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Singer Leona Lewis has revealed her terror when she found herself in the middle of a gun siege on the streets of Los Angeles. The 24-year-old star was horrified when she saw thugs waving handguns run towards her car as they attempted to flee police following a high-speed chase. Her security intervened and the men ran off, but not before her manager Nicola Carson was thrown to the ground. 'It kinda sounds really dramatic! They did have guns but basically were these two guys and my car was parked... and the chase ended right in front of the car and the guy that I was with tackled one of them to the ground and the police arrested them,' mirror.co.uk quoted Lewis as saying during an interview. 'It was scary but I wasn't in the crossfire or anything like that!' she added. The 'Bleeding Love' hitmaker also revealed that she had become more safety-conscious after she was assaulted at a book signing. 'Does it make me more gua

Independent movie "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire" swept the NAACP Image Awards on Friday, winning six trophies including best movie and best actress for newcomer Gabourey Sidibe. The harrowing tale of an abused, obese Harlem teen also brought an Image award for comedy actress Mo'Nique, whose performance as a manipulative mother is the favorite for a best supporting actress Oscar in March. "Precious" also won for best independent movie and Lee Daniels picked up the best director prize for the film. The oldest U.S. civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, has given out the Image awards for 41 years to honor people of color in TV, film, music and literature. An emotional Sidibe dedicated her award to "all the Precious girls everywhere. This is for you," she said. Daniels, also fighting back tears, recalled how big Hollywood studios told him repe

There is no romantic angle to the movie 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge,' award-winning actress Konkona Sen Sharma says about her new film. 'Though Ajay and I play the role of a married couple in the film, there is no romantic angle; it's about the comedy that happens while trying to get relief from a person who comes as a guest and shows no signs of leaving,' said Konkona after the music launch of 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?' here. The film revolves around the story of Puneet (Ajay Devgn) and Munmun (Konkona Sen Sharma), a happily married couple living in Mumbai. Their life takes a turn when a distant relative Chachaji ( Paresh Rawal ) turns up unannounced at their doorstep from a far-off village. The chaos that follows makes it a rib tickling comedy where the agonised couple tries various methods to get rid of him but fails time and again. The film was released Friday. Ajay Devgn was all praise for Konkona's performance and maintained tha

Film: 'Jugaari'; Director: S.D. Arvind; Cast: Avinash, Harshitha Poonachcha, Avinash, Sharat Lohithashwa; Music: Arjun; Rating: *** Though there have been many Kannada films that have focussed on the themes of corruption, greed and bureaucratic apathy, the one thing that makes 'Jugaari' stand apart is the novel way the themes have been used. The sense of realisation among bureaucrats and others about their misdeeds and their willingness to be a part of the hero's charitable causes form a new concept that is seen in this film. The film was made by the grandsons of Kannada film industry's well known comedian Narasimha Raju who was a legend in his life time. Little was known about his grandsons Arvind and Avinash till they announced the making of 'Jugaari'. Though there were few expectations surrounding the film before its release, the audience has reacted positively to the movie. The credit for 'Jugaari' goes to S.D.

Documentary filmmakers are accustomed to preaching to a choir of mostly small-sized audiences who see their issue-driven films. But nominees for the March 7 Oscars, who don't attract the controversy of a Michael Moore or the pull of Al Gore, say their nonfiction films are still reaching new eyes and a few powerful decision makers months after hitting theaters. Issues covered in the nonfiction films include the slaughter of dolphins in Japan in "The Cove," video journalists documenting the Myanmar 2007 street protests in "Burma VJ," and child migrants from Central America attempting to cross through Mexico into the United States in "Which Way Home." "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" looks at the 1970s government whistle-blower and "Food Inc." takes on the U.S. food industry and its unhealthy impact on people and animals. None of them may have the immediate globa

Pop queen Madonna has roped in Aussie star Abbie Cornish to play the lead in her new film 'W.E.' The Material Girl's new film tells the story of the relationship between Britain's King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor - as Wally Winthrop, a woman who is obsessed with the Duchess of Windsor's life. The '4 Minutes' hitmaker,who will be directing the film, had revealed that she wanted British star David Tennant to play the monarch, but is said to have changed her mind, reports contactmusic.com. Madonna has previously directed 2008 film 'Filth and Wisdom', which starred Richard E. Grant and Eugene Hutz, although she has served as a writer on documentary 'I Am Because We Are'. The film's preliminary release date is 2011.

Pop star Lady Gaga's topless photo on the cover of Q magazine has been banned by several leading stores in the US. The 'Poker Face' hit maker walked out on the recent magazine photo shoot after bosses at the publication refused to let her strike a controversial pose in a desperate bid to address rumours she is a hermaphrodite, contactmusic.com reports. Bosses at Q eventually rearranged the shoot and the final pictures show Gaga posing topless in just a pair of leather trousers. But despite efforts to tone the images down, some stores across the US, including bookstore Borders, have refused to stock the publication unless it is placed in a sealed cover, according to QtheMusic.com

She'll bump off seven husbands for Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Saat Khoon Maaf', but won't go overboard in violence at any point! No skin show. No steamy sex scenes. No foul lingo, either. None of the 'Kaminey' bit in 'Saat…' asserts Bhardwaj in a media chat. Says a close source, "Normally Vishal's films such as 'Omkara', 'Ishqiya' and 'Kaminey' have quite a bit of vulgar language and bold sex scenes. But 'Saat… won't have any of all this. Instead, all the characters will come across as quite 'clean' in their manner of speaking." Adds the source, "While he was writing the script, some did suggest that he throw in one or two sex scenes, but Vishal was dead against the idea. His reasoning was that he did not want to deviate from the story by throwing in intimate scenes just for effect."

Star girl Nysa was in for some super pampering. From her star dad, no less. Reportedly, Ajay Devgn was busy canning scenes for 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?', while Kajol had scooted off to Australia for her shooting schedule. The indulgent father brought Nysa to the sets and kept her amused with video games, even as he displayed perfect comic timing for the giggle riot 'Atithi…. Babysitting Nysa on a daily basis, dad Devgn would also join in the fun with her video games during his free time. And he made sure that his daughter dearest had the time of her life! Lucky Nysa. Super lucky Kajol.

Will she, won' she? Ultimately, she didn't. Coz' smart babe Deepika Padukone was mighty busy promoting her new 'Karthik' flick. A smarter act, rather than showing up at Shasha's do, and fan some more empty gossip. Shahid Kapoor brought in his 29th b'day… with an eggless cake, since he's a strict veggie. Apart from close family, tunesmith Pritam and directors Ken Ghosh and Parmeet Sethi, the only two saucy gals who sashayed in were… an unwell Amrita Rao and a well intentioned Genelia D'Souza.

Whoa, maaaaannn! Arshad Warsi 's head, reportedly, has swollen to abnormal proportions. Naaah, not in the real sense… just that he's keen as hell to capitalise on the super win of 'Ishqiya'. When Rohit Shetty showed up to sign Warsi… has asking fee for a mere Rs 3 crore! And he refused to budge or see reason. On the personal front, Dia Mirza, his costar from 'Hum, Tum Aur Ghost' has been spotted with him; tis' when he's announced to all and sundry that he was working all alone on the post production of 'Hum…. Guess, he needs… Diavine assistance.

Fiery Filmmaker, Social Pioneer He's known for his hard hitting movies and political sagas which highlight social evils and spotlight the underdog. But Prakash Jha , the originator of 25 documentaries, nine feature films, two television documentaries and three telly series didn't actually bargain to be a filmmaker. Born on 27 February 1952 at Champaran district, Bihar, Jha had initially signed up for his B.Sc degree at Ramjas College, Delhi University, but gave it up a year later to pursue painting at the famed J. J. School of Arts in Mumbai. A dramatic twist of destiny, though, altered the course of his life. Jha happened to witness the shooting of 'Dharma' and his cinema calling was complete. He signed up with the Film And Television Institute (FTII), Pune, in 1973 for a course in editing, but have to give it up midway, as the Institute had closed down due to student agitation. He came down to Bombay and started working, and went on to complete his cour

Jazz icon Herbie Hancock has rounded up another all-star cast for the multimedia follow-up to his Grammy-winning tribute to Joni Mitchell. "The Imagine Project" aims to unite "a myriad of cultures through song and positive creative expression," according to a statement. Collaborators include pop singer Pink, guitarist Jeff Beck, sitarist Anoushka Shankar, Irish folk group the Chieftains and Colombian rocker Juanes. The self-financed album will be released on June 22 through the pianist's own Hancock Records label, and will be promoted with what a spokeswoman called an "extensive" world tour. Dates are already set for New York's Carnegie Hall on June 24 and the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 1. Hancock racked up some serious frequent-flier mileage in an attempt to record each song in the home country of his collaborator. Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney ("Taxi To The Dark Side") came along for the ride, shooting fo

Minutes to go until showtime, and the cool calm that was has turned into a manic frenzy as stylists, makeup artists and hairdressers add the final touches to the models about to strut down the catwalk. It has taken the team at Italian fashion brand Frankie Morello about two months to work on this autumn/winter 2010-2011 womenswear show but they will have only 10 minutes of catwalk time to impress the fashion press pack and buyers. "You can cut other costs but you can't cut on a show," Pierfrancesco Gigliotti, one of the brand's founding designers, told Reuters. "Shows are our biggest investment. They are the most important moment for us". Putting on a fashion show is the top event in any designer's diary, but the smooth, cool look on the catwalk takes months of preparations and organisation. From models and stylists to electricians and invitation writers, some 8,000 people are involved in this Feb. 24 - March 1 Milan fashion

The government's move to simplify the customs duty on imported films will help the entertainment industry cut costs, but imposing service tax on intellectual property (IP) rights could be a dampener, officials said. In the 2010/11 budget on Friday, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said custom duty on movies imported on films or digital media will now be charged on the value of the medium used to carry the film, and not the value of the content. The simplified customs duty will help companies cut costs by 15-20 percent, said M.K. Anand, Chief Executive of UTV Global Broadcasting Ltd, an arm of UTV Software. "However levy of service tax on IP would have some cost implications and this remains to be seen," he added. Companies such as UTV can now bring in international content to India at a minimal price, benefitting the gaming industry, Hollywood producers and channels, analysts said. The government has exempt promotional material such as

In a striking tribute to the Irish avant-garde writer and dramatist Samuel Beckett, well-known for his writing style, termed by literary critics as the 'Theatre of the Absurd', popular film club Devagiri will organise a one-day film festival 'Becket Celebration' at St. Joseph's College. To be held at the PTA Hall on February 28, the festival will feature some famous movies based on the writer's works, including Waiting for Godot, Happy Days and End game. The screening will begin with Waiting for Godot at 10 a.m., followed by Happy Days and End game at 12 noon and 2 p.m. respectively. According to the film club personnel, all the three films were brought from abroad and were being screened in the State 'for the first time' by any film societ

Carnaby Street, epicentre of Britain's Swinging Sixties revolution and spiritual home of fashion milestones like the miniskirt, is marking half a century of trend-setting. Once home to a pest house for plague victims, the iconic street has had a long and varied history, but it was its influence on fashion, music and youth culture in the 1960s that first propelled it onto the world stage. A place where unique design and independent boutiques rub shoulders with the flagship stores of international brands, Carnaby Street remains one of London's best-known shopping destinations 50 years on. "If it was just like another high street it wouldn't be so interesting," said 1960s photographer Philip Townsend, whose subjects have included The Rolling Stones and model Twiggy. "You get small firms that are having a go just like we did in the 60s ... That is why I think it has kept its appeal." Townsend's work features in a free exhibition, "Carnaby Street: 19

Director V. Samudra's heroine-oriented Panchakshari, starring southie Anushka Shetty as heroine, is almost like Anushka's pathbreaking Arundhati, which proved that Anushka could act not only in glamorous roles but also action and emotional characters! Though not much is known about the story of Panchakshari, the shooting is currently progressing at brisk pace in Hyderabad. The logo of the film was unveiled at Annapurna Studios recently. The next schedule will begin this week and the film is expected to release in April. Panchakshari is produced by Bommadevara Ramachandra Rao under the banner of Sai Ratna Creations and presented by Akkineni Nagarjuna. Chandramohan, Nasser, Raviprakash, Brahmanandam, Pradeep Rawat, Ali, Raghubabu, Jeeva, Benarjee, Uttej, Nalla Venu, Sudha, Telangana Sakuntala, Sana and others are in the cast. Music is by Chinna and lyrics are by Chandrabose, Ramajogaiah Sastry and Suddala Ashok Teja. Story is by Madhu Vyapari, dialogues are by Thota P

Hollywood North is auditioning for the role of Bollywood West. The first known government-backed Bollywood acting school in North America has opened in Canada's largest city and its creator is hoping to capitalize on the region's booming South Asian population. "Here, I'm opening the doors of Bollywood and Hollywood together," said Lucky Sanda, program director of the Bollywood acting diploma program at the Canadian Institute of Management and Technology. The first group of Bollywood students will graduate in April from the college, which also offers diplomas in a series of business and technology programs. Sanda, 46, said production companies in Toronto want South Asian actors in their TV ads and films to represent the changing population and have already been contacting him. "The demand is there, we just have to create the supply," he explained. The South Asian population is the most visible minority group in the

Just four months after 'retiring', Lily Allen has announced a festival appearance. The 24-year-old, who had previously said that a show with Dizzee Rascal at the O2 Arena would be her last, has signed up to join Jay-Z at London's Wireless festival on July 4. The Smile star, who wowed Jay-Z at the Brits, will join the rapper in the show in Hyde Park in a line-up, which also includes Mr Hudson. The star has been insisting for months that a show with Dizzee Rascal at the O2 Arena would be her last before she concentrates on fashion. "I was very flattered to hear that Jay-Z wanted me to support him at Wireless and, combined with my dates in March with Dizzee Rascal, I am excited to end my current string of live shows in such prestigious company," the Telegraph quoted her as saying.

Shah Rukh Khan makes for a super pal; a fact that he's proved time and again. Hence, this recent gesture should come as no shocker; rather, the only surprise here is that it has been directed at Farah Khan , with whom his relations have been reportedly strained. SRK and Farah Khan's friendship goes back a long way, much before the choreographer turned full fledged director with their two collaborative efforts: 'Main Hoon Na' and 'Om Shanti Om'. But the equation soon struck a faltering note: Shirish Kunder. To her horror Farah discovered that Kunder and SRK couldn't see starry eye to eye. Matrimony and a trio of triplets later, when the duo decided to kickstart 'Tees Maar Khan' under their own production house, there was little surprise that SRK wasn't a part of it. Meanwhile, SRK is all set to start work on his next venture, 'Ra1', a fantasy thriller starring him alongside Kareena Kapoor . 'Tees Maar Khan' is all s

Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Stella McCartney were among those who paid their final respects to fashion designer Alexander McQueen. The supermodels were joined by his family for the service that took place at St Paul's Church in Knightsbridge, west London. Moss struggled to hold back tears as they paid their respects. Mourners pulled out all the stops to remember the outlandish clothes guru with a suitably fashionable funeral. Kate wore five-inch Christian Louboutin stilettos, a simple black dress and stole, while Naomi, 39, remembered her pal with a fitted jacket and quirky hat. Socialite Daphne Guinness, 42, went even further in a billowing black cape, full lace veil and towering heel-less shoes. McQueen's father, Ronald, and his five siblings were also among the mourners at the late fashion designer's private funeral. "The mourners went all out to pay tribute to Lee, who was totally fashion-mad. I've never seen such an amazing selection of clothes. It looked mo

Katrina Kaif is up against a tall order. 'Tees Maar Khan' showcases Katrina Kaif performing a hot(ttttt) song number, a feisty chartbuster, clad in a sinfully sexy 'ghagra choli' styled by Aki Narula, no less. Director Khan wants Kaif to be showcased in a 'dhak dhak'ish number, and has piled up Madhuri Dixit's DVDs for referencing. 15 to 20 days of training, under the sharp gaze of Khan, is expected to produce those fruitful results: 'jhatka matkas' and 'thumkas', all supplemented by the right facial expressions. Khan reveals in a tabloid chat that since Kat is essaying a "sizzling gaon ki gori" song number, Dixit's pulsating gyrations seemed apt to ape. Copy Kat Kaif!

Priyanka Chopra pocketed Rs 6 crore as her starry fee for 'Pyaar Impossible' and Kareena Kapoor will romp home with a whopping Rs 7 crore for 'Golmaal 3'. And Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is also being wooed for a new venture. Her asking fee: a superrrrrrrr Rs 10 crore!! Not to be outdone, national award winner Kangna Ranaut ('Best Supporting Actress' for 'Fashion') has upped her remuneration to a whopping… Rs 5 crore! Apparently, Kangy is no mood to let any filmmaker shortchange her on the moolah front. The Maverick Productions venture, wherein Ranaut will share acting honours with Chirag Paswan, scion of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan is being helmed by Tanvir Khan('Deadline') Produced by Anuj Saxena, the film is being touted as a "different love story" with three heroines in the cast. A reliable source at Maverick Productions confirmed the pricey fee news with finality. Kooooooollllllll, Kangy!!

It flagged off with a tuneful start and struck a high note too. Warner. Bros Pictures and Wide Frame Films launched the music for their forthcoming laugh riot 'Atithi Tum kab Jaoge?' at a swanky venue in suburban Mumbai. Ajay Devgn and Konkona Sen Sharma, alongside producer Amita Pathak, director Ashwni Dhir, Kumar Mangat, debutant singer Amit Mishra and lyricist Irshad Kamil, showed up to grace the event. A power packed performance by artist G Deep from New York City, set the ball rolling… The catchy score of 'Atithi…' was launched by famed filmmaker Priyadarshan with the cast and crew in attendance. Lensmen had a field day, clicking the star duo of Ajay and Konkona. New entrant to playback singing, Amit Mishra shared the experience of his association wit tunesmith Pritam, who has composed nine tracks for the howlarious entertainer. Junglee music returns to the fold with this exciting album which promises to be even crazier than Paresh Rawal, an annoying distant relati

Awesome themselves, they're quite in awe of each other. Two legends: one from Hollywood, Sir Ben Kingsley, and the other from Hindi cinedom, Amitabh Bachchan, will show up on celluloid in 'Teen Patti', helmed by Leena Yadav and crafted by Ambika A Hinduja. Channel bytes with Amitabh Bachchan lavishing high praise on Sir Ben Kingsley have been storming the telly. And Sir Ben Kingsley, more famed as 'Gandhi', lauds Senior B in panegyrics too. Describing Bachchan as a "professional actor and a great pleasure to work with," Kingsley is taking quite "a gamble"(hah, quite literally) with 'Teen Patti.' Enacting Perci Trachtenberg, the "world's greatest living mathematician,"; his sequences with Bachchan were canned in English at a private casino in London and at St.John's College, Cambridge University. An elated Kingsley states that 'Teen Patti' has "opened a door to India for me again," asserting that he inte

It'll spill the beans on 'Karthik Calling Karthik'. Magic Beans, the production house of Amit Chandrra and Vijay Lalwani merges forces with Ritesh Sadhwani and Farhan Akhtar of Excel Entertainment, to unveil a venture wherein Farhan and Deepika Padukone will excel in histrionics. Vijay Lalwani who penned the script, in addition to helming 'Karthik…, feels that their "matching sensibilities" will go a long way in bagging success for the creative quartet. Admitting to a hangover from his 'Karthik' character often while filming sequences, Farhan bares that he was stumped by the idea of a "person calling up himself!" In reality, though, Farhan describes himself as a hard core romantic who goes all mushy over the sentimental music of the bygone era. In keeping with the Excel trend of spotlighting new talent: Reema Kagti ('Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.); Abhishek Kapoor ('Rock On!!') and Zoya Akhtar ('Luck By Chance'),Farhan is on

Girls Aloud member Cheryl Cole's weight is said to have plunged again following her split from footballer hubby Ashley, as she has been only on a diet of peppermint tea. Cheryl, 26, who is holed up at the Surrey home she shared with Ashley, has barely eaten for three weeks and has lost 5lbs, leaving friends worried for her health. Friends have revealed that the heartbroken singer is so upset about her break-up with the soccer star she has no interest in food. "Cheryl was really happy with her weight and appearance before Christmas. She had put some weight on and was comfortable. But since the latest storm broke she has lost her appetite completely," the Sun quoted a friend as saying. "All she will touch is peppermint tea. Her mum has been cooking up lovely homemade soup but she is not interested. The house is full of fresh food and bags of shopping which have gone completely untouched. "She has lost at least five pounds, which on her tiny frame i

Carly Simon has finally put an end to a 38-year-old mystery about the subject of her 1972 hit You're So Vain. The renowned songwriter, who refused to reveal the inspiration behind the track, sparked years of speculation about her song aimed at a former lover. Guesses to the one of the greatest mysteries in music included the names of Warren Beatty, Sir Mick Jagger, and James Taylor, The Herald Sun reported. And now, the 64-year-old star has let slip the first name of the man in a new recording of the song, in which the name "David" is whispered, backwards. Simon told Uncut magazine: "I'm just going to tell you this. The answer is on the new version of You're So Vain. There's a little whisper - and it's the answer to the puzzle."

Pop diva Madonna's boyfriend Jesus Luz apparently burst into tears after a man at a club threw beer in his face as he did a set of songs as a DJ. The 22-year-old was playing at a bash in Brazil when an angry man approached him. 'He threw beer in his face and said, 'Get out. I don't want to see your face anymore'. Jesus went to a corner and started to cry,' a source was quoted as saying by thesun.co.uk. He managed to finish the gig, but only after four bodyguards had been assigned to look after him, the website said.

Oscar-winning British actor-filmmaker Ben Kingsley is all praise for Indian women directors Nandita Das and Leena Yadav. But he now wants to make his own film in India instead of doing more Bollywood movies. 'I'd like to make a film of my own in India, (but) you are not going to see me in a mainstream Bollywood film,' Kingsley, 66, who stars as a mathematical genius in Yadav's 'Teen Patti', told IANS over phone from London. 'I do intend to hopefully produce and star in my own film in India. We are having some progress on that. Rather than creating offers, I am creating my own work in India which to me is very satisfying,' he added. Drawing a similarity between director Yadav and Lord Attenborough whose film 'Gandhi' was based in India and fetched Kingsley an Oscar, he said: 'All good directors have one particular quality in common. 'Both Yadav and Attenborough have a deep respect and obsession for actors. This

Grammy winner American maverick cellist and composer David Darling plans to record a Hindu-themed album. Titled "Everything Is Heart Breaking", Darling reportedly wants to record this solo CD with meditation drones and singing in raga scales in collaboration with German producer Manfried Eicher of ECM Records and keyboardist Kit Walker. He has recorded over 20 albums and his "A Prayer for Compassion" won the prestigious Grammy last month. Congratulating David Darling on winning Grammy, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, called for introduction of "kirtan" as new field of awards at Grammys next year. Outside India, "kirtan" was attracting large audiences in USA, Canada, United Kingdom, and many other countries of the world, resulting in various new albums and creation of star "kirtan" artists. It was the time Grammys organizer National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of USA opened its ey

The English conversation between actors Amitabh Bachchan and Ben Kinsley in the forthcoming film 'Teen Patti' has been dubbed in Hindi for the single screen audience, producer Ambika Hinduja of Serendipity films said. The movie has been directed by Leena Yadav. 'In the movie Mr. Bachchan's character Venkat is narrating his journey to Perci Trachtenberg (Ben Kingsley). Of course, Sir Ben doesn't speak Hindi. Their conversation is in English. Those particular scenes, which come at a very important juncture in the movie, have been dubbed for the single screen audience,' Hinduja told IANS. 'Mr. Bachchan has dubbed for himself and Boman Irani has dubbed for Sir Ben,' she added. Hinduja maintains that though the film is releasing worldwide, it has not been dubbed for the overseas non-traditional market but has been subtitled for some selected regions. 'Currently the worldwide release is Feb 26. We are starting with the tr

Contrary to reports, Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor spent his 29th birthday with his family. He was especially delighted with the presence of his mother with whom he has 'a great emotional connect'. Referring to all the plans that had been reported for his birthday Thursday, Shahid says: 'Everyone made plans that I didn't know about. It was quite annoying. Even my guest list was prepared. 'But no, the truth was there were no plans beyond the family.' About his mother's presence on this birthday, he says: 'Me and my mom used to live together. Now we live separately. But we have a great emotional connect. So 'aal izz well' on that front. 'My brother Ishaan stays with my mom and we're always hanging out together. In fact, I was at his annual day hours before my birthday. I feel I'm terrible to my family and friends because I don't give them enough time.' During his 29 years, Shahid has only had a

Socialite Paris Hilton's beer commercial has been deemed too hot for television by Brazil's Secretariat for Women's Affairs. The ad shows Hilton, 29, in a short black dress preening and rubbing a can of Devassa beer on herself, to the delight of onlookers watching through her window. Even though the ad may not initially appear very explicit, Brazil's regulations say beer commercials cannot treat women as overtly sensual objects. "It's an ad that devalues women - in particular, blonde women," the Telegraph quoted a spokeswoman for the Women's Secretariat who said it had received numerous complaints. Eduardo Correia, a spokesman for the regulator Conar, which has opened three separate investigations into the campaign, said many Brazilian beer ads feature women in bikinis - but a key difference is that those are set on the beach. "The problem with the ad isn't a lack of clothing, but

t's not just the Indian milieu that identified with the concept of '3 Idiots' but the blockbuster also touched a chord with the Non Resident Indians (NRIs) abroad, says actor R Madhavan , who hosted 'Coffee with an Idiot' in the US. 'I was struck by the level of intellectual and mass connectivity the NRIs in the US had with '3 Idiots'. It's opened up a whole new discussion on the education system and the role of Indian cinema in bridging the gap between oriental and western perceptions on the power of the youth,' Madhavan said. 'It was a very select gathering, intellectual and fun at the same time. The whole idea of Coffee with an Idiot was inspired by 3 Idiots . I wanted the film's success to be the take-off point for cosy sit-in dinners with a selected audience in four American cities namely Dallas, San Jose, New Jersey and Chicago. The interaction in each city lasted for nearly two hours,' he said. But all

Singer Rihanna's rumoured boyfriend Matt Kemp has spoken out about his new-found fame since he was linked to the singer, insisting he finds his celebrity status 'overwhelming'. 'It was a little overwhelming. I don't consider myself a model. I guess you get used to it (fame),' femalefirst.co.uk quoted him as saying. The baseball player, who has been offered a string of modelling offers since he was linked to Rihanna, admits he is baffled about his newly-raised profile.

Musician John Mayer made an 11-year-old fan's dream come true when he called the child on stage and played the guitar with him. Mayer was performing at a concert in Philadelphia in the US when he spotted the youngster named Austin in the crowd clutching a sign reading: 'Can I please play 'Belief' with you?' He pulled him out of the audience and performed the song with him to a rapturous round of applause, reports femalefirst.co.uk. Mayer told the crowd at the end, 'That's my man!', before giving Austin one of his guitars. Austin's mother wrote a note to Mayer's management team, which read: 'John made an 11-year-old's dream come true. John gave him the guitar after the show and we needed security to get out of the stadium.' 'Everyone wanted a picture with him. If you get a chance watch some of the videos on You Tube, it is touching. As Mayer said, 'The kid pulled through'.' 'I just

HOUSEFULL is inching closer to the release and just like it happens with every big film, this Sajid Nadiadwala produced multi starrer too can well be expected to be scrutinized closely for its budget. With the 'aam junta' also waking up to the box office figures and the hit/flop/coverage/blockbuster status of a film turning out to be everyday talk, there are always some interesting theories that start building up once the weekend numbers are out. "Let me state the budget of the film on record here", Nadiadwala brings all speculations to rest, "HOUSEFULL is just a 40-45 crores film. It was never an expensive film to begin with. Yes, my last release KAMBAKKTH ISHQ was expensive but that was because it had so many foreign actors. I have been making films for 25 years now and I am not mad to invest in something from where recovery becomes an issue." With HOUSEFULL being pegged at 40 crores and a multi starrer to boast of, arriving at overall box o

Musician Chris Brown has defended Tiger Woods, insisting that the golfer deserves a second chance. MyFox Detroit reported, during an interview with Detroit's Channel 95.5's Mojo in the Morning radio show on Wednesday, Brown said he critiques those who pass judgment on the world's top golfer, reports News.com.au. "His personal life is his personal life and nobody has the right to place judgement," said Brown. "I know my fans gave me a second chance," he added. Last week, Woods delivered his first public apology since his explosive sex scandal broke last November. Brown is currently serving five years probation after pleading guilty to assaulting former girlfriend Rihanna last year

Shahid Kapoor is all set to pay tribute to the pop idol Michael Jackson in an upcoming awards ceremony in which he will perform on stage to some popular MJ numbers. Shahid admits that he has been a huge fan of MJ right from his kid days. Now, the actor is both excited and nervous paying tribute to this legend who passed away suddenly leaving behind his charm which will be brought alive by Kapoor on stage. It seems Shahid Kapoor is becoming the face of the awards circuit. After hosting an awards ceremony with SRK lately, Shahid seems to have become the darling of all the award organizers. Great going buddy.

Neetu Chandra is jumping from one film release to another. From RANN to her Tamil film THEERADHA VILAIYATTU PILLAI and now APARTMENT, the young lady is certainly keeping herself ultra busy. In the midst of all this running around, she is amused though when she comes across front page news of actresses putting on or loosing weight. "I completely agree that as an actress, your hair, face and body should be in perfect shape all the time, especially when you are in public. However, we too are normal human beings yaar and can pick and loose weight", she laughs, "However, the moment we put on little weight, it comes on the front page and becomes a 'national headline'. And then when we loose weight, it is attributed to liposuction. Can you believe that? Thankfully my body structure is just the same as it was two years back. Now tomorrow, if I turn skinny and start looking like Kareena, it could be because I have actually lost all the fat rather than going

No need to get alarmed or all excited as our 'Khiladi' is not going back to his old wandering ways, he is happily married to Twinkle! We are merely talking about his role in Sajid Khan 's multistarrer, HOUSEFULL. Those following the latest happenings in Bollywood will know that the trailer of the Akshay Kumar , Riteish Deshmukh, Arjun Rampal and Chunky Pandey starrer, HOUSEFULL, is being showcased with the Farhan Akhtar - Deepika Padukone romantic mystery thriller, KARTHIK CALLING KARTHIK, which is scheduled to release this Friday. Just recently we had brought you the breaking news about HOUSEFULL and informed you about Chunky Pandey playing a rich Indo-Italian, who is in love with Akshay Kumar's wife and all hell breaks loose when Akki and his wife land up at Chunky's resort for their honeymoon! Well, that is not all, we have more. Something that will surely make HOUSFULL an even more exciting film. Akshay is shown to be quite a character in the

There is not even an iota of doubt that Mani Ratnam 's star studded big budget extravaganza, RAAVAN, is certainly one of the most talked about and highly anticipated projects of 2010. The film which stars the real life hot and happening couple of Bollywood, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan , also boasts of superstars like Vikram from South and our very own Govinda . After a highly successful outing in GURU with the master, Mani Ratnam, Ash-Abhi are looking forward to wooing the box office once again. The film is near completion (dubbing in process) and is set to release on 18th June. As we all know, the Bachchans have been associated with the IIFA awards ( Amitabh Bachchan is its brand ambassador) ever since its inception and have spared no effort in order to make the event a success by participating in its function in full strength. Abhishek's critically acclaimed Mani Ratnam directed YUVA was first premiered at IIFA and now we hear that RAAVAN i

Ever since Vikram Bhatt started directing films close to a couple of decades ago, he has been accused of lifting subjects or getting heavily inspired by the films from the West. His films may have been hits or flops but the tag of 'inspired film maker' continues to be attached to his name. However, Vikram insists that his next release SHAAPIT is entirely his concept and neither audience nor media would have any reasons to complain. "There is no sequence in SHAAPIT that you would have seen in any other film. Everything that you would see in the film would be totally new", declares Vikram whose last horror release, '1920', was a decent success at the box office. Even in the Rajneish Duggal and Adah Sharma starrer, daggers were out blaming him for lifting a few scenes. "I know. In '1920' they said that there were some scenes straight out of EXORCIST. However, unpredictability will be the name of the game in SHAAPIT. The film won't

Thanks to events such as Live Aid and the recent resurgence of bands like Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran, the 1980s was the best musical decade of the last 50 years, according to 11,000 music fans across Europe. Singing footballers Glenn Hoddle, now 52, and Chris Waddle, 49, had hits in the 80s, reports The Daily Star. Second place went to the 90s with 25 percent of the vote, then the 70s with 23 percent, the poll said. Only 19 percent chose the Beatles-led 60s as their favourite decade and a mere 2 percent said it was the 2000s. Digital channel Music Choice carried out the poll. Music Choice's head of music Kevin Spector said: "The fact the 80s has proven so influential to so many people is certainly an indication of how much we value the heritage of that music. "In comparison to 30 years ago - when the only access people had to music was via cassette tapes, records, radio or television - we can now find our favourite golden tracks any time, at the touch

Singer Courtney Love's desperation to get high made her rely on prostitutes to help her find drugs when she was staying in unfamiliar places. 'I had this rock and roll trick that I would do. When I'd be in the worst (place)... like Cleveland (Ohio) or Cologne, Germany... I would call up a hooker agency and I would ask for the ugliest hooker, because the ugliest hooker would know (where to get drugs). They would think I was a lesbian and would come with all sorts of things (sex toys) and I'd be like, 'No, no put it down, I just want to know where the drugs are.' So that was my trick', contactmusic.com quoted her saying. Love insists she's now clean and sober, but she used to be so dependent on drugs she would call on sex workers to pay her a visit to help her find a dealer.