Why curvy women will always score above size-zero ones?

I have often hated the media/advertising industry for the manner in which they impact our mind, brainwash our sensibilities and make us believe not just an alternate view but its exact opposite, i.e. absolute lies. No, this article is not about how penetrative advertising campaigns can blunt the human brain. I say this simply to underline the fact that the beauty industry and media seem to have joined hands with the modeling and fashion world to peddle a sinisterly twisted image of beauty. Apart from a few handful women who have been able to make peace with their actual body image, most of them remain hooked on to this manufactured perception that thinness equals beautiful.

I present a personal, and hopefully insightful, opinion on what I perceive as a psychological and health deterrent to women across the world, believing that a peek into an average male’s psyche will help them realize the truth.

My Tryst With Women & Being Attracted To Them

I recall my first crush was in standard VIII, at a time when I had just entered the pubertal years. Like most guys my age in our only-boys school (tragically true), the center of my attraction and my first, true crush was one of our Science teachers. She wasn’t thin by the beauty benchmarks existing today and I recall being obsessed and nearly worshipping her curvy, very Asian figure. Yes, it might seem that this phase of hormonal crushes cannot be counted among educated opinions but I am merely trying to present a more comprehensible picture of how most men are drawn towards fuller, curvier women from the very beginning. To my utter disgust at that time, I found that I wasn’t her only admirer. Her fan club included nearly all my classmates and nearly another 200 students, counting up to the senior grades!

Moving ahead, I have had a similar experience during my formal educational years and while working across different organizations. Nearly each guy I have known in a decade-and-a-half of observing, liking and sharing opinions about women, has indicated a clear liking for women who have bigger pouts, heavier busts, fuller cheeks and toned but slightly-curved thighs. It might seem like I am dissecting the female physique here but this is vital to help the female readers realize that men tend to yearn for them in their natural, un-dieted form and non-anorexic appearance.

In fact, I have known guys who have only dated girls who were a bit chubby! Their explanation for such nit-picking was rather simple and they were shockingly clear about their viewpoint, i.e. a bit of extra bodyweight meant that kisses were a lot rewarding and comforting, hugs felt a lot more gratifying and all over, they adored their ladies for eating without discriminating and measuring every bit of food served to them.

If you are a lady with a group of close, male friends who are honest with opinions, just ask them that between a Vidya Balan (or Scarlett Johansson) and a more fashionable and chic Posh Spice, who is more likely to arouse their erotic fantasies. Researchers across the world have repeatedly clarified that the sight of full-bodied women gives men a kind of mental high that is provided by illicit drugs or alcohol. Someone like a Kate Moss might seem like the eternal ramp queen but a Beyonce Knowles more likely to fire a guy’s fantasies. More proof in this regard comes for the ever-rising popularity of Kim Kardashian whose only claim to fame seems to be her curve-endorsing body.

Just like me, most men despise the wafer-like, skinny look equating it with being chronically obsessed with what is regarded as being progressive and having a skewed perception of one’s body image. Please note that I too don’t agree with bizarre theories of women with bigger hips being more fertile or healthier. I am simply trying to put forth an honest narrative that all men, at least those who are warm-blooded and don’t curb their natural instincts, have an inherent, in-born fondness for curvier women.

While a lady who is naturally svelte like Shilpa Shetty doesn’t need to bother about gaining/losing a few pounds, those who long for the skeletal look that Kareena Kapoor once sported, should seriously reconsider their priorities. So, if you are a lady and unless you want to become a male-repellant, why would you starve and torture yourself to attain a size zero figure? ‘Size Zero’ is precisely what it says, More Celebrity News

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Ready: Movie review

Whistle-blowers rejoice! Salman is back and this time he's ditched his belt to fiddle inside his pant pockets (read: Dhinka Chika, in case you don't have a television set at home). The thing with Salman's films is that they're in a genre of their own. A genre that cannot be graded for the story, screenplay, performances or any other metric used to evaluate other films. They can just be enjoyed or suffered, depending upon the elasticity of your tolerance. I hope you would consider this vague disclaimer before reading this review and before going to watch this monsoon musical.

But you're on this page hoping to get an idea about this film, so let's get down to business. The film is about a spoilt brat called Prem (the 14th time Salman has used this as a screen name) and his annoyingly happy family. Prem's daddy, Rajveer Kapoor (Mahesh Manjrekar) has the memory of a goldfish and he constantly portrays his disability by making vulgar physical and oral gestures to describe anything he can't re-collect. Prem also has two uncles and aunts who live together with them in their sprawling mansion spanning across Thailand, Sri Lanka and Filmcity, Goregaon. There's also a random elderly neighbour who is invariable lurking about at the Kapoor household (the only way to get into the frame?).

Cast: Salman Khan, Asin, Arya Babbar, Paresh Rawal, Puneet Issar, Mahesh Manjrekar

Anyway, the film becomes a pickled mess when a girl on the run, Sanjana (Asin) lands up at the Kapoor residence, in the guise of Prem's prospective bride. Predictably, she wins everyone's hearts with her clichéd tactics (morning bhajans, respect for elders, disrespect for Prem etc). Now, Sanjana has a dark past and even darker relations, comprising a bevy of assorted villains from the past and present who flaunt every wig in the costume box. Some of them include, Bade Mama (Sharad Saxena), Chote Mama (Akhilendra Mishra), Bade Dada (Puneet Issar) and few other non-descript Bollywood henchmen.

In Hindi films, if the good doesn't reign over evil, it can atleast trick evil into switching sides. So, the Kapoors devise the most ridiculous plan (not even worth mentioning here) to get the Chaudharys (Sanjana's uncles) to indulge in some soul cleansing, beginning with chopping off their 'chotis' (the root of all evil?).

After several songs, excessive hamming and dialogues like "Iska koi resort nahin. Isse acha hain ki aap resort book karlo" and "In that case, mere paas aaja mere suitcase", you just want to dhinka chika yourself out of the movie hall. But the movie refuses to end, as unnecessary confusions and complications pile up and you wonder if there's enough reel left to clear it all up. Luckily, your prayers are answered as this movie ends like a school play, with the dim-witted criminals realizing they've wronged and swearing to mend their ways. Sigh.

'Dhinka Chika' will surely win enough whistles and 'Character Dheela' will leave many gasping. But if you're expecting a laugh-a-thon, then you're in the wrong movie. Salman gives in his 10 percent and packages it off with 200 percent confidence and style. Asin could surely get a chance to dub for the next Chip 'n' Dale film, in case her acting career doesn't fall in place.

When you exit this film, there will be little you will take away from it, apart from Salman's pocket-fiddling and bum rubbing dance moves. But then if Anees Bazmee was interested in making meaningful cinema, he would've demonstrated the same in "No Entry", "Welcome" or "Thank You". How about, "No, Thank You" for his next multi-starrer-no-brainer?

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Cheryl Cole out of UK "X Factor" after U.S. hitch

British singer Cheryl Cole will not be appearing on the British version of "The X Factor", after reportedly being dropped from the upcoming U.S. launch of the popular TV talent show.

Reports surfaced last week that Cole, who rose to fame as a member of British girl band Girls Aloud, had been ditched from the new Fox television venture despite having had public backing from the show's creator and star judge Simon Cowell.

The reversal, which some news sites attributed to Cole's northern English accent which producers feared U.S. viewers may struggle to understand, dominated British and U.S. celebrity headlines, although it has yet to be officially confirmed.

British newspapers said that Cole, who they reported was furious at the U.S. snub, had been offered an "olive branch" of returning to the British edition of the show, which commands large audiences for broadcaster ITV.

But when the channel announced its judging lineup for the 2011 series on Monday, Cole's name did not feature.

Instead it will comprise music producer Louis Walsh, the only survivor from the 2010 panel, Take That lead singer Gary Barlow, hip-hop star Tulisa Contostavlos and U.S. singer and Destiny's Child founding member Kelly Rowland.The ITV announcement made no mention of Cole's possible involvement, and the news feed on her official website has not been updated since May 6, when she announced she would join Cowell and Antonio "L.A." Reid in judging the U.S. series.

Producers of the upcoming U.S. version of "The X Factor" again declined to comment on Tuesday on Cole's reported ouster.In the United States, former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger is expected to replace Cole on the panel. Former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul completes the judges' line-up.Source

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Who is the hottest of them all?

Kainaz sizzles in sexy red mini dress while Shreya looks stunning in blue.

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Fine films but no knockouts mark one strange Cannes festival

This was a year of some strangeness in Cannes, of one major auteur being kicked out of town, another proving invisible and yet another -- one not allowed to work or travel from his native country -- sneaking his illicit new creation into France hidden in a loaf of bread.

Even if there were a number of very fine films, the 2011 festival arguably did not yield any absolute knockouts. The more elaborate works from the heavyweights in the competition -- Terrence Malick, Lars von Trier, Pedro Almodovar, Paolo Sorrentino, Nuri Bilge Ceylan -- were among the more contentiously debated, provoking reactions across the full spectrum of critical opinion.

It seemed to vaguely disappoint his most ardent longtime admirers and is far from perfect, but Malick's "The Tree of Life" remained the film that made the strongest impression on me throughout this 64th Cannes. Artistically risky and aesthetically beautiful, it made its points impressionistically through hundreds of visual and aural pin-pricks, and I'm quite keen to see it again. Brad Pitt is terrific in it, but it's the framing material, with Sean Penn playing Pitt's grown son who doesn't get to say or think a thing, that doesn't cut it. I'm willing to bet that, had a nonstar played the son, Malick -- who cut Adrian Brody out of "The Thin Red Line" -- might have eventually decided to eliminate this material entirely but could not without causing a contractual mess and ruining a relationship.

The high-art contingent seemed highest on Turkish virtuoso Ceylan's metaphysical thriller "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia," which I had to miss but many compared to a more abstracted "Zodiac," while we all grooved on the prolific Danish genre enthusiast "Refn's Drive," a sort of thinking fan's alternative to "Fast Five." I learned here from Refn's father, who is von Trier's longtime editor and sometime assistant director, that his son spent a good part of his teenage years frequently the now-extinct grindhouses on 42nd Street in New York City, which explains a few things and makes him something of a spiritual brother to Quentin Tarantino.

Back in form, the director said, because he's drinking again after having turned out disappointing work while sober, Kaurismaki delivered one of his most delightful films in the French-language "Le Havre," in which Andre Wilms reveals a resilient inner core to his author-turned-shoeshine man that recalls such long-ago leading men as Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart and Jean Gabin. The modest and self-consciously artificial art direction also summons memories of movies past in this tale of determined selflessness and humanity.

Similar in its depiction of moments of grace and enlightenment, of an adult helping a child who has been cast to the elements, was Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's very fine "The Kid With the Bike," in which decisive moments of change or elevated insight are marked with strains of classical music. There were funny stories circulating of the child actor Thomas Doret, impressed with actress Cecile de France's reports of Clint Eastwood preferring to do only one or two takes on "Hereafter," trying to get the famously demanding Dardennes to do the same and actually succeeding in one scene where he gets hit and knocked down.

Hazanavicius's "The Artist," an "A Star Is Born"-like Hollywood seriocomedy about a silent star's decline and an actress's ascent with the arrival of talking pictures, which was moved up from a noncompeting to a Competition slot just before the festival began, is nothing if not lovingly and conscientiously done with its use of black-and-white and silent film technique. The increasing feeling is that, if the Weinstein Co. handles it with the aggressiveness and enthusiasm for which it is known, the novelty of this cinephile's delight could make it into a one-off event for the wider public.

Another oddball film with some potential is Josef Cedar's "Footnote from Israel," a flawed but compelling father-son contest set in the rarefied but -- the way the film handles it -- hardly inaccessible world of Talmudic academia.

It was not to all tastes, but I enjoyed being transported into the exotic realm of Bertrand Bonello's "L'Apollonide (House of Tolerance)," which takes place entirely in a high-end Paris bordello in 1900, just the time when such establishments were being shut down. Titillating in a different way was Almodovar's "The Skin I Live In," in which a twisted Frankenstein's monster tale is airlifted into the era of advanced scientific breakthroughs, plastic surgery and sexual identity change. This might not be one of the Spanish master's best films, but his seductive craft alone makes it more than worth seeing.

The general feeling here is that von Trier was obviously goofing and not being sincere with his Nazi comments and was probably just trying, however misguidedly, to enliven a press conference that was starting to sag at that point. If you watch the video of the press conference and don't just read the transcribed words, it's quite clear that this was a film director's lame version of a comic trying desperately for a laugh that was never going to come; he just kept digging the hole deeper, and it might be some time before he can climb out of it, if he can at all. Which leaves the uneven but unavoidably compelling "Melancholia" in a precarious spot: Will distributors dump it? Will it be protested at film festivals? Will it be harder for von Trier to find the money for his projected next film, the hardcore "The Nymphomaniac?" That's what he's worried about.

Similarly erratic was Sorrentino's nutty, sometimes funny, other times madly misguided "This Must Be the Place," in which you can't take your eyes off Penn playing a 50-year-old goth rocker who's been hiding in an Irish mansion for 20 years before taking off on a road trip in an America that's unknown to him.

Lynne Ramsay's "We Need to Talk About Kevin" is a very well made but maddeningly obvious study of a family which includes a teenage mass-killer-to-be, while Maiwenn's "Polisse," quite liked even by some highbrow critics in France, has a souped energy but feels like multiple TV episodes crammed into one overflowing pot.

The films I found perhaps the least rewarding in the Competition this year were Julia Leigh's "Sleeping Beauty" from Australia and, surprisingly, Takashi Miike's "Hara-kiri: Death of a Samurai," which, unlike last year's "13 Samurai," I found hopelessly ponderous and without a shred of relevance to a modern audience.

As for the film sneaked into Cannes in a loaf of bread, it was "This Is Not a Film," a brave and unique document from the front represented by Jafar Panahi's Tehran apartment, where he is waiting to see if he will be sent to jail. In the meantime, having been banned by Iran from making films for the next 20 years, he recorded thoughts, snippets from a proposed film and telltale sounds and images of things going on in the city beyond his windows, with a home video camera -- hence, it is not really a movie -- and managed to get them to the outside world, which will surely, deservedly and thankfully see them at numerous film festivals in the coming months. Source

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Is a Wedding Next for Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy?

Now that Prince William and Kate Middleton have officially tied the knot, all eyes are Prince Harry and girlfriend Chelsy Davy. Could the younger prince be following in his brother's footsteps and heading down the aisle soon?

Though the pair had a tumultuous relationship in the past, many believe that Harry, 26, is ready to make a commitment with Davy, 25."Harry told Chelsy he's ready to settle down for good with her and make things official," an insider revealed in the latest issue of Life & Style, on newsstands now.

The couple, who met in 2004 and split last September, rekindled their romance just in time for last month's Royal Wedding. Though rumors of Harry's infidelity and "bad boy" antics have caused problems in their relationship, friends of the couple say the prince has changed for the better.

"Harry has been accused of cheating on her in the past [which he's denied], and her friends at the time told her to ditch him because he was bad news. But now it's the opposite," a friend told the magazine, adding that the prince has talked to Davy's friends in hopes of convincing her he's different now.

Many attribute the change in Harry's behavior to his new military career and the fact that he's outgrown his youthful antics.

"Over the last 12 months, we've seen a massive shift in Harry's character," Katie Nicholl, author of 'The Making of a Royal Romance,' told Life & Style. "He's settled down a lot more -- he's not falling out of nightclubs. He takes his military career incredibly seriously and has changed his lifestyle."

But those hoping for another Royal Wedding spectacle in the near future will be disappointed. Whenever Price Harry decides to pop the question and walk down the aisle, one thing is for sure: it will be a much smaller occasion. Because Harry isn't the heir to the British throne, he and his betrothed will have fewer rules and customs to follow.

"As the spare heir, Harry wouldn't be under the same pressure as his brother to have a big public wedding," Nicholl said, noting that a more low-key affair at Windsor Castle would be a likely option, whenever the time comes.

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Bryan Adams Is a Dad!

Bryan Adams and his personal assistant, Alicia Grimaldi, are new parents to a baby girl.

"I'm really proud to announce on 22 April, Mirabella Bunny was born," Adams says in a statement to Usmagazine.com. "She arrived like all good Easter bunnies on Easter Friday. Mother and baby are both well and happy. Thanks in advance for your kind thoughts and wishes."It is the 51-year-old rocker's first child.

PHOTOS: Star dads

The politically active musician is the founder of the Bryan Adams Foundation, which aims to advance education and learning opportunities for children worldwide. He's also participated in concerts and fundraising activities since the 1980s for a variety of causes.

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Nicole Scherzinger Tapped as 'X Factor' Host?

The guessing game for 'The X Factor' continues to pick up speed and now it's the question as to who will host Simon Cowell's talent competition. While nothing is official, sources close to the show reveal it's likely that former Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger will be 'The X Factor' host.

According to PEOPLE, Scherzinger will join judges Antonio "L.A." Reid and Cowell himself on the U.S. version of the hit U.K. show, with the third judging slot yet to be filled.

Cowell appeared on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS FM radio show in March and dished about Scherzinger, saying, "I absolutely adore her. She's gorgeous and ruthlessly ambitious."

The former Pussycat Doll appeared on the U.K.'s 'The X Factor' last summer as a guest judge and wowed members of the U.K. show. Fellow judge Louis Walsh praised Scherzinger, saying, "This girl has the X Factor in every way. She was incredibly impressive and ticked every box."

There's no word on whether or not Scherzinger will have a co-host on the U.S. show, but Cowell has hinted he'd like two hosts, as opposed to Seacrest's solo 'American Idol' gig. Source

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