Bees and plants communicate via electric signals, say scientists

Plants use electric fields to communicate with bees, scientists have learned.

Bumblebees are able to find and decipher weak electric signals emitted by flowers, according to the study.

Tests revealed that bees can distinguish between different floral fields, as if they were petal colours. The electric signals may also let the insectsknow if another bee has recently visited a flower.

How bees detect the fields is unknown, but the researchers suspect the electrostatic force might make their hair bristle. A similar hair-raising effect is seen when placing one's head close to an old-style TV screen.

Flowers were already known to use bright colours, patterns and enticing scents to attract pollinators.

Electrical signals may provide a deeper level of communication, the scientists believe.

Study leader Professor Daniel Robert, from the University of Bristol team, said: "This novel communication channel reveals how flowers can potentially inform their pollinators about the honest status of their precious nectar and pollen reserves."

The research was published on Thursday in the latest online edition of the journal Science.

Plants are known to emit weak negatively charged electric fields, and bees acquire a positive charge of up to 200 volts as they fly through the air.

As a charged bee approaches a flower, the difference in electrical potential is not enough to produce sparks, but can be felt by the insect.

The researchers investigated the signals by placing electrodes in the stems of petunias.

They found that when a bee landed on a flower, the plant's electrical potential changed and remained altered for several minutes.

This could be a way of letting a bee know it is landing on a flower that has already been visited and lost its nectar, the scientists speculate.

To their surprise, they discovered that bumblebees can distinguish between different floral electric fields.

They were also quicker at learning the difference between two flower colours when electrical signals were also present.

"The co-evolution between flowers and bees has a long and beneficial history, so perhaps it's not entirely surprising that we are still discovering today how remarkably sophisticated their communication is," Professor Robert added.

CREDIT:guardian.co.uk

PlayStation 4 games footage released by Sony - video

Sony reveals some of the games that will be available to play on the PlayStation 4 (PS4), following their announcement of the long-awaited new console on Wednesday. Footage from new games such as Killzone: Shadow Fall, Knack and inFamous: Second Son show the capabilities of the console. The PS4 will be available for sale by Christmas 2013

Killer robots must be stopped, say campaigners.

A new global campaign to persuade nations to ban "killer robots" before they reach the production stage is to be launched in the UK by a group of academics, pressure groups and Nobel peace prize laureates.

Robot warfare and autonomous weapons, the next step from unmanneddrones, are already being worked on by scientists and will be available within the decade, said Dr Noel Sharkey, a leading robotics and artificial intelligence expert and professor at Sheffield University. He believes that development of the weapons is taking place in an effectively unregulated environment, with little attention being paid to moral implications and international law.

The Stop the Killer Robots campaign will be launched in April at the House of Commons and includes many of the groups that successfully campaigned to have international action taken against cluster bombs and landmines. They hope to get a similar global treaty against autonomous weapons.

"These things are not science fiction; they are well into development," said Sharkey. "The research wing of the Pentagon in the US is working on the X47B [unmanned plane] which has supersonic twists and turns with a G-force that no human being could manage, a craft which would take autonomous armed combat anywhere in the planet.

"In America they are already training more drone pilots than real aircraft pilots, looking for young men who are very good at computer games. They are looking at swarms of robots, with perhaps one person watching what they do."

Sharkey insists he is not anti-war but deeply concerned about how quickly science is moving ahead of the presumptions underlying the Geneva convention and the international laws of war.

"There are a lot of people very excited about this technology, in the US, at BAE Systems, in China, Israel and Russia, very excited at what is set to become a multibillion-dollar industry. This is going to be big, big money. But actually there is no transparency, no legal process. The laws of war allow for rights of surrender, for prisoner of war rights, for a human face to take judgments on collateral damage. Humans are thinking, sentient beings. If a robot goes wrong, who is accountable? Certainly not the robot."

He disputes the justification that deploying robot soldiers would potentially save lives of real soldiers. "Autonomous robotic weapons won't get tired, they won't seek revenge if their colleague is killed, but neither will my washing machine. No one on your side might get killed, but what effect will you be having on the other side, not just in lives but in attitudes and anger?

"The public is not being invited to have a view on the morals of all of this. We won't hear about it until China has sold theirs to Iran. That's why we are forming this campaign to look at a pre-emptive ban.

"The idea is that it's a machine that will find a target, decide if it is the right target and then kill it. No human involvement. Article 36 in the Geneva Convention says that any new weapon has to take into account whether it can distinguish and discriminate between combatant and civilian, but the problem here is that an autonomous robot is not a weapon until you clip on the gun."

At present, Sharkey says, there is no mechanism in a robot's "mind" to distinguish between a child holding up a sweet and an adult pointing a gun. "We are struggling to get them to distinguish between a human being and a car. We have already seen utter incompetence in the use of drones, operators making a lot of mistakes and not being properly supervised."

Last November the international campaign group Human Rights Watch produced a 50-page report, Losing Humanity: the Case Against Killer Robots, outlining concerns about fully autonomous weapons.

"Giving machines the power to decide who lives and dies on the battlefield would take technology too far," said Steve Goose, arms division director at Human Rights Watch. "Human control of robotic warfare is essential to minimising civilian deaths and injuries."

US political activist Jody Williams, who won a Nobel peace prize for her work at the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, is expected to join Sharkey at the launch at the House of Commons. Williams said she was confident that a pre-emptive ban on autonomous weapons could be achieved in the same way as the international embargo on anti-personnel landmines. "I know we can do the same thing with killer robots. I know we can stop them before they hit the battlefield," said Williams, who chairs the Nobel Women's Initiative.

"Killer robots loom over our future if we do not take action to ban them now," she said. "The six Nobel peace laureates involved in the Nobel Women's Initiative fully support the call for an international treaty to ban fully autonomous weaponised robots."

CREDIT:guardian.co.uk

What Makes a Tomato Taste Sweet?

Mary Poppins was definitely onto something when she crooned, "Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down." Children and adults are evolutionarily ingrained to prefer sweeter foods to bitter ones, scientists have learned. But as it turns out, sugar isn't the only way to sweeten the pot. Researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville are searching for new ways to make foods taste better naturally, without adding sugar or artificial sweeteners.

"Flavor equals health. If we can make healthy foods taste better, people will buy more of them and have a healthier diet," said Harry Klee, a University of Florida plant scientist. Klee and his colleague Linda Bartoshuk, a psychologist, have found that volatiles — chemicals in fruits and vegetables that create aromas — may play an even more important role than sugar content in a person's perception of sweetness.

Klee and Bartoshuk discussed their findings last week at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences in Boston.

"How sweet you think a fruit is isn't necessarily related to its sugars," Klee said. For instance, the researchers found that consumers rated one type of tomato, the Matina, as being twice as sweet as the Yellow Jelly Bean tomato, even though the Matina contained less sugar than its yellow relative.
Researchers have long known that volatiles existed in fruits and vegetables, but they didn't know how the different volatiles combined in the brain to create sweet flavor.
Flavor is a combination of input to the brain from the taste buds and from the nose. Aromas can enter the nose through the nostrils. They can also enter the nose through the back of the mouth when people chew food.
While studying tomatoes, Bartoshuk has found six volatiles that contribute to sweetness, independent of sugar. Oddly, not all the volatiles responsible for sweetness smell so sweet on their own. In fact, one volatile called isovaleric acid smells like dirty socks, Bartoshuk pointed out. Yet it combines with the input from other volatiles, as well as input from the taste buds, to create the perception of sweetness in the brain.
Bartoshuk and her colleagues have recently discovered more than 30 volatiles that create sweetness in strawberries in addition to the six that work together to sweeten  tomatoes.
No one knows exactly how volatiles create perceptions of sweetness in the brain. "It's possibly as simple as volatiles intensifying the effect of sugars in the brain," said Bartoshuk in an interview with My Health News Daily.
Not all volatiles contribute to sweetness, either. In fact, Bartoshuk believes that some may actually suppress sweetness. Identifying those volatiles is equally important, because it may allow food growers to create tastier varieties of foods such as tomatoes, by selecting the genes responsible for sweetness-inducing volatiles and eliminating genes that suppress sweetness.
Bartoshuk's future research will focus on how to add together the nearly 40 volatiles the University of Florida researchers have discovered in tomatoes and strawberries. Bartoshuk hopes to be able to combine the volatiles from the two fruits into a single mixture that could be added to foods and beverages to make them sweeter.
"The potential to create sweeter foods, while reducing the intake of sugars and artificial sweeteners is truly exciting. We believe it can be done," she said.

CREDIT:My Health News Daily.

7 Theories on the Origin of Life.

Primordial soup

LifeonEarthbeganmorethan3billionyearsago,evolvingfrom the most basic of microbes into a dazzling array of complexity over time. But how did the first organisms on the only known home to life in the universe develop from the primordial soup?

1Panspermia

Perhaps life did not begin on Earth at all, but was brought here from elsewhere in space, a notion known aspanspermia. For instance, rocks regularly get blasted off Mars by cosmic impacts, and a number of Martian meteorites have been found on Earth that some researchers have controversially suggested brought microbes over here, potentially making us all Martians originally. Other scientists have even suggested that life might have hitchhiked on comets from other star systems. However, even if this concept were true, the question of how life began on Earth would then only change to how life began elsewhere in space.

2 Simple Beginnings

Instead of developing from complex molecules such as RNA, life might have begun with smaller molecules interacting with each other in cycles of reactions. These might have been contained in simple capsules akin to cell membranes, and over time more complex molecules that performed these reactions better than the smaller ones could have evolved, scenarios dubbed "metabolism-first" models, as opposed to the "gene-first" model of the "RNA world" hypothesis.

3 Nowadays DNA needs proteins in order to form, and proteins require DNA to form, so how could these have formed without each other? The answer may be RNA, which can store information like DNA, serve as an enzyme like proteins, and help create both DNA and proteins. Later DNA and proteins succeeded this "RNA world," because they are more efficient. RNA still exists and performs several functions in organisms, including acting as an on-off switch for some genes. The question still remains how RNA got here in the first place. And while some scientists think the molecule could have spontaneously arisen on Earth, others say that was very unlikely to have happened. 

Other nucleic acids other than RNA have been suggested as well, such as the more esoteric PNA or TNA.

4Chilly Start

Ice might have covered the oceans 3 billion years ago, as the sun was about a third less luminous than it is now. This layer of ice, possibly hundreds of feet thick, might have protected fragile organic compounds in the water below from ultraviolet light and destruction from cosmic impacts. The cold might have also helped these molecules to survive longer, allowing key reactions to happen.

Deep-Sea Vents

5 The deep-sea vent theory suggests that life may have begun at submarine hydrothermal vents, spewing key hydrogen-rich molecules. Their rocky nooks could then have concentrated these molecules together and provided mineral catalysts for critical reactions. Even now, these vents, rich in chemical and thermal energy, sustain vibrant ecosystems.

6 Community Clay

The first molecules of life might have met on clay, according to an idea elaborated by organic chemist Alexander Graham Cairns-Smith at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. These surfaces might not only have concentrated these organic compounds together, but also helped organize them into patterns much like our genes do now.

The main role of DNA is to store information on how other molecules should be arranged. Genetic sequences in DNA are essentially instructions on how amino acids should be arranged in proteins. Cairns-Smith suggests that mineral crystals in clay could have arranged organic molecules into organized patterns. After a while, organic molecules took over this job and organized themselves.

7Electric Spark

Electric sparks can generate amino acids and sugars from an atmosphere loaded with water, methane, ammonia and hydrogen, as was shown in the famous Miller-Urey experiment reported in 1953, suggesting that lightning might have helped create the key building blocks of life on Earth in its early days. Over millions of years, larger and more complex molecules could form. Although research since then has revealed the early atmosphere of Earth was actually hydrogen-poor, scientists have suggested thatvolcanic clouds in the early atmosphere might have held methane, ammonia and hydrogen and been filled with lightning as well.

Credit: Livescience.

Camel Parlour.

Shahrukh is ready to mesmerize with a stylish hair-do, while Salman with his rippling muscles is getting donned with clothes and accessories. No, he isn't taking his shirt off. Rather, both these 'studs' are being dressed at a camel parlour in Jaisalmer in time for the Desert Festival that starts on February 23.


Meere Khan, the owner of Gorband Camel Parlour in Amar Sagar village, is a veteran at the beautification of these four-legged creatures. He's called a beautician and has been practicing the art of his forefathers. Unlike high-end salons in metros, this one catering to the ship of the desert operates from a humble, open courtyard in Khan's house. 

The salon comprises of a cart in the golden sand with a few iron boxes which contain the implements of the trade - scissors of different shapes and razors called 'ustras'. It takes three hours for Khan and his assistants to decorate Shahrukh and Salman with colourful tassels,beads and mirrors. Intricate geometric patterns are also shaved into the hair. Even the tail is a sight to see. By the end of it, both look as beautiful and bashful as brides. And yes, a little bewildered too. Meanwhile, other camel owners wait patiently to turn their animals into caparisoned beauties. After all, they have taken a prior appointment. 

With tourism being a major sector in Rajasthan, it makes business sense to have salons for camels. These are located in Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Pushkar and Jodhpur. The camel population in Rajasthan is approximately three lakh, of which some 50,000 are into tourism. 

"This is a very special art," explains Khan. "Earlier, camel raisers would themselves be barbers. People would gather the camels in one place and collectively cut their hair. But now, this work is being done in special saloons," he says. 

Khan's rates are flexible - they depend on the pattern and how much the camel owner can shell out. One has to make allowances for vagaries in the desert. The rates vary from Rs 700 to Rs 5,100. 

In Pushkar, famous for its annual camel fair, Ashok Tak has been running 'Collector's Paradise', a camel beauty parlour, for the last 27 years. This seven-time champion of camel decoration says, "I have learnt different styles of haircut and camel decoration and been to different fairs in Kutch, Goa and other Rajasthan cities." 

Over the years, Tak has collected decoration equipment worth more than Rs 1 lakh. He claims he is among the few to have preserved this dying art. "I have trained several others, who are doing an equally good job of it," he says proudly. 

Another art form used on these animals is tattoos. But these are tedious and can take nearly two days. "Many camel owners," says Khan, "take part in festivals and compete during races and polo matches. Having a decorative camel can help them win prizes and they are ready to go that extra mile." 

Wonder what the camels have to say.

Courtesy: The Times Of India.

Avoid coffee during Pregnancy.

Dr Verena Sengpiel from Sahlgrenska University hospital-Sweden, has revealed a new study that caffeine from all sources and even in the minimum quantity reduced birth weight of the new born,and also increased the length of the pregnancy by 5 hours per 100 mg coffeine per day, so think twice before you brew.

Paris Hilton in hospital.

Socialite Paris Hilton spent her birthday in hospital with her boyfriend after he was injured in a skiing accident.

Hilton turned 31 Sunday and she celebrated the day by heading off on a winter vacation at a ski resort in Lake Tahoe, California, with her partner River Viiperi.

However, the holiday ended on bad note when Viiperi fell and cut his leg open. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment, and Hilton stayed by his side, reports contactmusic.com.

She documented the drama in a series of pictures posted on her Twitter page, adding: "Such a scary day on the slopes today. After seeing the gash on River Viiperi's leg, I almost passed out. I have never seen a cut that deep in my life.

"He is so brave, I can't even imagine the pain he went through today. After an eventful birthday weekend in Lake Tahoe, taking off back to Los Angeles."

The couple cut the vacation short and travelled back to Los Angeles.
 courtesy:NIE

Lily Cole: Amazing Ambasador.

“I listen to my dreams quite closely. Dreams are often you talking to yourself.

"It is listening to the deeper voices of yourself and the noises of your mind you don’t hear clearly.

"I feel like everyone knows a lot more in their heart of hearts on a deep level, but sometimes I think there is so much noise in society and in your head that you don’t always hear through it.

“If I have a strong dream about something it doesn’t mean I commit to it 100 per cent, but if it feels right to me, I’ll often end up committing to it later.

“I’ll let it sit in my consciousness for a while. Some of them are silly dreams and some say quite a lot.”

                                                                                                                                Lily Cole.
                                                                                       
 Ambassador for Sky Rainforest Rescue – Sky and WWF’s partnership to help protect one billion trees in the Amazon rainforest.
   

"Bent it like PrabhuDeva."

Choreographer-turned-director Prabhudheva, whose recent film "ABCD - AnyBody Can Dance" is going strong at the box office, says passion for his work has made him achieve what he has today.

"I have seen all the ups and downs in my life, but I have tackled it. I can't put it in words, the experience that I have. I don't generally talk much, but I would say whatever I have achieved (today) is because my passion," the 39-year-old told IANS.

"For me, now it is not just the matter of survival, but it is the passion that keeps me going," he added.

Prabhudheva earned a name for himself in the 1990s for moving his body effortlessly to the groovy beats in songs "Urvashi Urvashi", "Muqabla muqabla", "Kay sera sera". 

He has mastered the Western dance forms like jazz and hip hop. He recently impressed the audience with his dancing skill in the song "Go, go Govinda" from the film "Oh My God!"

He says "dance is everything" for him.

"Dance is everything to me. I direct and when I am free I also choreograph. The new choreographers are super talented, so I get new ideas from them also," he said.

Steroids found at Pistorius's mansion.

BANNED steroid drugs were found in Oscar Pistorius’s house after he shot dead lover Reeva Steenkamp.


A source close to the investigation said: “Steroid drugs were found at Pistorius’s home together with evidence of heavy drinking. That’s why police have specifically ordered that he be tested for steroids.”

Willis' new 'Die Hard' scores with $25M debut

Bruce Willis remains a die-hard at the box office.

Willis' action sequel "A Good Day to Die Hard" debuted as the weekend's top draw with a $25 million debut from Friday to Sunday. The 20th Century Fox release raised its domestic total to $33.2 million since opening Thursday for Valentine's Day to get a jump on the long President's Day weekend.

Overseas slice of 'Pi' flips Hollywood formula

With 11 Academy Awards nominations — second only to "Lincoln" with 12 — and the sort of global box-office receipts normally reserved for superheroes, "Life of Pi" is one of the most unusual megahits ever to hit the big-screen. Approaching $600 million at the box office worldwide, the film is by far the top-grosser among the nine best-picture nominees — with $200 million more than "Les Miserables" and "Django Unchained," its closest rivals.

Techband.

Eva Zeisel models a spree headband,which monitors your heart rate,motion,and body temperature to keep track your physical performance and fitness health.

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Australian senator Detained.

Nick Xenophon was detained at Kuala Lumpur airport on Saturday as he arrived for talks with Malaysian officials to discuss elections in June.

Stewart off to Australia to save relationship

Actress Kristen Stewart has reportedly decided to go to Australia to meet boyfriend Robert Pattinson in an attempt to save their relationship.

pistolorius.

The 26-year-old South African — the first Paralympian to appear at the Olympics — is accused of shooting Reeva Steenkamp, 30, in the head, chest and arm at 4am (2am UK time) today.

There were suggestions that model Steenkamp was gunned down as she attempted to play a Valentine’s Day surprise on her athlete lover.

But police said there had been previous incidents at the address described as “allegations of a domestic nature”. Brigadier Denise Beukes said police were “very surprised” by the burglar suggestion.

Percussionist uses four female bottoms as bongos

Rowan Cox:Male Stripper.

Just ask 26-year-old Rowan Cox. For the past 12 months the aptly named hunk has been working as a stripper — and the behaviour he’s witnessed has often left him speechless.

He’s been GROPED, PROPOSITIONED and had his costumes RIPPED off him so often that he has to regularly replace them.He’s even been CHASED down the street by one adoring fan.

He says: “I don’t know what comes over some of them when they see a stripper — it’s like their inner-beast is unleashed.

“During my show I’ve had women probing my naked behind, groping at my full frontal, tearing my clothes off to paw at my flesh and even offering to pay me for sex.

“I had no idea women had it in them to act like that.”

Rowan, from Bow, East London, is a trained actor and had fitted his auditions around a series of part-time office jobs.

But struggling to make ends meet, he decided to try his luck flashing the flesh instead. He honed his physique in the gym, shaved all over, stocked up on baby oil and practised bump and grind dance moves, then signed up with an agency.

In February 2012, Rowan had his first booking — a 25th birthday party in Dover.

Rowan, who performs under stage name Romeo, recalls: “I had to get changed into my fireman’s outfit in the street because I hadn’t thought of the practicalities. I was in my boxers in the road and could see all these hyper-excited girls peering at me through the window.

“I took a deep breath, grabbed my oil and squirty cream and went for it.“Walking into a room of screaming females for the first time was madness — I’d never experienced anything like it before.

“I wasn’t nervous about revealing everything. But when I whipped off my thong, the shrieking went through the roof and I did wonder what I’d got myself into.”

Luckily, Rowan’s acting training gave him confidence to handle hot and bothered audiences during his raunchy routines and his career took off.

He now gets up to ten bookings a week for hen dos, birthday parties and ladies’ night stage shows and can earn from £300 to £900 weekly.Rowan says: “I’ve found myself getting my kit off in all sorts of strange situations. Once I had to walk into a restaurant in my fireman costume and tell everyone they were being evacuated — except for the birthday girl.

“Recently, some colleagues booked me for their boss’s birthday. I had to go to her glass-windowed office in working hours for a pretend job interview.

“I blagged my way answering some questions then made a big fuss about being hot and whipped off my shirt and tie.

“She was a professional, corporate woman but the moment I got down to business with the baby oil she completely lost control. She was screaming her head off!”

While Rowan can never predict how women will react to his routine, he says certain crowds are always more rowdy.

“The younger they are, the worse they are — especially when they’ve been on the booze. One job was on a party bus in London, packed full of lairy twenty-somethings.“I’m 6ft 2in and go to the gym daily but I was a bit scared of them. They were like a pack of animals with their hands everywhere.

“One girl was out-of-her-mind horny and wouldn’t stop groping at me.

“Another job was for a group of hammered girls in their twenties. I’d done my bit on the dancefloor and was getting dressed when one girl emptied my bottle of baby oil over my head. I had to run with the oil dripping everywhere as she chased me down the street.

“I have four costumes — fireman, sailor, policeman and James Bond — but I’m always having to replace them after they’ve been ripped off my body by frenzied women.”

Older women can also be just as predatory. Rowan says: “One ladies’ night in Ipswich had an audience in their fifties that really meant business. They were shoving notes in my pants just so they could cop a good feel and trying to perform sex acts on me. Often the quiet ones surprise you most. At the end of the night one straight-laced-looking woman asked me how much I charged for an hour together. I politely explained she had the wrong idea.”

Although he is propositioned frequently, Rowan — who’s single — tries to keep it professional.

He says: “Some guys who strip are real players but that’s not me. I have taken a couple of numbers in my time and occasionally I have started to get aroused performing if I spot a girl I fancy. It’s rare but if it happens it happens. On at least six occasions I’ve even been asked if I’ll have sex with women.

“But I don’t let adoring audiences go to my head. I’ve had nasty comments too — women shouting mean things about the size of my manhood or about my job. You develop a thick skin and us male strippers all get on.”

Rowan admits his work has made things tricky in his personal life.

He says: “My family and friends accept it’s just a job. It’s fun, pays well and gives me the time to go to auditions and pursue my acting dreams.

“But it makes relationships tricky as girls have their doubts about you. I split up with one ex last year because she just couldn’t handle it.

“When I tell people what I do, most don’t take you seriously as boyfriend material. They just assume you’re a player.”

He also admits it has changed his perspective on women: “Now I could never pay someone to take their clothes off — it would be too weird.

“I think the two sides of stripping are different, though. Men can be really sleazy with female strippers but even the worst over-the-top women aren’t that seedy with blokes.

“Yes, some go too far but the majority are nice — they just let loose and get the giggles. Some are so innocent and mortified they can’t bear to look at my bits.”

Occasionally, Rowan even gets to keep his clothes ON. He says: “One of the oddest jobs was when a son booked me for his mum’s 81st birthday at a pub in Brighton.

“When I walked in, I saw a big group of grey-haired pensioners eating lunch — some of them hooked up to oxygen tanks. I put baby oil on the birthday girl’s wrinkly hands and she loved it but when it came to dropping my trousers, I felt really awkward.

“To my relief her son stepped in and said to stop at that point.”

Rowan doesn’t plan to play Romeo for ever but for now is set to continue stripping.

He says: “I suppose it’s bizarre to go to work in a sailor suit and shave your body daily because women can’t oil up a hairy man.

“But it’s normal for me and I enjoy it. I get to observe a side of women most men will never ever see. But one thing’s for sure — if I ever get married my bride-to-be is banned from having a stripper at her hen do.

“No matter what they might pretend to their fellas I know what X-rated antics go on when girls are unleashed on a guy with his kit off.”

Elizabeth Olsen to star in 'Godzilla'

Actress Elizabeth Olsen has confirmed she will star in the new "Godzilla" movie.

The 23-year-old made the revelation during the British Academy Film Awards ceremony here Sunday night, reports contactmusic.com.

Olsen also said the film will return to its original Japanese roots as opposed to the 1998 film, which starred Matthew Broderick.

Quizzed about the difference between the new movie from the previous one, the 23-year-old told bangshowbiz.com: "It's definitely going to be different. It's not a light-hearted fare. It's going back to its roots and its core - the reason why the Japanese made it, kind of."

Adele rehearses for Oscars in McCartney's home.

British singer Adele has reportedly rented Paul McCartney's old house here to practice for her performance at the Oscar ceremony.

The 24-year-old, said to be battling stage fright, is paying 47,000 pounds a month to rehearse in the house, reports thesun.co.uk.

"Adele is really nervous about her Oscars performance, so decided against staying in a hotel where there would be lots of people around. The property's up in the hills so guarantees her privacy," a source said.

"And what better place to get musical inspiration than an ex-Beatle's home," the source added.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that the singer, who gave birth to a boy in October 2012, is earning 41,000 pounds in a day and has a total worth of 14.9 million pounds.

Lopez used 'Parker' as therapy during divorce

 Jennifer Lopez says she used her new film "Parker" as a therapy to balance her stressful mind with divorce from  Marc Anthony.

Lopez had no idea how she would portray a woman struggling through the pain of a divorce when she signed up to star opposite Jason Statham in the film because she was  married to Anthony at the time.

However, when it came to shoot the movie, she didn't have to dig too deep to the character as she had already parted ways with Anthony, reports contactmusic.com

"The timing was crazy because when they offered me the role it hadn't happened. So I was kind of just thinking about the character and that she was at the worst time in her life," said Lopez.

"But, when we actually started shooting the film, I was in the worst time of my life, one of the worst times in my life. You know, going through my own divorce," she added.

Lopez said that the film provided her with a chance to release the heavy emotions she was trying to hide from her children.

"When you have kids and you go through something like that, you can't show them what you're going through, you know. So you have to be so strong all day... and when you're working you have to be professional all day. In front of the camera, I got to act like how I felt... It was like therapy for me," lopez said.

Sylvester Stallone supports assault weapon ban.

Sylvester Stallone says that despite his "Rambo" image and new shoot-em-up film "Bullet to the Head," he's in favor of new national gun control legislation.

Stallone supported the 1994 "Brady bill" that included a now-expired ban on assault weapons, and hopes that ban can be reinstated.

"I know people get (upset) and go, 'They're going to take away the assault weapon.' Who ... needs an assault weapon? Like really, unless you're carrying out an assault. ... You can't hunt with it. ... Who's going to attack your house, a (expletive) army?"

The 66-year-old actor, writer and director said he also hopes for an additional focus on mental health to prevent future mass shootings.

"It's unbelievably horrible, what's happened. I think the biggest problem, seriously, is not so much guns. It's that every one of these people that have done these things in the past 30 years are friggin' crazy. Really crazy! And that's where we've dropped the ball: mental health," he said. "That to me is our biggest problem in the future, is insanity coupled with isolation."

Stallone is now in production on his next project, pairing up with the former "Raging Bull" Robert De Niro for "Grudge Match," about two aging boxers.

"People think it's going to be some geezer brawl. Really? OK, they're in for a surprise. I'm telling you. I've been working on the fight, the choreography. He's taking it deadly serious. Because no one wants to be shown up," Stallone said of De Niro. "It's going to be like a 'Rocky' fight. This will be 'Rocky 7,' with me fighting — with Rocky fighting the 'Raging Bull.'"