Rare pink diamond ring sells for 46 million dollars

A rare pink diamond has smashed the world record for a jewel sold at auction after a well-known gemstone dealer bid over USD 46 million for the precious stone. The price easily tops that of the blue 35.56-carat Wittelsbach-Graff diamond auctioned for USD 24.3 million in 2008. The 24.78 carat "fancy intense pink" diamond was sold for USD 46,158,674 by Sotheby’s in Geneva. Sotheby’s says the buyer is British diamond dealer Laurence Graff.

Estimates before the sale ranged from USD 27 to USD 38 million, excluding buyer’s commission.

Sushmita turns 35, Salman gifts a painting

Flamboyant Salman Khan gifted a paining to gorgeous damsel Sushmita Sen on her 35th birthday. Buzz has it that the painting was one of Salman’s priced possessions and the star had put it up in his house. An insider revealed, “The painting is of a man with sacred prayer beads around his fingers. Sushmita just fell in love with that painting. It was displayed prominently in Salman’s Bandra home. But when he learnt that Sushmita wanted it, he willingly parted with it and gave it to her.” The handsome hunk and the former Miss Universe have been best buddies since the ‘Biwi No.1’ days. And the fact that Salman parted with one of his favorite possessions sure proves their closeness. So we may rightly term the Salman-Sushmita bond ‘Friendship No.1’. Isn’t it?

Here’s wishing the beautiful Sushmita, a very happy birthday.

Designers excited for Middleton’s wedding dress

Ever since the engagement of Kate Middleton to Prince William has been announced, many British designers are hoping to make her wedding gown. The engagement was announced Tuesday and the news has left several designers like Jenny Packham, Suzanne Neville, Christopher Kane, Georgina Chapman and William Tempest desperate to create her D-day outfit. "Kate would look stunning in a long ivory Grecian-inspired dress incorporating drapery but at the same time being form-fitting allowing her to show her amazing figure, similar in some ways to some of the pieces from my latest spring-summer 2011 collection - The Sirens’ Song. The look should be clean and effortlessly beautiful," said Tempest.

Other designers like Jenny Packham, Suzanne Neville, Christopher Kane and Georgina Chapman are also excited to dress the royal bride.

The couple engaged in Kenya last month, and their engagement news spread like wildfire. Everyone is extremely happy for the couple who've been dating for 8 years.

Kate Middleton's engagement ring belonged to Princess Diana. Kate looked beautiful for their first pics post engagement. She wore a blue dress that matched the gorgeous engagement ring William gave her. The ring was actually very meaningful: It was the ring given by Prince Harry when he proposed to Princess Diana back in 1981.

Prince William says he didn't want his late mother to "miss out" on his special day, so he decided to give Kate that ring. It's a goregous sapphire ring with diamonds around it. It's stunning, just like Kate!

The royal wedding will take place in London next year.

Jessica Simpson to wed Eric Johnson by Christmas

Singer Jessica Simpson is reportedly planning to tie the knot with fiance footballer Eric Johnson by Christmas. The singer-actress got engaged to Johnson after a six-month romance and she is now determined to walk down the aisle over the festive period because she doesn’t want it to be overshadowed by the nuptials between her ex-husband Nick Lachey and his new fiancée Vanessa Minnillo. "She wants to beat Nick to the altar. She knows that it is going to be tough to pull everything together on such short notice, so it might have to be a New Years wedding. In any case, she wants the focus to be on her wedding. She doesn’t want her wedding to be the aftermath of his," the source said.

The "Come On Over" singer will spend a fortune on her big day as she doesn’t want to be upstaged by Nick and Vanessa, who announced their engagement two weeks before Jessica and Eric.

An insider added, "It will be big and elaborate. She’ll spare no expensive for fear that Nick and Vanessa will outdo her. She’s already started planning everything and has every family member working on her big day."

Jessica Simpson representatives Lauren Auslander and Cindi Berger tell reporters that the singer and sometime actress is engaged to former NFL player Eric Johnson.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after Jessica Simpson’s former husband and "Newlyweds" co-star Nick Lachey announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo.

The 30-year-old Simpson and 31-year-old Johnson -who played for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints - have been dating since May.

Simpson and Lachey split in 2005 after three years of marriage.

JK Rowling voted most inspiring businesswoman

Harry Potter’ writer JK Rowling has been voted as the most inspiring businesswoman. Rowling’s tales about the boy wizard have made her millions since the first book hit shelves in 1997. She has beaten Oprah Winfrey and Victoria Beckham to top the list of star who inspires London residents to become their own boss. Media mogul Winfrey and singer-turned-designer Beckham, who stood at fifth and sixth respectively, came behind "Girls Aloud" star Cheryl Cole, who was voted fourth. Singing sisters Dannii and Kylie Minogue also made the top ten - taking ninth and tenth places respectively in the poll by website OfficeCavalry.com.

Cole and Minogue’s fellow The ‘X Factor’ judge Simon Cowell came second on the men’s survey, behind businessman and TV star Alan Sugar.

Carey Mulligan to romance Leonardo DiCaprio

British actress Carey Mulligan has fought off competition from Scarlett Johansson and Blake Lively to land the role of Leonardo DiCaprio’s lover in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of ‘The Great Gatsby’. The ‘Titanic’ star has been cast as Jay Gatsby in the movie adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s literary masterpiece and rumours were rife over which actress would sign on as love interest Daisy Buchanan. ‘Gossip Girl’ beauty Lively was linked to the role after she was spotted enjoying a business dinner with DiCaprio and Luhrmann in New York City earlier this month while movie insiders claimed Johansson and Michelle Williams were also in the running. Luhrmann has now confirmed ‘An Education’ star Mulligan will portray Buchanan after impressing the director with her audition.

"Regarding the role of Daisy Buchanan, I was privileged to explore the character with some of the world’s most talented actresses, each one bringing their own particular interpretation, all of which were legitimate and exciting.

"However, specific to this particular production of ‘The Great Gatsby’, I was thrilled to pick up the phone an hour ago to the young Oscar-nominated British actress Carey Mulligan and say to her, ‘Hello, Daisy Buchanan’," he said.

Scarlett Johansson named Babe of The Year

Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson has been named Babe of the Year by America’s GQ magazine. The ‘Iron Man’ star was conferred the title for her versatility and willingness to try new things. "At 26, she remains fresh-faced, curious, trying on new moods and outlets of expression as easily as she changes her hair colour. This is what we love about Scarlett: that she’s game, that she’s good, that she can try on all these guises without seeming to try too hard," stated the magazine.

"And all the while still seems genuinely like the observant, inquisitive and very cute girl in transition we fell for in ‘Lost in Translation’," it added.

Charlotte Church resembles Brit women most

A survey of iPhone users has found that Welsh singer Charlotte Church is the celebrity British women are most likely to resemble. According to developers of the Celebalike app, which can be downloaded on to the smart phones, 20 percent of people are regularly told they bear a resemblance to a famous face. The app also measures facial features from a photograph and then reveals which celebrity the user comes closest to. Where men are concerned, the app showed that while most men think they share football star David Beckham’s good looks, the truth is they look more like comedian Peter Kay.

The top ten most common female look-alikes are:

Charlotte Church, Kate Garraway, Cheryl Fergison, Natalie Cassidy, Cherie Blair, Samantha Cameron, Madonna, Fearne Cotton, Myleene Klass, Deborah Meadon.

For men, the top ten most common look-alikes are:

Peter Kay, David Cameron, Richard Hammond, Chris Moyles, Prince Harry, Tiger Woods, Adrian Chiles, Frank Lampard, James Corden, Usher.

“The app has been a huge success and people are downloading it in their droves to see which celebrity they look like,” said a Celebalike spokesman.

“Many people often get told they have a resemblance to certain stars, so now they can find out for sure,” he added.

No plan for Wedding: Priyanka Chopra

She may be one of the most eligible single women in tinsel town, but getting married figures nowhere on the agenda of National Award winning actress Priyanka Chopra. The 28 year old says she is too young for it. Priyanka is in fact "amused" by recent rumours that she has given in to her parents’ incessant requests to get married. "It’s actually quite amusing how much momentum this particular rumour has gathered. But it’s completely ridiculous. Of course, like any girl I’d want to be married some day but for god’s sake I’m only in my 20s and for an actress that’s like being a teenager," said Priyanka. Nevertheless, she admits her parents want her to settle down. "My parents have been wanting me to be married since I was born and have been coaxing me since I was old enough to understand the concept. Like any normal Punjabi family," she said.

But does she see herself married in the next five years?

"I don’t plan my life, so I don’t know. It will happen whenever the right guy comes along and sweeps me off my feet, whenever destiny permits," quipped Priyanka, who was seen in her rough and tough avatar in the reality TV show, "Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 3".

The former Miss World is counted among the most formidable actresses of the current generation and reached the peak of her career with projects like "Fashion", "Dostana" and "Kaminey".

She is enjoying her success, awaiting her upcoming releases, and busy working hard for her new projects, which hardly leaves her with time to mingle with people. She feels her celebrity status, at times, makes it difficult to meet good men.

Besides, Priyanka says she has no hang-ups about the background of the person she will marry.

Priyanka has been previously linked with three actors - Harman Baweja, Shahid Kapoor and Hollywood star Gerard Butler, but she prefers not to comment.

She said: "I have never felt the need to discuss my personal life. I never have and never will until there is something or someone substantial to say something about!"

In the meantime, work is all that’s on her mind.

Her forthcoming projects include Vishal Bharadwaj’s "Saat Khoon Maaf", in which she plays a femme fatale who kills her seven spouses.

She will also be seen with superstar Shah Rukh Khan once again in "Don 2 - The Chase Continues", the sequel to the 2006 "Don - The Chase Begins Again". Both films are slated for release in 2011.

She has also signed up for Anurag Basu’s "Silence", and will be featuring with Ranbir once again.

Salman Khan donates bone marrow

Salman Khan is one brave heart hunk, for the actor has become the first bone marrow donor in the country. Known for his generosity and charitable work, the often misunderstood Khan has once again kept up his promise by donating his bone marrow for a little girl Pooja, who was in need of a bone marrow transplant. The act just comes days after the actor had pledged to Marrow Donor Registry, India, to donate his bone marrow if a need may arise. And Salman is not alone here. His brother Arbaaz Khan too joined him in the noble task. Confirming the news, Dr. Sunil Parekh who is on the board of MDRI said, "The people suffering from disease and I thank Salman Khan for coming forward and taking up our cause. Four years ago, Salman had read about Pooja, a little girl who was in need of bone marrow transplant. He got his entire football team to come and donate marrow. Unfortunately, they all backed out last minute, and only Salman and Arbaaz landed up donating and became the first donors”.

Talking about the little help they received from the government, Dr Parekh said, "We made a foolish mistake to depend on the government in 2004. We didn’t get the right help."

Addressing the problems that make bone marrow donation a problem in India, Salman said, "We have only 5000 donors currently. It’s not merely the lack of awareness; it’s our attitude that’s also the problem. And this will make us responsible for patients’ lives. Donate marrow and save a life. It’s just like a blood test and doesn’t take time. I know some people are scared of blood tests too but it’s time to become a little brave and make a big difference."

Aishwarya Rai keen to work with Rituparno Ghosh

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai is looking forward to working again with national award winning director Rituparno Ghosh. "I loved working with Rituda. It was a wonderful experience. I loved being Binodini in his ‘Chokher Bali’. Even working with him in ‘Raincoat’ was a brilliant experience. I am looking forward to experiencing it again. So far my schedules have not permitted," said Aishwarya while addressing a promotional of ‘Guzaarish’. In ‘Chokher Bali’, Aishwarya played a young beautiful widow Binodini who falls in love with a married man Mahendra, played by Prosenjit Chatterjee. The film revolved around the characters of Binodini, Mahendra, Mahendra’s wife Ashalata, played by Raima Sen. The film received the 2004 National Film Award for best feature film in Bengali.

‘Raincoat’ was a story of two lovers Neeru, played by Aishwarya, and Manu, played by Ajay Devgan, who were separated by fate. The film won the National Film Award for best feature film in Hindi in 2005.

"Rituda is also a very dear friend. He has discussed a lot of subjects with me. Recently we met at the national awards ceremony. He was asking me when we can work together again. I told him ‘you tell me, Rituda’," she said.

"I was very busy for the last two years. I am looking forward to working with him. So let’s see what lies in store," added Aishwarya.

Pamela Anderson enters Bigg Boss 4

Pamela Anderson, who will enter Colors TV channel’s reality show ‘Bigg Boss 4’ on Wednesday for a three-day visit as a guest, says she is "excited" about the show as well as her first visit to India. The 43 year old, known for her curvaceous body, will reach Lonavala, where the show is being shot. "Namaste India! I am very excited to come to India and meet the ‘Bigg Boss’ housemates. Actually it’s my first visit so I hope I will be able to get some impressions of the country during my stay," Anderson said. The Hollywood celebrity, who has done TV series like "Home Improvement" and "V.I.P" and used her international fame for social causes, is the first American citizen to be invited to "Bigg Boss", the Indian version of international show "Big Brother".

The ongoing season of the show, being hosted by Bollywood star Salman Khan, has already been full of surprises with the choice of contestants, the catfights, romances and a wedding.

"With Salman as the host and eclectic mix of housemates, we have kept millions of Indian viewers glued-on to their TV sets for the last couple of weeks. With Pamela Anderson coming as a celebrity guest, the glamour quotient of the show will go up several notches," said Ashvini Yardi, head of programming, Colors.

’Bigg Boss 4’ currently has Indian celebrities like actors Ashmit Patel, Manoj Tiwari, Shweta Tiwari, Sara Khan, Sameer Soni, Dolly Bindra, model Hrishant Goswami, WWE wrestler The Great Khali and former dacoit Seema Parihar.