'The regime got me into the shape of my life and I continue to return to it when I have a specific event so that I can do ridiculous things like be a 37-year-old mother-of-two and wear shorts!' contactmusic.com quoted Paltrow as saying.

Gwyneth also claims she has to diet in short spurts to get good results.

'To really get in line, I follow her strict diet for five days to lose my extra winter weight. Now, I am not a good dieter and I cannot every do it for long - only when there is a goal in sight, which there was in this case.'

The model is trying for a baby with husband Alex Reid and has ditched the wrinkle-smoothing injections after a doctor advised her the treatment could be harmful.

'Katie was gutted but she didn't want to take any chances. She was the one who asked whether it was safe to have the injections when pregnant. When the doctor said it wasn't advisable Katie said, 'No way.',' thesun.co.uk quoted a source as saying.

Now, the 31-year-old is opting for more natural procedures.

'Instead she had a massage and a normal facial for an hour and a half. She is desperate for a baby after coming off the pill at Christmas. She keeps saying she is worried she will have loads of wrinkles at her birthday party. But deep down all she wants is to get pregnant so vanity has to be put to one side,' source added.

'One in three British women say stonewash denim was one of the best trends to come out of the 80s and it has definitely made a comeback of late - although in a revamped design from its original form,' contactmusic.com quoted a spokesperson of the firm as saying.

While Madonna's style in the 80s won plaudits, Cheryl Cole was named the most stylish female of today, beating singer Lady Gaga into second place.

Favourite 80s style icons:

1 - Madonna

2 - Kylie Minogue and Debbie Harry

3 - Joan Collins

4 - Annie Lennox

5 - Jerry Hall

Favourite Fashion Icon of Today

1 - Cheryl Cole

2 - Lady Gaga

3 - Emma Watson and Sienna Miller

4 - Lily Allen

5 - Agyness Deyn

Working couples, the elderly, bachelors - basically anybody unable or unwilling to spend time in the kitchen and at the same time loathe to eating out because of rich and oily food - are part of this new trend in Kolkata. A few people like it so much that they have practically shut down their kitchens!

Some of the most popular services providing home-cooked food are Bordi's Rasoi, Aahar, Dui Burir Hessel, Born Bong and Aap ki Passand.

'It is not possible for working couples to eat out at restaurants regularly because that could affect their health. We even have customers who have been availing themselves of our service for the last three years for 365 days round the year,' said Captain Robin Roy of Bordi's Rasoi, a home delivery service agency.

Rama Sarkar, 70, is one such customer.

'We have closed our kitchen for the last one year except for tea and coffee and simply avail of two square meals from home delivery services. As the food is home cooked, it suits our appetite too,' said Sarkar.

Many old people opt for it as their children are abroad and they don't have anyone to help them cook.

Serving traditional Indian food, these services give anything on demand - from Chinese to Mughlai cuisine - to suit the taste buds of their varied clientele.

A fish meal from a home delivery service costs Rs.30-45. An average meal consists of rice, dal, potato fry/brinjal fry, vegetarian curry, fish curry and chutney.

The vegetarian meal comes home at Rs.25-45. The meal consists of rice, dal, potato fry/brinjal fry, two kinds of vegetarian curries and chutney. Sometimes curd is also served with vegetarian meals.

The chicken/mutton meal from a home delivery service costs about Rs.55-70.

Special dishes such as hilsa bhapa (hilsa curry), chingri macher malai curry (lobster curry) cost Rs.60-100 per plate.

Pressed for time or simply bored of cooking, many Kolkatans are exercising the option of ordering these meals.

'My husband and I work in MNCs. So we hardly get time to cook our own food, and instead depend on home delivery services because the food is home cooked, rich in nutrients and prepared in hygienic conditions. And they give you all kinds of homemade dishes,' said Gargi Adhikary, a working woman.

They also provide lunch boxes to offices across the city just like the dabbawallas in Mumbai do.

'Our customers are mostly nuclear families and elderly couples. Most of the families comprise three to four members and both husband and wife are working,' said Shreya Dasgupta of Aahar home delivery service.

(Pradipta Tapadar can be contacted at pradiptanarayan@gmail.com)

This year's event will take place at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) and 18 girls will vie for the crown,' Lara, a former Miss India, posted on her Twitter page.

'Just got off the stage rehearsing for my act for Miss India '10. Some wonderful memories,' she said.

Shahid posted: '(Will be) performing at Femina Miss India. Tomorrow should be fun with so many pretty ladies around.'

Celebrities like Vivek Oberoi, Neha Dhupia and composer Salim Merchant will also make an appearance.

'Performing at NCPA for the Miss India Pageant. (Will be) doing a mix of 'O mere khuda' and 'Tere liye',' Vivek Tweeted.

Neha, who was Miss India 2002, too is excited to perform on the same stage after so many years.

'Just finished rehearsing for the Femina Miss India contest, glad to be performing on the same stage that has made me the person I am,' she wrote.

Actress Shilpa and filmmaker Anurag Basu are expected to judge the event that will see 18 girls competing for the crown.

'Will be judging Miss India... looking forward to meeting the girls,' Shilpa wrote on the microblogging site.

The 34-year-old has also thrown open a contest on Twitter. She has asked people to send her questions that can be asked -- the best question will be chosen and asked by her at the event.

The event called 'Neon' will be organised by Fashion for Relief and the Iris Foundation headed by Darya Zhukova.

The event will include a concert, a fashion show and an auction. The money raised at the party will be donated to charity funds that help poor families.

More than 70 contestants from all over the world will participate, Li Yulong, executive chairman of Miss Bikini International, told Xinhua.

The participants will also attend fashion shows and cultural activities before the event, Li said.

Only the champion from each country during the preliminaries will join the final, based on beauty, appearance, figure, intelligence and all-round qualities, he said.

This will be the fourth time China will host the contest. Shanghai and Humen are the two other Chinese cities that earlier hosted the event.

The competition was first organised by American Charlie See in 1972.

Monotonous voices are associated with strength, power and confidence, researchers said.

The study at universities in California and Pennysylvania, US, found that men with a steady tone of voice had a significantly higher number of sexual partners than their more expressive counterparts, reports telegraph.co.uk.

Researchers measured the voices of male volunteers in various situations, including a simulated dating game and analysed the results.

The amount their vocal pitch changed - known as fundamental frequency variation - was found to be directly linked to the number of sexual partners the men had in the past year.

Experts believe that the monotone has evolved as an indication of authority and independence. They cited George Clooney and Clint Eastwood as examples of men who have monotone voice but are considered sexy.

David Puts, who led the research at Pennsylvania State University, said: 'The power would be attractive, not the voice as such. It appears that the women are preferring males who are higher in status. It would be the status they would be most interested in.'

De Beers said it will reduce its production to extend the life of its mines, The Telegraph reported Monday.

Des Kilalea, a diamond analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said that taking into account the moderated output diamond prices could rise by at least 5 percent a year for the next five years.

The diamond industry, in the past 20 years, has not found new diamond deposits to match the two biggest mines in Africa, which are owned by De Beers, or the Russian mines of Alrosa.

De Beers accounts for 40 percent of global rough diamond sales.

Beauty expert Shahnaz Husain says a good skin toner is a must in hot weather. 'Rose water is ideal, as it is a natural coolant. In fact, it is due to its cooling properties that it has become so popular in tropical countries. Rose water refreshes the skin and imparts a clean and fresh feeling,' she said.

'You can keep a small bowl of rose skin tonic, or rose water, in the refrigerator. This way, it is chilled and ready for use,' Husain told IANS.

In summer, people with oily skin have a misconception that they should not apply moisturiser because it attracts dust and invites pimples. But Husain says this is a mistake.

'Oily skin can hold moisture better than normal or dry skin. But oily skin can also be short of moisture. This happens during the dry season, when there is a superficial dryness of the outermost layer of the skin. So apply light or oil-free moisturisers because they replenish your skin,' suggests Husain.

According to Ajay Rana, a dermatologist at Berkowits Hair and Skin Clinic, one should be properly covered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. because the sun rays are very harsh during these peak summer hours.

People often forget that a healthy diet is important for beautiful and healthy skin and survive on fizzy drinks and ice creams, saying they are not feeling hungry.

'Summer is a time when one feels like eating less which can lead to many problems like heat strokes, dehydration etc. Youngsters also take cola drinks at frequent intervals in order to beat the heat, but one should not forget that these drinks consist of high sugar levels that make you fat too,' explained Sonia Narang, senior dietician at fitness club Finesse.

'A perfect diet is a must to avoid skin problems that come packed with the summer season,' she added.

Narang also suggests that people should drink 'thandai' (milk and almond-based cooling drink) as a meal replacement. It is very filling and healthy.

In summers, the body gets badly dehydrated and the dryness leads to skin that is wrinkle prone, less elastic and allergic to various problems.

SO it's a good idea to keep the skin and body hydrated with vegetable juices, watermelon juice, aam panna, coconut water, barley, chana, sattu, jaljira and lemonade.

Also one should avoid diuretics like alcohol, caffeine, tea, coffee, chocolates and cigarettes that deplete water from the body. Also, one should minimise the intake of spicy, hot and extremely salty foods as they affect the skin adversely.

Anup Dhir, senior cosmetic surgeon at the Apollo Hospital, suggests that one can go for chemical peels to treat acne, fine lines, wrinkles and sun damage.

'A chemical peel is a treatment process that will improve and smoothen the texture of facial nerve skin. A chemical solvent is applied on the skin and then finally peeled off. The reclaimed skin is usually smoother and less wrinkled than the older skin,' said Dhir.

'Chemical peels stimulate the production of new cells, tighten and tone the skin and decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. They also help in lightening acne scars and sun damage,' he added.

(Shilpa Raina can be contacted at shilpa.r@ians.in)