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Di's death to be subject of new film (Go To Top)

     London: The fatal car crash in Paris which killed Princess Diana and her friend Dodi Al Fayed is reportedly being re-created for a new film. The movie which tells the story of the stunning royal's life, will show the princess's death crash in a Paris tunnel. Two actors portraying the much-loved princess and her boyfriend will be seen driving through the Paris streets in a Mercedes in a high speed dash to escape photographers. The vehicle will then be seen losing control in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel where the royal lost her life in 1997. "We want the film to be as accurate as possible. Princess Diana's life story is one of the most tragic tales of the last century - beautiful, tortured woman who died much too young," a source was quoted by Britain's Daily Star, as saying. The film reportedly sticks close to the known facts of the accident, rather than drawing on the numerous theories which have surrounded Diana's death.

Exercise increases span as well as quality of life (Go To Top)

     Washington: This may be an incentive to exercise for all those lazybones who know its health benefits but can't seem to gather the will power to start a workout regimen, as now a new study has revealed that exercise, besides adding years to your life, also improves its quality. The research team, led by kinesiology professor Edward McAuley, found that previously sedentary seniors who incorporated exercise into their lifestyles not only improved physical function, but experienced psychological benefits as well. "The implications of our work are that not only will physical activity potentially add years to your life as we age, but the quality of those years is likely to be improved by regular physical activity," McAuley said. Results of the study appear in an article titled "Physical Activity Enhances Long-Term Quality of Life in Older Adults: Efficacy, Esteem and Affective Influences," published in the current issue of the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. The UI research indicated positive psychosocial and cognitive outcomes -- in effect, significant quality-of-life gains -- among participants who remained physically active long after they began an initial randomized, six-month exercise trial consisting of walking and stretching/toning exercises. Results were gleaned from a battery of surveys and assessments administered at one- and five-year intervals following the initial exercise regimen. Increased physical activity over time, as indicated by results of the five-year follow-up, "was associated with greater improvements in self-esteem and affect. Enhanced affect was, in turn, associated with increases in satisfaction with life over time," the researchers noted.

Madonna feels she's a man trapped in woman's body (Go To Top)

     London: Pop diva Madonna has said that she might be a man trapped in women's body. In an hour-long interview with Michael Parkinson, to be screened on ITV1 this Saturday, she joked, "I am a gay icon...Maybe I'm a gay man in a woman's body." Talking about her successful five-year marriage to Guy Ritchie, she said that the British film director had a nonchalant attitude towards her, just like her father. "(Ritchie is) a bit like my father. (My father) is kind of clueless about all the things I do, except when I tell him that I'm doing them," the Daily Mail quoted her as saying. The 'Material Girl' also hinted that she was planning to quit movies after 'Swept Away', which is a collaboration with her husband, was universally panned. "I think singing and song writing and producing and putting shows together is much more compatible with my personality because I like being the visionary. You don't get to be a visionary when you're an actress," she added.

Meditation linked to increased grey matter in brain (Go To Top)

     Washington: A new study by researchers from Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has found that meditation is linked to increased grey matter in the brain. According to the study, published in the recent issue of NeuroReport, the structural changes were found in areas of the brain that are important for sensory, cognitive and emotional processing. Jeremy Gray, co-author of the study, led by Sara Lazar, assistant in psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital, although the study included only 20 participants, all with extensive training in Buddhist Insight meditation, the results are significant. "What is most fascinating to me is the suggestion that meditation practice can change anyone's grey matter. The study participants were people with jobs and families. They just meditated on average 40 minutes each day, you don't have to be a monk," Gray said. Magnetic resonance imaging showed that regular practice of meditation is associated with increased thickness in a subset of cortical regions related to sensory, auditory, visual and internal perception, such as heart rate or breathing. The researchers also found that regular meditation practice may slow age-related thinning of the frontal cortex. Most of the regions identified in this study were found in the right hemisphere. The right hemisphere is essential for sustaining attention, which is a central practice of Insight meditation. The researchers said that other forms of yoga and meditation likely have a similar impact on cortical structure, although each tradition would be expected to have a slightly different pattern of cortical thickening based on the specific mental exercises involved.

Beckham scent mania set to hit Britain (Go To Top)

     London: England football captain and fashion icon David Beckham is all set to enter the British markets once again. But this time it's his scent that goes on sale and not his footwork when his new aftershave "David Beckham Instinct" hits the markets. The new product will be launched and sold exclusively by pharmacy chain 'Superdrug' who went on a legal warpath when it learnt that the makers of the scent, Coty, had no plans to sell the product in Britain even though it was being sold in mainland Europe and the Far East. Tim Hughes of 'Superdrug' said that they had fought the legal battle because the British public had as much right to be able to buy the Beckham aftershave as they considered Beckham to be as much of a style icon as a great footballer. "When we heard that we had to ask ourselves why. Our customers see Beckham as much as a style icon as a great footballer." Tim Hughes was quoted by the Sun as saying.

Brosnan still bitter with Bond bosses (Go To Top)

     London: Pierce Brosnan can't just stop spitting fury over being dumped as 007 in new James Bond movie. After expressing his displeasure over not being cast in a Bond movie for the fifth time, the actor has now blasted the movie bosses for replacing him with British actor Daniel Craig in 'Casino Royale'. When asked how he felt after winning a role in new movie 'The Matador', he said, "It's bloody frustrating that the [bleepers] pulled the rug when they did. When the [bleepers] try and hem you in with Bond, it's great to come back with 'The Matador'." "It's great to say, '[Bleep] you, [bleephole]. [Bleep] you who wouldn't give me a job. [Bleep] you who thought I was some wuss. [Bleep] you, who thought I was a pretty boy [Bleep] you, who thought anything of me without even knowing me or giving me the chance [Bleep] you'. But when you go around with all that inside you all the time, you end up completely mangled so you have to let it go," femalefirst quoted Brosnan as telling Playboy magazine.