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Dumbledore, bookies favourite to die (Go To Top)

     London: British bookies have placed their odds on Dumbledore, the Hogwarts master, dying in the next Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. As a result, some of Britain's gambling chains have stopped taking bets on which character will die in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," reports the Dailymail. The gaming establishments say a suspicious number of bettors wanted to wager that Dumbledore, would be the character to meet his demise. Author J.K. Rowling, whose latest book is to be published July 16, has already revealed that there will be a death in her sixth Potter novel. "We pulled the plug, because we were suspicious" after getting a host of calls from Bungay, Suffolk, where the British printers of the book are located, said a spokesman for Ladbroke's bookmakers. But the Internet betting company Blue Square is still taking bets on Dumbledore. The odds are 1-5, says spokesman Ed Pownall. Some other odds at Blue Square are: Hagrid, 4-1; Ron, Molly, Arthur or Percy Weasley, 6-1; Severus Snape, 7-1; Hermione Granger, 10-1, and Harry Potter himself, 16-1.

Bollywood Barbies set to hit London  (Go To Top)
by Mike Lockey

     London: A range of Barbie dolls, which have been inspired - if that is the right word - by the style of Bollywood, is soon to hit the high streets of Britain. The dolls have been imported into the UK from India by Sair Mir, the managing director of Mir Media, and are said by Mr Mir to be based on the looks and costumes of actress Aishwarya Rai. As he confirmed: "Aishwarya and all her outfits were a major inspiration for modelling these dolls, especially from her film Devdas where she looked sensational". As an aside, it should be noted that, last year, the glorious Ms Rai featured in a list of the world's 50 most beautiful women. This year, she has been replaced by Parminder Nagra, of "Bend it like Beckham" fame. There is no truth in the rumour that, with this shattering news, Mr Mir is hastily remodelling his entire doll collection. As he explained, impervious to the above:"We have used Bollywood, and India's rich cultural heritage, to put a lot of intricate detail into these dolls' outfits, using silks, embroidery and jewellery". The Indian Barbie collection features looks and costumes from all corners of the Indian sub-continent, from the Punjab to Gujarat to Rajasthan. There is also an Indian Diva collection, dressed in the latest ethnic kurtas. The original Barbie doll first saw the light of day way back in 1959, and, since that fateful day, her empire has grown to encircle the world (a bit like America itself then) with cultural and ethnic varieties in Europe and the Far East. Variations of the Barbie doll are now on sale in no less than 150 countries and, since she took her bow in 1959, she and her friends have appeared dressed in close to a billion different fashions. But, until now at any rate, India has been immune to the charms of the great satan - sorry, beautiful doll. But Mr Mir is sure that his new range of Indian style Barbie dolls will make perfect presents for Asian women - of all ages - and he also hopes that they will help young Asian girls embrace their culture and heritage in ways that the original blonde haired and blue eyed creation could never do. The only, burning, question that remains is: what will Indian Barbie's husband be called? Somehow, Ken just doesn't sound quite right...

Brad Pitt may play Van Gogh (Go To Top)

     London: Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt is reportedly being eyed to star in a new biopic on famed Dutch artist, Van Gogh. The movie, which will be directed by Ron Howard and produced by Brian Glazer, will be a remake of 'Lust for Life', which had been directed by Vincente Minnelli in 1956 and earned Kirk Douglas an Oscar nomination for playing the troubled Van Gogh, reports Fox News. However, according to New York Post, the makers of the film insist that the film will have a new angle.

Star Wars light-sabres up for grabs (Go To Top)

     London: The lightsabres used by used by Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars movies are up for auction in the US. In reality the weapons are like short silver coloured tubes with a black handle, despite glowing on screen. Apart from the weapons, Luke Skywalker's orange X-wing pilot jumpsuit and Yoda's walking stick from 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return of The Jedi' are also up for sale, reports Fox News. The sabres have been values at 80,000 pounds a pair, while the jumpsuit has been valued at 45,000 pounds, by Hollywood auctioneers 'Profiles In History' These items currently owned by Star Wars producer, Gary Kurtz, will be auctioned on July 29.

Pitt and Jolie melt into Engish countryside (Go To Top)

     London: Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt has bought a pad in an English village next to actress Angelina Jolie's mansion. Jolie and adopted son Maddox have a mansion in Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, where she and Brad have been spotted together. According to Ananova, Brad loved his time in the UK countryside so much that he has now bought his own pad, just around the corner. "Brad has been itching to buy a place near Angelina's for months," a source said. "The entire area is talking about Brad moving in. The pubs are all hoping he'll pop in for a drink, and the local Sainsbury's in Beaconsfield is packed with schoolgirls hoping to spot their dream man," he added.

Harry Potter fans set up title clash (Go To Top)

     London: In the quest to find the ultimate Harry Potter fan, four lucky kids have reached the final, competing for the chance to carry out the UK's only TV interview with JK Rowling. The finalists were chosen from hundreds of youngsters who entered a writing competition. Now they will be grilled on their knowledge of Harry Potter in the 45 minute special presented by Ben Shephard. The ultimate prize awaits one lucky child the chance to interview the renowned author for a TV special to be screened on ITV1 on Sunday July 17. The winner will have the opportunity to ask JK Rowling everything they've always wanted to know about the famous young wizard. The children will also be tested on their journalistic skills and interviewing techniques. "There's a lot at stake for the four contestants. To get this far is an amazing achievement but to be crowned the ultimate Harry Potter fan, to meet JK Rowling and attend the book launch is a chance in a lifetime," Ben Shepard was quoted by Femalefirst, as saying. "No doubt there will be a magical atmosphere in the studio as the children and their parents aim to prove just how much they know about Harry Potter," he added.

Ioan Gruffudd wary of Bond jinx (Go To Top)

     Washington: Welsh actor, Ioan Gruffudd, who is one of the favourites to land the role of James Bond, is so determined to play the part that he refuses to talk about the possibility of not working on it. "I don't want to jinx it", Contactmusic.com quoted him as saying in response to questions about what he felt were his chances to land the role. According to another favourite, Julian McMohan, Gruffudd was most likely to land the coveted role. "I think Ioan is playing Bond", Contactmusic.com quoted McMohan as saying, when he was quizzed about the role.

Boris Becker turns fashion guru (Go To Top)

     London: Former tennis ace Boris Becker has launched his own sports casual collection in Germany in collaboration with German sportswear company Volk. The 37-year-old revealed that his fashion range had been inspired by tennis as well as his other sports interests like baseball and cricket. "I've been sitting in front of a white sheet of paper and tried to figure out which colours, which design suits me. Twenty years after I won Wimbledon ... another dream of mine has come true with my own fashion line", The Sun quoted him as saying at the launch.

Becks gifts Posh 20,000 pound anniversary ring (Go To Top)

     London: Football star David Beckham has surprised his wife, Victoria, by gifting her a white-gold Cartier ring, worth 20,000 pounds to mark their sixth wedding anniversary. "He presented her with a stunning ring, during a romantic dinner in Singapore. She couldn't believe it - she was speechless and all smiles", The Sun quoted a source as saying. Victoria had not been feeling too good at the thought of not being able to perform at the Live 8 concert last week, and this latest gift from Beckham surely lifted up her spirits.

The world gets its tallest man (Go To Top)

     London: A Mongolian man, Xi Shun, has been officially recognised as the tallest man alive, standing at 7ft 8.95 inches or 2m 38.1cm. The 54-year-old farmer, who belongs to the remote of Inner Mongolia, has surpassed the previous record holder by just five hundredths of an inch. Xi, whose mother only stands at 5ft 2 inches tall, started to shoot up in his teens. "He's an incredibly exciting find", The Mirror quoted a Guinness World Record spokesman as saying.

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