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The 12 Indian cricketers who wanted to participate in the Sri Lanka Premier League have been told by the BCCI to not play in the tournament. The directive comes after the players had asked the BCCI for No-Objection Certificates to play in the two-week long Twenty20 competition, starting on July 19. The SLPL will be run by a Singapore-based private company, Somerset Entertainment Ventures, which will issue the player contracts, something the Indian board believes could lead to complications for the players should disputes arise. The decision, the BCCI said, was taken to protect the players from finding themselves in a tricky situation. "In the IPL the players are contracted by the BCCI, but the SLPL is offering contracts with the event management company," a BCCI official, who attended the tours and fixtures committee meeting on Saturday at which the decision was taken, said. "So, if there is any goof-up, Sri Lanka Cricket cannot be held accountable. As a result, the boa

Kevin Pietersen enlivened another heavily weather-disrupted day at the Rose Bowl with a positive 85 as England moved into the lead on 195 for 4. The hosts had quickly wrapped up Sri Lanka for 184, but their reply was a stop-start affair until the skies eventually cleared then Pietersen and Alastair Cook added 106 for the third wicket before Ian Bell added his own swift contribution. It was a day of huge frustration for a good crowd as frequent showers moved across the ground, especially during the afternoon session. Their good humour began to abate when the umpires called tea in bright sunshine only for another heavy shower to delay the resumption of the final session. However, the prospect of Pietersen was enough to keep many in their seats during the rain and they were rewarded as England played positively until the close. Pietersen had looked set for three figures - perhaps even before stumps - and the shot he played to edge Thisara Perera behind, which handed the bowler a notable

The BCCI has awarded Kolkata three matches during India's home series against England and West Indies between October and December 2011. Eden Gardens will host a Twenty20 and an ODI against England as well as a Test against West Indies, the board announced after a meeting of its tour, programme and fixtures committee in Mumbai. The news is a boost for the Cricket Association of Bengal, which was stripped of the marquee India-England fixture during the 2011 World Cup because Eden Gardens was not ready by the stipulated deadline. Kolkata eventually hosted three other World Cup games - Ireland v Holland, South Africa v Ireland and Zimbabwe v Kenya. England are touring India to play five ODIs and one Twenty20. The other four one-dayers will be played in Mumbai, Mohali, Hyderabad and Delhi. Mumbai and Delhi are the venues for the remaining two Tests against West Indies.

Abhimanyu Mithun will not be available for the first West Indies-India Test that begins on June 20 in Jamaica, due to visa issues. He is expected to arrive in the Caribbean only on June 20. Mithun and Praveen Kumar - who is already in Jamaica, since he was a part of the limited-overs squad - were drafted into the Test squad as replacements for the injured Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth. Adding to India's issues on the fast-bowling front, medium-pacer Munaf Patel, who missed the last two ODIs against West Indies, did not bowl during a training session on Friday, leading to speculation over his fitness and availability for the Test. Though Munaf did bowl during Saturday's training session, his stint lasted for about 10 deliveries.

Benedict Cumberbatch, despite being relatively unknown to American audiences a year ago, is quickly becoming a familiar face with audiences. He starred in the fantastic British series  Sherlock , created by  Doctor Who  scribes Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, back in July 2010, and he's already started  appearing on t-shirts  along side his co-star,  The Office 's Martin Freeman, who plays Holmes' sidekick, Watson. Freeman, by the way, just happens to be starring in a little film called The Hobbit. The Hobbit  is the two-film prequel to Peter Jackson's  Lord of the Rings  trilogy. It features the titular hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) on a quest with Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and several dwarves to reclaim an ancient dwarven kingdom, which was conquered by the dragon Smaug. On the way, Bilbo will happen to meet a certain Gollum (Andy Serkis), who might possess the plot device that the  Lord of the Rings  hinges on. But who will play the dragon Smaug? Why, Benedict Cumberba

Fringe' s third season was probably the best of the 2010-2011 television season. While the show struggled for viewership with its move to Friday, critics and fans alike raved about just how wonderful the show had become. I was one of those who spent the entire season raving about how great the show was, and I still am. So when Fringe: The Complete Third Season  hits DVD and Blu-ray on September 6 (such a long way away!), I'll be one of the first to rush out and grab a copy (I mean that metaphorically; I've already got it on pre-order). But what will be a part of the set aside from the wonderfully awesome season? Well, first there's the matter of the cover, which, like its season two predecessor, is just a recycling of one of the season's main promotional posters. It's still my favorite DVD cover yet, simply because it's not usually what you expect from a DVD cover (given that the characters are all standing at different angles). The six-disc set will featur

Of all the reboots, spin-offs, and adaptations that TV has given us in recent years, I struggle to think of something that compares to Noir, reportedly picked up by Starz . Based on a 2001 Japanese anime series of the same name (how many live action anime adaptations are there?), the show will focus on two mysterious female assassins that join forces to battle a secret society and put the pieces of their connection together. Starz didn't release a premiere date for their newest pick-up, but I'd look for the show sometime midseason (January-March) or early next summer at the latest. It'll be an interesting balancing act for Noir because you want to stay true to the source material while grounding the show in some sort of reality. Just from reading about the series online, it seems like it'll be like Nikita (dark pasts, two strong females, secret organizations, lots of stunts) meets Kick-Ass (graphic-ish violence) but with a darker tone. I'm glad the show was greenl

Castle fans, the news we have all been waiting for has been confirmed. The cast of our favorite show will be returning to San Diego Comic-Con on July 24th. According to actor Jon Huertas, the panel will be held at 11:45 on the last day of the Con. I admit I am so incredibly psyched for this panel and I will be there to bring some great scoop about season 4. The actor will also be hosting another panel during the Con: "Yo we're doing our San Diego Comic-Con Panel July 24th at 11:45 - Make your plans! Also I'm moderating the comicon Military Panel July 22nd!", he announced on Twitter a few minutes ago. Last year, the Castle panel was quite a hit with the fans and it is no surprise that they are returning this year. Also, let's not forget that Disney and Marvel will lauch a comic book in September based on one of Richard Castle's character, Derrick Storm. There is still no confirmation if the entire cast will be present, but check back here for update

They may have just finished cleaning up the massive amounts of confetti that rained down on Scotty McCreery as he became the 10th American Idol, but that's not stopping American Idol from moving on the its next season already. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the reality juggernaut has announced the audition sites for its 11th season, which ends up being seven cities over a couple of months. The show may not technically have a third judge right now (Jennifer Lopez hasn't re-signed yet after her one year contract expired), but the judges don't see the contestants until a bit later in the competition after the tens of thousands of initial auditioners are narrowed down to the good, the bad, and the delusional. If you can't wait for season 11 of Idol (the online reaction to season 10 was mixed at best, but the show's ratings held pretty steady without Simon Cowell), the tour kicks off July 6th in West Valley City, Utah, running for 45 dates, and within a couple of

Comic-Con is right around the corner and the panel schedule is slowly starting to take shape. I don't know about you guys, but I am so incredibly psyched for this year's Con because it will be my very first time there. So, you know, dream come true and all that. Clarissa has just posted the HBO line up, which will feature the highly successful Game of Thrones series and veteran vampire drama True Blood. Twentieth Century Fox Television, however, has just announced which of their shows are going to be in San Diego in July and we have a grand total of 13 (yes, you read that right. Thirteen!) new and returning shows scheduled to attend the biggest pop culture event in the world. Check out the complete list of shows and their respective panel dates: FRIDAY, JULY 22 * Bones (David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel, exec producers Hart Hanson and Stephen Nathan, plus cast members of The Finder) * Bob’s Burgers (exec producers Loren Bouchard and Jim Dauterive, voice talent Jon Benjamin,

When Khal Drogo fell off his horse in the episode "Baelor," things were looking pretty grim, right? His wound, which he gained from being badass and walking into the sickle of an attacker, had grown infected, despite the efforts of the captive maegi. To keep Drogo alive, we witnessed that maegi doing some magical things alone in the tent with Drogo. But when Daenerys started to go into labor, Ser Jorah Mormont saw no choice but to carry Daenerys into the tent as well, against the maegi's explicit instructions. But what happens next? In a storyline that will likely take up a good portion of the season finale, "Fire and Blood," we'll get the resolution. But first things first: will Drogo survive? No, Drogo will become the fourth main character of the series to die, after Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd), Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), and Ned Stark (Sean Bean). He'll never leave that tent, though he won't die by the maegi's hand. Sad, right? Of cour

As Charlotte Lewis, she won Daniel Faraday's heart on LOST's mysterious Island. Now she's trying to win the hearts of the producers of FOX's sci-fi series Fringe. Friday night, Mader sent a tweet directed to executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman, featuring the caption "Ready when you are boys!!!" The image featured Mader looking rather fetching wearing a Fringe t-shirt and a Fringe Division baseball cap. Now, while most 'sexy' photos sent on Twitter usually end with a resignation from Congress, this one should be doing nothing but getting Mader more love. "I need you on #Fringe permanently," replied one of Mader's followers, which Mader retweeted. It didn't take Pinkner very long to respond. "Uh, that sound you hear? That BOOM...? That's my brain exploding!" Even Fringe composer Chris Tilton was intrigued: "Can you come over here and help inspire music for Fringe?" he tweeted to her. Is Mader tryin

Well, this is good news. HBO's True Blood will be making a return appearance at Comic Con, while Game of Thrones will be having its first ever panel at the San Diego convention. And Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin will even be moderating the panel for his show, which I'm sure will thrill the fans. The network has even released the official list of actors, as well as the panel moderators: GAME OF THRONES – Thursday, July 21 Special Guest Moderator – George R.R. Martin David Benioff D.B. Weiss Emilia Clarke Peter Dinklage Kit Harington Jason Momoa Nikolaj Coster-Waldau TRUE BLOOD – Friday, July 22 Moderator – Entertainment Weekly’s Tim Stack Alan Ball Anna Paquin Stephen Moyer Sam Trammell Ryan Kwanten Rutina Wesley Kevin Alejandro Kristin Bauer van Straten Nelsan Ellis Joe Manganiello Deborah Ann Woll True Blood's new season starts on June 26, while Game of Thrones' season 1 finale will be airing on June 19 Get The Latest Updates on Tv Series Follow us o