London, Nov 4 (IANS) Hollywood actress Kate Winslet was paid $40,000 by a British newspaper for publishing an article labelling her “The World’s Most Irritating Actress”.

The “Titanic” star sued the Daily Mail in April following the publication of a report in January which branded her vain and accused her of lying about her fitness regime, reports imdb.com.

Los Angeles, Nov 4 (DPA) Actors Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin are to jointly host the Oscars awards ceremony, producers of the prestigious film prize have announced.

Martin 64, has hosted the event twice before, but Baldwin, 51, has never before helmed the Academy Awards.

New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor, who belongs to a family of great actors and filmmakers, says while his mother Neetu Kapoor is his biggest fan, his father Rishi Kapoor is his biggest critic.

“My mom is my biggest fan, but my father is my biggest critic,” Ranbir told IANS.

Mumbai, Nov 4 (IANS) Bollywood actors often describe their shooting schedule as a picnic. But “cold and depressing” is what Saif Ali Khan has to say about the US shoot of “Kurbaan”, speaking for not just himself but also girlfriend and co-star Kareena Kapoor.

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Yash Raj Films’ “New York” has been selected as the opening film at the 33rd Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) 2009.

The film will also compete in the ‘In Competition’ section at the fest, to be held Nov 10-Nov 20.

London, Nov 3 (IANS) Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg has been honoured by the Anti-Defamation League for his work in human rights.

The Oscar-winning filmmaker, 62, will be presented with America’s Democratic Legacy Award at the league’s annual Los Angeles fundraiser Dec 9, reports contactmusic.com.

Mumbai, Nov 3 (IANS) Meghalaya Chief Minister D.D. Lapang has agreed to come on board the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) so that his state becomes the next Bollywood destination for shooting films.

Manoj Rastogi, managing director and chief executive officer of Television Media and Communications and event associate of the 11th Mumbai Film Festival, had taken the initiative to approach Lapang.

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Bollywood actress Eesha Koppikhar, who is tying the knot Nov 27 with beau Timmy Narang, is trying to complete all her projects before the D-day, including an item number for her forthcoming “Right Ya Wrong”.

Written and directed by debutant Neeraj Pathak, the crime thriller stars Sunny Deol, Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen.

Mumbai, Nov 3 (IANS) Bollywood veteran and politician Shatrughan Sinha, who has maintained his moustache throughout his 36-year-old film career, has now got rid of it for Ram Gopal Varma’s “Rakta Charitra”.

According to a unit source, it wasn’t easy for the actor to make up his mind to shave off his moustache as many of his family members, friends and associates were against the idea. But keeping in mind the look of his character, Shatrughan decided on the fresh look.

New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan recently joined the chorus for a special song as a tribute to the victims of the 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.

“Sonu Nigam had asked me to participate in a song that he was doing for those whom we lost that fateful day. I did,” Amitabh wrote on his blog bigb.bigadda.com.