England job will be Capello's last: Report

England manager Fabio Capello said he will coach no other sides, including his native Italy, after his contract with the Football Fabio Capello Association ends, a report said on Thursday.

Capello, 63, has helped England qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa and is one year into a four-year contract with the FA.

"I wear the England shirt. The England team will be the last football side I coach", he said.

Asked whether he still has ambitions to manage Italy, Capello said: "No, it simply does not interest me."

England have often fallen at the quarter-final stage of international competitions in the last 20 years, but Italian Capello said last week he wants the side to go all the way to the July 11 final.

"Playing in the final would be success," he said on Sunday. "For now, playing in it will do, rather than winning it. But if people are asking me what my aspiration is, then it is to reach the final."

Bagan stick to "non-maintainability"

Mohun Bagan has stuck to their stated position that the arbitration hearing in the Bhaichung Bhutia suspension row is not
Bagan
"maintainable" and the proceedings before the former Solicitor General Amarendra Sharan was a conciliatory process.

Mohun Bagan general secretary Anjan Mitra had all along been saying that the All India Football Federation had not exhausted all other means before referring the matter to the arbitrator and Bhutia had been given "special treatment".

Two points in question before Sharan were the maintainability of the case and Bhutia's application for an interim relief so that he can play for East Bengal for which he signed up this season after being suspended by Mohun Bagan for six months without pay in June.

On Thursday, Bhutia's counsel Usha Nath Banerjee completed his argument regarding his client's application for interim relief and Mohun Bagan lawyer will reply on September 19. Both sides will make written replies on September 21 and Sharan will take a couple of days to decide.

This would mean that Bhutia will not be able to play for East Bengal in the ongoing Durand Cup which ends on September 22. His participation in the I-League starting on October one will depend on Sharan's decision.

"There are two matters before me. The first is maintainability (of the arbitration) and Bhutia's application for interim relief," Sharan said after a two-hour hearing.

"Both sides have requested for a reply and so they will submit written replies on Monday. I will then apply my mind and give a decision on both the points in two or three days (after Monday)," he said.

"Till I was trying to settle the case amicably between the two parties it was not a formal court proceeding. But now it has become a court proceeding," he added after the third hearing in the case.

For Mohun Bagan, Rupinder Singh Suri of Delhi-based legal firm Suri and Company argued the case.

"Two points - Bhutia's interim relief and our application that it was not a arbitration proceeding - both are going on. Bhutia's counsel had completed his argument on his application for interim relief and I have started my arguments also. It will continue on Saturday," Suri said.

Bhutia was suspended for six months without pay by Mohun Bagan in June for missing a few team training sessions and an exhibition match.

He appealed to the Indian Football Association (West Bengal football body) but later the AIFF took up the matter. The national body's Players' Status Committee, however, failed to decide on the matter as one member refused to give his opinion.

The AIFF then asked its outgoing General Secretary Alberto Colaco to mediate between Mohun Bagan and Bhutia. After Colaco could not find a solution, the AIFF Executive Committee in its meeting on August 30 had decided to refer the matter to an arbitrator.

John Mayer begs Jennifer to come back

Singer John Mayer, who had dumped actress Jennifer Aniston in march this year, has reportedly begged her to come back to him.

The 'Gravity' singer telephoned ex-girlfriend Jennifer Aniston in tears, pleading with her to resume their relationship. "John asked Jen if they could go back to seeing each other exclusively. The call came as a massive surprise and of course Jen is delighted with John's announcement - who wouldn't be?" Contactmusic quoted a source telling Britain's Look magazine. The 31-year-old star has promised to give the relationship his "best shot" if she agrees to take him back. John even hinted he wanted them to "build a life together" and possibly get married. "Despite his big plans, John suggested they don't rush into moving in together.

She'll keep her house in Beverly Hills, while John will continue to live in Pacific Palisades. I think it's just because he wants to move slowly and avoid mistakes they made previously," the source added. Since their split, Jennifer has been linked to a string of other stars. She reportedly dated Gerard Butler - who she starred alongside in the upcoming comedy 'The Bounty' and was spotted enjoying an intimate dinner date with her 'He's Just Not That Into You' co-star Bradley Cooper.

Lankan director plans Bollywood film with 'saleable' stars

If things go according to his plan, maverick filmmaker Vimukthi Jayasundara may become the first Sri Lankan to direct a Bollywood movie.

"I am exploring a mainstream Indian film that will have saleable stars and other commercial elements but will be made completely in my own style," says the Camera d'Or winner in Cannes for his debut film "A Forsaken Land" in 2005.

"The screenplay is currently being developed and talks are on with a production company," says the 32-year-old Pune film institute-trained Jayasundara.

His directorial style is marked by verbal sparseness and deep cinematic layering, two attributes that are alien to the standard Bollywood brand of storytelling.

"But the two poles can definitely come together to create something interesting," he says.

He understands Hindi and language would not pose a problem for him. "Sinhalese is rather close to Hindi. I am surprised that no Lankan filmmaker has ever attempted to make a Hindi film before," he says.

Jayasundara, who shuttles between Paris and Colombo, is attending the 34th Toronto International Film Festival with his second feature "Between Two Worlds", a visually stunning and characteristically multi-layered parable about the doomed connection between youth and violence.

Kareena and Preity get grooving...

Preity Zinta shot for a song with Kareena Kapoor for Main Aur Mrs Khanna.

Now, there may be nothing new about two actresses sharing the screen space, but it was different this time around because both these ladies shared pretty cold vibes sometime back. It was Kal Ho Na Ho that had sparked of a war of words between the two. However, there were no fireworks when the two shot for a song for the movie. In fact we hear Preity, who was down with high fever, refused to stall the shooting. On the sets the two got along fine and danced their hearts out.

about amitabh bachchan

Susmita Dasgupta finds Amitabh Bachchan an interesting subject to study. Here, she decodes the superstar, the subject of her PhD and a book

Is there an Amitabh ‘before’ and ‘after’ ABCL?
There is definitely a before and after ABCL Amitabh. The ABCL tragedy, like all stupendous failures have split Amitabh into a before and after image. The trauma of having failed appears to have drastically changed the person whose image was that of the invincible.

What is Amitabh, the husband, like?
As I could observe, and at that point of time I was nearly 20 years younger, that Amitabh and Jaya were ideologically apart. For Jaya, there was a distress about why Amitabh did the films that he did. Jaya would have loved it were Amitabh to remain in the Hrishikesh Mukherjee camp and graduated later to Satyajit Ray (Manik Kaku for her; Jaya is exceptionally well-connected). But Amitabh went into rather "cheap stuff" with which she was not comfortable. To the best of my mind, this was the basic reason for a kind of stand-off. Jaya and Amitabh were dutifully husband and wife but I felt that the romance in the marriage was lacking. Also Jaya is a ‘Bong’ woman, the oldest among three sisters, and most probably the brightest, daughter to a doting father and that too an important one. She is Bhaduri, an upper caste Barendri Brahmin, who are very proud people. But slowly as Amitabh got involved in his career, he himself became the centre of all attention which was very difficult for Jaya to swallow. After all, at the time of their marriage she was the star and he the also-ran. The change in the power position within the marriage as Amitabh became successful also changed the soft, intense and emotional romance which Jaya and Amitabh had.

How is the superstar with his kids? Is his rapport different with Abhishek and Shweta?
With his children, Amitabh is doting, pampering, blind with affection and only pretending to be firm, but very interested to be a part of their lives and eager to go to any lengths for their well-being. The daughter is interesting, I am not so sure that she feels the same way towards her parents as they feel towards her. I get this strange feeling that Shweta is seeking to move out of her parents’ very doting shadow and that marriage helped her have some independence that her extra protective parents robbed her of. Abhishek loves and would love to continue to be under the parents’ protection.

What about the Rekha episode? Is there reason to believe the affair happened, despite Amitabh’s denials?
Yes, it is a matter of great speculation for me as well. I always sided with Amitabh when he denied all on Rekha. But, only recently, I saw this television footage in which Amitabh suddenly got up and moved away as Rekha came near where he was seated. This makes me believe that yes, they did have an affair. The sudden getting up and moving away was a giveaway. It was almost a pose of fleeing from Rekha... why would a man want to do that if he is not guilty of something? I believe Amitabh knew from day one that he wasn’t serious about Rekha. Also, he’s very, very class conscious... Rekha was perhaps an ego trip.

How do you think Abhishek fares, being Amitabh and Jaya's son, and now Aishwarya’s husband?
Abhishek reminds me of Prince Salim and he has the Prince Salim syndrome. In today’s world, Abhishek’s appeal lies in a certain sense of being chaperoned, someone who seeks and has security and, on the basis of an assured lifestyle, can afford to be nice to one and all. Just as Amitabh’s image crashed with failure, Abhishek's image can crash if the shadows of persons chaperoning him are taken away. The image contains the shadows of the biggies that he nests among.

Was he behind Abhishek joining films?
Yes, he was totally behind Abhishek's joining films and if I were to have my opinion, then to push him to cinema. That’s why I say that Abhishek is prince Salim, the reluctant heir of Akbar when his heart was away in Venice, Rome and even Spain.

Amitabh is projected today as the loyal friend... what drives his friendships with the Anil Ambani and Amar Singh?
I feel that Amitabh has never been a loyal friend. Loyalty has never been his characteristic trait. Anwar Ali and Amjad Khan are at least two who Amitabh never even acknowledged. I have seen him rather stand-offish with Javed, Salim, Prakash Mehra, the persons who made him. Amitabh never attended Hrishida’s funeral. He refuses to acknowledge Desh Mukherjee or Tinnu Anand. So, he looks for friends as far as he has something to gain from them.

The Amar Singh episode is strange. He must be really gaining something out of Anil Ambani and Amar Singh and that “gain” has some connection with the “loss” in terms of money.

Why do you think he is still working? Is it insecurity, to consolidate a space for Abhishek or love of acting?
Amitabh is still working, yes, what you suggest to consolidate Abhishek’s career, but to the best of my understanding, Amitabh is Bhishma, he wishes to prove that he is immortal as a star. I think that Amitabh is seeking immortality by constantly reinventing his image to suit each new age that he lives in.

Lisa Ray will walk the red carpet

Fortitude under the most trying of circumstances is not an easy situation.

Ever since she blogged so dispassionately about her illness earlier this week Lisa Ray has become a heroine far beyond the screen.

Deepa Mehta, who has known Lisa from the time they worked together in the lyrical Water four years ago, is deeply impressed by Lisa’s brave fight. “I knew about her illness two months ago. She told me. It was hard to believe. She wanted to keep it very private, and rightly so. Only her close friends and family knew. Which is why when Lisa blogged about her illness, I was surprised. It was very courageous of her. I think she decided that by coming out in the open about the illness she would not only be able to confront and overcome the sad situation but also encourage others in similarly troubled spaces to fight and win over their illness.”

Lisa is currently in Toronto where she has her own home. Deepa says Lisa is peaceful and very calm.

“I met her last a few weeks ago. She is the epitome of grace under pressure. Truly exemplary,” says Deepa, who worked with Lisa in the historic Water and also in the frothy Bollywood/Hollywood. “We had fun doing the Bollywood/Hollywood film. As for Water no one seemed to believe she could pull off the role of a Hindi widow in the 1930s. But she did.”

Lisa has just completed a rom-com Cooking With Stella with Deepa’s brother Dilip Kumar.

On September 16 at the posh Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Lisa Ray will walk the red carpet with Deepa and her brother for the Gala premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

“We’re her looking at a woman who is a portrait of courage. She will do the red carpet proud,” says Deepa passionately. “I remember when Lisa was shooting for Cooking With Stella she was having so much fun with all of us. There was no sign of the illness. The only outward manifestation of the crisis to come was her loss of appetite. I remember telling her on the sets, ‘Lisa, you aren’t eating anything.’ She’s going to defeat this crisis. Lisa is a fighter.”

remake of Swayze's film

Hollywood actor Tom Cruise's adopted son Connor has landed a role in the remake of "Red Dawn", a movie that helped propel late star Patrick Swayze to stardom.

The 14-year-old will join "Watchmen" star Jeffrey Dean Morgan in in it. Connor has signed on to play Daryl, the role Darren Dalton played in the first film, reported contactmusic.com.

The original 1984 movie, directed by John Milius, starred Swayze, his "Dirty Dancing" partner Jennifer Grey as well as Charlie Sheen and C. Thomas Howell.

BAI irrelevant now, run game corporate-style Padukone

BANGALORE: Badminton legend Prakash Padukone feels the sport's
governing body in the country is no longer relevant and a corporate-style body should be put in place to run the sport.

"Small countries like Australia and New Zealand have a CEO for their badminton associations," the former All England Champion said.

Padukone said the running of the game is best left to professionals in modern times where marketing of the game is of paramount importance. Padukone felt the Badminton Association of India officials manage to escape resposibility as they hold honorary posts.

"Sometimes these people (the current administrators) don't get time. Honorary means you do something else also. If you have (additional) time, you do this (devote for running the game). I don't like the tag of Honorary Secretary. Honorary thing should go. Let him take one rupee as token. But it has to be a paid job. Then you can hold them accountable", Padukone said, strongly favouring a discontinuation of honorary jobs in running the game.

He said professionals in their respective fields, marketing, coaching, development (spoting talent), pursuing sponsorship deals and conducting domestic tournaments
, should be hired and held accountable.

"You have to appoint right people. People with experience in that field, it should be run like a corporate. Badminton Association of England is a limited (company)," Padukone said, calling for revamping of the present system.

Padukone stressed that the game should be run like a company, where there is a CEO and various departments to run the show.

"Hired professionals need not know anything about the game, but they should have experience in their chosen field. It (badminton) should be sold like a product," he said.

"Sports has also become like that now. Earlier, it was okay (to have BAI and there was no need to market the sport aggressively). 20 years back it was fine", he said pointing out governing bodies such as FIFA and ICC were run by professionals.

Padukone also slammed BAI for not conducting enough domestic tournaments and said many of the youngsters, not Indian players who get to participate in international tournaments, are a frustrated lot.

"Last year we had only one tournament. It's a big demotivation factor for players who are not in the Indian team. They are training for what? They can't play international tournaments because they are not representing the country".

"I am a little concerned by the lack of a strong domestic circuit. Many players also feel the same", Padukone said.

"If you don't have a strong domestic circuit, how will you spot the talent?" he asked.

He said strengthening the domestic circuit should be the top priority,

"If I were BAI, I would have a strong domestic circuit". Padukone said tournaments should be spread throughout the year. Apart from nationals, the only tournament that took place in the last season was the Tata Open.

"How can such a big, popular sport have only one tournament?" he said.

"For 11 months, people were training, and there is no competition for them ? It's not a good sign. It becomes boring also (only training). It's like studying without giving exams. If there are no exams and you keep studying, how will you know (progress)?".