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Pak theatres may be allowed to screen Bollywood movies (Go To Top)

          Lahore: Bollywood will hit the Pakistan cinema circuit within the next 15 days, if Pakistan's Minister for Culture Raees Munir Ahmed is to be believed. While it is almost certain that the federal cabinet will give the green signal for the screening of Indian films in Pakistan, the Daily Times and other newspapers in the country have said that Indian cinema will be shown on Pakistani screens from August 14. The Information Ministry, however, has scotched this view. "The final decision will be taken by the cabinet. We are yet to receive comments from some departments on the document we prepared on the issue," Ahmed was quoted as saying. "It is a very sensitive and serious issue. Even though we are currently considering it, it could be some time before we send any comments on the document," Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed was quoted as saying.

'Star Trek' composer Jerry Goldsmith is dead (Go To Top)

          Washington: Legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith, who created memorable scores for super successful films like 'Star Trek' and 'Alien' died in his sleep at his Beverly Hills home on June 21 after a long battle with cancer. Goldsmith, 75, had also composed popular scores for TV shows, ' The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' and ' The Waltons and Perry Mason'. His second wife, Carol Heather, five children, six grandchildren and a great-grandchild survive him. According to E-Online, Goldsmith was nominated for 17 Academy Awards and had won an Oscar for his accompaniment to the 1976 film 'The Omen'. He had also earned five Emmy Awards and five Grammy nominations. Goldsmith was working on the tunes of the film adaptation of Steve Martin's play 'Picasso at the Lapin Agile' and the true- life soccer story 'The Game of Their Lives' during his last days but he had reportedly not been able to complete either of the scores.

          The California-born musician had penned tunes for 'Chinatown', 'Patton', 'Rambo: First Blood', 'Poltergeist', 'Gremlins', 'Total Recall', 'Basic Instinct' and many others. "He was always an idol. He had this balance in his music that was always an inspiration to me, something to strive for," the report quoted Goldsmith's fellow composer, Danny Elfman, as saying. Fans mourned the death of the genius composer on a web site dedicated to his music, JerryGoldsmithOnline.com. "Goldsmith was one of the last highly skilled and boldly imaginative film composers in a world a world of film music that is becoming increasingly bland, mediocre and safe. What saddens me most is that with his passing, there are very few of his caliber that remain," wrote one web poster.

Britney's mom potty trains her pooch while she frolicks (Go To Top)

          Washington: Pop star Britney Spears left her new white puppy named Lacy Loo with her mum Lynne for potty training, while she enjoyed a romantic holiday with her fiance Kevin Federline in Hawaii. According to rate the music, the 'Toxic' singer purchased the pup only weeks before she flew to the island with Federline, leaving Lynne to deal with the messy pooch. However, Lynne complained on Britney's official website, "They had a fun, lazy and wonderful time in the sun. And yes, I was left holding the new, not-potty-trained puppy." "We have two new pups. Jamie Lynn (Britney's sister) has a yorkie named Allie Boo and Brit's pup is Lacy Loo. They are so smart and cute," added Lynne.

Britney Spears ready with 6 million dollar love nest (Go To Top)

         New York: Pop diva Britney Spears who intends to tie the knot with her dancer boyfriend Kevin Federline in November this year has opted for a plush 5.975 million dollar three-bedroom house in Manhattan after putting her New York city apartment up for sale. And it seems that the pair will require all the extra space as Kevin's ex-girlfriend Shar expects him to fulfil his fatherly duties towards his two kids, reports ratethemusic.com. "If she and Kevin want to be a couple, that's fine. But there are two kids, so she'd better be prepared to baby sit," ratethemusic.com quoted Shar as saying.

The Von Trapp family dances to `The Sound of Music' again (Go To Top)

          London: Austria's Von Trapp family, which inspired the Julie Andrews classic "The Sound of Music," is making a comeback in the form of the Von Trapp grandchildren, who are all set to embark on a world tour as the "Von Trapp Children." According to the BBC, the Von Trapp family had been forced to flee their native Austria during the Nazi regime, after which they took to the stage and performed all over the world in the 1930's and 1940's. Their life story had been captured in the 1965 hit musical. Now, four of the grandchildren of the famous Von Trapps are preparing to go on a world tour.

Eight times divorced Liz Taylor gives discourse on divorce (Go To Top)

          London: Singer Lionel Ritchie sought the advice of Hollywood's grand dame Elizabeth Taylor, on how to survive a divorce. "I wasn't prepared for another divorce and I definitely didn't see it coming. It just knocked the wind out of me," Ritchie was quoted by The Daily Mail as saying. The singer turned to the eight times married Liz for advice. "Liz is a champion. I'd asked her how on earth she'd survived all those divorces. She told me, 'The first one's the hardest, then after that you know the routine'," he added.

Critics claw Halle Berry's 'Catwoman' (Go To Top)

          New York: Even the presence of Oscar-winner Halle Berry could not get 'Catwoman' acclaim from the critics. According to the Daily Mail, Oscar-winner Berry was branded a "third-rate dominatrix", the special effects "sloppy, hyperactive" and the script "a pedestrian piece of committee work" by the press. The New York Post said Catwoman "even with Halle Berry cavorting like a third-rate dominatrix - is about as sexy as a hairball". It said the action sequences "have been severely edited in an unsuccessful attempt to disguise the fact that the computer- generated version of Catwoman looks nearly as phoney as the real thing". "Berry laps up cream, chows down tins of tuna, sniffs at catnip, hisses at dogs and wields a whip. The overall effect suggests less female empowerment than an Oscar winner who would endure almost any humiliation for a 12.5 million dollar paycheck," it further added.

Pop go Rebecca Loos's music dreams (Go To Top)

          London: BMG Record bosses have denied reports that they have signed a contract with Rebecca Loos, the alleged one-time lover of England football icon David Beckham. According to The Mirror, rumours were doing the rounds for quite some time that the music giant had handed a contract worth 250,000 pounds to the former personal secretary of Beckham. An industry insider had even told Heat magazine, "They think she has real potential. Her music will be very mainstream pop." "It's absolute rubbish. We have not signed Rebecca Loos and we won't be. We are offended by the suggestion. We weren't even aware she could sing," a BMG spokesman revealed.

Ben Affleck to address Democratic Convention (Go To Top)

          New York: Actor Ben Affleck will address the Democratic Convention in Boston. "We're finalizing details now," The New York Daily News quoted Affleck's representative as saying. Affleck's friend, "Bourne Supremacy" star Matt Damon, admitted that he has never voted. "My reasoning has always been that because I'm from Massachusetts, everyone I would have voted for didn't need my vote. That's changing now because of where we're going in this country. I'll vote for John Kerry," Playboy quoted Damon as saying.