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No owls for Harry Potter fans, warns Rowling

     London: Don't ever try to copy your hero Harry Potter by keeping owls as pets, warns the author of the children's bestseller, JK Rowling. After the release of the 'Harry Potter' series, the demand for owls suddenly increased leading Rowling to caution that the birds would face miserable lives stuck in cages, if youngsters tried to copy the boy wizard and his pet owl Hedwig. "If anybody has been influenced by my books to think an owl would be happiest shut in a small cage and kept in a house, I would like to take this opportunity to say as forcefully as I can: 'You are wrong'. The owls in Harry Potter books were never intended to portray the true behaviour or preferences of real owls," The Sun quoted Rowling as saying. "If your owl-mania seeks concrete _expression, why not sponsor an owl at a bird sanctuary where you can visit your owl and know that you have secured him or her a happy, healthy life?" Rowling warns on her website. Gay Christie, of Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Trust in Beith, Ayrshire, said that owls are not ideal pets. "It is not much of a life for the owl." The RSPB's Dr Andre Farrar, however, said that in Britain owls could be bought legally for as little as 30 pounds but they take a lot of looking after.

Chatting up women can land you in jail (Go To Top)

     London: Now men will have to twice before they pass a wayward remark at women as it could land them in jail. Men in Costa Rica can now be sent to prison for trying to chat up women. A new law says women can have men arrested for paying them unwanted compliments, reports Las Ultimas Noticias. Offenders face punishments of up to 50 days in prison or a fine if found guilty. "It will be hard for us to tell if the flattery is offensive or not," a police spokesman in San Jose said "People are very different, but we will enforce the new law and trust women's judgement," he added.

Angelina Jolie finds charity more rewarding than films (Go To Top)

    London: Tomb Raider star Angelina Jolie has reportedly revealed that she finds her charity work more rewarding than her movie career. The stunning actress who is also a goodwill ambassador for the UNHCR said that she is only driven to continue making movies by the money she earns, because she desperately needs cash to undertake her charity missions. "I can't find anything that interests me enough to go back to work. I'm simply not excited about anything. I'm not excited about going to a film set," the actress was quoted by Femalefirst as saying. "At the same time I know that by doing a film and making money and remaining in the public eye, I'm able to fund more programs and I'm able to bring more attention. So I know I have to do both. But it is hard to go back to work," she added.

Brad and Jen will reunite, says his grandmom (Go To Top)

     London: Although people have already started pairing Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston with other Hollywood stars, after the two split recently, the formers grandmother believes that the pair will get back together again. According to the Sun, Pitt's grandmother Betty Russell, who is said to be very close to the actor believes that the couple only on a trial separation and will rekindle their romance.

When Kate Moss cracked after snorting crack (Go To Top)

     London: Naomi Campbell's former personal assistant Rebecca White has alleged in a TV documentary titled 'The Truth About Kate Moss' aired on Channel Five in Britain that supermodel Kate Moss once fell unconscious after snorting cocaine. Rebecca, 31, allegedly witnessed the ramp diva's collapse after a heavy night of drug binging in Barcelona in June 2001, where Moss was appearing in a charity fashion show hosted by African leader Nelson Mandela. According to femalefirst, Rebecca revealed on TV how she shared four grams of cocaine worth 300 pounds with Moss in a hotel bathroom. "She (Moss) chopped up four lines - two for each of us and we both did two. I walked in to see Kate slumped on the bed - not really looking conscious, definitely grey-looking, and really out of it, which scared me," said Rebecca. "I pulled her up and dragged her into the bathroom. I was about to take her clothes off and put her in the shower when she woke up," she added. Interestingly, the icon of super slim culture had said in a magazine interview in 2003, "I had a great time. But then there's a major low-point. I'm not a druggie. Dabbling is fine, but when I was bang on it that wasn't a nice time. Drugs enhanced all the misery and I got into this spiral."

Gwyneth Paltrow takes up 'torturous' fitness regimen (Go To Top)

     London: Fitness freak Gwyneth Paltrow has reportedly signed up for gyrotonic expansion, which is touted as 'torture' by experts. The procedure involves being strapped to a wooden rack surrounded by a system of ropes, levers and pulleys to stretch stressed and inflexible limbs in all directions. The devilish contraption is said to create long, powerful sinewy muscles and a svelte physique, and increase longevity into the bargain. Practitioner James D'Silva has already worked wonders with Madonna and has now recruited her close friend Paltrow to his discreet basement studio in St John's Wood, North London, where he charges 60 pounds for an hour's serious stretching, reports the Daily Mail.

Robbie Williams was frightened of cartoons (Go To Top)

     London: Robbie Williams has admitted that he was frightened of cartoons as a child, but now he has overcome his dislike for them. According to Digitalspy, quoting Radio 1, Robbie said, "Scooby Doo, The Magic Roundabout, Bagpuss and Mr Ben used to scare me for some reason - I used to hide behind the sofa when anything came on that was animated." Robbie, who is starring in a remake of 'The Magic Roundabout' along with Sir Ian McKellan, Ray Winstone, Jim Broadbent, Tom Baker, Joanna Lumley, Bill Nighy and Lee Evans, said that he has started to get into watching animation. The singer, however, clarified that his work on the film didn't mean that he was interested in acting. "To be asked for your voice to be used as a character in a film such as this is very exciting for me, because it'll be there forever," he said.