Jackman: Size matters for `Wolverine' and Oscars

LOS ANGELES – Hugh Jackman relied on his Wolverine alter ego to pack on muscle for the "X-Men" role, and he turned to the Oscars to slim back down.

The 40-year-old actor trained for a year to achieve his character's look.

"My goal was to make him look like an animal," a much leaner Jackman said recently. "I wanted people to be unnerved when they saw him."

Among the first to be unnerved? "Australia" director Baz Luhrmann.

Jackman was co-starring with Nicole Kidman in the epic love story when he started bulking up for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

"Baz said, `Mate, whatever you're eating, can you slow down a bit because I'm going to struggle to edit this together,'" Jackman recalled, adding that there are a few scenes in "Australia" where he's "beefier" than he ought to be.

The director had issues with Jackman's size again when the two collaborated on the opening song-and-dance number for the Academy Awards.

"Baz was like, `You've got to lose weight ... You're too bulky,'" Jackman said.

Luckily, Jackman discovered the ideal weight-loss plan: "Singing and dancing is the greatest diet in the history of the planet," he said. "Well, that and performing in front of a billion people."

Despite the pressures of the Oscar performance, the gregarious actor said he'd take on the hosting task again without hesitation.

"I'd do it again if I was asked," Jackman said. "I loved every second of it."

UK graduates face poor job prospects

LONDON: Almost two-thirds of students leaving universities this summer do not expect to find a graduate-level job in an economy hit by recession and rising unemployment.

A survey of over 16,000 final year students showed confidence in the graduate employment market has dropped to a 15-year low; many students fear an uncertain start to their working life.

The number of leavers who have already secured a definite job offer during the annual student recruitment round has dropped by a third this year compared with 2008, the survey by independent researchers High Fliers showed.

Half of student job hunters fear that even if they do find a job, the offer may be withdrawn before they start work or they will be made redundant in their first year of work.

"Final year students due to leave UK universities this summer are gloomy and frustrated about their employment prospects," said Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research.

"Having invested an average of 15,000 pounds ($21,600) in their degrees, thousands of finalists are now set to leave university without a job offer and feel they have little prospect."

The survey showed a dramatic fall in applications for graduate jobs in banking, finance and property - all sectors which have suffered badly since the credit crunch which prompted a global financial crisis and sharp economic decline.

Instead, more university-leavers have applied to work in the public sector, teaching, engineering, the charity or voluntary sectors and the armed forces.

Tom Hanks arrives for Film Society Gala Tribute to honor him with the Chaplin Award in NY

Actress Charlize Theron arrives for a Film Society Gala Tribute to honor actor Tom Hanks with the Chaplin Award in New York April 27, 2009

Actor Tom Hanks smiles as he arrives for a Film Society Gala Tribute to honor him with the Chaplin Award in New York April 27, 2009.

Jennifer Aniston tests the New York City nightlife

A gorgeous-looking Jennifer Aniston tests the New York City nightlife accompanied by a female pal. Jennifer is in town to film 'The Baster 'which also stars Jason Bateman.

Beyonce says "definitely" wants Broadway role

NEW YORK- Grammy Award winning singer and actress Beyonce Knowles has a plan to settle down in a couple of years and have some children with her husband, hip hop mogul Jay-Z, do less touring and -- debut on Broadway.
"It's my ideal job," Knowles told Reuters, while promoting her latest film role in "Obsessed," in which she plays a wife who takes on her husband's stalker.
"I'll be able to go to the theater every day and drop my kids off and maybe make some food -- maybe I'll know how to cook by then -- and then go do what I love and have some normalcy and have a regular schedule."
"I definitely want to do Broadway."
Related readings: Beyonce talks tour, movie, Etta James and Twitter Beyonce announces ‘I Am…’ tour dates Angelina Jolie voted most beautiful woman Beyonce knowles rocks Vancouver Knowles, 27, said she loved playing Sharon Charles in "Obsessed," which opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, her first non-singing film role after performances in screen musicals including "Cadillac Records" and "Dreamgirls."
"I love this role because in most of these movies the man comes in and saves the day. And my character Sharon is the hero. She's strong and doesn't choose to be the victim, call her husband, call the police, hide in the attic -- she fights," said Knowles.
The singer's "I Am..." world tour, which begins this week in Croatia, is dramatic but, "I wouldn't say Broadway," said Knowles , who has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide.
"It's really theatrical and I do, of course, all of the singles."

NRF: Consumers cautious on Mother's Day spending

Washington--Americans will spend an average of $123.89 on Mother's Day gifts this year, down slightly from last year's $138.63, with the majority purchasing flowers, according to the latest research from the National Retail Federation(NRF).According to the NRF's 2009 Mother's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by Big Research, total Mother's Day spending is expected to reach $14.10 billion, which is slightly more than Easter.Of the four in five Americans (83.3 percent) who will celebrate Mother's Day this year, the majority will focus on the women with whom they are closest. Most people (62.4 percent) will purchase gifts for their mother/stepmother or wife (21.7 percent) and scale back on gifts for daughters (8.8 percent vs. 9.4 percent in 2008), friends (6.8 percent vs. 7.1 percent in 2008) and godmothers (1.6 percent vs. 2.1 percent in 2008) to save money."No one will forgo celebrating Mother's Day because of the bad economy, but they will put careful thought into what they buy and how much they spend," Big Research Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Phil Rist said in a media release. "Moms will understand that kids may be spending on a budget, so inexpensive, personal gifts will go a long way."The majority of people (66.8 percent) will buy flowers for mom, spending a total of $1.9 billion on those purchases. Slightly more than half (54.8 percent) will treat mom to a special outing such as dinner or brunch, for a total of $2.7 billion. People will also spend $2.3 billion on jewelry, $1.5 billion on gift cards, $1.2 billion on clothing or clothing accessories, and $1.1 million on personal services such as a day at the spa. In addition, consumers will spend $857 million on electronics or computer-related accessories, $587 million on housewares and gardening tools, and $487 million on books or CDs."Retailers understand that people are on strict budgets, even for important holidays," NRF President and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Mullin said in the release. "Budget-friendly gift ideas will abound this Mother's Day: discounted digital cameras, books and apparel still show mom how much she is appreciated."In the search for the best bargains, one-third (30.2 percent) of Mother's Day shoppers will purchase mom's gift from discount stores, while 27.2 percent will go to department stores. Others will head to specialty stores such as florists, gift stores and electronics stores (33 percent) and specialty clothing stores (5.5 percent).As evidence that the Internet continues to play an important role in the way people shop, 18.2 percent will shop online.The NRF 2009 Mother's Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the Mother's Day holiday. The poll of 8,667 consumers was conducted from March 31-April 7, 2009, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent.

SimplexDiam's liquidation business thriving

New York--SimplexDiam Inc. has made more than $15 million in closeout jewelry acquisitions in the past 30 days, the company announced recently.In what is a sign of the recessionary times, SimplexDiam made the purchases at multiple auctions, including the closeout jewelry auction of the now-bankrupt chain Christian Bernard Stores Corp.Designers represented in the acquired inventory include Cacharel, Christian Bernard, David Yurman, Feraud, Guy Laroche, Hearts On Fire, John Hardy, Lagos, Mikimoto, Ritani and Tacori. (These designers are not copyrights or trademarks of SimplexDiam and are not affiliated with the company in any way.)SimplexDiam Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yogesh Madhvani said the company's unique liquidation style has caught the industry's attention."Retailers, wholesalers and banks have noticed that we aren't the typical jewelry liquidator," Madhvani said in a media release. "We are looking for a small margin, and we aim to move product as quickly as possible. This means the seller gets a higher recovery, and the buyer gets a better price. In this recessionary cycle, people flock to companies like ours because the difference in value crystallizes."SimplexDiam also was the backup bidder for more than $7 million of the closeout jewelry of manufacturer The Colibri Group and worked on the Whitehall Jewelers, Friedman's and LID bankruptcies.