Why should Mallika Sherawat thank Veena Malik?

Before the makers of The Bachelorette India approached Mallika Sherawat, the show was offered to Pakistani actor and former Bigg Boss contestant Veena Malik. Yes, that’s what the Supermodel babe claims. But what’s even more surprising is why she refused to do the show. She said in an interview, “The Bachelorette was first offered to me. After I refused, it went to Mallika Sherawat. I was also supposed to do Swayamvar on TV, but then it didn’t happen.

Palestinian singer wins Arab Idol contest

BEIRUT: Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf on Saturday won a pan-Arab singing contest that has had millions of viewers fixed to their TV screens since March.

Powerfully voiced Syrian singer Farah Yousef came second, and Egyptian Ahmed Jamal third in the Arab Idol competition, modelled on the Western Pop Idol.

"Mohammed Assaf is the Arab Idol!" called out the presenter as coloured confetti rained down on the cheering audience.

Immediately after his win, Assaf was named Youth Ambassador for UNRWA, the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees and named Palestinian goodwill ambassador by president Mahmud Abbas.

The handsome, tuxedo-clad Assaf, 23, won after weeks of anticipation from his army of followers, who had been glued to big screens in cafes and restaurants across Gaza and the occupied West Bank, listening as his powerful voice propelled him through the competition every weekend.

His mother, wearing a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, wept as she wrapped the Palestinian black, green, white and red flag around her shoulders.

In northern Lebanon, Palestinian refugees in the Beddawi camp fired gunshots into the air and took to the streets, honking their car horns to celebrate Assaf's win.

Shortly afterwards, a spontaneous demonstration broke out in Beddawi to celebrate the occasion.

Born in Misrata, Libya, Assaf grew up in the overcrowded Khan Yunis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, one of the world's poorest and most densely-populated places where Israel severely restricts the movement of people, goods and financial aid.

The Hamas movement, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, disapproves of what it considers un-Islamic shows, such as Arab Idol, but has not officially clamped down on support for Arab Idol or Assaf.

In a previous episode of the programme, popular Lebanese singer and jury member Ragheb Alama had described Assaf as "the best rocket" to have come out of Gaza, and as "a rocket of peace, not war".

Announcing Assaf's nomination as regional ambassador for youth minutes after his win, the agency's chief Filippo Grandi said: "All Palestinians share in his success.

Mohammed's music is a universal language and speaks to all of us. How fantastic that a Palestine refugee from Gaza should bring us all together in this way."

Halle Berry Hot Photos

Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf on Saturday won a pan-Arab singing contest that has had millions of viewers fixed to their TV screens since March.

BEIRUT: Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf on Saturday won a pan-Arab singing contest that has had millions of viewers fixed to their TV screens since March.

Powerfully voiced Syrian singer Farah Yousef came second, and Egyptian Ahmed Jamal third in the Arab Idol competition, modelled on the Western Pop Idol.

"Mohammed Assaf is the Arab Idol!" called out the presenter as coloured confetti rained down on the cheering audience.

Jackson Trial closing

 Closing arguments began Tuesday (September 24) in the civil trial brought against concert promoter AEG Live by the family of late pop star Michael Jackson.

According to Brian Panish, who represents Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, and his three children, Paris, Prince Michael, and Blanket, AEG Live pushed Michael Jackson to meet the demands of his never-

realized concert tour and hired Dr. Conrad Murray to make sure he was ready, despite the singer's known history of drug dependency.

"They chose to run the risk and make a huge profit,'' lawyer Brian Panish said in closing arguments of the trial of Katherine Jackson's negligent-hiring lawsuit against AEG Live. "But they lost and they are responsible.''

Panish said Jackson had earnings potential of up to $1.2 billion if he lived to perform the "This Is It" concerts in London, along with subsequent performances worldwide, a Las Vegas show and a movie deal.

'It's much more interesting when I have models of different ethnicities and body types': Michael Kors claims he likes diversity on the catwalk

Michael Kors has spoken out about his preference for using diverse models on the catwalk, as opposed to lookalike women who resemble 'mannequins'.

The New York-based fashion designer, 54, told Vogue.co.uk: 'It's so much more interesting if we have different ages, ethnicities, body types, heights. . . if I see mannequin-like models, I'm bored.'

He added that the trait he looks for most in a model is 'an expressive smile. I want to see them bring their own personality,' he said.

Variety: Michael Kors has spoken out about his penchant for diversity on the catwalk: 'It's so much more interesting if we have different ages, ethnicities, body types, heights. If I see mannequin-like models, I'm bored'

Mr Kors, who was born in Long Island, New York, explained that he likes women 'who can be chameleons' to wear his designs, which he showcased at New York Fashion Week earlier this month.

Indeed, the models at his latest show included 34-year-old redhead Karen Elson, from the UK, platinum blonde Czech supermodel Karolina Kurkova, 29, and gap-toothed American It-model Lindsey Wexson, 19.

 

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Apparently true to his word, Asian, African American and Caucasian models all walked the Michael Kors runway in unison.

But while the models certainly varied in age, hair color and skin tone, they appeared virtually the same in body size, with their long, slender legs and statuesque builds.

Versatile: Mr Kors, 54, explained that he likes women 'who can be chameleons' to wear his designs, which he showcased at New York Fashion Week earlier this month (pictured)

Age range: Indeed, the models at his latest show included platinum blonde Czech supermodel Karolina Kurkova, 29 (left) and gap-toothed American It-model Lindsey Wexson, 19 (right)

Perhaps Mr Kors includes a mixture of older and younger catwalkers on his runway to appeal to his fan base, which includes Michelle Obama. 

But while the designer has officially caught the attention of the president's wife, it's a different nationality of women that has caught his eye.The First Lady has frequently worn his designs since her entry into the White House, and she even posed for her official portrait wearing a sleeveless Michael Kors shift.

'I don't know why, but I seem to have this Estonian obsession,' the designer confessed.

Lady in red: Michelle Obama has frequently worn his designs, including a stunning red number at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's dinner on September 18, 2010

Eye for Estonia: 'I don't know why, but I seem to have this Estonian obsession,' the designer confessed, citing Carmen Kass (left), Karmen Pedaru (middle) and Elisabeth Erm as his favorites

'Karmen Pedaru is from Estonia, Carmen Kass is Estonian, and there's a new girl called Elisabeth Erm and she's also Estonian. I think they're feminine, sexy and strong all at the same time.'

Despite Mr Kors' assertion that he likes diverse models, one can't help but notice the striking similarity between these three women.

Mr Kors has previously asserted that he turns to specific - and very diverse - women as inspiration for his three different perfumes, Sexy, Sporty and Glam.

Athletic blondes Blake Lively and Gwyneth Paltrow embody his 'sporty' fragrance, Jennifer Lopez is the muse for his 'glam' perfume, and Rihanna and Angelina Jolie personify the 'sexy' woman for him.

Carolina Herrera fashion designer at nyfw

Carolina Herrera took fashion fans on an optical ride for the debut of her spring 2014 collection at Mercedes Benz fashion week in New York on Monday (September 9).
The New York based designer looked to her Venezuelan roots and the art world for motivation for the line.
"The Kinetic art that inspired me is based on two Venezuelan artists who are very famous artist in the Kinetic field, Jesus Soto and Carlos Cruz-Diez. But it's not just only the idea of using the fabrics or putting one on top of the other one that creates the Kinetic Art, it is also very virtual and multi dimensional. And it is very good for your eye," said Herrera.
Kinetic art plays on optical illusion. Typically, works seem to vibrate for viewers walking past.
Organza and silk overlays created illusions on skirts, dresses and even her signature trench gowns. Stripes, panels and jeweled embellishments helped mold the Kinetic art feel into fashion.
Herrera presented an array of hemlines, from floor length to bikini bottoms.
"The silhouettes are cut very simply but there are very feminine and very easy to wear and with a lot of movement. Which is what I wanted for this year," she told Reuters.

London Fashion Week kicks off with burst of Turkish colour

LONDON: London Fashion Week got off to a colourful start on Friday with a sun-drenched trip to the Aegean Sea courtesy of Turkish designer Bora Aksu, who whisked trend-setters away from Britain's dreary autumn drizzle.

Night Moves' wins top prize at Deauville film fest

DEAUVILLE: Kelly Reichardt's drama "Night Moves" about three environmentalists who plot to blow up a dam won the top prize on Saturday at France's Deauville Film Festival, which celebrates American movies.

The drama, starring Dakota Fanning, Jesse Eisenberg and Peter Sarsgaard, is set in alternative farming communities in Oregon, with the trio's plan to blow up a hydroelectric dam yielding unexpected consequences.

'Riddick' steals top slot at N. America box office

LOS ANGELES: Warrior anti-hero "Riddick" slammed into first place at the North American box office, estimates indicated Sunday, stealing the top spot held by "Lee Daniels' The Butler" for three weeks running.

Lady Gaga going to trial in ex-assistant's lawsuit

NEW YORK: A friend of Lady Gaga who claimed after serving as her personal assistant for more than a year that the pop singer cheated her out of overtime wages can tell her story to a jury in November, a judge said Tuesday.

Bowie heads Britain's Mercury Prize shortlist

LONDON: Rock icon David Bowie's re-emergence into the limelight continued on Wednesday when he was named on the shortlist for the Mercury Prize, one of Britain's most prestigious music awards.

The winners of the award, for the best British or Irish album of any genre released in the year to July, will be announced at a ceremony in London on October 30.

Victoria's Secret Angel Doutzen Kroes speaks out against using prepubescent models on the catwalk

Toned, tall and super fit Angel Doutzen Kroes has spoken out about designers hiring child models ahead of London Fashion Week.

The Dutch Victoria's Secret star is shocked by how young some of the girls walking the runway are, and says the sample clothing sizes are so small and unrealistically proportioned that many professional models can't wear them.

She told The Telegraph newspaper: 'I'm not a sample size at all. At some shows I know they have been using very young girls who have not gone into the change of the body yet - no hips, no boobs. I'm 28 and I've had a baby

Victoria Beckham at her spring/summer 2014 New York Fashion week show

Popstar turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham was supported by her husband David Beckham and two-year-old daughter Harper, at her spring/summer 2014 New York Fashion week show.
Holding his young daughter, Beckham had front row seats at the show on Sunday (September 9) alongside Vogue US editor Anna Wintour
Victoria Beckham's show was the latest in a string of collections at New York Fashion Week adhering almost entirely to a black and white palette.
Her looks were sporty, with short pleated skirts, the season's omnipresent cropped tops and flouncy hemlines over knee-length shorts.
Describing her collection, the celebrity designer said she set "boyish elements against a sense of femininity."
Some of Beckham's pieces were all-black or all-white, and she would use unusual structure or overlaid textures to bring them to life.
New York Fashion Week ends on Thursday, followed by fashion weeks in London, Paris and Milan.

'I don't feel comfortable lying': Jade Ewen makes shock confession that the Sugababes split TWO YEARS ago

They’ve been teasing fans with talk of a comeback next year since going on hiatus in 2012 but it sounds like the Sugababes are officially over.

And they have been for awhile, with Jade Ewen confessing that the girl group ‘fizzled out’ two years ago.

Jade admits that whilst the split wasn’t her choice it’s time for her and bandmates Amelle Berrabah and Heidi Range to move on with their own solo projects.

Split: The Sugababes: Jade Ewen, Amelle Berrabah and Heidi Range have officially split Jade reveals

British boy band film to top US box office

LOS ANGELES: Boy mega band One Direction's new film is set to top this holiday weekend's North America box office, in the latest British invasion, an expert said Friday.

"One Direction: This is Us," which has also just opened in Britain and much of Europe, will likely depose Oscar-tipped civil rights epic "Lee Daniels' The Butler" in the number one spot over the three-day Labor Day weekend.

The movie, by Oscar-nominated director Morgan Spurlock, made $2.7 million on opening Thursday evening alone, preliminary figures show.

"The British Invasion seems to be upon us again. And by us, of course, I mean gaggles of tween girls," said Jeff Bock, analyst at box officer tracker Exhibitor Relations.

He did point out that the Labor Day weekend, the last of the summer season, is traditionally one of the slowest periods of the year at the box office.

Stars announced for '50 Shades of Grey' film

LONDON: The film version of erotic best-seller "Fifty Shades of Grey" will star British actor Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, the book's author E L James said on Monday.

 

The casting of the movie, to be directed by British filmmaker and artist Sam Taylor-Johnson of "Nowhere Boy" fame, has been one of the most hotly anticipated secrets in Hollywood.

But instead of big names, the producers have gone for up-and-coming stars.

Hunnam starred in this summer's sci-fi blockbuster "Pacific Rim" while US actress and model Johnson is the daughter of veteran "Miami Vice" star Don Johnson and Oscar-nominated actress Melanie Griffith.

"I am delighted to let you know that the lovely Dakota Johnson has agreed to be our Anastasia in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey," author James said on Twitter.

Diana film gets world premiere as Watts defends role

LONDON: "Diana", a biopic of the late princess of Wales who died in a Paris car crash, was set for its world premiere on Thursday with its star Naomi Watts already defending her involvement in the controversial film.

The movie follows Diana's romance with London-based Pakistani surgeon Hasnat Khan, whom many friends of the princess say was her real love and the man she allegedly called "Mr Wonderful".

Based on Kate Snell's 2001 book "Diana: Her Last Love", the film suggests that Diana started dating Dodi Fayed to make Khan jealous -- a claim challenged by many close to the princess.

Diana died with Fayed when the Mercedes in which they were travelling slammed into a pillar in a Paris road tunnel in 1997 while being pursued by press photographers.

Ahead of the premiere in London's Leicester Square, Watts, a British-Australian actress who came to prominence in "Mulholland Drive" in 2001, admitted that she was taking a risk by accepting the role of the "People's Princess".

Angelina Jolie, Steve Martin to receive honorary Oscars

LOS ANGELES: Oscars season kicked off on Thursday as actors Angelina Jolie, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin and Italian costume designer Piero Tosi were the first to receive honorary Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said.

The Governors Awards are an Oscar statuettes given to those in film that have made significant contributions to the industry through their body of work. They will be presented at a ceremony in Hollywood on Nov. 16.

London film festival line-up to include 'Gravity'

LONDON: This year's London Film Festival will feature movies ranging from the Cannes Palme d'Or winner "Blue is the Warmest Color" to "Gravity," a sci-fi thriller starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock.

Other highlights announced Wednesday include the European premieres of Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave," which stars Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch and Brad Pitt, and "The Invisible Woman," directed by Ralph Fiennes, who stars as Charles Dickens.

Scarlett Johansson engaged to French boyfriend

LOS ANGELES: Scarlett Johansson is engaged to her French boyfriend Romain Dauriac, two and a half years after splitting from first husband Ryan Reynolds, a publicist for the “Avengers” star said.

Following media reports, spokesman Marcel Pariseau told AFP: “I can confirm that Scarlett and Romain are engaged. They haven't chosen a date for the wedding.” He did not elaborate.

Dauriac, described as a French journalist, proposed to the 28-year-old a month ago, according to People magazine, which cited a source as saying:

 

They're engaged and very happy.

Naomi Campbell comes undone at Paris fashion week

PARIS – Naomi Campbell drew cheers on the catwalk at Paris fashion week on Sunday when the 43-year-old supermodel opened the first haute couture show of the season for Versace in a sparkling black micro sequin jacket.

Constructed using hook and eyes to hold the jacket together, the fastenings were “left undone in places giving the impression of being undressed”, the house said, adding that each hook was held in place with Swarovski crystals.

Using sequins, crystals, embroidery and beading in a palette of black, deep emerald, ruby red and sapphire blue Donatella Versace’s autumn 2013/winter 2014 couture collection wallowed in a sense of unashamed luxury.

In some looks, the shape of the body was emphasised through exposed midriffs or transparent side panels down the shoulder, arm and leg.

Campbell closed the show with another enthusiastically received turn, this time in a body suit embroidered with black crystals and a woven mink fur, chiffon and silk tulle cardigan.

Four days of couture shows begin in earnest on Monday with the collection of the season –  Christian Lacroix’s come-back tribute to the late Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli.

Lacroix, feted by fashion editors in the 1990s after he created the first couture house to open in a quarter century in 1987, lost his fashion house in December 2009 after it ran up millions of dollars in debts.

In his first collection in four years, Lacroix will present 18 reinterpretations of Schiaparelli designs for the relaunched fashion hous