Singer Gary Chaw has stolen the limelight, for the wrong reason, again.

Slightly more than a month after he was photographed fighting kung-fu style with his buddy Justin Lo, who is also a famed singer, in Hong Kong, Chaw was alleged to have smashed a television set in the Kuala Lumpur hotel room he was staying in.


Gary fighting with Justin in Hong Kong.
The 30-year-old singer was back in Malaysia to take a break from the media attention in Hong Kong.

Nanyang Siang Pau reported that the Traders Hotel in Kuala Lumpur had blacklisted Chaw due to the incident.

"Exaggerated-lah" said Chaw when asked by reporters.

His manager replied: "Impossible."

The hotel authorities refused to comment, saying they have to find out if it was true.

On Sept 23, Chaw and Lo were drinking in a pub before they ended up fighting in the street.

The case is being investigated for common assault, which carries a maximum one-year jail sentence, if convicted.

Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily News had earlier reported that Chaw is likely to be bound over for good behaviour if he is charged in court.

It is understood the two singers have reached a compromise to settle the case and would request for Chaw to be bound over if the case is brought to court.

However, the order needs the consent of the police and the judge.

The fight seems to have been a big blow to Chaw’s career. He was reported to have lost an RM18.4mil contract with a recording company.

His concerts and music programmes in Hong Kong were also cancelled.

Chaw, who is out on bail, is scheduled to report to the Hong Kong police this month. - DC

NICOLE Kidman has loved experimenting with "strange sexual fetish stuff".

The 'Nine' actress - who divorced Tom Cruise in 2001 following a 10-year union and is now married to country singer Keith Urban - says she has enjoyed exploring with the different aspects of love, sex and relationships over the years.

She explained: "My life has been about exploring types of love. I've explored obsession, I've explored strange sexual fetish stuff, I've explored the mundane aspect of marriage and monogamy. But I'm still on that journey."

Despite the fascination people have with her love life, the 42-year-old beauty has vowed to take the details of her past relationship with Tom to her grave.

She told Britain's GQ magazine: "I have never discussed the intricacies of it and I never will.

"I burned most of my journals after I remarried. You're only going to find out bad things. You can't read somebody's diary. You shouldn't read it.

"I know I live inside some rose-coloured cloud but I'll never waver on it. I am not writing a book. I will go to the grave with all my secrets, all my stories."

While together, Tom and Nicole adopted children Isabella, now 17, and Connor, now 14. Nicole also has 15-month-old daughter Sunday Rose with Keith and Tom is father to Suri, three, his daughter with wife Katie Holmes. -DC

Rumour has it that a China corporation had made an offer to the pop queen to return to singing and acting next year.

The company has offered Wong an astronomical fee of RMB180mil (RM90mil) for a three- to five-year contract.

However, the 40-year-old celebrity has yet to respond to the speculation.

She appears to be enjoying her role as a housewife and is concentrating in bringing up her two daughters – Dou Jingtong and Li Yan.

Jingtong, 12, was of Wong and her singer husband Dou Wei while Yan, three, is from her current marriage with actor Li Yapeng.

Wong, who is currently residing in Beijing, was seen happily shopping with her family.

Wong has taken an indefinite break from the entertainment industry since she married Li in 2005.

After giving birth to Yan, Wong has spent all her time seeking medical treatment for her daughter’s cleft lip.

She and Li had also set up the Smile Angel Foundation to help children with clefts. Although she made a public appearance at the foundation’s fund-raising event in 2006, she had opted not to speak or sing.

At the same event the next year, Wong had mentioned that she would not return to the musical scene in 2008.

Now that the first stage of Yan’s cleft lis operations has been completed, numerous movie moguls and music companies are eyeing her for a comeback.

Early this year, Wong had done a shampoo advertisement for RMB20mil (RM10mil).

Her manager Chan Ka-ying said Wong would return when she has rested enough.

Believe it or not, but a crazy Australian fan "buys" Shah Rukh Khan a piece of the moon every year on his birthday.

"Yes, an Australian lady buys a little land on the moon for me every year on my birthday.

"She has been buying it for a while now and I get these certificates from the Lunar Republic Society," Shah Rukh Khan told a newspaper.

The Bollywood star who celebrated his 44th birthday Monday has apparently met his fan and she keeps in touch with him all year through mails.

"She writes me colourful emails (in the sense one line is red, one is blue and so on). I feel blessed to have the love of so many people worldwide."

According to one online lunar real estate agency, http://www.lunarregistry.com/, the Sea of Tranquility is the most sought-after address on the moon.

A 4,047 sq m plot of land (1 acre) costs US $37.50 (RM128.066 ). The actor currently "owns" several acres on the moon.

An "ownership package" includes a beautifully engraved parchment deed, a satellite photograph of the property and an information sheet detailing the geography of one's region.

An interactive Full Moon Atlas on CD-ROM is available at an additional cost.


A 4,047 sq m of land on the moon costs only RM128
People are allowed to buy up to 161, 874.2 sq m (40 acres) per transaction.

Proceeds from the purchase of the plots on the moon, go toward the Lunar Republic Society’s programme for privatised human-based exploration, settlement and development of the Moon.

Now while there are many websites on the internet (based in the US, UK and Russia) that allows you to buy land on the moon, it doesn’t mean you can charge NASA or other space agencies for trespassing when they land on your property.

Property ownership is permanently registered by the International Lunar Lands Registry in its annual publication, which is copyrighted and deposited in the United States Library of Congress.

It has international patent and trademark offices, including in the United Kingdom (UK Patent Office), Japan (Japan Copyright Office), Russia (Rospatent) and with the United Nations (UN Depository Library), in compliance with the Berne Convention.-DC

Elton John has been hospitalized after suffering from a case of E. coli bacterial infection and the flu.

His spokesman Gary Farrow said Monday that the pop star hopes to be released soon but has been forced to cancel concerts in England, Ireland and the United States.

John intends to rejoin the "Face2Face" tour later in the month when he and Billy Joel play concerts in northern California.

Farrow said 62-year-old John is suffering from a "bad case of the flu and a minor case of E. coli." His website says he was advised by his doctor to postpone dates in Seattle and Portland.

The Daily Mail's Web site quoted John's partner, David Furnish, as saying "He's OK - he's fine," after leaving a London hospital.

Farrow says the singer has rescheduled previously cancelled dates during the European leg of his world tour. - DC

Japanese television host Haruna Ai, 37, is the new global transvestite diva.

She was crowned “Miss International Queen 2009” at the beauty pageant for transsexuals in Pattaya, Thailand over the weekend.

Haruna was among 18 contestants in the last round of the contest held at Tiffany’s Show which is reputedly the world’s largest transsexual cabaret.

The first runner-up was Thai contestant Kangsadal Wongdusadeekul and the second runner-up was Brazilian Daniela Marques.


Some of the contestants of the transsexual beauty pageant
Twenty-one contestants from around the world, including those from Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, the United States, China and Brazil, took part in the fifth annual pageant.

The Miss International Queen contest is aimed at the promotion of tolerance and positive attitude towards transsexuals and transvestites.

Millions in Thailand, a country well known for its tolerance and acceptance of transsexuals, watched the contest live on televsion on Saturday. - DC

See-through angel costumes and hardly-there dresses will be the main focus for the 2009 Miss Asia pageant competition in Hong Kong on Sunday.

The 12 finalists, aged between 17 and 26, will be wearing six sexy dresses in the competition.


One of the contestants wearing the see-through costume
They are only allowed to use Nude-bra throughout the competition.

These are the secret weapons of the contest’s organiser ATV (Asia Television Limited) in a must-win war against TVB (Television Broadcasts Limited).

The contest, hosted by popular MC Lawrence Cheng Dan-Shui, Jerry Lamb and Vinci Wong, will be aired-live at 7.30pm in the Special Administrative Region.


It is facing a strong challenge from TVB, which will broadcasts the Super Trio Supreme Battles Beautiful Cooking a special programme collaborated from its two popular game shows.

Super Trio is hosted by Eric Tsang and Louis Yuen while the Beautiful Cooking is hosted by Ronald Cheng, Edmond Leung and Alex Fong.

Both shows have resorted to sexy babes and artistes to boost ratings.

In a move to win the war, ATV has decided to start the contest 30 minutes earlier.

It was reported that this year’s Miss Asia pageant competition has drawn many criticisms from the people since its promotional tour began in August.

Some have complaints of the drop in the contestants’ standards but most of the complaints were against its outfits.

Whatever it is, tonight’s show is expected to set another high ratings for the television station. - DC

THIS year’s anniversary celebrations will be a “cover-up show” for TVB (Hong Kong’s Television Broadcasts Limited).

TVB general manager Stephen Chan has issued an order to all the female artistes to “cover up” their breasts.

The order applies to all the events regardless whether or not they are organised by the television station.

It is learnt this was one of the strategies to save TVB’s image.

The 42-year-old television station had recently received many complaints and criticisms for its “liberalisation” in its programmes and dramas.

Among them were a scene of Fala Chen changing clothes and showing off her bra in The Stew of Life, Jess Shum Cheuk Ying doing pole dancing and Macy Chan running in a bikini on the beach in D.I.E. Again.

Audiences have also complained that TVB had been a negative influence on the people by intending to sell sexy and lust to boost its ratings.

With the arrival of the anniversary celebrations, which were kicked off by TVB chairman Sir Run Run Shaw at a lighting ceremony on Oct 20, Chan had ordered the actresses to “behave”.

The news of Chan’s order has gone viral on the Internet with easily 100 Chinese portals in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and as far as Canada and Australia carrying the same article pertaining to the issue.

The article, the source of which could not be traced, said even Miss Hong Kong contestant Samantha Ko had covered up her body following the order.

Ko, who is known for her 34G breasts, has always shown off her gifted figure since she participated in the beauty competition last year.

Hong Kong media have given her a nickname – Dai Yu Ngau (big milk cow).

She was captured wearing a high round collar-neck shirt at a public function in the Special Administrative Region recently. - DC

David Beckham wants to look like Wolverine.

The Los Angeles Galaxy soccer player quashed speculation he has grown a beard out of superstition because his team have reached the play-offs, and has revealed the real reason is because he wants to dress as the mutant Marvel superhero - played by Hugh Jackman in the 'X-Men' films - for Halloween.

The 34-year-old sportsman - who has sons Brooklyn, 10, Romeo, seven, and four-year-old Cruz with his wife, former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham - said: "Halloween is coming up and I was thinking of Wolverine from 'X-Men'. It's not some play-off ritual. I'm just lazy and can't be bothered to shave. And everybody keeps telling me to cut it and I'm stubborn."

While David is proud of his beard, he recently topped a poll for having the worst facial hair in showbiz.

Siobhan McDermott - head buyer of feelunique.com, who commissioned the poll - said: "Bad facial hair can be disastrous for even the best looking men."

Although David's facial growth has been met with disapproval, he has received support from the Beard Liberation Front.

The group's organiser Keith Flett said: "He's got a retro beard, if you look at it, it's almost like mutton chops. It's the kind of stuff soccer players had in the 70s. It's an interesting choice because he could have gone for the designer style beard that is trendy and fashionable." - Bang! Extranet

HONG KONG celebrity Cecilia Cheung Pak-Chi is pregnant with her second child, major Chinese dailies reported.

Her husband Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung confirmed this by saying that there were some “changes in his wife’s body”.

“I cannot be precise. She has not gone for a check-up,’’ he said when asked if Cheung was pregnant with twins.

Tse, also an actor, said he would make an official announ-cement when the time comes.

The couple have a two-year-old son Lucas.

Cheung was one of the female celebrities involved in Edison Chen’s sex photos scandal which was exposed last year.

The incident caused an uproar in the industry and forced Chen as well as the women to put their careers on hold.

So far, only Gillian Chung has returned to acting

Michael Jackson has earned $90 million since he died.

The late 'Thriller' singer - who passed away from acute Propofol intoxication on June 25 - came third in Forbes.com's annual Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list with the huge financial haul.

Michael was the highest ranking deceased singer, after bringing in the enormous sum from radio play, royalties from album sales, rights to his name and royalties from his stake in the Sony/ATV music catalogue.

Since Michael's shock passing there have also been numerous sales of memorabilia, iconic outfits and even a lock of his hair.

Forbes Senior Editor Matthew Miller said: "The money might be drying up in Hollywood, but there's still plenty of cash being made in the graveyard. The earning power of dead celebrities is more powerful than ever before."

Elvis Presley dropped down from first position last year to fourth this time round with earnings of $55 million. He was replaced at the top by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent who raked in a staggering $350 million for his famous clothing label and from the sale of his art collection early this year, following his death in June 2008.

Songwriting duo Rodgers and Hammerstein - full name Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II - earned the second highest figure with revenue made from their popular Broadway musicals, including 'Oklahoma!', 'Carousel', 'South Pacific' and 'The Sound of Music'.

Forbes.com's top ten Top-Earning Dead Celebrities: 1. Yves Saint Laurent - $350 million 2. Rodgers and Hammerstein - $235 million 3. Michael Jackson - $90 million 4. Elvis Presley - $55 million 5. J.R.R. Tolkein - $50 million 6. Charles Schulz - $35 million 7. John Lennon - $15 million 7. Dr. Seuss - $15 million 9. Albert Einstein - $10 million 10. Michael Crichton - $9 million. - Bang! Extranet

After a young fan and Virginia Tech student, Morgan Harrington, went missing during one of their concerts on October 17, Metallica is now adding $50,000 to the reward being offered for her safe return.

Harrington's parents have already announced a $100,000 reward for her return or information leading to the arrest of the party responsible for her disappearance.

In addition to the campaign website FindMorgan.com, Metallica also put a plea up on their official website asking fans to look at their video and photographic footage from the concert to see if she can be seen along with this description:

"Morgan has blond hair and blue eyes, is 5'6", 120 lbs., and was wearing a black 'Pantera' T-shirt, black skirt, and black boots. She was not carrying ID or a cell phone. Morgan was separated from her friends shortly before 9:00 pm at the venue."

Sad, sad.

We hope Morgan is found soon!

NO MORE hiding.

It's been two months since Hong Kong singer- actor Leon Lai and celebrity model Gaile Lai's hush-hush marriage was exposed by the Hong Kong media.

The couple, who has been dating since 2006, tied the knot in Las Vegas in March last year. But while the couple kept a low profile during their courtship, Gaile, 29, was forthcoming when The New Paper asked her about her wedded bliss.

As far as this blushing newlywed is concerned, nothing's changed.

She told The New Paper on Thursday night: 'The marriage has been good. We think of each other as friends. For us, life hasn't been any different from when we were boyfriend and girlfriend.' Gaile, who arrived on Wednesday, was in town for a gala dinner at Changi Exhibition Centre on Thursday night.

Designer threads

The celebrity model turned up in a cocktail dress and nude heels with black bows from the Valentino Spring 1 2010 collection. She completed her outfit with a clutch from the Garavani Spring 1 2010 collection.

But something was missing: The wedding ring.

Gaile reportedly told Hong Kong media that she doesn't wear it when she's working for fear of misplacing it.

Rumours of Leon, 43, and Gaile's secret union began circulating in March last year but the couple flatly denied it. According to Hong Kong's The Sun newspaper, she was bound by various endorsement contracts which forbade her to get married.

Violating the terms of the contracts would mean she would have to pay large amounts as compensation. Two months ago, the cat was finally out of the bag.



The relentless Hong Kong media managed to obtain a record of the couple's marriage registration through a Nevada website.

Turns out the pair had held their wedding at Las Vegas' Wynn Hotel in March last year. Only their closest friends were said to have been present. But while Leon is known for being tight-lipped about his personal life, Gaile was friendly and candid throughout our short interview.

Within a few hours of her arrival, the adoring wife revealed how she had already snagged a present for her husband: Fishballs.

A beaming Gaile said: 'We (she and her manager) went to the supermarket yesterday (Wednesday) and I bought a few packets of fishballs and assam and belachan paste.

'He loves fishballs so maybe I'll make laksa since I have the assam paste and I'll throw the fishballs in.'

Gaile, who is an avid cook, added that she can whip up a mean rack of lamb in red wine sauce. So the old saying 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' holds true.

When pressed about their honeymoon, she declined to reply but not without first flashing a sweet smile.

What about the pitter patter of little feet? Speculation has been rife since Gaile was spotted by Hong Kong media with a slightly protruding stomach early last month. A glowing Gaile said they have no plans to have a baby.

She added: 'We haven't set a specific age as to when we'd like to start a family. When it happens, it happens. We're not going to think too much about it.

'Right now, we just want to enjoy working and each other.'

As for Leon, perhaps he's also taking the cue from his wife.

Since he hooked up with Gaile, the Heavenly King has reportedly started opening up more, and the Hong Kong media credits the change to Gaile's cheerful personality.

Early this month, Hong Kong reporters asked Leon if Gaile's presence in his life has helped him in his career. He reportedly said: 'She's always been by my side.'

More significantly, he introduced Gaile as his wife when the pair attended a party his friends had thrown early this month.

His fans have also been supportive of the relationship. In August, The Sun reported that Leon's fans had plans to throw a celebratory party for the couple when news of their secret nuptials came to light.

Leon's behaviour is in contrast to when he dated Taiwanese actress Shu Qi after meeting her on the set of 1998 romance film City Of Glass. He never once admitted to their relationship. Leon's fans also disapproved of Shu Qi because of her background as a former soft porn actress, reported Apple Daily.

As a result, the pair kept a low profile, and broke up in 2004.

Singer Chris Brown has announced the release of his first CD since his February altercation with then-girlfriend Rihanna.

"Graffiti," the singer's third album, will be released on Dec. 15, he said via Twitter.

The CD's first single, "I Can Transform Ya," features Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz.

The 20-year-old will also kick off his "Fan Appreciation" tour in Houston on Nov. 14.

Brown was sentenced in August to five years' probation, six months of community labor and a year of domestic violence counseling after he pleaded guilty to felony assault in the attack on Rihanna.

He's due to perform Tuesday in New Jersey at his first concert since the attack. - AP

Concert movies may not be a culture here in Malaysia, but trust the greatest artiste of all time to consistently smash records ... even posthumously.

IT was being touted as his final curtain call, but mere days before the This Is It series of concerts were to take place at London’s O2 arena, the greatest entertainer of his time, Michael Jackson, died of a cardiac arrest in Los Angeles on June 25.

For many, especially those who grew up with his and the Jackson 5’s music, it was the day the music died. And for those who never ever saw the King Of Pop on the concert stage – his natural habitat – the loss is simply incomparable.

But MJ’s final gift to his fans may prove to be one of his most profound yet, albeit, posthumously. With his back against the wall – everything from financial meltdown to legal issues – MJ was paving a way for the greatest comeback in the music industry, greater than the Elvis 1968 Comeback Special, even.

Culled from over 100 hours of intensive rehearsals from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and more significantly, the full-dress rehearsal at the O2 arena, This Is It the concert movie offers fans and viewers a glimpse of what might have been, and the reviews in the press have been nothing short of staggering.

Likewise, the buzz here in Malaysia is unprecedented. “On the first day the tickets went on sale (on Oct 15), about 10,000 were snapped up,” said Stephanie Lee, project consultant for Sony Pictures, the global distributor for the movie.

“This has never happened in our industry here. The closest anything came to this were the recent Terminator and Transformer movies,” she added.

Lee pointed out that this sort of reaction is a given for action and sci-fi movies, but for This Is It to succeed in an environment where concert movies are not common, it is a true testament to MJ’s global super power.

“Obviously, this is all because it is Michael Jackson. He has a lot of fans here,” added Lee, saying that after having watched it herself two weeks ago, she still can’t have enough of it. “It’s really awesome and watching it on the big screen is fabulous. I was not a fan of MJ before but now I am. When you watch it, it’s hard to believe that he’s really gone,” she lamented.

Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC), which will be screening the film from Oct 29 for a limited two-week run, echoes that sentiment. According to GSC spokesperson Tan Gaik Lian, Malaysian fans are truly looking forward to the This Is It experience. “GSC is keen to make this movie available to all, where possible. As this movie has been scheduled to be screened for only two weeks worldwide, advance cash sales started on Oct 15,” she revealed, adding that the movie will be screened in 15 cinema locations nationwide.

Viewers who want a completely digital experience can opt for the 2-D version, otherwise, the 35mm version will do nicely, too. “The digital 2-D projection promises higher resolution images and state-of-the-art digital sound, which in return enhances the overall viewing experience as the overall quality does degrade over time with the normal 35mm format,” Tan explained.

And to heighten the proceedings further, GSC is making available all kinds of treats for MJ fans. There are limited posters in GSC Signature, discount coupons for MJ shirts, commemorative books and much more up for grabs.

Loyal MJ fan Cabrina Ang stayed up till past midnight (trying a second time at 5am) to secure tickets online on the day they went on sale on Oct 15 but failed in her attempts. “I was very disappointed, but my husband went out and got the tickets from the cinema for me the next day, thankfully,” she said admitting that this is the first time she has ever tried this diligently to get tickets for a show.

Ang has no expectations of the show itself but is looking forward to seeing her favourite artiste in his final moments.

“I just want to see how he looked since there were so many stories on his poor health at that time, though from the clips I saw, he looked great in that orange shirt,” she shared, insisting that her favourite songs are the ones with meaningful lyrics like Heal The World and You Are Not Alone.

Ang grew up a fan of both the Jackson 5 and the Osmonds, and had posters all over her room walls. “I also went for his concert in Malaysia in 1996. My sister bought me the most expensive ticket, and I got to the stadium as early as 11am, and waited for the show to start at 9pm,” revealed the devout fan who feels MJ’s greatest gift to the world is his artistry, which is unrivalled.

Even the Malaysian music industry can’t seem to heap enough plaudits on the greatest entertainer in the world. Industry standard producer Roslan Aziz places MJ on the same mantle as Elvis Presley and The Beatles.

“He was very sincere in his work and always endeavoured to do the best he could. The recording world learned so much from Thriller ... even if Quincy Jones produced it, it was still MJ’s album,” said the maverick producer.

Roslan grew up with the Jackson 5 and saw MJ grow into the bonafide superstar he eventually became. “There’s so much we can learn from his career, good and bad, but you can’t take away his talent and his musical contributions to the world. That will keep him at the forefront of the music world and he will be remembered as the person who revolutionised pop music,” he enthused, saying that he’d like to take his young son to watch the show.

MJ tribute artiste, Jordan Sam, who recently staged a fabulous show at Genting’s Arena of Stars in tribute to his fallen hero, is waiting on needles and pins to watch the show. “I’ve already bought the tickets ... I can’t wait to watch the choreography and hear the music. I’m sure it’s going to be spectacular,” he declared gleefully.

As a tribute artiste, Sam places a keen eye on the details of a concert and says he has seen nothing short of impressive. “I’ve watched some clips on YouTube and they look very good.”

Sam feels that This Is It is well beyond mere entertainment value. It will be a firm reminder of MJ’s greatness. “I think people are going to be reminded of what a truly brilliant artiste he was, whether it be his singing, his dancing or his onstage persona. I can’t imagine seeing someone like him again,” he opined.

Whether we choose to remember him as the surgical-mask-wearing eccentric, the father who dangled his child over a balcony or the man said to have bought the bones of the Elephant Man, Michael Jackson has fought his way into the human psyche unlike any other human being.

His name and likeness is recognised in every corner of the earth, from Africa, through to Asia, Europe and the Americas. This Is It is his swan song, one the world will not merely remember, but never forget.

To paraphrase Motown boss Berry Gordy during his speech at the music legend’s memorial: “Michael learned from the greats ... and became the greatest!”

HONG KONG superstar Andy Lau has yet to buy a wedding ring, reported Sin Chew Daily.

When asked why he was not wearing a wedding ring, Lau said “I have not bought one yet.”

Lau is rumoured to have married his Malaysian girlfriend Carol Chu.

Supermodel Amber Chia earned her stripes for wildlife conservation Saturday by sitting still as her famous body was painted to look like a tiger.

She told reporters after the photo shoot at Mutiara Damansara that it took three hours but she did not mind as it was for a good cause.

The shoot was for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Asia Pacific.





The photographs will appear on posters and newspapers across the globe early next year in a campaign against zoos.

Next year, being the Year of the Tiger was among the reasons Amber was chosen to be a part of the campaign.

"She was chosen because she has a compassion for animals," senior PETA campaigner Ashley Fruno said.

Amber is the first Malaysian celebrity PETA had roped in to help their cause to urge people to boycott zoos.

"Wild animals belong in the wild. An animal that lives a long and healthy life but dies in the wild is not worse off than animals which spend all their lives pacing in enclosures," Fruno said.

A televison producer who struck sex deals with teenage twins and other girls seeking acting roles has been sentenced to 10 years in jail after being found guilty of organising prostitution.

Hu Weidong, a 49-year-old from Henan province, had coerced Beijing twins, Qin Qing and Qin Yun, known as "Baobao and Azi," to have sex with him, his assistants and wealthy clients before the girls reached the legal adult age of 18.



Qin Qing and Qin Yun aka Baobao and Azi
On their blog, the twins claimed Hu had set them up with men and posted picture stories.

Police started investigations into Hu and he was arrested.

On Friday, the Haidian district in Beijing found that Hu coerced young women into sex deals, making profit from them, between September 2007 and May 2008.

Hu, the owner of the Yuan-Yuan TV Studio, admitted in the court hearings that nearly 100 women agreed to make sex deals with him during that period.

The mastermind was guilty of both organizing prostitution and organizing promiscuity with under-aged youth, the court said. He received a 10-year sentence and was assessed a 100,000 yuan ($14,640) fine.

Hu's two assistants, Meng Qingbo and Sun Qiao, were also found guilty of assisting prostitution and organizing promiscuity with under-aged youth.

Meng was sentenced to seven years in prison with a fine of 20,000 yuan, and Sun was sentenced to three years in prison with the same fine.

Hu appeared angry after he was sentenced and immediately decided to appeal.

"The girls are valuable commodities. It is inevitable for them to have relationships with investors and directors," the man told reporters outside court.
- China Daily/ANN

Christie's auction house will offer up a portrait of Michael Jackson by Andy Warhol in New York on Nov. 10.

The auction house told The Associated Press on Friday that the 30-by-26-inch portrait should fetch an estimated $500,000 to $700,000. It's one of a small group of Warhol silk-screened images of Jackson created in 1984.

The painting depicts Jackson smiling in a "Thriller"-era jacket, with squiggles of red and yellow in his hair.

Deputy chairman Brett Gorvy says the seller is an anonymous private collector in New York who bought it from the Andy Warhol Foundation in the 1990s.

The image is part of 47 lots being auctioned, including two other Warhol paintings.

A New York art gallery sold a similar Warhol portrait of Jackson in August to an anonymous buyer. The gallery would not disclose the price, but said it was more than a million dollars.

Pink has been having nightmares about kangaroos.


Pink...kangaroos aren't the only things troubling here
The 'So What' singer dreamt a pair of the hopping Australian animals destroyed the home she shares with her motocross racer husband Carey Hart.


She said: "I dreamt the other night that I smuggled two kangaroos home from Australia and they trashed my house and my dog Bailey was terrified.

Bad idea!" Home-wrecking kangaroos aren't the only things troubling Pink at present.

The 30-year-old pop star has also been dealing with over-zealous fans asking her for autographs while she is naked.

She wrote on her Twitter webpage: "So awkward, standing naked in a women's dressing room while the staff ask for autographs."

Although kangaroos are tormenting Pink in her dreams, another hopping animal attacked her in real life.

The singer - who is a strict vegetarian and staunch supporter of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) - wasn't happy when a frog jumped into her face while she was on a recent bike trip with Carey in Australia.

The pair had stopped on the side of the road for a toilet break when the excited amphibian leapt at Pink - real name Alecia Moore.

A source said: "They were relieving themselves by the road when a frog jumped up and hit Pink bang in the eyes. She freaked."
- Bang! Extranet