitive and generous than people who have a lot.

“I think in some ways he represents that hope and optimism and that ideal that you can actually get out of where you are. And in a way that’s selfless,” said Rao.

Rao’s characters feed their emotional needs through companionship in unlikely relationships.

Khan, her superstar husband, plays the emotionally tortured Arun, a successful artist who recoils at attention and mourns the life he once had. When he moves into a new apartment, he finds video diaries left behind by the former tenant, Yasmin.

As he watches her sharing her personal thoughts with the camera, Arun is drawn into Yasmin’s life, causing him to reflect on his own.

“His past has left him very brittle. When he finally does open himself up, he feels safety in the fact that the girl who is in front of him is actually not someone who is really in front of him as flesh and blood,” Khan told Reuters.

Shai, who comes from a privileged background befriends the Dhobi boy Munna, and soon begins devoting as much time to him as she does to her privileged friends.

“Mumbai is an island that has its own history, its own evolution, its own culture and character…There are layers upon layers of people. You can’t get far away from each other. Those are qualities I wanted my characters to possess,” Rao said.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Instead, the directorial debut of Kiran Rao paints a picture of a city with many layers and people in a 95-minute drama that feels more like a western-style movie that a typical Bollywood formula of song, dance and romance.

“Slumdog Millionaire” was the Oscar-winning film about a poor Indian boy who finds love and money on a TV game show, and for it, director Danny Boyle created a fast-paced thriller.

Rao, the wife of Indian superstar Aamir Khan, explores the burgeoning city of Mumbai through complex relationships of its disparate residents in “Dhobi Ghat,” (“Mumbai Diaries”) which opened in India and parts of the United States on Friday and is expected to play around the world in coming weeks and months. It had its world premiere at September’s Toronto International Film Festival and also played at the London Film Festival.

“I wanted to make a film about the different cities that exist within one city. And that especially happens in Mumbai where the city has so many layers,” Rao told Reuters by phone from Mumbai.

The movie intertwines the lives of four, very different people. Arun (Aamir Khan) is a successful artist whose fame has led to a life as an emotional recluse, and Yasmin (Kriti Malhotra) is a shy newlywed about whom Arun becomes obsessed when he sees her in videos he finds in his new apartment.

Munna (Prateik Babbar) is a poor, working dhobi (laundry) boy and nighttime rat killer, as well as an aspiring actor, and Shai (Monica Dogra) is a U.S. banker on sabbatical in Mumbai.

COMPLEX CITY

Rao said she wanted the four main characters to be from different classes and backgrounds and different languages because Mumbai is a complex city with so many people and sections that its residents must co-exist, unlike smaller Indian cities where caste systems are firmly entrenched.

She was inspired by the outdoor laundry, Dhobi Ghat, in her adopted hometown of Mumbai, where dhobi’s wash the clothes of the rich, middle class and poor in rows of concrete pens.

Rao sees a metaphor for the city in that the clothes of all classes are washed in the same water, connecting them to one another, and she believes Munna, truly defines Mumbai.

“There are millions of people like him who come from the poorest of backgrounds, from castes that have no opportunity. They come to Mumbai to find a new life and a new identity,” Rao said. “What’s amazing about Munna is that he is what the poorer parts of India are like, where the people are far, far more genuine and far, far more sensitive and generous than people who have a lot.

“I think in some ways he represents that hope and optimism and that ideal that you can actually get out of where you are. And in a way that’s selfless,” said Rao.

Rao’s characters feed their emotional needs through companionship in unlikely relationships.

Khan, her superstar husband, plays the emotionally tortured Arun, a successful artist who recoils at attention and mourns the life he once had. When he moves into a new apartment, he finds video diaries left behind by the former tenant, Yasmin.

As he watches her sharing her personal thoughts with the camera, Arun is drawn into Yasmin’s life, causing him to reflect on his own.

“His past has left him very brittle. When he finally does open himself up, he feels safety in the fact that the girl who is in front of him is actually not someone who is really in front of him as flesh and blood,” Khan told Reuters.

Shai, who comes from a privileged background befriends the Dhobi boy Munna, and soon begins devoting as much time to him as she does to her privileged friends.

“Mumbai is an island that has its own history, its own evolution, its own culture and character…There are layers upon layers of people. You can’t get far away from each other. Those are qualities I wanted my characters to possess,” Rao said.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Last year, New York’s Museum of Modern Art launched an exhibition covering the 52-year-old filmmaker’s career in art and movies, and it became an instant hit.

This week, a new version of the exhibit opens at the Toronto International Film Festival’s TIFF Bell Lightbox. It features more than 700 original paintings, costumes, puppets, storyboards, doodles and drawings ranging from Burton’s teenage years to present-day.

Burton took some time to sit with Reuters and talk about his work and the exhibit, which runs through mid-April.

Q: How does it feel to be honored like this?

A: “It’s a very strange thing because usually this stuff happens when you’re dead. This doesn’t usually happen when you’re still going, so it is quite an honor and strange because it’s stuff I never expected to be up on a wall somewhere.”

Q: Some of your original drawings and concepts are featured. What’s it like for you to see scraps of paper with a drawing on it or an old letter you wrote on display?

A: “I never really went to museums, so the idea felt like an out of body experience. It didn’t feel like me. It’s kind of like “Oh, there’s my dirty socks hanging on the wall.” There’s something strange about it. But I felt like I was in very good hands with (MoMA). I felt like they were presenting me in a way that made it more comfortable…cause I’d never thought I’d look at this stuff ever again. It’s just strange, which is fine. I don’t mind strange feelings.”

Q: Going through the exhibit, your characters are somewhat bizarre and scary, but they beautiful and often vulnerable at the same time. Is that how you view people and the world?

A: “I always liked the mixture of things. I always feel like things are never one thing. Funny and sad, pretty and ugly. Most are always a combination of things, so it’s my way of juxtapositioning things that shouldn’t necessarily be together. But that’s what makes up everybody, really.”

Q: When you look back at your own career, what films are you most proud of?

A: “Each one you spend time with so they’re all a part of you. Even the ones that weren’t successful, they’re still a part of you. But there are certain films like ‘Edward Scissorhands’ that are more personal to me because the themes in that movie were very strong, personal feelings that were being explored when I was a teenager. ‘Ed Wood,’ the main character from the movie, is a character I kind of related to in terms of delusional qualities. I like ‘Sweeney Todd’ because he didn’t say very much. With every character you try to find something personal in it.”

Q: In the exhibit, there are sketches of projects that didn’t get made, projects like “Trick or Treat”. Will you be revisiting these projects any time in the near future?

A: “Not necessarily. At that time when I was doing those projects I was thrown in a room working on random projects. Some were more developed than others; some were ideas that Disney was thinking about. So a lot of that stuff became like a grey area to me. It’s one of the things I like about the way they presented the exhibition because it shows the weird crossover of how things start out more abstractly and how one little sketch might turn into something for a bigger idea. It shows the weird process.”

Q: Do you start with an image and develop it into a story?

A: “Often times, yes. I was never a very verbal person so I do a lot of thinking through sketches and doodles or drawings or whatever. I think coming from an animation background you tend to think visually, rather than intellectually.”

Q: And how do you find your muse? Do you create a character based on an idea or one based on a particular actor or person?

A:” You try to keep open to things whether it’s a person, an animal, a thing, a feeling, the weather. Whatever it is, the key is to always try to be open to see things differently.”

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)