Meet the new iPhone 4. Actually, you can't meet it in person since it's not here yet. As you already know, five lucky countries are expected to get it on 24 June while the rest will continue waiting. See which operators have already confirmed the availability date of the upcoming iPhone 4.

The five countries who'll first have the chance to get a taste of the iPhone 4 are USA, France, Germany, UK and Japan. Pre-orders in all 5 start on 15 June and a few days later, on 24 June, the phone will hit the stores.

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Apple iPhone 4

There have been some rumors involving Verizon Wireless' name into the list of operators selling the thing across the USA. but as you may have already heard, AT&T will continue to be the only one (for now).

AT&T is also the only company to announce the iPhone 4 prices. The iPhone 4 16GB will cost you 199 USD while the doubled memory capacity (iPhone 4 32GB) will cost you another 100 USD (299 USD). The new iPhone 3GS 8GB will sell for 99 USD. Of course, a new 2-year contract with AT&T comes along with the phone.

By the way, all current AT&T customers whose contracts expire this the year have been made eligible for an iPhone 4 upgrade (previously you needed to have 3 months or less remaining on your contract).

There are no surprises in Germany, too . T-Mobile remains the only operator there to have a contract with Apple. If you feel for the iPhone 4 and T-Mobile's tariff's seem fair enough to you, you can pre-order your new phone next Tuesday. Again T-Mobile, but this time in the Netherlands, will offer its customers Apple's iPhone 4. There is no word on availability date or price tag.

As for Japan, if you live there, you'll have to wait for 24 June to come. This is the day when the iPhone 4 will show up in SoftBank's stores.

The guys in France have a much wider choice of carriers: Orange, SFR, and Bouygues Telecom are all rumored to be offering the Apple smartphone. So far, Orange is the only company to officially confirm that, but official statements from the other carriers are expected soon.

There are three companies currently serving iPhones in the UK and all three of them will get the upcoming iPhone 4: O2, Orange and Vodafone. But guess what! Surprise, surprise: T-Mobile UK customers will get to enjoy the iPhone 4 as well.

Last but not least, there is already an official confirmation that (at least) three operators in Canada will get Apple's latest gadget sometime in July. Those are Rogers, TELUS and Bell.
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The sultry Jiah Khan is steadily making headway in filmdom. She debuted with the controversial Nishabd opposite the very-senior Amitabh Bachchan and followed it with a meaningful role in Ghajini.

The dusky actress is known for her alluring persona and trademark curly tresses. After charming Indian audiences, she has set her sights on the West. After Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Jiah is the next Bollywood celebrity to head for Hollywood.

The sultry lady is slated to appear in not one but two international productions. A source told us that one is an adaptation of an English play.

. Jiah naturally is thrilled to be working in international venture. She is tight-lipped about the details but reveals that both films are mega enterprises with a global appeal. Reportedly, she has been offered roles even before she was seen in Nishabd but she turned them down as she couldn't relate to them.

Now that the right opportunity has come along, she is all for it! On being quizzed if she was the leading lady, the stunner retorted that the concept of leading lady is different in the West.

She is of opinion that in Hollywood, one can cast three top actresses together and have them all playing important characters! Point taken, Ms. Khan! The girl has sure mastered the art of diplomacy!.
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There are rumors floating around that country singer Chely Wright has made a big personal revelation to People Magazine. Find out what I am talking about plus learn more about Chely, which of course includes pictures and a video. TMZ is reporting that country singer Chely Wright has come out to People Magazine. Yep supposedly the big announcement will be in next weeks issue of the magazine. Now if this really is fact and not fiction it will be interesting to see how Chely’s fans react, I mean fans of this genre of music tend to be a little more conservative. However I am a fan of Chely and her music and I say you go girl. I think she is a great role model whether this rumor is true or not. . Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri Chely grew up with music in her blood. She began singing in local bands at the young age of 11, she even started her own band as a young teen. After being part of the Ozark Jubilee in Branson Missouri during highschool Chely took a chance and auditioned for and got a position in the Opryland USA. During that time she honed her writing and singing skills and she was eventually signed by Mercury/Polygram. Wright released her first album in 1996 while attending Middle Tennessee State University. In 1997 Chely had her first major hit with Shut Up and Drive, this was after she ended up signing with MCA Nashville records. It was her fourth album Single White Female that really earned her attention, recognition and respect in the music industry. After that she began working with big names in the business like Brad Paisley and Diamond Rio. Wright eventually ended up starting her own record label and has had constant success as an independent artist. Her memoir Like Me is set to be released on May 4th. If the rumor that Chely Wright is coming out is true she will be the first country singer to come out. However beyond this latest news about her Wright is an amazingly talented artist who has earned the respect of many in the music world and you see why from the below video..
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Shreya Narayan, who plays the leading lady opposite Sukhwinder Singh in Kuchh Kariye tells Jyothi Venkatesh that Ash isn't her inspiration but actresses who have sustained themselves in the field of acting beyond their ages and beauty like Merryl Streep, who at the age of 63 is still playing the lead in Hollywood blockbusters.
Is Kuchh Kariye your first film as an actress? What is your role in it?
Kuchh Kariye is not my debut film as an actress. I had made my debut with Ek Dastak in the lead with Vasundhara Das and Narendra Jha three years ago but felt that I was yet another actress in the film and hence decided to take a break and now am re-emerging with Kuchh Kariye. I play the role of Alpana, who wants to explore her talent as a singer though she is living as a live in partner in a small town like Dehra Dun with the well known singer Rishi, played by Sukhwinder, who is making his debut with the film as a leading man. Rishi is already a well known singer. Alpana and Rishi decide to migrate to Mumbai to explore their potential.
To what extent do you relate to your character in the film, in real life? Till a few years ago, Alpana in the film was actually me, unsure and trying to explore myself in the field of education. I could easily identify with the milieu in which the film has been set and the insecurities which Alpana undergoes and hence I could relate to Alpana. I confess that though I did my education as per my parents' desire, I became a rebel and told my parents that I wanted to be an actress. I am glad that I was lucky to have got an opportunity to pursue what I wanted to.
Considering the fact you hail from Bihar, were you allowed to do what you wanted?
My grand mother was the grand niece of India's first ever President Dr Rajendra Prasad. Women in our family did what they wanted to do and were never told what they should do.
What do you think is important for a girl to become an actress- beauty or talent? Though I do not think that beauty is a criterion to be an actress, I know that till you get many opportunities here, even talent isn't considered important. You learn through awareness from life. I learnt that acting isn't elusive and you can learn it, even if it isn't in your blood. I learnt acting from Neeraj Kabhi. Kareena or for that matter Karisma Kapoor are not great actresses just because of their talent but because they belong to the Kapoor family.
How is Sukhwinder, who is a good singer, as an actor?
Sukhi observed all of us on the sets almost for a week and after a week, he picked up nuances of acting and even turned the table on us by proving to be even better than all of us. Sukhi is not required as an actor to show off his body in the film because the character that he plays does not require him to do so. In any case, I think that the lean era is now in as far as men are concerned. What is your take on love and lust? When you are in love, you should build some thing together and work on the same goal. There should be an ideological meeting point when two people are in love. I feel that love without respect is nothing. It is like a meal which you enjoy just once. Lust is just transitory. It is something which just fades away sooner than you think it will.
Are you okay as far as a live in relationship is concerned?
A place becomes small not because of hemisphere but according to your thinking. A live in relationship is quite possible in Dehra Dun or even Mussoorie but not in Bareilly or for that matter Muzaffarpur. I do not believe that you have to be married to live with some one you love. What one does spontaneously is more important than following the diktats of the traditions and rituals.
To what extent, are you ready to flaunt your skin on the screen?
For me body is just another vehicle of an actor. If I play a prostitute, I'd be ready to titillate a part of the character. If I play a diva or a swimmer, I'd be game to appear in a two piece bikini too, because I like to be true to my character. Though as an actor, I do not have inhibitions, as Shreya Narayan, I have inhibitions in real life, because the character I play in a film could be bold but I am not as bold as Mallika Sherawat is. Mallika has a different sensibility than most of the other actresses.
Does it mean that you are not scared of the syndrome of the casting couch?
To tell you the truth, in the first few years after I came from Delhi, I would not even go to meet people because I was scared of the casting couch. The more confident I became of myself, the more did I lose my fears, because I came to know myself. I worked a lot on my mind and insecurities. Fame is the test that you have to pass. Till you become famous, you will continue to be humiliated. After you become famous, you will be judged. Hence it is difficult for me to be in comfort zone as an actor, because people will always test you to know what kind of a person you are and what kind of milieu do you come from. They think you are easily available, if you are an actress. It helps me that I have a mind of my own and am assertive. I do not get frazzled in front of people because I cannot be made to feel lesser. I have been a loner but never lonely.
Which are the films that you have up your sleeves now?
I am acting in Maqsad directed by Sudanshu Jha, as an ACP, with Parveen Dabas and Yashpal Sharma as my co-actors. I am also acting in Tanu Weds Manu opposite Jimmy Shergill, beside a small role in Prakash Jha's Rajneeti. I may also be doing a mini series in Hindi for BBC. It will be an adaptation of a cult show in BBC, UK. I believe in the sensitivity that acting is bigger than big names and therefore I believe that it will make me stay longer. Ash isn't my inspiration but actresses who have sustained themselves in the field of acting beyond their ages and beauty like Meryl Strep who at the age of 63 is still playing the lead in Hollywood blockbuster.
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There are few films, a star does for friendship and some with the lure of working under a big banner, irrespective of their content. An extremely choosy actor Shahid Kapoor after giving big hits like Vivaah, Jab We Met and Kaminey has been giving duds like Dil Bole Hadippa (Yash Raj Films), Chance Pe Dance (UTV) and an equally bad follow up with Paathshaala. Shahid’s friendship with producer of the film, ace choreographer Ahmed Khan is well known. But still we wish, he should have not blindly trusted his buddy when it came to a film! Shahid plays Rahul Prakash Udyawar the new English teacher joining Saraswati Vidya Mandir, a school established in 1941. Since the school doesn’t have a music teacher, he ends up being one as well. He gets help in this from the school's nutritionist-cum-admin girl, Anjali Mathur (Ayesha Takia). School principal Aditya Sahay (Nana Patekar). Anjali ends up falling for Rahul during this process. Sahay who has nurtured the school for 32 years, cannot see it going down financially. So, he gives in to the management's demands of generating more revenue by commercialising the operations of the school.

This is met with intense opposition from the teachers, but they eventually have to comply to save their respective jobs. The school management even decides t hired PR experts to change its image.

Thus began, film and ad shoots happen on campus wherein students are used as extras. And before they know it, all kids have to now keep aside studies for 10 days and prepare for a reality show audition.

The rest of the film is about how the reality show thing tortures the students and how Rahul stands against it.

Director Milind Ukey who gave us the very lovable animated film Hanuman has got a good topical subject on hand but falters big time in the script written by producer Ahmed Khan himself.

While it identifies the problems perfectly, a proper solution is not offered in the end. Also what happens to the school finally is also not made clear.

Bad dialogues are made only worse by loud acting by most of the cast. Certain emotional scenes leave you either bored or end up making you laugh. Hanif Sheikh’s music barring the Lucky Ali number Aye Khuda is nothing much to praise about.

In an attempt to showcase how education goes for a toss in private schools as the managements aims to earn the extra buck the makers also don’t lose out a chance to make a satire out of the media, shifting focus from his original aim.

The pathetic climax is unintentionally hilarious with no conclusion to what happened to the villains of commercialization and all suddenly become well!

Shahid Kapoor and Nana Patekar are the only saving graces of the film with their well nuanced performances. The rest including Ayesha Takia don’t really make a difference. The child stars are just about okay.
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