Did you know?: Scandal actor Columbus Short leaving hit ABC show

Scandal actor Columbus Short said on Friday that he would not be returning to the hitABC drama for its next season, a month after the actor was arrested on a felony battery charge.

Short, 31, who plays Harrison Wright opposite actor Kerry Washington’s Olivia Pope character, said in a statement, “must confirm my exit from a show I’ve called home for three years.”

“Everything must come to an end and unfortunately, the time has come for Harrison Wright to exit the canvas,” he added, without providing details on the reason for his departure. ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co, did not comment on Short’s exit from the salacious political drama by hit show creator Shonda Rhimes, which ended its third season last week.

Short was charged with felony battery from a March incident in which he allegedly punched and knocked out a male guest at a Los Angeles restaurant.

Did you know? : Clooney’s all set to tie the knot

Alamuddin, 36, was spotted last week wearing a large ring on ‘that’ finger at a Los Angeles restaurant where she and Clooney, 52, were apparently celebrating their engagement with friends.

Yes ladies, unfortunately it’s true. George Clooney, arguably Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor, is officially off the market. Despite having said repeatedly that marriage isn’t for him, Clooney has contradicted himself by popping the question to British lawyer Amal Alamuddin, according to media reports.

Alamuddin, 36, was spotted last week wearing a large ring on ‘that’ finger at a Los Angeles restaurant where she and Clooney, 52, were apparently celebrating their engagement with friends, People magazine reported, citing anonymous sources. “George and Amal are trying to keep things very low-key, but they also aren’t really trying to hide this, it doesn’t seem,” said a source quoted by People.

Clooney and Alamuddin have been dating since October, according to media reports. She practices international and human rights law and Clooney is an international human rights activist. The two-time Oscar winner has been married once, but since his 1993 divorce from wife Talia Balsam, has remained one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors.  

Jennifer Aniston going bald?

Actress Jennifer Aniston. PHOTO: AFP

LOS ANGELES: Actress Jennifer Aniston is reportedly worried that her luscious locks are getting thinner. She fears she will soon go bald.

“She’s been getting scalp stimulant treatment a few times a week and has started taking prenatal vitamins in the hope they’ll restore her hair growth,” showbizspy.com quoted a source as saying.

“Several friends have joked that Jennifer better watch out or she’ll end up resembling her (now deceased) godfather Telly Savalas who (has been) bald most of his adult life,” the source added.

Meanwhile, Aniston and her friend Courteney Cox are fighting over Botox.

Aniston has come out publicly as not being a fan of the injectable, while Cox who turns 50 June 15, has been looking like she can’t get enough of it.

Failure scares Priyanka Chopra

The model-turned-actor, who bagged the National Film Award for her performance in Fashion, reveals that she felt she was dreaming when she heard the news. PHOTO:FILE

TAMPA BAY: National Award-winning Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra, who attended a panel discussion on acting with Hollywood actor-filmmaker Kevin Spacey at International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Awards, says she has a huge fear of failure.

Priyanka has proved her mettle through films like Saat Khoon Maaf, Barfi!, Fashion, but says she always had the fear of failure.

“I have a huge fear of failure. Failure drives me. If the film fails, it feels bad. I stay in a room for two weeks. When I was doing Barfi!, people told me it is not a heroine kind of a film, don’t do it. But I was sure I will do it and I am happy with the response,” she said.

Recalling her journey as an actor in the Hindi film industry, she said: “For me, acting happened by chance. I was 17 years old when I became Miss World. I was reading a leading film magazine and I happened to read the interview of Amitabh Bachchan where he said how many scenes one does in a film is not important. What is important is that people should remember you when they come out of the theatre after watching the film.”

“In commercial Indian cinema, female actors don’t have parts to prove. But I feel fortunate that whatever roles I have done till now, be it big or small, all have done well for me,” she added.

Priyanka, however, prefers stage shows over films as “it is gratifying to be on stage and see the instant gratification”.

The model-turned-actor, who bagged the prestigious National Film Award for her performance in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion, says she never expected to win the award.

“I never expected that I could get the National Award. I got a call at 4am and then I went off to sleep. After some time, people started knocking at the door for interviews. And I realised, I was not dreaming. It is an incredible feeling. My parents were with me and it felt really nice. It was a special experience of my life,” she said

Love has no price tag

Kimye is sparing no expense for their upcoming nuptials. PHOTO: FILE

It seems as though Kim Kardashian and Kanye West will be sparing no expense for their upcoming nuptials. The power couple is planning on having not one, not two, but three weddings! The ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ star is set to tie the knot with her rapper fiancé once in Southern California, and twice in France, reports the Times of India.

The couple’s lawyers have advised them to have their civil ceremony in the United States, as they’re both American citizens, prior to their French nuptials on May 24, in order to avoid any unnecessary paperwork. “Typically, the US recognizes citizens getting married in France, but dealing with a foreign government and paperwork could be a nightmare. So just to make sure it’s legal, Kim and Kanye will first be having a civil ceremony in Southern California,” said a source, reports RadarOnline.

The pair will cross the Atlantic for their dream ceremony that will take place in Paris, and French law dictates that there be two wedding ceremonies, according to IANS. “A religious ceremony has to be performed after a civil ceremony, and not before. The minister, priest or rabbi will require a certificate of civil marriage before any religious ceremony takes place,” said the French Embassy in Washington DC. “Kim will have at least three dress changes on the big ceremony day in France. It will be over the top. Kim and Kanye want it to be the wedding of the century,” added the source.

The wedding, apart from being one of the most high-profile of the year, with a multitude of stars in attendance, will also be one of the most secure. According to contactmusic.com, guests will be required to sign confidentiality agreements, and cell phones will be confiscated prior to the ceremony. A source told RadarOnline: ‘’Guests will have to go through extensive security, even most of Kim and Kanye’s celebrity friends.’’

Did you know? : Legendary actor Zohra Sehgal turns 102

Today, Sehgal is considered the longest-living actor and first centenarian associated with the world of showbiz.

Bollywood actor Zohra Sehgal celebrated her 102nd birthday on 27 April, 2014. Born in 1912, Sehgal was born Sahibzadi Zohra Begum Mumtaz-ullah Khan in a Muslim family in Sahranpur, Uttar Pradesh, she was sent to Lahore to pursue her higher education. Her journey from India to Pakistan and back again encapsulated the entire Indian freedom struggle. She was a witness to the partition and it pained her a lot. Sehgal observed strict purdah and had never opted to dance; however, once she started her career with Uday Shankar, there was no looking back. Today, Sehgal is considered the longest-living actor and first centenarian associated with the world of showbiz.

In her career spanning almost eight decades, she has acted in a number of Bollywood and Hollywood films. In 1993, she even performed in theatre in Lahore, alongside her sister Uzra Butt, in a critically acclaimed play, Ek Thi Nani.

Settled now in Delhi, she believes the only tragedy in her life would be that the mystery novels will now have to rest on her shelf (her eyesight is dwindling) and the feet that would once dance across stages and the eyes that could once express any emotion, now move to a different tune. However, she awaits her future with a wide smile.

Zohra Saigol reading Faiz Ahmed Faiz:

The Express Tribune wishes Zohra a very happy birthday. 

Victoria on building a successful fashion empire

Posh likes to keep her head down, work hard and focus on what she’s doing businesswise. PHOTO: FILE

LOS ANGELES: 

Model-turned-designer Victoria Beckham shared that there was a time when she knew she was jested at, but while people were busy laughing at her, she was building a successful career for herself in fashion.

The 40 year old said it was a struggle to make her mark in the fashion industry after her initial rise to prominence due to her pop music career. “For a long time there, I was a bit of a laughing stock. And while everybody was busy laughing, what was I doing? I was laying the foundation to what I have in place now,” said Beckham.

The mother of four also said it’s good she doesn’t have to rely on advertising. “It’s a double-edged sword, really. The most valuable part of being famous is that you have a voice and people will listen. I can get a lot of attention. I don’t have to rely on advertising campaigns,” she added.

The designer made her grand debut at New York Fashion Week in 2008 and said the fact that everyone thought she would fail took some pressure off her. “Everybody said, ‘Well, it’s never going to work because a celebrity can’t make a [clothing] line’. Everyone thought it was going to be rubbish [and that took] the pressure off a little bit. I didn’t go into this to prove anything to anybody other than myself,” stated Beckham.

Posh, who recently celebrated her 40th birthday, isn’t a fan of celebrity life and feels she’d rather focus on her successful fashion empire. “I like to keep my head down, work hard and focus on what I’m doing businesswise. I like to try and control how much I’m seen. I don’t want to go out and be photographed every day, you know,” she said.