Not wanted: NRI dulha
The slowdown has had a spillover on the wedding mart too. The NRI groom may not be the most suitable boy anymore
"IT is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife," said Jane Austen in her classic Pride and Prejudice. But what happens when the fortunes are not that good? Simple. The search for a bride, once a cakewalk, suddenly becomes an arduous task. This is what is exactly happening to our desi boys (read NRI grooms). The latest to be the hit by the great US slowdown is the NRI shaadi business as an increasing number of wannabe NRI bahus are having second thoughts of crossing the seven seas to 'get settled'.

Call waiting, but life’s not on hold
Youngsters affected by the meltdown are taking it in their stride
They couldn't have asked for anything better. An assured job even before completing graduation seemed to be the best thing to have happened to these engineering students. And what followed was quite expected. Late night parties, gheri rounds and, on a little serious note, counseling friends, who weren't bright or lucky enough to crack the aptitude tests became their routine. Indeed, life appeared to be in the best gear until the Lehman brothers in America turned turtle. What happened then is now old news. Some anticipated it, some did not, thinking that the effect won't trickle down to such an extent. But it did.

Great expectations
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman will walk the red carpet in Sydney for the world premiere of their highly anticipated epic movie Australia on November 18. The movie's director Baz Luhrmann and his wife, production designer Catherine Martin, young indigenous actor Brandon Walters and other Australian celebrities will join them at the George Street Greater Union cinemas in Sydney's CBD.

Australia, the much-awaited epic movie, releases on November 26 

Spoilt to splurge
Mariah Carey is going to have all her diva demands met at the World Music Awards in Monaco. The organisers are planning to spoil her-they are going to spend 10,000 pounds on a private jet that will pick her after her X Factor performance and take her to Monaco for the 20th anniversary celebrations, say sources.

The fat revelation
Hollywood actor Kate Winslet has revealed that her fat childhood made her believe that she would never make it to the world called Hollywood. In an interview, the Revolutionary Road actor said that she still feels, she can't be the part of the entertainment industry as she is fat. "I was fat. I didn't know any fat famous actor, I just did not see myself in that world at all, and I'm being very sincere. You know, once a fat kid, always a fat kid," she said.

Playboy comes lately
Leonardo DiCaprio says he's a 'slow starter' with women Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has said that he's an introvert when it comes to women - and as a result he was never too successful with the ladies while he was young. The Beach actor may have dated women like Helena Christensen, Gisele Budchen and Bar Rafaeli, but he is not a smooth talker with women, the star himself says.

Spoof queen
Heidi Klum spoofs Tom Cruise in commercial London, German supermodel Heidi Klum has spoofed Hollywood actor Tom Cruise's air guitar scene from a 1980s movie Risky Business in a new advertisement for a series of music video games Guitar Hero. Klum slides into action wearing just her underwear and a shirt (which she takes off in the editor's cut version) and strums along to American rock and roll singer Bob Seger's classic Old Time Rock and Roll, like Cruise did in the movie.

Top of the charts
Popstar Britney Spears has released the cover and track listing of her comeback album Circus. The Toxic hitmaker has already released the first song of the album called Womanizer.

A future after playing the past
Yet another cliché, but true nevertheless. If you are destined for something, then no matter how, you'll get it. Aman Dhaliwal, a name that may not ring a bell at first, bears testimony to this. A guy from a small town, Mansa, he struggled quiet a big in the glamour world that has lured millions before finally reaching the ultimate destination of glitz-seekers: Bollywood. Well, his story is short and sweet, and he unfolds it for us.

Playing Rajkumar Ratan Singh in the movie Jodhaa Akbar was a dream come true for Aman Dhaliwal

The Lions strike a pose with roses at the inauguration of the new high resolution video and music sections of SantaBanta.com at Voodoo-26 on Tuesday evening

An ICL player signs an autograph for a cricket fan at the venue.

Launch Pad
Collection 2008
ITC's Wills Lifestyle presents an exquisite collection for this ensuing autumn-winter. The nationwide chain of speciality stores offers a complete fashion wardrobe comprising Wills Signature Designer wear, Wills Classic formal wear, Wills Sport relaxed wear, Wills Clublife evening wear and complementing fashion accessories for both men and women.

Spice up
Skin deep
Whatever the type or texture of your skin, it requires thorough cleansing. Before it is cleansed, the skin surface is covered with a film of dirt, stale sweat and oil deposits, stale make-up and pollutants. All these are potent skin irritants. They not only upset the normal balance of the skin, but also hamper its natural functions. Cleansing assumes even more importance to city dwellers, who have to contend with an increasingly polluted environment.

Write to Renee
I am a girl from Kerala engaged to a boy from Chandigarh. We seem to have too many quarrels between the two of us. All this is happening because of a woman who works in his office in Thailand. He has told me that she is a partner and nothing more but whenever I answer her phone call she gets annoyed with me and curses my fiancée. She told me that my fiancée has told her that I am his employee in the Chandigarh office but that is not true. My fiancée asks me not to talk to her. I know he loves me more than anything else in the world. I have told him to talk to her in front of me but he doesn't listen. I wonder if this process will continue all my life. I can't leave him as by now all my relatives know him.

TOON TOUR On a visit to India, Walt Disney’s cartoon characters are ensuring they entertain one and all.
It’s cartoon-cartoon all the way, Mickey with Minni and Goffy share the stage	Performing at a programme in Delhi, Donald Duck shakes a leg in his typical style