LOS ANGELES: The countdown to Sunday's 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards is on, and the British comedian Rickey Gervais is set to front the ceremony -- which takes place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in California on Sunday -- for the second time and jokingly claimed he doesn't want to mock anyone during the show who will want retribution.
He said: "I only go for the weak and the feeble. I'm not going to have a go at Russell Crowe or Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rooney maybe. Betty White, I'm not scared of her. You've gotta to choose your targets wisely."
Ricky, 49, also admitted he plans to poke fun at Charlie Sheen -- who has recently hit the headlines for wild partying with porn stars -- and Mel Gibson, whose angry rants were exposed in a series of leaked voicemail messages to former lover Oksana Grigorieva last year.
The 68th annual Golden Globe Awards is set for Sunday in Beverly Hills.
Shah Rukh, Katrina in KJo’s next
MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan has scores of reasons to rejoice for. The actor, who bagged the prestigious Zee Cine Award in the Best Popular Actor category, will soon be seen romancing the dazzling Katrina Kaif onscreen. With the duo not having a single movie together to their credit, many top movie directors are now gearing up to bring the dishy pair together for a film.
And even though the infamous fight between SRK and Salman at Katrina’s birthday party had made her averse to sharing screen space with SRK, the fact that all leading ladies have romanced SRK is now persuading Kat to follow suit.
And that’s not all. As per reports, even Shah Rukh is keen to work with Katrina. Sources have revealed, "At Hrithik Roshan’s birthday bash, Katrina was seen enjoying SRK’s company.
The two talked for a long time and there was hardly any sign of animosity between the two. Not only that, Shah Rukh even escorted Kat back to her car. She left the party with Karan Johar.”
As for the director that is working hard to bring the two together onscreen, it’s none other than Karan Johar. Well, here’s looking forward to this jinxed pair coming together.
Miss Nebraska wins 2011 Miss America pageant
Miss Nebraska wins 2011 Miss America pageant Miss Nebraska crowned Miss America LAS VEGAS: Nebraska's 17-year-old Teresa Scanlan was named Miss America Saturday becoming the youngest winner ever in the pageant's history after a night of being judged for poise, talent, fitness and knowledge. Scanlan wowed the judges wearing a stunning white evening gown and tickling the ivories on piano with rousing rendition of "White Water Chopped Sticks" in the talent competition. In the final question, she was asked about the leaking of confidential government information by website WikiLeaks and whether US security or the people's right to know sensitive information was more important. Scanlan saw the leaks as a matter of espionage and said: "When it comes to the security of our nation, we have to focus on security first and then people's right to know ... We can't let things like that happen, and they must be handled properly, and I think that was the case." The first runner-up, who will take Miss America's place in the case Scanlan can't perform her new role, was Miss Arkansas Alyse Eady. Among other noteworthy contestants was Miss Delaware, Kayla Martell, who made it into the semifinals. Martell suffers from a disease, alopecia areata, that caused her to lose all her hair at age 10, and she competed in a wig. This year marked the 90th pageant in the history of Miss America. The organization runs achievement programs and is a major provider of scholarship assistance for young women. In 2010, the group and its state and local affiliates helped give out more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance. FROM 53 TO 1 Fifty-three women were chosen from states and territories across the country in local contests before they headed to Las Vegas and the final pageant Saturday. As Miss America, Scanlan will take the next year to travel the United States and raise awareness about eating disorders. Miss America 2010, Caressa Cameron from Virginia, 22, was a goodwill ambassador for the Children's Miracle Network, and she spent the year helping raise awareness for HIV/AIDS. In the week ahead of Saturday's competition, contestants were judged in preliminary events for evening wear, fitness and swimsuits and answer questions in an interview. From those events, 11 semifinalists were chosen to compete Saturday night. Joining them were four other contestants -- two picked by online voting and two others by the remaining young women in the pageant. The 15 semifinalists were narrowed Saturday in contests that again include evening wear, fitness and swimsuits, talent and a final on-stage question for the top five women. Then, the top five were ranked to get to the new Miss America. This year, seven panelists judged contestants in the final round as they answered their question in 20 seconds. The judges -- including TV talk show co-host Joy Behar, "Dancing With the Stars" professional dancer Tony Dovolani, and "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry, among others -- watched for confidence, knowledge and quick thinking in formulating an answer. Joining Miss Nebraska and Arkansas among the five finalists were women from Hawaii, Washington and Oklahoma. The show included a rousing opening musical number by all 53 contestants, and it was hosted by TV personalities Brooke Burke and Chris Harrison. | ||
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Bold, elegant gowns top fashion on red carpet
BEVERLY HILLS: Hollywood's A-list stars made bold, elegant fashion statements on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards Sunday with gowns that featured sequins, beading, and asymmetrical structures.
"I think at one point, actors may have thought it (a bold choice) was too much pageantry, but this year was definitely about making a statement," fashion designer and red carpet expert Nick Verreos said.
He singled out "Glee" star Lea Michele's Oscar de la Renta gown that looked like it was "built into her body" and movie actress Olivia Wilde's Marchesa ball gown as examples of stars saying, "I'm not going to blend in!"
For her part, Wilde said her sequined gown was "dramatic and elegant ... I liked that it was on chocolate brown and I knew it would reflect the sun."
Melissa Leo, best supporting actress nominee for "The Fighter," also went with sequins, choosing a black Mark Bouwer dress that had a train.
"It had a weight to it and I like that in a dress," Leo said. "And if you have enough room, and people aren't trotting on it, wearing a train is one of the most delightful things a girl can wear.
The Golden Globes annually are one of Hollywood's most-watched awards shows and come only weeks ahead of the Oscars. As a result, many A-list stars show up for the program, and fashion designers around the world seek to have the actresses where their gowns on the red carpet.
Style expert and TV personality Sam Saboura called the Golden Globes: "the night of the black swans and the swan queens" alluding to best drama movie nominee "Black Swan" and the number of polar opposite colors on the red carpet.
There were many black gowns -- Halle Berry, Piper Perabo, Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Stiles and Eva Longoria -- and plenty light creams, taupes, peaches and pinks as seen on Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams, Scarlet Johanssen, Megan Fox, Emma Stone and the pregnant Natalie Portman.
"It was one of the only ones I tried on," said Portman of her light Viktor and Rolf gown that had a red flower emblazoned on it. "It was so beautiful, we realized nothing else would compare."
Many stars didn't shy away from color. There were vibrant reds, vivid pinks, and one color that is sure to be a spring trend -- green.
"There were more emerald green and forest greens than ever before," said David Gomez Pearlberg, fashion executive for Junko Yoshioka New York, citing Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Mila Kunis.
Regardless of style or color, "it was sparkle and shine done in a new way, with plenty of three-dimensional embellishment," Saboura said.
The bold statements made by the actresses were a stark contrast to last year's subdued red carpet that came on the heels of a devastating earthquake in Haiti.
"It was a more elegant Hollywood than we've ever seen before. There were so many more hits than misses," Pearlberg said.
Twilight' star talks privacy, money in Vogue
NEW YORK: Kristen Stewart is living an atypical life for a 20-year-old.
Ever since she took on the role of Bella Swan in the "Twilight" films, she's crossed over into youth-idol status where emotions run high and she has zero privacy.
The actress says in the February issue of Vogue magazine that she can't go to a shopping mall and that it bothers her she can't be outside often.
Stewart is working on the final two films in the saga and says her wish is for the fans to be happy with the outcome.
Now that "Twilight" has made her a star, Stewart tells the magazine, she's trying to figure out what to do with the money she's made from her work. Stewart says it would be "amazing" to help fund halfway houses for people who need their kind of support.
King's Speech leads field with 14 BAFTA nominations
LONDON: "The King's Speech," in which Colin Firth plays the stammering King George VI, won 14 BAFTA nominations on Tuesday, ahead of ballet drama "Black Swan" which garnered 12.
"Inception," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was the next most popular movie at Britain's top film honours with nine nominations, ahead of climbing story "127 Hours" and Western remake "True Grit" with eight apiece.
"The Social Network," one of the films most widely tipped for Oscars glory this year, won six nominations.
The BAFTAs are followed closely as the awards season gets into full swing, although they have only a patchy record in identifying future Oscar winners.
Firth, who recently won a Golden Globe, was shortlisted for a BAFTA best actor prize. His co-stars in The King's Speech -- Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush -- were nominated for best supporting actress and actor, respectively.
The Orange British Academy Film Awards winners are announced on February 13.
Kidman, Urban welcome new baby girl
LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and her country star husband, Keith Urban, have added a second daughter to their family, born via a surrogate mother in the United States.
The Australian couple today announced the arrival of Faith Margaret Kidman Urban, born on December 28 at a Nashville, Tennessee, hospital.
Faith was born at the Centennial Medical Centre under a veil of secrecy, involving the celebrity couple booking out the entire top floor of the hospital and secretly entering the facility via a staff-only service elevator.
Kidman and Urban are Faith's biological parents. Initial reports had said the baby girl was born last week. Kidman and Urban released a statement thanking everyone for their support.
"Our family is truly blessed, and just so thankful, to have been given the gift of baby Faith Margaret," the couple said.
"No words can adequately convey the incredible gratitude that we feel for everyone who was so supportive throughout this process, in particular our gestational carrier."
Kidman and Urban, both 43, were married in 2006 and have another daughter together, Sunday Rose, 2.
Kidman credited Sunday's unexpected appearance to swimming in the waters of a small Australian outback town during the filming of the film Australia.
She and six other women became pregnant after swimming in Kununurra.
Kidman and Urban probably deserve this year's best actress and actor Academy Awards for keeping Faith a secret.
Kidman has been on the hustings in the US, Australia and Europe undertaking numerous interviews to promote her latest project Rabbit Hole, a harrowing drama she produced and stars in as a mother dealing with the sudden death of a young son.
Urban has also sat through plenty of interviews.
And the pair made no mention of Faith yesterday when they attended the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles.
Kidman missed out on the Golden Globe best dramatic actress award for Rabbit Hole, with expectant mother Natalie Portman taking the gold statue for her performance in Black Swan.
Kidman has two adopted children with former husband Tom Cruise, 18-year-old daughter Isabella and 15-year-old son Connor, who live with Cruise in Los Angeles, but the teenagers are rarely seen in public with Kidman.
Kidman has hinted about her desire to have children and said in the latest issue of the US edition of Harper's Bazaar magazine that Isabella and Connor do not regularly visit her in Nashville.
"No, they don't," Kidman said.
"They're not crazy about Nashville. They're so grown up now. I mean, they're adults."
Golden Globe audience up, Gervais' hosting panned
LOS ANGELES: Host Ricky Gervais may have turned off the audience members and critics at Sunday night's Golden Globe Awards, but viewers seemed turned on, watching the show in larger numbers than one year ago.
The Golden Globes, an annual film and TV awards show in Hollywood, drew just under 17 million total viewers to network NBC, which was up slightly from 2010 when British comedian Gervais, who is known for his acerbic sense of humor, hosted for the first time, according to audience figures released on Monday.
Last year's ceremony was up 14 percent from 2009's roughly 15 million viewers, and the upward trend shows the telecast is recovering somewhat from the 2008 Hollywood writers strike which reduced the Globes to a news conference.
Still, this year's viewership of 16.99 million show is down from 2007, when some 20 million viewers tuned in to watch Hollywood's A-list stars parade up the red carpet in their finest gowns and tuxedos and, for the lucky few, accept awards for movies, TV shows, performances and music.
Gervais' hosting duties on Sunday night brought some often harsh criticism from reviewers. During the show, the comedian took shots at Charlie Sheen's drinking and partying, Robert Downey, Jr.'s years-ago issues with drugs and alcohol, the critically panned movie "The Tourist" that was nominated for best comedy, and even the organizers of the show.
His sense of humor on the ceremony's center stage was so caustic that Downey, Jr., remarked on stage that Sunday's ceremony was "unusually mean-spirited."
Many critics seemed to agree. Los Angeles Times TV critic Mary McNamara wrote on Monday that "it quickly became clear that his material wasn't just falling flat, it was making many audience members and presenters uncomfortable and even angry."
Washington Post reviewer Hank Stuever wrote, "Somehow Ge
Journalists ask police to register case against Rani
PATIALA: Journalists in Patiala have asked the police to register a case against Rani Mukherjee, other actors and the filmmaker for using vulgar language in 'No One killed Jessica'.
The complaint was filed by the Patiala Press Club through its president Parveen Komal and was submitted to Inspector General of Police (Patiala zone) P.S. Gill, district police chief Gurpreet Singh Gill and Deputy Commissioner D.S. Garewal.
"Press is considered as the fourth pillar of democracy and using such kind of vulgar words in the movie is a direct insult of the media. This action is also an insult to women," Komal told reporters.
He said that the producers of the film had resorted to use of vulgar language to earn money. The complaint sought a case be registered for vulgarity. Those mentioned in the complaint include Rani Mukerji, actress Vidya Balan, other actors, the producers, the director and the script writer among others.
The complaint was filed by the Patiala Press Club through its president Parveen Komal and was submitted to Inspector General of Police (Patiala zone) P.S. Gill, district police chief Gurpreet Singh Gill and Deputy Commissioner D.S. Garewal.
"Press is considered as the fourth pillar of democracy and using such kind of vulgar words in the movie is a direct insult of the media. This action is also an insult to women," Komal told reporters.
He said that the producers of the film had resorted to use of vulgar language to earn money. The complaint sought a case be registered for vulgarity. Those mentioned in the complaint include Rani Mukerji, actress Vidya Balan, other actors, the producers, the director and the script writer among others.
Donald appointed New Zealand bowling coach
WELLINGTON: Former South African paceman Allan Donald has been appointed as New Zealand's bowling coach on a short-term contract until the end of the World Cup, officials said Tuesday.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said Donald's experience would be a positive for the Black Caps, whose support staff have been revamped since John Wright was appointed head coach in December.
"I know he is really looking forward to the challenge of returning to international cricket and working with the Black Caps," Vaughan said.
The 44-year-old recently finished a stint as head coach of Zimbabwe domestic side the Mountaineers and has previously worked with English county side Warwickshire and the England national side as bowling coach.
Vaughan said Donald, who took 330 Test wickets for South Africa, would join the squad in Wellington this week ahead of Saturday's first one-day international against Pakistan.
He will remain with the Black Caps through the six-match series and the World Cup, to be played in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said Donald's experience would be a positive for the Black Caps, whose support staff have been revamped since John Wright was appointed head coach in December.
"I know he is really looking forward to the challenge of returning to international cricket and working with the Black Caps," Vaughan said.
The 44-year-old recently finished a stint as head coach of Zimbabwe domestic side the Mountaineers and has previously worked with English county side Warwickshire and the England national side as bowling coach.
Vaughan said Donald, who took 330 Test wickets for South Africa, would join the squad in Wellington this week ahead of Saturday's first one-day international against Pakistan.
He will remain with the Black Caps through the six-match series and the World Cup, to be played in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from February 19 to April 2.
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