Pornstar tale draws crowd

SINGAPORE, April 6: A play about the life of a Singaporean woman who took the US porn industry by storm by performing 251 sex acts in 10 hours opened yesterday – a sign of loosening censorship on the highly controlled island.

“251,” a play about Annabel Chong, is also a new test of public tolerance for sex in a society that remains largely conservative, despite increasingly liberal attitudes among the young.

Admittance is only for those 18 and older. Tickets have been selling fast, with the play’s opening performance and another 10 of its 14 scheduled shows in the 220-seat theatre already sold out, said Toy Factory Productions’ assistant marketing manager Bryan Teo.

“It shows Singaporeans are very curious about who Annabel Chong really is,” Teo said. “They have all heard about the 251 sex acts, and now they want to find out more about her.”

Chong shot to international adult film notoriety in 1995 when she performed 251 sex acts with 70 men in a video. Her performance was billed as world record-setting, but it impressed few in her home country. The video remains unavailable in Singaporean stores because pornography is banned.

“251” explores a little known side of Chong – including her troubled experience with religion as a teenager, a violent sexual assault as a college student overseas, and the intellectual premise of the video that earned her a spot in porn history.

“Whether we like her or absolutely hate her, we can’t deny the fact that she is very much part of our national psyche,” director Loretta Chen said.

Indonesian Playboy Magazine Editor Acquitted

JAKARTA, April 5: An Indonesian court has tossed out charges that Playboy Indonesia's editor-in-chief had violated indecency laws. Chad Bouchard reports from Jakarta on the case, which has angered many strict Muslims.

A judge in the Jakarta court told prosecutors they had failed to take into account the country's laws protecting free speech
The judge ruled that Playboy Indonesia editor Erwin Arnada had been improperly arrested and charged with violating indecency laws. As a result, he was freed.

The decision has angered some strict Muslim groups, which have pushed for an expanded legal definition of pornography and stronger laws against it.

Outside the courtroom, about 200 protesters faced police armed with water cannons, but the demonstration remained peaceful.

Arnada faced up to 32 months in jail if convicted.

Hendrayana, director of the Press Legal Aid Center in Jakarta, says the verdict is critical for media freedom in Indonesia. He says the since the country's reformation in the late 1990s, members of the press have been searching for the best way to gather and distribute information to citizens, a job they should be able to do it without restrictions or intervention from the government.

Since Indonesia moved from dictatorship to democracy over the past nine years, some conservative Muslim groups have pushed for stricter morality laws.

Azizah Aziz is a law specialist for Nahdlatul Ulama, an Islamic group in Indonesia with 30 million members. She says the decision is a big disappointment.

Aziz says decisions like this are hard for members of the group to accept, because they are very contradictory. It fails to take the people's side, she says, and fails to protect women from exploitation.

A lawyer representing Muslim groups vowed to seek new charges against Arnada.

Though the Indonesian version of Playboy contains no nudity, the magazine's first edition sparked protests in April 2006. The magazine's central office was moved to the island of Bali, where most of the population is Hindu, following attacks on its Jakarta office.

Why we remember our first kiss!

WASHINGTON, March 15: Boffins have uncovered why you are most likely to remember your first kiss or why the most embarrassing moment of your life may haunt you till your dying day.

They have found a mechanism by which the constantly changing brain retains memories. They have found that the brain co-opts the same machinery by which cells stably alter their genes to specialize during embryonic development.

Courtney Miller and David Sweatt reported their findings in the March 15, 2007 issue of the journal Neuron, published by Cell Press.

Their studies aimed at exploring whether a process called DNA methylation plays a role in forming memories. In this process, molecules called methyl groups are attached to genes, which switches them off. Conversely, lack of methyl groups enables the genes to remain activated.

Cells use methylation during embryonic development to selectively deactivate genes to enable the cells to specialize into different types as the embryo develops. Such regulation is dubbed "epigenetic," since it constitutes a layer of genetic control beyond the regulation inherent in the structure of genes themselves.

Methylation causes a permanent change in gene activity during development. So, while previous studies by Sweatt and others had hinted that the methylation mechanism remains active in adult brains, researchers had generally believed that methylation would not constitute a mechanism for long-term establishment of memories.

However, as misregulation of DNA methylation occurs in some brain disorders like schizophrenia and forms of mental retardation, Miller and Sweatt designed experiments to test whether methylation specifically regulates memory formation.

In their experiments, the researchers conditioned fearful memories in rats by giving the animals mild shocks when they were in a specific training chamber. The researchers could then test whether the rats remembered the conditioning by observing whether they froze when placed in the chamber.

Using drugs that inhibit methylation, the researchers showed that methylation was necessary for rats to form such memories. Particularly importantly, the researchers found that the level of methylation directly controlled the activity of genes known to either suppress or promote memory formation. The memory suppressor gene they studied is called protein phosphatase 1, and the memory-promoting gene is called reelin.

"To our knowledge, this study is the first to present evidence that DNA methylation, once thought to be a static process after cellular differentiation, is not only dynamically regulated in the adult nervous system but also plays an integral role in memory formation," concluded Miller and Sweatt. They wrote that their findings indicate that DNA methylation has been co-opted by the central nervous system as a "crucial step" in regulating gene activity involved in memory formation.

"The findings presented here may provide an important and relevant piece of data to the schizophrenia field, as they provide evidence that reelin methylation is subject to modulation in response to experience and environmental stimuli," wrote Miller and Sweatt.

Men see sexy strangers!

WASHINGTON, March 13: If you thought that nothing could ever change the way your man sees you, well you better think again, for it seems that coming into contact with attractive, flirtatious women may cause your partner to look down on you.

The researchers believe that the findings may hold a clue as to why men, who are constantly exposed to attractive, young women at work, such as male high school teachers and college professors, have a very high rate of divorce.

The study was conducted by Sandeep Mishra and McMaster University colleagues Andrew Clark and Martin Daly, who carried out two primary experiments.

In the first experiment, they showed photographs of attractive opposite sex underwear models and abstract art to 87 male and 66 female volunteers.

After looking at the pictures, the volunteers were then asked to rate their current partners on 17 attributes that included things like physical attractiveness, intelligence, warmth and desirability.

Single people were asked to rate images of strangers.

A mathematical computer analysis of the first experiment showed that those men who viewed photographs of models rather than abstract art had nearly always rated their mates lower.

The outcome was also the same as far as single men were concerned. The women participants, however, remained unaffected by the photos.

In the second experiment, volunteers were asked to watch a video of members of the opposite sex being interviewed and asked non-sexual questions, such as "Why do you think it is important to vote?"

The researchers had asked some interviewees to behave more socially open, such as by looking directly into the camera, smiling often, touching/flipping their hair and acting as if the viewer was the center of attention.

After the viewing, when the volunteers were asked to rate the interviewee’s attractiveness, they found that men rated women who ‘flirted’ very highly.

The researchers also noted that once again, women were not affected by the interviewee`s behaviour.

Mishra said that this is due to the fact that this was due to the fact that while men are more likely to be attracted to women in a more sexual manner, women on the other hand, are attracted to men with greater material resources.

"Males generally like attractive girls that are interested in them sexually, and females are generally attracted to men that have material resources," Discovery News quoted him, as saying.
"What is `natural` (in terms of biology) is not necessarily what is `moral` or good`... One must simply be aware of the fact that these are not uncommon tendencies," he added.

"This study has important consequences for better understanding romantic dynamics, and perhaps for helping people have more realistic expectations about romantic relationships," said Martin Lalumiere, associate professor in the behaviour and evolution research group at the University of Lethbridge.

The research is published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour.

Mallika beats ‘em all

MUMBAI: What’s with Mallika Sherawat impressing foreign directors? At first, it was Jackie Chan in Myth, and now it is Bill Bannerman, Hollywood stalwart Clint Eastwood’s right-hand man. After screening faces across continents for his mainstream Hollywood film Unveiled, the director has given the nod to Mallika.

Mallika’s will be seen in a highly performance-oriented role (finally!). Bannerman says, “Behind the veil, there lies a sexy, manipulative victim, whose life is in grave danger. But she is very dangerous too.” The film revolves around the life of a Muslim woman who has two husbands and a lover. It will be a blend of film noir, thriller and dark drama.

Bill has been working on the casting for a long time now and considered many actresses for the role, before zeroing in on Mallika, that is.

Sources reveal, “Hillary Swank and Penelope Cruz had shown interest, but they wanted the actress to be a South Asian or from the Middle East so that she could portray the character of a Muslim woman from the Middle East, and lend a degree of authenticity in terms of accent, body language, knowledge of customs, etc.”

Closer home, Mallika managed to beat actresses Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty to it.

“Aishwarya Rai and Shilpa Shetty were strong contenders. But speculations are rife that Aishwarya Rai had date problems and her impending marriage plans would have been a possible hindrance. As for Shilpa Shetty, she only has a big name. In reality, she still hasn’t signed anything worthwhile so far,” said the source.

Bill Bannerman will arrive in Mumbai soon to make an official statement.

Salma Hayek engaged, expecting a baby

NEW YORK, Mar 10: Next up for Salma Hayek is a wedding — and a baby carriage. The 40-year-old actress is engaged to businessman Francois-Henri Pinault and is pregnant with their first child, her spokeswoman, Cari Ross, said Friday in a statement. No further details were provided.

The Mexico-born Hayek has starred in films such as "Frida," "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" and "After the Sunset." She is one of the executive producers of ABC`s "Ugly Betty," in which she recently guest starred as a two-faced magazine editor.

Pinault is chairman and chief executive officer of the luxury goods company PPR SA, which owns high-end labels such as Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Stella McCartney.

Hayek received an Oscar nomination for her role in 2002`s "Frida."

Naomi Campbell sentenced to mop New York floors

NEW YORK, March 7: British beauty Naomi Campbell will swap her catwalk outfits for a broom, gloves and safety vest when she begins mopping floors at New York's Sanitation Department on March 19, a court official confirmed on Tuesday.

But Campbell, who was sentenced to community service as punishment for throwing her mobile phone at her housekeeper, will serve her five-day sentence indoors.

Singer Boy George attracted a media throng when he swept streets in a court-ordered punishment in August.

The New York Post reported Tuesday that Campbell had been assigned to mop floors with other community service workers at a Sanitation Department warehouse in Manhattan. A court official confirmed the story but declined further comment.

Campbell, 36, has been accused by at least three employees of hitting or otherwise assaulting them. She has blamed her temper on lingering resentment toward her father for abandoning her as a child.

Scarlett Johansson is Playboy’s sexiest celeb

NEW YORK, Feb 20: Actress Scarlett Johansson has been voted Playboy magazine’s sexiest celebrity leaving behind other bootylicious women like Angelina Jolie and Pamela Anderson.

"Scarlett Johansson is the apex of beauty and sensuality - from her porcelain skin to her fully feminine figure to her mysterious charisma, which is at once palpable and undefinable," the Playboy editors write.

They make it clear she's No. 1 and then name 24 other beauties, in no particular order, reports the Daily Mail.

Other hotties include Charisma Carpenter, who assisted in the dispatching of numerous monsters in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" on TV.

Others on the list are: Kara Monaco, Willa Ford, Paris Hilton, Diora Baird, Christina Aguilera, Pussycat Dolls, Pamela Anderson, Lindsay Lohan, Charisma Carpenter, Jenny McCarthy, Beyoncé, Denise Richards, Jennifer Lopez, Carmen Electra, Mercedes McNab, Cindy Margolis, Joanna Krupa, Jaime Pressly, Jessica Alba, Angelina Jolie, Kelly Monaco, Jenna Jameson and Vida Guerra.

Now, Britney wears a blonde wig to hide her bald head!

NEW YORK, Feb 20: It seems that Britney Spears is already regretting shaving off her locks and going from blonde to brunette to bald, especially after she was spotted sporting a wig.

The singer, who spent some time at the West Hollywood's chic Mondrian hotel, was seen lounging besides the pool sporting a short blond wig to cover her newly shorn skull.

She appeared at the pool wearing a green cap over the blond wig, as well as a multi-coloured, but mismatched bikini top.

"She was here, she was wearing a wig and nobody recognized her," the New York Daily News quoted an employee at the hotel's Asia de Cuba restaurant, as saying.

And though the singer appeared teary-eyed and on the verge of a nervous break-down when she stopped by Esther's Haircutting Studio on Friday, Feb 16, she looked happy and relaxed when she spent the day at the posh hotel.

Top marketing officials believe that the incident may have sabotaged Britney’s image, her income, and her personal life in a breakdown that could cost her a fortune.

Bald Britney-bilia grips eBay

Celebrity magazines may regard Britney Spears' latest hairdo as evidence of a mental meltdown, but it has provided plenty of entertainment for eBay enthusiasts who are posting everything from domain names (britneygoesbald.com) to celebratory T-shirts on the auction site.

The Los Angeles hairdressing salon where Spears shaved off her locks was yesterday offering the bounty on eBay for $US1 million ($A1.27 million). "Proceeds" were - of course - going to charity.

Today a bevy of creative spin-offs was available, though few were attracting hefty bids.

One reliable eBay seller had some Brit Knee Hair for sale on the site for an opening sum of $US1.93. And just in case prospective clients weren't sure about the authenticity, a photo of the said goods had been supplied.

There was the expected array of Bald Britney T-shirts, but for those on the hunt for something a little more special an abstract painting of Britney's hair "separated from her head" was on offer for $US25.

For nostalgic types, a year-2000 Britney 'Hit me one more time doll' had been dusted off with the seller pointing out the doll came with (now) "hard to find hair".

There was even a handmade bag for sale, otherwise known as 'something to keep Britney's hair in'.

But best of all for Britney purists was an actual CD of her songs. The album In the Zone, with bonus lock of hair, was available for the bargain price of $US12,999.

Anna's Final Booze-Fueled Hours

NEW YORK: The days leading up to Anna Nicole Smith's death were filled with booze, late-night partying and a hotel room stocked with prescription pills.

According to the New York Daily News, a bouncer from the Hard Rock Hotel says Anna Nicole was wasted early Tuesday morning. "She was messed up. She couldn't walk on her own," he says. "Her bouncer was on one side and her lawyer friend on the other."

And just hours before she died she was seen doing shots at the hotel's Central Bar. A bartender says the blonde bombshell looked "plastered" and was slurring her speech. She then moved the party upstairs, where her room looked like a "pharmacist's shop" allegedly stocked with Xanax, Provigil, Fentanyl and Methadone.

In the wake of her death, DVD sales for Anna Nicole's reality show are skyrocketing. Since Thursday, its ranking on Amazon.com has soared an amazing 180,000 percent, moving from number 27,014 to 15.

Stewardess grounded over 'sex' with Fiennes on flight

SYDNEY, Feb 11: Australia's Qantas Airways grounded a flight attendant after fellow crew members alleged she had sex with British actor Ralph Fiennes aboard a flight to India, news reports said Sunday.

The woman, named by the Sunday Telegraph as 38-year-old Lisa Robertson, issued a statement denying the charge but admitting spending 'a short period of time' in a toilet together with the 45-year-old star of the 1996 film 'The English Patient'.

Robertson said she had struck up a friendship with Fiennes and when she went to the toilet, and he followed her in.

'I explained to him that this was inappropriate and asked him to leave,' she said in the statement. 'Mr Fiennes became amorous towards me and after a short period of time I convinced him to leave the toilet, which he did.'

She has been suspended without pay over the Jan 24 incident.

The former police officer breached company policy by allowing Fiennes, who played Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, to sit in a crew jump seat while chatting to him on her rest break.

Robertson concluded her statement by saying that 'at no time were any other customers aware of this incident'.

Harry Potter has no qualms about stripping!

LONDON, Feb 3: Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliff was a complete antithesis of his child wizard self when he appeared in the nude for a picture before his West End debut.

The picture was released before 17-year-old Radcliffe`s stage debut — in which he must appear naked in the West End, playing Alan Strang, the disturbed stable lad who blinds horses, in the first London revival of Peter Schaffer`s Equus.

Thea Sharrock, director of the new show, said: "Oh My God" when she saw Radcliffe undress for the photoshoot in a hangar near Heathrow, according to the producer David Pugh.

"There was no hesitancy about taking off his clothes," he said. "When that boy takes his shirt off, Harry Potter has flown out of Hogwarts for good," he was quoted by the telegraph, as saying.

The play opens at the Gielgud Theatre on Feb 27.

'Borat' 19th most powerful man in UK

LONDON, Jan 31: Fictional Kazakh journalist Angus Howarth Borat, the creation of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, has made it to GQ magazine’s annual list of top 100 most powerful men in Britain.

The character is ranked 19th on the list, just one place behind Prince William and two behind Tory leader David Cameron.

"Not since John Lennon has an English entertainer had such an effect on the world," the Scotsman quoted GQ as saying about Baron Cohen.

James Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the UK and a Labour Party politician, was in pole position for the second year running, followed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair who was in second place.

"Brown is all but chief executive of a government where Blair is largely a figurehead," the magazine said.

The Governor of Bank of England, Mervyn King, was named the third most powerful man in Britain, and was followed by Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, BBC director-general Mark Thompson and Top Shop boss Sir Philip Green.

British Home Secretary John Reid wrapped up the 10th position on the most powerful list.

Top sporting figure on the list was Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, securing the 16th place, while the highest ranked football manager Sir Alex Ferguson was at 83rd postion.

The only football player to make into the list was England and Chelsea star John Terry, named at 32nd place, while the man he replaced as the England captain, David Beckham, failed to get a mention.

Channel 4 director of programmes Kevyn Lygo was at number 50, while Peter Bazalgette, UK chairman of Big Brother makers Endemol, is 56th.

Other celebrities named in this year’s list include TV chef and school meals crusader Jamie Oliver (15), M&S chief executive Stuart Rose (26), and the Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson (70).

TV presenter Jonathan Ross was one personality to have made significant progress in his position, from 99th to 29th place.

Best-selling author Sidney Sheldon passes away

LOS ANGELES, Jan 31: Sidney Sheldon, who won awards in three careers, Broadway theater, movies and television, then at age 50 turned to writing best-selling novels about stalwart women who triumph in a hostile world of ruthless men, has died. He was 89.

Sheldon died Tuesday afternoon of complications from pneumonia at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, said Warren Cowan, his publicist. His wife, Alexandra, and his daughter, author Mary Sheldon, were by his side.

"I`ve lost a longtime and dear friend," Cowan said. "In all my years in this business, I`ve never heard an unkind word said about him."

Sheldon`s books, with titles such as "Rage of Angels," "The Other Side of Midnight," "Master of the Game" and "If Tomorrow Comes," provided his greatest fame. They were cleverly plotted, with a high degree of suspense and sensuality and a device to keep the reader turning pages.

"I try to write my books so the reader can`t put them down," he explained in a 1982 interview. "I try to construct them so when the reader gets to the end of a chapter, he or she has to read just one more chapter. It`s the technique of the old Saturday afternoon serial: leave the guy hanging on the edge of the cliff at the end of the chapter."

Analyzing why so many women bought his books, he commented: "I like to write about women who are talented and capable, but most important, retain their femininity. Women have tremendous power — their femininity, because men can`t do without it."

Sheldon was obviously not aiming at highbrow critics, whose reviews of his books were generally disparaging. He remained undeterred, promoting the novels and himself with genial fervor. A big, cheerful man, he bragged about his work habits.

Unlike other novelists who toiled over typewriters or computers, he dictated 50 pages a day to a secretary or a tape machine. He corrected the pages the following day, continuing the routine until he had 1,200 to 1,500 pages.

"Then I do a complete rewrite - 12 to 15 times," he said. "I spend a whole year rewriting."

Several of his novels became television miniseries, often with the author as producer.

Sheldon began writing as a youngster in Chicago, where he was born February 17, 1917. At 10, he made his first sale: $10 for a poem. During the Depression, he worked at a variety of jobs, attended Northwestern University and contributed short plays to drama groups.

At 17, he decided to try his luck in Hollywood. The only job he could find was as a reader of prospective film material at Universal Studio for $22 a week. At night he wrote his own screenplays and sold one, "South of Panama," to the studio for $250.

During World War II, he served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps. In the New York theater after the war he established his reputation as a prolific writer. At one time he had three musicals on Broadway: a rewritten "The Merry Widow," "Jackpot" and "Dream with Music." He received a Tony award as one of the writers of the Gwen Verdon hit "Redhead." His Broadway success brought about his return to Hollywood.

His first assignment, "The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer," starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Shirley Temple, brought him the Academy Award for best original screenplay of 1947.

While under contract to MGM, he recalled in 1982, "I worked like hell and I never stopped. Dore Schary (then production head) one day looked at a list of MGM projects. I had written eight of them, more than three other writers put together. That afternoon, he made me a producer."

With the movie business hurting because of television`s popularity, Sheldon decided to try the new medium.

"I suppose I needed money," he remembered. "I met Patty Duke one day at lunch. So I produced `The Patty Duke Show` (in which she played two cousins), and I did something nobody else in TV ever did. For seven years, I wrote almost every single episode of the series."

Another series, "Nancy," lasted only a half-season, but "I Dream of Jeannie," which he also created and produced, lasted five seasons, 1965-1970. The show concerned an astronaut, Larry Hagman, who lands on a desert island and discovers a bottle containing a beautiful, 2,000-year-old genie, played by Barbara Eden. She accompanies him back to Florida and eventually marries her.

"During the last year of `I Dream of Jeannie,` I decided to try a novel," he said in 1982. "Each morning from 9 until noon, I had a secretary at the studio take all calls. I mean every single call. I wrote each morning — or rather, dictated — and then I faced the TV business."

The result was "The Naked Face," which was scorned by book reviewers and sold 21,000 copies in hardcover. The novel found a mass market in paperback, reportedly selling 3.1 million. Thereafter Sheldon became a habitue of best-seller lists, often reigning on top.

Sheldon prided himself on the authenticity of his novels. He remarked in 1987: "If I write about a place, I have been there. If I write about a meal in Indonesia, I have eaten there in that restaurant. I don`t think you can fool the reader."

For "Windmills of the Mind," which dealt with the CIA, he interviewed former CIA chief Richard Helms, traveled to Argentina and Romania, and spent a week in Junction City, Kan., where the heroine had lived.

Having won a Tony, an Oscar and an Emmy (for "I Dream of Jeannie"), Sheldon declared that his final medium was the best.

"I love writing books," he commented. "Movies are a collaborative medium, and everyone is second-guessing you. When you do a novel you`re on your own. It`s a freedom that doesn`t exist in any other medium."

Shilpa Shetty wins 'Celebrity Big Brother'

LONDON, Jan 29: Hot favourite Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty has won the grand finale of the British reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother on which she faced alleged racist bullying that sparked off an international race row. Shilpa was elected the winner last night by 63 per cent of voters ahead of runner up singer Jermaine Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson.

The 31-year-old elegant actress won the public`s affection during an extraordinary four weeks in which she was the victim of alleged racist bullying by fellow housemates Jade Goody, Jo O`Meara and Danielle Lloyd.

She was crowned the winner after finalists Jermaine Jackson, Dirk Benedict, Ian H Watkins, Danielle Lloyd and Jack Tweed were all evicted during the show`s final last night. A show spokesman said Jack Tweed had received 3.2 per cent of the votes cast, Danielle Lloyd got 3.3 per cent and Ian Watkins received 5.3 per cent.

Screaming with surprise, Shilpa burst into tears as Davina McCall, the host of the show, announced the news.

"Chicken curry rules! Thank you so much" she yelled as she was led out of the house by Davina.

"I just want to thank the people of Great Britain for giving me the opportunity of making my country proud," Shilpa said.

With this victory, Shilpa would earn several bounties, besides getting 350,000 pounds paid to her to participate in the show. She has been offered a Hollywood film by fox pictures, a book deal, endorsements for clothes, cosmetics and jewellery, a television documentary, hosting a cricket reality show and an awards ceremony and an exclusive interview with the tabloid the sun fetching her 100,000 pounds.

"I don`t want to sound cliched but it`s truly been quite a roller-coaster... The highs, the lows, and each one has taught me so much," Shilpa said.

She initially played down the rows, saying her biggest shock in the house was "to cook".

Shilpa looked shocked when Davina told her the fighting had caused a furore. But then she said, "I kind of had an inkling but I`d love to hear about some news." She then watched footage from the house, including Jade`s diary room entries.

But in a short speech, she said she didn`t want Jade to be branded a racist.

"Things happen, people make mistakes and we all learn from them," Shilpa said.

"But I can say one thing for sure, Jade didn`t mean to be racist. She isn`t a racist. I really don`t want to leave England putting anyone in trouble. This country has given me so much."

Her response drew cheers and clapping from the studio audience.

Jade`s eviction is `triumph over evil`: Shilpa`s spokesperson

LONDON, Jan 21: The family of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty hailed on Saturday the eviction of her chief tormentor from Big Brother as a triumph of "good over evil," amid a furore over racist bullying on the show.

Viewers of the British reality television show voted to evict Jade Goody who has taunted Shetty in the "Celebrity Big Brother" programme, where participants live shut off from the world in a fishbowl environment.

"This vote has shown that goodness always prevails, like in Bollywood films," a spokesman for Shetty and her family said.

"This vote was not about just one contestant facing eviction. It was a straight forward contest between Shilpa and Jade, between good and bad," said Dale Bhagwagar.

Goody had been the hot favourite to be evicted as Indian government officials called on their British counterparts to intervene in the row and British lawmakers lined up to attack the show.

Both women were nominated for eviction, and 82 per cent of voters wanted Goody out. The show pits celebrity contestants in a studio house to see which one can emerge the audience favourite.

Goody -- along with former Miss Britain Danielle Lloyd and one-time pop star Jo O'Meara -- led the assault on Shetty, often reducing her to tears. Shetty has been called a "dog" and asked whether she lives in a shack, prompting protestors in India to burn effigies of the show's producers.

"The issue of racism was surely playing on the minds of the British. That's why they have voted Goody out with such an overwhelming majority," Bhagwagar said.

"Shilpa would have won even without the sympathy. She is extremely popular. I have been shouting from the rooftops that she is heading for the kill."

There have been some attempts at reconciliation between the pair before the eviction, with Shetty withdrawing her claims of racism and Goody and Lloyd apologising for their remarks.

Indian newspapers, which reported the patchup on their front pages, hinted that it may have been prompted by the broadcaster and show producers to avert legal action by Shetty.

"Shetty could mount a claim for bullying or harassment that could end with (producer) Endemol and Channel Four playing out tens of thousands in compensation," a major national daily quoted a leading lawyer in Britain as saying.

The dailies also reported on Saturday an invitation by the Indian Tourism Office in London to Goody to experience "the healing nature of India".

The invitation for the sponsored trip was published as an open letter in advertisements in leading British newspapers, a Mumbai based daily said.

Jolie voted ‘Most Attractive Woman’ on the planet

LONDON, Jan 21: When it comes to her looks, Angelina Jolie can rest assured that there’s no other woman on the planet who can compete with her, for she recently topped a poll to find the ‘Most Attractive Woman’.

The online poll, conducted by Hello magazine, saw 25 percent of readers and Jolie fans voting to make sure that the brunette mum-of-three topped the poll.

Coming in on the actress’ heels was TV series ‘House MD’ star Jennier Morrison who laid claim to the second spot, reports Hello magazine.

She was followed by the woman Brad Pitt dumped in favour of Jolie – Jennifer Aniston, who was named the third ‘Most Attractive Woman’.

The top five was rounded of by the princess of pop Christina Aguilera, and reality TV star Nicole Richie, who came in fourth and fifth place respectively.

The list for top ten ‘Most Attractive Woman’, as per hellomagazine.com is:

1. Angelina Jolie

2. Jennier Morrison

3. Jennifer Aniston

4. Christina Aguilera

5. Nicole Richie

6. Queen Rania

7. Emma Bunton

8. Nicole Kidman

9. Cate Blanchett

10. Salma Hayek

Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan get engaged

MUMBAI, Jan 14: Bollywood hearthrob Aishwarya Rai and actor Abhishek Bachchan on Sunday night got engaged to each other at a quiet ceremony in Mumbai, setting the stage for the marriage of the film industry`s most talked-about couple.

The much-awaited news was confirmed by Amitabh Bachchan himself. The wedding will take place sometime in February.

The engagement between Abhishek, who turns 31 on February 5 next, and 33-year-old Aishwarya, was held at the residence of the Bachchans in suburban Juhu, the actress` secretary Hari Singh said.

The event, attended by family members and close friends of the Bachchan and Rai families, took place between 8.30 pm and 9 pm, hours after Aishwarya and Abhishek returned here from New York from the promotion of their just-released film "Guru" directed by Mani Ratnam.

Apart from the entire Bachchan clan, family friend Amar Singh was also present on the occasion.

Sources said Abhishek put a ring on the finger of Aishwarya to mark the engagement but no date has been set for the wedding between the two of Bollywood`s hottest stars.

The engagement came against the backdrop of rave reviews of "Guru", giving a major boost to the careers of Aishwarya and Abhishek.

Among those present at the ceremony were Amitabh Bachchan, his wife Jaya Bachchan, their close friend and Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, the parents of Aishwarya, industrialist Anil Ambani and his actress-wife Tina.

Astrologer Chandrashekar Swami had claimed earlier that the duo would get married between January 14 and February 27 in 2007.

Amid speculations that Ash was a manglik, the couple performed corrective puja at an ancient Shiva Temple in Varanasi, in which the entire Bachchan family was present.

By taking Aishwarya to Varanasi where Amitabh Bachchan’s father Harivanshrai Bachchan’s annual rituals are observed, the Bachchans had sent a message to the rest of the country that Aishwarya was now part of their family.

Both families were going by astrological predictions and suggestions.

Fed`s USD 50 mln divorce settlement demand leaves Britney in tears!

Washington, Jan 14: Britney Spears left shell shocked when she heard that her estranged hubby Kevin Federline is reportedly demanding a 50 million dollar paycheque in exchange for letting her keep custody of the couple`s sons.

The `Toxic` singer hasn`t gotten a lot of positive publicity ever since she split from Federline, and is afraid that he will use it against her if a custody battle takes place between the two for their sons – 15-month old Sean Preston and 4-month old Jayden James.

A friend of the pop singer told Life and Style Weekly magazine that Britney has been “crying practically non-stop” ever since she heard the news, for she`s terrified that she will lose her kids.

"Britney almost fell off the chair when she heard the figure. She has been crying practically non-stop. She is worried sick that she is in danger of losing her babies," Hollywoodrag.com quoted the pal, as telling the mag.

A source insisted though Britney has been in the news for the past few months for all the wrong reasons she cannot stand the thought of having her kids taken away from her.

"One night without them was all it took Britney to see how scary it would be if she lost the custody battle. She was emotional – there were tears in her eyes," the source said.

The insider also revealed that Britney had informed her lawyers that she wants her divorce wrapped up as soon as possible, for she no longer has the stamina for a “long and nasty fight”.

"She has told her lawyers she doesn`t want a long and nasty fight. She hasn`t got energy for it," the source said.

Britney and Federline separated in November last year after being married for two years and two months.

Britney Spears' naked plans

NEW YORK, Jan 5: Britney Spears is commissioning a nude portrait of herself. The 'Toxic' singer has finally got back in shape following the birth of her second son, Jayden James, and is so proud of her figure she wants it "immortalized" in a painting.

A source told Britain's More magazine: "Britney's been getting in better and better shape since she split with Kevin and wants her body immortalised in a portrait.

"She loves the film 'Titanic', especially the scene where Kate Winslet's character Rose gets painted in the nude. She wants it tastefully done, though, and is looking for the right artist to do it."

Britney - mother to one-year-old Sean Preston and four-month-old Jayden James - filed for divorce from husband Kevin Federline in November.

Since separating from Kevin, Britney, 25, has been spotted out partying on several occasions showing off her body in a variety of skimpy outfits.

She has been pictured four times not wearing any underwear.

Leona Lewis becomes the fastest selling female performer of all time

LONDON, Jan 1: X-factor winner, Leona Lewis, has broken her third world record to become the fastest selling female performer of all time.

Her single ‘A moment like this’ reached the number one position and sold 571,253 copies in the first week itself "It's great news for Leona, and the song looks solid at number one for a second week," The Mirror quoted her spokesperson, as saying.

Lewis’ single smashed Britney Spears record of 464,000 copies of her single ’Hit Me Baby One More Time’. Leona's debut song, a cover of a Kelly Clarkson ballad, broke its first record on day one, becoming the fastest selling download with 50,000 copies in the first half hour, and created its second record by becoming the best selling download over the period of a week.

Julia Roberts Expecting Third Child

NEW YORK, Dec 30: Hollywood actress Julia Roberts and her husband, Danny Moder, revealed that they are expecting their third child together.

US magazine reported that the 39-year-old film star already has a pair of 2-year-old twins, twins, Phinnaeus Walter and Hazel Patricia, with Moder and now the couple will welcome another addition.

The birth of the twins in 2004 was especially difficult for Roberts who, after enduring a false labor, was ordered have months of bed rest until the birth.

The news of another child from Roberts, who recently lent her voice to the film "Charlotte's Web," is nothing shocking after the actress had previously confessed her longing for a large family and a domestic life.

"It's a joy being domestic. It's something I want and something that makes me very happy," said she in a past interview.

Roberts met the 37-year-old while filming "The Mexican," for which Moder was a cameraman. They were married in New Mexico in July 2002.