Om Shanthi Om _Released on 9th November with Great Expectation !

Om Shanti Om

My jaw drops on seeing a shirtless Shahrukh Khan. The closest I can recall seeing his waxed chest is through that transparent shirt in the song Sooraj hua madhham… in Karan Johar’s Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham. Even if I am shaken and stirred, the journalist in me pretends not to show it. But SRK is hell-bent on showing off his body, and dissecting it—down to why he got the left nipple pierced and not the right. “How do you think I look,” he asks everyone around, including the rather baffled CNN crew that has specially flown down from the US post the success of Chak De! India to capture the inexplicable appeal of King Khan.


t’s a rhetorical question; it demands nothing but approval. But before I can react, director Farah Khan pitches in: “Your body is like John’s (Abraham) and you are dancing like Hrithik.” SRK’s famous dimples get switched on bright: “I have the abs; I don’t need to act now.”

It is the very last shooting schedule of King Khan’s forthcoming home production, Om Shanti Om (OSO). The cheesy number, Dil mein mere hai darde disco is being canned at the swanky Yashraj Studio. Being on the sets is an other-worldly, out-of-the body experience. It’s hard not to get intimidated by such full-on Bollywood kitsch. Shirtless SRK in faux leather pants is shaking his booty alongside tall, lissom white girls, wearing golliwog wigs, leopard print leotards and hoop earrings. A huge eagle provides a Chandamama-like backdrop, while welders perched precariously on the roof create sparkles that provide a shooting star effect. The theme is ‘fire’ and the song will move on to the ‘water’ and ‘wind’ themes, I am told. Meanwhile, a pregnant Farah Khan, expecting triplets, and complaining of morning sickness in between shots, is angry at the cameraperson for cutting SRK’s crotch from the frame. “We are not shooting a Bengali art film here, get it (the crotch) back,” she roars on the mike, and stretches herself on the director’s couch.SRK is in a jolly good mood. Unsparingly mocking, he sends up everything for a lark: the ‘Yashraj Films’-inscribed cutlery with which he eats his McDonald’s burger, Rahul Rawail’s new film, Buddha Mar Gaya, and a news item in the Economic Times which quotes a ‘prosumer’ survey to declare that Ram Gopal Varma’s Darling will be the biggest hit of 2007. The mention of fire is enough for him to tell us a hilarious anecdote about watching Deepa Mehta’s film of the same name in the company of his mother-in-law and squirming all the way. SRK even sends up SRK. He complains to Farah about how he hates shooting with the leggy models: “They make me look and feel like a chaprasi (peon).”It’s not all fun and games. Seriousness surfaces as Khan reads the scripts of promos of OSO that will show on NDTV, red-stemmed glasses perched on his nose. The film is ready, the marketing and hype are about to unleash and you can see how keen he is to get all the details of the launch right. The performer’s job is done, the producer-businessman has taken over.

SRK is at an interesting juncture in his life. He is not just a star. Many see him embodying, through the Rajs and Rahuls he plays, the spirit of post-liberalisation, feelgood India—just as Big B’s Angry Young Man represented the angst-ridden India of the ’70s and the ’80s. And 2007 has, so far, been a glorious year for him. Chak De has been the year’s biggest hit. What’s more, it’s the first film in his entire career to earn him commercial and critical approval in equal measure. “They loved you in Chak De,” I tell him. “We will undo that with OSO. I can’t make people love me for so long,” he says, tongue firmly in cheek.

With OSO, SRK is back to giving us an absolutely in-your-face Bollywood movie, the mother of all entertainers, with a mother of all item numbers starring every single big star in the industry. In this film, Shahrukh is paying tribute to his own world, the Hindi film industry. “This is a film made by fans of Hindi films. Farah is the biggest one, I am a close second,” says SRK. The film plays out a reincarnation theme against the backdrop of 1970s Bollywood, and later, the Bollywood of 2008. Its logline is, “for some dreams to be fulfilled one lifetime is not enough”. The story is about the passion of a junior artiste, Om, for the regal heroine number one, Shantipriya (a throwback to Hema Malini), a love story cut short by death and renewed with rebirth. Shades of Kudrat, Karz, Karan Arjun and Reincarnation of Peter Proud. “It’s a hugely dramatic film,” says SRK. “The story has been told earlier, the beauty lies in telling it more interestingly.” So apart from drama, there is also comedy.Why the ’70s? “I love the films of that period—Sholay, Deewar, Yaadon Ki Baraat, Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahin, the films of Vijay Anand, Nasir Hussain, Manmohan Desai. The era had glamour and fashion,” says Farah. “We are what we are because of that kind of cinema,” says SRK. “When they talk Bollywood in London they think of bell bottoms, sidelocks and long hair and over-the-top music. Bollywood is a term which, people don’t realise, is used for the ’70s.”

The challenge was to recreate the spirit of those times. “It’s very interesting to create a period. People think period is only kings and queens. Every decade is a period,” says SRK. The big stars of the times, and even the junior artistes, appear in songs and cameos. SFX have been deployed to make the film’s heroine serenade with Sunil Dutt. Even though Vishal-Shekhar have scored the music Pyarelal (of LP fame) was asked to arrange two songs, to achieve the sweeping orchestral effect of the music of the times. Listen carefully, even Javed Akhtar’s lyrics are a throwback to Anand Bakshi lingo.

The success of Chak De has set a high benchmark for the new film, which releases this Diwali. And SRK is aiming high too—for nothing less than a blockbuster hit. The distribution rights of the Rs 35-crore film have been sold to Eros Entertainment for a whopping Rs 75 crore and 2,000 prints of the film will be released worldwide. These are record figures. Normally, the rights for a big film are sold for Rs 35-40 crore, and only a 1,000-odd prints are released.

With this film, SRK is also hoping to bequeath to Bollywood its new star, a stunning looker and dancer called Deepika Padukone. “She has a brilliant, languid poise,” says Farah. So a lot is, obviously, at stake, and the chances of success and failure are equally high. Even SRK knows that. “There will be lots of people who will have reservations; lots of them will love it shamelessly,” he predicts.

Apart from the Rs 75-crore target to be achieved, there are other challenges. Films on films are traditionally not supposed to do well. Moreover, the film will be locking horns with another biggie: Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus, Saawariya, which marks the debut of Rishi and Neetu Kapoor’s son Ranbir and Anil Kapoor’s daughter Sonam. Saawariya is also the first foray of a big time Hollywood studio, Sony Pictures, into Bollywood film production. So, in a way, it’s nothing less than SRK vs Hollywood. As a producer, he has already made a neat Rs 45 crore on the film. But there is more than personal profit at stake: SRK’s reputation is on the line.Will he get those returns in for the distributor? Will he expand the Bollywood money market? Or is he flying too high like Icarus? This Diwali, we will know.

Sources : Filmikhabar.com

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'Om Sweet 'Om Raja Sen

November 09, 2007 18:22 IST

Hush up and lean closer to the screen, my curious friend. Because over the next few lines, I am going to tell you exactly what Om Shanti Om is. Exactly -- a word (if accurate) used rarely, but this boast is smug and self-assured, rather like Shah Rukh Khan's Om Kapoor. But hang on, we're getting way ahead of ourselves.

So just what is OSO?

Picture a Filmfare award function, minus the awards. Outside of the song-and-dance numbers and the gazillion commercial breaks, there is stock Bollywood tomfoolery. SRK [Images] mimics Aamir, Saif pretends to be Preity [Images], star kids dance to their father's songs, and much guard-down hilarity is had by an industry thriving on gossip and in-jokes.

Om Shanti Om is a big-budget collection of these award-show skits, loosely tied together by a reincarnation story dhaaga. Bas. Told you I'd be exact.

The aforementioned thread is plot-bare, woven from Manmohan Desai's most worn jumpers, and laced together with nostalgia and a complete, unashamed lack of subtlety. This is not the 70s as they were, but a celebration of the decade as old Hindi movies showed it to us, a world of Technicolor convertibles and flares and bling and outrageousness and hamming and tan-tan-ta-da background scores, all in a day's work.

This is a big movie, well and truly in love with itself. And if you aren't into that sort of thing, if you pooh-pooh Koffee With Karan, and if you'd really rather watch a movie you have to think about, skip this. For the SRK-hater, the warning is doubly applicable. This is a celebration of the ultimate in self-achievement, Shah Rukh toasting his own indomitable Khan-do spirit.

For the rest of us, this movie is a smile.

Bollywood is bizarre and campy and over-the-top and unprofessional and snide and egotistical and sporadic and dynastic and facetious and utterly self-smitten, but -- without even going into the numerous positives -- that's just why we love it. That's the nasha of Mumbai's movies -- these unreal vehicles of escape soaring from cliche to cliche on superstar-wings -- and their madcap makers.

Om Shanti Om is an exultant, heady, joyous film reveling in Bollywood, and as at most parties where the bubbly flows free, there is much silly giggling and tremendous immaturity. You'd do well do breathe in the filmi fumes, lift your own collar-tips upwards, and leave sense out of the equation. More cameos are written in than dialogues, so sit back and play spot-the-celeb. Or watch the Khan have a blast on screen.

Make that the Khans. The King is all super and funny and awesomely sixpacked, but Queen Farah is one to be toasted, just for her sheer bindaas enthu. No gag is too obvious, no plotpoint too ludicrous and no cliche too overused -- in fact, the more overused the better, decides she. And if the result of her damn-the-detractors attitude is a magnificent scene with Shah Rukh wrestling a stuffed tiger and using all kinds of pussycat phrases with a thick Tamil accent, I say hats off.

You really want to know the story? The story of this film? Please, go read another review.

All I can say is that Khan lives, Khan dreams, Khan loves and Khan dies. In between -- as mustachioed cowboy and outlandish black-red costumed superhero -- Khan even flies. And that's all during a super-fun first half, while the second sadly tries to be a real movie. The latter could have sunk the movie, but despite it's total pointlessness, is pretty much salvaged by the songs. No, really. Talk about phrases you never think you'd write.

Shah Rukh Khan [Images] is, well, you know who he is. He's the biggest movie star on the globe, and this film lets him cock a snook at all that megalomania. Here he plays both wistful junior artiste and bratty star-kid, and he has an absolute blast. This is a role that requires him to overact in almost every frame, which is far harder than it sounds. And because he's Shah Rukh Khan and there is love at the core of this film, he manages to bring credibility to the romance, heart to the joke. And that is no mean feat.

The woman who catches his fancy -- and his lucky red thread in her dupatta -- is the extremely fortunate Deepika Padukone. The director uses her with great cunning, making her turn and smile while Shah Rukh does all the melting. She is used sparingly and constantly camouflaged, either by a situation which requires acting incompetence, deftly digitalised song sequences or a complete lack of fabric in the second half. I'm not claiming the 'find of the year' can't act; it's just that this film doesn't require her to. OSO needs for her to be a dreamy girl, and this she delivers on, dimpled smiles and all. There is effervescence and luminosity around this pretty girl, but art director Sabu Cyril and cinematographer Manikandan have some credit there.

Shreyas Talpade is reliably top-notch in the first half, and cut-out of most of the second, where he ages like a TV soap character. Similar grey-streak aging is applied to Kirron Kher, playing a stock character. Javed Sheikh is interesting as romantic star Rajesh Kapoor, and Arjun Rampal [Images] is finally cast right. Among that much-discussed 31-celebrity dance, Tabu [Images] looks the most incredible. I wish Farah had done without the lookalikes, but paying off her debts to Subhash Ghai [Images] in the beginning kinda makes up for it.

Farah, thanks. As someone who has to sit through a million movies, mostly suspect, week after week -- and to someone who has to toil through it and bear the tabloid attention -- this is a reminder of what we like about Bollywood, what makes it so special. Thanks also for reminding us of the number of people who work on a movie, and that spotboys aren't just young kids in half-pants. Ms Khan makes me want to take her out on the town and dance (I can't, but she'll make up for it) to dhinchak Bollywood songs all night. If you're reading this, Director Saheba, call me.

Sources : Rediff.com

How to Become Rich Someday ! _Part 1

How to Become Rich Someday

There are many way to become rich, but many more to become poor. Of course it's usually not easy and many quick methods involve a lot of risk. so take your time and follow these steps to build your wealth.

Note that people have different perceptions of what it means to be rich. In this article we will define rich as having a fortune higher than $1 million.

Steps

Start by investing in your most important asset: Your mind

1. Doing well in school and getting an education in a high-paying profession such as doctor, lawyer, economist, etc. will give you a head-start and a safe economic position.
2. Learn about basic economics such as Compound interest and investment strategies.
3. Develop yourself all your life. Increase your professional skills, leadership skills, financial skills, social skills and general life skills. Making yourself valuable will increase your chances regardless of your path to riches.
4. Develop a vision; why should you become wealthy? Based on this, set your goals. You wont rise up unless you are able to build and focus your ambition.

Invest

1. Start investing as early as possible. Do not wait until you have "enough" money to invest. You will end up with a larger account in the end if you start investing a small amount early and keep adding more regularly.
2. Make smart investments

If you don't understand what you are investing in, don't. Start with something easy like index funds. They have fewer ups and downs than individual stocks, and you will not have all your eggs in one basket.

1. For safety: Stay as debt free as possible. A paid-for education and a paid-off house will enable you to invest more money in the stock market or your own business. Only gear up low-risk investments with loans.
2. Starting now is better than never starting. The power of compound interest can make anyone wealthy. Example: Investing only $10 every year at 15 % annual profit will give you over $1,3 million after 70 years.

Start your own business

1. It is always better to be an employer than an employee, if you are disciplined and able to devote time and money. Learn all you can about running a business. Take a class. Ask an experienced business owner for advice. Be careful, though. Many businesses fail, especially in their first year. You could end up with considerable debt, no savings, and no benefits. Get help!
2. Entrepeneurs make up the majority of millionaires, it is high risk, but it is also the most likely way to become truly wealthy. Few people amass great wealth through other means. Less than 1 % become a millionaire through "other" means such as being a rockstar, winning the lottery, etc. So unless you inherit wealth your best shot is doing this.
3. Note that you can start your own business part-time. For example by going into real estate, purchasing, renovating and selling homes is a commong way for building wealth for people without money to invest.

Be Smart

1. Learn about budgeting, credit, and debt. Learn how credit cards work! If you get into debt early it can sabotage your progress.
2. Put an amount of money in the bank monthly. 10, 20, 30 dollars is good - $100 is better. By the time you get old, retirement would be easy. (See segment about compound interest).
3. If you are in college and can't afford an apartment and don't like those nasty dorms, then gather with 3 or 4 people, and buy a good sized house while splitting the payment. It'd probably cost less than a apartment.

Extremely high risk/dubious morality: not covered in this article

• Stealing
• Lottery
• Gambling
• Importing drugs
• Seducing a rich person with the hopes of marrying into wealth

On the other hand, there haven't been covered any specific ways in this article.

Please update........

Sources : Wikihow.com

‘Saawariya’ : A tale of four nights of love and rejection And Salman Khan reveals his role in 'Saawariya'

‘Saawariya’ : A tale of four nights of love and rejection

By Susitha R. Fernando

Sunday times

'Devadas' and 'Black' famed director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's latest 'Saawariya' (Beloved) is a timeless story of two young star-crossed lovers- a Hindu boy and a Muslim girl released at Liberty cinema Colombo and Concord Dehiwela on November 9 in collaboration with the worldwide release. The first Indian movie produced by a Hollywood production house, the film is said to be based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story, White Nights.

Debutantes Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, the son and daughter of two veteran Bollywood actors Rishi Kapoor and Anil Kapoor play the lead roles while Salman Khan and Rani Mukerji do the supporting roles.

Saawariya is the love story of two lonesome youngsters over a period of 4 successive nights. The charming, free-spirited Raj (Ranbir Kapoor) is a dreamer, who comes to a quaint, picturesque town in Shimla, known for its lakes, mist, heavenly snowfall, rains, and tall swaying pine trees.

Raj believes that he's found the perfect place to inspire his inner artistic instinct. The bright, fun-filled winding streets of the mall come alive with singing clubs, rustic folklore, dancing, love ballads, flourishing colonies of artists and weavers, and chants from the monastery - all woven in perfect harmony into a magical dream. All is perfect until at a bridge one night, he stumbles across the shy, mysterious, and melancholic Sakina (Sonam Kapoor) with a secret past.

Their chance encounter kindles into friendship and an impromptu romance. As one night passes another, Raj falls more and more in love with Sakina and tries to win her heart, while Sakina begins to trust him enough to share her secret. But when Sakina reveals why she cannot reciprocate his love, Raj is unable to accept her past and is driven into a whirlwind of desire, madness, and romance.

Referring to his choice of two newcomers Bhansali said, "I decided to do a fresh, simple love story with newcomers. I didn't want big stars. This was the challenge I undertook,". Both had assisted him during the making of 'Black'. Back then, Sonam was a plump girl who weighed 90 kgs. Bhansali had advised her to work on her body to get back in shape to play the leading lady in 'Saawariya'. Sonam worked hard and within a few months she lost 30 kgs. Ranbir, on the other hand, was told not to build his physique. Bhansali wanted a lean-looking hero.

In 'Saawariya' Bhansali has banked on new music director Monty Sharma, who did the background score for 'Black'. The film's music album has 11 songs, of which one number has been composed by Bhansali himself.


Salman Khan reveals his role in 'Saawariya'

Source : IndiaFM

Sporting a diamond studded belt on powder blue cargos, and streaked hair, Salman Khan gets talking on Saawariya, OSO, multi film deals and other pursuits After giving you a miss in Devdas, how did Sanjay Leela Bhansali (SLB) convince you for Saawariya? Sanjay Leela Bhansali just called me up one day and told me he was making a love story and wanted me to be a part of it. Before that we were to work on Bajirao Mastani but there were some date problems and the film got postponed. SLB decided to direct the love story with Sonam and Ranbir Kapoor first. Your character in the film remains a dark mystery still. I play a Muslim character called Iman. I love the name because my father wants to name my son Iman. You know it sounds good, Salim, Salman and Iman! But I would love to call my son prince Salim or Changez Khan (laughs). Iman is a mind-blowing character. He is a little khadus, speaks harshly but there's a lot of humour in him. He is romantic and flirtatious. This is your third film with SLB. How has your association changed over the years? I remember he came to me with Khamoshi - The Musical when nobody was willing to do his film. When I read the script I realised it was not commercially viable, but I loved it anyway. I had nothing much to do in the film but I took it up only because of the script. I incorporated humour in my character which SLB didn't like because he wanted my character to be serious. Eventually, he shot both ways and on the editing table liked my light-hearted character and retained it. SLB hasn't changed at all. Even when he didn't have a penny in his pocket he made lavish films and he's doing that even today. Many a times he goes over-budget and it shows in the film. It shows what a fine technician and director he is. You did his next film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam but it has taken over three years to get back to him? When he came to me with the script of Hum... I told him he had a superb script. But he wasn't confident about how it would fare. When we were shooting in Jaisalmer, I assured him that even if the film did not work, I would do his next film. However, after Hum... he wanted to make Devdas. He told me Shah Rukh Khan would be better as Devdas and I had no problems. It's not as if SLB has to work only with me and vice versa. Even with Rani Mukerji this is your sixth film. I have known Rani for a long time. She is a fantastic actress. She is one of the amazing girls in the industry. With Saawariya and Om Shanti Om (OSO) releasing on the same day, don't you think it will cut into each other's collections? No, I think it's a good thing for both the films. If Saawariya came first, it would have affected OSO and vice versa. In any case I have a special appearance in OSO, so it's good for me that are both releasing simultaneously. I am concerned though for Ranbir and Sonam as they are both simply fantastic. God forbid, if the film doesn't do well they can take heart that they were pitted against a SRK starrer and start again. Last year you had Jaan-e-Mann clashing with Don and the latter had a headstart while Jaaneman nosedived? I think it's my fault. I have realised that when you are part of a project you have to promote it. The problem with Jaan-e-Mann was that nobody felt the urgency to see it. This year you have had one of the biggest hits with Govinda in Partner. Yes and I am working with him again in a sequel to Partner. Is it true that you had refused Madam Tussauds offer? No, I am doing it. Initially, I thought it was a joke. Then I was told that my fans had voted for me. Many big Indian personalities are there and it is an honour to have a statue there. What next after Saawariya? I am doing the remake of the Telugu blockbuster Pokhiri, Main Aur Mrs. Khanna with Sohail Khan, Subhash Ghai's Yuvraj. Then there's Tarzan, a film for children and a period film Veer. Aren't you scripting any films? No. After Baaghi and Chandramukhi, I haven't ventured into it again. Have you signed a three-film deal with Ashtavinayak? No, it is only a one-film deal.

Girl Born With 4 Arms, 4 Legs Has Successful Surgery

Lakshmi Tatma Had a 25 Percent Chance of Dying During Surgery

(AP Photo)

By NICK SCHIFRIN
NEW DELHI, India, Nov. 7, 2007

In the desperately poor corner of Bihar, India, she was a miracle.

Tiny Lakshmi Tatma was born two years ago with four arms and four legs. The local population considered her the manifestation of a goddess. Her parents named her after the four-armed Hindu goddess of wealth.

A local circus even tried to buy her, but her parents chose health over fame and asked a team of doctors to remove her extra limbs. The surgery, conducted in Bangalore, ended successfully this afternoon.

"The child has withstood the procedure in an excellent manner," Dr. Sharan Patil, the team leader who planned the surgery for more than a month, told reporters outside the Sparsh Hospital. "This girl can now lead as good a life as anyone else."

It took more than 30 surgeons 27 hours to not only remove two of Lakshmi's arms and two of her legs but also to rebuild much of her body and save her organs. They say the chances of death were as high as 25 percent.

The cost of such a complex procedure would have been $625,000, far too great for the Lakshmi's family to afford. The hospital's foundation paid.

"We are very grateful to all the doctors for seeing our plight and deciding to help us," Tatma's father, Shambhu, told The Associated Press.

The doctors "worked relentlessly through the night to make the operation successful," Patil said, adding there had been "no setback at any stage of the surgery."

Half a Twin

Lakshmi Tatma, 2, sits in the lap of her mother, Poonam, a day before the marathon surgery

Lakshmi is essentially one half of a conjoined twin without a living sibling. Her condition is called ischiopagus. In the womb, a "parasitic twin" stopped developing, but Lakshmi absorbed its arms and legs, its kidneys, its stomach and chest cavities as well as a series of nerves.

The surgery removed the extra body parts and unfused Lakshmi's spine from her twin's. To rebuild her pelvis, surgeons used tissue from the twin. And to save her kidney, doctors said, they had to remove it from the "parasitic abdomen" and move it into Lakshmi's own abdomen. She may still need more surgeries.

Conjoined twins occur in about one in every 200,000 births, and their survival rate can be as low as 5 percent.

Tutankhamun's mummy to Be Displayed for 1st Time

Tutankhamun's mummy to Be Displayed for 1st Time

http://emi-argentina.blogspot.com/

The mummy of King Tutankhamun will soon go on display for the first time, exposing the bare face of the boy king, Egyptian officials have announced. The mummy will be removed from its sarcophagus and placed in a climate-controlled glass case in the antechamber of the pharaoh's tomb in Luxor in November (see Egypt map).

"I am taking [the mummy] out to show it to the public for the first time," said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The move is part of an effort to preserve the mummy, which has been in poor condition since it was first discovered, Hawass explained.

Archaeologist Howard Carter unearthed Tutankhamun's treasure-filled tomb in 1922, the first discovered with its riches so intact.

But Carter and his team partly destroyed the mummy in search of more treasures buried with the pharaoh, separating it into 18 sections, Hawass said.

Humidity and heat, much of it generated by the breath of the tomb's 5,000 daily visitors, have also taken a toll.

"Right now the mummy has no special protection from the humidity in the tomb," Hawass said. "The new case will be specially sealed to protect it from this sort of damage."

The pharaoh's remains will be partially rewrapped in linen with the face of the pharaoh left uncovered, according to Mansour Boraik, general supervisor of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Luxor.

Officials hope the display will increase the number of visitors and generate profit for the conservation of other Egyptian antiquities.

"The 'golden boy' has magic and mystery that bring people from all over the world," Hawass said.

(Hawass is a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence. National Geographic News is a division of the National Geographic Society.)

The mummy has been examined four times before, but it has never been seen by the public.

In 2005 Hawass opened the sarcophagus to perform a series of CT scans that allowed researchers to create a reproduction of the king's face.

(See photos of Tut's mummy and reconstructed face.)

"I was fascinated with his face," said Hawass, who noted the king's buck teeth are similar to those of the pharaoh's royal ancestors.

"Meeting King Tut face to face was very personal. … It was an important moment in my life."

Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of nine, ruling for only ten years in the 14th century B.C. before meeting an untimely death.

(Read: "King Tut Died From Broken Leg, Not Murder, Scientists Conclude" [December 1, 2006].)

Awakening the Curse

Exposing the mummy is likely to resurrect the myth of the pharaoh's curse, once believed to bring tragedy to those who disturb the tomb.

Most famously, Carter's sponsor, Lord Carnarvon, died shortly after entering the tomb from an infected mosquito bite.

Other tragedies were also blamed on the curse, and some experts have said ancient toxins lying in the tomb could have played a role.

"There is always mystery about King Tut, and it will never stop," Hawass said.

"Of course this will reawaken fears of the curse, as any new project involving the tomb or the mummy always does."

"I don't believe in the curse at all," he added. "But the gold, the intact tomb, the curse—all this history makes everybody fascinated by King Tut."

24, loses 82-year-old wife, / Lost star 'ashamed' over arrest

Man, 24, loses 82-year-old wife

Mr Waveqche began living with Ms Volpes (R) when he was 15

An 82-year-old Argentine woman who attracted media attention last month when she married a 24-year-old man has died as a result of heart problems.

Adelfa Volpes was admitted to hospital soon after she and her new husband, Reinaldo Waveqche, returned from their honeymoon in Brazil.

She died in a sanatorium in Santa Fe, the city where the couple were married.

Ms Volpes had rejected criticism over the age difference with the groom, who is the son of one of her best friends.

"I don't want to resign myself to the idea that I lost her," a disconsolate Mr Waveqche told EFE news agency.

The couple were married on 28 September in a civil service after several years of engagement, and later walked through a local church surrounded by reporters.

Their love is said to have blossomed when Mr Waveqche went to live with his future bride after his mother's death, when he was 15.

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Lost star 'ashamed' over arrest

Lost follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a mysterious island

Lost actor Daniel Dae Kim has said he is "deeply ashamed and embarrassed" about his arrest on suspicion of drink-driving in Hawaii.

"It saddens me to know that I jeopardised the welfare of the kind people of Hawaii, a community that I love and call my home," he said.

Kim, 39, who plays tough guy Jin-Soo Kwon in the drama, added that he would fully co-operate with police.

He was released on bail after being stopped by police early on Thursday.

Police said the actor had been driving erratically and was found to have a blood-alcohol level that measured twice the legal limit.

"To my friends, family, colleagues and fans, thank you for your kind words of support," said Kim.

"To those I have disappointed I can only ask that you accept my heartfelt apologies. I am truly, truly sorry."

The South Korean-born actor will appear in court on 23 November.

Kim - an original cast member - is the fourth Lost actor to be arrested for a traffic offence in Hawaii, where the popular TV series is filmed.

In 2005, former co-stars Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros pleaded guilty to driving while over the legal limit.

Rodriguez, who played Ana Lucia, was sentenced to five days in jail and $357 (£174) in fines.

Watros, seen on the show as the character Libby, had her driving licence suspended for 90 days and paid a $312 (£152) fine.

And last year, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, known as Mr Eko in Lost, was arrested for a traffic offence, and was accused of disobeying a police officer and driving without a licence.

The charges against him were later dropped, however.

ABC licence cancelled For Hiru FM, Sha FM, Gold FM, Sun FM and Suriyan FM

ABC licence cancelled
----Daily News

THE Government has cancelled the broadcasting licence of the ABC Radio Network for broadcasting a wrong misleading and irresponsible news item on October 24 night which had caused panic among residents living in and around Ranminitenna in the Tissamaharama electorate.

The Government Information Department in a communique said this radio station had broadcast an unconfirmed report on October 24 night stating that a band of armed LTTE Cadres had entered Ranminitenna, a village close to the Kataragama sacred city. This had created tension and uneasiness among people in the area.

The Security Forces and Police immediately intervened and defused the tension and pacified the people. The Government feels that if not for the tricky intervention of the Security Forces and the Police this would have led to unfortunate incidents in areas like Kataragama where different communities and religious groups lived.

The fundamental responsibility of the Media was to implement the people’s right to information. Truthfulness was a fundamental ethic in carrying out this responsibility.

Truthfullness had been a mandatory stipulation in granting broadcasting licences to various institutions since radio beams were public property.

A responsible Government which is bound to maintain law and order and peace could not remain silent if anyone tried to publish wrong and irresponsible news reports taking cover behind the freedom of speech which would deceive masses and create confusion.

As such, the government was reluctantly compelled to cancel the licence of ABC radio.
****************************************************************************
Government of Sri Lanka reported. Then many Radio lines such as Hiru , Sha, Sun Suriyan FM, and Gold FM are not on air anymore. Those five are the much popular radio lines in the country than any others. There must be some other story behind in Government side.Because, Most fault stories are generate from government media, not from others. But those cheaters are still alive.

Blackout, _Britney Spears' new album, will be released on October 30,

Britney Spears' new album, Blackout, will be released on October 30, two weeks before its original due date. A Jive Records representative says, "due to numerous unauthorized online leaks, the label is doing everything possible to prevent and avoid any further illegal distribution of songs." The first single from Blackout is a song called "Gimme More."

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Britney Spears has brought forward the release date of her long-awaited comeback album by two weeks after a string of illegal leaks hit the Internet, her record company said Wednesday.

Jive Records said in a statement that Spears' album -- "Blackout" -- would now go on sale on October 30 after songs and demos from the record were distributed online.

"Due to these numerous unauthorized on-line leaks, the label is doing everything possible to prevent and avoid any further illegal distribution of songs including moving up the release date of the album to October 30th," a statement from Jive Records said.

Spears' hopes of relaunching her career may hinge on the success of the new album, which comes after a period of turmoil in the pop princess's private life that last week saw her lose custody of her two children.

It followed a disastrous public performance in September at the MTV Video Music Awards to showcase her new single "Gimme More" which was widely lambasted as "lackluster, bumbling and underwhelming."

Britney Spears, seen here performing in September 2007, has brought forward the release date of..

Among the collaborators on the album are producers Bloodshy & Avant on "Piece of Me," "Toy Soldier," "Freakshow" and "Radar," Kara DioGuardi on "Heaven and Earth" and Nate "Danjahandz" Hills on "Gimme More," "Get Naked (I Got a Plan)," "Hot As Ice" and "Perfect Lover."

T-Pain is credited as one of three writers on "Hot As Ice," while Pharrell Williams wrote, co-produced (as half of the Neptunes) and sings backup on closer "Why Should I Be Sad."

Here is the track list for "Blackout":

1. "Gimme More"

2. "Piece of Me"

3. "Radar"
4. "Break the Ice"
5. "Heaven on Earth"
6. "Get Naked (I Got a Plan)"
7. "Freakshow"
8. "Toy Soldier"
9. "Hot As Ice"
10. "Ooh Ooh Baby"
11. "Perfect Lover"
12. "Why Should I Be Sad

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Britney Spears delivers solid album with 'Blackout'

With all her tabloid drama in the past few years (the wobbly marriage and messy divorce, the rehab, the custody battle, the pathetic MTV "comeback" performance), it's easy to forget that Britney Spears once made infectious and sometimes excellent pop music.

The sad details of her chaotic personal life have all but obliterated her success as a performer. But she remains one of the biggest-selling female artists of all time, selling more than 83 million albums since her 1999 debut, "... Baby One More Time."

Four years after her last studio album, 2003's "In the Zone," Spears returns with "Blackout," available Tuesday. And like its predecessor, the CD is sprinkled with irresistible bits of ear candy.

Spears' hit formula -- pulsating club beats overlaid with layers of icy synths and breathy, heavily processed vocals -- is still intact. And apparently there's a demand for it since Jive Records, Spears' label, pushed up the album's release date by three weeks.

Nothing on the CD is as adventurous as her last smash, the Grammy-winning "Toxic." Much of the music maintains a metallic, futuristic sheen, bolstered by Spears' robotic vocals.

The album opens with her current hit, "Gimme More," the throbbing number the pop superstar disastrously performed on the MTV Video Music Awards in September. Afterward, the 11 other songs pulse in the same vein with little tempo variation. Featuring production by Danja, the Neptunes and others, Blackout breezes by in less than 50 minutes, so it's perfectly tailored for continuous club play. Throughout the new album, she still equates maturity with transparent sexuality. The current single, "Get Naked (I Got a Plan)" and "Freakshow" are danceable examples.

But when some of the layers are stripped away and Spears' colorless vocals are pushed up, the results are very bland. "Heaven On Earth," for instance, starts off like a bad imitation of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" before morphing into a cheesy synth concoction.

As it stands, though, "Blackout" is a solid album from Spears, one that shouldn't disappoint her legion of fans. And given all that she's been through since her last CD, it's amazing she was able to pull it off.

Copyright © 2007, The Baltimore Sun

Unbreakable - 'Backstreet Boys' new album to be release on 30 th October Worldwide!

'Backstreet Boys' new album to release on 30 th October Worldwide! Unbreakable

A Good news for Backstreet Boy's fans like me. One of the best groups in our era , is going to break the rest again. Also , Britney, on the same day.

After 2 years " BackStreet Boys are going to introduce their new album, announced on 27th of July this year. The same date Britney Spears 's new album "Blackout" to be released. They've named the album title " Unbreakable". Expect to be the top of the world as before. I think they have the ability to gain control without any difficulties as before, only if the album's songs can be touched to the hearts like before.The date to be release the new album has been set 30 of this month, October 2007. Now you can order from Amazon.com if you have the ability to buy it.

Product Details*************************

• Audio CD (October 30, 2007)
• Original Release Date: October 30, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Deluxe Edition
• Label: Jive
• ASIN: B000W1V44I
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Music > Dance & DJ > Dance Pop
  #12 in	Music > Pop > Adult Contemporary
  #39 in	Music > Pop > Pop Rock

Track Listings**********************************

1. Intro

2. Everything But Mine

3. Inconsolable

4. Something That I Already Know

5. Helpless When She Smiles

6. Any Other Way

7. One In A Million

8. Panic

9. You Can Let Go

10. Trouble Is

11. Treat Me Right

12. Love Will Keep You Up All Night

13. Unmistakable

14. Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon

15. Downpour (bonus tracks)

16. In Pieces(bonus tracks)

Released	October 24, 2007 October 29, 2007 October 27, 2007 October 29, 2007 October 30, 2007 October 31, 2007[1]
Recorded	2006–2007
Genre	Pop
Label	Jive
Producer	Dan Muckula, Rob Wells, Emanuel Kiriakou, Adam Anders, John Shanks, Billy mann, JC Chasez

Now, Starlanka.blogspot.com has received information regarding, before the new album has been released, the songs are out without acknowledge of producers via internet. But we are not going to published the addresses here as it will be a pirate of the new creations. We expect do it after some time as we done to Harry potter book series.

Still, any one can download all the books free via this web site. Because, we thought many of us can't afford to buy those 6 books but like to read them. Only an innocent imagination. Then we went forward to fulfill your expectation with the help of other reputed webs like "file networks" .We know companies spend large amount of money to produce a new album. It's not fare to download free from the beginning, that'll not help them anyway.We must give some time for them to earn and get profit for their product without getting it free. Please be patient !

************************************************

Posted in the biography from the official site: "Backstreet Boys spent a year-and-a-half recording 'Unbreakable,' which marks a confident return to the pop template that best defines the group’s sound. First single “Inconsolable,” produced by Emanuel Kiriakou (Nick Lachey, Celine Dion, Katharine McPhee), is a classic piano-driven midtempo ballad reminiscent of the group’s biggest hits. Upon its release in September 2007, it was an instant add at pop radio stations across the country.

All 13 tracks on the set, in fact, demonstrate an organic ease with material that is an ideal fit. “Helpless When She Smiles” is another stunning hit-worthy midtempo ballad, produced by Grammy-winning John Shanks (Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Bon Jovi, Hilary Duff). A number of other tracks were produced and co-written in Nashville by Dan Muckala, who worked with Backstreet Boys on previous album “Never Gone.” Among his standouts is the moody Beatles-esque “Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon”—a song that all four singers herald as a highlight of the set. BSB asked heralded songwriter Billy Mann to collaborate on the song with Muckala. "The result," says Brian, “is a love story, but with an unexpected message that really makes you think. Melodically, the bridge becomes another song, which I love. It’s really all about the emotion of the vocals, and it’s different than any other track we’ve recorded.”

The boys met Muckala five years ago, when he was writing for a number of Christian artists. “He was sort of trapped in that category and we could tell he was ready to blossom into the secular world,” Howie says. “We were lucky to catch him at that stage, and he really inspired us with ‘Incomplete,’” the first single from “Never Gone.” “Sometimes people have that huge hit and their rates triple and they lose their humility. But Dan remains humble and we were all eager to work together again.”

Also among priorities this time around, BSB wanted to include enough uptempo tracks on the new album to showcase in their trademark kinetic live shows. Synthesizer-soaked “Everything But Mine,” playfully frenetic “Panic,” galloping “Any Other Way” and creepy crawler “One in a Million” ably fit the bill."

On Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007, "Unmistakable" (which Muckala co-wrote and produced with Adam Anders who also penned the Backstreet Boys' hit single "More Than That") and "Something That I Already Know" were released on RateTheMusic.com and Promosquad.com as new tracks members may rate. The next day, October 3rd, a clip from a radio station located in Japan apparently leaked the full version of the song, "Everything But Mine", along with the intro of the album. "Everything But Mine" was the first full song leak for "Unbreakable" since "Helpless When She Smiles" (Not including "Inconsolable"), which let out in the late Spring of 2007.

On Thursday, October 11th, 2007, an online music store released clips from all the tracks on the album, "Unbreakable", including the two bonus tracks (for specific editions), "Downpour" and "In Pieces".

On Monday, October 22nd, 2007, the full album was leaked on various P2P Sites due to Japan's release date for the album. This included 3 European bonus tracks.

On Wednesday, October 24th, 2007, "Unbreakable" debuted at #1 on Japan's Oricon Daily Albums Chart with 10,682 units sold.

Witness: Diana spoke after crash > "Oh my God, Oh my God"

LONDON, England (AP) -- A rescuer who tried to help Diana after her Paris car crash said Thursday that the princess spoke as she lay in the wreckage, repeating the words "oh my God" over and over.

Damian Dalby told an inquest into Diana's death that he and his brother rushed over to the wreckage of the princess' Mercedes after it crashed in the Pont d'Alma tunnel on August 31, 1997.

A photograph of the crash site in Paris 1997, shown to the jury earlier in the inquest.

Dalby, who was a volunteer French firefighter at the time, told the inquest by videolink from Paris that the car was surrounded by photographers.

"The car's rear, right-hand side door was open, and a photographer was close by, but he did not stop me from doing my assistance job," Dalby said.

Ian Burnett, lead lawyer for the inquest, asked Dalby: "Was it right the lady in the car was trying to speak?"

"Yes, she was saying: 'Oh my God, Oh my God,"' Dalby said.

Dalby said police arrived and moved the photographers away.

The inquest is examining the deaths of Diana and her companion, Dodi Fayed, in Paris, where the couple had been pursued by paparazzi. Witnesses have testified that photographers were among the first to reach the scene of the crash.

The jury heard Thursday from a statement given by Dalby's brother, Sebastien Pennequin, shortly after the crash. Pennequin said he tried to help police move photographers away.

"They continued taking photographs, it was then I spoke to them telling them to stop," the statement said. "'The people must know that Princess Diana is alive,' one of them said."

The inquest -- required by British law when someone dies unexpectedly, violently or of unknown causes -- had been delayed for 10 years because of the two exhaustive investigations by French and British police.

Both concluded that the couple's driver, Henri Paul, was drunk, driving too fast and that the deaths were an accident. Paul also died.

Fayed's father contends that the couple were the targets of a plot orchestrated by Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II.

Earlier Thursday, a French man who claims Diana died in a trap set by photographers faced skeptical lawyers.

Jacques Morel alleges that the late French photographer James Andanson organized a plan to stop the car carrying Diana and Fayed in the tunnel so paparazzi could take photos and get interviews. He says he has written a book on the subject, so far unpublished.

Morel, who began testifying Wednesday, said he saw a line of 10 to 12 photographers and a man with a video camera just inside the tunnel before the crash. No other witness has claimed to see photographers waiting in the tunnel, though several have said photographers were quickly at the scene.

Morel claimed he had seen secret papers supporting his contention, but Michael Mansfield, a lawyer for Fayed's father, Mohamed al Fayed, questioned whether such a file existed.

"How would you like to bet?" said Morel, who testified via video link from Paris. "I can bet with you 1 million U.S. dollars, and if you bet with me, I can send you the file within 24 hours."

Morel claimed he had given a copy of the file to Fayed's legal team, which Mansfield denied.

Mohamed al Fayed has alleged that Andanson, who died in 2000, was involved in a plot to kill his son and the princess and was the driver of a white Fiat Uno that collided with the couple's car before the crash.

That car has never been traced.

Diana: The new unseen CCTV images from the Ritz Hotel

The jury in the Diana, Princess of Wales, inquest today watched CCTV footage from the Ritz Hotel taken in the run-up to the fatal crash.

The first of the DVDs showed members of the paparazzi arriving outside on the afternoon of August 30, 1997.

Inspector Paul Carpenter, of the Metropolitan Police, talked the panel of five men and six women through the staggered images.

The hotel lift: A smiling Diana and Dodi get into the Ritz's lift shortly after arriving at the Ritz hours before the fatal crash

He told them there were 43 separate cameras in the hotel in Paris, from where Diana and Dodi Fayed set off on their final journey, and that 31 were relevant to the inquiry.

"Only 31 of them show movements of the main participants in these events," he said.

He explained a problem with the timings of the footage, saying five different banks of cameras showed five different times.

Moments later Diana and Dodi are seen again, this time in the lobby of the Ritz

Some may be up to 2 minutes 52 seconds off the master clock he had established to try to synchronise the images.

"We're going to start with the first arrivals at the hotel in the afternoon and in the first shot you will see members of the paparazzi arriving at the hotel at about five to four, some time before the Princess and Dodi Al Fayed actually arrived."

The court was shown colour footage from "Camera 4" at Place Vendome where two motorcyclists arrived, later followed by others.

The couple are spotted again with Claude Roulet, the deputy to the director of the hotel, who then leads them into the foyer of the imperial suite 90 minutes later

Members of the public could be seen milling past the front entrance of the hotel.

Former Metropolitan Police chief Lord Stevens, who is set to give evidence at some stage in the inquest, was in the main courtroom today, listening to the proceedings.

The jury then viewed footage of Diana and Dodi arriving at the hotel just hours before the fatal collision.

A camera overlooking the back entrance to the Ritz, in Rue Cambon, shows Claude Roulet, deputy to the director of the hotel, waiting outside for the couple, followed by a "fleeting shot" of them arriving.

A camera just inside the door shows the couple follow Mr Roulet into the hotel, followed by bodyguard Trevor Rees Jones, who is wearing an orange shirt.

Mr Carpenter explained to the jury that the next image was taken at 16.32 and shows Dodi and Diana walking through a lobby with columns at the rear of the hotel towards a lift.

Diana is seen again in the lift. Dodi can be seen in the mirrored rear of the elevator as he enters

The next image shows a smiling Princess getting into the lift alongside Dodi, who stands to her right. They are still accompanied by Mr Roulet, and can be seen to get out of the lift a few seconds later, at exactly 16.35.

The next shot shows Diana and Dodi walking towards the camera down a corridor on the first floor.

"You can see Mr Roulet lead the couple from the back of the hotel towards the front, towards the Imperial Suite," Mr Carpenter said.

The couple are again spotted in the hotel lobby just before 7pm.

Diana and Dodi are then caught on the CCTV in the foyer of the Imperial Suite at 16.38, walking into Room 102.

The footage then moves on to show images of Dodi leaving the hotel to pay a visit to Repossi the jeweller's.

Narrating the footage, taken at 17.06, Mr Carpenter said: "Dodi al Fayed appears on the left and Trevor Rees Jones will then depart at that stage. He goes downstairs to arrange the departure of Dodi to go to Repossi's with Mr Roulet."

The jury was then shown CCTV images starting at 17.37 which show Dodi, wearing a dark-coloured blazer and jeans, leaving the Imperial Suite and walking down the corridor with Mr Rees Jones.

Diana leaves the hotel to get into the Mercedes, just minutes before the crash

He is then seen walking down a staircase into the Hall Vendome, at the front of the hotel.

An image taken outside the front of the hotel on the Place Vendome, Mr Carpenter says, shows Henri Paul standing next to a Mercedes which will take Dodi to Repossi's.

Dodi is then seen to leave the hotel, returning nine minutes later at 17.49, when he walks through the Hall Vendome.

Mr Carpenter said: "Dodi can be seen carrying a brochure in his right hand as he ascends the stairs."

Harry Potter ! ---Dumbledore outed, Is a gay !

	Source: Pop Watch by: Omar Aviles
	At a recent Q&A at Carnegie Hall, Harry Potter mastermind J.K. Rowling filled in yet another piece of the Potter universe not found (but maybe implied) within the pages of the series - Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts headmaster and wizard extraordinaire, was gay. Addressing a question about Dumbledore's seemingly non-existent love life, Rowling said: "I always saw Dumbledore as gay…Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald…Don't forget, falling in love can blind us. [He] was very drawn to this brilliant person. This was Dumbledore's tragedy." In fact, at a recent script meeting for the adaptation of the sixth book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", after seeing a line in which Dumbledore extols the virtues of the distaff, Rowling was forced to remind director David Yates of Dumbledore's preference for red hot man candy.

Read the rest of what she had to say, including things not relating to Dumbledore's love of man meat, over here !

**************************************************************

First things first: At last night's talk at New York City's Carnegie Hall — an event for thousands of young Harry Potter fans and their parents — J.K. Rowling outed the kindly headmaster.

Responding to a question from a child about Dumbledore's love life, Rowling hesitated and then revealed, "I always saw Dumbledore as gay." Filling in a few more details, she said, "Dumbledore fell in love with Grindelwald.... Don't forget, falling in love can blind us. [He] was very drawn to this brilliant person. This was Dumbledore's tragedy." She added that in a recent meeting about the sixth movie, she spied a line in the script where Dumbledore waxed poetic about a girl, so she was forced to scribble director David Yates a note to correct the situation.

So how did all those lucky kids get to sit in the baronial gilt and red velvet splendor of Carnegie Hall? First they won a sweepstakes event created by Rowling's publisher, Scholastic, and then they flew to New York from all over the country. As I waited in line in the unseasonal muggy New York heat to enter the famous concert hall, I chatted up the father and daughter in front of me. They'd just flown in from Nashville (what's more, their plane had been delayed, so they'd arrived at the concert hall with mere minutes to spare). As I canvassed more families, I found they'd come from all over the country — from as far away as Arizona, Washington, Minnesota, and Texas (it was rumored some came from Hawaii, but I didn't verify that).

When the line, snaking around the block, began moving at 6:30, it moved fast. By 7:00 everyone was seated, the red-jacketed ushers were shushing and closing the box doors, and the event host, MSNBC news anchor Keith Olbermann, took the stage. But not center stage, which was dominated by an enormous, velvet-upholstered, carved wooden chair — a throne, really — planted on a Persian carpet. Gesturing to it, Olbermann joked, "That's not sufficient for someone who'll be signing that many copies" — a reference to the fact that, after the reading, Rowling would be signing a copy of Hallows for every single sweepstakes winner.

The crowd was polite to Olbermann, but when a smiling Rowling finally strode on stage, perfectly blonded and coiffed, fingernails shellacked to a brilliant red, stilettos clicking, they went absolutely mad, screaming, jumping to their feet, even crying. Gently, in true mom fashion, she shushed them, and began to read from the seventh book. She's a brilliant reader, funny and quick, doing all the voices with comic perfection — Ron was abashed and sullen; Hermione, squeaky with rage; Harry, exhausted with the effort to appease the two. (She even made herself giggle in places as she read.) When she finished the crowd rose to its feet again, even as she tried, in vain, to get them sit. "Don't make me cry!" she kept saying. Finally everyone did sit, and the question-and-answer session could begin. The lucky questioners had mostly been chosen in advance (though a few were plucked at random); at least one little girl — 8 years old — could barely reach the microphone.

Neville's love life? "He marries Hannah Abbott!" she announced as the crowd squealed its appreciation. (What's more, Hannah becomes proprietress of The Leaky Cauldron, so Neville becomes cool to his students.)

Why is it Molly Weasley who kills Bellatrix? One, "Molly is a very good witch," even though most people don't realize it. And two, "Bellatrix is as obsessed with Voldemort as Molly is consumed with maternal love." What was it like to finish book seven? "It felt like a bereavement." Were there intentional similarities between Voldemort and Hitler? Yes, there were. The books, she said, were "a plea for an end to hatred, to bigotry" as well as a lesson for kids "to question authority.... You should not assume the establishment tells you the truth." Did Hagrid ever find love? Alas, no (though that had something more to do with the rarity of giantesses than any personality defect on Hagrid's part). To one boy, who revealed his dad had read the series, but not his mom, she said, "If I've got time to write 'em, she's got time to read 'em!" As the crowd roared with laughter, she added, "Is your mom here? Who did you come with?" (Dad, not Mom.)

By 8:20 it was over — the talking part, anyway. Rowling, flexing her hands, announced she had to limber up in order to sign all the books, which were stacked in enormous piles next to the stage. Was she really going to do scrawl her distinctive signature that many times? Yes, she was — and the kids, who were now going to be within touching distance of her, became downright emotional.

As for me, a member of the press, I was shunted back out into the hot October night, where it had started to rain. "That was great!" shouted a reporter next to me. Yes, it was. Like those kids, I'll remember it for the rest of my life.

On the train ride home, as I mulled over the evening, I kept trying to figure out which my favorite book of the series was. Four? Seven? Five? I've got a great argument for each of those. But I just couldn't make up my mind. All of you out there — can any of you say what your favorite is?