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vendor promises that a managed printing service will lower printing costs. Is it the truth? Scott Lowe discusses a pilot under way at Westminster College. —————————————————————————————————- In my previous posting , I discussed the merits of Westminster College’s switch to the PaperCut print management software. The deployment of a package to impose enforced limits and visibility into printing behavior has allowed the college to reduce overall printing costs by helping users become more aware of their habits. In short, we’ve reduced a lot, but not all, of the waste in the system. Frankly, I doubt we’ll ever eliminate 100% of the waste, but any efforts we can take to get to, say, 95% are good. Westminster College has also changed from using OEM toner cartridges to using refilled units that, believe it or not, work extremely well. Between the two steps, we’ve been able to bring skyrocketing printing costs under control. However, I’ve recently been told that we continue to leave mone

IT consultants often find that social media provides a great way to build their reputation and their contacts in the industry. When you freely share your insights and experiences, you may be able to help other consultants avoid the same mistakes or benefit from the same wise (or lucky) choices. The more details you include, the better insights you provide — and it makes for more entertaining reading. But consultants have to be careful about what we share out on the wide open Web to avoid damaging our clients or our relationship with them. Whether you’re on Twitter , Facebook, your own blog , or even TechRepublic, here are some questions to ask yourself about your composition masterpiece before you hit Submit. Does it breach confidentiality? If you’ve signed an NDA with your client, its terms serve as a rulebook for what you cannot say; it usually includes anything that the client has revealed to you, but hasn’t made available to the public. A broad interpretation of that could inc

The driving force behind what we do is not usually money — at least not for the most successful IT consultants. If money is always your motivating factor , then you’re likely doing one or more of the following activities: Getting bogged down with too much work. Pricing yourself too low just to get work. Losing power in the negotiation dance. Accepting work that doesn’t interest you. Taking on work that doesn’t fit your qualifications. All of these behaviors can be dangerous to your consulting practice. Taking on too much work, work that doesn’t interest you, or work you’re not really qualified to perform can cause you to fail on one or more engagements. Not only will that mean no more repeat business from that client, but word travels fast and your reputation as a skilled consultant may be irreparably damaged. You also don’t want to short change your skills by pricing yourself too low or constantly making concessions during negotiations. Once you lower your fees, it’s really ha

In The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right , author Atul Gawande reveals statistics that demonstrate the startling difference simple checklists make when employed across a variety of industries. Gawande, for example, explores how a simple five-step checklist reduced infections at one medical facility from 11 percent to zero (preventing dozens of infections and saving the medical facility $2 million over just a two year period). Additional checklists are shown to deliver even greater results. IT pros, especially consultants, are well-served by checklists. Who’d have thought simple, low-tech forms could make such a difference? But they do. How to implement checklists Wherever your consultancy is struggling — whether it’s spending too much time deploying new desktops, forgetting specific steps for a particular client with unique needs, or failing to properly monitor remote servers for which it’s responsible — checklists can help. It only takes a few minutes to write a simple f

I think it can be said that most people dislike meetings. They often consider them boring, pointless, tedious — or any number of other negative descriptors. Perhaps all this disdain stems from the wasted time many of us have spent in unproductive — and even sometimes downright combative — meetings where our voices are not heard, and nothing ever gets accomplished. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In a previous column, I explained why meeting facilitation is a valuable part of an IT consultant’s repertoire and reviewed the techniques that facilitators use to set clear goals and objectives for every meeting. Now I’ll talk about the preparation for the facilitated meeting and the methods we can use to help teams make the best use of the time at hand. When does a client need a facilitator? I recently attended a client’s IT cross-functional meeting that addressed a serious problem: IT was missing its corporate performance goals and alienating the user base. The department head began

Ho ho ho! The decision by E to build a series around not just Kim Kardashian, who a couple of years ago was little known outside of devotees of celebrity sex tapes, but also around her even more obscure sisters Khloe and Kourtney, is really paying dividends now. In fact, Kim has probably been the quietest of the sisters in 2009. Kourtney and her boyfriend Scott found themselves surprise expectant parents, and the brand new mom was more than willing to share details of the blessed event with the celebrity press. Unwilling to cede the spotlight, Khloe and Los Angeles Laker Lamar Odom went from first date to the altar in the space of a few weeks. These might not be ideal strategies for building lasting relationships, but they work wonderfully for promoting a reality show -- not that I would ever accuse the Kardashian family of anything so crass. This week on Keeping Up With the Kardashians (Sunday, 10 p.m.), Khloe is excited when she believes she's joined the family pregnancy parade,

The News of the World reported yesterday that Tiger Woods' wife Elin Nordegren plans to divorce her husband and wants full custody of both children. According to the article, Nordegren is upset by Woods "reneging on a promise to go into REHAB to get off prescription drugs Ambien and Vicodin." A source tells the paper that Nordegren "wants 100 percent divorce, 100 percent custody of the children, and half of everything." This sounds similar to a previous source who said that a "divorce is 100 percent on." This article stands in stark contrast to a TMZ post written last night, which said that Nordegren would not divorce Woods right away and was mainly hung up on two issues, neither of which were related to drug addictions.

Young actress Vanessa Hudgens, who blast to famous person at what time she starred in the “High School Musical” films, has exposed that the recent online nude photo scandal has not upset her, when she was seen happy freshly on the red carpet. Alleged pictures of Vanessa nude include surface on the Internet recently, but a lot of are saying that they are not in fact of her. This incident is only two years after one more nude photo scandal come out about Vanessa. But at the new premiere of her new movie “Bandslam,” she look very calm and be presentation her fan that it wasn’t upsetting her. Vanessa was embarrass with the 1st incident, but she now seem to have in use it in her step this time. The latest nude celebrity photo to surface of Vanessa Hudgens is Disney’s equivalent to “the shot heard around the world.” High School Musical 2, the show that Hudgens stars in, broke a cable record for its premiere. USA Today even went as far as to say that Disney had finally cracked into the big le

Since news of Brittany Murphy’s death broke out yesterday, stars have issued statements and turned to Twitter to express their condolences about the 32-year-old. Although Alicia Silverstone “didn’t stay in close touch over the years” with her Clueless costar, she says she’ll always feel love for her. “I always felt connected to her as we shared a very special experience in our lives together. I feel love in my heart for her - and hope she is at peace. This is truly sad,” Silverstone told People magazine. “I loved working with Brittany. She was so talented, so warm and so sweet.” “She had the voice of an angel and a genuine heart of gold,” Donald Faison, another star from Murphy’s 1995 film, told MTV News. “She had the voice of an angel and a genuine heart of gold. I’m very happy to have known and worked with such a special person. My heart goes out to all of her loved ones.” Here’s a sampling of some of the tweets posted by celebrities yesterday: Mena Suvari - Brittany’s Spun costar: “

In an extensive article on CIO.com titled IT Contracting: How to Get Started on Elance, oDesk , Meridith Levinson discusses 13 tips for using those services to land new freelance work. I signed up for Elance and oDesk to see what they’re about. The first thing both sites require is that you establish a profile. The content of your profile matters far more on these sites than it does on LinkedIn, Facebook, or even TechRepublic because that will be how prospective clients evaluate your abilities when you bid on a job. Out of the 13 tips that Meridith provides, 11 of them directly relate to your profile. Both services require that you pass an initial competency test regarding how to operate their service before you can bid on jobs. Elance’s test requires serious study in advance. The oDesk version seems intended to instruct (or sell) more than to test existing knowledge — it’s open-book and quite easy (hint: if there’s an “all of the above” option in response to a question about what o

Violence on TV shows may not necessarily bring enjoyment to viewers, a new study claims. As part of a recent University of Indiana study, communication researchers Joseph Weaver and Barbara Wilson edited episodes of five popular prime time shows that typically depict violence -- 4, The Shield, The Sopranos, Oz and Kingpin. They then recruited 400 college students and made some watch a nonviolent version of the cop show The Shield, while others viewed a graphically violent episode of the prison drama Oz. People who watched the nonviolent versions of these shows said that they enjoyed them significantly more than people who watched either of the violent version. The two researchers kept in mind the personality of the viewers but despite it, they found that people still overwhelmingly found nonviolent episodes more enjoyable than violent ones. "Suspenseful, nonviolent content is again just as arousing, but without the aversive reaction. In fact, it's associated with m

Anne Hathaway has admitted that she is not as great a kisser as Angelina Jolie. The 'Valentine's Day' star said that she is certainly not the best kisser on screen. "Really you have to be Angelina Jolie to pull that off and still look good. I ain't no Angie," the New York Daily News quoted her as telling GQ magazine. She added: "You have to leave your mouth open a little bit." However, Hathaway feels Jennifer Garner deserves an award for kissing. She said: "Jennifer Garner-now that girl can movie kiss!" Meanwhile, Hathaway has received Harvard's prestigious Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year award.

Saif Ali Khan getting a Padma Shri didn't go down too well with some critics and film buffs but his proud mother Sharmila Tagore thinks the prestigious award will make Saif evaluate his worth and help him live up to people's expectations. 'This kind of a recognition encourages an artiste to better himself. Even if you lead a relatively carefree life, a Padma award makes you sit up and say, 'Hey, I've to live up to this. It isn't a film award I'm getting here. The government is recognising my efforts, and I better live up to expectations',' Sharmila told IANS. 'The Padma Shri will make Saif evaluate his worth and make him think of what the country expects from him. I think it's a great pat on the back,' she added. Like any other mother, Sharmila too admits she likes her son's acting skills and that she is waiting for his next venture. 'I've become fond of Saif as an actor. And I look forward to seeing what he

Why is the 'Bollywood sena' not taking a stand against the Shiv Sena?, ask Shah Rukh Khan 's miffed fans who say a majority of the film fraternity has chosen to keep quiet on the Shiv Sena attacking the superstar for his stand on Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League (IPL). While celebrities like Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan and Anupam Kher have come out in support of Shah Rukh on social networking website Twitter, no one is ready to speak on the issue when approached due to the 'Shiv Sena fear', say SRK fans. 'Shah Rukh is the only actor with guts. The other Bollywood actors are scared of Shiv Sena and are keeping quiet. Don't apologise SRK,' Mumbai-based Abhijeet Survase told IANS. Added an exasperated Punit Agarwal from Kolkata: 'They might be going online in his support on Twitter but are actually going off when it is comes to speaking out loud in support of Shah Rukh... The heroes of Bollywood can stand up against wrong on

Film: 'The Hangman'; Cast: Om Puri , Shreyas Talpade , Gulshan Grover , Amrita Bedi; Director: Vishal Bhandari; Rating: ** 1/2 It is a long-delayed film but one that comes with its own baggage of silent merit. 'The Hangman' hinges on a rather heart-wrenching irony. A noble hangman called Shiva (Om Puri) must finally execute the son on whom hinges his whole hope of the future. Tragically, this executioner's tale suffers from a linguistic anomaly. For some strange and inexplicable reason, the characters located in a Maharashtrian village speak in English. Their clipped, self-conscious accent jars and reduces the impact of the powerful drama by alienating the characters from the words they speak. Om Puri, playing a character apparently inspired by real life, is in emotional form as the doting father of an earnest son who, stereotypically, is spoilt and ruined by the 'big bad city'. The opposition of values between rural and city life is done with a

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan , under fire from the Shiv Sena for favouring Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League (IPL), said Saturday he had been misunderstood and he had nothing against meeting Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. After being defiant for days, Shah Rukh made the conciliatory remarks -- 'If he (Bal Thackeray) wants me to meet him, I will do that' -- when he returned from London and was mobbed at the airport by the media seeking his reaction to the Shiv Sena's tirade against him. The Shiv Sena has threatened to ban his upcoming release, 'My Name Is Khan', in Mumbai theatres for his remarks and sought an apology from him. Posters and banners of the movie have been torn. 'I have been misunderstood. Let's talk it out. I haven't said anything wrong. I have said what every Indian would have. Today what I am is because of Mumbai. Mumbai has given me everything, my nation has given me everything,' Shah Rukh said at the airpo

When Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan turned up to mourn Aamir Khan 's father's death, the younger actor expressed a desire to work together. 'We went across to Aamir's place and spent time with him and his family. Tried to keep the atmosphere light and cheerful. It was pleasant. As Aamir came down to see us off when we left his house, he expressed, 'We must work together sir...' I told him to direct a film. He has such talent for it. He nodded (in) approval,' Amitabh posted on his blog bigb.bigadda.com. Aamir lost his father, well-known filmmaker Tahir Hussain, Tuesday morning. Amitabh also expressed his grief on the death of yesteryear actor and producer Sujit Kumar. 'Sujit Kumar passed away early this morning (Friday)...When life ends it takes along so many moments of the past in quick succession. All those memories of time spent together, the films, the locations on outdoors, the camaraderie, all gone in one swift cruel move. Condo

Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan , under fire from the Shiv Sena for his remarks on Pakistani cricketers, returned to Mumbai from abroad Saturday afternoon amid heavy security. Shah Rukh and Kajol came out of the airport separately. Shah Rukh was accompanied by a posse of police personnel and his own private guards, an airport official said. The duo had gone to the US and Britain for the pre-release promotion of their forthcoming movie 'My Name Is Khan'. Some 500 security personnel, besides nearly 50 of Shah Rukh's private guards, were at the airport. The film's director, Karan Johar , left the airport separately. Shah Rukh's vehicle was accompanied by two police vehicles from the airport to his bungalow 'Mannat,' facing the Arabian Sea in Bandra West - a distance of around 12 km. The Maharashtra government and the Mumbai Police have promised to provide full security to theatres and multiplexes where 'My Name Is Khan' would be s

Super model Kate Moss is taking painting lessons, it has emerged. The beauty is reportedly following a private art course at her north London home.Kate has always been a big collector of art and has several valuable works in her home. But she has been getting more into painting herself," the Sun quoted a source as saying. The insider added: "She has a very hectic life and that is one of the few things that relaxes her. She has hired someone to tutor her at home and has told boyfriend Jamie Hince that he will be her first subject." Also, Moss has been spotted dining with legendary artist Lucian Freud at posh nosh house The Wolseley in London.

Model Daisy Lowe has undergone kidney surgery to correct a mis-shapen tube to her bladder. The socialite has been struggling to walk after the operation at a hospital in the U.K.. "It's weird not moving for 24 hrs... got weird armbandy things attached to my calves that inflate simultaneously which are rather amusing though," the Daily Express quoted her as stating on Twitter. Lowe, the daughter of singer Pearl Lowe and Bush rocker Gavin Rossdale, added: "Just had a bed bath and finally sat up alone! Next step, get to the chair next to my bed! "Was helped out of my bed into a chair. I am officially an O.A.P (old age pensioner)."

Actress-activist Shabana Azmi is all praise for Rahul Gandhi and he 'cocked a snook' at the Shiv Sena with his Mumbai trip Friday. And she feels the Sena is trying to boost its 'sagging political career' by intimidating the makers of Shah Rukh -starrer 'My Name Is Khan'. 'More power to Rahul Gandhi for cocking a snook at the Shiv Sena in its own den in Mumbai by taking the local train from Dadar, which is considered the bastion of the Shiv Sena,' Shabana told IANS through email. Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi made a four-hour visit to Mumbai Friday during which he surprised everyone by boarding crowded local trains and mixing with locals while Shiv Sena activists showed him black flags. 'This one act has catapulted him into a hero for all those who have been watching him grow in stature as the leader India is looking for,' said Shabana. The Shiv Sena has launched a vicious attack on Shah Rukh Khan for advocating the partici

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz says she got to know about her Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role in 'Nine' late -- because she recently changed her phone number. 'I had a new phone line installed and so almost no one had the new number of the house. Only my agent had it and she was in Australia. So they had to get hold of her first ... and I found out an hour later,' Penelope, 35, was quoted as saying by femalefirst.co.uk 'I had 19 missed calls and 120 e-mails and text messages. So for two hours I was returning calls,' she said. Penelope, who is believed to be engaged to Javier Bardem, says she is thrilled. 'It is beautiful to talk to all the people (who) love you and care for you and get excited for you about something like this. It was a beautiful day,' she added. Penelope won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar last year for her performance in 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'.

Hollywood actress Sandra Bullock says she is comfortable with criticism and would collect her Razzie Award with a smile if she is voted the Worst Actress. 'I'm more comfortable with criticism than I am with goodwill because I'm more familiar with it, and I've made friends with it. And the Razzies are a great honour,' she said. The actress has picked up the nomination for her performance in 'All About Steve', femalefirst.co.uk reported. 'Oh my god, how fantastic is that? I'm showing up if I win. I do everything 100 percent. 'With 'All About Steve' we were trying to do something different. And if it gets some kind of award, that means people are talking about it.' The actress could be picking up an Oscar next month for her role in 'The Blind Side' as she nabbed a Best Actress Oscar at the nominations earlier in the week. She has been the toast of Hollywood in recent weeks picking up the Best Actress award a

American television personality and recording artist Heidi Montag has started intensive yoga to get back in shape after multiple dramatic plastic surgeries, according to reports. Her husband Spencer Pratt wrote on Twitter: "...today was @heidimontag and my 24 day of Kundalini Yoga!..." Heidi, 23, was recently spotted practicing some Kundalini yoga exercises in a grassy field in Los Angeles (California, USA) with her instructor. She has been doing Kundalini yoga daily, reports suggest. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed has extended invitation to other Hollywood celebrities to explore Kundalini or other forms of yoga, referred as "a living fossil", which he says is both a mental and physical discipline by means of which the human-soul (jivatman) unites with universal-soul (parmatman). Since around 2,000 BCE, yoga practice had been handed down from one guru to the next, Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, added in a statement from Nevada (USA) today. He

American lawyer Erin Brockovich, who turned into a common household name after her story was told in a biopic starring Julia Roberts in the lead, has said the film was "a curse". The 49-year-old said the decade old movie, that led Roberts to bag the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of the legal champion of the underdog, had left her life less bearable. "The movie turned my life upside down. It was my curse," the Daily Express quoted her as telling In Touch magazine. "I got mean comments about my looks, my bustier and my foul language. People would send rude letters... Sometimes it was more than I could bear," she added.

Oprah Winfrey helped rush a pregnant Canadian woman to hospital after her water broke during a taping of the TV host's talk show. Twenty-seven-weeks pregnant Lori McCrindle was present in the audience, when she felt the baby was coming. The talk show queen immediately helped usher McCrindle to Rush University Medical Center. The woman gave birth to a baby boy named Justin, weighing two pounds, 13 ounces. Later, during a telephone interview McCrindle told Winfrey she got to the hospital just in time and that the baby is fine. Winfrey said she'd fly her back to see an Oprah taping whenever she wanted. "After all these years it is not too often we have a first. But yesterday was a doozy," the Globe and the Mail quoted Winfrey, as saying on the show

Britney Spears' younger sister Jamie Lynn has split from Casey Aldridge, it has emerged. The star of Nickelodeon's hit Zoey 101 has a 19-month-old daughter with Aldridge, reports Us magazine. She made headlines in 2007 after her announcement that she was pregnant at the age of 16. A year later, reports arrived that she and Aldridge were engaged. Jamie Lynn gave birth to daughter Maddie Briann in June 2008 at a hospital in Mississippi, near her Kentwood, La., hometown.

Moser Baer Entertainment Ltd. and Idiot Box presents forthcoming film HIDE AND SEEK starring actors Purab Kohli, Mrinalini Sharma, Samir Kochhar, Ayaz Khan, Arjan Bajwa and Amruta Patki. The film HIDE AND SEEK is a suspense film produced by Apoorva Lakhia and Laxmi Singh and directed by Shawn Arranha and is set to release on 19th February 2010. The music of the film is given by Gourav Dasgupta and Chirantan Bhatt together. HIDE AND SEEK is a suspense flick and is based on the story of 6 friends who start playing a game of Hide and Seek on a cold Christmas night. But little do they expect that night and that game would change Om, Abhi, Jaideep, Imran, Gunita and Jyotika's lives forever. Twelve years later, while some still wrestled with memories of that fateful night and others left it buried deep within them, it was a past that came back to haunt them again. This time it all starts with a mysterious message - a catchphrase from their past - which results in Om, just out of asylu

The 'King of Bollywood' is dying to see compatriot Anil Kapoor's performance in '24', but is not quite ready to make the jump to Hollywood saying he is quite happy doing the films he does. 'I've never been offered anything,' said Shah Rukh disarmingly in an interview with IANS over the phone from New York on a trip to promote his new film 'My Name Is Khan' set for release in the US Feb 12. 'You need to work much harder and prove your mettle a longer time maybe to come in to a different world with a different language like Anil has done,' he said. 'I don't know if I've got what it takes. I've never been offered something...I won't lie. I'm quite happy doing the films I do.' Shah Rukh has not seen Anil's performance in the action television series broadcast by Fox. But 'I'm dying to see it. A friend of mine saw it and he said it's awesome. Anil Kapoor is awesome. Maybe I'll wait for th

The beautiful belle - Shillpi Sharma who was last seen opposite Sunny Deol in JO BOLE SO NIHAAL, returns once again in the movie RIGHT YA WRONG starring Sunny Deol opposite once again. In this though she will be seen in a special title song and on asking her she said "Subhashji is a family friend and after my return, he has been a great support. Though he had nearly finished the film, he still wanted me to be a part of it in some way and offered me this song. I readily agreed. It is the title song of the film and will be seen in the beginning of the film. Also my 1st film was with Sunny Deol and my return is also coincidentally one of his films, so I guess he seems to be my lucky mascot. (Smiles)" We wish Shillpi the very best and hope this innings to be a great one.

In a fabulous start to the year, Pritish Nandy Communications and RNA Play Entertainment bring you the darkest, most toe-curling horror of 2010, CLICK. What happens when the spirit world looks you straight in the eye and tells you to run or die? From one of India's smartest film-makers, Sangeet Sivan (post the superhit KYA COOL HAIN HUM and APNA SAPNA MONEY MONEY) comes CLICK, 2010's most bone-chilling spook film. They say that pictures always tell a story. The true story. CLICK is the story of a young photographer and his girlfriend. He takes beautiful pictures and yet when they're printed they hide a secret. A secret from his past that if revealed, threatens to ruin not only his life but that of his family, friends and loved ones. A secret that comes from a world that's different from ours. Directed by Sangeet Sivan, CLICK is definitely not for the weak hearted. It stars the tremendously talented Shreyas Talpade with Sneha Ullal , south-spice Sada and Chunky Pandey

When director Sangeeth Sivan started shooting for his first movie in horror genre titled CLICK, little did he imagine that he will manage to scare people even before its release. The incident happened when they were shooting in Mauritius at "Eureka House". Situated at Moka, in central Mauritius, "Eureka", built during the French colonial period, once belonged to a very well known Mauritian family. The main part of the estate has been turned into a museum and they offer guided tours through this magnificent colonial house. A bunch of three four foreign tourists happened to visit Eureka House when the production team of CLICK was shooting in the building. One tourist passed through one of the rooms on the first floor, when the cast and crew of CLICK had gone for a break. The next moment, a member of the crew standing near the stairs heard a loud scream, which sounded like a woman shouting for help... The crew member was so scared to even go to that room all alone. He

Veteran actor-producer Sujit Kumar, who worked in innumerable Hindi films, and was also the first superstar of Bhojpuri cinema in his heydays, passed away this week, at the age of 75. Kumar was also well-known for producing mega films like KHEL (starring Anil Kapoor , Madhuri Dixit ), CHAMPION ( Sunny Deol , Manisha Koirala ) and AETBAAR ( Amitabh Bachchan , John Abraham , Bipasha Basu ). He is survived by his son Jatin Kumar and daughter Henna. A chautha ceremony (condolence meeting) will take place at 5pm, Monday, February 8, 2010, at the Indian Medical Association, Besides PVR Cinema, Juhu, Mumbai.

After what happened between Salman Khan and Shahrukh at Katrina Kaif 's birthday bash no one in their wildest of dreams ever thought that they will make up and be on cordial terms, but seems like things are on a mend now. Apparently, Shahrukh is currently in the midst of a controversy over his comments on inclusion of Pakistani players in the IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket matches. Shahrukh refused to retract his statements and that has further irked Shiv Sena. There is high probability that they might create trouble during the screening of his movie MY NAME IS KHAN. Subsequently, congress party favored Shahrukh Khan and assured him of a peaceful release of the movie, but now even Bollywood is coming out in favor of the baadshah, Shahrukh Khan. And the man leading the support cause is none other than superstar Salman Khan who openly cited that Shahrukh Khan had not done any crime by stating so and being an owner of one the IPL teams he had the rights to comment. Moreover, Sa

'Striker' has become the first Bollywood film to be premiered overseas on YouTube. The movie, produced by The Indian Film Company in association with Studio 18, hit screens on 5 February in India and released simultaneously on You Tube. The makers of the film insist that the free-of-charge release on the video sharing website aims to reach the audience in a "cost-effective manner". "This is a redefining moment," the BBC News quoted Studio 18 director Hemant Bhardwaj. He added: "The success of this project will put wings to our films, which are rich in content but unable to find optimal distribution abroad because they don't feature the conventional stars." 'Striker' stars Siddarth Narayan, who appeared in 'Rang De Basanti', as a carrom board player in Mumbai

Actress Mia Farrow has called for support to help children in Haiti as they struggle for survival in the quake-ravaged region. The 64-year-old activist, who looks after 11 adopted children, spoke after 10 American members of a Christian charity group were charged with attempting to illegally smuggle 30 kids to the US, reports the Daily Express. The Rosemary's Baby star tagged the attempt "deplorable", urging the world to support affected orphanages and families in the Caribbean area. As many as 212,000 people were confirmed to have died and more than one million left homeless after a 7.0-magnitude quake struck the impoverished nation on January 12

Children might love this. Here comes a bunch of English nursery rhymes from Saregama that not only offers audio-visual content but also features popular actress Katrina Kaif and some musical magic from Oscar-Grammy winner A.R. Rahman's school. 'Music engages the senses and stimulates the whole mind and body. This venture is a concept that will aim to fulfil this need to make learning rhymes a fun and engaging experience for the child,' said B.R. Vijayalakshmi, general manager, audio visual media of Saregama. 'Nursery rhymes are a time-honoured play-and-learn method of introducing children to language and rhythm, an engaging way to strengthen and identify, differentiate and practise the sounds that are the building blocks of language,' Vijayalakshmi told IANS. Titled 'Sunfeast Dream Cream Rhymeskool', the album is slated to hit the stores in March and Saregama has roped in Katrina to promote it and composer Rahman supervise the music. 'Addin

The Shiv Sena has no right to ask Shah Rukh Khan to go to Pakistan, says 83-year-old freedom fighter Trilochan Singh, pointing out that the Bollywood superstar's father was a prominent Quit India movement activist who chose to migrate to Delhi from Peshawar during partition. 'It is so ironical and tragic that the Shiv Sena which didn't do anything during the freedom struggle is asking Shah Rukh to leave,' said Singh, who had joined the Quit India movement along with the actor's father, Taj Mohammad Mir, in Peshawar, which now lies in Pakistan. 'What is important here is that we were Hindus and we quit Pakistan, but here was a Muslim who chose to come to India. How can the Shiv Sena tell Shah Rukh, whose whole family was involved in the freedom fight, to go to Pakistan?' agonised Singh while talking exclusively to IANS. Shiv Sena activists are seeking an apology from Shah Rukh over his remarks against the exclusion of Pakistani players from the India

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan isn't intimidated by the full body-scan machines that have been recently installed at London's airports - in fact, he's been signing off printouts of his X-rays. Khan, appearing on 'Friday Night With Jonathan Ross' - one of British television's most popular weekend shows - revealed he's been turning the controversial security machines into a public relations opportunity at London's Heathrow airport. 'I'm always stopped by the security, because of the name. And I think its okay: the western world is a little bit worried, paranoid and touchy, I guess - and feely when they're frisking you,' Khan told his celebrity chat show host moments after explaining how his new film is about a Muslim named Khan on a mission to tell the US president he is not a terrorist. 'I was in London recently going through the airport and these new machines have come up, the body scans. You've got to see them. It mak

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey just missed welcoming a new kind of guest on her show Thursday. A pregnant Toronto woman was in the audience of 'The Oprah Winfrey Show'' in Chicago when she went into labour and almost gave birth to her child on the sets, according to press reports. According to the reports, Lori McCrindle of Toronto had gone to Chicago with her mother for the taping of Oprah's world-famous show when her water bag broke (meaning the rupture of the membrane containing the baby in the womb) and she went into labour. The woman was rushed backstage where Oprah helped her go through the contractions and put her in the ambulance to be rushed to hospital. Twenty minutes later, 27-week pregnant Lori McCrindle gave birth to a son - born 14 weeks premature. Named Justin Heath McCrindle, the boy weighs two pounds, 13 ounces, according to the woman. Speaking to the Canadian Press from Chicago's Rush Medical Center, the Toronto woman said, 'I

With boy wizard Harry Potter's film franchise about to end next year, much-awaited 'Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief' is being touted as the next hit fantasy-adventure movie series. Logan Lerman, 18, who plays Percy Jackson, admits he would love his film to be as successful as the Harry Potter wizard series. 'Do we want the movie to be as successful as 'Harry Potter' (series)? Yeah, sure,' said Logan during a webcast for the international media from Athens, Greece. 'Do we want it to be as loved? Yeah...But they are different movies. This is Greek mythology and that is wizardry; so they're completely different grounds as films, but popularity-wise, yeah, we want it to be just as popular,' he added. Also present during the chat were other cast members Brandon T. Jackson, 25, Alexandra Daddario, 23, and Jake Abel, 22. Apart from the four, the movie has an ensemble cast, including Catherine Keener, Uma Thurman, Pier

A lawyer for Michael Jackson's personal physician accused police Friday of attempting to orchestrate a 'show and parade' over his client's expected arraignment on involuntary manslaughter charges. Lawyer Ed Chernoff told the Los Angeles Times that negotiations with authorities over his client's surrender had broken down after police insisted he be taken into custody and handcuffed prior to his expected court appearance Friday afternoon. 'I told them there is no way that I'm going to let my client sit in jail so you can have your show and parade him into court in handcuffs,' Chernoff said. 'That's when they pulled the plug.' The arraignment of Murray is expected to set in motion what is certain to be one of the most closely watched trials in the US since Jackson himself was in the dock on child sex charges in 2005. Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson the hospital anesthetic Propofol as a sleeping aid shortly before he suffered a

If the expression slow and steady wins the race is true, then actress Anna Kendrick has finally edged her way to the front of Hollywood's pack of young actresses. This week, Kendrick, 24, earned a supporting actress Oscar nomination for her work in "Up in the Air," playing a perky young executive out to teach George Clooney's character how to fire people in the modern-day world of computer communication. The Oscar nod -- her first -- followed her role in November's box office hit "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," and this week Vanity Fair anointed her one of the fresh faces to watch in its annual Hollywood issue. But the truth is, Kendrick's "fresh face" has been racking up accolades on stage and in independent films for years before she hit the mainstream jackpot with the "Twilight" movies and now "Up in the Air." Still, this past week's Oscar nomination and the month of awards shows and critical acclaim that ca

Los Angeles prosecutors on Monday plan to file a criminal case in the death of Michael Jackson that is expected to include a charge of involuntary manslaughter against the singer's doctor. The Los Angeles District Attorney's office said on Friday details of its case would be released on Monday, and gave no further details. But sources close to the case said Dr. Conrad Murray, who has been under investigation for months, would be charged with the crime of unlawfully killing another person without malice or intent. If convicted, he faces up to four years in jail. A criminal case against Murray was widely expected to be filed this week because he has been in Los Angeles meeting with his legal team, and his attorney Ed Chernoff said the Houston cardiologist would surrender himself voluntarily if charged. As recently as Thursday, Chernoff issued a statement saying he and the Los Angeles district attorney were discussing booking and arraignment procedures. But by Friday, med