Thursday, July 30, 2009

Regina Spektor tackles dolphins, dance on new album



Quirky singer 'trippy' about success
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Regina Spektor has pretty pale blue eyes, but you won't see them if she's performing.
"I play most of my songs with my eyes closed," says the Moscow, Russia-born singer-songwriter.
"I don't know why, but a lot of the time I don't realize that I'm doing it. It's weird."
Perhaps, but here's a musician who's known for being a little quirky.
On the track "Folding Chairs" off her new album, "Far" (Sire Records) Spektor imitates the sound a dolphin makes. And in the music video for her peppy song "Dance Anthem of The '80s" she gets her face so close to the camera that at times you think she's going to gobble it up.
But in person, the classically trained pianist is shy and soft spoken. And she recalls her third album's debut last month at No. 3 on the Billboard album chart -- a career high -- with genuine surprise.

Lefevre `stunned' Howard has her role in `Eclipse'




LOS ANGELES – Bryce Dallas Howard is taking over as the villainous vampire Victoria in the third "Twilight" movie, and the actress who's played the part in the first two films says she was "stunned" and "hurt deeply" by the switch.
Rachelle Lefevre says she was unaware that Summit Entertainment, which is releasing the vampire saga, had chosen someone else to play her part in "Eclipse." Summit announced Howard as her replacement late Tuesday, saying Lefevre had scheduling conflicts that would make her unable to participate in the production.
But Lefevre said Wednesday that she was "fully committed" to returning as Victoria. She says her involvement in the drama "Barney's Version," starring Paul Giamatti and Dustin Hoffman, would only last 10 days.
"I turned down several other film opportunities and, in accordance with my contractual rights, accepted only roles that would involve very short shooting schedules," she said in a lengthy statement.
"Although the production schedule for `Eclipse' is over three months long, Summit said they had a conflict during those 10 days and would not accommodate me. Given the length of filming for `Eclipse,' never did I fathom I would lose the role over a 10-day overlap."
Summit says Lefevre didn't inform the studio she would be shooting "Barney's Version" — which will require her to be in Europe during rehearsal and at least 10 days of principal photography on "Eclipse" — until July 20, even though she reportedly signed onto the project in early June. The studio says it made her representatives aware several days ago that taking part in "Barney's Version" could place her "Eclipse" job status in jeopardy.
"Contrary to Ms. Lefevre's statement, it is simply untrue that the studio dismissed her over a 10-day overlap," Summit said in its own statement Wednesday night. "It is not about a 10-day overlap, but instead about the fact that `The Twilight Saga: Eclipse' is an ensemble production that has to accommodate the schedules of numerous actors while respecting the established creative vision of the filmmaker and most importantly the story."
The news shook up the fervent fans of the "Twilight" series: Several are circulating online petitions urging that she return, and the top-trending topic on Twitter for a while Wednesday afternoon was "Bring Back Rachelle."
"Eclipse," based on the third book in Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" saga, is scheduled to begin shooting in Vancouver in August. Part two, "New Moon," comes out Nov. 20.
Howard, while a newcomer to the "Twilight" franchise, is no stranger to blockbusters, having co-starred in "Spider-Man 3" and "Terminator Salvation." She also appeared in "The Village" and "Lady in the Water."

Friday, July 24, 2009

Angelina Jolie visits displaced Iraqis


Families tell actress they can't afford to send their children to school

Angelina Jolie speaks with a boy at a makeshift camp northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, on Thursday, July 23. Jolie was on a day trip in Iraq to bring attention to the plight of displaced people within the country.
BAGHDAD - Angelina Jolie on Thursday visited a settlement for displaced Iraqis in northwest Baghdad in her role as a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR.

The actress met four families whose members said their children could not go to school and they could not afford to pay for medical treatment, the U.N. refugee agency said.

Jolie said during her one-day trip that there is progress in returning Iraqis to their homes after years of war, but more needs to be done, according to UNHCR.

"This is a moment where things seem to be improving on the ground, but Iraqis need a lot of support and help to rebuild their lives," the agency quoted Jolie as saying. It was the actress's third trip to Iraq.UNHCR estimates that 1.6 million Iraqis were displaced within the country by sectarian violence, and that 300,000 have returned home amid improving security. It says hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees live in neighboring countries, mostly in Syria and Jordan

Erin Andrews nude video scandal: Whose fault?



It was a gross, heinous invasion of privacy.
It was not the crime of the century, decade, year, month, week, day or even hour.

The intent of this column is not to minimize the horrible violation of privacy that struck America's favorite sideline Barbie doll, Erin Andrews.

This column will attempt to add context and reasonable perspective — two things generally lacking when a favored white woman is wronged in America — to the debate raging in the sports blogosphere about whether blogs contributed to the crime perpetrated against Ms. Andrews.

Surely by now you've heard. Someone secretly videotaped Erin Andrews while she was nude at a hotel(s) curling her hair and ironing her clothes. TMZ.com speculated rather persuasively the Zapruder in this fiasco might very well be one of Andrews' co-workers.

The video had been available (and ignored) on the Internet for months, but gained popularity this week when the influential Web site Deadspin wrote a post on the subject and linked to the Web site hosting the Andrews peephole footage.

Deadspin has been the world-wide leader in sexually objectifying Erin Andrews (ESPN actually trails Deadspin in this category) and in invading the privacy of athletes and members of the sports media, so it is not all that surprising that its editor, AJ Daulerio, would throw the match on gasoline poured by a peephole pervert.

Daulerio has since apologized, sort of.

Daulerio's original enabler and co-conspirator, Will Leitch, the former editor of Deadspin, offered his apology on Tuesday.

Of course, Leitch and Daulerio do everything they can to distance themselves from the crime. Leitch rambles on about how every "upright walking normal human being" he has spoken with is "profoundly disturbed" by this crime against white womanhood.

It's all so (freaking) dishonest and biased that I'm embarrassed I read it.


In the sports world, Deadspin eliminated the shame of privacy invasion for profit and made it mainstream. When Leitch and Buzz Bissinger had their infamous "Costas Now" confrontation, Leitch said the web site "humanized" its victims.

No, the site exploits private lives for profit, just like Hollywood paparazzi. Sometimes, it's a relatively harmless invasion of privacy. But sometimes it isn't.

I contend — and I'll explain — that Daulerio's invasion of Stuart Scott's and Michelle Beisner's privacy in 2007 is just as gross and heinous as what happened to Erin Andrews.

Everyone celebrated and/or blew off the crime against Scott and Beisner because Scott is not beloved by white men (or people like me who are turned off by his ghetto shtick).

But let me refresh your memory once again regarding Deadspin's original, unpunished sin. At a Super Bowl party Daulerio looked over Stu Scott's shoulder and read a text message that Scott sent to Beisner at 12:30 a.m. The message simply stated, "Lemme know."

Here's how Daulerio interpreted the text:

"Now, obviously, "Lemme know" is pretty non-descript. But at 12:30 a.m., in Miami, well, it means "Are you coming out tonight to f--- me or what?" Especially given who Scott was texting (I literally read the name right off his phone):

"Her name is Michelle Beisner, former Denver Broncos cheerleader and aspiring D-list Hollywood actress-type. Blonde. White Woman. Hey, nobody likes to start rumors about Stuart F---ing Scott, but if Michelle Beisner is his booty call, well, BooYa, my friend. Boo F---ing Ya."

Here's his post so you can read it for yourself.

Read this, this and this to get a sample of how then-Deadspin editor Leitch rejoiced in Daulerio's invasion of privacy.

OK, you might think no one is being videotaped naked in the Scott post. I'd argue that Scott and Beisner would've preferred to be videotaped naked rather than having an influential blog accuse the then-married Scott of adultery and Beisner of being a home-wrecking, booty-call-answering whore.

Why was Beisner unworthy of sympathy? Her privacy was violated. It couldn't be because she committed the felony of Befriending a Black Man While White and Attractive?

Deadspin has rewritten the rulebook when it comes to privacy and fairness as it pertains to athletes and sports media. The site is inherently unfair to minorities and random members of the media it chooses to dislike for whatever reason.

No one objects. The mainstream media have treated Leitch and Daulerio like they're Woodward and Bernstein. Sports Illustrated's magazine and web site served as Leitch's hype man. He was celebrated in a magazine profile. His good friend, Richard Deitsch, regularly broke out the cheerleading uniform at SI.com, tossing Leitch softball questions or plugging Leitch in monthly media rankings.

Do I believe Deadspin is evil? No. I like to laugh at my own stupidity and the hypocrisy and buffoonery of my peers and athletes. Most days I enjoy Deadspin. But the site, like everything else on this planet, is flawed, and Deadspin is flawed in ways the mainstream media should notice, analyze and criticize.

I've argued for the past two years the site is no different from ESPN, Deadspin's favorite whipping-boy institution.

For two days ESPN ignored the Ben Roethlisberger sexual-assault lawsuit. There has been no official explanation why the civil suit filed against Big (White) Ben is being treated differently from Shannon Brown's or Isiah Thomas' much-discussed sexual-harassment lawsuit or countless other he-said-she-saids.

ESPN plays favorites for a wide variety of reasons. It's unfair.

Invasion of privacy for profit is what we all do to some degree in this day and age of Internet, camera-phone journalism. We're in desperate pursuit of clicks and ratings. There was a time when athletes could visit nightclubs and whatnot without fear of being photographed or videotaped.

We respected their right to a private life even while in public. We judged and analyzed them by what they did on the field. We don't do that now, and the change has little to do with improved journalism. It's all about improved ratings and hits.

I'm just as guilty. The difference is I want us all to play by the same rules, regardless of color, willingness to befriend certain bloggers or business relationships. If we're willing to exploit athletes and their private lives for profit, let's not complain when we are exploited. Again, I just want the exploitation to be equal opportunity.

It's not right now.

The Pacman Jones stripclub video served no journalistic purpose. It was aired on ESPN and everywhere else solely to titillate and entertain. The raw footage didn't help us understand the crime. There was no interaction between Jones, his entourage and the club's bouncers.

There were black asses shaking and black entertainers demonstrating how fools depart from their money. It was a reality version of Spike Lee's underrated movie Bamboozled.

America couldn't get enough of the Pacman video until Erin Andrews was caught dropping it like it was hot in front of a hotel mirror.

ESPN won't cover that story. It's climbed up on some high horse and is passing judgment on the New York Post for running pictures of ESPN's sideline Barbie.

How do you think the world-wide leader in hypocrisy would handle it if Serena Williams, Anna Kournikova or Candace Parker had been videotaped? I bet the network would throw together a two-hour documentary on how the video was made. And Leitch and Daulerio would drop the profoundly-disturbed-and-remorseful act.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

World's oldest man, WWI veteran dies at 113




LONDON (AFP) – Henry Allingham, the world's oldest man and oldest World War I veteran, died Saturday at the age of 113, the nursing home where he spent his last years said.
Allingham, who in 2008 led the country in marking the 90th anniversary of the World War I armistice, put his longevity down to "cigarettes, whisky and wild, wild women."
"Everybody at St Dunstan's is saddened by Henry's loss and our sympathy goes out to his family," said Robert Leader, chief executive of St Dunstan's care home in Ovingdean, near Brighton on the south England coast.
He had become the world's oldest man on June 17, Guinness World Records confirmed, when the previous holder, Tomoji Tanabe of Japan, died aged 113.
Allingham had marked his 113th birthday on June 6.
Leader said Allingham was "very active right up to his final days."
"As well as possessing a great spirit of fun, he represented the last of a generation who gave a very great deal for us," he said.
"Henry made many friends among the residents and staff at St Dunstan's. He was a great character and will be missed."
A funeral will take place later this month in Brighton.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown led the tributes to the veteran.
"I had the privilege of meeting Henry many times. He was a tremendous character, one of the last representatives of a generation of tremendous characters," he said.
"My thoughts are with his family as they mourn his passing but celebrate his life."
Allingham lived in three different centuries and saw six British monarchs on the throne.
Events he lived through included the death of queen Victoria in 1901, the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the invention of television by John Logie Baird in the 1920s and the Wall Street crash of 1929.
A mechanic in the Royal Naval Air Service, he took part in the naval Battle of Jutland in 1916 and was one of the founding members of the Royal Air Force, which was formed in 1918.
"I am greatly saddened to hear of the death of Henry Allingham," said Britain's Veterans Minister Kevan Jones.
"For one of his age, his vigour for life was extraordinary.
"I was humbled to meet somebody who had led such an amazing life and we owe such a huge debt of gratitude to him and his generation. My thoughts are with his family."
Allingham had five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, 14 great-great grandchildren and one great-great-great grandchild.
Dorothy Allingham, his wife of 51 years, died in 1970, a decade after he had retired. In civilian life, he worked for carmaker Ford.
Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, described Allingham as "one of our nation's historic treasures" in the foreword to the veteran's 2008 autobiography, "Kitchener's Last Volunteer".
"He does not want modern society to forget what his generation gave for our futures but, equally, the message of peace and reconciliation is one that he desires to convey above all else," Charles wrote.
"We should all be humbled by this quiet, genial man and his desire to extol peace and friendship to the world, despite all the horrors he witnessed at such a young and impressionable age."
The world's oldest man is now a 112-year-old American, Walter Breuning, who was born on September 21, 1896.
The world's oldest woman is Gertrude Baines, a 115-year-old American.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Katrina Kaif: Bollywood queen


Every era of Hindi Cinema had its share of talented actresses fighting it out for the top slot, but there had been few actresses, rather heroins, who ruled the arena solely due to their beauty. Katrina Kaif is surely one of them


WHO IS your choice for most fascinating beauty in India? For me, without any hesitation, it's Katrina Kaif! She is a perfect blend of Indian and Western beauties. With her incredible beauty with equally voluptuous body, she is simply far ahead of her contemporaries. In fact, she is entirely in a different zone, clearly out of the cat race with no competition at all.Every era of Hindi Cinema had its share of talented actresses fighting it out for the top slot, but there had been few actresses, rather heroins, who ruled the arena solely due to their beauty. They over-owed their generations merely for their beauty. Madhubala and Hema Malini can be named in the same bracket, who were the queen of silver screen, not for their acting skills, but more for their impeccable beauty. Their looks hypnotised the audiences to the extent that there was no time or relevance for analysing their acting, for whatever they did on screen was loved by the audiences.So there should not be any raised eyebrows for Katrina’s western accent or her acting skills. Her accent has found the same acceptance among masses as was the case with Hema Malini whose lacking accent proved to be her USP in the long run. The success of Katrina’s films has proved that she sells at box office.
In fact, she blasts at box office and there is no dearth of people who just go to the multiplexes for watching her.


No one can deny her contribution in reviving the fading career of Akshay Kumar. The success of Race and now the New York speaks about her growing popularity. Popularity-wise she can even be put ahead of the actors, forget about actresses. She has certainly reached the level, where she can propel the film entirely on her shoulders.
I may be harsh on the other damsels of silver screen but they have to bear the truth. No other contemporary actress seems to be near to her. They can thrive to get better films, better roles, etc, to fight it out with each other but should forget competing with Katrina! She is beyond competition now simply because of her mesmerising beauty, which can’t be acquired, it’s simply a gift from the God. Moreover, in Bollywood its always the looks which rules, acting is just a secondary requirement to it. Lastly, I must thank Salman Khan for introducing Katrina to Bollywood. He has indeed gifted the Indian Cinema with one of its most precious gems.

Pitt, Jolie go house hunting in New York with $25 mn



LONDON - Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt and his partner Angelina Jolie are considering to buy one of the most expensive properties in New York.
“I heard they’re ready to spend as much as $25 million,” contactmusic.com quoted a source as saying.
The couple, who have previously rented different properties at a cost of around $100,000 a month when working in the city, has been eyeing Apthorp, a 1908 property in Manhattan, which is being converted into lavish homes.
“The gated courtyard means they can get in and out of their car without being hassled by paparazzi. The building also has several other exits,” said the source.
The most expensive apartments boast up to 13 bedrooms and have 11-foot ceilings and wide hallways and will cost $15.5 million. But Pitt and Jolie want to buy two or three properties and join them together to create enough space for their six children.
“I heard they’re ready to spend as much as $25 million,” added the source.
The couple already own homes in Los Angeles and New Orleans.

Michael Jackson's death .....Dozens of doctors probed





LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – California's attorney general said on Wednesday his office has run dozens of doctors' names, some of them thought to be aliases, through its prescription drug database to aid police investigating the death of Michael Jackson.
Attorney General Jerry Brown said his office was not the lead agency in probing Jackson's sudden death -- a role it took in the fatal overdose of Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith in 2007 -- but was assisting other agencies as they try to track down prescription drugs that may have killed the King of Pop.
"We've found some things, but this is early on" to provide details, Brown told Reuters.
Brown's office monitors all over-the-counter prescription transactions in California, using a database that contains the name of each doctor, patient, medication and quantity.
He said his investigators were given "dozens" of doctors' names to run through its system by police probing Jackson's sudden death, although some are considered to be aliases.
The findings could be used to show that "there were drugs in quantities and character that are lethal in combination," which in conjunction with the official autopsy could lead investigators to determine exactly what killed the 50-year-old singer and dancer.
Brown declined to say if he thought murder or manslaughter charges could be brought in the case, but said those kinds of crimes could not be ruled out "any time you've got a dead body and you've got chemicals in large quantities."
Jackson died at his rented Los Angeles mansion on June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest. Official autopsy results are pending toxicology tests, but rampant speculation has centered on Jackson's use of prescription drugs.
On Tuesday, an official from the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office visited the office of Dr. Arnold Klein, the singer's longtime dermatologist, to obtain Jackson's medical records as part of its investigation.
Brown, a former California governor who is said to be considering a run for that job again in 2010, said his office took the lead in investigating prescription drug use in Anna Nicole Smith's death because no other agency had done so.
In the Jackson case, he said, Los Angeles Police and coroners investigators were involved

Michael Jackson's Death Still Not Being Treated as Homicide



Los Angeles The investigation into Michael Jackson's death marches on, and with it, so do the rumors.
Despite several reports, the quest for answers has not turned into a homicide investigation.
"Nothing has changed," Los Angeles District Attorney's office spokeswoman Jane Robinson tells E! News. "It's still an ongoing investigation."
Likewise, the LAPD echoes that statement, simply saying the investigation continues.
Neither party is throwing the words criminal or homicide around, although the LAPD and the district attorney's office have spoken to each other.
"As far as [the LAPD] contacting us a few times, that's true," Robinson says.
She adds that reports that the investigation has become a criminal one are false, and that she cannot comment on whether or not the LAPD is approaching the death as a homicide.
A source close to the investigation tells E! News that they haven't ruled out homicide, but have made no conclusions. They continue to question and seek information from at least five doctors with knowledge of Jackson's health condition and treatments.
Hopefully, the results of the toxicology report being announced next week will provide us all—law enforcement, reporters and fans—with some much needed clarity.
—Additional reporting by Maureen Heaton

Monday, July 13, 2009

Michael Jackson's sister La Toya says he was 'killed'




LONDON (AFP) – Michael Jackson was killed by a band of greedy hangers-on, his sister La Toya alleged in interviews with British Sunday newspapers.
The King of Pop's sister spoke about her younger brother's death and the aftermath with The Mail on Sunday and the News of the World weeklies.
"I believe Michael was murdered, I felt that from the start," the 53-year-old said.
"Not just one person was involved, rather it was a conspiracy of people. He was surrounded by a bad circle. Michael was a very meek, quiet, loving person. People took advantage of that.
"Less than a month ago, I said I thought Michael was going to die before the London shows because he was surrounded by people who didn't have his best interests at heart.
La Toya said she had ordered a private autopsy.
Jackson, one of the world's most popular entertainers, died on June 25 at the age of 50.
"Michael was worth more than a billion dollars. When anyone is worth that much money, there are always greedy people around them. I said to my family a month ago, 'He's never going to make it to London'. He was worth more dead than alive."
Murder under Californian law can include killings that are not premeditated.
La Toya accused a "shadowy" group of cutting her sibling off from his family and friends and forcing him to sign up for 50 comeback concerts at London's O2 Arena, shows billed "This Is It".
They saw him as a "cash cow" and "got him hooked on drugs... I think it shocked his system so much it killed him," she claimed.
"I am not going to stop until I find out who is responsible. Why did they keep the family away? It's not about money. I want justice for Michael. I won't rest until I find out what -- and who -- killed my brother."
La Toya said Jackson was found in the bedroom of his physician Doctor Conrad Murray.
"Michael walked from his room to Doctor Murray's room. What happened in there we don't know," she said.
La Toya said she was driving to see Jackson in hospital when her mother screamed down the phone: "He's dead!".
"I nearly crashed my car," she said. "My legs went weak... They took me up to the area where Michael had been taken. Mother was crying and Michael's kids were crying."
She also claimed jewellery was missing from his house and no cash was found, despite the fact he regularly kept more than a million dollars around.
La Toya said the family had an open coffin viewing before the public memorial in Los Angeles' Staples Center arena.
She put one of his sequined gloves in the coffin, while his daughter Paris, 11, put a one half a heart-shaped "mood necklace" around his wrist, keeping the other piece.
La Toya said it was Paris's idea to speak at the memorial.
Of Jackson's children, she said Paris wanted to be an entertainer, Prince Michael was "assertive", while Blanket was "very funny, a real prankster like his father."
La Toya said her brother would "absolutely not" be laid to rest at his Neverland ranch and added that Jackson's brain, removed in the autopsy, had been put back in his body.
La Toya said Jackson wanted to give up music and become a film director.
"The first one was to be a horror film called 'Thriller'," she said. "'This Is It' really was the end. He didn't want to perform any more."
She said Jackson updated his will roughly every five years, "so we expect another one to emerge from 2007".

Michael Jackson Remains King Of U.K. Charts



As Cascada's "Evacuate The Dancefloor" (All Around The World/Universal) started a second week atop the new U.K. singles chart yesterday (Sunday), Michael Jackson's catalog sales enjoyed another healthy week in the market. Although his tally of Top 40 singles fell from 13 to 11, it now includes a "new" hit for the Jackson 5, while his album chart presence increased from three to four of the top five, six of the top ten and nine of the top 20."The Essential Michael Jackson" (Epic/Sony Music Entertainment) began a second week at No. 1 (with sales of 113,000, according to Official Charts Company data), with English act Florence and the Machine's debut album "Lungs" (Universal Island) entering at No. 2. Jackson's "Off The Wall" took over as his best-rated studio album of the posthumous wave of interest in his work, climbing 10-3 to overtake "Thriller," which improved 6-4. Motown/Universal's 2008 compilation "The Motown Years," by Jackson and the Jackson 5, re-entered at No. 5, having reached No. 34 last September.The singer's "Number Ones" collection fell 3-7 as Cascada's album, named after their current chart-topping single, arrived at No. 8. The 25th anniversary deluxe reissue of "Thriller" joined the top ten, climbing 18-9, as "King of Pop" fell 5-14. Another UMTV/Universal release by Jackson and his brothers, "The Very Best Of," climbed 23-15, and "HIStory — Past Present & Future Book 1" jumped 33-17. "Boxed," a new package containing Kings of Leon's first three albums for Hand Me Down/Sony Music Entertainment, entered at No. 20."Thriller" is likely to figure in the U.K. charts a third time soon, as Sony Music Entertainment has a July 20 release scheduled for a five-disc box including it along with Jackson's other vintage albums "Off The Wall," "Bad," "Dangerous" and "Invincible."The Cascada single stayed ahead on the singles chart as La Roux's former No. 1 "Bulletproof" (Polydor/Universal) moved back 3-2, swapping places with Jackson's "Man In The Mirror." Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" (Interscope/Universal) also edged back 5-4, with "Diamond Rings" (Jive/Sony Music Entertainmemt) by 18-year-old London "grime" star Chipmunk, featuring Emeli Sande, new at No. 6.
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Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" (Interscope/Universal) raced 39-10, Jordin Sparks' "Battlefield" (Jive/Universal) 20-11 and Pitbull's "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" (Positiva/EMI) 28-13. Arctic Monkeys' "Crying Lightning" (Domino) debuted at No. 12.Most of the Jackson singles that raced up last week's chart fell back, although "They Don't Care About Us" climbed 32-28 and the Jackson 5's version of Smokey Robinson's "Who's Lovin' You," their original b-side of "I Want You Back," appeared at No. 36 after it was performed by 12-year-old Welsh singer Shaheen Jafargholi at last week's Jackson memorial. Jafargholi had previously sung it on the last series of "Britain's Got Talent," prompting its first-ever appearance on the U.K. singles chart for a week at No. 54 in late April, but this is its first Top 40 showing.Jackson has the top four titles on Billboard's European Top 100 Albums, led by "King of Pop," while "When Love Takes Over" (Positiva/EMI) by French DJ David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland climbed 3-1 on Eurochart Hot 100 Singles.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sania Mirza engaged to Sohrab Mirza



Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza, who was once linked to Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor, has got engaged to her childhood friend and Hyderabad-based businessman Mohammed Sohrab Mirza. The two exchanged rings at an engagement ceremony on Friday night. Sohrab Mirza, 23, an MBA student and son of a city-based businessman.
According to sources, the engagement ceremony was held at a star hotel in Hyderabad. Her relatives and close friends of the two families had attended the event. Indian tennis ace appeared dazzling in emerald green and gold coloured Shantanu & Nikhil, Swarovski-studded ghagra. Badminton player P Gopichand, D Purandareswari, D Venkateshawara Rao, actor Vishnu and GVK Reddy were present on the occasion.


Although the elaborate security arrangements were made for the function, two youths tried to create nuisance by stating that they were in love with her. They demanded her family to cancel the engagement. Finally, the police cooled down the situation by arresting the two guys.

The policemen did not allow the mediapersons to enter the hotel. So many photographers and camera journalists of national and regional TV channels had to wait at the gates of the hotel.

However, Sania Mania was earlier linked to actor Shahid Kapoor after he split with actress Kareena Kapoor. They were spotted together even in some hot spots. Their relationship didn't last long. She was also said to appear in a five-minute cameo role opposite the telugu actor Naga Chaitanya's debut film.

Akshay Kumar Kareena Kapoor Sajid Nadiadwala in Style




Sajid Nadiadwala and the team of Kambakkht Ishq will party at a suburban five-star hotel night club tonight. Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor and Sajid will raise a toast to their film, and it's super duper opening at the box-office. Also, it is Sajid's wife Wardha's birthday today, so it's a double celebration.
Akshay, who is a close friend of Sajid, is helping organise the bash, as the producer is feeling under the weather. Almost the entire industry is being invited along with Sajid's best friend Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, to all of Akshay's heroines including Deepika Padukone with her beau Ranbir Kapoor, Lara Dutta and Karisma Kapoor."Akshay affirms, "It's a party to celebrate the success of Kambakkht Ishq. Kareena, Sajid and I are hosting it together. But it's not just a celebration for the film but also for our film industry which suffered losses worth Rs 250 crore because of the multiplex strike. It's good that films like New York and Kambakkht Ishq are doing well. It's great news for our industry."Sajid is not deterred by the poor reviews.


"I am thrilled with the great opening. Out of the seven films I've produced, all except Jaan-E-Mann, went on to become blockbusters in spite of getting poor reviews.Jaan-E-Mann, which got four stars, didn't do well. Kambakkht Ishq has grossed Rs 30 crore in the first three days! Akshay has been organising the party as I haven't been keeping too well."Is Sajid's best friend Salman Khan coming? Sajid says, "I have invited Salman and I hope he joins me in our celebration. It would mean a lot to me." Kareena Kapoor says, "I am excited about the collections of Kambakkht Ishq.

I have heard that it is doing much better than New York. I am happy to host a party with Akki and Sajid. I will invite my colleagues personally. After the release of Love Aaj Kal, if it's a hit, Saif and I might throw a party."
Kareena & Akshay at Kambakht Ishq press meet

Kareena Kapoor on the cover of Maxim magazine


Mumbai: Maxim magazine has once again featured Bollywood diva Kareena Kapoor on its cover page.

kareena-kapoor-talks-about-power1

The pose, which is featured at the cover, was taken while the actress was shooting for Kambakkht Ishq.

In the mean time, Kareena has got a place in the list of Filmfare
Magazine’s “most powerful women” list.

When asked about it, the actress says, I am a courageous girl, I’ve been brave to take decisions. I’m honest — I don’t hide anything, not my relationship, nor the fact that I want to do path-breaking roles like in Omkara, Chameli and Jab We Met.”

The actress says, “I want to be known for my body of work. Nothing else matters.”

“I’ve put in ten years of blood and sweat, 18 hours of work a day, just to get here. Lots of films I wanted to do, I was not a part of because nobody approached me,” Kareena Kapoor added.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Angelina's ballerinas: Ms Jolie takes Shiloh and Zahara to a dance class


By Daily Mail Reporter

Mother of six Angelina Jolie treated her two eldest daughters to a girls' day out in Los Angeles yesterday.

The Wanted star, who was this week named Hollywood's top earning actress, took Shiloh, 3, and Zahara, 4, to a dance class in Studio City.

The adorable duo, who wore matching black leggings, took part in a session called 'The Princess Series', and couldn't resist a twirl or two as they made their way home.

Angelina Jolie

Girls' day out: Angelina Jolie took daughters Shiloh and Zahara to a dance class in Los Angeles yesterday

Wearing a strapless maxi-dress, casual flip flops and aviator sunglasses, Angelina walked hand in hand with her daughters after their day of fun.

It was a rare public outing for the family, who have largely kept out of the spotlight in recent months.

In fact, the absence of the famous brood from the spotlight has sparked some concern, particularly for Angelina and Brad Pitt's twins Knox and Vivienne.

The pair, who turn 1 on July 12, have been seen in public just once this year when they were whisked through a Tokyo airport in January.

An American tabloid magazine claims the couple's youngest children both suffer from medical issues.

Angelina Jolie

Fancy footwork: The girls couldn't resist a little twirl as they made their way home

'They're both hypersensitive,' Life&Style magazine quotes an insider as saying. 'Knox has trouble holding down his food. He spits up nearly every meal.'

The source claims Vivienne suffers from allergies: 'Right now, she's on a lactose and gluten-free diet, and she's still underweight.

'Angelina and Brad reportedly feel that the twins are better off behind closed doors for now.

'Because of their delicate state, Knox and Vivienne need to be kept away from anything they could possibly be allergic to. That's a lot easier to do when they're home and in a controlled environment.'

Still, Angelina, 34, recently said she and Brad, 40, hope to expand their family, which also includes Maddox, 7, and Pax, 5.

She said last month: 'We love children, we want a big family, so we never - you know, never say no.'

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Where are the twins? Vivienne and Knox have not been seen since January when they were whisked through Toyko airport with the rest of Angelina
and Brad's brood

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Indian Actress Kangana Ki Kissing Ka Jalwa


Indian Actress Kangana Ki Kissing Ka Jalwa

Hot Indian Actress Kangana Kissing - Funny bloopers are a click away

Friday, July 3, 2009

desi masala Imran Hashmi ka harami pan


movie, Murder.hot scene


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