Amanda Holden stable after pregnancy complications
UK Today News: British actress and presenter Amanda Holden gave birth to her second child on January 23, 2012. This is indeed a happy moment for Holden and her husband Chris Hughes, but the actress had to spend three days in the hospital in a critical condition following the birth of her child.
Amanda is doing fine and Chris has thanked the doctors and the nurses of the hospital who brought her back to a stable condition. The ‘Jonathan Creek’ actress is currently being treated in the intensive care unit and is expected to take some time to recover.
Amanda was admitted to hospital on Monday and Chris has been at her side since then. A spokesperson for the couple said that Chris thanked the whole medical team involved in the care of his wife.
The spokesperson further informed that the baby weighed just over 6lbs and is in a healthy condition. No details of the condition of the actress were revealed, but she is expected to make a full recovery soon.
Amanda was due to be on the judges panel of Britain’s Got Talent. The actress is already the daughter of Lexi and faced complications during pregnancy with a low lying placenta. The new baby has been named as Hollie Rose Hughes.
Amanda and Chris have been married since the year 2008.
Lana Del Rey cancels London concert after album leak
UK Today News: American singer Lana Del Rey was scheduled to perform in a concert to support the Maccabbees at Koko on Camden, London, but reportedly called off the concert at the last minute on January 24, 2012. The singer cancelled the concert after her album ‘Born To Die’ album leaked online.
MTV, the hosts of the concert, released a statement which said that Lana Del Rey was regrettably not able to perform at MTV UK Brand New for 2012 show at London due to illness. The statement added that the singer sent her apologies to her fans for the cancellation.
The songs of the album, Off To The Races, Blue Jeans, Video Games, Diet MTN Dew and Radio leaked online before the official release scheduled on January 27, 2012, and the concert was cancelled immediately after the leak.
In a report of her Saturday Live performance online, Lana said that people were expecting her to fail and even refused to give her opinion on how she felt over the comments. Del Rey stated that she thinks it is disrespectful to God to go to the dark place with this kind of thing. The ‘Video Games’ singer also said that people wanted to see her ‘off the rails’ and that is the only reason they are watching.
Russell Brand to make first appearance in New York post divorce
UK Today News: British comedian and actor Russell Brand will soon be making his first public appearance since his divorce from Katy Perry. Brand will be appearing at the Secret Policeman’s Ball in New York City in the month of March 2012.
Russell filed for divorce from Perry in the month of December 2011. Brand will be adding some of his comedic value to the event that will be held at the Radio City Music Hallon March 4, 2012.
While talking about the divorce earlier, it was reported that Brand has just splashed out on a £1.2 million luxury Hollywood Hills villa, which has swimming pools with stunning views as well as jacuzzis in every bathroom.
Surprisingly the house is located in the same locality of Katy’s marital home. In the beginning, a removal van was seen taking out all his possessions to a new house so as to avoid any awkward meetings. Katy and Brand might be divorcing but choosing US to mark his return has made it clear that Brand hasn’t given up on his Los Angeles lifestyle. Two weeks back, the two met in Los Angeles for a final meeting to discuss the terms of the divorce but some reports suggested that they did not get time to talk.
Oscar Awards 2012 Nominations announced
UK Today News: The nominations list for the upcoming 84th Academy Awards aka Oscar Awards 2012 have been announced. This year, Martin Scorsese’s family movie ‘Hugo’ has received the maximum of eleven nominations. Tom Sherak and Jennifer Lawrence made the annnouncements from Los Angeles on January 24, 2012.
Brad Pitt’s movie ‘Moneyball’ and Steven Spielberg’s movie ‘War House’ bagged six nominations each, while ‘The Decendants’ was named in five categories. Gary Oldman got his first Academy Award nomination this year for his role in ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’.
Here is the complete list of the 2012 Oscar Awards Nominations .
Best Actor
Demián Bichir (A Better Life)
George Clooney (The Descendants)
Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
Best Actress
Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
Viola Davis (The Help)
Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
Best Picture
War Horse
The Artist
Moneyball
The Descendants
The Tree of Life
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Hugo
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Director
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)
Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)
Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn)
Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
Nick Nolte (Warrior)
Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close)
Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
Jessica Chastain (The Help)
Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Animated Feature
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango
Best Foreign Language Film
Bullhead
Footnote
In Darkness
Monsieur Lazhar
A Separation
Adapted Screenplay
The Descendants (Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash)
Hugo (John Logan)
The Ides of March (George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon)
Moneyball (Steven Zallian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Bridget O’Conner, Peter Straughan)
Original Screenplay
The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius)
Bridesmaids (Annie Mumolo, Kristin Wiig)
Margin Call (J.C. Chandor)
Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen)
A Separation (Asghar Farhadi)
Art Direction
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse
Cinematography
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse
Documentary Short
The Barber Of Birmingham: Foot Soldier Of The Civil Rights Movement
God Is The Bigger Elvis
Incident In New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami And The Cherry Blossom
Editing
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Costume Design
Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.
Documentary Feature
Hell And Back Again
If A Tree Falls Short: A Story Of The Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated
Makeup
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The Iron Lady
Original Score
The Adventures Of Tintin
The Artist
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse
Original Song
‘Man or Muppet’ from The Muppets Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
‘Real in Rio’ from Rio Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett
Sound Editing
Drive
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
War Horse
Sound Mixing
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
War Horse
Live Action Short
Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic
Visual Effects
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
Animated Short
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life
Salman Rushdie’s video link blockage upsets author
UK Today News: The author of the controversial book ‘The Satanic Verses’, Salman Rushdie, expressed his sadness for India after his video link to the Jaipur Literary Festival was blocked. Rushdie’s address was blocked after he received death threats from Asian country.
The author stated that religious extremist groups prevented the freedom of ideas and also blamed the policitians who failed to oppose the groups for narrow political reasons. Earlier, the government of Rajasthan in India waved a green flag over the video link, but Muslim activists planned to to march to the venue of the Literary Festival in Jaipur and disrupt the event.
Many Muslims regard Rushdie’s book ‘The Satanic Verses’ as blasphemous. The video link was organized after Salman’s trip to India was cancelled due to an assassination threat.
While speaking to Indian news agency NDTV, Rushdie said that he was personally disappointed, but the overwhelming feeling of disappointment was on behalf of India. The author added that he loved the country all his life and has always praised its liberty and secularism all his life. Rushdie also said that it could be the upcoming elections in the state of Uttar Pradesh due to which the politicians are trying to secure the Muslim votes.
Heidi Klum and Seal to divorce
UK Today News: German-American model and actress Heidi Klum and English singer Seal might soon end their six year marriage. Reports say that the couple will be filing the divorce papers at the LA County Superior early next week following trouble in their marriage the past few weeks.
Reports have claimed that the actress will be citing ‘irreconcilable differences’. On January 20, 2012 the London-born singer posted a tricky message on Twitter which simply said, ‘The End’.
The 48-year-old singer proposed Heidi inside an igloo, which he built on a glacier in Canada on the year 2004. The couple now havethree children together and Seal had adopted Heidi’s first child, with whom she was pregnant when they met.
The separation news comes as a surprise for the fans of the star couple as they were known for renewing their wedding vows in lavish ceremonies. Moreover, the couple were always seen showing affection to each other and displayed a happy picture with their kids. The reason of their split is not yet revealed and it is still not known how the assets of the two will be divided. At present Seal is promoting his latest album Soul 2.
Last year Forbes said that Heidi was ranked in almost £13 million last year.
Prince William to join Middleton family on holiday
UK Today News: After the Middleton family started off their vacation at St.Lucia on January 18, 2012, the person who did not join them was Prince William. Reports say that the 29-year-old Duke of Cambridge will be joining the Middleton family, which also includes Kate’s sister Pippa and brother James.
William is due to finish his weekly shift as an RAF search and rescue pilot in Anglesey, North Wales. The holiday will be the last opportunity for the couple to spend some quality time with each other after which the William will be deployed to the Falkland Islands for six months with the RAF in the upcoming month.
After flying on a regular British Airways flight to St Lucia, the family was then transferred to the private island of Mustique. The island is the place where the Middleton’s are regular visitors at a multi-million pound villa which has its own infinity pool.
Kate is known to be close to her parents and hopes that she and Prince William will be as close as their own children. The Duchess of Cambridge said that she hopes that they will be able to have a happy family ourselves. Kate added that her family has been great over the years while they helped her at hard times.
Salman Rushdie cancels Indian visit due to fear of assassins
UK Today News: British Indian novelist and essayist Salman Rushdie announced on January 20, 2012 that he will not be attending the upcoming Literature Festival which is due to be held in Jaipur, India. On January 19, 2012, the officials warned that professional assassins would be on their way to kill Rushdie.
Salman was due to appear along with some of the leading authors like Sir David Hare, Tom Stoppard, Annie Proulx and Michael Ondaatje in spite of the threats received from some of the influential Muslim fundamentalists. The leaders of the Darul Uloom Deonband seminary earlier demanded a ban for Salman to stop him to enter the country.
The author is protested for his controversial novel ‘The Satanic Verses’ and Muslim leaders claimed that the author can never be forgiven for his blasphemous remarks on the Holy Koran of the Muslims.
While talking about his absence at the festival, the novelist wrote on Twitter, “Very sad not to be at jaipur. I was told bombay mafia don issued weapons to 2 hitmen to ‘eliminate’ me. Will do video link instead. Damn.” Rushdie also said that he received hate tweets from Muslims through the social networking site and called it as pathetic. The Muslim world was provoked with anger due to The Satanic Verses.
Google Maps launches train travel option in the UK
UK Today News: Search engine giant Google’s popular route planning tool, Google Maps, has now added the UK’s train timetables. The new feature has routes that help travellers to move around the country with ease.
Google Maps is supplying information in collaboration with thetrainline.com on 2,500 stations and 170,000 routes. The new feature also shows more than 250 London underground stations and also 8,000 bus stops situated across UK.
People who visit the site can also view walking routes and also a number of bus timetables. An option at thetrainline.com allows the users to view the availability of tickets, which can also be booked online.
Richard Rowson, the product development director of thetrainline.com said that the intention was to give travellers the option of choosing to travel around the country by train and to also organise those journeys in a better way. The launch of the new feature comes just before the Olympic Games to be held in London. During the games, more than 30 million tourists are expected to visit and Google Maps is available in over 50 languages.
The chairman of VisitBritain, Christopher Rodrigues said that that initiative was exciting and that it will help those who will be visiting London for the 2012 Olympics. The chairman also said that the new service will encourage the people to explore places out of the capital.
Adele denies reports of boyfriend Simon Konecki being married
UK Today News: British singer Adele has recently spoken out for the first time about her boyfriend stating that Simon Konecki is divorced. The singer clarified the news after the reports surfaced that Konecki was still in the process of divorcing his ex.
The 23-year-old singer wrote on her website that it was for the first and last time she wanted to talk about her relationship with Simon. Adele said that contrary to the recent reports in the press, Simon is divorced and has been for four years. The ‘Someone Like You’ singer added that everyone in their lives separately and together wish them nothing but the best and vice versa.
Simon has a five year old daughter with his ex wife and is known as Swampy among his friends. When the 36-year-old married his wife Clary Fisher, he was a director of the EBS Group, which is an investment holding company. Adele also assured of her upcoming appearance at the Brit Awards next month.
Our sources state that the award-winning singer has met Simon’s parents when the two were holidaying in Florida. Adele has been undergone throat surgery last year and her appearance at the Brit Awards will be a come back for her.
