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Winfrey grooming women leaders

      London: US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey has named the first 73 girls to attend the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesberg, which she has helped build. Winfrey's charity has reportedly contributed 10m dollars to the school, in Meyerton, which is due to be open in 2007. The school will accommodate 450 girls who show academic talent and leadership but whose families cannot fund schooling. The intuition also aims to employ advanced education techniques, and communication technology that will allow Winfrey to teach from Chicago. "The school will teach girls to be the best human beings they can ever be. It will train them to become decision-makers and leaders; it will be a model school for the rest of the world," BBC quoted Winfrey as saying. Winfrey further adds that she has overseen "even the smallest details" of the construction of the school, jointly funded by the Guateng Department of Education.

Eva Longoria's long wait!  (Go To Top)

       Washington: "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria is not embarrassed to admit she did not have an orgasm until she was 26 years old, insisting the wait was perfectly normal. The 31-year-old actress was married in her early 20s to fellow soap star Tyler Christopher and claims most women don't have orgasms until they're older, if they even manage to have them at all. "Most women never do. Nine out of ten of my girlfriends never experienced an orgasm before 30 or before a sex toy... or something else," she was quoted by Contactmusic, as saying. Longoria made headlines earlier this year when she confessed buying her girlfriends vibrators as presents, saying at the time, "It's the best gift to give: an orgasm!"

A Sharon act by Beyonce for 'Alarm' (Go To Top)

        Washington: Beyonce Knowles has taken a page out of the movie that made Sharon Stone one of the most talked about women in the movie industry, by recreating the actress' famous leg crossing scene in 'Basic Instinct' for her new video 'Ring the Alarm'. As in the movie, the 'Bootylicious' star appears before a police panel, sitting on a chair and wearing a white dress, as she plays the part of a spurned lover in the new promo. However, unlike Stone, Knowles won't be showing off anything as she crosses and uncrosses her legs, reports Contactmusic. Apart from the interrogation scene, fans will also get to see a make-up-free Beyonce in a Jennifer Lopez styled ponytail almost popping out of her loosely-buttoned overcoat and knee-length leather boots as she's apprehended by military police.

Paramount ends tie-up with Cruise (Go To Top)

      Washington: Just when you thought that they were going to last forever, another Hollywood partnership has bitten the dust - albeit a business one with Paramount Pictures dropping actor Tom Cruise from their ranks after a 14-year long relationship. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday (22 Aug 06) that Paramount decided not to renew its contract with the star, following not only his 'couch jumping' behaviour on the Oprah Winfrey show, and also his anti-psychiatry rant on the 'Today' show, but also his inability to draw in the crowds for 'Mission Impossible III'. And, the news comes from none other than the head honcho himself, with Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone, saying that the Cruise's behaviour was "unacceptable" to the company. "As much as we like him personally, we thought it was wrong to renew his deal. His recent conduct has not been acceptable to Paramount," E!Online quoted him, as telling the Wall Street Journal. Although Paramount is said to have offered Cruise and his production partner, Paula Wagner, a two-year, 2 million dollar- plus-expenses deal a few ago, reports have bee n surfacing that the money was a lot less than the 10 million dollars a year offered to the duo previously to develop projects. Paula Wagner said she and Cruise were now looking forward to setting up their own independent operation, with 100 million dollars in financing being provided by two hedge funds. "This is a dream of Tom and mine," Wagner said.

Douglas, Zeta say no to more kids (Go To Top)

      Washington: Hollywood couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta -Jones have decided not to have any more children. The pair had planned to add to their family, Dylan, six and Carys three - plus Cameron Douglas' 27-year-old son with ex-wife Diandra Luker but have decided to settle on two. "I think Catherine's resigned to the fact. "She's gone back and forth on the subject, but when she gets back into work, I think she realises that two's enough and I say to her, 'Just think of your stepson as your third child,'" he added.

Aniston makes her debut as a director (Go To Top)

       Washington: Actress Jennifer Aniston has moved behind the camera, as she's directing her first film project "Room 10." The former Friends star will be directing the short film alongside pal Andrea Buchanan, Kris Kristofferson, and Robin Wright Penn for style magazine Glamour's annual Reel Moments project. One of her partners admits he's very enthusiastic to be working with Aniston. "I have so much respect for Jennifer as an actress; it's very easy for me to take direction from her," Contactmusic quoted Kristofferson, as saying. The three stories chosen to be adapted by Glamour bosses are all based on real-life sagas sent in by readers. . Aniston and Buchanan's drama is set in a hospital emergency room, where Kristofferson's patient character quizzes his stern nurse (Wright Penn) about the bad choices she has made in her life.

Snakes in theatre a hoax (Go To Top)

       Washington: Phoenix police department has reportedly turned down reports that pranksters had let loose two live rattlesnakes in a packed cinema showing Samuel L Jackson's film 'Snakes on a Plane' causing widespread panic. They however claim that an eight-inch baby rattlesnake was found in the hallway, not in the actual theatre and suggested that it might have probably come from a construction area nearby. They further added that rattlesnake calls are not all that uncommon in the Phoenix area and reports that the snake was intentionally put in the theatre during the movie were untrue. The rattler were later handed over to the Arizona Herpetological Association, reports TMZ. The movie 'Snakes on a Plane' is about a crate-load of escaped snakes that run amok on an airline flight, attacking passengers and crew.

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