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Virgin, Wedding Crashers MTV
nominations (Go To Top)

      Washington: MTV has announced nominations for its 2006 Movie Awards, and 'The 40 Year Old Virgin' and 'Wedding Crashers' are leading the charge, with five nominations apiece. Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are the standout nominees this year, with each receiving nods for Best Comedic Performance and Best On-Screen Team. Carell also picked up a nod for Best Performance, in which he'll compete with Phoenix, Gyllenhaal, Howard, Witherspoon and Red Eye's Rachel McAdams. Meanwhile, 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire', 'Hustle & Flow', 'Batman Begins', 'Sin City' and 'Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith', are all up for three awards, reports E!Online. However, the most heated category this time around is Best Kiss, which puts the lip-locking likes of Brokeback cowboys Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger against Mr. and Mrs. Smith's Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The awards will be given out on June 3 in Culver City, California and will air June 8 on MTV.

     A complete list of nominees: Best Movie: The 40-Year-Old Virgin Batman Begins King Kong Sin City Wedding Crashers Best Performance: Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain Rachel McAdams, Red Eye Steve Carell, The 40-Year-Old Virgin Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line Best Comedic Performance: Owen Wilson, Wedding Crashers Adam Sandler, The Longest Yard Steve Carell, The 40-Year-Old Virgin Tyler Perry, Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion Vince Vaughn, Wedding Crashers Best Villain: Cillian Murphy, Red Eye Hayden Christensen, Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith Ralph Fiennes, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Tilda Swinton, The Chronicles of Narnia Tobin Bell, Saw II Best Hero: Christian Bale, Batman Begins Jessica Alba, Fantastic Four Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Kate Beckinsale, Underworld: Evolution Ewan McGregor, Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith.

Oprah lends Roberts a shoulder to cry on (Go To Top)

      New York: It seems that America's sweetheart Julia Roberts was so despondent after critics slammed her debut Broadway performance, that pal Oprah Winfrey had to make a personal call to cheer her up. According to the New York Daily News, a source said that the queen of talk shows Winfrey, who had attended the gala premiere of Roberts' play "Three Days of Rain", along with other Hollywood bigwigs like James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, paid Julia a "pity party". Oprah was accompanied by her best friend Gayle King and an assistant during her 40-minute visit to Roberts. A spokes-woman for Winfrey confirmed the visit.

Quentin Tarantino to direct Hendrix biopic (Go To Top)

     Washington: Quentin Tarantino has contracted to direct the much awaited rock-legend Jimi Hendrix biopic. The Pulp Fiction movie-maker is huge fan of the script of the film, according to producers at Dragonslayer Films, and will team up with Hendrix's brother Leon to tell the story of the guitar great's life, reports Ratethemusic. Tarantino will have full access to Hendrix's music and likeness when he starts shooting is scheduled to begin later this year in Seattle, Washington; New York, Toronto, Canada; and London. The movie is expected to be heavily music-driven with all the great Hendrix original recordings. Senior executive producer Elle Von Lear has access to interviews and live footage of the rock legend, which will be incorporated in the film. Lear has acquired the "exclusive authority" to use the name, likeness and performances of Hendrix after a lengthy battle with the rocker's estate, and the first thing she plans to do is make a controversial biopic. American rocker Lenny Kravitz will be playing the role of Jimi Hendrix in the biopic.

Milk is the secret of Superman's strength (Go To Top)

      Washington: The new "Superman 'Got Milk?'" ad is going to feature big screen's new Man of Steel Brandon Routh - donned in the famous red, blue and gold, and sporting a milk moustache. America's Milk Processors bosses have chosen the "Superman Returns" star, as the face of their latest print commercial, which will debut in the May 2006 issue of the country's Blender magazine. According to Contactmusic, the ad copy reads: "Super. That's how milk makes you feel. The calcium helps bones grow strong, so even if you're not from Krypton you can have bones of steel."

Star Wars set for 3-D release (Go To Top)

      Sydney: Star Wars obsessed fans will be pleased to know that George Lucas plans to re-release the original Star Wars in 3D, timed to coincide with the space opera's 30th anniversary next year. 'Star Wars: A New Hope', the fourth episode from the Star Wars series, was the first to be made for the big screen way back in 1977, and is now set to be re-released, but this time in 3-D. However, the other Star Wars movies could also be re-released in 3-D form. Several other films are being considered for the 3-D format, says the trade, including James Cameron's "Titanic" and Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings," reports Moviehole.

JLo's pear-shape, Monroe's hour-glass (Go To Top)

      London: It seems the days of "hour-glass" figures are over, as though women may still aspire to have Marilyn Monroe's or Kate Winslet's svelte bodies, reality suggests that they are close to having curves similar to those of Jennifer Lopez. The latest rag trade findings reveal that nearly 60 per cent of women aged between 18 and 30 in the UK are pear or spoon shaped, and, hence, complain of having problems finding clothes that fit their size. Much of the clothing industry still take the classic Marilyn Monroe "hour-glass" figure as its design blue-print, which account for only six per cent of younger women, states the survey conducted by global fit and size experts AlvaProducts. "Steps are being made by many of our clients to make the paradigm shift away from the hourglass figure that today is personified by Kate Winslet. Most UK companies are still using the traditional hourglass size 12 form, which means that a high proportion of British women will continue to struggle to find clothing that fits them properly," the Daily Mail quoted Janice Wang, chief executive of AlvaProducts, as saying. "The new data will help change the grading and sizing rules. It takes at least 18 months for any changes to be felt in the High Street. But in the long term it will result in better fitting garments for women," she added. According to the research, the other main bodyshape identified was a rectangle, like pop star Gwen Stefani,and nearly a third - 31% - of the total of 1,950 women surveyed fell into that category. British women tended to carry more weight around the hips and thighs than their American cousins who are more rectangular in shape, research had also shown. AlvaProducts, technology and customised mannequins are used by major retailers and apparel manufacturers throughout the world.

Silent Hill rules weekend box-office (Go To Top)

      Washington: Fright flick 'Silent Hill,' starring Australian actress Radha Mitchell, has debuted with 20.2 million dollars, snatching the top spot from the comedy 'Scary Movie 4,' which slipped to number two position with 17 million dollars in its second weekend. While 'The Sentinel,' a thriller starring Michael Douglas and Eva Longoria, opened at the third position with an estimated 14.7 million dollars take, 'Ice Age: The Meltdown' took the fourth place after grabbing 12.8 million dollars . 'The Wild' rounded off the top five with 8.1 million dollars in its second week, reports E!Online.

    The weekend's top-grossing films, based on studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations are: 1. Silent Hill, $20.2 million 2. Scary Movie 4, $17 million 3. The Sentinel, $14.7 million 4. Ice Age: The Meltdown, $12.8 million 5. The Wild, $8.1 million 6. Benchwarmers, $7.3 million 7. Take the Lead, $4.3 million 8. American Dreamz, $3.7 million (tie) 8. Inside Man, $3.7 million (tie) 10. Friends with Money, $3.6 million .

Beckham's hi-tech BMW stolen (Go To Top)

     London: High-tech car thieves have stolen David Beckham's BMW, even though his armour-plated 4x4 was equipped with the latest hi-tech security devices. The 70,000 pound, BMW X-5 was fitted with the latest anti-theft devices for which Beckham had to use an individual ignition code, but the thieves used software to start the engine electronically. The Real Madrid striker had parked his car in a shopping centre car park in the Madrid suburb of Alcobendas while he took his two sons out for lunch. The footballer told police that apart from documents and a sports bag, there had been nothing of value inside the car Beckham is the fourth Real star to fall victim of specialised car theft gangs in Madrid. Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos have lost luxury vehicles, while Zinedine Zidane's car was stolen from the club's training ground, but was later recovered. Police report that an average of 50 luxury cars a day are stolen in and around Madrid, reports the Sun.

Jolie's lesbian lover Madonna's sex slave (Go To Top)

      London: It seems that actress Angelina Jolie isn't the only famous Hollywood celebrity that Jenny Shimizu has slept with, for she also admits to being the queen of pop Madonna's sex slave. Shimizu, who is said to have had an eight-year lesbian relationship with Jolie, revealed that Madonna was as 'sensational' lover as the 'Lara Croft' star. "It's most guys' ultimate fantasy to bed Angelina or Madonna. But I'm a girl and I was sleeping with both of them-at the same time. They were both sensational lovers who got incredibly turned on by the touch of another woman," the Newsoftheworld quoted her, as saying. Shimizu said that she had hooked up with Madonna after catching the singer's eye during a casting video, and that she had been the 'Hung Up' singer's 'booty call'. "She spotted me on a casting video and called me out of the blue. She asked me to dinner and I went to her house. Nothing happened that night, but we both felt an immediate attraction. Then two days later I went back to a party and instantly we both knew that we'd end up in bed together....I was her secret 'booty call' available any time of the day or night for secret sex sessions," she added.