Hot Shot
David Beckham in action for the Los Angeles Galaxy v Chiva USA in the first leg of the MLS Western Conference Semifinal at the Home Depot Center in Carson. (Photo: WENN)
Oprah Winfrey, 55, known for a quarter century as the queen of talk shows, will end The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011, it was announced Thursday night. The last show will air Sept. 9, 2011. Oprah is launching her own cable channel – OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network – with the Discovery Channel and may decide to launch a version of the show on that network once it is up and running. (Photo: WENN)
A Los Angeles judge gave singer Chris Brown, 20, high marks Thursday for completing 100 hours of community service and seven domestic violence counseling classes. "We have a progress report and it's extremely favorable," Judge Patricia Schnegg said. "That's excellent." Brown was sentenced to six months of community service after assaulting his then-girlfriend, singer Rihanna, 21. Since then he has been washing cars and cleaning graffiti as part of his sentence. (Photo: WENN)
Will Ferrell has won the a dubious top honor – Number 1 on Forbes magazine list of Hollywood's Most Overpaid Stars. "For every dollar Ferrell was paid, his films earned an average $3.29," writes the magazine. "Compare that to Shia LaBeouf, who topped our list of Best Actors for the Buck in August. For every dollar LaBeouf was paid, his films earned an average $160." Other actors earning the over-paid distinction: Eddie Murphy, Drew Barrymore, Ewan McGregor and Tom Cruise. (Photo: WENN)
Johnny Depp, 46, has been named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive this year, it was announced Wednesday. Depp, who also won in 2003, joins a pantheon of two-time winners that includes just Brad Pitt and George Clooney. The actor, recently known for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, lives with his family on a remote private island in the Bahamas. (Photo: WENN)
Miley Cyrus doesn't have Twilight fever – in fact she never even saw the first movie. "I've never seen it and nor will I ever," Miley tells Cleveland's Q92 radio. "I don't believe in it. I don't like vampires. I don't like the wolf that pops out of the screen when I'm watching my TV at night. I don't like it. I don't want anything to do with it. I don't like the shirts. I don't like any of it." (Photo: WENN)
U BLOG: 'Slumdogs' Busted For Skipping School
by Audrey Szepinski
Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle’s 2008 film about the plight of children in the slums of Mumbai, India, was a surprise hit that took in over $300 million and eight Oscars. Stardom, however, didn’t do much to solve the real-life plights of Slumdog’s child actors, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail and Rubina Ali, who play the younger versions of the two lovers in the story.
Despite the film’s success, Azharuddin and Rubina have been living a tough life. After returning to a life of extreme poverty in—you guessed it—the slums of Mumbai, government authorities demolished both of their shanty homes, not to mention the fact that Rubina’s father allegedly tried to put her up for adoption (to an undercover “sheik”) in exchange for about £200,000. Oh yeah, and Azharuddin was publicly beaten by his father for refusing an interview.
Filmmakers did set up a “Jai Ho” trust fund for the children’s housing and education, but Azharuddin’s family was moved into a small apartment only a few months ago. The filmmakers say that they have offered many apartments to the two families, and that they are still negotiating with Rubina’s father, but the families have objected to the distance of the apartments from their homes in Mumbai.
The children’s latest hardship comes in the form of something that plenty of more fortunate kids are familiar with—a charge of truancy. Not that anybody really aspires to snag that Perfect Attendance award anymore, but according to a Jai Ho trustee, Azharuddin has only been showing up to school 37% of the time, and Rubina 27%. If the children don’t boost their attendance to at least 70%, they will lose their trust money.
Azharuddin’s mother told the Associated Press that she has been keeping her son out of school because he was devastated after his father’s death in September. Rubina’s father blames the loss of their shanty and a nasty cut on Rubina’s leg. These reasons, combined with the children’s recently crippling living conditions (the AP reported that Rubina’s house was flooded with sewage, making it nearly impossible for the family to bathe and cook), seem pretty solid to me, but the trust fund administrator tells a different story. “They are constantly going to Paris and Cochin and Chennai,” he says. “That’s fine, but…not at the sacrifice of school.”
Obviously, there’s something fishy going on here. Let us accept for the moment that the children are somehow finding the means to go to Paris once in a while, or rather, “constantly.” The government tore down these kids’ homes, and now a bunch of Hollywood people are hounding them to go to stupid old *school*? Give ‘em a break. They did play a significant role in bringing in that $300 million.
Whatever the reason for Azharuddin and Rubina’s truancy, I hope they find a way to keep their trust money. Stay in school and don’t do drugs, kids—but first, trying getting those Slumdog Millionaire producers to rebuild your homes.
- Posted by Uinterview @ 11/3/09, 9:35 PM