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London, March 1 (IANS) Actress Katie Holmes did not attend the recent Academy Awards as she is on a strange diet to prepare for conceiving the second child.

The 30-year-old Holmes is going through a strange and rigorous detox diet and has supposedly become a fan of the diet which consists of having herbal drinks and a purification procedure to get rid of the toxic substances.

A source said: “Katie has almost rid her body of toxins but sometimes it makes her lethargic. Tom (husband Tom Cruise) is encouraging her to stick to the diet because they are hoping to conceive baby number two.”

Holmes and Cruise surprised everyone as they did not attend the Oscar ceremony.

London, March 1 (IANS) Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse’s husband Blake Fielder-Civil was seen kissing model Sophie Schandorff in his mother’s car on his way back from jail.

They were making out even as Winehouse told her friends in St. Lucia that she would come back to Britain to work on her marriage, reports mirror.co.uk.

Sophie was hiding in the car as Blake’s mom greeted him at the gates of the prison in Suffolk.

Blake and Sophie couldn’t keep their hands off each other. One witness said: “They were all over each other in the back of the car. Anyone could see they were thrilled to see each other. Blake was kissing her and had his arm around her for the journey. He certainly wasn’t acting like a man who is married to someone else.”

The two were later photographed going into Blake’s house together.

A source close to Winehouse said: “She will be furious when she finds out this. They have had their ups and downs but she really loves him and believes they are meant for each other and will be back together soon.”

Blake was in jail for 27 months for assault and trial-fixing and once left prison for rehab but was sent back as he failed a drug test. He asked for divorce last month claiming his wife was unfaithful to him when she allegedly had a fling with rugby player Josh Bowman.

Blake’s affair with Sophie became public when she showed up at his trial last April and he blew her kisses and they mouthed “I love you” to each other. A source last April said: “He was still in touch with Sophie when he got back with Amy, and they’ve stayed in touch.”

Washington, March 1 (IANS) After the runaway success of Mumbai-set “Slumdog Millionaire”, US critics are waking up to Bollywood, especially the music of Oscar winner A.R. Rahman, whose latest composition for the Abhishek Bachchan starrer “Delhi-6″ is also being appreciated.

Los Angeles Times really liked “Delhi-6″. So did Village Voice in New York City and the site worldfilm.about.com, which reviews world cinema also gave it a big thumbs up.

“Delhi-6″ also opened well at the US box office over Oscar weekend and had the third highest per-theatre average for any film in the Top 25.

It was probably the first time a father-daughter team from Bollywood had their own separate movies in the US Top 25 at the same time. Anil Kapoor has “Slumdog Millionaire” and Sonam Kapoor is in “Delhi-6″.

“Anchored by a fascinating score from Oscar winner A.R. Rahman (‘Slumdog Millionaire’), naturalistic performances and a wide cinematic palette, ‘Delhi-6′ is a fair introduction to Indian cinema for outsiders – who will have no clue at times why the audience is laughing,” said LA Times critic Michael Ordona.

“The songs and score are memorable, and director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has a deep bag of cinematic tricks to illuminate the distinct patterns, such as flights into Hindu mythology or a dream sequence blending New York and Delhi,” he added.

The movie site about.com said: “Maybe the runaway success of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ will inspire Western audiences to sample more authentic Bollywood fare. With its first-rate music, world-class stars, and postcard-ready views of India (not to mention the relatively reasonable running time), ‘Delhi-6′ presents an especially welcoming option.”

To villagevoice.com, the movie “represents the enigmatic India of today”.

Critic Michelle Orange said while “‘Delhi-6′ attempts to address the generational, economic, and religious problems dividing modern India, it does so in an unapologetically broad, whacked-out way, with each of Bollywood’s four food groups (corn, cheese, treacle and nuts) present and accounted for.

“Which is to say, of course, that it’s pretty much irresistible and, in that sense, represents the enigmatic India of today as well as anything ever could.”

London, Feb 28 (IANS) Pop star Britney Spears’ former boyfriend Adnan Ghalib has been ignoring a restraining order on him and has been exchanging text messages with her, the star’s former manager Sam Lutfi said.

Britney’s father Jamie got a restraining order against Ghalib and Lutfi after he took charge of his daughter’s affairs, reported contactmusic.com

Lutfi has been accused of desperately trying to get in touch with Britney in the recent months.

“I did not initiate any direct communication with Britney Spears although I did receive text messages from her. All responses to those messages were conveyed to Britney through others, including Adnan Ghalib,” said Lufti in his court declaration.

Mumbai/New Delhi, Feb 28 (IANS) For the “Slumdog Millionaire” Oscar-fame kid Azharuddin, it was like a bolt from the blue – a slap from his father for refusing interview to a foreign journalist.

Azharuddin, 10, who returned from Los Angeles Thursday, along with his co-star Rubina Ashfaq Ali Qureshi and four other children, was weary with the constant media attention and wanted to rest, their neighbour Yakub Abdul Sheikh said.

However, Sheikh said, his father Ismail Mohammed had already committed time to a foreign journalist.

“When Azharuddin refused to oblige, he slapped him (Friday), but later was full of remorse,” Sheikh told IANS.

Another resident, Dildar Bandarkar said the poor slum-dwellers are not used to the sudden international media glare and do not know how to behave.

“They are their usual old self, but small actions like this get blown out of proportion,” he said.

The incident invited sharp reaction from Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury Saturday.

“The incident is reflection of sadness of our system. That is why exactly we have National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). We will definitely look into the matter and will take it with the commission,” Chowdhury told reporters on sidelines of a function in Delhi.

“Our society is too used to slapping children. Many parents don’t realise the harm they do. In the particular case, we hope we can counsel the father and will see what can be done,” she said.

However, Sheikh said Azharuddin attempted to protect his father – who is suffering from tuberculosis since 20 years, and even wife Shamim rushed to defend him.

Both Azharuddin and his mother Shamim dismissed the incident, saying he was being naughty and so his father slapped him – “but we all love him very much,” she said.

In fact, both Sheikh and Bandarkar said that after the initial curiosity, now the slum-dwellers of Garib Nagar in Bandra east were getting tired of the constant flow of mediapersons to the area since over a week.

“The area is very congested, with narrow lanes and media vans virtually block access to the area, inconveniencing the people here,” Sheikh said, adding that even now, mediapersons continue to come there, though in dwindling numbers.

“Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle and producer Christian Colson have promised to help move Azharuddin and fellow star Rubina Ali, 9, out of the Mumbai slums where the movie is based.

The children play the younger versions of two of the film’s main characters, Salim and Latika.

Varanasi, Feb 28 (ANI): Pinky Sonkar, the protagonist of Oscar winning documentary ‘Smile Pinky’, got a rousing welcome at her native village here on Saturday.

‘Smile Pinky’ is the story of a child with a lip deformity which won the award for best short documentary at the famed Academy Awards.

Pinki’s neighbours and relatives gathered at the Varanasi airport and greeted her with garlands.

The shy little girl was accompanied by her father and Dr. Subodh Singh, the surgeon who gave Pinki the smile that ushered her into the Hollywood’s Red Carpet.

She was so excited about the whole experience.

Dr. Singh was hopeful that the documentary would create a lot of awareness about lip deformity in the society.

“This Oscar has created a lot of awareness about lip deformity. I am hopeful many doctors, hospitals and people will come forward and join hands with Smile Train Foundation. We will in return help such people suffering with lip problems not only in India but all over the world,” said Singh.

Pinky’s father said he would go all out to help out people who suffer from cleft lips.

“I will help them, I will tell them the name of the hospitals and doctors. I will not wait for them to approach me. But I will go to their doors and help them in curing this lip deformity,” said Rajendra Sonkar.

Megan Mylan’s film ‘Smile Pinky’ depicts the saga of six-year-old Pinki Sonkar who had become a social outcaste because of a cleft lip.

The 39-minute documentary traces Pinki’s journey from being ostracized to being treated like a normal girl after a social worker helped her undergo surgery. (ANI)

Washington, Feb 28 (ANI): Actress Jennifer Aniston, who was very much in the spotlight during the Academy Awards, was caught snickering after her ex-husband Brad Pitt did not win the Best Actor award.

Aniston, Pitt and Angelina Jolie were all smiles when they knew the cameras were trained on them, but there were a few occasions when they let their masks slip.

The former Friends star let her mask slip when Michael Douglas announced Sean Penn as the winner for Best Actor, and as she was seated directly behind the “Milk” star, her an undeniable snicker, at Pitt losing out, could be seen.

But she was not the only one who let her feelings show, as Pitt too was seen as being less than chivalrous, reports Fox News.

When the auditorium erupted into a standing ovation for Best Actress winner Kate Winslet, Jolie, who was also nominated, was quick to stand up, but Pitt stayed seated.

It wasn’t until Jolie bent down and seemingly whispered to her man to make a move that he hesitantly rose to his feet. (ANI)

New York, Feb 28 (ANI): Loved Kate Winslet’s grey silk-satin dress by Yves St. Laurent at the Oscars? Well, wait until April and you could get a replica of the dress for just 318 dollars.

Thanks to fashion house Faviana, which is working furiously on cheap copies to be in stores by April, reports the New York Post.

Just days after Hollywood beauties dazzled the Academy Awards red carpet with their glittery designer gowns, Faviana is set to introduce their cheaper versions of these numbers for fashion-loving women.

So now, one can grab that look-alike of Parker’s poofy ball gown by Dior will sell for a mere 358 dollars.

And Angelina Jolie’s Elie Saab black, strapless dress will be available for 278 dollars. (ANI)

Washington, Feb 28 (ANI): Actress Jennifer Aniston and model Heidi Klum were judged to have had a bad hairdo at the recent Academy Awards.

Beverly Hills hairstylist Tina Dizon of the famed Juan Florentino Salon gave her opinion about the two.

“Aniston’s braid, it was a little outdated and casual. She’s such a beautiful person that I think it’s time she should break away from the safety of her hair,” Fox News quoted her as saying.

“And Heidi Klum is usually always a knock out, but her hairstyle was a little too slick, which made her hair colour too obvious – too light in front and the dark and light of her colours are too noticeable,” she stated.

As per Dizon, the two were not the only ones, as Melissa George, Lisa Rinna and Mickey Rourke also sported hairdos that were not fashionable. (ANI)

London, Feb 28 (ANI): Troubled singer Amy Winehouse’s hubby Blake Fielder-Civil has revealed that he is planning to flee the UK to escape from her.

Fielder-Civil, 26, who was released from jail on February 25, fears that Winehouse will wreck his “hard work”, and he has refused to see the Rehab singer, who is rumoured to be jetting back from the Caribbean to patch up her marriage.

One of his friends has revealed that he plans on pushing through a divorce, as he is desperate to escape her “destructive” influence.

“He’s turned a corner since he last saw Amy,” the Sun quoted the friend as saying.

“His mum Georgette plans to sell up and get Blake to another country. They don’t want to squander all the hard work,” the pal added. (ANI)

London, Feb 28 (ANI): Hollywood actress Julia Roberts snubbed an invitation to the Oscars so that she could spend the night with her children.

The stunner was offered a place at the glitzy Los Angeles event on 22 February (09), but she decided not to attend, reports The Daily Express.

Roberts has confessed that she no longer finds happiness in attending star-studded awards ceremonies, and is much happier spending a cosy evening in with her husband, Danny Moder, and their three kids: four year old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, and Henry, 20 months.

She says, ‘My husband had been away and just returned home so I felt it best to stay home and be with my family.

“That was my priority so we watched the show on television. My life at home gives me absolute joy.’ (ANI)

Washington, February 28 (ANI): The number of people willing to help some of India’s poorest children has suddenly increased on the back of the multiple award-winning success of Danny Boyle’s film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

According to ActionAid, the film’s portrayal of poverty in the slums of Mumbai has provoked an unprecedented increase in enquiries by those willing to sponsor Indian youngsters.

‘We’re calling it the slumdog effect,’ Contactmusic quoted the charity’s fundraising director, Richard Turner, as saying.

‘We haven’t seen such a high level of interest in one country for a long time,’ he added.

Turner revealed that ActionAid received about 1,400 enquiries about child sponsorship in the week after the film won seven Baftas, up from its weekly average of 500 calls.

He said: ‘Child sponsorship has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and is one of the most rewarding ways of giving. Sponsors’ money helps towards securing a decent education, better health care and economic security for children and the communities in which they live.’ (ANI)

London, February 28 (ANI): Watching Dev Patel’s success in the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, one of his co-stars in the BAFTA-winning comedic teen drama ‘Skin’ is now hoping that he may also get a big break in Hollywood.

Actor Luke Pasqualino, best known for his role as Freddie Mclair in Skins, says that Dev’s success has put the show under the spotlight in recent weeks.

“I was at an NME awards do the other night and a reporter asked why I was there. The only thing I could say was ‘why do you think? The other dark skinned one is collecting an Oscar in LA!’’ the Sun quoted the 19-year-old as saying.

“It’s amazing that just a few years ago he was in the same position as I am now,’ he added.

Luke, however, revealed that he had yet to see ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

“I’ve heard so many good things, it’s high time I schedule in some time to see it!” he said.

“I’ve met Dev loads through the show last year and he’s a great guy – I’m sure he knows how full-on this fame lark is and he’ll forgive me for not getting round to it yet,” he added.

He even said that the multiple award-winning success of Dev’s film might have generated new opportunities for many English talents.

“Although there is nothing massively on the horizon just yet, I’ll be filming another series of Skins and then who knows?” he said.

“We are all benefitting from Dev’s success in the USA. When you tell people you are in Skins, they literally think the sun shines out of your proverbial.

“All of the cast were treated really well out there and we met hundreds of important people,” he added. (ANI)

Mumbai, Feb 28 (IANS) His double win at the Oscars has been celebrated and talked about. But not many know that A.R. Rahman had a close shave while rehearsing for his performance at the Academy Awards – a chandelier came crashing down seconds after the music maestro moved away from the spot.

“I really don’t know what happened. Two days before the Oscars we were rehearsing at one of the theatres for the Oscars, the ‘Jay Leno Show’ and the ‘Oprah Winfrey Show’ when a massive chandelier, covering a portion of the ceiling, crashed to the spot just a split second after I moved away,” Rahman told IANS, recalling the nerve-wracking experience.

“If I hadn’t moved way I’d have become history in no time at all. The chandelier crashed exactly at the spot I was standing just seconds before. It left me shaken but not terrified. I guess it was god’s warning not to take any of the good things that are happening to me too seriously,” he said.

The musician, who won two Oscars for his work in British filmmaker Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire”, said the accident could have proved to be catastrophic.

“I think the love and prayers of all those who love me saved me. As I walked from the left side of the stage to the right I could feel (something) heavy drop from the air, like water rushing down from a height of 30 to 40 feet. So with the good came the rude reminder of how quickly it can all be snatched away,” Rahman said in hindsight.

“When I did Oprah Winfrey’s show for the Oscars she asked me what ‘Jai ho’ meant. I said it meant, ‘May victory be yours’. She wished the same back for me and I could see she meant it. It’s the best wishes from the world over that saved my life that day,” he added.

Rahman said he isn’t scared of death as it is inevitable.

“What has to happen will happen. I believe one is constantly walking hand-in-hand with death. Death is like a constant companion. But let’s not go into dark spaces right now,” he said.

Rahman won two golden statuettes for “Slumdog Millionaire” for best original score and best original song for “Jai Ho”. They were among the eight Academy Awards bagged by rags-to-riches story set in Mumbai.

Sydney, Feb 28 (IANS) Oscar winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire” has left some cricket fans baffled with the inclusion of Australian batsman Michael Slater’s name as a possible answer to one of the TV quiz questions in one of the movie’s crucial scenes.

For those who got a chance to watch the movie, the question was which batsman tops the all-time list of century-scorers in first-class cricket – Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Slater or Jack Hobbs?

For cricket lovers, who know one or two about the game’s history, it had to be Englishman Hobbs although Tendulkar and Ponting would be acceptable guesses, too. But what left everyone surprised was Slater’s name. The cricketer had an explanation for it.

Slater said that the filmmakers wanted to include an answer that was obviously wrong – and his name was the one chosen. Because the movie’s writer, Simon Beaufoy, who is English and presumably follows cricket, happened to see Slater commentating on a cricket telecast around the time he was working on the screenplay, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Though his name his seems out of place, in terms of natural ability, Slater was certainly up there with the other three batsmen.

Greg Chappell said of Slater a while ago: “When he first appeared on the scene I thought he was one of the most exciting batsmen I had ever seen. He was a wonderfully natural player, who was obviously blessed with heaps of talent and heaps of confidence.”

Slater did average a commendable 42.83 in Tests, but he has 50-plus talent.

Slater’s former captain Mark Taylor and now fellow commentator on Channel Nine was once heard saying that Slater was a far more gifted batsman than he himself was.

But what Slater lacked was the blend of application and mental discipline. The batsman once revealed on ABC’s “Enough Rope” show four years ago that he had been diagnosed with bipolar-type depression while still playing.

But since then, Slater has come a long way and after retiring from cricket he has successfully established himself as as a frontline member of Nine’s cricket commentary team.

London, Feb 28 (ANI): Although Mickey Rourke lost the Oscar to Sean Penn, his career seems to be back on track, and that too in a big way—he has been offered a role by pal Sylvester Stallone in the next ‘Rambo’ film.

Stallone gave the plum offer to the ‘Wrestler’ actor after they met for afternoon tea at the Four Seasons Hotel in LA.

“It was weird seeing two movie tough guys sipping tea on the veranda. They chatted about the Oscars then Sly begged Mickey to sign for Rambo V. Mickey said he was up for it,” the Sun quoted a source as saying.

And Mickey will reportedly play the baddie in the flick, which is due to be filmed later this year.

The actor will also start filming Stallone’s new thriller ‘The Expendables’, alongside Ben Kingsley, Sandra Bullock,Jet Li, Jason Statham and Forest Whitaker. (ANI)

London, Feb 28 (IANS) Oscar nominated actor Mickey Rourke’s career is back on track. He has been signed up for the next Rambo film.

Director Sylvester Stallone asked Rourke to be in the next Rambo film after meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles, thesun.co.uk reports.

A source said: “It was weird seeing two tough guys sipping tea on the veranda. They chatted about the Oscars, then Syl begged Mickey to sign for Rambo V. Mickey.” The movie will be shot this year.

London, Feb 28 (ANI): Oscar-winning director Ang Lee will head the jury at this year’s Venice Film Festival, organisers have announced.

The Taiwanese-born filmmaker, who made Brokeback Mountain, has won the Italian event’s main prize twice.

The festival is due to take place from 2 to 12 September, reports The BBC.

In a statement on the event’s website, Lee was praised as ‘one of the most highly appreciated international film makers’.

‘He is one of the most successful directors in creating a dialogue between the film-making culture of the East and West,’ it added.

Lee won the best director Oscar for Brokeback Mountain in 2006, which picked up a whole host of other awards.

Last year’s jury was headed by German film director Wim Wenders. (ANI)

London, Feb 28 (IANS) Husband Blake Fielder-Civil wants to leave Britain to avoid singer wife Amy Winehouse.

According to thesun.co.uk, the 26-year-old Blake was freed from jail recently and is scared that she will wreck his “hard work”.

There are rumours that Winehouse is coming back from the Caribbean to save her marriage. But Blake does not want to see her and wants to progress with the divorce.

A friend of Blake said he was desperate to get away from her “destructive influence”.

Washington, Feb 28 (ANI): Sheryl Crow displayed her hatred towards former presidential candidate John McCain by shouting ‘F**k John McCain” at a recent event.

Crow was performing at the Global Green Pre-Oscars party on February 26, but midway through her gig, the singer launched an attack at McCain.

‘Let’s hear it for Global Green! We have new President who will make a difference in the environment,” Fox News quoted her as saying.

Crowe told the audience: ‘F**k John McCain.’

Other stars who attended the bash include Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Hayden Panettiere, Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani, Tyrese Gibson, Jamie King, Kate Bosworth, Neil Patrick-Harris, Rosario Dawson and Heather Graham .

Crow also performed the night before at the Children Mending Hearts Foundation dinner at the House of Blues. (ANI)