Cate Blanchett is Nervous?

Oscar nominated actress Cate Blanchett is nervous?

Cate Blanchett has "butterflies" in her stomach on the day of the Oscars.

The actress is up for her sixth Academy Award this year, after being nominated for Best Actress for her role in Blue Jasmine, and she acknowledges she will be particularly nervous on the day.

Cate - who previously won Best Supporting Actress for her role in 2004's 'The Aviator' - said: "A lot of effort goes into effortlessness of walking up that marathon red carpet. I wake up with butterflies in my stomach. You never know the outcome. It has been an extraordinary year in films, so to be at the banquet is a privilege." Cate, 44, also admits if she was like her character in 'Blue Jasmine' - who loses her fortune and has to adapt to a normal life - she wouldn't have the same difficulties as those around her keep her grounded.

She told OK! magazine: "Fortunately I have the most extraordinarily supportive family and friends, and my identity is not based on either my work or any of this."

Cate Blanchett Short Biography

Actress

Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress who has received several accolades, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three BAFTAs, and an Academy Award. 

Born: May 14, 1969 (age 44), Ivanhoe, Melbourne, Australia

Height: 1.74 m

Spouse: Andrew Upton (m. 1997)

Awards: Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, more

Children: Roman Robert Upton, Ignatius Martin Upton, Dashiell John Upton

Jean Kent: Suffolk Gainsborough Melodramas Actress Dies

Film and television actress Jean Kent, one of Britain's biggest stars in the 1940s and 1950s, has died. She was injured in a fall at her home in Westhorpe, Suffolk, and died at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds at 03:40 GMT. Her death was announced by a close family friend, author and former film critic Michael Thornton. Her last public appearance was in 2011 when she was honoured by the British Film Institute on her 90th birthday.

Mr Thornton said: "I knew Jean for more than 50 years. She was a feisty, funny, outspoken character who never took herself too seriously. "She knew what it meant to be a star and regarded it as her job to live up to that position and never to disappoint the public." Kent's career included regular appearances in Gainsborough melodramas, which were popular with large numbers of newly-independent women following the outbreak of the Second World War. She made 45 films and during her career starred alongside Marilyn Monroe, Michael Redgrave and Laurence Olivier.

'Bodice-ripping melodramas'
Born in Brixton, south London on 29 June, 1921, she was the only child of variety performers Norman Field and Nina Norre. As a 13-year-old she performed at the Windmill Theatre in London's West End.
Jean Kent. Kent also appeared in serious dramas like The Browning Version. Kent met her husband Josef Ramart on the set of Caravan and they married four months later in 1946, with Stuart Granger as best man. They bought a farm near Sudbury, Suffolk in the 1950s and stayed there for 20 years until they moved to Westhorpe. Her husband died in 1989.

Kent also had a television career, which started in the mid-1930s in a musical called The Ship In The Bay which was broadcast live. Her post-war television appearances included roles in Up Pompeii!, Crossroads and Lovejoy. Mr Thornton added: "Because she became one of the most famous stars of the Gainsborough era, with its bodice-ripping melodramas, she was underrated as an actress. But she was a great actress."
Speaking on her 90th birthday she told the BBC she was still available for work."Oh yes, I'd work like a shot, as long as I didn't have to walk," she said.

Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher Finalise Divorce?

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher

Actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher have reportedly signed their divorce papers. They have come to an agreement to finalise their divorce after a near two-year court battle, and are expected to file the documents imminently, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

The duo ended their marriage in 2011 and Kutcher filed for divorce in November last year. "Ashton and Demi have finally signed their divorce agreement. They are about to file paperwork with the court that will formally end their marriage," New York newspaper quoted a source as saying.

Kutcher and Moore ended their six-year-long marriage when the former was caught cheating on her. He is currently in a relationship with actress Mila Kunis.

Eva Longoria's 'steamy lesbian scene' with female co-star in new flick

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Actress Eva Longoria has shot a series of same-sex love scenes with fellow co-star Kate Del Castillo for her new flick.

The 'Desperate Housewives' beauty is seen locking lips with Castillo in the comedy flick 'Without Men'.

The brunette duo then step it up a gear as Castillo passionately pecks at her onscreen love interest's bare chest.

Longoria is then seen arching her head back in appreciation before the pair take matters into the bedroom, sending pulses racing as they writhe around under the sheets.

In the film, which is an adaptation of the novel 'Tales of the Town of Widows' by James Canon, Longoria stars as a strong-willed woman who is forced to take charge of her remote Latin American village when all the men are forced to join communist guerrillas.

Stylish Hair Style Tips

Hide your bad hair days and twist your locks in an elegant bun for a stylish look,

The humble bun has undergone a makeover. From being a simple and effective way to beat the hot and humid weather, more and more women are finding a more stylish approach to the hairstyle. With Hollywood beauties like Salma Hayek, Sienna Miller, Jennifer Lopez and Jessica Alba elegantly teaming the high bun with their red-carpet gowns and dresses, it’s no wonder then that most women are following suit.

The top knot lends itself equally beautifully to the Indian traditional ensemble. Knotting your hair up can help flaunt a sexy backless choli, enhance your cheekbones and facial features and give added height. Like most styles, this can be adapted to the occasion and the wearer, so whether you like yours right on top, tilted to the left or right side, with a plaited touch or the messy bun effect, there’s plenty you can experiment with.
Hairstylist Placid Braganza says the top knot is a classic comeback with a modern feel. “It’s more relaxed and loose than the traditional buns or chignons of the yesteryears. It looks almost accidental but still stylized and finished. It suits almost any woman with some attitude. In Hollywood, I think Angelina Jolie and Julia Roberts rock the look,” he adds. One quick and easy way to ape the look, is to hold all the strands together at the nape of your neck and then secure with a rubberband. Work many tiny sections from the ponytail and secure them with pins to create your desired look.

Women with long hair often complain that it looks very flat and hence this knotted look can add some body and bounce to the wearer, feels stylist Perry Patel. “It can give a very classy sleek look and is perfect for the evening. Since this updo requires the hair to be tied back it emphasizes the face and can make someone with a rounder face look more round. However, it also gives a much needed confidence boost,” he says.
Leaving your hair loose can become boring over a period of time as there is only so much you can do with it, says make-up and hair stylist Ruhee Bindra. Instead, she suggests tying it up to give a more formal and graceful look. “The high bun was very popular with actresses in the 80’s and now has made a stylish comeback. B-town babes like Deepika Padukone, Dia Mirza and Neha Dhupia who have well-defined jawlines can really carry it off well. It accentuates the facial features and makes the face look longer and slimmer,” she says. Ruhee feels the best way to do this look is by creating a messy unkempt bun. Those with straight hair, can use tongs to get the wavy effect.

Women with natural curls just need to use some mousse and scrunch, then lift strands together and secure them with a pretty diamonte clip or pin. With your hair secured back, this is the ideal time to play around with heavier make-up. “Go for eyeshadow in shades of gold, peacock green or purple and bright fuchsia pink or red lips,” adds Ruhee.

My perfect woman would be mix of Cheryl, Katy: Justin Bieber

My perfect woman would be mix of Cheryl, Katy: Justin Bieber

Singer Justin Bieber, who is currently single and looking for a girlfriend, says his perfect woman would be a mix of Cheryl Cole and Katy Perry.

"Cheryl Cole and Katy Perry are two of the hottest girls in the world and so normal and funny with it," The Sun quoted him as saying. "If I was a few years older, they are the kind of girls I'd like to date. I want a younger version of Cheryl and Katy - a mixture of the two would be hot."

"Maybe they could coach me and tell me how to work out which ones are the good ones. That would be pretty awesome. I would like to invite the two of them out for dinner so they can tell me the best way to win a woman like them," he added.

Source: IANS

The Hurt Locker scores upset in an Oscar night that makes history

Kathryn Bigelow (left) reacts after winning best director for her film The Hurt Locker at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, Calif., on March 7, 2010. The Hurt Locker also won best picture.

It was a historic night at the Academy Awards.

The Hurt Locker, the low-budget, low-grossing war film about bomb-disposal experts in Iraq, with only $20 million in worldwide box office, won six Oscars Sunday night, including best picture. Filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman in the academy’s 82-year history to be named best director.

“It’s the moment of a lifetime,” she said, dedicating the award to the soldiers who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. “May they come home safe.”

Her controversial film — which is the subject of a lawsuit and complaints about its authenticity— beat the $2.5-billion-dollar blockbuster Avatar, which won just three awards: for visual effects, cinematography and art direction. The main Oscars turned out to be made of unobtanium for director James Cameron who, in a coincidence that could happen only in Hollywood, is Bigelow’s former husband.

Mark Boal’s script for The Hurt Locker was named best original screenplay — Boal dedicated the award to the American troops in Iraq — and it also won the awards for film editing, sound editing and sound mixing.

Sandra Bullock won the Oscar as best actress for her performance as the tough-minded Southern socialite who helps a homeless black teenager in The Blind Side. The night before, Bullock won the Razzie award for worst performance of the year in All About Steve, making her the first performer in history to win a Razzie and an Oscar in the same year.

“Did I really earn this, or did I just wear you all down?” she asked, paying tribute to the other nominees — who included Meryl Streep, celebrating her 16th nomination (and 14th defeat) — and her mother for not letting her ride in cars with boys until she was 18, “because she was right: I would have done what she said I was going to do.” Bullock took time out of her thank-yous to tell George Clooney she still hasn’t forgiven him for throwing her into a pool several years ago.

Jeff Bridges celebrated his fifth nomination with his first Oscar for his performance as the alcoholic, womanizing country singer Bad Blake in the country-music drama Crazy Heart.

“Thank you, mom and dad, for turning me on to such a groovy profession,” Bridges said, looking skyward. He said his father, the late actor Lloyd Bridges, taught him the basics of acting for a role in his 1950s TV series, Sea Hunt.

Mo’Nique, best known as a comedienne and talk-show host, was named best supporting actress. She won for her harrowing portrayal of the abusive and pathetic mother in Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, a performance that breathed life into one of the most monstrous parents ever portrayed on screen. The actress — born Monique Imes — thanked the academy for showing “it can be about the performance and not the politics.” Precious also won an Oscar for Geoffrey Fletcher’s adapted screenplay.

Christoph Waltz, the multilingual Austrian actor whose portrayal of a playfully sadistic Nazi energized the Second World War revenge fantasy Inglourious Basterds, won the best supporting-actor award. Waltz, who was front-runner for the award since the movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last May, praised the “unorthodox methods of navigation” of director Quentin Tarantino, for bringing the good ship Inglourious Basterds safely into port “with flying colours.”

As expected, a different kind of fantasy — Up, the story of an old man’s long-awaited adventure in a house that is carried into the sky by balloons — won the Oscar for best animated movie. “Never did I realize that making a flip book out of my third-grade math book would lead to this,” said co-director Pete Docter. The movie also won the Oscar for best original score.

However, there was a surprise in the Oscar for best foreign film, which went to the Argentinian crime drama El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes), rather than the favoured A Prophet from France or The White Ribbon from Germany.

As expected, The Cove, the heart-rending story of how dolphins are slaughtered in Japan, was named best documentary feature, and The Weary Kind, the melancholy tune from Crazy Heart, was named best song.

Following an ill-conceived musical number by Neil Patrick Harris — a comic song that evoked bad memories of Rob Lowe and Snow White — co-hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin conducted a surreal standup routine (“And over here is the Inglourious Basterds section. And over here are the people who made the movie”) comprised of inside jokes and genial nonsense, which could also describe much of the show itself.

Logorama, a spoof of corporate logos, won the award for best animated short, Music by Prudence, the story of a disabled singer from Zimbabwe was best documentary short, and The New Tenants — a comic drama about a nightmarish moving day and co-starring Canadian actress Liane Balaban — was named best live-action short.

The Young Victoria won the award for best costume design. In keeping with the night’s sci-fi theme, Star Trek won the award for best makeup. It was presented by Ben Stiller, who, unaccountably, dressed as a Na’vi from Avatar, complete with blue face and tail.

The Hurt Locker-Avatar faceoff was complicated by controversy.

First, one of Hurt Locker’s producers, Nicholas Chartier, was denied admission to the ceremony for breaking one of the academy rules against denigrating an opponent: He sent out e-mails to a group of voters asking them to vote for his movie rather than Avatar. Then, just before the voting deadline, an Iraq war veteran named Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver filed a lawsuit claiming the movie was based on him and he had not been compensated. There also have been several news stories quoting bomb-disposal experts as saying The Hurt Locker is not authentic.

This year, the academy expanded the nomination list to 10 from five — for the first time since 1943 — partly to broaden the appeal of the Oscars. In the past few years, viewership has fallen: It hit a peak of 55 million when Titanic won the award in 1998, and fell to 32 million who watched No Country for Old Men win in 2008.

The long list of nominees has resulted in a complex voting system, called preferential voting — the kind used in Australian elections — in which the academy’s 5,800 voters mark their ballots in order from one to 10. If no movie gets more than half of the vote, the picture with the lowest vote total is knocked off the list and its second choices are then distributed among the rest. The result is that the winner could be a picture that doesn’t have many first-place votes, but does well as a second or third pick.

Nominations for Oscar 2010 announced: Avatar, The Hurt Locker bags nine each

Recently, James Cameroon's magnum opus Avatar dethroned Titanic to become the highest-grossing movie of all time. Within 31 days of its opening, the movie has revolutionized the word 'Cinema'.

And now, the film has bagged as many as nine nominations in different categories, including Sound Editing, Art Direction, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original, Score), Best Picture, Sound Mixing and of course for Best Visual Effects.

Directed by James Cameron and produced by 20th Century Fox, Avatar is an epic action adventure. The film was first conceived by Cameron 14 years ago when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist. Cameron again combines elements of massive spectacle and intimate character to tell a relatable and emotional tale.

Avatar is the first-ever 3D Hollywood film to be released in Tamil. Fox Star Studios India released the 3D version of Avatar in around 700 prints in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, one of the biggest Indian releases for a Hollywood film, with a whopping 100 prints released in Tamil.

The Hurt Locker is the only other movie that is giving tough competition for the Pandora fever. The movie has also bagged nine nominations, including the Best Actor for Jeremy Renner, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original, Score), Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Original Screenplay.

Animated film Up scored an extraordinary five nominations in best animated feature film, best picture, Original Screenplay, Sound Editing and Music category. Up is the second animated feature in the best picture category after Disney’s 1991 film Beauty and the Beast.

Hollywood veteran Meryl Streep set a record by becoming the most nominated actress in Academy history. She has earned her 16th Oscar nomination for film Julie & Julia.

And the nominations are:

Best Actor - Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, George Clooney in Up in the Air, Colin Firth in A Single Man, Morgan Freeman in Invictus and Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker.

Best Supporting Actor - Matt Damon in Invictus, Woody Harrelson in The Messenger, Christopher Plummer in The Last Station, Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones and Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds.

Best Actress - Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, Helen Mirren in The Last Station, Carey Mulligan in An Education, Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia.

Best Supporting actress - Penélope Cruz in Nine, Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart, Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air, Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.

Best Animated Feature Film - Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog, The Secret of Kells and Up.

Best Director - James Cameron (Avatar), Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire) and Jason Reitman (Up in the Air).

Foreign Language Film - Ajami (Israel), El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina), The Milk of Sorrow (Peru), Un Prophète (France) and The White Ribbon (Germany)

Best Picture - Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, A Serious Man, Up and Up in the Air.

Angelina Jolie Warns Jennifer Aniston to Back Off Brad Pitt!

Angelina Jolie is reportedly sending Jennifer Aniston text messages from Brad Pitt's cell phone, warning her to stay away from Brad Pitt.

Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt Relationship

Heather Mills on Her Newly Cropped

EXCLUSIVE: Heather Mills on Her Newly Cropped “Just-Got-Out-of-Bed” Do

Heather Mills might be most famous for her acrimonious divorce from Beatle Paul McCartney and dazzling turn on Dancing With the Stars, but the former model — and new vegan restauranteur — also knows a thing or two about style. And after she chopped off her hair into a Kate Gosselin-esque do, she chatted to PEOPLE.com exclusively about the funky new look. “I decided I had no more time to keep drying my hair with having to work late and get up early for the new VBites cafe and restaurant, factory, travelling, school drops, etcetera, so I chopped it off back to how I had it in my twenties,” she explained. And while Heather might be a long way from having to scrimp and save, following her $48.6 million divorce settlement last year, she didn’t splurge when it came to her new cut. “I asked a local village hairdresser if she would do it, and thought what the hell,” she says. “She did a great job. I love it. It’s easy. I now just wake up and run my fingers through my hair, as it’s a just-got-out-of-bed look — after a great night in bed, of course!” Tell us: What do you think of Heather’s new do?

source:stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com

Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) on February 8

Hollywood couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were a big hit with the crowd at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) on February 8 in London.

Angelina, who was wearing a black silk crepe Giorgio Armani evening gown, walked the red carpet with Pitt, signing autographs for fans, reports People magazine.

Meanwhile, Slumdog Millionaire turned out to be the biggest winner at the awards, with its cast and crew taking home seven prizes, including best film.

The Reader star Kate Winslet won the award for best actress and in supporting role Penelope Cruz won for Vicky Cristina Barcelona and the late Heath Ledger was named best supporting actor for playing the Joker in The Dark Knight.

Hollywood Actress Jessica Alba in Goa?

Tamil film industry's promising director of the year Venkat Prabhu has approached hot Hollywood actress Jessica Alba for his forthcoming movie Goa.

Produced by Soundarya Rajinikant in association with Hollywood's
Warner Bros, the film is going to hit the floors soon.

According to the script, there are two more heroines in the movie, and it is said that talks are on with Sneha and Genelia for the same. Venkat Prabhu wants to include a hot actress as the third heroine of the film.

He has revealed his wish to Soundarya and the same was conveyed to Warner Bros too. Sources close to Venkat say that the actress has asked for a script which has been send to her through her manager.

The movie has Jai, Vaibhav, Premji Amaren and Arvind Akash in the lead, and is said to be a road film in which a group of friends
go on a trip to Goa. This is the third directorial venture by Venkat Prabhu, after Chennai 600028 and Saroja.

Jessica Biel Performance

Biel-icious

A scene ON YOUR MIND in which Jessica Biel appears in hot pants in the Nicholas Cage-starrer Next once remarked – this is what movie-going audiences pay for! You couldn't but agree. Biel's acting career took off at 14 with the TV serial 7th Heaven, which was a runaway hit. But Biel, unhappy with her good-girl image posed semi-nude for a mag!

The big break for this model actress came with the film The Illusionist, winning her a couple of prestigious awards. Her acting career has gone on from there, with some acknowledgeable performances. But watch out folks, for Biel plays a stripper in an upcoming film Powder Blue next year. And news is, she'll appear in the buff for the first time. Oh, FYI, our lady here has made it to all the major hot-lists in the last few years. You knew that, right?

Jessica Simpson 'Over the Moon With Joy' Over Newborn Nephew

The Simpson and Wentz families couldn't hide their happiness and joy over the newborn baby boy of Ashlee Simpson, named Bronx Mowgli Wentz.

Couldn't be happier about Bronx Mowgli Wentz, the newborn baby boy of her sister Ashlee Simpson, Jessica Simpson says she's "over the moon with joy." "Bronx is beyond precious. Life is a beautiful miracle," the singer and new aunt tells the press, adding that Ashlee and her husband Pete Wentz "are healthy, happy, and enjoying every moment."

Jessica isn't the only family member to be thrilled about the birth of Bronx. Both sets of grandparents also express their joy over the new addition to the family. "We are happy beyond words and incredibly proud of Ashlee and Pete," Joe and Tina Simpson say in a statement. "They are unbelievable parents already, and we can't wait to spend Bronx's first holidays together with the whole family. We are truly blessed."

Meanwhile, Pete's parents Pete Sr. and Dale Wentz comment, "We're thrilled. (Bronx) stayed up late the first night, smiling at everyone who came into the room. He already seems to have the independence and charm of both of his parents."

Bronx Mowgli Wentz, the first child for Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz, was born on Thursday night, November 20. He weighed 7 lbs., 11 oz., and was 20 1/2 inches long at time of birth.

Jessika Alba to wear $47,000 gown

American actress Jessica Alba is getting ready to tie the knot again with her hubby Cash Warren, and is set to wear a gown that costs 47,000 dollars.

Jessica, who had married Warren in an intimate ceremony earlier this year, is now planning on having a lavish ceremony next month for her friends and family, the China Daily reports.

And for the occasion, the Fantastic Four star has ordered a stunning custom-made off-white Chanel dress trimmed with lace.

“Jessica first wanted to wear a traditional gown with a veil, but then she changed her mind because she thought it would be over the top,” a source said.

“Instead she chose a dress that could pass as a wedding gown but also work for a formal event, like the Oscars,” the source added.

Jessica had previously tied the knot with Warren in a private civil ceremony at the Beverly Hills Courthouse in May, and in June the actress gave birth to their five-month-old daughter Honor.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

Actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt arrive to promote their latest movie 'Changeling' in London.

Hollywood actress Charlize Theron new UN peace envoy

Charlize Theron new UN peace envoy

Hollywood actress Charlize Theron has been appointed as United Nations Messenger Of Peace for her contribution in ending violence against women.

With the new title, the 33-year-old actress has joined in ranks of fellow actors George Clooney and Michael Douglas. "You have used your voice, compassion and special relationship with the public to create a better world," Contactmusic quoted U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as telling Theron, while awarding her the title. The Oscar winner has founded the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project with the goal of promoting HIV/AIDS education for impoverished children and their families in South Africa.

Activists throw flour on fur-clad Lindsay Lohan

Actress Lindsay Lohan has been pelted with a flour bomb on arrival at a Paris nightclub wearing a fur stole.

Animal rights activists showered the 22-year-old actress with flour when she went to the VIP Room Theater in the early hours of Saturday with her friend, disc jockey Samantha Ronson.

The owner of the nightclub helped Lohan dust off her blue sequined dress and black stole before she posed on the red carpet. Ronson went on to spin tracks for a crowd that included reggae rapper Shaggy and "I Kissed a Girl" singer Katy Perry.

Michael Crichton, writer and director, dies at 66

One-time physician became author of best-selling thrillers

Michael Crichton, the doctor-turned-author of best-selling thrillers such as The Terminal Man and Jurassic Park and a Hollywood writer and director whose credits include Westworld and Coma, has died. He was 66.

Dr. Crichton died in Los Angeles on Tuesday "after a courageous and private battle against cancer," his family said in a statement.

For nearly four decades, the 6-foot-9 writer was a towering presence in the worlds of publishing and filmmaking.

"There was no one like Crichton, because he could both entertain and educate," Lynn Nesbit, Dr. Crichton's agent since the late 1960s, told the Los Angeles Times yesterday. "His brilliance was indisputable, and he had a grasp of so many subjects - from art to science to technology.

"I respected him so much intellectually and as a writer. I loved him. It's like losing a very good friend as well as a client of so many years."

Director Steven Spielberg in a statement yesterday said, "Michael's talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the Earth."

Dr. Crichton was still in Harvard Medical School when he wrote his first best-seller, The Andromeda Strain, a fast-paced scientifically and technologically detailed 1969 thriller about a team of scientists attempting to save mankind from a deadly microorganism brought to Earth by a military satellite. It was made into a movie in 1971.

With his success at writing thrillers, Dr. Crichton abandoned medicine to become a full-time writer whose novels in the 1970s and 1980s included The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Eaters of the Dead, Congo and Sphere.

Dr. Crichton made his feature film directing debut in 1973 with Westworld, which he also wrote, about a fantasy theme park for wealthy vacationers whose fun is spoiled when malfunctioning androids turn deadly.

He directed five other movies in the 1970s and 1980s, including Coma, The Great Train Robbery, Looker, Runaway and Physical Evidence.

As a novelist, Dr. Crichton came back stronger than ever in the 1990s with best-sellers such as Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The Lost World, Airframe and Timeline.

During the same decade, he co-wrote the screenplay for Jurassic Park, the 1993 Spielberg-directed blockbuster hit; and he co-wrote the screenplay for the 1996 action-thriller Twister with his fourth wife, actress Anne-Marie Martin, with whom he had a daughter, Taylor.

Dr. Crichton also created ER, the long-running NBC medical drama that made its debut in 1994 and became the No. 1-rated series the next year.

Dubbed "The Hit Man" by Time magazine in a 1995 cover story chronicling his "golden touch," Dr. Crichton had more than 100 million copies of his books in print at the time.

Indeed, the prolific writer who closely guarded his private life had become a dominant figure in popular culture.

Known for his intellectual curiosity, energy and drive, Dr. Crichton was a self-described workaholic.

"He works hard," Anne-Marie Martin told Vanity Fair in 1994. "Toward the end of a book it's like living with a body and Michael is somewhere else. Then, when the book's finished, Michael comes back."

When he wasn't writing fiction, Dr. Crichton periodically turned to nonfiction, including Jasper Johns, a 1977 portrait of the artist; and the 1988 autobiographical book Travels.

He also wrote a book on information technology, Electronic Life (1983), formed a small software company in the early 1980s, designed a computer game and shared a 1995 Academy Award for technical achievement for pioneering computerized motion picture budgeting and scheduling.

The eldest of four children, Dr. Crichton was born Oct. 23, 1942, in Chicago and grew up in Roslyn, N.Y.

He developed wide interests at an early age, he later said, recalling his mother taking her children to plays, museums, movies and concerts several times a week. His most recent novel, Next, which dealt with genetics and the law, was published in 2006.

A complete list of surviving family members, who include his fifth wife, Sherri, and daughter Taylor, was not available.

Hollywood Actor 'Will Smith' In Bollywood Movie

Will Smith eyeing Bollywood project

Hollywood actor Will Smith is determined to fulfill his promise to star in a Bollywood movie.

He has been taking advice from "Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle, reports contactmusic.com.

Boyle turned his hand to making a film in India with his latest project, which was shot in Mumbai and the moviemaker is convinced that Smith is serious about trying his luck in a different genre of pictures as Smith made several trips to visit him onset in India.

'While we were filming there, Will Smith came over twice. There's a massive coming together of Bollywood and Hollywood. It'll only take one person to bring them together and it will be huge,' Boyle said.

Smith also sought out Indian actor Anil Kapoor, who confirmed that the actor recently paid him a visit.

'Yes, he came to visit us. He came to my residence. Very nice chap,' Anil Kapoor said.