• Becks loses out on his big movie break in 'Pink Panther'
• It's sick to have surgery to look like celebs: Diaz
• Harry Potter finally finds his sweetheart
• 'The Passion' readies for the Second Coming
• Lee Ryan and Geri Halliwell are the latest pop couple
• Sandra's beau threatens to break paparazzi's bones
• Jackie Chan turns landmine digger
• Halle Berry to take you by storm in X-Men 3
• Paris Hilton takes to the Gold Coast like a fish to water
• Dripping in diamonds, Rachel Hunter sizzles on stage
• 'Taxi Driver' De Niro to be honoured by Directors Guild

Becks loses out on his big movie break in 'Pink Panther'

          Washington: David Beckham has been forced to give up his big movie break in the forthcoming film 'Pink Panther' because he is too busy. The soccer superstar was negotiating with director Shawn Levy to play himself in the remake, which will star comic actor Steve Martin as the bumbling Inspector Clousseau. But his upcoming role in the England team's Euro 2004 has put paid to his shooting plans. "Beckham will not be in the film. Ultimately there were scheduling hiccups that couldn't be overcome," imdb quoted Levy explaining.

It's sick to have surgery to look like celebs: Diaz (Go To Top)

          London: Movie actress Cameron Diaz has said that US TV shows in which fans have plastic surgery to look like their heroes are sick and disgusting. "It's reflective of our culture to say to be happy you have to look a certain way. It's so wrong," the Sun quoted Diaz as saying. The blonde bombshell has movies like 'There's Something About Mary', 'Charlie's Angels' and 'Vanilla Sky' to her credit and has a sizeable fan following across the world.

Harry Potter finally finds his sweetheart (Go To Top)

          New York: Teenager heartthrob Harry Potter's quest for a girlfriend has finally ended. In the upcoming sequel titled 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire', Katie Leung, 16, will be seen as Cho Chang, the young wizard's love. Katie, who is a resident of Scotland, won the role of Harry's sweetheart after beating 4,000 other contenders. Harry, played by Daniel Radcliffe, develops a crush on Cho, his competitor in the magical sport quidditch and shares his first kiss with her "The film producers and author JK Rowling wanted an unknown for the part of Cho Chang and Katie's absolutely perfect. She's pretty, intelligent and has a great future ahead of her," a source was quoted as saying by Teen Hollywood.

'The Passion' readies for the Second Coming (Go To Top)

          New York: Mel Gibson's mega hit the Passion of the Christ is ready for the second coming. The movie, which has already become one of the top 10 flicks of all time in terms of business on the big screen, is now being resurrected on DVDs and VHS. The DVDs and the VHS will be launched by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment and Gibson's Icon Productions on August 31, reports E-Online. The initial DVD edition of the controversial biblical blockbuster is unlikely to include any extra information, save the actual film itself. Fans looking forward to the director's commentary and the usual grab-bag of goodies like special-effects featurettes, production stills, interviews with the cast and crew, making-of documentaries, etc., will have to wait until some future special edition DVD is launched. The single-disc DVD is expected to be prized at 29.98 dollars while the VHS version will go for 24.98 dollars.

Lee Ryan and Geri Halliwell are the latest pop couple (Go To Top)

         London: It may sound surprising but it's true that Lee Ryan and Geri Halliwell may be the latest pop couple. The Blue star and the former Spice girl have been often spotted together, flirting and getting cosy with each other, reports the Sun. Lee along with bandmates Antony Costa and Simon Webbe was present at a bash at designer Dolce and Gabbana's London store. The moment Geri walked in, their romantic romps began. "His eyes lit up as she came in. They were soon kissing and pawing each other like teenagers," an onlooker was quoted as saying.

Sandra's beau threatens to break paparazzi's bones (Go To Top)

          Washington: Hollywood actress Sandra Bullock's biker boyfriend Jesse James has warned paparazzi to stay away from him and his girlfriend unless they want to get a few broken bones. According to IMDb, the tough guy was a classic car and bike mechanic before he signed up to host the car makeover show "Monster Garage" on the Discovery Channel. The couple has attracted a lot of media attention ever since they started dating a few months back. "Those paparazzi had better shove to the shopper or they're gonna get the s**t beat out of them - and that's a fact" he is reported to have said. James' continues to make bikes, which sell for between 80,000 and 150,000 dollars each, and his clientele include stars like Keanu Reeves, Kid Rock, Shaquille O'Neal and girlfriend Sandra Bullock.

Jackie Chan turns landmine digger (Go To Top)

          Washington: Apparently there is no gold rush in Cambodia. But still, martial arts hero Jackie Chan had a field day digging up landmines there. According to Imdb, the actor was in Cambodia last month as the newly appointed United Nations goodwill ambassador visiting landmine explosion victims and HIV/AIDS patients. The 50-year old actor said he walked through an area once sown with landmines which is now mostly, but not entirely cleared. "For a week, whenever I had a dream, I dreamt about digging (up) land mines. A child could go to buy milk and return without legs," Chan said.

Halle Berry to take you by storm in X-Men 3 (Go To Top)

          Washington: Halle Berry fans can finally look forward to X-Men 3. The actress has at last agreed to star in the second X-Men sequel. But only after studio bosses agreed to give her a bigger role in the forthcoming movie. According to Imdb, Berry who plays Storm was averse to reprise her role in X-Men 3 - but producer Lauren Shuler managed to convince her by boosting her character's involvement. "I love working with her. We would only write a huge role for her, so she's right in that respect. We would make sure that would happen," Schuler said. Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Famke Janssen are also expected to be recast in the film, set to begin shooting next year.

Paris Hilton takes to the Gold Coast like a fish to water (Go To Top)

        Sydney: Paris Hilton seems to have taken a liking to Sydney's Gold Coast like fish to water. So much so, that she has declared that she is going to invest in Gold Coast property. According to news.com, the Barbie beauty has found a new friend in a former sports star turned club promoter. She partied with former basketball star Rodney O at his Gold Coast club all night along with her friends where she proved she'd picked up the local talent of podium dancing. With reports that she could make her way to the Cavill Ave club strip blindfolded, she's also become a big fan of the Surfers seafood supreme pizza.

Dripping in diamonds, Rachel Hunter sizzles on stage (Go To Top)

         Sydney: Top model Rachel Hunter made a dazzling entrance at Laureus World Sports Awards in Lisbon dripping in diamonds and wearing a crystal embroidered dress worth 38,000 dollars. However, Rachel found herself temporarily edged out of the limelight after her estranged husband Rod Stewart's girlfriend Penny Lancaster performed a titillating dance routine for the rocker. Nonetheless, it was Rachel who took centre-stage as co-presenter of the awards, according to The Herald Sun. Rachel had also arrived in a 750,000 dollars Mercedes McLaren. She stepped out of the vehicle in style and admitted, "It's a bit cold, but I don't mind suffering it."

'Taxi Driver' De Niro to be honoured by Directors Guild (Go To Top)

          Washington: "Taxi Driver" star Robert De Niro is going to be honored with a special award at the Fifth Directors Guild Of America (DGA) Honors on September 29 in New York City. According to IMDb, the DGA says it selected the "Meet The Parents" star for excellence in his craft, outstanding contributions to American film culture and his positive impact on New York filmmaking. The other award winners have not been announced as yet. Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols and Spike Lee are some of the famous directors who have been given awards by the DGA in the past.