Spears won't perform at Gibson's Church

ANI Monday 24th March, 2008

Washington, Mar 24 : Hollywood actor Mel Gibson has shot down rumours claiming that Britney Spears would be performing a gospel gig at his church.

Rumours started off after a British tabloid 'The Mirror' revealed that the troubled pop star would be performing a gig at his catholic church in California.

The reports also claimed that Spears was to have "a new song written for her for the occasion",

According to TMZ.com, Gibson's representative has dismissed the rumours insisting there isn't "an ounce of truth to it," reports Contactmusic.

Gibson's church, known as 'The Holy Family Catholic Church' holds a daily mass in Latin and follows an ancient ideology of Catholicism.

However, it is not recognised by the Roman Catholic Church because it does not acknowledge the authority of the Pope or the Vatican.

Cheryl Cole imposes a six-month sex ban on cheating Ashley

ANI Tuesday 11th March, 2008

London, Mar.11 : A seething Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole has told her love rat husband Ashley that they will not be having sex for at least six months.

According to The Sun, 24-year-old Cheryl has reportedly told Ashley that she still can't bear the thought of him touching her after his romp with hairdresser Aimee Walton.

A pal of the couple said: "Cheryl has told Ashley there will be no sex in their house for at least six months, and although he's going to find it incredibly hard, he agreed to her terms.

"She wants Ashley to appreciate her and realise what he has got. But he's a red blooded fella and it's not going to be easy."

The Girls Aloud star has also agreed to renew her marriage vows during a secret summer ceremony in Newcastle.

Cheryl has demanded Ashley stick to the strict no-sex regime before the big day.

Cheryl had earlier laid down three rules for Ashley before considering moving in with him again.

She demanded that Ashley buy them a new house because she suspects he cheated on her in their marital bed.

She also told Ashley that there will be no more boys' holidays ever again, and no more lads' nights out for a long time either.

Britshers feel young as they grow old

ANI Monday 10th March, 2008

London, Mar 10 : Britons feel younger as they age, says a new poll which found that people over 50 feel more than 12 years younger than their true age.

However, over-40s only feel six years younger, the poll of 1,250 Britons aged 40 to 78 revealed.

Nearly half of men quizzed thought hobbies kept them young, while around a third put it down to their partner, reports The Sun.

In case of women, friends, diet and pets made them feel youthful.

Many of the Brits said that the internet took years off them mentally - while others cited playing their Xbox and clubbing.

Sex was also a popular way of keeping young.

One man even admitted seducing older women to feel youthful.

Britney has a stalker

Britney Spear Picture Gallery

ANI Monday 10th March, 2008

Melbourne, Mar 10 : Britney Spears' troubles do not seem to have an end - the singer is now being stalked by someone who has been reportedly been delivering sex toys and explicit pornographic letters to her.

According to OK! magazine and Showbizspy.com, Britney feared that she is being stalked after receiving a series of letters - some containing alarming descriptions of how to bomb and weird gibberish about the Middle East and Israel.

The 'Toxic' singer has been sent another package that had an alarming sexual nature - and even has a picture of a man, which might reveal the identity of the person behind all this.

The alleged stalker is also sending packages of sex toys to Britney with names of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie mentioned on them.

''The first thing you see when you open the box is a huge, lavender-colored, battery-operated sex toy - still with the price tag on it,'' The Daily Telegraph quoted a source, as saying.

Besides the sex toy, there were two letters - both threatening and pornographic in nature.

'The handwritten one is on note paper and it's written in a crazy, all-caps chicken scratch,'' the source said.

The packages were handed over to Britney's security team, who in turn hand them over to the FBI.

Now, a camera that can see through people's clothing at distances of up to 80ft

London, Mar 9 (ANI): Surveillance at railway stations, shopping centres and other public spaces in the UK could soon become more high-tech, with the development of cameras that can see through people's clothing at distances of up to 80ft, to help detect weapons, drugs and explosives.

However, the designers of this camera, ThruVision, an Oxfordshire-based company spun out from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, one of the government's leading physics research centres, maintain that although it can see objects under clothes, the images would not reveal any anatomical details.

This new technology, namely T5000 system, is catching the eye of police forces, train companies and airport operators as well as government agencies.

Though it was initially meant for use in spacecraft and astronomy but it was soon believed that these cameras that can see through clouds of cosmic dust are also capable to see through clothing.

T5000 system involves detecting and measuring terahertz waves, or T-waves, which are a form of electromagnetic radiation, emitted by all people and objects lying between the infrared and microwave parts of the spectrum.

In fact, the waves from any material have a distinctive signature, and may even differentiate Semtex from modelling clay and cocaine from sugar.

Already a smaller system designed for office foyers that can scan through clothing at a range of 30ft-40ft is being offered by ThruVision.

Currently this is being used at the Canary Wharf complex in east London, which is home to several global banks and is seen as a potential target for terrorists. The Dubai Mercantile Exchange also employs a similar installation.

It is possible to link this system to a computer enabling it to automatically scan anyone passing and report its human operator to anything suspicious.

"Acts of terrorism have shaken the world in recent years and security precautions have been tightened globally. The T5000 dramatically extends the range over which we can scan people," Times Online quoted Clive Beattie, ThruVision's chief executive, as saying.

One of the customers, Bill Foster, the president of Thermal Matrix, an American defence contractor specialising in imaging systems for the US military, said : "This could be deployed at major sporting events, concerts and rail stations as well as for military use."

The camera will be displayed this week at the Home Office scientific development branch's annual exhibition, Britain's premier showcase for security equipment, to be held on an RAF airbase in Buckinghamshire. (ANI)

Britney Spears receiving threatening notes and packages

ANI Sunday 9th March, 2008

Briney Spears Picture Gallery
London, Mar 9 : Troubled singer Britney Spears is being stalked through strange letters, and has been receiving threatening notes and packages, according to reports.

The 26-year-old star is being bombarded with strange letters and DIY (Do It Yourself) Bombmaking instructions.

Sources say that the singer has called the FBI for help.

"She's received disturbing, stalker stuff. The security team has turned it over to the FBI," News Of The World quoted a source, as saying.

Meanwhile, Spears' ex-beau Justin Timberlake has come to the fore and is comforting the "Toxic" star on the phone.

The 'SexyBack' singer was allegedly quite distressed over Britney's troubles and has thus decided to lend his support.

"JT just wants to see the girl he once fell for well again," said a source.

China to crack down on foreign pop and rock stars

ANI Saturday 8th March, 2008

London, Mar.8 : China is to impose stricter rules on foreign rock and pop stars after singer Bjork caused controversy by shouting "Tibet, Tibet" at a Shanghai concert.

Her cry followed a powerful performance of her song Declare Independence, reports the BBC.

Talk of Tibetan independence is considered taboo in China, which has ruled the territory since 1951.

China's culture ministry said the outburst "broke Chinese law and hurt Chinese people's feelings" and pledged to "further tighten controls".

"We will further tighten controls on foreign artists performing in China in order to prevent similar cases from happening in the future," the ministry said in a statement on its website.

"We shall never tolerate any attempt to separate Tibet from China and will no longer welcome any artists who deliberately do this."

The statement said there was "no country that admits that Tibet is an independent country".

Bjork said she "would like to put importance on that I am not a politician, I am first and last a musician and as such I feel my duty to try to express the whole range of human emotions".

A spokeswoman from the culture ministry said Bjork could be banned from performing in China if there was a repeat performance.

Human rights activists and many politicians abroad have criticised Chinese policy in Tibet. Many Tibetans feel loyal to the exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, whom China considers a separatist threat.

The song Declare Independence has previously been used by Bjork to highlight other struggles for self-rule.

Rihanna's bizarre backstage demands

ANI Saturday 8th March, 2008

New York, Mar 8 : It seems that Barbadian singer Rihanna does have a bizarre and wacky side, especially when it comes to her backstage demands.

If sources are to be believed, as a part of her world tour contract, the 20-year-old singer demands that each venue has to provide her with two packs of pink bubblegum, two apples, two mangos, two pears, seedless grapes and strawberries.

The 'Umbrella' hitmaker also asks for two knives (to cut the fruit), a teapot and 24 warm Buffalo wings, fried chicken and spiced white, reports the New York Post.

Meanwhile, according to London's 'Daily Star', the 'Good Girl Gone Bad' singer is said to have banned umbrellas in her gigs.

The decision came after a number of umbrella-related accidents occurred in the audience.

Leonardo DiCaprio to get new dad?

ANI Saturday 8th March, 2008

Washington, Mar 8: If reports are to be believed, Hollywood hunk Leonardo DiCaprio would soon greet his stepfather, for the actor's mother is all set to marry her school sweetheart.

The Titanic star's mum Irmelin is set to tie the knot with school friend Klaus Teigeler.

The duo lost contact in 1950s after Irmelin moved to the U.S. with her parents, but met again last year when she was visiting her mother in Ruhr, Germany, where they came closer.

She even accompanied him to Sir Elton John's post-Oscar's party in Los Angeles in February (08).

According to close friends, they are planning to get married.

"He is totally nuts about her. He flew to spend Christmas with her in California and no one here (in Germany) believes he will be back," Contactmusic quoted a friend as saying.

Irmelin split from DiCaprio's father George when the actor was a year old.

Pregnant Presley angry about media criticism

IANS Saturday 8th March, 2008

Singer Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock icon Elvis Presley, is not happy with the way the press has attacked her for gaining weight and has announced that she is pregnant.

According to tmz.com, Presley has written on her blog about her frustration about media obsession with her weight.

She wrote: 'Confirmation under the gun. After being the target all week of slanderous and degrading stories, horribly manipulated pictures and articles in the media, I have had to show my cards and announce under the gun and under vicious personal attack that I am in fact pregnant.

'Once they got a glimpse of my expanding physique a few days ago, they have been like a pack of coyotes circling their prey whilst eerily howling with delight. Starting with a London publication and then New York and Chicago all writing false defamatory degrading stories about all of the dark possible reasons I could be putting on weight. The US tabloids have been calling all day wanting confirmation on all kinds of insane theories.'

She added: 'They couldn't wait to find out if my weight gain was because I was just overeating, in which case it would be open season and they can do the old 'following in her father's sad and unfortunate demise' story again or less interesting for them and probably much to their dismay, I could just be pregnant and therefore have a legitimate reason for weight gain at which point they should probably wipe the saliva off of their fangs and put them back in their mouths or they may expose the black little souls that they are.'

Britney Spears reportedly receiving mail threats

Access Hollywood

updated 6:03 p.m. ET March 7, 2008

Britney Spears has been the recipient of numerous alarming letters and packages, a source close to the pop star tells E! News.

The disturbing correspondences have reportedly included one letter mentioning "how to bomb" and others full of threatening language and "weird gibberish," the Spears source said.

The threats have become so severe, that the Spears camp is reportedly going to give the mail to law enforcement.

"A lot of it was disturbing stalker kind of stuff," the source told E! News. "But to be safe her security team is turning it all over to the police and FBI."

A rep for the LAPD told E! that a specific investigation has not been launched into the disturbing mail, but they, "have been looking at allegations that have cropped up in the past couple of months."

The concerning letters and packages have reportedly been sent to multiple addresses linked to Spears.

A spokesperson for the FBI told E! the LAPD could not comment on ongoing investigations.

Spice Girls have gotten closer, says Mel C

IANS Friday 7th March, 2008

Spice Girls singer Mel C laughs off rumours that there is internal strife in the band.

Mel C says the group tried to complete their tour but other commitments, including motherhood came in the way, and they had to cut short their plans. She was vehement that there was no bad blood among them, contactmusic.com reports.

She said: 'All of us have really enjoyed getting closer again. The whole atmosphere on the tour was fun and there hasn't been time for any bickering or the fighting that's always reported about the Spice Girls.

'It's like a big family. There's been more laughing than anything else.'

She also added that because of the tour the girls have gotten closer and have a special bond.

'We've been through something so unique together that even if we don't see each other for a few months, we get together and it's been like no time has passed at all,' she added.

Though there are no plans for future recording plans, she is still hopeful they might work together.

Hilton flaunts new boyfriend at Linkin Park concert

IANS Thursday 6th March, 2008

Socialite heiress Paris Hilton made her relationship with Benji Madden, who is a member of the rock band Good Charlotte, public when she attended a Linkin Park concert with him.

A staff member of the concert promoters spotted the two in an elevator. They allowed him to interview them briefly on his video camera, contactmusic.com reports.

When the interviewer asked her if Linkin Park were her favourite band, she chuckled and said: 'No, I love Good Charlotte'.

Britney's got a new job - dance teacher

ANI Thursday 6th March, 2008

London, mar 6 : Britney Spears is making sure that kids know how to groove to her music by giving them dance lessons.

The 26-year-old singer has been working as an instructor at the Millennium Dance Complex in Hollywood for the past month.

In fact, the 'Toxic" star has been winning herself rave reviews for her teaching style, that too by her tiny pupils.

5-year-old Elissa Bouganim has taken three classes with Britney is already a big fan.

"I like Britney. Britney is nice. I want to dance with her all the time because it's so much fun," Daily Snack quoted Elissa, as telling People.com.

"Today, first we were dancing slow, and then faster and faster. Then we did the fish move and lots of other fun things," she described the classes.

"It's just amazing to watch Britney with the kids. Elissa won't stop dancing now, that's all she wants to do. Britney has really inspired her," added her mother, Pam.

Allen undergoing treatment for depression

IANS Wednesday 5th March, 2008

British singer Lily Allen is undergoing treatment for depression at a private clinic.

Allen got deeper into depression after a miscarriage and breaking up with her boyfriend Ed Simons, thesun.co.uk reports.

A friend said: 'The last couple of months have been really hard for Lily. She was so happy to be pregnant and was willing to give up her showbiz life to settle down and have a family. Her miscarriage was a huge blow and she hasn't really recovered.'

'She really believed she and Ed were perfect together so she was devastated when they broke up. But she is responding well to treatment and is pleased that she is being allowed out to film her TV show and to keep in touch with the friends supporting her,' the friend added.

Nicole gushes about 'easy pregnancy'

Nicole Richie says pregnancy was "easy".

The 26-year-old socialite, who gave birth to daughter Harlow on January 11, admits she expected to feel far worse while carrying her baby.

Nicole, who is engaged to rocker Joel Madden, said: "I didn't have morning sickness and I was waiting for it because everyone said the first trimester is so hard. I had a really easy pregnancy. I was tired a lot but that was the only thing. I felt great physically, but Joel says my hormones were really bad!"

Joel insists Nicole is a natural mother because she can adapt to any situation, but admits she was difficult to live with when she was pregnant.

The Good Charlotte star told Britain's OK! magazine: "Nicole is really laid back. You can tell her anything, nothing shocks her. That was the first time I had seen her worked up. I'd be like, 'Woah, this is not the girl I know.' Like if I was late, it is usually no big deal, but it was like, 'Where were you? You know that I have been waiting here, and you couldn't even call?' It was cute."

Nicole also revealed giving birth was a "mellow" experience for her.

She said: "The birth was mellow. I don't know what time I went into labour, but I pushed for 10 minutes. Three pushes and she was out."

Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson rekindling their romance

ANI Tuesday 4th March, 2008

London, Mar 4 : Hollywood actors Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson sparked rumours of a reunion after the duo was spotted together in Miami.

Hudson and Wilson reportedly made a road trip to Miami over the weekend for the city's International Film Festival and are staying in adjacent hotels.

According to a friend, the pair is trying to rekindle their relationship.

"They have definitely been talking, hanging out and, yes, hooking up," The Sun quoted a friend as telling Usmagazine.com

The 'You, Me and Dupree' co-stars were also seen spending time at each other's homes in Los Angeles before the Oscars.

Both also made an appearance at pop diva Madonna's post-Oscar party.

"There was lots of arm touching, giggling. They were having lots of fun," an eye-witness told People magazine.

Britney paid home visit by two psychiatrists

ANI Monday 3rd March, 2008

Washington, Mar 3 : Britney Spears was a paid visit by two UCLA psychiatrists at her Beverly Hills on Mar 1, one week after a court commissioner allowed the singer to see her sons for the first time since Jan. 3. A source has revealed that Spears' minders accompanied the doctors from the Westwood-based medical center to her home, reports E! Online. The psychiatrists subsequently met the 'Toxic' singer for two hours and left around 4 p.m. The reason for the checkup was not revealed. However, Britney's ex-hubby Kevin Federline's attorney Mark Vincent said last week that as part of the singer's agreement to retain visitation rights with her kids, Spears is obligated to undergo 'custody evaluation' by medical experts among other requirements.

Mariah Carey 'would love' to have kids

ANI Monday 3rd March, 2008

Washington, Mar 3 : Pop singer Mariah Carey has admitted that she would love to have kids.

In an interview with E! Entertainment Radio, XM and Sirius, the 38 year old singer expressed her desire to have kids.

"Obviously having a kid is a commitment for life," E! News quoted Carey as saying.

"I really would have to be very, very positive that I was in a place where I could completely focus and put everything into the job of being someone's mommy cause it's hard enough to have a puppy," she added.

Meanwhile, the singer is all set to release her eleventh studio album titled E equal tp C 2 on April 15.

Britney Spears Romance - Brit’s lover gets caught

Britney Spears has dumped her photographer lover after finding racy text messages from other women on his phone.
The 26-year-old singer became convinced Adnan Ghalib had cheated on her when she discovered the series of raunchy texts and threw the snapper's £300 (about R4 700) iPhone into her pool at her Hollywood Hills home before ordering him to leave.

A source said: "There were about a dozen text messages from one girl, all sent on one day. They were pretty saucy stuff with sexual references - certainly not the sort you'd send to just a friend.

"Britney lost it and started yelling. She was demanding to know who sent the texts and shouting, 'What's this about? You're cheating on me.' "

Britney decided to confront Adnan after two video clips showing him out with two women, one of which he was seen briefly holding hands with, were posted on the Internet.

The source added to Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Adnan said the girl was just a friend but Britney got more and more angry. Then she told him, 'That's it. It's over.'

"Just before she told Adnan to go, she took the phone and threw it in the pool. He didn't bother trying to get it out."

Meanwhile, two psychiatric doctors visited Britney at her Los Angeles home for a pre-scheduled visit on Saturday.

One was a court-appointed psychiatric evaluator, while the other was a doctor from Los Angeles' UCLA Medical Centre, where Britney underwent an evaluation last month.

The visit was ordered as part of Britney's ongoing custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline for their two sons, Sean Preston, two, and 17-month-old Jayden James.

It will also be used as part of the court's investigation into how long Britney's father Jamie Spears should remain in control of her affairs.

Kyle Sandilands voted worst celebrity for road trip

ANI Monday 3rd March, 2008

Melbourne, Mar 3 : FM shock jock Kyle Sandilands has topped the list of the worst celebrity to be stuck with on a road trip.

In the national Road Trip Survey, conducted by carsguide.com.au, only 11 percent of respondents voted Sandilands, the token mean judge on Australian Idol, as a favourable passenger.

Meanwhile, Lindsay Lohan was named the most popular passenger scoring 33 per cent of the votes on an online poll.

Rove McManus, the mum of gold Logie winner, came second with 30 per cent while TV allrounder Grant Denyer bagged one fifth of the votes.

The 810 respondents only had these four 'celebs' to select from.

The survey also found that almost all respondents would like to go for road trip, if only they had sufficient time.

The only thing stopping almost half (48 per cent) of the respondents to hit the road was lack of time.

In the survey, 38 per cent reported that they didn't think they could afford it, while many don't like the idea because horror flicks such as 'Wolf Creek' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' turned them off.

On contrary, some films influenced road trip such as 'Road Trip,' 'National Lampoon's Vacation,' and 'Thelma and Louise'.

However, 'Borat' only received nine per cent of the vote.

In the poll, 42 per cent said that the best thing about such a trip is the freedom of the great open road and the spontaneity of the adventure.

According to the survey, 36 per cent would like to take a coastal journey, a quarter were keen to head interstate, 23 per cent would love to tour around the country and 16 per cent would like to tackle the outback.

"Aussies love to road trip," The Daily Telegraph quoted spokesman for carsguide.com.au Tony Burrett, as saying.

"Australia is the biggest island in the world meaning lots and lots of space with beautiful water views for Aussies to explore," he added.

Spice Girls singer Mel B strips for charity

IANS

Spice Girls singer Melanie Brown, popularly known as Mel B, has posed naked for charity campaigning against sex trafficking.

Contactmusic.com reports that Melanie stripped for the Helen Bamber Foundation, which seeks to fight for the rights of human trafficking survivors.

She said: 'I'm curvier now that I've had kids but I like the way I look. Women's bodies are beautiful and any charity helping women is important.'

Tom Cruise's bizarre bathroom habits

ANI

New York, Mar 2 : Celebrities are known to be ushered by their bodyguards wherever they go, but Tom Cruise went a little 'too far' after he was spotted entering into a loo accompanied by his minder.

According to an eyewitness, who was also present at the restroom of the swanky L.A. restaurant, the popular Scientologist entered into the bathroom with his guard who stood close to him while the 45-year-old star relieved himself, reports the New York Post.

The source also revealed that the 'Vanilla Sky' actor, after coming out of the bathroom, washed his hands "as fastidiously and thoroughly as a surgeon preparing for surgery. He must have washed his hands for at least 5 minutes."

Cruise got married to actress Katie Holmes in Bracciano, Italy on November 18, 2006.

On April 18, 2006 Holmes gave birth to a baby girl named Suri at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

Lindsay Lohan fears becoming an out-of-work actor

ANI Saturday 1st March, 2008

Washington, Mar 1 : Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan has admitted that she fears becoming an out-of-work actor.

The 21-year-old actress has been struggling to find work following her legal hassles and rehab stint.

The Mean Girls star insisted that she is terrified of not finding any work again.

"Right now I just want to find a great script, a great role. I was so used to working and working and working and for a few months there was nothing for me to do," Contactmusic quoted her, as telling Paper magazine.

"Now I know what it's like to be an out-of-work actor, and how much it scares me," she added.

Spielberg's dislike for garlic cost him romance with Valerie Bertinelli

ANI Friday 29th February, 2008


Washington, Feb 29 : Oscar wining director Steven Spielberg's hatred for garlic cost him his relationship with TV actress Valerie Bertinelli.

The pair dated for three months after she auditioned for Raiders Of The Lost Ark, directed by Spielberg.

But the relationship broke off when the 19-year-old actress realised that Spielberg didn’t like garlic.

"I was making dinner for him one evening and I was getting ready to chop up the garlic and he saw it. He said, 'No, no, no, no garlic!' I went, 'Really? OK,'" Contactmusic quoted Bertinelli as saying.

"In my head I'm thinking, 'I can't be with someone that can't eat garlic'," she added.

Lindsay Lohan opens up about her troubled life

ANI Friday 29th February, 2008

Washington, Feb 29 : Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan for the first time has spoken out about her troubled past year - from legal hassles to her stint in rehab.

The 21-year-old actress revealed that she had lot of things going on in her life that pushed her into drugs and hard-partying ways.

"I had a lot going on in my life and that was a way of hiding from it," People quoted Lohan as saying.

"I hadn't seen my dad; I had a lot of work stress 'cause I was constantly working and never took time to stop.

"Everything was go-go-go, and the easiest thing was to run away from it, going out and drinking at night.

"You know, you don't have to think when you let go sometimes.

"But I didn't realize it was getting in the way of my work - what I've worked for my whole life," she added.

Now, the 'Mean Girls' star is looking for a good script and a great role.

"Right now I just want to find a great script, a great role," she said.

"I was so used to working and working and working, and for a good few months there was nothing for me to do. Now I know what it's like to be an out-of-work actor, and how much it scares me," she added.

Prince Harry deployed in Afghanistan

Big News Network.com Thursday 28th February, 2008

It has been revealed by British Army sources that Prince Harry has been secretly serving in Afghanistan with British troops since December.

The UK Ministry of Defence decided to made the announcement after several media organisations published the story after agreeing not to.

Harry, 23, the son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and third in line to the British throne, is in Helmand, a dangerous region of southern Afghanistan.

Harry has been working as an air controller helping to coordinate air support and general aviation.

UK Army representatives say he has also conducted dangerous foot patrols and been involved in firing on suspected enemy combatants.

The prince has already spent two months in Afghanistan and may be there for four months or more.

Last year, plans to send him to Iraq were scrapped following threats from Iraqi militants to kidnap or kill him.

The army posted him to Afghanistan only after the British and selected members of the international media agreed not to report his presence until he had returned from his deployment.

But a German newspaper, an American website and an Australian magazine ran the story concurrently on Thursday.

Pregnant Kidman 'can't ask for anything more except big boobs'

ANI Thursday 28th February, 2008

London, Feb 28 : Nicole Kidman is thrilled to be pregnant as it is giving her what she always craved for - big boobs.

The Australian actress' first child with hubby Keith Urban is due in July and she is excited at the prospect of gaining weight on her chest.

"I'm so happy. I can't ask for anything more except big boobs. I've wanted Marilyn Monroe curves all my life," The Sun quoted Kidman, as saying.

And as Kidman eagerly awaits the arrival of her first biological child with Urban, punters have already started betting on the name of their kid.

An Irish betting agency, Paddy Power, is a taking bets on what name will the couple give to there soon to be born baby.

Kate is comfortable in the nude

Kate Hudson loves walking round her house naked.

The 28-year-old actress says her mother Goldie Hawn and stepfather Kurt Russell brought her up to feel comfortable in her own skin and she finds shedding her clothes liberating.

She said: "My mother and father never gave a big deal about nudity in our house.

"I often walk around naked or just wearing panties."

The Almost Famous star - who has a four-year-old son Ryder with her rocker ex-husband Chris Robinson - also insists she has no qualms about stripping on screen. top.


She added to Fabric magazine: "Actors are all supposed to be emotionally naked anyway."

Kate is not the only star to enjoy baring all when at home.

Last year, Christina Aguilera revealed she and her husband Jordan Bratman spice up their marriage by getting naked every Sunday.

The 27-year-old singer confessed: "We have to be the cosiest couple around. We have something called naked Sundays. We just do everything in the house naked. It's important to keep the marriage alive, to spice it up a little."

Visa card to go public....

Big News Network.com Tuesday 26th February, 2008

Visa, the world's largest credit card network, has said it will raise up to US$18.8 billion, amid concerns that the global credit crunch could eat into transaction volumes.

The eagerly-awaited offering calls for Visa to sell 406 million Class A shares.

Visa, based in San Francisco, services consumers worldwide who rely more on credit and debit cards instead of cash and cheques to make payments.

While it is not clear when Visa plans to go public, there is fear within the company that as credit deteriorates, consumer spending will go down, and volumes will go down for the card networks.

Paris romanced by rocker

Tonight.co

Paris Hilton and Benji Madden spent a romantic weekend together in St Louis.

The hotel heiress and Good Charlotte rocker travelled together to the Missouri town where Paris promoted her new perfume.

They later partied at local nightclub Home on Saturday night.

The pair - who met through Paris' best friend Nicole Richie, who is engaged to Benji's brother Joel Madden - were first spotted together at Los Angeles club Villa on Thursday night.


An onlooker said: "Paris only had eyes for Benji. As soon as she saw him she walked over and gave him a huge slobbering kiss.

"Then they snuggled down in a corner booth. She stroked his arm and his leg while whispering sweet nothings in his ear."

Paris has recently been romantically linked to Jared Leto.
Benji split from Sophie Monk, his Australian fiancée of 18 months, earlier this month.

Natalie Portman stunned by Johansson's boobs!

ANI Tuesday 26th February, 2008

London, Feb 26 : Hollywood actress Natalie Portman is smitten by her 'The Other Boleyn Girl' co-star Scarlett Johansson's boobs.

The Oscar nominated actress got a glimpse of Johansson's twin assets during filming of the film and is now a fan of her boobs.

"Seriously, I would really want to grab Scarlett's breasts, The Sun quoted Natalie, as saying.

"She's got beautiful ones," she added.

The Other Boleyn Girl was recently premiered in London and was attended by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall

Australian teacher goes to jail for having Explosives

An Australian school teacher has been sent to jail for six years for possessing explosives.

Forty-two-year-old John Howard Amundsen was arrested in 2006 after sending a threatening email to a police counter-terrorism unit.

Amundsen claimed to be an al-Qaeda operative.

While the court heard Amundsen had suffered from autism and was known to be a fantasist, the judge ordered a custodial sentence but made him eligible for parole after serving three years.

Amundsen told the court he was sorry for his actions and felt humiliated.

Marion Cotillard wins best actress Oscar

IANS Monday 25th February, 2008

Marion Cotillard has won the Academy Award for best actress in a leading role for her performance in 'Mome, La'. She played legendary French singer Edith Piaf, who rose to international fame from her beginnings on the streets of Paris.

After winning the award, an excited Cotillard thanked director Olivier Dahan, saying: 'Maestro Olivier Dahan, you rocked my life. You truly rocked my life.'

This was the first Oscar nomination for Cotillard.

Tilda Swinton walked away with the award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role for 'Michael Clayton' and Javier Bardem won the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role for 'No Country for Old Men'.

Best writing, screenplay based on material previously produced or published went to Joel Coen, Ethan Coen for 'No Country for Old Men'.

Eddie Murphy, Lindsay Lohan named worst at Golden Raspberries

ANI Sunday 24th February, 2008

Melbourne, Feb 24 : Hollywood stars Eddie Murphy and Lindsay Lohan were crowned the worst actor and actress of 2007 at the 28th Golden Raspberry Awards on Feb 23.

Murphy and Lohan won three gold spray-painted Razzie trophies worth 4.89 U.S. dollars respectively and neither showed up to accept the spoof Oscars.

The annual honors were announced by the Golden Raspberry Foundation.

Murphy won the Worst Actor, the Worst Supporting Actress, and the Worst Supporting Actor awards for several parts in the comedy "Norbit," setting a record by winning three of the four worst acting categories, reports News.com.au.

Lohan won two worst actress awards for playing twins in 'I Know Who Killed Me."

Lohan also won worst screen couple for a scene in which she appears opposite herself in the tale about psychically linked siblings stalked by a serial killer.

'I Know Who Killed Me' won eight of nine Raspberries for which it was nominated, breaking a record of seven wins previously held by Showgirls and Battlefield Earth.

A.R. Rahman may get three years imprisonment

A.R. Rahman – the proud Indian he has always been, had released Vande Mataram on the occasion of the 50th year of independence and in the 60th year he came up with an album "Jana Gana Mana".

Even though the intentions were good, he seems to have forgotten that there is a law that the national anthem should be sung in a specific way and should be finished within the stipulated seconds.

And if done otherwise it is deemed as disrespect to the national anthem and could attract a sentence of a maximum of three years imprisonment. And now many people are ready to sue Rahman for this action.

Britney Spears has apparently been banned from all pre-Oscar parties.

IANS Sunday 24th February, 2008

Troubled pop singer Britney Spears has apparently been banned from all pre-Oscar parties.

According to mirror.co.uk, most of the silencers have not bothered to invite Spears for any of the parties.

'While Britney is certainly a name in Hollywood - it's for all the wrong reasons. She's a car crash waiting to happen and organisers don't want to take the risk of her showing up and creating a scene,' an informed source said.

'Her presence at any party would instantly generate lots of publicity but while it's tempting to send out an invite, it's a hassle that they don't really want,' the source added.

Shakira all set to launch her cosmetics range

ANI Friday 22nd February, 2008

Shakira Pictur Gallery Washington, Feb 22 : Shakira is the latest to join the list of celebrities with their own cosmetics lines.

The Columbian pop star will be soon launching her own beauty line and will be teaming up with Puig bosses for the same.

The 31-year-old singer will be conceptualising a cosmetics range including a new fragrance and beauty products collection.

The 'Hips Don't Lie' insisted that she was really excited to reflect herself through another creative medium.

"I'm very excited to be able to express myself through another creative medium. My feeling is that personal care and beauty should be effortless and accessible for everyone," Contactmusic quoted her, as stating in a statement.

Marathon kid Budhia Injured Spends More than 12hours in hospital after injury Hospital

Six-year-old marathoner Budhia Singh spent more than 12 hours in a hospital after sustaining a minor head injury while playing a cricket match with friends at a sports hostel complex here, officials said Friday.

Budhia shot into limelight in 2006 after creating a world record by running 65 km in seven hours and two minutes.

Rajesh Singh, the sports hostel in-charge, said Budhia was injured Thursday when he accidentally fell down while running between wickets.

'He was playing cricket along with his friends soon after lunch. He accidentally fell down while taking a run after hitting the ball. We took him to the hospital after he vomited twice,' Singh told IANS.

'Budhia sustained a minor injury on his forehead near his right eye. Although the injury was minor, we kept him in the hospital for over 12 hours for observation,' said C.R. Das, surgical specialist of the hospital where Budhia was treated.

'He seems to be perfectly all right now and will be allowed to go after a routine CT scan,' Das added.

The state government placed Budhia in the sports hostel last year after differences between his mother and former coach Biranchi Das.

Outsourcing not causing US unemployment: India Inc reacts

Chicago, Feb 20: India Inc, which is facing the heat from US Presidential candidates who blamed 'shipping jobs' to China and India for rising US unemployment, has launched a counter-offensive here telling Americans that the industry is creating new work opportunities for them.

A full-page advertisement in the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday, by industry body FICCI and the Commerce Ministry, gives an elaborate account of how the legendary Tata Group, along with several others like Ranbaxy, Mahindra USA, Bharat Forge, ITC Kitchens of India and HCL America have created thousands of jobs in America by investing in different sectors of the US economy.

The FICCI ad insertion in the leading US paper coincided with Barack Obama, who is engaged in a tight race with Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Presidential nomination, making a strong pitch to Ohio's blue-collar workers with a plan to reward American firms that do not ship jobs overseas.

"This is a six-month roll out before the Presidential elections. We will be talking to the US Congressmen and other opinion-makers about the positive impact of the increasing Indian investment in the US," Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Amit Mitra said.

The Tata Group that operates 16 companies in the US -- from luxury hotels and beverage business to manufacturing, telecom and IT consulting -- employs over 5,000 Americans.

Likewise, Ranbaxy is creating jobs and stimulating the economy in North Carolina, New Jersey and Florida, FICCI said.

"Where is the job loss? We are creating jobs for them," Washington-based Ranjan V Khanna, who heads the chamber in the US said.

At a lunch hosted by the executive' club of Chicago, Rajinder Bedi, managing director, office of trade and investment, state of Illinois, US, said the exports from Illinois alone to India have doubled in the last four years. "That way, you (India) have created jobs for the people of the Illinois state," Bedi said.

While outsourcing has become an election issue here, the US exports account for 40 percent of the country's GDP and are growing at 12 percent per annum.

"Opening markets ultimately is the best thing we can do for the Us economy," US trade representative, Susan Schwab said at the luncheon meeting in honour of Commerce and Industry minister Kamal Nath.

Expressing hope that a global trade deal under the Doha round can be worked out within this year, Nath also raised concern over the unfolding the "protectionist" political environment. "I do hope that we complete the round this year-end, especially with the domestic political situation becoming more protectionist," he said.

The counter-campaign by the Indian industry to the election slogan of 'job-shipping' also talks about how several American firms, which went down under and were even facing bankruptcy, have been revived by groups like Bharat Forge.

The Pune-based group had acquired in 2005 bankrupt federal Forge Inc in Lansing, Michigan and opened its plant without downsizing. "By stepping in and maintaining the Michigan plant, the newly-named Bharat Forge America protected the jobs of 150 skilled American auto workers -- the jobs that otherwise would have been lost," the apex Indian chamber said.

Likewise, the Eight O'clock coffee firm acquired by Tata coffee division for USD 220 million in 2006 has been modernised and its manufacturing facility at Maryland is able to compete with big coffee players in the us market and abroad, it said.

online report

Mr. Sunil Mittal Honured JRD Tata Corporate Leadership Award

Mr.Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Group CEO, Bharti Enterprises, has been awarded the prestigious JRD Tata Corporate Leadership Award. Mr.Mittal has been given this Award for his outstanding contribution to the Indian industry and for being a distinguished Corporate Leader who has consistently maintained exceptional standards in professional management.

The Award was presented to Mittal by Union Minister of Power, Sushil Kumar Shinde, at a function in Bangalore on February 21, 2008.

Commenting to the Award, Mittal said, “I am delighted to receive this Award named after one of the historic leaders of the Indian industry. This Award is testimony to the key transformational projects that we have undertaken, which have served the nation in a meaningful manner. I am sure this Award would inspire many of today’s budding entrepreneurs to pursue their business visions with single-minded focus and persistence to make an impact on the society and people.”

DHONI GETS ALL

Dhoni goes for 1.5m dollars, no takers for McGrath: Cricket Next: "Chennai Super Kings seized India skipper Mahendra Dhoni and Sri Lanka’s wily spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in the initial round of auction of players for the Indian Premiere League (IPL) here on Wednesday. Dhoni went for a whopping 1.5 million dollars (six crore rupees) while Murali was taken for 6,00,000 dollars in what seemed to be big gains for the team from southern India.

The IPL, which promises to take cricket to a different level, gave a glimpse of what to expect in the unique tournament that is scheduled to get underway about two months from now. Cine stars Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta, who own the Kolkata and Mohali teams, respectively, were among the bidders as the much awaited event commenced at a five star hotel.

Dhoni, the only top Indian player not to figure among the icon players (who are not up for bids and will play for their home teams) was a prime property and was lapped up in what was the highest bid in the first list of players and gave the team the big name that they missed because of not having an icon player.

Australian Adam Gilchrist was another star in the starting A list of players, who went for 7,00,000 to Hyderabad. Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar was taken by the Kolkata team for 4,25,000 dollars, Aussie spin magician Shane W"

INDIAN PROFFESIONAL PLAYER AUCTION

Mumbai entered the fray in the second round of bidding, picking up Sanath Jayasuriya for US$975,000 (his base price was US$250,000) and Harbhajan Singh for US$850,000 (base price US$250,000). The other players who were picked in the second round of bidding were: Anil Kumble by Bangalore for US$500,000 (base price: US$250,000) and Kumar Sangakkara by Mohali for US$700,000 (base price: US$250,000). So Sanga joins his friend and national captain Mahela Jayawardene - and their former coach Tom Moody.

Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Yousuf haven't found any takers so far, so they have gone into the reserve pool and will be picked later.

Everyone's now broken for lunch, back at 13-35 p.m.

Squads as of now:

Jaipur Shane Warne (US$ 450,000)

Chennai MS Dhoni (US$ 1.5 million), Muttiah Muralitharan (US$ 600,00)

Mumbai Sachin Tendulkar (icon), Sanath Jayasuriya (US$ 975,000), Harbhajan Singh (US$ 850,000)

Bangalore Rahul Dravid (icon), Anil Kumble (US$ 500,000)

Hyderabad Adam Gilchrist (US$ 700,000)

Mohali Yuvraj Singh (icon), Mahela Jayawardene (US$ 475,000), Kumar Sangakkara (US$ 700,000)

Kolkata Sourav Ganguly (icon), Shoaib Akhtar (US$ 425,000)

Castro Resigns as cuban President

BBC NEWS | Americas | Castro steps aside after surgery: "Veteran Cuban leader Fidel Castro has temporarily handed power to his brother Raul because of illness.

A statement written by the president and read out on TV by his personal secretary said Mr Castro had undergone surgery to halt internal bleeding.

The Cuban leader, who turns 80 this month, said a punishing schedule in recent weeks had affected his health.

This is the first time Mr Castro has relinquished any of his duties since he came to power in 1959.

Raul Castro, the defence minister, has long been designated as his successor should he become incapacitated.

Cuba has a communist, one-party system."

Walt Disney to increase stake in UTV Software to 32 %

The Walt Disney Company, has announced its plans to increase its stake in UTV Software Communications to 32.1 per cent. The company will be investing nearly Rs 805 crore in UTV Software.The company is also investing Rs 119 crore to acquire a 15 per cent stake in UTV Global Broadcasting. The investments of The Walt Disney Company, Southeast Asia, in UTV and UTV Global, together with the warrants to be issued to Ronnie Screwvala’s Promoter Group of Rs 390 crore after excise, makes this total deal worth Rs 1,314 crore.

Andy Bird, Chairman, Walt Disney International, and a board member of UTV, said, “We are pleased with our initial investment in UTV, which has strong local brands and media properties that provide complementary growth platforms to Disney’s existing branded efforts. The UTV management team is proven and well-respected, and we look forward to continue to work with them.”
Ronnie Screwvala, Founder Promoter and Group CEO of UTV, commented, “This partnership across movies, TV content, interactive and broadcasting endorses our leadership position in India and South East Asia and propels our already growing global story. Over the last year, we have learnt to work well together and the speed at which this collaborative deal was put together is testament to the strong working relationship we have built.”

Tarun Rai new CEO of World Wide Media

Worldwide Media has appointed Mr.Tarun Rai as its new CEO. He will take charge his new positione from today. Mr.Tarun Rai moves in from JWT India, where he had worked as Managing Partner. He was with JWT India for 17 years. Worldwide Media Pvt Ltd is a 50:50 joint venture between BBC Worldwide and The Times of India Group and publishes magazines such as Filmfare, Femina etc.,

Commenting on the new appointment, Rai said, “India is a high-growth market and Worldwide Media is well positioned to exploit this potential with some of the world’s best magazine titles. I’m incredibly excited to be working on leading brands such as Filmfare, Femina, Hello! and Top Gear, and launching many new titles.”

Peter Phippen, MD and Chairman-BBC Magazines, Worldwide Media, said, “Worldwide Media is the magazine gateway to India. This meant that we were looking for an outstanding leader for the CEO’s post. Tarun has a great combination of commercial and creative expertise that will grow the company’s position as one of India’s largest magazine publishers in a rapidly expanding marketplace.”

Rai has over 18 years’ experience in the advertising business helping build some of the world’s most reputed brands. His clients at JWT included Unilever, Diageo, GlaxoSmithkline, Pizza Hut, Reebok, DeBeers, Nestle, Kellogg and Merill Lynch. Rai has worked across several JWT offices and has a very successful record of building strong teams and achieving aggressive business targets.

Tarun Rai new CEO of World Wide Media

Worldwide Media has appointed Mr.Tarun Rai as its new CEO. He will take charge his new positione from today. Mr.Tarun Rai moves in from JWT India, where he had worked as Managing Partner. He was with JWT India for 17 years. Worldwide Media Pvt Ltd is a 50:50 joint venture between BBC Worldwide and The Times of India Group and publishes magazines such as Filmfare, Femina etc.,

Commenting on the new appointment, Rai said, “India is a high-growth market and Worldwide Media is well positioned to exploit this potential with some of the world’s best magazine titles. I’m incredibly excited to be working on leading brands such as Filmfare, Femina, Hello! and Top Gear, and launching many new titles.”

Peter Phippen, MD and Chairman-BBC Magazines, Worldwide Media, said, “Worldwide Media is the magazine gateway to India. This meant that we were looking for an outstanding leader for the CEO’s post. Tarun has a great combination of commercial and creative expertise that will grow the company’s position as one of India’s largest magazine publishers in a rapidly expanding marketplace.”

Rai has over 18 years’ experience in the advertising business helping build some of the world’s most reputed brands. His clients at JWT included Unilever, Diageo, GlaxoSmithkline, Pizza Hut, Reebok, DeBeers, Nestle, Kellogg and Merill Lynch. Rai has worked across several JWT offices and has a very successful record of building strong teams and achieving aggressive business targets.

Tata 's Now Want to make air-car

Tata Motors Ltd has confirmed that it is collaborating to develop an air-powered car with French inventors, a newspaper reported.

Tata Motors Managing Director Ravi Kant told a leading financial daily that his group last year signed an agreement with MDI, a private French company developing cars driven by compressed air.

"It's a very exciting concept, this way of running a car. We hope something will come out of it," Kant said. He confirmed Tata Motors had the technology rights for India and was "studying whether it can be used".

Rajeev Chandrasekhar new FICCI President

Mr.Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP and Chairman, CEO of Jupiter Capital, has been elected the new FICCI President at the conclusion of the 80th Annual General Meeting of FICCI, which was held on February 16. Harsh Pati Singhania, Managing Director, JK Paper Ltd, has been elected as Senior Vice-President of FICCI, while Rajan Bharti Mittal, Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises, has been elected as Vice-President of FICCI.

Small Background:

• Mr.Rajeev Chandrasekhar is currently a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), representing Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Rajeev Chandrasekhar has been:

• Member of Prime Ministers Council on Trade & Industry - 1999-2003
• Member of Advisory Committee in the Ministry of Information
  Technology, Government of India - 1999-2002
• Chair Person of Government of Karnataka, Infrastructure Task Force 1999-2002
• Director, Karnataka Power Corporation Limited

New CEO of Times Global Broadcasting

Times Global Broadcasting Company Ltd has got new leadership in place with Chintamani Rao taking charge as CEO. Rao replaces Sunil Lulla, who had been associated with the company since its inception in 2005.When questioned on the new role, Rao replied that he was already looking forward to the task ahead. He said, “Times Global Broadcasting presented an opportunity to do something further in the news space and that attracted me here.”Rao has 30 years of experience in the advertising industry.
“Times Now is a leading English news channel, and in that sense, the challenges of a market leader are different. I am looking forward to handling that. The company’s intention to launch an English business news channel has been announced, and that clearly is another area that would be interesting to work at,” added Rao.

adsense

It's amazing how some people can earn a brilliant income by using Adsense ads on their websites and other can't. Much of that has to do with the size of ads they are using as well as the position and color of the ads.

Size Of Ads

The medium rectangle ad is the one that seems to perform the best. This size ad is a reasonable size and as long as it's blended and doesn't stand out as an ad it is the best one too use. The next one would be a smaller sized ad placed in or near the navigation bar.

Placement Of Ads

As mentioned you should have a small ad in or near the navigation bar. This is a place where everyone tends to look so by placing your ad near there it will get much exposure. With the medium rectangle ad it is important to have it above the fold of your page. Above the fold is the area of the page that can be seen without scrolling down, so the top part of the page that you see first. The reason for this is that not everyone scrolls down many people will leave the site without scrolling so for your ads to have maximum exposure you want them where they will be seen straight away.

Color of Ads

By using the traditional white background, black text and blue link your ads will look like ads (unless this is the general color scheme of your site). It is best to select the colors for your ads to match the colors of your websites. Have the background the same color as your website page background and have the border the same color also. This way the border won't appear and the ads will blend in better. It is debateable whether to use the blue link or have a link color the same as the link color that is on your site. Many people swear by the blue link and many prefer the same color as their site so that is something you can play around with and see what works better for you.

By having Google Adsense ads on your website if set up correctly you really can make a great income but remember it's not just about putting the ads in the right places you need to drive a ton of traffic to your site to get the clicks. You can find out how to get a good page ranking and a lot of traffic at

Katherine Heigl: Most Desirable Woman of 2008

Katherine Heigl the most desirable woman in the world, according to AskMen.com.
Katherine Heigl plays a girl who's always the bridesmaid and never the bride in her new movie, 27 dresses. But off the silver screen, the actress is not only a blushing newlywed, she also seems to have captured the hearts of American men.

The site — which boasts seven million readers a month — said it polls users annually for a list of 99 women who best embody the qualities of an ideal girlfriend or wife, as judged by intelligence, humor, charisma and ambition.

"This year's list really goes to show who our users relate with and find beautiful, charming and personable," Editor-in-Chief James Bassil says.
It's been an amazing year for Heigl, 29. She received acclaim for her role in last year's runaway hit Knocked Up and won a Best Supporting Actress Emmy for her work on the television series hit Grey's Anatomy. Heigl's personal life has also played out like a fairy tale. Her wedding earlier this month to musician Josh Kelly — featured exclusively on the pages of OK! — was set in a romantic Christmas-themed ceremony.
Those who also made the AskMen.com list was model Alessandra Ambrosio, who came in at no. 2, followed by British actress Kate Beckinsale, Eva Mendes, Jessica Alba, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Rihanna and Marisa Miller.

Saatchi Opens Green Consultancy - Advertising Age - Agency News

Saatchi Opens Green Consultancy - Advertising Age - Agency News: "Making a play to reach more environmentally-conscious consumers, Publicis Groupe today announced its acquisition of green consultancy Act Now Productions.

Under the deal, San Francisco-based Act Now will join the Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide network, and will be redubbed Saatchi & Saatchi S -- not to be confused with Saatchi & Saatchi X, the agency network's shopper-marketing unit, with which the new green consultancy will work in tandem."

Teens Who Attend Most Movies Also Consume Most Media - Advertising Age - MediaWorks

Teens Who Attend Most Movies Also Consume Most Media - Advertising Age - MediaWorks: "Published: February 01, 2008
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- For teens and young adults looking for entertainment, too much of a good thing is never enough. A new study put out by Integrated Media Measurement Inc. found that American moviegoers aged 13 to 24 consumed at least twice as much TV and radio as non-moviegoers in the same age range.

IMMI collects and analyzes data from a nationwide panel of 3,000 consumers, aged 13-54, on a daily basis. According to Steve Walsh, senior VP-director of sales for IMMI, the company equips each panelist with specially coded cellphones that also digitize every audio source that the panelist is exposed to. A large team of analysts collect and analyze the data, advising IMMI's clients on trends and the best means and methods to reach consumers. This particular grouping of data focused on high school and college-aged youth, perhaps the most sought-after group by digital advertisers.

IMMI divided the subjects into two groups: moviegoers and non-moviegoers. While the theory might hold that people who went to fewer movies had more time to listen to the radio or watch TV, the data found that moviegoers were the ones who consumed the most radio and TV. In addition, those who went to the movies most frequently (at least 24 movies a year) also listened to the most radio."

Kohler set for $75 Million Global Media Account

Kohler Co. has begun a review for its estimated $75 million global media account.


Kohler Co. is a privately held 135-year-old company with a global media account estimated at $75 million.
Kohler Co. is a privately held 135-year-old company with a global media account estimated at $75 million.


A spokesman said the family-owned, privately held 135-year-old company hired Select Resources International, Santa Monica, Calif., to handle the search. He declined to discuss a decision date or further details of the review.
ohler spent $36.4 million in U.S. measured media in 2006 and $34.4 million for the first nine months of 2007 in the U.S., according to TNS Media Intelligence.

Microsoft Makes a Open Offer to Yahoo

Microsoft has targeted the slumping Internet icon Yahoo
with an hostile takeover offer of $44.6 billion in its boldest bid yet to challenge Google Inc.'s dominance of the lucrative online search and advertising markets.
With profits steadily on decline, Yahoo's stock slipped to a four-year low earlier this week and a new management team has been trying to steer a turnaround but sees more difficult times through 2008.

The announcement sent Yahoo's share price buzzing up 60% in premarket trading, while Google fell 8%, weighted down by a fourth-quarter earnings report that missed Wall Street expectations.

In a letter to Yahoo's board of directors, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer indicated that the world's largest software maker is determined to bring the two companies together.