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Da Vinci director decries over-reaction

     Washington: The movie adaptation of Dan Brown's best selling novel The Da Vinci Code may have not found favour with critics, but director Ron Howard defended his film at Cannes and brushed aside suggestions that the work is a slight on the Christian faith. Howard, who was joined on the red carpet by the film's stars Tom Hanks, Sir Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany and French beauty Audrey Tautou, said that his film was just meant for entertainment. "This is supposed to be entertainment. It is not theology. It should not be misunderstood as such. My advice, since virtually no one has really seen the movie yet, is to not go see the movie if you think you're going to be upset," he was quoted by Contactmusic,as saying. "This is not a documentary. This is emotional fiction. People who think things are true might be more dangerous than those who ponder the possibilities," Hanks, who plays Harvard academic Robert Langdon in the movie, added. Howard also dismissed the criticism the film has received from reviewers after early press screenings, saying, "I stopped prognosticating a long time ago."

Da Vinci book sales sky-rocket (Go To Top)

      Washington: Despite the fact that the much-awaited thriller, 'The Da Vinci Code' came under much speculation, and controversies, the publishers have benefited from the hullabaloo, as the paperback version of the book, which could be described as the ultimate spoiler have skyrocketed. More than 3 million copies have been sold in less than 3 months, and publisher Vintage-Anchor Books, a division of Viacom's Random House have increased its original printing to 6.3 million. More than 60 million copies of the original version have been sold since the thriller hit the stands back in March 2003.

Ice-cream as sleeping pill for Britney baby (Go To Top)

      Washington: It seems pop star Britney Spears is under under strict surveillance for her parenting skills, as after drawing concern from child safety officials for her unsafe driving habits with her infant in the car, she has now caused an uproar among leading dieticians for feeding her baby son ice- cream as a dosing pill. Britney, who is pregnant with her second child with hubby Kevin Federline, had recently revealed she uses the sweet frozen treat to help the eight-month-old get to sleep. "He loves ice cream - it makes him sleep better," Ratethemusic quoted her, as saying. But British diet expert Sarah Cosnay has slammed the diva for doing so, insisting that too much of the sugary snack can be bad for babies and is more likely to keep Sean Preston awake than send him to sleep. "Up until the age of five children need some high calorie foods in their diet to help them grow but they also need balanced meals and to be set healthy patterns for the rest of their lives. What you eat as a child affects what you eat as an adult," the report quoted the dietician, as saying. "Ice cream is high in saturated fat, the cholesterol producing type of fat, as well as sugar, and should really be a treat food for a child. I don't like the sound of 'it makes him sleep better'. That sounds like he's having ice cream regularly in his diet, a habit that is going to be hard for Britney to change," she added. "Besides, if he is really having problems sleeping, giving him a high fat/sugar treat food before laying him down to sleep doesn't sound that helpful to me!" she added further.

Cat Stevens ends his 28-yr self-exile (Go To Top)

      London: Singer Yusuf Islam, after 28 years of self- exile from the music world, has decided to make his comeback, after getting inspired by the increasingly volatile political climate. The artist, who had a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s as Cat Stevens ( his former name), converted to Islam in 1977 and quit the music industry two years later. However, Yusuf now insists he can't sit back and watch life from the sidelines, and has therefore recorded an album of new songs, which he hopes will improve understanding between Islam and the West. "There were one hundred reasons for leaving the music industry back in 1979, not least because I had found what I was looking for spiritually. Today there are perhaps one hundred and one good reasons why I feel right making music and singing about life in this fragile world again," BBC quoted the singer, as saying. "Much has changed but today I am in a unique position as a looking-glass through which Muslims can see the West and the West can see Islam. It is important for me to be able to help bridge the cultural gaps others are sometimes frightened to cross," he added. The un-titled album, due for release this autumn (06), was produced by Rick Nowels, who is known for his work with Madonna, Stevie Nicks and Belinda Carlisle. It will feature completed versions of songs that Islam started more than twenty years ago.

A Bond who drinks Heinken beer (Go To Top)

     Washington: Hollywood hunk Jason Statham has revealed that his character in his latest flick Transporter 2 is more like a working class James Bond sans the extraordinary refinement so characteristic of the suave super spy. Jason concedes there are some parallels with the famous spy. "You could say he's a working-class James Bond," he was quoted by Hello Magazine, as saying. "A Bond who drinks Heineken and not Dom Perignon champagne. He's a bit less refined, but still very capable," he added. The 33-year-old former Olympic diver, who divides his time between Los Angeles and London, has a stack of movies set to hit the screens. As well as an appearance in The Pink Panther, he is set to reprise his role as Handsome Rob for the sequel to The Italian Job opposite Charlize Theron and Mark Wahlberg.

Naomi's million dlr birthday bash (Go To Top)

      London: Super-model Naomi Campbell is all set to celebrate her 36th birthday in style by throwing a million dollar three-day bash in Dubai. Naomi will hire all 18 floors of the seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel. A-list guests are set to include the Beckhams and fellow supermodels Eva Herzigova and Linda Evangelista. The party, starting on Sunday, is being hosted by Naomi's boyfriend - multi-millionaire Dubai playboy Badr Jafar. Each of the three days will be themed, with Sunday dubbed "All White". Monday - Naomi's actual birthday - is Hip Hop, while Tuesday is "Brazilian Samba". Badr - whose pals dubbed him "Prince" has been dating Londoner Naomi for eight months. Sources claim he will present Naomi with a "super-large diamond" at the party as a token of his affection.

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