Suniel Shetty’s deal with Philippines

Stars Business

Suniel Shetty's proposed actioner "Loot" is now a much bigger project than it was a fortnight ago. He has just cut a lucrative deal with the Philippine government for the movie.This is his second such major tie-up with a foreign government on behalf of his company. Earlier, he had cut a similar multi-million-dollar deal with the government of Turkey for the Apoorva Lakhia-directed "Mission Istanbul".However, the deal for "Loot" cuts deeper.

"Of course, on the most obvious level we get to shoot in some of the most gorgeous virgin locales of the Philippines, just as we shot in Turkey. But the tie-up means a lot more. It's time we stopped looking at Bollywood as an Indian enterprise," Suniel told the press.
To be produced by his Popcorn Entertainment, "Loot" features Govinda, Suniel, Javed Jaffrey, Mika Singh, Kim Sharma, Mahesh Manjrekar and Mimoh Chakraborty and is directed by Rajnish Thakur.

The pioneering entrepreneur that he is, Suniel plans many such tie-ups with foreign governments in the near future. Suniel says that globally, Bollywood is now taken more seriously than ever before not just for the stereotypical song and dance films but also themes that offer a more realistic view of India.

Suniel's "EMI" (Easy Monthly Installments) , about bank loans and their recovery, is already attracting a lot of attention abroad. For the first time, Malaika Arora will be seen playing the female lead in the movie.

"Our work for that film has been quickly wrapped up after Sanju baba's (Sanjay Dutt) return. We're almost done with 'EMI'. That will be my company's first release in 2008 in April. Then in June-July we'll release 'Mission Istanbul'," Suniel said.

Amrita Arora and Sagarika Ghatge launches Kaya Skin Clinic at Malad

'Beauty Through Technology’.

Kaya Skin Clinic is an elegant tranquil environment where you’ll discover the most advanced and revolutionary skin care, offered to a discerning unisex clientele in a Zen like ambience. Kaya offers excellent refreshing & relaxing solutions, which aim to achieve 'Beauty Through Technology’.

8 Indian-American finalists for 'junior Nobel Prize'

Eight Indian-American high school students, five of them girls, have been named among 40 finalists for the Intel Science Talent Search 2008 contest.

The competition, now in its 67th year, has been sponsored by the Intel Corporation for the past 10 years. Winners of the competition have gone on to receive over 100 of the world's most coveted science and math honours, including six Nobel prizes.

Avanthi Raghavan, Shravani Mikkilineni, Hamsa Sridhar, Shivani Sud, Isha Jain, Vinay Venkatesh Ramasesh, Ashok Chandran and Ayon Sen get at least $5,000 in scholarships and a laptop. They will next compete for 10 scholarships - including the top award of $100,000 - in March in Washington, DC.

The eight talented students were selected Wednesday from over 1,600 individual entrants for the nationwide competition, often called the "junior Nobel prize", administered annually by the Washington based Society for Science & the Public.

"A high proportion of Indian-American finalists speaks well for the community, and we welcome their participation," Rick Bates, spokesperson for the organisers, said.

The project Ashok Chandran, 17, of Nesconset, New York, submitted for the competition, studied the link between smoking and breast cancer. He tested the hypothesis that nicotine would alter mammary cell gene expression, creating a cellular environment akin to that of a breast cancer cell.

Isha Himani Jain, 17, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has identified a cellular mechanism underlying bone growth spurts in zebra fish, similar to the way children's bones grow. She had also won, in October, a $100,000 scholarship topping the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology for the same study, which has been published in a journal.

Avanthi Raghavan, 17, of Orlando, Florida, submitted a project studying the mechanisms of protein transport critical to the survival and virulence of the malaria parasite, which accounts for over two million deaths every year.

The project of Shivani Sud, 17, of Durham, North Carolina, focuses on identifying stage II colon cancer patients at high risk of recurrence and the best therapeutic agents for treating their tumours.

Hamsa Sridhar, 18, of Kings Park, New York, developed a low cost optical tweezers system that uses laser light to trap and suspend microscopic particles.

Ayon Sen, 17, of Austin, Texas, investigated the natural processes by which the ocean transports heat. He developed a MATLAB software interface for deep-water ocean current velocity data and integrated it with surface water velocity data from satellite altimeters.

Vinay Venkatesh Ramasesh, 18, of Fort Worth, Texas, submitted a chemistry project involving algorithms to accurately determine molecular thermodynamic properties of large molecules, such as proteins.

Shravani Mikkilineni, 17, of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, studied the computation of continued fraction expansions of the square roots of positive integers.

Shilpa and beau plan Shamita's bash

SHILPA SHETTY & RAJ KUNDRA

Shilpa Shetty and beau Raj Kundra are planning a bash for her sis Shamita’s birthday

Shilpa Shetty and her UK-based businessman boyfriend Raj Kundra are planning to host a party to bring in Shilpa’s younger sister Shamita’s birthday on February 5.

Planning a birthday bash for the girlfriend’s sis… it doesn’t get any more serious than this. Shilpa has admitted to her feelings for Kundra in the past and the fact that he’s part of the planning committee for a family member’s birthday bash proves that he has been accepted by the Shetty parivaar.

Raj is currently in Mumbai and is busy planning to hold Shamita’s party at China House next week.
A source close to the Shettys reveals, “The guest list and the menu is being discussed in great detail. Raj has become close to the Shetty family and Shamita is especially fond of him. She feels he’s right for her sister.”

Introductions please

Kundra was introduced to Shilpa last year by her manager Farhath Hussain with a proposal to launch a perfume. Their professional association blossomed into a relationship in a matter of months.

Kundra has his own B-Town connection. He produced the Jimmy Sheirgill-starrer Strangers last year.
Shilpa has been flaunting a diamond ring but marriage doesn’t seem to be on the cards just yet. A family friend adds, “After a long time, Shilpa is in love and she’s over the moon. But it’s too soon to talk about marriage. ”

Kundra, a divorcee, has a child from a previous marriage.

Who is Raj Kundra?

He’s a London-based millionaire who owns R K Collections Ltd, a successful fashion company, which imports luxury clothing for fashion houses in London; and a film distribution company, Velocity Entertainments Ltd. He is also the company director of UK Tradecorp Ltd, a multi-million pound trade company that designs and exports gold and diamond jewellery all over the world.

Ashutosh Gowariker's historical epic Jodhaa Akbar is facing trouble, with the Rajput community of Rajasthan threatening to stall the release of the m

Last urn of Mahatma's ashes immersed in Arabian Sea

The last known urn containing the ashes of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi was immersed in the Arabian Sea here on Wednesday morning on the occasion of his 60th death anniversary.

Descendants of Gandhi, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Governor of Maharashtra S M Krishna and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra R R Patil were present at the ceremony held in South Mumbai.

The Mumbai Police gave a ceremonial guard of honour prior to the immersion of the ashes at the historic Girgaum Chowpatty in South Mumbai.

After the immersion of ashes in rivers and oceans across the country following the assassination of the Father of the Nation in 1948, the last urn containing the ashes was kept at Mani Bhawan, where Gandhi lived while visiting the city.

This is the second instance in 60 years where an urn containing the ashes of Mahatma was found and later immersed.

In the first instance an urn was found in a bank locker in Bhubhaneshwar in 1997 and the ashes were immersed in Allahabad, Dhirubhai Mehta, head of the trust which maintains Mani Bhavan, said.

The urn at Mani Bhavan was donated by Bharat Narayan, a resident of Gujarat and grandson of industrialist Jamanalal Bajaj, who wanted the ashes to be preserved properly.

Tony Romo may still wallowing in his big playoff loss, but luckily he has Jessica to help nurse his emotional wounds. Last night the couple had no pr

Ashutosh Gowariker's historical epic Jodhaa Akbar is facing trouble, with the Rajput community of Rajasthan threatening to stall the release of the movie in the state.

The community says Gowariker has distorted facts in his magnum opus which is to be released on Feb 15.

Narendra Singh Rajawat, head of the Rajput Sabha, said Gowariker is presenting Jodhabai as Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Akbar's wife, which is factually incorrect. He also said that Jodhabai was not the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber near Jaipur as shown in the film.

Jodhabai was the daughter of Motaraja Udai Singh of Marwar and was married to Akbar's son Salim alias Jehangir. And Mughal king Shahjahan was her son, he added.

Rajawat said such distortion of historical facts had hurt the feelings of the Rajput community. He urged the courts to restrain Gowariker from showing Jodhabai as the daughter of Raja Bharmal of Amber.

He said the name of Raja Bharmal's daughter was Harkabai alias Heera Kunwar.

"You cannot make your own history and Ashutosh Gowariker is making his own history. He is projecting Jodhabai, who is Akbar's daughter-in-law, as his beloved and making a love story out of that. He is totally distorting historical facts," Rajawat said.

He said that the community would boycott the film.

"We are also approaching the high court against this," informed Rajawat.

The president of the Rajput Karni Sena, Lokendra Singh Kalvi, is also up in arms against the director. He said the Sena had apprehended the distortion of Rajasthan's historical facts in Jodhaa Akbar , which is based on the Jodhpur royal family.

"The Karni Sena would watch the movie when released and, if required, it would not allow the screening in the state," said Kalvi.

Mahaveer Singh Sarwadi, a leader of the Shatriya Yuvak Singh, said: "We would oppose the release of the film if it shows the community in bad taste."

A number of scenes for the film, which features Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles, were shot in and around Jaipur. Gowariker has consulted several eminent Mughal historians for his movie.

Katie Holmes to Give Suri a Little Brother?

Katie Holmes just might be pregnant again because she was spotted buying a "Big Sister" t-shirt for Suri at Petit Tresor. She reportedly spent over $2,000 on baby clothes there. A source reported:

"Katie ordered loads of cute girlie spring dresses for Suri. But she also bought a pink t-shirt which said 'Big Sister' and two matching romper suits, one which said 'Little Sister' and one which said 'Little Brother'."


Katie also revealed in December that she is desperate to have more children with Tom Cruise. She said:

"I'd love to have more children. But I'm in no particular rush. We're enjoying our time right now."


It's rumored that she wants to give birth to another child before turning 30 in December as well. The source added:

"She had it all figured out. She would shoot her new movie and then get pregnant. She was hoping to have the baby by the end of the year, go back to work next spring and have another film out by the end of 2009."

Well, I'm sure if there is a will, there is a way for both Tom and Katie. Perhaps Scientology helped them reach their goal?

Tanushree Dutta In Bikini At Swimsuit Rounds

A former Miss India winner, Tanushree Dutta represented India at the Miss Universe competition at Centro de Convenciones CEMEXPO, Quito, Ecuador where she finished 9th. The photos are from the swimsuit round of the Miss Universe event. A very hot bong babe indeed.

Tanushree Dutta in bikini at the swimsuit round of Miss Universe competition

Bollywood Gossip - Kareena Kapoor thrown out

'Aishwarya Bachchan school for girls', Amitabh�s gift to Aishwarya

One more time Amitabh Bachchan & family is in news. Bollywood legand Amitabh Bachchan had bought a land in Daulatpur village, near Lucknow city in Uttar Pradesh. Amitabh is planning to start a girl school in the name of his beautiful daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Today full Bachchan family, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were present at Daulatpur village to lay the foundation stone for ‘Aishwarya Bachchan Girls Intermediate College’ – a school for higher secondary education for girls.

During the ceremony apart from Bachchan family many political leaders were present including, Samajwadi party general secretary and friend Amar Singh, Chandrababu Naidu (former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister) and former UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. During the ceremony, mom-in-law Jaya Bachchan had urged Aishwarya that, she should visit Daulatpur village frequently to see the development of her school so that more and more girls gets good education.

Why Bachchan changed his original plan of naming the school after his eminent poet father, the late Harivansh Rai Bachchan, is not known either.

Bollywood Gossip - Kareena Kapoor

Bollywood Gossip - Kareena Kapoor thrown out

If the rumors in the industry circles are to be believed, despite here resounding success during 2007, especially ‘Jab We Met’, and hiked performance price, Kareena Kapoor has been dropped from director Imtiaz Ali’s next film.Rejecting Kareena for a role in his film, Imtiyaz Ali has chosen the currently hot Bollywood glamour girl Deepika Padukone for the film.Worse still, in a recent interview, director Imtiyz Ali has told a magazine that he had taken Kareena Kapoor for ‘Jab We Met’ even without liking the actress’ acting qualities and he stressed that Kareena is not a good actress at all.Incidentally, Imtiaz Ali, who was the director of ‘Jab We Met’, has even ignored the recommendations of Saif Ali Khan the hero of his next untitled film, and rejected his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor to opt for Deepika Padukone.

Kareena KapoorMore interestingly, Saif Ali Khan is not only the hero of the film, but it is going to be Saif's first film production!Sources said that Saif Ali Khan had recommended Kareena Kapoor for their new film, but the director rejected Saif’s pleas.Going by the standards in Bollywood, this is something significant as normally the directors seldom have the guts to ignore the requests of the hero and more so when he is also the producer of the movie. But many here would want to know if the director would have the same guts to reject a request either by Shah Rukh Khan or Aameer Khan

Gilchrist Announces Retirement

Gilchrist, who had come under scrutiny for a series of wicket keeping blunders during the ongoing series against India, chose to hang his gloves a day after breaking South African Mark Boucher"s record of highest dismissals by a wicketkeeper.

The ongoing fourth and final Test will be his last appearance in the longer version of the game while he will end his one-day career after the subsequent tri-series.

The stumper, who is currently playing his 96th Test, will finish his career while at the top of the table of the game"s leading wicketkeepers by dismissal, having so far taken 414 dismissals (377 caught, 37 stumped), at an incredible 2.178 scalps per innings.

“It is with great pride and happiness that I make the decision to retire from Test and One-day cricket. I"ve come to this decision after much thought and discussion with those most important to me," Gilchrist said in a statement issued by Cricket Australia.

“I am now ready and excited to move into the next phase of my life," said Gilchrist, who has so far compiled 5556 runs in 95 Tests for an average of 47.89 and 9297 runs in 277 ODIs for an average of 36.03.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 26th, 2008 at 10:50 pm and is filed under Friends, Games, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Lindsay Lohan @ Cloverfield Movie Premiere

Cloverfield is a 2008 American monster movie produced by J. J. Abrams, directed by Matt Reeves, and written by Drew Goddard. First publicized in advance screenings of Transformers, the project was released on January 17 in New Zealand and Australia, and on January 18 in North America. It is scheduled for a February 1 release in the United Kingdom. Prior to the film’s release, Paramount Pictures carried out a viral marketing campaign to promote the film.

Many celebrities came at the premiere of this movie including Lindsay Lohan and here are some HQ Wallpapers of her taken on the premiere of Cloverfield.

The great IPL auction winners declared

The Indian Premier League, the BCCI-backed Twenty20 tournament, continues to gather steam. The 12 cities in which the teams are to be based was revealed on Thursday (January 24), when the bids for the franchises were opened.

Mukesh Ambani won the bid for the Mumbai team of IPL 111.9 million, while Shah Rukh Khan bagged the Kolkata team of IPL for 75.09 million. While, United Breweries chief -- Vijay Mallya -- has bagged the Bangalore team for 111.6 million.

Moreover, 'Investors in Cricket' won the bid for the Jaipur team of IPL. GMR Group won the bid for the Delhi team of IPL for 84 million and Ness Wadia bagged the Chandigarh team for 76 million. 'India Cements' will take over the Chennai team, while 'Deccan Chronicle' will handle the franchisee for the Hyderabad team of IPL

After bagging the Bangalore team in the auction, an exhilirated United Breweries chief -- Vijay Mallya said:"I got the Bangalore team for 111.6 million. I was an underbidder for the Mumbai team, which went to Mukesh Ambani for 111.9 million. We are going to use it as a platform to promote all our brands. I am very excited."

The auction includes player contracts and the team franchises. A very relieved and happy , M Badale, Winner of Jaipur Team said that a lot of work has to be done. He further added that they would work closely with -- Greg Chappell -- whose role would be of that of an advisor to the 20:20 franchisee.

A clutch of corporates were in the race to own a team with the tournament slated to begin on April 18.

Potential franchisees submitted bids for more than one city-team and also mentioned the state and the total fee they were offering for a franchise for the first ten-year term.

Business houses such as Reliance Industries Limited, the Videocon group, the UB group, Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's production house -- Red Chillies, the Hyderabad-based infrastructure major GMR, real estate giant -- DLF, media group -- Deccan Chronicle, fast food chain -- Nirula's -- and London-based betting firm -- William Hill -- had participated in owning a team.

Clearly, it's a great brand equity opportunity for these corporates. The revenue streams for franchises include media rights, IPL sponsorship money, gate receipts, franchise sponsors and uniform merchandising.

The focus clearly is to design the league so as to maximise the value of the team owners.

The base price for owning a team for ten years is US$50 million, but the intense competition and the fact that a large chunk of revenues from IPL's lucrative media deal with Sony Entertainment and WSG will accrue to franchisees, saw much higher bids than the base price.

Bollywood actor Preity Zinta and Joint MD, Bombay Dyeing, Ness Wadia come out of the BCCI office in Mumbai

Twelve cities satisfy the BCCI's eligibility criteria for hosting a franchise, but the IPL is to initially have only eight teams.

What's more, the league is not only to be restricted to India - plans are in the pipeline for an international version of the Premier League.

Actress MUMAITH KHAN Profile

Birth name : Mumaith Khan

Born : September 1
Mumbai, India
Other name(s) Munnu

Mumaith Khan an Indian film actress known for her item numbers. She has acted in nearly 40 movies in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada Languages.

Mumaith's family hailed from Pakistan but moved to India where they settled in the outskirts of Mumbai. Her father is an Indian (Tamil Nadu) and her mother is a Pakistani. She has four sisters and to support her family, she joined a small dance troop for Rupees 1500/- per month. Her sister Zobyn Khan also entered the film industry and has done some cameo appearances in Telugu films.

Turning Point

Mumaith got the opportunity to play an item song in the Hindi Movie Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. and came into the lime light . After that, she became very busy in Bollywood as well as Tollywood and lately Kollywood. She gained more popularity with the item song in telugu film Pokiri (2006 film). In the Tamil film Pokkiri which was the remake of telugu film of the same name, also she danced in an item song. In Dr. Rajasekhar's film Evadaithe Nakenti, she played a police officer's role named F.Myssama. She has acted as heroine in the film ‘Bhookailas’ with Venu Madhav as the hero. She is known for her voluptous physique and her body piercings.

Filmography

Telugu

1. Sawaal (2008) (Cameo)
2. Mangatayaru Tiffin Centre (2008) (Announced)
3. Lakshmi Putrudu (2008) (Cameo)
4. Manchu Kurise Velalo (2008) (Cameo)
5. F.M - Fun and Masthi (2007) (Announced)
6. Maisamma IPS (2007)
7. Bhajantrilu (2007) (Cameo)
8. Veedu maamoolodu kaadu (2007) (Cameo)
9. Don (2007) (Cameo)
10. Sri Mahalakshmi (2007) (Cameo)
11. Bhookailas (2007)
12. Operation Duryodhana (2007)
13. Adavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule (2007) (Cameo)
14. Yogi (2007) (Cameo)
15. Evadaithe Nakenti (2007)
16. Bhagyalakshmi Bumper Draw (2006)
17. Saamaanyudu (2006)
18. Pokiri (2006) (Cameo)
19. Chatrapati (2006) (Cameo)
20. 143 (2004) (Cameo)
21. Swamy (Cameo) (Debut Movie in Telugu)

Hindi

1. Big Brother (2007) (Cameo)
2. Fight Club - Members Only (2006) (Cameo)
3. Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena (2005)
4. Dil Jo Bhi Kahey... (2005)
5. Chocolate (2005)
6. Lucky: No Time for Love (2005)
7. Dhadkanein (2005)
8. Hulchul (2005)
9. Asambhav (2004)
10. Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003) (Cameo)

Tamil

1. Marudhamalai 2007 (Cameo)
2. Udambu Eppadi Irukku 2007 (Cameo)
3. Madurai Veeran (2007) (Cameo)
4. Lee (2007) (Cameo)
5. Pokkiri (2007) (Cameo)
6. Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006) (Cameo)
7. Thalai Nagaram (2006) (Cameo)

Kannada

1. Orata (2007)(Cameo)

Trivia

* It said that Her Remuneration for Cameo in Tollywood is Rs 15 Lakhs INR[citation needed] now a days.
* Her Remuneration for Mysamma IPS is 35 Lakhs INR[citation needed]

Our BRITNEY SPEARS ......

Thank the stars above ... it would seem that Britney Spears has regained some semblance of sense in the past week or so as it appears that she is finally making good decisions in her life again. The first sign that she regained some of her senses was that she seems to have expunged Adnan Ghalib from her life after allowing him to weasel his way into her inner circle so that he could take advantage of the situation over the past few weeks. The next positive sign is that Britney, on the arm of her pal Sam Lufti, actually showed up to be deposed by her ex-hubby's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan at his office yesterday morning. And finally, there is new word that Brit Brit has a "plan" to try and comply with the court, on her own terms, so that she may be able to win back some visitation rights with her sons Sean Preston and Jayden James. Could things be on the upswing for our dear Britney?

source:popsugar.com

Tom Cruise plays Nazi Klaus Schenck in an upcoming movie

Cruise compared to Goebbels

Superstar Tom Cruise plays Nazi Klaus Schenck in an upcoming movie, but historian Guido Knopp thinks he resembles Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.Speaking to a German newspaper, Knopp said that Cruise's taped address talking about Scientology was similar to the speech Goebbels gave in 1943 in which he asked the audience "Do you want total war?"

Knoop said: "It may be the case that Cruise's delivery style is not uncommon in certain religious movements in the US. But for Germans with an interest in history, that scene where he asks whether the Scientologists should 'clean up' the world and everyone shouts 'yes' is inevitably reminiscent of Goebbels' notorious speech," he commented

'Netaji was burnt but alive after plane crash'

THE LEGEND SURVIVES: India celebrates Netaji's 111th birth anniversary on Wednesday.

In what could be deemed as the official take on the controversy surrounding the 'death' of freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose, government documents show that though he was in the ill-fated plane that crashed on August 18, 1945, he survived.

Anuj Dhar had sought papers related to the death of Bose from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs under the Right to Information Act. In reply, Dhar got the report (Exhibit Com 6 B), filed by the Counter Intelligence Corps, GHQ, AFPAC dated Sep 29, 1945.

Counter Intelligence Corps had questioned Habibur Rahman Khan, former deputy chief of the staff and aide de camp to Bose, to find out the truth. Khan was accompanying Bose in the K-21 heavy bomber aircraft on August 18, 1945.

According to Khan, the plane carrying Netaji, after its take off from Taihoku (Taipei) in Formosa (Taiwan), had not gained much altitude when he heard a terrific explosion leaving the plane "vibrating violently".

Khan stated that after the plane crash he noticed his own coat afire. He removed it immediately, and then saw Bose lying by the plane with his clothing on fire, whereupon he went to the aid of Bose and removed his burning clothing.

He added that the seat Bose occupied in the aircraft was beside a petrol tank. At the time of the crash, the tank exploded, spreading the burning fuel on Bose's clothing.

Khan, according to the declassified document, told the investigators that soon vehicles from the airfield came to the crash site and removed all persons to the Japanese Military Hospital (Rikugun Biychin) in Taihoku, where they received medical treatment. It was later determined that Bose received "serious injuries about the head and neck in addition to his severe burns".

Bose recovered sufficiently to carry on a conversation and complained of the pain in his head and asked him to request that the medical authorities check his blood pressure, according to Khan.

Contents of 91 documents have been put in public domain while the home imnistry has declined to do so in respect of over 100 documents.

Bose was born January 23, 1897, and Wednesday is his 111th birth anniversary.

Actor Heath Ledger found dead

Actor Heath Ledger was found dead at his downtown Manhattan residence
Australian-born actor Heath Ledger was found dead on Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence in what authorities called a possible drug-related death, the New York Police Department said. He was 28.

A police spokesman said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the apartment that is believed to be his home. The housekeeper went to tell Ledger the masseuse had arrived and found him dead on Tuesday afternoon, Paul Browne said.

The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy on Wednesday, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.

A crowd of paparazzi and onlookers began gathering Tuesday evening outside the building, where several police officers guarded the door.

Ledger was an Oscar nominee for his role in Brokeback Mountain , where he met actress Michelle Williams, in 2005. The couple lived in Brooklyn and had a daughter, Matilda, but split up last year.

Ledger played the suicidal son of Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball and had starring roles in A Knight's Tale and The Patriot . He was to appear as the Joker this year in The Dark Knight , a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins .

Ledger grew up in Perth and began doing amateur theatre at age 10. At 16, he moved to Sydney to pursue an acting career, quickly landing TV movie roles and guest spots on Australian television.

After several independent films and a starring role in the short-lived Fox TV series Roar , Ledger moved to Los Angeles at age 19 and co-starred in 10 Things I Hate About You , a teen comedy reworking of The Taming of the Shrew.

Offers for other teen films came his way, but Ledger turned them down, preferring to remain idle than sign on for projects he did not like.

“It wasn't a hard decision for me,'' Ledger told an agency in 2001. “It was hard for everyone else around me to understand. Agents were like, `You're crazy,' my parents were like, `Come on, you have to eat.'''

His latest role was in I'm Not There , in which he played one of the many incarnations of singer Bob Dylan - as did Cate Blanchett, whose performance in that film earned her an Oscar nomination on Tuesday for best supporting actress.

US Democratic presidential candidates

sculpture of US Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards is displayed at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Watch Shipa Shetty's Yoga - Free - Shipa's Yoga DVD

Shilpa Shetty - Introduction (Shilpa's Yoga)

Shilpa Shetty - Stomach Asanas (Shilpa's Yoga)

Shilpa Shetty - Sitting Asanas (Shilpa's Yoga)

Shilpa Shetty - Back Asanas (Shilpa's Yoga)

Shilpa Shetty - Standing Asanas (Shilpa's Yoga)

Shilpa Shetty - Neck And Shoulders Asanas (Shilpa's Yoga)

Doesnt matter if shilpa shetty is not successful as an actress but she is making mega money by her different projects. First she has introduced her Sexy Perfume and now released her YOGA DVD. She is really going high now a days. I have watched this video and loved it.

In the DVD, she reveals her fitness secrets to create a lean and toned body while retaining all the feminine curves.

"Shilpa is the sexiest yogi the world has ever seen!" quips her publicist, Dale Bhagwagar.

"In Shilpa's Yoga, she demonstrates simple techniques against the stunning coastal backdrop of Kerala. She explains how to transform mind, body and soul, with unique ways to build stamina and get revitalised, while discovering inner peace," he adds.

With careful and precise instructions, the DVD demonstrates specific sequences that enhance concentration, agility and flexibility.

The workout aims not only to strengthen and tone, but also to heal. Its designed to help improve posture through a series of calming poses which focus on slow movement and breathing control.

It outlines various benefits of yoga, including stress and tension release, increased energy and vitality, weight loss, improved circulation and digestion, and comes with a free audio-CD of chill out ambient music to help unwind and relax after practicing the yoga techniques.

"Go for it. It might even improve your sex life!" says Bhagwagar.

A Very Pregnant J Lo...

A very pregnant Jennifer Lopez arrived at the Gramercy Park Hotel in NYC with Marc Anthony for her baby shower this weekend. Lopez' Maid in Manhattan producer, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, hosted the event which included guests like Diane Sawyer, Leah Remini and Roberto Cavalli. The initial rumors of twins continued, as the decor was supposedly both pink and blue colored. Jennifer's pregnancy was the worst kept secret but she's keeping us guessing with the twins speculation. Guess we'll know in a few weeks since J Lo is in the final stretch of her pregnancy.

Shakira Says No To Nude Scene...

Co l u m b i a n singer, songwriter and actress SHAKIRA turned down a role in a movie because it involved nudity. The new movie, Love In The Time Of Cholera, has a nude scene, which would require Shakira to strip naked. The 30-year-old singer, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her soundtrack for the MIKE NEWELL film, revealed that GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ who wrote the original book, wanted her to do the main role. However, Shakira has turned down the offer because she thinks, doing a nude scene might make her parents angry. “There was nudity involved, so I said no. My parents wouldn’t like it at all. So I said thank you, but no thank you,” a website quoted her saying.

Akshay Kumar: The highest paid actor in India!

Can you believe this? After churning out four hits in a row during 2007, Akshay Kumar is now charging over Rs 20 crore for a film!
Similarly, Akshay hit films during 2007 - the maximum by any actor in Bollywood - include HEYY BABYY, NAMASTE LONDON, BHOOL BHULAIYA and WELCOME. And, according to industry sources, Akshay has hiked his price and signed the next film by Venus Records for a whopping Rs 22 crore.

Although Akshay is far behind Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan as far as status value in the industry, success has not gone to the lad's head and he is neither interested in any competition with Big B or King Khan. On the other hand, sources close to Akshay say that he is inspired by Rajnikanth who has been charging Rs 16 crore per film following the runaway success of 'SHIVAJI - THE BOSS'. And Akki himself says that he is not too interested in past performances, but is working hard to give more hit films this year.

Akshay's consistency in delivering hit films has already earned him the title of 'Hindi Film Hit Machine' in Bollywood circles. If the films Akshay is doing now are any indication, the year ahead will see him doing a lot of action on celluloid. In fact, last year, most of Akki's movies were comedies.

Akshay's next film is Nikhil Advani's big budget adventure flick 'CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA' which depicts a part of the actor's life and is estimated to cost a whopping Rs 100 crore making it one of the most costliest films made so far! We sincerely, hope that the New Year will see Akki rising to greater heights in all regards.

Bollywood Actress Ayesha Takia Profile

Ayesha Takia was born and raised in Mumbai. Her father is a Gujarati and her mother is half British and half Maharashtiran. No wonder then that she grew up speaking English at home.

Modeling since the age of four, Ayesha first appeared in a music video of Phalguni Pathak. Later on, she was noticed in the loaded-with-oomph-video titled ‘Shake It Daddy’. Not only did she garner the public’s attention but also bagged her first film.

Ayesha made her debut in Bollywood with Taarzan: The Wonder Car. She went on to do Socha Na Tha which was a debut vehicle for the Deol lad, Abhay. Both the films didn’t do very well at the box-office.

Later, she did quite a few films and none of them were worth a mention. Then came Dor, a smaller budget film in which she plays the role of a young widowed Rajasthani woman living in a traditional joint family. She went on to win a Zee Cine Critics Award for Best Actress for her performance.

In a poll conducted by Zoom, an Indian TV channel, Ayesha featured as one of the 50 most desirable women of India. This vivacious lady has been dating restaurateur, Farhan Azmi since quite some time, though they have no intenntions of getting married any time soon.

Date of Birth : 10 April 1986
Place of Birth : Bombay, India

Filmography as Artiste

* Yahan Ke Hum Sikander (2008)
* De Taali (2008)
* Sunday (2008)
* Jalsa (2007)
* No Smoking (2007)
* Cash (2007)
* Kya Love Story Hai (2007)
* Salaam-E-Ishq (2007)
* Dor (2006)
* Yun Hota To Kya Hota (2006)
* Shaadi Se Pehle (2006)
* Home Delivery (2005)
* Shaadi No. 1 (2005)
* Socha Na Tha (2005)
* Dil Maange More (2004)
* Taarzan - The Wonder Car (2004)

Read More...

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Hollywood actors John Travolta and Olivia

Hollywood actors John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John share a light moment during a function in Los Angeles.

Gwyneth Paltrow pregnant?

Gwyneth Paltrow's hospital dash was due to pregnancy complications, it has been claimed. The Oscar-winning actress — who had knee surgery last year — was wheeled into New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center on Monday by husband Chris Martin and sources claim she was taken to the hospital's maternity wing Klingenstein Pavilion.

A source told the New York Daily News newspaper: "They looked very serious. She looked upset. They went right past everyone and into the elevator. It seemed like they were expected." Gwyneth, 35 — who has a three-year-old daughter Apple and a one-year-old son Moses with Coldplay singer Chris — has previously revealed she wants a bigger family. She said last year: "I have a dream version where I think maybe in four years I'll have two in a row really quickly. But when everyone's potty-trained and sleeping through the night, are you really going to go back? I'd like to work a bit now.

My husband wants to adopt. So I don't know. I'm sort of open for anything." Gwyneth's representative Stephen Huvane refused to discuss the reason behind the actress' hospital visit, insisting: "She's fine. Talk of pregnancy is guesswork at best. This is a private matter not for public consumption."

Katrina in love with her boss

Katrina Kaif is in love with her boss. And the man in question is certainly not Salman Khan.

Well, hold on your thoughts before they start turning really wild as we are talking about her on-screen love in soon to be released ‘RACE’. An Abbas Mustan thriller, this multi-starrer has Katrina playing the role of a personal assistant who is in love with her boss. However, there is not much known about who really is really her boss (Saif Ali Khan or Akshaye Khanna) since this is the very fact which forms the integral part of the film's plot.

On her end, Katrina reveals that though her character loves her boss, he on the other hand, misunderstands it for her dedication for work and doesn't quite pay much attention for her love.

First thriller of Katrina since the beginning of her career way back in 2003 (‘Boom’), ‘Race’ is a new experience for Katrina who has been seen in back-to-back romantic/comedy hits like ‘Welcome’, ‘Partner’, ‘Namastey London’ and ‘Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya’. Katrina's upcoming films are ‘Singh is Kinng’ and ‘Yuvraaj’.

1 CRORE MALLIKA

Mallika Sherawat had quite a successful 2007 with a hat-trick of box office successes to her name. However, even though 'Guru', 'Aap Ka Surroor - The Moviee' and 'Welcome' were all money spinners, Mallika only had supporting roles or cameo appearances in each of the three films.

While in 'Guru', she gyrated to the tune of chartbuster track 'Maiyya Maiyya', in case of 'Aap Kaa Surroor - The Moviee' there were rumors about her charging a whopping Rs one crore in fees for a short appearance.

In the film, she had an item track 'Mehbooba' in addition to a few scenes as a woman who had much more than just a crush on Himesh Reshammiya.

Even though she was promoted as a vamp in the film, she hardly seemed to be the one as the film progressed.

Meanwhile, the latest release 'Welcome' is her biggest blockbuster of all times. Even as she made an appearance only in the second half of the film, her arrival only made the proceedings livelier.

Her naughty antics with Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor managed to get the house down with her 'Kiya Kiya' song and dance number with the two veterans turning out to be a chartbuster.

Says a source closely associated with the actor, "The year 2007 has gone quite well for Mallika even though she didn't have a lead role to play in any of the three films.

After 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects', her fans have obviously been asking for more. After a consistently good run, in the form of three super hit films, she is all set to enter 2008 with a lot more confidence."

The year 2008 is indeed special for Madame M as she would be seen in at least three high profile projects - 'Ugly And Pagli', 'Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam' and a Tamil film 'Dasavatharam'.

Reveals the source, "'Maan Gaye Mughal-E-Azam' is all set to remind the audience of the great chemistry that Mallika shared with Rahul Bose in 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects'. The film is a wonderful package.

Not only does it comes from the house of Venus who are looking at making a comeback after the debacle of 'Aap Ki Khatir'; it also has Sanjay Chhel as a director who wrote such superb one liners in 'Partner'.

Actors like Paresh Rawal and Kay Kay Menon in the cast only make this yet another more comedy to watch out for in 2008."

Another comedy which Mallika's fans can expect from her this year is 'Ugly And Pagli'.

A Pritish Nandy Communications' production, the film, as per its producer Rangita Pritish Nandy, is 'Bollywood's quirkiest, kinkiest and funniest romance'.

To be directed by debutant Sachin Khot, the film sees Mallika paired opposite Ranvir Shorey who had a supporting role to play in 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects'. A romantic comedy, the film has music by Anu Malik.

Before the year comes to a close, Mallika would be also seen in her biggest and costliest Indian project ever - 'Dasavatharam' (which stands for 'Ten Incarnations').

She is said to be playing a CIA agent in the film that has Kamal Hassan in the lead with as many as 10 characters to portray.

With three major films up her sleeves that would feature Mallika in different roles as a leading lady, 2008 could well be the year that acts as her calling card!

Jodha Akbar Expectations.....

Jodha Akbar is up for release very shortly and expectations have reached sky high. The hit pair of Dhoom2 – Hrithik Roshan and Aishwara Rai – are back together with the acclaimed director of Lagaan, Ashutosh Gowarikar and genius music director A R Rahman. To top it all, the story is based on the mogul king Akbar and his wife Jodha.

Hrithik Roshan – Aishwarya Rai Pairing

Some say they are going to rock as they did in Dhoom2, but we think otherwise! We found no chemistry between them in Dhoom2, but we must say they looked absolutely stunning as a pair. In Jodha Akbar they need more than ‘looking good’ to make an impact.

No doubt Aishwarya Rai is a great actress, and most importantly the prettiest of all bollywood actresses, but she goes over the top most of the time. For example the way she says ‘sunheri’ in Dhoom2. For heaven’s sake she should stop all that stupid acts. In Jodha Akbar we hope she does what she did in Guru – a controlled performance.

Aishwarya Rai has many things to cheer about in Jodha Akbar. One of them is that she looks the part. Jodha Akbar is going to be very crucial for Aishwarya Rai’s future in bollywood.

By now everyone must have understood that Hrithik Roshan is a director’s actor. He is not someone who can carry the movie entirely on his shoulders. We saw movies like Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Mein Prem Ki Diwani Hoon and Yaadein, where he was reduced to a joker because of director’s inability. He always fared good in his father’s movies because his father knows exactly what to do with him.

In Jodha Akbar, Hrithik Roshan needs to elevate his acting capabilities few notches higher to make people take him seriously as an actor. Surprisingly, Hrithik Roshan looks good with moustache in the mogul costume.

Ashutosh Gowarikar

Everyone started to recognize Ashutosh after he directed Lagaan. Very few know that he is in bollywood from a very long time. He has acted in movies like Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na with Shahrukh Khan and directed a disaster called Pehla Nasha. His last movie Swades met with failure even though it had country’s biggest star, Shahrukh Khan. This time he has chosen a bigger canvas. Can he pull another Lagaan?

Period movies don’t work in bollywood as they do in Hollywood. We have seen some mega disasters in form of Shahrukh’s Ashoka and Aamir’s Mangal Pandey. Hope Jodha Akbar does not suffer the same fate.

'I'm pregnant' says delighted Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman at the Oscars

Nicole Kidman and her husband of 18 months are expecting their first baby, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The Oscar-winning actress and Keith Urban, the country and western singer she calls the "love of my life", broke the news to their families over the Christmas holiday.

The 40-year-old Australian star had already spoken of "winding down" her film-making activities as much as possible next year.The baby, whose expected arrival date has not yet been revealed, will be the actress's first natural child.

She adopted Isabella, 14, and twelve-year-old Conor during her first marriage to Tom Cruise.

Miss Kidman was stunned when he filed for divorce in 2001.

Shortly after they split, she revealed that she had suffered an ectopic pregnanacy and a miscarriage during the marriage.

Nicole with husband Keith Urban, the pair are reportedly expecting their first baby together
Miss Kidman spent her Christmas holiday in Syndey, after finshing work on Baz Lurhmann's epic romantic adventure film "Australia" on December 21.

She is due to film The Reader with Ralph Fiennes and British director Stephen Daldry in Berlin next month, but has no more cinema work planned after that.

"I just want to spend as much time as possible with my husband," she told the Daily Mail.

Earlier this month the actress also dismissed the idea of returning to the stage next year.

"It wouldn't fit in with the logistics and dynamics of my family", she said - a remark given extra meaning by the news of her pregnancy.

Her most recently-released film is the extravagant fantasy The Golden Compass.

Although the film was attacked by some critics, the actress's performance as the glamorous villain Mrs Coulter won wide praise.
Miss Kidman married Urban in Sydney in June 2006.

The early months of the marriage were described as difficult as the actress helped her new husband deal with a drink problem.

Urban spent several months in a rehabilitation clinic in the U.S.

Nicole Kidman's most recent film is the extravagant fantasy film The Golden Compass,although the film was attacked by some critics, the actress's performance as the glamorous villain Mrs Coulter won wide praise.

At the film's Australian premiere in Sydney on December 14, Nicole was mocked in some quarters for wearing a silver trouser suit ensemble with a jacket. That suit was most likely carefully chosen to conceal rather than reveal.

Also when the Daily mail visited the set of Australia in Sydney earlier in December the actress was shooting scenes in a long ball gown ,so again, much could be kept out of view.

Nicole with her adopted son Connor and daughter Isabella
In between takes on set Nicole took to a bed in one of the studio's dressing room's complaining that she felt 'constantly tired'.

Lindsay Lohan's Got A New Boy Friend

Not only was Lindsay Lohan honored at the Capri Film Festival but it looks like she also snagged a new man while in Italy. The new man who is rumored to be a bartender cozied up to Linds Lo on a romantic date. The two sipped champagne and flirted heavily all night long.

Paris Is Gonna Be Pissed!!!!

She must be devastated!

Paris Hilton's grandfather, Barron Hilton, announced Wednesday that he's giving away almost all his fortune to charity!

The hotel tycoon is donating 97% of his 2.3 billion worth to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, named after the initial Hilton that founded the global hotel chain in 1919 with a small hotel in Cisco, Texas.

That means that Barron's kids and grandkids are gonna be left with just $69 million to split amongst them. AND they have to pay taxes on that!

Pennies!

Dang. We kinda feel sorry for Paris. Don't U?

But, then again, the people of the world are over $2 billion richer now!

Hopefully the Conrad N. Hilton foundation will distribute the money wisely.

Benazir Bhutto Killed By Bomb Blast

The Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has been killed in a bomb attack. This has been confirmed by Pakistan's Ministry of the Interior. The ex-prime minister is believed to have been the victim of a suicide bombing.

The attack took place during an election rally being held by Mrs Bhutto's party in the city of Rawalpindi. Initial reports state that between ten and fifteen other people have also been killed. It is not known who was behind the bombing.

BENAZIR BHUTTO IN HER TEENAGE YEARS

Mrs Bhutto was the target of an earlier bomb attack in October, when an explosion in the city of Karachi killed 140 people celebrating her return from exile.

Earlier today, in the capital Islamabad, four people were shot dead during an election rally for another opposition leader, Nawaz Sharif. Mr Sharif's supporters were getting ready to begin a protest march when unknown attackers opened fire on them.

Both Mrs Bhutto and Mr Sharif are known for their fierce opposition to President Pervez Musharraf, who brought the parliamentary elections forward - to January 8 - after he had been chosen as president.

“Rakhi Sawant is a poor loser”!

Love her, loathe her but don’t ignore her. That’s all Rakhi Sawant asks from you! This drama queen of Indian TV has successfully managed to stay in news, rather controversy yet again.

After her infamous ouster from Nach Baliye at the hands of Sanjeeda and Aamir, Rakhi Sawant and beau Abhishek walked out of the show’s grand finale without paying heed to even Salman Khan’s request to come back!

If ample tears, prayer chanting and panting on screen were not enough, Rakhi and Abhishek even went to the extent of filing a complaint in a local police station against the show and channel, accusing them to be cheating the audiences, due to their alleged fake voting pattern.

We spoke to Keertan Adyanthaya, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Star Plus to know the truth and the man was certainly not amused by Rakhi’s accusations.

“This is just a publicity stunt. This jodi is using the media for their own nefarious purposes. They are making allegations against Star Plus without any basis or a shred of evidence. It’s a ploy for them to remain in the news. They have still not contacted the channel or the producers directly with any issues they have, but are using the media. These are all just hollow allegations.

They are nothing but poor losers, I feel sorry for them that they have to resort to such public pleading to remain the news. It’s a case of “grapes are sour”. As far as we are concerned, the show ended on Saturday night, but it looks like the show and its associated glitz & glamour are hard to leave behind for some people.”

But what about the police case filed by Rakhi? “As far as the Police case goes, firstly, it is not a case against Star Plus but against some unknown parties who have allegedly voted using some software. The case is based on a newspaper report and not on any rock solid evidence. If the Police do decide to investigate, we will co-operate fully with them if they approach us. But I don’t think the Police will be misled into investigating such frivolous cases”.

Adyanthaya concludes sasying, “We expect an unconditional public apology from Mr Awasthi & Ms Sawant.”

Wonder what happens next to this case...

Om Malik in Forbes' Web Celeb 25 list

Blogging might be a leisure activity for many famous personalities but it has brought fame to people like India-born Om Malik who has been named as one of the global web celebrities by American magazine Forbes .

Ranked at the 12th position for technology blogging on the list of “Web Celeb 25", he shares the limelight not just with fellow bloggers but also with video hosts and gadget gurus.

A chemistry graduate from St. Stephen's College in India's capital New Delhi, Malik is the brain behind the website http://gigaom.com/ and has also served as a technology journalist for various publications.

"Om Malik has a long history as a tech journalist, writing for outlets including Business 2.0, Red Herring and The Wall Street Journal (he was also one of the founding staffers of Forbes.com ). But true web celebrity status didn't come for the Indian-born writer until 2001, when he started his own technology blog, GigaOm ," Forbes noted.

On the other hand, twenty nine-year-old Perez Hilton alias Mario Lavandeira, who runs the website http://perezhilton.com/ , is at the top of the heap.

"Hollywood stars fear the wrath of Perez Hilton, a controversial gossip blogger with a poison pen... His blog is hugely popular, despite recent missteps, including erroneously reporting the death of Fidel Castro," the magazine said.

Pointing out that Malik frequently appears in the media on television as a technology expert, Forbes added that his popular website has received funding from sources including San Francisco-based venture firm True Ventures.

Meanwhile, according to 41-year-old Malik's website, he has also been a venture capitalist for a brief period.

"... few months in the VC (venture capitalism) business made me realise how much I missed the world of writing and reportage, and I went to work for Red Herring where (at least I thought) I could apply my extensive knowledge and insight into the world of venture capitalism and cutting-edge technologies," Malik's website said.

Interestingly, one of the web celebrities is Dan Lyons -- none other than the editor of Forbes itself. However, he is ranked at the 17th position in the name ‘Fake Steve Jobs' ( http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/ ).

Dan Lyons started a pseudonymous blog, posing as the alter ego of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "For a year, the satirical site attracted fans, growing in popularity - and the tech and media worlds boiled over trying to figure out who was behind it."

“In August 2007, The New York Times ousted Lyons as the author; in October, he released a book, Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs , a parody, under the pseudonym Fake Steve Jobs , “ the report said about its own editor.

Other names on the Forbes list include Michael Arrington (2nd rank), Mark Frauenfelder (3rd), Seth Godin (4th), Cory Doctorow (5th), Matt Drudge (6th), Gina Trapani (7th), Mark Zuckerberg (8th), Harry Knowles (9th), Robert Scoble (10th), Frank Warren (11th), Will Leitch (13th), Jeff Jarvis (14th), Kevin Rose (15th), Kathy Sierra (16th), Markos Moulitsas (18th), Xeni Jardin (19th), Ryan Block (20th), Glenn Reynolds (21st), Pete Cashmore (22nd), Steve Rubel (23rd), Heather Armstrong (24th) and Darren Rowse (25th).

The magazine collected data on 200 Internet personalities and ranked their popularity. "The final list of 25 names shows how the Web has levelled the playing field -- so that now, even the unlikeliest character can become a star," Forbes said in an accompanying report.