Brooke Mueller has reportedly been roped in to star in a lifestyle-themed reality show with socialite Paris Hilton.

Brooke Mueller to star in reality show with Paris Hilton?
IANS [ Thu, Sep 9, 2010 ]


London, Sep 9 (IANS) Actor Charlie Sheen's estranged wife Brooke Mueller has reportedly been roped in to star in a lifestyle-themed reality show with socialite Paris Hilton.

Mueller's spokesperson insisted that she is in an 'intensive, physical fitness programme in Southern California', adding that she is not in rehab or any type of 'stress management facility', reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Earlier this year, Brooke - who split from the 'Two and a Half Men' star after he was arrested during the festive period over domestic violence allegations - said she is feeling better than ever after receiving rehab treatment.

She said at the time: 'Mentally, I feel really clear and spiritually, I feel really connected. I'm doing good.

I want to put my priorities straight, and to focus on doing the next right thing in front of me. As long as I do the next right thing, I'll be all right

I'm hiking, listening to music, reading, going to bed early - and waking up early and just being healthy. And juicing. I love my juice bar.'

Chilean director Rodrigo Ortuzar has announced that he is planning to make a film on the 33 miners trapped for a month in the country.

Chilean director to make film on trapped miners
IANS [ Wed, Sep 8, 2010 ]


Santiago, Sep 8 (IANS/EFE) Chilean director Rodrigo Ortuzar has announced that he is planning to make a film on the 33 miners trapped for a month in the country and that he will donate the profits to finance the education of the miners' children.

All the money that is collected, all of it, not a percentage, all the money that is collected at the box office in Chile is going to go directly to a foundation that is going to be in charge of looking out for the education of the miners' children,' Ortuzar told Radio Cooperativa.

With the aim of 'observing to later recreate', Ortuzar is using two cameras to film the day to day activities at 'Camp Hope', set up by the families of the men trapped at the San Jose mine, some 830 km north of Santiago.

This weekend he will travel to the mine to discuss with the relatives of the miners about the project, which he has already discussed with writer Hernan Rivera Letelier.

The director said that the film, tentatively titled 'Los 33' (The 33), will focus more 'on the human side', although it will not exclude other angles, like for example the safety failings at the mine and 'how companies make stacks of money'.

'This is the first Chilean tragedy with a happy ending up to this point,' Ortuzar said.

These miners have changed our outlook, because we're pessimistic,' Ortuzar said. 'All Chile thought that the majority of the miners were dead. And they all turned out to be alive, and on top of that in good spirits.'

Angelina Jolie, has condemned the plans of an American church to burn copies of the Quran on the ninth anniversary of the Sep 11 terrorist attacks

Angelina condemns US church's plan to burn Quran
ians [ Thu, Sep 9, 2010 ]


London, Sep 9 (IANS) Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, who is on a visit to flood-hit areas in Pakistan as UN Goodwill Ambassador, has condemned the plans of an American church to burn copies of the Quran on the ninth anniversary of the Sep 11 terrorist attacks.

I have hardly the words that somebody would do that to somebody's religious book,' contactmusic.com quoted her as saying.

Jolie also spoke about her sympathy for the people of Pakistan where 1,500 people have been killed and 20 million have been affected by the floods.

I was shocked, especially by how high the flood waters went. In some of the people's houses, it was 9 feet high,' she said.

There's lots of speculation about why this one has not gotten the attention it deserves. Even all of the wonderful coverage is not getting the response that usually it's able to get,' she said.

Christian pastor Terry Jones has caused a furore in Islamic countries by announcing plans to set fire to the Quran at his church, Dove World

An Mumbai-based documentary filmmaker is finally set to be released from a Texas jail after pleading 'no contest' Video.

Indian filmmaker Vijay Kumar set to return home after pleading guilty
Arun Kumar [ Thu, Sep 9, 2010 ]

Washington, Sep 9 (IANS) An Mumbai-based documentary filmmaker is finally set to be released from a Texas jail after pleading 'no contest' to charges of illegally carrying brass knuckles in his luggage to avoid a lengthy trial.

Vijay Kumar, 40, who was arrested at Houston airport Aug 20 after being found carrying the prohibited item and 'jihadist' literature Wednesday pleaded 'no contest' to a misdemeanour weapons charge in exchange for time served.

A resident of Malad in Mumbai, Kumar was sentenced to 20 days in jail and given credit for time served. Kumar agreed to the plea deal to avoid further jail time and immigration charges.

He's just a victim of circumstance,' said his attorney Grant Scheiner. 'They should have just dismissed the case once they found out he had relied on a TSA (Transportation Security Administration) website,' he said.

He'd even checked the TSA regulations on the Internet and was told it was OK to transport brass knuckles as long as they were in your checked-in bags,' the attorney said.

But as brass knuckles aren't legal in Texas, Kumar who was on his way to Vancouver, Canada, to attend a peace conference at the invitation of a Hindu organisation was charged with carrying a prohibited weapon.

The judge ordered his passport seized, federal authorities revoked his visa and then immigration held him in Harris County jail for failure to have a passport.

Watch Vijay Kumar Video:



'I don't think he ever wants to come back to America again,' Scheiner said.

Kumar will be returned to federal detention where he is expected to be processed and 'voluntarily deported' back to India.

'I was so scared. What is going on with me? But after that I feel if I am not wrong, then their people cannot do anything wrong with me,' Kumar told Houston's KTRK-TV.

Hollywood actress Hilary Duff has reportedly been spotted with the script of the new 'Spider-Man' movie,

Hilary Duff to star in new 'Spider-Man'?
IANS [ Thu, Sep 9, 2010 ]


London, Sep 9 (IANS) Hollywood actress Hilary Duff has reportedly been spotted with the script of the new 'Spider-Man' movie, sparking rumours that she is to appear in the film franchise.

According to contactmusic.com, the actress was spotted with a script entitled 'Spider-Man' with a character called 'Girl' highlighted on it.

However, it has been claimed the new movie which sees British actor Andrew Garfield take on the role of Peter Parker, previously played by Tobey Maguire, would not feature Mary Jane Watson, the lead female previously portrayed by Kirsten Dunst.

Hilary recently appeared in 'Gossip Girl' (2009) and has number of movies to be coming up in 2011, including 'Dolphin's Tale' and 'The Gift Horse'.

She is also working on 'The Story of Bonnie and Clyde' alongside Thora Birch, which is due for release later this year.

The BFI London film fest,to be held Oct 13-28,will have a strong female presence with 57 women directors among the 197 feature films&112 short films.

Portman to promote new movie at London film festival
IANS [ Thu, Sep 9, 2010 ]


London, Sep 9 (IANS) Hollywood actress Natalie Portman will be attending the 54th British Film Institute (BFI) London Film Festival to promote her new movie 'Black Swan'.
The actress is among a huge line-up of stars expected to attend the event, reports contactmusic.com.

'Black Swan', in which Portman plays a troubled ballet dancer, will be showcased at the festival. The movie had recently opened the Venice film festival.

The BFI London film fest, to be held Oct 13-28, will have a strong female presence with 57 women directors among the 197 feature films and 112 short films.

'From the playful to the precise, the surreal to the stringently social-realist, it's hard to recollect a year when the programme has been quite so diverse. Well-known and highly-regarded directors including Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, Catherine Breillat and Errol Morris would feature alongside iconoclastic provocateurs Takashi Miike, Jean-Luc Godard and Gregg Araki,' said Sandra Hebron, artistic director of the BFI London Film Festival.

"Dhobi Ghat' is a film that will work on the international stage, and I think she (Kiran) is a super talented filmmaker.''

'Dhobi Ghat' will go global: Toronto fest boss
By Gurmukh Singh


Toronto, Sep 8 (IANS) 'Dhobi Ghat' is a rare movie to come out of Bollywood and it is meant for the global stage, says Cameron Bailey, co-director of the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) where the film will be premiered this week. It is the first non-masala, non-song-and-dance film from Bollywood to make to the world's premier film festival which opens here Thursday to showcase about 300 films from around the world.

Set in the monsoon Mumbai season, the film revolves around intertwined lives of Aamir Khan (Arun in the lead role), and Monica Dogra (NRI girl Shai) and Prateik Babbar (washerboy Munna).

Praising director Kiran Rao and her husband Aamir Khan in the lead role for doing a "terrific, terrific job,'' Bailey told IANS: "'Dhobi Ghat' is really not a masala move. It has no song, no dancing. It's really an independent film - a story that's a love letter to Mumbai, it's very much about the people of Mumbai. And it has Aamir Khan in a role of an artist that you often don't see him in - he has done a terrific job. The film's three intertwined stories really give you the feel, the texture of Mumbai today.''

Asked why he picked up the film for the festival, he said, "I love the film - it's that simple. I have talking to them for months. When I saw it in July in Mumbai, I fell in love with it. It is very beautifully done. It's very provocative, romantic. It really captures the feel of Mumbai - the things I love about the city, the vibrancy of the place, the feel of its streets, and the people. And it all happens in the monsoon season so that you get the texture of the rain, and how it feels to be there at that time of the year.''

Bailey added, "It is a film of great ambition - it is doing things that we don't see in Indian cinema very often. Then you have Aamir Khan - who I think is really one of the national treasures of India - in the lead role. All these things combined made it a movie we had to have here.''

With 'Dhobi Ghat,' the Toronto film festival boss said, Kiran Rao has made a dream directorial debut.

"This is her first directorial effort, though she has been working on films for years. I think she is part of a generation of filmmakers that we are seeing come up now in India - a new school in international cinema. This generation is not making films out of the Indian commercial cinema context, but making films that are referencing American independent cinema or European cinema or Asian cinema.

"Kiran has talked to me about being influenced by a couple of Asian film makers - Tsai-Ming Liang from Taiwan and Wong Kar-wai from Hong Kong. So I find that there is now a kind of dialogue happening among filmmakers in different parts of the world.''

He said, ""Dhobi Ghat' is a film that will work on the international stage, and I think she (Kiran) is a super talented filmmaker.''

Apart from 'Dhobi Ghat,' Anurag Kashyap's 'The Girl in Yellow Boots' is another main Indian entry at this year's film festival.

Actor Anupam Kher, who has been occupied with many non-cinema activities, is most excited about 'Power Within', a chain of workshops,

Anupam Kher's 'Power Within' project to heal souls
By Subhash K. Jha


Mumbai, Sep 9 (IANS) Actor Anupam Kher, who has been occupied with many non-cinema activities, is most excited about 'Power Within', a chain of workshops, which he will start next year to heal, nurture and nurse the human spirit back to health.

"My idea of these spiritual clinics came about when I lectured on the subject of self-actualisation some time ago. So many of us, specially from the small towns, suffer from low self-esteem," Anupam told IANS.

"When I came to Mumbai to become an actor I was made to feel small about everything, from my broken English to my lack of table manners. That's when I realised I don't need people's approval. I need to like myself, be comfortable with my own personality. That's what the 'Power Within' workshops will strive to achieve," he said.

For starters, Anupam will enroll some of his colleagues from the film industry who admit to being low on self-worth.

The chain of workshops will go global after opening in India next year.

Anupam feels his play "Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai" has taught him to value his failures as well as his successes.

An exhibition held Tuesday highlighted one endeavour by a painter to understand the importance of Anupam's failures. "Geeta Dass did not paint me as a hero. She portrayed my failures in the exhibition. That's what I liked," Anupam said.

The chief guest at the exhibition was none other than Amitabh Bachchan.

"I didn't have to ask him more than once. He immediately responded and agreed. What really sets the failures apart from their successes is the way you cope with time and people. Deriving pleasure in making people wait for your response is not a sign of importance. It just shows how small you are in your self-important space," Anupam said.

26-year-old moved to Bolivia as a young girl with her mother after her parents divorced.

British-born ex-beauty queen aspires high in Bolivia
9 September 2010 Last updated at 14:17 GMT
By Dave Lee BBC World Service




Ms Jordan believes she is winning over those who thought she had no substance

"My mother saw that I was too much into sports, and I wasn't much of a girly girl, so she put me into some modelling classes - and I liked it!"
Jessica Anne Jordan Burton's background gave no indications that she would end up in politics.
Born in the Somerset town of Bath in England, the 26-year-old moved to Bolivia as a young girl with her mother after her parents divorced.
She was crowned Miss Bolivia in 2006. Four years later she is now responsible for development in Beni, north- east Bolivia.
It is an area which suffers serious poverty, caused in part by a lack of basic services and infrastructure. The cocaine trade dominates the local economy.
Ms Jordan says she spends her day-to-day life travelling the area, meeting people in ministries and making recommendations to the central government over how and where to invest money - important decisions which determine the allocation of a $700m development pot.
Her rapid journey into frontline politics began when she was preparing to enter Miss Universe and met Bolivian President, Evo Morales.
"I talked to him and I said I admired him for what he was achieving," she recalled.
"He was a man that suffered the real poverty in our country and now he is the president."
The discussion clearly left a lasting impression. Ms Jordan did not win the competition - Miss Japan took the prize - but she did win the backing of Mr Morales, who soon encouraged her to stand against Beni's elected governor, Ernesto Suarez.
"They knew it was going to be hard. I lost by 2,900 votes," says Ms Jordan.
"It was very, very close - and after the elections, after I lost, the president invited me to be director of development in my region.
"Obviously I accepted because I had 40% of votes."

Fierce opponents
It was a controversial appointment. The director of development position did not exist prior to Ms Jordan losing the election, and critics suggested that the role acted in competition with the elected governor, who is a member of the opposition.
"Sometimes there is discrimination only because you're young and you're a woman," Ms Jordan said.
"The president is a huge example of this. I think people that have love for their country can do much more than people that are only there looking for their own ambition."
Much was made of her distinctively un-political background, and there has been criticism that her good looks and fame have disguised a serious lack of experience in politics.
"I think that the physical thing… it did affect me at the beginning. It doesn't anymore because I already proved that I can do it and that I am doing it, so now it's different.
"Tell me where is the experience of the people that's been working in Beni for so long, for 10 years, and we don't have the basic services, we don't have connections.
"The economy here is poor - and we have so many natural resources that we could use to grow."
Her background has no doubt provoked fierce opposition in Bolivia's political scene, but these arguably pale in comparison to the risks she says she faces as she attempts to tackle Beni's drugs trade.
"I have big enemies," she says.
"My life is [at] risk, of course, but I think more in risk is my own region than my own life. I think that we have to work the best we can to leave something behind because we're not going to take anything with us. It doesn't really get into my mind."
However, it is a worry that concerns her family.
"My grandmother lives in England, and when she saw the news she said 'please take care'. She confessed to me that she was happy I didn't win [the election]."
Ms Jordan's grandmother may not be so happy in two and half years as her granddaughter plans to again stand against Mr Suárez as Beni goes to the polls again.
"I'm counting the actual governor's days because I'm working really hard," she says.
If Ms Jordan does succeed in her quest for elected office, she may face a fresh wave of criticism, particularly if she, and Mr Morales, opt not to appoint a replacement for her as director of development.

The chair of the Mercury Prize has claimed that black British female artists are being ignored by the British public.

UK 'blind' to British black female artists
9 September 2010 Last updated at 17:00 GMT
By Colin Paterson BBC entertainment reporter


The chair of the Mercury Prize has claimed that black British female artists are being ignored by the British public.
Simon Frith told the BBC that "Britain has a blind-spot" when it comes to new female urban acts.

Last year's Mercury winner, Speech Debelle, fared worse than this year's victors, The xx
The xx - this year's Mercury winners - have seen sales of their album increase by 300%, but last year's victor, Speech Debelle, struggled to shift copies.

"Black female music has always had a particularly tough time," Frith said.

The xx's eponymous debut album is expected to climb into the top five on Sunday, its highest chart position after more than a year on release.
Alexandra Burke Alexandra Burke is set to score her third solo number one this week

Debelle's Speech Therapy, by contrast, sold fewer than 3,000 copies in the week following her triumph, rising to 66 in the charts before dropping out the following week.

"I think we've known over the years that British tastes have sort of blind-spots," Mr Frith said.

"It may be radio play or playlists, promoters or whatever it is. Some sort of music instantly has appeal which gets lots and lots of attention.

"There's other sorts of music which will struggle whether they win the Mercury or don't win the Mercury.

At the moment, there are no black British female singers in the UK singles and albums charts, unless they have featured on a TV talent show.

"Unless you are in the mode of a certain type of entertainer it's very hard space to occupy," said Mr Frith.

Sales of urban music in the UK are on a high - up 32.9% in the first eight months of 2010, compared to the same period last year.

Within the genre, black US females, such as Rihanna and Beyonce, fare well. So do their male British counterparts - with Taio Cruz, Chipmunk and Tinie Tempah all scoring top 10 hits in the 12 months.

This weekend's singles chart, meanwhile, will see new entries from Alesha Dixon and 2008 X Factor winner Alexandra Burke - whose Start Without You is expected to debut at number one.

Mr Frith has been the chair of the judges for the Mercury Prize since it started in 1992.

Work is priority- Bipasha Basu
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 13:30 [IST]
By: Upala KBR, Mid-Day



Work comes first for Bipasha Basu, even before a planned holiday with the beau. Bips was to go on a ten-day vacation to London this week with boyfriend John Abraham. The two have now postponed their trip to October this year, when John starts shooting for Desi Boyz there.

Says the actress, "A lot of work suddenly came up. And so, I had to postpone my London holiday. Work is priority. I want to complete all pending assignments and endorsements before I leave for any holiday. But I don't mind. I will go there next month, when John shoots for Desi Boyz in London. It's better for me as I can also spend time with him."

London won't be Bipasha's only holiday destination. Bipasha says, "I will also be going to Philadelphia in USA to visit my best friend Suzy. She went there a few months ago and I miss her like crazy. Her second baby is due in October and I hope to meet them then. Her in-laws are all settled there so she won't be able to return to India until next year."

Bipasha is depressed that her best friend of over 12 years has shifted to Philadelphia. "Suzy is like my support system. I have known her ever since I started my career as a model. She's a producer." Bipasha jokingly adds that she's upset with Suzy's husband for taking her away to Philadelphia. "We keep in touch through e-mails, phone and Skype but it's not enough. When I want to cry or feel depressed, I can't call her."

He did a film called Good Boy, Bad Boy and now he is doing a film called Crook: It's Good To Be Bad. What a coincidence. This film,

Emraan Hashmi’s vampire look in Crook
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 10:53 [IST]
Courtesy: Bollywood Hungama


He did a film called Good Boy, Bad Boy and now he is doing a film called Crook: It's Good To Be Bad. What a coincidence. This film, produced by the Bhatts, is an issue based film handled in a typical Bollywood style. The story revolves around Emraan Khan, a guy living in Australia, facing racial discrimination being an Indian, the kind that has been doing the rounds lately in news.

Bhatts are also known for the music in their films which almost always turn out to be chartbusters. The music for Crook is scored by the music maestro Pritam, which means it's certainly something to look out for. The picturisation of the songs would also be interesting as for one of the songs Emraan has done something rather interesting. Mohit Suri, the director of the film was shooting a song 'Mere Bina' in Australia and wanted to add some fun element in it but wasn't getting his head around it and cancelled the shoot for the day. That was when Emraan entered a store that was selling a plethora of crazy stuff right from wigs to hats to other props and he started trying out fake vampire teeth and wigs. Looking at him, Mohit knew instantly that this was exactly what he needed in the song.

Mohit convinced Emraan to go for it and the audience would now see Emraan dressed up like a blonde girl to acting like a Vampire, after all entertainment ke liye kuchh bhi karega. Talking about his experience in the song Emraan says, "It was a fun shoot and it really took me by surprise when Mohit asked for an impromptu shoot because we were only entertaining ourselves in the shop and I did not know that he had such thoughts in his mind. I was hesitant at first but when we realized that it was all about having fun and being casual and our natural best, we just crossed all the limits and that can be seen in the film itself. I have been romancing girls in my films and myself dressing up as a girl was something really very, very funny. The song will be out soon and I am hoping people will like it."

As seen in most movies by Bhatts earlier, a newcomer will be opposite Emraan. This time the lady to watch out for is the pretty Neha Sharma. As for the number of kisses in the film, you'll have to wait and watch. The film is slated to release on October 8.

One of the very talented young actors of Bollywood Sonu Sood, who plays the role of a young politician called Cheedi Singh in the movie Dabangg.

I am the Gabbar Singh of Dabangg- Sonu Sood
Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 12:27 [IST]


One of the very talented young actors of Bollywood Sonu Sood, who plays the role of a young politician called Cheedi Singh in the upcoming movie Dabangg, is highly hopeful to return with his character in the sequel of the movie.

The movie is yet to release this week but the report of its sequel is rife from now. Sonu plays the villain in the Salman Khan starrer movie. He has recently promised to return in the sequel too. The actor said that a sequel will happen surely but he does not want to reveal much about it.

Speaking about his role, Sood said that the character of Cheedi completes Salman’s character Chulbul Pandey as they compliment each other. Cheedi is a very powerful character, who adds humour to the negativity, the actor said. He added that the character is almost same like that of Gabbar Singh of Sholay.

The movie has been directed by Abhinav Kashyap, brother of renowned filmmaker Anurah Kashyap and is produced by Arbaaz Khan. It is totally action packed film, which will show the first ever oil fight sequence in Bollywood.

Romeo, who plays another antagonist in the movie, added that Dabangg is the first Hindi movie that has included an oil fight sequence. He said that it was fun and at the same time painful to shot these sequences. Romeo added that both Salman and he have done the stunts on their own.

The film also stars veteran actors like Vinod Khanna, Om Puri and Dimple Kapadia in important roles.

Everyone is now curious to watch Dabangg so the sequel can wait!

Asif fears that match fixing allegations could make him the potential target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld.

Asif might seek for political asylum in Britain
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 14:44 [IST]


Pakistan fast bowler, Mohammad Asif who has been suspended by the ICC for his alleged involvement in spot-fixing and under investigation for the same has reportedly considered to seek political asylum in Britain fearing a violent backlash at home.

Asif fears that match fixing allegations could make him the potential target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the Pakistan bowler had a 35-minute meeting with an immigration lawyer last Friday. During the meeting, he told the lawyer that he feared the allegations of spot-fixing in the fourth Test match against England could make him the target of dangerous criminal gangs linked to the illegal betting underworld.

The newspaper said that the 27-year-old fast bowler asked an intermediary to arrange a meeting
with the lawyer in London last week, and the meeting apparently took place on Friday in a Pakistani restaurant in Southall, west London.

'He didn't say anything about asylum at first. He just said, 'What's the way to stay?' Then we told him there's the student way - you can come here to study - or you can apply for a work permit. But then he asked about asylum,' the daily quoted a lawyer, who arranged the meeting, as telling it on the condition of anonymity.

The reports also stated that Asif was visibly 'very anxious' and was accompanied by an unidentified older man.

'I think he's just worried about the backlash at home -- that's what he told me. There's been a lot of talk and there are undercover betting mafias with a lot of power. That seemed to be what he was worried about,' the lawyer said.

Asif also asked the lawyer to what would be a way to stay in Britain and also went on to discuss the asylum process with the solicitor, from London firm Malik and Malik.

The daily also reported that Asif would await the results of investigations by Scotland Yard and the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Asif maintains that he is innocent, but criminal charges carry a potential jail term and the ICC could ban him for life from the sport.

Immigration experts said Asif had a good chance of getting asylum if he can prove a considerable threat to his life.

It is tough for Pakistanis to be granted asylum, and according to Home Office figures in 2009, only 65 were given shelter in Britain.

A leading immigration lawyer also said that Asif could apply for refugee status if he first proved a well-founded fear of being persecuted' by a gang who were out to cause him harm.

Clive Donner, the British film director whose movies helped set the tone for the swinging sixties, died Tuesday at the age of 84, his family said.

Swinging sixties British film director dies
Updated at: 0900 PST, Thursday, September 09, 2010


LONDON: Clive Donner, the British film director whose movies helped set the tone for the swinging sixties, died Tuesday at the age of 84, his family said.

He had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease and died in London.

Donner's career began at Pinewood Studios outside London when he was 15, his cousin Gavin Asher said.

"One of the things he was most proud of was what he did for the careers of quite a lot of British actors including Alan Bates, David Hemmings and Ian McKellen," he said.

"A lot of them went on to eclipse his fame and success but he was very giving in that sense."

Donner directed "Nothing But The Best", a 1964 comedy featuring Bates and Denholm Elliott.

He directed 1965 comedy "What's New Pussycat?", starring Peter Sellers, Peter O'Toole, Woody Allen, and Ursula Andress, and "Luv" (1967), featuring Jack Lemmon and Peter Falk.

Coming of age film "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush" (1968) captured the spirit of the times.

"He was a man of the sixties and those films were the very essence of swinging London," Asher said.

Donner later moved to Los Angeles to work in television.

He and his late wife had no children.

Bollywood handsome hunks Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan who fell in love with a same girl, Kareena once again show a same view regarding a project.

Saif, Shahid refuse to do Bharadwaj’s Dreams
Updated at: 1125 PST, Thursday, September 09, 2010


MUMBAI: Bollywood handsome hunks Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan who fell in love with a same girl, Kareena once again show a same view regarding a project. Both the actors have refused to work in filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj’s remake of Hollywood blockbuster ‘Inception’.

Now the matter to think about is that when Vishal is an ace director then why the leading duo has said a Big NO to this offer?

Well, Shahid was Vishal’s first choice for the role who declined the offer with a reason that he wished to work with the filmmaker in ‘Kaminey 2’. Then came a turn to approach Saif who said no to the director after he refused to make the requested changes in the script.

The source reveals, “Bhardwaj is a director who sticks to his script and vision. Often, many actors are apprehensive and nervous before signing up for a character in Bhardwaj’s films.

Both Saif and Shahid took a long time to say ‘yes’ to Bhardwaj for ‘Omkara’ as well as ‘Kaminey’. This time too, the role is very challenging but fruitful.”

Talking about the film, it added, ‘Dreams’ is a story, which is narrated in a dream. Though the plot resembles a bit with the recent Hollywood blockbuster Inception, Bhardwaj was ready with the script of Dreams much before Inception released.”

New York's Spring-Summer 2011 Fashion Week kicked off Wednesday in new digs at the prestigious Lincoln Center.

New York Fashion Week kicks off in new digs
Updated at: 1242 PST, Thursday, September 09, 2010


NEW YORK: New York's Spring-Summer 2011 Fashion Week kicked off Wednesday in new digs at the prestigious Lincoln Center.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg opened the event and temporarily renamed the city's number one subway route the "Fashion Line" in honor of the week running until September 16th.

Starting Thursday, designers from around the world will show their creations in tents set up in Damrosch Park within the Lincoln Center complex hosting the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet and New York Symphony Orchestra.

The New York event is the first of the four principal twice-a-year fashion weeks, followed by London, Milan and Paris.

"Starting tomorrow, one of the world?s most eye-catching events comes to one of the world?s greatest cultural institutions, as we kick off Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center," Bloomberg said.

"For years, the famed fashion tents have drawn people from all over the world to New York City, and the buzz is even greater this year with it debuting at its new home at Lincoln Center."

Fashion Week in New York is attended by some 230,000 people and brings an estimated 770 million dollars in economic activity to a city where 175,000 people are employed in the fashion industry, the mayor's office says.

Until this year Fashion Week always took place in more cramped conditions at Bryant Park, near Times Square.

"Lincoln Center is an ideal location for the semi-annual events, with more outdoor space than was available at Bryant Park and terrific transit access, including the Number One subway line, or as it will be called this week: The Fashion Line," Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg was accompanied at the opening ceremony by designer and Council of Fashion Designers of America president Diane von Furstenberg, whose collection will be shown Sunday.

Friday will feature "Fashion Night Out" when city stores stay open late and fashionistas are encouraged to shop and party into the wee hours.

The California company ended the mystery by unveiling "Google Instant" -- a zippier route to Web search results.

Google unveils faster Internet search
Updated at: 1456 PST, Thursday, September 09, 2010



SAN FRANCISCO: Internet powerhouse Google is giving Web searchers the thrill of speed with a turbocharged engine that displays suggested Web links as fast as a person can type.

After two days of teasingly tinkering with the Google logo, or "doodle," atop its home page, the California company ended the mystery by unveiling "Google Instant" -- a zippier route to Web search results.

As users type in a query, the Google search box suggests terms and shows results for the top suggestion.

"Google Instant actually gets queries and gives you search results as you type and streams those results to your computer," Google vice president of search products and user experience Marissa Mayer said.

"We are actually predicting what query you are likely to do and giving you results for that. There is actually a psychic element to it," Mayer said at a press event in the San Francisco Museum of Art.

Instant began rolling out Wednesday in the United States and would expand to Britain, France, Germany, Russia and three other countries during the course of the coming week, according to Mayer.

"We are really excited about what Google Instant could mean in terms of the evolution of search," Mayer said. "We think Google Instant is a quantum leap forward in search."

Google is putting finishing touches on a version of Instant for smartphones and other mobile devices and should release it in the next several months, according to Mayer.

"I think this is a piece of an ever-changing landscape of computing," said Google co-founder Sergey Brin. "Things coming out in the next decade from Google and other companies will really change the way we do computing."

Brin joked that he has started toying with saying "Google wants to be the third half of your brain."

As queries are typed in black letters, "auto-complete" software developed by Google engineers tries to predict the subjects of searches.

"You have to truly use Google and see for yourself to understand the power," Google Instant director of product management Johanna Wright said.

"Instant results plus predictions -- when you start typing results display on the screen instantly; there is no need to hit the enter key or the search button," she said.

Brin credited software innovations in-house and faster, cheaper computer chips with making it possible for Google data centers to manage the leap in the amount of data handled by turning each query into an ever evolving query.

"We did have to spend a lot more computer power on it, and it is really thanks to all of those advances in semiconductors and multi-core processors that we can do this," Brin said.

The new tool shaves seconds off searches at Google, which prides itself on the speed with which it finds what people seek on the Internet.

More than a billion people use Google search monthly, meaning that aggregate time saved quickly rockets into thousands of hours daily, according to Mayer.

Search Engine Land website editor Danny Sullivan said Instant promised to add an "Oh wow!" effect to using the world's most popular Internet search engine.

"But it might also be annoying when it doesn't get things right," Sullivan said. "I also think it wouldn't be that hard for competitors to copy."

The Instant launch came shortly after Microsoft's rival search engine Bing began handling online queries at Yahoo! Web pages in an alliance aimed at taking on Google.

"We think it is a great differentiator; search is going to be easier and more fun on Google," Mayer said.

"We are really happy with how well this sets us apart from the competition."

Matt Rosoff of private analyst firm Directions On Microsoft doubted that Instant would make much difference in the battle for Internet search market share.

"It's a nice improvement, but I can't see it really changing the search game a lot," Rosoff said.

"It is sort of the same problem Bing has been facing: many people are really happy with their Google results and it is hard to improve on that."

Ripple effects of Instant are expected to be felt by websites that tailor designs or content to rank high in Google query results in a tactic called "search engine optimization."

"With Instant, people might not be as prone to finish a query and change search patterns," Rosoff said.

"It is a big change for companies trying to get listed in search results. Lots of companies make or lose millions of dollars based on search engine optimization and their Google strategy."

UCSF researchers today unveiled a prototype model of the first implantable artificial kidney,

US scientists prepare first artificial implantable kidney
Updated at: 1445 PST, Thursday, September 09, 2010


WASHINGTON: UCSF researchers today unveiled a prototype model of the first implantable artificial kidney, in a development that one day could eliminate the need for dialysis.

The device, which would include thousands of microscopic filters as well as a bioreactor to mimic the metabolic and water-balancing roles of a real kidney, is being developed in a collaborative effort by engineers, biologists and physicians nationwide, led by Shuvo Roy, PhD, in the UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences.

The treatment has been proven to work for the sickest patients using a room-sized external model developed by a team member in Michigan. Roy’s goal is to apply silicon fabrication technology, along with specially engineered compartments for live kidney cells, to shrink that large-scale technology into a device the size of a coffee cup. The device would then be implanted in the body without the need for immune suppressant medications, allowing the patient to live a more normal life.

“This device is designed to deliver most of the health benefits of a kidney transplant, while addressing the limited number of kidney donors each year,” said Roy, an associate professor in the UCSF School of Pharmacy who specializes in developing micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology for biomedical applications. “This could dramatically reduce the burden of renal failure for millions of people worldwide, while also reducing one of the largest costs in U.S. healthcare.”

The team has established the feasibility of an implantable model in animal models and plans to be ready for clinical trials in five to seven years.

End-stage renal disease, or chronic kidney failure, affects more than 500,000 people per year in the United States alone, and currently is only fully treated with a kidney transplant. That number has been rising between 5-7 percent per year, Roy said, in part because of the kidney damage associated with diabetes and hypertension.

Yet transplants are difficult to obtain: a mere 17,000 donated kidneys were available for transplant last year, while the number of patients on the transplant waiting list currently exceeds 85,000, according to the Organ Procurement ant Transplant Network.

Roughly 350,000 patients are reliant on kidney dialysis, Roy explained, which comes at a tremendous cost. The Medicare system alone spends $25 billion on treatments for kidney failure – more than 6 percent of the total budget – while the disease affects only 1 percent of Medicare recipients, he said. That cost includes almost $75,000 per patient each year for dialysis, according to the U.S. Renal Data System.

Nearly 400,000 people in the United States--and as many as two million worldwide--rely on dialysis machines to filter toxins from their blood because of chronic kidney failure.

Patients must be tethered to machines at least three times a week for three to five hours at a stretch. Even then, a dialysis machine is only about 13 percent as effective as a functional kidney, and the five-year survival rate of patients on dialysis is just 33 to 35 percent.

To restore health, patients need a kidney transplant, and there just aren't enough donor organs to go around. In August, there were 85,000 patients on the U.S. waiting list for a kidney, while only 17,000 kidney transplants took place last year.

A collaborative, multidisciplinary group of labs is working to create the first implantable artificial kidney. The prototype, revealed last week, is compact, no larger than a soup can. It not only filters toxins out of the bloodstream but also uses human kidney cells to perform other vital functions, such as regulating blood pressure and producing vitamin D.

"Dialysis is not only time-consuming, but it's also debilitating. Many patients don't feel good, because it's not doing all the functions of a normal, healthy kidney," says bioengineer Shuvo Roy, whose lab at the University of California, San Francisco produced the new device and is already testing it in animals. "The kidney doesn't just filter toxins. It also has metabolic functions and hormonal functions, and dialysis doesn't capture these abilities."

Making an artificial kidney small enough to fit inside the body is, however, a big challenge. A healthy kidney filters 90 liters of water each day. Current dialysis machines are the size of a small refrigerator, and require substantial pressure to pump enough water through the machine's porous membranes to allow contaminants to be filtered out of the blood.

The Miami-born actress, Eva Mendes, has indeed become the latest star to appear in a sex tape.

Eva Mendes Makes a Sex Tape

The Miami-born actress, Eva Mendes, has indeed become the latest star to appear in a sex tape. But before all you red-blooded males high-tail it off this site and look elsewhere for said video, we must reveal that Ms Mendes' tape is actually a spoof commercial for comedy clip website, Funny or Die.

In the clip, the actress - who you'll next see alongside Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in the comedy The Other Guys on 2 September - tries her hand at infomercials to promote her own brand of duct tape called - S.EX. Tape.

The video begins with Mendes seen fumbling around in night vision - a la Paris Hilton's infamous sex tape - before the lights come on and we learn that she's not promoting a bedroom romp, but rather a tape (geddit... actual tape).

"[People] want a tape that Secures things EXtremely well – S.EX. tape!" says Mendes over some cheesy advert music. The actress also concedes that English isn't her first language, but figured there was money to be made when she saw that "Eva Mendes sex tape" was a highly searched Google term even before the product existed.

"Now, English isn't my first language," Mendes says, "but it doesn't take a genius to know what tape is!"

Watch Eva's S. EX tape below...

Eva Mendes Sex Tape from Eva Mendes

Actress Halle Berry has been spotted making out with her ‘Dark Tide’ co-star Olivier Martinez in his hometown of Paris.

Halle Berry cozies up to ‘Dark Tide’ co-star Olivier Martinez
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 15:13 [IST]


Washington (ANI): Actress Halle Berry has been spotted making out with her ‘Dark Tide’ co-star Olivier Martinez
in his hometown of Paris. The two have been seen smooching and exploring the city, embracing a Hollywood-style romance straight out of a movie.

"It was the classic ''I'm going to kiss you here in a dark corner move," People magazine quoted an onlooker as saying of their romantic romp. "And she was waiting to be kissed," the source added. The duo spent Sunday afternoon combing through the streets arm in arm, taking in a pit stop at the Paris flea market.

"They had their arms around each other as they walked," the onlooker said. "They were both smiling and laughing. Their body language was very flirtatious. They definitely seemed like a couple – absolutely looked like more than friends,” the onlooker added.

The two sped off on Martinez's motorcycle before dining at the intimate Casa Bini restaurant. After dinner, Martinez led Berry on a cozy back-streets tour of the St. Germain district at dusk, including Place Saint-Sulpice and its fountain. En route to his Paris pad, the couple stopped along a narrow street and kissed in a doorway for two minutes, an onlooker said.

Slamming all rumours of Kate Moss’ break-up with Topshop, the supermodel cum fashion designer has confirmed her continuing partnership .

Kate Moss to continue working with Topshop
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 16:24 [IST]



Wellington, (ANI): Slamming all rumours of Kate Moss’ break-up with Topshop, the supermodel cum fashion designer has confirmed her continuing partnership with the fashion retailing brand.

Buzz up!
In a recent statement, Moss explained that from now on she will work with the store's design team to create Limited edition 'drop-in' collections, rather than continuing with her current seasonal ranges.


"Topshop can confirm that the inimitable fashion partnership between Kate Moss and Topshop will enter a new phase in 2011. In the new format, Kate and the Topshop design team will focus on creating Limited Edition drop-in collections, replacing the current Seasonal Collections," Stuff.co.nz quoted the statement as saying.

Kate has been designing for Topshop since 2007 and her unique sense of style has made the range one of the shop's best-selling lines. She has selected her top 10 favourite dresses from her previous collections that will be retailed under the new label titled ‘Iconic Kate’.

Kate's final seasonal collection will go on sale across the globe in October and will combine glamorous evening gowns
with vintage-style knitwear and girly dresses.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell’s billionaire boyfriend is reportedly set to buy her the former house of real-life.

Naomi's beau to buy her Desdemona's House?
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 16:47 [IST]



New York, (ANI): Supermodel Naomi Campbell’s billionaire boyfriend is reportedly set to buy her the former house of real-life Shakespearean heroine Desdemona.

According to Italian news agency ANSA, the Palazzo Contarini-Fasan, a 'flowery Gothic' structure that overlooks Venice’s Grand Canal, has come to be known to locals as 'Desdemona’s House', though there is no historical evidence to back up the legend.

Desdemona was a noblewoman, who was murdered by her jealous husband, and she is believed to have been the inspiration for Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Othello’, the New York Post reported.

Now 40-year-old Cambell’s billionaire boyfriend Vladislav Voronin is rumoured to be buying the property for her. Russian tabloid Trud reported the couple met with the owners of the Palazzo and had a contract drawn up.

Ben Affleck has revealed his new look-full head of grey hair-at the Venice Film Festival where he appeared with 'The Town' co-star Rebecca Hall.

Ben Affleck shows off grey hair at Venice Film Festival
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 17:15 [IST]


New York (ANI): Ben Affleck has revealed his new look-full head of grey hair-at the Venice Film Festival where he appeared with 'The Town' co-star Rebecca Hall. During the new flick promotion, the 38-year-old actor's naturally dark mane was replaced with shocking full head of gray hair.

Affleck's new look may come as a surprise to some fans since he was recently sporting a dark mop in July, reports the New York Daily News. His sudden mature appearance now has skeptics believing that he's been maintaining his youthful look with the help of some hair dye.

'The Town' written by Affleck opens in theaters nationwide Sept. 17.

Rumours are abuzz that ‘Twilight’ star Robert Pattinson is set to appear in the final episode of American drama comedy show ‘Entourage’.

Robert Pattinson set for ‘Entourage’ cameo?
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 14:06 [IST]


Sydney (ANI): Rumours are abuzz that ‘Twilight’ star Robert Pattinson is set to appear in the final episode of American drama comedy show ‘Entourage’. Apart from Pattinson, both Eminem and Christina Aguilera have confirmed they will be making cameo appearances in the show’s final episode.

Pattinson – who was catapulted to fame after playing Edward Cullen
in hit film franchise Twilight – recently revealed he intends to continue his intense shooting schedule for the foreseeable future.

“I just want to work as much as I am now. I like working all the time because I spent so many years before Twilight just doing stuff for two or three months of the year. The rest of the time I'd do nothing, or I'd just have tiny little jobs," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted the 24-year-old star as saying.

The series six finale of ‘Entourage’ famously included cameo appearances from Matt Damon and Bono.

Karissa Shannon's extremely erotic sex tape surfaces
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 14:47 [IST]



Washington (ANI): Playboy playmate Karissa Shannon may soon become semi-celebdom's next sex tape debutante – if Vivid Entertainment honcho gets to release her homemade XXX flick. Honcho Steve Hirsch has described the sex tape ‘extremely erotic.’

He actually laid eyes on the tape which co-stars Karissa's boyfriend, 'Smallville' actor Sam Jones III. Hirsch says it was sent to him from 'a reputable third party' and that he'd "love to be able to release it, " reports TMZ. Vivid's chief isn't divulging who dropped the tape in his lap, but does say he's 'very impressed with the quality and content'.

However, Jones said, "I understand that the guy from Vivid saw footage with Karissa and I in it. We have spoken to our legal team and they will be dealing with this ASAP."

Clint Eastwood has revealed that he turned down roles like ‘Superman’ and ‘James Bond’ in his early career.

Clint Eastwood rejected Superman, James Bond roles
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 15:17 [IST]



London (ANI): Clint Eastwood has revealed that he turned down roles like ‘Superman’ and ‘James Bond’ in his early career. The veteran actor said that he was offered a huge sum to take over after Sean Connery stepped aside from the world’s most famous spy’s role, but he refused.

"This was after Sean Connery left. My lawyer represented Cubby Broccoli [who produce the Bond franchise] and he came and said, ''They would love to have you. But to me, well, that was somebody else's gig. That's Sean's deal. It didn't feel right for me to be doing it," the Telegraph quoted the legendary star as saying.

Eastwood also disclosed in an interview with the LA Times that he was lined up to play Superman and was offered pretty good money for that as well but he decided that he was too old for the role of the saviour.

"I can remember – and this was many years ago – when Frank Wells (Warner Bros. President) came to me about doing Superman. So it could have happened. This was when they first started to think about making it. I was like, ''Superman? Nah, nah, that's not for me.'' Not that there's anything wrong with it. It''s for somebody, but not me, " The Dirty Harry star said.

Christopher Reeve played ‘Superman’ in three films before tragically breaking his neck in a riding accident and Connery returned to Bond’s role with a whopping 1-million-dollar deal with Diamonds.

‘Vinayaka Geleyara Balaga’ is getting ready for release in the month of October this year.

Vinayaka Geleyara Galaga' At Dubbing
Updated on: 09 Sep 2010

As expected it did not happen for well known lyricist turned director Dr V Nagendra Prasad. He made plans to release his ‘Vinayaka Gelayara Balaga’ a period cinema for this year Gowri and Ganesha festival. But the film is at the dubbing recording room at Ashwini Recording studio in Vijayanagara.

Dr V Nagendra Prasad takes back the audience mood to 1985 in this film. He has struggled hard to shoot in small lanes in Doddaballapura for this film to give the look of 25 years ago of Bangalore. It is all about youths who organize the Ganesha festival in the roads and rowdy activities creeping in the story. This is a real life story says Nagendra Prasad who is using the steady camera for the entire film shoot. Safety Prakash younger brother of Anaji Nagaraj has kept the steady cam throughout the film on his shoulders and captured the scenes.

The satisfaction for me is the huge Ganesh festival organizing in this more than 5000 people took part and 101 Ganesha idols were immersed for this film says Nagendra Prasad.

Vijaya Raghavendra, Meghana, Naveen Krishna, Pratap, Munish, Punga, Gururaja Hoskote, Gurudut, Shobaraj are in the lead roles.

V Harikrishna has scored the music for this film. 1985 accent of Kannada Malavalli Saikrishna is bringing with some research work for this film. Hosmane Murthy work is also notable because he has to bring the ambience of 1985 for every shot.

‘Vinayaka Geleyara Balaga’ is getting ready for release in the month of October this year.

Actress Katie Holmes is looking forward to expand her family, but the actress insists she wants to wait for a couple of years.

TomKat to have more kids in a couple of years
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 14:01 [IST]


Washington (ANI): actress Katie Holmes is looking forward to expand her family, but the actress insists she wants to wait for a couple of years. It could be a while before she's ready for another sibling for Suri, the actress told Marie Claire in its October issue.

"Maybe in a couple of years, but right now I want to make sure I'm really there for Suri," People Magazine quoted her as saying. Holmes also gushes about her hunky husband.

"It's really exciting. Tom's as big at home as he is on the movie screen. He's so passionate about everything, whatever he's doing. When he's being a dad, he's right there; he's giving it his all. It's inspiring and it's fun. It's an amazing life, but we always remind ourselves of how incredibly lucky we are," she said.

Hollywood beauty Angelina Jolie reportedly encouraged partner Brad Pitt to have plastic surgery.

Jolie encouraged Pitt to have plastic surgery
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 15:38 [IST]



Melbourne (ANI): Hollywood beauty Angelina Jolie reportedly encouraged partner Brad Pitt to have plastic surgery. It has been claimed that the actress persuaded Pitt to visit his plastic surgeon and get some work done. The Hollywood hunk has been getting injections of the wrinkle filler Radiesse to make his face look younger and smoother, reports the National Enquirer, an American tabloid.

"Brad hasn’t looked this good in years — and Angelina is definitely pleased about his makeover," News.com.au quoted a source as saying. "Let’s hope it ignites a new spark in their bedroom. Their troubled relationship could use a boost!" the source added.

Gautami retorted back, “I was tied up with lot of responsibility of my kids and other things so I could not give time for any show.”

Gautami Kapoor wants to come back to acting
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 16:13 [IST]



Small screen actress Gautami Kapoor who made her mark in a popular prime time soap ‘Ghar Ek Mandir’ and was also seen in a new avatar as Tulsi in ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi' has kept away from television screen for very long time. When we asked the reason for the same Gautami retorted back, “I was tied up with lot of responsibility of my kids and other things so I could not give time for any show.”

Now that she is all set to get back to television she says, “I’m meeting lots of people. I’m open to do anything which is good whether it is a daily soap or a reality show. Till now I haven’t opted for any show because the working hours are very rigid and second thing is I haven’t found anything interesting which I would love to do so I met lots of people but nothing interesting has come my way.”

Since there is also a trend in television and even a second way of earning money for lots of celebrities to do guest appearances in daily soaps in the form of giving dance performances
for any occasion we asked Gautami why has she not done any such thing? She answers tactfully, “Guest appearance in any show is Ok for me I don’t mind doing it but I have always done very little work and good work. I don’t want to do one performance in a show because I have nothing to do so let’s do something like this just to earn some amount of money. No, I don’t want to fall in situations like this I would rather wait for some good opportunities.”

That was a good take and an intelligent answer for a celebrity like Gautami Kapoor wife of actor Ram Kapoor.

Aamir Khan has been seen donning different avatars for his movies, all these years. Now, the actor is taking the new avatar of a milkman.

Aamir becomes a milkman for Tata Sky
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 15:35 [IST]


Bollywood perfectionist Aamir Khan has been seen donning different avatars for his movies, all these years. Now, the actor is taking the new avatar of a milkman. However, it is not the character of any of his movies but a new commercial of Tata Sky.
Aamir Khan will be seen as a milkman for the new ad of Tata Sky as he is the brand ambassador of the company. The new commercial depicts a situation where a customer pays the milkman for only those days when he was in town. But the milkman was also not to stay behind and says in a very humorous way that his cow was not aware of the customer’s vacation and so gave milk every day. Following this, the milkman gets his money almost forcibly from the customer even for those days when the customer was out on a vacation.
The commercial has tried to depict the situation which shows a parallel between the milkman and the other DTH companies.

The advertising agency Ogilvy and Mather has conceptualized this ad. The theme of the ad was to inform about the ‘once-a-year subscription holiday service’, which allows the subscribers to discontinue their service for a period of 15 days while they are out on a vacation. This service can be availed once in every year.

Beyonce Knowles’ hubby Jay-Z threw an intimate party to celebrate his wife’s 29th birthday.

Jay-Z throws big b-day bash for wife Beyonce
Wednesday, September 8, 2010, 16:07 [IST]

New York, (ANI): Beyonce Knowles’ hubby Jay-Z threw an intimate party to celebrate his wife’s 29th birthday. He took over nightlife in presario Scott Sartiano's and Richie Akiva's about-to-open Chelsea restaurant, The Darby, and invited friends including Alicia Keys, Serena Williams, Kanye West and Sean 'Diddy' Combs to toast Beyonce . . . while DJ Cassidy took over the decks.

"Jay brought a six-layer cake out for B, they were really affectionate. Cassidy played Stevie Wonder's Happy Birthday,” the New York Post quoted a source as saying.

“The party went on until 6 a.m. Both Jay and Beyonce's moms were there, but there was no sign of her father or her sister. Diddy was the last to leave. Jay filled the room with orchids," the source added.

Britney Spears’ bodyguard who claims to have been sexually harassed by the singer is filing a lawsuit today.

Bodyguard to file sexual harassment lawsuit against Britney
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 15:42 [IST]


Washington (ANI): Britney Spears’ bodyguard who claims to have been sexually harassed by the singer is filing a lawsuit today. The minder alleges that the pop star repeatedly exposed herself to him and abused her children. According to the suit, Fernando Flores claims Britney made "repeated unwanted sexual advances" toward him by exposing herself in front of him in her home, reports TMZ.

Flores alleges, on one occasion -- in a scene right out of "Legally Blonde" -- "She was wearing a white lace, see-through dress. She walked over close by [Flores], intentionally dropped her cigarette lighter on the floor, bent over to retrieve it and thereby exposed her uncovered genitals to [Flores]." The lawsuit goes on, "The incident caused [Flores] shock and disgust."

The suit then goes on to describe another alleged instance where Britney summoned Flores to her room, where she was standing naked. The suit claims, "After an awkward silence during which [Britney] just stood naked before [Flores], [Flores] asked Spears if she needed anything. After some hesitation, Spears asked [Flores] to get her two bottles of 7 Up."

One time after allegedly exposing herself, the suit claims Britney said, "You know you liked it." And the suit says, "In addition to exposing herself to [Flores], Spears engaged in numerous sex acts in front of [Flores]." There's also an allegation Britney was "loudly having sexual relations" in a hotel suite where her kids were present. The suit does not say if the kids saw anything.

And there is a more serious allegation -- The suit claims on one occasion Britney allegedly demanded Flores' belt, then walked in the house and allegedly twice "savagely hit the small child [Preston]" with the belt.

And the suit claims on another occasion Britney fed both kids crabmeat even though she knew they had serious fish allergies. The suit claims both kids started vomiting and Spears allegedly prevented anyone from seeking medical help, allegedly telling them, "Mind your own f**king business!"

Although it is not mentioned in the lawsuit, sources have told TMZ ... Flores contacted the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services. And we're told DCFS investigated and determined the claim had no merit. The suit will be filed in L.A. County Superior Court.

Marital life in general and the religious life in particular of the trinity of Khan actors like Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Shahrukh Khan.

Saif Ali Khan on Ramzan and other religions
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 10:39 [IST]



I think there is a stigma attached to the marital life in general and the religious life in particular of the trinity of Khan actors like Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Shahrukh Khan. All three of them had ended up marrying their ladylove or childhood sweethearts albeit belonging to the Hindu community. So you had the coupling of Aamir Khan - Reena Dutta, and now Aamir Khan – Kiran Rao, Saif Ali Khan – Amrita Singh, then Saif Ali Khan – Rosa Catalano (Not married) and now Saif Ali khan – Kareena Kapoor (This couple is yet to tie the knot) and above all Shahrukh Khan – Gauri Chhibber. Of course both Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan have allegedly divorced their first wives Reena Dutta and Amrita Singh respectively. The reason for retracing their marital history is simple. It’s due to the marital status of these stars that religious discords in their lives had taken place and perhaps even made the choices difficult for them as it happened in case of Baadshah Khan, who has admitted in this column earlier, of not only following his own Islamic religion but also his wife Gauri’s Hindu religion too. While Aamir Khan had made it very clear that he and his ex - wife Reena Dutta had chosen to follow their own individual religion right from the beginning. Now let’s see what particular kind of dilemma Saif Ali Khan, as told to this correspondent, had faced while he was leading a blissful married life with his ex - wife Amrita Singh.

What does religion in general and Islamic religion in particular mean to you?
The entire Pataudi clan has always considered giving equal status to all God created religions, mind you God created, not man-made. My entire Khandaan believes more in National-integrity-oriented Communal Harmony rather than creating differences of opinion by praising our own religion to sky high and thereby berating other universal religions. No, we do not believe in idol worship at all, no, not even my mom, who has been seriously following only the Islamic religion after being converted to Islam as Ayesha Begum. We may not practice what we preach, but we definitely do respect all the universal religions. As for the Islamic religion, the entire Pataudi clan is very pious, devout to the point of being labeled as fanatically extremists. So it’s but natural that we follow all the rituals and tenets of the Islamic religion as prophesized by our Huzoor Mohammed, in the Holy Koran like ‘Namaaz’ (Prayer), ‘Roza’ (Fasting), ‘Zakaat’ (2.5% of the net income to be given to the needy and poor widow), ‘Fitra’ (Protection of life and its longevity to be given to the needy and poor people) and ‘Hajj’ (Pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca and Medina) And I don’t think that anyone in our entire Khandaan (Joint family) ever wishes to end up as ‘Allah Miyans’ most ‘Gunahgaar’ banda (Sinful person).

Your mom did follow Islamic religion out of her own choice, but rumours insist that it was not the same in case of your ex - wife Amrita Singh. Right!
Yes. It’s very much true. Dingy (Amrita Singh) was never compelled to either convert herself as a Muslim neither was she ever forced to practice and follow Islamic religion. So right from the beginning in our case it was like ‘To each his own religion’ and even when my kids Sara and Ibrahim were in their growing up stage I strictly followed the same principle. So when Dingy used to go for her regular prayer visits to the Gurudwara (Temple of the Sikh Community) I used to baby sit and even later on found time to look after them on all such occasions. But when we separated, I was more worried about Sara and Ibrahim, who were then in Dingy’s custody but of course I had trusted her enough and was very sure Dingy will never try to influence them in any which way and certainly not as far as our religion is concerned.

Do you recall the times, before your marriage, when you were said to have been celebrating the Holy month of Ramazan in great style?
Yeah! But those Nawabi traditions are still being followed by us. The ‘Saheri’ (Morning meal when we keep the fast), the ‘Iftar’ (Evening meal when we open the fast) , the ‘Taakraats’ (The Holy Prayer Nights) and finally even the EID is really celebrated with great aplomb not only by the entire ‘Mahal’ (Palace) inhabitants but also by all the awaam (Public) invitees staying in and around us.

And in between you were all set to marry a Christian girl Rosa Catalano and now a Hindu Punjabi girl Kareena Kapoor…..?
So what? It never made any difference then and it’s not at all going to make any difference now as far as my firm religious beliefs are concerned. Period!

Jaggesh was crowned the lifetime achievement award looked as if those who were present declared the awards.

Puneeth, Aindrita Clinch First Akka Award
Updated on: 09 Sep 2010


The three days extravaganza of 6th World Kannada Conference at New Jersey Edison Hall concluded on Sunday evening with a massive cultural evening of film songs and dance that was also interspersed with first AKKA (American Kannada Koota Association) Kannada Film awards.

Super power star Puneeth Rajakumar bagged the first AKKA award for his sterling performance in ‘Raam’ (a remake of Telugu film ‘Ready’ also starring Priyamani for the first time in Kannada) while the current sensation Aindrita Ray got the best actress for her performance in ‘Manasaare’ directed by Yogaraj Bhat.

Jaggesh was crowned the lifetime achievement award looked as if those who were present declared the awards. Noted director HR Bhargava was in USA – the director of 50 films in Kannada could have considered in that case.

Promising hero award went to Santosh but the film he acted ‘Nooru Janmaku’ failed miserably and he has a remote chance of securing the hero spot again.

Vijaya Raghavendra was invited to AKKA for cultural evening and so he got an award for one of his failure film ‘Mathe Bandha Ganesha’.

As a matter of fact there was no need to select super power star Puneeth Rajakumar for ‘Raam’ as it was a remake film.

The cultural evening was a treat to the huge attendance at the Edison center in New Jersey. The three days event concluded with some notable observations from Puneeth Rajakumar.

Puneeth Rajakumar assured for a healthy approach to widen the market of Kannada films in foreign countries. He took the responsibility of meeting KFCC members in this direction. Jaggesh in his address called for watching the films in theatres than DVD system of watching it.

The Kannada film ‘5 Idiots’ by Shwetha Creations with no copying of contents from ‘3 Idiots’ block buster Hindi cinema has completed shooting,editing.

'5 Idiots' in Akash
Updated on: 09 Sep 2010


The Kannada film ‘5 Idiots’ by Shwetha Creations with no copying of contents from ‘3 Idiots’ block buster Hindi cinema has completed shooting, editing, dubbing and now at the re-recording.

Child actor with state award too turned major now Anand is heading the megaphone for the first time. He has the experience of television serial ‘SSLC Nan Maklu’ direction to his credit. Anand has worked the comedy elements from five youngsters and passed a message quick money not last long. Anand in his debut as director says the five youths although think idiotically are up to create history. They think of kidnap and indulge in various funny situations. He plays the idiot No.1. Idiot No 2 Vasu says Anand has made all tough jobs very easy. We were about to roll on the floor laughing to complete the shoot.
Idiot No 3 Petrol Prasanna was in mind of one of the producers after watching ‘Ambari’, Naveen Krishna and Namratha Hegde. Harshika Poonachcha, Dayanand, Chidayana, Tennis Krishna, Bank Janardhan are also in the cast.

I wish to travel Karnataka for publicity of this film says producer Lokesh Murthy.Another producer Mohan is having belief that this film would succeed.

The film is currently re-recording for the film at Akash recording theatre in Shivananda Circle. Manohar is the cameraman. For Kalyan’s lyrics Renu has scored the music.

Director and the Hero – Srinivasa Raju and Prajwal Devaraj are combining once again in ‘Kote’ a film by ‘Deadly-2’ producers Manjunath and Murthy.

'Kote' srinivasa Raju and Prajwal Combine Again
Updated on: 09 Sep 2010


The ‘Nannavanu’ director and the hero – Srinivasa Raju and Prajwal Devaraj are combining once again in ‘Kote’ a film by ‘Deadly-2’ producers Manjunath and Murthy.

Son of talented and highly respected actor Devaraj Prajwal Devaraj is playing the double shade role once again. It was similar in ‘Nannavanu’ for him but it is chiseled in a different angle by director Srinivasaraju says Prajwal. His role of ‘Basava’ in the second half of ‘Nannavanu’ has made director Srinivasaraju to arrive at this subject for ‘Kote’. I was looking to perform in the kind of role that is given to him in the second half. A transformation film for me says Prajwal. The role of ‘Basava’ in ‘Nannavanu’ of Prajwal made the director Srinivasa Raju to write screenplay for this film ‘Kote’. Prajwal feels he has to change a lot for the second portion of the film.

The people in the society look at the bad things first despite of piled up good things. Even a small bad mark in the decades of good life shakes a commoner. Srinivasaraju is caught up with this kind of philosophical point for his love story cum action film. There are two heroines in this film – Ragini Dwivedi and another selection is in progress. Ravishanker younger brother of Saikumar is playing the role of ‘Katari’. This is a screenplay based film says Srinivasaraju.

The terrific music director from ‘Psycho’ and ‘Just Matha Mathalli’ an ace singer traveling around the world giving many musical programs that is a mixture of folk, classical and western has prepared six tunes and one of the tunes is getting final touches.

I would go by discipline I am maintaining so far in two my independent films says producer Manjunath addressing the media. Ravishanker the tall looking villain in South Indian films young brother of Saikumar is playing key villain. Mr India body builder Ravi is playing the inspector role in ‘Kote’.

Ravishanker wild on screen and mild in manners spoke to media on Wednesday evening at the briefing of ‘Kote’ film at Green House Raj Milan.

Ravishanker Come Here to Stay
Updated on: 09 Sep 2010


From the family of artists the siblings of Saikumar the dialogue king of South India and great performer in action films especially police officer roles – Ravishanker who is six foot plus in height has the same stunning voice of his brother is making foray in the Kannada films. He has been picked for ‘Kempe Gowda’ of Sudeep and ‘Dhandam Dashagunam’ as villain in Chiranjeevi Sarja film and now in his third Kannada film ‘Kote’ in the trouble monger role of ‘Katari’.

Ravishanker wild on screen and mild in manners spoke to media on Wednesday evening at the briefing of ‘Kote’ film at Green House Raj Milan.

A good singer too Ravishanker has reached the top of the chart in popularity from a film like ‘Vettaikkaran’. He is in ‘Raktha Charitra’ Hindi film where Sudeep is in the lead.

Ravishanker is learning the accent of Hubli with a tutor for ‘Kote’. After hearing Ravishanker speech music director Raghu Dixit decided to get a song from the actor which he had already sung for the film. The song for Ravishanker role is rendered by the actor is more apt feels music director Raghu Dixit.

‘Deadly-2’ starring Aditya and Suhasini Manirathnam is a sequel to ‘Deadly Soma’ a film on the sheet anchor rowdy in Bangalore.

Deadly-2 To Telugu and Tamil
Updated on: 09 Sep 2010

Producer Manjunath and Murthy are feeling proud from ‘Deadly-2’ not because that the film has put them in comfort zone but because the leading Telugu film personalities Dr Rama Naidu, director EVV Sathyanarayana and actor Bharat manager have evinced interest in watching film.

From the Telugu and Tamil rights that will be decided after the two giants watch ‘Deadly-2’ I will be further safe for my investment says Manjunath who has not released ‘Deadly-2’ in the B and C centers of Karnataka.

‘Deadly-2’ starring Aditya and Suhasini Manirathnam is a sequel to ‘Deadly Soma’ a film on the sheet anchor rowdy in Bangalore. The film ‘Deadly Soma’ and its sequel ‘Deadly-2’ have relevance to Karnataka.

How it will be transformed for Telugu and Tamil is a curious point to watch.