The actor died Saturday night at his home in Beverly Hills with his wife Lydia at his side, family spokesman Bill Powers said.

Powers declined to comment on the cause of death or provide further details.

Heston revealed in 2002 that he had symptoms consistent with Alzheimer’s disease, saying, “I must reconcile courage and surrender in equal measure.”

With his large, muscular build, well-boned face and sonorous voice, Heston proved the ideal star during the period when Hollywood was filling movie screens with panoramas depicting the religious and historical past. “I have a face that belongs in another century,” he often remarked.

The actor assumed the role of leader offscreen as well. He served as president of the Screen Actors Guild and chairman of the American Film Institute and marched in the civil rights movement of the 1950s. With age, he grew more conservative and campaigned for conservative candidates.

In June 1998, Heston was elected president of the National Rifle Association, for which he had posed for ads holding a rifle. He delivered a jab at then-President Clinton, saying, “America doesn’t trust you with our 21-year-old daughters, and we sure, Lord, don’t trust you with our guns.”

Heston stepped down as NRA president in April 2003, telling members his five years in office were “quite a ride. … I loved every minute of it.”

Later that year, Heston was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. “The largeness of character that comes across the screen has also been seen throughout his life,” President Bush said at the time.

He engaged in a lengthy feud with liberal Ed Asner during the latter’s tenure as president of the Screen Actors Guild. His latter-day activism almost overshadowed his achievements as an actor, which were considerable.

Heston lent his strong presence to some of the most acclaimed and successful films of the midcentury. “Ben-Hur” won 11 Academy Awards, tying it for the record with the more recent “Titanic” (1997) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003). Heston’s other hits include: “The Ten Commandments,” “El Cid,” “55 Days at Peking,” “Planet of the Apes” and “Earthquake.”

He liked the cite the number of historical figures he had portrayed:

Andrew Jackson (”The President’s Lady,” “The Buccaneer”), Moses (”The Ten Commandments”), title role of “El Cid,” John the Baptist (”The Greatest Story Ever Told”), Michelangelo (”The Agony and the Ecstasy”), General Gordon (”Khartoum”), Marc Antony (”Julius Caesar,” “Antony and Cleopatra”), Cardinal Richelieu (”The Three Musketeers”), Henry VIII (”The Prince and the Pauper”).

Heston made his movie debut in the 1940s in two independent films by a college classmate, David Bradley, who later became a noted film archivist. He had the title role in “Peer Gynt” in 1942 and was Marc Antony in Bradley’s 1949 version of “Julius Caesar,” for which Heston was paid $50 a week.

Film producer Hal B. Wallis (”Casablanca”) spotted Heston in a 1950 television production of “Wuthering Heights” and offered him a contract. When his wife reminded him that they had decided to pursue theater and television, he replied, “Well, maybe just for one film to see what it’s like.”

Heston earned star billing from his first Hollywood movie, “Dark City,” a 1950 film noir. Cecil B. DeMille next cast him as the circus manager in the all-star “The Greatest Show On Earth,” named by the Motion Picture Academy as the best picture of 1952.

Source: Yahoo News

In a tough and gripping race to the crown, Aishwarya defeated fellow finalists, another extremely talented sensation - Banglar Gorbo Lady jasoos Anvesha Duttagupta. The venue of the Grand Finale was packed to capacity and showcased some brilliant performances by all featuring a mix of new and old popular songs. Hosted by Abhaas while Shaan too pitching in, the show featured performances by the eliminated contestants, Shaan, Abhaas, the judges, Group performance by Abhijeet Sawant, Rahul Vaidya, Ishmeet and Himani; the two finalists, the two A’s also made Isha Kopikar and Malaika Arora Khan dance to their tunes! Celeberity guest list included Amitabh Bachchan, Juhi Chawla with the whole Bhootnath team, Ismail Darbar, Satish Shah, actor Priyanshu Singer Abhijeet; star cast of Bidaai and Santaan and off course the two ladies- Mallaika and Isha.

The Judges Favorite Award from the eliminated participants was awarded to Sonya and Amul presented medals to both the finalists. Apart from the prize money, trophy and lots of accolades, Aishwarya goes home richer by another Rs.1 Lakh, which she earned as a special prize gifted by Singer Abhijit to the winner. Congratulation Aishwarya!

Source (India-forums)

Aishwarya’s father was also performed her childhood song with his daughter aishwarya majmudar.

Aishwarya sang “Jisay Dhoondta hoon main har gharee” From film dil chahta hai.

Anwesha Dutta sang “O Saki saki re saki saki” very well in both voices boy and girl.

Bipasha basu belongs to Bangal so she praised Anwesha Dutta and appeal the vote for Anwesha Dutta as because anwesha dutta is also belongs to bangal.

The both contestants get praised by their gurus.

The 4th april show end on the last performance of Aishwarya and Anwesha song with Bipasha Basu.

Today the show will be on air at 8:00 PM.

So don’t forget to watch chote ustad Grand Finale.

””””””””””””

By Aweska Don, the write.

For auto aficionados a 1967 Fiat BTM is easy to remember, but for those of us driving our Toyota’s and Honda’s every day we ask ourselves, what the hell is a 1967 Fiat BTM?

Here are a couple of 1967 Fiat BTM pictures

What do you think about the 1967 Fiat BTM?

Well, the Dallas Cowboys might soon have a new receiver.

Chris Henry, who was suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for the first eight games of the 2007 season due to multiple run-ins with the law, has been cut by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Said Bengals president Mike Brown in a team-issued statement:  “Chris Henry has forfeited his opportunity to pursue a career with the Bengals.  His conduct can no longer be tolerated.

“The Bengals tried for an extended period of time to support Chris and his potentially bright career.   We had hoped to guide him toward an appropriate standard of personal responsibility that this community would support and that would allow him to play in the NFL.  We acknowledge those fans who had concerns about Chris; at the same time we tried to help a young man.

“But those efforts end today, as we move on with what is best for our team.”

Henry was taken into custody early Thursday after being charged with assault.  Under the rules of Turd Watch II, the Bengals will not receive any points as a result of the arrest, since they cut him within a week after the cuffing and fingerprinting.

Meanwhile, we wonder whether disgruntled Bengals receiver Chad Johnson is now contemplating a mini-crime spree.

Reyes, 21, was pulled over in Temple Terrace, Fla. for a malfunctioning tail light, after which, according to testimony from Tampa Terrace police officers, she verbally abused them and ignored demands to get back in the truck. When they tried cuffing her, she resisted.

Hillsborough County Judge Tom Barber sentenced her to pay court costs and an additional $500 fine. She must also serve 12 months’ probation and work 48 hours of community service.

The changes will occur over the next one to two years, he said.

Galante said the number of “worship sites” will vary - with some serving as “primary, year-round sites” and others in use as secondary sites, mission sites or in summer months at the Jersey Shore.

“While Catholic population is increasing overall, in many instances it has shifted out of former Catholic populations centers into other parts of the diocese, leaving behind parish facilities that are in close proximity to each other, but are now under-utilized and aging,” he said.

In Camden,the consolidation would merge two neighborhood parishes - Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Fatima in South Camden and Holy Name in North Camden - into a parish based at the downtown Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

Members of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Fatima had protested outside diocesan headquarters in an effort to prevent that merger.

In addition, St. Joan of Arc and St. Bartholomew would merge into a cluster with Sacred Heart parish in Waterfront South.

And St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral in East Camden would merge with St. Cecelia and St. Veronica.Two Camden parishes - St. Anthony and St. Joseph - would remain as stand-alone institutions.

Mergers will affect four parishes in Cherry Hill.

Queen of Heaven is to join with nearby St. Peter Celestine on the town’s west side, while St Pius X (west side) will join with Holy Rosary on the east side.

In addition, St. Mary parish is to be clustered with St. Thomas More.

Other mergers in Camden County:

–St John and Transfiguration, both in Collingswood will join with Holy Saviour in Westmont.

–St. Aloysius of Oaklyn and St. Vincent Pallotti of Haddon Township.

–Also Sacred Heart in Mount Ephraim with Holy Maternity in Audubon.

–Annunciation of Bellmawr is to join St. Anne of Westville and St. Maurice of Brooklawn.Standing alone would be St. Peter, St Stephen, Immaculate Heart and St. Mary of Gloucester City, the oldest parish in the diocese.

More mergers:

–St. Lawrence of Lindenwold joins St. Luke of Stratford and Our Lady of Grace in Somerdale.

–Mary Mother of the Church in Bellmawr joins St. Francis de Sales in Barrington and St. Gregory in Magnolia.

–St. Maria Goretta of Barrington joins St. Teresa of Runnemede.

–St. Rose of Lima stands alone in Haddon Heights.

–St. Agnes and St. Jude, both of Blackwood, are merging.

–St. Mary of Williamstown and St. John Neumann of Sicklerville, are merging.”

–Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Berlin, joins with St. Edward of Pine Hill and Mater Ecclesiae of Berlin.

–Standing alone are Holy Family of Sewell, St. Charles Borromeo of Sicklerville and Sts. Peter and Paul of Washington Township.

–A three-way merger will join Holy Name of Jesus in Mullica Hill, with St. Joseph of Woodstown and St. Ann of Elmer.

In Gloucester County, these mergers will occur:

–Our Lady of Lourdes, Glassboro, with Our Lady Queen of Peace in Pitman.

–St. Margaret of Woodbury Heights with St. John Vianney of Deptford.

–St. Patrick of Woodbury, with St. Matthew of National Park and Most Holy Redeemer of Westville Grove.

–Merging with a priest team are St. Catherine of Siena, Clayton, and Nativity of Franklinville and St. Bridget of Glassboro.

–Incarnation in Mantua will stand alone.

–At the Jersey Shore, three churches will merge in Ocean City - St. Augustine, St. Frances Cabrini and Our Lady of Good Counsel.

–St. Ann of Wildwood merging with Assumption of Marmora.

–Maris Stella of Avalon merging with St. Paul of Stone Harbor.

–Standing alone will be: Our Lady Star of the Sea in Cape May, St. Joseph of Sea Isle City and Our Lady of the Angels in Cape May Court House. Also at the Shore, St. Nicholas of Tolentine will stand alone in Atlantic City. Across the country, and especially the Northeast, bishops facing similar problems are cutting parishes.

Between 1995 and 2007, the church reported a loss of nearly 700 parishes nationwide, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. More cuts are on the way. Within the next two decades, the number of active diocesan priests in the United States is expected to drop in half to 11,500.

In six South Jersey counties, 124 parishes serve an estimated 450,000 Catholics, or about 33 percent of the population. However, just a quarter of Catholics in the diocese attend Mass regularly, officials say.

The population has shifted, too. In some areas where there are many churches clustered tightly together, the population is expected to decline. In other places, such as Gloucester County and parts of Atlantic County, the population is expected to grow as development of former farmland continues.

Most pressing is the impending priest shortage. The diocese expects it will have fewer than 85 active priests by 2015, a 50 percent decline.

Planning committees weighed options such as merging parishes into a new parish and clustering two or more parishes so they can share a priest. Others may be led by a “director of parish life” instead of a priest, and some parishes may be grouped together under a team of priests.

Sister Christine Schenk, executive director of Future Church, said her organization has been warning about the impending priest shortage and parish cutbacks for two decades.

If laity don’t get involved now in shaping the future of the church, she said, “I don’t know where the voice of the Catholic laity will come from.”

“We’ve tried to get people to be proactive, but most people are just in denial,” Schenk said in an interview earlier this week. “They don’t want to believe their parish is going to close. When they see it’s real, then it’s suddenly a crisis . . . This is a situation that the Camden Diocese is going to face (today) but they’re going to be facing it again in five years. All you have to do is look at the 50 percent loss in the number of priests.”

Shrinking the number of parishes to fit the number of priests will lead to a loss of Catholics, Schenk believes.

“Most Catholics do not think worshiping in a mega parish with 10,000 other people is a way they appreciate Catholic community,” Schenk said. “To break up vital communities which have spiritually supported each other for many years is a big mistake.”

While the diocese has been careful to distinguish between a parish “closing” and a parish “merging,” some affected parishioners still feel the pain.

Nick Matteo, a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Berlin, said there will be a lot of anxiety among those who will be displaced from their home parishes.

“A church and its pastor are very personal to many people,” Matteo wrote in an e-mail sent this week. “Many of these parishioners have only known one parish in their lifetime. Some of us have looked long and hard to find the right fit for our families.”

Parishes that absorb other congregations should “help relieve their anxiety” by welcoming them into their new parish, Matteo said.

Amy Weirauch, a member of Queen of Heaven Parish in Cherry Hill, said the situation was awful.

“I’m still praying for a miracle,” she said before Thursday’s announcement.

Once the nation’s 10th-largest air carrier, ATA entered bankruptcy for the second time in just over three years. The company had more than 2,200 employees, and “virtually all” were told that their jobs were gone, company spokesman Michael Freitag said.

Many passengers learned of the collapse at ticket counters, where advisories were posted in the handful of cities ATA still served. About 10,000 passengers flew ATA each day when operations were shut down, according to the airline.

“It ruins my vacation,” said Beatrice Martinez, who was trying to reach Guadalajara, Mexico, from Midway International Airport in Chicago. “I’m in shock. So I guess I’ll try to make other arrangements. Right now I just need to get to Mexico.”

Airlines are struggling with rising fuel prices, labor strife, depressed ticket demand and heightened competition, said George Godlin, an analyst for Moody’s Investor Service.

“We’re in a perfect storm kind of environment right now,” he said.

The ATA bankruptcy generated little surprise. It was the second carrier to declare bankruptcy in just the past two weeks. Aloha Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month, a little more than two years after emerging from bankruptcy.

“We are seeing some of the very marginal carriers shut down … and will probably see more,” said Ray Neidl, an analyst at Calyon Securities in New York.

Analysts don’t think larger carriers are in imminent danger of bankruptcy. But many industry observers have long warned that sustained high fuel prices and a slowing economy could push larger airlines to the brink.

“I do think that this bankruptcy highlights the difficult times the industry is facing with oil above $100 a barrel,” said Jim Corridore, an analyst at Standard & Poor’s in New York. “While I don’t think that any major network airlines are currently at risk of bankruptcy due to the high cash levels they have amassed over the past few years, I think that they will certainly be weakened and unable to offset higher oil with higher revenues.”

Tough operating conditions have led to merger talks industrywide. Negotiations between Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. recently stalled over a dispute between pilot unions.

ATA said in a statement that the cancellation of a critical agreement with FedEx Corp. for most of the airline’s charter business left it unable to offset exorbitant fuel prices.

That agreement gave ATA a significant share of the airlift contracts to fly military members and their families overseas, ATA said. FedEx told ATA that that agreement would end when the government’s 2009 fiscal year begins in October.

“This termination is a full year earlier than the term specified in a letter of agreement between FedEx and ATA,” the airline’s statement said.

FedEx officials could not be reached for immediate comment.

ATA retrenched in 2006 after emerging from bankruptcy, focusing on an increase in its military charter business. The airline operated approximately 50 commercial flights per day, mostly between Hawaii and four west coast cities — Oakland, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

ATA announced last month that it would leave Chicago’s Midway Airport, which it had used as a hub since 1992.

ATA’s bankruptcy will also affect Southwest Airlines customers. The Dallas-based airline has a code-share agreement with ATA for travel to Hawaii.

Southwest said Thursday that it immediately began rebooking passengers with dates and times as close to the original travel plans as possible. Southwest said it would give priority to customers who are scheduled to travel in the next 14 days.

“ATA Airlines has been an outstanding partner for Southwest, and we are disappointed to hear this unfortunate news,” Gary Kelly, Southwest Airlines chief executive officer, said in a press release. “We are sad to end our codeshare relationship with ATA but understand it’s extremely difficult for an airline to flourish in today’s arduous financial environment that has been plagued by soaring fuel prices.”

Source: Yahoo News

If you are interested in the new features of Windows Mobile 6.1, you can check out Pocketnow.com’s review or head on over to see the new Microsoft webpage dedicated to some of the new features of the updated platform.

There is a short video that you can watch as well as a comparison chart detailing the differences between the various versions of Windows Mobile.

Source: Pocketnow