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Spielberg called to direct Da Vinci prequel (Go To Top)

      Melbourne: Tinsel town is abuzz with rumours that Steven Spielberg is being coaxed to direct the prequel to 'The Da Vinci Code', after the rights were acquired by Universal and DreamWorks Pictures. However, shooting down the rumours is the website SpielbergFilms.com, which states that the rumours are 'baseless', and only exist due to the 'involvement' of British tabloids. "The rumour claims that Universal and DreamWorks Pictures have acquired the rights to author Dan Brown's best-selling prequel to "Da Vinci Code" in hopes that Steven Spielberg will direct it....All of the talk online about Spielberg's alleged involvement stems from one or two British tabloids' baseless tales being picked up by a small handful of notable film websites that don't bother to check sources," SpielbergFilms.com was quoted as stating. This, plus a very vocal contingent of one or two fans backing the idea of Spielberg at the "Angels and Demons" helm doesn't make the issue any closer to reality than Spielberg directing half of the big-budget films that come out of Hollywood," it added.

X-Files 2 gets the nod (Go To Top)

      Washington: Actors David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have both signed on to star in the second X-Files movie. The movie will pick up four years after the 2002 finale that left agents Mulder and Scully on the run from the FBI. Executive producer, Frank Spotnitz also the mastermind behind the mythology claims the script is nearly finished, saying, "We've worked out most of the plot." He claims the sequel will be light on mythology, adding, "It's very liberating to be freed of that." The film will begin shooting after X-Files creator Chris Carter and 20th Century Fox settle a lawsuit over syndication profits, reports Contactmusic.

Six in 10 Britons believe in psychic powers (Go To Top)

       London: In this scientifically advanced world, when everyone is fast getting out of the grips of soothsayers, strange though it may appear, about 60 per cent people of a developed country like Britain still believe in the possibility of psychic powers such as premonitions and mind-reading. A recent survey by the Access/BMRB International revealed that six out of 10 Britons believe in the possibility of psychic powers, while 52 per cent have had a dream or premonition of an event before it happened, the survey of 1,005 adults for Readers Digest Magazine found. While 26 per cent of those questioned have known a family member was ill or in trouble before being told,43 per cent said they had tapped into other people's thoughts or had their own read. However, while women are more likely to believe in the paranormal than men, the poll showed that more than half per of the males questioned said they sometimes knew who was ringing before they answered the phone and 45 per cent had experienced a dream or premonition of an event. Despite the high number of people who experience paranormal events, only nine per cent of people consider themselves to be psychic. "When you say psychic, many people have an image of an old woman in a gown with a crystal ball. They don't associate themselves with that," the Daily Mail quoted Simon Bacon, lecturer at London's College of Psychic Studies and a practising medium, as saying. But, the findings also suggested that nearly 34 per cent of women have consulted a psychic or medium and 53 per cent of people believe that ghosts or the spirits of the dead can communicate with the living. Older people are more likely to believe in the paranormal, with 74 per cent of 55 to 64 year olds thinking psychic powers are possible, compared to 52 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds. Northerners are half as likely, at 10 per cent, as southerners to consider themselves psychic.

Brando's final film back in production (Go To Top)

       London: Shooting has resumed on Hollywood legend Marlon Brando's last-ever movie. 'The Godfather' star had spent his final six months working on the project, titled 'Brando and Brando ', when he died in July 2004. Filmmaker Ridha Behi closed the project, which is about a Tunisian boy who travels to the US to meet his hero Brando and chase the American dream. Behi has now overhauled and resurrected the film, which will now be called Citizen Brando, and will be part fiction and part documentary about the director's experiences with the star. "What I was highlighting in the film, the Arab-USA tensions, have even greater resonance, two years later," BBC quoted Behi as saying. The fictional side of the film will star Christopher Walken. Shooting has already begun at the Cannes Film Festival and will continue in the UK, Tunisia and the US over the next few weeks.

Dustin Hoffman's luck with ladies (Go To Top)

      Washington: Hollywood actor Dustin Hoffman's ability to woo women at the drop of a hat impressed his New York flatmate Robert Duvall, as once he even bedded the daughter of a top politician. Actor Duvall admits he still marvels at the star's luck with the ladies when they were living with another acting wannabe, Gene Hackman. "That guy had more luck than Joe Namath (US sports star and playboy) with women. Even before he made it," he Duvall was quoted by Contactmusic,as saying. "He took the virginity away from the daughter of a presidential candidate the night before the guy lost the election," he added.

Hilton's $1.7 m posh pooch pad (Go To Top)

       London: Hotel heiress Paris Hilton has splashed out on a 1.7 m dollar mansion, with a gated living area for her pets. The hotel heiress has bought a Tuscan-style property in Hollywood Hills, near to Cameron Diaz's plush home. According to Britain's Hello magazine, there is a special living area inside the house for her dogs complete with iron gates branded with the family emblem. Inside the gated area, the pampered pooches will sit on plush pink cushions with the Hilton crest on them. The dogs will drink from custom-made pink personalised bowls and each has a crown to wear. The sexy socialite has reportedly also commissioned a large cage for her pet monkey. The 'House Of Wax' star apparently insisted on a huge area to fit all her designer clothes and had a 20ft by 20ft custom-made walk- in wardrobe installed.

Two of three Brit service women harassed (Go To Top)

     London: A recent survey conducted by the British Ministry of Defence has found that sexual harassment and sexist behaviour was galore in the defence forces, even as around two- thirds of servicewomen were sexually harassed during the last year alone and around 99 per cent of them said that they had personally witnessed sexist behaviour. The survey was conducted by the MoD's Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), which launched a formal investigation into sexist behaviour in the ranks after complaints from some of the 17,900 women in the forces. The survey revealed that around 6313 women in the Army, Royal Navy and RAF said they had been victims, and one in every seven of the 9384 women surveyed suffered a "particularly upsetting" experience. As many as 358 women in defence forces said they planned quitting the service because of the misery they had endured at the hands of perverts or bullies. Reacting to the survey findings, Britain's most senior warrior, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, said: "It is clear from the research we have conducted that we have a problem we must deal urgently with. This is not about political correctness, it is about operational effectiveness." Army spy Cpl Leah Mates (30), who made history by becoming the first woman to take the special forces to tribunal and winning a 12,000 pounds award in her sex harassment and discrimination claim last month, said: "I'm really glad the MoD have woken up to the real scale of the problem in the Forces."

Britney gives hubby the boot

      Washington: Rumours of the Britney Spears-Kevin Federline reached a new high after reports that the two had finally split were not denied by her publicist. A source told British newspaper the Daily Mirror that though Britney had wanted to give their relationship a chance because of their son Sean Preston, and their as-yet-unborn second baby, she had finally decided to end the 'hostile' relationship. "She wanted to wait but their relationship has become so hostile she just doesn't see how she can make it work," Contactmusic quoted the friend, as telling Mirror. A pal also told British tabloid The Sun that things had come to such a head that the 'Toxic' singer had thrown Federline out of the couple's Malibu home, and that he was now staying with friends in Sherman Oaks, California. "Things have suddenly turned very sour. It looks bad," The Sun quoted the friend, as saying. And, if the lyrics of Federline's new rap song 'America's Most Hated' are anything to go by, it seems that it's not Britney he's going to miss the most. In the song K-Fed raps that he's not only living life like a king 'extra stoned' on marijuana, but that his '50 mill' bank account will make sure that he can maintain his lifestyle. "I live life like a king, I was extra stoned... This marijuana got me heavily sedated... I'm Kevin Federline, America's most hated.... All these model chicks wanna do me... I got 50 mill, I can do whatever I want".

Paris Hilton pops out of her top (Go To Top)

      London: During a sexy photoshoot at Paradise Cove in Malibu, California, hotel heiress Paris Hilton gave a heavenly experience to snappers, when her boobs suddenly popped out from the skimpy garment she wore to keep them at their place. And even though the beautiful socialite struggled with her outfit, the strategically-placed tape didn't fail to capture a little fallout, reports The Sun. Paris, 25, was filming her reality TV series "The Simple Life," when incident happened.

Cruz forced to grow J-Lo's bottom

      Washington: Penelope Cruz was forced to put on weight on her bottom so that she could fit the part of a young mother in her new movie 'Volver'. The 'Vanilla Sky' star revealed that director Pedro Almodovar had insisted that she not only put on the weight and maintain it, but also learn how to cook and clean so that she could convincingly portray her character. "I put on three kilos and Pedro asked me to stay at that weight level during the filming. He said a big bottom would push me down closer to the earth. And it was necessary to do those things - otherwise how could anyone believe that I was the working mother of a teenage girl," Contactmusic quoted her, as saying. "I had to learn to cut, slice, chop and prepare food as if I had been doing it every day for years. It had to look natural, not fake," she added.

Taylor may be suffering from Alzheimer's (Go To Top)

      London: A friend of screen legend Elizabeth Taylor has revealed that the actress is indeed suffering from Alzheimer's, and is undergoing treatment for the disease in the US. A longtime friend told the National Enquirer magazine that the Oscar winning actress had developed the early stages of Alzheimer's. "Elizabeth is now being treated for the early stages of Alzheimer's. At this point there is very little that can be done. She confided to her specialists that she finds herself more and more confused. Liz wakes up sometimes and really does not know where she is and she's scared," the Daily Mail quoted the friend, as telling the magazine. However, reports that the 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof' star has developed the disease has not been confirmed by her spokesman.