Tiger cubs born in France

Three four-day-old tiger cubs huddle together in a zoo in eastern France July 25, 2008. A Siberian tiger gave birth to three cubs in the zoo.

Vampire Knight Chapter 42!

Vampire Knight fanatics look here!

Vampire Knight Chapter 42 is finally out!

Our long wait finally paid off with these new raws and translations all thanks to Sagakure!

It’s probably high time to see Yuuki’s worth after having been sheltered for so long without her memories. I hope she’ll not wimp out and fight Rido at whatever cost just as she was saying. Is she really gonna be Aidou’s savior?

And Rido for hell’s sake confirmed what I have in mind! He loves Juuri, Yuuki’s mom — but what’s with the making-you-my-love-instead thingy just because she looked like her? I bet his hunger for power drove him mad! Gah!

The night class are so cool! Yeah, just remain like that, true to Kaname!

Ah, Cain I suspect has long been keeping his feelings for Luca. Since Luca already accepted the impossibility of her future acquaintance with Kaname, if Cain would be her Vampire Knight in shinning armor, maybe eventually she’ll have a change of heart…I want Cain to be happy too…Luca as well.

Zero really manifested this time, and I believe his feelings for Yuuki will never change though they’re enemies now just like Kaname had said that he wouldn’t betray Yuuki ever and he’d let him live for that purpose. He’s indebted to the two of them with his life — he’s such a cute puppet but I definitely don’t want him to end up with Yuuki! I still go for Kaname, go Kaname!

Now, we’ll have to wait till next month for another intriguing chapter! More of Kaname please!

Jessica Simpson's boyfriend boost

Jessica, who was left heartbroken after her divorce from Nick Lachey in 2006, decided to release a country album following encouragement from her American football star lover.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (L) and his girlfriend actress and singer Jessica Simpson (R) watch the NBA action between the Dallas Mavericks and LA Lakers in Dallas, Texas March 18, 2008.
A source said: "Tony tells Jessica not to let life pass her by." The 28-year-old 'Dukes of Hazzard' actress - who starred as hotpant wearing Daisy Duke in the 2005 movie - is also feeling more comfortable with her body since she began dating Tony, also 28, last year.

The source added: "Tony is also the first to boost Jess about her body! Jessica admits she has packed on a few pounds but she doesn't care. "She is loving life and isn't trying to be Daisy Duke. Besides, if Tony loves the way she looks, who is anyone else to complain?"

Jessica recently revealed she is in love with Tony but isn't sure if she is ready to tie the knot with him just yet. She said: "We've been together for seven to almost eight months now. I don't really know about wedding bells - I still love him, and I'm still with him, so that's a good sign."

Holy Heart Failure, Batman!!

Vini, Vidi, Vici. I came to the Blythe All-Star Cinema to watch the Batman: Dark Knight, saw the Dark Knight, but didn’t conquer it – rather, the Dark Knight conquered me. For that matter the whole audience was in a state of “shock and awe” once the ending credits started rolling. There was no applause, standing ovations or other public display of approval. One does not applaud The Lord’s Prayer or Lincoln’s actual Gettysburg Address. That cheapens things.

Rather, the audience and I simply stumbled out into the afternoon sunshine like gaggle of zombies, trying to recapture the magic and wonder and detail of everything that passed before our collective eyes for the past two and a half hours. After a brief reverie, I looked at my son who accompanied me and said, “We gotta do that again!”. The only other movie I can compare this experience to was in 1977 when I waited four hours in the front of the line at the movie theater in Alexandria, Minn. to be the first to see “Star Wars”. When I left, it was like a paradigm shift. My world view had changed. Movies were starting to see science fiction and comics from the way they should be portrayed – from the point of view of my imagination. About time.

Since when does a movie’s opening become news? Well, since the darn thing took in a record $64,000,000 in it’s first 24 hours and lives up to the “hype” that Heath Ledger deserves a posthumous Oscar, best Movie in decades, best based on a comic ever, and a masterpiece of cinematography. It’s all true and even more so. It simply leaves you longing for more. The entire country as is on its feet and in line to see this show and the people of the City of Blythe are no different. It has been a packed house every showing.

Larry Bynon, Manager, informed me that everyone that has exited the movie in the last day left with saying that they will, indeed be seeing it again. If so, this show has got “legs,” as they say in the industry. It’s the kind of blockbuster that keeps people coming back again and again – extending its release for weeks or even months.

It’s all about the Joker.

Heath Ledger’s version of the Joker is what makes this movie so alluring. He comes on with no origin story, an obvious paranoid schizophrenic with a bent for anarchy. He burns a pile of money to show that he is not committing his crime spree for a crass profit motive. He is the antithesis of the other psychotic in the picture – Batman. Joker cannot kill the Batman late in the show because, as the Joker states, “You complete me…”

Ledger’s version of the Joker (aka Jack Napier) is the spookiest yet. Jack Nicholson vamped his way through the character in the Micheal Keaton “Batman” and made a memorable scoundrel of himself. Cesar Romero portrayed him as a maniacal clown in the television show. The closest anyone has come to portraying Joker as well as Ledger was in brief film directed by Sandy Colorra with Andrew Koenig for the San Diego Comic-Con five years ago. For those who have YouTube capability, please watch this link for an 8 minute film that portrays the second-best Joker.

The character of the Joker was, in truth, invented by one of the great literary giants of the 19th century. Victor Hugo, of Les Miserables fame, wrote a book entitled The Man Who laughs in 1869. It was about a child who was orphaned and his face was mutilated into a frozen sardonic smile with the aid of a hunting knife. The book was later made into a silent movie starring Conrad Viedt. Watch the this clip from the 1922 film and note the similarities:

Remember that Bob Kane, the creating artist, wrote his first Batman story for Detective Comics #27 in May of 1939 – 17 years after this movie came out. Kane also had other models for Batman as well. Zorro was a big influence in creating modern-day caped/masked crusader and the Shadow was plagiarized for his ability to invoke fear in them minds of all criminals.

This writer cannot begin to go into detail about how Ledger places everything on the line for this role and acted his heart out without spoiling the movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it. But just for the heck of it – if you haven’t seen it as of this writing – watch for how he can make a pencil “disappear”, blow up a hospital wincing down the street in a nurses uniform, play “chicken” with an oncoming bat-cycle, and inveigle two boatloads of passengers into blowing up each other. One cannot describe it in words. It has to be seen.

Therefore: Don’t wait to see it on DVD! You lose far too much in scope and depth of the cinematography. I didn’t even mention the “White Knight” – Harvey Dent aka “Two-Face.” Superlative job as well. However, this is not a “Batman” movie akin to all the others. This is a crime story in which Batman has a role. Once you have seen it, come back to this article; watch this clip from the very first “Batman” movie and think of how far this character has come.

Sophie Monk Bikini Pictures

Miley Cyrus Meets The Muppets

Miley Cyrus met up with the Muppets for a Disney Channel special, ET reports.

The 15-year-old Hannah Montana star joined the Jonas Brothers and High School Musical star Ashley Tisdale for a variety show filled with singing and dancing. (That’s why Ashley and Miley were spotted hanging out earlier this month.)

Apparently Miss Piggy couldn’t keep her hands off of Joe Jonas!

British actress Sienna Miller and Balthazar Getty in the Street flirt

British actress Sienna Miller and Balthazar Getty in the Street flirt,Scenes hotties.

Australian Grand Prix racing beauty!

Face Painting on Olympic Cheerleaders

A model shows off Olympic-themed face paint. Since July 18, 2008, a face-painting contest on Olympic cheerleaders has been held among students of an art school in Beijing. The results will soon be posted on the Internet for public opinion. The founder of the art school works as a dresser for the opening and closing ceremonies of the upcoming Olympics

Naked, so beautiful!

50 Cent sues Taco Bell in NY over ad campaign

50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent. The rapper says in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that the Mexican-themed chain features him in a print ad asking him to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent. His real name is Curtis Jackson.

U.S rap artiste 50 Cent performs with his group during a concert in Paris Nov. 27, 2007. 50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

The rapper's court papers say the ad is part of Taco Bell's "Why Pay More?" campaign, which promotes items for under a dollar, including Cinnamon Twists for 79 cents, Crunchy Tacos for 89 cents and Bean Burritos for 99 cents. The papers say the Irvine, Calif.-based company sent a bogus letter requesting the name change to the news media but not to the rapper.

The rapper's lawyer, Peter D. Raymond, said his client didn't learn about the letter or that he was featured in the ad campaign until he saw a news report about it. Raymond said his client is seeking 4 million dollars in damages.

Taco Bell Corp. spokesman Rob Poetsch issued a statement saying: "We made a good faith, charitable offer to 50 Cent to change his name to either 79, 89 or 99 Cent for one day by rapping his order at a Taco Bell, and we would have been very pleased to make the 10,000-dollar donation to the charity of his choice."

This isn't the first time 50 Cent has sued over his name or image.

In July 2007, he filed a 1-million-dollar lawsuit accusing an Internet ad company of using his image without permission in a game called "Shoot the Rapper," in which the player pretends to shoot him.

The game shows 50 Cent walking in an ad across the top of a webpage while the viewer is encouraged to shoot him by aiming and clicking with the mouse, the rapper's court papers said; a successful shot results in a misty cloud of red, and then the viewer is directed to another Web page, where the ad firm's clients sell goods and services.

The rapper is a well-known victim of gun violence: He was shot outside his grandmother's Queens home in 2000 and rapped in one of his biggest hits, "In da Club," about being hit with a few shells.

The rapper has been nominated for 13 Grammys, including for the song "In da Club" and the album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'." In 2005, he starred with Terrence Howard in a semi-autobiographical movie based on that album. He also starred in the 2006 film "Home of the Brave" as a soldier returning home from Iraq.

The Former "Pregnant Man" Debuts His Baby

Thomas Beatie, with daughter Susan Juliette

It's been three weeks since his blue-eyed baby debuted in this world, but Thomas Beatie – better known around the world as the Pregnant Man – can already say this about his daughter's personality: "She's easygoing and mellow and intelligent."

On June 29 at 8:55 p.m., Beatie, 34, a former female beauty pageant contestant, made cultural history as perhaps the first legally transgender male to give birth, bringing into the world a 9 lbs., 5 oz. baby girl named Susan Juliette.

"She's so precious, I just can't stop staring at her," Thomas tells PEOPLE in his first interview since he and wife Nancy returned with their bundle from Bend, Oregon's St. Charles Medical Center. "Just holding her is the best feeling in the world."

Susan – named after Thomas's mother and conceived through artificial insemination with donor sperm – arrived after 40 hours of labor, with Nancy at Thomas's side acting as his coach.

"When Susan finally came out, it was like in slow motion," says Thomas. "I was full of wonder." Echoes Nancy: "There were tears of joy."

Both father and daughter came through the birth in perfect health. "I weigh two pounds less than I did before I got pregnant," adds Thomas. "And I don't have a single stretch mark!"

At home, the couple is adjusting to their new nightly schedule: Nancy breastfeeding (by induced lactation, a process using hormones and physical stimulation with a breast pump) and Thomas keeping company while watching TV.

Crows Thomas, "Susan is a miracle! And we're finally the family we've been dreaming of."

Police: Paparazzi, guards, fight at Jolie chateau

US actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt pose as in Cannes, May 2008. Jolie checked out of a maternity clinic in the south of France on Saturday a week after giving birth to twins.(AP Photo)

PARIS — It sounds like a scene from "Fight Club." French police say camouflaged paparazzi who got on to the grounds of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's chateau in southern France fought with the Hollywood couple's guards.

Police spokeswoman Capt. Olivia Poupot said Friday the two photographers were wearing camouflage clothes. She said police officers took them and the two guards in for questioning after Thursday's bust-up at the Jolie-Pitt family's Miraval estate.

The police captain said both sides filed legal complaints accusing the other of battery and causing injury. She said she believed the injuries were bruises and scratches and "nothing nasty."

Nevertheless, the guards got doctors' notes giving them four days off work; the photographers did not, she said.

Jolie returned to the estate after the July 12 birth of her twins, Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, in the Mediterranean city of Nice, about 60 miles away.

Poupot said she didn't know how long the paparazzi had been on the chateau grounds or further details about the "altercation with the guards."

"One can imagine that if you discover someone in your garden who is taking your photo then you're not necessarily going to politely show them the way out," she said.

Police took everyone downtown to the nearby village of Carces and took statements. A judge will rule on whether the legal complaints should be pursued further, she said.

Poupot said it was the first time the chateau has called on police to intervene since the Jolie-Pitts settled there earlier this year, ahead of the twins' birth.

The police captain said she had no information on the nationalities or the names of the photographers.

"I won't hide for you that this kind of thing is really not the type of problem that interests us," she said. "There are, in my opinion, far more important things than paparazzi taking photos of a glamor couple."

Angelina Jolie's weighty role

Angelina Jolie has been told to pile on the pounds for her latest film role.

The 33-year-old actress must gain up to 28lbs by the bosses of 'The Thomas Crown Affair 2' - who she also worked with on her last movie 'Wanted' - because they are desperate to avoid her fainting on set as she did while filming the assassin thriller.

A source said: "Ideally they want Angelina to put on 28lbs for the role. It is going to be very physically demanding, which is why they want her to carry the extra weight. "They don't want a reprise of what happened with 'Wanted', where she was fainting and they had to take her costumes in.

She was also slated for being too skinny to portray an action woman, and for 'Thomas Crown' they want a convincing female lead." Angelina - who gave birth to twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline earlier this month - is due to play the leading lady opposite Pierce Brosnan, who reprises his role as billionaire art thief Thomas Crown. Brosnan will also produce the movie.

Celebs at the 39th annual Comic Con Convention

Korean musician Rain promotes his new film "Ninja Assassin" at the 39th annual Comic Con Convention in San Diego July 24, 2008. More than 125,000 people are expected to attend the four-day event and indulge in a veritable feast of the latest in comic-related books, movie toys, games and memorabilia.


Actress Sophie Monk promotes her film "The Hills Run Red" at the 39th annual Comic Con Convention in San Diego July 24, 2008. More than 125,000 people are expected to attend the four-day event and indulge in a veritable feast of the latest in comic-related books, movie toys, games and memorabilia.

Immature, insensitive, sex-mad? Not us, say men

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner arrives for the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby horse race at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, May 3, 2008.[Agencies]

Young, single men are fed up with being typecast as immature, insensitive and sex-obsessed, with a survey finding that the majority believe in having a soul mate, aren't scared of commitment, and say real men can cry.

A poll of 70,000 men with an average age of 28 debunked many of the standard stereotypes to show that the modern man is driven by a sense of values, loyalty and family.

The survey, by men's lifestyle website AskMen.com, found that 77 percent of respondents look for girlfriends with "wife potential" while 75 percent believe they have a soul mate and 69 percent would never cheat on their partner.

"These survey results will be surprising to many women, most of whom have a completely different perspective of what the average man thinks and feels," James Bassil, editor-in-chief of AskMen.com, told Reuters.

"The idea that young guys only want to be single and jump from girlfriend to girlfriend is not true at all."

The online survey, conducted over a five-week period, found that six out of 10 men were fed up with inaccurate commercial descriptions of them.

Bassil said the images of men on television and in advertisements had not changed or been challenged for decades whereas the image of women in the media was always changing as their roles in the home and the workplace altered.

"In TV sitcoms and in adverts, young men are portrayed as immature, frat boys who are always trying to get around their wives or girlfriends finding out about their bad behavior. This is just not the case," he said.

The survey by AskMen.com, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, found that 56 percent of men believed that being a good father or husband made them "manly."

It also found that 75 percent admitted to crying over a woman while 57 percent of men cook at home and enjoy doing it.

"There really seems to be a revival of traditional values among men which goes against everything you see in the media," said Bassil.

The Sydney Sexpo

Models wait to take photos with customers during the opening day of the annual Sexpo in Sydney July 24, 2008.

Doherty fined for breaking snapper lens

A British court has ordered musician Pete Doherty to pay damages to a photographer, after he smashed her camera as she tried to snap him before he returned to a clinic for drug treatment.

Magistrates in Yeovil, southwest England, said the 29-year-old Babyshambles lead singer should pay Catherine Mead STG918.27 ($A1,900) for breaking her lens on August 22 last year.

Mead, a photographer with the South West News Service agency, had her equipment broken when Doherty became angry that she was following him and his family around the town of Crewkerne.

Doherty, a recovering drug addict who has made numerous court appearances in London on possession charges and served 29 days of a 14-week jail term for breaching his probation earlier this year, pleaded guilty to criminal damage.

He was arrested by police in London on December 3 last year and admitted damaging the camera, telling officers he had been trying to enjoy a day out with his family before going back into rehab, the court heard.

Passing sentence, magistrates accepted there was a "degree of provocation" in the incident.

Outside court, the star said: "Yeah, it was okay today, it should have been sorted out ages ago to be honest. It's been hanging over me for a long time."

Anna Kournikova plays a little tennis!

After 5 years of retirement, Anna Kournikova is back on the tennis court. Three weeks before the start of the Olympics in Beijing, her picture adorns the cover of SI China even though she has nothing to do with the games.

Anna participated in the St. Louis Aces play against the Washington Kastles in the World Team Tennis games yesterday in Washington D.C. She met with rival Justin Gimelstob criticized Anna during “The Junkies” radio show on WJFK (FM-106.7) and called her a bitch! He further went on to talk about other women players describing Czech star Nicole Vaidisova as “a well developed young lady”, and calling French pin-ups Tatiana Golovin and Alize Cornet “sexpots”.

Anna took the high road during their meeting yesterday and said to curious press, “I really don’t want to discuss the matter,” Kournikova said. “I don’t want to give it any more attention or meaning that it already has received. I’m just treating this like any other match.”