Akshay Kumar will be torch bearer for 2010 Special Olympics

The sportiest star of the Indian Film Industry, is now going ahead and becoming the international khiladi as he will soon be seen in the most respected sporting event, The 2010 Olympics games, as the sole star representing the global entertainment industry.

Akshay has been the brand ambassador from India for the Special Olympics World Winter Games for the past three years, but this year he is also going to be the torch bearer at the Winter Games being held in Vancouver, Canada.

Akshay's love for sports is a well known fact; he was recently awarded the highest Japanese honour of 'Katana' at his first international karate championship. Not only that, but he has shot for 'Seven Deadly Sins' for the National Geographic channel recently.

This one would be another feather in his cap, as only 15 international celebrities have been invited to Canada to participate in carrying the torch.

The games will be held from January 30 to February 14, 2010. Akshay will be presented the torch on November 16 by the Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper, in Mumbai. At a high-power exclusive lunch organised for 50 CEO's of respected tourism companies, the PM will be introducing Akshay as the sole torch bearer from India.

Ashlee Simpson to make Broadway debut with Chicago

Ashlee Simpson is all set to make her Broadway debut as she reprises the role of Roxie Hart in Chicago, it has emerged.

According to GossipCop.com, the 25-year-old singer-turned-actress, who played the character in London's West End in 2006, will begin her six-week Broadway stint next month.

The news comes after Ashlee was axed from the American TV show Melrose Place last month.

An insider had recently revealed that Ashlee had made up her mind to hang up her mic and focus on her acting career for the sake of her 11-month-old son, Bronx.

"She's reading scripts. Acting is her focus now. If she had an album, she'd have to tour and be away from Bronx. She wants consistency," Contactmusic had quoted the source, as saying.

Angelina Jolie to adopt another baby?

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie is reportedly planning to adopt a baby from an Asian country despite the fact that her partner Brad Pitt is not so keen about the idea.

The Oscar-winning actress, who already has three adopted kids and three biological children with partner Brad Pitt, has reportedly started the process to bring home a baby girl from an Asian country.

Pitt is said to be not so keen about the idea, but an undeterred Jolie has begun the proceedings on her own.

"He has made it clear that six children are more than he can handle. The idea of one more seemed ludicrous, but Jolie is determined to complete her rainbow family," said a source close to the actor.

Dannii Minogue named ‘Ultimate TV Personality of the Year’

Dannii Minogue has been named ‘Ultimate TV Personality of the Year’.

The 38-year-old Aussie was honoured at Cosmopolitan magazine's annual bash, reports the Sun.

After picking up the award at Banqueting House in London's Whitehall, Dannii said she felt ‘euphoric’.

And she credited her boyfriend Kris Smith, saying: "When you're having a good time at work and in your love life, I guess it shows on your face."

Dannii also said that she was ‘amazed’ at her good fortune after enduring some ‘difficult situations last year’ amid stories of a rivalry with Cheryl Cole, a claim she denies.

Her older sister Kylie, 41, said: "I'm so proud of my sister. She has worked really hard and is shining right now. Doing The X Factor with her this year made me appreciate how hard her job is, and how great she is at it."

Other stars who picked up Women of the Year awards included Holly Willoughby, who was named Ultimate TV Presenter, while Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones picked up the Ultimate Funny Woman crown.

The awards were picked by a panel including Fearne Cotton and Alesha Dixon.

Amitabh Bachchan plays 13-year-old Auro : PAA

A series of merchandise aimed at children is being planned after the release of Paa in which Amitabh Bachchan plays 13-year-old Auro, suffering from the premature ageing disease progeria.

Also, on Children's Day this Saturday, Amitabh as Auro will appear on television with a very special message for children. The initiative has been taken by AB Corp Ltd, who is producing the film, to connect Amitabh's character with children across the world through an Auro blitzkrieg. The fans will have Big B merchandise including dolls to play with.

"We're most definitely targeting Paa at children and parents alike. Mr. Bachchan's Auro is a special child suffering from an extremely rare age-hastening disease. Auro could've easily become lonely, isolated or abandoned," director R. Balakrishnan said.

"Paa shows how special 'special kids' can be. It has a message on parenting rather than any disease. When your child is born with a special impairment you need to make him feel special, not unwanted or isolated," he added.

There are now plans to do special shows of Paa to collect funds for the Progeria Research Foundation.

"We really had no concrete plans to tie up with the Progeria foundation. Though our protagonist suffers from the disease the film is not about progeria. It's about how special children can fill your life with special brightness.

"Not for a minute does my protagonist's special condition qualify his relationship with his parents. That's why we avoided pitching Paa as a progeria project. However we'd be more than happy if our film proves helpful to children who suffer from this rarest-of-rare diseases," said Balakrishnan.

"We're still to work out details since we hadn't really planned any Progeria events. We're definitely holding a charity screening of Paa of which the proceeds will be given to the Progeria foundation in the US," said the director.

Backless shot tells a lot about Kurbaan : Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor says there is nothing "vulgar" about her backless shot being used for the publicity posters of forthcoming release Kurbaan, an intense thriller about terrorism. In fact, she says, it subtly reveals a lot about the story.

"This shot of me in a backless posture and Saif with a wound on his chest tell so much about the film's theme," Kareena said.

"There is love, passion and violence - all combined in here and what better way than to show it through a single still? You too would agree that there is nothing sleazy or vulgar about it. Knowing the sensibilities of Karan Johar (producer) and Rensil D'Silva (director), that's the least one could have expected," she added.

Kareena said that after Geet in Jab We Met, her character of Avantika in Kurbaan will make people sit up and take notice.

"The girl's role has a lot of edge in Kurbaan, something which starts becoming more and more visible as the film unfolds. In any case the film is not one of those cliched love stories. Every character has quite a few layers to it and Avantika, the character I play, is no exception. She is quite pivotal to Kurbaan," she said.

Kareena plays a professor in Kurbaan who gets married to her colleague, played by Saif Ali Khan. They move to New York after marriage, but as a series of events unfold she finds herself into a vortex of danger and intrigue.

She further realises that she is a pawn in a huge game and no one could be trusted.

"What made this role special is the fact that I play this young beautiful professor who is quite normal. She reacts to terrorism for the first time and life is never the same again for her," she said.

"Actually if you ask me, then technically Kurbaan is the story of this girl. She is the light of the screen. I am sure people will cry with Avantika, so strong is her characterisation," the actress said.

After Jab We Met, Kareena was seen in Main Aurr Mrs Khanna, Kambakkth Ishq, Tashan and Golmaal Returns. And except Golmaal Returns, none of the films did well at the box office.

Kareena is delighted about the prospects of audiences seeing her in a different light after the film and says it is not a frothy romance drama.

"Kurbaan has a deep-rooted love story to it, but it is not a frothy romantic film that we are time and again exposed to. The love story is much deeper here. There is a definite meaning, purpose and reason to it. Also, the film is quite powerful in its own way since it's the voice of moderate Islam," she said.

The film, which also stars Vivek Oberoi, Om Puri, Kirron Kher and Dia Mirza, is releasing on November 20.

Anna Paquin Thinks ‘Vampires Are Hot’

If you’re one of those who cannot understand the current obsession with vampires, probably you should hear Anna Paquin’s opinion.
She recently declared that she finds vampires hot and. In her opinion, girls are looking for men who know what they’re doing and vampires fill that role perfectly.

“Girls like them because they’re sexy and dangerous and always really hot,” she says. “They’ve been around a long time — they probably know what they’re doing when it comes to that sort of thing.”