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Becks gets best ethnic minority icon award (Go To Top)

          London: It seems all the reported scandals have not done footballer David Beckham much harm as he recently received an award for being the best ethnic minority icon. Real Madrid star Beckham, 29, was awarded the Sporting Personality for the Year award alongwith Arsenal striker Thierry Henry at the Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards in London, also known as The Emmas. "David Beckham represents everything the Emmas stand for. He's a sportsman who crosses all multi-cultural boundaries and represents a positive message, that all cultures influence our daily lives," The Sun quoted an Emma spokesperson as saying.

Few faculty members at Hogwarts (Go To Top)

          New York: Harry Potter's Hogwarts academy is to have two new professors in the form of Troy star Brendan Gleeson and British sitcom star Frances de la Tour. Gleeson and de la Tour will portray Mad-Eye Moody and Madame Maxine, respectively, the film's producer David Heyman was quoted as saying by Zap2it.com Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody is the latest wizard to fulfill the rotating position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts while the Headmistress Olympe Maxime is a half- giantess who oversees the rival wizards' school, Beauxbatons Academy, the report adds.

Harry Potter's best friend shies away from romance (Go To Top)

          London: Rupert Grint who plays Ron Weasly, Harry Potter's best friend in the latest Harry Porter flick Prisoner Of Azkaban, admitted that he is uncomfortable doing romantic scenes. In the movie, Ron starts liking his friend Hermione and there is a sequence in which the couple hug and hold hands. "There were some awkward scenes. There was a lot of hand-holding between me and Hermione. There were hugs as well but they got cut out," Rupert was quoted as saying in The Sun. "It's weird doing romance. I've never been attracted to playing a romantic lead," he further added. Rupert concluded that he prefers comedy to mushy romantic scenes.

London is the world's 'classical music capital' (Go To Top)

          London: If you are an aficionado of classical music London is the place to be. For if Timothy Walker, the artistic director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is to be believed, then London is the music capital of the world. "London's five great orchestras are all thriving and successful," he was quoted as saying by the BBC. Clive Gillinson, chief executive of the London Symphony Orchestra, agreed that there was "more happening" in the classical music world in London than any other city. Walker pointed to London's "five great orchestras and two opera houses" as proof of the city's musical pre-eminence. "New York has just one symphony orchestra," he said.

           Paris has four main orchestras and two opera houses, while Berlin has two leading orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras, and three major opera houses. Gillinson said New York was "extremely important" as a centre for classical music because of the number of visiting orchestras. The London Symphony Orchestra has set up a residency in New York. London's Symphony Orchestras include London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia and BBC Symphony Orchestra. The London Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1932, sells about 82 percent of its tickets for its concerts, and most are often sold out. The London Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 100th anniversary and Gillinson pointed to last's George Benjamin festival and this year's Prokofiev Cycle as examples of the orchestra still taking risks.

Naomi Campbell's wild birthday bash (Go To Top)

          New York: Naomi Campbell's 34th birthday bash recently is not going to be forgotten by the guests. The supermodel actually got the Cirque Du Soleil, a famous circus troop to perform at the party, which she threw at the trendy resort St Tropez. However, the celebrity guests who included the likes of fellow supermodel Eva Herzigova and Oscar winner Adrian Brody pulled off quite a few antics themselves. According to the New York Post, Microsoft co-creater Paul Allen arrived on his huge yacht, hotelier Vikram Chatwal ripped off his turban on the dance floor and Brody came dressed in a long, white hooded robe that made him look like a cross between an Arab sheikh and a Ku Klux Klansman. Brody also held hands with the supermodel as they took turns swigging from a bottle of champagne and they even left the party together. In the background a video showed Campbell being hugged by Nelson Mandela, grilled by Larry King and ogled as she cat walked for Victoria's Secret.