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US country music legend Buck Owens dead
DPA

Washington, March 26 (DPA) Buck Owens, who popularised country music in the United States with a string of 1960s hits and a long-running TV show, died Saturday. He was 76.

Owens' family said he died in his sleep at his home in Bakersfield, California, according to the website of a concert hall and restaurant he owned. The cause of death was not immediately known.

Born Aug 12, 1929, in Texas to a poor farming family, Alvis E. Owens moved to California in the early 1950s and created what became known as the Bakersfield Sound, a mix of honky-tonk, twangy electric guitar and rock influences.

He learned guitar and mandolin as he was growing up, and had his first radio programme as a teenager. His first top 10 record, "Under Your Spell Again", was released in 1959.

Best known for his 1963 chart-topper "Act Naturally", Owens had some 20 number one hits over the next decade that made his reputation as a country music legend.

His TV show "Hee Haw" ran from 1969 until 1993, the year Owens was diagnosed with throat cancer that cost him part of his tongue.

Owens had three sons and was divorced from his third wife, according to entertainment website IMDb.com. 

--DPA

Indo-Asian News Service

Washington says 'Crash' win was no surprise
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 26 (IANS) Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington knew that "Crash" would win the best picture award but says there is no reason for anyone to be surprised.

According to contactmusic.com, Washington believed this in spite of the fact that the win shocked a lot of people. 

"It had a great shot at winning. They did an online poll and it was neck and neck with 'Brokeback Mountain' and it also won the Screen Actors Guild Award," says Washington.

Bean didn't loose sleep over arrest
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 26 (IANS) The 'Lord of the Rings' star Sean Bean says being arrested was not that bad and that he enjoyed a good sleep in his cell.

According to contactmusic.com, Bean admits that the bedroom arrangements were basic. 

But he had the best slumber in months. 

He says: "It was a long time ago. I had been a bit naughty. You get a sheet and a plastic cushion. I got a good night's kip."
 
Bean did not say what he was arrested for.

Cross might have revealed Longoria's secret
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 26 (IANS) The star of "Desperate Housewives" Marcia Cross might have accidentally revealed that her co-star Eva Longoria is to wed her boyfriend Tony Parker. 

According to ananova.com, Cross in an TV interview said: "I think there are going to be three weddings so, I'm really excited. I'm so happy for Nicollette (Sheridan), and I'm sure Eva will marry Tony. 

"I don't have any news but I'm just saying Eva and Tony are a beautiful couple and it looks good for the future."

Speaking of her own wedding in the summer she said: "I'm so thrilled that I finally met the man I can spend the rest of my life with."
 
Scott says his Moses role will be the best
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 26 (IANS) Actor Dougray Scott says his performance as the Biblical figure Moses in "The Ten Commandments" will be far more believable than the legendary role played by Charlton Heston.

According to contactmusic.com, Scott has done his research and is confident that the upcoming TV mini series will be better than the one released in 1956. 

He says: "We're all familiar with Charlton Heston's version, but you couldn't get a more different version of that story than this. It follows Moses, his family and his tribe in a much more realistic way. 

"I like to research my roles and thankfully there have been a lot of books written about Moses."
  

Hatcher admits using botox in the past
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 2 (IANS) Actress Teri Hatcher from the hit TV show "Desperate Housewives" has confessed to getting injections to keep her looks.

According to ananova.com, Hatcher said: "In the past I have had botox and collagen." Hatcher said she wanted to reveal this because that is the past for her and she now wants to age gracefully. 

She added: "I haven't had anything done to my face in over a year and I don't plan to. It needs to be OK to have wrinkles."

George Michael's friends urge him to give up drugs
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 2 (IANS) Singer George Michael's friends are urging him to get help to overcome his drug habit.

According to ananova.com, George ignored their advice to check himself into a clinic after he was arrested. A source said: "George has made no secret he smokes weed but it is clearly playing too big a role in his life. George is recording a duets album with stars including Paul McCartney. He is also planning to tour for the first time since 1991."

The friend added: "George has got to be totally focused on his music and his work if this is to come off. He also needs to be physically fit to cope with a big tour and apart from anything else smoking weed is bad for the throat and won't help his voice. We think he needs to take a long hard look at his cannabis use and recognise it is doing him more harm than good."

Longoria desperate for gritty roles
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 2 (IANS) "Desperate Houswives" star Eva Longoria is eager to free herself and show her dirty side in a gritty, dark film drama.
 
Contactmusic.com reports that Longoria was inspired by Halle Berry's Oscar winning performance in "Monster's Ball". She believes challenging roles are key to winning awards. 

She says: "I want to do a 'Monster's Ball' type thing like Halle Berry. I think you can stay sexy and still do really challenging roles."
 

Campbell says she has broken barriers
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 2 (IANS) Supermodel Naomi Campbell is claiming her modelling career has made considerable contributions to modern society and says that her beauty has broken racial barriers.

According to contactmusic.com, Campbell's proudest moment was when she became the first black model to appear on the cover of popular magazines like Time and Vogue.

She says: "September of 1991, I was on the cover of Time magazine, which was incredible. I was the very first black model to appear on the cover and was also the first for British and French Vogue. 

"I remember first looking at the Time cover and just feeling overwhelmed with emotion. A door had been opened and I was the one to do it. As a model, breaking down barriers is so important to me, something I have always fought for."

Bon Jovi slams The Darkness
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 2 (IANS) Rocker Jon Bon Jovi has slammed British band The Darkness, comparing them to the spoof group Spinal Tap.

According to contactmusic.com, Bon Jovi is stunned that The Darkness actually takes themselves seriously as rockers because he thought they were just a fake glam rock band. 

He says: "I hate The Darkness. F****** hate 'em. I don't understand it. I know they are huge (in Britain), but I never really got it. It is just Spinal Tap isn't it? It is just a lark. I am not sure they think so, though. I think they take it seriously. They made a little splash in the US but, man... I don't get it at all."

Morrison blasts biographers
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 2 (IANS) Irish rock legend Van Morrison is calling the writers of his recent biographies "ignoramuses" and their sources "mentally unstable".

Contactmusic.com reports that Morrison is shocked at the lack of accurate information in many books written about him. He says that people who claim that they know about him only want their names in the spotlight.

He says: "There are the people who write these so-called biographical books, who haven't done the research, and don't know enough about me in the first place. I think the guys who wrote the last couple of books were complete ignoramuses, not qualified for the job. If anybody told them anything, they believed it, they didn't question it. 

"A lot of the stuff that's been written about me has come from people from 30 or 40 years ago, who didn't really know me then, and have some kind of agenda of their own. They didn't make it, so now they want to get their name in a book. They'll say anything. Some of them, their mental state is questionable. I'd go so far as to say that some of the people who talk about me are actually mentally unstable. But the authors don't mention that in their books."
 
Hollywood 'invades' Nepal
Indo-Asian News Service

Kathmandu, March 2 (IANS) Though "Bashain", Nepal's entry at the Oscars in the best foreign film category, did not make the nominations, Hollywood has awarded the tiny kingdom a consolation prize - a bonanza of all-time American classics.

In the run up to the 2006 US Academy Awards to be held in Los Angeles Sunday, the American Library here has dedicated March as the "American Movie Month".

From March 6, the library will show 19 smash hits, selected from the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest American movies. The selection includes all-time favourites such as "The Grapes of Wrath", "Casablanca", "To Kill a Mocking Bird" and "A Streetcar Named Desire".

The Hollywood extravaganza threatens to outshine Bollywood's modest efforts in the capital.

The Indian Embassy and an NGO, the B.P. Koirala India Nepal Foundation, are hosting an Indian Film Festival here from Friday and will screen six Hindi classics - "Mughal-e-Azam", "Chaudhvin Ka Chand", "Pyasa", "Bobby", "Hip Hip Hurray" and "Garam Hawa".

The American cultural initiative comes at a time when US ambassador to Nepal James Francis Moriarty has been in the limelight, trying to persuade the opposition parties to forego their alliance with the Maoist guerrillas and begin reconciliation with King Gyanendra.

The Maoists, who have been branded terrorists by the US government, say they are opposed to American NGOs and joint ventures in Nepal as well as Hollywood films with their depiction of "decadent western culture".
 
Real star of 'Capote' is its screenplay
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News service

Film: "Capote"; Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Clifton Collins Jr.; Director: Bennett Miller; Rating: *** 1/2

Not Philip Seymour Hoffman, who goes beyond performing brilliance to create the character of author Truman Capote...Not Bennet Miller who directs this fascinating and gripping tale of crime and conscience...The real star of "Capote" is the screenplay by Dan Futterman, which takes us into those roomy recesses in the human soul where the motion picture camera doesn't really have access. 

How has Futterman managed to go into that forbidden area of starkness where we can actually see the characters' careening conscience as it is stressed by the pulls and pushes of moral issues? 

The brilliantly crafted film is about the process of literary creation and creative cannibalisation whereby the writer uses the raw material of the human heart to further his own cause.

The interactive frisson between Capote (Hoffman) and one of the two slayers, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins), forms the backbone of the powerful drama. We never see the two of them in stylish silhouettes, always as headlong collaborators in the process of creating conscientiousness about the crime.

Capote goes beyond the immediacy of the crime. It looks with unflinching integrity and bridled sensitivity at the central relationship between the social outcast and the celebrity. 

At the same time the film generates tremendous empathy for all the other characters such as Capote's colleague Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) who stands witness to Capote's descent into absolute self-interest as the subject of his book prepares to be executed.

The sheer audacity of the subject matter, combined with restraint and rhythm make you want to give this miniature gem a standing ovation. 

Seldom has a crime story gone so deep into the heart and conscience of the perpetrator and those who stand mutely out of self-interest watching a society punish criminals without knowing why he became one in the first place.

The film leaves us with a lingering feeling of nostalgia and regret. Did Perry really need to turn murderer? Having done so, the narrative doesn't create an atmosphere of sympathy for the condemned. Instead we see moral equations shifting gracefully throughout the narrative whereby the moral issue moves back and forth between the writer and the criminal. 

"Capote" leaves you with a gripping story whose finale crushes cynicism and gives rise to a sense of immense gratitude for the gift of such delicately drawn cinema of moral ambiguity.

Hoffman brings the true-life author to life with all his bravado and blemishes. None of us has met Truman Capote. But after watching him in "Capote", we certainly wonder how the mind of a literary genius works.
 
Three-year prison term for Glitter in molestation case
DPA

Ba Ria (Vietnam), March 3 (DPA) Ageing British rocker Gary Glitter was sentenced Friday to three years in a Vietnamese prison for molesting two minor girls.

In his downward spiral from 1970s glam rock god to international pariah, Glitter has finally been convicted as paedophile by the court verdict.

Glitter, 61, looked surprised as the guilty verdict was read and he proclaimed his innocence in a dramatic statement from the dock of the People's Court of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

"I am innocent. It's a conspiracy", said Glitter, who was wearing a tight black nylon shirt and slacks reminiscent of the sequined jumpsuits of his glory days when he sang such hits as "Leader of the Gang" and "Rock and Roll".

"It's not a fair trial," he shouted as he was led away by the police to a waiting prison van.

Three years was the lightest possible sentence that Glitter, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, could have received under Vietnamese law. His attorney said his sentence could be reduced because he had already paid $2,000 to the families of his victims, who were aged 11 and 12 years at the time of the crimes.

The girls, "D" and "Ng", told the court during the closed one-day trial Thursday that Glitter had lured them into taking baths with him and touched them when they visited his rented home in the seaside resort town of Vung Tau last year, Glitter's lawyer confirmed.

Glitter was arrested on Nov 19 at Ho Chi Mihn City airport.
 
'Transamerica' - watch it for Felicity Huffman
By Minu Jain, Indo-Asian News Service

Film: "Transamerica"; Cast: Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegers, Fionnula Flanagan, Elizabeth Pena, Graham Greene; Production: Linda Moran, Rene Bastian, Sebastian Dungan; Written and Directed by: Duncan Tucker; Rating: ***

For all those "Desperate Housewives" fans out there, this is just the movie for you. The overwrought mother from the series is here the anxious preoperative transsexual parent of a troubled son he/she didn't know existed. Other than Felicity Huffman's bravura performance, however, "Transamerica" unfortunately just doesn't make the grade.

The film is a brave one, no doubt. The story catches the cerebral Bree, who is on hormonal pills and on her way to becoming a full-fledged woman, just before her final all important surgery. A call from a teenaged runaway who is the son from the days when she was Stanley stops her in her tracks and she reluctantly goes to New York to free him. 

Posing as a Christian missionary, she meets up with the 17-year-old Toby, whose mother is dead, he is into drugs and prostitutes his body to make money. 

Essentially a road film, "Transamerica" tracks the relationship between the GG (genetic girl) and the troubled teenager as they drive across the country from New York to California.

Toby's realisation that Bree is not really a woman, his acceptance of her identity and the shock when he realises that she is actually his father are well done.

It's a promising plot that fails, however, to deliver. 

The problem is that too many things are turned on their head, not just the protagonist who's in the process of finally finding her identity. Bree's family, for instance, are almost caricatures - the tanned, over made-up mother who can't come to terms with her son's sexuality, the druggie sister and the silent father.

Then, there's Toby himself, who at one point in the film has sex with a man he has just met to get money when Bree loses her purse. But the point when he strips and offers to make love to Bree and says he will marry her -- that's when Bree tells him that she (he?) is his father -- is when you feel that the film has keeled over in its effort to be different. The impact is lost.

There are some great lines though. Sample this: "Plastic surgery can cure a mental disorder," Bree says in one of her opening scenes, perfectly summing up her own mental and physical confusion. Or when she says later on, "My body may be a work in progress but there is nothing wrong with my soul."

The dignity of those lines is perfectly embodied by Huffman, who brought so much grace to her role as Lynette in "Desperate Housewives", and is nominated for an Oscar for best actress for the film. 

Her unsure steps, the slightly overdone, clumsily applied makeup so effectively making the point that it is something she is not really used to, the hair and the clothes - they are just right. And so is the carefully cultivated husky, low timbre voice.

Some great touches too. Like Toby sniffing drugs in one scene and ordering a chocolate milkshake in the very next - is there anything more to be said about the young teenager struggling to find his way?

The elements are all there but it's just so over the top. Huffman holds the film together and it's worth a watch just for her. But you could wait to catch it on DVD. No need to rush.
 

Howard gives cancer stricken mom reason to smile
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 3 (IANS) Oscar nominee Terrence Howard likes to relive the moment when he found out that he was nominated for an Academy award because it gave his mother a little light relief.

According to contactmusic.com, Howard's mother is suffering from cancer and the actor says he missed hearing joy in her voice. That joy returned when he called her up immediately after he heard he was nominated for the movie "Hustle And Flow".

He says: "She is going through chemotherapy right now but for the first time I heard in her voice - in two years - that person who was just happy and excited about life."
 

Barton might play 'Supergirl'
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 3 (IANS) "OC" star Mischa Barton is in talks to play the title role in "Supergirl".

According to contactmusic.com, Warner Brothers executives are keen to cast Barton and have also met her regarding the role. 

The movie's release will coincide with the screening of the "Superman Returns" this summer.
 
Hatcher will always feels guilty about divorce
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 3 (IANS) "Desperate Housewives" star Teri Hatcher says she is refusing to settle for less than what she deserved in her marriage and is guilty for breaking her daughter Emerson's stable home life.

According to contactmusic.com, Hatcher split from her husband Jon Tenny when her daughter was five.

She says: "It wasn't so much that my marriage changed. I was aware of things I was settling for and thought what was there was enough. Ten years later, it just wasn't. I never wanted Emerson to have parents in different households, and I'll always feel guilty forever that she has to go back and forth. But her dad and I work really hard to make it as easy as possible for her, and I genuinely think she's OK."

German court blocks movie on cannibal
DPA

Kassel (Germany), March 3 (DPA) A court Friday blocked the German release of a movie about the exploits of a self-confessed cannibal who mutilated and ate another man five years ago.

The film was inspired by the real life story of Armin Meiwes, who is currently being retried for killing a willing victim he met at an Internet chatroom.

The unauthorised movie was set for release in Germany on March 9 and was entitled "Rohtenburg".

A state court sitting in Kassel ruled that the personality rights of the real "cannibal of Rotenburg" outweighed the right of artistic freedom.

The court said the huge media interest aroused by the unprecedented case did not justify making the killer the object of a horror movie.

Meiwes, 44, sought a legal ban on the low-budget feature film telling the story, saying through his lawyer that he resented his portrayal as a "bestial killer".

Meiwes is serving an eight-and-a-half-year prison term after being convicted two years ago of manslaughter. Prosecutors obtained a retrial after complaining that he should have been convicted of murder.

The movie was directed by Martin Weisz, 39, a German-born maker of music videos, according to German film distributor Senator. The production company was the US-based Atlantic Streamline.

Indo-Asian News Service

Gay cowboy film inspires American culture
DPA

Los Angeles, March 4 (DPA) Critically acclaimed "Brokeback Mountain", a film that tells the story of two gay cowboys, has inspired a cartoon in the front cover of the New Yorker magazine and also popular culture in general. 

The cartoon does not feature Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, the stars of the Oscar favourite film. It instead has US Vice-President Dick Cheney calmly blowing the smoke from the barrel of his gun, while lawyer Harry Whittington, whom Cheney accidentally shot during a quail hunt last month, gazes stoically over his shoulder.

How romantic, the cartoon implies, not even a shotgun blast to the face can destroy the love of these two men.

Getting space on the front cover of a prominent US magazine is an achievement for any movie, but "Brokeback Mountain" has not even earned an Oscar yet, or the $100 million at the box office that is considered the benchmark for a successful film.

Yet it has already emerged as Hollywood's most significant contribution to popular culture this year. 

The Global Language Monitor this week named "Brokeback Mountain" as Hollywood's word of the year, after finding that a Google search yielded more than 38 million references to the film.

Lines from the movie have become catch phrases: "I wish I knew how to quit you" and "Ain't nobody's business but ours" can be seen on bumper stickers, T-shirts and posters all over the country.

Just type the words "Brokeback spoof" or "Brokeback joke" into a search engine and prepare to spend the rest of the day sifting through a mountain of material derived from director Ang Lee's poignant tale of two cowboys in love.

Many of the parodies are spoof trailers for other movies that use re-edited footage to make it seem as though some classic buddy films were in fact about a gay relationship between the two male leads.

There's "Brokeback to the Future", "The Empire Breaks Back", "Brokeback Fiction" and other gay derivates of movies like "Titanic", "Top Gun" and "Lord of the Rings", with more being added every day.

Talk show hosts have also been guffawing. Jay Leno presented a gay cowboy saddle with a holster for a hair dryer. 

"Against all odds, a Western romance about two men has corralled the cultural zeitgeist making it safe for our national funny bone to come out of the closet," noted USA Today.

US fashion stores too reported a surge in demand for Western-inspired clothing - not to mention the $100,000 paid by a collector for the shirts worn by Ledger and Gyllenhaal for the movie.

Academicians too are not far behind. Rob Latham, an associate professor of English and American studies at the University of Iowa, plans to use the original story, the screenplay and the film in an introductory course on sexuality he has been teaching for the last three years.

"I needed something that would centre our discussions, which tend to be too abstract," Latham told the Los Angeles Times. 

"I would screen the movie fairly early in the term and use it as a way of unpacking some of the ideas we deal with."

Indo-Asian News Service

Michael Jackson's drummer cousin slain
DPA

Los Angeles, March 4 (DPA) Johnny Jackson, a cousin to Michael Jackson and the former drummer for the Jackson 5, was stabbed to death at his home in the group's hometown of Gary, Indiana, according to reports Friday.

Police said they found the body Wednesday after responding to a noise complaint at Jackson's building sparked by an argument between the musician and an unidentified woman.

Jackson, 54, was found with a fatal stab wound to the chest, and police are looking for the woman.

Jackson joined his famous cousins' singing troupe in the late 1960s, replacing the group's original drummer, Milford Hite.
  

Travolta to play housewife
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 4 (IANS) Actor John Travolta is set to showcase his diverse acting prowess by playing a housewife in the movie version of "Hairspray".

This will be his first musical since the 1978 film "Grease", according to contactmusic.com. 

Travolta is preparing to take on the role of Edna Turnbald alongside Queen Latifah, who will play Motormouth Maybelle.

Producer Michael Lynne says: "This is our dream cast for the film. Bringing Travolta back into a musical is so gratifying. They were our genuine first choices for the film."
 

Playboy hits back at Alba
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 4 (IANS) The Playboy magazine has fired back at actress Jessica Alba's claims that it implied she posed naked by placing her on its front cover.

Playboy says many celebrities have appeared on their cover without appearing nude in the magazine, according to contactmusic.com. 

Alba's lawyers had recently sent a threatening letter to the magazine after it published an image of Alba in a bikini. Alba claims the choice of the front cover insinuates that she appears nude or semi-nude in the magazine. 

She said: "Playboy has violated my personal rights and blatantly misled the public, who might think I had given them permission to put me on their cover when I didn't." 

But Playboy says it put her on the front cover because she won a readers poll as being the "sexiest star of the year".
 

'Mr And Mrs Smith' in copyright row
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 4 (IANS) New Zealand author Gavin Bishop is claiming copyright breach after insisting that the makers of "Mr and Mrs Smith" stole his idea.

The children's writer says the movie is "too close to be accidental" to "The Secret Lives of Mr and Mrs Smith", a children's book he wrote in 1997, reported contactmusic.com.

The couple who appears as assassins in the in the movie are spies in the book. 

Bishop says: "The fact that my book was published in the US and was available to thousands of school children - it doesn't seem too far-fetched to think the Hollywood scriptwriter of this film may have come across my book."

Knowles studied Motown idols
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 4 (IANS) Singer Beyonce Knowles studied her Motown idols intensely before she took on her role in the film version of the Broadway musical "DreamGirls".

According to contactmusic.com, Knowles was ecstatic to get the part and spent months researching the role. 

She says, "I looked at everything The Supremes and Martha Reeves did. We rehearsed for two months before we started filming. And I prepared for two months before that. This was my dream, to be in that film. I wanted it bad."

Kid Rock grateful for exposure
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 4 (IANS) The rocker Kid Rock has thanked the former lead singer of Creed Scott Stapp for allowing a sex tape to be leaked on the Internet because it has given him publicity.

According to contactmusic.com, Rock and Stapp were filmed romping with strippers on a tour bus and says it is no big deal that parts of the tape have already been exposed in spite of a court ban. He wants a cut if the tape gets distributed. 

He says, "It's not any big revelation that this goes on in rock 'n' roll, especially with who I am. I got a record coming up - maybe I should thank him. And if there's money to be made, it's my performance."

'Animal House' voted 'beeriest' movie ever
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 4 (IANS) The classic comedy "Animal House" released in 1978 has been voted the best beer-drinking movie of all time.

According to contactmusic.com, the poll was taken by the American brewery Heartland. It beat out the likes of "Cool Hand Luke" and "Old School". But Heartland boss Jon Bloostein was disappointed that the movie "Deer Hunter" starring Robert De Niro came in only at 11th place. 

He says, "I was disappointed 'The Deer Hunter' didn't place higher. That was responsible for the resurgence of Rolling Rock beer." 

The full list is as follows: 1. "National Lampoon's Animal House" 2. "Old School" 3. "The Shawshank Redemption" 4. "The Graduate" 5. "Titanic" 6. "Smokey and the Bandit" 7. "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial" 8. "Cool Hand Luke" 9. "National Lampoon's Vacation" 10. "Back To School" 11. "The Deer Hunter" 12. "All About Eve".
 
'Walk The Line' an out and out Phoenix film
By Arpana, Indo-Asian News Service

Film: "Walk The Line"; Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and Ginnifer Goodwin; Director: James Mangold; Rating: ***and 1/2

After last year's movie "Ray", based on the life of legendary singer Ray Charles, here comes another sentimental musical biopic on famous country music legend Johnny Cash titled "Walk The Line".

If "Ray" brought an Oscar for Jamie Foxx, "Walk The Line" will surely bestow awards on Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon for giving stupendous performances in the Cash biopic. 

While playing the role of Johnny Cash, who rose to fame alongside Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, Phoenix skilfully gets under the skin of the character and convincingly imitates Johnny's deep voice and mannerisms.

Witherspoon, who plays the role of singer June Carter, compliments him. Their on-screen chemistry is phenomenal. 

Unlike director Taylor Hackford's "Ray", James Mangold has concentrated more on Cash's love life than his music. It won't be an exaggeration if we say the film is an emotional saga of a man who battles many odds to sustain his musical fame and marry his love June. 

As the movie progresses, Johnny's life becomes complicated and June's entry in his life complicates it further. His obsession for June creates an unbridgeable gap between his wife Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin) and him. When it becomes difficult for Vivian to cope with her husband's obsession for June, she walks out on him with their children. 

Vivian's departure and June's indifference towards him increases his dependency on drugs and alcohol. But in the end, June lowers the guard and helps him in getting rid of drugs and motivates him to re-start his musical journey. 

They start performing together and during a concert when Johnny proposes to her, June, who has been resisting Cash's love for nearly a decade, accepts his proposal. They tie the knot and enjoy a blissful married life for 35 years. 

In short, the movie chronicles Johnny's early days in the cotton fields of Arkansas to his rise to fame with Sun Records in Memphis to drug addiction to a historical performance in Folsom Prison to his second marriage. 

Phoenix, who gels with this shy singer's character with ease, manages to reflect his stage persona convincingly on screen. He perfectly imitates his mannerisms, his speech, his walk and most importantly his inimitable style of singing. 

He is fabulous in those scenes where he is under the influence of drugs and alcohol and living alone - his loneliness and his anger is reflected through his dark piercing eyes.

The director has made a successful attempt at portraying both - the merits and demerits of Johnny's personality who was popularly known as Man in Black. 

Ginnifer Goodwin, in the role of Johnny's first wife, impresses too.

The music is mesmerising - especially the concerts, which have been orchestrated articulately and it definitely helps the flow of the story. 

In fact, the concerts play a significant role in Cash's life - he meets June during his first concert.

The director should be applauded for taking care of each and every detail of the period - from the 1950s to 70s - and presenting the ups and downs of the legendary singer so beautifully. The backdrop, the costumes and make-up, everything is reminiscent of the era. The movie is simply awesome.

A must watch!
 

Davis criticises 'Desperate Housewives'
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 5 (IANS) Kristin Davis, the star of the hit TV show "Sex and the City", has slammed the award winning show "Desperate Housewives" saying it doesn't represent single women.

Davis who acts as Charlotte York in "Sex and the City" says "Desperate Housewives" glamorised married women while ignoring the lives of single women, according to contactmusic.com.

She said "Desperate Housewives" could not even come close to being compared to "Sex and the City". 

"We were on the cover of Time because there was a cultural moment. 'Desperate Housewives' in a whole different thing. Where is the show for the single women who aren't married and trying to figure out what to do?" she remarked.
 

Craig ready to bare all in 'Casino Royale'
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 5 (IANS) Actor Daniel Craig, the new James Bond, is set to bare all for the upcoming 007 film "Casino Royale". 

Craig has confirmed to movie bosses that he was prepared to do a nude scene for the film, contactmusic.com reported. 

Craig said he believed his Bond character would love to strip off. "I have told bosses I'm prepared to do a full frontal scene. I'm not shy and Bond wouldn't be shy about it either."
 
Director Lee blasts Rice
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 5 (IANS) Acclaimed but controversial film maker Spike Lee has attacked US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice saying she was enjoying herself when victims of Hurricane Katrina were struggling to put their lives back together last year.

According to contactmusic.com, the "Malcolm X" director said Rice was too busy enjoying the privileged life in Washington DC and New York while victims in the southern states were suffering from the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina last summer. 

He said: "I dislike Condoleezza Rice more than (President George W.) Bush. The thing about it is that she's gotten a free ride from black people in her life. Condi, stop smoking that crack! 

"I know you love your Ferragamo shoes but come on. While people were drowning in New Orleans, she was going up and down Madison Avenue buying Ferragamo shoes. Then she went to see Spamalot (Broadway musical)."

Mills McCartney clashes with Canadian minister on TV
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 5 (IANS) Heather Mills McCartney, wife of Sir Paul McCartney, clashed with Canadian minister Danny Williams on television over the clubbing to death of seals in Newfoundland.

The former Beatle and his activist wife journeyed to the ice floes of the Gulf Of St Lawrence to bring media attention to the cruel practice of seal clubbing in Canada, according to contactmusic.com.

During a live TV show Williams accused Heather of being sensational and said: "My concern here is that the McCartneys are not completely informed. I recognise that they're active. I recognise their zeal." 

After Williams insisted 90 percent of the seals were killed by bullets rather than clubbing, a passionate Mills McCartney fired back: "Well, it's just not true. It's complete and absolute rubbish. Most of them are shot and clubbed in a 'hacky' pick thing, which is a tall, long hook and then they hit them once with it and drag them along the ground. And they only use the one bullet."

'Dirty Love' wins award for worst movie
DPA

Los Angeles, March 5 (DPA) Risque romantic comedy "Dirty Love" dominated the annual Razzie Awards that recognise the worst performances in Hollywood on the eve of the Academy Awards night.

The movie earned the dubious honour of being the worst picture while its star Jenny McCarthy was named worst actress. The film also was judged to have the worst screenplay.

Tom Cruise, star of "War of the Worlds", lost out in the worst actor category to Rob Schneider for "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo". 

But the Hollywood heartthrob did win in the new category of "Most Tiresome Tabloid Target", for the public spectacle of Cruise's romance with actress Katie Holmes.

"For him to suddenly propose in front of reporters on the Eiffel Tower and jump up and down like the monkey in Curious George on Oprah Winfrey's couch, there truly is some problem there," said John Wilson, founder of the Razzies.

Socialite actress Paris Hilton was named worst supporting actress for "House of Wax" while Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell were picked as worst screen couple for "Bewitched". 

Hayden Christensen was chosen as worst supporting actor for "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith".
 

Award to 'Brokeback Mountain' ahead of Oscars
DPA

Los Angeles, March 5 (DPA) Cementing its status as a crossover hit, "Brokeback Mountain" grabbed the best film of the year award at the Independent Spirit Awards, a day before the Oscars ceremony.

The director of the cowboy love story, Ang Lee, was named best director Saturday. But "Brokeback Mountain's" main rivals for Oscar glory also took two prizes at the independent award show, which traditionally takes place a day before the Oscar ceremony.

"Capote" took the best-actor award for Philip Seymour Hoffman, while writer Dan Futterman won the best-screenplay award.

Felicity Huffman was named best actress for "Transamerica" whose director, Duncan Tucker, received the award for best first screenplay.

Race drama "Crash" won for best first feature by a director (Paul Haggis) and best supporting actor for Matt Dillon.

The supporting-actress prize went to Amy Adams for "Junebug".

The Independent Spirit Awards honour low-budget movies that are at least partly financed from outside the Hollywood studio system. The prizes are chosen by the 6,000 industry members of the non-profit group Film Independent.

Indo-Asian News Service
 

George Clooney takes home first Oscar honour
DPA

Los Angeles, March 6 (DPA) Hollywood superstar George Clooney won his first-ever Oscar Sunday, picking up the best supporting actor prize for his role in the political drama "Syriana".

Clooney paid tribute to his fellow nominees and heralded Hollywood's oft criticised and outspoken liberal bent by saying that the movie world had brought the problems of AIDS, civil rights and other issues to national attention.

"I'm proud to be part of this academy and proud to be part of this community and proud to be out of touch," said Clooney, who also produced "Syriana", in which he plays an overweight former CIA agent at the centre of political intrigue in the movie.

Earlier, fans cheered their favourite stars from Jack Nicholson to Nicole Kidman as Hollywood's royalty strutted the Oscars red carpet at the biggest event on the cinema calendar.

With eight nominations, cowboy love story "Brokeback Mountain" was the hot favourite to dominate proceedings at the Sunday night ceremony, especially after the film picked up the best movie prize at Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards, which honour independently produced movies.

This year's Oscars are dominated by independent movies, and other top contenders like "Capote", "Transamerica" and "Crash" were also honoured at the Spirit awards.

This year's line up includes Jessica Alba, Owen Wilson, Clint Eastwood, Jennifer Aniston, last years best-actor winner Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron and Meryl Streep.

Indo-Asian News Service

Kylie set for December comeback?
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 6 (IANS) Australian singing star Kylie Minogue is all set to make her comeback in December, reports say.

The pop princess will perform in front of 20,000 adoring fans at the Sydney Superdrome, the News of the World said. 

"There's been a lot of talk about a comeback at the Commonwealth Games in this month in her home city of Melbourne. She would have loved to do the opening ceremony, but it's a little too soon for her to take the stage again," a source close to the megastar said.

Kylie was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005 but was given an all clear by doctors last month. 

Looking ahead to December, the source said: "The set will be spectacular. Those lucky enough to be there are in for a real treat. 

"December is the ideal time for this concert. It's the middle of summer there and the atmosphere will be electric." 
 
Ang Lee wins Oscar for best director
Xinhua

Los Angeles, March 6 (Xinhua) Ang Lee won the Oscar for best director for his "Brokeback Mountain" - the first Asian to win the director's Oscar.

The result was announced at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Sunday evening in Hollywood.

Indo-Asian News Service

Hoffman, Witherspoon win best actor, best actress Oscars
Xinhua

Los Angeles, March 6 (Xinhua) Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Oscar for best actor for "Capote", a biography of a US writer, while the best actress Oscar went to Reese Witherspoon for "Walk the Line".

The awards were announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Sunday evening in Hollywood.

Dion Beebe won the Oscar for cinematography for "Memoirs of a Geisha". 

It was a third win for the film starred by Chinese actress Zi-yi Zhang. Earlier, "Geisha" had won awards for art direction and costume design.

Hughes Winborne has won the Oscar for achievement in film editing for "Crash". 

Indo-Asian News Service

'Crash' wins best picture Oscar
Xinhua

Los Angeles, March 6 (Xinhua) "Crash", directed by Paul Haggis, won the Oscar for the best picture.

The award was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Sunday evening in Los Angeles. 

Indo-Asian News Service

Thompson had wrapped her Oscar in pair of socks
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 6 (IANS) Two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson recalls how in 1993 she had wrapped her Best Actress Oscar in a pair of socks for safety and the airport security staff had cooed over it.

Thompson was taking her Oscar home in her handbag and airport officials asked her to step aside, reported contactmusic.com.

She says: "I took it wrapped in a pair of socks in my handbag because you don't get another one if they steal it - the Academy won't give you another one. It went through the security thing and it, of course, read like a small bomb... or perhaps a very complicated vibrator... They took it out and it was as though they had unveiled the Ark of The Covenant. They all passed it round. It was very moving to me."

Film on Jane Austen's romance soon
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 6 (IANS) English novelist Jane Austen's real life love story is set to become a movie in the upcoming film "Becoming Jane".

The movie is about the story of Austen's love for Irish lawyer Tom LeFroy, contactmusic.com reported. 

It failed because LeFroy's economic situation was much lower than Austen's. The affair inspired her to a career as one of the world's most romantic writers and drew out themes like love and social classes. These played a big part in many of Austen's novels.

Austen will be portrayed by the actress Anne Hathaway with Maggie Smith and Julie Walters also so-starring.
 

Blunt hated military chores at Sandhurst
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 6 (IANS) Singer James Blunt says he hated the Sandhurst Military Academy because he couldn't bear having to iron his bed sheets.

Sandhurst is also the place where Prince William and Prince Harry had enrolled, contactmusic.com reported.

Blunt couldn't bring himself to do the chores. He says, "I suddenly found myself sleeping on the floor for 14 weeks beside a perfectly usable bed because I was expected to iron the sheets and things like that. It was pretty hard work."

Hilton might star in 'The Simpsons'
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 6 (IANS) Socialite Paris Hilton might lend her voice to the popular cartoon show "The Simpsons".

According to contactmusic.com, Hilton will join other stars like the White Stripes and British comic Ricky Gervais. 

The creator of the show Matt Groening says, "Her name is on the list. It could be a good show."
 

Anderson's anti-fur protests in restaurant
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, March 6 (IANS) "Baywatch" star Pamela Anderson, a staunch animal rights activist, had tried to convince guests at a lunch to take off their fur clothing from her sight.

According to pagesix.com, Anderson was at lunch in the House of Flaunt in Hollywood. She refused to sit down until everyone at the event took off their fur clothing and removed the animal pelts.

She then declined to take off her trench coat and model the tight low-cut wrap dress until the designers agreed to never use fur again. She made them agree to the deal and then took off the coat. 

Frost to convince Moss to build orphanage
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 6 (IANS) Sadie Frost, the ex-wife of actor Jude Law, is trying to convince her supermodel friend Kate Moss to fly to South Africa with her to help build an orphanage. 

Frost is joining the Home Of Hope project and will be involved with building a brick house for AIDS orphans. She is hoping Moss will join her in the crusade, contactmusic.com reported. 

A friend says: "Kate is going to donate money and is talking to some of her clients to see what else can be done."
 

'Paradise Lost' director angry with protestors
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 6 (IANS) Director Hany Abu-Assad of the controversial suicide bomber movie "Paradise Now" lashed out at protestors, saying they should retaliate by creating their own movie. 

According to contactmusic.com, the film came under attack from a petition signed by 32,000 people urging Oscar officials to disqualify it from the Best Foreign Language Film list. 

But the director says the movie, about two friends in West Bank hired to be suicide bombers in Tel Aviv, forces people to question the terrorists' motivation.

He says: "The only answer I can give them is please go and make your own movie. I understand the pain that some people have and I think it's not a problem to protest against a film. It's better than to use violence."

Bono caught in Latin feud
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 6 (IANS) Lead singer Bono of U2 has been criticised by Bolivian citizens for accepting a 'charango' (small guitar) from Chilean leader Richard Lagos because the instrument is of Bolivian origin.

Bono, who was presented the gift while on tour in Latin America, has been flooded with letters insisting that the guitar is an inappropriate souvenir to accept from Chile, contactmusic.com reported.

Bono has offended Bolivians since the guitar is traditionally played by indigenous folk musicians, including newly-elected Bolivian President Evo Morales.
 

Madonna says Elton is no gent
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 6 (IANS) Pop superstar Madonna has slammed Sir Elton John as "ungentlemanly" for criticising her. 

Sir Elton John had previously accused Madonna of cheating her audiences by miming her singing on stage, reported contactmusic.com. 

Even though he has eventually apologised to Madonna, tensions are still high. 

She says: "He did send me a letter apologising for his last outburst, right before his wedding. But he seems to be angry. I seem to have become a target. It's not very gentlemanly or gracious."
 
'Tsotsi': Where film and reality meet for South Africans
By Benita van

Johannesburg, March 6 (DPA) Hollywood seems to have embraced the South African reality of crime, grime and poverty with the awarding of an Oscar in the best foreign language film category for its home grown feature "Tsotsi".

The story of a violent young criminal living dangerously in and around the townships of Johannesburg has been lauded for its apt depiction of life for millions today.

Gavin Hood's adaptation of a novel by acclaimed playwright Athol Fugard has an immediacy that has impressed many, including township dwellers in South Africa who have a huge appetite for US action movies.

Critics in Hollywood have praised its lead actor Presley Chweneyagae for his portrayal of the fictional character, a young man who is able to find redemption after he steals a car that still has the baby of his latest victim inside.

The world of films has also stepped in to reshape the reality for a young man named Delano Daniels, a real-life township teenager, on whose experiences "Tsotsi" could have been based.

By the age of 18 Daniels had three carjackings, two cash-in-transit heists and a handful of burglaries under his belt. He was still at school in the gang-infested township of Westbury, west of Johannesburg when he began running drugs for gangsters in the neighbourhood.

"We were robbing cash vans and never getting caught. I was doing drugs, smoking buttons (a synthetic narcotic called Mandrax)," he says. Not getting caught, he says, made him feel invincible.

Daniel often recorded his activities using a home video camera and gauging from some of his raw footage, his fellow criminals did not seem to mind.

"I was just doing it for fun. I was always interested in film," he said.

What emerged were two very frantic and unusual home-made films pulsating with rap music tracks, a haphazard array of video clips and haunting stills.

It was not until he was arrested during a burglary in May 2003 and sentenced to 300 hours of community service that he began to take stock of his life.

He was in his final school year. "I figured we only live once and there are two routes I can take to get somewhere in the next 10 years. I looked at the friends I had who were involved in crime. They always had problems with police investigating them, adding such strain to their lives," he said.

Desperate for her son to make something of himself, Daniels' mother considered enrolling him in a local film school in the hope that he could develop his interest while keeping him out of trouble. 

Seeing samples of his amateur films and learning of details of his life, Video Symphony, a media-training programme located in Burbank, California, contacted him in 2004.

"They offered me an international scholarship. I was the first foreign student, the first African and the first South African to study there," he beams.

Between February and July 2005 Daniels undertook an intensive course in film production and editing. Since his return to South Africa, he has been making corporate videos and publicity segments for the juvenile offender and restorative justice programme.

He has harnessed his experience to help teenagers in Johannesburg's roughest neighbourhoods who risk ruining their lives as he almost did.

Daniels has not yet seen the film "Tsotsi", but what he does know is that the life he once lived he now prefers to keep on the screen only. 

--DPA
 

'Crash' is surprise Oscar win for best picture 
(LEAD)
Indo-Asian News Service

Los Angles, March 6 (IANS) "Crash", director Paul Haggis' bold and gripping tale on the ugly face of racism in modern society, was the surprise winner of the Oscar for best film.

Haggis and Cathy Schuman, both among the film's producers, received the Oscar at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences function Sunday evening at Hollywood.

Ang Lee won the best director award for "Brokeback Mountain", becoming the first Asian to receive the award. The film revolves around the clandestine love story between two cowboys. 

Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Oscar for best actor for "Capote". He played the role of Truman Capote, a popular New York-based writer. 

Reese Witherspoon, who etched the role of singer June Carter, second wife of legendary country singer Johnny Cash in Cash's biopic "Walk The Line", won the best actress award.

George Clooney got the best supporting actor award for "Syriana", a political thriller directed by Stephen Gaghan, in which he plays a CIA operative. 

Rachel Weisz won the best supporting actress award for "The Constant Gardener", a film based on the best-selling novel of John le Carré of the same name.

A film about the three days in the life of a young South African gang leader titled "Tsotsi" won the best foreign language film of the year.

The Oscar for best documentary feature went to Luc Jacquet and Yves Darondeau for "La arche de l'empereur". The documentary takes a look at the annual journey of Emperor penguins as they march to their traditional breeding ground.

Corinne Marrinan, Eric Simonson were the winners for best documentary short subject for "A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin". John Canemaker, Peggy Stern won the award for the best short animated film "The Moon and the Son". Martin McDonagh's "Six Shooter" bagged the award in the best short film, live action category. 

The best cinematography award went to Don Debee for "Memoirs Of A Geisha". Larry McMurty and Diana Ossana won the screenplay award for "Brokeback Mountain", while the award for original screenplay went to Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco for "Crash". 

The other winners are - Hughes Winborne for editing ("Crash"); John Myhre and Gretchen Rau for best art direction ("Memoirs Of A Geisha"); Colleen Atwood for best costume ("Memoirs of a Geisha"); Gustavo Santaolalla for best original score ("Brokeback Mountain"); Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, Paul Beauregard for best original song - "It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp" ("Hustle & Flow"); Howard Berger, Tami Lane for best makeup ("The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe"); Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick, Michael Hedges, Hammond Peek for sound effects ("King Kong"); Mike Hopkins, Ethan Van der Ryn for best sound editing (King Kong (2005)); Joe Letteri, Brian Van't Hul, Christian Rivers, Richard Taylor for best visual effects ("King Kong"); the best animated feature film award went to - "Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit". 
 

Taiwan president congratulates Ang Lee on Oscar
DPA

Taipei, March 6 (DPA) Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian Monday congratulated country-born filmmaker Ang Lee on winning the best-director Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain".

"Ang Lee is the pride of Taiwan," Chen added. "I, along with all Taiwan people, are proud of him."

"I extend my warmest congratulations to Ang Lee," Chen said. "His achievement in filmmaking is an important contribution to world culture-related industries and will stimulate Taiwan's film industry."

The academy award made Lee the first Asian director to win the best-director prize in the Oscars' 78-year history. Four of his other films have also been nominated for Oscars: 1993's "The Wedding Banquet" and 1994's "Eat Drink Man Woman", both for best foreign film, 1995's "Sense and Sensibility" for best picture, and 2000's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" for best director and best picture.

"Brokeback Mountain", a love story of two gay cowboys, won two other Oscars for best adapted screenplay for Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana and best musical score for Gustavo Santaolalla. 

--DPA

Indo-Asian News Service

 
Taiwan president congratulates Ang Lee on Oscar
DPA

Taipei, March 6 (DPA) Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian Monday congratulated country-born filmmaker Ang Lee on winning the best-director Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain".

"Ang Lee is the pride of Taiwan," Chen added. "I, along with all Taiwan people, are proud of him."

"I extend my warmest congratulations to Ang Lee," Chen said. "His achievement in filmmaking is an important contribution to world culture-related industries and will stimulate Taiwan's film industry."

The academy award made Lee the first Asian director to win the best-director prize in the Oscars' 78-year history. Four of his other films have also been nominated for Oscars: 1993's "The Wedding Banquet" and 1994's "Eat Drink Man Woman", both for best foreign film, 1995's "Sense and Sensibility" for best picture, and 2000's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" for best director and best picture.

"Brokeback Mountain", a love story of two gay cowboys, won two other Oscars for best adapted screenplay for Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana and best musical score for Gustavo Santaolalla. 

--DPA
 
Indo-Asian News Service
 

Oscar winner 'Crash' not a hit with critics
Xinhua

Los Angeles, March 6 (Xinhua) The racial drama "Crash", which won the best picture Oscar at the 78th Academy Awards in Hollywood, was surprisingly not the preferred choice of many film critics.

The very fact that it defeated the hottest favourite, a gay cowboy story "Brokeback Mountain", is considered as one of the bigger upsets in Oscar history. 

While Scott Foundas, a Los Angeles Weekly critic had described "Crash" as the worst film of the year, Chicago Sun-Times film critic, Roger Ebert, had called it the best, sparking off a fierce debate.

"Crash", a true Oscar rarity, was shot outside the major studio system on a tiny budget of $6.5 million. It was never expected to be any challenge to "Brokeback Mountain," which won eight nominations and earned an Oscar for director Ang Lee.

"Crash" premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in Sep 2004, and was released internationally in 2005. The film is a commentary on racial and social tensions in Los Angeles.

Nevertheless, the judges had the final say, with the film gaining six Oscar nominations and winning three, for film editing, best original screenplay and best picture.

"Crash" revolves around a diverse group of people living in Los Angeles who connect and clash over the course of two days.

As the series of events heighten already-existing racial and cultural tensions, individuals are brought face to face with complexities that their prejudices have prevented them from seeing.

Most of the characters depicted in the film are racially prejudiced in some way, and become involved in conflicts that force them to examine their own prejudices. Through these characters' interactions, the film attempts to show that racism is common in modern America.

"Crash" was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, one for Best Supporting Actor and the other for Best Screenplay.

--Xinhua

Indo-Asian News Service

Egyptian producer plans first Arab film on Jesus
DPA

Cairo, March 6 (DPA) In the wake of the global controversy over the caricatures of Prophet Mohammed, an Egyptian film producer has announced the first Arab-made film project detailing the life of Jesus Christ.

A central theme of the film, which is projected to cost far more than the average Egyptian production, will be the holy family's flight to Egypt, producer Mohammed Ashub told DPA here Monday.

In order to avoid the film causing offence to Christians, it will first be screened for clerics of the Egyptian Coptic Christian church, Ashub said.

Muslims regard Jesus as a prophet, but not as the son of god.

In the global debate following the publication of the caricatures, some Muslim clerics had pointed out that it was forbidden to depict any prophet, not just Mohammed, through images or through the use of actors.

--DPA

Indo-Asian News Service

Rod Stewart ordered to pay damages to US casino
DPA

Las Vegas, March 7 (DPA) British rock star Rod Stewart must pay a Las Vegas casino $3 million for a cancelled concert appearance, a city judge has ruled.

Stewart was ordered to pay back the Rio Hotel Casino for a performance he was meant to give on Dec 30, 2000, according to the website of local television station KVBC.

A jury had already sided with the casino in September on its claim for $2 million in damages for breach of contract, leaving the judge to impose a further 1 million in interest.

Stewart, 61, testified in court that a recent thyroid operation had prevented him from singing and that he offered to make up the performance at a later date. But the casino was intent on getting its money back, Stewart testified.

--DPA

Indo-Asian News Service

Guns N' Roses to perform at Denmark's Roskilde fest
Indo-Asian News Service

Copenhagen, March 7 (IANS) US rock band Guns N' Roses will perform at this year's Roskilde Music Festival to be held from June 29-July 2 in Denmark, the organisers said.

Guns n' Roses with lead singer Axl Rose had to cancel their appearance at Roskilde in 2001.

In an interview to Rolling Stone magazine in January, Rose promised fans that the band will be back with the "Chinese Democracy" album.

"People will hear our music this year," Rose said.

The first Roskilde festival was held in 1971.

South Africans jubilant over Oscar for 'Tsotsi'
By Fakir Hassen, Indo-Asian News Service

Johannesburg, March 7 (IANS) South Africans rejoiced at the Oscar bagged by its entry "Tsotsi", produced by a well-known South African Indian filmmaker, in the foreign films category.

Indian-origin filmmaker Anant Singh congratulated the team for bringing the Oscar to South Africa. 

"It is fantastic that after many years of isolation, South Africa has had Oscar nominations in consecutive years with 'Tsotsi' this year and 'Yesterday' (which Singh also produced) last year. This sends out a clear message to the world that the South African film industry has come of age. "

Parties were the order of the day throughout Monday, with clubs, restaurants, and private groups hosting special celebratory parties for the first-ever Oscar for a South African film.

Radio station 702 hosted a two-hour public party with a live broadcast during which it broadcast interviews with the crew and cast of the film.

"'Tsotsi' has made all South Africans proud by scooping the Oscar for best foreign language film at the Academy Awards Ceremony," said the city manager of Johannesburg, Pascal Moloi.

The movie, directed by Gavin Hood, was shot in and around Johannesburg, mainly in the sprawling township of Soweto and downtown, giving the city an opportunity to be seen on the international stage. 

"This is an excellent portrayal of life in Johannesburg, highlighting the hustle and bustle of daily activities in a big city," Moloi said.

The majority of cast and crew-members of "Tsotsi" are based in Johannesburg.

"They have again demonstrated the creative spirit that is prevalent within our city and the fact that South Africa is a country alive with talent and possibilities. 

Pascal was confident that the success of "Tsotsi" would lure filmmakers to "a prime location for filmmaking".

This is the second year in a row that South Africans are celebrating an Oscar award.

Last year, Charlize Theron received tumultuous welcomes all over the country when the actress, who was born in Benoni, north of here, received the first ever Oscar for the country when she won the best actress award.

Warne makes acting debut in soap opera
By V. Krishnaswamy, Indo-Asian News Service

Melbourne, March 7 (IANS) Shane Warne, the world's highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, made his acting debut this week, as he played himself in Australia's most popular weekday soap opera, "Neighbours". 

Warne filmed three scenes in a two-hour period. His children, Brooke and Jackson, were also present to watch their father's acting prowess. Warne's eight-year-old daughter Brooke is a great fan of the show, and the producers decided to give her an extras' role.

The filmed scenes show Warne visiting Ramsay Street in Erinsborough in Melbourne to collect a donation for his "Shane Warne Foundation", which raises money for seriously ill and underprivileged children. Warne had several lines to speak in the serial and he also bowled a ball to a youth for the cameras. 

Warne filmed three scenes in two hours and the entire cast of the widely watched serial welcomed him as his children watched him act.

The two episodes featuring Warne will be screened in Australia on July 6 and 7. 

"Neighbours" is a weekday soap opera exploring the lives and relationships of the residents of Ramsay Street. 

The show is now in its 18th year of production, and is Australia's most successful television programme. Shot in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, it is also shown in 57 countries around the world.

So popular is the series that tourists come to Ramsay Street to see the area. There are guided tours for it and merchandise is also sold. 

Clooney inspired real life character to lose weight
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 7 (IANS) Oscar winner George Clooney's portrayal of the 'pudgy' CIA agent Bob Baer in "Syriana" inspired the real life character to get in shape.

Contactmusic.com reports that Clooney gained weight for the role. He says: "The gentleman that I was playing in the movie, Bob Baer, was sort of pudgy and out of shape. I thought that was a pretty good thing. Then he found out a Hollywood guy was playing him, and he got in shape. It sort of screwed everything up for me."

Lee shocked by 'Brokeback' loss
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 7 (IANS) Director Ang Lee was shocked and disappointed when "Brokeback Mountain" lost out on the best picture Oscar to "Crash", but says he is still proud of the movie.

According to contactmusic.com, Lee was devastated that the movie did not win and is baffled why it lost. 

He says: "I would do exactly the same. I am so proud of the movie. They (the Academy) didn't vote for it, I don't know (why)... I am just glad the audience embraced it. It was a surprise (not winning) quite frankly."

Madonna explains Britney kiss to daughter
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 7 (IANS) Pop superstar Madonna confessed that the kiss with Britney Spears left her facing some tough questions.

According to ananova.com, Madonna said the tough questions came from her daughter Lourdes. She said her daughter became obsessed with gay issues after seeing the kiss on MTV and asked her, "Mom, you know that they say you are gay?" 

Madonna explained to her daughter by saying: "I am the mommy pop star and she (Britney) is the baby pop star. I am kissing her to pass my energy on to her." 

'Brokeback' writer accuses Academy of rural discrimination
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 7 (IANS) Larry McMurtry, co-writer of "Brokeback Mountain", thinks the urban drama "Crash" beat out his film for best picture because Academy members discriminate against rural stories.

According to contactmusic.com, the writer was involved with four Oscar nominated films including "The Last Picture Show" and "Terms Of Endearment". He feels "Crash" won because it was set in Los Angeles, where most of the Academy voters live. 

He says: "The three rural films, I was involved with, lost. The one urban film 'Terms of Endearment' won. Members of the Academy are mostly urban people. 'Crash' was a hometown movie."

Jackson's brother says he used sperm doctor
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 7 (IANS) Michael Jackson supposedly conceived his two eldest children with ex-wife Debbie Rowe using a 'sperm doctor', according to a book proposal that the pop star's older brother Jermaine put forward.

Contactmusic.com reports that this was stated in an eight-page synopsis obtained by the New York Daily News for the yet unpublished book "Legacy: Surviving The Best And The Worst". 

This contradicts Jackson's claim that he fathered Prince Michael and Paris the 'natural way'. But Jermaine alleges that Michael paid several million dollars to Rowe for carrying the artificially inseminated babies. 

In the outline Jermaine says: "My brother purchased children... It is like a sanctioned black market." He also claimed that Michael married Rowe, who he described as someone "nobody would ever look at twice", so as not to upset his Muslim friends by impregnating a woman outside of wedlock. 

Dench supports Craig
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 7 (IANS) Oscar winning actress Dame Judi Dench has slammed critics of Daniel Craig, who plays the new James Bond in "Casino Royale".

According to ananova.com, Dench, who plays M in the new "Bond" film, said Craig had been cruelly targeted. She said: "I hate how people have been attacking Daniel Craig. It's despicable and it disgusts me. I have filmed with him in Prague and the Bahamas and he is a fine actor. He brings something new and edgy to the role."

She added: "His critics will be proved wrong."

A younger Jagger would have been my husband: model
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 7 (IANS) An 18-year model, who describes herself as Argentina's number one Rolling Stones fan, says she would have married the band's leading man Mick Jagger if he were 30 years younger. 

Luli Fernandez met the 62-year-old singer in Buenos Aires during the Stones' current tour of South America. 

"If Jagger were 30 years younger, I would marry him. My life changed when I met him, this is going to be in my heart forever," The Mail quoted Fernandez as saying. 

But she quickly adds: "He is a man who could be my grandfather, and that does not seduce me at all. I felt very close to him without having sex." 

The glamorous brunette has even earned the nickname 'Lolita Stone' for striking a close relationship with Jagger.

A younger Jagger would have been my husband: model
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 7 (IANS) An 18-year model, who describes herself as Argentina's number one Rolling Stones fan, says she would have married the band's leading man Mick Jagger if he were 30 years younger. 

Luli Fernandez met the 62-year-old singer in Buenos Aires during the Stones' current tour of South America. 

"If Jagger were 30 years younger, I would marry him. My life changed when I met him, this is going to be in my heart forever," The Mail quoted Fernandez as saying. 

But she quickly adds: "He is a man who could be my grandfather, and that does not seduce me at all. I felt very close to him without having sex." 

The glamorous brunette has even earned the nickname 'Lolita Stone' for striking a close relationship with Jagger.

Springsteen's new album inspired by Seeger
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 7 (IANS) Rocker Bruce Springsteen is set to release a new album inspired by folk legend Pete Seeger.

The album "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" that features Springsteen's interpretations of 13 traditional songs associated with Seeger, will come out on April 24, reported ananova.com. 

Springsteen said: "So much of my writing, particularly when I write acoustically, comes straight out of the folk tradition. Making this album was creatively liberating because I have a love of all those different roots sounds... they can conjure up a world with just a few notes and a few words."

The album will also include a DVD, which contains behind the scenes footage of the recording.

'Syriana' director upset with Soderbergh
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 7 (IANS) Stephen Gaghan, director of "Syriana", blames executive director Steven Soderbergh for "ruining" his film.

Gaghan complained that Soderbergh "ruined" the movie by cutting out 24 minutes of the film, reported newsweek.com.

He said: "I wanted two hours 24 minutes. But Steven insisted on two hours. I think he was dead wrong and he ruined my movie." When asked if he and Soderbergh quarrelled he replied, yes. 

Gaghan said people at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, also did not like the political thriller. 

He added: "They walked out after 10 minutes. Just walked out. That's the problem with the American government right now. They don't want to know. They have a vision of the world, and it has to be right. They won't hear any criticism or make any adjustment. It's all top-down intelligence. That's why we are in the deep we are in."

'Mrs Superman' dies of lung cancer at 44
DPA

Washington, March 7 (DPA) Dana Reeve, the widow of "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve who cared for him for nearly decade after he was paralysed in a riding accident, has died of lung cancer, her foundation said Tuesday. She was 44.

After her husband died in October 2004, the singer and actress took over as head of the Christopher Reeve Foundation, which funds research into treatments for spinal-cord paralysis.

Dana Reeve announced last August she had been diagnosed with lung cancer despite being a non-smoker. She died Monday night, reportedly at a New York hospital.

Reeve won international respect for devoting herself to her paralysed husband. She won numerous awards, including Mother of the Year last year from the American Cancer Society.

Survivors include her 13-year-old son, two stepchildren, two sisters and her father, Charles Morosini, the foundation said.

Christopher Reeve was left a quadriplegic by a horse-riding accident in 1995.

--DPA

Indo-Asian News Service

Beckham, Zidane, Schumacher to act in Asterix movie
DPA

Valencia (Spain), March 8 (DPA) Real Madrid footballers David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane and German Formula One driver Michael Schumacher will have small roles in an upcoming movie "Asterix at the Olympic Games", according to Spanish press reports.

The shooting of the French-Spanish-German co-production, the third part of an Asterix series, will begin near Alicante on June 19.

French actor Gerard Depardieu will continue to play Obelix, the fat friend of the clever Gaul Asterix, who defeats the Romans with the help of his magic potion.

Asterix is played by Clovis Cornillac. The film will also feature Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon as Julius Cesar.

The 78-million-euro ($93 million) movie directed by Frederic Forestier and Thomas Langmann will be the most expensive in European film history, reports said Tuesday.

--DPA

Indo-Asian News Service

Lopez gets 'Oscar' message from dead actor
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 8 (IANS) Celebrity psychic Kenny Kingston has an "award-winning" message for singer-cum-actor Jennifer Lopez from the late actor Merle Oberon.

Kingston claimed he was contacted by Oberon while he was watching the Oscar awards Sunday. 

He said Oberon told him to spread the word that Lopez would win an Oscar if she played the dead actress in her biopic, according to contactmusic.com. 

"Merle Oberon was stunned by Jennifer at the Oscars - Jennifer was wearing an identical gown to the one she wore to the Academy Awards when she was nominated for Best Actress back in 1935," Kingston said.

"Isn't that ironic? Merle is a big fan and she thinks Jennifer has got the perfect exotic look to play her in a biopic. She is convinced the role will earn Jennifer her first Oscar."

Culkin fears adverse reaction to new book
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 8 (IANS) Former child star Macaulay Culkin is worried that readers of his new novel will think he is mad.

Ananova.com reported that Culkin was urging his fans not to read too much into his upcoming semi-autobiographical book called "Junior". 

"I hope people don't think I am crazy because I am not. I have led a very isolated existence since I was six-years-old. It is kind of been me and my mind," he said. 

Culkin turned to writing when he couldn't find any acting jobs and says it turned him into a bit of a recluse. 

He rose to fame in the role of Kevin in the "Home Alone" series. He was a close friend of singer Michael Jackson and is also the godfather of Jackson's first child. 

Culkin got married at the tender age of 17 but divorced just two years later.

Stone slapped director over 'Basic Instinct' scene
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 8 (IANS) Actress Sharon Stone slapped "Basic Instinct" director Paul Verhoeven the first time she saw the racy sex thriller - after she saw her genitals on the big screen.

According to contactmusic.com, Stone admitted she was horrified with the scene and had no idea that the director would show her bare genitals in the famous leg-crossing interrogation scene. 

"I knew that we were going to do this leg crossing thing and I knew that we were going to allude to the concept that I was nude but I did not think that you would see my vagina in the scene," said Stone.

"Later, when I saw it in the screening I was shocked. I think seeing it in a room full of strangers was so disrespectful (to me) and so shocking, so I went into the booth and slapped him (Verhoeven) and left." 

Stone insisted the character she played in the movie became famous because of her performance and not because she flashed her genitals. 

She adds: "I don't think that it (the film) moved my career because you could see up my dress. I think that it moved my career because I am good in the movie."

Aguilera's new sophisticated look
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 8 (IANS) Pop star Christina Aguilera is turning her back on her dirty girl image because she is a married woman now.

According to ananova.com, Aguilera, who was famous for her raunchy antics, is planning on a comeback.

She said after her wedding to music executive Jordan Bartman she was going for a softer and more sophisticated image. 

The singer, who has almost finished her new album, is hoping her loyal fans will accept her new image. "It has a 1940s feel I am most proud of." 

She admitted that her raunchy ways were not completely over. "There's still scope for the wild Christina in me. I can still be a bit naughty but not as much."

Hatcher considered suicide over sex abuse
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 8 (IANS) Teri Hatcher, the star of "Desperate Housewives" said she considered killing herself because of the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of an uncle from the age of five to eight years.

Hatcher revealed her ordeal after helping police jail paedophile Richard Hayes Stone when she heard his abuse had caused a 14-year-old girl to take her own life, Contactmusic.com reported.

The actress, now 41, had been continually haunted by the horrific experiences, which only ended when she went "ballistic" because her mother had invited Stone for dinner.

She said: "I was just blown over by this girl's pain. I thought, 'Boy, that's really close to being me.' Any day of the week, I could feel that sort of pain. I haven't tried to kill myself but I have certainly thought about it and then I felt guilty about thinking about it because what's so terrible about my life?"

She added: "The most horrible thing that has stuck with me all my life is that he was touching me and doing things to me, and he said, 'Doesn't that feel good?' I said, 'No, it doesn't. He said, 'Well someday you'll know what I am talking about.'"

Hartnett discusses movie with Stone
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, March 8 (IANS) Josh Hartnett seems to be looking to put together a movie project for himself.

According to pagesix.com, Hartnet shocked guests when he was lunching with Oscar winning director Oliver Stone at the Sunset Marquis. A source said: "Josh was loudly pitching Oliver a movie project he wanted to do. 'I have got Hilary Swank signed on. She'll play a prostitute named Madeleine and my role is the lead role - a guy who gets in trouble and falls down a rabbit hole.'" 

Stone seemed interested and the two later made plans to have dinner with Josh's girlfriend Scarlett Johansson. 

Filmmaker, photographer Gordon Parks dead
DPA

Los Angeles, March 8 (DPA) US filmmaker and photographer Gordon Parks, the first black director to achieve success in Hollywood died at his New York City home at the age of 93.

Parks, who made the hit movie "Shaft", was also known for his photographs depicting the effects of poverty in the US and abroad. He died Tuesday after several years of ill health, news reports quoted his relatives as saying.

With the detective John Shaft, he created in 1971, the first black American cinema hero. The hit brought a wave of so-called "blaxploitation" films, which starred African Americans and were made primarily for an African American audience.

"Shaft" catapulted him to the level of a cultural icon. It starred Richard Roundtree as the leather-wearing detective in the New York underworld and featured a plot about drugs, guns and mobsters. 

It followed his 1969 film, "The Learning Tree", based on his autobiography of growing up in the American Midwest. 

Before delving into film, however, Parks made a name for himself as a photographer in his two decades at Life magazine, where he captured everything from fashion trends, sporting events and effects of poverty to icons as Muhammad Ali.

Born Nov 30, 1912 in Kansas, Parks worked as a bus boy and a piano player in a Minnesota bordello before his career behind the camera. He also composed music apart from writing novels, poetry and scripts.

--DPA

Indo-Asian News Service

Thurman dumps boyfriend
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 9 (IANS) Oscar-nominated actress Uma Thurman has dumped boyfriend Andre Balazs just a few weeks after claiming she had found love on the rebound.

Thurman, who has two children with former husband Ethan Hawke, has decided Balazs "was not the kind of man she would marry", ananova.com reported.

She still remains close friends with Balazs, who owns hotels including the Mercer in New York and Los Angeles' Chateau Marmont.

Last year Thurman had said: "I am with a wonderful man who's been there for me - that's something very unusual for me."

Davis dislikes 'Sex And The City' repeat telecasts
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 9 (IANS) Kristin Davis, star of TV serial "Sex And The City", says she finds it difficult to watch past episodes of her hit show because they depress her.


Davis says she doesn't watch the show because she hates to revisit the past, contactmusic.com reported.

She says: "We are on all these different stations now - WGN, TBS, I can't keep track of it all. It would be depressing to watch it, like going through your high school yearbook, like living in the past." 

Willis causes international controversy
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, March 9 (IANS) Actor Bruce Willis caused an international controversy when he was blasted by the president of Colombia as "arrogant" and "ignorant" for comments he made about the country's illegal drug trade. 

According to newsweek.com, Willis likened the Colombian cocaine business to terrorism and said that it is "killing" the US. 

He said: "The US and everyone, who care about protecting the freedoms that the largest part of the free world now has, should do whatever it takes to end terrorism in the world. And not just in the Middle East." 

"I am talking also about going to Colombia and doing whatever it takes to end the cocaine trade. It is killing this country. It is killing all the countries that cocaine goes into." 

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe replied: "This is an ungrateful attitude toward Colombia's sacrifices. This is arrogance, ignorance. This is an attitude that shocks the dignity of Colombia."

Ford and Lockhart engaged?
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 9 (IANS) Actor Harrison Ford has reportedly proposed to his long-time girlfriend Calista Flockhart over coffee and croissants.

According to contactmusic.com, Ford supposedly hid a two-carat diamond ring in a bakery bag, so the actress would find it as she reached for a croissant. 

A source says: "When Calista reached in the bag she found a gorgeous two-carat diamond from Tiffany's."

Flockhart's publicists say the story is not true and the couple, who have been together for four years, are not planning to get married. 

Hatcher almost gave up her bid to nab sex offender
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 9 (IANS) Teri Hatcher, star of "Desperate Housewives", says she agreed to help prosecutors put her childhood sexual molester in jail after a heartfelt talk with her daughter.

Hatcher's testimony had put Richard Hayes Stone, who was married to her mother's sister, in jail. But Hatcher admits it took all of her courage to go public with this childhood secret. Even her parents did not know about it, reported contactmusic.com. 

Hatcher says: "Nobody wanted to talk to me. People kept hanging up. There were a couple of days when I could have said, 'Screw this - this is too hard.'" But Hatcher pressed on and found enough courage to help supervising district attorney put Stone in jail.

District Attorney Chuck Gillingham says: "Teri said the biggest motivating factor was her daughter. She had spent some time with her daughter that morning (before the interview) and her daughter was the same age as Teri was when this had happened to her. She said that if something like this, god forbid, ever happened to her daughter, she would want someone to come forward and do the right thing."

Madonna to quit acting
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 9 (IANS) Pop diva Madonna has vowed never to star in another movie because she fears her terrible acting reputation will condemn any movie.

According to hollywood.com, some of Madonna's most recent flops include "Shanghai Surprise", "Swept Away" and "Body Of Evidence". 

She says: "What film can survive people saying it is going to be a bomb from the second it's announced? 

"Making movies is such an effort. And to do that over and over again, with the possibility that I am going to get the (bleep) kicked out of me - and they really enjoy doing it - I mean, it doesn't make sense. I have sort of let it go."

Nun angry with Shakira for risqué video
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 9 (IANS) Colombian singer Shakira's controversial video for the song "Don't bother" has angered a nun at the Catholic school she attended in her youth.

Shakira had a strict religious upbringing and says she will never compromise her faith to see music, contactmusic.com reported.

She says: "One of the nuns is looking for me after seeing the 'Don't bother' video. A lot of people think I like to expose my body, but I don't. It's just because the dance moves require it."

Shakira even sought a priest's blessing before she had to embrace Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz for her latest video "La Tortura" because she is in a committed relationship with her fiancé. 

Hopkins criticises Hollywood
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 9 (IANS) Oscar winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins has slammed Hollywood for what he terms disorienting audiences by making action-packed movies. 

Hopkins says the cinema-going pubic don't need to be bombarded with aggressively edited imagery, contactmusic.com reported.

He says: "I am tired of the camera moving all over the place, with car chases so cut and edited you don't know what's happening. Audiences aren't so mindless as movie-makers think."

Morrissey says London bombings were no surprise
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 9 (IANS) Former Smiths lead singer Morrissey has labelled British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George W. Bush "worse than terrorists" for leading the war against Iraq.

According to contactmusic.com, Morrissey says that London should have been prepared for the terrorist attacks last year since it was only a matter of time before extremists took revenge.

He says: "My view was, how would anyone be remotely surprised? It's an obvious retaliation against Blair's intentions. And you can't refer to these things as being terrorist attacks and yet assume that the actions of Blair and Bush are not terrorism. 

"They are worse than terrorist, they are the actions of egotistical monsters. Bush views Iraq and thinks, 'Well, we will control this country eventually anyway so it doesn't matter how many people we kill'."

'Crash', an impeccably mounted and enthralling plot
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service

Film: "Crash"; Cast: Matt Dillon, Ryan Philippe, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Esposito, Terence Howard, Thandie Newton; Director: Paul Haggis; Rating: **** 1/2

"Why am I always angry?" District Attorney Brandon Fraser's hyper-strung wife Sandra Bullock wants to know at the end of the film.

Why does modern life kill our calmness with such systematic synergy? "Crash", one of the most accomplished pieces of cinema to have emerged from the US in recent months, has one helluva large roster of angry people, seething under the weight of their disgruntled existence, fighting prejudice, combating the constant daily onslaught on their self-regard, but emerging triumphant nonetheless within 24 hours of playing time.

The episodic movement of the plot is incredibly smooth and guileless. This heroic film of epic stature has a lot of behind-the-scenes heroes, primary among them being the screen-writers - Robert Moresco and Paul Haggis and the editor - Hughes Winborne - who combine their might to make the episodic narrative tight and yet so right that you never feel the cinematics of the human story.

The characters emerge from the skilful play of sound, sight and emotions holding us tightly in an embrace of art and life. So unstrained is the blend that you never know where art ends and life begins. You come away from these beleaguered people believing that prejudice and malice are a prelude to a final state of calm acceptance and self-regard.

Hence we have a bigoted racist cop (Matt Dillon) rescuing from a car crash the very black woman (Thandie Newton) whom he had humiliated the night before... The ambitious Black American officer (Don Cheadle) whose mother blames him for sacrificing his kid-brother at the altar of his ambitions... An Iranian (Shaun Toub) paying the price for 9/11 with anger resentment and near-catastrophe... 

Every character in this criss-crossing pastiche of feelings and emotions is an individual born out of stereotypical societal statements on race relations in the US. Director Paul Haggis' main concern is to get close-ups of the distraught human heart as it leaps forward to challenge confront and finally embrace the human spirit. 

The impeccably mounted plot keeps you enthralled, not for its narrative pyrotechnics but its sheer statement on humanism and compassion.

Whether it's the locksmith (Michael Pena) who just wants a safe home with his wife and little daughter, or the two frightened but aggressive outcasts who steal cars, or the rookie cop (Ryan Philippe) whose sensitive conscience baulks at the bigotry that besieges his profession... fringe people in American society have never been portrayed with such transparent vividness and moving sincerity.

It would be a moral crime to single out any one performer among the dozens and dozens of actors who pitch in their prowess to propel Haggis' thesis on the human spirit so strongly redolent of the rhythms of real life. Not one actor looks like he knows of the existence of a camera capturing his or her feelings.

The secret of the success of "Crash", and the reason why it won the Oscar for best picture is that it hugs rather than patronises the people at the periphery of a supposedly mature and developed society and tells us that people in any part of the world are the same: insecure and disoriented, frightened by the responsibility of carrying around their cultural and religious identity.

Somewhere down the line we all need to stop being political animals, to regain our human qualities. That's what "Crash" does. It redeems our faith in the power of the motion picture to re-define those spaces that separate the audience from the screen. The people who suffer and emerge absolved at the end are entities we have met.

Smoking Lohan makes mom cry
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 10 (IANS) Actress Lindsay Lohan's mother Dina fears her daughter will die if she continues smoking since she suffers from the respiratory disorder asthma.

Contactmusic.com reports that Dina begs Lindsay to quit smoking cigarettes but the latter refuses to listen. Dina says: "Lindsay's smoking. You think I like it? No. I cry to her. I told her, 'You have to stop smoking. You have asthma. You could die.' I can tell her, but I am her mother. Did you listen to your mother at 19?"

Lindsay had to be hospitalised in Florida on Jan 2 after she suffered a broken blood vessel during an asthma attack.

Ford wants to work with Clooney
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 10 (IANS) Actor Harrison Ford says he wants to work under George Clooney's direction as he was very impressed with the Oscar nominated "Good Night, And Good Luck".

According to contactmusic.com, Ford said he rarely goes to watch movies. But he was stunned by Clooney's film about a TV news team taking on the US Senator Joseph McCarthy during his Communist witch-hunt in the 1950s. 

Ford said: "I did recently see 'Good Night, And Good Luck' and really thought it was fantastic - a wonderful story to tell to our culture now. I'd like to work with him (Clooney) as a director."


Travolta ruffles scientologists' feathers
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 10 (IANS) Actor John Travolta's decision to play a woman in "Hairspray" is ruffling the feathers of scientology watchers.

According to newsweek.com, Travolta will dress in drag to don the role of the middle-aged mom Edna Turnbald in a film to be directed by John Waters. A recent article in Rolling Stone magazine about scientology says that its founder L. Ron Hubbard felt that gays "should be taken from society as rapidly as possible, because no social order will survive which does not remove these people from its midst".

Rick Ross of cultnews.com says: "If Hubbard had historically had his way there would be no John Waters films in America and no gay actors to play the part of Edna Turnblad, which would of course leave Mr. Travolta with no new character role. And it's doubtful that scientology's saviour would find anything appealing about Travolta dressed in drag as Edna Turnblad."

Hatcher hailed for testimony against uncle
Indo-Asian News Service

New York, March 10 (IANS) Teri Hatcher, the star of "Desperate Housewives", has been hailed for her testimony against her uncle who's abuse resulted in suicide by a young girl.

Hatcher came forward to testify and give evidence, more than 30 years after her uncle Richard Hayes Stone molested her as a child, according to hollywood.com.

She decided to testify after she heard that another of her uncle's victims, 14-year-old Sarah Van Cleemput, had shot herself dead after she suffered four years of similar abuse.

The girl's parents are thankful that Hatcher had the courage to speak out and have praised her for giving candid interview to Vanity Fair magazine. Hatcher told the magazine about the sexual abuse she suffered as a child.

Sarah's father Patrick Van Cleemput said: "This man devastated all of our lives. Teri has been battling with it for more than 30 years and is still suffering. To come forward takes great courage."

Gilmour dreads birthday celebrations
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 10 (IANS) Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour is not looking forward to his upcoming 60th birthday celebrations, because many of his friends he would like to invite are no longer alive.

Gilmour, who turned 60 recently, says he had mixed emotions at his 50th birthday party in 1996, according to contactmusic.com. It reminded him of the friends who had passed away.

He says: "It's sad how many people aren't going to be there, because they have died in the intervening years. There's been a lot of carnage around me, and I am sort of looking at the list."

Craig did not want to be Bond
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 10 (IANS) New James Bond actor Daniel Craig says he never wanted to be James Bond.

Craig, who even received hate mails from fans, said: "I never really wanted to do James Bond. 

"Don't get me wrong, I want to make big movies and I want to make as much money as I possibly can, but there's not a tremendous emotional challenge," he was quoted as saying by ananova.com 

Craig said he fears getting the blame if "Casino Royale" is a flop. He added: "It's a dodgy place to be walking. I don't really want to get the rap for destroying the franchise."

Harrison worried over 'Indian Jones' script
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 10 (IANS) Actor Harrison Ford is getting ready to star in the upcoming "Indiana Jones" movie, but he has concerns over the script.

Ford has been waiting for years for George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to find a good script for Indiana Jones IV, reported to contactmusic.com. Spielberg insists the movie will begin filming this year but Ford says he is worried about the script. 

He says: "If you find out when it's starting, let me know. The reason it hasn't happened yet is we haven't had a good enough script. Is the script ready? I think that was a different script... it looms. 

"M. Night Shyamalan was writing the script and I think we lost him through the failure of George and Steven to attend to him, which is a real shame."

Bin Laden's niece to star in US TV show
DPA

Los Angeles, March 11 (DPA) The niece of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden has signed up to star in a reality television show about her life as an aspiring singer and actress straddling US and Islamic cultures, a production company said.

Wafah Dufour, who used to be known as Wafah Dufour Bin Ladin, is an aspiring singer and musician who is the daughter of bin Laden's half-brother Yeslam Bin Ladin. Her mother, Carmen Dufour Bin Ladin, is the author of "Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia".

Born in California but raised from the ages of three to 10 by the bin Laden family in Saudi Arabia, Dufour has been on a media blitz recently complaining about prejudice against her because of family ties to her notorious uncle whom she has never met.

Last year Dufour posed for sexy pictures in GQ magazine that included her posing in a bubble bath wearing nothing but a necklace.

"Her story will bridge the gap that people feel exists between the cultures she has lived in," said ReganMedia president Judith Regan, who is producing the series.

"She is also a young woman who falls in love, has her heart broken, worries about her looks, doesn't always listen to her mother, and hasn't spoken to her father in years," Regan said Friday.

--DPA

Indo-Asian News Service

Gallagher calls England footballers 'gay boys'
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 11 (IANS) Oasis singer Liam Gallagher says the England football team are a bunch of "gay boys" and will never win the World Cup which gets under way in Germany in June.

"I'm not one of those people who are that patriotic when it comes to the England team. I think that if you play direct football and deserve to win, you win. At times the England players seem to play like women. Beckham and others, they're gay boys," ananova.com quoted Liam as saying.

He also took shots at rock bands U2 and the Rolling Stones. 

"They're the biggest bands in the world, without doubt. The Stones are big. They fill stadiums and they're in tune with the times. I respect them but their songs are a pile of crap. As for U2, I don't understand what they're doing. They're rock stars - for me, they don't say a lot. They don't seem like normal people."

Dixie Chicks continue Bush bashing
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 11 (IANS) Country trio the Dixie Chicks are planning to re-ignite their feud with US President George W. Bush in a provocative new song. 

The group had initially sparked controversy when singer Natalie Maines publicly criticised Bush during a concert in London in 2003. Fans staged bonfires where they burned CDs and merchandise after calling the band traitors. 

Maines later appeared on TV in interview where she sobbingly apologised. But she remains defiant and has written a new song called "Not Ready To Make Nice" in which she talks about the controversy surrounding her concert comments, according to contactmusic.com. 

The lyrics of the song are: "Forgive, sounds good/Forget, I'm not sure I could/They say time heals everything/But I'm still waiting." The song will feature on the new album "Taking The Long Way Home".

Huffman enjoyed her Oscar night
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 11 (IANS) "Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman says she felt like Cinderella at the Oscars and turned back into a pumpkin after the glamorous ceremony was over.

Huffman felt like Cinderella does when everything goes back to normality after the party is over, contactmusic.com reported. But she did not mind returning to "pumpkinhood".

She said: "I think I turn back into a pumpkin and that is really great. I love my pumpkinhood. I mean, my god, I was sitting in the front row. That was astounding. I was sitting next to Terence Howard and his son Campbell. I was sitting in front of Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. I was sitting in front of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. I don't know what the hell I am doing there."

Kidman joins in support of Craig
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 11 (IANS) Oscar winning actress Nicole Kidman is the latest among celebrities to join up in support of the new James Bond, Daniel Craig.

According to ananaova.com, Craig has been receiving hate mail and heavy criticisms from diehard Bond fans. 

But Kidman says Bond fans are lucky to have "the best actor in England" playing Bond in the upcoming movie "Casino Royale". 

She said, "I think Daniel Craig will be great in 'Casino Royale'. He is such an accomplished actor." Kidman just finished working with Craig in a new film called "The Visiting".

Plans ready for 'Crouching Tiger' sequels
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 11 (IANS) The book on which hit martial arts film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is based is set to become a major movie franchise and also into a stage show.

The movie's producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein are working on a stage version of the film and turning the books that inspired the movie into three prequels and a sequel, according to contactmusic.com.

Harvey Weinstein says: "'Crouching Tiger' was one of the most successful foreign language films of all time, and there is a whole world of material in all these books that can be explored in a series of great films, much like 'The Lord Of The Rings' trilogy."

The producers also hope to persuade the Oscar winner Ang Lee to return to direct the movies.

McGregor says he doesn't need box office hits
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 11 (IANS) Actor Ewan McGregor has defended his role in the critically mauled "Stay" saying that a film's box office potential is not his primary concern.

McGregor seems indifferent to the film's poor performance. The film received a low-profile release in the US following much debate between director Marc Foster and the distributor who believed that the film was too confusing, contactmusic.com reported. 

McGregor says: "I think it's open to interpretation, and that's a good thing, right? It took ages to get a release. 

"It doesn't matter to me whether the films I'm in are successful or not. I do them because I like them, not because of box-office potential. That doesn't mean I don't want them to be successful, because of course I do. I love the buzz you get from being in a really big hit. It's just with me, that doesn't happen all the time."

Diaz and Timberlake to star in film
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 11 (IANS) Hollywood couple Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake are planning to star together in a romantic comedy.

The film is about two ice-skaters who fall in love, ananova.com reported.

A source said: "The whole thing is set at the Olympic Games in the Olympic Village. Cameron and Justin have been working on a number of ideas together and this is one they are seriously considering taking it on themselves"

Keanu Reeves laughs off gay rumours
Indo-Asian News Service

London, March 11 (IANS) Actor Keanu Reeves is philosophical about reports questioning his sexuality and prefers to laugh off such rumours.

Contactmusic.com reported that the "Matrix" star was not disturbed by lies about his marriage to movie boss David Geffen in 1995. He said he refused to let mindless gossip affect him. 

"I try not to live my life by what other people say. People were gossiping about what the king and queen were doing way back when. It's just human nature. We like talking about other people."