World News

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks' actor son Colin Hanks has got engaged to his publicist girlfriend Samantha Bryant.

The 31-year-old recently popped the question to the Manhattan-based PR executive and the Hollywood family is ecstatic about the engagement, reports contactmusic.com.

'Rita (Wilson, Colin's mother) gave Samantha a $10,000 handbag to congratulate them,' said a source.

Socialite heiress Paris Hilton has built a luxurious 'mini mutt mansion' for her dogs.

The singer-actress has got the tiny estate, which is a replica of her own Los Angeles mansion, custome-made in her backyard next to her swimming pool, reports mirror.co.uk.

It also features replicas of her own furniture including a chandelier, wardrobes and chic furniture and to top it all, the dog pad is fully air-conditioned.

The reality star proudly posted pictures of the posh kennel on her Twitter page and wrote: 'I love and treat my puppies as if they were my own children...I have to admit, I may have spoiled them a little too much. But how can I not? Just look at those sweet lil' faces, they deserve to be treated like my lil' prince and princesses. I love my babies.'

Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has split from his supermodel girlfriend Bar Rafaeli.

The 'Revolutionary Road' star, who has been dating Refaeli on and off since 2005, has decided he needs some space from the Israel-born beauty, reports People.com.

The relationship, according to the magazine, fizzled out because 24-year-old Bar was keen to settle down and set up home with the actor, while DiCaprio didn't feel he was ready to fully commit to her.

'They're taking time off for the time being, they've split. It could just end up as a break but for now they're doing their own thing...She wanted to move faster than he did, she wanted to move in together, so he broke it off,' said a source.

Upscale jeweler Tiffany & Co would have to see at least a five percentage point improvement in U.S. same-store sales in order to call business better, as jewelry remains one of the trickiest things to sell in the recession.

Speaking at the Reuters Global Luxury Summit in New York, Tiffany Chief Executive Michael Kowalski said that he has not seen any "game changer" so far in any of its markets.

When asked what the company needs to see to call business better, Kowalski said: "I would say a trend that represents a 5 percentage point comp movement" in the United States.

"If comps went from minus 25 (percent) to minus 15 (percent), we would say that's significant," Kowalski said, pointing to the U.S. market. "We haven't seen that yet."

New York-based Tiffany, known for its blue boxes and flagship store in Manhattan, has faced a huge sales drop recently, as many other luxury retailers have, in the economic slump.

Mounting job losses, tight credit access and the turbulence in stock markets have made matters worse for even affluent consumers. More shoppers are trying to haggle for lower prices at Tiffany stores now, Kowalski said.

Tiffany has vowed that it will not discount its jewelry, as it tries to protect its luxury brand image

Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp has an alternative career lined up should he ever decide to quit acting - he's a secret portrait artiste.

The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' actor has been nurturing his talent for years and picks up a paintbrush whenever he has difficulty sleeping, reports contactmusic.com.

He's been honing his talents by creating oil portraits of literary heroes and celebrity friends.

'I started painting people I admire, like (author Jack) Kerouac, Bob Dylan, Nelson Algren, Marlon Brando, Patti Smith, my girl (Vanessa Paradis), my kids. I painted (late journalist) Hunter (S. Thompson) a couple of times (and) Keith Richards...What I love to do is paint people's faces, you know, their eyes. Because you want to find that emotion, see what's going on behind their eyes,' he said.

Rumours are rife that pop diva Britney Spears is dating her agent, Jason Trawick.

Mirror.co.uk reports that the 'Toxic' singer, currently in Britain on her 'Circus' tour, was visited by the media man here last weekend and love sparked between the two.

Friends of 27-year-old singer said even her dad Jamie approves of her choice and thinks Trawick apparently makes her very happy and is said to get on well with her two sons, Sean Preston, 3, and Jayden James, 2, by ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Internet reports also claim that Trawick can't wait for Spears to finish her tour so he can take her on a holiday.