The Kids Are All Right

Synopsis: The son of a same-sex couple seeks out the sperm donor who made his birth possible in this drama from writer/director Lisa Cholodenko. The committed parents of two teenage children, Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), are about to send their daughter, Joni (Mia Wasikowska), off to college when her younger brother, Laser (Josh Hutcherson), asks for her help in tracking down his biological father.

Reluctantly inquiring with the sperm bank, Joni leaves her number so the office can pass it along to Laser's father. Enthusiastic at the thought of meeting his long lost offspring, Paul (Mark Ruffalo) musters the courage to reach out, and the family tree grows a new branch.

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The Girl Who Played with Fire

Synopsis: Mikael Blomkvist has made his living exposing the crooked and corrupt practices of establishment Swedish figures. So when a young journalist approaches him with a meticulously researched thesis about sex trafficking in Sweden and those in high office who abuse underage girls, Blomkvist immediately throws himself into the investigation.

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USA worried since its cheerleaders could lose jobs if IPL gets banned

Washington D.C.: The future of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and its commissioner Lalit Modi is in danger, and this is now sending jitters to the USA. If IPL closes shop, it is likely that USA will suffer a lot, since American cheerleaders working in it will lose jobs. Modi is said to have been let off in criminal cases in the USA earlier on the condition that he got Americans jobs later on.

Amidst the global recession and rising unemployment rate, the possibility of IPL's end has shocked the American economy. The New York Stock Exchange fell down 300 points reacting to this news. President Barack Obama has himself expressed deep concern and said, "This could jeopardize the future of hundreds of school- and college-girls who never dreamt of earning a decent living. Instead, they chose to go to India and show their dance moves. Today they are the only source of income to our country." Sensing the gravity of the issue, Obama further said, "This is not acceptable that our women are losing jobs because there are allegations of betting on IPL."

Political pundits predict this development could endanger the outsourcing business and could aggravate the anti-Indian sentiments among the Americans. "It can also put brakes on the Nuclear Deal which is very dear to India," said one.

Infosys founder N R Narayan Murthy has also sensed the side-effects and requested the government to let the IPL be the way it is. "We need to improve the image of India - we are the job givers, not job takers," he said. Obama has assured the public, however, that steps will be taken by the government to ensure that IPL should continue and provide job avenues for American women. "Despite everything, we are still the lions and the Indians timid mice. We will manage it," assured Obama.

IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi, without leaving the opportunity to gain some praise, tweeted that the whole idea of IPL was to provide young talented unemployed American women a way to earn decent living and a decent boyfriend (he himself). This tweet was made through Modi's account only, which was supposedly hacked earlier. "I want to help the downtrodden Americans... I spoiled so many of them when I was a student there, and they all honour me," tweeted Modi.

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Ramona and Beezus The Concert

Synopsis: The adventures of young Ramona Quimby come to life in this all new film based on the best-selling books (over 30 million…and counting) by Beverly Cleary. Ramona’s vivid imagination, boundless energy, and accident-prone antics are put to the test when she helps her family face its biggest challenge. Along the way, Ramona must deal with her over-achieving older sister Beezus and the on-again, off-again romance between her Aunt Bea and Bea’s former beau.

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[REC] 2

Synopsis: Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza return to scare the pants off of audiences once again with this follow-up to their Spanish chiller [REC], which centered on a trapped TV news crew in a quarantined apartment building whose inhabitants are infected with a virus that turns them homicidal.

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Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Synopsis: In the age-old battle between cats and dogs, one crazed feline has taken things a paw too far. Kitty Galore, formerly an agent for cat spy organization MEOWS, has gone rogue and hatched a diabolical plan to not only bring her canine enemies to heel, but take down her former kitty comrades and make the world her scratching post.

Faced with this unprecedented threat, cats and dogs will be forced to join forces for the first time in history in an unlikely alliance to save themselves - and their humans - in "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," a comedy that blends live action with state-of-the-art puppetry and computer animation. It's time for the fur to fly.

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Duckworth and Lewis admit they never actually intended to provide fair results in cricket matches

London: Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis have admitted in an interview to Time magazine that they never actually intended to provide proper results in cricket matches disturbed by rain. The two British statisticians are known for the famous Duckworth-Lewis method (D/L Method), which is used to decide who wins in interrupted cricket matches. The duo have confessed they have been fooling the cricketing world for the last decade.

"The theory behind our method is simple. It says: 'Those who know cricket don't know maths. And those who know maths have nothing to do with cricket.' We took advantage of this theory and had this comic thought of fooling the world by mixing maths with cricket," explained Mr. Lewis.

"Yeah, we are cheats but we don't take responsibility of sending various teams out of World Cups due to rain. It is the fault of the people who manufactured cricket, since they didn't make it an indoor game. The game is so complicated in itself. Now when rains, storms, tsunamis, or UFOs strike or earthquakes occur or when the fat umpires let off huge farts, there is bound to be disturbance," said Mr. Duckworth in the interview.

He continued, "We never actually intended to give fair results to cricket matches. We just wanted to be on the TV news channels every time a team lost because of our method. I personally love it when people talk about me and look at me and say, 'This is the Duckworth of D/L. His method always makes the wrong team win.' Our wish is to be on the Time's list of most influential people on earth. Our best moment so far was when an Irish pop group used our name to call themselves."

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Lindsay Lohan gets a starry new tattoo

Her last hit came more than two years ago, but Lindsay Lohan is still a star, at least that is what she is telling herself.

The 23-year-old was pictured with a new tattoo on her forearm, which read 'I'm a star, I'm a star.'

Perhaps she had the etching done in a bid to silence critics who have only been too quick to point out that the former child star is not so in demand these days, reported Daily Mail online.

The actress, who is now more famous for her public appearances than her career, has got another new tattoo, part of a famous quote by tragic actress Marilyn Monroe, which reads, "I restore myself when I'm alone."

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Jolie to play Cleopatra?

Actress Angelina Jolie is likely to play legendary Egyptian ruler Cleopatra in a biopic.

Producer Scott Rudin has purchased the film rights of the upcoming biography Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra: A Life, written by Stacy Schiff who feels Jolie would be ideal in the role.

"Physically, she's the perfect look," usmagazine.com quoted the author as saying..

The biography is due for November release and Rudin's office has confirmed that the movie "is being developed for and with Jolie".

The role Cleopatra has most famously been played by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1963 lavish movie of the same name; Richard Burton played Cleopatra's Roman lover Marc Anthony.

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DiCaprio planned to quit acting after Titanic

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio, who achieved heartthrob status after the huge success of Titanic, almost quit acting as he hated the 'pretty boy' tag after the movie.

The 35-year-old actor didn't enjoy the fame he achieved by starring in the Oscar-winning film because his appearance took precedence over his acting ability, reported Mirror online.

"At first I hated the way I was turned into a pretty boy, as if that was all that was expected of me. It made me almost want to stop acting for a while because the attention that was focused on me was not where I wanted to take my career," said DiCaprio.

The actor, who had acted in Romeo + Juliet before Titanic happened, made a conscious effort to stay away from romantic movies afterwards and starred in films like Gangs of New York and Blood Diamond.

"I didn't want to do romantic films or anything which just exploited my image or appearance. I also kind of had to be more careful about the friends I was hanging out with. I was living a pretty big life for a while and then that just gets tiresome," said DiCaprio.

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A Single Man - Review

For all those who ask why they should see A Single Man, I have only two words: Colin Firth.

The actor, who has made a career of playing self-deprecating, elegant British gentlemen from Pride and Prejudice to Bridget Joneses’ Diary, creates here a portrait of grief so gut-wrenching that it will singe your soul. He strips every layer off until all that is left is a sliver of howling pain. At times, his performance is so naked, that you almost want to look away.

A Single Man, loosely adapted from a novel by Christopher Isherwood, is about exactly that. Firth plays Professor Falconer, a British expatriate, who teaches English in a California high school in 1962.

The film follows a single day in the life of the professor who aims to shoot himself that night.

Professor Falconer is gay. His partner of 16 years died in a car accident eight months ago. Steeped in grief, Falconer decides that today will be different.

Today he will just put an end to it. Since this will be his last day on earth, Falconer acutely observes each experience, noticing the way the eyeliner curves on a girl’s eyelid and deeply inhaling the scent of dog. Interspersed through the day are scenes from his past and relationship.

A Single Man is the directorial debut of celebrated designer Tom Ford. Not surprisingly, the film is blindingly pretty. Nothing is frayed or askew.

In fact some images are so designed that they hobble the emotional wallop of the story. But Firth moors the style and aesthetics in raw but restrained emotion. Watch the scene in which he is told, on the telephone, that his lover is dead and that he cannot come to the funeral. His voice barely changes even as his face crumples with pain.

Julianne Moore pitches in with a fine performance as Falconer’s friend Charley, who tries to cloak her desperate loneliness with alcohol and make-up.

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Despicable Me

Synopsis: A man (voiced by Steve Carell) who's in the midst of making plans to steal the moon is sidetracked when he's put in charge of three orphans in this computer-generated 3-D animated film by directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin. Jason Segel, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Russell Brand, and Julie Andrews also lend their voices to the Universal Pictures production.

*ing : Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Julie Andrews and Will Arnett

Release Date : 9th July

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[REC] 2

Synopsis: Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza return to scare the pants off of audiences once again with this follow-up to their Spanish chiller [REC], which centered on a trapped TV news crew in a quarantined apartment building whose inhabitants are infected with a virus that turns them homicidal.

*ing : Manuela Velasco, Leticia Dolera, Juli Fabregas, Jonathan Mellor and Ariel Casas
Release Date : 9th July

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The Girl Who Played with Fire

Synopsis: Mikael Blomkvist has made his living exposing the crooked and corrupt practices of establishment Swedish figures.

So when a young journalist approaches him with a meticulously researched thesis about sex trafficking in Sweden and those in high office who abuse underage girls, Blomkvist immediately throws himself into the investigation.

*ing : Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist and Alexandra Eisenstein

Release Date : 2nd July 2010

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The Last Airbender

Synopsis : Suspense auteur M. Night Shyamalan takes a break from crafting original screenplays to tell this tale of a 12-year-old boy (Noah Ringer) who provides the last hope for restoring harmony to a land consumed by chaos.

In a world balanced on the four nations of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, people known as the Waterbenders, Earthbenders, Firebenders, and Airbenders have mastered their native elements.

Though the masters can each manipulate their native elements, the only one with the power to manipulate all four elements is a young boy known as the Avatar. When the Avatar subsequently appears to die while still mastering his powers, the Fire nation launches a global war with the ultimate goal of global domination. One hundred years later, two teens discover that the Avatar and his flying bison have in fact been locked in suspended animation.

Upon being freed from his prison, the Avatar embarks on an arduous quest to restore harmony among the four war-ravaged nations.

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Robert Pattinson hates fights

Hollywood hunk Robert Pattinson is a gentleman in the true sense because he could not bring himself to hurt the stuntmen on the set of his new film 'Remember Me'.

The 23-year-old actor filmed his own fight scenes in the movie but admits he was no match for the stunt team in the tough guy stakes, Contactmusic reported.

In the film, Pattinson plays a tormented student who rebels against his father and then falls in love after suffering a family tragedy.
"I punched the stuntman's face four times - as hard as I could. And he just grinned at me and said he didn't feel a thing. It was frustrating," he said.

The Twilight star's lack of spirit to fight also exists in his real life, although he has engaged in several brawls.

"When I was a teenager I often got myself into precarious situations without realising that it would end in a brawl, more than once!," Pattinson said.

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Pic of the Day - 19th June

Grass is pictured as heavy clouds over dwellings set near the Eyjafjoell volcano in Iceland, on May 17, 2010. New ash clouds blasted out from Iceland's Eyjafjoell volcano brought fresh travel chaos to thousands of air travellers on May 17, 2010 as key European airports shut down. (Photo: AFP)

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Angelina Jolie's casting as Cleopatra causes race row

Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie is at the centre of a race row with objections being raised to her playing Queen Cleopatra on screen, a role many say should have gone to a black actress.

The 35-year-old actress is tipped to play the legendary Queen of the Nile and the film's producer, Scott Rudin had said that the role is being developed with her in mind as she has "the perfect look".

But the casting has angered members of the African American community, reported Daily Mail online.

An Essence Magazine story titled 'Another White Actress to Play Cleopatra?' raised the topic, saying, "Honestly, I don't care how full Angelina Jolie's
lips are, how many African children she adopts, or how bronzed her skin will become for the film, I firmly believe this role should have gone to a black woman."

"Why does Hollywood think it's even slightly plausible to cast white women in roles that would be more sensible to cast a black actress for? Especially when that role is an African queen," read the article.

Jolie adopted her daughter Zahara, 5, from Ethiopia and gave birth to Shiloh, 3, in Namibia. She also has 3 other children with partner, Brad Pitt. Maddox, 8, Pax, 6, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 2.

The film is being directed by Ocean's 11 director Steven Soderberg, who originally planned to turn Cleopatra into a USD 30 million 3D epic starring Catherine-Zeta Jones and Hugh Jackman.

The Egyptian royal was most famously portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in 1963.

The casting of Jolie has been backed by Pulitzer Prize winning author Stacy Schiff, who wrote the book which the film is based on, Cleopatra: A Life.

"I think Jolie will be perfect for it and I can see a possible Oscar in her future. Physically, she's got the perfect look," said Schiff.

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Cameron Diaz is an incredible comedian, says Tom Cruise

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise says his Knight and Day co-star Cameron Diaz is the most incredible comedian he has ever met.

The 47-year-old actor was also thrilled to work with his "great friend" Cameron, who he previously starred in 2002's Vanilla Sky with, again, Contactmusic reported.

"I haven't worked with her since Vanilla Sky, she's just wonderful to work with, an incredible comedian," Cruise said.

Cruise was joined by wife Katie Holmes and Diaz at the Spanish premiere of his latest film Knight and Day last night.

The actor admits he always puts storytelling at the forefront of his priorities when choosing a film role, and is delighted with the results of his latest effort, Knight and Day.

"It's a real kind of wish fulfillment film. It's got a very unique tone. It was something I was really looking to do next. The most important thing to me is entertaining the audience, and it always has been.

I've worked since I was eight years old and I saved money to go to the movies, so to have that opportunity. I just consider myself a student of film, of storytelling. The film itself is the most important," Cruise said.

Much of the action movie was shot in Spain and Cruise, who was accompanied to the premiere by wife Katie Holmes, was glad to be able to share his free time in the country with his spouse and their four-year-old daughter Suri.

"What we do is just hang out. In between, when we had the break, we just hang out. We like to walk around the city.

Suri loves it here also, so we just played around," Cruise added.

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Harry Potter stars slam London mayor

The stars of the Harry Potter franchise have criticised London mayor Boris Johnson after the politician complained the newly inaugurated wizarding theme park on the film should have been
built in Britain, not US.

Johnson recently blasted bosses at film giant Warner Bros, calling them "utterly mad" for allowing a Harry Potter park to be created in Florida, when the books and movies are all set in
UK, MTV online reported.

The franchise's stars, including Michael Gambon and Tom Felton, disagree with Johnson and have now waded into the debate, insisting a similar attraction would not work in London.

Speaking at the launch of 'The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
' in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, Gambon, who plays Albus Dumbledore in the film, said, "Boris Johnson... What's he talking about? I mean only 10 people live in England don't they? You've got to have it in America to get the money back."

Felton, 'Draco Malfoy' in series, has also laughed off Johnson's comments, insisting the weather
isn't good enough in England to host the outside park. "I've got a few words for Boris... well mate, if you want the park to be open for 30 days a year then put it in England, but come on, realistically this is the place to do it," Felton said.

Daniel Radcliffe has also spoken out about the issue, insisting that if Johnson wants to build a Harry Potter theme park in the UK, then he should use his political influence to push the decision through. "Of course it would be absolutely wonderful to have an equivalent in London and I'm sure Boris,as the mayor of London, is surely the man with the power to make that happen, one would assume," Radcliffe said.

While Rupert Grint added, "We should have one, it's just amazing."

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Sex and the City 2 - Review

Sex and the City 2 comes to Indian theatres after having earned the dubious distinction of being the worst reviewed film in recent history. Critics across the US and the UK have lambasted it for being tone-deaf, vacuous and ridiculously-over-the-top.

I walked into the theater with the kind of perverse fascination that you reserve for a train-wreck, thinking: how bad can this be. Well, the reviews weren’t exaggerated. This film is just plain awful.

Or to paraphrase a line from American critic Roger Ebert: This movie isn’t the bottom of the barrel. This movie doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with barrels.

Sex and the City 2 reprises the adventures of the four New York fashionistas who have beguiled the world since the television series started in 1998. Only now they are battling mid-life problems.

So Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker who has also co-produced the film, is trying to put sparkle into her two-year-old marriage. She’s afraid that she and her husband will grow into a boring, old married couple - the type who watch television in bed.

Miranda, played by Cynthia Nixon, is struggling with a nasty boss. Samantha, played by Kim Cattrall, is desperately fighting menopause with tablets and creams. And Charlotte, played by Kristin Davis, is trying to cope with the traumas of motherhood.

So when Samantha gets an all-expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi, all four jump at it. What follows is a spectacularly aimless and obscenely extravagant adventure that helps the women come to terms with their various issues.

At its best, Sex and the City was a superbly entertaining female fantasy. The four friends never worked too hard but were always immaculately dressed. Yet their fierce bonding rooted the fairy tale in heart-felt emotion.

Sadly, that’s almost completely missing here. Except for one scene that rings perfectly true: Miranda and Charlotte discuss how hard being a mother is and Charlotte admits that when she thought her husband might have an affair with their young nanny, her first thought was: I can’t lose the nanny.

But the rest of this two and a half hour saga lurches from one random scene to the next without even attempting coherence.

Samantha gets arrested on the beach for having sex; Carrie runs into an old boyfriend and kisses him; Charlotte falls off a camel. And they do all this while changing a ridiculous number of outfits and wearing high heels on sand.

This film reportedly had a 10 million dollar costume budget. Of course the Abu Dhabi adventure brims over with cultural stereotypes but this entire film is so infantile that you can’t even seriously take offense.

Director Michael Patrick King who wrote the screenplay, attempts to make some statement about female solidarity and freedom but the writing is feeble and foolish.

Sex and the City 2 is unforgivably boring but what’s sadder is, that King has made these women, who were once so enjoyable, into caricatures of themselves. They all seem desperate, empty and in places, downright ugly. At one point, Carrie asks her husband: Am I just a bitch wife who nags you? You almost want to scream out aloud: Yes.

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Pic of the Day - 18th June

Cleaners clean carpet after heavy rain prior to a ceremony of the meeting Ukrainie's President Viktor Yanukovych and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in Kiev on May 17, 2010. Medvedev arrived in Ukraine for a two-day official visit. (Photo: AFP)

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Slumdog's Boyle to direct 2012 Olympic cremony

Slumdog Millionaire Filmmaker Danny Boyle has been appointed as the artistic director of opening ceremony of London's 2012 Olympics.

Along with the Oscar winner Boyle, filmmaker Stephen Daldry have been confirmed as creative boss to oversee all ceremonies at the sporting event, Digital Spy online reported.

Boyle, who helmed eight Oscar-winning Mumbai potboiler, said, "It's a completely unique opportunity to contribute to what I'm sure are going to be a fantastic games. I'm really excited to be involved."

Daldry, director of acclaimed films like Billy Elliot and The Reader said of his appointment, "Myself and my co-executive producers will ensure there is creative continuity across all four ceremonies, that the public have real engagement and that we continue to attract into the key roles the best talent in the world. I'm delighted to be part of the team."

Live TV events director Hamish Hamilton, Mark Fisher and Catherine Ugwu have also joined the team that will stage London's opening and closing ceremonies.

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14 Keyboard Shortcuts for Posting with Blogger

Keyboard shortcuts are a feature I find incredibly useful. Most of our favourite applications offers shortcuts to perform tasks, such as the generic CTRL+S to save or CTRL+B to generate bold text in word processing programs (the "Command"/CMD button for Mac users).

Blogger offers us a range of keyboard shortcuts we can use when creating and editing our blog posts to perform some most-used tasks without having to scroll around to find their appropriate buttons.


The following shortcuts have been tested to work in Internet Explorer 6+, although at present not all of these work in Firefox, Chrome and Opera*:

Shortcut Function
CTRL+B --- Bold Text
CTRL+I --- Italic text
CTRL+U --- Underline text
CTRL+L --- Blockquote (when in Edit HTML mode only)
CTRL+Z --- Undo last operation
CTRL+Y --- Redo last operation
CTRL+SHIFT+A --- Insert Hyperlink
CTRL+SHIFT+P --- Preview Post
CTRL+D --- Save as Draft
CTRL+P --- Publish Post
CTRL+S --- Autosave
CTRL+G --- Indic Transliteration

* Mac users substitute CTRL for CMD

I've tested the shortcuts above in Firefox 3.63, Internet Explorer 7/8 and Chrome, though have yet been unable to test in Opera (so if anyone is able to do this, please let us know your findings in the comments!).

The Blogger Team are aware that some keyboard shortcuts do not work across all browsers and are working through the issues.

Do you find these keyboard shortcuts useful when posting with Blogger? Please feel free to comment using the form below.

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Pic of the Day - 17th June

May 18, 2010 photo released by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment shows the Meridian Boundary Fire near South Branch Township, Mich., in Crawford County. Crews continue to fight two forest fires in dry, windy northern Michigan, both of which have forced people to leave their homes. (Photo: AP Photo/Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment)

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Players to watch out for FIFA World Cup 2010

The latest in a long line of elegant, attacking Brazilian full-backs, Maicon will approach the World Cup looking to embellish his reputation as the finest right-back in the modern game.

The 28-year-old's superb performances for both Inter Milan and his national side mean that the retirement of former Brazil great Cafu after the last World Cup has not been too keenly felt by the five-time champions.

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Players to watch out for FIFA World Cup 2010

It was on October 19, 2002 that most of the world first became aware of Wayne Rooney.

A stunning, last-minute winner against Arsenal had the Sky Television commentator breathlessly exorting viewers to "remember the name," of the homegrown Everton youngster who, five days short of his 17th birthday, had just become the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history.

That particular record has since been eclipsed but there have been plenty of other milestones to takes its place on YouTube or in the Rooney family scrapbook.

Less than two years after that first goal, Rooney was on his way to Manchester United in a 30-million-pound transfer that made him the most expensive teenager in football history.(AFP PHOTO)

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How To Recover Gmail Account Password Via Text Message?

Password, definitely you know the importance of this word, therefore you have been changing your passwords time to time. Moreover, sometimes you may forget your password. In such situation, you need the help of Gmail Help Center. Now it has become easier than the easiest, as the new facility has reached to recover your password via text message.

If you want to turn on this feature, just Sign In, Choose “Change Password Recovery Options” and enter your mobile pone number and click, “Save”.

By next time if you forget your password, just enter your username on the password-assistance page soon after you will receive your recovery code. Even more, you don’t have to check yours another email account or even leave your page.

Besides, there are so many options available for you to recover your password for Gmail. Nevertheless, this is a special method for you.

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Access Internet On The Wrist, InPulse SmartWatch!

If you will preorder an InPulse Blackberry Handsfree SmartWatch, your dreams will come true in a moment. Using InPulse you can hide your addiction as it connects to the Blackberry Smartphone wirelessly via Bluetooth and brings you the opinion to check mails, send and receive text messages. Moreover, you can even update your twitter account without any need of taking your mobile out.
It has come out with a 1.3-inch full color OLED display with the ability to read your text message without any disturbance. SmartWatch offers a rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery and an inbuilt vibrating motor.
It is available in preorder basis for $149.

Using this SmartWatch you can,
Never miss an important call
Messages at a glance
Stay connected, always
inPulse is customizable

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Pic of the Day - 16th June

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A baby sits in a hand-made pram during the First Festival of Prams in Kiev on May 21, 2010. (Photo: AFP)

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Gerard Butler trying to woo billionaire socialite Goga

He is said to be Hollywood's most notorious womanisers with a string of A-list affairs but actor Gerard Butler finally appears to be have met his match with his latest love interest.

The Scottish star, 40, is understood to be wooing London-based Kazakhstani billionaire Goga Ashkenazi, New York Post online reported. The 32-year-old brunette, who is a close acquaintance of Prince Andrew, previously dated Formula 1 tycoon Flavio Briatore. More recently, she called off a relationship with Kazakh oil billionaire Timur Kulibayev, who is still married to the daughter of Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Butler and Ashkenazi became acquainted after meeting at this year's Cannes Film Festival. "Butler was spotted chatting up with her at a party and they exchanged numbers," a source told the newspaper's Page Six gossip column.

The newspaper claimed Butler is "trying to woo" the pretty brunette, and was seen visiting her West London home last weekend.

Besides his reported dalliance with Aniston the 300 star has been linked to a string of high profile stars including Cameron Diaz, Serbian model Martina Sergic, Jessica Simpson and Lindsay Lohan, to name a few.

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Pic of the Day - 15th June

A cyclist jumps during a perfomance on Red Square in Moscow on May 23, 2010. (Photo: AFP)

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Players to watch out for FIFA World Cup 2010

South Africa football talisman Steven Pienaar has come a long way since cowering on the floor of his childhood home to ensure he was not hit by a stray bullet.

He was voted Everton Player of the Year last week, testimony to accurate passing and a high work rate that triggered media speculation of a move to champions Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur.

And after a short end-of-season break to recharge batteries drained by a punishing English season, Pienaar will join his international team-mates and Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira at their Johannesburg base.(AFP PHOTO)

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Players to watch out for FIFA World Cup 2010

Thierry Henry has ridden a seemingly smooth path through a wave of criticism to be the sole survivor of France's victorious 1998 team to travel to South Africa for this year's World Cup.

Henry, a widely-respected poster-boy in the world of football who has appeared alongside Tiger Woods and Roger Federer in adverts, was guilty of an outrageous handball that ultimately secured France's spot at the June 11-July 11 finals.(AFP PHOTO)

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Players to watch out for FIFA World Cup 2010

Liverpool forward Fernando Torres has seen injuries blight his season and Spain will hope their star forward can make a full recovery following knee surgery and get match sharpness back in time to spearhead his country's attack at the World Cup.

Torres scored the winning goal in Spain's Euro 2008 final win over Germany to help his country lift a first major honour since 1964 and confirm his status as one of the most deadly strikers on the planet.

However, his build-up to the South Africa showpiece has been ruined by injuries and he has not played since injuring his knee in the Europa League match against Benfica on April 8.(AP PHOTO)

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Players to watch out for FIFA World Cup 2010

Regarded as the conductor of the orchestra for club and country, midfielder Xavi Hernandez is often an unsung hero for Barcelona and Spain.

His importance cannot be underestimated with his simple, yet highly effective, passing crucial to make Spain tick and he will have to be at his best if the European champions are to go all the way at the 2010 World Cup finals.(AFP PHOTO)

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Players to watch out for FIFA World Cup 2010

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo is the archetype of the modern attacking player.

Blessed with blistering pace, immense physical strength and bewildering technical dexterity with both feet, the 25-year-old is also courageous in the air and possesses a thunderous shot.

Ability and hard work have turned him into one of the most recognisable athletes on the planet and his stock shows no sign of falling after a largely successful first year at Real Madrid.(AFP PHOTO)

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Pic of the Day - 14th June

This picture released by Greenpeace on May 19, 2010 shows an aerial view vesels passing through leaking oil from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead off the Louisiana coast. BP said that a tube inserted into a ruptured oil pipe now is sucking up about 40 per cent of the crude spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, about twice as much as it did one day earlier. The company said in a statement that its 'riser insertion tube tool' is estimated to be collecting and carrying about 2,000 barrels a day of oil to flow up to the drillship Discoverer Enterprise on the surface 5,000 feet above. (Photo: AFP/Greenpeace)

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Robin Hood - Review

The first thing you must know about Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood is that it is unlike any Robin Hood movie you’ve seen before.

So put aside visuals of a cheery Errol Flynn swinging from trees or Kevin Costner battling the Machiavellian Sheriff of Nottingham. There are no men in tights here; they aren’t very merry; the Sheriff of Nottingham isn’t the worst villain; there’s barely any robbing the rich to give to the poor and Marion isn’t a maid but a lady.

This Robin Hood is an origins story. It tells us how Robin Hood came to be Robin Hood. The film reunites Scott with Russell Crowe for the fifth time and has been dubbed Gladiator with bows.

Sadly, Robin Hood doesn’t have the propulsive power or the emotional strength of Gladiator. But if you’re willing to be patient, it does work as a handsome historical epic with some crackling battle scenes.

The first hour or so of Robin Hood establishes the various power centers, alignments and treacheries that push our hero on the path of rebellion. He begins as Robin Longstride, a valiant archer in Richard the Lionheart’s army. Here he meets the men who will eventually become his comrades in arms in Sherwood Forest.

After a furious battle, the King is killed. His sadistic brother takes his throne and Robin returns to England, assuming the identity of a dead man. The man’s widow, Marion played by Cate Blanchett, goes along with the charade because it’s the only way they can hold on to the sprawling family estate.

Blanchett is elegant and fiery and these scenes of the two living together as husband and wife have a real chemistry and vigor. The trouble is that there just aren’t enough of them. Scott keeps returning to the politics, which, beyond a point, are dreary and joyless.

But Robin Hood picks up pace in the second hour, moving toward an all-guns-blazing climax in which, Marion fights alongside Robin and Scott demonstrates once again, his ability to stage a grand, rousing battle.

Crowe plays Robin Hood with just the right degree of brooding self-righteousness. He has both physical and emotional heft.

Crowe and Blanchett light up this somewhat plodding film. Check it out.

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Pic of the Day - 13th June

Football players wear blindfolds during a football match in front of the Reichstag, the building which houses the lower house of parliament, in Berlin on May 20, 2010. Turkish and German teams took part in the Blind football competition. (Photo: AFP)

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Ferrari signs driver Massa through 2012

Ferrari has signed Felipe Massa to a two-year contract extension that keeps the Brazilian driver with the Italian Formula One team through 2012.

Massa, who lost the 2008 championship to Lewis Hamilton by a single point, says "it is a matter of pride for me to be able to continue working with a team that I regard as a second family."

Since 2006, Massa has 11 victories, 15 pole positions and 30 podiums in 69 races for Ferrari. He spent three previous seasons at Sauber.

Massa, 29, survived a near fatal crash in Hungary last year. He currently is tied for sixth in the drivers' standings.

With Fernando Alonso also signed through 2012, team principal Stefano Domenicali says "we wanted to show proof of stability for the future."

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The Karate Kid - Review

The Karate Kid is essentially a Bollywood launch movie. Only the star being carefully constructed here is Jaden Smith, the almost 12-year-old son of superstar Will Smith
and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Jaden made his film debut in The Pursuit of Happyness but in The Karate Kid, he takes on the mantle of a leading man. And this pint-sized, genetically blessed boy wonder is more than up for the challenge.

The film showcases Jaden’s talent in every situation – like Hrithik Roshan in Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Jaden can fight, dance, romance, weep and skate-board with equal aplomb.

The film is a faithful remake of the 1984 blockbuster of the same name, which made Ralph Macchio a teenage pin-up and won Pat Morita, an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. Only here director Harald Zwart has Dre, the young, fatherless boy played by Jaden, moving from Detroit to Beijing.

Apart from the culture shock and inability to even serve himself food because he can’t use chopsticks, Dre finds himself facing a set of bullies who are of course Kung Fu experts. Enter Mr Han, the maintenance man played by Jackie Chan, who becomes Dre’s Kung Fu master, mentor and father figure.

Mr Han helps Dre to find his inner warrior and earn respect. And also helps him to stay friends with the most charming girl in school.

The Karate Kid is your standard fish-out-of-water, underdog story and even viewers who haven’t seen the original will know exactly what’s coming. There are no surprises here.

But the film has enough dramatic sweep to provide satisfaction. There isn’t much effort to penetrate Chinese culture - most Chinese people just seem to want to touch Dre’s hair - but there are some beautiful visuals of the country, including the requisite training shot on top of The Great Wall.

At two-hours plus, the film is far too long. The momentum flags with Dre’s love track and Mr. Han’s unnecessary back-story but as long as the script sticks to Kung-Fu, there is fun to be had.
Jackie Chan is sadly subdued but he gets one crackling fight sequence in which he doesn’t so much beat up his opponents as make them beat each other up.

But of course The Karate Kid belongs to Jaden Smith who is charismatic and remarkably self-assured. He puts fun into the formula here.

Fans of the original film are unlikely to be impressed with this bigger budget reboot but tweens, especially boys, will enjoy the Kung Fu action.

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Pic of the Day - 12th June

A water spout (tornado) hits the sea behind a surfer on Sydney's Bondi Beach on May 17, 2010. A rare sight in Australia, the water spout lasted around five minutes and expired before landfall. (Photo: AFP

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Players to watch out for FIFA World Cup 2010

Dutch winger Arjen Robben may well light up the World Cup in Oranje in South Africa, but he arrives in the Republic after a stellar season in the red of Bayern Munich.

Robben has scored 23 goals for Bayern this season and each of his strikes against Fiorentina, Manchester United and Lyon played a large part in getting the German giants to the Champions League final.(AFP PHOTO)

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Kieswetter now eyeing Prior's Ashes place

London, June 11 : England wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter, who has been catapulted into the national one-day team, has said that his ultimate dream is to fly Down Under as the wicketkeeper for the Ashes series.

Kieswetter has replaced regular wicketkeeper Matt Prior in the 13-man one-day squad for the upcoming five-match home series against Australia.

“I would love to be on the plane to Australia. I feel I’m doing the right things, but it’s going to be down to how I perform when I get a chance. I hope they take two keepers on tour,” The Sun quoted Kieswetter, as saying.

“Matt is No 1 right now and there are a couple of people, including me, trying to fight for that next spot,” he added.

The 22-year-old further said that to fulfill his dream he has been working hard with England wicketkeeping coach Bruce French.

“I wouldn''t say Matt is a better wicketkeeper than me. He has probably been a bit more consistent than I have, but I’m training really hard,” Kieswetter said.

“I don’t really keep an eye on Matt’s performances. I have to keep myself to myself, keep my head down and train hard. I want to be playing all forms of the game for as long as I can. I have two out of three now,” he added.

He also admits that to play Test cricket, he would have to score a lot more runs and be consistent in his wicketkeeping.

England face Scotland in a one-day international in Edinburgh on June 19 before taking on Australia in the series opener in Hampshire on June 22.

Squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), Craig Kieswettter (wicketkeeper), Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson and Michael Yardy

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Pic of the Day - 11th June

A fan dressed in a Star Wars costume takes part in a meeting in Santiago de Compostela, northwestern Spain, on May 21, 2010, to conmemorate the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back film. (Photo: AFP)

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ITALY EXPECTS BENEFIT FROM ALTITUDE TRAINING

IRENE, South Africa(AP) Italy's team doctor says two weeks of training in the Italian Alps has benefited the World Cup holder as it prepares for matches at high altitude.

Team physician Enrico Castellacci said Thursday that compared with last year's Confederations Cup in South Africa - in which Italy fell at the group phase - players are not having trouble catching their breath or sleeping through the night.

Italy spent 15 days preparing for the World Cup in Sestriere - at an altitude of 2,035 meters (6,670 feet) - and sluggish performances in friendlies against Mexico and Switzerland last week prompted fears they'd overdone altitude training.

However Castellaci said "you can't say that there's a Sestriere effect. We've adapted to the altitude.''

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URUGUAY, FRANCE HAVE POINT TO PROVE

CAPE TOWN, South Africa(AP) Uruguay and France each have a lot to prove in their opening Group A game at the World Cup on Friday.

Although they have won three World Cups between them - Uruguay in 1930 and '50, France in '98 - both are a shadow of their former selves.

The French are predictably embroiled in tournament turmoil and look ill equipped to reach the final like it did four years ago under Zinedine Zidane's leadership. While Uruguay hasn't advanced past the round of 16 since reaching the semifinals 40 years ago.

Both teams reached the tournament in South Africa in identical circumstances, too, scraping through their playoffs 2-1 on aggregate after difficult qualifying campaigns that offered little reassurance to either coach.

Prestige and previous titles aside, there is little to suggest either France or Uruguay have what it takes to dominate a group which also includes host South Africa and Mexico.

"The match will be decisive for the rest of the tournament. We can't lose it,'' France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan said.

Hardly fighting talk, but understandable considering how little confidence France has these days.

France's training facilities and lodgings in the quiet town of Knysna are perfect, but coach Raymond Domenech's team is taking flak from all angles back home, with angry politicians, former players and grumpy fans lining up to predict the worst.

That was also the case two years ago - when France went out of the European Championship without winning a game - and in 2006, when Domenech's team was lambasted before it had kicked a ball at the World Cup in Germany.

But the vitriol has a far nastier edge than before, especially toward Domenech, who is cutting an increasingly aloof and distant figure amid rumors that unrest is rife in the squad.

William Gallas, who has decided not to speak to the media for the duration of the tournament, reportedly resents Patrice Evra being given the captaincy instead of him now that former leader Thierry is on the bench.

French sports daily L'Equipe even speculated this week that midfielder Yoann Gourcuff is so unpopular within the squad that senior players have demanded that Domenech pick Arsenal's Abou Diaby to play instead of him on Friday.

""You don't always get affinities in a team, some people get on better with others,'' Toulalan said. "You don't all have to like each other to win games.''

Recent French results have done little to improve the mood, particularly last Friday's 1-0 defeat to China. In its other two warmup games, France conceded sloppy early goals against Costa Rica and Tunisia.

None of those teams had anything remotely like the strikers Uruguay boasts in Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, who scored 77 goals between them for their clubs this season.

"We can't afford to start games like that at this level. That's the first thing to put right,'' France midfielder Florent Malouda said. ``We have to keep a clean sheet. That's the base of any good team. It's out of the question for us to start the competition by conceding a goal in the first 15 minutes.''

Forlan, however, thinks it would be a mistake to consider France as a poor team.

"I look at the friendly games just to analyze how they were playing,'' he said. ``I do not keep in mind the results. It was a friendly match and the result doesn't count. The World Cup is another competition and they will not play the same.''

Forlan scored 28 goals for Atletico Madrid this season - including both goals to help the Spanish team win the Europa League final against Fulham - and Suarez scored an incredible 49 goals in 48 games for Ajax, including six hat tricks.

"They are a very good team, I don't think Raymond needs to tell us that,'' France defender Bacary Sagna said. "They're very clever and technical, they're all good footballers, especially Forlan and Suarez. But the danger can come from the midfielders pushing up, so we need to talk together more and concentrate better.''

France is expected to line up in an attacking 4-3-3 formation, but the newly formed central defensive partnership of William Gallas and Eric Abidal is a potential weak point Uruguay's strikers could exploit.

Curiously, France and Uruguay had the same results when they both reached the World Cup in unconvincing fashion.

France won 1-0 in Ireland and drew 1-1 at home, while Oscar Tabarez's Uruguay team won 1-0 in Costa Rica and was held 1-1 in Montevideo.

"The team has improved,'' said Forlan, who scored in friendlies against Switzerland in March and Israel last month.

After Friday's game, host South Africa will play Uruguay on Wednesday, while France plays Mexico the next day.

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Pic of the Day - 10th June

A dog competes during the 5th annual Loews Coronado bay resort surf dog competition in Imperial Beach, south of San Diego, California on May 22, 2010. (Photo: AFP)

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Pic of the Day - 9th June

Robby Gilbert, left, and Rickey Crum, of Billings Productions, Inc., guide a life-sized Tyrannosaurus Rex down a walkway as it is unloaded to be put on display at the Houston Zoo on Tuesday, May 18, 2010, in Houston. Beginning Memorial Day weekend and through out the summer months, DINOSAURS! At the Houston Zoo will feature several pre-historic animatronic creatures in a natural setting. (Photo: AP/Houston Chronicle, Brett Coomer)

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Shakira launches soccer shirts for charity

Pop singer Shakira has launched a range of charity soccer shirts for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa.

She has teamed up with the UNICEF to promote the red and gold sportswear benefiting her global education fund, the Barefoot Foundation, reports aceshowbiz.com.

The Colombian star is also set to perform at the opening ceremony of the World Cup June 11. Her track Waka Waka (Time for Africa) a collaboration with local band FreshlyGround, has been chosen as the event's official anthem.

The grand opening ceremony will be held at Soccer City in the South African city of Johannesburg.

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