Liv embarrassed by rock star dad

Liv Tyler hates it when her rock star dad wears trousers that are too tight. The Incredible Hulk actress who has a three-year-old son with her estranged musician husband Royston Langdon is always embarrassed when Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler dons his famous skin-tight pants.

She said: “I love my dad, although I’m definitely critical of him sometimes like when his pants are too tight!” Liv, 30, also revealed the best relationship advice she has ever been given was from her model-and-singer mother Bebe Buell.

She added to Britain’s Cosmopolitan magazine: “My mom gave me some great advice about men. She said, ‘Watch out they can be unreliable. But they can also be wonderful.’ She had a bad reputation, which was unfair. Every time she happened to be seen with a man, she was supposed to be having an affair.

“I see her described as a ‘rock groupie’ and I know she was never that. As a child, I watched her suffering so much and I decided then that I didn’t want to go through that.” As well as romancing Aerosmith singer Steven, Bebe Buell dated and bedded many famous rock stars in the 70s, including Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, David Bowie and Elvis Costello.
mumbai news

Cate’s sexy wrinkles

Cate Blanchett thinks wrinkles are “sexy” and believes people who have plastic surgery are self-obsessed.

The 38-year-old actress - who recently gave birth to her third child with husband Andrew Upton - hates the idea of plastic surgery, and is happy to have some lines on her face.

She said: “For me, I think what will be sexy in 50 years time will be wrinkles. Look at a man or a woman in their 50s and all I see when they have brushed their years away with surgery is self-obsession and fear.

That’s not particularly attractive.” Cate also revealed having children has taught her to be quiet -sometimes. She added: “I’ve learned to be quiet! It’s interesting. When our youngest son came out of the womb he came out talking.

My husband keeps saying to him, ‘It’s OK to be quiet - you don’t have to talk if you don’t have anything to say.

’ I think that’s a good life lesson I have learned.” Cate and screenwriter Andrew have three sons, Dashiell John, six, Roman Robert, three, and Ignatius Martin Upton, who is less than two months old.
mumbai news

Kate wants a butt double

Kate Beckinsale wants a butt double for her new movie. The 34-year-old actress who famously had her breasts digitally enhanced on the promotional posters for her 2003 movie Underworld is so concerned her bottom is too big to bare on film that she has demanded a double for the nude scenes in Whiteout. A source said:

“Kate has a terrible self-image. She thinks she is fat and she is always complaining how certain outfits make her bottom look big. Of course, the reality is that she has the most amazing body.” Producers on the set of Whiteout have been forced to pay a nude stand-in a staggering $2,000-a-day to ensure Kate does not pull out of the film.

The movie which is set to be released in September tells the story of a US marshal, played by Kate, who tracks a killer through Antarctica. Kate, who battled eating disorder anorexia when she was a teenager, recently spoke about her body image issues.

Justin Brescia

You may know Justin Brescia as Justin “Bobby” Brescia from The Hills. He's gone to bed with Audrina Patridge. Could be worse. It could have been Heidi Montag. Yech.

Justin-Bobby enjoys riding his bike, not returning phone calls, smelling of B.O., not kissing, mumbling incoherently and breaking the heart of Audrina Patridge.

She broke up with his ass after a loud altercation at a club, as shown on The Hills. But Justin-Bobby Brescia is back on the show in Spring 2008! Stay tuned...

Condom-plating about safety?

The civic administration in association with Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust (HLFPPT) is gearing up to take an unconventional step by installing the Condom Vending Machines (CVM) at malls, lodges, public toilets, bars, pubs, etc. The project aims to boost condom use in the city and make it easily accessible to people.



Tushar Deshmukh, convenor of HLFPPT says, "The National Aids Control Organisation (NACO) has allocated 11,000 CVMs for the country and 3000 for Mumbai and its suburbs. About 1500 machines will be installed across the city in the first phase of the project, which is likely to commence in the first week of July. Later on more machines will be stationed in associations with Mumbai District Aids Control Society (MDACS), Maharashtra State Aids Control Society (MSACS) and Avert Society "



Deshmukh further explains, "The condoms were usually available only with the chemists, which remains open for limited hours. Later non-traditional outlets like pan-bidi shops, grocery stores that remain open till mid-night also started selling condoms. However, the issue of making the condoms available 24/7 remained un-addressed. It was then that the concept of CVMs was thought of. Besides making condoms available round the clock, this move will also help in eliminating the social stigma attached with condoms."



Speaking about the machines, additional municipal commissioner Kishore Gajbhiye says, "We are planning to install the CVMs by next month at places like restrooms of restaurants, shopping malls, cinema halls, sulabh suchalaya, railway stations, etc that are regularly visited by people. These mechanical machines are quite sophisticated yet simple to operate. In order to dispense a condom one just needs to drop a five-rupees coin in the automated machine. And as far as replenishing is concerned it will be done after every 15 days. I am sure that people will welcome this move."


Both, HLFPT and civic body believe that this move will promote condom usage, which is the only way to put a check on HIV/AIDS.

One tight slap!

Students who've just cleared their HSC may be anxious about college admissions, as the number of successful candidates exceeds the number of seats available, but the Mumbai University Colleges Principals Association (MUCPA) has a different priority altogether: it has sent off SMSes to college principals across the city asking them to keep 3 to 5 seats in their institutions vacant for recommendations from Mantralaya.

The SMS, which went out on Monday, the day on which colleges put out their first merit list, has been issued by the Association's secretary Dr G B Vishe (principal of Dnyansadhana College, Thane) and states: “Dear Principal, Remember our promise 2 Dr Andhale. 3-5 seats 4 Mantralya recommendations thru JD. It's a request mandatory...Dr Vishe.”

The Dr Andhale he refers to is Dr Madhukar Andhale, joint director of higher education, Mumbai region. Degree colleges need his approval for a variety of works, including teachers' pension, appointment of new teachers, handing out of staff salaries and for increasing the number of divisons and seats. Over 500 colleges come under the joint director, which is why the SMS has been sent in his name.

The principals who've got the SMS are worried and angry because a record number of students -- 1,83,974 -- have cleared HSC exams this year in the Mumbai region, and the admissions process is bound to get messy with students wanting only 'cream colleges' of their choice. However, they do not know how to respond yet as the SMS comes from their own Association and mentions the joint director's name.

The college heads this paper spoke to refused to be identified for fear of invoking the joint director's wrath. They said that while they were upset about this interference in the admissions process, that too for the benefit of those in Mantralaya, they also didn't want grants to their colleges to be held up because of their opposition to the "request."

One principal told this paper: "If the joint director had sent a special request to us to favour a particular student, we wouldn't have complained. But it is not acceptable for the secretary of MUCPA to send the SMSes in his official capacity. In all probability, the MUCPA secretary is trying to get into the good books of the joint director."

Another principal said college authorities had enough pressure already from politicians and other VIPs, and such SMSes made things even worse.

Vishe denied sending any such SMS. However, a copy of the SMS sent to one of the principals clearly shows that the sender's telephone number is the same as Vishe's.

Joint director Dr Andhale said, "I really don't understand why they are sending SMSes asking principals to reserve seats for our department. One principal called me regarding the issue, but we denied any role in sending the messsage. We have never asked any principal to reserve any admissions for me. In fact, I called Dr Vishe asking for a clarification. He said he did not sent messages to many principals, just to two or three."

Audrina Patridge

Audrina Patridge stars on The Hills. We're fans! Maybe you recognize Audrina Patridge from that show ... or from those hot nude pics that surfaced online in March 2008. Or perhaps both.

Anyway, time for a little background info.

Born and raised in Yorba Linda, Ca., in (yes) Orange County, Audrina Patridge got on our nerves at first, as we thought she was kinda phony and plastic looking, but we came around eventually as she and Lauren Conrad became close friends and roommates.

Needless to say, we'll take Audrina Patridge over Heidi Montag. But soon enough, Audrina and LC had their own set of problems. Right now it looks as though Audrina may move out of Lauren's guest house. Oh well.

Audrina has a job at Epic Records, as shown on The Hills, but aspires to be an actress and model as well. Audrina Patridge is now dating Tal Cooperman, having dated Shannon Leto, Brian Drolet and of course, Justin-Bobby Brescia, in the past.

She has two sisters, Samantha and Casey Patridge. Casey just had a baby!

In March 2008, Audrina became the subject of scandal when naked pics of her were leaked online (as we mentioned earlier). She admitted that they were, in fact, Audrina Patridge nude photos and that she had tried out for Playboy at age 19. Sure. We bet they were "leaked" accidentally. Mmm hmm.

They were hot, though, that's for damn sure. Hopefully she can rise above the scandal (or use it to her advantage if that's what she's after) and go back to being the good friend we know on The Hills.