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Jordan’s Queen Rania has received YouTube’s first Visionary Award for a daily video Web cast and blog in which she sought to challenge stereotypes of the Arab and Muslim world and encourage dialogue across cultures.

Accepting the award in a YouTube clip posted Saturday, Rania listed 10 reasons for her five-month YouTube series in a spoof of the top 10 list segment on CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman.”

Among her reasons were: “Because anything Queen Elizabeth can do, I can do better” and “I was tired of people thinking Jordan was just a basketball player.”

More seriously, Rania has said she wants people to “know the real Arab world … unedited, unscripted and unfiltered.”

YouTube created the Visionary Award to recognize people who use the video sharing Web site as a platform for positive social change.

In the series, which ran from March to August, the media savvy queen and rights advocate invited viewers to share their opinions of the Middle East and talk about stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims.

The series began at a time when Muslim sentiment was stirred by an Internet film criticizing the Quran produced by an anti-immigrant politician in the Netherlands. It also followed the outrage over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published in newspapers in Europe.

Among her advocacy work, the wife of Jordan’s King Abdullah has promoted education, micro-credit financing and anti-poverty campaigns.

Breezy, bouncy and bursting with enthusiasm, “High School Musical” makes its big-screen debut around the world this week in what could be the year’s biggest family movie.

“High School Musical 3: Senior Year” is the third film in a record-breaking Disney series that has created a $1 billion-plus global franchise and a frenzied young fan base that has bought into its squeaky-clean vision of teenage school life.

Featuring clean-cut Zac Efron, 21, his on- and off-screen sweetheart Vanessa Hudgens, 19, and a diverse cast of Latino, African-American and white young actors, “High School Musical 3″ portrays a sweetly romantic, drug- and violence-free teen scene that kids from Cairo to Canberra appear to yearn for.

Advance ticket sales in the United Kingdom have broken records set by “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” in 2005 and online ticket sales reports in the United States signal a bumper opening weekend box office.

But as the mostly preteen fans have grown up since the first-made-for-TV movie was shown on the Disney Channel in early 2006, so too have the singing, dancing kids who populate the hallways of fictional East High.

“They’re high school seniors so (I wanted to) give them the pressures that high school seniors have about proms, finals, graduation and going away,” said director Kenny Ortega.

“There’s a balance — we’re making musical comedy but we really want to try and base it in some emotional reality,” he said.

More complex dance numbers, 10 new songs, a handful of new characters and some flashy fantasy sequences mark the transition from TV to film as the main six characters wrestle with young love, family expectations and the world beyond school.

“It was an opportunity to create something bigger — more musical numbers, crazier costumes — and really have fun with it. It’s almost like a thank you to our fans for being so supportive,” Hudgens told Reuters.

PASSING THE TORCH

“High School Musical 3″ also marks the farewell from the series of several of the main characters — causing teary eyes and emotional scenes among the cast on the last day of shooting.

Although Disney says a fourth film is already being planned, Efron says he won’t be going back to East High.

Efron plays Troy Bolton, the floppy-haired, blue-eyed, basketball-playing, heart-throb whose kissing-only romance with brainy but beautiful math whiz Gabriella Montez (Hudgens) has been the centerpiece of the three films.

“Our characters graduate,” Efron told Reuters. “It is time we passed the torch. It is important that ‘High School Musical’ moves on with that youthful energy we had in the first two movies. I don’t know if we could keep doing that. It needs fresh faces.”

Efron, who described himself as “kind of a goofball” when he was at school, acknowledged that the movie’s version of school life was “slightly idealized.”

“‘High School Musical’ is a fairy tale within high school. There’s a lot we skipped over,” he said. “We portrayed an optimistic look into the future for our fans who have yet to go to high school themselves.

“Troy and Gabriella are what high school romance should be like. It’s not too lustful. It’s tasteful. It’s very young.”

The Salt Lake City school where the three films were filmed has become the second most popular tourist attraction in the city after the Mormon Temple.

The first “High School Musical” movie was seen by 255 million viewers worldwide, and grew into a global phenomenon that includes sold-out stage and ice shows, record-setting DVD and CD sales, video games, theme-park attractions and $500 million in sales of backpacks, T-shirts and other products.

Singer-actress Jennifer Lopez has once again ‘married’ her husband, singer Marc Anthony, in a ceremony.

The event took place Sunday in the Penthouse suite of the Caesar’s Palace hotel in Las Vegas, reports thesun.co.uk.

The pair had been partying at the Pure nightclub before the wedding.

Baseball player Carlos Beltran and his wife Jessica, who also renewed their vows, joined the couple.

Lopez and Anthony married in a secret ceremony at the Latino superstar’s home June 2004 and are the parents of twins Emme and Maximilian born last February.

An adorable talking dog remained just the sort of escapist movie hero audiences wanted after a week of awful economic news.

Disney’s family comedy “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” with Drew Barrymore providing the voice of the pooch, was the No. 1 flick for the second-straight weekend with $17.5 million, raising its 10-day total to $52.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

“Beverly Hills Chihuahua” is the only light comedy in a market heavy on drama. Chuck Viane, Disney’s head of distribution, said movie-goers may be turning to the perky pooch to help forget the market free-fall on Wall Street.

“This is only word-of-mouth coming back to us from theaters. I don’t have any statistical proof. But they’re telling us we’re getting more unaccompanied-by-children adults coming on their own. They’re looking for a little entertainment,” Viane said. “The axiom we’ve always lived by is funny is money. People come out for comedy. They love to sit back and let someone give them a couple of hours of escapism.”

The weekend’s No. 2 flick — the fright film “Quarantine,” which debuted with $14.2 million — filled the escapism needs for the horror crowd. The Sony Screen Gems release centers on a contagion that turns an apartment building’s tenants into flesh-hungry monsters.

“It’s probably the perfect kind of movie for today’s climate,” said Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution. “Let’s just get away from the news, from all that’s going on, and go someplace else, and this is something that’ll take you someplace else.”

The marquee trio of Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott had to settle for third-place with their terrorism thriller “Body of Lies,” which had a $13.1 million debut. The Warner Bros. film centers on a CIA operative hunting the terrorist responsible for bombings around the world.

“Body of Lies” may have dealt with too sober a topic after all the disastrous financial news, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.

“I think we ran into really difficult timing. The nation suffered such an economic loss this week that the mood of our audience was such that they were probably looking for a little more escapism than to see a movie on terrorism,” Fellman said.

The weekend’s other new wide releases, Universal’s football drama “The Express” and 20th Century Fox’s family fantasy “City of Ember,” opened weakly.

“The Express” — starring Rob Brown and Dennis Quaid in the story of Ernie Davis, the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy — came in at No. 6 with $4.7 million.

“City of Ember,” with Tim Robbins and Bill Murray in a post-apocalyptic adventure set in an underground realm, took in $3.2 million to finish at No. 10.

Keira Knightley’s historical saga “The Duchess” climbed into the top 10 as it expanded nationwide after three weekends in limited release. The Paramount Vantage drama, which stars Knightley as an 18th century aristocrat stuck in a loveless marriage, pulled in $3.32 million to place No. 9.

Two British movies started well in limited release. Guy Ritchie’s London crime romp “RocknRolla” opened with $141,000 in seven theaters. The Warner Bros. release features Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton and Tom Wilkinson heading an ensemble cast.

Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky,” a Miramax release starring Sally Hawkins as a woman whose eternal optimism is continually challenged, premiered with $80,000 in four theaters.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” $17.5 million.

2. “Quarantine,” $14.2 million.

3. “Body of Lies,” $13.1 million.

4. “Eagle Eye,” $11 million.

5. “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,” $6.5 million.

6. “The Express,” $4.7 million.

7. “Nights in Rodanthe,” $4.6 million.

8. “Appaloosa,” $3.34 million.

9. “The Duchess,” $3.32 million.

10. “City of Ember,” $3.2 million.

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On the Net:

http://www.mediabynumbers.com

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Universal Pictures, Focus Features and Rogue Pictures are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of General Electric Co.; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney’s parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.

Many years ago, when music channels Channel V and MTV launched and decided that Indian youth were Indian youth, not a bunch of firang wannabes, something odd happened to the humble autorickshaw. It became a work of art.

That was when young people all over the country began to wake up to the fact that being desi was far from being unsophisticated. Being desi, in fact, was sweet and funny and cool.

That was then. Now, when we’re pretty pleased with ourselves and our identities, designers of home products and other knick knacks are beginning provide us with things that, as desis, we recognise as ours, appreciate and buy.

To display proudly in our homes. These products range from an Indian WC-shaped ashtray to mythology-inspired rolls of toilet paper, to matchboxes that satirise our urban pretensions, to a timepiece that puts us in our place (at exactly the right time).

These are different products made with different sensibilities and just a few in a wide range of products offered by a variety of designers and entrepreneurs, but they all have a few things in common. They are inspired by our country and its everyday, urban, popular culture.

They are wacky and yet useful. And they all display a sense of humour that is intelligent and sharply witty.

These are not just bits of kitsch. These are well thought out, well executed pieces of work that tell us loud and clear how proud we are to be who we are - so proud that we can laugh at ourselves.

As a design expert says, “We know where we stand. We are confident of our roots.

So a bit of fun doesn’t hurt.” Meet five designers and entrepreneurs who’ve shown us their Indi-visual styles.

A lot of subjects in Bollywood are inspired by our real life. So how can teaching be left behind? Today we list out some of the best teachers of Bollywood.

Aamir played the art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh who befriends and helps a child, suffering from dyslexia, to understand and overcome his problems. Nikumbh, with his characteristic teaching style soon becomes popular among the students.

Leonardo DiCaprio says he’s not ready to be a father.

The 33-year-old actor, who has an on-and-off relationship with model Bar Refaeli, says he has no plans at the moment to settle down and start a family.

“Ah, how do you answer something like that? So, um, I am being asked to look in the future I suppose quickly. No, I don’t have any plan,” says the famously private star, who has been promoting his upcoming film, “Body of Lies.”

DiCaprio co-stars with Russell Crowe in the CIA thriller directed by Ridley Scott.

His screen credits also include “Romeo and Juliet” and “Titanic.” He received Oscar nominations for his roles in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “The Aviator” and “Blood Diamond.”

DiCaprio can’t seem to shake his heartthrob status.

“That’s the only way I like to be referred to,” he joked recently. “When I walk on set it’s in the contract.”

“Body of Lies” will be in theaters Oct. 10.

Australian pop singer Dannii Minogue, who is a judge on ‘X-Factor’, denied quitting the show over icy relations with fellow judge Cheryl Cole.Minogue, who was earlier reported to be upset with Cole because she got more airtime, now insisted that judges were ‘one big happy family’, reports thesun.co.uk.

“I’m not jealous. I’m not furious. There are no crisis talks and there are no ultimatums. I love being a part of the ‘X-Factor’ and we judges are all having so much fun this year,” she said.

A show source added: ‘There has been no big row between Dannii and Cheryl, but Dannii’s people asked for her to be included a bit more in the editing process.’