Platinum Girl - Shriya Saran

Feeling a bit miffed at all the media coverage about Nayantara's move to Bollywood, rival southern belle Shriya Saran has announced, "If Nayantara is like gold, I am like platinum. I have no competitor. I have gone not just to Bollywood, but I have also been part of English films too. That's why I say I have no comparison."
Shriya is currently working hard in the innovative Malayalam film industry in Kerala known colloquially as Mollywood. Her current movie list includes Jaggubhai, Chikku Bhukku, Mallanna and the Tamil movie Kutty. In Mallanna (Kanthaswamy) with Vikram, she wears a short, sexy bob hairstyle and takes on a negative role. Is this of concern to her? "It's not an entirely negative role but has a few grey shades to it," she says, "Of course, I had my doubts, but gradually my apprehensions faded away as the role shaped up convincingly."
Shriya's Kollywood movie Kutty sees an interesting shift in direction for her. She has shed her glam image for the movie which involves her exploring her acting talents opposite Dhanush. This is a trend that she hopes to develop further in future movies. The film also features an item number from Meghna Naidu.

European stocks flat at open

Europe's main stock markets opened flat on Wednesday, with London's benchmark FTSE 100 index of leading shares slipping just 0.02 per cent to 4,527.55 points.
In Frankfurt, the DAX 30 was down 0.11 per cent to 5,168.89 points and in Paris the CAC 40 fell 0.05 per cent to 3,329.16 points.

How The Pathology Of Parkinson's Disease Spreads

Accumulation of the synaptic protein alpha-synuclein, resulting in the formation of aggregates called Lewy bodies in the brain, is a hallmark of Parkinson's and other related neurodegenerative diseases. This pathology appears to spread throughout the brain as the disease progresses. Now, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea, have described how this mechanism works. Their findings – the first to show neuron-to-neuron transmission of alpha-synuclein – will appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on July 29. "The discovery of cell-to-cell transmission of this protein may explain how alpha-synuclein aggregates can pass to new, healthy cells," said first author Paula Desplats, project scientist in UC San Diego's Department of Neurosciences. "We demonstrated how alpha-synuclein is taken up by neighboring cells, including grafted neuronal precursor cells, a mechanism that may cause Lewy bodies to spread to different brain structures." This insight will impact research into stem cell therapy for Parkinson's disease. "Our findings indicate that the stem cells used to replace lost or damaged cells in the brains of Parkinson's disease patients are also susceptible to degeneration," said Eliezer Masliah, MD, professor of neurosciences and pathology at UC San Diego School of Medicine. "Knowledge of the molecular basis of the intercellular transmission of alpha-synuclein may result in improved stem-cell based therapies with long-lasting benefits, by preventing the grafted cells to uptake α-synuclein or by making them more efficient in clearing the accumulated alpha-synuclein ."
In a large proportion of Parkinson's disease cases, the aggregation of alpha-synuclein progresses in a predictable pattern – from the lower brainstem, into the limbic system and eventually to the neocortex, the part of the brain responsible for higher level cognitive functions. The hypothesis of disease progression by neuron-to-neuron transmission of alpha-synuclein that encouraged this study was supported by findings of two separate reports in 2008. In these studies, autopsies of deceased Parkinson's patients who had received implants of therapeutic fetal neurons 11 to 16 years prior revealed that alpha-synuclein had propagated to the transplanted neurons.
Collaborating with South Korean researcher Seung-Jae Lee, the UC San Diego researchers first looked at neural precursor cells in culture, co-culturing them with neuronal cells expressing alpha-synuclein . After 24 to 48 hours, the aggregated alpha-synuclein was evident in the precursor cells – results suggesting cell-to-cell transmission. Using specific inhibitors, the research team also discovered that alpha-synuclein is transmitted via endocytosis, the normal process by which cells absorb proteins from the extracellular media by engulfing them within their cell membrane. Blockage of the endocytic pathway resulted in lesser accumulation of alpha-synuclein Additionally, the researchers found that failure of the quality-control systems of the cell contributes to the observed accumulation of alpha-synuclein in recipient cells. This is due to inhibited activity of cell particles called lysosomes, which would usually degrade and remove aggregates – resulting in their increased formation. Next, the team tested to determine if alpha-synuclein could be transmitted directly from host to grafted cells in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease. Brains of the mouse model were grafted with fresh, healthy stem cells. Within four weeks, cells containing Lewy body-like masses were quite common, supporting the cell-to cell transmission mechanism.

Summer movies in crisis in Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, times are tough and getting tougher, and as the summer movie season’s first half launches on Friday with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hollywood is banking on escapist fare and fantasy flicks to cheer recession-weary audiences. Following Wolverine comes the big-budget reboot of Star Trek, conspiracy-minded Angels & Demons and action-packed Terminator Salvation. And the summer’s stars are A-list too, from Tom Hanks to Will Ferrell to Jennifer Aniston. Why all the hype around Hollywood’s summer that starts in May and runs through August? Those four months can rake-in up to 40% of annual ticket sales, so if summer tanks from the start, Hollywood dips into its own financial funk. But one star says he’s not feeling any pressure from appearing in the first big film: Hugh Wolverine Jackman. “Whatever (launch) date it is, I’d want it to do well,” Jackman said about his new X-Men movie. “I probably put more credence into that — whether people have a great time — than how well it does at the box office. I’m a big believer that money and box office will take care” of themselves. Despite an unfinished version of the movie that leaked online, Wolverine — in which Jackman plays a “mutant” battling bad guys with his retractable claws — is expected to boost box office in an already strong year as fans look to escape the hum-drum of everyday life. Year-to-date, the US box office stands at $3.06 billion, which is up 17.4% from the year before, according to box office tracker Media by Numbers. Of course, Wolverine is not the only game in Tinseltown. It opens Friday against romance Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, starring Matthew McConaughey as a Scrooge-like womaniser visited by ghosts that help him renew his love for a childhood sweetheart. Also that first big weekend is animated adventure Battle for Terra, about a peaceful alien planet invaded by humans.

I won't mind wearing a bikini: Anjana Sukhani

Anjana Sukhani says she is game for bikinis if her role really demands it. Though she has adopted a glamorous persona in films like "Golmaal Returns" and "Salaam-E-Ishq", the actress is yet to join the bikini brigade. "It's not in my wish list either. However, there comes a point in your career where you get a film that requires you to shed your inhibitions. Of course, the role that I play has to be of utmost importance - if it is justified for the character to wear a bikini, then I won't fret about it," Anjana told. Skin show has taken a different dimension in the last few months with actresses like Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Minissha Lamba and Amisha Patel getting into the swim wear for their roles. Also with dozens of film and fashion agazines hitting the stands, actresses are making a bee line to be seen on the cover. "I'm very sure about the fact that posing seductively for the camera doesn't really pay. It can't help you grab work. What eventually matters is how talented you are and whether you can deliver goods on the screen," said the actress who had grabbed attention in the Cadbury ad with superstar Amitabh Bachchan. But being in the glamour world where beauty sells, isn't that a dicey statement to make? "Of course, looking pretty is a valuable thing, but then talent matters as well", said Anjana. "At the end of the day, it is about coming up with a balancing act. Being 'just pretty' or 'just talented' doesn't help because one of them working just in isolation can't take you anywhere. You have to have a good mix of both."

Salman's snaps in Asin's bedroom!

Katrina Kaif better not read or hear the latest gossip that rumour mills in Bollywood are churning. The newest piece of goss from tinsel town is that there’s something brewing between Salman Khan and his London Dreams co-star Asin . The two have been bonding big time on the sets of the Vipul Amrutlal Shah movie and their chemistry has extended beyond their work, something that could become a cause of worry for Katrina Kaif , Sallu’s present girlfriend. Rumours say Asin has become so fond of Salman that she has the walls of her bedroom covered with the snaps and posters of the 43-year-old star. A Mumbai tabloid even goes on to quote a source as saying that Salman has gifted a flat to Asin, who used to have permanent residence only in South till recently. Now, thanks to the said flat in Lokhandwala, she has a working base in Mumbai. Another similar rumour doing the rounds in Bollywood is that of growing closeness between Preity Zinta and hotelier, businessman and small-time actor Vikram Chatwal . Cracks have reportedly appeared in Preity’s love life with longtime beau Ness Wadia, while on the other hand, Vikram’s marriage with Priya Sachdev is said to be on the rocks. With their respective romantic affairs going through a rough patch, Preity and Vikram have begun bonding well, and the sparking chemistry between them was for all to see at the after party of Mai Mumbai show at Lakme Fashion Week.

Jade Goody dies in her sleep

Terminally ill British television reality star Jade Goody died in her sleep in the wee hours on Sunday, her publicist Max Clifford announced. Goody, 27, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in August last year, is survived by her two sons Freddy and Bobby and husband Jack Tweed. The dental nurse died at home in Upshire, Essex, UK, after a very public battle with the disease. She shot into fame as a Big Brother contestant in 2002. She also participated in the Indian version of Big Brother, called Bigg Boss. It was here that she learnt that she had the dreaded disease. From being brought up in a small house in southeast London to becoming one of the most hated-turned-loved persons in Britain, Shilpa Shetty's bete noire in Big Brother, Goody always lived her life for the cameras. Born as Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody on June 5, 1981, her mother Jackiey Budden raised her as a single parent after her father left them when she was just two years old. Goody had openly spoken about her troubled childhood and her struggle to get an education saying that her poverty-ridden early days prompted her to secure a better future for her sons from a relationship with television presenter Jeff Brazier.

'Jodha Akbar' bags top awards in Filmfare

The 54th Idea Filmfare Awards draws to a close with 'Jodha Akbar' making a clean sweep taking home the Best Movie, Director, Actor, Lyrics and Background Score awards. Priyanka Chopra wins the Best Actress award for 'Fashion'. AND THE AWARD GOES TO Best Movie : Jodha Akbar Best Director : Ashutosh Gowarikar for Jodha Akbar Best Actor in a Leading role (Male): Hrithik Roshan for Jodha Akbar Best Actor in a Leading role (Female): Priyanka Chopra for Fashion Critic Awards Best Actress : Sahana Goswami for Rock On! Best Actor : Manjit Singh for Oye Lucky! Lucy Oye! Best Jury Award : Nishikant Kamat for Mumbai Meri Jaan Special jury mention to Prateik Babbar and Purab Kohli for Jaane tu ... and Rock on! respectively. Lifetime Achievement Award : Bhanu Athaiya, Om Puri Best Actor in Supporting Role (Male): Arjun Rampal for Rock On! Best Actor in Supporting Role (Female) : Kangana Ranaut for Fashion Best Dialogue : Manu Rishi for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! Best Screenplay : Yogendra Vinayak Joshi, Upendra Sidhaye for Mumbai Meri Jaan Best Story : Abhishek Kapoor for Rock On! Best Music Director : A R Rahman for Jaane tu... Best Lyrics : Javed Akhtar for Jashn-e-Bahara (Jodha Akbar) Best Playback Singer (Male): Sukhwinder Singh for Haule haule (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) Best Playback Singer (Female): Shreya Ghoshal for Teri ore... (Singh is Kinng) Best Sensational Debut (Male): Farhan Akhtar and Imraan Khan Best Sensational Debut (Female): Asin Thottumkal for Ghajini Sony Filmfare Best Scene Award: Rab Ne Banadi Jodi R D Burman Upcoming Talent: Benny Dayal for Ghajini Technical awards Best Background Score: A R Rahman for Jodha Akbar Best Costume : Manoshi Nath for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! Best Cinematography : Jason West for Rock On! Best Sound Design : Vinod Subramanyam for Rock On! Best Choreography : Longines for Pappu Can’t Dance Sala . ( Jaane Tu...) Best Editing : Amit Pawar for Mumbai Meri Jaan Best Production Design : Vandan Kataria and Monica Angelica Bhowmick for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! Best Action : Peter Hein for Ghajini Best Visual Effects Award : John Deitz for Love Story 2050

Traffic Noise In Residential Areas Can Increase Risk Of Heart Attack

People living in environments with high levels of road traffic noise might be more likely to suffer myocardial infarction than people in quieter areas. This according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet carried out in the Stockholm area. The study compared 1,571 people from Stockholm County who had suffered a myocardial infarction between 1992 and 1994 with controls from the same area. In order to ascertain whether traffic noise in residential areas increases the risk of myocardial infarction, the addresses of all individuals over the past 20 years were identified, and a level of noise estimated. Similarly, exposure to air pollution was charted and information on different risk factors for myocardial infarction was gathered using questionnaires and interviews. No clear correlation between noise exposure and myocardial infarction was found in the entire study population. However, once people with impaired hearing or exposure to other sources of noise had been eliminated from the study, it was found that there was a 40 per cent higher risk of myocardial infarction in people exposed to road traffic noise exceeding 50 decibels. This relationship applied independently of other known risk factors for myocardial infarction, such as exposure to air pollutants. "More research will be needed to establish a definite correlation between road traffic noise and myocardial infarction, but our results are supported by other studies showing the cardiovascular effects of noise, such as those concerning high blood pressure," says Professor Göran Pershagen, who led the study. "Councils should already be taking these results into account when planning new roads and residential areas." Noise is a serious and growing environmental problem. According to the World Health Organisation, some 40 per cent of the European population is exposed to road traffic noise exceeding 55 decibels during the day. There is at present no threshold limit for road traffic noise in the EU, but in Sweden, the maximum acceptable level is 55 decibels at a buildings façade.
"In the present study, some 65 per cent of subjects were exposed to road traffic noise at levels of 50 decibels or more," says postgraduate Jenny Selander. "This percentage is probably lower for the country as a whole, given that the subjects all came from in and around Stockholm, but there is still a considerable proportion of the population who are being exposed to noise."

Shilpa Shetty learns Indian classical dance

Actress Shilpa Shetty is learning the Indian classical dance, Odissi, for a movie role. The actress with the sylphlike figure has been taking Odissi lessons from Guru Ratikant Mohapatra, son of legendary Odissi exponent late Kelucharan Mohapatra, for an India-China joint film venture, tentatively titled Desire . Along with Shilpa, actress Jaya Prada has also been taking lessons during the shoot of a song for the film in Kerala. “Odissi is complicated, and among all the songs I've ever shot, this has been the most difficult…It's been a hectic week in Kerala…This wasn't any ordinary song, it was an Odissi dance performance," Shilpa writes on her blog. Shilpa added that dancing to this song was much different from other songs she has done in films. “In the normal course, it's easy to rehearse a step and add your own style to it, not necessarily perfecting it, making it fun. But here I had to not only do a different dance form, I had to do it perfectly, making it look authentic and emote at the same time,” Shilpa wrote. Before shooting the song, Shilpa went through a week-long Odissi dance workshop under the supervision of Ratikant Mohapatra at Kollam in Kerala. According to her, the guru was a "hard taskmaster". “Desire” has Chinese superstar Xia Yu as Shilpa’s co-star. The movie, produced jointly by Sharad Hegde from Mumbai and Tracy Shiyun from China, is being directed by R. Sarath.

Oil India Ltd, BPCL staff end strike

After the strict step, Oil India Ltd, BPCL staff have ended strike.
In some relief to the people hit by the oil sector strike, state-run Bharat Petroleum Corp said it would resume fuel supplies at all location starting this evening, as more than 70% of the striking employees returned to work. OIL India Ltd Officers Association has also called off its strike. "Over 70% of the people have resumed work in marketing. By this evening, we will be able to resume fuel supply at all locations. To make up for the backlog we would work on Saturday and Sunday too," BPCL Director (Marketing) S Radhakrishnan said in the capital. Indian Oil Corp chairman Sarthak Behuria, at a media briefing, also condemned the strike "We will break the strike; officers not reporting to work tomorrow and Sunday will be dismissed; administrative action like arrest and chargesheet will be taken," the IOC chairman said. "No question of conceding officers' demands; will attempt to restore normalcy by Monday," Behuria added. BPCL accounts for 25% of the petro goods market in the country, while HPCL accounts for 27% and IOC the rest.