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'Irritating' Cruise now voted 'most annoying'
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 7 (IANS) Tom Cruise has been voted the most annoying person of 2005 just a week after he was named the most irritating in a British magazine poll.

The new poll was conducted by the website AmIAnnoying.com. It compiles an annual chart from its list of hundreds of celebrities. A majority of the site's 10 million users said they could not stand Cruise, according to contactmusic.com. 

The second on the list was Michael Jackson followed by Paris Hilton. The list was topped by Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Jackson last year. 

The top 10 most annoying stars or group of 2005 are: (1) Tom Cruise (2) Michael Jackson (3) Paris Hilton (4) Britney Spears (5) Osama bin Laden (6) Al Qaeda (7) Phil Mcgraw (8) Ara Reid (9) Kobe Bryant and (10) Jessica Simpson. 
 
Branson plans film base in India
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 7 (IANS) Richard Branson, Britain's colourful business tycoon with interests in planes, trains and mobile phones, is now set to enter the world of film production by setting up a base in India.

The entrepreneur is launching Virgin Animation, a company that will produce animated films from comic book characters developed by another newly created venture, Virgin Comics. 

He is teaming up with "Elizabeth" director Shekhar Kapur and Gautham Chopra, a film producer and son of new age guru Deepak Chopra.

Virgin Animation will focus primarily on the Asian market and will be based in Bangalore.

"We hope to create content that not only reaches a global audience but also helps start a creative renaissance in India," Sharad Devarajan, CEO of Virgin Animation, told The Guardian newspaper.

The first offering from Virgin Comics is scheduled for publication later this year. Director John Woo, purveyor of stylish, balletic action films, is creating a comic book series for the company.

"India is an incredibly vibrant market, which Virgin already through Virgin Atlantic has the pleasure of working in," Branson said in a statement. 

"I am delighted that Virgin Comics will not only help launch the Indian comic market and spin it into the West, but will develop new and exciting talent."
 
Lavigne turning glamorous
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Jan 7 (IANS) Canadian born punk rocker Avril Lavigne will turn glamorous when she appears in the magazine Harper's Bazaar next month.

Lavigne was transformed into a modern-day woman with a little help from Chanel and Gucci clothes, reported pagesix.com. 

She said: "I am starting to feel more feminine. I am getting into hair and makeup and image." 

She termed her temporary new look "Twiggy for the 2000s". 

Avigne is engaged to Deryck Whibley of the rock band Sum 41 who recently gifted her a 5-caract ring. 
 
Danes has no regrets for snubbing Titanic
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 7 (IANS) Actress Claire Danes says she has no regrets turning down the role of Rose Bukater in the blockbuster "Titanic" and insists the role was perfect for Kate Winslet.

Danes was offered the role just weeks after she filmed "Romeo and Juliet" with Leonardo DiCaprio who also starred in Titanic, reported contactmusic.com. 

She decided against the "Titanic" role thinking that acting in two romantic roles with the same actor would be too much. 

She says: "The story just didn't appeal to me. And I had just done an epic romance with Leo in Mexico. I am so glad Kate did it - she did such a beautiful job. She was destined to play it." 

Both the movies were filmed in Mexico to save on production costs.
 
Actress Lohan's mom blasts media
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 7 (IANS) Actress Lindsay Lohan's mother Dina has reacted angrily to media speculations about her daughter's health condition after she was admitted to a hospital.

Dina was with Lindsay when she suffered a severe asthma attack that caused a blood vessel in her neck to burst, according to contactmusic.com. 

She was disgusted by articles suggesting that the health scare was more serious. The media has speculated that Lindsay was struggling with an eating disorder. 

Dina said: "I don't think people understand how truly terrifying it is to have an asthma attack." 

Lohan has spent a week in Mount Sinai Medical Centre in Miami after collapsing with breathing problems Monday night. She was diagnosed with asthma when she was just two.
 
Aniston vows to keep silent on new relationship
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Jan 7 (IANS) Former "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston has vowed to keep silent about her relationship with actor Vince Vaughn after she talked so openly about her ex-husband Brad Pitt.

Aniston has always been honest about her thoughts on marriage and even talked about how she was affected by her parents' divorce. But she now feels embarrassed by her pubic revelations for Pitt when they split last year, according to Internet Movie Database.

Aniston has refused to talk about her relationship with Vaughn even though they have been dating since June last year. 

She says: "I am not talking about him (Vaughn). I am not being difficult, it's just that, as you can imagine, I have been burnt in the past when it comes to talking about that part of my life. So I am just leaving that subject alone. But, I am doing great and I am very happy with my life. I have been happy for a while. It's a good life."
 
Moss planning to return to Britain
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 7 (IANS) Troubled supermodel Kate Moss has agreed to return to Britain within a month to face police interrogation.

Moss has agreed to be questioned by detectives. She also said she was "staggered" that the detectives have gone public with their intent to question her, according to ananova.com.

The police want her to "tell her side of the story." 

A friend of the supermodel said: "She is very happy to cooperate with the police. If they were that concerned, they would have extradited her or sent police to see her." 

Moss' lawyers have arranged for her to be questioned either at her home in North London or at a police station. 

One officer said: "For everybody's sake, and for her to move on, the sooner she speaks to us, the better."
 
Miller appeals to press to stop sympathising
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 7 (IANS) British actress Sienna Miller has appealed to the press to stop feeling sorry for her and asking her why she had forgiven Jude Law when he cheated on her.

Miller had called off her seven-month engagement to Law when he confessed to having an affair with his children's former nanny Daisy Wright, according to hollywood.com. Miller decided to forgive Law after a few months apart and they began dating again. This was much to the surprise to most of the public.

She said: "You have to swallow an awful lot of pride and say, it's fine, that the people around me know me and I don't care what other people think, but you can't help but care. I am quite tough and proud. It's a nice idea that maybe we could work things out." 

"I find it odd that people ask me 'Why did you take Jude Law back?' I don't regret anything."
 
Cruise, Holmes wedding on hold
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Jan 7 (IANS) There seems to be some trouble with the engagement of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes after they spent a tense holiday at Holmes' house and wedding plans may have been put on hold.

Cruise wanted to make peace with the Holmes family in the new year, but it did not go well, reported newsweek.com. 

A close friend said: "Tom and Katie ended up leaving - three days earlier than planned. Katie was in tears, but that's standard when it comes to dealing with family matters and Tom." 

A spokesperson for Cruise denied the story but there were previous reports that Holmes's father was not thrilled with his daughter and Cruise getting married. 

A friend said: "My honest opinion is that the wedding's not going to happen. Neither one of them seems as enthusiastic as they once did about marriage."
 
Lopez's husband edits kissing scene
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Jan 7 (IANS) Marc Anthony, the singer husband of Jennifer Lopez, edited a television commercial that featured Lopez kissing.

The commercial was for her new fragrance Live. In the original version, Lopez dances with a hunky man and embraces him in a passionate kiss. But Anthony had that scene edited, reported newsweek.com.

An insider said: "Marc is the jealous type. Even though he wasn't the director of the project, he suggested to Jennifer that the kiss was a distraction, and she agreed."
 
Lennox had to prove she was a woman
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 7 (IANS) Scottish singer Annie Lennox said some promoters refused to believe that she was a woman.

She was even asked to provide proof of her sex before a show, according to contactmusic.com. 

She said: "It did seem to cause some kind of furore and the more reactionary slab of the American population reacted, in some ways, with horror. I remember once they asked me to provide my passport to prove that I was a woman and not a man."

She said that that wasn't the only gender issue they had to deal with. She had to persuade her band member Dave Stewart not to dress up like a woman. 

She added: "We had to stop Dave from getting into dresses...I had to say, `I am going to be the one in the dress, dear.'"
 
China to launch world-class digital cinema server
Xinhua

Beijing, Jan 8 (Xinhua) China's first digital cinema server using the international standard is expected to debut in June and it could lower movie ticket prices and increase the export of Chinese films. 

"Our digital cinema servers will enable Chinese audience to not only enjoy the high-resolution digital movies from the world's leading studios but also help Chinese films to be digitalised under the international standard and be finally shown in overseas theatres," said Zhang Baoquan, chairman of the board of Time Antaeus, China's leading digital cinema equipment provider. 

Zhang said the server, jointly developed by his firm and the Institute of Computer Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is based on the Digital Cinema Initiatives, which was kicked off in July last year. 

Thanks to lower labour costs in China, the new digital cinema server could reduce the movie ticket price from the current 50 yuan ($5.70) to 17 yuan ($2.10). 

"Compared with the traditional film copies, it (digital cinema server) can simplify the copying process, guarantee the high quality of image, and reduce the cost in film storage and transferring," Zhang said. 

Zhang said a Time Antaeus' digital cinema server costs about 150,000 yuan (US$18,560) a unit, while similar equipment may cost 800,000 yuan (US$99,000) in other countries. 

"The equipment might be the first of its kind in the world," he said. 

Globally the US and Japan are China's major competitors in digital movie playing equipment research. 

Digital Cinema Initiatives, or DCI, is a consortium of studios and vendors formed to establish a standard architecture for digital cinema systems. 

The organisation started off in March 2002 as a joint venture of the world's leading movie producers, including Disney, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Warner Brothers Studios. 

"We have gained the core technology for the server through our research, and in the rest of the year we will devote ourselves to further improving the system, upgrading the efficiency and cutting the cost," said Zhang.

The server includes an anti-piracy solution, which can effectively protect the copyright of the movies. 

China started developing digital cinemas in 2002. There are more than 200 digital screens across the country. The number is expected to exceed 500 by 2007.

Indo-Asian News Service

 
Clooney explains role reversal in 'Syrianna'
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Jan 8 (IANS) Actor George Clooney has explained why his new movie "Syrianna" portrays some suicide bombes as pious heroes and the Americans as greedy or homicidal cynics. 

"They (the terrorists) are, in a way, the most sympathetic, but I think that's important," pagesix.com quoted Clooney as saying.

"Because if you are going to fight a war on terror, which is not a state that you can go and bomb, then you need to understand what it is that creates the people who would do such horrible things, rather then just saying - labelling them as evildoers," he added.
 

Ledger teased for early gay role
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 8 (IANS) Actor Heath Ledger is happy that his new role as a gay cowboy is being received warmly because he was mercilessly bullied in his native Australia after his first experience playing a homosexual.

Ledger's role in "Brokeback Mountain" has been acclaimed and Ledger is even tipped to win an Oscar. But he still remembers the teasing he had to endure when he first played a gay man, reported contactmusic.com. 

Ledger had played a gay man as his acting debut on the TV show "Sweat" and confesses that his role was terrible.

He said: "I had no idea what I was doing. It was a terrible performance. It was a terrible TV show I am awful in it. It's just a teenage kid who confesses to his friend that he is gay. It's not really that interesting. I had small occasions where I would get bullied on the streets for it. But I was never out to prove myself or my sexuality - it didn't really bother me."

Elton John inspires Gately to tie knot
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 8 (IANS) Inspired by the wedding of Elton John, Boyzone singer Stephen Gately is planning to have an official wedding with his gay partner Andy Crowles in his hometown Dublin in Ireland later this year.

Gately had married Crowles in Las Vegas in 2003. But since he attended the wedding of his friend Elton John and David Furnish last month, he is eager to have a wedding of his own, reported contactmusic.com. 

Elton John who introduced the pair together will be the guest of honour.

Gately says: "I am having an Irish wedding. We are madly in love."

 
Guitarist Gilmour honours former band member
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 8 (IANS) Pink Floyd guitarist Dave Gilmour paid tributes to his friend Syd Barrett's innovative song writing on his 60th birthday.

Barrett has been living as a recluse after he left the group in 1968. But Gilmour insists that his gifted contribution to the band will never be forgotten, according to contactmusic.com 

He said: "We sat down with him after listening to all his songs and said, 'Syd, play this one. Syd, play that one.' We sat him on a chair with a couple of mics in front of him and got him to sing. The potential of some of those songs, they could have been fantastic. But trying to find a technique of working with Syd was so difficult."

"You had to pre-record tracks without him, working from one version of the song he had done, and then sit Syd down afterwards and try to get him to play and sing along. Or you could try and dub everything else on top. He would change the song every time."
 
Schreiber overcomes flying fears to meet Watts's family
Indo-Asian News Service

Los Angeles, Jan 8 (IANS) American actor Liev Schreiber forced himself to overcome his fear of flying and spent Christmas with his girlfriend Naomi Watss and her family in Sydney. 

Schreiber, 38, had long dreamed of visiting Sydney but always put it off because of the long flight from the US, according to the Internet Movie Database.

But he eventually forced himself to take the flight and left from the Czech Republic on a 24-hour flight, after Watts was offered the chance to spend Christmas in publishing boss Deke Miskin's mansion Altona - the most expensive property in Australia.

Schreiber said: "Altona is beautiful, it's exquisite, we're having a fantastic time. I've wanted to come to Sydney for a long time, but I put it off because I was afraid of the long flight. I flew in from Prague and in the end it wasn't so bad. Now that I'm here I love it, I absolutely love it."
 
Beckinsale dismisses rumours of affair
Indo-Asian News Service

Los Angeles, Jan 8 (IANS) British actress Kate Beckinsale has laughed off rumours that she has been having an affair with a friend behind her husband's back.

Beckinsale has been happily married to Wiseman for 19 months after they fell in love on the sets of "Underworld" in 2003.

Despite recent rumours their marriage was on the rocks, Beckinsale insists they are as happy as ever, according to the Internet Movie Database.

She said: "There's a made-up story where I'm supposed to have gone rushing off to England for a secret tryst with a male friend. Well it's actually my friend's husband and they've just had a baby. Supposedly I took advantage of the swollen ankles and moved in for the kill. We have a good giggle about that one. I keep sending my friend emails saying, 'But your husband is a fantastic shag, isn't he?'"
 
Icelandic drink gives Tarantino tough time
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 8 (IANS) Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is convinced that he has tasted poison after he sampled Iceland's favourite alcohol over New Year.

According to contactmusic.com, Tarantino joined his friend Bjork and her friends in Iceland and cannot get the taste of the intoxicating liquorice out of his mouth. 

He says, "I don't really know what poison tastes like, because if I did I'd be dead, but, if I had to imagine what poison would taste like, it would be this stuff 'Opal'.

"It's based on this candy that the Icelanders have eaten since they were a little kid, so they're used to the taste and love it. I was in this club and Bjork was there and she grabs me up to the bar and (the bartender) sets up like three shots. This stuff is so foul that I said what I never thought I'd ever say in my life - when it came down to the fourth shot I go, 'Can I switch to Jagermeister (hardcore herb liquor), just for the taste?'"
 
Gory 'Hostel' atop US box office charts
DPA

Los Angeles, Jan 9 (DPA) Gore-packed flick "Hostel" travelled to the top of the US box office charts in its debut weekend, preliminary box office estimates said.

Gross ticket sales for the movie were $20.1 million for the Friday to Sunday period.

Directed by Eli Roth and produced by Hollywood violence impresario Quentin Tarantino, "Hostel" portrays a group of American travellers who fall victim to depraved, torturous violence in a secluded abattoir in eastern Europe.

Fantasy epic "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", based on a children's literary classic, was last weekend's top film as its long, successful run continued. It fell to second place in the latest three-day period with a gross of $15.4 million.

Another long-running, big-budget competitor, "King Kong", raked in $12.5 million.

Indo-Asian News Service
 

Hatcher swears off marriage
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 9 (IANS) Actress Teri Hatcher has no plans for marriage after going through two divorces.

According to contactmusic.com, Hatcher was married to Marcus Leithold for eight months in the late 1980s and then married and divorced actor Jon Tenney, the father of her daughter Emerson Rose in 2003.

She says, "I'm a big fan of monogamy, but I don't think I'll ever marry. I would have a spiritual ceremony in front of friends, but I don't think I need a wedding licence. I did not marry bad guys, but ultimately I didn't make good choices."
 
Crowe's stubble for sale
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Jan 9 (IANS) A housekeeper at the Brisbane Hilton who cleaned up the room that Oscar winner Russell Crowe and his wife Danielle Spencer stayed in is auctioning off some of the actor's stubble on the Net.

According to pagesix.com, the seller claims, "Mr. Crowe had obviously trimmed his beard that morning in one of the bathroom sinks and, being something of a fan, on an impulse, I wrapped these clippings in a handkerchief and took them home."

The bidding is up to $200.

 
Schreiber won't confirm 'engagement' to Naomi
Indo-Asian News Service

Los Angeles, Jan 9 (IANS) Actor Leiv Schreiber has refused to comment on rumours that he had proposed to his girlfriend Naomi Watts, saying he doesn't discuss his private life with the media.

According to hollywood.com, the couple started dating in April and have recently been at the centre of engagement and pregnancy rumours. The two are currently vacationing with Watts' mother in Sydney. 

When asked if the two were engaged, Schreiber said, "We don't discuss that with anybody. It's strange - well for me anyway - to be inundated with all this attention, and as a couple we have to struggle to keep our personal life personal."
 
Philip Hoffman lost 40 pounds for 'Capote'
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 9 (IANS) Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is embarrassed that he had to lose almost 40 pounds to play the writer Truman Capote.

According to contactmusic.com, Hoffman was surprised that when the lead role for the movie "Capote" came to him, he looked nothing like the author. But he knew how to fool fans into making them think he was small and thin.

He says, "It's embarrassing; I was really heavy when I took on this job. (I lost) about 40 pounds. There was no way around it; I mean Capote was about five (foot) four (inches). He was a diminutive man and I had to create an illusion and I knew one way to create that illusion was if I got as thin as possible and I could wear certain things that would slim me down and it would help that."

 
Hernandez warns fans of horror movie 'Hostel'
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, Jan 9 (IANS) Actor Jay Hernandez is warning sensitive fans not to watch his new horror movie "Hostel" because he has seen cinemagoers pass out during screenings.

According to contactmusic.com, Hernandez admits that the film, produced by the acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino, has some terrifying torture scenes and is very disturbing. It is definitely not for the weak of heart.

He says: "At the Toronto Film Festival two people had to be taken out of the theatre by ambulance during the first torture scene. It is a true story. You can find the ambulance receipt out there somewhere to show some kind of proof but it really happened. 

"One person fainted in the audience and one person, who was feeling woozy after seeing the film, fell down the escalator on his way out. It is very graphic and if you have a light stomach it might be too much."

 
Paltrow in love with Los Angeles again
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 9 (IANS) After years of hating the city, Gwyneth Paltrow has fallen in love with Los Angeles again.

According to contactmusic.com, Paltrow was surprised when her negative feelings for the city changed when she gave birth to her daughter Apple in 2004. 

She says: "I went through a period when I didn't like LA so much, but now I have a child, I really love it again. Maybe it's connecting me to my own childhood. I always think that when you're in the place you were born, you sleep better - you have this deep sense of feeling at home."

 
'Brokeback Mountain' banned from US theatre
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Jan 9 (IANS) "Brokeback Mountain", a highly acclaimed movie starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, has been banned from a theatre in the American state of Utah due to gay sex scenes.

According to contactmusic.com, Larry Miller, owner of the Salt Lake City theatre, changed the movie's screening plans and decided not to show the controversial film. It was supposed to open Friday but the management refused to comment further on its reasons for pulling out the film. 

Mike Thompson, the executive director of the state's leading gay rights advocacy group Equality Utah, says: "It's just a shame that such a beautiful and award-winning film, with so much buzz about it, is not being made available to a broad Utah audience because of personal bias."
 
Schwarzenegger injured in motorcycle accident
DPA

Los Angeles, Jan 9 (DPA) California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger needed 15 stitches for a cut lip after a motorcycle accident in Los Angeles on Sunday, his press secretary said.

Schwarzenegger, 58, was driving with his 12-year-old son Patrick in a sidecar when he hit a car that suddenly backed into a street. The former Hollywood star collided with the vehicle at a low speed, according to spokeswoman Margita Thompson.

Both Schwarzenegger and his son were wearing helmets and after treatment for minor cuts and bruises at a hospital, were released. The driver of the car was not injured.

Indo-Asian News Service