Life in General

The music of Nirvana has inspired a new dance production, which premieres in the group's native Seattle, Washington this weekend.

Two dancers will represent Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain and his widow Courtney Love in the show, which will feature tracks from the band's landmark 1991 album Nevermind.

Choreographer Donald Byrd is the brains behind the Spectrum Dance Theatre production.

A revolver once owned by Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books, was sold for 12,000 pounds (17,650 euros, 23,550 dollars) at an auction in London on Wednesday.

The Colt Python .357 Magnum was presented to Fleming by the Colt Company as a gift in 1964, possibly as thanks for having his character Scaramanga, the KGB-trained villain in "The Man With The Golden Gun", use a Colt gun.

The snub-nosed revolver, which is in excellent condition, is engraved with the legend: "Presented To Ian Fleming By Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg. Co".

It had been expected to fetch between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds and was bought anonymously over the telephone during a sale at auction house Bonhams.

Fleming was a journalist and banker before working in Naval Intelligence during World War II, where he rose to the rank of Commander Fleming and was right-hand man to spymaster Admiral John Godfrey.

After the war, he went to Jamaica for a naval conference and fell in love with the island, where he wrote the Bond novels at his home, "Goldeneye".

Bond, the suave super-spy created by Fleming, carried a Walther PPK pistol which is easily concealed under a dinner jacket because it is small and light.

Victoria and David Beckham are still looking for a home in California – because the couple refuse to overpay for a house whose price has been raised simply because the famous pair is interested.

The couple have not still decided on a house for when they moved to LA..They refuse to pay above the odds just because they are famous.

In January it was announced that the Beckhams would move to California after the former English soccer captain, 31, signed a lucrative five-year deal with the L.A. Galaxy.

Since then Victoria, the former Posh Spice, 32, has made several trips to the west coast to check on possible homes for themselves and private schools for sons Brooklyn, 8, Romeo, 4 and Cruz, 2.

Although schools have been narrowed down, the family is struggling to find a suitable mansion. "They will definitely buy in or around Beverly Hills. It makes sense for them," says the source. "But they will not pay an excess purely because of who they are. They are careful with their money."

Ashley Simpson has given sister Jessica's romance with guitarist John Mayer the thumbs up, insisting the Daughters singer is "great" for the divorced blonde. Simpson and Mayer have reportedly been an item for the past eight months, despite initial denials they were dating.

The couple recently enjoyed a romantic vacation in Rome, Italy together and Ashlee Simpson insists her big sister is very happy with her new man.

Meanwhile, celebrity pal Christina Milian is thrilled for the couple: "This is a relationship that's not for the cameras. It's not about celebrity. It seems like they truly have an attraction to each other."

Paris Hilton has been found in violation of the terms of her probation and faces a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Hilton, 26, was spotted Feb. 27 speeding down Sunset Boulevard around 11 p.m. without her headlights on, says L.A. Sheriff's spokesman Oscar Butao.

After pulling over her 2007 Bentley Continental GTC Convertible, officers found Hilton was driving with a suspended license – the result of her DUI arrest last September.

In that case, she pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of alcohol-related reckless driving on Jan. 22, and was placed on 36 months probation.

Hilton's rep and attorney were not immediately available for comment.

Michelle Branch stalker was arrested at the singer/songwriter's Wisconsin concert on Monday night - after she spotted him in the audience. The new mom was performing with her band The Wreckers in Sheboygan when she caught a glimpse of 32-year-old Dominick Giordano and asked security staff to step in.

According to fans, Branch stopped the concert and said, "Wait a second. There's a guy in the audience - striped shirt and glasses - can somebody check him out?"

Giordano, a man accused of stalking was cited for disorderly conduct after security staff at the Weill Center for the Performing Arts stopped him as he tried to leave. He had been following Branch to concerts around the country, and regularly sends her disturbing letters and videos.

Eva Longoria's husband-to-be, Tony Parker, is more than just a basketball star: The San Antonio Spurs guard is also a rapper.

That's right, following in the oversize footsteps of fellow b-baller Shaquille O'Neal, Parker has released a rap CD. The album, Balance-toi ("Move Yourself" in colloquial French) is on sale in Parker's native France.

On the album, the hoops star spits rhymes about Longoria and even duets with Jamie Foxx.

So, does Parker have game? "The disc is selling," says an employee at the Virgin Megastore on the Champs-Elysées in Paris.

Batman comic book artist Roger Marshall who created some of Batman greatest moments, has died at his home in Fremont, California. He passed away at 57 "unexpectedly" on sunday, according to his family, who are awaiting news of a cause of death.

The comic book favorite worked on Batman's adventures for Detective Comics in the late 1970s after training as an architect.

Apocalypto star Rudy Youngblood's Comanche roots are being questioned as a Native American group plans to honor the actor. Youngblood, who played central character Jaguar Paw in Mel Gibson's Mayan history epic, has spoken out about his heritage in interviews, boasting that his ancestors fought at Little Big Horn.

But Comanche leaders and Native American historians are questioning his claims. One historian, David Yeagley, tells the Los Angeles Times, "He has no Indian blood in him that anyone can validate."

Youngblood, who will be honored at next month's First Americans In The Arts gala in Beverly Hills, admits he can't understand why Yeagley is questioning his heritage. The actor says, "It's very hateful and very negative. He stalks me like he knows me."

According to the actor's website, Youngblood hails from the Tahchawwickah Comanche family and is adopted Cree. In his defense, Comanche Nation spokeswoman Jolene Schonchin accepts Youngblood's claims to her tribe: "He does have Comanche blood... from his father's side."

But even that is being questioned by members of theTahchawwickah family, who claim they've never heard of Youngblood, stating the actor wasn't among family members who attended tribe elder Preston Tahchawwickah's funeral in 2005. Youngblood claims Preston Tahchawwickah as his father.

After a tumultuous reign as Miss USA, Tara Conner passed her crown to Miss Tennessee Rachel Smith during Friday's Miss USA 2007 Pageant.

Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has delivered a stinging attack on hit new war epic 300 in his country's New Year address.

The President appeared on TV in Iran yesterday and accused western powers of trying to "tamper with history by making a film and by making Iran's image look savage".

Ahmadinejad refused to mention the film by name, but it quickly became clear he was referring to the world's number one movie, which surrounds an ancient Greek battle between the armies of Persia and 300 stubborn Spartan warriors. The film has been hammered by Iranian critics, who have claimed the ultra-violent film insults their ancient culture.

Ahmadinejad weighed into the debate during his televised speech, stating, "By psychological war, propaganda and misuse of the organizations they have themselves created, and for which they have written the rules... they are trying to prevent our nation's development."

Teen pop icon Hilary Duff is set to test her accent skills after signing on to play a New Zealand tourist in a new movie. The So Yesterday singer has been picked to star in The Emancipation Of Jonny opposite rising young actor Liam Aiken.

The film is based on the true-life of 16-year-old director Jonathan Nguyen and surrounds the struggles of a teenager trying to break free from his strict parents. She will Portray Piki Little, an 18-year old New Zealander who helps Aiken's character scape.

Nicole Richie was hopitalized for dehydration earlier this month. Nicole has recently been diagnosed with "hypoglycemia" or low blood-sugar.

Richie, 25, announced in October that she was seeking treatment for what her rep described as an inability to put on weight.

And though she and Paris Hilton work as counselors at a health camp on the fifth season of their E! reality show, Richie's own physical issues have recently taken center stage.

Four or five times she's felt really faint and almost passed out, She has to go into her trailer for a good part of the day."

(After her March 2 hospitalization, she reportedly collapsed again on March 14.)

Richie got her hypoglycemia diagnosis, "[She] is taking steps to manage it." Adds a show spokesperson: "Nicole has reportaed to work each day and the results have been fantastic."

Julia Roberts is fixing up her new $20 million Malibu, California mansion with the latest state-of-the art green gizmos and gadgets.

As well as being solar-powered, a family friend tells Life & Style magazine the new place will be built with wood from "sustainably managed forests".

The star is determined to be a green mother by the time she gives birth to her third child this summer- the home she's moving into will be a solar-powered eco-friendly place.

Actress and singer Lea Salonga showcased Filipino talent once more on opening night of Broadway musical "Les Miserables" in Manhattan, New York. Salonga first performed in the musical in 1993, playing the character of the street waif Eponine. This time around, she takes on the role of Fantine, a young mother forced into prostitution because of poverty.

No stranger to Broadway, Salonga launched her international theatrical career in 1991 when she played the lead character Kim in the musical "Miss Saigon." Salonga even won a Tony Award, Broadway's most coveted prize, for playing the tragic Saigon prostitute who falls in love and has a son with an American soldier during the Vietnam War.

The Broadway revival of Les Miserables kicks off a national tour that features Salonga with Filipino American actors and Broadway first-timers Ali Ewoldt and Adam Jacobs.

Jennifer Lopez isn't afraid to show off her mic moves during a performance on the Spanish television show Mira Quien Baila (translation: Look Who Is Dancing) on Monday. The singer is in Barcelona, Spain, to promote her new Spanish-language album Como Ama Una Mujer, which will be released Stateside on March 27.

Naomi Campbell manages to look runway-ready as she reports to the New York City Sanitation Department Depot on Monday to begin serving out her five days of community service. The supermodel was sentenced to work at a New York City sanitation garage after throwing her cell phone at her maid.

The True Lies star Tom Arnold has reconciled with his wife Shelby Roos after filing for divorce last year, and now he hopes adopting a child will be the couple's next move.

The star is calling Angelina Jolie to help save his marriage by donating adopted vietnamese children to him.

Due to a well-documented low sperm count, Arnold cannot father a natural child, and he's seriously thinking about adopting. And that's where Jolie, who is in the process of adopting a third child in Hanoi, can help.

Keanu Reeves was driving his Porsche that grazed a photographer in California last night. Reeves said to have been leaving a parking space in the residential area of Avenida Tranquila when the alleged accident occurred.

The photographer was taken to the nearby hospital to receive treatment for unknown injuries. The star was uninjured.

Deputy Ed Hernandez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says, "He grazed a paparazzi standing in front of his Porsche, and the man fell to the ground."

Harry Potter star Emma Watson has reportedly refused to sign a new contract to star in the last two movies in the J.K Rawling fanta series, despite being offered $3.9 million to continue her role as Hermione Granger. The 16-year-old - who was confronted by a crazed fan at her British school earlier this week - has allegedly tired of her role as Harry Potter's best friend and wants to try new projects.

Movie giants Warner Brothers confirmed Watson has not signed on for any more "Harry Potter" movies but played down reports Emma Watson is quitting the film franchise, insisting they are "extremely confident" she will continue to play Hermione Granger.

A scheduled stopover of Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie in Manila failed to materialize Monday night.Jolie, who is also United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, was supposed to make the refuelling stop at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 10:30 p.m. on the way back to the United States. The report said the actress did not take the scheduled flight out of Vietnam Monday night.

Britney Spears fans have been solicited on the singer's official Web site to send her their "thoughts and inspiration" while she is in rehab.
"Stand strong," posts one well-wisher, who signs off the greeting with "Best wishes from your fan in New Zealand," while "A Brit fan from Spain" says, "we all miss your songs, your smile, WE MISS YOU BRITNEY!!"

Spears, 25, initially entered the Promises Rehab Facility in Malibu on Feb. 20. While there, her family has rallied around her– including her estranged husband, Kevin Federline, with whom she has two children, Sean Preston, 18 months, and Jayden James, 6 months.

First time mom Tori Spelling welcomed son Liam last week with her husband Dean McDermott.
The baby, who weighed in at 6 lbs., 6 oz., and measured 19½ inches when he was born on March 13, is quite the looker, his mom says: "I might be a biased mommy but he is so beautiful. I just stare at him in amazement. I can't believe I have been given this unbelievable little gift."

American Pie star Tara Reid plotting to open a fast food-diner called Ketchup, in Los Angeles California. She plans to ba a regular in her own place, not behind the cash register but shes definitely in the kitchen making sure that everything done right. Tara tells in In Touch magazine.

The actress Tara Reid is already an investor in three trendy restaurants and has a business in her blood, her parents ran a bar in New Jersey when she was growing up.

Kuwait health ministry confirmed on Saturday a new case of a deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in a chicken, raising to 54 the number of infected birds found this year. The Gulp Arab state has closed down poultry shops in residential areas and banned the import of live birds to prevent the outbreak.

The first Philippine woman expedition to Mt. Everest climbers Katrina Dayondon, Noelle Wesceslao and Janet Bilarmino, left in Manila today for Nepal's capital, Kathmandu. The three climbers will attempt to enter the record books as the first Filipina's to reach Everest peak.

The lady climbers spent three years preparing for Everest and will spend an additional two weeks in Kathmandu to get used to the icy climate.

Leo Oracion and Erwin Emata, the very first Filipino male climbers in history to summit the world-famous peak last year, are accompanying Dayondon and company to the Everest base camp to help them in their climb.

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN -- Brunei's Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah has become a father with the birth of his first-born, a baby boy. The future king's wife, Sarah Saleh a half swiss,
gave birth to the boy on Saturday at 3:50 pm and his birth was celebrated with a 19-gun salute.

The crown prince, who turned 33 last month, married his wife, 20, in 2004 in one of the grandest weddings in Asia in more than a decade. It was his first marriage.

She is the third child of a Bruneian civil servant and Swiss-born psychiatric nurse, Suzanne Aeby of Fribourg, who met while studying in London in the 1970s.

Energy-rich Brunei draws its wealth from oil and gas reserves, and its ruler, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, was once reputed to be the world's richest man before the rise of technology mogul Bill Gates and other self-made billionaires.

Juan Manuel Marquez took the World Boxing Counsel super featherweight tittle from Marco Antonio Barrera, winning unanimous 12-round decision. Marquez improved to 47-3 with one drawn on judges' scores of 118-109, 116-111 and 116-111. Barrera fell to 64-5, losing in his fifth defense of the crown.

The title was not the first for Marquez, who took the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation featherweight titles in 2003.

Marquez stunned Barrera in the seventh round but Barrera knocked him down with a solid right, then hit Marquez with another right while he was on the mat.

That prompted referee Jay Nady to deduct a point from Barrera and not give him credit for a knockdown.

The formal introduction of Pax Thien Jolie to his new mother didn't exactly go smoothy; Jolie and her new son went through an emotional introduction at Thursday's formal welcoming ceremony, during which the 3-year-old Vietnamese boy started crying when his newmet mom knelt down to talk to him.

The star completed adoption procedures in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday morning after picking her new son up from the orphanage – the same one that she and Brad Pitt visited during a trip to the former Saigon last November. This time, Jolie came without Pitt. She adopted the boy as a single parent because Vietnam's adoption regulations don't allow unmarried couples to co-adopt. But Jolie didn't come alone to the orphanage – she brought along son Maddox to meet his new brother.

Pax, whose given name before he was adopted was Pham Quang, is the fourth child for the actress and her partner, Brad Pitt. Their brood includes Maddox, who was adopted from Cambodia, Zahara, 2, who was adopted from Ethiopia, and 10-month-old Shiloh, who was born to the couple last year.

Sandra Bullock enjoying living out of limelight because she can do whatever she wanted and she can wear whatever she wants without worrying about the criticism she used to face in hollywood.

Bullock says, "living out there is so nice" I can wear thong outside and live a normal life.

Reese Witherspoon purged her wardrobe and turned over a new fasion leaf after ending her marriage to Ryan Phillippe. She decided to get rid of anything that wasn't working and had a closet cleaning.

Witherspoon recently put a big pile of clothes on the floor of her closet and she looked of a lot of stuff and though "That's not me at all"

Witherspoon's friends have benefited from her changing style. She adds, "I give away a lot of shoes. I'm a really good girlfriend!"

Troubled pop star Britney Spears has reportedly been lashing out at her rehab facility, demanding special food and refusing to pick up after herself. Shes been behaving badly because she feels she has been force into rehab.

A source tells American publication Star, "Britney has a seriously bad attitude problem. She acts like a a kid and throws temper tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants. And asking if she could hire a maid!

"She's asking for this and that, special food, special everything and she's not that nice to anyone.

"She keeps saying she is just sick from postpartum depression and that she does not have any real addiction problem, which is a joke. She has an addiction."

Noelle Wenceslao, Karina Dayondon and Janet Belarmino, one would realize that the girls have a good chance of reaching their goal. These three Filipinas whose heights range from 4'11 to 5'4 and having Mt. Everest in mind, reaching the top of the world's highest peak would seem an impossible task.

Wenceslao, the shortest of the three, is a member of the University of the Philippines Dragonboat Rowing Team, an expert biker and an AXN adventure race winner.

Belarmino, the tallest, is a member of the formidable UP Mountaineers, a fitness instructor, a lawn tennis coach and frequent AXN race champion.

Dayondon, the youngest in the group, is an expert sport climber. She recently scaled Mt. Muztagh-Ata in China-Pakistan. The mountaint stands at 24,758 feet and is the highest peak to be scaled by a Filipina.

The girls will leave for the Everest expedition in April.

Before the expedition, the three went through grueling preparations -- from basic courses of mountaineering to scaling challenging mountains in Pakistan, Alaska and the Everest region.

Check this out holding hands photo of Piolo Pascual and Sam Milby, and let your eyes decides...

The acclaimed Hollywood film "Babel" which stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Has made its debut in China, but five minutes shorter than its original length after censors cut nude scenes.

Censors removed scenes involving a troubled Japanese teenager who bares all as she attempts to seduce an older man, the Beijing Morning Post reported.

The actress portraying the teen, Rinko Kikuchi, earned an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her work in the film.

This young Phil-Aussie actress has proven that she is versitile and worth noting after starring in the fantaserye "Kampanerang Kuba" and the drama "Hiram" and most recently in the primetime hit "Maging Sino Ka Man" Anne started appearing on different teen-oriented in the early 90s' but she has long dropped the sweet image and has moved on to the to more mature and challenging roles. The first step when she was endorsing liquor. Some thought it was a risky career move, but it worked on Anne's advantage. People are now seeing her in a different light noticing her talent. Soon after, she is gracing the covers of different magazines and events. Apart from being an actress, commercial model, and a regular host in ASAP, Anne also added VJ to her resume when MTV Philippines re-launched in 2007.

Executives at Hollywood film studio New Line are desperately trying to sign Brokeback Mountain star Jake Gyllenhaal as Captain Marvel in Shazam!

The studio is looking to bid on a big franchise along the lines of Batman and Superman and think the movie, which is based on the DC comic, is the perfect project. " They're ready to spend up to $200 million to get it started "

Anna Nicole Smith's physician pal Khristine Eroshevich is haunted by the memory of her last chat with the tragic model, because she begged her friend not to leave her alone.

Eroshevich, who was in Florida with a vacationing Smith, admits she was with the star in the days leading up to her death and recalls her final conversation with her friend.

She says, "She was taking a bath and she was shampooing her hair and I had been with her in the morning. That was Wednesday. I was going back and forth, saying goodbye and she was crying, and she said, 'Please don't leave me,' and I left."

The Bahamas-based doctor tells US TV news show Entertainment Tonight she has felt terrible guilt ever since her friend's death a month ago.

She adds, "I often think, 'Should I have stayed? What would have happened?' Certainly, I could have saved her."

And Eroshevich is keen to play down reports Smith died after suffering a fever, revealing her late pal was recovering from an illness when she left her.

She explains, "She wasn't well... She did spike a fever on Monday night but she got better really quick... I never thought that anything would happen to her. I called that night and was able to find out what she had eaten... and she was doing well. I called in the morning too. I never dreamed (she'd die)."

Angelina Jolie and her son Maddox arrived in Vietnam today ahead of the actress' formal adoption of a three-and-a-half-year-old boy tomorrow.

Angelina flew from New Orleans, Louisiana, to southern Vietnam's with her son Maddox late on wednesday night.

Jolie and Maddox were whisked into a car and driven to an undisclosed hotel, where they were to rest before Thursday's adoption ceremony.

The couple also have a biological child Shiloh Nouvel, meaning the Vietnamese boy they are adopting would be their fourth child.

Jolie filed the application for adopting the Vietnamese child as a single parent because she and Pitt are not married.

Adoption officials in Vietnam said following the adoption ceremony, Jolie will meet with US consular officials, who have to approve the adoption before a passport can be issued for the youngster.

Officials say if the paperwork is straightforward, Jolie and Pitt could have their new child in New Orleans by the weekend.

NEW DELHI, India (AFP) - India has banned imports of live poultry from countries where bird flu has been reported as a precautionary measure, a government statement said.

"Import into India will be prohibited from countries with highly pathogenic avian influenza and low pathogenic avian influenza," the statement from India's foreign trade division said late Tuesday.

The ban covers the import of live chicks, ducks, turkey and other species of newly hatched birds, the statement quoted by the Press Trust of India news agency said.

The import of meat products from these birds is also banned, along with pigs and pork products.

Eggs and feathers also come under the ban, as does animal feed derived from any of the banned items, the statement said.

Last August, India announced it was free of bird flu, six months after the country first reported an outbreak, leading to the culling of some 60,000 birds.

Bird flu has hit poultry flocks across the world and killed more than 160 people since 2003. Wild migratory birds have been blamed for the global spread of the disease.

At present the deadly H5N1 strain remains overwhelmingly a disease of birds but experts fear it could mutate into a strain with the ability to pass from human to human.

Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens was accused of driving under the influence and possession of marijuana after police after police stopped his car in downtown scottsdale early tuesday. The officer smelled alcohol and noticed stevens' eyes were "bloodshot and watery and half- closed. Spoke with slow, slurred speech." The police found a " leafy green substance" in his pocket.

Stevens refused a breathalyzer test and declined to give a blood sample until police obtained a warrant about 5 a.m., the report said. Stevens was booked and posted bail and an initial court appearance was set for April 2. The blood test results haven't yet been released.

Leonardo DiCaprio two security team arrested by Israeli Police after they clashed with photographers during a visit to Jerusalem by the star and his Israeli girlfriend Bar Refaeli.

Leonardo and supermodel Refaeli were taken a private tour of the Western Wall tunnels, next to the Western Wall which is Judaism's holiest sites in Jerusalem.

Two of his security guards were arrested after being involved in a fight that broke out.