German model fired for praising Gaddafis

A German company has cancelled a major advertising contract with an Italian-American model after she described her passionate relationship with Moammer Gaddafi's son Mutassim and praised his family.

Telecommunications firm Telefonica Germany will stop working with 23-year-old model Vanessa Hessler and remove her face from its website within hours, said spokesman Albert Fetsch.


losing face and fee: German model Vanessa Hessler has been relieved of her duties as the face of a communications firm over her love affair with Gaddafi's son Mutassim.

"Vanessa Hessler has failed to distance herself from her comments on the conflict in Libya," Fetsch said.

Hessler told the Italian magazine Diva e Donna that for four years she had been dating Mutassim Gaddafi -- who was killed in Libya alongside his father this month. "I didn't have any contact with him since the uprising broke out, but our relationship was one of passion," she was quoted as saying. "The Gaddafi family is not as they are being depicted, they are normal people." She also said that she was crying for Libya, adding that the rebels are "people who don't know what they're doing." Talks between Telefonica and Hessler's agency did not yield a solution because Hessler stood by her comments, said Fetsch. "We and our clients have no comprehension for what she said."

Extortion in the name of ‘fees’

It’s that time of the year again when engineering admissions are on in full swing. You have completed your counselling sessions, zeroed in on a college of your choice and paid the fees. But if you thought that was is enough to seal your seat in an engineering college, you will be in for a shock. Private engineering colleges in Hyderabad are making the most of the loopholes in the system and are “looting” students. From introducing hidden costs such as “laboratory fees” or “special fees” to extorting money from students who fall under the low-income category, these colleges have found many ways to make the gift of education a profit-making business.
T. Rao, a harassed parent, says, “I was forced to pay up Rs 12,000 as special fee to CMR Engineering College, even though the maximum fee that can be charged is Rs 5,500. They even stated that this amount is non-refundable. If my son gets a better seat in the second phase of counselling, I will be looted all over again by another college.”
The college authorities however, insist that this “special fee” is a “a sum of various other fees.” Gopal Reddy, secretary, CMR Engineering College, says, “Of the Rs 12,000, Rs, 5,500 is the special fee and the rest is for JNTU fees, NBA accreditation fees and lab deposits.”
However, the government rules clearly state otherwise. K.C. Reddy, chairman, AP State Higher Education Council (APSHEC), says, “Colleges can’t charge more than Rs 5,500 as special fee. Also, we will now direct engineering colleges to refund the special fee if the student shifts college during counselling.”
The government officials also confirm that students who belong to families that have an income of less than one lakh per annum are exempt from all kinds of fees. But like all other rules, this too holds good only on paper. Aakarapu N. Raju, says, “One of my brothers got a seat in SLC Institute of Engineering and Technolgy where we paid Rs 11,000, while my other brother got a seat in Vidya Jyothi Institute of Technology where we paid Rs 6,000, despite the fact that education for low-income families like ours should be free.”
The secretary of SLC Institute of Technology and Engineering, T. Satya Narayana, clarifies, “Students who fall under this bracket must have paid the special fee because they did not disclose the details of their income. If they do so, the fee will be refunded immediately.” Ask him why Rs 11,000 is being charged illegally as opposed to the prescribed Rs 5,500 and he says, “The extra Rs 5,500 is optional. It is for the four-year book bank that we provide.”
The management of Vidya Jyoti Institute of Technology too gets defensive, when contacted. Purushottam Reddy, secretary of the college says, “If any student has been wrongly charged, he can take it up with the authorities.”
Despite their claims, college managements refuse to give seats to students who refuse to shell out extra fees. And the fact that the list of help line numbers on the official EAMCET website are always “unavailable”, doesn’t help.
To this K.C. Reddy, says, “I will check with the department to find out why the helpline numbers don’t work.”

Education, Emcet counselling, emcet results, entertaintainment news, 

Sambho Siva Sambho Muhurat - Raviteja, Allari Naresh, Siva Balaji, Suneel

'Ticket Lobbying' For Magadheera @ Rs 1000

The time has come for the most talked about movie ‘Magadheera’ to hit the screens and massive arrangements are being made to make this a blockbuster. Meanwhile, there is news that all tickets are sold out for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and this happened in just one and a half hour of bookings.

There is news that huge lobbying is happening and the black tickets can go upto Rs 1000 on the first day. It is also being said that few tickets have been blocked by the theatre owners to sell it at high stakes. The next available tickets as per source are from Monday morning again.

While Mega fans association are said to be heating up for the arrival, this is said to have disappointed quite a few who really wanted to catch the movie during the weekend. The real story will however be out once the film hits the screens this Friday.

Aishwarya-Abhishek Escaped Death

Mani Rathnam’s ‘Ravana’ crew has moved to Kerala long ago for the shooting and presently the activity is going on in a forest area near Tiruvananthapuram. An elephant was brought there for the purpose of shooting. But abruptly it started some tumult and created disaster. It ran forcefully here and there. When mahot tried to bring it in control, it killed him by pressing under its feet. That created fears among all and they ran aimlessly. Aish and Abhi also ran in similar way along with Mani Rathnam. Elephant ran behind Aish and Abhi for sometime and changed its direction. Otherwise, the situation would have been worse.

Salman leaves Farah red-faced!

Choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan says that Bollywood star Salman Khan had left her red-faced when he took her along for the auditions of his super hit 1989 film "Maine Pyar Kiya".

Farah recalled the incident when she came on the reality show "Dus Ka Dum 2", which is being hosted by Salman.

"He (Salman) took me along so that I could show him a few steps to do before director Sooraj Barjatya. But when Salman did the steps, it was so appalling that I simply picked up by footwear, hailed a cab and took off home," said Farah on the show.

Salman, who started blushing after his secret was revealed, agreed that he did have two left feet then and later even demonstrated the step he was required to perform at the auditions, said a source from the sets of the show.

Did Nikhil Chinappa ask for sexual favours?

Controversy’s split wide open on TV show Splitsvilla 2.

The show ended almost a month ago, but the allegations are surfacing now. First, eliminated contestants Varun Jhamb and Nalini Negi alleged that “some of the top crew members, including the director, had slept in the same room as top contender Joanna Magee; and others engaged in sexual favours, especially towards the end.” Now, Swagata G Shah is screaming herself hoarse about an alleged sex scandal. In a tell-all interview to a tabloid, this ex-contestant alleged that the contestants had to give sexual favours to the crew members that included, to the surprise of many, Nikhil Chinappa as well. DT got talking to some of the people embroiled in the controversy.

Siddhartha, winner: We all knew that there’d be only two winners and loads of losers. What was expected of them was that they’d take their defeat graciously. But that that’s where they’ve all f***** up. All these allegations are just publicity hungry losers teaming up. This ultimately reflects badly on them. Swagata was the first contestant to be eliminated. This is when she’s chosen to speak the ‘truth’ – almost after four months? Dragging Nikhila Chinappa’s name into it all is ridiculous – he’s had 10-12 years of a spotless career in the industry.

Probably, when she was eliminated, she didn’t expect the show to be such a hit. And when she realised that she hadn’t gotten much out of it, this is what she’s resorted to.

As for Nalini and Varun, they’d started using the show’s name to their advantage. They’d go to pubs in Delhi and ask for a free entry, saying they were Splitsvilla contestants. As for the pool party that Swagata has spun her version around, let me clarify that there was a pool only for the crew members and there was a separate party area for the contestants. During the show’s shoot, contestant-crew member interaction was barred and the same applied to the pool party as well. Although there were a few minutes of interaction, none of the girls were left alone with the crew members in the pool.

Nikhil Chinappa: I don’t want to comment on it. The channel will come out with an official statement soon. After all, it’s about the channel’s image and mine.

Rajiv Laxman (Creative director of the show): I categorically deny these allegations. We have strict rules that prevent the mingling of the crew with the cast. Swagata was the first contestant to be eliminated and didn’t even spend a night at the villa. She doesn’t have any inkling of the way things work there. The channel is seen as a soft target. With every season of our reality show such things have come to the fore.

There’s been a lot of learning from this incident. In our forthcoming season, we’ll make sure that a thorough background check is done on the cast.

It’s official! Katrina Kaif is making Salman wait for marriage

Finally, the ‘kat’ is out of the box. Katrina Kaif has made a confession that was long due. After using every trick in the book to keep her romantic alliance with Bollywood’s angry man Salman under wraps, and snubbing every controversy with her coy smile, Katrina Kaif has boldly owned up to her cushy clandestine love affair with the macho actor.

In a candid interview given to a magazine, the swishy babe has thwarted all murky speculations surrounding her ever so guarded personal life.
Stating loud and clear that she is romantically involved with Salman Khan, the stunner has lashed out at all those stating that her love affair with the feisty Khan has gone kaput. And it’s not just a one-line admission of her love for her beau, but Kat has snubbed aside her shy girl image to divulge some saucy details about their rocking relationship.

Speaking to a magazine, the stunner stated that she is so hooked on to Salman that she carries his picture with her at all times. Besides stating that Salman’s a ‘wonderful person’, the diva has also hit out at all those who try to hamper his spirits by speculating about him.

What’s more, unlike popular belief that Katrina feels suffocated in company of her overtly possessive beau, the swishy babe has stated that she is extremely happy in her relationship.

And as for the marriage question ruling everyone’s mind, Katrina stated that though Sallu is all set to tie the knot, she is not ready to settle down any time soon, thereby making Salman wait.

Well, Katrina and Salman’s love affair might be common knowledge but it just became official.

Ram excited about the future

A trained classical singer, brand endorser for a cola giant and a mega son.

In his two-year old film career in Tollywood, 20-something Ram Charan Tej has a difficult legacy to live up to. Setting himself as an independent entity from his megastar dad Chiranjeevi, is a tall order. For someone who’s always compared to his dad for everything (to the extent that he was nervous about his on-screen riding skills for his new film, since Chiranjeevi’s riding skills in Kondaveeti Donga and Kodama Simham were much appreciated) Ram Charan claims he’s just another “normal guy” who hero worships his iconic dad.

When Hyderabad Times met up with the young dreamboat at his Jubilee Hills residence, he sounded excited about his new film Magadheera, which is the talk of Tollytown but admitted to feeling unhappy that the big-ticket film was being labelled as Chiranjeevi’s last film.

“I don’t want the film to be his swan song,” says the actor, who is hopeful that he can convince his reluctant dad to do “one” more film at least.

Working on a big budget extravaganza which is being touted as the costliest venture to have been made in the Telugu film industry so far, Ram Charan says filmmaker Rajmouli was “waiting for four years with the script because the film demanded an actor who’s also a skilled horseman”.

Horse riding, admits the actor has been a childhood passion and he’s glad that it could be used for the role. Incidentally the actor didn’t use body doubles to perform risky stunts for the film.

Ram Charan also inspired director Bhaskar to think ‘differently’ and come up with a peppy love story. “It revolves around me, Genelia and one more character and will be shot in New York,” says the actor who’s learning to skydive for the role.

Unlike Bollywood, Telugu filmmakers are caught between romance and action films. Ram Charan feels otherwise. he says, “We are trying out new themes, but Bollywood seems to have fallen back with potboilers, using star names, glam quotient and wafer-thin plots.” He’s also put Praja Rajyam Party’s poor show in the recent elections behind him.

“We realised that the charisma of one person is not enough. We required equally capable 200-odd members to enable us to form the government.” Ram Charan who actively campaigned for his father, rules out “political aspirations” and says acting will remain his “first and last love.”

After a marathon 260-day schedule for his film, Ram Charan’s now eager to catch up with all that he’s missed. “I am getting back to my books and movies. I enjoyed watching the Hollywood flick Hangover tremendously,” he says. In fact, he was so busy that Ram Charan had to forgo his holidays. But he’s making up for that with “a couple of days’ break” to rejuvenate himself.

Has he added some new friends to his list? “No. I believe in the adage that the more friends we have, the more our problems intensify. I cherish the small set of friends I have,” he chips in.
Is he wary of living up to people’s expectations? “Oh, I’ll live up to the huge expectations,” asserts Ram Charan before bidding us a warm goodbye.

Sari state of affairs

Smriti Kedia, in her mid twenties who works as an assistant manager with an NGO, was in for a rude shock a few days ago. After attending a wedding, she headed to a nightlub with a friend only to be told she wouldn’t be allowed since she was dra ped in a sari! “The pub manager told me that club rules don’t allow women in saris. Salwar Kameez and smart westerns were acceptable, we were told. A long argument followed, after which the manager softened his stand and extended an invitation and we spent some time at the pub. But the bitter experience spoilt the evening,” she recollects.

Smriti and her friend Karam Komireddy, a lawyer who accompanied her that evening, don’t see any logic to the rules. “It would have made sense if they said only western or Indian dressing was allowed. While they had no objection to women wearing salwar kameezes or kurtas, saris were not allowed,” adds Smriti. “It’s an irony that a woman dressed in a sari is unacceptable in a country where sari is the formal, national attire,” says Karam. “Agreed, it might be inconvenient for a woman to dance wearing a sari but then it’s a personal choice; she might just to want to just sit and enjoy music. The rule is sexist and unfair,” he adds.

The sorry state of saris and pubs is not unique to Hyderabad. Similar instances have been reported in Mumbai and Delhi as well. Reasons cited by pub owners vary from “maintaining a young, western atmosphere” to “smart western casuals as dresscode”.

Smriti’s experience is not an isolated one but very few women have been vocal about the issue. Most pubs, we observed, don’t enforce rules during afternoon and early evening hours. On ladies nights too, the dress code is relaxed to accommodate working women who might head to a nightclub after work. On Saturday nights though, sari is a definite no. “Recently at a pub, I noticed a youngster wearing track suits on the dance floor. It turned out that she headed to the pub after her yoga class. When a sports attire is accepted despite club rules, why not saris? Pub owners feel that sari doesn’t gel especially when there are events, say a Michael Jackson night,” says Dolly Singh, key accounts manager with a corporate firm.

Pub owners speak

Srikala Reddy, Touch

“Personally I think sari is a great attire. We are fine with women in saris in the restaurant Era and the lounge area. In the pub, we don’t encourage women in saris except on Sundays when we have Bollywood nights.

The club needs to maintain a certain profile. Youngsters who hang out at the pub aren’t sure of the profile if we relax the dress code. If there are private parties and invitees come dressed in saris, we make exceptions.”

Dheeraj Keswani, Excess

“We insist on smart casual dressing and the dress code demands that people come wearing appropriate shoes. But we don’t frown upon ethnic dressing. Most youngsters come dressed in smart westerns, though there have been women who have come to Excess after attending weddings. We haven’t turned them away.”

Shankar Krishnamurthi, Spoil

“We don’t allow men in shorts and slippers but have no reservation against women dressed in saris.”

Deepika gets hot in an item number

If Deepika Padukone had taken this move two years ago, you would understand, but why now after having established herself in Bollywood? This pretty girl has taken film lovers by surprise, as she has plunged into Telugu movies, that too in a hot item number, while the actresses down south are making a beeline to enter Bollywood.


South Indian actresses like Asin Thottumkal, Genelia D'Souza, Shreya Saran and others are still trying to find a strong foothold in Bollywood though they are big names down south. They are rejecting films from south in order to concentrate on Hindi cinema but Deepika is doing just the opposite. She is doing a hot item number in Love 4 Ever, a bilingual film in Telugu and Hindi.


Yes, Deepika rose to fame with her Bollywood debut film Om Shanti Om though she had earlier acted in a Kannada film titled Aishwarya. She consolidated her position with Bachna Ae Haseeno. Her next film Chandni Chowk to China failed but she is all set to return in a big way with Love Aaj Kal opposite Saif Ali Khan. At this critical juncture, she decided to return to south.

In spite of her busy schedule in Bollywood, Deepika shot for the item song “Chakde Mahiya need Duniya.. Haddu dati aadey day and night” for Love 4 Ever starring debutants Randeep and Mrudula in the lead roles. Love 4 Ever, produced and directed by Jayant C. Paranji, is basically a Telugu film though it will be simultaneously made in Hindi.

Sources said that Deepika has given a sizzling performance in the item number, which is one of the major highlights of the film. People just can't stop talking about her hot and sexy attire.

Looks like Deepika loves to serve hot!

Anil Ambani, Spielberg script a $825-mn Dream deal

Its the biggest and the most high-profile deal in Indian entertainment. Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Big Entertainment (RBE) has finally sealed

the funding for its much-hyped 50:50 joint venture with Hollywood’s iconic director Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks.

DreamWorks Studios will get an initial funding of $825 million, which includes equity from Reliance ADAG to make films for a global audience. The company would make five to six films per year, and the first production would start this year for release in 2010. Of the $825 million, $325 million will be equity infused by Anil Ambani as his personal investment, $150 million will come from The Walt Disney Company as a distribution advance, and the rest will be funded by JP Morgan via debt.

The story was first reported by ET NOW on Wednesday.

DreamWorks will have a four-member board. They are Amitabh Jhunjhunwala, a close associate of Mr Ambani and vice-chairman, Reliance Capital; Alan Levine, entertainment advisor, JPMorgan and former CEO of Sony Pictures, who will represent RBE while Stacey Snider, CEO, DreamWorks, and Mr Speilberg will represent DreamWorks.



The deal will enable Mr Spielberg to resume movie production. DreamWorks has not had the money to produce new films since it parted ways with Viacom’s Paramount Pictures in September 2008.

“We had no doubt in providing financial muscle to DreamWorks. The new joint venture would be headed by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider,” Mr Ambani was quoted as saying in a media announcement from New York. The annoucement was followed by a conference call involving Mr Ambani and Mr Spielberg. In the course of the conference call, Mr Spielberg praised Mr Ambani’s “passion” for movies and emphasised his high comfort level with the chairman of R-ADAG. This had culminated in a formal contract, he said.

The new motion picture company formed between Reliance BIG Entertainment and DreamWorks has been functioning since November 2008 from DreamWorks’ long-time offices in Los Angeles, California, the media announcement issued, said.
With this financing, DreamWorks will eventually make 5-6 films per year.

Earlier this year, DreamWorks had signed a distribution deal with The Walt Disney Company, which will handle marketing and distribution of the studio’s films around the world, except in India, where Reliance BIG Entertainment will retain distribution rights.

DreamWorks anticipates starting its first film for the new studio later this year. They have been actively acquiring properties and developing projects for release in 2010.

In addition, DreamWorks acquired numerous attractive projects from Paramount during the separation. An announcement of the initial films to go before cameras will be made at a later date.

The film projects will be of a global scale and involve Hollywood stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, among others.

This is not Mr Ambani’s only venture in Hollywood. BIG Pictures, owned by RBE, has plans to produce films with Nicolas Cage’s Saturn Productions, Jim Carrey’s JC 23 Entertainment, George Clooney’s Smokehouse Productions, Chris Columbus’ 1492 Pictures, Tom Hank’s Playtone Productions, Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, Jay Roach’s Everyman Pictures, Brett Ratner’s Rat Entertainment and Julia Roberts’ Red Om Films.
“This venture with Reliance opens a new door to our future,” said Steven Spielberg. “Their visionary step has given us a new set of dreams to


“All of us at DreamWorks Studios join with our Reliance partners in anticipating the financial closing,” Ms Snider said. “We also welcome the opportunity and freedom they have given us to make the films we want to make. We always want to aim for appeal and quality whether it be for a highly commercial concept or an artistic achievement.”

Anil Ambani said: “We are delighted to partner with such uniquely talented individuals such as Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider. Ever since we looked at their business plan, I have never doubted that we would succeed in providing them with the financial muscle required to realise their dreams.”

In the course of the conference call, Mr Ambani confirmed that a deal with billionaire investor George Soros for buying a 3% stake in Reliance Big Entertainment for $100 million, valuing the company at $3 billion, has not gone past the signing of an initial agreement. The discussion with the global investor included funding for the DreamWorks’ deal as well. While Mr Ambani maintained that “Mr Soros is free to chip in whenever he feels,” a source close to the Soros team revealed that the deal is primarily stuck due to valuation issues and other conditions like a board berth.

Shekhar, Adhyayan share bikini model!

The young actor has been in the news a lot for various reasons, but now it’s going to be only work for him and relationships can take a backseat, he says. Here he speaks to BT about his career, working with daddy Shekhar Suman and his recent breakup with girlfriend Kangna Ranaut...

You’ve been in the news more for your personal life than professional...
That’s just an unfortunate side effect of being part of this industry! I don’t think any actor would voluntarily want his life under such public scrutiny. It’s sometimes stressful and sometimes amusing! I read all sorts of stuff in the news, and a lot of it is news to me too because I didn’t know I was doing this! Like random rumours of linkups with my co-stars and stories of me doing films only with certain actresses etc. But I’m learning to develop a thicker skin and laugh it off now.

What exactly went wrong between Kangna and you?
I think the relationship did its time. We’re both very young and have demanding careers which require a lot of attention at this stage. I feel love can wait, but my career won’t. Opportunities that are being offered to me at present need one pointed attention and I want to be able to do that. This relationship was never meant to be.

The relationship may not have been easy considering she was an already established actress and you were just starting off.
Well, I never saw Kangna as a star. Our relationship was just a ‘normal guy meets girl’ thing. I think the bigger star perception was actually created by the media. It was never the reality of our relationship which was simpler. Other than Raaz, none of my movies are with Kangna, so it’s irrelevant... and I wish her all the success.

You are all set for your first film as solo lead...
I’m really looking forward to Jashnn. It’s been an incredible experience to be guided and directed by Mahesh Bhatt, one of the finest directors ever. My parents were so proud of me after watching the film. My father asked, ‘How did you portray the depth of emotions that your character required?’

Tell us about Dekh Bhai Dekh that you are doing with your father...
I’m doing Dekh Bhai Dekh with Anand Mahendroo, in which I play the grown up son of Sameer Diwan, the character immortalised in the TV serial by my father. I’m really looking forward to sharing screen space with him and I’m a bit intimidated at the same time. We recently shot for a cover of a magazine where we were required to flank a bikini-clad Brazilian model. My dad was incredibly at ease, while I was incredibly uncomfortable... not because of the girl, but because of dad!

Hrithik is in a wheelchair...

Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who failed to hit pay dirt with a love story like Saawariya in 2007, is planning a Black-like hit with his next film
Guzaarish.

In this, just as he had a visually impaired Rani Mukherji deliver an outstanding performance opposite Amitabh Bachchan at his impressive best in Black, Bhansali has Hrithik Roshan playing a wheelchair bound paraplegic opposite Aishwarya
Bachchan.

Black was as much a box office success as it was critically acclaimed for the sheer boldness of its script and the depth of the relationship between a blind Rani and an alcoholic Bachchan. Hrithik has played a mentally challenged boy in papa Rakesh Roshan’s Koi Mil Gaya, but being physically handicapped on screen, will be his first experience. And, Ash and he make a hot couple anyway... remember Dhoom 2 and Jodhaa Akbar?