Shamita Shetty oozes glamour for ‘Maxim’ this month

Shamita Shetty made a smashing and promising debut with ‘Mohabbatein’ but soon set into some forgettable roles and even more forgettable item numbers. Although at par with her sister Shilpa Shetty in beauty and talents, Shamita does not seem to be doing very well in the professional front. Gorgeous as she is, she is the cover girl of Maxim this month and one look at this smashing beauty on the glossy sheets of this magazine makes one wonder whether we would actually be able to see this talented beauty rock the screens yet again!

Amrita Rao takes a ‘Shortkut’ to success

‘Shortkut’ may be termed as the re-incarnation for Amrita Rao into a glamorous and sizzling avatar from a petite, girl-next-door image. The gossip columns and journals are abuzz with the sensuality she oozes in the promos of the film. Amrita, by far had kept away from skin-show but finally she has realized that if she aspires of success in the glamour world, she has to take the ‘Shortcut’ of being bold and sexy. And her realization does show in the sizzling hot promos of the film.

The film is a light-hearted comedy dealing with the ups and downs in the life of two con artists, Shekhar (played by Akshaye Khanna) who is a struggling director and Chandu (played by Arshad Warsi) who despite lacking in talents manages to make it big in the tinsel town after she steals Shekhar’s prized script.

Amrita Rao plays the role of Mansi, Shekhar’s love interest who later becomes his wife and what follows is confusion, clash of egos and humorous sequences when Shekhar gets to direct Chandu, the superstar.

Celina Jaitley upset with her co-star’s publicity stunts

Celina Jaitley has always been known as a bold, outspoken and daring Bollywood actress who does not hesitate to stand up against anything wrong. So, when her co-star Abhimanyu Singh decided to bag in some publicity at her cost, it was quite expected that the actress flew into a rage and decided to retort back.

Abhimanyu is a newcomer who is acting opposite Celina in a thriller directed by Jagmohan Mundhra and has been giving his excuses and take on his alleged linkup with the actress. He went ahead to give an interview about how upset he was to read about his link-up with Celina.

Celina, on the other hand, feels that the question and topic of this linkup is nothing but the brainchild of Abhimanyu himself who is doing this to get some cheap publicity. An angry Celina said, “”What link-up is he talking about? Who linked him with me except himself? This is the first time I’ve heard about this so-called link-up.”

She adds, “This is a perennial problem. You are nice to a co-star and he decides to repay your kindness by planting cheap stories. Recently, it happened to me when a co-star, who’s a dear friend, whom I don’t want to name, gave out a story about how he ‘manhandled’ me on the sets. I didn’t react because all said and done, he’s a dear friend and a name in his own right. But Abhimanyu is a talented actor and I was just being nice to him as a co-star.”

Celina can barely control her anger and expresses her disappointment saying, “Next time I’ll think twice before being nice to a co-star. But it’s sad to see actors, established or not-so-established using their co-star’s name for publicity. They take advantage of my single status and friendly nature. But do they realize how such sleazy whispers could jeopardize my prospects of finding love?”

She also sent an SMS to Abhimanyu Singh which read, “Abhimanyu, u better stop talking about this so called link up. In the first place there’s no link up, so stop going to the media and crying about things which don’t exist.”

Sachin, Zaheer rested

India's ODI Tout Of Windies

India's cricket selectors on Wednesday rested key players Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan for the limited-overs tour of West Indies starting later this month.

Tendulkar, the world's most prolific Test and one-day batsman, is recovering from a finger injury that he aggravated during the Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa last month.

Bowling spearhead Zaheer was rested as he was suffering from a shoulder injury, the selectors said in a media release.

Left-handed batsman Suresh Raina was also not considered for selection after he sustained a hairline fracture on his thumb.

"Raina been advised two weeks' rest," the release said.

Left-arm quick Ashish Nehra returned to the squad after four years on the sidelines, thanks to his impressive show in the IPL where he picked up 19 wickets for the Delhi Daredevils.

All-rounder Abhishek Nayar earned his maiden call-up to the Indian squad while opener Murali Vijay also made a comeback in the absence of the injured Virender Sehwag.

Sehwag missed the World Twenty20 in England with a shoulder injury.

India, who won the inaugural T20 Worlds in South Africa two years ago, lost both their Super Eight matches to the West Indies and hosts England to be knocked out before the semifinals.

The Indians have been on the road since February, sparking fears of player burnout and a growing list of injured players.

SQUAD
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh (vice-captain), Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Vijay, Subramaniam Badrinath, Abhishek Nayar, Dinesh Karthik, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, Ashish Nehra.
Coach: Gary Kirsten.

SCHEDULE
June 26 1st ODI Jamaica

June 28 2nd ODI Jamaica

July 3 3rd ODI St. Lucia

July 5 4th ODI St. Lucia

Dunga's men eye semis

FIFA Confederations Cup
Usa v Brazil


Brazil were made to work before passing their first Confederations Cup exam against Egypt and another tough test is in store when they meet the United States here on Thursday.

Kaka's late contribution earned the defending champions a barely merited 4-3 victory over the Pharoahs to place them top of Group B with Italy, who overcame the US 3-1 in their opener.

The States, despite going a man down in the first half, were a goal up and had Italy in trouble before the world champions' class and numerical advantage told.

Italy coach Marcello Lippi singled out US defender Oguchi Onyewu and teenage striker Jozy Altidore for special mention and this duo's skill combined with their team's overall muscle and passion are set to make life interesting for Dunga's men.

"We need to get our focus back and put our minds to beating Brazil in our next game," insisted Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Michael Bradley.

The son of Bob Bradley, the US coach, added: "We have the ability to make any team uncomfortable and Brazil is no exception. Tomorrow is another day and we're still alive in this competition."

Brazil boast a 13-1 win-loss record over the United States but Manchester City star Robinho for one is not about to take the three points which would see them though to the semifinals for granted after the Egyptian scare.

"It could have been a lot easier for us but Egypt deserve a lot of credit for fighting back in the second half. We maybe lost our composure for a few minutes there but the most important thing was that we won," he said.

"In the next game against USA we'll be working hard to make sure we don't make those errors again, because we'll be coming up against another quality team."

Brazil keeper Julio Cesar warned the US to expect a more composed performance from the South American giants in Pretoria.

"It's not normal for us to let in three goals in a game and we know it.

"We had a lapse of concentration in the second half and it nearly cost us the win. Against the USA we'll be looking to recover the rhythm we've had in our last few World Cup qualifying matches and trying to make sure that these kinds of things don't happen again."

Kaka, who produced some sublime football in Monday's match scoring a double, is eager to wrap up his team's place in the last four with a game in hand.

"In a very tight group we've got the three points we wanted and now we're in a position to reach the semifinals."

Spain enter semis

FIFA Confederations Cup

Spain edged Iraq 1-0 to make the semifinals of the Confederations Cup on Wednesday and equal the world record for the longest winning streak by a national team.

A second-half goal by Valencia striker David Villa undid the resilient Asian champions for two wins out of two in Group A to ensure a place in the last four where they are likely to meet either Brazil or Italy.

The hard fought victory wrote their names in the history books with Spain, who have not been beaten since November 2006, matching the record of 14 straight victories held by Australia, Brazil and France.

They also moved to within one win of equalling the 35-match unbeaten run by Brazil between 1993 and 1996.

Vicente del Bosque was forced to start without Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas who limped out of training on Tuesday after a strong tackle by Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

He also rested Carles Puyol, Albert Reira and Raul Albiol, with Carlos Marchena, Gerard Pique, Juan Manuel Mata and Santi Cazorla in the starting 11.

Iraq coach Bora Milutinovic also rested several players, including star striker Younis Mahmoud, with his focus on their last match of the group stages against New Zealand, which he believes they can win.

Compared to their 5-0 thrashing of New Zealand on Sunday, this was a much tougher test for Spain and they made a hesitant start.

It took them eight minutes to unleash their first shot when Cazorla's left foot strike was easily gathered by goalkeeper Mohammed Kassid.

Iraqi forward Alaa Abdul Zahra found the target soon after but it never threatened Iker Casillas, winning his 94th cap, in the Spanish goal.

Pique's glancing header went close on 15 minutes and Fernando Torres, Spain's hattrick hero against New Zealand, almost got on the end of a looping Xavi through ball minutes later.

Spain's best chance came midway through the half when Cazorla fired a cross in from the right to find an unmarked Villa whose left-foot volley whistled past the post.

Villarreal's Cazorla was in the thick of the action and let rip with a 30-yard drive that shaved the right-hand upright.

Spain were threatening a goal but a composed Iraq held tight, getting bodies behind the ball effectively and they went to the break all square.

The European champions upped the tempo after the restart and Villa should have buried a golden opportunity eight minutes into the half when he fired a close range header straight at the goalkeeper.

But he made no mistake a minute later when he got on the end of a Joan Capdevila cross and angled his header into the right-hand corner to break the deadlock.

It fired up Spain with Alonso, Torres and Mata all going close but Iraq never gave up, fighting bravely to the bitter end but unable to draw level.

Spain, with six points, play their last group match against South Africa in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Dhoni blames batting

ICC World Twenty20

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted his highly-regarded batsmen had flopped after the defending champions lost their third successive World Twenty20 Super Eights match on Tuesday.

India, already out of contention for the semifinals, were defeated by 12 runs by South Africa despite chasing just 131 to win on a slow Trent Bridge wicket.

"The team was up for it right from the warm-up," said Dhoni.

"But the batting really hasn't been up to the mark. Hopefully, when we come back to England it will be different and improve. With the batsmen, if the top three don't click it becomes very hard.

"The bowlers did well but we have a few things to work on when it comes to the batting."

South Africa captain Graeme Smith, whose team will face Pakistan in the semifinals here on Thursday, praised his team's ability to adapt to all surfaces and conditions.

"I think 130 on that wicket was a good total. The wicket was slow and the way we defended the total was excellent," he said.

"We have adapted to all surfaces and we have showed how far we have come in terms of our thinking and our options.

"Our fielding was great. It was a great wicket for our slow bowlers. We needed them to take responsibilty and they did just that.

"Facing Pakistan will be a great day and we'll need to play our best cricket. We are excited about the semifinals."

Man-of-the-match AB de Villiers, who hit 63 off 51 deliveries, said patience was key to building runs.

"It wasn't the fanciest knock of my life," he said. "The trick is to have a good foundation for the first 20 balls and then express yourself."

Lanka look to spinners

ICC World Twenty20



Sri Lanka expect the spinners to pick up another rich haul when they take on the West Indies in the World Twenty20 semifinal at The Oval on Friday.

The Sri Lankans have bulldozed their way through the tournament with five straight wins, mainly on the back of spin twins Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralidaran who lead a balanced bowling attack.

Mendis, who puzzles batsmen by turning the ball both ways with one visible action, has so far picked up 11 wickets in the tournament, just one behind Pakistani seamer Umar Gul's tally of 12.

Muralidaran has five wickets, while fast bowler Lasith Malinga has picked up 10 with a mix of toe-crushing yorkers and slower deliveries.

Former captain Mahela Jayawardene, who handed the reigns to Kumar Sangakkara before the tournament, said he was confident the bowlers will deliver at the crunch time.

"Look, Murali can turn the ball on any surface," Jayawardene said of the star off-spinner, who is the world's highest wicket-taker in both Tests and one-day cricket.

"And if Ajantha sticks to his plans, we have a fairly good chance of going all the way."

Mendis grabbed 3-9 in three overs as Sri Lanka routed New Zealand by 48 runs in their last Super Eights match at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

The Black Caps failed miserably to chase down a target of 159 in a must-win game and were shot out for 110 in 17 overs.

Jayawardene said the team was taking it one match at a time and would not be carried away just because they had reached the semifinals.

"We set goals for ourselves when we came to the tournament. At the start was going through the first round, then the Super Eights.

"Now we have two goals left, win the semis and the final. But we have to stay calm and focussed on the job at hand."

Jayawardene said the secret of Sri Lanka's success in the tournament was trying to stay one step ahead of the others, like bringing on the slow bowlers in the first six overs when the field was inside the circle.

"As a team we realise we have to peak at a certain time in the tournament," he said. "Teams analyse you these days so what we are trying to do is stay one step ahead of the others.

"Sometimes it works, other times it does not work, but as long as the attitude is there and the confidence is there to do that, it will help in the long run.

Favourites v resurgent

ICC World Twenty20
1st Semifinal: South Africa v Pakistan

An intriguing battle is on the cards when favourites South Africa clash with buoyant Pakistan in the semifinal of the World Twenty20 here on Thursday.

The South Africans have showed their all-round prowess during an unbeaten run in the tournament, including emphatic wins in all three Super Eight games against the West Indies, England and defending champions India.

The latest success came at Trent Bridge on Tuesday when the Proteas fought back after being restricted to a modest 130-5 on a slow wicket to keep off-colour India down to 118-8.

Pakistan bounced back after losing their first Super Eights game to Sri Lanka to defeat New Zealand by six wickets before ensuring their place in the semifinal by packing off minnows Ireland by 38 runs.

In the preliminary round, the enigmatic Pakistanis had shown a similar never-say-die attitude by thrashing England-conquerors Netherlands by 82 runs after losing their opening match against the hosts.

"We are slow starters but we never give up," said Pakistan captain Younus Khan. "If we lose a game we regroup fast and go out and prove ourselves."

Pakistan have been lifted by a sensational display by seamer Umar Gul, who claimed five wickets for six runs against New Zealand at The Oval last Saturday, the first five-wicket haul in Twenty20 internationals.

Gul, who was the highest wicket-taker in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa when Pakistan ended as runners-up to India, again tops the list with 12 scalps in this tournament.

"Gul is a class act," said Pakistani coach Intikhab Alam. "He has shown that the best way to restrict a side in T20 is by taking wickets. He is definitely a trumpcard."

Suggestions from the New Zealand camp that Gul extracted reverse swing during his five-wicket haul against them was dismissed by the on-field umpires.

But when Pakistan returned to the field against Ireland on Monday, umpires Rudi Koertzen and Rod Tucker regularly checked the ball.

Younus, however, wanted his team to overcome the embarrassment and focus on the semifinal.

"It will be a tough game because South Africa have proved they are a very good side, but we will be ready for the challenge," he said.

"The bowlers have done a great job so far, but I think the batsmen do not give them enough runs to defend. We can't let that happen against South Africa."

Graeme Smith's side have the advantage of having played two matches at Trent Bridge during the tournament, while Pakistan's games were all confined to Lord's or Oval in London.

"Pakistan are a talented team who will arrive expecting to beat us," said Smith. "Regardless of who deserves to win going into a semifinal, it's about who plays best on the day. It's a simple matter."

Smith, however, warned Pakistan his team will not be beaten easily.

"We are professional and clinical but I think we have also proved that we have enough flair and enough options available to us to be the all-round package," he said.

"We have played at all the grounds, we have faced many different challenges on different wickets and defended low totals.

"So I think we are a well-rounded team going into the semis. We just need to give ourselves the best chance on Thursday and play our type of cricket."

Kay Kay Menon turns down Mallika’s offer

Such is her airs that not many men in Bollywood can say no when Sex kitten Mallika Sherawat asks for something. Even Big B couldn’t say no to her when she offered to go for jogging in slow motion on National Television.

But finally one man has emerged to have guts to refuse her. Apparently, it is Kay Kay Menon who turned down the role that Mallika offered him in her home production Hisss.

Mallika and Menon have already worked in Sanjay Chhel’s ‘Maan Gaye Moghal-E-Azam’ and in her promotional interviews for the film she openly praised his work. So, when she came upon the question of an actor for an important and intense role in her film, naturally Kay Kay’s name cropped in her mind. She then sent her team over to him with the script.

However, after few days Kay Kay called Mallika and refused the offer saying that the script was definitely interesting and that he was confident that she would make a good film but he cannot see himself in that part that she has offered him in the film.

SRK gears up for daring in ‘Don 2′

Director Farhan Akhtar and producer Ritesh Sidhwani have no two thoughts that their sequel ‘Don 2’ will be a grand and extraordinary flick in terms of action, locales and grandeur. The film will be shot in Dublin where no Indian film has been shot till date. Though there is no double role for SRK this time, he will be performing daring and breathtaking stunts this time. But for this, his shoulder surgery could pose a problem. So, SRK has given his dates in 2009 for Karan Johar’s ‘My Name Is Khan’ which does not require much physical stamina. He has decided to start the shoot for ‘Don 2’ in May 2010 in Ireland and Berlin. Contrary to the rumors Priyanka Chopra is very much there in the sequel.

Producer Ritesh Sidhwani confirms this saying, “We’re very much going ahead with the original cast Shah Rukh, Priyanka, Boman Irani, Arjun Rampal and Om Puri. Only those who died in the original won’t return, obviously.”

He adds, “We’re shooting Don 2 in Dublin. No Indian film has been shot there. We want to make sure that the sequel goes ahead of the first film. While the first part was a remake the sequel is an original script and would be much tougher to film for Shah Rukh and Farhan.”

Soha refuses to smooch Emraan

Soha Ali Khan who has done daring scenes in various occasions refused to lip-lock with Emraan Hashmi in 'Tum Mile' and her constant denial is delaying the shooting of the film. Emraan was shocked when he was all set to kiss Soha on her lips and she refused at the last moment.

Soha had recently shot an intimate scene with Shiney Ahuja in ‘Accident’ and she has also gone cozy with her co-stars in ‘Antar Mahal’ and ‘Khoya Khoya Chaand’. She even remarked that she had no qualm in doing intimate scene if the script demands.

Miffed with her attitude, Emraan refused to shoot the scene again. Soha and Emraan’s ego clash has been delaying the shooting of the film.

A quiet and secret wedding for Antara Mali

If you were wondering why Ramgopal Verma’s sensational search Antara Mali went into oblivion, you have now an answer to it. The actress was busy in her romance with Che Kurien, the editor of GQ magazine, which has finally culminated in a closely kept secret marriage.

The couple had kept their relationship under so many wraps that not even a single gossip column got a sniff of what was going on between the two. Even the marriage which took place on Friday evening was a hush-hush affair without any flashes or media persons.

Che who has been associated with organizations like Reuters, Time Out Mumbai and The Indian Express, prior to him joining GQ has reportedly flown off with his gorgeous lady love to an undisclosed destination for honeymoon.

Though any attention or interference is obviously unwanted by the couple, still our best wishes will always be with them.