gofuserectus

this is really weird how fanatical the Indian fans are about their actors/celebrities, etc !!


BANGALORE, India (AP) Raj Kumar, a onetime child actor who became one of south India's most beloved movie stars and later was kidnapped by a notorious bandit, died Wednesday at age 77.

He died in a Bangalore hospital of cardiac arrest, Dr. Ramana Rao told the Press Trust of India news agency.

Kumar, whose name was also spelled Rajkumar, appeared in more than 200 Kannada-language films in five decades, with millions of fiercely devoted fans. While he largely gave up acting in the mid-1990s, he remained one of the region's best-loved figures.

Hundreds of distraught fans rioted in Bangalore when police prevented them from forcing their way into the late actor's home, New Delhi Television reported.

Police used bamboo canes to drive away angry fans who shattered the windows of several buses and set a half-dozen cars and motorcycles on fire.

The actor's body was later moved to a large public park in the heart of the city to allow fans to pay their last respects. The regional government in southern India has decided to give Kumar a state funeral, according to Press Trust of India.

Kumar appeared in action films, mythological sagas and romance movies in which he was the star attraction.

Although he played rugged, masculine heroes who triumphed over scheming villains in many of his movies, he also was known for never having smoked cigarettes on screen, or never playing a drunkard after his early days.

He was in the news again in 2000 when he was kidnapped by Veerappan, a famed bandit who had spent decades eluding police in the forests of south India. Kumar was freed by Veerappan after 109 days living in the forests with his gang. Local reports said a large ransom was paid, although Kumar denied that.

Kumar's first glimpse into the world of acting was as a child, when he accompanied his father, an actor who performed in plays in small Indian villages.

Kumar soon dropped out of school to act on the stage and later in the movies.

He won more than 20 national and state awards for his contribution to Indian cinema. His fans called him "Annavaru" meaning "respected elder brother" in the Kannada language.

Movie reviews often told of audiences in cinema halls booing villains who tried to pick fights with him on the big screen. Fans were known to worship his image and pray that his films would be successful at the box office.

He also was a singer whose range extended from dance numbers to classical and devotional songs.

After his retirement, Kumar continued to work behind the scenes as a producer.

Kumar's three sons Shivraj, Raghavendra and Puneet all became successful actors.

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Ebay Stops Bidding for Wis. Killer's Land
Monday, April 10, 2006 9:14 PM EDT
The Associated Press


PLAINFIELD, Wis. (AP) Land that was once home to a murderer whose story inspired the movie "Psycho" was pulled from an online auction, the owner said Monday.

The bidding was stopped by eBay on Saturday, five days after it was first listed, said Mike Fisher. In an e-mail to Fisher, eBay said the listing violated its policy against murder memorabilia.

"It was bound to be controversial," Fisher said. He inherited the land from his grandfather, who bought it at an auction.

Fisher said he received one offer that was far lower than his $250,000 asking price for the 40-acre property, which once contained Ed Gein's home and part of his farm.

The property in central Wisconsin where Gein was arrested and where body parts and clothing made from human skin were found in 1957 remains for sale, he said.

Gein was arrested when the headless body of a hardware store owner was found at his farm home. Investigators also found parts of other bodies. They concluded Gein had robbed graves and may have killed other people.

A fictionalized account of Gein by writer Robert Bloch inspired the Norman Bates character in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic "Psycho."

Gein, eventually ruled guilty but criminally insane, died in a mental hospital in 1984 at age 77.

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see my profile pic for Cy the Cyclops cat.


Famous One-Eyed Kitten to Go on Display
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 7:07 PM EDT
The Associated Press


GRANBY, N.Y. (AP) The one-eyed, noseless kitten that inspired an international debate last year over whether it was a hoax is coming to a new museum of oddities in central New York.

The museum founder, who believes in creationism, said the kitten is meant to launch another debate about how science and religion intersect.

The Oregon woman who owned the kitten said she turned down Ripley's Believe it or Not! and sold the remains to John Adolfi of Granby because she liked his religious reasons for wanting them.

"We didn't want Cy becoming a joke or part of a personal collection," Traci Allen said. "But John was so heartfelt, you could tell he was genuine and sincere."

Adolfi would not say how much he paid for the kitten, named Cy, for Cyclops. He said he plans to have it embalmed Wednesday at a local funeral home.

The kitten died in December, a day after being born. Veterinarians in Oregon said it suffered from a rare disorder called holoprosencephaly.

Cy will be displayed in a glass jar in the Lost World Museum, which Adolfi hopes to open in nearby Phoenix this fall.

Other exhibits will include giant plants and eggs, deformed animal remains and archaeological finds, Adolfi said.