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New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) Hollywood’s teen sensation Miley Cyrus says she accepted the movie “The Last Song” because she wanted to break away from the “Hannah Montana” image.

“This (‘The Last Song’) is my breakout moment, away from ‘Hannah Montana’. It was harder than anything else I’ve done. There’s no way to be Smiley Miley all the time, then go into a role that’s so heavy. I think it’s really important to look for roles that are challenging,” she said in an e-mail interaction with IANS from Los Angeles.

“At first it was a little intimidating because it’s such a big step for me. But I was very excited. May be a little anxious too because I wanted to make sure that I portray Ronnie (character in the movie) completely differently from Hannah Montana,” she added.

“The Last Song” also had many firsts for the 17-year-old. “I had to learn to speak without my accent, which is something I’ve never had to really do before,” said Miley who also learnt to play the piano for the role.

Based on Nicholas Sparks’ latest novel by the same name, “The Last Song” also stars Liam Hemsworth, Bobby Coleman, Kelly Preston and Greg Kinnear.

“The Last Song” opened in the US March 31 and is releasing in India May 7. Distributed by Touchstone Pictures and DreamWorld Pictures Entertainment, it has been directed by Julie Anne Robinson.

Set in a small southern beach town, the movie is about an estranged father who gets a chance to spend the summer with his reluctant teenaged daughter and his effort to reconnect with her through the only thing they have in common – music.

“She (her character in the movie) is a little bit bitter about what her life has become. She seems kind of uninterested. And like I think a lot of kids do, she starts doing the opposite of what her parents would want and starts being the person that her parents wouldn’t want their daughter to be.”

Miley, the daughter of country star Billy Ray Cyrus, shot to stardom after playing schoolgirl-turned-secret pop star in musical “Hannah Montana”.

Last year she had said she has only one season (the fourth) of the hit show left and that she feels “claustrophobic” because she has “grown out of” the role.

Miley was offered “Hannah Montana” when she was just 12 years old, she has released three albums to date – “Meet Miley Cyrus”, “Breakout”, and “The Time of Our Lives”. Her fourth record is titled “I Can’t Be Tamed”.

Asked if dealing with success at such a young age was ever a burden, Miley said: “I love singing, I love music, I love just entertaining in general, but there are times when the pressure and the stress of it all makes me want to give it up. If I gave it up, look at all the things that I’d be throwing away…Living without music in my life would be like having no air to breathe.”

But Miley now wants to focus on acting. “I’ve got a record coming out in June and then I’m done. I just want to work in movies. That’s what I like and that’s what I want to be doing,” she said.

Her future movie projects include a cameo in “Sex and the City 2″ and “LOL: Laughing Out Loud” with Demi Moore.

London, May 1 (IANS) Actor Danie Radcliffe hosted a charity dinner to raise money for medical bills for ‘Harry Potter” stunt man David Holmes.

The actor hosted charity dinner to benefit David Holmes, who suffered severe spinal injuries after taking a fall while filming dangerous scenes for ‘Harry Potter’ and the ‘Deathly Hallows’ last year.

Holmes, who stands in for Radcliffe and has worked on all of the franchise’s installments, is now confined to a wheelchair and cannot work, imdb.com reports.

Guests paid $150 each for a ticket to attend the dinner and an auction featured a pair of signed boxing gloves donated by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, which raised $6,000 to help pay for the 26 year old’s medical care.

London, May 1 (IANS) Pop star Rihanna has promised her UK fans she will be fine to play despite her rib injury.

“I’ve had a few injuries, and one thing made another worse. Eventually, I had to have it checked out. My ribs are still hurting, but I will be raring to go by London,” contactmusic.com quoted her as saying.

The 21-year-old is currently in France on her “Last Girl on Earth” tour and then she will head to Germany for another concert. She believes she has grown in totality.

“We’ve never done a tour to this capacity. The production is unbelievable and so are the costumes, we just took it to a whole new level. We just keep growing,” she added.

Los Angeles, April 30 (IANS) Socialite Paris Hilton has confirmed that she is back with ex-fiance and fashion model Jason Shaw.

“We’ll see what happens. I love him so much. We’re very close and I’ve known him a very long time,” she said.

The 28-year-old beauty admits she’s nervous about dating new people.

“It is hard. You meet people and you don’t know what their intentions are.”

Hilton and Shaw, who were briefly engaged in 2003, were spotted out in Hollywood last Friday. She was previously dating baseball player Doug Reinhardt but the couple spilt last month as she felt that he was using her.

Los Angeles, April 30 (IANS) “America’s Got Talent” judge Piers Morgan lashed out at pop singer Madonna’s charity work in Malawi, as he accused some celebrities of treating charity work like “a fashion accessory”

“I regard anything Madonna does with deep cynicism. There are people out there who literally view charitable work, from what I can see, as a fashion accessory,” the British journalist-turned-TV personality said, reports imdb.com.

“I feel uncomfortable sometimes about the motives of celebrities and some charity work I see going on,” he said.

Madonna uses her Raising Malawi Foundation to improve education and facilities for families in the impoverished nation.

London, April 30 (IANS) Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez says her relationship with Ben Affleck broke down due to the pressure of being Hollywood’s super couple.

The 40-year-old said they felt “under siege for two years” because of their popularity.

J-Lo says she still loves Ben but husband Marc Anthony has a “different approach to fame” which allows privacy, thesun.co.uk reports.

The mother of two-year-old twins is looking forward to appearing in Channel 4 show “Glee”.

The actress will openly talk about her past for the first time on “The Graham Norton” show on BBC1 Monday.

New York, April 30 (ANI): Paris Hilton ignored her former boyfriend Doug Reinhardt, when she bumped into him while clubbing in a Hollywood pub, sources say.

The socialite, sporting a cleavage-popping dress, was partying with friends, including Brandon Davis, at new pub, My Studio.

‘Paris and Doug were on opposite sides of the dance floor. It was a contest as to who was having the best time. He was with another blond girl and did his best to flaunt it. But Paris didn’t seem to care,’ the New York Post quoted a source as saying.

The hotel heiress left with her girlfriends late in the night, while stars including Adam Levine and Samantha Ronson continued partying. (ANI)

London, April 30 (ANI): Hotel heiress Paris Hilton has been allegedly accused of owing one million dollars for not having supported her 2006 movie “Pledge This!” enough.

The investors claimed that Hilton had ignored their nine requests for interviews and other promotion events in violation of her contract. They asked a Miami federal judge to force Paris to repay her outstanding dues, reports The Mirror.

However, Hilton’s lawyer claims that Paris does not owe anyone anything. And she has completed all the legal formalities.

US district judge Federico Moreno had previously rejected the investors’ plea to get back their 8.3 million dollars as damage charges.

However, the judge did not inform when he would take action against restitution issue. (ANI)

New York, April 30 (ANI): Actress Jessica Alba is said to have almost burned down the hotel she was staying in when she tried to heat up some fish sticks.

Alba, 29, who was attending the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of her new movie ‘The Killer Inside Me’, was staying at the trendy Smyth Hotel in TriBeCa when the incident took place on April 27.

She was attempting to heat up the fish sticks but could not figure out how to work the oven.

“She ended up almost causing a fire in her room. Fire alarms ended up going off throughout the hotel,” the New York Post quoted a source at the hotel as saying.

“The smoke was so bad that fire trucks had to come. The other guests in the hotel were pretty pissed,” the source added. (ANI)

London, April 30 (ANI): American singer Nick Jonas seems to have found love in the arms of Nicole Anderson, according to reports.

Nick is romancing Anderson, his co-star of their hit TV serial Jonas, reports The Daily Star.

According to US Weekly, Nicole plays the role of a groupie on the Disney TV show.

‘It hasn’t really been a secret on set. It’s sweet,’ a source said.

Jonas has previously dated stars like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. (ANI)

Washington, April 30 (IANS) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Nobel prize winner Amartya Sen are among nine Indians who figure in Time magazine’s annual list of 100 most influential people, while Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan tops its 100 Alumnae list.

Manmohan Singh finds himself in the 19th spot in the Leaders list headed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with US president Barack Obama in the fourth place.

As India’s finance minister from 1991 to 1996, Manmohan Singh “released India’s potential for the benefit of its people. Now, as prime minister, he is guiding India into the ranks of the great powers”, wrote PepsiCo’s Indian American chairperson Indra Nooyi.

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar gets the 13th place among 25 “Heroes” headed by former US president Bill Clinton who is recognised for his work as a fund-raiser and anti-poverty activist.

Writing about Tendulkar’s double century in a One Day International match, new age guru Deepak Chopra says: “To millions of Indians and countless fans around the world, this act, which caps a career of record-breaking feats, arouses a sense of awe.”

“The Alchemist” is the favourite book of Time Alumnae Aishwarya, who lists “certainly my mother and father” as the two people who had the most effect or influence on her.

Sixth placed among heroes, Perumalsamy Namperumalsamy, 70, was recognised for performing cataract surgery at the Aravind Eye Care Hospitals since 1976 and having treated 3.6 million surgeries to date – a new one every 15 minutes.

Indian entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw gets the 16th spot among ‘heroes’ for donating $2 million to support health insurance coverage for 100,000 Indian villagers and another $10 million for creating the 1,400-bed Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Centre in Bangalore.

A paramedic from Toronto, Rahul Singh in 22nd place is recognised for his relief work in Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit the poor Caribbean nation Jan 12. In 1998, Singh founded GlobalMedic to provide disaster relief using volunteer professional emergency workers.

Chetan Bhagat, author of bestsellers, “One Night @ the Call Centre” and “Five Point Someone” is the lone Indian in the list of artists headed by extravagantly outfitted singer Lady Gaga.

“I’ve seen the effect Chetan has on his readers,” writes Academy Award winner Indian composer A.R. Rahman. “He often writes about following your dreams and not bowing to others’ expectations. That isn’t easy in India, where family opinion matters and some professions are regarded as more serious than others.”

Economist Amartya Sen is 20th on the “Thinkers” list. “Occasionally loquacious, often ironic, usually genial, always brilliant,” Sen’s notion of measuring human development is now central to the work of the UN and the World Bank, notes Harvard University history professor, Neil Ferguson.

Indian-American doctor and Harvard professor Atul Gwande is fifth on the list of “thinkers” for his contribution to medicine. “In this historic time for health policy, the need for smart, creative thinkers is greater than ever. Gawande certainly is one and it is equally certain his influence will grow,” wrote former US State Senator Tom Daschle.

Humanitarian worker, Sanjit Bunker Roy’s Barefoot College has trained more than three million people for jobs in the modern world, in buildings so rudimentary they have dirt floors and no chairs, Time said.

“Roy combines humanitarianism, entrepreneurship and education to help people steer their own path out of poverty, fostering dignity and self-determination along the way,” it said.

London, April 30 (IANS) Pop star Lady Gaga has been named the world’s most influential artist — in a new poll by America’s Time magazine.

The singer, 24, takes the top spot in the list of 25 stars, which is a part of the publication’s 2010 Time 100 compilation.

Describing her lyrics as literary, Gaga’s fellow pop star Cyndi Lauper said that an artist’s job is to take a snapshot – be it through words or sound, lyrics or song – that explains what it’s like to be alive at that time.

“Lady Gaga’s art captures the period we’re in right now. These days, you go to a club and wonder who all these kids are. They don’t seem to have jobs. How can they afford to be here?

“Her song ‘Beautiful, Dirty, Rich’ explains that scene. It’s about the New York prep-school party kids she grew up with. It’s where she came from,” Lauper said.

TV funnyman Conan O’Brien is second on the list, followed by Kathryn Bigelow on third spot and Oprah Winfrey at fourth.

“Twilight” actor Robert Pattinson makes an appearance at number six and singer Taylor Swift is at ninth position. Glee star Lea Michele is a surprise entry at number 13 – above music mogul Simon Cowell and Sir Elton John.

The 25 most influential artists of 2010 are:

1. Lady Gaga

2. Conan O’Brien

3. Kathryn Bigelow

4. Oprah Winfrey

5. Valery Gergiev

6. Robert Pattinson

7. Ashton Kutcher

8. Suzanne Collins

9. Taylor Swift

10. Neil Patrick Harris

11. Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof

12. Prince

13. Lea Michele

14. Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik

15. Simon Cowell

16. Neill Blomkamp

17. Elton John

18. Marc Jacobs

19. David Chang

20. Banksy

21. Chetan Bhagat

22. Sandra Bullock

23. Ricky Gervais

24. Han Han

25. James Cameron

London, April 30 (ANI): Lady GaGa has been voted the world’s most influential artist in a new poll by America’s Time magazine.

The singer clinched the top spot in the list of 25 stars, with Conan O’Brien coming second and Kathryn Bigelow and Oprah Winfrey coming third and fourth respectively, reports the Daily Star.

GaGa’s entry featured a tribute from veteran popstar Cyndi Lauper, who described the ‘Poker Face’ singer’s lyrics as ‘incredibly literary’ and ‘sophisticated’.

Lauper wrote: ‘When I see someone like GaGa, I sit back in admiration… She isn’t a pop act, she is a performance artist. She herself is the art.’

The top ten also featured Robert Pattinson at number six and Taylor Swift at nine. Meanwhile, Glee star Lea Michele was a surprise entry at number 13, above established stars such as Simon Cowell and Sir Elton John. (ANI)

London, April 30 (IANS) Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez is eager to work with actor Johnny Depp.

“I’ve been seriously lucky with my roles. I’ve worked with a lot of hot leading men, but I’m desperate to get Johnny. Working with him would be out of this world,” the dailystar.co.uk quoted her as saying.

“I’d even be a pirate with no teeth and wear an eyepatch if it meant I could work with him. I want him that badly,” she added.

Meanwhile, Lopez said she’s busy recording a new album which she hopes will be released in August.

Washington, April 30 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and economist Amartya Sen are among nine Indians figuring in Time magazine’s annual list of 100 most influential people while Bollywood sensation Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan tops its 100 Alumnae list.

Manmohan Singh finds himself in the 19th spot in the Leaders list headed by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with US president Barack Obama in the fourth place.

As India’s finance minister from 1991 to 1996, Manmohan Singh “released India’s potential for the benefit of its people. Now, as Prime Minister, he is guiding India into the ranks of the great powers,” wrote PepsiCo’s Indian American chairperson Indra Nooyi.

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar gets the 13th place among 25 “Heroes” headed by former US president Bill Clinton who is recognised for his work as a fund-raiser and anti-poverty activist.

Writing about Tendulkar’s double century in a One Day International match, new age guru Deepak Chopra says: “To millions of Indians and countless fans around the world, this act, which caps a career of record-breaking feats, arouses a sense of awe.”

“The Alchemist” is the favourite book of Time Alumnae Aishwarya, who lists “certainly my mother and father” as the two people who had the most effect or influence on her.

Sixth placed among heroes Dr Perumalsamy Namperumalsamy, 70, was recognised for performing cataract surgery at the Aravind Eye Care Hospitals since 1976 and having treated 3.6 million surgeries to date-a new one every 15 minutes.

Indian entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw gets the 16th spot among ‘heroes’ for donating $2 million to support health insurance coverage for 100,000 Indian villagers and another$10 million for creating the 1,400-bed Mazumdar-Shaw Cancer Centre in Bangalore.

A paramedic from Toronto, Rahul Singh in 22nd place is recognised for his relief work in Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that hit the poor Caribbean nation on Jan 12. In 1998, Singh founded GlobalMedic to provide disaster relief using volunteer professional emergency workers.

Chetan Bhagat, author of bestsellers, “One Night @ the Call Centre” and “Five Point Someone” is the lone Indian in the list of Artists headed by extravagantly outfitted singer Lady Gaga.

“I’ve seen the effect Chetan has on his readers,” writes Academy Award winner Indian composer AR Rahman. “He often writes about following your dreams and not bowing to others’ expectations. That isn’t easy in India, where family opinion matters and some professions are regarded as more serious than others.”

Nobel prize winner economist Amartya Sen is 20th on the “Thinkers” list. “Occasionally loquacious, often ironic, usually genial, always brilliant,” Sen’s notion of measuring human development is now central to the work of the United Nations and the World Bank, notes Harvard University history professor, Neil Ferguson.

Indian-America doctor and Harvard professor Atul Gwande is fifth on the list of ‘thinkers’ for his contribution to medicine. “In this historic time for health policy, the need for smart, creative thinkers is greater than ever. Gawande certainly is one and it is equally certain his influence will grow,” wrote former US State Senator, Tom Daschle.

Humanitarian worker, Sanjit Bunker Roy’s Barefoot College has trained more than 3 million people for jobs in the modern world, in buildings so rudimentary they have dirt floors and no chairs, Time said.

“Roy combines humanitarianism, entrepreneurship and education to help people steer their own path out of poverty, fostering dignity and self-determination along the way,” it said.

London, April 30 (IANS) Hollywood actress Jessica Alba’s latest movie “The Killer Inside Me” was a ‘difficult movie to shoot and it’s difficult to watch’.

“It stays with you, especially this. It’s a difficult movie to shoot and it’s difficult to watch. It’s about a very dark subject so I think if you are being true and authentic then it does definitely affect you,” contactmusic.com quoted her as saying.

The 29-year-old actress plays Joyce Lakeland in the Michael Winterbottom directed thriller movie which tells the tale of a Texas policeman who is slowly discovered to be a psychotic murderer and she admits the film is hard to watch.

Kate Hudson revealed she too had difficulty filming the movie especially intimate scenes with Casey Affleck.

“We were working in a really intimate setting so it was really just me and Casey and the director Michael in a room together being able to sort of, fool around with the scenes and get to that place and feel like we can just be intimate. There is some a*s slapping involved,” said Hudson.

“The Killer Inside Me” is due for a limited theatrical release in the US June 18.

London, April 30 (IANS) Singer Taylor Swift doesn’t want to “wallow” in her single status because she is happy to be on her own and thinks love will come when she least expects it.

“There’s a lot to distract me from dating. I don’t really sit around and wallow in being alone. It’s in my comfort zone, being single,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted her as saying.

“I feel that a lot happens to you when you’re not looking for it, so I’m not actively looking. I don’t have a problem with being single.”

London, April 29(ANI): Madonna’s contract with Dolce and Gabbana, as the face of the company, has been renewed.

She is apparently the only one to remain a face of the top clothing brand at the age of 51.

The singer will feature in the clothing company’s autumn/winter 2010 ad campaign.

‘The shooting is going very well!!!… She’s beautiful… Love this!!!’ Sky News quoted Stefano Gabbana, D&G’s co-founder, as writing on Twitter.

He added: ‘Madonna… She’s always the best!!!!’

Meanwhile, Madonna has designed a collection of sunglasses for the brand, out later this year. (ANI)

London, April 29 (IANS) Pop star Amy Winehouse ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil is furious at her wild, drunken flirting attitude.

“Blake flew into a rage when he heard about Amy’s antics at a recent barbecue. He knows Amy’s a fun-loving girl but he’s furious over her antics with a stranger at a party,” dailystar.co.uk quoted a source as saying.

The 31-year-old now wants to keep an eye on her.

“He is demanding she moves to Sheffield while he finishes his stint in rehab. He wants her to move north so he can keep tabs on her,” source added.

The couple is now planning to move in together.

London, April 29 (IANS) “Girls Aloud” star Cheryl Cole has been crowned the world’s sexiest woman for the second consecutive year.

The singer topped the FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women World among Megan Fox, underwear model Marissa Miller and Kirsten Stewart. Fox, 23, is on second place while Miller landed the third spot.

Newly-single Saturdays bandmember Frankie Sandford is on the fourth spot and glamour model Keeley Hazell spent a second year at number five, reports dailymail.co.uk.

“Twilight” actress Kristen Stewart also made it to the list but at number six and actress Kelly Brooke came next.

Brazilian model Adriana Lima, Jessica Alba and Abbey Clancy wrapped up the top 10.