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Harry Potter becomes victim of a leak (Go To Top)

     Washington: The latest Harry Potter book is yet again the victim of a leak, after photographs of the US edition's cover appeared on the internet on Friday (08JUL05). According to Contactmusic, the shots, taken inside the warehouse of American publishers Scholastic, show copies of "Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince" being packed, and one image clearly displays the cover. A "transcript" has also been published, claiming to expose the most closely guarded secret of the book - which character dies. British publisher Bloomsbury refuses to comment on the transcript's accuracy. The long awaited book, which hits shelves next Saturday (16JUL05), narrowly missed being exposed last month when two men stole a copy from a UK distribution centre.

Harry Potter has revolutionised kids reading habits  (Go To Top)

     London: Harry Potter books seem to have achieved what most parents have failed to do, the teenage wizard has persuaded millions of children to spend less time on computer games and televisions and more time with books. According to the Scotsman, a new research by the Federation of Children's Book Groups (FCBG), shows that JK Rowling's storytelling has had a major impact on literacy and reading habits in the UK. Almost six out of 10 children (59 percent) think the books have helped them improve their reading skills. And 48 percent say Rowling's creation is the reason they read more. Teachers are even clearer about the effect Rowling's series of books, the sixth of which will be released this week, have had on reading: 84 percent say Harry Potter has helped improve child literacy and 67 percent claimed the series has turned non-readers into readers. Colin Harrison, professor of literacy studies at the University of Nottingham, who contributed to the research, said: "The sheer pervasiveness of JK Rowling's books means Harry Potter will certainly have an impact on children's literacy levels. "Reading and re-reading books is very valuable in building fluency, and there is a strong link between reading books for pleasure and improvement in word recognition and comprehension." More than half of the 1,000 ch

     According to the report the other key findings in the report included: 41 percent said the Harry Potter books have made reading cool; 39 percent said they would miss their favourite television programme to read the new book; 66 percent said most of their friends have read Harry Potter; 70 percent of teachers say that Harry Potter books are talked about in the playground.

Harry Potter to cast his magic in Hindi again (Go To Top)

     Bhopal: Harry Potter, the world's most popular sorcerer, is now set to cast his spell on children in the country's Hindi heartland, with a private publishing house releasing the second Hindi version in the series. Manjul Publishing House after publishing Harry Potter aur Paras Pathar in Hindi, is now back with Harry Potter aur Rehasyamay Tehkhana. The translator of the book, Sudhir Dixit, said the writer of the book did not want them to fiddle with the names of the book. So, they have not changed the names of the book and have gone by the lines of the original English book. "The speciality of this book is that since beginning Harry Potter is playing as a magician. He has been depicted as a learnt magician since the starting of the book who does amazing work which big magicians fear to do," said Dr. Sudhir Dixit. The long-awaited translation of the book was lauded by kids bitten by Potter mania. "It is good that our country has launched the book in Hindi as the people who are comfortable with Hindi language will definitely buy this book and read it," said Dhruv Mishra, a local resident of Bhopal. Harry Potter fans are excited as they can immerse themselves in the world of Harry Potter and enjoy the reading. "Dr Sudhir Dixit has done a commendable job by launching the Hindi version of the book. Children who cannot understand English can certainly read the Hindi version. This Hindi version will hold the attention of the readers and will make an interesting reading," said Kushtagrah Kushwaha, another local resident. It is expected that the demand for the Hindi translation will have a strong hold in the Indian markets.

Harry Potter finds his ultimate fan (Go To Top)

      London: A 14-year old Harry Potter fan is all set to grill author JK Rowling hours after the sixth book in the series is released. Owen Jones, who was named the ultimate Potter fan after a quiz final on ITV1, won the prize to carry out an exclusive TV interview with Rowling, following the televised launch of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'. "I'd like to ask her if Harry's life was a childhood fantasy for her and, of course, what's going to happen in the next book," the Mirror quoted Owen as saying.

Diana hated her mom, reveals book (Go To Top)

     London: Princess Diana hated her mother Frances Shand Kydd and was disturbed by her alcoholic problem, according to the late royal's friend and confidante Simone Simmons, in her new book 'Diana : the last word.' According to Femalefirst, royal reporter Ingrid Seward told Simmons that the late princess found it impossible to communicate with her frequently inebriated mother. "Diana told me shortly before her death she hated Frances. One day Frances called Diana while Simone was with her and she let her listen to the conversation," Seward revealed. "Frances was drunk. Diana said, 'There goes my mother... p**sed again. Mummy, I can't talk to you', and she hung up. "Diana said Frances, 'made me feel like I should never have been born. She had a life once and now she is trying to deny me one,'" she added.

'Fantastic Four' earns incredible 56 mn dollars at box-office (Go To Top)

     Washington: Ioan Griffudd starrer film 'Fantastic Four' is ruling the box office by earning an incredible 56 million dollars at the end of its first weekend, according to preliminary studio tallies compiled by Exhibitor Relations. Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for Fox, said that the movie's success was a welcome surprise because he had anticipated something in 30 million dollars range, but "it exploded because it's fun". "It's what people want in a summer movie. It's popcorn. It's light-hearted," E!Online quoted Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, as saying. While Steven Spielberg's 'War of the Worlds' slipped to second place, Katie Holmes starrer 'Batman Begins' got the third position with 10.2 million dollars. XXXXXXXXX Top 10 films based on preliminary studio tallies are: 1. Fantastic Four, 56 million dollars 2. War of the Worlds, 31.3 million dollars 3. Batman Begins, 10.2 million dollars 4. Dark Water, 10.1 million dollars 5. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, 7.8 million dollars 6. Herbie: Fully Loaded, 6.2 million dollars 7. Bewitched, 5.5 million dollars 8. Madagascar, 4.3 million dollars 9. Rebound, 2.8 million dollars 10. Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, 2.6 million dollars

McGregor and Close may star in Webber's 'Sunset Boulevard' (Go To Top)

     Washington: Hollywood stars Ewan McGregor and Glenn Close may star in movie version of Lord Lloyd Webber's musical adaptation of 'Sunset Boulevard'. According to Contactmusic, Close is thrilled to be returning to the role of Norma Desmond in the 57 million dollar project. "Andrew would love Glenn to do the role and she has been approached. The pair have spoken about it privately at this year's Golden Globes ceremony and she said she would be happy to take it on again. It should be out in time for Christmas 2006," the report quoted co-producer Austin Shaw as saying.

Madonna's ex spills beans on her love-making skills (Go To Top)

     London: Madonna's ex-lover Dennis Rodman has claimed that although the pop diva was 'ok' in bed, they were always at different levels during their relationship. "I've had my share of sleeping with beautiful women Madonna was alright. It was back in 1994, we were together for about a year. It was alright man, she wasn't all that," femalefirst quoted him as saying to MTV. The cross-dressing basketball player, who dated Madonna for almost a year in the 1990s, also revealed that he didn't like her music. "We had some good times, but I don't think we were on a level. I told her that her music sucked, but as far as in bed? she's good at that," he said.

French shoes with Lord Rama's image annoys UK Hindus (Go To Top)
by Mike Lockey

     London: A French footwear company has offended just about every member of the UK's Hindu community. So how did they manage this feat? By selling shoes with an image of Lord Rama imprinted on them. Now it is not unusual to see Hindu images and deities on T-shirts and the like in Britain and elsewhere, but this latest manifestation is a step too far. Because Lord Rama is one of the most revered gods in Hinduism and is known as an ideal man: his image is adored by believers, his status respected and he encapsulates the peace and humanity of Hindus. After all, religion, any religion, is not fashion, and Hinduism is the oldest religion of them all. Anyway, despite pleas to remove the offending shoes from its shelves, the company, called Minelli, refuses to do so. This lack of action in France caused Hindu Human Rights (HHR) to stage a demonstration in Britain outside the French Embassy. Arjun Malik, a spokesman for the organisation, explained why this was necessary to Britain's Eastern Eye newspaper: "Enough is enough. We sent a letter to the company and they have not bothered to reply to us. Our members have been calling them up on a daily basis and we have had e-mails condemning the shoes from all over the world. We want the French government to take action. Lord Rama's image is sacred and if we fail to act now, the offensive use of Lord Rama's image may get worse". The secretary general of the Hindu Forum of Britain, Ramesh Kallidai, agrees that clothing manufacturers of all kinds should show rather more respect to a religion that has more than a billion followers across the world: "In our culture, we do not consider it respectful to put an image of a god on your feet. It is offensive to Hindus all over the world. It is sad that clothing people do this kind of thing over and over again". And why do the clothing people do such things so often? Well, unfortunately, there is one very simple answer. Whether it be the image of Che Guevara, Madonna, or even Lord Rama on the T-shirt or whatever, the aim is to make money. And that's all there is to it. Sad but true.

Cruise raising Kidman's kids as Scientologists (Go To Top)

     New York: Hollywood star Tom Cruise is raising his children with ex-wife Nicole Kidman as Scientologists. According to the New York Post, Source, a magazine endorsed by the Church of Scientology, mentions that Cruise's daughter Isabella, 12, has already completed the introductory level course in Scientology. Tom's kids are reportedly being home-schooled by his Scientologist sisters Cass and Marian. Representatives for Cruise and Kidman were reportedly unavailable for comment.

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