Alicia Keys, Lady GaGa, Kim Kardashian and More to Quit Twitter for Charity

Alicia Keys has successfully urged her celebrity friends to quit Twitter and make it worthwhile at the same time. From Lady GaGa to Kim Kardashian, a number of stars have joined Keys' initiative to raise money for charity by quitting the microblogging site as well as Facebook for a period of time.

Called Digital Life Sacrifice, the campaign would see the entertainers ditching the digital world starting Wednesday, December 1 aka World AIDS day until they raise a million dollars for Keys' AIDS charity, Keep a Child Alive. In addition, they would also film "last tweet and testament" videos and appear in ads that show them lying in coffins to reflect what they mean by "digital deaths".

"It's really important and super-cool to use mediums that we naturally are on," Keys told The Associated Press. She added, "This is such a direct and instantly emotional way and a little sarcastic, you know, of a way to get people to pay attention."

She further revealed that all the celebrities whom she approached did not hesitate to say yes. They are Keys' husband Swizz Beatz, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Hudson, Serena Williams, Elijah Wood, Usher, Khloe Kardashian, Janelle Monae and Ryan Seacrest.

Most of these stars have more than a million followers who could easily contribute a dollar each to fulfill the goal. GaGa in particular has more than 7.2 million followers on Twitter. "I have a feeling that GaGa is going to raise it all by herself," Leigh Blake, the president and co-founder of Keep a Child Alive said.

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Johnny Depp Banned From Using Phone at Home

Johnny Depp has banned phones from his house in France to ensure his private time with his family is uninterrupted. The Hollywood actor shares a luxury home in the country with his partner Vanessa Paradis and their two children, and he makes sure they can relax during their stays there by cutting contact with the outside world.

He tells Britain's The Sun, "When I'm at our house in France I totally cut myself off from the rest of the world. I never have to listen to phones ringing and that's because - and Vanessa would confirm this - phones are banned from the house."

"We have a beautiful life and I feel that spending time in France has just calmed me down and made me stop worrying about things which aren't really important."

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Annie Lennox: My Life Would Have Been Easier If I Was Gay

Twice-divorced singer Annie Lennox has branded men "a huge disappointment", insisting her life would have been "easier" if she was gay. The singer divorced her first husband, Radha Raman, in 1985 after a year-long union, and her second marriage to record producer Uri Fruchtman collapsed in 2000 after 12 years.

Lennox, 55, is currently single and fears she may never find lasting love - and she's convinced she would have more chance of a happy ending if she was a lesbian. She tells Britain's Saga magazine, "It's not like I think being gay could be an alternative, 'cos it isn't. I sometimes wish it would have been 'cos it would have made life easier..."

"I wouldn't want to disallow the possibility of falling in love again, but I think that for 90, maybe even 95 per cent, of women, men are a huge disappointment in relationship terms. (But) I'm not a man-hater, let me say that. I love men, love their company."

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Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal Spotted Together in Her Hometown

Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal spent more time together this weekend. After spotted in Brooklyn, New York on Thanksgiving, the rumored lovers were pictured hitting Swift's hometown in Nashville, Tennessee two days later on Saturday afternoon, November 27.

In their casual outfits, the 20-year-old country music singer and the "Prince of Persia: Sands of Time" hunk stopped by Fido, a coffeehouse near Vanderbilt University and Music Row, reportedly to get brunch. According to customer Emma Rice, who snapped a photo of the pair, they were "very cute" and "seemed close."

Fellow diner Elaina Mishu additionally told People, "They were smiling and laughing. They were talking a lot and enjoying each other's company. They didn't look like [just] friends." Another eyewitness added, "They were not trying to be discreet by any means. They were definitely a couple. They looked very happy."

Previously on November 25, Swift and Gyllenhaal were spotted grabbing lattes at the Gorilla Coffee shop in Park Slope, which is near Jake's sister Maggie Gyllenhaal's house.

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Ricky Martin Says Telling His Parents About His Sexual Orientation Was Easy

Ricky Martin was overwhelmed with emotion when he finally revealed his sexuality to his mother and father - because they welcomed the news by expressing their unconditional love for the singer. The "Livin' La Vida Loca" hitmaker 'came out' as a gay man in March after wrestling with his feelings for years, and he admits he was prepared for a difficult talk with his parents when he decided to come clean about his chosen lifestyle.

But he was surprised when his mum and dad revealed they were already aware of his homosexuality. Martin tells U.S. news show Access Hollywood, "(Mum) asked me, 'Baby, are you in love?' And I said, 'Yeah mum, I am in love.' And she asked me, 'Is it a man?' and I thought, 'Wow, this is gonna be easier than what I thought.' And I said, 'Yes mum, it's a man.' "

"I was extremely surprised and then she said, 'Come on, give me a hug. You're my son and I love you, and I will always be here for you.' So it was very beautiful. My father... he kinda told me. I wanted to tell him and he said, 'You don't have to say a word. I love you and I just want you to be happy.' "

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NFL Star Will Smith Arrested for Allegedly Dragging Wife by Hair

Will Smith, not the actor, was arrested on Saturday, November 27 in Lafayette, Louisiana for domestic violence. Known as the New Orleans Saints defensive end, Smith reportedly got into a physical argument with his wife just a couple of days after his team beat the Dallas Cowboys 30-27 during Thanksgiving game.

Reports which have circulated say the NFL star dragged Racquel Smith down the street by her hair. That night, the couple left a nightclub at around 2 A.M. and soon exchanged heated argument before he allegedly pulled her hair in the sight of local police officers patrolling the streets.

The officers quickly took an intervention and arrested him on the spot with charges on domestic abuse and simple battery. He posted a $1,000 bail bond and is due to appear in court on Monday, November 29.

"We are aware. We have spoken with Will. Our security staff is looking into the matter. No other comment. We will let the legal process take its course," Saints spokesman said in a statement.

The Smiths were married in June 2008 and have three children together.

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Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt Throw Boat Party for Pax's Birthday

 Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt really know how to spoil their children. On Sunday, November 28, the couple treated son Pax, who will turn 7 on November 9, with a trip aboard the Josephine river boat along the Siene River in Paris, France, Just Jared reports. 

In pictures which are obtained by the site, Pax's siblings including 9-year-old Maddox, 5-year-old Zahara and 4-year-old Shiloh were seen joining the fun little bash. However, Jolie and Pitt's twin children Knox and Vivienne apparently missed the celebration that night.

A birthday cake had been prepared and some balloons decorated the little boat. At a particular time, Pitt who covered himself in a black jacket, was spotted videotaping Shiloh and Zahara on the deck.

Still during their visit in Paris, Jolie and Pitt took their daughters Zahara and Shiloh to the Bonpoint boutique for some holiday shopping on November 27. According to People, they bought pajamas, gloves, boots, pants, sweaters, stuffed animals, knights' costumes and one green plastic alligator for their little girls.

The pair who met while filming "Mr and Mrs Smith" are in France for promotional duties for their own films; Jolie for "The Tourist" while Pitt for "Megamind".

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Initially I was sceptical about doing in ‘Dil Toh…’: Emraan Hashmi

Emraan Hashmi, who is making his maiden foray into comedy with Madhur Bhandarkar’s directorial venture ‘Dil Toh Bachchan Hai Ji’, says he was initially sceptical about taking up the role.

‘I was initially sceptical about the film. But Madhur (Bhandarkar) has brought in a certain amount of realism even in this genre and that made the film very interesting. So then I was keen,’ Emraan told IANS.

In the film, which is slated to hit screens Jan 28, Emraan will be seen essaying the role of a flirt who mantra in life is women and money.

‘The character that I play in this film is not very different from my previous roles but the genre is different. Generally I have played intense, brooding characters, but in this film my character has grey shades with a humorous streak,’ said the 31-year-old.

Helmed by Bhandarkar, ‘Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji’, is the story of three men and their encounters with love. Apart from Emran, the cast includes Ajay Devgn, Omi Vaidya, Shruti Hassan, Shraddha Das and Shahzan Padamsee.

The tagline of the film says that men can never grow. When asked Emraan about his opinion on the same, he said: ‘This is an apt tagline for the film and I completely believe in it. I feel that men usually don’t grow up. Women are more matured. Even when men are 30-35, they are still immature.’

The actor is known for his roles in ‘Murder’, ‘Jannat’, ‘Gangster – A Love Story’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai’.

Doesn’t his onscreen image ever bother him?

‘All actors have images. You have do the roles that are given to you and sometimes your onscreen image bleeds into your personal life and people start believing that you are that way in your real life as well. But I’m okay with that because roles are roles and people close to me know how I am in reality,’ said actor.

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Ajay Devgan, Emraan unveil first look of ‘Dil To Bacha Hai Ji’ in Mumbai

Bollywood actors Ajay Devgan and Emraan Hashmi unveiled the first look of ‘Dil To Bacha Hai Ji’ here over the weekend.

Directed by Madhur Bhandarkar, The film stars Ajay Devgn, Amisha Patel, Emraan Hashmi, Jiah Khan and Omi Vaidya.

Bhandarkar said he had moved away from making serious cinema and that this time he has tried his hand at comedy.

” ‘Dil To Bacha Hai Ji’ is a slice of life, a different cinema. My cinema has always been hard hitting and real. This is also real but comedy as well. The whole genre of this movie is comedy. This is a slice of life and everybody will relate to this subject,” said Bhandarkar.

Devgan described the movie as a romantic comedy and added that people from all age groups will connect with it.

“It’s a nice romcom (romantic and comedy) with which I think every youth and people from all age groups will identify. It’s a kin of comedy, which happens, in everybody’s real life but we don’t laugh on it. So, I think it’s a different kind of genre,” he said.

‘Dil To Bacha Hai Ji’ is a tale of three men and their encounters with love.

Hashmi said the tagline of the movie is appropriate, as it highlights that men usually don’t grow up and remain immature.

“The tagline of the movie ‘Dil To Bacha Hai Ji’ emphasises on men that they generally don’t grow up. It’s an apt tagline for the movie. Generally men don’t grow up. I think women become mature at an early stage. Men grow up to the age of 30-35 but still remain immature,” said Hashmi.

“So, it is an apt tagline. The story is based on three men who are in the age group of 30, 35 and 39 but still they are struggling with love, with their relationships,” he added.

Pritam Chakraborty has composed the music of the movie.

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Abida Parveen recovering after cardiac arrest

Renowned folk and ghazal singer Abida Parveen has undergone angiography and angioplasty after suffering from a mild cardiac arrest in Lahore, media reports said Sunday.

The 56-year-old, who lives in Karachi, was visiting Lahore for a performance when she complained of chest pain and was immediately rushed to a hospital. After performing some initial tests, the doctors immediately recommended angiography and angioplasty that was done Sunday.

‘Abida is still under observation in the intensive-care unit (ICU) of Lahore’s premier Doctors’ Hospital’, Dunya TV reported. Her close family friend Najeeb Sultan, talking to media, said that ‘her condition is now out of danger and requested the fans to pray for her early recovery.’

Sarwar, who is treating Abida Parveen, told IANS: ‘She is recovering well and is likely to be discharged from hospital in four-five days. There is absolutely no danger of her not being able to sing after this operation. She can perform very much like before after recovering completely.’

Abida Parveen is known for singing Sufi songs and is equally popular in Pakistan and India for her spell-binding renditions and performances. She has performed all over the world during her career spanning more than three decades has also been decorated with president’s pride of performance award in Pakistan.

Some of her popular songs are ‘Duma dum mast qalandar’, ‘Tere Ishq nachaya’ and ‘Ho jamalo’, the singer croons in various languages – Urdu, Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi and Persian. Her last album ‘Rukh-e-Murshid’, a tribute to her spiritual master Murshid Sahibzada Muhammad Najeeb Sultan, released last year.

She has millions of fans in India and had recently visited the capital for a concert

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My hard work is paying off: Sreeram Chandra

‘Indian Idol 5′ winner Sreeram Chandra, whose career graph seems to be touching new heights with his song finding a place in the Hollywood film ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader’, says he is reaping the benefits of his diligent work.

The title song of Sreeram’s first album ‘Rehnuma’ will be featured in the end credits of the Fox Star Studios film.

‘It feels really great that I am the first one to be singing for a Hollywood film and I will also feature in it. It’s like a dream come true,’ Sreeram told IANS on phone from Mumbai.

‘The studio people heard me singing in ‘Indian Idol 5′ after which they approached me. I am happy that my hard work is finally paying off,’ he said.

Titled ‘Rehnuma’, the song will be used in the end credits of the Fox Star Studios film which is releasing Friday in India. The song has been recorded in three different languages Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

Hydreabad-based Sreeram is an engineer and doesn’t belong to a musical family. As a struggling singer, he used to audition for regional reality shows, playback in small budget films and lend his voice for chorus, jingles and radio ads.

His consistently melodious performances on ‘Indian Idol 5′ made him popular among judges Sunidhi Chauhan, Annu Malek and Salim Merchant as well as various Bollywood celebrities.

He was also the youngest singer to perform at the closing ceremony of the 19th Commonwealth Games in the capital alongside big names such as Sunidhi Chauhan, Shankar Mahadevan, Kailash Kher, Shaan, Ila Arun and Sufi singer Zila Khan.

He says it was ‘an honour to perform with such big singers. These people represent India on the world stage.’

The 24-year-old admits the reality shows provide a platform for people to showcase their talent, but points out that it is up to them how intelligently they use it for their growth.

‘Reality shows are indeed a good platform for people to showcase their talent but after that it depends upon them how they make use of the platform. I have put in a lot of effort to reach where I am today. I still have a long way to go,’ he said.

Sreeram has also got an opportunity to perform in countries outside India like Germany, Kuwait, Dubai, Bangkok and he is now looking forward to enthrall music lovers in South Africa and Bangladesh.

‘People in Berlin were very enthusiastic. I really enjoyed performing there. I have received a lot of messages from Pakistani people who liked my singing, especially when I sang ‘Khwaja Mere Khwaja’ (from ‘Jodhaa-Akbar’) on the show,’ said the singer who is popular in Pakistan.

Despite singing so many songs, he still has cold feet before a performance.

‘I still feel nervous whenever I go on stage or record any song. I believe it’s good to be nervous,’ he said.

Apart from Hollywood venture, he also has some Tamil and Telugu movies in his kitty.

After winning ‘Indian Idol 5′, he took home a cash prize of Rs.5 million, a one-year contract with Sony BMG along with a golden chance to sing for Yash Raj Films.

‘I am still waiting for the offer to sing for Yash Raj,’ he said.

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Sabyasachi’s jewellery line debuts with ‘Guzaarish’

Renowned fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s jewellery line made its successful debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s just-released ‘Guzaarish’. He designed the line keeping in mind a multicultural element with a nomadic vibe.

The navratan necklace worn by Aishwarya Rai in the climax of the film and other items like raindrop earrings, coral kanpashas, rhodolite balis, butterfly earrings, minakari bird ring and the turquoise and coral ring that she wears in the film have been designed by Sabyasachi and crafted by GAJA, the retail brand of Shree Ganesh Jewellery House.

‘When Sanjay Leela Bansali approached me for ‘Guzaarish’, I realised that jewellery would play a very important role in shaping up Sophia’s character as played by Aishwarya Rai,’ Sabyasachi said in a statement.

‘It would have to be nomadic, quirky and personalised and so I decided to bring on board GAJA in SABYASACHI (his lable) because it epitomises that spirit. The whole line has been designed by me keeping in mind a multicultural element with a nomadic vibe.’

For the collection, Sabyasachi used precious and semi-precious stones, minakari and filigree and had to work with about 60 skilled workers from West Bengal to complete the line.

The price range of rings and earrings starts from Rs.40,000 and navratan necklaces are priced at Rs.510,000

”Guzaarish’ is a joint effort of one the most sensitive filmmakers, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, India’s leading fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee and GAJA, the brand from India’s foremost manufacturer of jewellery. It is also a matter of pride for all of us that the most beautiful woman in the world Aishwarya Rai Bachhan is wearing our jewellery in ‘Guzaarish’, ‘ said Nilesh Parekh, chairman of Shree Ganesh Jewellery House.

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‘The Princess of Montpensier’ to close IFFI 2010

French director Bertrand Tavernier’s ‘The Princess of Montpensier’ will be the closing film at the 41st International Film festival of India (IFFI), director of Film Festivals S.M. Khan said Saturday.

Addressing a press conference here, Khan said ‘The Ghost Writer’ directed by Roman Polanski will be a mid fest film.

The ‘Princess of Montpensier’ is a 2010 French period romance film directed by Bertrand Tavernier, inspired by the eponymous short story by Madame de La Fayette.

The film also competed at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival.

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David Dhawan’s Son To Debut In Karan Johar Film

This is perhaps the biggest launchpad that a newcomer in the Bollywood film industry has ever got. If reports are to be believed, Varun Dhawan, director David Dhawan’s son and Sidharth Malhotra will make their debut in Hindi cinema in a Karan Johar production. And what is more, Karan Johar’s best friend Shah Rukh Khan will also be associated with the upcoming venture. According to reports doing the rounds in the media, the film will be produced by Karan Johar’s production house Dharma Productions in association with SRK’s production house Red Chillies Entertainment.

Both Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra served as assistants to Karan Johar during the filming of My Name Is Khan. The new film starring Varun and Sidharth will reportedly have female leads as well. A source very close to the film’s unit has told the media that Karan Johar may be roped in as the director of the launch venture. Though it was reported earlier that KJo will only produce the film, he is also planning to direct it now. However this piece of news has not been confirmed by the director or his representatives.

The Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra debut platform will also be the first film where buddies Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar will come together as producers. Though the actor – director duo have been part of several films together in the past, this is the first time that they will produce a film together.

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