Kidman hints at retirement to have more children

Kidman hints at retirement to have more children

Superstar Nicole Kidman has said she was unsure about her acting career because she wanted to have more children.

The actress said it was difficult decision for her and husband Keith Urban to leave behind their newborn daughter Sunday Rose to attend the premier of ‘Australia’.

The USD 130 million film, which has been directed by Luhrmann, opens in Sydney on 18th November.

"In terms of my future as an actor I don’t know."

"I’m in a place in my life where I have had some great opportunities but I may choose to have some more children, She said in a press conference.

"…There are many things I want to do besides act." Kidman is the second famous actress after Angelina Jolie to express a desire to retire from and active career to become a full-time mother.

Her daughter Sunday Rose, was born in August and she has two children, Connor and Isabella, from her marriage to actor Tom Cruise.

Talking about her latest film, Kidman said working on Lurhmann’s movie was an opportunity she could not pass up.

It is Luhrmann’s first film since "Moulin Rouge" in 2001 and has a budget of USD 130 million. The film is also being touted as saviour of the ailing local film and tourism industries.

The director said it was up to the film now to find the audience. "We’ve given it our all, we’ve done our best and now it’s out in the world," he said.

"This is a once in a lifetime film," Kidman said at the press conference.

"This is a celebration for me and hopefully for the country. It’s not meant to be the Second Coming but it’s about let’s have some fun and enjoy," she said.

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Mickey Mouse 80 Years On

Mickey Mouse 80 Years On

Eighty years ago, a clothes-wearing rodent named Mickey Mouse whistled his way onto the silver screen, as "Steamboat Willie" made its cinema debut at the Colony Theater in New York.

That day, 18th November 1928, is widely considered the official birthday of Mickey Mouse, even if he was born of the imagination of Walt Disney months before his movie debut and also featured in a short animated film called Plane Crazy, which was made before Steamboat Willie but released afterwards.

Mickey Mouse was created almost by accident: Walt Disney’s first cartoon character was a rabbit called Oswald, but the man who was to rise to become a pre-eminent force in global entertainment lost the rights to the rabbit in 1927 and returned to the drawing board.

He came up with a mouse, whom he wanted to call Mortimer.

According to popular legend, his wife preferred the name Mickey, and Walt Disney deferred to her choice.

The storyline of Steamboat Willie is flimsy, politically incorrect and features little, if any, comprehensible dialogue.

But the cartoon marked an animation landmark with its synchronized sound track that includes Mickey whistling and blowing raspberries at the irascible ship’s captain, a large tobacco-chewing cat called Captain Pete.

In roughly seven minutes, viewers watch as Mickey Mouse is kicked out of the steering room of a riverboat by Captain Pete; hoists Minnie Mouse on board using a crane that grabs her by the knickers; swings a cat by the tail, strangles a goose and plays keyboard on some suckling piglets as the American folk song "Turkey in the Straw" plays from the innards of a goat.

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Michael Jackson converts to Islam

Michael Jackson converts to Islam

Pop singer Michael Jackson has converted to Islam and changed his name to Mikaeel, the 50-year-old star, pledged his allegiance to the Koran in a ceremony at a friend’s mansion in Los Angeles, a British tabloid reported.

Jackson sat on the floor wearing a tiny hat after an Imam was summoned to officiate — days before the singer is due to appear at London’s High Court where he is being sued by an Arab Sheik, the paper said on 21st November.

The star decided to adopt the new religion while he was recording a song at the home of his friend where a Jehovah’s witness was brought up to help him through the ceremony.

Apparently the star of hits like ‘the Way You Make Me Feel-was convinced by his producer and songwriter friends David Wharnsby and Phillip Bubal.

"They began talking to him about their beliefs, and how they thought they had become better people after they converted. Michael soon began warming to the idea.

"An Imam was summoned from the mosque and Michael went through the shahada, which is the Muslim declaration of belief," the source revealed.

Mikaeel is the name of one of Allah’s angels.

"Jacko rejected an alternative name, Mustafa meaning "the chosen one", the source added.

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U.S shares stage a strong rally; rebound from an 11-year low

U.S shares stage a strong rally; rebound from an 11-year low

U.S shares staged a strong rally and rebounded from an 11-year low amid reports that President-elect picked New York Federal Reserve Bank chief Timothy Geithner to head the Treasury.

Stocks limped into the day after a back-to-back pummeling and spent most of the day drifting in and out of positive territory.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average vaulted 492.94 points to a preliminary close at 8,046.42, an increase of 494.13 or 6.54 percent on Friday.

Shares in Citigroup, second-largest U.S. bank by assets in the US, plunged for a fifth straight day, and on Friday amid uncertainty as Chief Executive Vikram Pandit tried to downplay speculation the banking giant might sell major businesses to restore its health and investor confidence.

The firm’s stock rose in early trading but later tumbled to end the day 20% lower at $3.77. (KR-22/11)

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Centre asks states to raise special forces to counter terror

Centre asks states to raise special forces to counter terror

The Centre on Saturday asked the states to raise special forces to counter terrorism which is fast spreading its tentacles across the country.

Inaugurating a two-day meeting of the country’s top police officers, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said raising of the specialised force was the need of the hour.

Patil, however, ruled out any possibility of introducing any tougher law like POTA to deal with the menace.

The annual Directors General and Inspectors General of Police Conference, organised by Intelligence Bureau, starting on Saturday, is being attended by the chiefs of police from all states and Union Territories, para-military forces and security agencies.

The meeting will try to work out a joint strategy on countering threats from militant and fundamentalist groups, officials said

The police chiefs will discuss terror created by radical Hindu and Islamic groups, some of them having links with external forces and strengthening of intelligence gathering mechanism to check incidents like serial explosions, official sources said.

The alleged conspiracy by a saffron outfit in the Malegaon blast and the findings of the investigations are also likely to figure prominently in the conference, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday.

Attacks on Christians and churches in Orissa, Karnataka and Kerala will also prominently figure during the deliberations. (KR-22/11)

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