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San Francisco, Jan 1 (DPA) While most dog pounds in the US complain of having too many pitbulls and large mongrels that are difficult to find homes for, dog pounds on the west coast are crowded with fashionable Chihuahuas.

“We’re busy looking after Chihuahuas. It’s driving us crazy,” complains Deb Campbell, spokeswoman for San Francisco’s dog shelter.

A third of all dogs in San Francisco’s pound are Chihuahuas. It is the same story in Los Angeles, Oakland, Berkeley and San Jose where the small trendy dog with pointed ears and oversized eyes is taking up space to a degree never seen before. The problem has become so big it now has its own name: “Paris Hilton Syndrome”.

The phenomenon is one that only affects California. “People from the east coast to the southern states who heard about our problem have been calling us asking if we can send them a Chihuahua,” says Campbell.

Adam Goldfarb, from the US animal protection organisation The Humane Society, told the San Francisco Chronicle he has been “totally surprised” by the flood of Chihuahuas in the west. “They would be happy just to see one of those dogs in Minnesota, Maine or Kentucky.”

Animal rights activists in California have put part of the blame for the problem on Hollywood. Celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Hillary Duff and Mickey Rourke are often seen in public sporting Chihuahuas. Actress Reese Witherspoon’s character in the movie “Naturally Blond” had a Chihuahua called Bruiser, and Chloe the star of Beverly Hills Chihuahua has helped turn the breed into a fashionable accessory.

According to the latest figures gathered by Los Angeles’ city authority, Chihuahuas hold the number one spot for newly registered dogs. Dog breeders managed to react quickly to the demand but it turns out there is a bitter side to the boom in Chihuahuas.

“People who bought Chihuahuas thought that because they are so small and can fit into a handbag that they would have a cool companion. They didn’t think that having a dog means giving it a lot of care and training or that the breed is susceptible to sickness and costs a lot of money to keep healthy,” explains Kim Durney of the animal protection organisation, Grateful Dogs Rescue.

It appears high veterinary costs at a time of economic crisis have ruined the fun of

having a cute Chihuahua.

About half of the 66 Chihuahuas in the care of Grateful Dogs Rescue seeking new homes are stray dogs. Eight-year-old Madge was found on the streets of San Francisco and has been looking for a new owner since November. Seven-year-old Chico was deposited at the pound in October by his owner.

“A few years ago they would have been adopted straightaway because there used to be so few of them. But now they have to wait,” says Campbell.

California’s dog pounds are concentrating on finding prospective Chihuahua owners far from Hollywood. The city of Oakland has already transported more than 100 Chihuahuas to Oregon, Washington and Arizona with the help of volunteers. There is talk of establishing Chihuahua “Air Bridges” to other states where the breed is in demand.

Hollywood actress Katherine Heigl recently donated some of her own money to help 25 stray Chihuahuas who were scheduled to be put down. It cost her $25,000 to transport them by air from Los Angeles to New Hampshire where they were received by fans of the lap dog.

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) Three Oscars, collaborations with Hollywood studios, a doctorate for Shah Rukh Khan and many more – the Indian entertainment industry made its mark on the global arena in 2009. Now it is set to move forward with international projects like “Kites” and “My Name Is Khan” and Grammy nominations for A.R. Rahman and Amjad Ali Khan.

In the New Year, Bollywood is hoping to hit the bull’s eye on the global front with two much-talked-about films — “Kites” and “My Name Is Khan”.

Described as a truly international film, “Kites” tells the story of a young con-man who lives life in Las Vegas, always ready to make fast money in any way possible, always looking for the big score.

Directed by Anurag Basu and co-produced by Rakesh Roshan and Reliance BIG Pictures, it stars Hrithik Roshan along with Mexican Barbara Mori, Kangana Ranaut and Kabir Bedi. The film will be released in two versions — Indian and international.

Hopes are high from “Kites” as its international version is being edited by Brett Ratner, best known for the “Rush Hour” series and for “Family Man”. He is currently at work on the English version of “Kites” and is tailoring it to appeal to an international audience.

The Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol film on terrorism, “My Name Is Khan”, has been selected to screen at the 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival. Directed by Karan Johar, the film has been acquired by Fox Star for a reported $20 million.

Fox Star has also signed a two-film deal each with Vipul Shah and A.R. Murugadoss.

Paul Schrader of “Taxi Driver” fame is making “Xtreme City” on Mumbai slums and mafia in collaboration with Bollywood director Anubhav Sinha and writer Mushtaq Sheikh.

Reliance BIG Pictures has inked deals with Nicolas Cage’s Saturn Films, Jim Carrey’s JC 23 Entertainment, George Clooney’s Smokehouse Productions, Chris Columbus’ 1492 Pictures, Tom Hanks’ Playtone Productions, Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, Jay Roach’s Everyman Pictures, Brett Ratner’s Rat Entertainment, Julia Roberts’ Red Om Films and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment to develop scripts.

All eyes are on Rahman again this year as he has two nominations at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards for his song “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire”. There is another nomination for Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan in the best traditional world music album category.

India is also looking forward to winning another Oscar with Marathi “Harishchandrachi Factory”, the country’s official entry for the academy awards.

All this stands on the successes of 2009, which started with A.R. Rahman, Resul Pookutty and Gulzar winning Oscars for their work in British director Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire”.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan got an honorary doctorate in arts and culture from the University of Bedfordshire in Britain. He also won a black belt honour in Taekwondo from the South Korean government. Later he was declared amongst the 500 most influential Muslims around by Georgetown University in the US.

Another global achievement came when Akshay Kumar was awarded the highest Japanese honour of Katana and a sixth degree black belt in Kuyukai Gojuryu Karate. He also became one among the 15 international celebrities invited to carry the torch for this year’s Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

Global spotlight shifted to India when Aishwarya Rai featured as Sophie Solandres in Hollywood film “Pink Panther 2″ with Steve Martin. She consolidated her international presence with her second stint on “Oprah Winfrey’s Talk Show” along with husband Abhishek Bachchan. She also made an appearance on “The Tyra Banks Show”.

Bollywood’s oomph girl Mallika Sherawat too made the country proud when she became the first Hindi film star to be honoured with her own milk shake at Hollywood hotspot ‘Millions of Milkshakes’.

Indian business tycoon Anil Ambani inked a deal with American filmmaking icon Steven Spielberg in an effort to bridge Hollywood and Bollywood. Under the deal, Ambani’s Reliance BIG Entertainment will provide $825-million funding for Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks Studios to make six films a year for global audiences.

In the fashion world too recognition came when former Miss World and actress Priyanka Chopra was invited to judge the Miss World 2009 pageant.

India’s nightingale Lata Mangeshkar was conferred France’s highest civilian award, the Insignia of Officier de la Legion d’Honneur.

(Arpana can be contacted at arpana.s@ians.in)

London, Dec 31 (IANS) Singer Rihanna has made new year resolutions to give up all bad habits.

The Barbados beauty, who had a difficult 2009 after being assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown in February, plans to get rid of as many of her bad habits as possible next year, reports fashion.ie.

“I want to stop shopping, being late, start waking up early, stuff like that,” she said.

The 21-year-old star has also vowed not to let her work get in the way of spending time with her loved ones.

“I’d like to see my mum and grandparents more. I don’t have a lot of girlfriends, but the one I do have is around me all the time,” she said.

The “Umbrella” hitmaker also has a number of achievements she would like to accomplish in the coming decade.

“I want to learn the drums and I want to work with Depeche Mode (band) so bad,” she said.

New York, Dec 31 (IANS) Former “Friends” star Jennifer Aniston’s activism has been the force behind a new state law in California that restricts the paparazzi.

Aniston’s activism was instrumental in the success of Assembly Bill 524, which takes effect from Jan 1, according to Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, who revealed that the actress’ horror stories prompted her to fast track the legislation, reports hollywood.com.

The new law allows for civil penalties against the paparazzi and media outlets that sell and buy unlawfully obtained photographs and video footage of celebrities and their families.

Bass said she wrote the bill after Aniston and a group of celebrities helped her to understand just how bad the Los Angeles paparazzi problem had become.

“There have to be some boundaries. When you have children in the car and the photographers are rushing you, it’s just absolutely out of control. It’s become a public safety issue. Somebody’s going to die if we don’t do something,” said Aniston.

The measure was signed into law in October 2009 by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Mumbai, Dec 31 (IANS) Oscar-winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire” child-actor Rubina Ali Qureshi, whose shanty was demolished Wednesday, is looking forward to a special New Year gift – a spacious new flat gifted by director Danny Boyle through his Jai Ho Trust.

“We have already selected and finalized the deal for a flat costing Rs.3.2 million in the Mumbai suburbs. Even ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ director Danny Boyle has approved it. After finalizing the relevant formalities, Rubina and her family plan to shift there within a month,” Rubina’s business manager Dinesh Dubey told IANS here Thursday evening.

However, he denied that nine-year-old Rubina and her co-star, 11-year-old Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail Shaikh have been given government accommodation after they shot to international fame early this year.

They were given letters allotting tiny flats – each measuring 180 square feet in the far-flung suburb of Malvani – from the state government, which they have refused, Dubey said.

He explained that since they live in the Garib Nagar slum near Bandra station, they would be automatically entitled to a flat measuring 225-square feet as per the slum rehabilitation policy of the government.

“Then why should they settle for something which is much less and lose out on a better future option?” Dubey pointed out.

Azharuddin has already moved into a flat in Santacruz east given by Boyle through the Jai Ho Trust he has set up in Mumbai.

Now, it is Rubina’s turn to move into her own flat with her family and this should materialize very soon, Dubey said, adding that it was a long overdue gift and it was appropriately coming in the New Year 2010.

Meanwhile, the Qureshi family rebuilt their shanty Wednesday night and are planning to restart their lives afresh. This was the second demolition in 8 months by the Mumbai civic authorities.

The worst sufferer due to Wednesday’s demolition was Rubina’s two-month-old step-sister who shivered all through the cold spell that Mumbai has been experiencing since the past one week, Dubey said.

Washington, Dec 31 (ANI): Jennifer Aniston is said to be the force behind a new law that puts a check on the paparazzi in 2010 and beyond.

Democrat and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass said the former Friends’ star was instrumental in pushing the legislation that comes into effect from the January 1, 2010.

According to the new law, members of the paparazzi and media outlets that sell and buy unlawfully taken photos and video footage of people, including celebs and their families, will be charged with civil penalties.

‘There have to be some boundaries. When you have children in the car and the photographers are rushing you, it’s just absolutely out of control,’ Contactmusic quoted Aniston, as telling the Los Angeles Times.

‘It’s become a public safety issue. Somebody’s going to die if we don’t do something,’ she added.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 524 into law in October this year. (ANI)

Washington, Dec 31 (ANI): Actress Emma Watson’s wardrobe malfunction at the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has made it to the list of Memorable Wardrobe Malfunctions of 2009.

Compiled by Fox News, the list of Memorable Wardrobe Malfunctions of 2009 includes:

Emma Watson

The Harry Potter star accidentally flashed her undies at the premiere of ‘Harry Potter the Half-Blood Prince’ premiere.

Whitney Houston

Houston’s comeback performance at X-factor turned nasty when the strap of her silver dress snapped open during her performance of ‘Million Dollar Bill.’

Britney Spears

The pop star revealed a little more than usual during a show in Tampa. She complained offstage during a wardrobe change that she had been exposed minutes prior thanks to a high-cut leotard.

Nicole Kidman

The ‘Hours’ star stunned onlookers at the CMAs when she walked the carpet in a shockingly tight Fuchsia dress and white powder all over her face at the NYC premiere of her new flick, ‘Nine.’

Kate Moss

Kate Moss left the Yves Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2010 show in Paris on October 5 forgetting to cinch her trenchcoat a little tighter around her body.

Brad Pitt

‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ star showed up for a Paris photo call with his fly down.

Lady Gaga

The pop star had a nipple slip on The Jay Leno Show while performing ‘Bad Romance’

Beyonce

The R&B singer’s Oscar performance with Hugh Jackman was family-friendly, but she had an R-Rated moment thanks to a split-second wardrobe malfunction.

Mischa Barton

Former O.C. star was seen strolling the streets of New York City in August, without a bra in a Saran Wrap thin tee shirt.

Tila Tequila

The reality star suffered an embarrassing nipslip on the red carpet while announcing her engagement to Casey Johnson. As she showed off her ring and kissed Johnson for the camera, she came close to losing her top. (ANI)

London, Dec 31 (IANS) Oscar winning actress Kate Winslet possesses the ‘most desirable’ celebrity body, according to a national poll.

Two thousand women participated in the poll conducted by YouGov and commissioned by the Slimming World.

Winslet garnered the maximum of 16 percent of the votes to beat the shapely Kelly Brook to the second place by a whisker. Brook got 15 percent of the votes, reports telegraph.co.uk.

Halle Berry took the third place, followed by Cheryl Cole and Beyonce Knowles.

Skinny celebrities like Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss finished at the bottom along with Katie Price (Jordan), all of whom got one percent of the votes each.

Jacquie Lavin, who heads Slimming World’s nutrition division, said: “Women are more likely to see Kate Winslet and Kelly Brook as the ideal body shape rather than Kate Moss or Victoria Beckham.

“It perhaps suggests that it is not being ‘skinny’ that is most important to them anymore, it is being healthy,” added Lavin.

Slimming World is the largest Britain-based weight loss organisation. It holds almost 6,000 weekly groups in the country, led by 2,500 trained consultants who are self-employed.

Washington, December 31 (ANI): Amy Winehouse may have to spend New Year’s Eve in hospital due to heavy drinking, her friends fear.

The 26-year-old singer was said to have hit the bottle alone while fighting chest infection over the festive period.

‘Amy is in a bit of a state at the moment, she’s feeling very sad and lonely. She is also extremely emotional. She’s spent a lot of time over Christmas at home on her own drinking,” Contactmusic quoted a source as saying.

‘Amy’s been battling an acute chest infection for weeks and it’s really starting to take a toll on her health.

‘Amy has wound herself up into such a state she knows her best place for her is in the hospital. She needs to dry out and stop drinking,’ the source added. (ANI)

Washington, Dec 31 (ANI): Michael Jackson’s 1983 video for ‘Thriller’ has made it into the National Film Registry.

The famed video is among the 25 motion pictures that have been selected this year for preservation by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, reports Discovery News.

Others added to the list include the 1911 silent film ‘Little Nemo’, 1995′s ‘Scratch and Crow’, the 1957 sci-fi classic ‘The Incredible Shrinking Man’ and 1979′s ‘The Muppet Movie’.

The total number of films in the registry is now 525.

The Librarian of Congress selects 25 films and videos to add to the registry each year.

The complete list of 2009 selections appears below.

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
The Exiles (1961)
Heroes All (1920)
Hot Dogs for Gauguin (1972)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
Jezebel (1938)
The Jungle (1967)
The Lead Shoes (1949)
Little Nemo (1911)
Mabel’s Blunder (1914)
The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
The Muppet Movie (1979)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Pillow Talk (1959)
Precious Images (1986)
Quasi at the Quackadero (1975)
The Red Book (1994)
The Revenge of the Pancho Villa (1930-36)
Scratch and Crow (1995)
Stark Love (1927)
The Story of G.I. Joe (1945)
A Study in Reds (1932)
Thriller (1983)
Under Western Stars (1938)
(ANI)

London, Dec 31 (ANI): Victoria and David Beckham’s move to Los Angeles is the most definitive ‘Celebrity Moment of the Decade’, according to Heat magazine.

The iconic couple shifted bag and baggage from their Madrid home to the United States in June 2007 after David signed a multi-million pound deal to play for soccer team LA Galaxy.

Other significant events in showbiz that made it to the list included Nick’s exit from ‘Big Brother’ in 2000, Britney Spears shaving her head, and the union of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

‘The noughties were the decade that fame built. Reality TV was born and suddenly anyone could be a celebrity,” the Mirror quoted Editor, Sam Delaney as saying

‘Singers had their lives changed by the public vote and unknowns entered houses full of cameras and emerged to crowds screaming their names. Celebrities invited us into their homes and families and laid their lives bare for the sake television – but for us there could only be one couple to define celebrity in the noughties and that’s the Beckhams,” he added.

And the top 10 most definitive ‘celebrity moments of the decade’ are:

1. Posh and Becks hit Hollywood (July 2007)
2. Nasty Nick leaves Big Brother (August 2000)
3. Britney Spears shaves her hair off (February 2007)
4. Jordan and Peter meet in the jungle (January 2004)
5. Kate Moss and the cocaine scandal (September 2005)
6. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie get together (January 2004)
7. Tom Cruise goes bonkers (May 2005)-Tom loves Katie Holmes so much he jumps up and down on Oprah Winfrey’s sofa like a man possessed.
8. Cheryl Cole: a star is born (September 2002)- A timid Geordie auditions for ‘Popstars: the Rivals’, and so begins her journey to superstardom via Girls Aloud, Ashley Cole and ‘The X Factor’.
9. The Paris Hilton sex tape (November 2003)
10. Susan Boyle takes on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ (April 2009). (ANI)

New York, Dec 30 (IANS) Movie fans have rated model-turned-actress Megan Fox’s sex appeal above her onscreen talents, as she was named the worst actress of 2009 but also the sexiest in a new poll.

Fox has topped the list of worst actresses by film website Moviefone.com for her role in action sequel “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”, narrowly beating out Beyonce Knowles for her performance in thriller “Obsessed” and Hilary Swank in “Amelia”, reports buzzhollywood.com.

But the 23-year-old also landed the title of sexiest actress in the same poll, seeing off competition from Zoe Saldana and Sandra Bullock.

Fox’s “Transformers” follow-up also divided the voters, being named both worst movie of the year and best action movie.

London, Dec 30 (IANS) Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor has seen off competition from pop diva Britney Spears and Sarah Jessica Parker to be named the celebrity with the best-selling perfume of all time.

The Hollywood legend’s fragrance ‘White Diamonds’, which was first released by Elizabeth Arden in 1991, took $67.2 million in 2008, reports imdb.com.

Meanwhile hip-hop star Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs polled in second place with his ‘Unforgivable’ scent, which made $48.5 million last year.

Celine Dion’s self-named perfume and Sarah Jessica Parker’s ‘Lovely’ fragrance were placed third and fourth respectively in the survey by Euromonitor International.

Elsewhere Jennifer Lopez came in at number seven with ‘Glow’ and Spears was eighth with ‘Curious’.

London, Dec 30 (IANS) British supermodel Kate Moss was forced to cancel her holiday because she had a bad hangover from the Christmas Day and was unable to fly.

The supermodel, who was due to welcome the New Year in Thailand, had to postpone the trip because she over-indulged in food and champagne celebrating Christmas with boyfriend Jamie Hince and her seven-year-old daughter Lila Grace, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“Kate goes away every New Year and booked this year’s trip over four months ago. Unfortunately, she rather over-indulged during the festive period, stuffing herself with turkey and all the trimmings, alcohol and Christmas pudding,” said a source.

“After drinking champagne from 10 a.m. onwards, she felt really ill all afternoon. Jamie told Kate in no uncertain terms that she would not be flying anywhere,” the source added.

Moss was unable to get a refund on the four first class flights she had paid for, as well as two nights unused accommodation but was reportedly planning to fly out to Thailand Dec 29, three days later than planned.

“Kate was devastated and only cheered up when Jamie promised they’d still go away. Annoyingly, she can’t get a refund, so after paying for more flights for her family, she has been joking she has had a 20,000-pounds hangover. All things considered, she has taken it really well,” said the source.

Madrid, Dec 30 (DPA) Cristiano Ronaldo told sports daily Marca Wednesday that he is determined to become “the best player in history”.

The Real Madrid megastar also made it clear that he aimed to regain the European Footballer of the Year and FIFA World Player awards in 2010.

Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA award in 2008 but came second in the voting this year for both accolades behind Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.

Now he is determined to win back both awards.

“I will win the Ballon d’Or again next year,” he told Marca. “My ambition is to become the best player in history.”

Real smashed the world transfer record in June by paying Manchester United around $135.25 million dollars for Ronaldo, aged 24.

He made a good start in Madrid but missed most of the autumn with a badly twisted right ankle.

He reassured the Real fans by telling Marca that “the ankle is now perfect” and that “I will not need an operation. If it were not for the Real Madrid doctors then I would still not be well.”

Ronaldo then praised fellow newcomer Kaka, who has made an uncertain start at the Estadio Bernabeu and is currently out with a groin injury.

“You cannot have doubts about a phenomenon like him (Kaka),” Ronaldo told Marca. “He is irreplaceable for Real, I am sure that he will triumph here.”

He also had words of encouragement for Real coach Manuel Pellegrini, calling him “an intelligent coach who knows how to make us play better and win matches.”

Pellegrini was on the verge of being sacked in October – when the most expensive team in history was thrashed 4-0 in the King’s Cup by third division part-timers Alcorcon – but now looks more sure of himself.

His team is just two points behind Liga leaders Barcelona.

Moving beyond football, Ronaldo told Marca that “the Spanish actress that I most admire is Penelope Cruz.”

He finished the interview by saying that he “really liked” the food in Madrid, but was “not very keen” on bullfighting.

Rival sports daily AS, for its part, claimed on Wednesday that Real Madrid is on the way to raking in around 80 million euros a year because of Ronaldo, through merchandising – in particular, the sale or replica shirts – and publicity.

When they signed Ronaldo, Real insisted on keeping 40 per cent of the image rights for the club.

All of Ronaldo’s publicity contracts will be renegotiated in 2010, and Real will demand a higher price for them.

AS claims that Ronaldo “is the most media-friendly footballer in the world today”, far above Messi and David Beckham.

According to AS, Ronaldo and his agents reject around 90 per cent of the publicity offers that they receive, “because they do not comply with the requirements” that the winger insists upon.

Gestifute, the Portuguese company that manages Ronaldo’s image rights, keeps 20 per cent of the revenue generated. 40 per cent goes to the player and his agents, and 40 per cent to Real.

A few weeks ago, according to AS, Real suggested that Ronaldo should reject a publicity offer made by a multinational construction company because it would have meant him missing training in order to have an all-day photo and video session.

London, Dec 30 (ANI): American socialite Paris Hilton has revealed that chief creative officer of Playboy, Hugh Hefner, can never get enough of the dancer’s pole she installed at her nightclub.

Hilton, 28, also spoke about 83-year-old Hefner’s agility and stamina while performing on the pole.

“That sees a lot of action at my parties,” the Mirror quoted her as telling Hello! magazine.

“You can’t get Hugh Hefner off it when he comes round – he has the endurance of someone in his twenties,” she added. (ANI)

Washington, December 30 (ANI): Michael Jackson’s brothers and sister may have claim in the singer’s estate case, it has emerged.

Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy Jackson have reportedly been listed as possible creditors in the ongoing suit.

According to documents obtained by TMZ, the star’s brothers have an ongoing royalties claim.

Rev. June Juliet Gatlin, Michael’s spiritual advisor, has also been listed as a potential creditor. (ANI)

London, December 30 (ANI): Kate Moss was reportedly forced to scrap her trip to Thailand after several hours of drinking that left her with hangover from hell over Christmas.

The supermodel was said to have cancelled her 20,000-pound New Year plans after over-indulging in alcohol and Christmas pudding that left her ill for the remaining day.

“Kate goes away every New Year and booked this year’s trip over four months ago,” the Mirror quoted a source as saying.

“Unfortunately she rather over-indulged during the festive period, stuffing herself with turkey and all the trimmings, booze and Christmas pud.

“After drinking champagne from 10am onwards, she felt really ill all afternoon. Her rocker boyfriend Jamie Hince told Kate in no uncertain terms that she would not be flying anywhere,” the source added.

The source continued: “Kate was devastated and only perked up when Jamie promised they’d still go away, but would have to re-book the flights.

“Annoyingly she can’t get a refund so, after forking out for more flights, she has been joking that it’s the 20,000 pound hangover! All things considered, she has taken it really well.” (ANI)

Washington, Dec 30 (ANI): Popstar Lady Gaga insists that her next album will have new sonic energy and lyrical style.

The 23-year-old singer wants her next album to have a completely different and ‘new’ style to the eccentric pop style for which she’s known.

‘Well, I’m going to write new music… that’s the beauty of writing your own music – you don’t have to rely on songwriters and producers to write hit songs for you. So I’m going to write a new album and I’m going to have new ideas,’ Contactmusic quoted her as telling MTV News.

The Poker Face hitmaker is currently travelling the world on her ‘Monster Ball Tour’.

She hopes this will inspire her to write the tracks with ‘some kind of new sonic energy’ for her next album as her songwriting style ‘evolves’.

‘Most certainly I have no f**king clue what they’re going to be yet, because I’m just starting this tour, and I wrote ‘The Fame Monster’ during the last tour,” she said.

“So, I assume that it will inspire some kind of new sonic energy and lyrical style,” she added. (ANI)

Los Angeles, Dec 30 (DPA) It was supposed to be the year of his greatest comeback and maybe in some ways it was. But along the way, the saga of Michael Jackson’s tragic demise became the biggest showbiz story of 2009.

It was a Hollywood parable of excess and eccentricity, of genius and weakness. But most of all it was the sad tale of a strange but brilliant man-child trapped in the glare of a celebrity-obsessed world.

Jackson started 2009 a shadow of his former self – a man who many believed was on an irreversible downward spiral. It had been years since he had released any significant music. But he still made headlines with reports of his impending financial ruin and bizarre state of mind.

All that changed in March when Jackson, 45, announced that he would perform an unprecedented 50-appearance comeback engagement at London’s 02 Arena.

If it went well, the London gig would solve all the problems and dispel all the doubts about the former King of Pop. But few outside his most loyal circle of fans and advisors believed he had the mental and physical strength to complete the arduous challenge.

So when the first reports came in June 25 that Jackson had collapsed at his rented Bel Air mansion and been rushed to hospital, initial speculation was that it was a Jackson gambit to extricate himself from a challenge he was too frail to meet.

But within hours those suspicions turned to shock when it was revealed that Jackson was dead. In Los Angeles thousands of fans gathered at the hospital where Jackson’s body lay, at the house where he collapsed and at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Across the world millions of other fans took to the streets to mourn. All were asking the same questions: How did he die? Was he really set to perform in London? And was the former King of Pop really on the verge of bankruptcy?

By now many of those questions have been answered. The coroner’s report found that Jackson’s death was caused by an overdose of the hospital anaesthetic propofol administered to him by his personal physician Murray Conrad. The case is still under investigation.

The release of the documentary movie “This Is It”, gleaned from rehearsal footage for the London tour, appeared to corroborate the assertions of his advisers and producers that Jackson had created an amazing show and that he seemed energized and capable of handling the gruelling schedule.

Information about his estate revealed meanwhile that despite a mountain of debt, the Jackson business empire was a financial powerhouse that was generating huge amounts of cash – for example, from the rights he held to much of The Beatles repertoire.

Ironically, with the huge public interest that followed his death, Jackson’s business empire became even stronger. The three best-selling albums in the US in the weeks after his death were all Michael Jackson CD’s. Demand was so strong that many stores ran out of stock.

Meanwhile “This Is It” was one of the most successful movies of the year, and one of the most successful concert movies of all time, earning some $200 million at the worldwide box office.

If Jackson’s death marked the emotional low point of the entertainment year, the box office and Oscar victories for “Slumdog Millionaire” were surely the high points. Director Danny Boyle’s Indian rags-to-riches tale won eight Oscars and earned over $350 million at the worldwide box office in what was widely seen as a unique achievement for world cinema.

Otherwise, it was a humdrum year for Hollywood as most of the biggest movies of the year were sequels, headed most famously by “The Twilight Saga: New Moon”, which earned a whopping $140 million on its opening US weekend.

It remains to be seen whether the movie “Avatar” can claim the top box office spot of the year. The long-awaited film from Titanic director James Cameron, released Dec 18, was 14 years and a record $300 million in the making – investments of time and money into a brand new 3D camera and screening system.

Movie studios are touting the new system as a paradigm-shifting cinematic moment, on par with the introduction of sound and colour. If they are right, “Avatar” may even eclipse Michael Jackson to become the most significant entertainment story of 2009.