Indians, Like Germans, Love David Hasselhoff

Somewhere, Norm McDonald has a new bit...

India's movie industry handed out its version of the Oscars on Saturday at the Bollywood Movie Awards, which saw a veteran director take top honors and a U.S. actor best known for "Baywatch" named international star of the year.

Dancers in shimmering costumes, Indian beauties in saris and sultry heartthrobs sporting long black coats crowded the Taj Mahal for the occasion.

The Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that is. The event was held in the U.S. East Coast gambling resort as part of Bollywood's bid to be a global force in cinema.

... Though an array of stars including former Miss India Lara Dutta entertained the crowd, Hasselhoff provoked some of the night's biggest cheers when he picked up his statuette.

The Bollywood awards -- which resemble a slim-line Oscar holding what could be a torch or a bunch of flowers -- are chosen according to a popular vote by fans.

"Baywatch" and "Knight Rider," in which Hasselhoff co-starred with a car named Kit, may raise sniggers from highbrow critics at home but they are still going strong in India, and the actor said he had much in common with the escapism of Bollywood.

"I'm proud of shows like Baywatch and Knight Rider because it's about saving lives, not taking lives," he told Reuters.

"It's entertainment, it's tongue in cheek, it brings the world together," he said, adding that the entertainment industry was a powerful force for good in the world.

"I think it's responsible for a lot of world peace," Hasselhoff said, adding that he was hoping to work in India soon on a project based on a series of romantic novels.

Oh, yeah. I feel so much more peaceful when Pamela Anderson appears on-screen in a bathing suit.