HK actress lashes out at star over sex photos: report

HONG KONG, March 1: A Hong Kong actress at the centre of an Internet sex photo scandal has broken her silence about the incident, lashing out at the pop star who took the compromising pictures, a report said on Saturday.

Cecilia Cheung, one of several local celebrities shown in the photos with Hong Kong-Canadian actor and singer Edison Chen, said he had never apologised, and that she was still reeling from the ordeal a year later.

"He has never apologised to us personally," Cheung told iCable in an interview broadcast late on Friday, according to a report in the English-language South China Morning Post.

"He should at least have called us to say sorry if he genuinely admitted his mistake."

She added: "The photos are still circulating online. How can we live a healthy and happy life? How can we put ourselves back on our feet?"

The photos -- showing Chen in compromising positions with various celebrities including Cheung, Canto-pop star Gillian Chung and former actress Bobo Chan -- became an Internet sensation when they were posted a year ago.

Cheung said she decided to break her silence after Chen gave evidence earlier this week in a Canadian court in the case of Sze Ho-Chun, a computer technician charged here with illegally posting the explicit photos online.

The 28-year-old Chen for the first time identified Cheung, Chung and Chan in the Vancouver court as some of the women in the photos, but said later outside court he wanted to 'protect' them and that they had 'suffered enough,' the Post reported.

Cheung, also 28, angrily retorted: "You should not have come out (now)... saying one thing but doing another in a bid to win the public's forgiveness whilst hurting us."

Chen, one of Asia's biggest stars in film and music, saw his career destroyed by the appearance of hundreds of the sex photos, which caused a storm in celebrity-obsessed but culturally conservative Hong Kong.

The scandal forced him into early retirement and sent him fleeing to his childhood home of Canada.

2 Oscars for A R Rahman, 8 for Slumdog

LOS ANGELES, Feb 23: Slumdog Millionaire swept the Oscars here on Sunday as it bagged eight awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Orginal score.

The Mozart of Madras, A.R. Rahman bagged two of the coveted statuettes for Original Score and Best Song for Jai Ho, penned by Gulzar.

Slumdog... also won best adapted screenplay, best cinematography, best sound mixing and best film editing awards.

India's Resul Pokutty, who won the best sound mixing Oscar for Slumdog... along with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke, dedicated the award for the country.

A R Rahman created history by becoming the first Indian to win two Oscars for his score in "Slumdog Millionaire".

"Before coming here I was excited and terrified. The last time I felt that way was when I was getting married," Rahman told in his acceptance speech in Los Angeles after bagging the Original Score Academy on Monday.

"There is a Hindi dialogue 'mere pass ma hai' which means even if I have got nothing I have my mother here. I want to thank her for coming all the way to support me," the 43-year-old musician said.

Rahman was again on the dais to accept the Oscar for the best Original Song for the number "Jai ho", sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Mahalaxmi Iyer.

Before that he performed a medley of 'Jai ho' and 'O saya' assisted by dancers and singer John Legend.

"The essence of the film is about optimism and home. The power of hope in our lives. All my life I had the choice between hate and love. I choose love and here I am," said the musician while accepting the award for best song, penned by Gulzar.

Pinki's tale fetches Oscar for Mylan

"Smile Pinki", the tale of Uttar Pradesh girl and her fight against the social stigma of a cleft-lip, won the Oscar award for Best Documentary (Short).

Directed by Emmy-award winning Megan Mylan, the film was shot in Mirzapur and Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh.

Elated at the victory, Mylan thanked the eight-year- old girl, who could not smile due to her cleft-lip and was teased as "othkatti' (one with a cut lip) for letting her tell her story.

"Thank you Pinki. Thank you for letting me tell your incredible story," said Mylan while accepting the Oscar.

Pinki then underwent a simple surgery with the help of social workers that almost changed her life.

Mylan also thanked the NGO Smile Train, which funded the surgery and Pinki's Los Angeles trip to attend the Oscars.

Mylan also thanked Dr Subodh K Singh, who performed the surgery.

"Smile Pinki" edged past "The Final Inch", which was also shot in India and documents the struggle of polio workers as they travel from village to village to administer polio drops under the polio eradication programme of India, to win the award.

Beaufoy gets first Oscar for Slumdog, owes it to Vikas Swarup

British scriptwriter Simon Beaufoy fetched the first Oscar in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for "Slumdog Millionaire", based on Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel "Q and A".

"It is a tremendous honour. I thank Vikas Swarup, without him 'Slumdog' would not have happened, thanks Vikas Swarup," said Beaufoy while accepting the golden statuette.

"Thank you Dev, thank you Latika and the entire cast and crew of Slumdog," Beaufoy said.

The scriptwriter has already bagged the Golden Globe and BAFTA for "Slumdog Millionaire".

"I learnt a lot about life," said Beaufoy about his India experience.

This is a first Oscar for Beaufoy, who was earlier nominated in 1997 in the Original Screenplay Category for the film "Full Monty".

Anthony Dod Mantle wins Oscar for 'Slumdog' cinematography

Anthony Dod Mantle won the second Oscar for Mumbai-based film "Slumdog Millionaire" in the best Cinematography section.

It was a first Academy for the 53-year-old Briton.

"I should thank thousands but I can't do that. Of course thank you so much Academy...thank you Danny Boyle and the team," said Mantle while accepting the Oscar at the star-studded ceremony.

"I just want to thank you so much," Mantle said.

Resul Pookutty wins Oscar, dedicates it to India

Sound engineer Resul Pookutty became the third Indian to bring Oscar glory for India by winning the award for sound mixing in "Slumdog Millionaire" in Los Angeles on Monday.

"I dedicate this award to my country. This is not just a sound award but a piece of history that has been handed over to me," a beaming and emotional Pookutty said while dedicating the trophy to a billion Indians.

"I come from a country and civilisation that gave the world the word that precedes silence and is followed by more silence. That word is 'Om'. So I dedicate this award to my country," said Kerala-born sound technician.

Pookutty shared the honours with colleagues Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke.

"This is unbelievable. I share the stage with two magicians, who captured the noise and cacophony of Mumbai to create the soul stirring artful sound of 'Slumdog Millionaire'," he said.

Pookutty has won a BAFTA and a more recent Cinema Audio Society (CAS) awards for best sound mixing. He is the first Indian to win the CAS award.

PM congratulates Slumdog Millionaire team

With Slumdog Millionaire creating history at the Oscars, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Monday that the entire team of the film including musician A R Rahman have done India proud.

The Prime Minister "congratulates A R Rahman, Resul Pookutty (sound engineer), Gulzar (lyricist), and entire Slumdog Millionaire team for the success at the Oscars," a PMO spokesperson said.

Dr. Singh said "they have done India proud".

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee also congratulated the Slumdog team on bringing laurels to India by winning the Oscars.

The film bagged eight awards including two Oscars for Rahman for Best Original Score and Best Song for the song "Jai Ho", which was penned by lyricist Gulzar.

Pookutty, a sound technician from Kerala, won the Oscar in the Sound Mixing category.

The movie also won the award for Best Film, Best Director for Danny Boyle and Best Adapted Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy.

List of winners at 81st annual Oscars

List of winners at the 81st annual Academy Awards, presented late Sunday at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor: Sean Penn, MilK

Best Actress: Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Original Score: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Song: A.R. Rahman for Jai Ho penned by Gulzar Slumdog Millionaire

Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire

Best Sound Mixing: Resul Pookutty (India), Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke Slumdog Millionaire

Best Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Short Documentary: Smile Pinky

Best Foreign Film: Departures (Japan)

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jerry Lewis

Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, Milk

Animated Feature Film: WALL-E

Animated Short Film: La Maison en Petits Cubes

Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Costume: Michael O'Connor, The Duchess

Art: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Animated Short Film: La Maison en Petits Cubes

Live Action Short Film: Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Sound Effects: Dark Knight

Dev Patel, Freida Pinto spotted shopping for ring

LONDON, Feb 22: Slumdog Millionaire stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto have fuelled dating rumours after being spotted shopping for a ring on Valentine’s Day.

The report comes after their co-star Anil Kapoor recently revealed he could feel “the beginning of something exciting” between the two.

The 18-year-old lad was seen taking his six-year-senior “lady love” to a High Street jeweller’s on Oxford Street – and left without purchasing anything.

“Dev and Frieda seemed completely smitten with each other. They spent 15 minutes in the jeweller’s and were quite happy to sign autographs and talk to fans,” the Sun quoted an onlooker as saying.

“They paid particular attention to one of the cabinets which was full of the more expensive rings stocked by the store chain.

“They didn’t buy anything in the end, but they certainly spent plenty of time studying the range,” the onlooker added.

Sensual Women Viewed As 'Objects'

NEW YORK, Feb 23: While most men will argue and deny the fact that they do not regard attractive women as objects, a new study has just proved otherwise. The study involved scanning the brains of selected men while viewing images of women in a swim wear. It was found that the sections of the brains that usually responded for objects, lit up!

Further more the, it was also found that the portion of the brain responsible for social interaction de-activated when such images were viewed by men known for their sexist tendencies. As concluded by Professor Susan Fiske, of Princeton University, her results clearly proved that men did not regard sensual women as 'human' at all.

"I am not saying that they literally see them as an object, of course they know she is human," the Telegraph quoted her, as saying. "But what the brain scans show is that they are reacting to this photograph as people react to objects. It is as if they are not fully human.

"They are not treating them as fully three dimensional humans,"

"They are not treating them as fully three dimensional humans," she added. She says that that the constant availability and demand for sensuous pictures of young women in the society was responsible for this phenomenon and it "decreased the extinct that they were seen as human".

Professor Susan said that the effect was similar to viewing violence on TV, that eventually desensitize people to the affects of violence. "I think that there is a parallel in seeing lots of sexualized women. You get used to it," she said.

The professor stated that the effect was particularly higher in workplace. The study showed that men interviewed sensual women differently than other women and men.