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Screening the real Ray  (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: What could be more engrossing than to watch the acclaimed director Satyajit Ray's Film Festival at Siri Fort Auditorium-II unveiled by the stunning Sharmila Tagore and the Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Culture Jaipal Reddy. Being the fourth Film Festival in the series, (earlier being organised on K.L. Saigal in 2004, followed by films of Madhubala and Dev Anand) in commemoration of 50 years of 'Pather Panchali', released in 1955, the festival includes the three film trilogy, namely 'Pather Panchali', 'Aparajito' and 'Apur Sansar'. The other two films in the package include 'Charulata' and 'Pratidwandi'. Apparently happy to inaugurate the Film Festival in which she featured as a young girl forty five years ago, Sharmila said: "I am very happy to be here participating the Ray's festival. I appreciate the work of Broadcasting Ministry who has taken the initiative to give Delhiites an opportunity to watch the real cinema." Having started her career in 'Apur Sansar' in 1959, Sharmila shared her experience working with Ray. "When Ray introduced me to the film industry I was only 13 years old. It was difficult to act at that age but Ray had the capability to bring out the artiste in you and he did it. Cinema was not cinema those days , it was more like a theatre. Cinema was only introduced by Satyajit Ray," she chuckled Film Festivals on legends like Saigal, and Satyajit Ray has been introduced to promote awareness amongst the cinema goers about the rich cinematic heritage in terms of film classics produced in India.

Liz Hurley turns sari-clad Indian 'bahu' (Go To Top)

     London: Hollywood beauty Elizabeth Hurley sure does love all things Indian, apart from her boyfriend Arun Nayar, as she arrived at a charity event in New York clad in a traditional Indian sari. The model turned actress wore a pink and green sari to the glitzy event, while her boyfriend, who originally hails from Mumbai, complemented her perfectly in a Nehru suit. "Liz is known for flashing the flesh but by wearing the sari she is sending a message that she is extremely committed to Arun," an onlooker was quoted by the Mirror as saying. "Perhaps she's just getting in some practice for her wedding," he added Liz, who will wear a red Versace sari when she ties the knot with Nayar later this year reportedly told friends: "I love all the pomp and ceremony of Indian weddings." The glamorous couple were among stars who turned out for the annual Red Hot Pink Party, the yearly bash staged in New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Kelly Brooke voted world's sexiest woman (Go To Top)

     London: British actress Kelly Brooke has topped a poll of world's 100 Sexiest Women - the honour which was won by pop singer Britney Spears last year, who slipped to sixth place this time. In the poll conducted by FMH magazine, 'Girls Aloud' singer Cheryl Tweedy ranked second, followed by actress Angelina Jolie and 'EastEnders' actress Michelle Ryan. Kylie Minogue and Sienna Miller got 37th and 59th position respectively. "The key to winning this competition is sex appeal and as our readers have overwhelmingly testiified, Kelly certainly has it," the Daily Mirror quoted FHM editor Ross Brown as saying.

     World's 12 sexiest women are: 1. Kelly Brooke 2. Cheryl Tweedy 3. Angelina Jolie 4. Michelle Ryan 5. Elisha Cuthbert 6. Britney Spears 7. Abi Titmuss 8. Sarah Harding 9. Beyonce Knowles 10. Charlotte Church 11. Eva Longoria 12. Jennifer Love Hewitt

Rock fans vote Chris Martin as UK PM (Go To Top)

     London: Coldplay star, Chris Martin has been elected as UK`s fantasy Prime Minister in a new poll conducted by British rock magazine New Musical Express. According to Female First, the survey asked reader's to choose amongst the musicians, whom they wanted to see taking Prime Minister Tony Blair's place as the country's political figurehead. Martin gathered maximum votes beating his close competitors, Bono, Morrissey, and Radiohead singer Thom Yorke.

Eva Longoria 'desperate' for Brad Pitt's babies (Go To Top)

    London: What could be more glaring than writing a slogan on a T-shirt to show your desire for your beloved? Well, ' Desperate Housewives' star Eva Longoria has been spotted at Bevelry Hills wearing a cute pink T-shirt with a slogan reading 'I'll have your baby, Brad', emblazoned across her chest. According to Femalefirst, Longoria's outfit is being viewed as a reference to Brad Pitt's desire to start a family, which is one of the reasons that why his marriage to Jennifer Aniston broke down as she chose ambition in favour of starting a family.

Remaining married to Madonna would have ruined Sean Penn's life (Go To Top)

     London: Sean Penn insists that he wouldn't have stayed sane if he had remained married to Madonna. "Had we stayed together, we'd have driven each other mad. But I was just as badly behaved as her." Femalefirst quoted Penn as saying. The Mystic River star got married to Madonna in 1985 and the couple was constantly under the media glare. "I never liked being under the spotlight. Our marriage guaranteed that we lived in the public gaze, which meant that we had no real marriage at all. We didn't even have time to have a proper conversation. She was in the process of becoming the biggest star in the world. I just wanted to make my films and hide," he added. Penn, however, credits his second wife, Robin Wright for helping him patch up with Madonna and claims that they get along just fine now.

Madonna sued for 100,000 pounds over unpaid bills (Go To Top)

    London: A British music video director has sued pop diva Madonna, alleging that she owes him 100,000 pounds for a documentary he shot of her re-invention tour last year. Hamish Hamilton, who has also worked with U2, Britney Spears, Robbie Williams and Jennifer Lopez, said that he worked on the concerts at her request, but she is now refusing to pay the money, despite admitting she owes him some amount. Hamilton and his firm Done and Dusted Ltd have lodged papers against the singer and her Tadpole Film company in the Los Angeles Superior Court. According to the Mirror, part of the suit states: "The defendants have acknowledged that they owe Hamish Hamilton - however, despite multiple demands they continue to fail and refuse to pay."

Britney gets baby advice from Madonna (Go To Top)

     London: Pop Diva Madonna has reportedly been offering expectant mother Britney Spears pregnancy advice. Madonna who has two children and is quite close to Britney willingly agreed to guide her through her first pregnancy. "When Britney found out she was expecting one of the first things she did was phone Madonna," a source was quoted by Femalefirst as saying. "Madonna has been sending books and offering advice about pregnancy to Britney almost daily," he added. Britney has also reportedly asked Madonna to be a godmother to her firstborn. The sexy singer was reportedly so thrilled when Madonna agreed she gave her a diamond-encrusted Cartier watch.

Bookies back Britney naming baby after her mum  (Go To Top)

     New York: Lynn, Vegas or Miriam? Bookies, fans and celebrity magazine editors, everyone seems to be wracking their grey cells over what name Britney Spears will choose for her baby. And the biggest odds are on Lynn, Britney's mom's name. "Lynn is definitely up there. She's so close to her mother that I would expect that to feature - maybe she'd use it as a middle name." The New York Daily News quoted Sue Moss, creator of Babynames.com, a site that helps 30,000 members chooses kids' names, as saying. The report also quoted Linda Murray of Babycenter.com. as saying that even though the Bookies favorites were royal names like William and Harry, she might follow David Beckham and Posh Spice and name her kid after the place he was conceived "Vegas is a definite possibility," she said. "But she may choose a Hebrew name, as she's into kabbalah. Maybe Miriam, which means rebellious. I also think she might combine her name with her husband's and come up with Keviney or Kittney."

Bruce Willis dumps girlfriend  (Go To Top)

    Washington: Hollywood hunk Bruce Willis has reportedly ended his torrid love affair with actress Nadia Bjorlin leaving her heart broken. The 'Die Hard' star fell for the actress after meeting her at a Los Angeles nightspot last year (04), but has recently dumped her, reports contactmusic "Nadia is shattered. She wanted to tell the world about their romance and was saying it was love at first sight for her," a friend of the actress told the US tabloid 'The Globe', "She's praying Bruce will have second thoughts and give her another chance," she added.

Keanu Reeves reel love for Diane Keaton turns real  (Go To Top)

     London: Hollywood stars Keanu Reeves, 40 and Diane Keaton, 59, who once played lovers in their film Something's Gotta Give in 2003, seem to have increasingly become close to each other in real life. According to Fox News, Keanu is a frequent visitor to Diane's home at Los Angeles and the couple speak a lot on phone. Diane also attended the ceremony when Keanu received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Keaton's past interests include Woody Allen, Al Pacino and Warren Beatty while Keanu was linked with Amanda De Cadenet.

Female millionaires will outnumber men by 2025 (Go To Top)

     London: It may not be wrong to call the present century the century of women, because a new research has suggested that female millionaires will outshine their male counterparts by the end of 2025. Describing women as 'financial powerhouses' of Britain, the study carried out by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, predicts that women across all age groups will become possessors of 60 percent of the nation's personal wealth within next 20 years, with many using their professional and personal skills to extraordinary financial effect. According to the research, at present, women millionaires between the ages of 18-44, and over the age of 65, outnumber male millionaires and own 48 percent of the nation's personal wealth. "Women are benefiting from enormous divorce settlements, commonly leaving them 50 per cent of all marital assets, and wising up to their financial rights," the Telegraph quoted Claire Symonds, a spokesman for Coutts Bank, as saying. The study suggests that girls are already performing better than boys in many fields including academics and high-powered jobs. They are also living longer, and in next two decades will own a large share in family's property. Although men still earn more on average than women, the pattern is changing fast, researchers conclude.

Pak girl shot dead by brother for having an affair (Go To Top)

     Lahore: A Pakistani girl was shot dead by her brother for allegedly having an affair with a boy in Karachi. Khan Zulfiqar Cheema, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police, Dera Ismail Khan, told the Geo TV channel, that Aasia was killed on April 10 by her brother in the Jitan Wala area of tehsil Kalach for allegedly having an affair with a boy, the Daily Times reported. Khan said that the girl's mother registered the First Information Report (FIR) that her son accidentally pulled the trigger of his pistol, killing her daughter. However the autopsy said that the girl was killed by a point-blank shot. Aasia's mother, however, later retracted her earlier statement, and said that her son had killed his sister on suspicion of having an affair with a boy.

Woody Allen a fan of Scarlett Johansson's acting skills (Go To Top)

     Washington: Hollywood film-maker Woody Allen is confident about the success of his forthcoming film Match Point because he has full faith in the acting capabilities of Scarlett Johansson. Johansson was Allen's second choice after his original female lead Kate Winslet dropped out to spend more time with her two young children. "I'm very bullish about it and I'm usually not. I usually want to crawl into the ground after I make a film, almost invariably, but I'm very bullish about it because Scarlett Johansson is such a strong actress," Allen was quoted by Contactmusic as saying. Match Point is set to have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in France next month.

Cyberworld cashing in on Pope's name (Go To Top)

    London: Cyberworld is trying to make the most of the new Pope's name by selling email addresses containing his name. Vincent Flood, a journalism student from Dublin is trying to sell popebenedictxvi@hotmail.it, which he set up as soon as the Pope's name was announced. Describing the email id as 'Holy Hotmail account" and a "truly divine way to stay in touch with friends", he thought naming it as popebenedictxvi@hotmail.co.uk would have undervalued its Italian identity. "I just did it for a laugh, wasn't really thinking about it. I definitely wasn't sitting by my computer waiting for the announcement," the BBC website quoted Vincent Flood as saying. While Flood has already received a bid worth eighty pounds, a Canadian seller has priced his popebenedictxvi.com at a whopping $100,000. But there are cheaper options too. An eBay listing has priced popebenedictxvi@catholicemail.com along with popebenedictXVI@usa.net at just $4.99.

Biharis are healthier than Americans (Go To Top)

    Washington: Based on the findings of a study, which revealed that rates of self-reported illnesses of people living in Bihar are lower than those living in America, a doctor in the recent issue of British Medical Journal (BMJ) has argued that shifting drug spending from the worried well in affluent countries to those with treatable disease in poorer countries will benefit everybody's health. According to Dr. Iona Heath, 70 percent of the Britons are taking medicines to treat or prevent ill health, or at times, to enhance well-being. "How can this level of medicine taking be appropriate in a population which, by all objective measures, is healthier than ever before?" asks Dr Iona Heath. Heath states that rates of self reported illness were surprisingly lower in Bihar - the poorest state of India - than the United States, and this suggests that the more people are exposed to contemporary health care, the sicker they feel. As the overall health of a population increases, more money can be made from selling healthcare interventions for the healthy majority than for the sick minority. For instance, a tax on preventive drugs sold in rich countries could be used to fund drugs in poor countries, she said. Heath hopes that the steps suggested by her, if implemented, would benefit people in both rich and poor countries.

10 sexiest jobs revealed (Go To Top)

     New York: If you are a firefighter, a flight attendant, a CEO an interior designer, an event planner, a nurse, a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer or a reporter, you can proudly say that you have one of the 10 sexiest jobs. In a poll conducted by salary.com, 5,000 people found these jobs the sexiest in North America, with the job of a firefighter getting the maximum number of votes. "Firemen are just regular guys like everyone else that stand for something more than a baseball player playing for money, or a rock star singing for big bucks," the New York Daily News quoted Staten Island firefighter, Patrick Gorman, as saying. The job of a flight attendant was ranked second in the poll. "The perks are, well ... sexy. It's glamorous to travel around and be different places every day," Marcie Franck, a flight attendant with Northwest Airlines, was quoted as saying. Tim Driver of Salary.com said that the survey showed sexy means different things to different people, as some of the jobs that were the sexiest didn't have the sexiest salaries. The job of cop, pilot, chef, accountant and parcel deliveryman were considered less sexy.

Angelina Jolie is on a manhunt  (Go To Top)

     London: Rumours are abuzz that Angelina Jolie may be heading towards the alter once again and is seeking a suitable partner to tie the knot with. "I'm an incurable romantic and I would love to have a wonderful marriage that will last a very long time," Jolie revealed. "I'm really looking for a man who would be the best father in the world," she added. However, the Tomb Raider star has been reportedly been seeking comfort in the arms of ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller as she tries to cope with the rumours she's having an affair with Brad Pitt. The Oscar-winning beauty who was linked to her 'Mr and Mrs Smith' co-star is reportedly so upset by the fabrications that she has asked Jonny for advice. "The Brad rumours have brought so much chaos that Angelina needed to talk to the man she feels closest to," a source was quoted by Britain's Daily Express as saying. Jonny adores her. He's told her to follow her heart in everything," he added.

J Lo dreams of doing Bizet's 'Carmen' (Go To Top)

     Washington: Singer turned actress Jennifer Lopez dreams of making her own version of Bizet's opera 'Carmen' after completing her promotional work for her upcoming films 'Bordertown' and 'An Unfinished Life.' "I have been trying to get Carmen made for years. It's a dream," Contact Music quoted her as saying. Lopez however won't be the first modern celeb to play Carmen, with Beyonce having portrayed her in a 2001 TV movie.