SAIF-KAREENA POSTPONED WEDDING DATE

The media could not refrain from asking the big question during the 'first look' launch of Kareena Kapoor's film HEROINE. Though right in the beginning of the function UTV's Siddharth Roy Kapur made it clear that questions not pertaining to the film will not be welcomed. Everyone was aware about the news of the postponement of Saif-Kareena wedding that was to happen in October 2012 and the media wanted to confirm with the (would-be) bride herself the veracity of the report that had appeared in a morning tabloid. The bride termed the report as speculative yet did not deny it and informed the media that the prerogative to announce the wedding date is of the groom i.e. Saif Ali Khan, the Nawab of Pataudi.

As far as she is concerned her priority at the moment is her big film HEROINE. It is obvious that Kareena Kapoor is not in a hurry to give up the privileges of a 'heroine' to don the mantle of a dashing Nawab's Begum.

"AMERICAN IDOL" IS ON THE HUNT FOR STAR POWER IN THE FORM OF MARIAH CAREY

After the departure of both Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, "American Idol" is on the hunt for more star power in the form of Mariah Carey.

The 42-year-old diva is finalizing a deal with "Idol" carrying a price tag of approximately $17 million, according to Deadline.

No contract has been signed yet, but if acquired, the mother of twins may be joining other rumored hosts Adam Lambert and judges' table mainstay Randy Jackson.

In other Mariah news, the superstar singer was just announced to be named a "BMI Icon" at the BMI Urban Awards on September 7th in Beverly Hills for her "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers."

SHASHI KAPOOR UNDERGOES EYE SURGERY

As per media report, 74 year old, veteran actor-filmmaker Shashi Kapoor was admitted to a Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (Mumbai) for cataract surgery.

According to reports, the procedure went well. He will be discharged soon.

Kapoor is remembered for many hit Hindi films like JAB JAB PHOOL KHILE, KANYADAAN, PYAR KA MAUSAM, EK SHRIMAN EK SHRIMATI, HASEENA MAAN JAYEGI, SHARMEELEE, AA GALE LAG JAA, FAKIRA, PHAANSI, CHOR MACHAYE SHOR, MUKTI, SATYAM SHIVAM SUNDARAM, HEERALAL PANNALAL, JUNOON, SWAYAMVAR, CHORI MERA KAAM, PHAANSI, SHANKAR DADA, CHAKKAR PE CHAKKAR, DEEWAR and NAMAK HALAAL.

In 2011, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.

JESSICA GOMES IN BIKNI ON MIAMI BEACH

Bikini girl and "world's hottest swimsuit model," Jessica Gomes was seen taking in the sunshine on the shore of Miami Beach

Giving fellow sand-revelers quite the fantastic eyeful, the Australian-borb beauty donned a classic black two piece suit before covering up with a plaid shirt, jean short and over-sized Chanel bag.

Gomes' seaside relaxation comes just ahead of her planned appearance at Mercedes Benz Beach Swim Week.

And those around the world can't wait to see Jessica strut down the swimsuit catwalk again and again, the model recently revealed that she wasn't always so happy with her now-famous frame. "I'm very skinny on the bottom, but then I have these big boobs," she told press.

"When my body started changing I would go to castings and and call my agent, very upset, saying, "My boobs are growing, and they're not fitting into the sample-size tops!" Gomes later added, "But I was very lucky that, as I was becoming a mature woman, other people were digging it, and I was able to be a swimsuit model."

SUNNY LEONE MIGHT TAKE OVER ENTIRE BRANDING OF JISM

It is a known fact that Sunny Leone is already a force to reckon with, courtesy millions of gazing fans that she has accumulated in India after capturing the West. With her explicit online image doing the trick, one wonders of Bhatts ever feel that she might take over the entire branding of JISM so much that even a good story and direction may end up being on the backburner.

"We all understand that JISM is a one of its kind brand and anybody getting associated to it would require a certain profile that fits into the template. We were sure that Sunny would fit the bill. As for her taking over the brand then well, I would say that she has added an extra sheen to it. JISM 2 is a heady cocktail of Sunny, the brand 'jism' and definitely the narrative. Audiences will realize that within 15 minutes of the film," says Mahesh Bhatt in a confident tone.

While his affection for Randeep Hooda is a known fact, he has similar confidence in his second male lead Arunoday Singh as well. Though the actor has been making a slow and steady progress over the years, Mahesh Bhatt believes that he has it in him to be a player in the big league.

MIRANDA KERR WITH HER ADORABLE SON, FLYNN

Tending to her motherly duties, Miranda Kerr picked up her adorable son Flynn and whisked him off in a chauffeured SUV in New York City on July 19.

The beautiful Aussie supermodel ended up giving the paparazzi an eyeful as she bent over to buckle her boy into his car seat and her purple thong peeked out above her jeans.

Miranda is featured in a new promotional campaign for Victoria’s Secret’s new cotton lingerie collection, and it’s nothing short of super-sexy.

And now there’s a newly-released behind-the-scenes clip from the photo/video shoot for everyone’s viewing pleasure!

RANI MUKHERJEE WILL RECEIVE PETA AWARD

Doe-eyed Bollywood star Rani Mukerji can add another award to her trophy case, this one from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India.

According to news reports, Rani was shooting for her upcoming film AIYYA when she saw that a stray dog was being harassed by a few onlookers on the set. Rani rushed to help the dog and stopped these people in their tracks. Rani will receive a Hero to Animals Award from PETA India.

"This dog would have been terrified and suffered more abuse were it not for Rani's compassionate and quick action," says PETA India Manager of Media and Celebrity Projects Sachin Bangera. "We encourage everyone to stop and speak up for animals who are subjected to pain or suffering, because if you don't, maybe no one else will."

Rani - who won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her last film, NO ONE KILLED JESSICA, has also lent a hand to her aunt, actor Debasree Roy, a National Film Award winner, to garner support for abandoned animals, particularly stray dogs. Rani's upcoming movies include AIYYA and TALAASH.

FREIDA PINTO AT HER FLAUNT MAGAZINE LAUNCH PARTY

Freida Pinto hosted the Flaunt Magazine and Agave Denim “All Wrapped Up in Blue” dinner reception in Los Angeles.

The “Immortals” actress hammed it up with Agave Denim founder Jeff Shafer during the event, held at Sherbourne restaurant to celebrate The Denim Issue.

Miss Pinto has been busy promoting her new film “Trishna” as of late, and in a recent interview she talked about her experience playing the lead role for the first time.

“It was great. I think it would be every actor’s dream to have 11-hour days when you’re there on almost every frame. You really feel like you’re finally being utilized properly as an actor, that the director really is giving you a lot of material to work with, so in that sense, yeah, I felt really great. I was constantly active, thinking about my character, what she was going to do next or whether it was that particular scene and it was nice because I was exploring a different, even though it was a part of India, it is a culture very different from mine.

Something I was not very familiar with growing up, so it was kind of a character research for me as well to explore something completely different and play something completely different from what I actually am or who I actually am.”

RAJESH KHANNA PASSES AWAY AT 69

Superstar, Rajesh Khanna is no more after being critically ill from last few months.

He breathed his last in the presence of his ex-wife Dimple Kapadia, daughters Rinkie and Twinkle, son-in-law Akshay Kumar, grand children and close relatives.

From the dizzying heights of fame to quiet shadows behind the arclights, Rajesh Khanna's life had a theatrical sweep, almost like one of his films.

In an era long before this age of instant connect of mobile phones and internet, Rajesh Khanna was the man who sparked a frenzy never seen before and never since, not even by the likes of Amitabh Bachchan.

His very name spelt magic in the 1970s. He sparked hysteria, particularly amongst his legions of women fans, who would line the road for a glimpse, chant his name, cover his car with lipstick marks and even write him letters in blood. They got married to his photograph, cut their finger, let the blood flow and applied 'sindoor'.

Truly, "O mere di ke chain"!

Kaka, as he was popularly known, was one of the highest paid actors of his time, his record of consecutive solo super hits still unbroken. Who can forget the years between 1970-1979 when he starred in mega hits like "Safar", "Kati Patang", "Sachaa Jhutha", "Aan Milo Sajna", "Anand", "Amar Prem" and "Mere Jeevan Saathi". Ever the urbane, suave romantic who wooed like few others.

Glory and fame galore came his way with the two 1969 films - "Aradhana" and "Do Raaste" - where he teamed up with two of his best co-stars, Sharmila Tagore and Mumtaz, respectively. Both the films were super hits. Hindi film's first superstar was born.

Between "Aradhana" in 1969 and "Prem Kahani" in 1975, Rajesh enjoyed god-like status.

It was all about charisma - a certain something that went beyond the art of acting. He had that unique way of delivering a dialogue, of crinkling his eyes and that interesting head tilt that were all his own - and designed to get fans swooning.

Describing the charm of Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh once said: "I got famous purely because I was working with Rajesh Khanna in 'Anand'. People asked me questions like, 'How is he to look at? What does he do?'"

The mega story had a small beginning in Amritsar. Born Jatin Arora on Dec 29, 1942, he was adopted and raised by foster parents.

He went from being Jatin to Rajesh, thanks to his uncle who changed his name, when he decided to join films.

In 1965, the journey to filmdom started after he won the All India Talent Contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare. He made his debut with "Aakhri Khat" in 1966.

It was a fairly easy road to superstardom after that.

He became the heartthrob of the nation, singing timeless melodies like "Mere Sapnon Ki Rani..." in "Aradhana", "Zindagi Ek Safar" in "Andaaz" or "Yeh Shaam Mastani" in "Kati Patang". Singer Kishore Kumar and composer R.D. Burman were amongst his closest friends.

In his four-decade career, he appeared in about 160 films, of which 106 had him as the solo lead hero and 22 were two hero projects.

Rajesh proved his mettle in offbeat films too. He teamed up with Hrishikesh Mukherjee for the critically acclaimed "Bawarchi" and "Namak Haram". The quintessential romantic also did the intense "Avishkar", directed by Basu Bhattacharya.

But then age caught up and the star began fading away.

He moved to television and played the main lead in two serials - "Ittefaque" and "Apne Paraye" during 2001-02 and also featured in "Raghukul Reet Sada Chali Aayi" between 2008-09.

The decline to B-grade films was inevitable. There was also the sorry "Wafa" with Laila Khan, who was found murdered this July.
He dabbled in politics, being Congress MP from the New Delhi constituency from 1991-1996.

Like the Hollywood legends of yore, the personal life also had a larger than life dimension.

He fell in love with Dimple Kapadia, who was only 16 and whose first film "Bobby" was yet to release. She was 15 years younger to him but the pull was strong and they got married after a whwhirwind romance in 1973.

It was the stuff of tabloid headlines. They had two daughters Twinkle and Rinke. The marriage lasted only 11 years.

It was a lonely life for Rajesh after that. He disappeared from the headlines and appeared to be a shadow of his former self in his rare public appearances.

But the family came together in his last days. His estranged wife was the one who took care of him during his illness. Son-in-law Akshay Kumar was also a great comfort.

Rajesh reappeared in an ad a few months before his death, and once again became the talk of town - he was clearly unwell but the zest in his voice was intact as he intoned "Babumoshai" from his much loved film "Anand".

Like Anand from the film, the man is gone. But the memories will live on.

NICOLE SCHERZINGER - THE “X FACTOR” BOOTCAMP BABE

Gearing up for another season of craziness, Nicole Scherzinger left the Radisson Hotel in Liverpool, England en route to “X Factor” bootcamp.

The former Pussycat Dolls frontwoman flashed a smile to the shutterbugs, looking lovely in a pair of silver slim-fit jeans with a long white printed t-shirt and black PVC waistcoat.

Nicole’s decidedly positive vibe is a stark contrast to the glum persona she displayed when arriving in London over the weekend.

Rumor has it that she and boyfriend Lewis Hamilton were having a rough time after he was spotted clubbing with some ladies last week, but it seems all is well in paradise again.